WI: Some random Joe Schlmo is picked to replace Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf as field marshal of A-H

Wi: Some random guy is chosen to replace Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf as field marshal and chief of the general staff of Austria-Hungary?

How would the Austro-Hungarian armies fair under the leadership of a far more competent commander?
 
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Wi: Some random guy is chosen to replace Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf as field marshal and chief of the general staff of Austria-Hungary?

How would the Austro-Hungarian armies fair under the leadership of a much more competent commander?
Would he be that?

During the Battle of Galicia the Russians had a larger army, with both a qualitative and quantitative advantage in artillery and machine guns, and Austrian war plans had been upset by things like Oskar Potiorek siphoning off an entire field army from the force meant to be fighting on the Russian front.

That the Common army wasn't wiped off the face of the earth durring the Battle of Galicia, and even managed to halt the Russian advance north of the Carpathians speaks pretty highly of Conrad's qualities. You simply can't look at the battle of Limanowa and conclude that "some random guy" could have pulled it off, let alone done better. I wouldn't dispute that Conrad frequently underperformed with catastrophic results, but the meme that Conrad was somehow uniquely incompetent (especially considering his exact contemporaries) needs to die.
 
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C-H came up with some of the most brilliant strategies in history. None of which had any basis in reality. If you replaced him with the bloke who cleaned out the public toilets in Aberdeen, it's hard to see how Wee Jock Poopong McPlop could have done any worse.
 

Deleted member 94680

C-H came up with some of the most brilliant strategies in history. None of which had any basis in reality. If you replaced him with the bloke who cleaned out the public toilets in Aberdeen, it's hard to see how Wee Jock Poopong McPlop could have done any worse.

Seriously?
 
Seriously?

Standard really. People are just outright refusing to believe that A-H really had some rather competent people around, and even Conrad for all his faults, did rather well on several occasions, most notably at Golice-Tarnowo offensive. But no, A-H Monarchy was run by morons who struggled to breath and walk at the same time, and there is no way, shape or form that Habsburg Monarchy does well in the war, let alone survive past it.

I really wish people would realize just how hard the A-H Monarchy fought, and how its army was repeatedly crippled and battered, yet it fought on, until the very state it served collapsed after 4 years of brutal war.
 
Standard really. People are just outright refusing to believe that A-H really had some rather competent people around, and even Conrad for all his faults, did rather well on several occasions, most notably at Golice-Tarnowo offensive. But no, A-H Monarchy was run by morons who struggled to breath and walk at the same time, and there is no way, shape or form that Habsburg Monarchy does well in the war, let alone survive past it.

I really wish people would realize just how hard the A-H Monarchy fought, and how its army was repeatedly crippled and battered, yet it fought on, until the very state it served collapsed after 4 years of brutal war.
Couldn't agree more. In fact, I recently wrote an essay (and got a first, but that's besides the point) on pretty much this topic. For a country fighting on two fronts and plagued by internal difficulties, Austria-Hungary did remarkably well, especially when you consider that even the Germans, who are trumpeted as valiant losers and the greatest army of the war still lost and their regime collapsed. But no, Austria-Hungary was a failure and doomed to fail. Frankly its just tiresome.
 
C-H came up with some of the most brilliant strategies in history. None of which had any basis in reality. If you replaced him with the bloke who cleaned out the public toilets in Aberdeen, it's hard to see how Wee Jock Poopong McPlop could have done any worse.
Bad example, Wee Jock Poopong McPlop was a tactical genius far surpassing Conrad, i doubt Conrad, who despite the memes only really failed because his plans were to ambitious and not based in reality, could of replicated McPlop's victories. Helmuth von Moltke(Elder) simply took all the credit for his invaluable advice that was given to him by McPlop.
 
Oh, I completely agree with you.

I was challenging the assertion that “wee Jock Pooplong MacPlop” could have done better - i.e. Conrad was so laughably inept an inexperienced civilian could manage a better job, that directing a multi-theatre, million-man, industrial war is a ‘simple’ job.

Sorry, just had to shoehorn in a Blackadder reference.
 
Standard really. People are just outright refusing to believe that A-H really had some rather competent people around, and even Conrad for all his faults, did rather well on several occasions, most notably at Golice-Tarnowo offensive. But no, A-H Monarchy was run by morons who struggled to breath and walk at the same time, and there is no way, shape or form that Habsburg Monarchy does well in the war, let alone survive past it.

I really wish people would realize just how hard the A-H Monarchy fought, and how its army was repeatedly crippled and battered, yet it fought on, until the very state it served collapsed after 4 years of brutal war.

Makes one wonder, that if A-H were run by such clowns, how did they last till October, 1918?

And no, it wasn't all 'The Germans' either
 

trajen777

Banned
Makes one wonder, that if A-H were run by such clowns, how did they last till October, 1918?

And no, it wasn't all 'The Germans' either
Ah fought well with the cards they had and in the time frame of 1914. If it was 1916 or 17 they would have done much better. (1916 the artillary per div is very impressive in plans). The awful reserve forces they have plus old art killed them. Even worse is the awful decisions by Conrad. Serbia first, reserve army back and forth, the delivery of the reserve army 150 miles from where they needed to be. Just these changes in 14 would have made a major change in the war. Later decisions by Conrad for strategic solutions that were tactically impossible was brutal for ah.
 
Wee Jock P P McPlop, Tactical Genius? I'd like to see how this goes. :-D
Well, he's not as "genius" as im making him out to be, after all the man got himself killed when he drowned cleaning one of the toilets in aberdeen, he was just quick witted and talented man fighting against generals who often weren't, after all when he fought napoleon at Abukir (he was just passing through when he saw the armies and decided "fuck it, got nothing better to do, might as well help out the Ottomans"), he made a fatal mistake that resulted in the French victory, although it is debated if the Ottoman commander simply misunderstood his advice.
 
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