In any case, this is to be a playthrough of my beloved Austria-Hungary once again, with an 1890 start through to the 1970s, hopefully. In any case, without further ado:)
Indivisibiliter ac Inseparabiliter - Indivisibly and Inseparably
"To explain the exact intricacies of the recent political and pseudo-political movements within the various layers of the Empire's court and governments would be a hopeless exercise in futility. The machinations of madmen and geniuses alike, gross incompetence, racism, arrogance, brilliance, and great statesmanship all came to a head in a month of upheaval and change. Change surprisingly unfelt by the general population or lower echelons of the constituent regions of the great central European bulwark, but change that spread almost unhindered through the normally sluggish and stubbornly traditional core of the nation. As the dust settled, outwardly it seemed like not much had actually altered.
However, despite the fact that echoing ramifications of this upheaval would be felt for decades to come, the most apparent changes that are relevant to us are related to the prioritisation and organisation of the various military branches within the K.u.K's domain. The factions within the court who favoured naval prestige, lead by the titular Archduke Franz Ferdinand, had managed to at least partially achieved their goals of increased naval funding, and in so doing disrupted the chain of command within the Kriegsmarine. The army was now lumped with a number of new efforts to renew and modernise, all of which were underfunded and no doubt destined for failure. Finally, of course, the Hungarian aristocracy was up in arms once again, aggravated by the changes, and newfound naval funding, demanding the Hungarian military and nation receive that focus instead.
Regardless, as part of the shake up of the traditionally entrenched Naval leadership, a new Marinekommandan, Chef der Marinesektion and Flottenkommandant had been selected, all roles being granted to an unusually young and enthusiastic man named Rudolf Graf Montecuccoli degli Erri, already pushing for modernisation and expansion within the previously strategically insignificant navy." - Excerpt from the introduction to 'The navy of a dozen tongues' by Naval Historian Ferdinand Rudolf Montecuccoli, published 1989
The Current Geopolitical Situation:
After all was said and done, the raise in naval funding had far more of an impact on foreign relations than any internal court shenanigans. Italy, in particular, was not very pleased at this turn of events. The young nation had been pumping alot of their economy into their Regina Marina as part of their efforts to raise legitimacy and prestige among the other great European empires, and always saw Austria-Hungary as a natural rival, given their constant attempts to claim Tirol, Triest, and other contested territories. The fact that Austria-Hungary's naval budget has gone up by almost a third resulted in a number of heated letters of protest, and performative naval exercises. Still, Montecucoli was unconcerned. Not only would Italian posturing simply aide in justifying increased funding, but despite their greater numbers and funding, their reputation for quality of training and vessel were remarkably poor. Overconfidence, perhaps, but even so it was clear Italy would be the pre-eminent rival for his new navy.
The only other directly threatening force was that of the French, with double the budget and more than double the tonnage, as the K.u.K Kriegsmarine stands it could only serve in a defensive capacity against such a force, should it be pitted against the Empire. Which is where Germany comes in. Enjoying relatively friendly relations with their germanic sister state had proved beneficial in the past, and given the newly crowned Kaiser Wilhelm II's fanatical obsession with all things naval, a sound bet would be to try and grow an alliance between the two powers. With the German navy occupying the majority of the French force, the K.u.K Kriegsmarine would have far more of a chance if war were to arise.
Finally, the dying empire of the Spanish. Once navally dominant, and for the last few years comparable with Austria-Hungary, the recent reduction in funding, and scrapping of alot of their older ships had placed their navy on the bottom rung of the Mediterranean naval hierarchy. Hardly a concern, though a possible ally if the old friendships the Spanish and Habsburgs can be restored. Whether such an ally would be nearly as useful as the effort to woo them would imply is up for debate, however any support is better than no support.
All in all, the K.u.K kriegsmarine's priories are clear, the fleet must be modernised in such a way as to ensure they can punch above both their weight and cost, particularly relative to Italian naval doctrine and design. France is a secondary concern, considering the currently stable relations and strength of their navy, though certainly one to be heavily considered, even if the only real viable method of countering their naval advantage is to form an alliance with Germany. Spain, meanwhile, is not really relevant to much of anything.
Game Start Settings:
(This playthrough has been designed in the spirit of alternative history. As such, technological variation has been put to its maximum. Hopefully this will result in some unique designs and doctrinal counterplays. A larger navy size has been selected for the purposes of this playthrough, to allow me enough wiggle room to build some proper battleships down the line, while still enforcing the practical limitations that make an Austria-Hungary playthrough so fun. Though normally I would slow aircraft development and limit the number of aircraft at airbases, I am going to be brave this time, my late-game battleships will just have to have proper fighter escorts and be swamped with AA.)
