KuK Wiener Zeitung 2/1906

[Borys]

Kaapstadt, July 1906

Gróf Bela Lugois turned over the note with the blunt question from the Oranje official - "What do you need the Zulus for?"
His mind drifted to the instructions and memorandum from Vienna concerning the Zulu Question.


"Even though it might be desirable to use Zulus as settlers in Grossherzogtum Parana, due to shorter distance involved, there are other considerations here. Parana is primarily a place for settling excess village population. And a source of coal."

- Keeping the Hungarians happy and at the same time torpedoing possible Romanian designs is a bonus - added the diplomat to himself.

"The presence of Zulus as settlers is undesirable. It could complicate tribal issues even further, adding yet one more - and highly distinct and non-Christian at that - to the 10 or so nationalities already. And due to race difficult to integrate."

"Whence the Monarchy's interest in Zulus? Der Kaiser braucht Soldaten - the Emperor needs soldiers. In 3 years time the contracts of over 3/4ths of the 100,000 Auslaender Freiwilligen Legion will expire. As the force had been created in 1903, an overwhelming majority of contracts date from that year. And there was a good possibility that the Spanish - originally coerced into signing up, and who now accounted for 35-40% of total strenght, and 2/3rds of NCOs - will not re-enlist. Thus recruitment of some 20,000 warriors would go a long way to alleviate the predicted 1909 manpower crisis."

"If - this being left to the discretion of the Official on the Spot - there were good grounds for expecting the Oranje authorities' to be "unhappy", the Zulus could be recruited through Argentianian companies invilved in railroad construction work in Parana. If the Zulus are indeed the warriors they are depicted as being, they should be glad to take up the chance to enlist with the AFL when given this opportunity. If not, they will be actually involved in RR building."

[Borys]

Summer 1906
Wien, Marineamt

Exposition on the conditon and future of the navy given by Admiiral Montecuccoli

Every navy consists of ships. And the men operating them. I will start with the men. He the situation is quite good, if not very good. The fleet has been shedding ships since 1902. This had led to lesser demand for matrosen and officer alike. But the officers remained, as did some of the most dedicated matrosen. The 1904 change to professional service only again did not affect the Officer Corps, but lower ranks.
Thus for two years now we have too many officers for the ships. Some are kept in shore jobs, while it is not uncommon for junior officers to occupy posts which should be occupied by Warrant Officers or Senior NCOs. This is not an ideal situation. However, it helped maintain morale and discipline in the darkest days of 1905. And gives us an excelent starting point to expand our fleet. At present the surplus officers can be lent to the Middle Kingdom, for two years or three years, to assist that fleet with digestion of newly acquired ships. Doubling tonnage overnight would swamp the manning capabiities of any navy, let alone one which cannot fall back on a corps of Reserve naval officers.
There are "just enough" Warrant Officers and NCOs to go around, as these are slowly being trained and promoted, as these posts had not existed pre 1904. But we will keep on training them, even if their supply exceeds current manning requeriments. It takes longer to train a Warrant officer than to build a battleship, a fact the gentleman not linked with navy might not be aware of.
Recruitment of matrosen is quite satisfactory, and traditionally chiefly from Croatia and Dalmatia.  Malta is also becoming a sizeable contributor. The loss of the Kuestenland did not affect us as severly as feared. The Naval Reserve is also in quite good shape. Thus in the future we may safely plan for any reserve flotillas of TBs or other small fry to be brought up to strenght.

[Borys]

After lunch the Grossadmiral continued

The economy has recovered enough for the Navy to contemplate again placing a Naval Bill, Flottengesetz, before the Delegations from the two Parliaments. However, to my best knowledge, the next four years are to see serious re-arming efforts of the Senior Service. These will tie up about one fifth of our armaments industry, sharply curtailing out warship building capability. This has consequences particularly for heavier vessels.

Enrico de Montecuccoli walked up to a chart put up by an aide.
With a warship's useful life being a dozen years for lighter, and 15 years for for heavier combants, the Fleet would like to ask for automatic, annual release of funds for:
- eskvadron of 3 mining vessels - thus reaching and maintaining strenght of 36 units
- halb-flottille of 5 torpedo vessls - thus reaching and maintaining strenght of 60 units
- 2 small cruisers - thus reaching and maintaining strenght of 30 units
- 1 capital ship, Schlachtschiffe or Panzerkreuzer - providing for standing strenght of 15 units

Estimates, based upon current and planned own and foreign construction, would point to the following demands on industry:
- eskvadron of 3 mining vessels - 1000 tons
- halb-flottille of 5 torpedo vessls - 3750 
- 2 kleiner kreuzer - 8000
- 1 capital ship, Schlachtschiffe or Panzerkreuzer - 20000

This is 32,000 tons. At present the Monarchy's output is 22,000 per year, with hopes for 24,000 tons in the near future. Also, realistically the fleet may be assigned 15-16,000 of total capacity, capital investment being needed in Parana, as well as in the expansion of infrastructure.
It is clear that the most that can be hoped for is one capital ship every two years.
And that is the Flottengesetz that will be laid before the Delegations.

[Borys]

Summer 1906, beach of Imperial Villa, Dubrovnik

- "Hon, who ya sending to da Haag?"
- "Mebee that Hungarian trigger happy black marketeer."
- "But e's outa favour, innit?"
- "Did a good job on the Convention, though ... "

[Borys]

Summer 1906, Imperial Villa, Dubrovnik

- "How was in the ... Baltikum?"
Von und zu Lichtenstein smiled.
- "Fascinating country, undergoing a fascinating moment. And struggling to overcome various internal problems. Like the lack of convenient name - both for the state and its inhabitants."
He paused to sip his lemonade. With his free hand he passed on a newspaper to the emperor.
Stefan skimmed the headlines, his brows coming together and his look becoming more quizzical.
- "You know I can't read Dutch, let alone speak it ... do you know HOW they pronounce Groeningen or Schweningen?" - his efforts alarmed one of the servants, who took a half step towards the monarch, but seeing him breath normaly returned to his station.
- "No, that's not Dutch. That's the dialect spoken by peasants in the north. And this bunch - calling themselves the Saxon Revival - are writting it down just as it is spoken. On the ship I had time enough to decipher their rants. Once I worked out the changes - like "k" for "ch" - it was quiet easy. They are claiming that there are Landlubber Germans and Maritime Germans - with the border between the two conveniently following the present Baltikum and Bavarian borders. And the Maritime Germans - very conveniently again - include the Scandinavians ...
- "Are they Government supported? Or a bunch of ignored loonies?"
- "Hard to tell ... the north has seen one dream after another being shattered. First German unification, of the Kleindeutcher variety, smashed by the French so quickly after their success against us. That made them disenchanted with the whole German Idea, and led them to kick out the Hohenzollerns and throw their lot with the Scandinavians. Then they were lured by another dream, that of Socialism, but  that again crumbled under the mess they and Juan the Mad made of it. And the sods don't even have a name for themselves anymore - the Brandenburgers, Hamburgers, Hanoverians, Oldenburgers or Schleswigers - they can call themselves German, but that's nationality. What's their statehood? Baltic Confederates? They're groping around for something more palatable ... "
Stefan pondered the issue for a moment.
- "They don't even have a dynasty to rally around. The pervert disgraced the Royal House. I heard Juan made his last moments long and painfull ...
- "I wonder if the Verdamnt Wittelsbachs are having simlar issues - the Badeners, Wurtembergers and Hessians are equal in number to them, not to mention Silesia or ex-Kingdom of Saxony"

[Borys]

Late Autumn, Pola
Marine Amt

Enrico de Montecuccoli, the Grossadmiral, rubbed his eyes, tired from reading all day. He finally dug his way down to an envelope from the Ballplatz. What did the diplomacy boys want this time? Some change in relations with somebody? Or some incident which hadn't reached him through naval channels?
He started reading.
- Jolly good old Franz! - he exlaimed softly to himself.
- He had been the fleet's best lobbyst in Vienna under the previous Emperor. And this showed that he still cared. Twelve kadetts more or less did not matter - it just meant 6 more double bunks. But wait! Were they omnivorous? Was there scope for a diplomatic incident? He'll have to discretely sound out the Middle Kingdom Embassy about this.
It was the off locading of 260 officers which made him happy. Hadn't it been for the manners and bearing beaten into them in the kadett days, he'd expect fistfights or duels between officers contending for ship posts - even below their rank. Not to mention harrasement by aristocratic  or monied familly members. Ugh! Now these officers will be getting seatime until the fleet adds new ships.
- I will have to check with the Ballplatz about the availability of the land route through Russia - he thought.  - That was the fastest way. And Fregattenkapitaen Voitisek will start working on the list tomorrow.
He smiled to himself again.
- Looks that several dozen fleet officers are going to have an exotic Christmass ...