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Post by Austria-Hungary on Sept 5, 2004 19:22:24 GMT -5
The order was given quickly. The General Staff ordered the full mobilization of the French army as quickly as possible. The Germans were expected to attack any day, within maybe a four week time era. So, a proper defense was needed. Although French spies in Germany had picked up nothing, the threat of the German Empire was still grave indeed, and it needed to be diminished.
The army was to be formed up by using the two hundred thousand men already in it as a nucleus. Another one million would be mobilized and trained, although some four hundred thousand of those would be direct reserves. On top of that, conscription plans for another million were prepared in case the Germans did attack France with over two million men. Most of the men were to be placed on the border with the Alsace-Lorraine, stolen from France in the Franco-Prussian War. The French feared another flank attack through the now German Lorraine valley. Thus, a total of eight hundred thousand men and two hundred thousand reserves were going there. The other two hundred thousand were to be on the border with Belgium, in case the Germans decided to flow into Belgium.
Armament of these men was also in question. 20mm machine guns would be delivered enmasse from French armament factories. Also, hundreds of thousands of rifles would be sent to the army in order to arm the men, as well as side arms, such as pistols. Gas masks, and artillery shells would also make their way to the front. Not only that, but it was expected that factories would soon complete an order of ten thousand 105mm Heavy Field Artillery Guns, to be spread out along Alsace-Lorraine. Shells to be included were mustard gas shells and regular, conventional shells.
The navy was a different matter entirely. The French had the 2nd strongest navy in the world. Second to the British, and along side that of the Germans. With fifteen battleships, twelve cruisers, fifteen frigates, and an avanguard of other ships it was a force to be reckoned with. Eventual expansion programs would soon rise the military to its full power.
For the air force, a full force of one hundred reconaissance biplanes are expected to be completed soon. However, any plans to plant armaments on aircraft has not been a reality in the French Air Force just yet. Although, there are plans to produce some bombers for the French airforce.... engineers are accordingly planning for the eventual construction of the beasts.
The French have been in almost routine talks with the Belgians about a defensive wall, running from Belgium to the Alsace Lorraine Valley, to the Mediterranean Sea. France is still actively seeking other allies around the European Continent to battle a currently belligerent Germany.
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Post by Austria-Hungary on Sept 5, 2004 19:50:27 GMT -5
[Champegne-Ardenne]
"You small dirty scumbags, move your bodies. Do you want those krouts to kill you on the battlefield? Hurry your little butts up," screamed the young drill sergeant. Jean Le' Peroux was one of the last drill sergeants to be promoted to the rank so fast. The French Army needed more NCOs as more and more men came in to train, and he was one of the chose ones. All the new NCOs and officers had come from the old nucleus of the army, and they would lead the greens, and train them up to be as experienced as the older army.
Most of the training was being done right on the border with Alsace-Lorraine. In fact the camp that Le' Peroux was based at was only two kilometers from the outskirts of Chalons-en-Champagne. Most of the artillery was also finding its way over to the border with Alsace-Lorraine, as well as most of mortars, and all the other heavy ordnance.
More and more briefings were being given to strategize a war in the Alsace-Lorraine. It was a generally excepted strategem that in case of a German attack the German army would be encircled and destroyed. Then the French would follow into the Lorraine Valley, creating an opening for the reduction of Alsace-Lorraine. It was a very ambitious plan.
[Hans, France]
Field Marshall Antonieux Serou looked at the map laid before his eyes. He soon began to speak to his comrades beside him, "We will strike here in any case. It would only be right."
Another general, with slight gray in his hair, decided to speak up, "Yes, but what if we are repelled? We can put all of France in peril. Another '71. You do remember, Marshall, what happened in '71... don't you?"
Serou was slightly irritated at all these idiot upstart generals, "Yes, but I don't expect to fail. Do you see what happens if we win? We will be the most powerful nation in Europe. And if we are the most powerful nation in Europe we are only a single naval battle away from being the most powerful nation in the world! Of course it's risky, but risk are essential to victory."
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Post by United States of America on Sept 5, 2004 19:53:05 GMT -5
Just remember, we are at the beggining of WWI. Troops were very ill-eqipt. The Generals didn't know exactly wah to give the men until there had been some conflict.
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Post by Germany on Sept 5, 2004 20:00:18 GMT -5
Berlin, Germany
It was obvious the French were up to something. The Kaiser knew he had to react before the French launch a campain on the German Empire. His eyes trailed off of an intelligence report that was given to him; talking about France's major mobilization. He wondered what the French had against him. The Kaiser never sent a single threat the French. Although he hated them, he never thought of throwing himself into a war with them.
He had but one thing to do; secure Germany's borders. Just after the Kaiser's command, some of the German army mobilized onto the French border; setting up their defenses. About 700,000 soldiers are now mobilized on the French border. Setting up machine gun nests, and digging their trenches; while artillery peices are aimed at France.
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Post by Austria-Hungary on Sept 5, 2004 20:01:14 GMT -5
Just remember, we are at the beggining of WWI. Troops were very ill-eqipt. The Generals didn't know exactly wah to give the men until there had been some conflict. OOC: Are you serious? The French army was one of the best equipped in the world. The only reason the Germans got to the Marne was because the Belgians fell so darn fast, just like in the Second World War. I don't believe this First World War is going to be anything like the actual First World War...it's impossible to create a historically accurate role play..trust me...everything is going to be MUCH different...you may be able to expect the WWI allies to be the RP axis.... I think you guys are going to be VERY dissapointed on how this is going to turn out. BTW, the submarine is not a German invention. Both the English and the French had submarines, just didn't use them. The submarine was first used in the American Civil War by the Confederates... and they're aren't really submarines, they're submergibles.
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Post by United States of America on Sept 5, 2004 20:03:29 GMT -5
OOC: Are you serious? The French army was one of the best equipped in the world. The only reason the Germans got to the Marne was because the Belgians fell so darn fast, just like in the Second World War. I don't believe this First World War is going to be anything like the actual First World War...it's impossible to create a historically accurate role play..trust me...everything is going to be MUCH different...you may be able to expect the WWI allies to be the RP axis.... I think you guys are going to be VERY dissapointed on how this is going to turn out. BTW, the submarine is not a German invention. Both the English and the French had submarines, just didn't use them. The submarine was first used in the American Civil War by the Confederates... and they're aren't really submarines, they're submergibles. I'm talking about every army! They didn't even have helmets or very many grenades!
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Post by Austria-Hungary on Sept 5, 2004 20:06:11 GMT -5
OOC:
... so you're saying that the German army. Who many people believe was the best in the world didn't have helmets or grenades?
In any case..that's why I'm mobilizing...and giving out helmets and grenades..that's how WWI started..big mobilizations..that's how a war is started.
As a historical expert I can assure you that France, England and Germany had helmets and grenades before World War I. In fact the best technology was being pumped out by the British, French and Germans.
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Post by Germany on Sept 5, 2004 20:07:18 GMT -5
OOC: Are you serious? The French army was one of the best equipped in the world. The only reason the Germans got to the Marne was because the Belgians fell so darn fast, just like in the Second World War. I don't believe this First World War is going to be anything like the actual First World War...it's impossible to create a historically accurate role play..trust me...everything is going to be MUCH different...you may be able to expect the WWI allies to be the RP axis.... I think you guys are going to be VERY dissapointed on how this is going to turn out. BTW, the submarine is not a German invention. Both the English and the French had submarines, just didn't use them. The submarine was first used in the American Civil War by the Confederates... and they're aren't really submarines, they're submergibles. OOC: I wont be dissapointed. I dont even know why you think I'm a threat. We are not recreating the first world war here. All RL relations do not exist here. The point of this forum is to play with WWI tech. Not put on an reinactment.
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Post by United States of America on Sept 5, 2004 20:19:56 GMT -5
Do these numbers refer to fighting troops only?
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Post by Germany on Sept 5, 2004 20:24:05 GMT -5
OOC: I dont know how you have a force that big. In 1913 the French Army had only 823 000 men ready to fight.
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Post by Austria-Hungary on Sept 5, 2004 20:29:19 GMT -5
OOC: Are we using NS numbers? Or the populations of chosen nations of that time? In any case it doesn't really matter..because I plan to do something more ambitious than the French planned in 1913.
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Post by United States of America on Sept 5, 2004 20:33:15 GMT -5
OOC: Are we using NS numbers? Or the populations of chosen nations of that time? In any case it doesn't really matter..because I plan to do something more ambitious than the French planned in 1913. Your population is 39 million, no NS!
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Post by United States of America on Sept 5, 2004 20:42:01 GMT -5
OOC: ... so you're saying that the German army. Who many people believe was the best in the world didn't have helmets or grenades? In any case..that's why I'm mobilizing...and giving out helmets and grenades..that's how WWI started..big mobilizations..that's how a war is started. As a historical expert I can assure you that France, England and Germany had helmets and grenades before World War I. In fact the best technology was being pumped out by the British, French and Germans. The History channel disagrees with you. I'm taking their word over yours.
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Post by Greece on Sept 6, 2004 11:21:29 GMT -5
The Greece Prime Minister looks at his reports. "this could get ugly real fast." Mobilize the troops to our boarders. If any armies want to cross it shoot them."
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Post by Austria-Hungary on Sept 6, 2004 14:22:32 GMT -5
[Bordeux Naval Yards]
The first five S-1 Napoleon submarines slipped into the cold waters of the Bay of Biscay, know to the Europeans as the Celtic Sea. These were silent and deadly beasts, running on gasoline. They would be able to sink an enemy capital ship in less than ten minutes. It was beautiful.
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