SDN World 3 Country Claiming

[Coyote]

Alright, try this for size:


The Yishuv: Jewish/Arab Palestine


In 1895, Theodore Herzl made his call for Jews to return to their homeland. Motivated by a uptick in anti-Semitism following the Dreyfus Affair, the call to 'aliyah' struck a chord with many Jews in Europe. While many of the European governments were friendly towards their Jewish communities, with policies ranging from 'merely tolerant' to 'encouraging' or even fully integrated, there were still, at times, anti-Semitic movements among groups of citizens.

Many Jews left to avoid increasing tensions, with the fears of a Russo-German war narrowly averted the most recent. Some wanted to relocate to a region that had seen few wars in recent times; however, many others (especially from Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union) wanted to relocate under the banner of socialist pioneers to create a people's haven in the new-formed Kibbutz (collective farm) movement.

In the third Zionist Congress, the Congress was granted authority to oversee an autonomous region in the area of Palestine where Jews throughout the ages had traditionally maintained a presence. The authorization came from a comment made by the Byzantine Emperor while at a conference in Cairo, discussing the status of Jerusalem. The "Cairo Declaration", as it came to be called, stated that the rulers of the Egyptian Sultanate and the Byzantine Empire "view[ed] with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country".

Jerusalem became a shared city among Byzantine Christians, Egyptian Muslims, and the local Jews of the Yishuv. The Yishuv handles the administrative rulership and common civic needs, including police and defense with Arab Legion volunteers. Religious freedom and access to holy sites are guaranteed by the Mulsim waqf land-holding agreement, and access to the railway in the form of the Hedjaz Railroad is under Byzantine control. The Islamic waqf provides funding for the Arab Legion, which guards the holy sites in Jerusalem. They are well-equipped and professional, the officers and NCOs attending the academies in Byzantium. They never deploy outside a 20-mile radius of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem, the Holy City, is part of the Caliphate, and flies the Egyptian flag. The Jews of the Yishuv are merely the civic administrators, providing protection with the Arab Legion, and much of the funding for the Administration provided by the waqf trust funds. Money for the waqf also comes from the al-Azhar University in Cairo. It is a matter of great pride for the Caliphate to control the city of Jerusalem, which they call al-Quds, and keep it open and safe for visitors and pilgrims of all faiths.

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Starting points: 30
Used: 11.5
Lost: 18.5

Population: 0 About 400,000 people live in the region of the Yishuv, about 50% Palestinian, 50% Jews.

Land Area: 1 About 280,000 sq. kms make up the area of the Yishuv.

Colonial Territory: 0 The Yishuv is a sort of autonomous 'colonial territory'.

Industry: 1 The Yishuv is full of hard-working people and highly-educated immigrants, but it is just too small for much heavy industry.

Economy: 3 The economy of the Yishuv is stable and strong (for its size).

Infrastructure: 1 The cities along the coast are modern for the time period, and there are railroads, but outside the cities it is still hard living.

Standing Military Limit: 3 All able-bodied citizens are conscripted at age of majority for a minimum of 3 years' service (2 for females). Also, kibbutz farm collectives are essentially self-sustaining militia hardpoints throughout the land.

Naval Focus: 1 The Yishuv has only 4 actual military grade ships, but they're good ones. Coastal patrol is done by armed trawlers when their crews are on reserve call-up duty, 1 weekend a month.

Army Focus: .5 The Army's mobilization pool is 2 points, making it 4% of the available population.

Air Focus: 1 The Yishuv maintains an Air Force of 120 aircraft total; 60 Fokker E.IIIs and 60 Bristol Type 14 E.2B MkII. This is a powerful air force for such a small nation, but it was deemed necessary to help the Byzantines and Egyptian Caliphate patrol the vast desert wastes.

Army Tech: 3
Air Force Tech: 2

Note about Military Technology levels: Relatively modern weapons were available for purchase through Byzantine and Caliphate connections. Jewish communities worldwide were hit with pleas for donations. The equipment is now purchased, but the high-tech bonanza is unsustainable: lost equipment cannot be purchased with the Yishuv's own economy. Every tank, plane, and ship is invaluable and irreplaceable, at least for the foreseeable future. The Yishuv will have to find a way to make it all stretch as long as possible.

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Government:

Leadership: Prime Minister Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, 35
Defense Minister: David Ben-Gurion, 33

Yishuv Council:
Representatives from the following cities & interests:
Jerusalem
Haifa
Tel Aviv
Tzfat/Tiveria
Ashkelon
Beer-Sheva
Eilat
Jaffa (Arab city)
Kibbutz Labor Movement representative
Grand Mufti's representative
Waqf Representative
Bedouin Representative
Druse Representative

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Military Forces:
Army: Joint Forces Headquarters at "ha'Kirya" GHQ, Tel Aviv. Total Admin troops: 400

Infantry is mostly equipped with the Gewehr-88.
Some early models had flaws due to rushed ammunition production; anti-Semitic factions within the German press exploited the flaws citing a conspiracy between the rifle’s manufacturer, the Ludwig Loewe Company, and other Jewish owned manufactures, including the firm manufacturing the smokeless powder. Thus the rifle became known derisively as the Judenflinte ("Jews' Musket"). While this yellow journalist hate speech was investigated and quashed by the German government, some in the Army were all too eager to get rid of the Loewe Co. G-88s.

The Army also has a number of American 1903 Springfields and some British Enfields, but the G88 is the common service rifle.
British Webley revolver and German C96 Mauser are about evenly divided among troops. Some 'elite' Haganah troops like the Maschinenpistolen MP-18s, and the C96 Schnellfeuer.

8 Infantry Brigades: approx. 28,000 troops total. (Does not include Kibbutz Militia, which does not deploy outside kibbutzim)
Jerusalem....................4,000 troops; Gewehr-88 rifles/C96 Pistols. Light Infantry. 1/2 are RESERVES
Haifa........................4,000 troops; Gewehr-88 rifles/C96 Pistols. Light Infantry. 1/2 are RESERVES
Tel Aviv.....................4,000 troops; Gewehr-88 rifles/C96 Pistols. Light Infantry. 1/2 are RESERVES
Tzfat/Tiveria................4,000 troops; Springfield 1903 rifles/C96 Pistols. Light Infantry. 1/2 are RESERVES
Ashkelon.....................3,000 troops; Enfield rifles/Webley Revolver Pistols. Light Infantry. 1/2 are RESERVES
Beer-Sheva...................3,000 troops; Gewehr-88 rifles/Webley Revolver Pistols. Mostly Light Infantry; 1 company w/Horse Transport. 1/2 are RESERVES
Eilat........................2,000 troops; Gewehr-88 rifles/Webley Revolver Pistols. Light Infantry. 1/2 are RESERVES
The Arab Legion (Jerusalem)..4,000 troops; Gewehr-98 rifles/Webley Revolver Pistols. Light Infantry. An all-Arab force dedicated to protecting holy sites.

Special: RESERVES/ 1,400 troops
Jerusalem: 1 Pioneer (Engineer) "Brigade" of 1,000 troops. C96s, C96 Schnellfeuer pistols w/buttstocks, grenades, flamethrowers, mines, etc.
Jerusalem: 1 Ha'gana Special "Storm Company" of 200 troops with Maschinenpistolen MP-18s, C96 Schnellfeuer pistols w/buttstocks.
Tel Aviv: 1 Ha'gana Special "Storm Company" of 200 troops with Maschinenpistolen MP-18s, C96 Schnellfeuer pistols w/buttstocks.

Armored Car Forces: 1 "Brigade" of approx. 237 troops
Jerusalem....................10 Rolls-Royce Pattern 1920, 30 men + 15 mechanics
Haifa........................5 Rolls-Royce Pattern 1920 + 7 Rolls-Royce Pattern 1924 (Boys AT rifle/Lewis gun), 36 men + 25 mechanics
Tel Aviv.....................5 Rolls-Royce Pattern 1920, 15 men + 8 mechanics
Tzfat/Tiveria................5 Rolls-Royce Pattern 1920, 15 men + 8 mechanics
Ashkelon.....................5 Rolls-Royce Pattern 1920, 15 men + 8 mechanics
Beer-Sheva...................7 Rolls-Royce Pattern 1924 (Boys AT rifle/Lewis gun), 21 men + 10 mechanics
Eilat........................7 Rolls-Royce Pattern 1924 (Boys AT rifle/Lewis gun), 21 men + 10 mechanics

Armored Tank Forces: RESERVES/ 314 troops
Jerusalem....................14 FT-17s (28 crew + 28 mechanics= 56 troops)
Haifa........................7 LK-II (21 crew + 21 mechanics= 42 troops)
Tel Aviv.....................8 St. Chamond Tanks (64 crew + 64 mechanics= 126 troops); 14 FT-17s (28 crew + 28 mechanics= 56 troops)(184 total)
Tzfat/Tiveria................8 Fiat 3000s (16 crew + 16 mechanics= 32 troops)
Ashkelon.....................7 LK-II (21 crew + 21 mechanics= 42 troops)
Beer-Sheva...................(none)
Eilat........................(none)

Horse Cavalry Forces: RESERVES/ 640 troops
Jerusalem....................2 companies (160 men)
Haifa........................(none)
Tel Aviv.....................(none)
Tzfat/Tiveria................(none)
Ashkelon.....................2 companies (160 men)
Beer-Sheva...................2 companies (160 men)
Eilat........................2 companies (160 men)

Artillery Forces: RESERVES/ 166 troops
Jerusalem....................1 4-gun battery; French 75mm. (24 men)
Haifa........................1 4-gun battery; French 75mm. (24 men)
Tel Aviv.....................2 4-gun batteries; French 75mm. (48 men)
Tzfat/Tiveria................(none)
Ashkelon.....................1 4-gun battery; French 75mm. (24 men)
Beer-Sheva...................1 4-gun battery; French 75mm. (24 men)
Eilat........................1 4-gun battery; French 75mm. (24 men)

Air Force: 700 air force personnel total
5 sq. of Bristol Type 14 F.2B Mk II. (Interior) Squadron: 12 aircraft; crew: 2; ground crew: 4 = 72 aircrew per squadron. +10 Admins per sqdn. TOTAL: 410
5 Sq. of Fokker E.III (Coastal) Squadron: 12 aircraft; crew: 1; ground crew: 3 = 46 aircrew per squadron. +10 Admins per sqdn. TOTAL: 290

Navy: 1,614 fighting crew; 3,226 support & admin. 4,852 total
German-built Moltke-class Battlecruiser INS Mount Megiddo (22,979 tons; 1,053 crew)
German-built Dresden-class Lt. Cruiser INS Herzl (3,364 tons; 361 crew)
German-built "Nusret"-class torpedo boat INS Salah al-Din (360 tons; 100 crew)
German-built "Nusret"-class torpedo boat INS Shimshon (360 tons; 100 crew)

27,063 tons used.

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ECONOMY:
Passenger Air Service: civil aircraft for mail & passengers to Europe, N Africa and near east.
6 Vickers Vimy run by "Air Palestine"
8 Handley-Page type-O bombers, converted to civil aircraft, run by "Israir"

Passenger ships dock at Haifa, which is a collier station run primarily for the Byzantines.
Ships for religious pilgrims and cargo dock at Tel Aviv/Yafo, or at Eilat. Both are also collier stations for Byzantium.

Tourism makes up a lot of the economy. There are some raw materiels and mining, but not much.

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Fluff:
The Yishuv will be a tale of many different cultures in one living space. On the coastline, you have affluent, cosmopolitan cities full of wealthier, Westernized, educated immigrants. German, French, Italian and American Jews live there or have summer homes there, enjoying the beaches. The destination port for these vacationers is frequently Haifa. The cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa in particular are very modern, with streetcars and electricity, even airports and talk of building a Zeppelin tower. Arts, and some say, decadence, thrive here. From Lebanon to Tel Aviv, it is the Paris of the East.

Inside the land, away from the coast, life drops off and becomes hardscrabble very quickly. The exceptions are Jerusalem and Tzfat/Tiveria. These cities are modernized, but austere. The people that choose to live here are frequently the devoutly religious, and those that delve into Kabbala (mostly in Tzfat). They practice strict adherence to Shabbat and are frequently engaged in Torah scholarship.

Away from the cities is the vast stretch of what some call "the real Israel". Orchards in the north, herdsmen in the center, or people trying to make the desert bloom in the unforgiving Negev desert, the men and women who live off the land are a hardy sort that look with disdain on their lazy (some say arrogant and overfed) cousins in the cities. Many of these people are Kibbutzniks, and motivated by Communist or Socialist zeal from Russia & Eastern Europe to come build a new land based on the collectivist dreams of the great visionary, Vladimir Lenin.

Among them all are the Arabs: Palestinians or Bedouin, or even the mysterious, reclusive Druse, all trying to make their lives under the Byzantine rulers in far-off Constantinople.

All these groups must get along and stay afloat in turbulent seas of politics and a society in change. Will far-off powers make them all choose sides? Or will they all band together for some future independence? Or will they all just be ground underfoot in some great war to come, tossed between major powers that don't even notice their tiny enclave?

[Steve]

Um, wrong power. Egypt rules Jerusalem de facto, not Constantinople.

*resumes reading*

[Steve]

Not bad, and I salute you on voluntarily reducing your manpower use, though keep in mind that SML merely represents what percent of your army (derived from Army Focus and how much it takes from the Mobilization Pool) is in regular service and what is not. Since you have extra points anyway why not go for 3 SML, with a max of 20% of your army manpower active and 80% in Reserve? You can even voluntarily reduce the actives and increase reserve.

Though I think you should go for Economy 3. That means you'd have 100 Industry points base, not 90. It just means your economy is functioning well, not necessarily powerful. But ultimately it's your choice.

[Coyote]

Alright, thanks for the input. I increased Econ and SML as suggested, and changed the rulership of Jerusalem.

Otherwise, if it is OK, I'll go ahead and start thinking up some posts...

[Steve]

Alright, thanks for the input. I increased Econ and SML as suggested, and changed the rulership of Jerusalem.

Otherwise, if it is OK, I'll go ahead and start thinking up some posts...

Please do so, you're always awesome to have around.

[Siege]

People, we're a Sultanate, not a Caliphate. Egypt is not a theocracy; power rests with the Sultan, not the Caliph of Cairo.