Balance of Power - The Great Russian War (1903-1904) (The End)

[Cranberry]

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But I sign that, the version Romania and I agreed before Lumine tried to stabb me.

xChancellor Von Bülow

x Kaiser Wilhelm III

Accidentally deleted the old post.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Hmm... I'm confused. Wasn't Windjammer made an AH player, given that Oldiesfreak is, indeed, doing absolutely nothing?

[windjammer]

I'm really excited

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Herr von Bulow's constant excitement has become a threat for world stability. At first we hoped that diplomatic efforts can curb his excitement, but he has ignored our good will and only grow more excited.

We have no choice but to declare that the state of war exists between the Ottoman Empire and the German Empire.

jk

[windjammer]

Oh and please players and Lumine, jk= joke

[Lumine]

Phase Eight Results:

Domestic Results:

Russia: Gapon and his supporters have been silenced by the attack on Petrograd, but with the industrial strikes growing and the Ukraine in open revolt, it's getting harder and harder to keep the country stable.

Germany: No many changes here, as the war is still very popular. That said, the economy is starting to face certain problems, so increasing trade will be key.

Austro-Hungarian Empire: While the separate peace with Romania brought some much needed stability, there are rumours of a coup everywhere. The Hungarian aristocracy has been seen holding secret meetings, and the Army is fillied with officers who are rather outspoken in their opposition to Kaiser Franz Ferdinand, who is seen as ineffective and dangerous for the nation.

Ottoman Empire: Same as in past months.

Italy: No changes.

Warfare Results:

European Front:
   
Petrograd Offensive:
-Tactical German Victory: With Petrograd as the key to the war, both armies prepared for the decisive battle. The German Army still had the advantage, but they had to fight over miles and miles of trenches and Russian defenses, which then turned into a bloody battle of attrition. The High Seas Fleet held onto Kronstadt thanks to the Russian Navy being nonexistant, but prosecuting the attack proved almost impossible against the artillery of Petrograd, which damaged several battleships. The Germans have advanced some miles, but Petrograd is still Russian.

Ukraine Offensive:
-Major German Victory: With the promise of autonomy and other benefits and hating the Black Hundreds as they did it was no surprise that Ukraine was the next place to revolt, with militia being formed all over the region to fight and strike at the Russian forces. The result was incredibly bloody, with the Black Hundreds and the Russian Army battling civilians in bloody battles while trying to resist a powerful German/Austria offensive that proved too strong to handle. The Ukrainian front is broken, and unless quick action is taken the Germans might very well continue to face sucess here.

Latvia/Lithuania Counteroffensive:
-Tactical Russian Victory: With the German supply lines slightly overextended and intensive guerrilla operations, the Russian High Command hoped to cut off the Germans by delivering a blow to Lithuania. Thanks to the Germans not attacking Belarus the Russias were able to send a massive force, but even their numerical superiority was not enough to defeat the consolidated German defenses and the increasing numbers of Baltic and Polish volunteers joining the battle. As a result, the Russians faced significant losses before suspending the offensive for a few weeks, managing to weaken the defenses on the zone.

Austrian Invasion of Serbia and Montenegro:
-Decisive Austrian Victory: With Romania pulling out of the war and a complicated logistical situation, the Russians weren't able to help their allies as much as they would have wanted. Despite the Austrian Army not being in top form, the reinforcements from their allies made the difference, allowing the Austrians to basically destroy half the Serbian Army and capture most of the country. Montenegro was also mostly occupied, the nation being too weak to resist after the earlier British invasion.

Bulgarian Front:
-Decisive Allied Victory: With massive Italian reinforcements and a strong push by Sultan Abdul Hamid, the allies finally went all-out against Bulgaria, who had exhausted its economy and had no way of buying new military equipment without the Russians. Not even the trenches were enough to save the battered Bulgarian Army, leading to the virtual collapse of the country and the escape of the Tsar of Bulgaria into the Northern part of the country. The Bulgarian government had made no plans for a negotiated peace, but it is expected that they will accept peace terms provided Bulgaria continues to be independent.

Overview:

-Russia avoided the loss of St. Petersburg and managed to fight back with their reserves, but the situation in Ukraine is critical and the Orthodox League is virtually dead with the collapse of Serbia and Montenegro. The Russians can certainly try and bleed the Germans to death and avoid losing too much ground, but the High Command is not certain of what road to take: be bold and launch the remaining reserves or play a "cat and mouse" game. Bulgaria is for all purposes finished unless a miracle allows them to regroup, so it seems the Ottoman Empire has won another war.

[Lumine]

War Map:

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

We are presently discussing the issue with our Greek and Italian allies. Hopefully, we will soon present our terms to the Bulgarian government.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Treaty of Constantinopole

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x Abdul Hamid II

[Lumine]

Treaty of Constantinopole

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x Abdul Hamid II

x Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria
x King George of Greece

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

OOC: I've made a typo (should be "her" instead of "them"), but that's a minor thing.

[Anti Democrat Democrat Club]

x King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

OOC: Turkey didn't annex anything? Annexing Eastern Rumelia would bring back the situation in the original 1901 map.

[Anti Democrat Democrat Club]

Nah, Bulgaria owns Eastern Rumelia. I think the Ottomans have Eastern Thrace though - Ottomans have that.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

OOC: It's clearly stated Eastern Rumelia is reanexxed by the Ottoman Empire. The map, made by Sawxx, was to ilustrate Greek gains. So yes, it brings an original map, except of Greek gains.   

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

The Tsar will be offered safe haven in Russia.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

With our historic victory in Bulgaria, we had not only recovered our rightful province of Eastern Rumelia. Most importantly, the old glory of the Ottoman Empire has been fully restored.

We are victorious, but we shall be generous in our triumph. Therefore, the Bulgarian people must be treated with dignity. No abuse shall be tolerated.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

The Ottoman Empire is hopeful a peace will soon be restored to the Balkans. While Bulgaria was an exceptional matter, we have declared we will not seek any of our former territories in the peninsula and we confirm that we will not take any advantage of the situation.

We hope that governments of Serbia and Montenegro will make a peace with our German and Austrian allies and end what is now a sensless resistance.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Our allies are perfectly willing to make peace now on the mere condition that they be allowed to exist as independent states.

[windjammer]

Our allies are perfectly willing to make peace now on the mere condition that they be allowed to exist as independent states.

I thought you didn't want to make peace Snowstalker this turn???

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

We absolutely wish to see peace; it is the Germans who have extended this war through demands that neither us, the Serbs, nor the Montenegrins can accept. We are fully willing to enter negotiations again on the condition that the total independence of all countries in this war be preserved.

We also hope the Romanians' decision to unilaterally exit the war proves that the notion of Russia "dominating" the Balkans is nothing but silly German propaganda.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Serbia and Montenegro should speak for themselves. Russia claims these states are independent, so she should act like this, instead of making decisions for them.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Serbia and Montenegro should speak for themselves. Russia claims these states are independent, so she should act like this, instead of making decisions for them.

Which is precisely why we are not willing to simply sign away their independence.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Serbia and Montenegro should speak for themselves. Russia claims these states are independent, so she should act like this, instead of making decisions for them.

Which is precisely why we are not willing to simply sign away their independence.

Well, just making an observation. Whether Russia bleeds herself to death in defense of Serbia and Montenegro, while not able to hold German advances on her own soil, it's not our concern.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Russia's advantage in this war, just as in Napoleon's ill-fated invasion a year ago, is just how deep the Germans must go to beat us. As they push into our vast lands they only overstretch their own armies; our successful offensive into the Baltics against the thin German lines is proof of this. And our economy is finally in full wartime production. We have been cut, but we have not been bled white by any stretch of the imagination.