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[Maxim_inc]

It is now the Battle Phase of the year 1902!

The Confederation has come out as their design with the 'Tsirk' Spotter Balloon: A propane burning hot-air balloon made of sturdy materials capable of taking its two occupants to a great height though suffers from intense cold at high altitude, a lack of an aerodynamic shape and inconsistent fuel burning. Its on-board telegraph doesn't play well with the cold either. Bringing the skies to this conflict will surely shake things up.
Their revision being the Witchfire 5x35mm Carbine Machinegun Model 1902: A novel attempt at miniaturizing the Witchfire LMG firing a new 5x35mm round. It is hard to control, underpowered, has poor accuracy at anything other than point blank range and prone to frequent part breakages after sustained use.

The Duchy has designed the Tunneler's Gear: A series of measuring equipments, maps, flashlights, mattocks and innovative clay kickers used by demolition squads to burrow under enemy lines and blow them to kingdom come! Each man comes equipped with a standard of 12 TNT sticks and their explosive detonator's are made with the utmost reliability.
They have further revised their Tunneler's Gear to include field modified makeshift grenades out of Tunneler TNT for both Tunneler and Infantry use in the 'Kracker O1' Grenades: Makeshift grenades constructed by placing a fragmentation sleeve over a TNT core, mostly reliable with poor fragmentation and relying on explosive blast for killing power and uses a simple yet unreliable in timing friction fuse for detonation.


The Forested Plains

Here the Kalchans have dug in hard and are unwilling to give up any more ground to the Duchy. Spotters balloons are raised high all along the front safe from bullets from the ground no matter how hard Duchy troopers try to shoot them down, the only reported casualties come from a few unlucky balloons which got caught in rocket attacks which flew very wide of their targets and severed the steel cables anchoring them to the ground and causing them to be buffeted around by the wind and ultimately smashed against the ground in a failed attempt at a controlled descent.
High in the sky and keeping track of large scale troop movements and directing Godstrike and Ull Ganaa bombardments to the best of their ability.

When the Kalchans attempt to launch their own assaults of course then a different picture presents itself, carrying the new Witchfire Carbine into battle the Kalchan assault troopers are feared, at least within close quarters ranges. Kalchan troopers cutting down trenchline defenders before a sound like cloth being torn in half punctures the air as their automatic Carbines begin to malfunction; dumping their magazines and becoming useless piles of metal in the process. Afterwards being subject to picking up a fallen allies weapon or resorting to the only semi-standard sidearm in use, the humble saber. Due to the harsh conditions of the front itself most Automatic Carbines are only able to get off one or two magazines before becoming useless from part breakages.

As the Kalchans take rule of the sky the Vornfolk dig themselves deeper into the mud. Working clandestinely men who worked as miners before the war dig tunnels deep under no-mans land and towards the Kalchan lines. Working by the light of flashlights and candles they make headway through the muck and mud delivering their precious cargo directly under the noses of Witchfire machinegun nests, Ull Ganaa emplacements and infantry dugouts on the front line. In the pouring rain of a mid autumn storm the hardpoints on Kalchan lines erupted in a sudden blast of fire and mud as men, guns and dirt are thrown into the sky. Afterwards there is a single second of silence along the Kalchan line before the cry of "För Storhertigen!" erupts from the Duchy trenches as a sea of men boil over from their trenches like a wave and across no-mans-land and diving bayonet first into the stunned Kalchan lines, many of them attempting to man surviving machinegun emplacements only to find a smoking metal cylinder thrown into their nest before a bright flash envelops them and destroying the nest. For the next three days the battle at 'Elevation Point 443' (A simple ridge barely more than 70 feet at its peak but key in strategic importance in the sector) would rage before the Duchy were able to shove the Kalchan defenders off of the hill and solidify their positions. Other similar breakthroughs were attempted across the rest of the frontline in the plains were attempted by other divisions with mixed results. In some sectors the success was imitated and in others it was met with failure and steel rain from directed artillery fire. All in all the measured total of land gained across the entire frontline is tallied at 2.2 miles in totality, modest gains compared to the usual stalemate but not enough to shift the frontline when spread across the entire front.

While not always reliable the Kracker O1 is found to be favored by Duchy assault parties, many of them are seen being tucked into pockets on their greatcoats on their belt or even in their boots. Though a fair number of grenade throwers find their own explosive tossed back at them thanks to the already lengthy 6 second fuse which tends to burn for even longer than desired, it is also found that the fragmentation is less than desired outside of confided areas. Compared to the Kracker the Witchfire Carbine does see some success when used by assault parties but due to its almost unuseability in the harsh conditions of the trenches most men prefer to haul the heavier Light Machinegun variant in place of it. Many assault company soldiers complain that they would prefer something more reliable and there are some rumors beginning to spread in both nations trenches that common soldiers are starting to buy foreign produced pistols on the black market and thanks to nationalistic pride both nations general staffs send out orders to harshly punish any soldier found with such contraband and this is swiftly cracked down upon to the bemoaning of both nations soldiers.

Though by now millions of shells have scarred the land from both sides guns no side is able to gain the upper hand, the stalemate continues.


The Rolling Hills

Here the deployment of spotting balloons is similar to the plains as the densely packed hill fortifications of the Duchy are pummeled into the ground from directed artillery bombardment prompting the newly trained Diggers to turn each hill into a maze of tunnels and subterranean chambers where men wait out artillery bombardments and fire machineguns and Raketgevärs from hidden positions at raiding parties. Similarly with the added benefit of the spotting balloons have helped the Kalchans snub any offensives attempted by the Duchy. There is also the general the fact that the distances between each sides opposing hills have become literal seas of barbed wire and overlapping killzones of machinegun fire from both sides. Other than the increasing fortification of Duchy lines and the increase of accurate artillery bombardments from the Kalchans for the last year most commanders on both sides simply prefer to sit in their positions and adopt a 'live and let live' attitude against their foes and launch offensives when directly ordered by high command, trenches on both sides are built up to be comfortable living quarters behind the forward trenches compared to the unlucky soldiers stationed north in the plains, though the Duchy trenches are much more extensive. Most reports sent back to the General Staff on both sides can be summarized in "All is quite on the Southern Front". There are even a few alarming reports of fraternization in the valleys between the hills on Christmas Eve this year though this was quickly silenced in the press of both nations and orders went out for officers to immediately execute any soldiers attempting fraternization with the enemy.

When attacks due take place from both sides similar results are seen here as in the plains with the Kracker O1 and the Witchfire Carbine, the Carbine itself sees little use as the distances between trenches are so vast that even the best marksman couldn't hope to hit anywhere near an enemy while the Kracker is proved reliable for blasting open machinegun enlacements during assaults and clearing trenches.


The Stalemate continues in the hills, all is quite this year. Lovely day for a war isn't it?.


The Eastern Volcanic Slopes

Here the spotting balloon has less of an importance as the high elevation the volcano provides is useful enough but they make an appearance none the less. Here the Duchy is on the backfoot as Kalchan troopers charge down the mountains under the cover of artillery fire and slam into Duchy lines. Fierce fighting ensues here as unlike the hills and the plains the Eastern Slopes haven't had the time to build up a deep network of trenches despite appearance of diggers. Grenades are tossed sending men and limbs flying while Automatic Carbines tear up flesh with rapid fire before tearing themselves apart internally. Despite a desperate defense the Duchy is pushed back on the slopes. The conditions of fighting hear are similar to those of the Plains in most aspects other than the lack of mud, this replace by volcanic ash and sand.

The Kalchans gain half a pip on the Eastern Slopes. Everyone has sand in their pants.


News from Around the World

From the west on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in the Unified States of Vinland reports have come out that the two Skrifağu brothers have been successfully tested unpowered gliders and plan on making their first manned flight next year.

Albion and Bohemia face off in a flashpoint conflict in their colonies on Serbanzania to the south of Aurelia though thankfully thanks to mediation by the Republic of Normandy it doesn't develop into a full blown war between the great powers.


Its now the Design Phase of 1903


Well this year was eventful for the fact that the Kalchans have opened up the air theater of the war. I want to lay out some basic things, you won't be designing you won't be designing the sort of planes that were famously useful to the military in the first world war, such as the Fokker E.III. as your first design. In other nations powered flight hasn't even been successful yet and even with great rolls the advancement in the realm of air will still be hard compared to small arms. Good luck engineers.

[Maxim_inc]

It is the Battle Phase if 1903!

The Kalchan Confederation made the 'Agaaryn Tolgoi' Dirigible Balloon: A terror of the skies and the Confederations first foray into powered lighter than air flight, something recently only done by the Republic of Normandy and the Kingdom of Bohemia. Using hydrogen cells encased in an aerodynamic envelope it is capable of reaching heights above that of the Spotter Balloon and deliver 3 tons (175~ Shells) of modified Godstrike shells onto targets under it. Its modified automotive engines are underpowered, at max speed propelling the craft at only a brisk jog and the fuel tanks only allow it 2 hours of operation time above the combat zone when on idling over the front or low power. Its quite the temperamental vessel as well requiring two pilots to control it in flight. They also revised the Agaaryn Tolgoi with the new Domestic Motor 'Aduu': a flop of a domestic motor only reaching a measly 1 horsepower...there is not much to say about it. It is decided to not produce Agaaryn Tolgoi models with the engine.

The Grand Duchy also made their first venture in to powered flight, though heavier than air and not as mobile. They introduced the 'Loppa' Aerial Platform: a wooden frame covered in canvas, lacking even a floor, which held a crew of 3 tethered to the frame. A commander/pilot, engineer, and an engineer equipped with a camera and other surveillance tools. It is lifted by a giant pair of rotary blades though is only able to lift it about 300~ feet off the ground for a few minutes before the fuel runs out, an anemic tail rotor was also insufficient for combatting the torque effectively, there are also no control surfaces on the craft besides the tail rotor so the Loppa can do little more than hover in place for a few minutes and hope there isn't a strong wind. They also mounted a K-900 on the right side of the craft. After this they introduced the 'Loppa' Performance and Utility Optimizations which resulted in the 'Loppa' E1 Aerial Platform: an enhanced version  of the Loppa, it comes with floorboards, an improved engine and slightly improved tail rotor. Still heavy as a brick and guzzles fuel like a madman, similar air time and altitude to base model. It still has a single K-900 mounted on the right side.


The Forested Plains

Here the Agaaryn Tolgoi proves to be a terror to the Vornfolk lines when they appear, only showing up in very few number compared to the Spotter Balloons and always alone never with another Dirigible. Sailing high above the lines they drop their shells on both the frontline positions and the rear line positions that were still out of reach by the Godstrike Howitzers, such as: rallying points, munition stockpiles, rail yards and near-front medical posts. Though it does this with quite a bit of inaccuracy due to being completely aimed by the unaided eye occasionally supplanted by binoculars plus them being modified shells not meant to be dropped from the sky leaving accuracy comparable to a standard Godstrike bombardment in effectiveness and damage, requiring that in the field if Agaaryn Tolgoi Captains want to make a bomb drop with any comparable accuracy to descend the craft to a little higher than the standard altitude of the Spotter Balloons though this practice is only done on high value targets and with relative safety since none of the Duchy weapons can reach that altitude. All combat losses for the Agaaryn Tolgoi Dirigibles are due to weather accidents or mechanical failure. The rarity of the dirigibles meaning that most attacks themselves are few and far between, with most of them being centered on rear line bombing than bombing the front line trenches themselves.

The Loppa is found to be little more than a target for Kalchan sharpshooters and machinegun crews, its low max altitude requiring any observations to be done almost directly on the front trenchline being launched from large pits dug in the communication trenches, its low height also making observations quite meager. The only real advantage of the Loppa was its ability to provide an unseen terror on Kalchan trench raiders early in the year and during offensives when they would pop up suddenly from the rear lines and rotate counterclockwise so they could spray the approaching combatants with their K-900 before needing to return to the trench after burning all of their fuel in aa few short minutes, usually only long enough to get off the entire belt of ammunition in a single long burst of fire after which most crews disregard the lengthy re-fueling process and prefer to join the defenders on the front trenchline. Soon though Kalchans caught onto this trick and began saturating the communication trenches with more Godstrike fire than normal before offensives and Rattlegun teams would be at the ready when entering the attack range of the Loppa's to riddle their unprotected crews with machinegun fire.

With the advantage of Semi-tactical bombing the Kalchans are able to pound the Duchy trenches harder than ever before and reclaim their lost territory, both Duchy and Kalchan troops re-occupy trenches they had manned during the opening years of the war now that the front in this sector has been pushed back to their pre-war positions....many troops on both sides wonder if this war is even worth it anymore but political officers keep them in check.


The Rolling Hills

Here the Agaaryn Tolgoi once more shows its worth by completely flattening the Duchy defenses on the hill tops, even more so than they already had been by the Godstrike Howitzers by being able to drop entire bombardments on concentrated areas in an instant. Despite this the Duchy forces are still dug in deep inside the hills and the Agaaryn Tolgoi Dirigibles can only operate for a few hours at a time and in small numbers. Another thing is that due to the small size of their targets requiring very low altitude bombardment Godstrike Howitzers are unable to fire during Dirigible Bombing Runs out of fear of hitting their own balloons after an incident occurred during the opening months of the year. Once the balloons leave and the artillery returns before thinning out once more in preparation of an offensive the Vornfolk troopers climb out of their subterranean holds and cut down advancing Kalchan troopers in the No-Mans-Land between the hills. The Kalchans likewise do the same when the Duchy launch their own offensives. The deadlock continues here as it has been since the beginning of the war with neither side truly being able to deliver troops to the enemy trenches without losing large numbers of them.

The Loppa see's less use here since large distances between the hills means that very little observation can be done and their pit launch points are constantly destroyed by Godstrike and Agaaryn Tolgoi bombardments. Their only real use is for guarding the flanks of the hills from already useless cavalry charges that still attempt to break through and flank the lines.

Shells fall, men die, and no land is gained. Its another year in the Hills. Men long for home on both sides.


The Eastern Volcanic Slopes.

With the advantage of the Agaaryn Tolgoi the Kalchans advance her too, bombarding Duchy forward lines and charging forward to take them before being rebuffed in their fortified secondary lines. The Loppa see's similar use here as in the Forested Plains with a similar early war effect. Not much goes on here as the Kalchans simply advance further.

Kalchans gain full control of the first Pip.


News From Around the World.

In the Unified States of Vinland reports have come out that the two Skrifağu brothers have been successfully flown the first manned and controlled heavier than air aircraft flying for a total of 59 seconds with takeoff assistance from a catapult on their Skrifağu-1 flyer using simple bending wings and tails as control surfaces. They are awarded a prize of 5,000 Króna by the Unified States government and announce their plans to further their experiments into heavier than air flyers.

The Grand Dominion of Kiev and the Fuso Empire have rising tensions between each other over the scraps of the ailing Empire of Cathay as warlords tear about the outer fringes of the government and present opportunities for other great powers to carve up the Empire for whatever spoils they wish.


It is now the Design Turn of 1904 officially. Go wild.