Today we go beyond what even the most ardent Spanish supporter thought possible back in 1910. Today we destroy the Austro-Hungarian Empire!
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Captain of the 1st Company: Treefrog
Veteran Sergeants: 1st Place Onion, Rui, Welshy.
Sergeants: Charles Wright, Alerik Rahl, Jackie, Twitchyknees
Veterans: Adrien Young, Sunless Sky Nova, Darth Vendar, Martti
Battle Siblings: ArtsyJohnE, Caleb Mayer, DWB001, Haytor, Jackychan97, Jeffery Labbe, Joakim B, JT Bismarck, Laszlo Szidonya, M van Dongen, nagebenfro, Patrick Connerney, Patrick Welsh, PS_Games, Tentacle Shogun, Zadrias, Good Boy 24, Jessica Rae
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20:06: I think it's the Kaiser Franz Joseph I.
Yep, the numbers are right, it's a KFJI.
22:39: So I notice that the UK and Spain aren't on the list, and of last check each was allied to both China and Japan.
26:20: Is that a hull available in 1941 normally?
28:15: I think the Austrian nationalists are trying to replace their Balkan populations with German ones.
28:22: OMGMA, that's a lot of campaign information in one go. London should be ashamed of distracting Germany at a time like this. Highly exploitive.
And I want Moldavia too!
35:10: Huzzah Flora!
Campaign to Take Hungary Ends
Noticias Marítimas y Mundiales de Cádiz
12 January 1943
With the sudden collapse of the Volksstaat Österreich the campaign to liberate Hungary has come to an end. The Magyar people are organizing the Magyar Királyság, and Madrid is tentatively extending diplomatic recognition.
The campaign has cost the Ejército de Tierra over a half a million men, many of them recruits from our new Balkan territories looking for payback against the Austrians. The Austrians lost 737 thousand men in the campaign.
The End of the Volksstaat Österreich Empire
Noticias Marítimas y Mundiales de Cádiz
5 January 1943
The Vaterländische Front’s great dream of abandoning the Balkan populations and replacing them with ethnic Germans has caused one of the great empires of the world, the heirs to the Holy Roman Empire, to disappear from the Earth.
The Volksstaat Österreich has dissolved into disorder and misrule, with nationalities tearing apart at the seams, and great European powers circling like sharks, waiting for any excuse to move in. Certainly Germany, if she can withdraw cleanly from Africa in face of British pressure, sees many territories to recover or take. Italy may have ambitions which they have prematurely derailed by starting a fifth war with Spain, a country which they once twice as rich as.
Hopefully countries will come to understand that nationalism, rather than a respect for all ethnicities in their territories, and equal representation and rights, is a poison that will destroy from within.
Lithuania Surrenders!
Noticias Marítimas y Mundiales de Cádiz
16 December 1942
The governor in Klaineda has signed the convention of surrender and the transfer of sovereignty over Lithuania to the Reino de España. Losses have not been reported, but estimates are that Austrian losses have been high. The Fleet will be released from their mission in the Baltic and returned to support the new war with Italy, the war of ’43.
The fate of the Volksstaat Österreich, with their Bohemian, Hungarian, Slovene, Polish, Moldavian, and southern German populations is up in the air. The Ejército de Tierra continues operations out of Romania and Serbia to liberate Hungary.
Italy Declares Fifth War Against Spain
Noticias Marítimas y Mundiales de Cádiz
16 December 1942
The Reino de España is once again at war with the Repubblica Italiana. This must not prove a distraction from finishing the Volksstaat Österreich, which must be the intent of Austrian diplomacy, as they have supported Italy in their diplomatic cables. The Bundesrepublik Deutschland, strangely, annoyed at the United Kingdom’s poaching of colonies in Africa, has also supported Italy.
Spain has the support of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Troisième République Française, the United States of America, the Soviet Union, with the communists once again in power in Moscow, the Empire of Japan, and the People’s Republic of China.
Italy Issues Ultimatums!
Noticias Marítimas y Mundiales de Cádiz
8 December 1942
Even as the Armada Real Española begins the process of softening up Klaineda before taking the Volksstaat Österreich last significant naval base, the Repubblica Italiana is sending us Ultimatums demanding withdraw fleets “operating near their borders”. As if Italy has borders that are not near Spanish controlled territory. Nope, none such exist.
Advised by the Almirante Supremo de la Armada, the Consejo de Ministros explained that they could not oblige.
The July Memorandum
Noticias Marítimas y Mundiales de Cádiz
20 July 1942
Reports have not been confirmed that the Armada Real Española has provided the Crown with the July Memorandum, and plan to sail the fleet to the Baltic Sea, take the Lithuanian port of Klaineda, and end the Volksstaat Österreich as a naval power.
However, fleets are reported to be on the move.
Into the Arms of Saints
Noticias Marítimas y Mundiales de Cádiz
10 June 1942
The Volksstaat Österreich has lost their province of Ukraine and the port of Odessa, forcing their fleet to flee into the Black Sea and attempt to navigate to their one remaining port, Klaineda, in their newly conquered province of Lithuania. These were two Szent István class Schlachtschiffe, the Erzherzog Ferdinand Max and Niederalteich, and two new Uskoke class Zerstörer, D-0 and D-1.
The San Francisco Javier, lead of her class of Acorazado de 1a clase, and her sister ships San Julián and Algeciaras, along with the San Ceres, lead of her tranche of the Águila de Nantes class of Cruçeros de battala, and her sister ships Flora and Aretusa, were waiting for them.
Algeciaras had the lead of the squadron when Erzherzog Ferdinand Max and Niederalteich appeared, and she turned to open her broadside, kiting towards the Austrians and opening fire. The Spanish Acorazados got the first hit with their 16” guns but the Austrian Schlachtschiffe got one back with a 14.7” gun. Then the Austrians sighted San Ceres and their entire battle plan changed. They had to sink a Cruçeros de battala, the smallest ship they knew they faced. Niederalteich took a pounding while she tried to hit San Ceres, until the Uskoke’s came out of smoke and charged on Algeciaras. They had to be dealt with but they weren’t before they could launch torpedoes. Uskoke D-0 was sunk with 151 of her 180 man crew, her torpedoes would miss Flora, who slipped the gap between two spreads, sailing ahead of most of the second spreads torpedoes before turning and taking the gap between the last torpedo and the one before it. Flora got her revenge by sinking Uskoke D-1 with 151 of her crew. Flora’s turn however had brought her nearer Niederalteich.
While Niederalteich was engaging Flora, Erzherzog Ferdinand Max hit San Ceres, sinking her with 1162 of her 1320 man crew. San Ceres has been built, along with her tranche, to replace the Águila de Nantes class ship Ceres, lost in her first battle. This was San Ceres’s second battle.
Niederalteich had taken 717 casualties, and faced with the prospect of sailing through the Bosporus, Dardanelles, Pillars of Hercules, and the Skagerrak to reach the bitterly cold Baltic Sea after a career spent on the Adriatic or Black Sea coast, a few of the casualties might have been political officers or Vaterländische Front supporters.
Having sunk the San Ceres, the officers of the Erzherzog Ferdinand Max were intent on getting the Flora as well. They continued to pound on her as she tried to pull away, while Algeciaras tried to get back and support her. But they too had a mission, to break away from the Armada Real Española and attempt to circle around Europe to their new home, so they were pulling away as well, and the distance to Flora was increasing. Aretusa had the speed to close, and a second set of torpedoes being loaded. But as Aretusa closed the secondary guns of Erzherzog Ferdinand Max opened up on her. Aretusa edged closer as her torpedo crews worked to finish loading their quintuple launcher on the quarter deck. This close her 12” guns were getting solid hits, but she was taking 7.5” and 7.1” hits in return, and her quarter deck was totally open to the enemy. Theirs would not have been the first launcher blown off a ship of the Armada Real Española.
Erzherzog Ferdinand Max kept her 14.7” guns fixed on Flora, leaving it to the crews of her secondary battery to deal with the threat of Aretusa. Finally Aretusa was past Erzherzog Ferdinand Max, with her 3” magazine blown, and her torpedoes not quite ready, she had to turn away. As she turned away she was able to launch her torpedo spread over her stern, right in front of Erzherzog Ferdinand Max. It was hardly an ideal strike, and with attentive spotters Erzherzog Ferdinand Max should have been able to avoid the spread. One hit, doing little structural damage but opening the bow of Erzherzog Ferdinand Max to flooding. Almost every part of Erzherzog Ferdinand Max was damaged except for her main battery turrets. She also had flooding aft under the 14.7” magazines. Her steering was damaged, she had multiple fires, and had lost her conning tower. One funnel was destroyed and the other damaged. The secondary tower was gone and the main tower damaged. Erzherzog Ferdinand Max already had 750 casualties reported and couldn’t man any of her stations fully.
Algeciaras was finally getting back into range of Erzherzog Ferdinand Max. With a spate of suspicious casualties, all fatal, Erzherzog Ferdinand Max finally surrendered. In the end she had lost just 736 men killed or seriously injured. 1201 surrendered with the ship. 58 men from the Uskoke’s were rescued, and kept segregated from the crews of Erzherzog Ferdinand Max and Niederalteich.
Aretusa took 238 casualties and will need months of work, Flora took 224 and will also need work, Algeciaras took 49, and 158 men were rescued from San Ceres.
London Continues to Exploit Berlin’s Problems
Noticias Marítimas y Mundiales de Cádiz
13 April 1942
The Royal Army has attacked the Germany colony of Togoland from their bases in Upper Volta.
They have also attacked the French colony of Ivory Coast from their bases in the Gold Coast.
Serbia Liberated!
Noticias Marítimas y Mundiales de Cádiz
8 April 1942
Another Balkan province has welcomed their liberation by the British Royal Army and the Ejército de Tierra. Losses for the Allies were 29 thousand men. The Austrians lost 47 thousand. Their logistics are in tatters and their best troops are facing the Germans and the Russians, killing 185 thousand Russians there, while 14 thousand Austrian conscripts are being killed by the Ukrainian insurgency this month.
German Resistance Collapses!
Noticias Marítimas y Mundiales de Cádiz
23 March 1942
The Bundesrepublik Deutschland has lost southern Germany to the Austrians and the Vaterländische Front, Austrian losses were 268 thousand men, with many of these Balkan, Hungarian, and Polish conscripts with little training or equipment. The Bundesrepublik Deutschland has lost over half a million men.
Berlin is laying the blame on London, not Wien! The Reichsmarine’s Großadmiral Felis von Pohl has also laid blame on the Reino de España, claiming our tempo of operations in the Balkans have been slowed to allow the Austrians to turn back the Russians and succeed in southern Germany. He is ignoring that now the Ejército de Tierra is pushing out of Romania in an attempt to liberate Hungary.
Germany Distracted in Africa
Noticias Marítimas y Mundiales de Cádiz
15 March 1942
The Bundesrepublik Deutschland has suffered terrible losses in Tanganyika, losing the east African colony and 107 thousand men to the Royal Army’s 15.5 thousand while at home they are in danger of losing the southern German states to the Catholic German Nationalist Vaterländische Front movement.
The Royal Army has begun a campaign against the German occupied Central African Province from their bases in Cameroon and against Middle Congo from their bases in Angola.
Kosovo Liberated!
Noticias Marítimas y Mundiales de Cádiz
12 March 1942
Feeling the increasing tax burden of the Vaterländische Front placed on non-Germans, the population of Kosovo has welcomed their liberation by the British Royal Army and the Ejército de Tierra. Losses for the Allies were 9 thousand men. The Austrians lost twice that number.
The Austrians were focused on holding onto Ukraine, forcing back the Russian Republic’s army’s attack from Russia and inflicting 58 thousand losses for only 2,601 of their own. The Russian offensive from Crimea has also failed, with similar losses, 43 thousand Russian dead to 500 Austrian. The Ukrainian insurgency is still ongoing however, inflicting 13 thousand losses on the Austrians this month for only 5 thousand insurgents, and the Russians are renewing their offensive from the Crimea.
More Ships Completed at Odessa
Noticias Marítimas y Mundiales de Cádiz
22 November 1941
The Cervantes, lead of her class of Acorazado de primera clase, and her sister ships Gallardo and Dichoso, along with the Nuestra Senora del Pilar class Cruçeros de primera clase La Juliana and Rapido, had met up with the Silencio, lead of her class of Acorazados veloces, and her sister ships Isabel II and Volante, accompanied by the Begoña, lead of her class of Cruçeros de primera clase, and her sister ships San Tomás de Aquino, Celedon, and Aragon, for a massive strike on Odessa in support of the Ukrainian insurgents. In Odessa, just finishing commissioning, was the Schlachtschiff Szent István, lead of her class, a 69 thousand ton ship armed with five twin 14.7” gun turrets. The Austrians had learned the foolishness of bigger but slower main battery guns. In Odessa were also two Kaiser Franz Joseph I Gepanzerkreuzter finishing repairs, the Klagenfurt and Sankt Pölten. With two saints on their side the Austrians must have felt extremely confident, ignoring the fact that the Spanish had two of their own.
When the Austrian ships came out of Odessa the Begoña’s formed on the Silencio’s for form the Escuadrón rápido and the Nuestra Senora del Pilar’s formed on the Cervantes to from the Escuadrón lento, a name they never use.
The two Escuadróns opened fire, and devastated the Klagenfurt, breaking her and sinking her with 892 of her 945 man crew. It was only 5 minutes and 29 seconds since Zafarrancho de combate was sounded.
Sankt Pölten was still boldly closing in, aiming for Isabel II. Four and a half minutes after her sister ship Sankt Pölten was sinking with 896 of her 945 man crew lost.
Silencio turned to close more on Szent István, how was heading straight in, confident in her weapons and her armor. Szent István was going big, targeting Silencio at the head of her Escuadrón. Szent István was being hit with multiple salvoes, losing secondary guns, had damage to her main tower, when her 14.7” powder magazine, full of tube power II, blew up, launching her A turret into the sky. Secondary guns blasted out of their casemates. Her engines burned fore and aft. San Tomás de Aquino torpedoed Szent István twice on her fore belt.
Szent István surrendered after losing 814 of her crew, including her entire bridge crew in what may have been a federalist mutiny. 1123 men surrendered with the ship. Another 103 survivors of Klagenfurt and Sankt Pölten were recovered. Celedon had 54 casualties. Silencio had 52, Volante 7, and Isabel II 4. The Escuadrón lento took no casualties, but went into the battle 127 men short of full crew complements.
Brittle Alliances Begin to Shatter
Noticias Marítimas y Mundiales de Cádiz
14 November 1941
As Austro-Hungary falls into chaos so does the Orient. The long simmering feud between the Empire of Japan and the People’s Republic of China has broken out into open warfare, despite the tireless diplomacy of the United Kingdom and the Reino de España.
Allied to both, neither the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland nor the Reino de España can take sides. The Empire of Japan seems however to have caught China flat-footed, as she has the diplomatic support of the Troisième République Française, Bundesrepublik Deutschland, United States of America, and Russian Republic. No one is counting the support of the nationalist government in Wien. China is supported by the Repubblica Italiana.
Revolution in Austro-Hungary!
Noticias Marítimas y Mundiales de Cádiz
11 November 1941
The government of the Österreichische und Ungarische Bundesrepublik has been overthrown. Austria and Hungary are in chaos, the Armee is committed to their invasions of southern Germany and Lithuania, and faced with attacks in the Balkans by Spain and her allies as well as attacks from Germany against Poland.
Großadmiral Maximillian Haus has been driven from his post in Odessa by the new government and a rising insurgency in Ukraine. If the new Nationalist government in Wien led by the Vaterländische Front losses Odessa and Ukraine before gaining control of Klaineda in Lithuania they will cease to be a major power in the world, with the portless coast of Slovenia their only touch of the sea.
Beginning the Liberation of Ukraine
Noticias Marítimas y Mundiales de Cádiz
10 October 1941
The San Francisco Javier, lead of her class of Acorazado de 1a clase, and her sister ships San Julián and Algeciaras, with the San Ceres, lead of her tranche of Águila de Nantes class Cruçeros de battala, and her sister ships Flora and Aretusa, have moved to strike the first blow for the independence of Ukraine by striking at the Föderative Republik Kriegsmarine facilities at Odessa, drawing out their last active ships, the Kaiser Franz Joseph I class Gepanzerkreuzter Dorbrin and Wiener Neustadt, and the Sava class Leichter Kreuzer Ansfelden.
Algeciaras led the battle line as the Austrians came out to challenge them. Ansfelden came out under smoke with Dorbrin and Wiener Neustadt serving as distractions. When Ansfelden was discernable the San Ceres’s took her under fire while the San Francisco Javier’s targeted the lead Gepanzerkreuzter. With two 12” shell hits from Flora Ansfelden ripped apart, spilling 84 men into the sea and pulling 1202 down with her.
Wiener Neustadt wasn’t long in following. She took damage and tried to fall back to the rear of the division, but fire was kept on her until she sank with 813 of her 945 man crew.
Dornbin kept coming, and targeted San Ceres, the tail end of the battle line. She got a few hits with her 10” guns and inflicted 18 casualties before being sunk with 913 of her 945 man crew.
Aretusa picked up the 248 survivors. She did more damage than San Ceres but she had no injuries of her own to deal with.
June’s Convoy
Noticias Marítimas y Mundiales de Cádiz
12 June 1941
The Águila de Nantes, lead of her class of Cruçeros de battala, and her sister ship the Santa Perpetua, were patrolling the Black Sea on a commerce denial mission and sighted the Kaiser class Kampfkreuzter Arthemisia and the Sava 1938 refitted Leichter Kreuzer Frundsberg escorting nine Tegetthoff class 9 thousand ton 80 manned armed transports to the east.
Águila de Nantes and Santa Perpetua closed in and opened fire. This caused Frundsberg to make smoke and obscure the position of Arthemisia. They soon became visible again. Frundsberg was trying to get into position to launch torpedoes but she was soon blasted out of the water, sinking with 1012 of her 1249 man crew. Ernst was the first transport sunk, losing 74 of her 80 man crew when she exploded.
Águila de Nantes and Santa Perpetua and engaged the Arthemisia. Arthemisia targeted Santa Perpetua. Though Arthemisia was hitting with 14” shells she was taking far more 12” shells. Once they got through her main belt Arthemisia broke up and took 1989 of her 2048 man crew with her.
Águila de Nantes and Santa Perpetua opened fire on the convoy, blowing Alligator out of the water with 65 of her 80 man crew. Monarch sank with all but 1 of her crew. Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf surrendered after taking 33 casualties. Kigyo surrendered as well, she had 39 casualties. Streitbare surrendered when she lost 36 men. Wal did the same. Delphin surrendered after losing only 32. The 35 man to die on Tegetthoff was her Kapitan and the convoy master. The first officer surrendered the ship.
The Austrian Merchant Marine had lost another 85 thousand gross registered tons of shipping, escorted by the latest ship to join the Föderative Republik Kriegsmarine. Santa Perpetua had taken 120 casualties. Águila de Nantes had only 3, and ship picked up the 291 surviving seamen and the 297 survivors of the Föderative Republik Kriegsmarine.
I'm really enjoying the campaign. How do u like the multilayer so far? 36:25 it's a shame losing a battle cruiser
The July Memorandum
Noticias Marítimas y Mundiales de Cádiz
20 July 1942
Reports have not been confirmed that the Armada Real Española has provided the Crown with the July Memorandum, and plan to sail the fleet to the Baltic Sea, take the Lithuanian port of Klaineda, and end the Volksstaat Österreich as a naval power.
However, fleets are reported to be on the move.