STGOD!

[General Havoc]

18 Junius, MMDCLXXXIII Ab Urbe Condita

Roman Military Headquarters, Mediolanum, Italia

"There is nothing so horrible as a battle won, except a battle lost."

So said another General many years ago, during the chaos and fire of the wars that men now called "Napoleonic", though he had been only one participant in them. Marcus Sarpaedius had mediated on those words before, but now...

... now it was different.

On paper, everything had looked so perfect. On paper, Operation Geryon had been a masterpiece. The boldest initiative in the history of Rome, the final step in a centuries-long progressive domination of the Mediterranean. So long as the French held Morocco, they could dispute Roman domination over what had once more become Mare Nostrum. To seize it from them at the outset of hostilities had been of the utmost importance. So Marcus Sarpaedius had believed. So he believed now.

The voice in the back of his head sounded. 'But the COST!'

The Cohortes Marines had prepared for this sort of operation. There had been large-scale exercises six years ago, sand-table estimates, everything, and yet in the end, it had not been enough. The complexity of supporting an entire operation of this magnitude was simply mind-boggling, and every time a minor mishap occurred, men paid for it with their lives by the hundreds and thousands. The system of signal-ships had failed entirely, leaving hundreds of landing boats churning about the battlefleet looking for their motherships and the appropriate landing beaches. The smoke from the preliminary bombardment had shrouded the targets, and made it impossible for the landing troops to determine where enemy fire was coming from. So-called 'waterproof' radios had turned out to be waterproof only in fresh water, not the salt of the Oceanus Atlanticus and Mare Nostrum, and failed utterly, save for a few vehicle-mounted sets better protected from the elements. Destroyers and Cruisers were left sitting offshore, unable to communicate with the troops and render the support they desperately wanted to provide, and Centurions and Tribunes on the shore were unable to determine which floating supply boat held the case of blood plasma or mortar ammunition that was desperately required at that very moment. And into this nightmare of confusion and disorder, the French poured their fire.

Boats were hit in the harbors and every man aboard them killed, entire Centuries wiped out before even touching pier or beach. Marines storming ashore found enemy defenders unsuppressed, firing into them over open sights, and in an hour of fierce battle managed only to clear out several hundred yards of ruin-choked beachhead into which mortar and artillery shells landed with horrific regularity. When the second echelon of regular troops from the Fourth and Fourteenth Legions was delayed by half an hour due to contrary winds and the need to prosecute SAS (SubAquatus Sonor) contacts against possible submarines, the French had energetically pitched a counterattack into the beleaguered Marines, along with tanks. That attack had been driven back only by direct Battleship fire, and before the French could regroup, the second echelon had landed. From there, the Legions had taken over, reducing the French positions progressively and finally forcing them out of the landing regions with what was believed to be heavy losses.

That much was conjecture. Rome's own losses were significantly less conjectural. The 5th and 6th Marine Cohorts were reporting 60% casualties, sufficient to more or less destroy them as functioning units. The leading waves of the Fourth and Fourteenth Legions had taken a pounding as well, though fortunately nothing as bad as those of their compatriots in the Cohortes Marinae. Both formations were bloodied, but Legions were built to take it. Sarpaedius had already ordered the Marines rotated back to Gibraltar pending re-organization elsewhere in the Empire, but the formations would need to be essentially rebuilt, a lengthy procedure not likely to be accomplished in wartime. To take their places, the 3rd and 1st Marines would be rotated in as a stiffening for the Legions, the former from Mauretania, the latter from their bloodless amphibious hops in Southern France. The Legions themselves would now fight an overland campaign, much more to their strengths, forcing the French back into the interior while cutting off their supply and re-enforcement routes back to Metropolitan France, assisted by the artificitor units from the depleted Marines, who would remain in Morocco while their attached combat formations were repopulated.

Marcus Sarpaedius closed his eyes for a moment, and sighed. Nine thousand Roman soldiers were dead on the beaches of Morocco, and two valuable and elite Marinae cohorts had been destroyed, yet he had to call it a victory.

Elsewhere the costs had been bearable, though this made them no easier to bear for those who had to send young men to their deaths. The German border troops had resisted just as fiercely as they had been expected to, if not moreso. For 48 hours, the advance had been held, despite six to one odds in men, and eleven to one in guns, and they had mauled the leading cohorts of the Eighth Legion dreadfully. In the end, weight of numbers did what fancy footwork could not, not in the mountains before German fortresses planned for generations to resist this very assault. The border division had surrendered after two days of unstinting bombardment and combat, long enough to permit the German Swiss army to withdraw.

The Second Legion, bloodied but still fully intact, and the damaged Eighth were in pursuit, though Sarpaedius had already ordered that they be joined by the Eleventh Legion, no longer needed in Carantania, where the speed of the main Hungarian assault on Austria had entirely passed them by. The Germans had abandoned Switzerland and the Tyrol, withdrawing into Wurtemburg and Bavaria. Having accepted the surrender of Bern and Zurich, the Army of Noricum was following up, maintaining the pressure, feeling their way around Lake Constance and into the Black Forest. The Eleventh would soon replace the Eighth in line and the Eighth would pull back to a reserve position for replenishment. Once again, of all the legions so-far deployed, they had taken the most casualties.

Sarpaedius' conversation with Paterturcii a week ago had been an odd one. Paterturcii had sounded eager to hear not of the exploits of the legions but those of the German border guards, local men from Switzerland and the Tyrol who had fought to the end, taking 70% casualties before capitulating. His reasoning was simple. Once conquered, these mountain regions would become part of the Roman Empire, and their people a source of manpower for the Legions. Men who would defend their homes from Rome with such voracity would no doubt do the same once they had come to regard themselves as Roman. So it had been for the Turcians. So it would be for the Swiss.

The battles in France were the main event however, and they had been titanic, though here, at least, where Rome had placed her weight, things had gone as hoped. There had been setbacks of course. The commander of the 1st Motorized Cohort, an incompetent fool named Publius Varrus who had been given a secondary post to spare the all-important infantry his lash, had no sooner broken into the Rhone Valley than he had gone gallivanting south after the bulk of the French Army alone, and blundered into the leading edge of the French Armored reserves, streaming north to break the battlegroup's hold on Valence. What followed was a perfect demonstration of why the Romans held such contempt for cavalry, be they motorized or horse-bound. The 1st Motorized Cohort had been gutted in the unequal conflict, and in doing so had involved the 2nd Motorized in the same fracas. Lavishly armed with hundreds of light and heavy tanks, the French had swept the two formations aside like dirt before a broom and plunged northwards to re-open the Rhone Valley.

Fortunately, the 2nd had delayed the French long enough for Legate Messius to finish deploying his heavy infantry, and when the French advance resumed, they crashed headlong into the Tenth Legion. Sarpaedius smiled grimly as he read over the reports. Though the Turcian Tenth was the most famous unit in the entire Roman Army, and had the credentials to claim itself as one of the deadliest military formations on the planet, its constituent members, the young legionaries who served in its hallowed ranks, were as unblooded as the rest of the army, for Rome had not fought a battle since the end of the Fourth Hispanian war some Twenty years ago. Despite all the drills, despite the ceaseless training and matchless equipment, despite the centurions and other non-commissioned officers who molded the newcomers into the soldiers they were supposed to be, it could not be known for certain if these youngsters would find it within themselves to match the deeds of the Tenth of old. While Rome did not rely on tanks, Roman anti-tank warfare was state of the air, every unit drilled and trained extensively in the use of antitank guns, support fire, and man-portable anti-tank weapons. Yet no Roman legion had ever actually been called upon to fight tanks before, and none could tell if these fresh-faced youngsters were up to the task, Legionaries of the Tenth though they may have been.

The answer, when finally it came, had been laconic and firm. They were.

The French armor hit Tenth Legion near the town of Livron-sur-Drome, and shattered against them like crockery hurled against a cement wall. In less than two hours, the remnants of the French counterattack were streaming south, leaving a battlefield strewn with the burning pyres of well over a hundred and fifty tanks along with the tangled wreckage of an entire motorized division worth of vehicles. Losses, the Legate had been overjoyed to say, were light, and most of them were among the Fifth Legion, where two cohorts had gotten ahead of themselves and counterattacked early. Frightened by the prospect of combat though they were, the soldiers of the Tenth and Fifth had buttoned down behind their terrain and fortifications and impaled the French assault against their Anti-tank line, just as they had been trained to do. They had permitted the tanks to close and hit them from concealment with anti-tank rifles and mortar concentrations, or even counterattacked them on foot at point blank ranges with sticky bombs and a new, improvised weapon, a bottle filled with gasoline and blasting gelatin with a burning rag stuck in the mouth, that the soldiers had taken to nicknaming a "Turcian Cocktail".

That was a week ago or more. The Tenth's roadblock of the Rhone Valley had held, and the local commander, a Legate by the name of Phillipe Petain, had been forced to withdraw his infantry north and west, into the maze of volcanic ridges and valleys called the "Massif Central". His armor destroyed, his heavy equipment abandoned, and fully half of his men killed, wounded or captured, he had no other choice. The First Primagenita and Seventh Legions had forced the Rhone in his wake, cauldroning and accepting the surrender of the remnants of the Armor that had escaped the debacle at Livron. Though the Motorized Cohorts had been savaged, and the Armored Cohorts were in only slightly better condition (having participated heavily in the battle at Livron), the Legions themselves were scarcely touched. Indeed Battlegroup Marius had not been touched at all, the French forces pulling back lest they be smashed by the Victrians and Aragonese.

The only hitch was the news from Barcelona. A massive fire had started the night before last in the warehouse district of the Provincial Capital, and burned without ceasing all night and the next day and into the night thereafter, turning the entire western section of the city into a pyre that lit the sea for miles around. The Third Legion, stationed in the south of Aragon, had sent an engineering cohort to help extinguish it, and when that had been insufficient, sent the remainder of their engineers along with three cohorts of infantry to provide assistance. The 7th and 9th Cohortes Marinae, fresh from their operations along the coast of France, were even now being sent in to help as well, but initial reports were that the city was badly damaged, much of the port district reduced to cinders, with over a hundred thousand homeless. One more problem to worry about.

It was time for new orders, and they had been given. The Twelfth and Thirteenth, along with the 3rd Motorized and 3rd Armored cohorts had secured Carcassone. They would pass through it to the west, capture undefended Toulouse, and then invade the rest of Aquitaine, aiming for the French port-city of Bordeaux. The Seventh Legion, whose reputation proceeded them, would pursue the French forces into the Massif Central. Progress was expected to be slow in the thick and river-cut terrain of south-central France, but their orders were to continue the pressure and maintain contact with what remained of the French Army. If the French showed signs of stiffening within their mountain fastness, the Seventh would hold them there at arms' length until they could be destroyed, the engineers doing their best to forge roads by which artillery could be brought to bear.

But the main event would be to the north. Having destroyed the forces between them, Battlegroups Caesar and Fabius would now merge into one massive formation. The First, Fifth, and Tenth Legions, well over a hundred thousand troops strong, the flower of the Roman Army, would tomorrow attack northwards up the widening valley of the Rhone. Their initial target was Lyon, the second city of France, which following the withdrawal of the French Southern Army to the West, was more or less undefended. Then, as the mountain troops of the Fifth Legion secured Grenoble and Geneva and marched into Alsace, the First, Tenth, and the remainder of the Fifth would invade Burgundy and force the French Northern army to either accept battle or retreat to Paris. And as they did so, the Roman strategic reserves, the Ninth and Fifteenth Legions, would be moving west into Provence, ready to support the advance in any direction necessary.

More Romans would die of course, shot or bombed or blown apart by cannons, but this, unfortunately, was the price of Empire.

[rhoenix]

July 1, 1930
Juarez, Mexico

"Move! Move! Move!" shouted a commander to his troops, as they scurried around quickly digging in defenses about 50 kilometers behind the border, as their comrades in arms were doing the rest of the length of the border, preparing the way for invading soon next month. Other troops were being massed in preparation for the go signal from Command.

"Commander!" a messenger hailed the commanding officer. "The U.S. forces have confirmed their preparedness as well, we are coordinating supply and tactics now. Any further orders?"

"Yes," the Commander leaned back in his chair, looking satisfied at the map. "Notify the General of our status. We have made ready."

July 1, 1930
White House
Washington D.C.

"So," asked President Kincaid as he took a careful shot at the nine ball, aiming for the corner pocket. "Looks like things are about ready. Now I suppose we can dispense with the theatrics, don't you think?"

"Oh, I'm not so sure about that," President del Fuego replied while lighting his cigar, waiting for his shot at the billiard table. "They were tremendous fun while they lasted. And I must say Alan, your theatrics with my daughter might cost you - I hear she still has her eye on you, and she tends to get what she wants," he added with a grin.

"Either way," said Alan dismissively, between drinks of his wine, "we've constructed the broom to swat some overstuffed Nortonites off our continent. This makes me happy."

"And what about the land east of the Mississippi? What's the progress there?" asked President Kincaid.

"Already in progress," replied President del Fuego with a dismissive wave of his hand, lining up his shot at the table. "Those that wanted to move, are moving now. The ones that wanted to join your country are staying behind, organized and ready when your people are."

"Good," replied President Kincaid with a smile. "Let's push these Imperious freeloaders off of American soil. To democracy for the Americas!"

The three men raised their glasses, and all took a drink.

[Hotfoot]

July 1st, 1930
Albuquerque, New Mexico

The first of the American forces were flying overhead, transport planes carrying American troops. Mexican commanders knew that they were getting ready for something, but many were surprised to see Yankee troops and planes flying overhead. Quick calls to headquarters confirmed that this was to be expected, and the combination of American and Mexican personnel shared quizzical looks. The orders the US troops got were simple. All troops on the Mexican battle line had been given the order to deploy to Northern New Mexico, with the forces stationed in Indiana being given orders to redeploy to Montana. Other orders flew around, but most troops seemed to be kept in the dark about details of the operation.

July 4th, 1930
Washington D.C.

Kincaid stood before the men in front of him with a grim look on his face. "Gentlemen, I would like to thank you for dealing with the strange times that we find ourselves in. As many of you know, we are allied with Mexico, and I thank you for doing what you can to maintain operational security. Know that this has all been done to minimize the loss of American life. Pacifica has grown to be far too dangerous to our nation, Tonight, we will announce our intentions to them by night raids on various bases in the Southwest, as has been planned. Tomorrow, I will make the official declaration of war, and our troops will cross the border into Pacifica. The armored fist of the United States will push in and take as many of the Norton positions as we can. They will not be alone. The Mexicans will be mounting their own assault at the same time, and while the Nortons will have time to prepare, it will be unlikely that they can mount a defense that can stand against us. Now understand this, the standing order is to take prisoners. The infantry following out motorized and armored divisions will deal with prisoners of war, but once a unit has given up I want them treated well. This is no war of annihilation. This is territory we want to keep, make no mistake, and needless killing will not endear us to the natives."

That night, ten bomber groups crossed the border between New Mexico and Arizona. Every defensive fortification that could be found was hit by massive payloads. Three bomber groups swung north to Utah, hitting the IX corps. The high altitude bombing was not intended to allow for precise bombing, but it would help to avoid any anti-air fire that the Nortons could amass.

At the same time, the second and third fleets sailed into position along the Southern and Baja California coasts. With the linked Mexican fleets, they began bombarding known military bases from San Fransisco to La Paz. The meager Pacifican Fleet that had been left behind after the Grand Fleet had the bulk of its heavy assets redeployed to Australia would likely pose little threat, the fighters and torpedo bombers of the fleet's carriers kept an eye out for any Pacifican ships in the area to guide in fire from the fleet's battleships and cruisers.

July 5th
Albuquerque, New Mexico

The order had come. The motorized divisions linked up with the light armor, followed from behind by the heavy armor divisions and the standard infantry. Fighters, bombers, and dive bombers fueled up and prepared for the next round of bombing runs. The Mobile Strike Force, the Motorized and Light Tanks, had a simple order, to attack Flagstaff's military bases and the nearby airfields, attempting to capture the airfields as intact as possible. Long range fighters would be launched to defend the ground forces from air attack, should the Nortons get any bombers in the air. Heavy Tanks would follow behing in case the MSF ran into heavier than usual opposition. However, with five fully loaded Light Tank Divisions, four fully loaded Motorized divisions, backed up with numerous air groups to call of for air support, victory seemed certain against the mere 30,000 men that defended the area around Flagstaff.

July 5th, 1930
Washington, D.C.

President Kincaid stood in front of a podium with his chiefs of staff, cabinet, and Vice President behind him. "Ladies and Gentlemen, my fellow Americans. As you may well know the last several months have been hard on us all. Tensions have been rising between these great United States and the Republic of the Golden Sun. In fact both of our nations have come very close to a state of war, a situation I am glad to say, has been resolved. Due to the incredible resources of both our nations, we have done considerable investigation into the source of this conflict, the organization dedicated to terror known as the Klu Klux Klan. This organization has been set for years on making us feel less safe, and in this, they have succeeded. However, due to our fine national guard, especially the efforts of Colonel Hudson, we have managed to discover the darker truth behind these terrible attacks. KKK Operatives in Mexico and the United States have been working with Pacifican support for years now, and have been trying as hard as possible to force a ruinous war between our great nations. They have, in fact, been attempting to bring the entire continent under Pacifican control, preferring the rule of a corrupt Monarchy to the light of Democracy. I myself must share some blame for this, as it appears that my zealous attempts to reform our own government of its corruption forced the Klan to act as they did. With a lack of corrupt politicians to act on their behalf here, they had to rely entirely on Pacifican support."

"My friends, we cannot allow such vile deception to go unpunished. Our relations with Pacifica have never been rosy, but now we can no longer brook their interference in our affairs. This holdover state of European monarchies can no longer be allowed to meddle in the affairs of free Democratic nations! As of today, we are at war with Pacifica. American troops are, as we speak, taking the first steps into Pacifican holdings in the Southwest along with our Mexican allies. The Pacifican royalty will be made to answer for its crimes, for its selfish desires. I would like to stress that the people of Pacifica are not to blame in all of this. They are being mislead by a cruel nobility that holds themselves above all standards of decency, who would gamble the lives of millions just to extend their reach. We know their ambition has been grand, taking the western territories for their own and extending their reach across the world."

"The Mughal Empire has also brought to light information of Pacifica's plots for the Far East as well. Apparently, while attempting to foster a war in the Americas, they simultaneously attempted to start a war in the Pacific, between Klavostan and Japan. If they were tied with the Franco-German alliance in Europe or not is not yet certain, but given the unnaturally belligerent nature of the German state of late, we can only speculate."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is an evil time we find ourselves in, and an evil government we face. Today we start removing this evil from the world. We will emerge victorious from this, of this I am sure, but not without a heavy price paid by our fine soldiers. It pains me to send us to war, no matter how just the cause, but what must be done, must be done. President del Fuego, I thank you for your patience and your kindness, and would like to now give you the podium, to let you say a few words."

New York Times: July 6th
Headline: WAR

[rhoenix]

July 5th
Albuquerque, New Mexico

"Thank you for that introduction, President Kindcaid," said the Mexican President del Fuego. "I cannot agree more with the United States President, the prosperity and peace our two peoples can share will know no bounds, as soon as the vestiges of Imperial control are stripped from this fair land. I have the utmost faith in the Mexican military and the United States' military that we can do this, once and for all."

"Additionally, I have a message His Holiness, Pope Jesus II, wished me to include in this speech. 'The Pacifican Kingdom has harbored a corrupted form of Catholicism within its borders, and had been heard loudly proclaiming the Holy Mother Church as heretical or base. Hypocrisy knows no bounds it seems. As we have heard no word of explanation, we must suspect the Pacifican agitation is at least partially due to the influence of this heretical group who sully the name Catholic by wearing it as a badge. I hereby bless the combined militaries of the United States and Mexico to conduct a Pacifican Crusade, erasing such a thing from the world, and never forgetting its corrupting influence.'"

"With that message, I can only respect the Pope's words and decisions, and add my own humble addition: may we all walk on the same path as God. Were we to hope God was walking on the same path as we, then we would be as arrogant as the Pacificans. Citizens of Mexico and the United States, I give my best wishes to a prosperous future, and a just cause."

[Cynical Cat]

Dark Times Ahead

An Editorial in The Budapest Sun

News from the front is good. The Roman Legions and our own Hungarian Army are pushing back the enemy on all fronts and striking deep into their territories. The Hungarian Airforce controls the skies. We are told to do our part and that the war will be over soon. You can't go anywhere in Budapest without seeing signs of support for our soldiers.

No one is asking if this war is necessary. The king and the prime minister and all the generals are telling us about all the dividends that surprise has given us and yes, it seems we did manage to hit the Germans while they weren't looking. Not exactly the height of chivalry, but it is excused by how many lives we saved. No one talks about how many lives would have been saved if this war had been prevented.

What if Hungary had openly supported Rome? Would the Germans and the French have dared attack Rome knowing they would face Hungary's might as well? I've heard the arguments about "favorable timing" and "inevitable war" and that's nonsense. Constantinescu has been trying to build up the fleet for years so that Hungary could nab up one of the remaining parts of the world that haven't already been overrun by one empire or another. A European war must have been a godsend to him.

Of course the shame isn't merely Hungary's. The Vasans waggled their fingers and Madagascar threatened trade boycotts, as if finger waggling and boycotts from half way around the world meant anything. The war seems to have caught the Vasans offguard. Now they're waggling their fingers at us and the Romans. Either they're having difficulty making up their minds or their thinking a pox on both their houses. I can't blame them for that, but their impotence is of their own making. The closest thing the Vasans have to an ally is Hungary and their policy towards Hungary changes daily.

And now the Mughal Empire is taking its pound of flesh. The timing is puzzling, because the Pacificans are loved by exactly no one, with the most inward looking diplomatic corp of any great power and vast territorial holdings. One would think, from a military perspective, the Mughals would wait until the Pacificans have troubles with their Mexican or American neighbors before biting off a chunk. On moral grounds, their actions are despicable but don't expect much of a condemnation from Constantinescu. The Mughals have a Russian border and everyone prefers the Russians have more than one border to focus their ambitions on. They're just as predatory as anyone else.

Its as if the curtain has been pulled and all the true appearance of all the actors revealed in mid costume change. We have predator and prey and the flailing bystanders. These wars won't stop because the only ones who have any desire to stop them have neither the strength, the will, nor the diplomatic acumen to stop them. France and Germany blatantly embarked on a course of war and aggression, a climate of aggression that was not seriously opposed by any nation and encouraged by other rapacious politicians. What comes next is our collective sins of greed and sloth coming home to roost. God have mercy on Hungary.

[Charon]

Africa for Africans

Editorial by Dawit Getachew

The world is at war. The Romans and their Hungarian allies strike out against the greedy French and their German allies. I for one wish the Romans the best of luck in their war to forever break the Colonial power of these two states who have dared to claim African lands as their own. At the same time though I am thankful. Thankful that Emperor Makonnen has shown wisdom in not bringing Ethiopia into into a European affair where Ethiopians would die thousands of miles from their home. Which is why the news brought to us is so good.

As everyone in Africa has heard by now, France has fallen back, their tail between their legs as they try desperately to get troops to the front lines. In doing so, they have given control of the East African coast to Ethiopia. After 100 years Ethiopia stands together, united as one country. We have not seen such a wonderful occasion since the conquest of Sri Lanka or the formation of the African Confederacy. Not only is the old heartland of Ethiopia once again under her control, but the colony of Yemen and the city of Aden have been ceded by the chastened French, no doubt under the fear of having to face Ethiopia's Finest.

This news must sour at least one man's attitude however, Ras Haymanot, the mighty general and leader of the Army of the Left, has been away, fighting in the Sudan to stop Arabian raiders from entering our lands, he has lost the opportunity to fight and any conquest he makes will pale in comparison to Emperor Makonnen's. Could this have been planned by the Emperor from the very beginning? Such a move seems both cunning and in line for the Emperor.

One has to wonder though, even with this reunification, if Ethiopia will truly be safe. The naked greed of the European nations has never been able to be disputed, but now the noble Mughal, long considered friends of Ethiopia, have apparently had a lapse of sanity and have struck out against the Pacificans for no apparent reason. Further, the Government has yet to say anything about the matter. One has to wonder if perhaps the Mughal tracks that are being laid down now are slowing down Ethiopia, rather than speeding her up. Will Ethiopia give up it's honor and dignity as the Christian Nation and stand by quietly as the Mughals devour Pacifica? Who is to say that they will not come after us next?

[frigidmagi]

June

Sutenland

It was 6 divisions with artillery and heavy guns. The Germans had scattered a single division piecemeal across the border in small forts and gun emplacements. The forts weren't that heavily built and the Germans had believed Hungary to be a trustworthy member of the Axis. They fell in a day.

Hungarian causalities: 600 men, 60 arty guns.

German: Border emplacements

France

There were a 160 subs scattered on docks in the Meds when Rome struck. There were no major guarding formations, mainly naval MPs meant to keep out spies and drunks. They fought like lions but were outgunned and outnumbered. Some subs aided by the Law of Murphy who decided for once to strike in favor of the French. Most however were sunk in the fighting or captured by the Romans.

Causalties: 59 sunk subs, 20 captured

41 subs escaped into the Med. They were vastly under supplied and under crewed but they were out and free.

[Cynical Cat]

June-July 1930

Staff officers hurried back and forth, carrying messages and adjusting positions on the map. A half dozen of the most senior officers in the Hungarian Army watched the map.

"Our young tigers are pushing hard," Ernest Becker said softly.

"Ferencz saw victory," said Marshal Gabor Imre. "In the absence of other orders, find the enemy and kill him," he quoted.

"The spirit of the cavalry lives on in the panzers," said Marshal Hanis. The first Hungarian tanks had been designed by a team at Transylvania Polytechnic, a university with a large number of ethnic Germans on staff and among the student body. The German name had stuck.

"Yes," said Becker. "Its good they're pressing the assault ahead of orders. The communication delay would cost critical amounts of time. Losses are lighter than we feared."

"First Army hit them hard, the others rolled them up," said Gabor. The man was lean and dark, like his cousin the Foreign Minister. "Austria is ours. The Swiss have pulled back into Germany proper, the Romans in pursuit."

"Hmm," said Becker. "They'll have the cross the Danube while maintaining a fighting withdraw. First Army is already on the north bank. We can deploy them to try and cut off the Swiss, say around Wurtzburg."

"Trap them between the Romans and First Army," said Hanis. "That'll work well. What about Second and Third Army."

"North, through Bavaria and into Saxony," said Becker. "We'll move some of the airfleet to Austria, once we've secured the airfields. They can provide heavy ground support."

"I assume we'll keep the Czech airfleet on primarily antiair duties?" said Hanis.

"Yes," said Gabor. "We have them destroy what's left of the German Airforce and then giving heavy ground support. We'll march Fourth Army out of Czechoslovakia through Brandenburg and destroy the German bases. They'll secure that flank and then sweep towards Saxony, pinning the Germans between Second, Third, and Fourth Armies and both airfleets. Unless I've read the Field Marshal wrong."

"Not today," said Becker. "We'll move the new division into Czechoslovakia to compensate for all the troops we've moved out. Your words gentlemen? This is the time to point out any glaring holes you've found in the plan."

"What if the Germans march their Saxon army towards the Fourth Army?" asked Gabor. "If they move immediately, its possible they could reach Fourth Army well ahead of Second and Third Army."

"Easy," said Hanis. "If the Saxons give Fourth Army more than it can handle, which isn't going to happen, they can fall back to the heavily fortified Czech border and encircle them with Second and Third Army"

"And if something goes wrong?" asked Marshal Varga.

"This is war," said Becker. "Something always go wrong. We'll have to hope that the men on the ground will fix things or at least hold out long enough for us to get them some help."

"That and hope more goes wrong for the enemy than for us," said Gabor.

"From your lips to God's ear," said Varga.

"Ahmen," said Becker.

[Cynical Cat]

Summary:

1st Army: As they are on the north bank of the Danube, they are in good position to cut off and flank retreating Swiss Army that is being pursued by the Romans. They will attempt to do so, with the intent of destroying the Swiss Army. If that is accomplished, will move to support 2nd and 3rd Armies.

2nd and 3rd Armies: They will proceed North, into Bavaria and then towards Saxony with the intent of destroying the German Saxon Army and capturing Hamburg.

Hungary based airfleet: Elements will relocate to seized Austrian airfields near the front. The Siege Zeppelins will join the airfleet.

Primary mission: support attacks on the Swiss and then Saxon armies.

Czech based airfleet:

1) Destruction of German air assets primary mission

2) Ground support secondary priority

Czech Ground Forces:
4th Army

1 Elite Divisions with Field Artillery and Artillery Regiments
2 Elite Mountain Divisions with Artillery and Field Artillery Regiments (Leaving one occupying Sudetenland fortifications)
2 Elite Infantry Divisions with Siege Artillery and Engineering Regiments
1 Elite Division with Field Artillery and Heavy Tank Brigade
1 Motorized Division with Field Artillery and Artillery Regiments
2 AntiAircraft Regiments

Will advance into Brandenburg (including destroying German air bases before swinging west to attack Saxon Army and secure Hamburg.

Redeployments
From Hungary to Austria
3 Infantry Divisions with Field Artillery and Artillery Regiments
1 AAA Regiment

New Infantry Division to Czechoslovakia

[rhoenix]

July 4, 1930
Republic of Mexico
"Someone get more pipes in this place! This city might drown!" said a local fireman to some men who looked unsure of what to do. Rebuffed, they quickly began to help.

The Gulf of Mexico had been hit by several hurricanes in the past few years, but this last one just tore open several walls and such designed to prevent what was now happening - five cities along the coast of the Gulf were nearly drowning. Corpus Christi, Heroica Matamoros, San Fernando, Tampico, and Ebono were flooded badly, and more water seemed coming. However, the firemen, local Catholic priests, and police, together with the local army Host, were battling grimly against the tides. They weren't sure if they could protect the city as it was, but they could at least make sure those cities weren't swept away completely.

[rhoenix]

Battle plan (to be initiated in full as of July 5th):

Primary Objective: Neutralize and capture Pacifican airbase in Hermosillo
Secondary Objective: Neutralize and capture Pacifican Army base in Cajame, Mexico
Strategy: Mashbir dive-bomb hangars only, with the aim of leaving the runways intact. Kapziel groups to neutralize any airborne Pacifican craft. Sit. Ops. Host to secure, defend, and repair facility for later use. Bombings to begin at 0500, invasion at 0800
Assets:
- Mashbir airborne (fighter/bomber) group #1 (out of Roswell, New Mexico)
- Kapziel airborne (interceptor) group #1 (also out of Roswell)
- Kapziel airborne group #2 (out of Santa Fe, New Mexico)
- Sit. Ops. Host #1 (out of Las Cruces, New Mexico)

Primary Objective: Annihilate Pacifican Army Base near Agua Prieta and both Pacifican Army bases near Heroica Nogales
Strategy: Mashbir dive-bombers destroy air defenses and other surgical bombings, Hemah heavy bombers to carpet-bomb afterwards. Strike begins at 0500.
Assets:
- Mashbir airborne (fighter/bomber) group #2 (out of Fort Worth, Texas)
- Mashbir airborne (fighter/bomber) group #4 (out of Santa Fe, New Mexico)
- Hemah airborne (heavy bomber) group #3 (out of Roswell, New Mexico)

Primary Objective: Occupy and defend Pacifican Army Base near Agua Prieta and/or the two Pacifican Army bases near Heroica Nogales (at least one of the three)
Secondary Objective: Capture at least two of the three army bases to use as staging grounds
Strategy: Sit. Ops. Hosts to scout area, dig in defenses, and secure area. Forces move in at 0800
Assets:
- Sit. Ops. Host #2 (from Juarez, Texas)
- Sit. Ops. Host #4 (from Santa Fe, New Mexico)
- Regimental Host #2 (from Albuquerque, New Mexico)

Primary Objective: Naval Superiority in the Pacific Ocean
Secondary Objective: Shell the Pacifican Army base in La Paz
Strategy: Move Angel of Death Host (left wing) up Pacifican coast en masse, beginning movement as of 1201 on JUly 5th
Assets:
- Angel of Death Naval Host #1 (left wing)

[frigidmagi]

August 1


The summer had been violent in Spain, the black shirted men had named themselves the Flanage and gathered under red and blue flags had committed horrible acts of rioting and street thuggery. Jews, Muslims and Roman citizens fled the country, while anarchists struck back with campaigns of assassinations and street bombing. The war only added to the troubles. Many were troubled, an Axis defeat would mean Rome triumphant, Rome all powerful, Rome surrounding poor Spain. No one on the street had any doubt what that would mean.

It was on the hot and still morning of August the first that the music played over the radio was interrupted.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the King of Spain."

"To my fellow Spaniards and subjects in the colonies, my greetings in these most troubled times. In these days we have seen the Mughal and now America and Mexico launch a war of outright aggression against Pacifica on the filmiest of pre-texts. The young men of the Americas are even now fighting and dying over a conscirpy theory At the same time in front of our own eyes here in Europe we have seen slaughter unleashed. Rome claims to only be acting in defense against aggression but it is clear from their own words and the actions of Hungary make something very clear. Who was it that had a member of the Axis and pushed for the greatest saber rattling? Who was it that pushed Germany forward on it's ill advised path? Who was it that betrayed Germany for a secret ally? A secret ally that even now plays the victim despite being the ring leader of the greatest plot of the century so far." The king pauses for a breath.

"That, my fellow Spaniards and subjects is none of our affair however. Or it would not be if not for the talk from Rome. Never again they cry. One Last Time they say. What do these words mean? Nothing less then the utter destruction of France and Germany. The subjugation of free peoples. The annihilation of free nations. This leaves us alone, surrounded by a Hostile Imperial Power, a power that has repeatably taken our lands, destroyed our cities and played games with our internal politics. This is a result that is utterly and completely unacceptable to any Spaniard who loves his nation and family! It cannot be allowed!"

"To this end, the Kingdom of Spain declares war on the Kingdom of Greater Hungary and on the Roman Empire. We will defend the Axis powers against the ravening desire of the Amicitia. To this end the goals of the Kingdom of Spain are as follows:

1: To prevent the annexation of France and Germany
2: The recovery of stolen Spanish colonies and lands
3: The ensuring of peace in Europe for the next generation to come

To this end we commit our lives, our fortunes and even our honor. May God Bless the Righteous. Thank you and Good Night."

That day,thousands of troops begin moving, the invasion of Roman held lands in Iberia had begun and the sending of reinforcements to France:

Invasion of Roman Aragon:

A triple pronged invasion from Castile Leon, Murcia and Navarra intending to isolate and destroy Roman Iberian forces in detail.

From Castile Leon: 5 divisions infantry, 5 regiments arty, 5 regiments engineer, 6 divisions cavalry, 6 regiments light armor, 6 regiments AAA

From Murcia: 3 elite infantry divisions, 3 arty regiments, 3 heavy tank regiments 3 cavalry divisions, 3 regiments light armor, 3 regiments AAA

From Navarra: Navarre: 3 divisions infantry, 3 regiments arty, 3 regiments engineer

Total: 8 infantry divisons, 3 elite infantry divisions, 9 cavalry divisions. 11 regiments Arty, 8 regiments engineer, 3 heavy tank regiments, 9 regiments light tanks, 9 regiments AAA

Invasion of Gibraltar:

From Castilla La Mancha: 5 elite infantry divisions, 5 arty regiments, 5 heavy tank regiments

From Extremurda: 3 infantry divisions, 3 regiments arty, 3 regiments engineers

Portugal: 2 infantry divisions, 2 regiments arty, 2 regiments engineers

Reinforcements for France:

Basque Country: 6 cavalry divisions, 6 light armor regiments, 6 AAA regiments moving into South West France to cut off the Aragon Legions

Throughout Spain the interceptors rose into the air to suppress Rome's airforce and the navy gathered at Lisbon.

[Cynical Cat]

August 1, 1930
"So, how are the pilots coming?" asked Constantinescu. "Will we have the German planes up and flying soon?"

"They're already flying sir," said the lieutenant general. The had a pencil mustache that made him look somewhat untrustworthy. "They're airplanes, but not the ones are people are trained on our used to flying."

"And in the last two months?"

"They've been practicing," said the general. "We'll be integrating them into our units shortly and make up the loses we've suffered in combat."

"Good."

The door to Constantinescu's office opened and Gabor Ilona slinked in.

"Do you ever knock?"

"As little as possible. Unfortunately, I have some bad news darling. The Spanish have declared war on us."

"The Spanish did what?!" shouted Constantinescu.

"They declared war on us," repeated Ilona. She took a long drag from her cigarette. "They also said a number of unpleasant things about us, but I gather their real concern is that with France and Germany gone they'll never evict Rome from what they consider "their" territory."

"I don't give a damn about Castillian dreams of empire," said Constantinescu, which wasn't quite true. Spain had no shortage of attractive colonies. "How will the Romans take it?"

"You mean how will the Romans take being attacked by a neutral power when they're in a fight against two nations that have explicitly committed themselves to their destruction?" asked Ilona rhetorically. "Poorly."

"We're in that same boat too," said Constantinescu. "I've never made any secret of my ambitions, but the French and the Germans implicitly gave us a choice: fight them, become their lapdogs, or be dismembered next. Fuck that. We didn't fight the Turks to kneel to the fucking Germans! We're Hungarians. Hungarians. Rome destroyed Carthage and salted her fields, but there is no place on Earth where fighting was harder or more vicious than the Balkans.

"We won those wars. We defended our lands from the Germans and the Poles. We broke the power of the Turks and sent them fleeing and broken, easy meat for Roman conquerors. We won those wars so totally that we forged a peace that lasted centuries. Only Rome could match our might and Rome is our ally now. Remind them of that and tell them we haven't forgotten any of the lessons those wars. We've broke the Germans in two months. Two months. Tell the Spanish if they want a Balkan War, they're going to get one. Tell them to pray that the Romans finish them before we do."

[Cynical Cat]

August 2, 1930

Young men were rare now in the great cities of the Danube. So many had been recalled to serve in reserve formations that were mobilizing to fight. Young women were less common as well, volunteering to serve in various support positions so that men could be freed up to fight. Posters, radio addresses, and news reels exhorted everyone to do their part in helping the war effort.

In late afternoon, the radios abruptly stopped their programs. "Please stay tuned for a special address from the prime minister."

Anton Constantinescu's smooth and controlled voice came over the airwaves. "Valiant people of Hungary, it is my sad duty to announce that the Kingdom of Spain has declared war upon us and the Roman Republic. They claim that they are defending peace and acting to preserve France and Germany, but their actions make them liars.

"It was not Rome or Hungary who made this war inevitable. France and Germany made their intent to dismember and subjugate Rome clear to the world. Their intentions towards Hungary were more opaque, but unfavorable. We could do nothing and end up encircled by nations that had committed acts of unprovoked aggression. We would be diminished and endangered by doing so, forced to defend ourselves on all sides from nations embolden by victory and swollen with stolen strength. We could attempt to curry favor with France and Germany, in order to gain their mercy. Or we could fight. We could defend our selves, our future, our neighbors, and our honour. We could oppose tyranny. We did so.

"And what of Spain? We only have to look as far as poor Barcelona to see what Spain desires. Spain wishes to see Rome burn and her women and children thrown to the wolves. Spain wants to tear at Rome's flesh and bolt down as much as her stomach can hold. How much of what we are comes from Rome, the Mother of Civilization? Rome build cities, public works, nations, civilizations. The Spanish burn them.

"And what of France and Germany, whose aid Spain claims she is rushing towards? What of France, her teeth broken by the Roman Legions two months ago, reeling from the hammer blows of Roman victories? Half the country is in Roman hands. Why now and not earlier?

"And what of Germany? Germany's armies fall further and further back under a sky dark with the wings of Hungarian planes, their ability to fight shattered by Hungarian armies. Why does Spain offer aid now and not months ago when the war began. We began to war with crushing victories. Why now?

"We all know why. Now France and Germany are too weak to resist Spanish territorial claims. When the spoils of war are divided up, it will be the Spanish who dictate terms. There is nothing of justice in Spain's heart. What does Spain know of justice? Spain is a kingdom of dungeons, lorded over by Castillian slave masters. They are the kingdom of the wrack, of the pyre, of the indentured peasant ground into the dirt. The kingdom that takes pride in the destruction and enslavement of other peoples, of the humiliation and destruction of Jews and Muslims who dare to keep their faith. What does Spain offer the world besides chains and ruin?

"But they will not succeed. First they must break Rome and her legions do not break. As long as one Roman remains free, Rome lives, and Rome has yet to bring her full strength to bear. I remind the Spanish of the lesson of Carthage. Rome will prevail.

"And what of Hungary? Some have criticized our use of deception to gain the advantage. They have called us both greedy and war hungry when the world knows who brought this war to Europe. To those who question Hungary I say this: Rome and Hungary kept the peace for a hundred years. We are not the cause of this war.

"The Roman Eagle is a glorious and noble bird that embodies the virtues of our allies. But there are no eagles on the Hungarian flag. Only the raven. The raven is wise, the raven is strong, and the raven is death.

"War in the Balkans is the most vicious and desperate fighting the world has ever seen. Skill and courage are not enough. Here we fought the German, the Pole, sometimes even the Roman, and always the Turk. With enemies on all side we did not survive. We prospered. We pushed our enemies back. We broke the Ottomans so badly that they succumbed to the Romans. We did not learn how to fight the war of the knife. We mastered it. We fight to win, not to conform to an imaginary romantic ideal.

"Hungary has kept her treaties and faith with her allies when the rest of the world has nothing but words when France and Germany turned their hands against Rome. Our planning and foresight saved lives and delivered victories to our soldiers. A Hungarian does not apologize for victory.

"The Spanish have chosen to go to war against us. They have chosen to break themselves against the might of Rome. They should look to Carthage. They should look to the Ottomans. They should look to German and France. That is where their future lies. They have chosen to go to war against Hungary and we shall bring all the fury of a Balkan war to them."

[The Cleric]

Early August, 1930

"So, the Spanish have provided a new wrinkle."

Pierre and Claude were were enjoying the gardens at the government center, appearing to anyone casually observing them to not have a care in the world.

"Fortunate for us. If we can keep the Roman forces diffused for a bit longer, our troops recalls might actually get here in time to make a difference."

"The loss of that whole damn motorized division hurt. Speed is the only real advantage we could claim, and that's not going to be possible for a while now."

"True, but it's not as bad as it could have been. We're starting to receive word regarding the subs that managed to escape the Roman assault, and accurate numbers regarding their casualties in Morocco are favorable on paper, if not in practicality."

"True, their advance has not been nearly as bloodless as they would have hoped. What has the recommendation from the general staff been?"

"Bog down the advance. Our troops are fighting for their homes and country, as outmanned as we are. Theirs? Some vague pretentious notion of defending against a preemptive attack that was designed to prevent this exact situation. Damn Hungary..."

"We seem to have enough troops concentrated to mount some kind of stiffer resistance. I'd like to sit down with a full list of available manpower and the general staff and see if we can come up with something frustratingly effective."

"There's a meeting later this evening, I'll see if Marc can join us. Any word from England?"

"None as of yet. It's not looking promising, but neutrality is better than nothing. I haven't heard any news from our Vasan embassy in a while. Might be a good time to see where they stand after this news from Spain."

-----

Need to get some numbers and results from Frigid, and Havoc is helping me visualize where I can see his troops moving so I can set up some semblance of defense. Will have a battleish plan up as soon as I have numbers.

[Cynical Cat]

July, 1930 Pacifican War


American Front

American Night bombing

Damage to enemy undetermined due to high altitude and darkness. Enemy fighters relatively ineffective.

American losses: 3 bombers lost

Ground Assault on Flagstaff

The American attack struck with overwhelming force and power. The rough terrain and forests limited the utility of the American vehicles, but with merely a regiment of artillery in support the Pacificans had few options when the Americans used their tanks as semi-mobile strong points and gun batteries.

After two hours of heavy fighting, the surviving Pacificans withdraw into the rough and wild ground outside of Flagstaff where the vehicles could not follow. Casualties were heavy and one sided.

American: 3 heavy tanks, 7 light tanks, 1300 Motorized Infantry KIA, 2600 Motorized Infantry WIA, 100 Elite Infantry KIA, 200 Elite Infantry WIA,

Pacificans: 9,000 Infantry KIA, 13,000 Captured (Including Wounded), All artillery pieces destroyed

Naval Action
The Pacifican fleet flees rather than engage, but the forts retaliate with naval gun fire before being hammered into silence.

American Casualties: 1 Maine heavily damaged

Pacifican Casualties: All guns silenced, all fortifications reduced. Additional, unknown casualties.




Mexican Front

Attacks on Cajame and Hermosillo

The Mexican airforce established dominance at the beginning of the battle and the crack Mexican troops aggressive attack succeeded in dislodging the Pacifican troops and driving them towards Tuscon.

Pacifican Casualties: 49 Planes, 5000 KIA, 8000 WIA, 2000 Captured, 140 Artillery Pieces.

Mexican Casualties: 1000 Elite Infantry KIA, 1500 WIA, 1200 Infantry KIA, 3000 WIA, 12 Interceptors, 11 fighter-bombers

Nogales Front Air
A fierce air battle ensues as Pacifican fighters from Arizona scramble to attack the bombers and AAA fire from the ground takes its toll. Heavy bomb loads are delivered.

Pacifican casualties: Unknown ground forces losses, 23 fighters, 16 bombers

Mexican casualties: 26 fighter/bombers, 13 heavy bombers.

Nogales Front Ground

Scouting reveals significant damage to the Pacifican forces, but some of the defences are intact and they are still in fighting shape. Heavy fighting results in the seizure of Agua Prieta and Hermosillo by the Mexicans with the Pacificans hanging onto Nogales. Displaced troops retreat to Nogales and Tuscon.

Pacifican Casualties: 3000 Cavalry KIA, 4000 WIA, 12000 Infantry KIA, 18000 WIA, 10000 Captive, 28 tanks destroyed, 420 Guns destroyed

Mexican Casualties: 1200 Elite Infantry KIA, 2400 WIA, 3500 Infantry KIA, 4400 WIA, 1400 Motorized Infantry KIA, 2600 WIA, 157 Guns destroyed

La Paz Naval Action

The forts naval guns are fearsome, but the Mexican airpower and battleships eventually silence them in a bloody duel. The fort is then hammered from the sea.

Pacifican Casualties: The fort's heavy guns, the rest unknown but presumably heavy.

Mexican Casualties: 1 battleship sunk, another heavily damaged, 6 fighters, 23 fighter/bombers

[Comrade Tortoise]

Summary:

1st Army: As they are on the north bank of the Danube, they are in good position to cut off and flank retreating Swiss Army that is being pursued by the Romans. They will attempt to do so, with the intent of destroying the Swiss Army. If that is accomplished, will move to support 2nd and 3rd Armies.

2nd and 3rd Armies: They will proceed North, into Bavaria and then towards Saxony with the intent of destroying the German Saxon Army and capturing Hamburg.

Hungary based airfleet: Elements will relocate to seized Austrian airfields near the front. The Siege Zeppelins will join the airfleet.

Primary mission: support attacks on the Swiss and then Saxon armies.

Czech based airfleet:

1) Destruction of German air assets primary mission

2) Ground support secondary priority

Czech Ground Forces:
4th Army

1 Elite Divisions with Field Artillery and Artillery Regiments
2 Elite Mountain Divisions with Artillery and Field Artillery Regiments (Leaving one occupying Sudetenland fortifications)
2 Elite Infantry Divisions with Siege Artillery and Engineering Regiments
1 Elite Division with Field Artillery and Heavy Tank Brigade
1 Motorized Division with Field Artillery and Artillery Regiments
2 AntiAircraft Regiments

Will advance into Brandenburg (including destroying German air bases before swinging west to attack Saxon Army and secure Hamburg.

Redeployments
From Hungary to Austria
3 Infantry Divisions with Field Artillery and Artillery Regiments
1 AAA Regiment

New Infantry Division to Czechoslovakia

Baden-Wurtenburg

The Army which had once been stationed in Southern Switzerland had retreated to the Southern German state of Baden-Wurtenburg, destroying infrastructure as they went. They could move faster than the Roman Army which was hampered by the lack of railways through the alps to bring in munitions and supplies.

They were posted now in the Black Forest, a massive expanse of thick wilderness on less than flat terrain, where they had been joined by a division of reserve infantry which had been on training maneuvers when the attack began.

These soldiers would be on orders to slow the roman advance through the use of hit-and-run attacks, and laying minefields along roads in the thick forest until they were capable of breaking off in order to mount a defense of the capitol in Hamburg.

Anti-air guns were placed in clearings and meadows along with the artillery, and the forces could be concentrated so as to make any accurate attack on troop formations by aircraft a suicide mission.



Saxony

The Saxon Army (short 3000 men I need to divide between regiments) were ordered to retreat with all haste to Hamburg in order to mount a defense and await the reinforcements from the colonies, as the interior of germany was not defensible. They have a head start, so that should be possible.

Brandenburg

The airfleet in Hamburg was redeployed to Hamburg to support the army and the independent airfleet in Hamburg.

Redeployments
Swiss army from Switzerland to Black Forest in Baden Wurtenburg
Saxon Army to Hamburg
Brandenburg airfleet to Hamburg.

OOC: I would like to know what timetable I can expect troop and fleet relocations from the colonies.

[Cynical Cat]

July/August 1930

With the Mughal Navy retreating and Australia's largest port heavily damaged, a seaborn invasion would be quite difficult to manage. The Pacifican Grand, Australian, and Pacific Fleets turn around and sail back to defend the continent.

Reinforcements Yuma and Los Angelos to reinforce the Nogales and Phoenix positions and fighters are brought down from Canada to reinforce the battered air garrisons. The Fifth Army begins marching south.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

August 1930


The Japanese Navy leaves port for maneuvers and a show the flag tour in the South Pacific. The Imperial Marines are sent to the Philippines to end the guerilla attacks on the garrison.

[General Havoc]

9 Augustus, MMDCLXXXIII Ab Urbe Condita

The news from Spain had hit like a cannonball.

The people of the Empire, who for two months had been riding high on news of victory after victory, had been caught utterly flatfooted by the Spanish invasion, as Rome's most obdurate enemy lunged to plant a dagger in Rome's back. Spanish armies were crossing the Ebro, plunging into Aragon, into Tarraconensis, into Hispania Ulterior. Gibraltar was under threat, rumored to have already fallen, the capital and provinces were gripped by wild rumors and chaotic scenes of fear. And still the government made no announcement, not even after the Spanish declaration of war had been publicly broadcast. Not even after the Hungarians had declared war and condemned Spain as criminals and opportunistic warmongers. Still the government was silent.

Until the Kalends of Augustus.

The morning issue of the Observator Romanum, Rome's leading daily newspaper, carried a banner headline three times larger than normal. Two words, enough to set the Roman world on fire once more.

Pax Francorum.

French Peace.

Nothing, no rumor had come of the negotiations that the Roman government had held with the French through neutral embassies, then face to face in remote regions of the Vercors. Though the Roman forces had advanced since the victory in the south, they had slowed in recent days, it was believed for regrouping as they prepared to take on the remaining French forces. Yet as the morning of the 9th broke, the Roman people found themselves told of a new arrangement, of the end of one part of this now triplicate war, along terms that any Roman, no matter how warlike, could term acceptable:

France had agreed to cede three provinces, those of Rhone-Alpes, Midi-Pyrenees, and Languedoc-Rousillon, to the Empire. These represented (more or less) the territories the Legions had already physically conquered, and so came as no surprise, neither did the addition of Morocco to the list. The Romans had paid for Morocco, in blood and treasure, and releasing it would be unthinkable. Concessions had been made. The Romans had agreed to give up the Departments of Loire and Rhone within the Rhone-Alpes province, handing the French back Lyon, their second-largest city. Arrangements were spoken of for French civilians to leave if they so-chose, and to bring their worldly goods with them when they did, or to remain and become subjects of the Empire. Prisoners would be released, even the French submarines captured along the Riviera coast, crews and boats alike, all to be implemented at the conclusion of the war with the Axis.

The rest was to be expected. France was to have no further intercourse, commercial, diplomatic, or otherwise, with Germany or Spain. France was to redeploy no further forces from the colonies back to Europe until the war ended. France was to release all prisoners (almost none) and interned civilians (more) that she had captured. France was to turn over all intelligence and diplomatic data on the Axis to Rome. France was not to hinder Roman efforts to prosecute the war against Spain or Germany, nor deploy any of her troops within fifty miles of the new border with Rome. At the same time however, no monetary concessions had been extracted, no war reparations, no requirement to join the war on Rome's side, no demand that France disband her armies or air force. The conditions of peace were harsh, to be sure, but they left France alive and viable. Given Rome's historical aversion to leaving its enemies intact, this was quite a turnaround.

But the reason for it could not have been more clear. Already the newspaper showed arrows pointing on maps, legions, air fleets, naval fleets, cohorts of specialty troops both regular and recently-activated reserves. The arrows moved all over the printed maps like a maze, yet almost all of them were moving in the same direction. South, and east, and south and east some more, converging in one gigantic black mass of ink, steel, and fire. None of them, or near enough, were heading north. Germany was left to be pulverized by Hungary's unstoppable force. The Romans cared nothing more for Germany, tottering on the brink of total collapse now as the Magyars broke unchecked into the plains of Northern Europe.

The government had still made no official statement. Mustaphus Cemal Paterturcii had yet said nothing on the radio. Yet in the movement of the arrows, so trite and calm on a piece of paper, could the bilious fury of an enraged Empire wronged be detected. In the sterile quotations of numbers and unit designations, could the heat be felt of the volcanic wrath that Rome spared for her most obdurate, her most odious, her most constant enemy since the Fifteenth Century. In a heartbeat, the Germans had been all but forgotten, the French rapidly brought to terms and settled with. In a flash of shocked anger, the battle plans so meticulously crafted over the course of months were thrown aside, the war long-planned shelved. And as legion after legion, cohort after cohort squadron after squadron was listed as "en-route to Spain", as the terrible mathematics of war clicked over to a new line on the abacus, so the world watched as the enraged Roman Empire showed them the most terrifying thing of all.

Namely the fact that, until this very moment, Rome had been holding back.

[frigidmagi]

Nanjing

"The units should complete their training by December. Meanwhile all of our reserve units will be in place at the end of this month. Neither the Mughal or any of our neighbors have made any sudden moves. The Xain for some reason aren't reacting at all." The young officer noted.

"General Mao? Any thoughts?" King Hong David asked.

"They're watching Japan, who is watching Russia who is likely entranced by Europe. It's not everyday a collection of nations commits suicide." The General replied.

"You think the Japanese won't act?" Sun Yat Sen asked.

"I don't know, if they do act I'm fairly sure it won't be in China." The General said.

"Deploy the reserves as we discussed. Make sure to drill them in the field so we can blow off some rust. We shall have to consider our own actions then, I doubt Pacifica can stand and we cannot help them. While Mexico and the United States are unlikely to advance to this side of the ocean, there is still the Mughal." The king observed.

The room went quiet. If the Mughal were becoming expansionist... Nightmares of unending armies of Hindu's, Sikhs, Thais and unnumbered other peoples flooding out of Thailand and into China wound through their minds...

A unified China could face the Mughal on equal terms. China was not unified.

[frigidmagi]

September 10th

London, Great Britain

Open Diplomatic Communication to Rome, France and Greater Hungary:

We invite the heads of state and government of all 3 nations to a diplomatic conference in Oslo to take place this month, on the 10th of September. Dramatic events have occurred over the past 3 months and these events have reshaped Europe. We desire to discuss the shape that this new Europe will take and the future of the continent.

Signed:

Gustav Vasa IX King of the Vasan Commonwealth
Lord Protector of Britain and her colonies.

[Comrade Tortoise]

From: German Department of State
To: Hungary

Our nation is no longer defensible. We wish to meet and discuss terms for surrender. We will however not surrender to Rome, as doing so would undoubtedly be met with an ultimatum to either become like Greece, or Carthage.

[frigidmagi]

Spanish battles causality list:

Aragon: Spain: 7,000 KIA cav, 100 destroyed light tanks, 9,000 KIA infantry, 10,000 WIA cav, 12,000 WIA infantry.

Rome: 12th Legion 4,000 KIA elite infantry, 5,000 KIA infantry, AAA regiment lost. Field guns lost. 5,000 WIA elite infantry, 9,000 WIA infantry

1st ICA: Seige Artillery lost

ACAC: Lost

9th Auxillery Legion: 3,000 KIA infantry, field guns lost, 5,000 WIA infantry.

11th Legion: 1,000 KIA infantry, 2,000 WIA infantry.

Roman units were able to escape to Castillia.

Valencia: Spanish: 8,500 KIA elite infantry, 5,000 KIA cav, 74 heavy tanks, 90 light tanks, 10,000 WIA elite infantry, 8,000 KIA cav

Rome: 2,500 KIA elite infantry, 10,000 KIA reservists 3,000 WIA elite infantry, 12,000 WIA reservists.

The Spanish attack bounced off and despite several attempts at hammering through the lines was bloodily replused by the men of Rome.

Southern Roman France (SRF): Spain: 10,000 KIA cav, 150 destoryed light tanks, 15,000 WIA cav. Force rendered combat inoperative.

Rome 6,000 KIA elite infantry, 10,000 WIA elite infantry.

The 13the Legion was dug in and set up. The flower of Spain battered itself to death on the Roman Rock.

[General Havoc]

Announcement from the Senatus Populesque Romanum:

Consul Ordinarius Mustaphus Cemal Paterturcii will attend the meeting in Oslo, provided that the state of war in Europe does not physically prevent him from doing so.

[Cynical Cat]

September 6, 1930

The bodies were lied out in a row. A dozen of them were clearly Philippinos, but six of them weren't. Their arms were stacked neatly on a canvas drop cloth. Smoke rose from the remains of the village.

Sho-sho Asano Hideaki took a long drag on his cigarette. "Klavos," he grunted.

His aide, Sho-sa Nakamura Kenji nodded. Asano was built like a brick shit house, six feet and two hundred and twenty pounds of muscle, bone, and gristle. Nakamura was almost as tall and lean like a grey hound with seemingly limitless endurance. "We already knew that. Those Army buffoons are unsuited to doing anything other than bayonetting Korean peasants."

"We'll put them to work doing something useful," grunted Asano. "The Klavos have help. We'll show the rest of the scum what it means to help the enemies of Japan." That meant rape, looting, burning of villages, and mass executions or the empire's usual means of counter insurgency by means of a campaign of brutality and atrocity aimed in the general direction of troublesome elements. It was a costly policy, in that it destroyed instead of exploiting significant parts of the population, but it enjoyed some success. Besides, the Philippinos were below even Koreans. It didn't matter what happened to them.

"What about the Klavos?" asked Nakamura.

"They'll deny everything of course," said Asano. "What happens next is in hands of the politicians. When the Emperor makes his will known, we will serve in whatever fashion he commands."

"Death is a feather, duty is a mountain," Nakamura quoted.