June 30th 1852, Zhirovnica

Another boring newspaper. Sometimes I wish my mother would never have forced me to learn to read. State visits, some promise of support to the Prussians. We should take back Silesia not try to get to their good side.
The new Prime minister promises an end to material shortage and a swift end to the capital recession. Great, more trade reforms. Like the last one didn't completely ruin all my established suppliers. I have to buy coal from Bohemia because Croatian coal is reserved for the Russian markets. Something tells me things are going to get a lot worse.
That's life in Austria. Logic is something the Habsburgs hunt and then make venison out of it.

Janez Kovač

July 8th 1852, Lviv Galizia

So the trade agreement was ignored by Sardinia-Piedmont. And we responded by threats. Good idea, let's start a war. I'm bored here in Galizia tending to peasant blisters and cuts. Maybe they'll put me back into the first corp, I doubt those two idiots Gartinni and Hauser could handle the wounded. Gartinni has an idea that because da Vinci was Italian all Italians knew medicine and I'm not even going to mention Hauser, tried to operate on his own leg. Idiots.
At least I'll have some fun next week. A new nurse is to arrive, a Russian. I'm supposed to train her in the art of healing and nursing. That's what i've been ordered anyway. 2 days and she'll beg the commander to be transfered. Damn it Kaiser, I'm a doctor not a nurse handler.

Leutnant Klaus Heinkel von Fürstenberg, assistentartz

July 20th 1852, Lviv

Dreary news everywhere. Why I even read the papers. A war in Russia that might drag Austria in, protests in Wien and a fire in Lviv. I learned a lot yesterday tending to the injured. I'm in training to be a nurse and yesterdays fire really helped to confirm my calling to help people.
And I have a really nice teacher. Grumpy and a little overzealous, but I know he's a nice person underneath. I understand he needs to be stern with me, how am I going to learn anything otherwise.

And look at all the railroads
http://i1369.photobucket.com/albums/...ps25431b4d.png

We don't have those in Russia. We don't have those in Galizia either. But they'll build one eventually. The Emperor himself promised it.

Svetlana Tikhomirova, nurse (to be)

August 16th 1852, somewhere outside Praha

March order. I've got a march order. A fancy name for a draft notice. I've been assigned as a Gendarmerie Korporal to the II. Armee lead by von Heß.
What is going on anyway.
They don't send an entire army on a march unless a....

Bože, pomoz mi


Eugen Liška, Korporal, II. Armee



https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/i...WK1HmtU16VhsBQ

Minutes from a meeting between Prime Minister Edward Smith-Stanley and the Foreign Secretary the Earl of Malmesbury, Friday 27th August 1852

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...Derby-1865.jpg

It has come to the attention of the Foreign Office that intelligence agents belonging to the Austrian Empire are active within the Ottoman Empire agitating a cause for war.
The Prime Minister expressed his surprise at such an act given the already fragile state of affairs in the Balkans.
The Foreign Secretary has surmised that it is likely that the Austrian agitation is a prelude to offensive operations south of the Danube.
The Prime Minister wished to understand how well the Ottoman Empire would be able to repel such an offensive.
The Foreign Secretary replied that the Ottoman Empire was still heavily embroiled in its war with Russia as well as the offensive into Greece, so the chances are that a third nation at war with it would cause great disruption within the already emperiled empire. If Prussia came to the aid of its Austrian ally then the Ottomans would stand little chance.
The Prime Minister commented on the unlikelihood of Prussia assisting Austria in an offensive campaign, but mulled that such things were not unheard of.
The Foreign Secretary also reported that Nanjing had fallen to the Taipang forces, causing great concern from the Prime Minister who asked for the status of the British forces underway to Hong Kong, he was assured that they would be arriving within the month.

The Austro-Ottoman War.
Prussia September 1852

http://i.imgur.com/a020TDI.jpg
The Prussian 1.Armee who currently is stationed in Breslau led by Wilhelm von Preußen has received orders to make the necessary preperations. Internationaly we wish to make clear that Prussia will stand by Austria, we will not however initiate the hostilies with the Ottomans but we will be left without a choise if Austria asks for our aid.

To all the leaders of the civilized world

Ottomans may call it a crusade, Britain may call it an agresion. Austria calls it a help to a friend. The world should call it keeping the peace.

The volatile Balkan states are a powder keg. And the only thing keeping the match from igniting it is the frail hand of the Ottoman Empire, the sick man of Europe. Not only are we obliged to assist the already weary Russian forces in a fight against the once mighty scourge of Christian Europe, as they came to our aid in the Hungarian rebellion of 1848, but future peace in the region and the entire Europe. The Balkan region need a stern and decisive hand of the Habsburg Empire.

There is also a fear that we will drag in our ally Prussia. I assure you, this war is an Austrian matter. We will not escalate beyond what is necessary for victory.

So tell your subjects, your citizens and your families to sleep easy tonight. For a war today will prevent a catastrophe in the future.

Gott erhalte unser Kaiser

OK, non AAR post.

I drew first blood so I'll be plowing new ground as we say here.
I'll make notes, make observations and because having a fun game is more important than having an edge when it comes to warfare, I'll share everything I learn from this war on game mechanics.
I'm contemplating eventually dragging Hunter in to see how alliance mechanics work, but I really don't want to start a world war. Again.

September 10th 1852, Lviv

Ottomans may call it a crusade, Britain may call it an agresion. Austria calls it a help to a friend. The world should call it keeping the peace.

What lovely words written by our foreign minister.
They even added a lovely picture of an Austrian holding the peace between the Serbs and Muslims.


What a lovely notion, a noble endeavour to keep the Balkans at peace....

YOU STARTED A WAR MANIACS !!!!!

I should be there, there's no way those other idiots that call themselves doctors will be able to handle the wounded rolling in by the thousands. My God, is everyone else crazy or is it just me loosing my mind.
Svetlana, my new nurse, fell asleep in the clinic again. Worked late night treating the fire victims from last month. She shows promise, I was wrong about her. But she's wrong if she thinks I'll take a nicer attitude now. I can brake her or make her the best nurse there is. A risk I'm willing to take. Those crazy Russians, the harder you handle them, the more they are able to do.

Leutnant Klaus Heinkel von Fürstenberg, assistentartz

October 20th 1852, I wish I knew where, I can't read Turk

I like this war. I'm payed more than Praha, I'm going places, as Gendarmerie they even gave a horse so I don't have to walk.
We crossed Sava a week ago. Three bridges were identified for crossing and the army split into thirds to cross with cavalry scouting ahead. I was assigned to the western bridge in Gradiška, I believe, to keep an eye on the population when the army crossed. The poor souls didn't even know there's a war on. Declaration was issued almost two month ago and they found it out from us when we crossed the river. Border guards greeted us like we're merchants and were taken prisoner without a struggle.
Now I'm camped somewhere in Bosnia. A whole weeks march and not one enemy soldier encountered. Reports say that Radetzkys march was similar and Bihać fell without a shot fired. He's moving towards Sarajevo and we're digging in, waiting for III. Armee to reinforce us. Well, the army is digging in, I'm hunting deserters. There's a lot of them.

Eugen Liška, Korporal, II. Armee




http://www.austro-hungarian-army.co....raits/hess.jpg

Feldmarshall Heinrich Freiherr von Heß, commander II. Army, invasion of Bosnia

Christ, so you actually have to manually take supplies from depots to the armies?

Epic micro-management... :doh:

Only when the automated supply chain can't keep up

November 22nd 1852, Zhirovnica

My son Anton was born yesterday. I have an heir for my blacksmith workshop. Father in law already gave me a hard time about sending him to an engineer school so he can become an industrialist. Good thing I was too drunk to hit him.
My wife is a bit to emotional. She goes on that a child born in times of war is a sign of bad luck. No, having a father in law like mine is a sign of bad luck. Plus, the newspapers say we're winning.
Back to the inn to buy another round. Na zdravje

Janez Kovač, a father

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb....ates/times.gif
December 12th 1853


The war between the Ottoman Empire and Austria reaches it's 3rd month and military doctrine dictates that armies winter the cold months with reduced operations. But according to our own field correspondent William Howard Russel, Austrian general staff has plans to take Sarajevo in the following weeks.

A map sketch was sent as Russel gathered information among the soldiers in the camp. It appears that the war will go according to, what was identified by Whitehall, as Kriegsplan Ost II (war plan east II) with one army taking Sarajevo and the other cutting Bosnia from the rest of the Ottoman Empire and take a defensive stance in Zvornik

http://i.imgur.com/KKrmOIK.png?1

Russel also added
And
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ardrussell.jpg
William Howard Russel in Bosnia