The invasion of Poland will be interesting, if they also gave an ultimatum to the other provisional governments and they back down then it will be okay, but if the Germans just attack the provisional governments without any ultimatum. It will breed resentment if they try to occupy, especially if there is any attempt to force them back with Poland.
Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
The Polish Government, in particular the Nationalists who dominate it, are just coming to the realisation the the King of Poland is exactly that; the King of Poland. All of it. Including the bits that are not ethnically Polish. And that he is, literally, Royally Pissed Off with his government demonizing, persecuting and murdering HIS citizens.
Their refusal to negotiate or operate in good faith has led to this. The Polish public will be pissed off because the King will make damn sure that his communications and efforts to end this peacefully, as well as his final ultimatum, are spread far & wide within (& without) Poland, thus proving that their government has repeatedly lied to them.
Their refusal to negotiate or operate in good faith has led to this. The Polish public will be pissed off because the King will make damn sure that his communications and efforts to end this peacefully, as well as his final ultimatum, are spread far & wide within (& without) Poland, thus proving that their government has repeatedly lied to them.
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It looks like Germany was trying to hit only military and strategic targets in order to minimize " Collateral Damage" which probably won't mean much to the people of Warsaw as it was the most effective aerial attack against them since The European War and it was done on the Kaiser's orders.
The most likely scenario I can see is that a multi - Empire peacekeeping force comes in and a provisional government runs Poland until free elections are held.
There is going to be a need for the Freikorps in Galicia and Ruthina to be disarmed and disbanded as part of the Peace process and evidence that Bohemia helped them out has to be hidden.
The most likely scenario I can see is that a multi - Empire peacekeeping force comes in and a provisional government runs Poland until free elections are held.
There is going to be a need for the Freikorps in Galicia and Ruthina to be disarmed and disbanded as part of the Peace process and evidence that Bohemia helped them out has to be hidden.
Who knows, they might go the other way around - tell Poland 'OK, you want to do your own thing so bad? Fine, go, but we're admitting Galicia and Ruthenia back to the Empire as autonomous states within the Empire'.
Hopefully working hand in hand with Hans. Whenever I reread the exercise of those two working together, I grin like an idiot.
I am probably overthinking this but this crisis may cause a split in the Democratic Ecology Party as the Founder and Party Leader Sophie Scholl may be opposed to any military action especially against other member-states of the Empire, while Education Minister Helene von Richthofen-Mischener represents the Si;esia area that borders Poland and she has many constituents that are of Polish ethnicity and there are plenty of Germans who live on the other side of the border in Poland who are concerned that they be next to "cleansed" from Poland.
Nope, I don't think you are, in fact it's an illustration that you have thought about this that shows how badly those in the German and Polish governments have UNDER thought this problem.
In fact they should have considered this before taling action and haven't.
Well, at least no one can accuse Germany of being a Mary Sue Empire...
Part 113, Chapter 1858
Chapter One Thousand Eight Hundred Fifty-Eight
19th July 1968
Danzig
It had turned out that Reier’s prediction from years earlier had come to pass. As soon as the order went out that the entirety of the Marine Infantry was to prepare for movement Tilo realized what was about to happen right about the time that the Grand Admiral in Kiel had called him. He told Tilo that he had been promoted to General of Branch and was tapped to take command of the what had been dubbed Army Group North consisting of the Marine Infantry presently in the Baltic Area of Operations as well as two Heer Field Armies that were massing around Danzig and Königsberg. Word came through the Naval Academy that anyone in the Senior Class who wanted to volunteer for the Marine Infantry would receive a direct Commission without the Navy being mentioned he had almost cursed aloud. Whatever this was, Wunsdorf was expecting it to be a potential meat grinder.
Reier had his usual attitude and was happy about getting back into action. He had heard what had happened and had come in with a big grin on his face. There had never been a General of Marines before now and that was only a short step away from General Oberst and a Field Marshal’s baton. He had then caught a plane to Berlin where he had been briefed on the particulars. When the Luftwaffe and Fleet Air Command had started pounding the crap out of the Poles and he had been the process of making plans.
Finding out that Poland was in open rebellion wasn’t as much a surprise to Tilo as it seemed to be for everyone else when all of this had started. Even a cursory look at who had been in charge in Warsaw over the last few years made this turn seem obvious. While they were to regard the Polish Army and the Freikorps of Galicia and Ruthenia as equally problematic forces, anyone with any sense would see which faction was more likely to greet them as liberators or be hostile. Army Group South under the Command of General Hans von Mischner was likely to have a much faster advance through Galicia than he would through the north.
The real surprise in the briefing was that there were going to be the Fallschirmjäger Divisions involved in a hush hush operation. The scuttlebutt suggested that they were going to be deployed to support the efforts of the KSK and everyone knew whose personal fiefdom that was.
Hohenzollern Castle
One of the things that Kiki’s father had made a point of reminder her was that she had responsibilities here in Principality. Beyond the obligations that dated from feudal times, she also had forty children under her care for the summer as a part of her mother’s foundation this year and a Japanese corporation’s Chief Executive Officer was here along with his family and entourage.
Being able to discuss the possibilities of locating facilities in this region to gain access to the European market and the cachet that came from being her guest were things that American and Japanese Executives found irresistible. Lately, King Albrecht of Bavaria had gotten in on the act, but he had a reputation of not being nearly as approachable or accommodating.
That also meant that she frequently had the medical issues that children accumulated to contend with. Mostly in the form of scraped knees and sunburns. However, at the moment Kiki was having to explain the particulars to one of her patients who had presented with a condition that would definitely affect the rest of her life when Marie Alexandra came to her complaining of feeling ill and having a stomachache. Kiki had only needed a few minutes to learn what was really going on and what Marie had been trying to hide. A five-minute phone conversation with Douglas revealed that this couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Growing up was a painful process and the last thing anyone wanted was to be alone during the scarier moments.
“I called your father Marie” Kiki said, “Your mother is out of communication right now and he is trying to get a message through to her, but he can arrange for you to go home if you like.”
Marie just looked at Kiki with conflicted emotions playing out on her face. Going home was the last thing she wanted to do this summer but at the same time she wanted what any girl… Kiki realized that she could no longer call Marie that anymore and changed that to young woman… wanted. Someplace safe to process this, home and family being best. Kiki remembered clinging to her mother years earlier, it had been one of the few moments when they had been genuinely close. The rest of the time her mother had been from another era who had done what she thought was best for her children by trying to get them to conform to that. Small wonder that they had eventually come to blows and Kiki had been exiled to Japan.
“I want to stay with you” Marie said.
“Fine then” Kiki replied and even as she said it, she realized that she had watched Marie’s birth and had been present during every single major event in her life during the years since.
“You said this will happen again, next month?” Marie asked.
“Yes” Kiki replied.
“That is fucking bullshit” Marie spat at her.
Kiki wasn’t inclined to disagree with that assessment of the situation.
19th July 1968
Danzig
It had turned out that Reier’s prediction from years earlier had come to pass. As soon as the order went out that the entirety of the Marine Infantry was to prepare for movement Tilo realized what was about to happen right about the time that the Grand Admiral in Kiel had called him. He told Tilo that he had been promoted to General of Branch and was tapped to take command of the what had been dubbed Army Group North consisting of the Marine Infantry presently in the Baltic Area of Operations as well as two Heer Field Armies that were massing around Danzig and Königsberg. Word came through the Naval Academy that anyone in the Senior Class who wanted to volunteer for the Marine Infantry would receive a direct Commission without the Navy being mentioned he had almost cursed aloud. Whatever this was, Wunsdorf was expecting it to be a potential meat grinder.
Reier had his usual attitude and was happy about getting back into action. He had heard what had happened and had come in with a big grin on his face. There had never been a General of Marines before now and that was only a short step away from General Oberst and a Field Marshal’s baton. He had then caught a plane to Berlin where he had been briefed on the particulars. When the Luftwaffe and Fleet Air Command had started pounding the crap out of the Poles and he had been the process of making plans.
Finding out that Poland was in open rebellion wasn’t as much a surprise to Tilo as it seemed to be for everyone else when all of this had started. Even a cursory look at who had been in charge in Warsaw over the last few years made this turn seem obvious. While they were to regard the Polish Army and the Freikorps of Galicia and Ruthenia as equally problematic forces, anyone with any sense would see which faction was more likely to greet them as liberators or be hostile. Army Group South under the Command of General Hans von Mischner was likely to have a much faster advance through Galicia than he would through the north.
The real surprise in the briefing was that there were going to be the Fallschirmjäger Divisions involved in a hush hush operation. The scuttlebutt suggested that they were going to be deployed to support the efforts of the KSK and everyone knew whose personal fiefdom that was.
Hohenzollern Castle
One of the things that Kiki’s father had made a point of reminder her was that she had responsibilities here in Principality. Beyond the obligations that dated from feudal times, she also had forty children under her care for the summer as a part of her mother’s foundation this year and a Japanese corporation’s Chief Executive Officer was here along with his family and entourage.
Being able to discuss the possibilities of locating facilities in this region to gain access to the European market and the cachet that came from being her guest were things that American and Japanese Executives found irresistible. Lately, King Albrecht of Bavaria had gotten in on the act, but he had a reputation of not being nearly as approachable or accommodating.
That also meant that she frequently had the medical issues that children accumulated to contend with. Mostly in the form of scraped knees and sunburns. However, at the moment Kiki was having to explain the particulars to one of her patients who had presented with a condition that would definitely affect the rest of her life when Marie Alexandra came to her complaining of feeling ill and having a stomachache. Kiki had only needed a few minutes to learn what was really going on and what Marie had been trying to hide. A five-minute phone conversation with Douglas revealed that this couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Growing up was a painful process and the last thing anyone wanted was to be alone during the scarier moments.
“I called your father Marie” Kiki said, “Your mother is out of communication right now and he is trying to get a message through to her, but he can arrange for you to go home if you like.”
Marie just looked at Kiki with conflicted emotions playing out on her face. Going home was the last thing she wanted to do this summer but at the same time she wanted what any girl… Kiki realized that she could no longer call Marie that anymore and changed that to young woman… wanted. Someplace safe to process this, home and family being best. Kiki remembered clinging to her mother years earlier, it had been one of the few moments when they had been genuinely close. The rest of the time her mother had been from another era who had done what she thought was best for her children by trying to get them to conform to that. Small wonder that they had eventually come to blows and Kiki had been exiled to Japan.
“I want to stay with you” Marie said.
“Fine then” Kiki replied and even as she said it, she realized that she had watched Marie’s birth and had been present during every single major event in her life during the years since.
“You said this will happen again, next month?” Marie asked.
“Yes” Kiki replied.
“That is fucking bullshit” Marie spat at her.
Kiki wasn’t inclined to disagree with that assessment of the situation.
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Well, in the not too distant future, there will be an independent Poland, minus Galicia et al, maybe with access to the Baltic, and out of the Empire.
At this point, Poland is going to find itself on the outside looking in. It will find freinds out in the world - America, China maybe some of the South American countries, but it won't be top tier countries. It won't be the worst situation, but it won't be like it is now.
At this point, Poland is going to find itself on the outside looking in. It will find freinds out in the world - America, China maybe some of the South American countries, but it won't be top tier countries. It won't be the worst situation, but it won't be like it is now.
The questions are twofold:
- How many influential Poles who might have made money out of the Empire and the links with Germany will oppose breaking away - odds are there'll be a lot, and once the current government falls you'll have them lobby whoever the new government is (some of them'll probably be in it) to try to come to some kind of accommodation.
- How much would losing Poland minus Galicia and Ruthenia harm the Empire's power?
At this point ITTL Poland is a landlocked country and the is no way that they are going to get access to the Baltic, at best goods coming or leaving Poland may have no tariffs imposed on them by Germany as long as they are directly shipped in and out of Poland without stopping in Germany.
A Poland that is out of the Empire is going to lose a quite amount of economic activity as there are ITTL tax breaks for companies to set up shop there, such as consumer electronics, small household appliances, non OEM auto parts, and affordable furniture, and I can see automotive companies like Fiat, Renault and in the future Japanese auto companies having plants in Poland so that they can sell them throughout the Empire with out having tariffs imposed on them.
I have speculated that being a Polish citizen in a Poland that is part of the Empire means that they can work in any part of the Empire with out having to get a work visa and it has been posted that a lot of the workers in the various shipyards are Polish and Berlin and other large cities in Germany has a large contingent of workers from Poland presumably in construction.
If Poland leaves the Empire then those workers are going to have to get work visas and I am assuming that a good portion of their pay is being sent back home to Poland and if Poland is out of the Empire then all of that is gone.
Poland is also getting a lot of direct subsidies from Germany and also a lot of indirect aid for the Autobahns and railroads that are crisscrossing Poland and if Poland is out of the Empire then all of that is gone and Poland has to stand on its own.
The political situation is very clear & quite simple; the King of Poland, seeking to halt a civil war in its earliest stages, has requested military aide from his own Liege-Lord, Ally, close personal friend & relative, the Emperor of Germany. The Emperor of Germany, aka the Kaiser, has agreed, after some rather serious consideration of the matter, to supply that aid. The two Royals are, of course, two very distinct legal personalities... who just so happen to occupy the same body and share the same name.
Translation: Someone, somewhere, is about to learn the precise definition of the acronym FUBAR. They might even get to compare notes with the shades of Stalin & Molotov.
I'd say 100% of all biological women & trans-men would agree with sentiment. As would a considerable portion of the rest of the population. Also, Kat is going to be sooo pissed at the Polish Nationals & Galician Separatists over this. She was supposed to be there for her daughter during this event and those f@#$ers took that moment from her. Oli might get a partial pass because he very clearly DID NOT want any of this.
Somewhere in the afterlife on a warm beach, the spirits of Old Man Schultz, Walter ‘Mad Dog’ Horst and Manfred von Wovogle are comparing notes about how well their offspring (Jost and Tilo) and protégés (Kat v. Mischner, Hans v. Mischner, Jost Schultz, Kurt Knispel and Olli Bauer by extension) are getting on. Manfred’s probably a little impatient wishing Kurt would “just get on with it, drive all the way to Warsaw and kick those Polish idiot’s balls up around their ears”.
Horst is probably off to one side reading the paper while Schultz & Wovogle are smoking the biggest cigars they can find and drinking whatever comes to hand (Manfred was never too fussy with his drinks when he was alive).
Horst is probably off to one side reading the paper while Schultz & Wovogle are smoking the biggest cigars they can find and drinking whatever comes to hand (Manfred was never too fussy with his drinks when he was alive).
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