Balkrunia and Karagoz - The War at Sea

One of the facets of an early 20th century ‘imagi-nation’ that I intend to take full advantage of is the naval side. As my two protagonists are based on the Balkan nations and the forces of Ottoman Turkey then the potential for much in the way of naval activity is very high. The ‘terrain’ I will be fighting over makes use of the 1914 -1918 maps of the Mediterranean available in the board game ‘The Great War at Sea: The Mediterranean’ although some of the national boundaries will need to be modified. For the ship models for the two sides I have been extremely fortunate to have acquired a substantial reinforcement to my existing collection of old Minifigs 1/1200th scale WW1 ships and so these models will furnish all of my needs in respect of hardware. The first batch had been acquired from ebay but far and away the largest portion came from Bob Cordery ; to whom once again I extend my most grateful thanks.

I will post a fuller background to the composition of the fleets once I have decided how best to split them up. My feeling at the moment is to have a Karagozian fleet mostly of earlier vessels but with a couple of ‘state of the art’ types whilst the opposition has more modern types overall but is mostly lighter in weight. In any event, I want the fleets to be quite different in their composition in order to present each side with differing tactical challenges.

For the rule I will probably use a variant of Axis and Allies: War at Sea as these are simple and great to use for a club night game. I will also be making use of the aerial dimension as well and plan to make use of the Irregular miniatures 2mm biplanes and probably some Brigade models dirigibles for air support.

The models themselves will be easy to paint as detail wise they are very basic. It was a great shame that Minifigs never expanded the range (German ships were mooted but never materialised) and indeed, the moulds seem to have disappeared off the face of the earth. When the fleets are ready I will post some pictures to the blog of the Eastern Mediterranean’s finest in action.

Balkrunia - Gateway to the East: Part 4

The various forces making up the Balkrunian army, whilst diverse in respect of ethnic origin and local tradition, all maintain certain uniform traits. The most significant of these is the actual organisation of the constituent battalions, batteries and regiments and also, to a lesser extent, the higher formations – the brigades, divisions and corps. The credit for this regularity of organisation should be given to the elected Commander in Chief of the Balkrunian Army, General Markov Zerbeast. At his insistence (and in the face of much provincial opposition) the Duma was able to implement the Army Reform Dictate of 1908 which regularised the organisation of all military and paramilitary formations within the empire. Crucially though, the question of manpower within each formation has been left to the individual provinces.

The infantry is organised into four company battalions with company strength varying from around two hundred and fifty to around one hundred and fifty officers and other ranks. Cavalry regiments tend to be slightly smaller with a maximum strength of around eight hundred officers and men; again in four squadrons. It is very unusual but not unknown for cavalry regiments to operate as a whole entity in the field. Customarily they are attached at squadron level to the infantry battalions for reconnaissance duties. Field artillery and machine guns are organised into companies of six pieces and are usually divided amongst the infantry battalions at the rate of two pieces per battalion. It comes as no surprise then that a Balkrunian infantry brigade consists of three battalions with an attached cavalry regiment, an artillery battery and a machine company of six weapons divided amongst the infantry units.

Three such brigades form a division and as a rule one or two of the brigades consists of provincial troops. The assignment of provincial troops within a division is usually decided upon at mobilisation and the resultant organisation stays in place for the duration of hostilities. A division of three brigades is further strengthened by an additional artillery battery of heavier weapons and a Guards Rifle Battalion. The Balkrunian Guard consists of the equivalent of an infantry division i.e. nine battalions of infantry and these are always attached to the infantry divisions during time of war. Their battalions are organised in the same way as the line troops with the only difference being that a company from each battalion (nine companies in total) is assigned guard duties and do not as a result take the field. The reduced strength of the field battalions is partially offset by each Guard battalion having its own machine gun platoon so their firepower is roughly comparable. There also exists three Guard cavalry regiments; one of which is used for escort and ceremonial duties whilst the other two are in the field. Unusually for Balkrunian mounted troops these units are always deployed together and are never divided amongst the regular divisions.

A Balkrunian corps sized formation contains from two to four divisions and like the divisions are usually organised upon mobilisation. Taking this a step further, a Balkrunian army group consists of two to four corps although it is rare for this level of formation to be used. The most common formation is undoubtedly the corps and this tends to be as high as most Balkrunian commanders aspire to. The geography of the region by and large also places limits on the size and sustainability of a formation as Balkrunian logistical arrangements are usually fairly basic. The empire as a whole does not have the necessary infrastructure to support large modern armies with the attendant transport needs etc. The road and rail network is adequate for normal usage but without the capacity for use in wartime. Where possible use is made of water transport and whilst this is efficient it too suffers from limitations of capacity.

The net effect of this logistical deficiency is to restrict prolonged military operations by large formations which is why most Balkrunian ‘armies’ tend to be small by comparison with their usual enemies. Smaller forces are easier to supply and sustain in the field and enjoy greater tactical flexibility at the expense of staying power and durability. Most Balkrunian commanders accept this and so their offensives tend to be well prepared and pushed on with extreme prejudice until literally the last round and the troops can move no further. This is where the provincial troops come into their own as they are well used to operating on a logistic shoestring so to speak. Speed and resolute daring is the watchword of these hardy troops and this is probably just as well as the all important logistical tail will invariably be overwhelmed within a couple of days of the start of an offensive. Karagozian commanders have learned to exploit this to an extent and will usually, if possible, allow a Balkrunian attack to develop and expend itself prior to counter attacking. Balkrunian offensives tend to be very ‘stop and start’ and this is an area than they are keen to improve upon. However, expenditure on the less glamorous but equally essential ‘sinews of war’ in the shape of improved road and rail link and a properly constituted army supply service is very hard to obtain from the Duma who prefer to devote monies to weapons and equipment.

Despite this shortcoming Balkrunian armies are very dangerous when on the attack and resolute when on the defensive and will expend lavish amounts of ammunition (and manpower) to achieve a specific aim. The problem has always been how to exploit a successful offensive and in this the Balkrunian high command are not alone. Recently, Balkrunia has experimented with armoured units following the recent acquisition of a substantial number of surplus French Renault FT 17 tanks. The version in use is the gun armed variant and so trials have been undertaken using infantry or cavalry to support, and in turn be supported by these machines. A small number of Schneider vehicles have also been acquired and expectations are high that these vehicles will represent a major advance in Balkrunian military capability – principally when used to exploit an attack. The high command is also keen to incorporate aerial reconnaissance to identify weak points in the enemy positions so the infiltration units of provincials can move as far as possible without hindrance, bypassing enemy strong points so the regular troops can contain these at their convenience.

The major debate within both the Duma and Balkrunian high command is whether or not these new armoured formations should be added to the existing divisions or kept back to form an army level reserve for maximum impact. Either way, these high level deliberations have caused much consternation and dismay in neighbouring Karagoz and will in all probability persuade the Sultan and his military advisers that similar steps need to be taken within his own armies. Balkrunia has lit the powder trail; it remains to be seen whether it will burn to its logical outcome or regional prudence will extinguish the flame.

The picture above shows Gen. Markov Zerbeast and his staff observing the annual manoeuvres of 1910.

Balkrunia - Gateway to the East: Part 3

Of the provinces that make up the so called 'Eternal Empire'; Balkrunia is by far the largest and as a result controls a substantial part of the Duma - the collective assembly that dictates overall policy in the region. There are three other significantly sized provinces - Serotia, Grebania and Albenegro - and a host of smaller principalities; each of which are usually under the nominal suzerainty of one of the four major factions. The Duma has representatives from each province and the military obligation of a province is in direct proportion to the number of representatives sitting on the high council.

The Balkrunian General Staff also contains members from each province to ensure that provincial interests are represented when planning military operations. This can be a disadvantage as decisions tend to be arrived at only after much debate (often quite heated and some staff conferences have been known to come to blows) which means that numerous military operations have been compromised simply by the apparent lack of action by the forces in question. This trait is usually absent when Balkrunia is under attack as the natural tendency of the region's inhabitants to unite against a common threat usually holds sway. Only during the usually ill-fated attempts to expand into the territory of the Karagozian Sultans does this internal squabbling appear to the detriment of military operations.

The Balkrunian Navy is largely free from the command difficulties that beset the army simply because it is a purely Balkrunian force. The only coastline the empire possesses belongs to Balkrunia herself and her navy, whilst small, is very efficient in its role of coast defence and support for the army. It has in recent years taken on a much more aggressive stance and the acquisition of a number of new and powerful vessels has been seen by many observers as a direct challenge to the traditional naval superiority of the Karagozian Empire.

The Balkrunian Air Force is a rather grandiose title for a formation that as yet does not even formally exist. A number of reconaissance machines are operated at corps level by the army and the navy has made use of floatplanes and dirigibles for similar purposes. The Duma recently sanctioned the acquisition of a number of single seat fighter planes to be used as required, again at corps level, primarily as escort and protection for the reconnaisance flights. Following the advice of the noted aerial theorist Lord Brabazon-Short of Eastchurch, the aircraft of choice was to be the Bristol Fighter and so a modest order has been placed to acquire a squadron of 12 machines with 2 spares.

Balkrunia is at the present time very active in the secondhand war material market and her staunch neutrality during the recent Great War has ensured that her economy has avoided the worst effects of the global financial trauma. With many nations attempting to reduce defence expenditure as quickly as possible since hostilities were ended, the expectation is that much war material will be available at a greatly reduced price. This is the hope of the cash rich but extremely frugal Duma!

Balkrunia - Gateway to the East: Part 2

The Balkrunian contingent of the army of the 'Eternal Empire' is by far the largest and is certainly the most organised and best equipped. It is unique amongst the myriad forces comprising the army in that the primary organisation and training is based heavily upon the German model whilst the remaining provincial forces tend to favour a more traditional Slavic approach. Balkrunia herself has field army backed up by her own reserve formations - the whole being mobilised at the outbreak of hostilities. There also exists a brigade sized Guards formation which is traditionally parcelled out amongst the army formations to provide additional support where needed. Whilst the native Balkrunian forces are ordered and disciplined the remaining provincial contingents tend to be far more relaxed about military etiquette and protocol but are formidable fighters all the same. The various provincial forces, whilst each jealously preserving their traditions and regional heritage, all share a common trait and that is an almost mystical reverence for the use of cold steel.

The combination of fighting styles within a typical Balkrunian army - the stolid and organised native Balkrunians and the ferocious and loose knit provincial militia - makes for an effective military force; albeit limited in terms of extended campaigning. The regulars can be relied upon in a normal military fashion to carry out the usual duties of their profession - providing garrisons, internal security and such like but the provincial forces tend to be far more fluid in respect of extended use. Most, if not all, tend to be involved in agriculture and whilst they are for the most part enthusiastic fighters it is usually with one eye on the crops back home. The Balkrunian campaigning season then tends to be quite short when using the provincial troops as the regulars do not have the requisite manpower to be able to operate effectively without them. there have been several attempts in the Duma to formalise the provincial militias in the interests of military efficiency but thus far without any success.

The overall effect on military operations of this unique organisation is that in the short term a typical Balkrunian force comprising both regulars and provincials is a formidable weapon. With traditional ferocity and native cunning the provincial forces are ideal shock troops; skilled at close combat and infiltration tactics for which their mobility and light equipment is ideally suited. The regulars in turn provide the support and the firepower and so are used to consolidate or exploit any opportunity presented by the actions of the marauding provincial troops.

In the next part of this short series of articles I will describe in greater detail the organisation of the Balkrunian Imperial forces - both the regulars and the provincial contingents; together with the difficulties currently being faced in respect of the acquisition and assimilation of new equipment and technology.

Balkrunia - Gateway to the East

The Balkrunian Empire (so called merely because many of the constituent provinces acknowledge the nominal overlordship of Balkrunia when faced with an external threat - the whole conglomerate is often called 'The Eternal Empire') can best be described as an Eastern European version of the Swiss Republic but without the pragmatic unity of the Helvetic version. To be honest, the 'Empire' exists only in the loosest sense - usually when threatened by external forces - but by common accord the various provinces are mutually supportive, albeit grudgingly, as and when the need arises. Trade and defence tend to be the main areas of cooperation and if either of these are compromised then the natural warlike ardour of the region tends to come to the fore. Indeed, the tradition of infighting is a long and honourable one and many are the folk tales that can be told to the interested traveller over a glass of 'Slugapitz' whilst listening to the mournful lamentation of a bouzouki playing troubadour. The entire region is noted for its musical inclination and whilst local variations exist the songs and tunes are surprisingly similar - in fact, in many cases all that happens is that one area will use the same tune as another but will change the words to suit!

Balkrunia itself is the largest of the myriad provinces that make up the region and so is acknowledged as the main power and indeed, the various smaller provinces look to her for leadership and guidance, as well as her military and naval strength. As an aside, whilst the main bulk of the provinces are usually unconcerned about their immediate neighbours problems (and this apparent unconcern usually ranges from sullen indifference to outright hostility) all are required by common accord to supply not only representatives on the Balkrunian council - the Duma - but also a contingent to the Empires military forces. It is this military cooperative that is both the Balkrunian Empires strength and weakness. Whilst Balkrunia herself usually fields the main bulk of the regular forces including the navy (this is not surprising as she is the only member of the Empire with a coastline!) the provinces provide a very varied level of support. The provinces rely almost exclusively on militia style units which may vary in size, training, uniforms and equipment but are all good fighters - years of raiding and border skirmishes have seen to that.

The Duma is content to allow the provincial troops to fight pretty much in their own way as most attempts to regularise them have usually met with open revolt by the troops in question. In terms of numbers though, this source of troops accounts for nearly half the total strength of a Balkrunian Army so cannot be easily discounted. Provincial troops retain their own officers and are usually deployed with an equivalent Balkrunian formation thereby combining the best of the old with the new. Balkrunian forces tend to be modern and forward thinking in their outlook; ready and willing to embrace new ideas and technology as far as the imperial purse will permit. The provinces tend to be well equipped as a rule but usually a generation behind and always lighter than their Balkrunian comrades.

At the time of writing the armed forces of the Balkrunian Empire are attempting to assimilate much in the way of Great War surplus equipment - vehicles, aircraft and new warships - and several foreign military and naval advisers have been observed in the capital.

More to follow..................