Conrad Waits: a better Austro-Hungarian Eastern Front (v 2.0)
I'll definately be watching this one. Any chance we might see the introduction of the Romfell Armoured Car in this timeline if it goes on long enough?
Decent point of divergence, Franz Ferdinand getting around to replacing Conrad - either demands his resignation or he has a small accident and it's used as an excuse to ease him out - shortly before he's assasinated. But I can understand that you're trying to keep the changes as small as possible.
Will be interested to see what you have Boroevic getting up to as I've always had something of an interest since I first ran across him a whie back. His skill at defensive actions would certainly be useful against the Russian steamroller.
Deleted member 1487
Sure, but I'm focusing on strategic issues and it would have a minor tactical impact at best, so I probably won't mention it once.
I had a whole other TL based on something similar to this. Conrad was already dismissed once, but brought back because the placeholder after him was a bumbling incompetent, so FF brought Conrad back as a placeholder. FF was not very good at picking high level army officers (obviously), so took way too long getting rid of him because he couldn't find anyone that fit his very narrow definition of someone better that wasn't hated by Franz Josef (Moritz Auffenberg comes to mind, the war minister responsible for buying the Skoda mortars against the wishes of the penny pinchers in the Kaiser's military cabinet...he was also one of the very best A-H generals, head of the 4th army, and scored the very biggest victory in 1914 in Galicia, only to have Conrad blame him from Conrad's failures and kick him out of the military).
The funny thing was that he considered himself an offensive general and disliked defensive fighting. I think his reputation as a skilled defender is somewhat undeserved, as he was fighting against the Italians in the Alps and couldn't launch attacks, which saved him from making a fool of himself on the offensive, while making him look like a defensive guru (sorry Italians out there, but the Italian army on the attack in WW1 was incompetent at best and defending mountain terrain isn't that hard).
Regardless of whether or not the Italians get involved in this version of WW1, Boroevic is going to have his hands full in 1914 on the Eastern front.
Makes sense. The only thing that might impact on a greater than tactical level was the wireless morse telegraphs that they carried, I'm assuming that they ran off batteries and recharged via the engine. Considering how spotty communication could be during the war it could help, although that's balanced out by possible terrain problems.
Deleted member 1487
I meant to say above 'but once' rather than not once. How powerful were wireless telegraphs in WW1? I don't think they had enough range to really be useful if there were only a handful of them...also they had to operate on semi-decent roads, of which there were very few in Russia, especially in WW1.
Deleted member 1487
October 1914
Forgot to mention that the rains start in Galicia around September 14th, which halts combat for weeks. Combat starts again in October
A preview of the action starting in October. Circled cities are major fortresses. Action parallels the August 1914 offensives, with the Russian main weight in East Galicia and the Central Powers pressing into southern Russian Poland.
Forgot to mention that the rains start in Galicia around September 14th, which halts combat for weeks. Combat starts again in October
A preview of the action starting in October. Circled cities are major fortresses. Action parallels the August 1914 offensives, with the Russian main weight in East Galicia and the Central Powers pressing into southern Russian Poland.
I am definitely watching this one! Wasn't that the Oskar Potiorek fills Conrads role, Timeline? Heck, if you could get a POD with Auffenberg staying as War Minister post 1912, that would greatly help A-H. Though, Conrad and him would eventually bump heads so much one would have to go (though they want the same thing, modern & effective A-H army, they would different means of getting to that goal).
Deleted member 1487
Yep, that was the one. Conrad and Auffenberg were friends and IIRC it was Conrad that got Auffenberg the job as war minster. Both agreed on the artillery modernization scheme, the expansion of the army, and the improvement of tactics. Conrad's major flaw, his military planning being based on fantasy scenarios, didn't become apparent until the war actually started. He was obviously insane with his obsession of destroying Italy and later Serbia (1912) and using war a political policy pre-war, but even that was somewhat overlooked because FF thought, as did most of the rank and file officers, though not general staff officers, that Conrad was the second coming of Prince Eugene.
It's funny, Italy has Luigi Cadorna as Generalissimo and A-H Conrad...both keep/get the job because no other better candidate was immediate ready and both were idiot of epic proportion seem the two nations were in competion for the worse military leadership
Deleted member 1487
At least with Conrad the majority of the army thought he was a genius. Not sure if Cadorna had that reputation in Italy.
In all honesty till the war started he was considered a very competent general and (eve if he pain me admit it) the crash resupply of the italian armed forces and the last minute redeployment of the army from the French border to the A-H front were good and was is merit...unfortunely after the war effectively started he demonstrated all his flaw (and there were plenty both human than professional)
Deleted member 1487
Sad problem of generals: you only really discover their skill in war. McClellan in the US Civil War is the prime example, he was very skilled at organizing and training, but awful at command.
Yeah is true, but the thing that most hate of Cadorna is not the fact that he relentlessy attack the A-h line with a rate of offensive double of the rest of the entente; no his biggest failure was the fact that he was incapable of admitting any responsability in a failure or even admit the mild criticism. Any officers who don't toe the line was jettisoned and the discipline was so draconian that make seem the German one a bunch of 19th century american militia but when Caporetto come he accused everyone from the goverment (who meddle too much...except he obtained at the start of the war basically absolute military powers and basically was him at burden the rest of the army with micromanagement) to the soldiers (who accused of cowardy) to the Pope...anyone except himself, in the end i consider him directly responsible of the Mussolini rise of power as a commander more in touch with the rest of the officers corps and the troops will have lot less casualities and created lot les resentment on the veterans.
Deleted member 1487
Sounds like Conrad! Auffenberg lost his career after Conrad scapegoated him for the September 1914 failure in Galicia to cover up his own massive failures.
I meant to say Conrad would eventually stab him in the back, since he did OTL (sorry was not clear before). Basically my view, is it is inevitable there would be some political sacrifice needed for something or another and Conrad would attempt to throw Auffenberg to the wolves. However, as War Minister he would be in a better position to deal with it than as a General out on the front lines...
How did Auffenberg lose his job as War Minister in the first place? His replacement was there for 5 years.
elkarlo
Banned
I wouldn't say that AH marksmanship would have been a great deal better than the Russians. The Hungarians hated spending money on the military, and the reservists didn't seem to have much in the way of ammo for practice.
Also, are the Serbs making any offensive attacks, will it hits the fan in the East? The AH seemed to have terrible luck when dealing with the Serbs, as though they couldn't do anything right.
Also, are the Serbs making any offensive attacks, will it hits the fan in the East? The AH seemed to have terrible luck when dealing with the Serbs, as though they couldn't do anything right.
elkarlo
Banned
It didn't help that Italy was trying to field an army way out of it's weightclass. They just didn't have the industry to supply/support such a large military. Which is why they had little artillery per div, less machine guns, and scissors instead of wire cutters
It didn't help that Italy was trying to field an army way out of it's weightclass. They just didn't have the industry to supply/support such a large military. Which is why they had little artillery per div, less machine guns, and scissors instead of wire cutters
It's more due to the fact that Italy just a couple of year early fight a war with the turks and that was follwed by a serious economic slowdown, so army refurbishment was not a priority at the time...plus the idiot decision to not buy the Caproni aircraft and stick with other planes who at the start of the hostility were not flying worthy
Deleted member 1487
I've seen it mentioned in a contemporary source that AH marksmanship was highly emphasized and superior to Russian training.
Yes, the Serbs are, but lacking logistics they aren't going to get far. I'll do a post about that situation. Hint: it will look like the AH OTL troubles in reserve.
AH's OTL troubles were because of the very poor handling of the offensives, which were conducted into the worst place in the Balkans for an offensive. On the defensive the AHs actually curb stomped the Serbs; it was really a matter of who was on the offensive that determined the loser.
I don't think he did it malliciously against Auffenberg; its just that Auffenberg was a convenient and really the only person that he could blame and keep his job. Its situational who would get thrown under the bus. However it is quite interesting that Auffenberg was the only general IOTL that was treated like that so perhaps Conrad did have something against him (Auffenberg wasn't liked by Franz Josef or the establishment, so perhaps it was just easier) or afterward just learned that he could get away with murder (of his soldiers) and not worry about losing his job.
He bought the Skoda mortars without permission. He thought they were too good of a weapon to not purchase, though the government didn't want to spend the money. So he took the 'its easier to ask forgiveness than permission' approach and he was fired. He also was not diplomatic and had no problem calling people out for their stupidity, which cost him the support of everyone but Conrad in the government.
It's more due to the fact that Italy just a couple of year early fight a war with the turks and that was follwed by a serious economic slowdown, so army refurbishment was not a priority at the time...plus the idiot decision to not buy the Caproni aircraft and stick with other planes who at the start of the hostility were not flying worthy
Also IIRC the Entente was subsidizing the Italian military, so they could build up a larger one than if they were just on their own. By 1914 though you are right that they could afford it, but for fighting a war just before WW1 so had very low stocks and readiness.