SDN World 3 Story Thread I

Post by **K. A. Pital** » 2009-12-06 10:18am

Vast plains of Mother Russia. Chita. Around the time of Battle of Hailar, roughly ten days after the invasion.

- The Manchurians have counter-attacked, comrade, - Uborevich was in a really bad mood. - They are trying to cut off our forces' supply lines, attacking from South, and a far weaker strike from the North, well defended by their border guarding positions on Argun. It also seems there's more divisions from China are on the front than there are Manchurians - we're getting reports of Imperial Chinese uniform becoming damn common in battle. We believe the Chinese could've sent more than 20 divisions into Manchuria. That is a conservative estimate.

- The Chinese shall regret meddling in this affair. Our positions are holding? - inquired Marshal Tukhachevsky.

- There can be no talk of retreat, it is simply unfeasible, - noted Uborevich. - We have thirteen infantry divisions, four cavalry divisions there, and two tank flotillas. The Chinese are trying to break through and seal off our river crossing on Argun.

- In that case we shall not yield, - Tukhachevskiy looked closer on the map of Chita. - There are three divisions reinforcing the breach, two of them on the southern flank. We have around 500 thousand troops in the entire Trans-Baikal region - that includes the mobilized divisions and around 150 thousand men in the forces which we transported from the West during these ten days. These 150 thousand are the best Western divisions we prepared for the fighting here. Throw them into battle at the breach to reinforce the lines and restore communication, join them with the three infantry divisions holding the crossing of Argun. Combined, they shall have a strength of 190 thousand. They shall assault the Manchurians with renewed strength. Meanwhile, the forces that we have left in Manchuria shall break off the encirclement. There is around two hundred thousand men there, and they have light and heavy tanks. I am fairly certain they can keep it up. Order the aviation to assault Manchurians which are trying to break our supply line. And finally, initiate a smaller secondary offensive near Manzhouli. That will distract them. Now, what of the North?...

Vast plains of Mother Russia. Nerchinsk. Around the time of Battle of Hailar, roughly ten days after the invasion.

- How far have we progressed? - Blucher was slowly walking around the council room. - The Southern Front has entrered Hailar, but us? We've still only managed to reach Gulian, isn't that right?

- Correct, comrade, - noted Isaev. - And we're not doing good. You've lost a fair share of your tank strength, and the front, despite the concentration on Gulian, is moving slowly. The Manchurians are holding.

The OGPU advisor was present in the Northern Front headquarters not for nothing.

- We only have light tanks, - noted Blucher. - And our air support? The Soviet command only now brought two squadrons, around 36 R-1 recon planes and 46 Fokker XI fighters to support them, and another ten M-24s to replace and augment the lost machines! Before that, we relied on merely two flights of M-24s. That's ridiculous.

- This is why the proposal of the command is to stop the advance for now. We're content with what we have taken here so far. The task is to routinely fill Amur with mines that shall flow downstream, build a permanent bridge over the river and the most important part - put a railway link to the Manchurian railway that goes down South. This will allow us to support the offensive far better. This salient will be reinforced mightily. All Manchu forts we have taken over shall be used by us - of course, they wouldn't be as effective since the positions are facing the North, but concrete is concrete, you know, - smiled Isaev, - rearranging a bunker is easier than building a new one. The war will be a protracted one. We at the OGPU see it clearly. New arrangements have to be made. Especially considering the involvement of our Chinese friends.

Result:

- 60 thousand men in 5 infantry divisions, assisted by armored train brigades transferred along the Soviet railways, are used to initiate an offensive immediately to the east of Manzhouli on a 20 km wide front, against the lake Hulun salient - a total of 60 thousand men, with the intensity of advance being a 4 km wide front per division.

- the 200 thousand men strong Soviet south-western front are ordered to break out of the encirclement by Manchurians. To assist in that, the Soviet command combines their assault with a press from the West - the Argun crossing at the former Manchurian-Soviet border is reinforced with 150 thousand troops (all of them Soviet divisions, no foreign so far) that were transferred to the Manchurian-Soviet front from the West. There are additional 40 000 men in the three infantry divisions holding the very crossing of the river itself (the "breach reserves" that secure crossings, specified by the very first attack post). That front will receive reinforcements at a rate of ~1 rifle division per day. So there's a 200 group raging to restore communications from the East, and a 190 000 push from the West to rejoin the Soviet forces.

- in the north-east, the front has been reinforced towards the target strength of 250 000 (roughly 1 division per 4 sq.km), and has stopped the advance and maintained positions. It's likewise reinforced at a rate of 1 division per day. It has received 10 new M-24 planes (total now being 13 M-24s after the incurred losses), 46 Fokker D.XI fighters, 36 R-1 recon/light bomber planes. There are around 50 tanks left, and the Soviet Union is transferring another 5 tank regiments (100 tanks) to reinforce the front and cover losses. They are due in 10-15 days. The front is now stabilized and acting as a threat-in-being, and its rear divisions start occupying and remaking the Manchurian fortifications, while engineers are struggling to erect a permanent bridge which would serve to bring the Soviet railway into Manchuria, join the land link and help support the invasion.

- total number of Soviet troops in the area at Day M+10 is 900 000 (750 000 of the mobilized forces of the Special Far Eastern Army itself, plus the units moved prior to the conflict, and 150 000 moved from the West), of them: ~200 000 in the Soviet SWF between Argun and Hailar, ~150 000 assaulting the Manchurians from the breach on Argun (augmented by the breach securing units when necessary), 60 000 assaulting at a distraction front near Manzhouli, ~200 000 stabilized at the roughly 70 km wide Northern front, somewhere near Gulian, and 300 000 acting as reserve and defending the border, breaches and key cities in the Trans-Baikal region. Foreign forces have not yet arrived in any quantities, so no foreign units so far fighting.

Thanas · Post by **Thanas** » 2009-12-06 11:31am

Munich, Hauptbahnhof

The battle for the Hauptbahnhof had been a short one. The brownshirts had not carried any largescale weapons, for weapons had been banned on civilian trains and the small pistols they had managed to smuggle aboard had not been very effective when 600 battle-hardened pioniere had charged them. Still, they had managed to kill two Pioniere and wounded another twenty. And Oberstleutnant Erwin Rommel had gotten very, very fed up with their ilk.

His aide approached him, delivering the latest report. "Herr Oberstleutnant. 2nd company has set up machinegun emplacements at the entrances and at the stations, having orders to shoot any brownshirt on sight. 1st and 3rd company are ready to move out. I have also detailled a section from 2nd company to keep watch over the prisoners. The Bahnhof is secure, all civilians moved to safe areas."

Rommel nodded. "Excellent. If any other military train comes through, stop them and tell them they are under my command from now on. 1st and 3rd company, move out with me." "Where to?" "To the sound of the gunfire and where those Fokkers are circling."

As 1st and 3rd company moved out, a second train approached the station. Most of the wagons were filled with civilians, except for the last one, which was filled with brownshirts. Not taking any chances, the pioniere housed them down with MG15 fire.

Outside the Bürgerbräukeller
Adolf Hitler exited his hotel and walked over to the captured car of the Chancellor, basking in the triumphant cheers of his followers. However, the people greeting him there were less than jubilant. "Was ist es, Heinrich?" Heinrich Himmler swallowed. "The chancellor is not there, mein Führer. We checked everywhere - he is nowhere to be found." "WAS?"

Munich Sewage System
The stink was overbearing as Sänger, Hans and the last remaining four Reiter (minus horses) waded through the flow of sewage. One of the Reiter almost slipped, drenching the other in a swell of the brown muck. "Scheisse." "Quite right", Sänger remarked. "How far have we marched?" "About eight hundred yards, I would say," Hans answered. "Three hundred more, then we try and get to the top."

Hans popped the lid of the Gully and was greated by four rifles pointed at his face. Before he could recover from the shock, two Pioniere had grabbed him and pulled him out. "Identification."

Airfield outside of Munich
It had been a mistake by Göring to imprison the airmen and crew inside the main hangar, for it was quite large and allowed a large deal of people to dig a tunnel to the outside without the guards, who were more focused on an attack from the outside anyway, noticing. As it was, during the last few hours, they had managed to dig a hole through the hangar that allowed them to slip out. Udet rallied his men and devised a counterattack. Soon, the guards in front of the hangar were overrun and their weapons taken by the crews, though not without casualties, which started to mount as the brownshirts rallied to the new threat. However, It was enough time for thirty men running to the nearest Fokkers and starting their engines. The Brownshirts promptly concentrated their fire at them, but their machineguns were put into barricades at the front gate and could not be relocated in time.

Of the eight Fokkers that were started, four lost their pilots to small arms fire before they got airborne. But as soon as the other four got airborne, the battle for the airfield was effectively over and the Brownshirts started surrendering after the first strafing attacks claimed two of their three machine-gun equipped trucks. Some tried to escape and the battle soon turned into a giant rabbit-chase as the Fokkers took turns strafing the escaping brownshirts.

One hour after the Fokkers got airborne, the battle for the airfield was over.

Outside the Bürgerbaükeller
The coup had now lost momentum. The brownshirts had missed their goal and was now situated around the Bürgerbraükeller, making it a static force. Meanwhile, the Police ministry had recovered their wits and mobilized the rest of the police, resulting in a police cordon around the brownshirt position. Röhm and Hitler were now openly squabbling about what to do, with Röhm favoring a retreat and trying to slip away and Hitler babbling some nonsense about the so-called Endsieg. Himmler, who had figured out where the chancellor had gone, had proposed a search through the canalisation, but had quickly realized the impossibility of it. Even if they had thousands of men, the sewage system was a maze of tunnels and hundreds of acces points. There was no chance of finding a small group of men.

Realizing that, Himmler did the best he could while his companions squabbled - he gathered his closest friends and escaped into the canalization himself.

Preliminary Gefechststand of the 125th Pionierregiment
2 km from the Bürgerbräukeller
In the last 45 minutes, Oberstleutnant Rommel had been exceedingly busy. His men had advanced towards the city center, evacuating civilians and coordinated with the police. Now his men were advancing slowly, under maximum cover, towards the brownshirt positions. Snipers had already been sent ahead to take out MG positions, but the highest danger to his forces were the two Fokkers, who had already strafed his position one time, inflicting over 40 casualties.

None of his experiences had however prepared him for the sight - and the smell - of the Chancellor appearing before him and enquiring about the situation.

"Nun, Herr Kanzler, the police have bottled the brownshirts up and we move to strike. The problem is, that without air support, we have to proceed with maximum caution." Sänger noddded. "How many civilians are in the combat zone?" "Probably about 2-3000, we would think." Sänger shook his head. "How many forces are in the area?"

Rommel snorted. "Usually, the 1. Königlich Bayerisches Schwere-Reiter-Regiment and the 1. Leib-Infanterieregiment. However, the latter has been deployed to northern germany and the first is Cavalry. I have instructed them to set up patrols on the highways in order to stop any escaping brownshirt and also sent a detachement to secure the nearest airfield. My men have also stopped another train carrying the 42nd Sturmtruppen regiment bataillon, which will reinforce us as soon as they can unload."

Rommel then took a deep breath. "Mit Verlaub, Herr Kanzler - but you shouldn't be here. Let me get you to safety." and to a bath, which he didn't add. Sänger desperately wished to stay, but did not argue with the assesment of the combat veteran. After all, he did not get so far as he did by ignoring advice. "Very well. But take care of the civilians - I do not want to read about too many casualties."

Rommel quickly detached an escort and then turned to his aide. "Bring up the flamethrowers."

Above
Herrmann Göring noticed the small group fleeing from the Gefechtsstand and also noticed the black suit of the Chancellor. He quickly motioned to his wingmen to follow him in.

Sänger had almost forgotten about the aircraft when hans pushed him into an entrance. A few milliseconds later, machine gun bullets impacted in the place he just had stood in. Then he noticed the second aircraft heading straight for him and knew that he could not escape in time. It turned out he did not have to as the Fokker itself burst into flames and, careening wildly, sailed over the building only to impact on another one with a deafening crash.

Above, Hermann Göring frantically tried to find out where the attack had come from, but couldn't see anything. He must have come from the sun. I have to - .

At that moment, Hauptmann Ernst Udet got his second kill of the day.

Bürgerbräukeller
The argument between Hitler and Röhm was settled when a 7.92x57mm bullet from a sniper entered the latters head and sprayed the former with blood and brain matter. Not that it mattered much - by now, the command structure had largely decended into chaos anyway. Then a panicked cry came from the front: "Flammenwerfer."

Had they been a veteran combat unit, the brownshirts might have held out and concentrated their fire on the Flammenwerfer teams marching forward. As most of them however had expected an easy victory, being cooked alive did not factor into their plans. As soon as the first brownshirt got hit and writhed on the ground, burning and screaming, the brownshirt command quickly disintegrated. Only the most fanatical men rallied around Hitler, who contemplated barricading himself in the Bürgerbräukeller, but seeing as how the Pioniere advanced, realized that would be suicide. So instead, he and his men ran off into the direction opposite from the Pioniere.

Resistance quickly collapsed and within a few minutes, the Pioniere and the Police had arrested most of the brownshirts, with only a miniscule portion of them escaping.

Outside Munich
2 hours later

A cavalry patrol from the 1. Königlich Bayerisches Schwere-Reiter-Regiment „Prinz Karl von Bayern“ spotted ten dirty men trying to escape through the woods. As soon as they confirmed with their binoculars that some of them were wounded and noticed the men were half-naked (for they had discarded their brown shirts) the Patrol commander gave the order to charge. Having expended their munitions when breaking through the police cordon and already most of them bleading and all of them exhausted, the brownshirts surrendered. One of them told the patrol - with some not-so-gentle encouragement about their leader hiding in a barn.

That same evening, Adolf Hitler was captured trying to hide behind a cow.

The next morning
Sänger listened to the final report of the police commander with grim determination. All in all, the police had lost 241 men, most of them to the Fokkers and machine guns the brownshirts had surprised them with. The Pioniere had lost 56, the Schwere-Reiter-Regiment 35 and the aircrews 49 men. Over 400 civilians had been killed, with about 78 having suffered harsh brutalities inflicted on them by the brownshirts.

Of the around 1100 brownshirts, 371 had been killed, most of them by Fokkers, the pioniere or sniper fire. Around 619 had been captured, with the rest having escaped.

That evening, the following proclamation was read in all German cities and passed on to all news media around the world:

By order of His Imperial Majesty, Wilhelm II.
Yesterday, a small group of deluded terrorists tried to take control of Munich. Their attempt was quickly foiled by Government forces, though not without some loss of life. As a result, the following measures will be taken:

1. All political parties affiliated with Adolf Hitler are forbidden. These parties are....
2. Adolf Hitler and his cohorts are declared enemies of the state. Any citizen is required to aid in their arrest.
[lists of names and portraits follows]
3. Everyone who aids the brownshirts or does not immediately notify the authorities about any of their activities will be punished to the full extent of the law.
4. Every brownshirt is urged to turn himself in in order to avoid more bloodshed.

Signed,
Wilhelm II. by the Grace of God, German Emperor and King of Prussia, Reichsverweser Of Austria and Hungary

The proclamation was accompanied by an empire-wide police crackdown on brownshirts and suspected sympathizers. This ensured the courts would have a lot to do in the following weeks.

Honours List of the Imperial Army
22. Oberstleutnant Erwin Rommel, 125th Pionierregiment
Order of the Red Eagle, 3rd Class, with Crown and Swords for prompt and swift action in squashing the insurrectionists in Munich

Promotions List of the Imperial Luftwaffe
4. Hauptmann Ernst Udet, 14. Jagdstaffel
Beförderung zum Major, for prompt and swift action in squashing the insurrectionists in Munich

Berlin
Under the command of General von Hutier, the Gardekorps was leaving Berlin. All in all, German troop movements had not been slowed down too much by the attempted coup.

Tsingtao
The German east Asia squadron headed to sea.

Results:
- the attempted coup is squashed.
- Hitler and most of his followers are captured
- The Brownshirts and other fascist organizations are outlawed, heavy police crackdown starts
- Die Garde marschiert

Norseman · Post by **Norseman** » 2009-12-06 02:03pm

Socialist Conferance
The Hague
Union of the Low Countries

The Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs, João Maria Patricio e Taffarel, looked vaguely confused as he rose to address the audience. To most he looked like a successful storekeeper or clerk, a small man with a greying moustache and a receding hairline. Only the green and gold sash of the Order of Tiradentes and the couple of other Order Stars on his chest hinted as to who he really was. Still, now he walked to the podium, looked around as if to make sure where he was, and then tapped the microphone gently.

When he began to speak his voice was weak at first, but it grew stronger and fierier as he spoke, or perhaps it was simply the strength of his words. Throughout the speech reporters, many of them from the Brazilian Ministry of Propaganda, took photographs and a small recording device actively recorded the speech.

"Wherever you look man is bound in chains, the chains of wage-slavery, of share-cropping, of capitalism and feudalism in all of its myriad forms. All too often we use these words without fully explaining their meaning, but I shall explain and I shall be plain."

"The worker, who has to work fourteen hours a day in a coalmine, gets paid in company script that can only be used in the company store, and who lives in a company house, how is he free? How can he be free? Is he free to leave? Not at all, if he tries then he is arrested for escaping his debts. Is he free to complain? Not at all, if he complains, or joins a union, he risks being fired, thrown out of his company house, and blackballed with every other mine in the area. So to with the sharecropper, he doesn't have to deal with company script, but why bother? Not only must he give the land owner a share of his crops, but where can he sell his crop? If he has enough of a surplus to sell that is. Why he must sell to corporations that are in league with the landlords! Likewise he's kept from organising himself, the landlords unite to make sure no one sells land to the peasants, and who can compete with the enormous combines?"

"So there he is the worker and peasant of the world. What freedom does he have? Only one: To obey or to starve! All the real freedom belongs to the capitalists and the landlords, like Olympian gods they decide if he lives or dies. These too are capricious gods whose moods shift quickly, for if one day a poor sharecropper's plot is less profitable than turning it into pastureland, then what? Why then he and his family are out on their ear, told to make their way in the world without more than the clothes on their back!"

"This is not a hypothetical case. This is not some airy hypothesis proclaimed in a university; this is daily reality across the world. It is cruel and oppressive reality of the capitalist system, a system that always places profits above human lives. If you doubt this then listen to how the capitalists and landlords howl and wail each and every time the working-class gains a victory. See how the great nobles dry their tears on silk handkerchiefs and warn that if they are taxed another half percent they won't be able to give as much as they'd like to charity! They love gold over blood, even if they have to gain it by flogging the worker to death like an old cart horse."

"Every working man and woman who might hear or read this speech will know that I'm right. You will have countless cases of injustice to think of. Your brother perhaps, smarter than anyone else you know, but there was no chance of letting him continue his education. Your cousin perhaps, who was the nicest girl you knew, but one day the manager did God knows what to her and she never smiled or laughed again. An uncle who worked hard his whole life, until he began hacking off blood, and though you try your best it's so hard to feed him along with the rest of your family. If your family has avoided these misfortunes then you know countless others who haven't."

"Now the capitalists and landlords will come and whimper that 'our private charities do so much good, much better than the state could.' I don't know if they are truly boldfaced liars or just fools, sometimes the arguments of the apologists for capitalism are just baffling. However, let us go into any of the old slums, let us go into the factory districts, or let us go where you house your immigrants. Yes, let us go there, like so many of your reporters have, and what will you see? Private charities who rescue every deserving worker from misery? Private charities that keep children from starving? It would be a joke if it weren't so tragic!"

"Is there any city in the capitalist world which is free from the so called 'street arabs' or any of the other terms they have for children fending for themselves? Is there any capitalist city where there are no penny hangs, no cheap housing where people are packed together like sardines, all left to fend for themselves? No, no there's not. Misery like that is found everywhere, despite your 'private charity', the 'private charity' is like placing a bandage on a bleeding wound."

"When we come here today we come with one message, one great, glorious message, a piece of good news if you will. That message is this: It doesn't have to be that way! You, yes you, be you a peasant or a coal miner or a factory worker can have proper living conditions. You can feed your family, give your children milk so they won't get rickets, and openly and vigorously object if you aren't given your due rights. This is not some airy utopia, no, in Brazil, in the Bolivarian Union, in Columbia, in the Congo, in the USSR, and here in the Union of the Low-Countries we've seen it happen! We have shown you, the working man and woman, that it can be done."

"This is the hand we extend to you," here he dramatically extended his hand out towards the crowd. "This is the hand we extend to all workers wherever they are! A helping hand, a guiding hand, so that you too can be free, truly free, so you to can have a full belly every night. Come workers of the world! Join us!"

"And to this assembly I have this to say: We are gathered here for the Greater Benefit to Mankind, there never was a nobler cause. The road may be hard, but in the end our victory is certain."

With that he stepped down to the applause of the assembly and walked back to his seat.

RESULTS
- João Maria Patricio e Taffarel gives a starting speech obviously intended for outside consumption.

Thanas · Post by **Thanas** » 2009-12-06 02:38pm

The Hague
Unreal time

There had been a kind of squabble among the German delegation. The more radical wing lead by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg wanted to make a statement, but in the end, the more moderate forces of the SPD regained control and Phillipp Scheidemann took the podium.

"Fellow comrades. We German socialists believe that change, though it may appear necessary, can only be achieved through peaceful means. Certainly, we will continue to pressure our Government to lend as much support to brother nations and I think the continuing support in defensive equipment speaks as much for our success as for the abilities of our workers.

Fellow comrades. Peace can only be achieved through peaceful means. And what success we had through that. Germany was the first nation to have universal healthcare, disability pay and retirement funds. Through peaceful means we gained all that and I think I am revealing no secret here in saying that in the future, I hope we can continue to influence Chancellor Sänger for the greater good of us all.

Though I have no official warrant, I think I speak for all of Germany."

Results:
- Scheidemann speaks

Post by **Steve** » 2009-12-06 03:08pm

Portland Times

National Socialists of Munich Crushed!

A group of far-right "national socialists" attempted an uprising in Munich during Chancellor Sänger's visit and were crushed by military and police action, correspondents in Germany have reported. Heavy fighting in Munich led to the deaths of many civilians, "Brownshirts", and soldiers. Reports confirm the Chancellor was unharmed. The leader of the uprising, one Adolf Hitler of Austria, was arrested while attempting to flee. The Government intends to honor the German forces that put down the uprising...

"Secret Talks With Dutch" Prompt Criticism in Senate

President Garrett's attempt at a "negotiated settlement of the Darwin situation" has suffered a blow by a Senate resolution expressing refusal to give any financial compensation to the Dutch government. Conservative Whip Gregory Satch of Columbia likened the prospect to "paying a ransom to a thief for the return of one's property" in urging a solid Conservative vote in favor of the Resolution. Combined with Whig and anti-Communist Liberal Senators, the vote is enough to ensure any treaty negotiated with the Dutch may require significant dealing in the Senate...

Soviet Forces Encircled In Hailar!

A powerful counter-attack by Chinese and Manchurian troops have encircled over 50,000 Soviet forces that had been attacking the rail city of Hailar in northwestern Manchuria! The Chinese and Manchurian attack swept across the breadth of the Soviet advance and linked up behind Soviet forces as they attempted to flee, leaving thousands of Reds trapped and faced with surrender or destruction....

Summary
Yes, the paper is wrong about the number of Soviet forces trapped. It's the media; are you surprised?
Cascadia expresses relief at the failure of the Munich Uprising. Oberstleutnant Erwin Rommell, 125th Pionierregiment, and Hauptmann Ernst Udet, 14. Jagdstaffell, awarded Cascadian Legion of Merit by order of President Garrett; their units and the 1. Königlich Bayerisches Schwere-Reiter-Regiment are awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation for bravery in suppressing the uprising and saving the lives of civilians (including, logically, a relative handful of Cascadian citizens in Munich for business, vacation, or because they dwell there due to marriage or as employees of banks or such).
Anti-Communist sentiment creates snag in talks with the Dutch.

Thanas · Post by **Thanas** » 2009-12-06 03:45pm

Wilhelmshaven, July 12th

The Hochseeflotte went out to sea, the massive battleships thundering past the fishing boats and disappearing over the Horizon. The same spectacle was repeated on all naval bases of the German Empire.

Master_Baerne · Post by **Master_Baerne** » 2009-12-06 04:28pm

Spanish Embassy
Paris
France

"The terms are quite acceptable to France, Your Excellency. As Foreign Minister, I look forward to the day when all nations will be as willing to extend the hand of friendship as Spain and," here the man's voice grated slightly; he had never liked the Germans, "Germany are. In point of fact, I shall sign it directly." And then he did. Doubtless a more elaborate ceremony would be staged for the press later, but the Minister desired to get as much business out of the way that morning as reasonably possible.

******************
FRS Richelieu
Flagship, 2eme Armee Navale
Mediterranean Sea

The radio room aboard the massive battleship was a hive of frenzied activity as the operators scrambled to transcribe, and then decode the storm of messages required daily by a fleet at sea. One stood out - Orders from the Admiralty, carrying the Minister of War's name. 2eme Armee Navale was apparently to shift positions - Operating theatres, more like, with two of the battle squadrons and a good portion of their escorts taking station with 1ier Armee Navale in the English Channel.

Ships shifted: 3x Richelieu-class BB, 4x Renown-class BC, 5x Duquesne-class CA, 10x Clemson-class DD

CmdrWilkens · Post by **CmdrWilkens** » 2009-12-06 05:27pm

Investigation Officially Accuses Colombian University

The investigation in to the riots in Granada earlier this year have reached a sufficient depth that investigators are levelling their eyes squarely upon the University of Panama City. Records indicate that at least a dozen professors and quite possibly dozens more of the graduate students who were at the event had previously been members of the institution as well as being registered members of the Communist Party. Police officials have indicated that they are going to push for full access to records and personnel at the institution...

Mexico Sends Note to Gran Colombia

The Secretariat of Foreign Affairs today announced that it is delivering a note to the Colombian government demanding full access for its federal police force to investigate connections communist agitators in Nicaragua may have had within the University of Panama City....

Colon, Department of the Isthmus

Colonel Javier Louis Perez had been a member of the Imperial Army Intelligence Directorate for nearly twenty-five years and during that time he had learned how to sense the mood of the room. Right now he was hiding a sheer sense of excitement as the various members of the old conservative party gathered to hear proposals about how to re-take Panama as an independent nation. After their defeat in the Thousand Days War most had lost hope for the chance of independence...now with the magic phrases foreign support, they felt they had a chance.

Most were wealthy and educated enough to know that Mexico wasn't offering to help out of a sense of solidarity but they didn't care if it meant they could have their own country...the first step would be rising up again only now they coudl avoid being crushed by the government in Bogota

::OOC::
Mexico starts getting accusing the Colombians and the Panamanian Independence movement gets ready to kick start itself back off. Dun Dun Dun

Ma Deuce · Post by **Ma Deuce** » 2009-12-06 06:13pm

[OOC: This was posted later than I hoped and ended up being far longer than anticipated, despite my efforts to trim it, but should be my final post in the stretch of unreal time related to the Freedom Conference. Now, barring some emergency IC, I will be taking a break from the story until I can get my orbat and queues finished]

HMMS Valifaty,
Northeast of the Rio de la Plata, unreal time

The battlecruiser charged northward at her full speed of 30 knots, as she had been for most of the day. The weather was clear, and visibility was excellent, though winds were a bit high. Captain Manamboninahitra sat at the desk in his day cabin, eating a late lunch. He'd been much more relaxed since they'd bolted out of Beunos Aires earlier in the day, not just because the Brazilians had decided to turn around, but because the uncertainty that had gripped him as the ship lay at anchor was gone: He knew what happening and could do his job accordingly. The crew were also doing their jobs well: despite being shorthanded they'd rose to the challenge to make up the difference, and it seemed the ship was running almost as efficiently as when she was fully staffed.

The latest message from the embassy had informed him that he was cleared to approach the Chiletinian fleet, though it stressed that it would still be their admiral's decision whether or not to allow his ship to join their line. If he didn't, the Valifaty would have to immediately head for Puerto Belgrano after rendering honours. She wouldn't have enough fuel left for another high speed dash there either. Right now her engines were drinking more than a ton of fuel oil a minute, and after reaching the Chiletinian fleet, she'd only have enough left to reach Puerto Belgrano at cruising speed. Manamboninahitra was still slightly worried that there would be some machinery trouble pushing the engines at full power for as long as would be needed to reach their rendezvous, though he didn't see why that would be likely. This wasn't the first time she'd run at full power for this length of time, and she had thus far never suffered a major engine breakdown while underway. He knew the older mixed-firing ships would never have been able to do this at all even if they had the same top speed. Due to the simple physical limitations of the coal stokers, they'd only be able to run the engines at full power for a few hours before the temperatures in the boiler rooms would actually become dangerous to their crews, which is why the older battlecruisers were being converted to oil firing as fast as possible. He finished eating, and his mind turned to other things. He left again for the chart room, leaving his dishes behind for his steward to take back to the galley.

A quick chat with the navigator confirmed that they'd be in sight of the Chiletinian fleet within the hour, if the coordinates they'd been given was accurate. Under normal circumstances they'd launch one of their floatplanes to scout ahead, if only their pilots weren't among the very 250 officers and crew who had been left behind in Beunos Aires. They'd have to find the Chiletinians the old fashioned way: After all, as a battlecruiser, the Valifaty's fleet role was the centerpiece of a heavy scouting force, and until recently battlecruisers didn't have any aircraft, only their escorting light cruisers to find what lay ahead of them. Being alone, she'd have to be her own scout today. Her fuel situation was not going to allow much scouting though: If the Chiletinian fleet wasn't where it was supposed to be, he'd head to port after just an hour of searching. That wasn't a concern just yet though, so the captain went back to the day cabin to check the latest radio intercepts and review next watch's duty roster.

Fortunately, an hour later the lookouts reported spotting the the lead elements of the Chiletinian fleet ahead right where it was supposed to be, heading southwest. The Valifaty was approaching from their fore-port quarter, giving a good view of their formation. The sharply raked clipper bows of the battleships in their van and the two pairs of superfiring turrets on all of them left little doubt as to their identity. That meant it was time for Manamboninahitra to go back to the bridge. After relieving his XO, he summoned his yeoman: "Tell the signalman to hail the Chiletinan flagship. Send my regards to their admiral, and request permission for us to join their line"

"Yes sir" the Yeoman turned and vanished up the stairs to the upper works, where the signalman would use a searchlight to send his message by Morse code. Now for the moment of truth.

Sooner than the captain expected, the yeoman returned: "Sir, Admiral Obrador of the Chiletinian Navy sends his complements. He grants us permission to join his line at any position we choose. He's also provided his wireless frequency, so we may send further messages by radio".

Any position in their line, eh? That was a generous gesture on Obrador's part, and spoke of great confidence in the seamanship of the Valifaty's captain and crew, despite having never served with them. Nevertheless, Manamboninahitra wasn't taking any chances. Less than completely familiar with the Chilitinan battlefleet's signals and procedures, they could cause organizational problems in the middle or front of their line, perhaps even a collision. That was absolutely the last thing he needed.

"Send Admiral Obrador our thanks. Inform him that we'll be taking position at the rear of their line"

"Yes Sir" The yeoman headed down to the radio room.

They had reached their closest approach to the the Chiletinian fleet at this course, so the captain decided it was probably time to begin their turn. "Rudder left, ten degrees, bring us to course two-nine-zero". Soon after, the ship began edging to port, still moving at full speed: her new course would bring her course near perpendicular to that of the Chiletinians, crossing their wake a few nautical miles behind them when Valifaty reached it.

As they got closer, the captain made his way up to the windswept compass platform, and surveyed their line with his powerful naval binoculars. He could now make out the details of the Chiletinian ships: The four ships in the van (including their flagship) were beasts indeed, as large as his command, but devoting their tonnage to firepower instead of speed, boasting a dozen 16 inch guns. They were more powerful than any battleship currently in Malagasy service, and would roughly match to two already in construction: A good indication of how far the revolution had thrown back their building program, considering the breakneck pace in the years before. As he went further back, the ships became less impressive, the second class, containing three ships was equivalent to his own navy's Fandresena class with eight 16 inch guns, but with somewhat less armor protection, thus was also theoretically an even match for his own command in terms of armor and firepower. All the lesser ships had only 14 inch guns, right through to the ships at the rear, which had ten guns in two twin and two triple mounts. A match for their own Andriambe class, and certainly far superior to the two obsolete 12-inch gunned Radama class that brought up the rear of the Malagasy battle line. He considered for a moment how neither the Chiletinians or Brazilians bothered building battlecruisers: Perhaps they saw them as a superfluous extravagance, given their low overseas trade commitments and primary concern of countering the navies of local rivals. Still, a fast wing could prove to be a valuable heavy scout and raiding force during wartime. The former role could perhaps by Chiletinia's new large carrier, but in case of the latter, there was no airplane in existence that could pack the same punch as the big naval artillery: Not yet anyway. One thing was for certain: If the Brazilians had used battlecruisers for that little "raid" of theirs, the Chiletinians wouldn't have a hope of catching them.

His mind returned to the present, and he realized they were about to cross the Chiletinians' wake, which required his attention. He shouted down into the voice pipe "Rudder left, twenty degrees; bring us up behind them". The ship began turning again, slowly at first, but then faster as the helmsman compensated so they wouldn't overshoot. They were now four nautical miles behind the Chiletinians, overtaking them at 7 knots; they'd lost a bit of speed in the turn, but would make it up quickly.

Less than half an hour later, the Valifaty throttled back as she closed to less than a nautical mile from the rear ship. When she was just 500 yards behind, she was now matching their speed of just 21 knots. Although most of their battleships were no doubt straining to keep that speed, Valifaty managed with just one quarter of her engine power. The maneuver complete, he could now rely on his subordinates to keep the ship on station. He had a few inquiries for Admiral Obrador regarding his fleet's procedures and signals, so he went back to his day cabin to write them out for the radiomen to send.

The next little while was uneventful, then came the signal that the Brazillian fleet was within visual range of the flagship Indepencia in the van, over seven nautical miles ahead. That prompted a precautionary call to action stations throughout the fleet. When the Action Stations klaxon sounded on board the Valifaty, there was a thundering of thousands footsteps as the officers and crew scrambed to their assigned action stations, hatches and watertight doors were sealed, and the guns unplugged and manned, making the ship ready for combat if need be. Manamboninahitra seriously doubted it'd come to that, but it would be foolish not to be prepared. As the Brazilian fleet drew nearer, Valifaty's spotters could start to see them. After a few minor adjustments, both fleets courses now ran parallel in opposite directions, and would probably pass each other at almost 30,000 yards, near the limit of their effective engagement range. Neither fleet would be making any sudden turns at this point, nor would train their guns, as that would be interpreted as provocative (they did train their directors and rangefinders, however). With it's fifteen capital ships including Valifaty, the Chiletinans had an edge over the Brazilians' twelve, though victory would be horrifically costly to be sure, so he was sure the Chiletinians wanted that to happen even less than him. Soon, a signal came for them to slow to 15 knots, and it appeared the Brazilians were slowing as well.

The Brazilian and Chiletinian flagships had arranged to break from their respective fleets so they could make a close approach of each other in the "no mans land" between both battle lines to render passing honours. Made sense: bringing both sides' entire fleets too close together was just begging for an incident that would spark a bloodbath: All it would take is one seaman with an itchy trigger finger. Soon, he could make out the Brazilian flagship changing course away from the rest of it's fleet, and shortly afterward the Chiletinian flagship Indepencia became visible to him as it changed course, no longer obscured by the ships between it and the Valifaty. Some of the escorting cruisers scooted out of the way to clear it's path. The next while was tense as the two flagships approached each other. Everyone seemed to expect something or other to provoke a shootout, but it never happened. As the two flagships approached each other, it appeared as if they would collide, then briefly seemed to merge into a single tangled form as they passed. After they cleared each other without incident, he studied the lines of the Brazilian ship: She was perhaps even more impressive than her Chiletinian counterpart: slightly larger and also having twelve guns in the same arrangement. But her guns were bigger 16.5 inch weapons. Manamboninahitra wryly noted to himself how the intelligence reports indicated that these guns fired a shell barely heavier than the 15.75 inch guns on his own ship, despite being over a sixth heavier. Of course they flung those shells at a much higher velocity, though he knew that higher muzzle velocity wasn't necessarily an advantage. His navy's brass certainly didn't think so, since they like their British exemplars preferred their guns to fire heavier shells at lower velocity. Both the Chiletinians and Brazilians seemed to prefer the German practice of lighter shells at higher velocity, however.

The flagships continued to move away from each other without incident and now turned to head back to their fleets, which were now almost directly opposite each other. Manamboninahitra surveyed the other Brazilian ships, which were just on the horizon from his perspective. Their forms were faint, but seven of the remaining battleships appeared to be twelve-gun vessels like the flagship, though most weren't as large. The last four ships only had three turrets, each with three 15 inch guns. He focused on the last ship: If they were fighting the Brazilians today in a classic battleline duel on parallel courses, that ship would be the Valifaty's nemesis. His own ship was both better armed and better protected (especially on her decks) if intelligence was correct, so he was reasonably confident Valifaty would come out on top. The Chiletinian fleet's superior numbers would probably be used to allow the three lead Brazilian ships to each be engaged by two Chiletinian ships each, while the remaining ships would each duel with their opposite numbers in the Brazilian line, who would be forced to assign no more than one ship per opponent to leave as few Chiletinain ships unengaged as possible. Then he also remembered that Valifaty was undermanned, which would hamper damage control, and his spotting planes were unusable as well. All that would prove to be a non-factor today, however. The two fleets' flagships continued parting from each other without incident, eventually resuming their proper places in their respective lines. The two fleets continued on straight courses away from each other, and the Brazilians continued to recede from Manamboninahitra's view, before finally vanishing over the northern horizon.

The next few days were uneventful as the fleet cruised back to to it's base. Action stations had been rescinded, and the fleet re-organized into a cruising formation in three parallel lines. During the course of the journey, he visited Admiral Obrador on his flagship and received him as a guest on the Valifaty in turn, along with several of the other Chiletinian rear admirals and captains. Those among his officers and crew who spoke Spanish mingled with the Chiletinians, and discussed some of the differences in equipment and doctrine between their two navies. Admiral Obrador was friendly, though he seemed a bit sullen at times, without letting on that anything was wrong. Rumors gleaned from a few loose-lipped Chiletinian sailors said that he would be relieved of command upon returning home for letting the Brazilians slip past him, though if anything that was the fault of his superiors, (right up to their Prime Minister), for sending him out there in the first place. But as was the case with just about any country's armed forces, none of them could be expected to take the fall when they had a convenient scapegoat available. As unfair as that was, Manamboninahitra knew it also wasn't any of his concern. He probably wouldn't be around when it happened either: The Freedom Conference was over, which meant Prime Minister Randirana and his family had probably relocated to Puerto Belgrano already, along with the rest of Valifaty's crew. They'd likely only spend a day or so in port for refueling and basic maintenance, before departing for home.

Several day later, they finally reached Puerto Belgrano. As the nexus of the Chiletinian Navy, the base was a sprawling facility, with numerous piers, drydocks and shore installations. While most of the Chiletinians ships proceeded to their assigned mooring in the offshore anchorage, a few went to drydock for maintenance, and Valifaty proceeded to an oiling pier to begin refueling. Valifaty's destroyer squadron could be seen moored near the shore, lashed together like sardines. As he expected, Prime Minister Randriana was indeed present, along with all of Valifaty's remaining crew. They began boarding immediately, though the Prime Minister stayed a bit longer to work out the appropriate compensation his government would render in exchange for the fuel and maintenance their ships had received during their visit, before finally coming aboard himself. Randriana was not in the best mood, having spent more time at the Freedom Conference arguing with far-right loons than accomplishing anything useful. The trip down to the base had also left little time for him and the family to go sightseeing.

Refueling was complete by the afternoon, but the ship would stay overnight to give the engineering crews a chance to inspect the boilers and engines, and perform basic maintenance as necessary. The next morning, the Valifaty and her escorts departed toward the sunrise, headed for home.

Siege · Post by **Siege** » 2009-12-06 06:17pm

Message, bearing the seal of the Sultan, from the Sultanate of Egypt to Reichskanzler Sänger and the German Empire

Your Excellency,

His Exalted Majesty the Sultan of Sultans* wishes to congratulate you and your government with your masterful victory over the insurgents (may on them the fire be vaulted over) who so contemptibly conspired against your just and benevolent reign.

Truly, it was the Prophet (peace be upon him) who said that Hell is lying in wait- a destination for the transgressors, among whom the sons of dogs who sought your life may certainly be counted. But likewise Allah has promised that the just shall be rewarded for their deeds; therefore, may His blessing be upon you and all the days of your incumbency.

The Sultan wishes Germany a speedy recovery from its day of tragedy and mourning, and swift and terrible death upon all those who would conspire against you.

Was signed, in name of the Sultan,

Abbas ibn Kareem al-Filisteeni
Wazir ud-Daula [Minister of State]

* Omitted several additional lines worth of titles.

Raj Ahten · Post by **Raj Ahten** » 2009-12-06 07:51pm

Manchuria

Colonel Silva's "Band of 24" had gotten their wish and were in the thick of the fighting in the air above Manchuria. The motley band of officers and civilian aviators had been incorporated as the 24th Fighter Squadron (Volunteer). The squadron was for now flying Manchurian aircraft and ad Manchurian ground crews and there were no complaints from the men at all, their hosts had been most accommodating.

Silva flew sorties occasionally (and had even scored two kills on Russian observation planes), just to show the men he could but most of his time was spent with administrative duties. One which he hadn't anticipated was trying to recruit more pilots. The 24th was losing a lot of men, far more than anyone had anticipated. The squadron was still giving far better than it got and the Colonel was damn proud of that. Not a month in combat and they already had a handful of aces.

Just as Silva was trying to write an editorial for the Chilitina Times, Two of his squadron's planes came in for a landing. One was so shot full of holes that it was a wonder it was still flying. Silva cursed under his breathe; four planes had been part of that patrol over Lake Hulan. Fearing the pilot in the damaged plane was surely injured, Silva rushed out along with the ground crews to try and render assistance.

Instead of finding a pilot on the verge of death, Silva found the man , Lt. Ramirez beaming with pride, fully alive and boasting of his deeds.

Saluting the colonel, the Lt. said,
"Sir, I am happy to report I shot down one Russian bastard myself and helped shoot down another. It was practically like hunting ducks, though as you can tell sometimes I was the duck!"

Returning the salute, the Colonel came up to the Lt and shook his hand ans said,
"Excellent news! You'll be an ace in no time if we can keep you in planes. But what of your squadron mates?"

"Rodriguez was shot down near lake Hulan, I saw a chute and I pray to God he made it down safe. The hero of the day though is Strahan,"

Ramirez said as he pointed to man he spoke of. Strahan had been an enlisted pilot in the Chilitinean Air Force and was one of the quietest men in the squadron, known as a chess player who always had a book near to hand. Currently he was dismounting from his cockpit and talking to his ground crew about his plane.

Ramirez continued his tale,
"The Reds were coming through with over 20 planes and Strahan just dove right onto them. I thought surely there were too many but he just shot down one after another. He got five in all! Do you believe it? Strahan, an ace in a day!"

"Amazing,
said the Colonel,
With that sort of effort we'll skin the communist's yet!"

Silva then left Ramirez to his celebrating and went to congratulate Strahan. The Sergeant was calm but looked tired. Once the Colonel reached him he said in a matter of fact way,

"Well sir, we shot down seven Russians and Rodriguez went down. Ramirez's plane is likely a total loss as well and Muller ran low of fuel and had to ground his plane on the highway. If you'll excuse me sir, I'll have to get airborne again before I can make a formal report. The Russians have dozens of planes around Lake Hulan and any help there is sorely needed."

Impressed by his flier's spirit, Silva said,
"My god man, five shot down already today and all you want to do is get back into the fight! I'll see if I can round you up some reinforcements not that you seem to need them, you'll have to save some Bolsheviks for the rest of us!"

Strahan smiled slightly and said,
"There's a hell of a lot more to go around. I just got lucky is all. If you'll excuse me sir?"

"But of course!"

Today at least, things were going well in the air for Manchuria and the 24th Fighter Squadron.

Minister of Pigeonry · Post by **Minister of Pigeonry** » 2009-12-06 08:19pm

Real Inquirer

Front Page

Crown, Ministry Council express relief in aftermath of Munich Incident

Her Majesty returned quickly from an inspection tour in Ferrol when word arrived that an uprising had taken place in Munich. “We were all very relieved to hear the news that Chancellor Sanger escaped the attack unharmed,” the Queen was quoted in a statement following the public release of details pertaining to the incident….

A list of photographs of the criminal leaders of the uprising follows…

Front Page

Diplomatic Blitz!

Within less then two weeks treaties have been signed with the Republic of Chilitina and the Republic of France ushering in what MFA officials hope will be an era of strengthened international ties, friendship, peace and cooperation between Spain and its neighbors, both at home in Europe and abroad in South America. Nationalist groups, however, have called the new treaties foolish and dangerous, they claim the agreements will “weave the Kingdom into a web of international obligations sure to weaken us”…

Page 2

Fleet deployment Considered Imminent

It appears a fleet deployment similar to (if not greater in scope then) the one quietly prepared during the Indian Ocean Crisis is underway. The major bases in Ferrol and Cadiz have seen increased activity over the last two weeks and rumors suggest roughly two brigades of Naval Infantry have been transferred to reserve barracks at the naval station in Cadiz. No official statements have been released, though several sources report that the possible deployment is only part of a larger mobilization effort currently underway across the country. Anonymous sources within the Ministry of Industrial Production and Resources have indicated a buildup of supplies is currently underway and that a message to the nation’s commercial producers has been dispatched.

The contents of the message remain unknown at this time and inquiries sent to both the Royal Press Corps and several companies that are said to have received these messages have gone, as of yet, unanswered. Comments from a well-respected policy analyst suggest this is simply another exercise, potentially with the nation’s new Chilitinian allies. Though others are not so certain…

loomer · Post by **loomer** » 2009-12-06 08:49pm

Kabul Inquirer
Top Story: More Afghani Troops to Russia sparks Internal Tension!
Today marked a major commitment of Afghani troops to Russia, in order to, quoting Defence Sub-Minister Fahad, 'maintain the internal security of our Northern brothers in these trying times of war'. The exact destination of the Kabul 2nd Infantry is uncertain, but is believed to be along the Chinese border in order to prevent a spillover of Chinese forces into Russia itself.

The Opposition voiced concern as to the increasing commitment of Afghani troops to foreign nations, especially with Shepistan taking on an anti-communist stance. Shadow Minister Al-Kuz reportedly called Sub-Minister Fahad 'a son of a dog' and a 'swine' before presenting the soles of his feet to him, igniting a brawl inside the debating chamber of the People's Hall. Several opposition representatives are currently recovering in hospital, and Shadow Minister Al-Kuz is believed to be in a critical condition. Sub-Minister Fahad could not be reached for comment.

Ohm Airfield Arms Demonstration!
The government's announced weapons demonstration took place today, with few foreign representatives attending, leaving room for our esteemed team of journalists. Under a chilly cloud cover with some light fog, the army unveiled its latest projects, in conjunction with the Kabul Arms Concern.

First demonstrated was the new Kabul Arms 'Hawk' rifle, in its first publically displayed iteration. This bolt action battle rifle is a more than adequate replacement for the aging Mosin-Nagants currently in service, and also has a distinctly pleasing sound when working the bolt! We look forward to target practice with the free prototype we were given. Firing the distinctive 7.72x54 cartridge, the Hawk No.1 rifle is accurate up to six hundred metres, and with its revolutionary steel core bullet design is destined to be a more than adequate combat rifle!

Next up was the No.3 Light Machinegun - no name has yet been determined for this early project prototype, which fired six rounds and then jammed. We're certain that it will prove quite capable once they've ironed out the kinks in the barrel, as it fires the same round as the Hawk No.1.

Finally, the new 'Eagle' heavy machine gun was demonstrated. Firing two hundred devasting 15mm rounds per minute at a range of a mile, this new weapon is bound to be an instant hit with the troops it will be issued to, as though it weighs three hundred pounds it can be broken down into four individual pieces for transport and there are plans to issue a lighter variant without a gunshield. Unfortunately, we weren't given a demonstration model to try out in our own time, but the cameraman who was allowed to fire a twelve round burst at the site has reported it was 'extremely exhilarating'. Doctors believe he will recover his hearing in three to four days.

Post by **Beowulf** » 2009-12-06 08:56pm

Along the Heilongjiang
Manchuria

The mines the Soviets were floating downstream were a nuisance, but not actually a problem. Hitting them with heavy caliber gunfire generally caused them to explode. A short HMG burst generally sufficed. Of course, that was predicated on actually hitting them. Cheaper and easier was a log boom. Originally they'd used logs chained together, but after the first couple had been blown in half, they started using a cable that ran the length of the boom, through eyebolts. That reliably destroyed a number of mines before enough of the logs were blown apart as to cause it to lose floatation. Before that occured, a replacement had already been winched into place behind it.

The few mines that the Soviets had released at Hailar failed to do much of anything. The river had been narrow enough at that point that no part of the rail bridges actually needed to be supported by pilings in the water. Thus, the mines either got stuck in the marshy banks of the river, exploded as the hit rocks with sufficient force, or continued down the river to harrass the Soviet river crossings. Of course, two could play at that game, and hundreds of mines had been released upstream of Soviet northern front.

Raj Ahten · Post by **Raj Ahten** » 2009-12-06 10:29pm

Parliament "Shocked" by coup plot in Germany

The Parliament passed a resolution condemning the failed coup plot in Germany today. The resolution reaffirmed Chilitina's commitment to democracy at home and abroad and offered any assistance possible to Germany in making sure the perpetrators came to justice. When the news of the coup first came out, it was feared that it was a communist putsch. Upon hearing it was actually undertaken by right wing reactionaries many people in Chilitina were reportedly "shocked."

Meanwhile....
Chilitina's military was quietly ecoming more prepared for a fight, if neccesary. Army units along the Northern Border were upgrading their state of alert after Spain had pgraded its alert status. As far as most were concerned it was a routine measure to reasure Chilitina's new ally.

The fleet was positively a secret hub of activity though. A security clampdown at naval facilities had been followed by orders to ready as many warships as possible to go to sea. Cruisers, submarines and some destroyers had already been dispatched on more patrols than usual since the "Brazilian incident." Many sailors now guessed whatever was coming was why they had been spending weeks overhauling their ships and getting as many as possible ready for action no matter what the regular maintenance timetables said. The rumors flying around the bunk rooms were many and varied. Perhaps they were going to get the Brazilians back for their little stunt during the freedom conference? Others said it was only a giant drill. Maybe it had something to do with the German and spanish fleets leaving port? No one really knew yet.

Ryan Thunder · Post by **Ryan Thunder** » 2009-12-06 11:00pm

CmdrWilkens wrote:Investigation Officially Accuses Colombian University

The investigation in to the riots in Granada earlier this year have reached a sufficient depth that investigators are levelling their eyes squarely upon the University of Panama City. Records indicate that at least a dozen professors and quite possibly dozens more of the graduate students who were at the event had previously been members of the institution as well as being registered members of the Communist Party. Police officials have indicated that they are going to push for full access to records and personnel at the institution...

Mexico Sends Note to Gran Colombia

The Secretariat of Foreign Affairs today announced that it is delivering a note to the Colombian government demanding full access for its federal police force to investigate connections communist agitators in Nicaragua may have had within the University of Panama City....

Colombian Response to Mexican Police Demands: "Access denied"

Panaman regional authorities have declined to give Mexican federal police access to the University for their investigation, on the grounds that their own investigation is already underway and has been for some time. [...]

Panama City Police Headquarters

"Were we actually looking into this already?"

"Are you daft? Of course not. The University faculty have no reason to be in goddamned Nicaragua, of all places. Not with all the metallurgical research they're doing for Diego Silva's more bizarre ideas, anyway. That guy has way too much money."

"So what's this, then?"

"A wind tunnel."

"I don't follow..."

"Hot air?"

"Ah."

"We'll look like we're investigating it seriously--but really, we all know it's just a cart full of shit. You know what, though? Have a couple of squaddies ask a few questions anyway, just in case. It wouldn't do to have it actually happening on my watch."

Minister of Pigeonry · Post by **Minister of Pigeonry** » 2009-12-06 11:11pm

While the nation’s media scrambled to uncover the quiet but swift efforts underway across empire the deployments and movements were already well underway…

Semi-Autonomous Overseas Province of Spanish Uruguay
CDCU
Early Morning

Word had just come in from Central Command back in the homeland; the Overseas Province was to set Readiness Condition Orange-Full. The Northern Defensive Line was to be set at a Stage Three Alert; all seven Reserve Fortress Brigades and three whole Reserve Armies, the 123rd, the 128th and the 135th, were to be called to alert and prepped for rapid activation while the 13th, 14th and 17th Infantry Divisions of the Fifth Army were to be moved up to reinforce the Primary and Secondary Northern Lines. Three Artillery Batteries usually associated with the aforementioned Divisions were positioned in the Primary Line’s second tier reserved for support personnel and prepared artillery emplacements. The Second Railway Division was ordered to their positions as well, the two massive 355.6mm/50 Cal railway guns were ordered to move up into their protective cement revetments along the Primary Line’s secondary tier amongst the other mobile artillery.

While the Army prepared, the Naval Infantry did the same along the eastern and southern coastlines of the Overseas Province as the Costal Defense Commands were called up to Stage Three Alert. The Reserve Costal Defense units were also to be called to a standby state for potential rapid activation.

Preparing as well, were the various airfields throughout the Province, prepping their aircraft for flight, though none besides the usual patrol craft were sent aloft.

SACDeF, now strengthened by the arrival of the two German ships, a Battlecruiser and a Heavy Cruiser, was ordered to prepare two Submarine Flotillas of C2 Types for immediate deployment to the Caribbean with no further explanation given. The twelve submarines were away within four hours after the message had been received – an impressive feat that that grated the nerves of Captain Lopez and the crew of the SC-108 who’d been ordered to sea. Besides the Subs, all other ships were placed at their Stage Three Alert positions in line with RedCon Orange guidelines.
Spoiler

With the surprising orders surging in, only Teniente General Manuel Alejandro of the CDUC, Vicealmirante Hernando Rodriquez of the SACDeF, and Governor Agustín Ramírez knew, or at least thought they knew, what was going on. The orders had been cosigned by both the Minister of War and Her Majesty and indicated that the Overseas Province was to remain on high alert until otherwise informed and went on to say that all exercises, deployments and activations within the region were to remain purely precautionary and defensive. CDCU and SACDeF forces were to only fire if fired upon.

Spain
Evening of the Next Day

While forces in Spanish Uruguay went to RedCon Orange, a feat that would require at least twelve hours to two days for total readiness, forces in the Homeland were preparing for possible mobilization of reserve forces as well. Many of the nation’s factories, both Government regulated and commercially owned mulled over figures, prepared supply stocks, determined resource transportation schedules and considered what real mobilization would mean. Amongst the higher-ups in many of the companies it was believe the mobilization prep was some form of an exercise, at least, the first message they’d received from the Ministry of Industrial Production and Resources had indicated as much. The Ministry of Finances and Allocations was burning the midnight oil as well, devising funding plans and prepping the nation’s social services emergency surplus fund for what many believed was an exercise, the majority of the staff just as in the dark as thousands of others hard at work across the empire.

Amongst the Armed Forces, however, commanders had been informed of the potential operations to come and the order for Readiness Condition Yellow-Special had been given across the homeland prepping the entire 8th Reserve Home Army group for rapid mobilization along with the 3rd Reserve Railway Division. The greatest sources of activity, however, were the two main Atlantic ports. Cadiz and Ferrol were hives of activity; men swarmed the docks moving all manner of goods and supplies to the ships positioned in two great harbors. Already that day three Submarine Flotillas comprised of Twelve G Types and six D Types had left port and sailed southwest accompanied by a pair of Sub Tenders.
Spoiler

While the Submarine forces had been prepped and sent off, roughly four Brigades of Naval Infantry had been brought in and put up in reserve barracks on the grounds of the naval station. One Brigade eventually boarded several large troopships while another boarded Spain’s cutting-edge Landing Ships, developed following the successful amphibious landings undertaken during the Rif War. The men had not yet been informed of their destination, some believed that Queen Marian had decided to join the war in the Far East; others assumed they were to be sent south to Uruguay for exercises with the Chilitinians, one man’s guess was likely as good as any other’s.

When the troop and landing ships set off and ventured out into the Gulf of Cadiz, the men watched as several Cruisers, Destroyers and a single Seaplane Tender joined up with the fleet before the lot turned toward the northwest.

Sailing beside one of the landing ships, Captain Francisco Franco’s Köln-class Light Cruiser the Gran Canaria lumbered along matching its speed. The Captain was in good spirits despite having been up for the past fourteen hours seeing that his ship was ready for a long voyage. The International Fleet Exercise had been interesting once things had started moving, but this would be something entirely different, significantly more important as well. Soon enough, the fleet would meet up with elements from Ferrol before turning southwest…
Spoiler

Spain
Palacio Real de Madrid
Midnight

Visitors to the Royal Palace could view many great things, meeting rooms, ballrooms, banquet halls and sometimes even the royal library, few could call the tours lacking. However, beneath the floor some eight feet under the deepest wine cellars one would find a place very off-limits to the public. The small bunker complex built during the latter half of the last decade served as a sort of command and control center for Her Majesty and the nation’s top military staff. Though there were probably better examples of such a facility elsewhere, the Royal Palace CCC served its inhabitants well enough; the main war room currently displayed a large map of the Northwestern Hemisphere dotted with various markers indicating the positions of fleet assets.

Queen Marian sat quietly and watched as the war room staff updated the board, Operación Pelícano was slowly taking shape.

Post by **Steve** » 2009-12-07 12:16am

Hrm, Thanas informs me the Munich police are organized in a military style fashion, the Meritorious Unit Commendation would thus be given to them as well.

Ryan Thunder · Post by **Ryan Thunder** » 2009-12-07 12:27am

Northern Gran Columbia

"Cristo Jesús en el cielo!"

"Calm down, Rosendo."

"But sir, the sonar nets are going wild!"

Message to Carribean HSF

Code: Select all

READINESS CHANGE: ALERT I - LARGE SUBMARINE FORCE DETECTED ENTERING CARRIBEAN - COMMENCE RECON FOR ADDITIONAL FORCES - RETURN FIRE ONLY

CmdrWilkens · Post by **CmdrWilkens** » 2009-12-07 12:33am

Ryan Thunder wrote: Colombian Response to Mexican Police Demands: "Access denied"

Panaman regional authorities have declined to give Mexican federal police access to the University for their investigation, on the grounds that their own investigation is already underway and has been for some time. [...]

The Secretary of Foreign Affairs on Behalf of His Augus Majesty Maximillian II Emperor of New Spain, King of Mexico, Baja, Yucatan, Belieze, El Salvador and Nicaragua, Archduke of Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and Honduras, Lord Protector of Antigua, Captain-General of Guatemala, Barbuda and Yost Van Dyke, Duke of St Thomas, St Criox, St John, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, and Anegada, Count of Isla de Culebra and Isla de Vieques, and Viceroy of New Granada.

We hereby send notice and demand satisfaction,

The Government of Gran Colombia must henceforth send notice within 72 hours their response to these demands of his Majesty:

- That communist agitators associated with members of the University of Panama City will be dealt with swiftly and harshly for their connection to instigation of disorder within the Kingdom of Nicaragua

- That an order be published by the command of the Colombian Army condemning all such agitation

- That Mexican Federal Police be granted entrance to the Department of the Isthmus with authority to question, try, and convict such criminals as may be found in conjunction with this.

God Save The King
Heitor Jiminez Guaranta de Rioja
Secretario de Relaciones Exteriores

------
PERIOD OF HEIGHTENED DANGER OF WAR
- All furlough and leave authorizations are hereby rescinded.
- All units will report on current status and issue any partial gear needed to full outfit all members
- All annual certification and training courses are suspended
- All units on field exercises will stand down and reconstitute at depot

Reserve cadres will standby however no reserve units will report at this time, reserve equipment stocks will not be distributed.

-----
Condition Alert for Movement at Sea
- All Fleet elements will observe Period of Heightened Danger of War
- Additional elements will be notified by Officer Courier of Instructions for pending action
- All captains are instructed to maintain maximum bunkerage
- Fleet reserve oilers and tenders are hereby requisitioned for temporary service

-----

The Army Commanders of 5th, 9th, 14th, and 21st Armies had been brought to the conference in Veracruz by express train and would leave by the same. The reason for the speed and secrecy was simple, even officer couriers would not be trusted with their instructions. They were to, once all troops were accounted for and outfitted, entrain their units in sealed freight consists and proceed to Costa Rica. The Nicaraguan, 2nd and 3rd Armies would remain in place so as to present a clear portrait for any communist spies. The units already located closest to the action would not be moving while those on the US and Californian border would disengage, leaving only some half strength reserve units on annual maneuvers watching the posts. All four men were told that they would not deploy unless the Secretariat failed but with known communist intransigence it was felt unlikely that anything short of a bloody nose would do.

/OOC Mexico sends a formal note of demands (a note not an ultimatum) and starts activating her forces. The Danger of War is a public pronouncement but it should be hard for anyone to detect the movement of the 4 armies mostly because they are traveling from my northernmost provinces through down to Costa Rica on sealed trains. All the obvious army sized forces (El Salvador (3rd), Honduras (17th), Guatemala (18th), Yucatan (12th), and Nicaragua) are staying put. More in the Commentary thread.

Ryan Thunder · Post by **Ryan Thunder** » 2009-12-07 12:45am

CmdrWilkens wrote: The Secretary of Foreign Affairs on Behalf of His Augus Majesty Maximillian II Emperor of New Spain, King of Mexico, Baja, Yucatan, Belieze, El Salvador and Nicaragua, Archduke of Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and Honduras, Lord Protector of Antigua, Captain-General of Guatemala, Barbuda and Yost Van Dyke, Duke of St Thomas, St Criox, St John, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, and Anegada, Count of Isla de Culebra and Isla de Vieques, and Viceroy of New Granada.

We hereby send notice and demand satisfaction,

The Government of Gran Colombia must henceforth send notice within 72 hours their response to these demands of his Majesty:

- That communist agitators associated with members of the University of Panama City will be dealt with swiftly and harshly for their connection to instigation of disorder within the Kingdom of Nicaragua

- That an order be published by the command of the Colombian Army condemning all such agitation

- That Mexican Federal Police be granted entrance to the Department of the Isthmus with authority to question, try, and convict such criminals as may be found in conjunction with this.

God Save The King
Heitor Jiminez Guaranta de Rioja
Secretario de Relaciones Exteriores

"They must be serious about this."

"The Supreme Commander wants us to send over a representative to sort things out in person."

"Well, let it be done, then. I'll requisition the boat, you go get Roberto."

"Right."

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2009-12-07 12:54am

Army House, Shepistan

Maximillan picked up the phone that was ringing incessantly on his desk.

"Yes?"

"This is Reinhardt at Army Intelligence. The Afghans have just begin to send a very large contigent of forces to support the Bolsheviks to "maintain" their border with China."

"This is outrageous!" shouted Maximillan. "Have they forgotten the treaty of 1875 that ended the Second Russo-Shepistani War by declaring Afghanistan a neutral state to both sides?"

"That was my first thought, as well sir. May I have permission to begin the initial stages of mobilization for the Schroomlien plan, particularly the Afghan Appendix?"

"Sir, permission is more than granted."

Results Shepistani Army Group North begins to mobilize to carry out the Schroomlien Plan/

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2009-12-07 01:04am

Northern Shepistan

Across northern shepistan, the telegrams initating the mobilization coursed through the railway networks; calling forth reserve battalions and ordering them to report to their mobilization centers, from where they would be entrained for the trip to their assembly and jumping off points.

Meanwhile...

Shepistan/Grand Dominion Border Gate Waugh

The Waugh gate was the only official border crossing between the Shepistani Federation and the Grand Dominion, though there were countless other 'illegal' ones. As such, the crossing served as a crucial link diplomatically between the two schismatic nations.

A Shepistani officer came out of the border post HQ, and carried a telegram over to his Grand Dominion counterpart. It was a message notifying the Grand Dominion of the Shepistani Mobilization and it's Intents -- to subdue the looming Red Menace on Shepistan's Northern Flank.

Siege · Post by **Siege** » 2009-12-07 09:17am

Khamis Mushayt
Southern Arabia

Khamis Mushayt had, until recently, been a sleepy city in one of the Sultanate's backwater border cantons: a town of some 50,000 souls some 430km south of Mecca and 122km north of the border with the Old Dominion colony of Yemen, although the first actual Old Dominion presence wasn't until much farther south. The city's was best known for its agricultural produce and its small defensive fort -- until now.

The first troops had arrived last week, pioneers who had cleared the way for the large number of engineers and soldiers to follow. Their task was to expand the roads and railways linking Khamis Mushayt with the Sultanate's hinterlands, to bring its fortifications up to date, and to lay the foundations of what was already optimistically called Sheik Khalid Air Base -- right now a rocky field where a handful of reconaissance planes could take off and land, but hopefully in the future a hub for air transportation connecting the border regions with Egypt's main commercial hubs.

And Khamis Mushayt was only one of several towns along the Sultanate's long and winding frontiers where such activities were now taking place: In Sudan, Libya, the Levant and remote Kuwait similar projects to reinvigorate ailing infrastructure were beginning to take shape, the intent being to more tightly integrate the far-flung provinces of the mighty Sultanate.

Result: Investments in infrastructure are beginning to take on material form.

Thanas · Post by **Thanas** » 2009-12-07 09:18am

Co-written with Master_Baerne

Paris, France
President Dupont finished his telephone call with the french ambassador. "Everything can go ahead."

Berliner Stadtschloss

The Kaiser nodded at the Reichskanzler, who looked more than queasy. "Let's get this over with." Sänger nodded, resigned to his fate. "Yes, your Majesty." "Have faith, Sänger, you knew that this had to be done in order to get public approval and to secure our borders." "Doesn't make it anything less than rotten, Sir." The Kaiser looked bewildered, then laughed. "Rotten? How can the right of kings be rotten? You have a strange mind, my chancellor." Wilhelm laughed, the numerous medals on his chest producing a tingling sound.

The Hague
Union of the Low Countries

The French and German ambassadors were shown in and bowed before Chairman Michaels. Then the French ambassador stepped forward and handed the Chairman a roll of paper. "Your Excellencies, unless we receive a positive reply from you within the next hour, a state of war will exist between our nations."

Joint ultimatum by the French Republic and the German Empire regarding the so-called Union of the Low Counties.

It is herebey resolved that the Government of the Union of the Low Counties has been responsible for a terrible war with France in the past, a war that has brought nothing but terrible anguish over the world.

As the Government has not distanced itself from its perfidious past and has on the contrary shown nothing but respect for the mass-murderer Hammer, even going so far as to name their greatest ship after them, the German Empire and the French Republic therefore conclude that the Union of the Low Countries is proud to continue the legacy of the tyrant known as Hammer.

Be it further known that the Union of the Low Counties is directly responsible for the continuing restriction of personal freedom under the guise of socialism.

Thus, with a heavy heart but with iron determination, the French Republic and the German Empire requests that the following terms are met by the Union of the Low Counties immediately:

1. The complete surrender of the Union Government to the French and German ambassadors to their nations.
2. The complete surrender of all Union forces to their German and French counterparts.
3. A proclamation to the populace of the Union not to resist the lawful German and French advance.

If those conditions are met, French and German forces will enter the Union to oversee its peaceful reorganization into a prosperous new union with Germany and France and lead the Union citizens in glorious new futures as citizens of Germany and France.

Germany and France will guarantee the following should a surrender be made:

a) No Union leader will face any consequences
b) No union soldier, officer or party official will suffer any punishment unless actions taken were illegal under Union law, which a Union court will determine
c) The Union government will be given a place of their choosing to retire in Germany's colonial possessions. Germany will guarantee their security
d) No property will be confiscated and French and Germany will pay 20% above the market price for provisions taken
e) Abuse against civilians or union officials will not be tolerated and any such incident, when committed by a German or French soldier, will be punished by death and, if committed by a civilian, by the full force of the law.

We hope that the Union government sees reason and does not force our great nations to declare war, which we shall be forced to do so unless the most reasonable demands are met.

Respectfully,
Alan Dupont, Président de la République française
Wilhelm II., von Gottes Gnaden Deutscher Kaiser und König von Preußen

Result:
- Joint French/German Ultimatum to the Union of the Low Countries.

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