Kaiserlich und Koeniglich Wiener Zeitung - 1/1908

[P3D]

I've articulated my own view previously - the war is too busy.  The events we are seeing should have taken a year or two to take place.  Cramming them into six months assumes an unrealistic operational pace compared to any historical war I can think of.  If we'd even gotten to the end of H1/08 with the war events to date, I'd be happy.  As it is, I have nothing to contribute to the sim right now unless sudden inspiration hits me:  I'm not posting future ship designs until they're to be laid down, I'm not rushing my own story ideas, and so forth.

My thoughts exactly.

[Ithekro]

Basic problem:  Most of the powers involved have settled on a campaign or two to keep them busy (or supporting other powrs campaigns in some fashion)...all but the Swiss, who by definition have to be involved in all the campaigns.  At some point their overconfidence will faulter and reality will set in.  Or this will drag on as the Swiss wonder why their forces aren't being effective, or their navy is on the bottom of the seas.  Of course they are taking a lot of their enemies with them.

[Borys]

- I am Invincible!
- Look, you have no arms left!
- Flesh wound. Chicken!

[Korpen]

Well roughly the Swiss have lost about as much warships as they have sunk, something they really cannot afford in a war of attrition.

[Desertfox]

The Black Knight's Overconfidence will NEVER Falter! ;D Reality? Heck we are fighting in cyberspace, in a fictional world, in 1908!

Fortunately I had more warships to begin with...and if I take enough enemy ships down with me, the enemy will have to resort to fighting with minesweepers! Good thing that mines, torpedo boats, and submarines are really cheap.

[Borys]

April 1908
The Kaiser's Fixer, Furst von und zu Lichtenstein, has been seen in Avignon. After at least two days presence in the Papal city, he was then sighted on the night train to Barcelona.

[Borys]

April 1908 Vienna
Meeting of the Inner Cabinet

... I have made a decision concerning the Far East. Catanduanes, for all its qualities, makes no sense as a possession of the Habsburg Empire. It is too far from the Crown Lands, and with easily denied access, as to be sustainable. Had the Swiss devoted a corps to attack it, we would had not held. However, the Swiss correctly judged its strategic value to be nil and ignored it. And will Austria [mumbled -Hungary from one of the members] ever have a fleet as to keep a strong squadron there? - not likely. And in case of future war in that area our Allies would provide us with bases. If no Allies - no Austrian [-Hungarian] fleet over there. It is too small to be built up into a stand alone possession, like Parana. God ordained the rebirth of Iberia, thus preventing the aquisition of Luzon, which would had changed the situation. So, to get rid of the liability, and to further strengthen our ties with Madrid - unhappy about various pieces of ex-Spanish and ex-Portuguese territories in foreign hands, lost during the days of the Red Turmoil - I have decided to give up our "lease" on Catanduanes.  The Good Fuerst Lichtenstein is now arranging details of handover terms with Iberia.

[Borys]

April 1908
Ausslaenderminsisterium

Enrico di Runio did not quite know what to expect from this visit. He was to meet the Japanese ambassador, a person he had not met before, as he had been out of town when the diplomat had presented his acreditation to the Court.
Japan had unexpctedly - for the Habsburgs, at least - joined the war against the Swiss. What could they want from the Imperial-and-Royal Apostolic Government?

**********************

After the meeting the Minster of Foreign Affairs ordered the Night Office to despatch additional instructions to von und zu Lichtenstein. As the intinerary of the Prince was not fixed, and could be subject to unexpcted change, the coded telegrams went out to half of Western Europe. 

[Borys]

Viraca, Catanduanes, Philippines
Last days of April

The mood was quiet. The presence, even if discrete, of Iberian officials, dissipated any wishful thinking there might had been. Not that there was much. The indigenous population and fresh arrivals from Luzon seemed quite pleased to be reunited with "the mainland". The ex-ACM citizens were doing business on both sides of the border anyway, so the Iberian were no bogeyman to them either. And they would no longer have to twist their tongues around German. Only the small colony of Europeans looked a bit distraught.

[Borys]

April, Temesvar

Coverage of spring flooding in the Banat

Feldfebel Veyvoda Atilla, of the Breukentrain of the XIV Banatischer Korps of the Heimwehr*, swelled with pride pointing at the bridge over the swollen Bega river racing through the Vienna of Transylvania. This year's casualties of the spring floods, apart from the customary goat, sheep, cow or stray dog, included the footbridges over the Bega, last rebuilt after the Long Harsh Winter.

"Now the folks here can use our bridge before the footbridges over the river are rebuilt. Even drive an ox cart across. We are very proud to help out, as most of the units comes from somewhere 'round here. That'll buy us some pints, I 'spous. We've been practicing bridge building every year for three years now, so good to finally have a go at a real thing, not put something up for the manouvers and then take it apart again. Da boyz been joking that we'll be rebuilding Trajan's bridge next."

* think Territorial Army in UK or National Guard in US; the whole corps is drawn from this area
 

[Borys]

Late April 1908

The cables finally caught up with Imre Lengyel at Vogeldreck.
A mixed bag, he had to admit. He was relieved to read "mission to Firanj cancelled". But his next assigment - "proceed at best speed to Batavia and report to Legation" made him wonder. And he could not make quite up his mind about getting his mobilisation papers - including the promotion to Rittermeister/Százados of the 4th Hussars ...

[Borys]

Early May 1908

The brave Hungarians of Szent Istvan corps, escorted by the Dutch fleet and a Habsburg squadron, land in North Australia near New Amsterdam. At Van Diemen Bay. Soggy ground and swamps swollen with water from the just ended monsoon season make the going slow and bloody.

[Borys]

Late May 1908

The beachead to the east of New Amsterdam has been judged unsuitable for further landings.
The ferocius Czechs and Moravians of the Feldherrn Korps - supported by the ever gallant Duch navy - landed at Anson Bay to the west of the city. The Swiss forces were surprised by this second landing and quickly drew back towards the city.

[Borys]

Mid June 1908
Stalwart Comarades in Arms, the Hungarians and Czechs from the two Habsburg Korps link up outside New Amsterdam. The city is now under siege.

[Ithekro]

Okay, so this bring us up to the Swiss having foreign troops in Hainam, Taiwan, around Saipan, Tasmania, and now in Northern Australia (Darwin more or less), plus reports of an invasion in the Alaska region and various Pacific islands.  The only known Swiss offensive seems to be on New Guinea and in some islands in the Dutch East Indies.

I forgot what point I was trying to bring up.... :-\