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Per Bellum, Victoria
The Sun Rises Yet Again
Chapter 9: Per Bellum, Victoria
February 13, 1925
Mosley has returned to the pace of December. Makgill has successfully cracked down on the anti-Victorian protests, casting the protesters as contesting the will of the people to justify it. Ross reports that he has made some progress into tackling the poverty and hunger in some cities while Barlow's commission has made good progress in the short time he has had. Kitson continuously does his best to bring Britain out of the Depression and there is no shortage of legislation being passed to Mosley for him to present to Parliament and, being as desperate as they were, the majority are expected to pass quickly. Fuller had requested Mosley to come to Isles of Scilly to see the most recent tank models, the Claudius I, perform exercises against entrenched infantry defenses.
Mosley packs his bag and brings his family with him for a holiday. They reach the city by nightfall and rest. Mosley awakes early and meets Fuller at the designated point.
J. F. C. Fuller
"Hello Your Excellency! Now that you are here we can begin the exercise."
Fuller pulls out a pistol and fires it to signal the beginning of the exercise. He proceeds to pull out two pairs of binoculars and hands one to Mosley. The tanks speed off on the roads at a surprising 21 kph.
Oswald Mosley
"Impressive Fuller, most impressive."
Fuller is visibly pleased at this performance. Soon, the tanks approach the cross-country section of the exercise. Fuller loses his smile and prepares himself for whatever comes next. The tanks, against all expectations, maintain a consistent 7 kph off the roads, one tank breaks down entirely however. Now the tanks, with their infantry support must complete a successful assault against an entrenched enemy position. As the infantry charge towards the position, the remaining tanks split up, 4 tanks will go around each side of the position while the remaining 3 will assist the infantry in the center. As the fighting ensues, Mosley and Fuller continue to watch. The tanks on the flanks move into position and begin their encirclement, with several infantrymen holding onto them, a tactic learned from the famed and feared German sturmtruppen. Meanwhile, the infantry move forward, using the tanks and natural barriers as cover. Soon, both sides have moved into engagement range and the center column is moving fast towards the trench. When the infantry are only a few dozen meters away from the trench, the tanks from behind begin assaulting it, they have completed their flanking manoeuvre. After suffering high losses due to the unpreparedness against such tactics, they surrender.
By it's end, 2 tanks had broken down, 1 from malfunction and the other from enemy fire while approaching the trench from the front. The attacking forces had lost 1/5 of their forces while the defending had lost 1/3. The exercise and it's results are clear, the Claudius I, despite all it's flaws, is far superior to the AV7 and Mark I and was capable of completing a successful encirclement. There were still many problems and unforeseen kinks that would need to fixed and prepared for, but the overall performance was promising, especially since this model isn't based on an existing one like the Mark I. No flaw bigger than the lack of firepower.
Oswald Mosley
"This is extremely impressive Fuller. So much so that I will allocate you more funds to continue development"
J. F. C. Fuller
"Thank you your Excellency. We already have plans to develop several categories of tanks."
Oswald Mosley
"And what would these be?"
J. F. C. Fuller
"The first one will be the light tanks. They will be lightly armored and armed and wont do well against other tanks but that is not their purpose. They will be used to carry out reconnaissance and engage small enemy positions. The next will be the cruiser tanks, they will be heavier and more armed than light tanks and will serve the role of cavalry in the modern age, pursuing enemy forces after defeat and completing encirclements. The third category will be infantry tanks, these will be heavier and even more armed than cruiser tanks but they will be far slower. Their job will be to assist the infantry columns in the main battle and thus are not required to move quickly. The final group are the universal tanks. They will, hopefully, have a perfect combination of armor, armament, and speed so as to be able to fill all the roles a tank needs to. Those are much further down the chain, decades later. Hart has also been working with Rolls-Royce to create better trucks and research into military-grade half-tracks so as to keep the infantry and artillery mobile enough to keep pace. I did not see the value at first but he has convinced me, the infantrymen and the artillery are still the core of any and every successful fighting force."
Oswald Mosley
"That is all very good. Your progress astonishes me, keep the pace and Britain will crush her foes underneath an unending tide of armor."
J. F. C. Fuller
"Thank you Your Excellency. I assure you, we will progress with great speed."
Mosley relaxes on the island and spectates several more exercises before heading back to London. He sends a message to the First Sea Lord, David Richard Beatty, that will inform him that he will get extra funds to build more ships and expand the naval aviation force, with emphasis on operations in the Atlantic and the North Sea rather than the Mediterranean, Italy would handle that. Mosley likes Beatty, he fought in the Mahdist War as well as the Boxer Rebellion, and was responsible for preventing the Battle of Jutland from becoming a defeat, saving precious British ships that would help transport troops out of France in 1918. Mosley was one of the 3 million men on one of those ships and held great gratitude towards him for that. Beatty had also defied expectations and swore he would continue to serve under a Victorian government. These factors mean that Mosley holds great trust and confidence in Beatty and wishes to delegate the authority to handle naval affairs to him.
Joyce is preparing Buckingham Palace and several other places for the arrival of the Italian and Portuguese. Makgill prepares local security and MI5 to prevent any plots from developing.
Britain's armed forces are on the rise, much to the dismay of Germany and France. Mosley knows that Britain's retribution and victory can only be achieved one way, through war.
Rare Photograph From the Battle of Jutland. This Picture Was Taken as a British Ship Opens Fire on a German Dreadnought Out of Frame, 1916
View attachment 382613
John Rushworth Jellicoe, Admiral of the Fleet, Commanded the Fleet During the Battle of Jutland. He Was Reported to Have Said on the Eve of the Battle, "There is something amiss today", Less than an Hour Later He Was Killed When His Ship Exploded Due to Malfunction, 1910
View attachment 382620
David Richard Beatty, First Sea Lord, Was Serving as a Vice Admiral During the Battle of Jutland and Took Command After His Commander, Admiral John Jellicoe, Was Killed by an Internal Malfunction and Prevented A British Defeat, 1915
View attachment 382619
British Troops Waiting Outside the City of Bordeaux as There Was Not Enough Room To House Them All, 1918
View attachment 382614
One of the Many Ships That Took Part in The Bordeaux Evacuation Heading Back to Britain. It Is Rumored That Mosley Can Be Seen in One of These Pictures, 1918
View attachment 382617
British Troops Arriving in Dover, the Overall Mood of the War Was Bleak but These Troops Were Greeted With Massive Cheering Crowds and Loved Ones Waiting to Be Reunited, 1918
View attachment 382616
The Claudius I, Britain's First Independently Designed and Manufactured Tank, 1925
View attachment 382610
Chapter 9: Per Bellum, Victoria
February 13, 1925
Mosley has returned to the pace of December. Makgill has successfully cracked down on the anti-Victorian protests, casting the protesters as contesting the will of the people to justify it. Ross reports that he has made some progress into tackling the poverty and hunger in some cities while Barlow's commission has made good progress in the short time he has had. Kitson continuously does his best to bring Britain out of the Depression and there is no shortage of legislation being passed to Mosley for him to present to Parliament and, being as desperate as they were, the majority are expected to pass quickly. Fuller had requested Mosley to come to Isles of Scilly to see the most recent tank models, the Claudius I, perform exercises against entrenched infantry defenses.
Mosley packs his bag and brings his family with him for a holiday. They reach the city by nightfall and rest. Mosley awakes early and meets Fuller at the designated point.
J. F. C. Fuller
"Hello Your Excellency! Now that you are here we can begin the exercise."
Fuller pulls out a pistol and fires it to signal the beginning of the exercise. He proceeds to pull out two pairs of binoculars and hands one to Mosley. The tanks speed off on the roads at a surprising 21 kph.
Oswald Mosley
"Impressive Fuller, most impressive."
Fuller is visibly pleased at this performance. Soon, the tanks approach the cross-country section of the exercise. Fuller loses his smile and prepares himself for whatever comes next. The tanks, against all expectations, maintain a consistent 7 kph off the roads, one tank breaks down entirely however. Now the tanks, with their infantry support must complete a successful assault against an entrenched enemy position. As the infantry charge towards the position, the remaining tanks split up, 4 tanks will go around each side of the position while the remaining 3 will assist the infantry in the center. As the fighting ensues, Mosley and Fuller continue to watch. The tanks on the flanks move into position and begin their encirclement, with several infantrymen holding onto them, a tactic learned from the famed and feared German sturmtruppen. Meanwhile, the infantry move forward, using the tanks and natural barriers as cover. Soon, both sides have moved into engagement range and the center column is moving fast towards the trench. When the infantry are only a few dozen meters away from the trench, the tanks from behind begin assaulting it, they have completed their flanking manoeuvre. After suffering high losses due to the unpreparedness against such tactics, they surrender.
By it's end, 2 tanks had broken down, 1 from malfunction and the other from enemy fire while approaching the trench from the front. The attacking forces had lost 1/5 of their forces while the defending had lost 1/3. The exercise and it's results are clear, the Claudius I, despite all it's flaws, is far superior to the AV7 and Mark I and was capable of completing a successful encirclement. There were still many problems and unforeseen kinks that would need to fixed and prepared for, but the overall performance was promising, especially since this model isn't based on an existing one like the Mark I. No flaw bigger than the lack of firepower.
Oswald Mosley
"This is extremely impressive Fuller. So much so that I will allocate you more funds to continue development"
J. F. C. Fuller
"Thank you your Excellency. We already have plans to develop several categories of tanks."
Oswald Mosley
"And what would these be?"
J. F. C. Fuller
"The first one will be the light tanks. They will be lightly armored and armed and wont do well against other tanks but that is not their purpose. They will be used to carry out reconnaissance and engage small enemy positions. The next will be the cruiser tanks, they will be heavier and more armed than light tanks and will serve the role of cavalry in the modern age, pursuing enemy forces after defeat and completing encirclements. The third category will be infantry tanks, these will be heavier and even more armed than cruiser tanks but they will be far slower. Their job will be to assist the infantry columns in the main battle and thus are not required to move quickly. The final group are the universal tanks. They will, hopefully, have a perfect combination of armor, armament, and speed so as to be able to fill all the roles a tank needs to. Those are much further down the chain, decades later. Hart has also been working with Rolls-Royce to create better trucks and research into military-grade half-tracks so as to keep the infantry and artillery mobile enough to keep pace. I did not see the value at first but he has convinced me, the infantrymen and the artillery are still the core of any and every successful fighting force."
Oswald Mosley
"That is all very good. Your progress astonishes me, keep the pace and Britain will crush her foes underneath an unending tide of armor."
J. F. C. Fuller
"Thank you Your Excellency. I assure you, we will progress with great speed."
Mosley relaxes on the island and spectates several more exercises before heading back to London. He sends a message to the First Sea Lord, David Richard Beatty, that will inform him that he will get extra funds to build more ships and expand the naval aviation force, with emphasis on operations in the Atlantic and the North Sea rather than the Mediterranean, Italy would handle that. Mosley likes Beatty, he fought in the Mahdist War as well as the Boxer Rebellion, and was responsible for preventing the Battle of Jutland from becoming a defeat, saving precious British ships that would help transport troops out of France in 1918. Mosley was one of the 3 million men on one of those ships and held great gratitude towards him for that. Beatty had also defied expectations and swore he would continue to serve under a Victorian government. These factors mean that Mosley holds great trust and confidence in Beatty and wishes to delegate the authority to handle naval affairs to him.
Joyce is preparing Buckingham Palace and several other places for the arrival of the Italian and Portuguese. Makgill prepares local security and MI5 to prevent any plots from developing.
Britain's armed forces are on the rise, much to the dismay of Germany and France. Mosley knows that Britain's retribution and victory can only be achieved one way, through war.
Rare Photograph From the Battle of Jutland. This Picture Was Taken as a British Ship Opens Fire on a German Dreadnought Out of Frame, 1916
View attachment 382613
John Rushworth Jellicoe, Admiral of the Fleet, Commanded the Fleet During the Battle of Jutland. He Was Reported to Have Said on the Eve of the Battle, "There is something amiss today", Less than an Hour Later He Was Killed When His Ship Exploded Due to Malfunction, 1910
View attachment 382620
David Richard Beatty, First Sea Lord, Was Serving as a Vice Admiral During the Battle of Jutland and Took Command After His Commander, Admiral John Jellicoe, Was Killed by an Internal Malfunction and Prevented A British Defeat, 1915
View attachment 382619
British Troops Waiting Outside the City of Bordeaux as There Was Not Enough Room To House Them All, 1918
View attachment 382614
One of the Many Ships That Took Part in The Bordeaux Evacuation Heading Back to Britain. It Is Rumored That Mosley Can Be Seen in One of These Pictures, 1918
View attachment 382617
British Troops Arriving in Dover, the Overall Mood of the War Was Bleak but These Troops Were Greeted With Massive Cheering Crowds and Loved Ones Waiting to Be Reunited, 1918
View attachment 382616
The Claudius I, Britain's First Independently Designed and Manufactured Tank, 1925
View attachment 382610
- Lord_Vespasian
- Word Count: 1.3k