Army Set-up Discussions

[snip]

I'm contemplating the Ottoman situation.

-Austria's weakened state would seem to reduce the need for Ottoman troops, but those Romanians and Greeks might still have ideas.  So kind of a neutral issue so far as generating the army is concerned.

-Balkans, being Ottoman, should provide more revenue for the Ottomans to fund their army, but may require an additional security presence to keep the hardline nationalists down, even if most of the populations are being won over to the "Ottomanization" program.

-Not sure what to make of Egypt.  A stronger Ottoman Empire may have more direct control over the Egyptians than historical, thus an Ottoman armed presence on the Nile.  Alternately, I retain the quasi-independence of Egypt and build the Egyptian army separately. 

-There's probably places - North African coast, the Persian Gulf - where garrisons in 1-3 citadel forts probably makes more sense than deploying a corps of troops.

-For the 1912 Balkan Wars, the Ottomans mobilized ~315,000 troops against the Balkan powers and another ~30,000 against the Italians in Libya.  One assumes there are probably some troops still keeping an eyeball on Russia and Persia at the time.  So ~400,000 troops then might be reasonable.  How that translates to 1900 is not clear.

I think given the territorial requirements that 400,000 is a reasonable starting place, even if it is mostly active troops. Considering the USA is just coming off a war and only has an active army (sans reserves) of 300,000 I would almost think you could make that number active troops due to territorial requirements.

[The Rock Doctor]

Notionally:

Ottoman Army

2 x Mountain Corps:  Balkans, eastern Anatolia

3 x Infantry Corps:  Balkans, Anatolia/Aegean, Egypt/Sudan

1 x Infantry Corps (Reserve):  Anatolia

1x Cavalry Corps:   Mix of military and tribal auxiliary units scattered throughout Africa, Arabia

10 x 1-citadel forts:  Tunis, Benghazi, Tripoli, Tunis, Tobruk, Souda, Massawa, Hodeida, Qatar, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi

3 x 3-citadel forts:  Jiddah, Basra, Alexandria

1 x 6-citadel fort:  Constantinople

Tech

Baseline, except for:

-The reserve infantry unit (dated)

-The cavalry unit (dated)

-Most of the forst (dated)

Manpower

-350,000 in the corps (once mobilized) + 68,750 in the forts = 418,750 total

[snip]

This reminds me, I still have to do forts and *shudders* the US Coastal defenses.

[The Rock Doctor]

I figured I'd leave the coastal defences for the navy stuff.

[Walter]

It does not matter if coastal defenses fall under the army rules (so they are declared) or fall under the navy rules (so BPs need to be used), you would still have to figure it all out. I though about coastal defenses after I figured out everything of my fleet so if they are considered Navy (which I think will be the case, although the mods will know better), I would have to start playing with all the numbers again to fit in those coast defense guns...

[Darman]

As for India, according to "The Victorians at War, 1815-1914: An Encyclopedia of British Military History", the British had a colonial force reorganize to 3 corps in India in 1903. The manpower of the army is in fact listed as 142,000 in 1903. That's 3 corps in our system. In fact the size of the Indian army was constantly decreasing, it had been 205,000 in 1863 and 153,000 in 1887.

It was roughly 218,000 in 1891.  The last year this source has numbers for before 1900. 
Figures given: Cavalry - 30,000, Artillery - 16,000, Engineers - 4,000, Infantry - 167,000, Total - 217,000. 
Given that, my Indian Army will be 1 corps and 1 division of cavalry (25000+12500=37500 total), 3 corps, 1 division, and 1 brigade of infantry (150000+25000+5000=180000 total), with a grand total of 217,500 men. 
If you want exactly historically accurate armies then that is what I'll give you.  Just give me time to research them. 

And yes, Indian Army in 1903 was reorganized into 3 corps... not of 50,000 men each though, they essentially renamed the original Presidency Armies (Bengal, Madras, and Bombay) as corps rather than armies.  So using that reorganization into 3 corps as the basis for a 3 corps army would be incorrect. 

[Darman]

As far as fortresses go I have only two for now: Halifax Baseline 1-Citadel Fortress (2,750 men).  and Gibraltar, also a Baseline 1-Citadel Fortress. 

[Logi]

My intention had been the forts are under declared army whilst the coastal defenses are under the navy rules and thus have to be paid for.

Snip can confirm or deny this though.

[snip]

My intention had been the forts are under declared army whilst the coastal defenses are under the navy rules and thus have to be paid for.

Snip can confirm or deny this though.

I would argue that coastal defenses should be declared for twofold reasons, 1) Quite often these were managed by the Army as opposed to the Navy. 2) The amount of coastal defenses vary (IIRC) greatly between nations, so trying to build them all for startup would warp the startup naval numbers further as we then have to account for that.

[Logi]

I would be fine with both being declared.

[snip]

I would be fine with both being declared.

Now I get to figure out what I should have...I think its going to be a lot.

[Darman]

I would be fine with both being declared.

Now I get to figure out what I should have...I think its going to be a lot.

the US ought to have a lot.  Isn't 1900 around the time of the Endicott Board?

[snip]

I would be fine with both being declared.

Now I get to figure out what I should have...I think its going to be a lot.

the US ought to have a lot.  Isn't 1900 around the time of the Endicott Board?

Going to have to comb though this.

[Darman]

I would be fine with both being declared.

Now I get to figure out what I should have...I think its going to be a lot.

the US ought to have a lot.  Isn't 1900 around the time of the Endicott Board?

Going to have to comb though this.

Don't envy you at all

[snip]

I would be fine with both being declared.

Now I get to figure out what I should have...I think its going to be a lot.

the US ought to have a lot.  Isn't 1900 around the time of the Endicott Board?

Going to have to comb though this.

Don't envy you at all

There is going to be a point of "Frackit, everything gets a standardish setup." Just have to figure out what that should be.