The Red Crowns: An Imperial Tale
- Thread starter Major Crimson
- Start date
Chapter 44: Surely Some Revelation is At Hand
From The Imperial Broadcasting Company
Wars By The Year, Starring Military Historian Bernard Attenborough
Every Sunday at 8.00 on IBC Two or your regional derivative.
Hello and welcome to Wars By The Year. Today, in Episode 7 of Series Four, we continue our look at the Long War, how Dreadnoughts changed battle in the West and the Entente victories in the East. 1913 got off to a roaring start for the Entente and would continue that way. Italy’s “betrayal” of their Nordic Allies left what remained of the European Bloc on the back foot and this issue was compounded by the fact that, even though the Germans and Scandinavians had begun developing Noughts based on the Italian designs, the French and Austrians had already observed the vehicles in action, developed counters and started work on their own some months before. So when the Western Front erupted into fighting on March 2nd, it was the French who punched a whole in the line. The First Dreadnought Corps, attached to the 3rd Army, made a push deep into Elsass, smashing the German defences in their way. The vehicles, originally developed for mountain warfare, proved even more adept at overcoming trench warfare. German soldiers found that they could do little against the vehicles with standard arms and only artillery and airstrikes could effectively counter them. The French won key victories at Arlon and Saint-Avold, once more pushing the front line across the German border. German Generals were helpless until they realised a major flaw in the French designs, as the Italian vehicles and therefore their French derivatives had been built for assaulting thin mountain passes they were A) focused on attacking ahead and B) quite short. At the Fourth Battle of Metz, on April 3rd, the Germans put this knowledge into practice; with wider (double or even triple width) trenches the Noughts simply fell, head first, into the Trench. From here German Sappers could attach explosives to the side of the vehicles, light fires beneath them or simply wait for the enemy to emerge, trapped as they were.
Though fast and well armoured, Early French Dreadnoughts had exposed flanks, a short chassis and limited firing cones.
Of course the Germans took these flaws into account when designing their own Dreadnoughts, building long, large contraptions with side mounted, swiveling cannon. The Germans called (and still do call) these devices “Panzers” or Armour and from here, the modern distinction between Light “Noughts” and Heavy “Armour” emerged. German Panzers, when put into action, helped to stem the French tide and proved effective in many counter attacks. The fighting again returned to back and forth, though much of Belgium was recovered and the Germans were being pushed ever back. By August, things were dragging and both nations decided that they would need a decisive victory. The Battle of Luxembourg saw a huge deployment of German troops as the 4th and 2nd Armies, 910,000 men combined, stood opposite three French Armies of a similar combined strength. Both forces were heavily bolstered with Panzers or Noughts, though both nations had experimented with both sizes by this point, modern Mixed Vehicle Tactics were still decades away. The French had some 552 vehicles whilst the Germans had only 295, however it is worth noting that, if we take into account the weight of the vehicles or collective calibre of their guns, the Germans had greater tonnage and firepower. Both sides needed the Battle to be decisive; to bring a victorious end to the year and put them on good footing for 1914’s excursions. The Germans positioned themselves some ten miles west of Luxembourg City, with Skiffs and Zeppelins flying from airfields within the city itself. The Germans had been expecting an attack from the South West and positioned themselves as such but, due to a last minute and unexpected Belgian victory at Wiltz, the French pushed in from the north, attempting to drive themselves between the city and the army. Had they succeeded, the Germans could have been out of supply, separated from their air support and left to starve and whittle away. However a young Panzer Lieutenant, Erwin Rommel, noticed a group of French Scouts and commanded his own and the 7 other Panzers attached to him to move north, against the orders of his superiors. Rommel, alone and without scouting support, found himself up against a group of more than 30 French Noughts, a forward force meant to soften any northern defences before the main army arrives. Outnumbered more than 3 to 1, Rommel had 3 of his Panzers break off, move rapidly to the west and begin shelling the French in their flank. The French vehicles, unable to fire more than 100 Degrees from their front, were hit hard in the side by the 6 cannon now turned on them and the French commander ordered a third of his force to detach and persue. Now divided, Rommel drove his remaining 5 Panzers between the main French contingent and the detachment, using the hilly terrain to maximise his speed and give himself the high ground. With side mounted cannon, his Panzers were now able to hit the main French force to their east and the detachment to their west. The Smaller french group, bombarded from both sides and seemingly surrounded, collapsed into anarchy; 4 crews surrendered, 3 were destroyed and the remaining 3 scattered. With a third of the French force broken, Rommel kept his Panzers in two groups and pulled the French in two directions, letting one division pick up the slack if the other was coming under too much fire. After some 20 minutes of this cat and mouse chase, German Air Support arrived, destroying five of the French Noughts almost immediately and chasing of the remainder. When reinforcements arrived, Rommel had lost 5 of his 8 units and 18 French Noughts were left abandoned or destroyed.
German Panzers meanwhile had more, bigger guns, a longer chassis, better visibility but were less manoeuvrable, heavier and much more expensive to produce
This delaying action allowed first the German Armour and later the main army to move to the north and counter the French Assault. Fighting continued for almost a week but on August 6th the real battle took place. 212 of the German Machines were pitted directly against 442 of their French foes in the world’s first large scale Dreadnought Battle. Though neither side emerged victorious, the Germans lost 93 units and the French 156 before fighting broke off. Following this skirmish and an amping up of German air bombardment the French withdrew on the 9th and, despite German casualties actually being considerably (56,000 to 41,000) lower, the French felt this was a defeat. Nevertheless, any German hopes of counter offensive were dashed by the casualties and the toll on German industry. The only shining light was Rommel, now a national hero who would be promoted thrice by the end of the war, he was awarded the Iron Cross by the Kaiser himself and would, of course, go on to do great things in later conflicts.
On the Polish and Balkan fronts, Dreadnoughts were also making appearances though not to the legendary degree of the west. Austria, the first nation of the east to use the vehicles, attempted yet another push into Silesia using their own Dreadnoughts. The invasion was a roaring success and 2/3rds of the region were captured within a month. Similar incursions into Bavaria and Brandenburg were met with failure as German Panzers made it to the eastern front and were able to counter the Austrian actions, the assault was still a great success for the ever more beleaguered Austrians. Vehicle fighting always played less of a role in the east than the west and only 500 German vehicles would be deployed to the region throughout the war with the Austrians barely making more than 400 in total and the Russians capping themselves at 950. The Polish Front led to new revelations for the Russians, who, having suffered hard since 1910, were now firmly on the counter offensive. Driving the Germans from Lithuania in May, another failed attempt to capture Konigsburg was aborted and a push made to recapture Congress Poland. At the Battle of Poznan, the Russians overpowered the German defenders (who had been receiving aid from the local poles, who felt closer to the Germans who had supported their revolt than the Russians who suppressed it). From here, Russia pushed north, cutting off Ostpreussen from the rest of Germany. Once again, General Ludendorff was held up in Konigsberg and fighting a two front battle against the encircling Russians. Though the “Konigsberg Bubble” was never popped, it was a constant source of worry for the German government.
At Sea, German Leviathans still dominated the Baltic, allowing supplies and even reinforcements to be taken to the Bubble or North to Finland.
In the South, the Austrians hit the Serbs hard and fast, diverting the majority of their forces who had been engaged in Italy south. Pushing along the coast, the Austrians slowly captured more and move of Serbia’s key western cities. An attack along the Serb-Bulgarian border drove a wedge between the Balkan allies and all seemed well in the Balkans. However as Turkish troops in Anatolia began to focus more and more on the Greeks instead of the Slavs, Bulgaria made a new offensive against Romania. The Russian Satellite, battered, tired and hungry, collapsed and an official surrender was issued to the Bulgarians in mid-July. Though the Russians and Austrians were quick to respond (particularly the Russians, who smashed the Bulgarian 5th Army at the Battle of Focsani) the prestige blow to the Entente was huge, first they had signed away land to the Italians, now one of their members had surrendered, the Alliance looked weak. In response, Russia amped up their southern efforts and by the end of October, not only had the Bulgarian efforts been undone, but the front line was, for the first time since the start of the war, moving from Romanian into Bulgarian territory. This (combined with Russia’s Victories in the North) helped to restore Entente and particularly Russian prestige, which had been waning. With this, Denikin and Moscow breathed a sigh of relief, the brutal middle years of the war were over and Russia had gone from being an embarrassment to an Empire on the Attack. All that remained now was to free the Tsar…
Sadly that's all we have time for this week, join me next time to look at the War in the Snow and the South American Advances. This is Bernard Attenborough, Wars By The Year, IBC Two.
Bernard Attenborough, 1956
From The Imperial Broadcasting Company
Wars By The Year, Starring Military Historian Bernard Attenborough
Every Sunday at 8.00 on IBC Two or your regional derivative.
Hello and welcome to Wars By The Year. Today, in Episode 7 of Series Four, we continue our look at the Long War, how Dreadnoughts changed battle in the West and the Entente victories in the East. 1913 got off to a roaring start for the Entente and would continue that way. Italy’s “betrayal” of their Nordic Allies left what remained of the European Bloc on the back foot and this issue was compounded by the fact that, even though the Germans and Scandinavians had begun developing Noughts based on the Italian designs, the French and Austrians had already observed the vehicles in action, developed counters and started work on their own some months before. So when the Western Front erupted into fighting on March 2nd, it was the French who punched a whole in the line. The First Dreadnought Corps, attached to the 3rd Army, made a push deep into Elsass, smashing the German defences in their way. The vehicles, originally developed for mountain warfare, proved even more adept at overcoming trench warfare. German soldiers found that they could do little against the vehicles with standard arms and only artillery and airstrikes could effectively counter them. The French won key victories at Arlon and Saint-Avold, once more pushing the front line across the German border. German Generals were helpless until they realised a major flaw in the French designs, as the Italian vehicles and therefore their French derivatives had been built for assaulting thin mountain passes they were A) focused on attacking ahead and B) quite short. At the Fourth Battle of Metz, on April 3rd, the Germans put this knowledge into practice; with wider (double or even triple width) trenches the Noughts simply fell, head first, into the Trench. From here German Sappers could attach explosives to the side of the vehicles, light fires beneath them or simply wait for the enemy to emerge, trapped as they were.
Though fast and well armoured, Early French Dreadnoughts had exposed flanks, a short chassis and limited firing cones.
Of course the Germans took these flaws into account when designing their own Dreadnoughts, building long, large contraptions with side mounted, swiveling cannon. The Germans called (and still do call) these devices “Panzers” or Armour and from here, the modern distinction between Light “Noughts” and Heavy “Armour” emerged. German Panzers, when put into action, helped to stem the French tide and proved effective in many counter attacks. The fighting again returned to back and forth, though much of Belgium was recovered and the Germans were being pushed ever back. By August, things were dragging and both nations decided that they would need a decisive victory. The Battle of Luxembourg saw a huge deployment of German troops as the 4th and 2nd Armies, 910,000 men combined, stood opposite three French Armies of a similar combined strength. Both forces were heavily bolstered with Panzers or Noughts, though both nations had experimented with both sizes by this point, modern Mixed Vehicle Tactics were still decades away. The French had some 552 vehicles whilst the Germans had only 295, however it is worth noting that, if we take into account the weight of the vehicles or collective calibre of their guns, the Germans had greater tonnage and firepower. Both sides needed the Battle to be decisive; to bring a victorious end to the year and put them on good footing for 1914’s excursions. The Germans positioned themselves some ten miles west of Luxembourg City, with Skiffs and Zeppelins flying from airfields within the city itself. The Germans had been expecting an attack from the South West and positioned themselves as such but, due to a last minute and unexpected Belgian victory at Wiltz, the French pushed in from the north, attempting to drive themselves between the city and the army. Had they succeeded, the Germans could have been out of supply, separated from their air support and left to starve and whittle away. However a young Panzer Lieutenant, Erwin Rommel, noticed a group of French Scouts and commanded his own and the 7 other Panzers attached to him to move north, against the orders of his superiors. Rommel, alone and without scouting support, found himself up against a group of more than 30 French Noughts, a forward force meant to soften any northern defences before the main army arrives. Outnumbered more than 3 to 1, Rommel had 3 of his Panzers break off, move rapidly to the west and begin shelling the French in their flank. The French vehicles, unable to fire more than 100 Degrees from their front, were hit hard in the side by the 6 cannon now turned on them and the French commander ordered a third of his force to detach and persue. Now divided, Rommel drove his remaining 5 Panzers between the main French contingent and the detachment, using the hilly terrain to maximise his speed and give himself the high ground. With side mounted cannon, his Panzers were now able to hit the main French force to their east and the detachment to their west. The Smaller french group, bombarded from both sides and seemingly surrounded, collapsed into anarchy; 4 crews surrendered, 3 were destroyed and the remaining 3 scattered. With a third of the French force broken, Rommel kept his Panzers in two groups and pulled the French in two directions, letting one division pick up the slack if the other was coming under too much fire. After some 20 minutes of this cat and mouse chase, German Air Support arrived, destroying five of the French Noughts almost immediately and chasing of the remainder. When reinforcements arrived, Rommel had lost 5 of his 8 units and 18 French Noughts were left abandoned or destroyed.
German Panzers meanwhile had more, bigger guns, a longer chassis, better visibility but were less manoeuvrable, heavier and much more expensive to produce
This delaying action allowed first the German Armour and later the main army to move to the north and counter the French Assault. Fighting continued for almost a week but on August 6th the real battle took place. 212 of the German Machines were pitted directly against 442 of their French foes in the world’s first large scale Dreadnought Battle. Though neither side emerged victorious, the Germans lost 93 units and the French 156 before fighting broke off. Following this skirmish and an amping up of German air bombardment the French withdrew on the 9th and, despite German casualties actually being considerably (56,000 to 41,000) lower, the French felt this was a defeat. Nevertheless, any German hopes of counter offensive were dashed by the casualties and the toll on German industry. The only shining light was Rommel, now a national hero who would be promoted thrice by the end of the war, he was awarded the Iron Cross by the Kaiser himself and would, of course, go on to do great things in later conflicts.
On the Polish and Balkan fronts, Dreadnoughts were also making appearances though not to the legendary degree of the west. Austria, the first nation of the east to use the vehicles, attempted yet another push into Silesia using their own Dreadnoughts. The invasion was a roaring success and 2/3rds of the region were captured within a month. Similar incursions into Bavaria and Brandenburg were met with failure as German Panzers made it to the eastern front and were able to counter the Austrian actions, the assault was still a great success for the ever more beleaguered Austrians. Vehicle fighting always played less of a role in the east than the west and only 500 German vehicles would be deployed to the region throughout the war with the Austrians barely making more than 400 in total and the Russians capping themselves at 950. The Polish Front led to new revelations for the Russians, who, having suffered hard since 1910, were now firmly on the counter offensive. Driving the Germans from Lithuania in May, another failed attempt to capture Konigsburg was aborted and a push made to recapture Congress Poland. At the Battle of Poznan, the Russians overpowered the German defenders (who had been receiving aid from the local poles, who felt closer to the Germans who had supported their revolt than the Russians who suppressed it). From here, Russia pushed north, cutting off Ostpreussen from the rest of Germany. Once again, General Ludendorff was held up in Konigsberg and fighting a two front battle against the encircling Russians. Though the “Konigsberg Bubble” was never popped, it was a constant source of worry for the German government.
At Sea, German Leviathans still dominated the Baltic, allowing supplies and even reinforcements to be taken to the Bubble or North to Finland.
In the South, the Austrians hit the Serbs hard and fast, diverting the majority of their forces who had been engaged in Italy south. Pushing along the coast, the Austrians slowly captured more and move of Serbia’s key western cities. An attack along the Serb-Bulgarian border drove a wedge between the Balkan allies and all seemed well in the Balkans. However as Turkish troops in Anatolia began to focus more and more on the Greeks instead of the Slavs, Bulgaria made a new offensive against Romania. The Russian Satellite, battered, tired and hungry, collapsed and an official surrender was issued to the Bulgarians in mid-July. Though the Russians and Austrians were quick to respond (particularly the Russians, who smashed the Bulgarian 5th Army at the Battle of Focsani) the prestige blow to the Entente was huge, first they had signed away land to the Italians, now one of their members had surrendered, the Alliance looked weak. In response, Russia amped up their southern efforts and by the end of October, not only had the Bulgarian efforts been undone, but the front line was, for the first time since the start of the war, moving from Romanian into Bulgarian territory. This (combined with Russia’s Victories in the North) helped to restore Entente and particularly Russian prestige, which had been waning. With this, Denikin and Moscow breathed a sigh of relief, the brutal middle years of the war were over and Russia had gone from being an embarrassment to an Empire on the Attack. All that remained now was to free the Tsar…
Sadly that's all we have time for this week, join me next time to look at the War in the Snow and the South American Advances. This is Bernard Attenborough, Wars By The Year, IBC Two.
Bernard Attenborough, 1956
Odd isn't it?
Its quite sad often Italy get screwed OTL and in Alt History. Italy have done very well for themselves, though far from a complete victory and they sadly haven't grabbed any new colonies, they've still avoided lots of the OTL suffering and made impressive territorial gains in Europe. Their relations with the French are actually pretty solid already, as the West Alpine Front was pretty low intensity and there's not much cultural animosity. Germany, however, are feeling mighty pissed off by all this...Very smart indeed and oh boy, theres going to be a rapid scramble and you'll see *tanks being very important from now on...
Dammnit, you've just reminded me I'm meant to be listing manufacturers for the Dreadnoughts!
*sigh* I have some edits to make.I most note I disagree with two things related to the Long War:
A) The efficiency of Air Units. Cloudskiffs are looking like WW2 era craft, after less development time than they had by WWI in OTL (If I've got my years right.)
B) The efficiency of Tanks. They should be breaking down more. And if Rommel's Panzers are anything like the British WWI tanks you've given the image for, and if the French Tanks are anything like the FT-17's you've got there, then Rommel isn't flanking anything faster than a barn.
A) The efficiency of Air Units. Cloudskiffs are looking like WW2 era craft, after less development time than they had by WWI in OTL (If I've got my years right.)
B) The efficiency of Tanks. They should be breaking down more. And if Rommel's Panzers are anything like the British WWI tanks you've given the image for, and if the French Tanks are anything like the FT-17's you've got there, then Rommel isn't flanking anything faster than a barn.
Kinda no but I'm glad for the interest and I'm actually working on something of a narrative reboot which should be out by the end of the month if not sooner!
So sorry to disappoint but give it a few weeks and things should be different. I'll also more faster in the reboot so we should catch up to this one by maybe even the end of the year!
Thanks for the interest!
(Oh and yeah as Komnenos says, bumping dead threads isn't a great idea, even if it is quite flattering! )
So sorry to disappoint but give it a few weeks and things should be different. I'll also more faster in the reboot so we should catch up to this one by maybe even the end of the year!
Thanks for the interest!
(Oh and yeah as Komnenos says, bumping dead threads isn't a great idea, even if it is quite flattering!
)