Here are the results for the Fall 1903 Adjustment Phase. We now move to the Spring 1904 turn. Since the Adjustment Phase took a lot of time and most players have been active with Diplomacy, the deadline for S1904 orders will be Tuesday, Nov 4th at midnight EST.
MP+
Results for Fall, 1903 (Adjustment)
General Notices:
Order resolution completed on 01-Nov-2014 at 07:58:42 EDT
Order Results:
England: Builds A edi England: Builds F lon
France: Builds A par
Italy: Builds A ven
Russia: Removes F bal Russia: Removes A gal
Turkey: Builds A con Turkey: Builds F smy
With four Turkish fleets, I follow the Italo-Turk relationship with great interest.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Italy has some diplomatic tap dancing to do to stay on Turkey's good side. If I was Italy, my Plan A would be to give Turkey a free hand in Russia and hope Britain objects to Turkish influence threatening its possible gains in Mos/StP. My Plan B would be to call on France to help support me in the Med, but that's a riskier move, since France hasn't come off the fence yet and may decide Italy is a tempting target.
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to the blog spot I mentioned in my comment to your previous posting: http://randomncreative.blogspot.co.nz/
ReplyDeleteItaly at the Crossroads.
ReplyDeleteA commentary by General Sir Erasmus Blatt, geo-political and military correspondent for the Rioters News Agency.
Where to now for Italy? Europe has undergone a major transformation in the last twelvemonth, and Italy has been a major beneficiary of the collapse of the Two Teutonic Reichs. But Italy's besetting strategic problem appears the more starkly. Between even more burgeoning States of France and Turkey, Italy looks set to become... not so much the meat in the sandwich, as the sandwich between the teeth.
Without taking into account the friendships, treaties, alliances, promises and other contractual obligations Italy might feel towards its neighbours, I might make these suggestions to King Victor-Immanuel. First, cement as concrete (if not cast iron) a deal with France as you can to keep the Republic off your back. Guarantee Marseille, promise support in her ambitions in Northern Europe - anything. Then, at once to seize Vienna, and conquer Serbia as well. Do not wait until the fall season: do it now, in the New Years' spring, and then hang on through to the autumn and the end of the year.
If Germany remains passive (or if she is led to believe French forces might after all invade the Rhinelands and Bavaria (Munich)), an Italian army might simply march into the erstwhile Imperial capital. Meanwhile, the Turkish army in Serbia is completely isolated from all possible support. So the combined operation between the armies in Hungary (Budapest) and Croatia (Trieste) ought to be able without undue difficulty to wrest from the Porte that most valuable Balkan province.
But even such a coup might not be sufficient to place Italy in the position to resist the likely Turkish wrath to come. The Porte's Mediterranean naval presence is enough to give pause to give any potential enemy. So a round of summit talks with Germany and Russia are certainly indicated, but, probably of even greater import, an earnest conversation with England is just about mandatory with the view to a long-term military alliance. It will have to be that strong - a 'non-aggression' deal will simply be meaningless to Italy, and impose no obligation upon England to do anything to Italy's advantage.
As already noted, these observations are contextless except insofar as they might be inferred from the present geopolitical map. Suppose the Vizier and the Prime Minister have already agreed a Treaty of Alliance? Neither will have any present reason to dishonour it. So Italy might find a working alliance with Britain simply unreachable. So much is uncertain.
Equally uncertain is the attitude of France. Nevertheless, it seems to this writer that the time has come for Italy to choose its course, choose it now, and pursue it with all vigour. There will be no going back. Like many observers, punits and commentators, I shall be watching with interest the future fortunes of the Italian Kingdom.
This day: 1 January, 1904.