Bogdan Zerajic claimed that he had a chance to kill the Austro-Hungarian Emperor, but decided against it. The idea for the Pod would be that Bogdan Zerajic tries to kill the Emperor, but fails; he fires a couple shot injuring Franz Joseph, but not killing him. War doesn't arise from this incident, but it does shake the officials in Budapest enough to increase the yearly intake of recruits almost two years earlier than OTL, uping the yearly intake of recruits from 0.29% to .47% (the same intake as Germany). Because of the rising feeling after the attempted assasination that war is inevitable, Günther Burstyn's Motorgeschütz is taken more seriously and a contract for the construction of Motorgeschütz is put out to Steyr Tractor. Over the next couple of years the Motorgeschütz evolves some, getting up-armored and uping the gun size slightly. While there is a push for these weapons have their own Corps as somthing like an cavalry or Dragoon regiment they are in the end adopted as a "Heavy Branch" of the Infantry, the idea being that they will be used mostly as infantry support. Along with the Motorgeschütz it is decided that a second look should be taken at Günther Burstyn's armored car idea.
The German War Department is not very excited by the Motorgeschütz and what they think is a bad investment on the part of Austria-Hungary and don't end up building there own Motorgeschütz. They are however enthusiastic that Austria is building up its military.
In 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assasinated and the world is plunged into war. How does this slightly improved Austro-Hungarian military change the war?
The German War Department is not very excited by the Motorgeschütz and what they think is a bad investment on the part of Austria-Hungary and don't end up building there own Motorgeschütz. They are however enthusiastic that Austria is building up its military.
In 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assasinated and the world is plunged into war. How does this slightly improved Austro-Hungarian military change the war?