Part II - The Jutland War - Chapter 10

The Jutland War
Part II

The defining moment in this conflict came on March 25, 1871, when the Swedish fleet left port in Stockholm. Danish agents in the city immediatly reported this to Copenhagan, and the main bulk of the Danish flet was dispatched to intercept the force at it's predicted point of arrival, southest of Copenhagan. Exactly as the Swedish Admiralty had planned.

First blood in the Battle Mon Island was drawn by the Danes. A swedish frigate had sailed ahead of the main fleet to socut, and just happened to run into the Danish ironclad, Dannebrog. A brief skirmish ensued, with the frigate suffering severe damage before fleeing.

Within an hour the Swedes had arrived to face a large and prepared Danish force. It didn't matter. In a battle between primarialy Iron versus primarialy Wood, Iron would always win. Cannons belched fire, smoke and death as Swedish Admiral Sjoblad aggressively charged his ships into battle. The Danies, short of ironclads, had decided to spread their capital ships out between the fleet. Admiral Sjoblad noticed this and began breaking the enemy formation apart, piece by piece, much like Nelson had done at Trefalgar. The Danes put up a fierce battle, but in the end it was quality that beat out quanity. Whar remained of the once mighty Danish fleet hurried back to Copenhagan full steam.

The Battle of Mon Island

The Swedish General Staff in Stockholm couldn't be happier. When word of the Danish Navy's departure from port came, stage two of their plan went into action: the invasion of Jutland.

Unknown to the Danies, for weeks troops and ships had been ferried to Oslo. Once ready, the force weould set sail for Jutland. Everything was ready on March 25, and the small fleet left port at nightfall, hoping to land the two division force before sunrise.

The Operation went off without a hitch, and before Copenhagan knew it, 22,000 men, 3,000 horse, and 10 batteries of cannon had landed near Skagen in Northern Jutland and taken it without resistance. The Danish army, containing but a few Infantry regiments, a few Cavalry squadrons, and some outdated cannons, were completely unprepared. What little men they did have in Jutland were spread throughout the pennisula. THe Swedish force made quick progress, easily defeating any resistance that faced them. Within a few weeks, the Swedish flag flew throughout Jutland.

Swedish Infantry quickly secured Jutland

Now all that remained was the Island of Copenhagan. With Jutland under control and the Danish Fleet all but destroyed, Sweden was free to do whatever ir wished in the Baltic. Sweden chose to blockaded the capital and starve it into submission, and for almost three months, just that happened. The Danes were starved into accepting unconditional surrender on June 3rd, 1871. A month of negotiating later, and on July 15th, 1871, the Kingdom of Denmark was officially annexed by Sweden.

To Be Continued...

Part II - The Jutland War - Chapter 9

The Jutland War

Part I

Like most European wars, the Jutland War started over something that, in retrospect, seems rather petty to was lives over. Some wars have been over money, others over the beliefs of people. The Jutland conflict was fought for the most popular excuse for conflict, land.

Denmark was once the sole power of the Baltic. With the emergence of Sweden and Russia as powers in the early 18th Century, and then Prussia in the Late 18th Century, this power was severely diminished. The Rostock Purchase, in King Christian IX's eyes, served only to weaken further the Danes' already weak hold on Baltic Trade.

Christian IX let the Swedish government know of his displeasure over the purchase in an Ultimatum, starting that "Denmark considers Rostock and the area around it to be of Prussian belonging." and that, "If any Swedish force attempts to make landfall in the province." that, "military action will be taken at all haste to restore the province to Prussian hands.
Needless to say, King Charles XV was not satisfied with this, although no reply was sent stating so.

King Christian IX of Denmark

After some time, with no movement into the Rostock Purchase reported, the Danes felt that had won the affair, until three brigades of Swedish infantry arrived in Rostock ot assume control of the new Swedish acquisition. This news throughly shocked King Christian, who promptly issued a statement starting that "On this date, Febuary 27th, 1871, a state of war officially exists between the Kingdom of Denmark and the Kingdom of Sweden and Norway.

The Jutland War had begun.

The Swedish General Staff had anticipated a conflict with Denmark for some time. They had decided long before the declaration of War that the key to defeating Denmark lay in the pennisula of Jutland, not the island and capital city of Copenhagan. Before anything could be done however, the Danish fleet had to be eliminated. The Danish Navy was larger than it's Swedish counterpart, but the large majority of her vessels were of wooden construction, vastly obsolete compared to the largely ironclad Swedish Navy. This was Sweden's trump card in the Naval war, and she planned to use it well.

The first action was taken my the Danes. Immediatly after the declaration of war, the straits and channels between Copenhagan and Sweden were heavily mined to ensure no landing could take place without heavy losses in ships. Large cannons were also brought up and a spordiac bombardment of the city of Malmo began. In retilation, the Swedes started a bombardment of Copenhagan.

Large Mortar Brought in to Bombard Malmo

Meanwhile, the handover of power from Prussia to Sweden int he Rostock Purchase was proceeding very smoothely. Local administration was being handed over without incident.

Part II - PostWar Europe - Chapter 8

September 24, 1871

Prussia and Sweden conclude a deal over the sale of Rostock and a good deal of surrounding land to the Swedish Kingdom for about 100 Million Marks. The extraordinary price can be explained by the modern port facilities that Rostock boasts, as well as the Fort on Rügen Island. The land, formerly known as Swedish Pomerania, was owned by Sweden from the end of the Thirty-Years War until Napoleon took it from the Swedes. The Bernadottes have long wanted to re-acquire this vital piece of land on the Baltic coast, and now they have achieved this goal. The transaction is scheduled to begin on January 1 of 1872. Until then it is kept under wraps.

No matter what the cost to pride, the Prussian government thought this move was imperative to their country’s survival.

The City of Rostock is both an important sea port and beautiful city.

October 2, 1871

A Referendum in Rome proposing a joining with Italy is passed by a very large margin. All of Italy is now unified, and Rome is its national capital.

October 10, 1871

Playing off the good feelings from the Rome annexation, Italy begins an industrialization initiative in order to make the nation more like other modern European nations. As it is, most of the common people are close to Poverty, and the military is very outdated. Umberto hopes that Industry will “Put bread on the table and keep invaders out”.

November 5, 1871

Austria-Hungary begins a process of “Austrinization” in her new territory of Silesia. Emperor Franz Josef begins sending in Austrian teachers, and putting Austrian politicians in charge of government functions. Posters and fliers are dispersed throughout the territory boasting that everyone is equal and that Austria will treat the Silesians better than the Prussians ever did.

Not yet trusting the Poles and Germans there, the Emperor is keeping a moderately large garrison of about 75,000 soldiers stationed there.

November 29, 1871

Great Britain sends in an expedition to the Gold coast of Africa. Consisting of almost 250 explorers, their main purpose is to establish if a colony can be started or not. The French also have a similar expedition planned.

December 15, 1871

Napoleon III sends a telegram to Umberto I of Italy, asking for a formal Military Alliance. Napoleon wants the Mediterranean to become completely dominated by France. “England can have the Atlantic,” he boasts, “But I will have the Mediterranean!” France has given much aid to the unified Italian kingdom, and hopes this will be enough for an alliance to be reached.

Umberto I, the first King of a unified Italy.

December 20, 1871

The proposal for a military alliance between Italy and France is passed through Italian parliament almost unanimously. Italy has long been looking for some way to burst onto the greater European political scene, and now she has it.

January 1, 1871

At exactly 12:01 AM, the sale of Rostock and the surrounding area is completed between Sweden and Prussia. Sweden once again has land on what is considered Continental Europe for the first time in almost 70 years.

Denmark however, is not pleased at all with this transaction…

To Be Continued….

Part II : Post-War Europe - Chapter 7

London, England - December 1870

House of Commons member William M. Smith stared out of the fogged up window of his carriage. Using his glove, he wiped away the fog to gaze at the damp streets of London outside. Rain poured off of the painted-black wood that made up the roof of his favorite carriage. There was scarcely a soul on the streets. This was the fourth strait day of rain.

“Just a typical week in England.” He said to himself.

His driver had heard him. “Aye. Rain, rain and bloody more rain.” He said. Smith chuckled at this. Lord knows he needed a laugh. The past few weeks had been very tense in Parliament. France’s victory over Prussia had put everyone on edge. Everyone, William included, knew what the French were like after a victory; arrogant and aggressive. Many a military expansion proposal had been made. Some of them, he supposed, made a great deal of sense. The Fleet was getting rather obsolete; some of the ships needed replaced. But conscription? Out of the question. That bill had been sunk before it even got in the water. He supposed his arguments against that bill had been what had forced Gladstone to invite him to his house. Smith was a force, of sorts in the House of Commons. Most of the other members respect him.

“Here ye ar’, Mr. Smith.” The buggy driver said.

“Oh, thank you, Austin.” William said, flipping a ten pence piece to his driver.

“Thank ye, sir.” Austin said as he pulled away from the steps of Prime Minister Gladstone’s house. A servant stood waiting with an umbrella for William.

“Here you are sir, wouldn’t want you to catch a cold, now?” The servant said, holding the umbrella over William’s head.

“No, no, not at all…” William replied.

Gladstone owned a charming East London home that reflected his Liberal views. It was simple, yet sophisticated. It was made out of red brick, and couldn’t have been more than 5 years old. William wasn’t 5 steps within the house when the Prime Minister was shaking his hand eagerly.

“Hello William!” He said with a smile. “Care for a cup of tea?”

“Hello, Mr. Gladstone,” Smith replied. “That would be delightful.” Gladstone signaled his butler to fetch them some tea. He then proceeded to lead Smith into his massive library.

“Dear god, Mr. Gladstone!” Smith shouted, “There must be over a thousand books here!”

“I suppose,” Gladstone replied. “Ah, here’s our tea.”

As soon as the butler left, Gladstone hurriedly shut the large chamber doors of the Library.

“Privacy is very important in politics.” He said.

“Now Mr. Prime Minister,” William started, “What brought you to ask for my presence?”

“The French Empire.” The Prime Minister answered, with a serious expression across his face. William waited for an explanation. “Ever since they humiliated Iron Otto they’ve been strutting around like all of Europe is theirs. Expeditions are being sent to Africa and the Pacific. They’re feeling very Imperialistic, and I for one don’t like it.”

“How do I fit into all of this?” Smith asked.

“You are pretty much the leader of the Liberals in the House of Commons. If you go a certain way, the rest will follow.”

“Go on…”

“I will soon be pushing a bill through Parliament. I intend to expand the Royal Navy and increase the number of men in the Army. To get this past the conservatives, I will use to cover of ‘Colonial Protection’. In a sense, this is true. We are exploring and colonizing more of Southern Africa, and India is an explosion if the natives aren’t held down.

“And you want me to support your bill.”

“Precisely. The Empire’s security is at stake.”

“Mr. Gladstone, I do not believe that France is a threat to England.”

“Yet. My sources in Brest tell me that the government has undergone a naval expansion program. And over half the wartime French Army has yet to be demobilized. This is very serious.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”


January 1, 1871

Napoleon III, in his annual speech to the French government, announces that he plans to increase the Military’s budget by almost 25%. The government is skeptical at first, but eventually gives in to the budget proposal.

Napoleon III, after his almost perfect victory over, is enjoying his almost god-like treatment within his government and country. He has aspirations of turning his France into one that could rival Napoleon I’s France. His victory over Prussia could make this happen.
January 15, 1871

France begins work on a new Battleship. Colbert will be the first of the new Colbert-class of battleship. Construction begins in Brest. It is scheduled to be finished by late 1872 early 1873. Another of the Colbert-Class, Trident, is also planned.

The Colbert

Febuary 21, 1871

Minister William Smith begins pushing a bill for a considerably increased military budget. His arguments in the House of Commons carry much weight, and it is expected that the Prime Minister Gladstone-backed bill will get through both the House of Lords and Commons.

March 1, 1871

The Militarization Act of 1871, as the new Military Budget is called, is passed by a large margin. England moves towards modernizing her navy and increasing the number of bodies she has in the Army.

March 8, 1871

Riots break out in Hamburg, Berlin, Konigsberg, and Cologne, Prussia over food shortages. Most of the rioters are members of a Marxist Group intent on overthrowing the current government of Prussia. The military is called opon to break up the riots after the local police’s efforts prove futile.

Marxist Revolutionaries in the streets of Hamburg

March 11, 1871

After 3 days of rioting, the Prussian food riots finally end. The Marxists proved to be fanatical, opting to rather shoot it out with soldiers than to simply return to their homes. Over 250 Prussians, Marxist, Military and Civilian alike, are killed with hundreds more wounded and many buildings trashed.

In Berlin, a frantic Prussian monarchy tries to smoothe out a deal with another nation.

To Be Continued….

Part II - Post-War Europe - Chapter 6

Of all the continents, Europe was, of course, going to feel the largest impact from the Treaty of Vaduz. But don’t think that its effects were felt just here, no, while maybe not as sudden, the rest of the world would be reeling from the Treaty for years to come.

Prussia

Prussia was hit especially hard. It had long been a dream of Otto von Bismarck to unite all the German states into one, united, Germany. Now that the visionary was dead, so was the vision. Prussia had lost an insurmountable amount of prestige following their humiliating defeat.

For years after the treaty signing, it seemed immanent that a revolution was to sweep once-mighty Prussia into chaos. The incredibly large sum that the Allies forced Prussia to pay was just too much. The Kingdom plunged into an Economic Depression. Gangs roamed the streets of Berlin and other major cities, doing whatever it took to find food.

Prussia needed money to feed its people and pay the Allies.

France

France however, was the near opposite of Prussia. Its victory had raised its prestige to levels not known since Napoleon I’s time. Ironically, a man of Bonaparte blood was responsible for this. Napoleon III became even more popular than he ever was with the end of the Franco-German War. With one strike France had become the dominant power in Western Continental Europe.

With victory came an economical boom. France is thriving. With all internal measures taken care of, France has begun sending expeditions to Africa with the intent to colonize large portions of the Dark Continent.

Napoleon III of France is immensly powerful and popular.

Great Britain

Britain as of 1871 is not yet affected by the Treaty of Vaduz. She continues her policy of “Splendid Isolation” but the war has forced Britain to look more in the direction of Continental Europe. France and Britain, as it seems, have been and always will be rivals.

England also looks to the Continent of Africa to increase her power.

To Be Continued...

Part I - Chapter 5

November 12, 1870

Otto von Bismarck agrees to a cease-fire with the Allies. At exactly Noon, the guns fall silent for the first time in almost half a year. In Berlin, people mourn at this news. Veterans of the Napoleonic Wars are heard muttering things such as "...It's happening again..."

Meanwhile, in Paris and Vienna, there is much rejoicing. People crowd the streets shouting and firing guns into the air.

November 15, 1870

Otto von Bismarck and a host of other delegates arrive in Liechtenstein to discuss peace terms. The "Iron Chancellor" is in a horrible state. His clothes are unwashed, he is unshaven, and it looks like he hasn't eaten in days.

Napoleon III on the other hand, looks quite the opposite. He has slept better than he ever has through the course of the past few days.

The Peace negotiations begin at once.

November 30, 1870

After two weeks of deliberations, a rough draft of a treaty is ready to be wired to Berlin. If King William I approves of it, the treaty will be fleshed out and signed.

Bismarck and Napoleon Discuss Peace Outside of Vaduz.

December 1, 1870

King William I approves of the treaty. Chancellor Bismarck sees his last chance of a reasonable peace fly out the window.

December 10, 1870

The final draft of the Treaty of Liechtenstein is signed. It entails three main parts:

1) Prussian Wrongs

This part describes the wrongs that Prussia has bestowed upon the rest of Germany, Austria, and France. These include, unjust treatment of German states at the conclusion of the Six Week War in 1866, Blocking of French purchase of Luxembourg, and annexation of the rightfuly independant state of Hanover.

2) Prussian Cessions

The second part of the treaty describes what Prussia, as the losing party, has to give the winning powers. This includes the Saarland to France, Silesia to Austria, and land taken in 1866 back to Saxony. Prussia's allies, Baden and Wurtemberg are formaly annexed into Bavaria. Also, Prussia has to pay a sum of 1 Billions of Francs to both France and Austria.

3) Limits

This part describes the limits to be placed onto Prussia until both France and Austria see it right. This includes an army of more than 150,000 men, no artillery larger than 90mm, and no navy. The Rhineland and an area stretching from the new Austrian border that is 250 miles deep are to be de-militarized.

A depressed Chancellor Bismarck signed the treaty; he had no other choice.

Shortly afterwards, at around midnight, the great "Iron Chancellor" committed suicide.

December 11, 1870

King of Ludwig of Bavaria proposes a merging of his kingdom and that of Saxony. After some deliberations, the King of Saxony agrees. The Kingdom of Saxe-Bavaria is created.

The Flag of Saxe-Bavaria

And with that, the Franco-German War, ended.


To Be Continued...

Part I - Chapter 4

October 18, 1870

Faced with a severe deficit of troops on the Western Front, Field Marshall Von Moltke orders about 1/3 of the forces garrisioning the Bismarck Line to transfer west in order to contain the French breakthrough. Archduke Albert's Austrians there now enjoy a 2:1 numerical advantage over the remaining Bismarck Line garrisioning soldiers. Albert is in the process of readying a late-autumn offensive set to begin November 1.

October 27, 1870

Surrounded on all sides by enemies, and with no sizeable force to protect them, the German states of Baden and Wurtemberg agree to unconditional surrender to the Allied powers. Bavaria takes over most of the administrative dutites of both states.

November 1, 1870

Archduke Albert's Army of Bavaria launches his offensive on the Bismarck Line. Engineers plant huge amounts of dynamite at several points in the easternmost portion of the line. The following titanic explosions are followed by a three hour heavy artillery bombardment.

Explosions Rock the Bismarck Line

At around 6 AM in the morning, assault troops attack the points taken out by the dynamite, followed by regular infantry. The Austrians sustain heavy casualties, but breach the line, and soon the way to Silesia is open.

November 10, 1870

Emperor Napoleon III and Kaiser Franz Josef send a joint peace comittee to Berlin.

With the delegates is a letter written by Franz Josef, considered the better writer of the two emperors, detailing why Prussia and the North German Confederation are better off accepting defeat and not fighting on. Only the future will tell if Bismarck will surrender.

To Be Continued...