Anti Muslim Riots in Iberia Break out over, "Christians are Animals" comment by Ottoman Sultan

The Sultan's government in Paris issued a statement in response to the Government in Madrid's demand to cease its program against Christians and their deportation.  The heated response includes the line of "When the Ottoman lawkeepers started meeting out the Right Punisments to these animals." Dozens of papers across Iberia splashed the headline of "Sultan calls Christians Animals" and combined with the earlier statement of the intention to deport them from their homes has created a fire storm across Iberia.

Mobs across Iberia have led chants of, "Death to Muslims!"  Since there are few Muslims within the empire and those that are located in Muslim majority locations such as Spanish Morocco and the Sulu Islands in the Philippines there have been few problems.  The few Muslims outside of those locations have the strange experience of Iberian Soldiers in combat dress standing outside of their doors with fixed bayonets and following them about as they go to their business.  So far the mobs have been content to hurl abuse and rotten tomato's and stayed well out of reach of the angry troops on guard duty.  Local clergy has done what it can to cool the angry of the mobs and that appears to be working so far.

Since the start of the Balkan War, called the 10th Crusade in the Foreign Press, the attitude of the Partido dos Trabalhadores e dos Camponeses, PTC and Partido Socialista Obrero Iberia, PSOI have undergone a transformation.  With the common citizens increasingly angry and calling for blood the PTC and PSOI have become more and more pro war.  A number of members of the Cortez's of the two parties are deeply afraid it seams that if they don't support the war the Emperor will just wait till the end of the war and dissolve parliament and hold new elections.  Resulting in an election land side for right wing parties and those of the center.  Still some members of the PTC and PSOI continue to call for an end to the war of capitalist aggression.
   
Even more worry some is that some right wing parties have suggested introducing a bill that calls for the "Engaging in 'Total War' if the Barbarian Turks carry out their intention to deport the Christians of the Ottoman Empire."  What is meant by "total war" is unknown but if the Partido Nacional-Sindicalista, PNS is pushing for it odds are it will be extreme whatever it is. 

News from the front lines!


Two Ottoman raids of the Ionian Sea were driven off. 

On the night of August 7th, several large torpedo boats attacked Allied held, Kelafonia. In the confused melee that followed two allied Torpedo Boats were damaged, one badly and the other took several light hits.  The Ottoman attackers suffered at least one vessel sunk.

On August 22nd, the large armored cruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim with escorts was attempting to enter the upper Ionian Sea.  A number of allied cruisers intercepted the Ottoman squadron and forced it's withdraw after an inconclusive gunnery battle.

Despite these successes not all raids have been stopped.  On August 12 at around 1:00 AM appeared off shore of the island of Lefkada and the port of the same name.  The Ottoman vessels conducted a 30 minute general bombardment of the town.  An unknown number of civilians were killed and or wounded in this senseless slaughter.   

Refuges arrive at Malta from Cyprus

On August 14th, a trawler full of Greek refugees arrived mid-day from Cyprus.  They state that the Ottomans are systematically rounding up ethnic Greeks.  The refuges do not know the ultimate fate of those rounded up.

New Zion Freighters and Crews Released

In late July an old cruisers from New Zion appeared off occupied Ottoman Chago's claiming the island.  This ended in the cruisers captured and the troop transports.  Since that time all have been held captive.  In early August the captured freighters along with all their crew and the crew of the Negev were escorted to a meeting with a Brandenburg Warship in the Indian Ocean and then released.  The Negev with her engines badly damaged is being disarmed and is still in Iberian hands.

Ottoman Fishermen and Sailors Released

Early in August the 1st Cruiser squadron conducted a raid of the eastern Med and a number of small craft were captured.  Some type of deal has been struck it seams and the civilians are to be handed over to Egypt to be sent back to their homeland.  The captured Ottoman Soldiers are still held as POW's.

The release of the Ottoman sailors has many wondering about missing Iberian sailors.  A number of ships of various sizes are over due in the Atlantic and their fate is unknown.  It is clear that at least one raider is loose in the Atlantic shipping lanes.

Indian Ocean Closed to Iberian Civilian Traffic

Since the end of July the Indian Ocean has been closed to all Iberian Civilian Traffic.  Any Iberian civilian ship will not be able to make claims for loss against their cargo or the ship itself for any reason while traveling in that body of water unless part of Iberian Military Operations.  This had the effect of emptying the Indian Ocean of Iberian ships.

Mobilization Declared in Brazil!

For some time general mobilization has been a fact of life in European Iberia but the war is about to become very real in the New World.  A dozen divisions are stationed in Brazil and with the war heating up and burning through manpower, as the Hapsburg army ran up huge losses last month in seizing Belgrade.  Last month saw active duty formations sent to Europe and this month will see reservist called up and transport on an unlikely source as Great French Liners are making call in Brazil ports and ten's of thousands of troops in their grey blue uniforms are going to be making the trip across the Atlantic on French ships.

Request to Green Cross

If any of the current refuges from the Balkan war wish to be returned to the Balkan's after the war or as soon as areas are liberated; Madrid asks that they be transported to European Iberia.  This would have the effect of greatly reducing the amount of time needed to make trips.

Also Madrid requests any information on the fate of Christians from the island of Cyprus, a number of refuges arrived in Malta and they are most worried about the fate of their relatives.
 

Provisional Government of Greece Announced
September 11th


With a decisive victory over Ottoman Naval forces in the Aegean and the liberation of Crete under way a Greek Government is announced.  The head of the provisional government is Georgios Theotokis as Prime Minister. Mr. Theotokis was born on Corfu in 1844, he was trained as a lawyer and attempted to work for better conditions for ethnic Greeks. This stance of Mr. Theotokis resulted in him being labeled a subversive by the Ottoman Government and at times being jailed. This led Mr. Theotokis into joining the Filiki Eteria.  Following the failed revolt in the 1890's Mr. Theotokis were officially exiled by the Ottoman Government but like many exiles Mr. Theotokis remained in Greece as an outlaw.



A state free of the tyranny of the Ottomans for all Ethnic Greeks is the goal and hope of the Greek People.  As such the Provisional Government lays claim to the following territories for the Greek People.

http://mysite.verizon.net/~mtrohde/Iberia/maps/Greek-Land-Claim.PNG

The future Government of Greece is being setup with the aid and cooperation of the Austrian and Iberian Governments.  Direct all requests and questions of the Greek Government to the above governments and the request will be passed along.   

New Zion does not recognize this supposed "Greek" puppet state, and points out to Iberia and Austria that they are setting a deadly precedent to their own subjects...

Zionite observers with the Ottoman Navy, have also stated that this supposed "victory" is nothing more than a propaganda move by the Crusaders, and that in reality the Crusade fleet was badly damaged in an Ottoman victory.

Quote from: Desertfox on July 31, 2008, 12:06:44 PM
New Zion does not recognize this supposed "Greek" puppet state, and points out to Iberia and Austria that they are setting a deadly precedent to their own subjects...

New Zion is free to recognize the suffering of the Greeks or continue to leave their heads in the sand.

Quote from: Desertfox on July 31, 2008, 12:06:44 PM
Zionite observers with the Ottoman Navy, have also stated that this supposed "victory" is nothing more than a propaganda move by the Crusaders, and that in reality the Crusade fleet was badly damaged in an Ottoman victory.

Allied Damage Claims to Ottoman Fleet

2 BB's SUNK and 2 BB's badly damaged with multiple guns out of action and heavy fires.  The rest of the Ottoman Fleet is shot up to one degree or another.  No Iberian or Hapsburg capital ships were lost in the battle.  In short the Ottoman Fleet has been broken.

The Naciones Unidas passes on congratulations to our Allies on their victory and condolences to the families of any lost sailors, and we especially express our grief in the event that any lives lost were the result of action by the Julio class battleships sold to the Ottoman's in 1910. Had we know then of the Turks repression of our Christian brothers and sisters in Greece we would never have allowed this sale to proceed.

We also express our sadness that any lives had to be lost in this endeavor but acknowledge that death in warfare is inevitable. We also offer condolences to the families of the Turk sailors who lost their lives by only following their orders and their duty. We hope that the Ottoman Empire recognizes the uselessness of this war and agrees to enter discussions on the releasing of the Greek Nation from it's chains of tyranny. We ask Istanbul if the death of anymore young men is necessary when all involved are aware of the Greeks desire to be independent. Is it worth the losses to hold people who only wish to be free?

Ottoman Navy Defeated in Battle of the Sea of Crete

On September 9th the allied fleet out of Malta under the command of Vice-Admiral Srnicek of the Hapsburg Navy encountered the Ottoman Navy.  The allied fleet was escorting an invasion force of Iberian Marines and Hapsburg AFL to the island of Crete. 

First contact occurred around 2 pm local time and by 3:30 the two main bodies meet.  The combined fleet was made up of the following ships.

SMS Siligia
SMS Juan de Austria
SMS Tegetthoff
HIIMS Alfonso IV
HIIMS Navas de Tolosa
HIIMS Cid Campeador
HIIMS Pelayo   
HIIMS Pizarro (Armored Cruiser standing in line of battle)

The enemy fleet was identified as the following units.

Osmaniye
Mahmudiye
Mahmud Reis
Sultan Osman I
Torgud Reis
Barbaros Hayreddin
Two Pre-Dreadnought Battleships that were tentatively identified as former Confederate States Battleships Ex-CSS Texas and Ex-CSS California.  These ships gunnery was noted as ragged and generally inaccurate.  It is suspected that the crews were not fully familiar with their ships or otherwise ill trained. 

In the hour plus battle that followed a number of warships of the allied fleet were forced out of line because of damage.  At the same time heavy damage was dealt to the enemy fleet and by 4:15 local time was in disarray and attempted to withdraw.  A massed torpedo boat attack was launched and did heavy damage.

Estimated damage to enemy fleet is as follows.   

Osmaniye, heavily damaged with multiple fires and 3 turrets silenced
Mahmudiye, medium gun damage
Mahmud Reis, sunk after multiple torpedo hits heavy gun damage
Sultan Osman I, medium gun damage
Torgud Reis, sunk after multiple torpedo hits heavy gun damage 
Barbaros Hayreddin, medium gun damage
Ex-CSS Texas, heavy gun damage and fires
Ex-CSS California, several hits from Pizarro

No allied capital ships lost but SMS Siligia and HIIMS Alfonso IV were forced out of line because of fires and or gun damage.  Also HIIMS Pizarro and her crew were specifically mentioned in dispatches as providing important service.  During the battle between screening forces Pizarro fought the Ottoman Armored Cruiser Yavuz for some time and later Pizzaro joined the line of battle with several of her main guns disabled.  Both fleets lost a number of protected cruisers and torpedo boats.  The Ottoman Fleet continued to withdraw and the allied fleet held the field.

As soon as names of captured Ottoman sailors rescued from the water are known the allies will provide them to Ottoman Embassy in Paris.

The next day, September 10th, allied troops began the invasion of Western Crete.  Losses in the first waves were reported as serious but by the end of day both beachheads were in allied hands and tens of thousands of troops were moving ashore.

The Russian official position of Greece

The Russian Empire recognises the Independent Greece and is ready to provide help and supply for the new nation.

The Russian Empire insists on discussing the conditions of the Greece Independence, her territory and international position at the Paris Congresse of Iberia, Austria and Ottoman Empire. 

The Russian Empire hopes, that Iberia and Austria will support the Russian iniciative and Greece independence will be one of the conditions to cease fire.

Normans in Greece!?!
Last week of September, 1912

Reports of Warhips and Troops of the United Norman Kingdom are landing in Greece.  Said troops claim to have spoken to Allied Governments in Advance.  The Iberian Empire states that it received NO such notice.  Again Madrid received no notice at all.  Iberia demands that the United Norman Kingdom explain its actions at once.

The Provisional Government of Greece reports that it received no advanced notice of this move either.  The Provisional Government of Greece requests that the Normans leave territory under its effective control. 

2nd Half of September

Victory along the Adriatic!
The Mountain Corps was able to break through the Ottoman Fortified Lines facing the Iberian Expeditionary Force.  Between September 15th and September 24th a several mile wide hole was created in the Ottoman Defenses.  Over 1,000 thousand Ottoman POW were taken in the final attack.  Iberian losses are reported as serious.

Victory on Crete!
The Iberian Marine Corps and Hapsburg Foreign Legion have rapidly overrun the island of Crete since the 9th.  The Major city of the Island Irakleio is now under siege.

Turks in Retreat!
Greek Troops of the Greek Provisional Government report that they have taken control of most of Greece below the Corinth Canal.

Barbarism of Muslim Turks!
Over the last month new atrocities have been conducted by the Turks.  On September 22nd the Turks have unleashed a horrific weapon.  They have used Chlorine gas to kill thousands of Austrian Troops and scared the survivors. 

As the Ottomans withdraw from southern Greece they are stripping the territory bare.  Not just are they pulling out but they are destroying bridges, burning crops and freeing with carts loaded down with looted goods.  In short the Ottomans are conducting a campaign of scorched earth; what they can't keep they mean to destroy.  As the Ottomans pulled out of Athens massive explosions and fires were left in their wake. 

Iberian Merchant Marine Being Reflagged

Very quietly and with no official notice by the Iberian Government as Iberian civilian ships make port their masters are meeting with a member of the Gran Colombian, Peruvian or United South American diplomatic staff.  The ships captain is handed a new registration certificate, national flag and shipping registration.  Some ships captains and or owners have the ships paint scheme changed, large versions of their new national ensign painted on the ships or change the ships name.

Emperor to visit Rome for Christmass

The Primate of Iberia Cardinal Gregorio Maria Aquirre y Garcia the Archbishop of Toledo received an invitation from the Holy Father, Pope Pius X, for Emperor Jaime I to attend a special mass at the Basilica of St. Peters in Rome.  The Holy Father himself will be officiating over the mass and a number of other Catholic heads of state have also been invited. 

Besides the Emperor, his uncle Alfonso Carlos de Bourbon, Duke of San Jaime, the young Prince of Asturias the infante Fernando de Bourbon y Wittelsbach and several senior Iberian Clergy. 

It is unknown if this mass is connected to the rumored return of the Papacy to Rome, the Balkan War, something else or some combination of the above.

Edit: Thought date of mass was October 10th but that was the date the note was sent.