You've done well, but that British landing could be troublesome. Especially if they do a few more.
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Looks good in the colonies, but that naval battle really hurt. How many troops do you have in the Netherlands. Do you have enough to deal with the British if they send in more troops?
Quirinus308 said:
I've about 54,000 troops in the Netherlands, but most are in the south. But if you've read part VIII there is a clue on how I'll beat the British there.
I destroyed some British divisions, although in army strength we're about equal. Unfortunately, my troops are spread equally, while British are not.
The Dutch Empire Strikes Back
Part X
In early 1905 the focus of the war shifted from Africa to Asia. In a matter of weaks Brunei was overrun by 40,000 Dutch troops. Advances continued steadily in India, as no real resistance by the British was met. With the exception of Ava, where British forces, controlling some valueable passes towards India, had dug in and awaited the Dutch assault.
Dutch Soldiers during the Ava Siege
From ‘The Fifth Anglo-Dutch War’ written by G. Eerde: ‘When Ava was conquered by the British during the Second Anglo-Burmese war, they found the site usefull to defend India against a possible invasion from the East. As the Dutch would find out, it was hard to take this fort without much casualties.
The 1st siege of Ava lasted about 2,5 months and costed the Dutch between 25,000 and 30,000 men. Dutch colonial command realized that the fort could never be taken without, either artillery or to cut the fort off from supplies. To be sure that Ava would fall in Dutch hands artillery was brought in from the South and 100,000 men were ordered to move from Chittagong north to the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan.
On the 20th of April the first artillery brigade, together with 54,000 soldiers, started to bombard the fort. One month later an additional artillery brigade, accomponied with 60,000 men, arrived to the siege. On the 9th of May, one day after the second brigade of artillery had arrived, the British fled the fort. Even though the second siege lasted shorter, the fighting was more intense and an estimated 42,500 men had died during the siege.
With the fall of Ava, the Dutch now had full control of Burma and could push on towards India.’
The complete conquest of Burma by the Dutch
Meanwhile in Europe British forces continued to push furhter in to Northern Netherlands. Although Dutch forces defeated the British in Groningen, the British launched succesfull assaults against Assen en Leeuwarden. The Dutch King was shocked, but there was nothing he could do against them for now.
Across the border, in Germany, a quick decision was made. The Germans had long close relations with the Dutch, and didn’t want to see a permanent British occupation next to their border, they offered 10 divisions, totalling about 33,000 men, to help the Dutch defeat the British. Together with the German troops, Dutch forces started to push back, and eventually driving the British out of the Netherlands. Although the British attempted 2 times to invade, they never established a beachhead.
Back in India, Dutch forces continued to march on further into India. Although the fighting increased, most of it was done by their Indian allies, not by the British, and resulted in almost complete occupation of Eastern India. With the capture of Calcutta in October 1905 further resistance in the area collapsed.
Indian soldiers preparing to fight the ongoing Dutch advance.
Slowly the Dutch pushed further forwards, although outnumbered, they gained victory against victory against the Indian allies. An almost 120,000 strong Indian army of Mysore was almost completely destroyed by just 34,421 well trained Vietnamese soldiers. With the Dutch advance going extremely well, the Dutch population already started to dream about the take over of India entirely, instead of just regaining some long lost provinces.
British India at the end of 1905
In January, 1906, a bold idea was proposed by an admiral in South Africa. The Dutch should attempt to invade Ceylon. Since this was the only way to secure Ceylon, the Dutch high command agreed with this daring plan. The first Dutch forces landed near Colombo on 7 February, first having to beat some guerilla’s who opposed British rule. Unfortunately the Dutch ships were engaged in a naval battle with the British fleet. Although the lost 2 transport ships, the Dreadnoughts performed extremely well before they were ordered to retreat.
British ship, hit by one of the Dreadnoughts
Back in India, the Dutch advance halted, it appeared that many Indians still prefered British rule over Dutch rule. Some cities, Dhaka, Calcutta, Ava and Chittagong, liberated themselves temporarily from Dutch occupation. Under heavy pressure of the front collapsing, and many British troops advancing from Central Asia, the Dutch had no choice but to halt their advance in Northern India, as more and more troops were needed to crush various uprising. In the South one final offensive was planned, the city of Jagdalpur, ruled by the Maharadja of Bastar, was to fall next to the Dutch.
Troops on their way to the front
Heavy fighting continued behind the main front and the Dutch front seemed to be collapsing, especially once intelligence reported almost 250,000 British troops preparing to attack the Dutch troops in Jashmedpur. Earlier, smaller attacks were succesfully beaten back, but a 250,000 strong attack would mean certain defeat and the subsequently the front would collapse.
With the Dutch front in India starting to destabilize even further as almost 20,000 people rose to arms in Dhaka and another 50,000 in Calcutta. The local commanders had no choice but to free some of the much needed men at the front to crush the various uprisings.
Almost 450 kilometres away 11th Corps arrived in Jagdalpur, after a short battle against forces of the Maharadja of Bastar, Dutch forces laid siege to the city. Realizing that there wasn’t much time left to withdraw the local commander ordered a full scale assault on the city. Heavy fighting continued in the city as Vietnamese troops forced their way in to the city. The city finally surrendered on March 8.
Dutch artillery in position to fire upon enemy positions
The fall of the Jagdalpur had a great impact on the Indian allies. Imidiately Awadh sued for peace, saying that Britain forced them to go to war against the Dutch. Realizing that if peace wasn’t signed sue the other Indian allies might fall aswell, so the British sent an ambassador to discuss a peace treaty.
In the Treaty of Jagdalpur the British offered the Dutch the remaining British provinces in South Africa, Guyana, Brunei, Northern Egypt, Kuril Islands, Falkland Islands, Andaman Islands, Mauritius, Seychelle Islands and Baffin Island to the Netherlands. The King, coming closer to his death, knew that Dutch forces in India wouldn’t hold out much longer and agreed to sign the peace treaty.
British Peace Treaty
Now that the war had ended it was time for the Dutch to heal their wounds. Although the Dutch had achieved victory, it came at a heavy prize. A large part of the fighting navy was sunk, the Dutch army had lost many men, although most of it was due to tropical diseases. Furthermore the Dutch economy was ruined by the financial burdens of the war. In previous wars there was never a need to fully mobilize the armed forces, against the British it was necessary. With a debt of over 200,000 pounds the Dutch were in severe financial problems.
Part X
In early 1905 the focus of the war shifted from Africa to Asia. In a matter of weaks Brunei was overrun by 40,000 Dutch troops. Advances continued steadily in India, as no real resistance by the British was met. With the exception of Ava, where British forces, controlling some valueable passes towards India, had dug in and awaited the Dutch assault.
Dutch Soldiers during the Ava Siege
From ‘The Fifth Anglo-Dutch War’ written by G. Eerde: ‘When Ava was conquered by the British during the Second Anglo-Burmese war, they found the site usefull to defend India against a possible invasion from the East. As the Dutch would find out, it was hard to take this fort without much casualties.
The 1st siege of Ava lasted about 2,5 months and costed the Dutch between 25,000 and 30,000 men. Dutch colonial command realized that the fort could never be taken without, either artillery or to cut the fort off from supplies. To be sure that Ava would fall in Dutch hands artillery was brought in from the South and 100,000 men were ordered to move from Chittagong north to the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan.
On the 20th of April the first artillery brigade, together with 54,000 soldiers, started to bombard the fort. One month later an additional artillery brigade, accomponied with 60,000 men, arrived to the siege. On the 9th of May, one day after the second brigade of artillery had arrived, the British fled the fort. Even though the second siege lasted shorter, the fighting was more intense and an estimated 42,500 men had died during the siege.
With the fall of Ava, the Dutch now had full control of Burma and could push on towards India.’
The complete conquest of Burma by the Dutch
Meanwhile in Europe British forces continued to push furhter in to Northern Netherlands. Although Dutch forces defeated the British in Groningen, the British launched succesfull assaults against Assen en Leeuwarden. The Dutch King was shocked, but there was nothing he could do against them for now.
Across the border, in Germany, a quick decision was made. The Germans had long close relations with the Dutch, and didn’t want to see a permanent British occupation next to their border, they offered 10 divisions, totalling about 33,000 men, to help the Dutch defeat the British. Together with the German troops, Dutch forces started to push back, and eventually driving the British out of the Netherlands. Although the British attempted 2 times to invade, they never established a beachhead.
Back in India, Dutch forces continued to march on further into India. Although the fighting increased, most of it was done by their Indian allies, not by the British, and resulted in almost complete occupation of Eastern India. With the capture of Calcutta in October 1905 further resistance in the area collapsed.
Indian soldiers preparing to fight the ongoing Dutch advance.
Slowly the Dutch pushed further forwards, although outnumbered, they gained victory against victory against the Indian allies. An almost 120,000 strong Indian army of Mysore was almost completely destroyed by just 34,421 well trained Vietnamese soldiers. With the Dutch advance going extremely well, the Dutch population already started to dream about the take over of India entirely, instead of just regaining some long lost provinces.
British India at the end of 1905
In January, 1906, a bold idea was proposed by an admiral in South Africa. The Dutch should attempt to invade Ceylon. Since this was the only way to secure Ceylon, the Dutch high command agreed with this daring plan. The first Dutch forces landed near Colombo on 7 February, first having to beat some guerilla’s who opposed British rule. Unfortunately the Dutch ships were engaged in a naval battle with the British fleet. Although the lost 2 transport ships, the Dreadnoughts performed extremely well before they were ordered to retreat.
British ship, hit by one of the Dreadnoughts
Back in India, the Dutch advance halted, it appeared that many Indians still prefered British rule over Dutch rule. Some cities, Dhaka, Calcutta, Ava and Chittagong, liberated themselves temporarily from Dutch occupation. Under heavy pressure of the front collapsing, and many British troops advancing from Central Asia, the Dutch had no choice but to halt their advance in Northern India, as more and more troops were needed to crush various uprising. In the South one final offensive was planned, the city of Jagdalpur, ruled by the Maharadja of Bastar, was to fall next to the Dutch.
Troops on their way to the front
Heavy fighting continued behind the main front and the Dutch front seemed to be collapsing, especially once intelligence reported almost 250,000 British troops preparing to attack the Dutch troops in Jashmedpur. Earlier, smaller attacks were succesfully beaten back, but a 250,000 strong attack would mean certain defeat and the subsequently the front would collapse.
With the Dutch front in India starting to destabilize even further as almost 20,000 people rose to arms in Dhaka and another 50,000 in Calcutta. The local commanders had no choice but to free some of the much needed men at the front to crush the various uprisings.
Almost 450 kilometres away 11th Corps arrived in Jagdalpur, after a short battle against forces of the Maharadja of Bastar, Dutch forces laid siege to the city. Realizing that there wasn’t much time left to withdraw the local commander ordered a full scale assault on the city. Heavy fighting continued in the city as Vietnamese troops forced their way in to the city. The city finally surrendered on March 8.
Dutch artillery in position to fire upon enemy positions
The fall of the Jagdalpur had a great impact on the Indian allies. Imidiately Awadh sued for peace, saying that Britain forced them to go to war against the Dutch. Realizing that if peace wasn’t signed sue the other Indian allies might fall aswell, so the British sent an ambassador to discuss a peace treaty.
In the Treaty of Jagdalpur the British offered the Dutch the remaining British provinces in South Africa, Guyana, Brunei, Northern Egypt, Kuril Islands, Falkland Islands, Andaman Islands, Mauritius, Seychelle Islands and Baffin Island to the Netherlands. The King, coming closer to his death, knew that Dutch forces in India wouldn’t hold out much longer and agreed to sign the peace treaty.
British Peace Treaty
Now that the war had ended it was time for the Dutch to heal their wounds. Although the Dutch had achieved victory, it came at a heavy prize. A large part of the fighting navy was sunk, the Dutch army had lost many men, although most of it was due to tropical diseases. Furthermore the Dutch economy was ruined by the financial burdens of the war. In previous wars there was never a need to fully mobilize the armed forces, against the British it was necessary. With a debt of over 200,000 pounds the Dutch were in severe financial problems.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've two save games, one with the war ended and one with the war still going on. Should I continue the war, or leave the ending as it is? It's up to you.
stnylan said:
I had expected victory in Guyana and South Africa, but I didn't think it would come that easy (see my occupation force for Guyana) The same can be said for South Africa, but my advance in India was way beyond my imagination. Although when facing rebellions all over your country (Australia seems to gain independence through rebellion) and fighting two wars (vs China and France) doesn't make fighting a prepared enemy any easier.
Way easier than I expected...
well...
200,000 pounds!?
well... that must be a big mobilization pool... and a long war...
great job
well...
200,000 pounds!?
well... that must be a big mobilization pool... and a long war...
great job
The Dutch Empire Strikes Back
Part XI
March 19, 1906. A day of what ifs? Although some claim that the Dutch had signed peace because of the financial burdens of war or because their forces were overstretched, this is one of the greatest myths in history. The Dutch didn’t sign peace at all! The war was still going on and the British had extreme difficulties in fighting 3 wars and crushing rebellions, which plagued the once so great British Empire.
One of the reasons the peace was rejected was because the King, and his cabinet thought that the British were weak now, and a complete occupation of British India could be achieved. Although the British had allies there, they were weak and not of any help to the British what so ever, at least that was thought untill troops from Travancore were sighted near Amsterdam. But their advance was quickly beaten back and on 29 March, they were driven into the sea.
Indian troops in Holland!
Even though the Dutch were in financial troubles, 6 new Vietnames divisions were trained and 2 dreadnoughts were ordered.
One of the new Dreadnoughts
Heavy fighting continued in India with heavy losses on both sides. But with the fall of Calcutta and Jagdalpur the morale of the Indian troops reached an all time low. Over-all superiority of the Dutch, Khmer and Vietnamese troops over the Indians saw the Indians being pushed back at an alarming rate. In June the island of Ceylon was ‘liberated’ from the British. Although Travancore tried to push the Dutch of the island, they failed miserably and lost 10,000 of their best men while the dutch lost just 460.
Occupation of Ceylon
Off the coast of Ceylon lay 2 of the Dutch finest ships. The first and second dreadnought were patrolling the area to avoid any future invasions of Ceylon. The third naval engagement took place, with the Dutch dreadnoughts inflicting some damage upon the Royal navy. Due to a lucky hit from a British cruiser one of the dreadnoughts was sunk and another one severely damaged.
The British Fleet near Ceylon
The real test against the British, however occurred earlier as Chittagong fell to insurgents in January. The British were able to sent 30,000 troops to Chittagong before a Dutch counter attack was planned. Both the 18th and the 20th Corps were sent to crush this British attack. With 116,000 troops massed in neighboring areas the Dutch launched their counter attack on April 3rd when the 20th corps engaged combat, the 18th corps arrived 2 days later. A hectic battle around Chittagong took place, costing the British 40,000 lives while the Dutch just lost 8,000.
Battle of Chittagong
After the Battle of Chittagong had ended, other local uprising were crushed by the Dutch forces and for the first time in half a year, the front looked stable. With the entire of Burma and Bengal occupied by the Dutch and firmly under their control the offensive was renewed.
India is firmly under Dutch control
58,000 Dutch soldiers were ordered to reinforce Dutch posistion is Rewa, Jagdalpur and Ishakhapatnam. Another 50,000 were sent to the Western Front were soon one of the biggest offensives in Dutch history would take place. A total of 160,000 soldiers were waiting in Jashmedpur and Rajshahi to engage the British. July, 1906, Dutch troops engaged British and Indian troops in Bihar, Rewa and Bhagalpur. Although heavily outnumbered, 200,000 to 48,000 in Bhagalpur, Dutch forces were quickly able to secure a victory with minimal losses. One thing caused for concern with the Dutch commanders, the British didn’t sent their best troops, just peasants armed with rifles, they feared that soon that was about to chance and that they would suffer heavy losses.
The advance continued for a short period, until September, when, again, the people who were ‘liberated’ by the Dutch rose to arms. This time it was even necessary to withdraw some troops from the recently ‘liberated’ city of Allahabad.
The situation in India in at the beginning of 1907
The British continued to offer peace, but the Dutch refused to sign any peace. Although some of Dutch demands were met, they also offered a lot of useless islands like Baffin Island and the Kurils. It looked like this war would drag on until either entire British India was in Dutch hands or the Dutch were pushed back by the British.
Part XI
March 19, 1906. A day of what ifs? Although some claim that the Dutch had signed peace because of the financial burdens of war or because their forces were overstretched, this is one of the greatest myths in history. The Dutch didn’t sign peace at all! The war was still going on and the British had extreme difficulties in fighting 3 wars and crushing rebellions, which plagued the once so great British Empire.
One of the reasons the peace was rejected was because the King, and his cabinet thought that the British were weak now, and a complete occupation of British India could be achieved. Although the British had allies there, they were weak and not of any help to the British what so ever, at least that was thought untill troops from Travancore were sighted near Amsterdam. But their advance was quickly beaten back and on 29 March, they were driven into the sea.
Indian troops in Holland!
Even though the Dutch were in financial troubles, 6 new Vietnames divisions were trained and 2 dreadnoughts were ordered.
One of the new Dreadnoughts
Heavy fighting continued in India with heavy losses on both sides. But with the fall of Calcutta and Jagdalpur the morale of the Indian troops reached an all time low. Over-all superiority of the Dutch, Khmer and Vietnamese troops over the Indians saw the Indians being pushed back at an alarming rate. In June the island of Ceylon was ‘liberated’ from the British. Although Travancore tried to push the Dutch of the island, they failed miserably and lost 10,000 of their best men while the dutch lost just 460.
Occupation of Ceylon
Off the coast of Ceylon lay 2 of the Dutch finest ships. The first and second dreadnought were patrolling the area to avoid any future invasions of Ceylon. The third naval engagement took place, with the Dutch dreadnoughts inflicting some damage upon the Royal navy. Due to a lucky hit from a British cruiser one of the dreadnoughts was sunk and another one severely damaged.
The British Fleet near Ceylon
The real test against the British, however occurred earlier as Chittagong fell to insurgents in January. The British were able to sent 30,000 troops to Chittagong before a Dutch counter attack was planned. Both the 18th and the 20th Corps were sent to crush this British attack. With 116,000 troops massed in neighboring areas the Dutch launched their counter attack on April 3rd when the 20th corps engaged combat, the 18th corps arrived 2 days later. A hectic battle around Chittagong took place, costing the British 40,000 lives while the Dutch just lost 8,000.
Battle of Chittagong
After the Battle of Chittagong had ended, other local uprising were crushed by the Dutch forces and for the first time in half a year, the front looked stable. With the entire of Burma and Bengal occupied by the Dutch and firmly under their control the offensive was renewed.
India is firmly under Dutch control
58,000 Dutch soldiers were ordered to reinforce Dutch posistion is Rewa, Jagdalpur and Ishakhapatnam. Another 50,000 were sent to the Western Front were soon one of the biggest offensives in Dutch history would take place. A total of 160,000 soldiers were waiting in Jashmedpur and Rajshahi to engage the British. July, 1906, Dutch troops engaged British and Indian troops in Bihar, Rewa and Bhagalpur. Although heavily outnumbered, 200,000 to 48,000 in Bhagalpur, Dutch forces were quickly able to secure a victory with minimal losses. One thing caused for concern with the Dutch commanders, the British didn’t sent their best troops, just peasants armed with rifles, they feared that soon that was about to chance and that they would suffer heavy losses.
The advance continued for a short period, until September, when, again, the people who were ‘liberated’ by the Dutch rose to arms. This time it was even necessary to withdraw some troops from the recently ‘liberated’ city of Allahabad.
The situation in India in at the beginning of 1907
The British continued to offer peace, but the Dutch refused to sign any peace. Although some of Dutch demands were met, they also offered a lot of useless islands like Baffin Island and the Kurils. It looked like this war would drag on until either entire British India was in Dutch hands or the Dutch were pushed back by the British.
for crying out loud... are you begging for bankruptcy???
Oh well... good luck killing all the British! I always love to see the huge great powers lose!
Oh well... good luck killing all the British! I always love to see the huge great powers lose!
joebthegreat said:
Bankruptcy is difficult to achieve, as long as interest rates don't go above 250 pounds a day (currently it's 100) I'll be fine. Besides would you rather see the last years fighting the British or seeing how I repay my debt? All I can tell you now, 1907 will prove a difficult year, both for me as the British.
Nothing wrong with going for bankruptcy, so long as you actually get the war finished before the debt hits.
anonymous4401 said:
Well, yes and no. I saved at the moment of peace offer (so still war) and then accepted peace. Soon I realized I could do better and just continued the war. But how that will end, you'll find out soon.
The Dutch Empire Strikes Back
Part XII
With the Dutch advance temporarily halted, Dutch command decided that if the Dutch were to advance further into India more troops were needed to quel the insurgents. Subsequently 120,000 Vietnamese soldiers were conscripted in the growing Dutch army. At the same time 2 orders for new Dreadnoughts were placed.
The British capability to strike the Dutch in the back became apperent when the 2 cavalry divisions in Annam were sent south to crush a local uprising. Immediately after they left 10,000 British troops crossed the border. Hean was quickly to fall to the British, just as they had captured the city, the 2 cavalry division returned and engaged the British. The British infantry proved to be a formidable oppenent and a long hard battle was fough, causing almost 12,000 Dutch losses and just 3,500 British losses. Just as the cavalry was about to retreat, 40,000 Vietnamese troops appeared to the battle and the British were quickly to realize they weren’t going to win this battle and fell back to China.
Even in India the British continued to prove an annoyance to the Dutch, as with each advance British troops would strike through her allies against advancing Dutch troops. For this reason, the Dutch decided that it was time to take out Bastar, Nagpur and Bundelkhand. Bastar, still occupied, quickly accepted indirect Dutch rule. Nagpur and Bundelkhand rejected this and were prepared to fight, Nagpur was the first to fall and on 23 July it had a new master. Bundelkhand, with British help, proved to be reluctant to accept our rule over British rule, but as their armies were defeated on 21 September they quickly accepted the Dutch as their new masters.
For the first time in almost 3 years Holland itself became a theatre of war again as 20,000 British troops invaded Rotterdam. On August 11 44,000 Dutch troops engaged the British posistions, in the Battle of Rotterdam, the Dutch hardly suffered any losses, while obliterating the British divisions.
Battle of Rotterdam, a complete Dutch victory would ensure
But this wasn’t the only time, in November 55,000 Indian troops under British control landed near Groningen. Dutch forces were quickly intercepted to counter them. In December 1907 Dutch troops attacked the Indian troops from Mysore, and after 3 days it became apperent that the Indians were no match for the Dutch troops.
During 1907 the Dutch slowly re-established their control over Eastern India and in September the first offensives against the British started again. In the south Dutch forces moved slowly towards Machilipatnam. The city was defended by 15,432 British troops, the Dutch advancing with 62,000 troops and artillery support quickly defeated the British garrisons and took control over the city in November.
In the North the Dutch started to move towards Allahabad, which they lost half a year earlier. British and Indian troops, not so numerous as before, again posed no match for the Dutch and the city fell again to the Dutch in late November.
The last final push of this year was against the ancient city of Awadh. Guarded by 220,000 of Awadhs finest peasants armed with rifles, the Dutch would have to fight hard to gain control of this mountain city. After 3 weeks of heavy fighting in the mountains and the small villages near Lucknow, the city finally fell to the Dutch.
Dutch soldiers advancing
As soon as Lucknow was occupied in early 1908, a renewed offensive started with the goal of securing Delhi, Agri and Kanpur. It would prove to be the last offensive in the North.
Offensive in the North
Meanwhile in the South, Dutch forces continued to advance. Kurnool, after a short fight between retreating British troops and Dutch troops, fell to the Dutch. The coastal city of Nellore proved to be a bigger obstacle, as 10,000 British troops defeated the arriving 24,000 Dutch soldiers and inflicted serious damage upon them. It wasn’t until 40,000 troops from the North arrived that they were finally able to defeat the British.
Offensive in the South
From Nellore the advance continued to Madras. The British troops stationed there, previously holding their position in Nellore, were too exhausted and demoralized to but up a fight, and so Madras quickly fell to the Dutch. The Dutch now stretched from Delhi to Madras all the way to the Anglo-Siamese border. Armed uprisings against Dutch rule increased in the Bengal area, within one month, almost 400,000 people in or near Bengal rose to arms. This proved too much to handle for the Dutch and most forces from the North were forced to retreat.
Knowing the tie was turning against the Dutch, the Dutch diplomats started to work on a peace proposal. In a mild peace treaty the Dutch asked for Guyana and South Africa, which the British rejected.
Dutch occupation of India at it’s peak, green are Dutch satellites
When 60,000 men in Dhaka finally ousted the Dutch on July 7, 1908, a large part of the Dutch army was cut of from the Burma, and worse Siam. Various attacks on the insurgents lead to no good, costing many lives and the destruction of some of the most experienced divisions. It seemed that the Dutch line was breaking .
An unexpected envoy appeared. The British, facing equal problems as the Dutch, offered us peace. Instead of giving us just Guyana and South Africa, they also gave is a large part of Egypt, some colonies in Africa and various islands. As the Dutch front was collapsing there was no other choice as to accept. 25 August 1908, more as 4 years after the first shots were fired, the guns and artillery were laid to rest.
British peace offfer
Both Britain and Holland would still suffer from some post-war depressions, but the Dutch had gotten most of what they wanted. They were simply not strong enough to pull of a full scale invasion of India. The war had proven extremely costly, around 800,000 pounds, for the Dutch. Never was there going to be such a war, ever again.
Part XII
With the Dutch advance temporarily halted, Dutch command decided that if the Dutch were to advance further into India more troops were needed to quel the insurgents. Subsequently 120,000 Vietnamese soldiers were conscripted in the growing Dutch army. At the same time 2 orders for new Dreadnoughts were placed.
The British capability to strike the Dutch in the back became apperent when the 2 cavalry divisions in Annam were sent south to crush a local uprising. Immediately after they left 10,000 British troops crossed the border. Hean was quickly to fall to the British, just as they had captured the city, the 2 cavalry division returned and engaged the British. The British infantry proved to be a formidable oppenent and a long hard battle was fough, causing almost 12,000 Dutch losses and just 3,500 British losses. Just as the cavalry was about to retreat, 40,000 Vietnamese troops appeared to the battle and the British were quickly to realize they weren’t going to win this battle and fell back to China.
Even in India the British continued to prove an annoyance to the Dutch, as with each advance British troops would strike through her allies against advancing Dutch troops. For this reason, the Dutch decided that it was time to take out Bastar, Nagpur and Bundelkhand. Bastar, still occupied, quickly accepted indirect Dutch rule. Nagpur and Bundelkhand rejected this and were prepared to fight, Nagpur was the first to fall and on 23 July it had a new master. Bundelkhand, with British help, proved to be reluctant to accept our rule over British rule, but as their armies were defeated on 21 September they quickly accepted the Dutch as their new masters.
For the first time in almost 3 years Holland itself became a theatre of war again as 20,000 British troops invaded Rotterdam. On August 11 44,000 Dutch troops engaged the British posistions, in the Battle of Rotterdam, the Dutch hardly suffered any losses, while obliterating the British divisions.
Battle of Rotterdam, a complete Dutch victory would ensure
But this wasn’t the only time, in November 55,000 Indian troops under British control landed near Groningen. Dutch forces were quickly intercepted to counter them. In December 1907 Dutch troops attacked the Indian troops from Mysore, and after 3 days it became apperent that the Indians were no match for the Dutch troops.
During 1907 the Dutch slowly re-established their control over Eastern India and in September the first offensives against the British started again. In the south Dutch forces moved slowly towards Machilipatnam. The city was defended by 15,432 British troops, the Dutch advancing with 62,000 troops and artillery support quickly defeated the British garrisons and took control over the city in November.
In the North the Dutch started to move towards Allahabad, which they lost half a year earlier. British and Indian troops, not so numerous as before, again posed no match for the Dutch and the city fell again to the Dutch in late November.
The last final push of this year was against the ancient city of Awadh. Guarded by 220,000 of Awadhs finest peasants armed with rifles, the Dutch would have to fight hard to gain control of this mountain city. After 3 weeks of heavy fighting in the mountains and the small villages near Lucknow, the city finally fell to the Dutch.
Dutch soldiers advancing
As soon as Lucknow was occupied in early 1908, a renewed offensive started with the goal of securing Delhi, Agri and Kanpur. It would prove to be the last offensive in the North.
Offensive in the North
Meanwhile in the South, Dutch forces continued to advance. Kurnool, after a short fight between retreating British troops and Dutch troops, fell to the Dutch. The coastal city of Nellore proved to be a bigger obstacle, as 10,000 British troops defeated the arriving 24,000 Dutch soldiers and inflicted serious damage upon them. It wasn’t until 40,000 troops from the North arrived that they were finally able to defeat the British.
Offensive in the South
From Nellore the advance continued to Madras. The British troops stationed there, previously holding their position in Nellore, were too exhausted and demoralized to but up a fight, and so Madras quickly fell to the Dutch. The Dutch now stretched from Delhi to Madras all the way to the Anglo-Siamese border. Armed uprisings against Dutch rule increased in the Bengal area, within one month, almost 400,000 people in or near Bengal rose to arms. This proved too much to handle for the Dutch and most forces from the North were forced to retreat.
Knowing the tie was turning against the Dutch, the Dutch diplomats started to work on a peace proposal. In a mild peace treaty the Dutch asked for Guyana and South Africa, which the British rejected.
Dutch occupation of India at it’s peak, green are Dutch satellites
When 60,000 men in Dhaka finally ousted the Dutch on July 7, 1908, a large part of the Dutch army was cut of from the Burma, and worse Siam. Various attacks on the insurgents lead to no good, costing many lives and the destruction of some of the most experienced divisions. It seemed that the Dutch line was breaking .
An unexpected envoy appeared. The British, facing equal problems as the Dutch, offered us peace. Instead of giving us just Guyana and South Africa, they also gave is a large part of Egypt, some colonies in Africa and various islands. As the Dutch front was collapsing there was no other choice as to accept. 25 August 1908, more as 4 years after the first shots were fired, the guns and artillery were laid to rest.
British peace offfer
Both Britain and Holland would still suffer from some post-war depressions, but the Dutch had gotten most of what they wanted. They were simply not strong enough to pull of a full scale invasion of India. The war had proven extremely costly, around 800,000 pounds, for the Dutch. Never was there going to be such a war, ever again.
The consequences of that war will doubtless be long-standing. At leas the debt is not too big.
I know you said the world would never see another war like that again, but this is a nice setup for a doomsday AAR
The Dutch Empire Strikes Back
Part XIII
Looking back on the Dutch Empire from 1836-1908, it was amazing what the Dutch had achieved. In 1836 they couldn’t even surpress a revolution in the South, but by 1908 they were able to defeat the most powerfull country in the world.
Where had this all come from? Most credit in the early years have to be given to the advisor, as he was the one who convinced 3 kings of the necessity to expand, even in areas where it could have easily have brought Great Powers upon the Dutch. Once, under his command, the Boer republics were put under direct rule, big economical reforms were continued and would eventually lead to the Netherlands being one of the biggest economical powers in the world.
China, Zulu, Transvaal, Oranje and Brazil were all defeated by the Dutch. But it wouldn’t stop there. Once Willem IV rose to the throne, the Dutch were to see even greater economical, and more importantly military reforms. Willem IV saw the personal removal of the once so succesfull advisor. And under Willem the Netherlands entered a second Golden Age. The economy was booming and the military greatly expanded.
It wasn’t untill the late 1880s when the Dutch again fought another war, with the submission of Annam and Cambodia the Dutch now had enough colonial manpower to fuel their next set of expansion. When Siam was finally made a Dutch protectorate the goals became much clearer in the eyes of the world.
Following the annexation of Annam and Cambodia, and the submission of Siam, the Dutch seemed to have everything going there way. In the late 1890s the Dutch started to prepare for war as almost 100,000 Cambodians and more as 500,000 Vietnamese were drafted in the army. Defenses across the Dutch colonies were increased, and in 1904 it was time.
Between 1904-1908 an estimate of 500,000 troops had died fighting against the British Imperial forces. Although the war was far easier as anyone had expected, the Dutch still lost many men in India due to tropical diseases. With a stalemate reached in India, and many uprisings in Bengal, the Dutch already stretched from Delhi to Madras towards to Siamese border. The peace offer from the British was greatfully accepted as the Dutch lines started to break.
Although future historians would critize Willem IV for following his obsession with the British, and missing other possible targets for expansions, no one denies that his rule was one of the most prosperous in Dutch history. Some claim that the Dutch in 1903 were more powerfull then ever before, although at that time no one agreed with that, but in 1908 they did. Unfortunately in 1908 the Netherlands weren’t the country they once were in 1903. The Dutch might be the only country who defeated the British in a long time, but it came at a heavy price and the Dutch were crippled because of it.
Part XIII
Looking back on the Dutch Empire from 1836-1908, it was amazing what the Dutch had achieved. In 1836 they couldn’t even surpress a revolution in the South, but by 1908 they were able to defeat the most powerfull country in the world.
Where had this all come from? Most credit in the early years have to be given to the advisor, as he was the one who convinced 3 kings of the necessity to expand, even in areas where it could have easily have brought Great Powers upon the Dutch. Once, under his command, the Boer republics were put under direct rule, big economical reforms were continued and would eventually lead to the Netherlands being one of the biggest economical powers in the world.
China, Zulu, Transvaal, Oranje and Brazil were all defeated by the Dutch. But it wouldn’t stop there. Once Willem IV rose to the throne, the Dutch were to see even greater economical, and more importantly military reforms. Willem IV saw the personal removal of the once so succesfull advisor. And under Willem the Netherlands entered a second Golden Age. The economy was booming and the military greatly expanded.
It wasn’t untill the late 1880s when the Dutch again fought another war, with the submission of Annam and Cambodia the Dutch now had enough colonial manpower to fuel their next set of expansion. When Siam was finally made a Dutch protectorate the goals became much clearer in the eyes of the world.
Following the annexation of Annam and Cambodia, and the submission of Siam, the Dutch seemed to have everything going there way. In the late 1890s the Dutch started to prepare for war as almost 100,000 Cambodians and more as 500,000 Vietnamese were drafted in the army. Defenses across the Dutch colonies were increased, and in 1904 it was time.
Between 1904-1908 an estimate of 500,000 troops had died fighting against the British Imperial forces. Although the war was far easier as anyone had expected, the Dutch still lost many men in India due to tropical diseases. With a stalemate reached in India, and many uprisings in Bengal, the Dutch already stretched from Delhi to Madras towards to Siamese border. The peace offer from the British was greatfully accepted as the Dutch lines started to break.
Although future historians would critize Willem IV for following his obsession with the British, and missing other possible targets for expansions, no one denies that his rule was one of the most prosperous in Dutch history. Some claim that the Dutch in 1903 were more powerfull then ever before, although at that time no one agreed with that, but in 1908 they did. Unfortunately in 1908 the Netherlands weren’t the country they once were in 1903. The Dutch might be the only country who defeated the British in a long time, but it came at a heavy price and the Dutch were crippled because of it.