Balance of Power - Second Great-Turkish War (1902)

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War Thread:
Second Great-Turkish War:

War Info:

-Context: Right at the beginning of 1902, the British Empire shocked the world by finally abandoning its policy of protecting Abdul Hamid II and launching a war to depose him. France is expected to join this alliance, and many small states in the Balkans might jump in at the fist sign of Ottoman weakness.

-Beligerents: Ottoman Empire v. United Kingdom, Russian Tsardom and French Republic.

All right, this is our first war (but not the last, I'm sure of that), so I am testing new rules here. I think this will be a rather amusing event, so let's get the rules set:

1.- Thread Use: This thread will be used for everything related to the war, that is, military moves and diplomacy. Same goes for other countries joining the war.

2.- Turns: Since six months is too long for a turn in a war, we will play wars with turns of three months, which means, two war turns for every main turn in the game. This turns will involve some military decisions, map updates, and so forth.

3.- Moves: Pretty explanatory, you post your moves and I calculate the result. I'll use a random number generator for the battles (from the point of view of the attacker), and results and offensives will be corrected for historical accuracy, so while I may make some mistakes don't expect ASB's.

Decisive Defeat 1-5.
Major Defeat: 6-18.
Tactical Defeat: 19-29
Stalemate: 30-55.
Tactical Victory: 55-69.
Major Victory 70-84.
Decisive Victory 85-89.
Pyrrhic victory: 90-100.

Those are the rules, if any conflict arises I will update the rules of modify them if something doesn't work. I will post the map of the conflict (so war), and the players will give me their moves, reactions, or war declarations if they join. Other countries might join as well, but that will depend on how the war is going.

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War Map:

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Well, all I need now is Kalwejt's orders and we will see the results and go into phase two.

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Calculating results of Phase 1, said results will be available soon.

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Phase One Results:

Domestic Results:

United Kingdom: Conservatives are rather puzzled by the sudden turn in policy, but public opinion is with the Prime Minister. Edward Grey, known by his opposition to the Boer War, congratulated the Prime Minister on “trying to end the reign of terror of Abdul the Red”.

Russia: A wave of patriotism engulfs the country, as people feel the will finally get their revenge on their old enemy. The army had no time to prepare itself, so there might be logistical problems.

France: Public opinion also sides with Waldeck-Rousseau, but only if the war proves short and successful. A prolonged struggle is bound to hurt the Prime Minister, since the French people are not that willing to die for the sake of Abdul Hamid and his Empire.

Ottoman Empire: Surprisingly, the people chose to stand with their Sultan. The news that a partition was already agreed on and that British merchants were trying to introduce enormous quantities of Opium (conspiracy ironically uncovered by Abdul Hamid’s impressive secret policy) were enough for nationalism to rise and people to answer the call of mobilization. Of course, revolts have begun in Armenia and Macedonia and the Bedouin and Wahhabi tribesmen are ready to fight the Ottomans. In a drastic turn of events, Murad V died after jumping out of his window and snapping his neck, accident attributed to his mental illness. Abdul Hamid reportedly wept at the news. The trade blockade is bound to hurt the Ottomans, but for the time being they can hold on.

Warfare Results:

Armenian-Georgian Front:
-Stalemate: While the Armenian Revolt is hurting the Ottomans, their tactical withdrawal did wonders and they resisted at the mountain passes. The Russians had to time to prepare, and as a result they suffer from logistical strain.

Albanian Front:
-Tactical Anglo-French Victory: With the help of Albanian rebels and the fleet, the joint French-British forces managed to take the ports of Durres and Vlore. But alas, Endem Pasha managed to retreat without major losses, and he still has control over most of Albania.

Libya:
-Pyrrhic Anglo-French Victory: With a strong drive, the French managed to occupy the city of Tripoli and the British took Tobruk, sustaining rather heavy losses in the process thanks to Turkish cavalry raids. Turkish forces have relocated their trenches, and they still control everything from Agedabia to the outskirts of Tobruk.

Dardanelles:
-Tactical Anglo-French Victory: With the Dardanelles filled with ships and minefields, it was impossible to outright reach Constantinople. A series of successful skirmishes forced the Ottoman Fleet to remain defense, and several of the minefields were removed. The Russian Fleet failed to do the same, though. Overall, Constantinople is still safe, but the British are getting closer.

Palestine:
-Tactical Turkish Victory: The British attack on Palestine started strong, but the Turkish defense was not willing to let go. In the end, the British secured control of some rural areas, but the Turkish held the line and retained Gaza.

Mecca:
-Tactical Turkish Victory: Not much to say here. The Turkish retreat was successful and avoided losses, and the British are having a lot of trouble to get through the desert without roads. The Arab tribesmen failed to arrive to this front.

Mersin Landings:
-Stalemate: The British Army managed to secure a bridgehead, but the desperate Turkish defense has them contained for the time being (think of OTL Gallipoli). Besides, with all the troop deployments and no mobilization, the British don’t have many forces left to send here.

Kuwait-Baghdad:
-Tactical British Victory: The Kuwait garrison managed to defeat the Turkish Army in Basra, thus cancelling any potential attack against them. Alas, the Turkish managed once again to slip through, and marching of Baghdad might take months.

Overview:

-A rather surprising performance for the Ottomans. Facing a trade blockade and with all the odds against them, they held their ground and proved they are still a force to be reckoned with. Greece, Persia and Serbia have chosen to remain neutral unless they see a major defeat for the Turks, but Bulgaria has formally declared its independents (although it hasn't declared war yet).  And Romania chose to accept the Russian proposal of troop movements, meaning that the Russians can now send troops (it will take until next turn to actually arrive into Ottoman territory, and it will depend on Bulgaria. The Ottomans were already getting some help from the Americans, and rumor has it that the Kaiser will sent advisers and provide logistical support for the Ottoman Empire.

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War Map:

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I would like it to be known that by "some help from the Americans" you are referring to help offered prior to the beginning of the war.... the USA is not a belligerent in this conflict and is expressly neutral.

Of course, Clarence is right, said line only meant economical assistance and the potential railway consession.

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I wish to remind the players once again that each turn means two war phases, so I will need your war orders for phase two. (To Snowstalker, Kalwejt, Spamage and Dr. Cynic)

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Phase two results are being calculated.

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OOC: I'm sorry, Kalwejt! Every time I used the random number generator it gave the victory to Snowstalker, Cynic and Spamage.

Phase Two Results:

Domestic Results:

United Kingdom: The war has not been as successful as it should have been, but propaganda campaign is making wonders, and people are hoping for John Bull to destroy the Sultan once and for all.

Russia: Your propaganda campaign inflames nationalism even more, and the people are willing to enlist to finish the Turks.

France: Not many changes here, people are willing to give you a chance to end the war. The elections comes after this phase, so your military performance is key.

Ottoman Empire: The revolts in Armenia and Macedonia are getting more and more violent, the Wahhabi and the Bedouin are finally fighting against you and the Kurds have also risen in revolt, encouraged by Britain. The Turkish people still stand with you, though, and movilization has been a success, allowing you to dispose of more troops (with a logistical strain).

Warfare Results:

Armenian-Georgian Front:
-Tactical Russian Victory: The Russian troops manage to take the mountain passes and free most of Armenia, cheered as liberators. Alas, the Ottoman Army once again escaped with almost no losses.

Albanian Front:
-Decisive Anglo-French Victory: Endem Pasha tried his best to contain the enemy, but the Macedonian and Greek rebels managed to weaken his supply lines, helping the British forces to fight him near Tirana. Endem Pasha died when a rebel shot him several times, and his forces are completely scattered, leaving Albania on the hands of Britain.

Libya:
-Stalemate: Despite having a good number of reinforcement, the logistical trouble and the efficient Turkish trenches have held the French and the British back, at least for the time being.

Dardanelles:
-Major Anglo-French Victory: In light of the strong defense of Constantinople and the closing of a great part of the Dardanelles, the Anglo-French forces chose to land. After heavy fighting the British technological superiority and the naval support proved decisive, and the Turkish forces were almost destroyed, losing the entire Canakkale Province.

Palestine:
-Major Anglo-French Victory: The Boer War veterans struck with unexpected force, destroying or capturing several Turkish regiments. The Turkish finally managed to reestablish defense lines, but at the cost of losing most of Palestine and barely holding onto Jerusalem.

Mecca:
-Stalemate: Once again, the logistical problems prevented the British from even advancing, which allowed the Ottoman troops to destroy several of the Arab rebels forces.

Mersin Landings:
-Tactical Anglo-French Victory: A strong push from the Entente managed to win a few miles, but the Ottomans are still able to contain the bridgehead and prevent a collapse.

Kuwait-Baghdad:
-Pyrrhic British Victory: The Kuwait garrison and the Sepoy Army tried to march beyond Basra, and their confronted the Turkish forces in the area. In the end, they forced the Ottoman Army to withdraw, but they suffered heavy losses, meaning that they won’t be able to attack in Phase 3.

Eastern Arabia:
-Major Anglo-French Victory: Sepoy troops landed here, and since there were almost no troops nor logistical support for them, they took over Eastern Arabia with ease.

Overview:

-It looks like the beginning of the end for the Ottomans. Despite heavy logistical problems for the Entente, they managed to score victories in almost all fronts, and sensing weaknesses, several countries decided to join their alliance. Greece and Serbia formally declared war on the Ottoman Empire following the battle of Tirana and the fall of Canakkale, and Bulgaria gave Russia permission to move their troops. Persia still remains neutral, and the Armenians have been freed. Abdul Hamid can still hold on for some time, but he will need a lot of luck and, perhaps, a miracle to win this war.

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War Map:

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I already posted something in the sign-up thread, but I should remind you that we are already done with the two phases of this turn. I won't take those orders for phase 3, though, specially in light of the conflict.

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Very well, the Treaty of Jerusalem has been signed, putting an end to the war. I should remind the players that no decisions were taken on regards to Albania, so I will assume the Albanian rebels were left to take control of the country.