War Planning: March 1898-May 1898
- Location
- the Republic
- Pronouns
- He/They
War Planning: March 1898-May 1898
As winter turns to spring, news of the fall of Krakow filters through to the Polish rebel movements previously fostered by the International Revolutionary Alliance, and soon Landwehr commanders find themselves approached by groups of hard-bitten anti-Russian partisans. Throughout the winter, the partisans were hard at work dynamiting Russian rail lines, shooting Russian officers, and generally making a serious nuisance of themselves. They've seen the commitment of the German Landwehr to fighting for Poland, though most of them can't help but add "this time" to the otherwise friendly sentiment, and they're prepared to offer their services to the Republican cause.
What is to be done?
The Swedish Front
[] [SWEDEN] Strengthen defensive positions in Denmark.
IX Army will maintain and fortify its present position against potential cross-strait incursions while keeping the peninsula and islands locked down.
[] [SWEDEN] Attempt to secure a separate peace with Scandinavia.
In addition to the aforementioned defensive efforts, send a diplomatic envoy to the royal court in Stockholm, with the aim of achieving a negotiated settlement. If successful, this will likely result in terms that represent a substantial but not existential victory over Scandinavia.
[] [SWEDEN] Attempt a naval invasion of Skane (Gold).
Begin the invasion of Skane. Owing to heavy land and naval fortifications on the Swedish side, as well as united and motivated defenders, this is a risky and likely costly maneuver. However, every trained soldier lost is irreplaceable to the Scandinavians, and even a German tactical defeat could prove strategically valuable for future efforts.
The Polish Front
[] [POLAND] Strengthen defensive positions in Poland.
Army Group Poland will focus on building up defensive positions and logistical support within occupied Poland, while restricting its movements to repulsing incursions.
[] [POLAND] Reallocate troops toward the Austrian front.
In addition to the aforementioned defensive efforts, send two or three armies to reinforce Army Group Austria.
[] [POLAND] Initiate an offensive toward Konigsberg (Gold).
Strike at the coastal city of Konigsberg. In addition to being the former capital of Prussia and home to numerous Republic-sympathizing Germans, Konigsberg is a major supply port for Scandinavia and the Russian Baltic Fleet, and losing it would further hamper League maritime efforts.
[] [POLAND] Initiate an offensive toward Warsaw (Green).
Strike at the Polish capital and linchpin of the Russian war effort in the east. Warsaw is a major industrial and logistical center, and its loss will throw the defense of Poland into complete disarray, as well as serving as a major propaganda victory.
[] [POLAND] Initiate an offensive toward Lvov (Red).
Strike at the rail junction of Lvov. Taking Russian Galicia would effectively cut off the rail-based supply lines between the League's two major powers, as well as establish control over one of Russia's major industrial areas.
The Polish Nationalists
[] [REBELS] Begin forming nationalist volunteers into infantry brigades.
The Polish volunteers are eager to fight but not quite ready to serve. A season spent training and equipping them to serve as second-line infantry will ensure that they're prepared to bolster the Landwehr's own efforts on the front lines, thereby helping bridge the numerical gap between Germany's forces and Russia's.
[] [REBELS] Begin forming nationalist volunteers into scout brigades.
The Polish volunteers are motivated and very familiar with the terrain but not quite ready to coordinate with a professional army. A season spent training and equipping them to serve as foot and mounted scouts will ensure that the Landwehr has excellent military intelligence for future operations in Poland.
[] [REBELS] Have the volunteers continue operating as irregular partisans.
The rebels have already been quite effective picking off Russian troops and sabotaging their logistics and there's no need to change perfection. Giving them guns and advisors will allow them to continue doing so at maximum efficacy and keep the pressure on the Russians throughout the spring.
The Austrian Front
[] [AUSTRIA] Strengthen defensive positions in Austria.
Army Group Austria will focus on building up defensive positions and logistical support within occupied Austria, while restricting its movements to repulsing incursions.
[] [AUSTRIA] Reallocate troops toward the Polish front.
In addition to the aforementioned defensive efforts, send an army or two to reinforce Army Group Poland.
[] [AUSTRIA] Initiate an offensive toward Prague (Gold).
Prague is substantially fortified, but it's also a major industrial center and the historic capital of the Czech people. Taking it would be a serious blow to Austrian morale, throw their supply situation into substantial disarray, and help rally Czech nationalists to your cause.
[] [AUSTRIA] Initiate an offensive toward Vienna (Green).
Vienna is very well-defended, but it is also the beating heart of the entire Habsburg empire. Even seriously threatening it would force the League to reorient its entire strategic outlook, and taking it could prove deadly to the Austrian imperial project.
[] [AUSTRIA] Initiate an offensive toward Klagenfurt (Red).
The rail junction at Klagenfurt is the lifeline of the Austrian Alpine defenses. Attacking it would be very risky, because any offensive force could potentially be caught between the defenders on the line and the League armies outside Vienna, but if successful, the Alpine line would crumble, freeing up the Italian and Spanish forces for their own invasion of Austria.
Italian Front
[] [ITALY] Ask the Allies to stay on the defensive.
If there's no pressing need for the Allied forces to risk themselves assaulting the Alpine line, then they can spend the spring fortifying and preparing for later action.
[] [ITALY] Ask the Allies to put pressure on the League.
Asking the Allied forces to make attacks against League fortifications in the Alps likely won't accomplish much in terms of territory taken, but it will pin the defenders in place.
[] [ITALY] Ask the Allies to initiate a dedicated offensive.
A serious effort to take the Alpine line would be costly and difficult, but as part of a larger strategy, it could result in overrunning those defenses and moving into Austria and Slovenia proper, paving the way for a joint Allied attack.
Baltic Front
[] [BALTIC] Maintain the Baltic blockade.
Keeping the Allied combined fleet on station in the Sound and around Denmark will maintain its position and continue constricting League trade without incurring any major risk.
[] [BALTIC] Order the Allied fleet to interdict the Scandinavian coast.
Despite its losses, the Allied combined fleet is still the dominant force in the Baltic, and sending patrols to intercept League cargo ships would put pressure on both Scandinavian and Russian logistics. This will also maintain the blockade of the Sound and the western Baltic.
[] [BALTIC] Deploy the Allied fleet to contest the eastern Baltic Sea.
Despite its losses, the Allied combined fleet is still the dominant force in the Baltic, and moving east to threaten Konigsberg or Klaipeda could be quite useful strategically, and support an offensive on the former city as well. This will also maintain the blockade of the Sound and the western Baltic.
Mediterranean Front
[] [MED] Ask the Allies to maintain the situation in the Mediterranean.
By maintaining the blockade on the Austrians, the Allied Mediterranean fleet can keep the pressure on without serious risk.
[] [MED] Ask the Allies to threaten the Dalmatian coast.
Dalmatia is singularly unfriendly to any sort of amphibious operation, but after Hoarfrost, even a threat to the region may serve to dislodge some Austrian troops and force them to defend the long, complicated coastline, which could prove strategically useful.
Welcome to the next phase of the Great Eastern War. The following update will encompass March 1898 through May 1898. Spring offensives may run into mud and slush, but overall the weather should be much more favorable to mobile operations.
Each offensive option includes a colored arrow on the map indicating its general direction of advance. The targets are general guidelines, not the whole of the campaign focus. Additional territory besides that in the way of the arrow may be taken.
Please vote for ONE of the sub-options in each category in the form of a plan. However, you may vote for AS MANY plans as you like. I'm looking for a convincing plurality in support of the winning plan; if the result is ambiguous, I may go to a run-off or flip a coin.
All planks include full utilization of Allied resources, including additional mobilizations, domestic resistance movements in enemy territory, and common sense. Suggestions are welcome but non-binding.
Here, have an example plan:
[] Case Ostrich
-[] [SWEDEN] Strengthen defensive positions in Denmark.
-[] [POLAND] Strengthen defensive positions in Poland.
-[] [REBELS] Have the volunteers continue operating as irregular partisans.
-[] [AUSTRIA] Strengthen defensive positions in Austria.
-[] [ITALY] Ask the Allies to stay on the defensive.
-[] [BALTIC] Maintain the Baltic blockade.
-[] [MED] Ask the Allies to maintain the situation in the Mediterranean.
24-hour moratorium to make plans, then 24 hours to vote.
