Cassidy
Arcane
Index
PART 1: TONIGHT WE DINE IN CONSTANTINOPLE!
- The Megali Idea(right here)
- We will fight in the fresh
- Give them water!
- They don't outnumber our bullets.
- Why not eat kebab?
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The Megali Idea
300 - Goodbye my love
"Goodbye my love, he did not say. There was no room for softness, not in the Balkans. No place for weakness. Only the hard may call themselves Greeks, Serbians or Romanians, only the hard can keep their independence in face of rising empires and seemingly incorrigible defeats... only the STRONG!!!"
Greece, poor Greece. Once the center of the mighty Byzantine Empire, internal strife slowly deteriorated such empire and grinded it into dust, with the greed of Catholic crusaders driving the last nail into Byzantium's coffin through the brutality and destruction of the 4th crusade, and then, for centuries Greece was wiped from the map, subjugated by the Ottoman Empire and their people oppressed. Not even a bold Serbia, that had expanded beyond the idealized Yugoslavia, managed to stop the Ottoman Empire, and like Greece they were subjugated.
But during the 19th century, the universal force of decline begin to hit the Ottoman Empire hard, and eventually, through much struggle and sacrifice and thanks to defeats of the Turks by the Russians, Greece was formed again, and by the 20th century, recovered most territories with a Greek majority.
And then, although they tried to avoid, pressure of the Entente forced them to join the Great War, where they, like Serbia and Romania, ended on the losing side, and all paid a high price for this. Greece lost many territories to Germany, Bulgaria, Austria and the Ottomans, Serbia was crushed, and Romania lost most of their territory to Hungary and Bulgaria. These three countries however didn't lose one thing: their strength and determination to reclaim their clay.
As Austria, the primary sponsor of Bulgaria, faced a major crisis in the empire, while Germany knew the storm of a new war with France was brewing, it was inevitable that Bulgaria would soon be on their own, and thus, Greece, Iron Guard Romania and Srbija attacked Bulgaria to reclaim what they lost. However, Bulgaria, even against the three, had a much larger army and outnumbered even their combined forces by the onset of the war. What would truly turn the tide was a polemic but necessary treaty that would grant to Metaxas the role of Supreme Commander of the Serbian Military. Joint Greek and Serbian operations were a shining part of the conflict while the Iron Guard Romania was slowly losing ground. The Greek courage, determination and strategic cunning which led many Bulgarian divisions to end pocketed turned the tide of a war that even without any foreign intervention, Bulgaria was bound to win save exceptional circumstances. The Greeks and Serbians commanded by Metaxas were the exceptional circumstances. It was a very difficult war, but eventually the tide was turned at the battle of Burgas, and then, Serbia, Greece and Romania emerged victorious. From their total conquest, all their lost territory to Bulgaria was retaken while Bulgaria was partitioned between the three, and now, once again Greece bordered their greatest enemy and by extension the greatest enemy of Serbia and Romania: the worst turk idiot.
Following the victory came a phase of major industrial and military expansion as Greece awaited the right time to seek a greater objective. But they were not the only ones: Romania already formally claimed all that Hungary took from them, while Serbia dreamed of freeing the Slavs under Austrian subjugation.
Together they formed an army strong enough to put up a fight, while Serbia was following a strategy of slowly building a significant air force. Yet their armies were both outnumbered and outclassed by the powers surrounding them, and the Greeks, focusing all of their development in land doctrine rather than infantry equipment, were particularly backwards. The industrial expansion would soon open up opportunities to close that gap, and the blueprints Romania provided would ensure it wouldn't take much time for it to happen.
In the year of 1938, the storm of civil war remains over the New World, from which the red menace of the Combined Syndicates of Amerikwa is on the verge of total victory. Unfortunately, this will ripple through the entire world and is not the only case: in Spain the CNT-FAI is clearly winning the civil war as well. Serbian forces march towards the border with the kebab puppet of Albania. Another worrissome or perhaps opportune development is happening: the enlarged Papal State of the Italian Federation is at war with Austria, and, unable to break through the heavy border defenses between the two countries, they have instead crushed Austrian resistance over the Balkans, crushed Hungary and now are trying to surround Austria. However, their infamy is skyrocketing and rumors of a newfound fanaticism under the National-Populist pope that supposedly plans to establish a new Holy Roman Empire centered on Rome aren't helping with their belligerence and reputation either.
Julius IV ironically has much in common with his southern totalist enemy Benito Mussolini. Both are inflamed demagogues, resorting to populism, use of the mass media of radio for propaganda and nationalistic fervor to further their agendas, and both are equally oppressive and totalitarian in different ways. The rumors are more than rumors: Pope Julius IV really reinstated the Inquisition nobody expected.
Due to their belligerence and extremist ideology, the Entente declared war on the Federation, which remains indifferent while they are on the eve of a total victory against all Austrian puppets and territories out of their heartland itself.
The puppet state of Bosnia was always a powderkeg. For the Serbians it was both good and bad news. Good news: this would crush all separatist sentiments in Bosnia, for Bosnia is a clay of Serbia. Bad news: another country that will have to be defeated if Serbia wishes to achieve its dream, and restore the former glory it had during its peak at the early 17th century before their disastrous Holy War against the Ottoman Empire.
However, the Greeks had another thing in mind. They promised to their allies that once the time comes, they will provide full support to their struggles for their clays. Right now Greece was preparing to proclaim the Megali Idea, but first, they needed a critical new division: a HQ that would greatly improve supply efficiency and allow proper coordination of much larger forces than usual, hopefully allowing for a rapid, decisive breakthrough and conquest of Constantinople through a Mass Assault, if war becomes necessary, and it most likely will be.
While Greece is preparing for the most certain war, the weakness of the worst turk begin to become more and more obvious. Despite having little chances of victory, the Kurds openly rise in rebellion, and the Arab nationalists are growing bolder every year since the first Arab Conference. There is no longer a Djinn to help the kebab. Now they are the Sick man of Europe, and if Greece succeeds, the Ottoman Empire will be a Dead man in Europe.
Zog I, emboldened by the collapse of the Turks, proclaim independence for Albania after the puppet king dies. There are some rumors that Serbian hitmen were involved in killing the king but they were never proved. This is a signal, but Greece needs a divisional HQ to coordinate the entire alliance before they can feel ready enough to launch the daring offensive against a still superior foe, even if they are the Sick man of Europe.
With the chaos of the Albanian independence under their new king Zog I, Greece seizes the opportunity to take back their clay in Northern Epirus, while Serbia equally does the same in Pristina. The Greek ambassador reported that he didn't manage to sleep because the Serbians were playing accordion all night during the celebrations.
While the Albanian independence was relatively successful due to the weak Ottoman naval might, Kurdistan was very short-lasted, but nevertheless, it showed the weakness of this empire for all. The Italian papal forces meanwhile advanced all the way through Hungary, yet strangely the haven't advanced one inch through the Austrian heartland, and are facing trouble with Croatioa.
So typical, to proclaim the Socialist Republic of Croatioa like that and begin a Red Terror and a pogrom against Serb minorities to fill its short-lived existence with infamy and more insults about how they are only fit to live in the zoo.
It is a mystery why Austria didn't offer something to end this war. Now they are in a very bad diplomatic situation even if they have managed to not lose any ground in their German heartland or in Venice.
Then, as if having one worst raghead neighbor wasn't enough, Pakistan decided to steal Serbian clay too. So much kebab for such a small alliance, but eventually, they will have to remove it.
Like the American Civil War, the Spanish Civil War is coming to an end: an end painted red in blood of innocents as the bolsheviks seize the country and implement their reign of terror. Perhaps the most self-contradictory of all the reds, CNT-FAI has long become very distant from the anarchism they once defended, and established themselves as another bolshevik politburo. The King of Greece is not even surprised and upon the news he simply declared:
"All bolsheviks, regardless of what they say, are tyrants by heart."
Serbia, in support of Pan-Slavism and to increase the stability of their country, asked for Greece to return their part of Bulgaria so that Bulgaria can become an autonomous State under Serbia, and offered industrial subsidies to compensate the losses. Considering the offer carefully, Metaxas agreed, specially because this reestablished Bulgaria would be willing to sign a treaty that will give to Metaxas the role of Supreme Commander of their military as well, bolstering the odds in the coming war against the turk.
As Papal Italy was at war with Austria, making a German intervention unlikely, and specially now that most of their forces lie stranded and without supplies in Central Europe since Delhi secured their landings, Mussolini saw an opportunity he simply could not miss and once again the Bolshevik advances somewhere much closer to Greece than all other hives of reds.
The treaty was finally formalized. Now Greece had a substantial number of soldiers directly under their command for the coming conflict. Over two hundred thousand to be specific, but they knew the Ottomans most likely outnumbered them. Their only advantage was that the Ottomans considered Egypt and Arabia much more immediate threats and thus likely had most of their forces in the Sinai. But all it took was a strategic deployment by the Ottomans to cut off this temporary advantage, thus time will be of essence.
A renewed Russian Empire under Wrangel was gradually expanding their borders, with obvious ambitions of restoring the original extent of the Empire before the Great War and the Revolution. Finland, having received territorial demands, believed the Russians were merely seeking a strategy of destroying them piecemeal, and thus, driven by a nationalistic fervor perhaps greater than that of the Serbians, Romanians and Greeks, outrightly refused. But without the winter to provide a major obstacle to the Russian ambitions, the victor of this imperialistic war was already obvious.
The divisional HQ will be ready by the next month, but before the almost certain war, a far great war has begun. The Commune of France demanded Alsace-Lorraine, and of course, the Germans refused. This is a war that the Balkans Alliance hoped that would drag for as long as possible and weaken both sides equally, because they despised both sides almost equally for what they represented or for what they did to their countries.
Everything is ready by August, as predicted, and now the time has come to openly proclaim the Megali Idea:
Tonight we dine in hell
Hoping he could persuade Germany to support or at the very least ignore the issue, Metaxas went to Berlin to negotiate and consult the German Empire about his intentions. The Ottomans were already virtually useless as allies to the Germans at this point, and starting a conflict in the Balkans while the communists seek to march all the way to Berlin will hopefully convince them.
Then, in a stroke of genius, Metaxas, rather than just starting war on the Ottomans as the Germans declared they will not intervene in favor of anybody in this affair, decided to first seek a diplomatic solution. He knew this would almost certainly not work, but this would give greater legitimacy to the war. The Ottomans were demanded to have plebiscites in the contested areas where the peoples would vote on whether they would want to join the rising Greece or stay with the decaying Ottoman Empire.
The answer of the worst turk was as predicted as sqhipere, sqhipere.
Thus, Metaxas, looking upon the many soldiers under his command, said loudly:
"Greeks, Bulgarians and Serbians! Ready your breakfast and eat hearty, for tonight we dine kebab!"
The Turks never expected this. It was obvious from their lax defense of Adrianople, but even that lone division, if it held its ground for too long, would doom the defining strategy of this war: a rapid conquest of Constantinople, a seemingly long hopeless dream of many Greek and Orthodox since 1453.
To ensure a rapid victory a very important unit had a crucial role. While the Greeks contributed to the majority of land forces, the Serbians provided with a critical support unit: their Tactical Bomber Air Wing nicknamed "REMOVE KEBAB FROM ABOVE". This single air wing could prove itself critical in this war.
And it was thank to the glorious Serbian Air Force that the battle of Adrianople was quickly won, and now the race has begun for Constantinople. Twenty-four divisions will eventually compose the full offensive to retake the city in the bloody urban warfare it shall ensue, almost five hundred years after the fall of the Byzantine Empire.
Unfortunately, while some countries struggled to secure the sovereignty of their peoples, others were subjugated, and the short-lasted independence of Finland was over. Russia cannot be trusted. Under their Pan-Slavism rhetoric lies an obvious desire: the desire of ruthlessly subjugating all other Slavs.
Returns a King (To Constantinople)
Despite the fact most of the forces still haven't arrived, the Turks were at disarray, and thus the battle of Constantinople has begun. The initial forces were barely properly ordered despite the HQ support, due to a organizational mistake or slight of forgetting the highest ranked commander at this moment was a Lieutenant General, and a particularly promising one. Although eventually the allied forces would outnumber the turks, there was one detail counting in Turkish favor: The Turks had much better and more advanced equipment.
The organization problem was soon resolved, but this was a tough battle. The urban landscape always favor very strongly the defenders, but there was one strong support. The role of the Serbian tactical bombers in this battle was irreplaceable. Despite heavy AA fire and aware some of them would not live to fight another day, they continue disrupting supplies and communications of the turks every day, and did so with much valor for the AA coverage in Constantinople was far more numberful than their quantity of aircrafts. Many good Greeks, Serbians and Bulgarians died already. Hopefully their deaths will not be in vain and for the first time in more than four centuries, an Orthodox army will march triumphantly in Constantinople.
The leadership of an urban specialist tipped the battle in favor of the Balkans Allies, but it was still likely to go to both directions, as fresh turk reinforcements were arriving to Constantinople and the Turks could easily ruin the dreams of Greece in this battle and lead this conflict to complete stagnation, for their legions at Gallipoli and Constantinople outnumbered the allied army attacking the city. The Serbian bombers were taking heavy losses but they were ordered to carry on their mission to the last aircraft. This battle has lasted for many days already, and would, one way or another, enter in history for its significance.
Many reinforcements came to Constantinople, but the offensive was never forsaken, no matter how costly and traumatic the door-to-door, house-to-house fighting was. Slowly, the turks were losing their ground in the city, specially thanks to the severely understrength by now Serbian bomber wing. What a greattst countrey indeed, to have such brave pilots, piloting technologically obsolete bombers and still performing with such competence and courage their mission. Without them, the now perceivable possibility of victory would never exist.
After 15 days of one of the bloodiest urban battles in history, the Greeks have returned to Constantinople!
Besides the vast historical and poltical significance of this victory, Gallipoli is now ripe for the encirclement and dissolution of a massive Ottoman army of over a hundred thousand soldiers.
Many also thanked the victory for the pathetic performance of the Camel Corps. Only worst turk idiot would have such an idea as thinking camels make for good cavalry. Even the camel spits in the face and flag of the worst country.
Along with the Greek flags the Greek minority would soon rise to celebrate such a legendary and decisive victory after so much time under Ottoman subjugation, a few different flags stood out:
These were signs that for some Greeks, this was just the beginning, and indeed it was.
GREEKS, BULGARIANS AND SERBIANS, READY YOUR BREAKFAST AND EAT HEARTY, FOR TONIGHT WE DINE IN GALLIPOLI!
For Vigorous Kebab Removal.
and kebab
more???
