A War of Blood and Steel [Althis|PT|OOC|Ended]

[Remnants of Exilvania]

A War of Blood and Steel OOC Thread [url]ANNOUNCEMENTS[/url] IC - MAP - [url]DISCORD[/url] OP Remnants of Exilvania CO-OP Tracian Empire “This war is a new kind of war. It is warfare in terms of every continent, every island, every sea, every air lane in the world.” –Franklin D. Roosevelt, February 23rd 1942 Hello and welcome to A War of Blood and Steel, your very average WW2 era nation RP. Well, not quite considering that we're playing with some alternate history and alternate nations here. Either way, let's introduce you all to the setting. It's 1937 and the world's still reeling from the aftereffects of the Great War. Borders have been redrawn, ethnicities displaced, extremist ideologies fanned, independences declared and economies crashed. Now the defeated and the betrayed of the last war rear their heads again, beating the drums of war as they prepare to unleash the ever vaster arsenal of modern weapons they have accrued. Are you one of the defeated, seeking to reclaim what you have lost? One of the betrayed seeking to right a wrong? An opportunist seeing their time to shine? A neutral hoping to survive the coming mess unscathed? Or a victor hoping to maintain the status quo you have fought for so much? Only you can tell and only you can succeed...or fail. Roleplay Rules 1. The OP is the god of this roleplay. Their word is law. 2. The Co-OP is a saint. In the absence of the OP, heed his word. Also, no bulli because he really is a saint. 3. All NS Rules apply. 4. No OOC writing in the IC. 5. No godmodding. 6. No metagaming. 7. No flaming. 8. No trolling. 9. No harassment. 10. 1 nation per player. 11. This is alternate history. It is up to you whether you are mostly IRL 1937 Sweden, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania or the Hungarian Soviet Republic. Anything goes. Except fully original nations/concepts like, oh, say, Exilvania. 12. As alternate as the history is, a Great War still happened in the 1910s. It may have lasted for different lengths of time in different parts of the world but it happened. Incorporate it into your nations’ histories. Note, we can't all be winners in this or white peacing losers. 13. We’re still having the late 20s/early 30s economic crisis and accompanying social and political upheaval. Tech Rules 1. In order to avoid cherrypicking, each nation may only pick one "tech tree" of one IRL nation. You are free to cherrypick as much as you'd like from among that nation's designs but you are stuck with their overall design philosophy. This is to ensure that not everyone ends up fielding the same equipment on the battlefield but also to ensure that people don't need to create extremely detailed lists of domestic equipment and one can, if one so wishes, simply defer to what the nation developed IRL. 2. Because I am aware that like any alt-his RP there will be plenty of nations with much more developed industrial bases and the like than IRL, prototypes are open game, including paper prototypes. Yes, you can bring in wacky World of Tanks things. 3. Because I am aware that likely plenty of nations will be so much more industrialized than whatever IRL tech trees they choose, IRL introduction dates for technology need not necessarily apply. Of course this doesn't mean that you should be bringing Maus tanks into 1937. Rather I'd like you to look at your nation's capabilities and then your nation's neighbours and as such the need for such advanced technologies. I am sure you do not require Panthers if you are surrounded by naught but African tribesmen that still use spears in certain cases. 4. I am aware that there is plenty of co-developed or license-produced equipment IRL that blossomed into equipment later attributed to those producing nations. In the interest of broadening tech trees since, to reiterate, I am quite certain there will be more people with plenty more advanced industries in dire need of domestic designs, these designs will simply become...well...domestic designs of those nations. 5. If you'd like to produce something another nation has, I implore you to ask them OOCly or ICly if you are allowed to license produce it. In rare cases I'd be willing to, if both players agree, move a domestic design from one nation to the other in terms of who came up with it. 6. You may produce or have Great War Era equipment of other nations without asking. This is not a domestic invention of yours but much rather signifies equipment captured, purchased or license produced plenty of time ago. Don’t take this as your excuse to go “every third man a Maxim” or something like that. Keep it realistic. 7. Each IRL nation's tech tree can exist up to two times in this setting. Yes, this will hurt your suspension of disbelief but I am certain enough that it hurts suspension of disbelief just as much when near everyone's undoubtedly large, industrialized and scientifically advanced nation is incapable of funding an R/D department capable of granting you your vision of how your nation's very own extensive arms development goes. And since in an althis setting there are probably more than the 5-7 large nations capable of doing so IRL, it's for the best if we double the number and just do our best to ignore the fact that these independently developed arms just so happen to look and work the same. Nation Application Code: Select all [align=center][size=150][u]Nation Application[/u][/size][/align] [b](You should read the OP completely prior to filling this out) (Fill it out as requested.) (Erase all words in rounded brackets before posting the app)[/b] [b]Full Nation Name:[/b] [b]Short Nation Name:[/b] [b]National Symbols:[/b] [b]Capital:[/b] [b]Territory:[/b] [b]Form of Government:[/b] [b]Head of State:[/b] [b]Head of Government:[/b] [b]Ideology:[/b] [b]Population:[/b] [b]Military Description:[/b] [b]Tech Tree:[/b] [b]Economic Description:[/b] [b]Goals:[/b] [b]Point of Divergence:[/b] [b]History:[/b]   [b]Have You Read, Understand, and Agree with the OP Posts & Rules In Detail?:[/b] #JDMZVUM1QC (do not delete this, it's for keeping track of the apps) Reservations Code: Select all [align=middle][size=140][u]Reservation[/u][/size][/align] [b]Nation Name:[/b] [b]Territory:[/b] [b]Tech Tree:[/b] #JDMZVUM1QC (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps) *Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Current Roster

ACCEPTED
The Danubian Confederation - Tracian Empire
The Roman Empire - Sao Nova Europa
The Commonwealth of Northern Socialist Council Republics - Northern Socialist Council Republics
The Soviet Union - The National Dominion of Hungary
The Kingdom of the Netherlands - Monsone
The Republic of China - Strala
The United States of America - Intermountain States
The Union of Bulgaria and Romania - Remnants of Exilvania
The Greater Colombian Republic - Arvenia
The German Socialist Republic - The Imperial Warglorian Empire
Italy - Elerian
The Third French Empire - Deblar
Great Britain and her Empire - The Traansval
Commonwealth of Canada - New Provenance
The Federal Republic of Międzymorze - Revlona
Dai Nippon Teikoku - Oscalantine
Federal Republic of Central American States - Countesia

RESERVED

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Reserved

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Reserved

[Tracian Empire]

Reservation

Nation Name: The Danubian Confederation
Territory: Austria, including South Tyrol, Lichtenstein, Istria, Slovenia, Czechia
Tech Tree:The real life Czechoslovak tech tree
#JDMZVUM1QC (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

*Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.
this should be the reservation form

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Reservation

Nation Name: Union of Bulgaria and Romania
Territory: https://i.imgur.com/YJ26UZO.png
Tech Tree: Bulgaria
#JDMZVUM1QC (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

*Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.

[Intermountain States]

Reservation

Nation Name: United States of America
Territory: The United States, Alaska, Hawaii, the Philippines, American Samoa, US Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, Panama Canal (essentially same as the territories of the real life US)
Tech Tree: USA
#JDMZVUM1QC (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

*Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.

[Elerian]

Reservation

Nation Name: Italy
Territory: 1937 Italian Territory
Tech Tree: Italian
#JDMZVUM1QC

[Strala]

What does tech tree mean?

[Tracian Empire]

What does tech tree mean?

As stated in the rules:
1. In order to avoid cherrypicking, each nation may only pick one "tech tree" of one IRL nation. You are free to cherrypick as much as you'd like from among that nation's designs but you are stuck with their overall design philosophy. This is to ensure that not everyone ends up fielding the same equipment on the battlefield but also to ensure that people don't need to create extremely detailed lists of domestic equipment and one can, if one so wishes, simply defer to what the nation developed IRL.

So essentially, the real life tech tree you'll pick for your nation.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

What does tech tree mean?

You pick a nation IRL and are restricted to only domestically inventing their designs.

The rest you have to get the old fashioned way. Talking with your fellow players/nations about wether you can buy the equipment or licenses for production.

[Empire of Techkotal]

Reservation

Nation Name: Southern German Empire
Territory: https://imgur.com/a/zbMIoLB
Tech Tree: Not jet decided a few details are still being discussed.
#JDMZVUM1QC (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps

[Arvenia]

Would the USSR still be a thing?

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Would the USSR still be a thing?

That's up to whether anyone will apply for a USSR or not.

[Tracian Empire]

Reservation

Nation Name: Union of Bulgaria and Romania
Territory: https://i.imgur.com/YJ26UZO.png
Tech Tree: Bulgaria
#JDMZVUM1QC (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

*Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.

Reservation

Nation Name: United States of America
Territory: The United States, Alaska, Hawaii, the Philippines, American Samoa, US Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico (essentially same as the territories of the real life US)
Tech Tree: USA
#JDMZVUM1QC (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps)

*Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.

Reservation

Nation Name: Southern German Empire
Territory: https://imgur.com/a/zbMIoLB
Tech Tree: Not jet decided a few details are still being discussed.
#JDMZVUM1QC (Do not delete this, it is used to keep track of the apps

Reservations accepted

[Tracian Empire]

Reservation

Nation Name: Italy
Territory: 1937 Italian Territory
Tech Tree: Italian
#JDMZVUM1QC

Accepted, but without the claims that were already reserved prior to this

[Tracian Empire]

Nation Application

Full Nation Name:

• Danubian Confederation/German: Donaubund/Czech: Podunajská konfederace/Slovenian: Podunavska konfederacija/Latin: Confoederatio Danuvii (official and symbolic)
• Danubian Monarchy/German: Donaumonarchie/Czech: Podunajská monarchie/Slovenian: Podunavska monarhija/Latin: Monarchia Danuvii (official and symbolic)
• The Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Crown of Saint Wenceslas/German: Die im Reichsrat vertretenen Königreiche und Länder und die Länder der Heiligen Wenzelskrone/Czech: Království a země zastoupené v říšské radě a v zemích Svaté koruny svatého Václava /Slovenian: Kraljestva in dežele, predstavljene v cesarskem svetu, in dežele svete krone svetega Vaclava (official, but outdated)

Short Nation Name:

• Danubia/German: Danubien/Czech: Podunajsko/Slovenian: Podunavje (informal)
  Austria-Bohemia/German: Österreich-Böhmen/Czech: Rakousko-Čechy/Slovenian: Avstrijsko-Češka

National Symbols:

• National Flag of the Danubian Confederation
• Naval Ensign of the Imperial and Royal Navy
• Naval Jack of the Imperial and Royal Navy
• Banner of the Imperial and Royal Army
• Coat of Arms of the Danubian Confederation
• Gott Erhalte, Gott Beschütze, the Anthem of the Empire of Austria
• Zachovej nám, Hospodine, the Anthem of the Kingdom of Bohemia
• Indivisibiliter ac Inseparabiliter /Unteilbar und Untrennbar/Nedělitelný a Neoddělitelný/Nedeljive in Neločljivi/Indivisible and Inseparable - motto of the Danubian Confederation
• Viribus Unitis/Mit Vereinten Kräften/Spojenými Silami/Skupne Sile/With United Forces - personal motto of Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen, Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia

Capital: Vienna

Territory: Austria, Lichtenstein, South Tyrol, Istria, Slovenia, Czechia

Form of Government: Federal constitutional parliamentary monarchy

Despite claiming to be a confederation officially, the Danubian Monarchy is a closer to a federation, an evolution of the political system that existed in Austria-Hungary at the beginning of the Great War. The Confederation is divided into two federal states, the Empire of Austria and the Kingdom of Bohemia, and Austria has a few provinces which have been granted a certain degree of autonomy, the Duchy of Carinthia, and Lichtenstein. The two federal states are equal but remain federal states under a relatively strong central authority, unlike the Dual Monarchy of old.

Legislative power in vested into a single bicameral parliament, which each of its two chambers representing one of the parts of the Confederation, the Diet of Austria and the Diet of Bohemia. The two are elected within their specific part of the monarchy, but meet and legislate in Vienna, and routinely work in a joint session that is known as the Diet of the Confederation, which has led to some political experts describing the system as one of tricameralism. The two Diets have a system through which a majority of their members are elected through a direct, free, and secret vote by the Empire's male's citizens over the age of 18. Women's suffrage is at the time being only legal in local elections, even if there is a considerable movement with political support that is pushing for it to be adopted at a national and confederal level within the next few years. A small number of the members in both Diets are directly appointed by the Emperor-King.

According to the Danubian Constitution, executive power is vested into the Emperor-King, who then delegates it to his ministers. Unlike the previous Dual Monarchy, which had two governments, the Danubian Confederation has a single, Imperial and Royal Government. The Emperor-King appoints the ministers and the Minister-President, usually after consultations with the political parties, and they need to be confirmed by a simple majority vote in a joint session of the Imperial Diet. The Emperor-King's person is inviolable, and he isn't responsible for his acts as he doesn't directly exercise his executive powers. All executive acts are signed by both the Emperor-King and a minister, and the minister takes political responsibility for it.

The judicial power is an independent branch, with judicial authority granted to a hierarchical system of courts, ranging from lower courts to the Imperial and Royal High Court in Vienna.

Head of State:

His Imperial and Royal Majesty, Charles the First and the Third, By the Grace of God Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Jerusalem etc. Archduke of Austria, Great Duke of Tuscany, Duke of Lorraine, Salzburg, Styria, Carinthia, Carniola, the Upper and Lower Silesia; Duke of Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Friuli and Guastalla; of Auschwitz and Zator, of Teschen, of Friuli, of Raguza, and of Zara, Margrave of Moravia, Princely Count of Habsburg and Tyrol, of Kyburg, Gorizia and Gradisca; Prince of Trent and Brixen; Margrave of the Upper and Lower Lusatia and in Istria, Count of Hohenems, Feldkirch, Bregenz, Sonnenberg etc.; Lord of Trieste, of Cattaro and on the Windic March; etc., etc.


Seine Kaiserliche und Königliche Majestät, Karl der Erste und der Dritte, von Gottes Gnaden Kaiser von Österreich, König von Böhmen; König von Jerusalem etc. Erzherzog von Oesterreich, Großherzog der Toskana, Herzog von Lothringen, Salzburg, Steyer, Kärnthen, Krain, Ober- und Niederschlesien, von Modena, Parma, Herzogtum Piacenza und Herzogtum Guastalla, von Auschwitz und Zator, von Teschen, Friaul, Ragusa und Zara; Markgraf von Mähren; Gefürsteter Graf von Habsburg und Tirol, von Kyburg, Görz und Gradiska; Fürst von Trient und Brixen; Markgraf der Ober- und Nieder-Lausitz und in Istrien, Graf von Hohenembs, Feldkirch, Bregenz, Sonnenberg etc. Herr von Triest, von Cattaro und auf der windischen Mark etc., etc.

Head of Government:

Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, Minister-President of the Danubian Confederation
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, Ministerpräsident des Donaubundes
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, Ministerský Předseda Podunajské konfederace

Ideology: As a somewhat functioning democracy, the Danubian Confederation does not have a single ideology, however, the Confederation is a strong support of monarchism, parliamentary democracy, multiculturalism and freedom of religion, but it is also at least partially revanchist when it comes to recovering some of the territories that it had lost during the Great War. The main political parties that are represented in the Diet of Bohemia and the Imperial Council are the Social-Christian Party, the Social Democratic Workers' Party and the National Liberal Movement. Each party is dually represented in both Austria and Bohemia, and alongside them, more local parties with Austrian and Czech interests also exist in their respective side of the empire. More extremist parties, like the National Bloc, the Greater German People's Party, the Young Czech Party, and the Austrian and Czech Sections of the Internationale are in a legal gray area.

Population: ~20,498,832

• Austria: 6,658,000
• Sudetenland: 3,261,636
• Czechia: 7,380,000
• South Tyrol: 300,000
• Istria: 600,000
• Slovenia: 1,144,298
• Lichtenstein: 10,600

Military Description:

The Imperial and Royal Armed Forces (Kaiserliche und Königliche Bewaffnete Macht/Císařské a královské ozbrojené síly) are the armed forces of the Danubian Confederation. They are divided into several branches, the first of which is the Imperial and Royal Army (Kaiserliche und Königliche Armee/Císařská a královská armáda).

Unlike in the old Dual Monarchy, the Confederation's armed forces are not internally divided into multiple branches belonging to several states, but serve as one army for one federal state. Separate designations for regiments still exist, Imperial and Royal (kaiserlich und königlich/k.u.k., cesarski i królewski/c.i.k.), used for common regiments recruited from throughout the country, Imperial-Austrian (kaiserlich-österreichisch/k.ö., císařsko-rakouský/c.r.) for units recruited from Austria, and Royal-Bohemian for units recruited in Czechia (königlich-böhmisch/k.b., královský-bohémský/k.b.), but these are just general naming conventions. German speakers and Czech speakers can be recruited in all three kinds of regiments depending on where they live, and the language of instruction and command remains German. The Imperial and Royal Army is a modern and well equipped force, strong compared to its position and numbers, and well known for its efficient organization and command structure, with many of the lessons from their defeat in the Great War well learned. The army has a peacetime strength of 235,980 men, organized in 23 infantry divisions and 6 mobile/fast divisions. Regular infantry divisions have an artillery regiment and support units, and have mortars, machine guns and anti-tank guns as support, and two of the infantry divisions are motorized. The mobile divisions are composed of motorized and cavalry brigades, include a bicycle and horse artillery battalion each, and have most of the tanks in Danubian service.

In times of war, through a mobilization, the army can increase its size to 1,342,390 or even 1,766,400 if a general mobilization were to be ordered, organized in 46 infantry divisions, two of which would be motorized, and the above mentioned 6 mobile divisions. Future plans include the addition of at least two more motorized and two more fast divisions. There would be six headquarters in charge of organizing the army, representing Bohemia, Moravia, Austria, Styria ,Carinthia and Istria.

The army is generally equipped with domestically produced items. The standard pistol is the Pistole vz. 24/P24, slowly being replaced by the semi-automatic ČZ vz. 27/ P27. The main rifle is the bolt-action vz. 24/Gewehr 24, and the semi-automatic ZH-29 is in use with some units, particularly the motorized infantry. Two different submachine guns awere experimented on, the ZK-383 and the KP vz. 38, but only the latter is being introduced to military units. The ZK-383 was produced in small numbers as a prototype and was mostly sold abroad. Generally, units use the LK vz. 26 or the modernized ZB vz. 30 as their light machine guns, while units using heavy machine guns use the modern TK vz. 37 or the older Schwarzlose. The ZB-50 and ZB-60 are used as even heavier machine guns, usually in AA scenarios. The vz. 36 is the standard infantry mortar, while the artillery is very varied, and entirely domestic, generally produced by Škoda. In terms of armor, the core of the Danubian program is represented by the LT vz. 35/Panzer 35, of which the k.u.k. Armee has 300 units. 69 units of the lighter LT vz. 34/Panzer 34 are also still in use, while the army also has 96 Tč vz. 33 tankettes, usually assigned as support units to the infantry divisions, and around 100 armored cars of different models.

The Imperial and Royal Army also benefits from an extensive system of fortifications. Some, like the defensive complexes in the Alps on the border with Italy, are a legacy of the Great War, while others, like the border fortifications in Bohemia and Moravia, are relatively modern constructions, generally based on minefields, pillboxes and forts. The successful defense of the Italian front throughout the Great War, and the failures experienced in other fronts, combined with a real and pragmatic perspective forced upon the empire by its fall from the position of a great power and led its general strategy towards one of general defense, whereas the enemy would be forced to waste its forces attacking fortified areas, after which the Danubian forces would counterattack, with the fast divisions serving either as the core of their attacks, or being used as mobile reserves if any segment of the front would have been broken prior to this. The army also has 6 lower quality infantry units, known as Grenzers, manning these fortifications, and the Confederation can also call upon the equivalent of 19 divisions in improvised battalions of uniformed men, like border guards, railway guards and gendarmes, which can also be used to man the fortifications.

The second branch is the Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops (Kaiserliche und Königliche Luftfahrtruppen, Císařské a královské letecké sbory). In theory, it has around 1794 planes in its records, however, from those, only around 897 are first-line planes, and only about 717 and actually operational. Most of the Confederation's planes are built domestically, having evolved from its early years in which it was only using licensed designs. Aero and Avia are the two largest producers, with theAvia B-534 biplane being the main fighter, while a project for a low-wing monoplane, the Avia B.35 do exist. Significant efforts are also made to modernize the bomber force, with the Aero A.304 and Aero A.300. The Danubian Air Force is a well trained and competent force, but it is somewhat held back by its bloated number of second-line planes and by the fact that the complacency of the past decades has somewhat slowed down its development of new planes, which means that the force as a whole has started to quickly attempt to catch up in the last few years with a modernization program in process.

The third branch is the Imperial and Royal War Navy (Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine, Císařské a královské válečné námořnictvo). In terms of sheer numbers of vessels, it seems to be a very imposing force, with 6 battleships, 8 cruisers, 28 destroyers, 80 torpedo boats and 10 submarines, however, most of these ships are terribly outdated and aren't in working condition. The Danubian Kriegsmarine has inherited most of the Austro-Hungarian ships which have survived the war, in its naval base at Pula. The new geopolitical reality which limited the Habsburg rule to a rump state with a minimal coast in Istria and Triest led to the naval budget being slashed, and remaining low for the entire time since. As such, only a few ships in the navy remain operational, and only a few of them have been modernized, with the current naval command focusing the most on using torpedo boats for defensive maneuvers.

Tech Tree: Czechoslovak tree, which as in real life also includes some remaining Austro-Hungarian equipment from the Great War that is no longer produced.

Economic Description: The Danubian Confederation is a highly industrialized country, having inherited most of the industrial areas of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. Bohemia is more industrialized than Austria, and produces armaments, locomotives, automobiles, machinery in quantities enough for them to be a major export, and it also benefits from a strong chemical industry, porcelain and glass industries. Beer and alcohol exports are also very important due to the high number of breweries and distilleries. Austria is less industrialized, but it has a very strong banking sector, and it produces important quantities of lumber, leather, paper, magnesite, copper, and platinum. Agriculture was initially a major issue in the empire, as the old Dual Monarchy had mostly relied on the more rural and agricultural lands in Transleithania for its agricultural needs. This combined with land ownership issues and with large cities like Vienna being suddenly cut off from their food supplies led to major issues in the first few years after the Great War, but the situation has somewhat stabilized ever since, with land reforms and strong state investments in agriculture helping bridge the gap.

Goals: Maintain the Danubian Confederation as a strong, multi-ethnic and democratic state, complete the federalization and modernization of the nation, recover the lost territories and maintain a Central European balance of power.

Point of Divergence: The death of Emperor Franz Joseph I happening in 1915, and a lot of of subsequent points of divergence happening because of it

History:

*Notes: Unless the opposite is mentioned, my history takes real life history into account, so in between these points, the war is expected to have occurred like in real life. If necessary due to the histories of the other nations in Europe and their players, I will be more than happy to make more changes so that things will work out.

• 1915: In November of that year, Emperor Franz Josef I dies in his sleep in Vienna. He is succeeded by his nephew, Karl von Habsburg, who is crowned in December. Much more liberal than his predecessor, but without the impending sense of doom that existed in real life in 1917, Karl starts making token concessions - one of the first being that after the initial crowning ceremony in Vienna, he goes on a tour of his empire and have coronation ceremonies according to the local customs of his various realms - starting with a coronation in Budapest and ending with a coronation in Prague. This made him the first Emperor since Ferdinand I to be crowned separately in his positions as King.
• 1916: Disagreements with Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf over the increased reliance of Germany, and the Austrian failures on the Eastern Front led to his removal from the positions of high command by Emperor Karl in spring. Unlike in real life, where the removal of von Hötzendorf was done slowly and with great care, in this instance it happened directly because of a big argument had with Emperor Karl during a meeting of the general staff, a result of the disagreements between the two men that existed in real life also. Von Hötzendorf initially resigned from the army, and not wanting to lose the trust of his highest officers, Karl didn't take any military roles by himself, instead appointing Arthur Arz von Straußenburg to be his chief of staff and de facto supreme commander. Arthur Arz von Straußenburg was a conciliatory figure, a good military commander but one who wasn't patronizing and combative in conversations like his predecessor. Von Hötzendorf was afterwards readmitted to the military and given a local command on the Eastern Front.
• 1918: During Operation Faustschlag, von Hötzendorf was wounded by a stray bullet fired by a Bolshevik soldier hidden in the Rostov railway building. He survived, but he was temporarily withdrawn from active military service in order to heal. Throughout spring and at the beginning of summer, the Austrians started moving their divisions from the east on the Italian front, where they hoped to capitalize on their earlier victory at Caporetto in order to take out the Italians with one decisive offensive. The Battle of the Solstice, as it would become known, was planned with increased desperation, as the situation had become just as bad as in real life, with food shortages and political and ethnic tensions throughout the empire. With von Straußenburg and Emperor Karl in charge of planning, the offensive was designed with a focus on the "Giudicarie" sector, leading to Brescia. While the Italians had found out about the approximate timing of the attack, their intelligence believed that the attack in the Giudicarie sector would be a diversionary one. The offensive began on the 15h of June, and the Italians did not commit their reserves, believing that the main thrust of the attack would come towards Verona and Venice. Meanwhile the Austrians committed all their reserves and managed to break through with a pinpointed attack. On the 17th, they reached Brescia, and the Italian front was broken, panic spread, and the Italian front collapsed. While the reserve units were sent forward, after heavy fighting, the Austrian units occupied Verona and Padua on the 20th, while Venice was besieged. The Italian government asked for an armistice.
  
  The armistice was signed at Mantua in late June, but the victory there had no noticeable effect on the situation on the homefront. Food shortages, political chaos, and the economy being strangled by the continental blockes were still all issues, and despite having knocked out its major enemy, the Empire was still caught up in the greater continental war. Emperor Karl as such, instensified his efforts to ask for an armistice fron the Entente, with his brother in law acting as an intermediary. Since the Allies could no longer request an Austrian recognition of Italian claims, and since the Entente was desperate because of the German effort on the Western Front, an informal agreement was reached. Anger from the Germans however threatened to pull Austria into a different war, and despite his best efforts to explain the situation to Wilhelm II, Karl attempted to move his units towards the west to defend against any possible German attacks. The population however, having their hopes of a final war to the end dashed however, had enough. A revolt began in Budapest and in the occupied Belgrade, and Karl's promises of reforms and attempts to reconvene the Imperial Parliament were made useless by the situation in Budapest, which prevented him from negotiating with any delegations from Transleithania. Hungary officially ended the personal union between the two sides of the empire, and Hungarian units started deserting or revolted. The Empire disintegrated, however, in the final days of October, an agreement was reached with Bohemia, which had remained among the most stable in the empire. Cisleithania was to be recognized as a federation of equal nations, an agreement easier to made without the Hungarians vetoing everything. Karl did not yet resign from the Hungarian throne, and he continued to harbor the hope that he could still mobilize the remains of his military and retain his empire, but even the collapse of Germany in early November came way too late for that, as the Hungarians organized themselves, and there were skirmishes between the two former parts of the same army in Burgenland. A separate, Slavic rebellion in Croatia threatened both empires, and a socialist uprising in Vienna inspired by the Spartacist Uprising in Germany required a military intervention from the still loyal XX Corps. With Gallicia-Lodomeria also occupied by forces of the newly reborn Poland, with parts of the Cisleithanian Dalmatia occupied by informal Italian units or by the Hungarians, the remaining Habsburg rule had to face reality and accept that significant parts of its empire were lost, and that the military units that it still had were needed at home to quell unrest. An informal armistice was reached with Hungary, but no peace treaty was signed.
  
• 1919-1930: The following decade was difficult for the rump Habsburg state, having lost most of its agricultural regions, but due to its earlier signed armistice and already obvious territorial collapse, the Treaty of Saint German en Laye was relatively fair, and without Wilson's Fourteen Points, it recognized the borders of the remaining Habsburg territories. The new country even received some allied support early on, intended to stop it from collapsing and falling into communism. The economy started to recover starting in 1923, and the agriculture was salvaged by a series of land reforms in both Bohemia and Austria. Political reforms required extensive negotiations, including with the Czech nationalists, but they eventually crystalized into a new Compromise/Ausgleich, signed in Vienna in 1925 and which reorganized the remains of the Empire into the federal state that exists today.
• 1930-present: While no longer a great power in Europe, the reformed Danubian Confederation remained a powerful middle power, its internal political situation stabilizing, and remaining as a powerful model of how a multi-ethnic state can survive. Despite that, the Confederation has had to contend with the rising of political extremism, both within its own borders and throughout Europe, and threats, to both the survival of the Habsburgs and of the Confederation's parliamentary democracy, will have to be faced, sooner or later.

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[Sao Nova Europa]

Reservation

Nation Name: Roman Empire
Territory: RL Greece, Turkey, Syria, Iraq
Tech Tree: Greek
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*Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Reservation

Nation Name: Roman Empire
Territory: RL Greece, Turkey, Syria, Iraq
Tech Tree: Greek
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*Note: Reservations will last for 48 hours. The OP board reserves the right to be subjective in regards to accepting and removing reservations.

Hmmm, I assume you got a good concept to make it work.

Otherwise, hm, while I do not profess to be an expert in Greek technological prowess, I am unaware of whether they actually had domestic arms development. Not to discourage you from building a nation with mostly license produced or bought equipment or delving into the very depths of the internet to dig something out. Just figured you should know.

[Sao Nova Europa]

Then should I change it to Turkish tech?

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Then should I change it to Turkish tech?

Don't think they have anything substantial either.

You don't necessarily need to have domestically invented equipment. License productions and bought equipment was the rule back then for most nations, even pretty large ones.

Otherwise, well, perhaps I could interest you in Romania? They don't have a lot of tech but it's a decent bit, enough to give one a bit more of a unique flair.

[Strala]

If I decided to do China that would mean license production of a lot of stuff? Or should I go down the soviet tech tree?

[Remnants of Exilvania]

If I decided to do China that would mean license production of a lot of stuff? Or should I go down the soviet tech tree?

Up to you. You can rely on licenses and save that cash usually invested in R/D. You can pick a tech tree of your choosing and invent own things domestically.

Just keep in mind your nation's capabilities and that choosing a tech tree will mean it's occupied by you and you alone.

[Strala]

If I decided to do China that would mean license production of a lot of stuff? Or should I go down the soviet tech tree?

Up to you. You can rely on licenses and save that cash usually invested in R/D. You can pick a tech tree of your choosing and invent own things domestically.

Just keep in mind your nation's capabilities and that choosing a tech tree will mean it's occupied by you and you alone.

How far back can we go for the divergent history? Also thank you for clarifying the tech tree to me.

[Sao Nova Europa]

Nation Application

Full Nation Name: Αυτοκρατορία των Ρωμαίων (Empire of the Romans)

Short Nation Name: Ρωμανία/Rhomania

National Symbols:



Capital: Constantinople

Territory: RL Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, Iraq

Form of Government: Constitutional Monarchy

The Basileus (Emperor) is the head of state. The Basileus has the sign a bill in order for it to come into law. He can also veto a bill, but his veto can be overturned with a two-thirds majority in Parliament (Ecclesia tou Dimou). The Basileus is also the Commander-in-Chief, appoints Constitutional Court Judges on the advise of the Prime Minister, and appoints and swears in the Prime Minister and his cabinet.

The Parliament (Ecclesia tou Dimou) has two chambers:

the Senate is the upper chamber and is comprised by 150 Senators: 50 Senators are appointed by the Basileus (on the merit of being exemplar citizens - such academics or former Prime Ministers - and Princes of the Royal House), 50 Senators are elected (with a FPTP system) to represent the Themata (2 Senators representing each Thema) and 50 Senators are elected nation-wide (on party list) proportionally in accordance to the national percentage of each party. Elections for Senate take place every two years.

the Vouli is the lower chamber and is comprised of 400 MPs, elected in single member districts with a FPTP system. Elections for the Vouli take place every four years, though the Basileus may dissolve the chamber call for snap election at any time if no government can be formed. The Vouli has primacy over the Senate, and if the two chamber are in disagreement, the Vouli prevails. The exception is on matters concerning administrative changes, international treaties and military spending; in that case, both chambers must be in agreement for a bill to pass.

The Prime Minister is the head of government. He needs a vote of confidence by the Vouli in order to be sworn in by the Basileus. The Prime Minister directs domestic and foreign policy, and has to report regularly before both chambers of Parliament. Below the national level, the Empire is divided into Themata. Each Thema is led by a Strategos. Originally appointed by the Basileus, since the 1900s they have been elected every five years directly by the citizens of each Thema. Themata also have a provincial Vouli elected every five years. Themata have broad autonomy on fiscal issues, infrastructure, social programs and public education.

Head of State: Basileus Georgios



Head of Government: Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas



Ideology: Nationalist Populism (ruling party), Constitutional Monarchy (nation)

Population: 31,460,000

Military Description:

The Roman Empire has 20 Divisions organized in 8 Corps, with two of the divisions being independent, while an additional brigade is stationed in Cyprus. The Roman Navy is made up of 2 battleships (Kilkis and Lemnos, 1 armoured cruiser (Georgios Averof), 1 cruiser (Elli), 12 destroyers, 9 torpedo boats, 6 submarines, 2 fast attack craft, and 9 auxiliary support vessels. In 1930, an air force was established made up of 10 air bases, each with 2 squadrons, and utilizes Breguet 19, Potez 25, Hawker Horsley, and Fairey III planes.

Tech Tree: Mostly Romanian but also imports some military equipment

Economic Description:

The Roman Empire is a mainly agrarian country. It has a nascent heavy industry, but light industry supplies 70+% of the country's demands. The National Rally government has been attempting to change this with large-scale infrastructure projects, and since 1935 the industrial growth rate has been 5%, ranking the country third in the world. There has been deficit spending as of 1936, with the government established National Insurance, five-day, 40-hour workweek, maternity leave, guaranteed two-week vacations with pay and stricter work safety standards.

Goals:

Economic growth, social stability, territorial expansion if possible but only if presented with an opportunity, otherwise neutrality.

Point of Divergence: Battle of Manzikert (26 August 1071) - the Roman forces under Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes defeat the Seljuk Turks.

History:

Battle of Manzikert (26 August 1071) - Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes successfully defeats the Seljuk Turks and ends Turkish expansionism in Asia Minor.

Komnenos Dynasty (1081 - 1185) - Under Emperors Alexios, Ionnaes and Manuel Komnenoi, the Roman Empire expands into the Levant, making full use of the internal stifle that engulfs the Seljuk Dynasty. Most of Syria is conquered.

Angelos dynasty (1185 - 1204) - Isaac II Angelos topples the last Komnenos Emperor and become the new Basileus. His dynasty suffers from coups and palace intrigue, which leads to loss of influence in the Balkans. Bulgaria and Serbia were both lost to uprisings and the Hungarians also made extensive gains in the Balkans.

Lascaris Dynasty (1204 - 1261) - Theodore I Laskaris usurps the throne in the aftermath of a failed attempt by Alexios IV Angelos to overtake the throne with the help of foreign mercenaries. Theodore reverses the Roman decline. His dynasty restores centralized control over the remains of the Empire (Greece, Asia Minor, Syria). Making use of the Mongol invasions that wrecked the Seljuk sultanates, John III Doukas Vatatzes conquers Iraq and sacks Bagdad in 1253.

Palaiologos Dynasty (1261 - 1561) - Michael VIII Palaiologos usurps the Roman throne in 1261. He safeguards his domain from Mongol expansionism by agreeing to pay tribute to the Mongols, and offering them troops. He also followed a policy of royal marriages with the leading Mongol families. His successors strengthened Roman hold over Iraq and Syria. Under Christophoros and Theophilos Palaiologoi, the Empire reconquered much of the Balkans in the early 1400s, capturing Belgrade in 1421 and conquering the whole of Bulgaria by 1450. Two failed sieges of Vienna in the 1520s, however, led to internal turmoil and loss of legitimacy. A series of civil wars beginning in the 1530s meant that the Roman Empire was on the verge of collapse and many provinces were becoming semi-autonomous. The instability in the region led to a sharp reduction of trade activity.

Mesopotamian Dynasty (1561 - 1815) - In 1561, Michael of Mesopotamia (so called because of being Strategos of the Thema of Mesopotamia) usurped the throne. He restored centralized rule and ended the instability of the Palaiologos years. His dynasty conquered Palestine and Egypt in the following decades, leading to a series of failed Jihads against the Empire. Despite their conquests, the Romans were never able to Romanize or Christianize those regions. The Empire fought a number of wars in the Balkans against the Austrian Empire, but neither side managed to make substantial gains.

Years of Instability (1815 - 1831) - In 1815 alone, two coups took place. A series of short-lived dynasties reigned during this time period. In 1821, Egypt successfully revolted against the Empire under Strategos Alexandros. In 1827, the Strategos was deposed by a popular uprising by the Islamic population of Egypt, leading to an exodus of Christian Copts from the now independent and Islamic Egypt to the Roman Empire. At the same time, in 1818, Serbia revolted and threw off Roman rule.

Mavrokordatos Dynasty (1831 - ) - In 1831, Anastasios Mavrokordatos became Basileus of the Empire. He ended internal instability and reestablished centralized control. In 1834, he convened a Constitutional Convention. The 1834 Constitution, although conservative and granting the monarch broad powers, was a first step towards democratization. The Empire focused in the next years on modernizing its infrastructure and decaying armed forces. At the same time, shocked by the loss of Egypt and Serbia, the Empire pursued a program of Hellenization and oppression of minorities.

In 1878, the Bulgarians revolted, and intervention by Russia in favor of the Bulgarians meant that the Bulgarians became independent. In 1881, the Empire defaulted due to overspending and debt. The Great Powers forced the Roman Empire to accept international control of its finances. This loss of prestige and land caused uproar in the military. In 1887, a group of nationalist-liberal military officers launched a successful coup. They forced the reigning Basileus to grand a liberal constitution that restricted the powers of the monarchy and to grand greater autonomy to the Themata. The Modernist Party of Charilaos Trikoupis (PM: 1887 - 1897) and Georgios Theotokis (1900 - 1907) ruled almost continuously for decades. They followed a program of domestic modernization, pro-business legislation, investment in railways, reform of the tax code and responsible public finances.

In 1907, as a result of a finance scandal that caused Theotokis to resign, the conservative People's Party came to power. In 1912-3, it faced an alliance of Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro in the so called 'Balkan Wars'. The alliance defeated the Roman army in the First Balkan War, but the Empire was able to reverse partially this defeat in the Second Balkan War by allying with Serbia against the Bulgarians and recovering some of the lost land in Thrace and Macedonia.

This victory was attributed to Eleftherios Venizelos (1913 - 1921) of the Modernist Party, who came to power after the First Balkan Wars and the electoral collapse of the conservatives. In the late 1910s, the Great War happened. The Roman Empire sided with the losing powers of the war, which meant that it had to surrender Palestine and Lebanon to the victors and to pay remedies to the winners. In 1921, the People's Party came to power once more, as the Modernists were blamed for the defeat. The People's Party followed a conservative agenda, focusing on balancing the budget and strengthening the armed forces.

The economic crisis in the late 1920s and early 1930s led to the rise of the nationalist-populist National Rally. The NR blamed the liberals and conservatives for the defeat in the Great War and the humiliations the Empire had to suffer. In 1935, they won a majority in the Vouli. Ioannis Metaxas, their leader, became Prime Minister with a program of restoring imperial glory. Metaxas has claimed that Lebanon and Palestine belong to the Empire and should be returned to Roman rule, but has not attempted an invasion yet. On the economic front, he has struck a middle road between expanding government programs and regulations but opposing radical socialism. Politically, he has sidelined the more extreme politicians of NR and while he has passed laws granting extensive powers to the police, he has not attempted (yet) to upend democracy.

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