PAX Romania: A first time AAR

[RossN]

Ok, really sorry about the massive delay but I'm continuing with this now. I'm afraid this next chapter isn't especially exciting though!

May, 1936

Dear Diary,

It has been a relatively quiet few months (until this week anyway) and I have been kept busy with hundrum business of Royal Life with only the occasional officers ball to look forward too, or rather the period after those balls when my brave officers are too drunk to notice their wives were gone for forty minutes and arrive back witheir blouses on the wrong way around.

We are still researching better weaponry for our grunts...er brave infantry men but I was informed recently that efficiency is down to 68%! That hurts but unfortunatly for all our wealth in coal and oil (which I am trading for steel on the international market) we are not an industrial power. Yet.

A diversion happened on the 24th of Feb. when the French ambassoder called on me and by a stroke of good look I was able to host him in my newly completed palace (finished a year ahead of schedule):

The conversation flowed freely as did the wine but I have to say I was Hardly Influenced. The French are our historic allies, despite their distressing tendency towards godless republicanism but I'm uncertain what they can offer us just now.

There was a build up of Soviet forces on our border in March but I doubt it's anything serious. Still I should keep watching them just in case.

Then in May came the election. The tired old Liberals were swept from power in favour of the facistic poet-cum-politician Octavian Goga:

I am no fan of facists but I have no doubt that my new Prime Minister will soon learn his place in the scheme of things...

Carol II

So, is it ok?


Do chuid

 

[coz1]

If it was meant to be just a place-holder post, you did a very nice job. It can be very difficult to post with regularity, so any small update is always appreciated. And a diary entry is always nice. Keep up the great work.

 

[unmerged(20981)]

Very Nice, I cant get enough of these Romanian AARs!

 

[Semi-Lobster]

Another funny update! Along with one of the ugliest Prime Minsters I've ever seen!

 

[RossN]

Thanks for the encouragement guys. Slightly more happening here (albeit largely abroad).


March, 1937

Dear Diary,

I think I can write about it now. It's been three months, but first... I should get to start of the matter.

In July of last year I began recieving strange reports from my ambassoder in Madrid, Count Dumitru. He had gotten into contact with a group of monarchists who revealed to him plans for a revolution on the 18th with the aim of deposing the so called Republic. Sure enough on the 18th the storm broke loose...

Spanish army officer, monarchists, facists, churchmen, nobles and conservatives of all kinds rose as one against the corrupt and oppressive goverment propped up by Stalins proxies and every red gurrier from Europe's gutters. The man who soon emerged as their leader was a relatively young officer, strong and clever, a high patriot, religous in the vanished style of the Old World before the rot of Liberalism broke mens souls and hearts. Field Marshall Fransico Franco.

At once all was changed across Europe. The Facist States rushed to give aid to Franco as Stalin did the same to the Republicans. To my disgust the democracies, Britain, France did nothing. Of course I was rooting for Franco but it seemed the honourable thing to do would have been to help one of their own. They sat on their hands and I won't forget that. Neither I'm guessing will Hitler, Stalin or Mussolini.

I summoned my Cabinet and announced that we would send men, guns, oil, coal whatever it took to the Monarchist/Facist cause. To my astonishment Goga dared challenge me! This nationalist, this admirer of Mussolini, this man of blood and iron told me that it was impossible to give anything substantial. I demanded to know why.

"Your Majesty, our soldiers are lacking in equipment and training. Our factories need our oil and coal. It would not be possible..."

That is not a phrase to be used to kings and I was tempted to slap him and relieve him of his position then and there, but unfortunatly I still need him. So, keeping my temper I pointed out to him that our equipment could hardly be worse than the scrap millitia and conscripted peasents the Reds would be using, our men would gain priceless experience in the field and that, far from there being a shortage our oil wells and coal mines are producing far more than we need. It's not as if I need to fuel a panzer army or blue water fleet. Goga simply had no answer for that and mumbled a few excuses before admitting the truth: our man in Moscow was privately warned of 'dire consequences' if we intervened. So that is that.

A brother king has had his throne stolen from him and fear of the ex-priest squatting behind his desk in the Kremlin thwarts me. I can do nothing, nothing at all public. Worse though I had prearranged a meeting with Franco in Nationalist occupied Barcelona to discuss aid. With a heavy heart I went on our fastest destroyer, the Republican fleet reluctaly letting us pass after seeing our flag. The war had been going very badly for the Nationalists by this point (early November) and when I reached port I was horrified to see the expressions of deaftism on the faces of the garrison. In the distance I could hear the steady thump of Republican artillery.

It sounded very close.

The most painful meeting of my life lasted a mere half hour. I sadly explained to Franco the impossibility of the position and he took it well nodding occasionally and mentioning he understood. At one point I noticed his gaze drifting to a spot on the wall and quickly flickering back. Following his gaze I noticed a portrait on the wall. It was of Alfonso XIII.

What could I say? It was the worst moment of my life. As the meeting was coming to a close I could hear a new sound, rather close this time. Soviet made T-26 tanks. They had reached the outskirts of the city.

I was tempted to offer Franco passage on the destroyer and asylum in Romania but we both knew what his answer would be so I simply shook his hand and acceted his salute while watching him walk towards his office. It was the last time anyone saw him alive. The next day (November 25th) the Republicans captured the city and found Him dead of a self inflicted gunshot wound. This was a great man, a man of guts and vision, a friend to monarchy and good goverment everywhere while the rest of us squabbled and made excuses. He blew his brains out.

I went home.

I have been thinking about monarchy. Oh not just the nonsense about the crown and the waving and the crowds but the real deal. I think I believe in it now. Oh I always did in a way but that was simply because it was as natural as breathing for a man born to throne. Now I'm thinking differently. Democracy is bunk, the Allied cowardice made that clear. Facism is better but bankrupt of tradition of legitimacy, substituting violence. Communism is the worst of all, an atheistic, alien tyranny intent on crushing civilisation and humanity. I now believe that only an enlightened, stern but fair monarchy can truly lead people now. From now on I shall make sure that Romania shall be not just a great country, but a great Kingdom, an answer to Berlin and Moscow. I shall rebuild a new Austro-Hungary centred in Bucharest. Empire shall rise again from the ashes.

Back, back I must go to the humbler world of the present. The factories have (at last) been built in Piatra Neamt, Oradea and Sibu [OOC: as of January] and at the beginning of the year we finally finished research on Basic Infantry Weapons and moved on to researching a superior type of Service Rifle and new forms of Howitzers. This time our efficiency is 100%.

News has just reached me that the Soviets have started a purge of it's officer core. Stalinism eats it's own - let the blood stained and triumphant Spanish Republic notice that!

Carol II

Sorry for the slightly darker tone here, but old Carol II has been a little traumatised. I'll try and get back to a slightly lighter tone next time, as he recovers and Romania continues it's state of non-war with the rest of the world.

And Goga was very ugly alright.

Do chuid

 

[Semi-Lobster]

Wow, that was amazing! One of the best updates I've read! Good work RossN!!! I'd like to see how Carol II views Imperial Japan, Muslims and the Orthodox Church. Especially after such an eloquent update like that! Does he view himself as the last defender of the faith or does he view himself an Orthodox Monarch amongst others (Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Greece)?

 

[Jopi]

Wow! I'm eager to see where this is going. Will Romania join in Germany's crusade against communism, or will she take Balkans while the superpowers battle each other out? Whatever happens, I will be there to read it.

 

[Semi-Lobster]

Has this AAR been abandoned?

 

[RossN]

Has this AAR been abandoned?

No, just I switched to the latest patch and lost my saved games. o

Don't worry I'll play until I reach a similar point in '37 and then take it up again soon.

Do chuid

 

[Semi-Lobster]

No, just I switched to the latest patch and lost my saved games. o

Don't worry I'll play until I reach a similar point in '37 and then take it up again soon.

Do chuid

Hurray! That may take a while though, the Republicans don't always win the Spanish civil war and when they do, not often that fast