AUSTRIA-HUNGARY (Mark Nowitz)
F(Gre) Stands (DISLODGED - DISBANDED NRP)

ENGLAND (Stephen Robling)
A(Nwy) Stands

FRANCE (Adrian Deume)
A(Wal) - Lon; F(Lpl) Stands; F(IRI) - NAO; A(Bur) - Mun; A(Gas) - Bur; A(Bel) s GERMAN F(NTH) - Hol (MISORDER); F(ENG) - NTH (FAILED)

GERMANY (Koichi Karasawa)
A(Edi) Stands; A(Den) - Kie; A(Kie) - Hol; A(Sil) - Ber; F(BAL) - Swe; F(NTH) - ENG (FAILED); F(Swe) - SKA

ITALY (Michael Floyd)
A(Tyr) s FRENCH A(Bur) - Mun; A(Boh) s FRENCH A(Bur) - Mun; A(Ser) - Bul (FAILED); F(Alb) s F(ION) - Gre; F(ION) - Gre; F(Nap) - ION

RUSSIA (Donald Reinhard)
F(StP) nc s ENGLISH A(Nwy); A(Mos) - War; A(Bud) s A(Rum); A(Rum) s A(Ukr) - Sev; A(Ukr) - Sev; F(Sev) - BLA

TURKEY (Alexandre Santos)
F(EMS) - AEG; A(Arm) - Sev (FAILED); A(Bul) s AUSTRIAN F(Gre) (CUT); F(Con) s A(Bul)


Autumn 1904 Adjustments:
A: -Ser, -Gre = 0; Loses 2.
E: Nwy, -Lpl = 1; Loses 1.
F: Lon, +Lpl, +Mun, Bel, Spa, Por, Bre, Mar, Par = 9; Gains 2.
G: Edi, Kie, Hol, Ber, Swe, Den, -Mun = 6; Loses 1.
I: +Ser, +Gre, Vie, Tri, Nap, Tun, Rom, Ven = 8; Gains 2.
R: StP, War, Bud, Rum, Sev, Mos = 6; No change.
T: Bul, Con, Ank, Smy = 4; No change.


Builds/Disbands:
E: None.
F: Builds F(Bre), A(Par).
G: Removes F(NTH).
I: Builds A(Ven), (No build ordered).
R: None.
T: None.

PRESS

Andy-All:
Please do NOT forget to include retreats in next season's (S1905) orders!

Andy-All:
Please note that we have slightly less then two weeks this time because of Christmas. I will move the adjudication back to Thursdays after the Hols!

Austrian Govt.-All:
Thanks for the game guys, and thanks for the smashing! I'll try harder next time! Hope to see you all again!

Andy-Mark:
Thanks for Playing Mark and hopefully you'll send me an EGS that I can publish when the game finishes, but in the mean time I'll sor your upgrade out. Thanks again :-)

Eng-All:
Christiana Press:
Strengthened by its Swedish master's occupation by Germany the (Norweigan) nation hopes to gain its independence early in the new year. The fear is that the British army may try to impose its own rule on Norway rather than allow the Danish princeling to take the newly restored throne. But if history teaches us anything the midst of war is not the time time make such plans.

Fra-All:
Secret alliances rumble on. It is hoped that the English army shall soon lead an offensive against Germany. Despite English fears, the government of France would never use the guillotine against a King. On the contrary, France sincerely hopes for the well being of England and the newly installed King of the Norwegian empire. Sultan Alex, now it is time to move past the whining of stage one and get on to the dying of stage two.

Mos-All:
THE RUSSIAN PRESS:
Russian armed forces are diligently defending our borders on all sides. Also, they are working on a counter-strike to defend Mother Russia from unwarranted attacks, and to send a message that such tyranny will not be tolerated. The Navy in Sevastopol, which has been under siege from Turkish terrorists for the past three years, is finally attempting to enter the previously demilitarized zone of the Black Sea. They are working on counterattacking Turkish aggression, as an example to other terrorists who would invade the Russian homeland. The army in Moscow is changing stations to garrison the western-most outpost of the empire in Warsaw. This is necessary to defend against the completely incomprehensible attacks from the Fatherland. Russian sailors, who recently vacated Sweden, have adopted the battlecry "Father slapped Mother! Mother got Mad!" The Navy in St Pete is continuing to defend the isolated English army in Norway. Russia prays that the English army will remain in place for sometime, at least keeping Kaiser Koichi from entering and despoiling Norway's valuable resources.
Czar Donald has heard rumors that there is treachery coming from a good friend of Mother Russia. However, after communicating with this friend, he is confident that these rumors are unfounded.

In other news:
Paraphrased from: ( www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1904 )
(This year's) St. Louis Olympics organizers repeated all of the mistakes of four years ago. The Olympic competitions, spread out over four and a half months, were lost in the chaos of a World's Fair. Of the 94 events generally considered to have been part of the Olympic program, only 42 included athletes who were not from the United States. (This year's) Olympics did have a few highlights (Unlike past Olympics games, gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded for first, second and third place. Boxing and freestyle wrestling (are some new games which were added this year). Marathon runners Len Tau and Jan Mashiani, Tswana tribesmen who were in St. Louis as part of the Boer War exhibit at the World's Fair, became the first Africans to compete in the Olympics. One of the most remarkable athletes was the American gymnast George Eyser, who won six medals even though his left leg was made of wood. Chicago runner James Lightbody won the steeplechase and the 800m and then set a world record in the 1,500m.
HIGHLIGHTS
Archie Hahn (USA-athletics), the Milwaukee Meteor, was champion in the 60m, 100m and 200m. In this last race, he set a new Olympic record in 21.6 seconds. In the discus, Martin Sheridan (USA) won the decider and claimed the gold medal. After he had thrown exactly the same distance as his compatriot, Ralph Rose (39.28m), the judges gave them both an extra throw to decide the winner.
Also, paraphrased from, ( home.nycap.rr.com/useless/st_louis_olympics )
These games were a sideshow in every sense. We usually have the image in our minds that the Olympics are really big business. The hosting cities go out of their way to make sure that everything runs smoothly and that the best facilities are provided for the competing athletes. But, it (doesn't) always (happen) this way. (While) the original games were held in 1896 at Athens and were then followed by the 1900 Paris games, (this year's) Olympics were held in St. Louis, Missouri. Since traveling overseas from Europe (is) extremely expensive, the competition consisted mostly of Americans and Canadians (of the 681 athletes, 525 were from the United States.). It should be pointed out, however, that the Olympics (are) not intended to be a competition among nations. It (is simply) a competition among amateur athletes from around the world. It (is) the job of the amateur athlete to find his way to the games at his own expense. No one (cares, except you, of course), if you (can't) get there. (This year's) Olympics were of relatively minor importance. They were originally scheduled to take place in Chicago, but President Roosevelt urged for the games to be held in St. Louis, because the Louisiana Purchase Exposition was being held there at the same time to showcase (some new inventions). These new gadgets included: (some new uses of) electricity (sponsored by Thomas Edison), (Henry Ford's) new (automobile, commonly referred to as a "horseless carriage"), and a machine, which (two brothers from Ohio who brought), called an "airplane", which they claim a man can fly in. What will those crazy Yanks think of next!
The Exposition organizers built a permanent gymnasium and a stadium with enough seats to hold (only) some 35,000 spectators. This may sound like a lot of people, but it's really nothing when you compare it to the estimated 20 million people that attended the Exposition during its six month run. The entire event lasted from Monday, August 29 to Saturday, September 3. There were no events scheduled for Friday, so the entire series of Olympic games lasted for just five short days.

(These games) were a disaster. To start, if you were considered to be a minority, you had to compete in separate games. These games came under the high-sounding name of "Anthropology Days" which were held on August 12 and 13. These games were designed to face "costumed members of the uncivilized tribes" against one another. Never-to-be classic Olympic games were included - mud fighting, rock throwing, pole climbing, spear throwing, and... you get the idea...
Things went downhill from there.
In swimming, Hungary's Zoltan Halmay won the 100m and 50m freestyle. Originally, Halmay beat American J. Scott Leary by just one foot in the 50m event. However, the American judge ruled that Leary had won. This ruling resulted in a brawl between the two, so the judges ordered a rematch. Halmay won on the second attempt.
An American gymnast named George Eyser won two gold, two silver, and one bronze medal at the games. (This was) quite a remarkable feat when you consider the fact that he only had one real leg. The other leg was solid wood! (His leg was amputated when he was run over by a train - Ouch!).
(The marathon was a real disaster!) It was run on a very humid, 90+ degree day. The 40 kilometer course started with five laps around the stadium track. The runners then left the stadium and embarked on a dusty, unpaved course that took them up-and-down over seven different hills. The path was marked by red flags that designated the way. A vanguard of horsemen cleared the trail along the way. They were followed by doctors, judges, and reporters in the newly invented (automobile). The net result was a constant cloud of dust kicked up into the runners' faces. (The competitors) were literally forced to eat dust.
The first man to cross the finish line was Fred Lorz from New York City. Lorz had completed the race in just over three hours time. When he entered the stadium, the crowd roared with excitement. Photographs were taken of President Roosevelt's daughter Alice placing a laurel wreath over Lorz's head. (However, his) moment in the limelight did not last very long. Just as Lorz was about to accept his medal, officials learned that Lorz had been spotted passing the halfway mark in an automobile. It seems that Lorz had been suffering from cramps, so he "hitched" a ride at the 9 mile point. He then rode in the vehicle for another eleven miles, at which point the car overheated and broke down. He waved at the spectators and fellow runners along the way. Lorz, now rejuvenated from his ride, chose to run the rest of the race. (He claims) that he never meant to fool anyone - he just couldn't resist the praise and adulation of the roaring crowd. (However, he) was immediately banned for life from any future amateur competition.
So, if Lorz didn't win, who did? It was a British-born man named Thomas Hicks who ran for the American team. (Hail King Stephen!) Hicks ran the race in 3:28:53. When he ran into the stadium the crowd was less than enthusiastic. After all, they had already cheered for a winner, even if he had been disqualified. Of course, good little Alice Roosevelt was again ready to pose with the winner. But she couldn't. Hicks had to be carried off of the track. It seems that Hicks had begged to lie down about ten miles from the finish line. Instead, his trainers gave him an oral dose of strychnine sulfate mixed into raw egg white to keep him going. This was not enough - they had to give him several more doses, as well as brandy, along the way. By the end of the race, Hicks had to actually be supported by two of his trainers so that he could cross the finish line (essentially, he was carried over the line with his feet moving back-and-forth). Hicks was very close to death's door. It took four doctor's to get him in good enough shape just to leave the grounds, eventually falling asleep on a trolley.
That's not the end of the story! (can it get any more bizarre?)
It seems that another entrant was a Cuban postman named Felix Carvajal. Once Felix heard about the marathon, he announced that he was going to run. He had no money, so he quit his job and went into the fund raising business. He ran around the central square in Havana and jumped on a soapbox pleading for donations. He repeated this several times until he raised the necessary cash. On his way to the race, Felix managed to lose all of his money in a crap game in New Orleans. As a result, he had to hitchhike (the new art of extending your thumb to beg a ride) his way to the games (not an easy thing to do). When Carvajal arrived at the games, he lacked any type of running gear. The officials were forced to postpone the start of the marathon for several minutes while he cut the sleeves off his shirt and the legs off his pants. He ran the race in lightweight street shoes. During the race, Felix didn't seem to fatigue easily. He constantly conversed with the crowd, even running backwards at times while he spoke to them in broken English. But wait, in keeping with the (this year's) tradition it had to get worse for poor Felix: He blew any chance of victory by getting hungry. He first ate some peaches that he stole from a race official. He then took a detour into an orchard to munch on some green apples. Big mistake - he developed stomach cramps and had to temporarily drop out of the marathon. Eventually, Felix got back in the race and managed to come in fourth place. He probably would have won if he had not gotten the munchies.
(And still, there is more!)
The marathon included the first two black Africans to compete in the Olympics - two Zulu tribesman named Lentauw (real name: Len Taunyane)and Yamasani (real name: Jan Mashiani). They wore bibs 35 and 36, respectively. The only problem was that these two tribesmen were not in town to compete in the Olympics - they were actually the sideshow! Yes, they were imported by the exposition as part of the Boer War exhibit (both [are] really students at Orange Free State in South Africa, but no one [wants] to believe that these tribesmen could actually be educated - it would [ruin] the whole image). Lentauw finished ninth and Yamasani came in twelfth. This (is) a disappointment, as many observers were sure Lentauw could have done better - that is if he had not been chased nearly a mile off course by a large, aggressive canine!
The marathon was over, but there is still one more little story to go along with this: It seems that two of the patrolling officials driving in a brand-new automobile were forced to swerve to avoid hitting one of the runners - they ended up going down an embankment and were severely injured.
In the end, the St. Louis Olympics (along with the previous Paris games) proved to be such a disaster that the Olympic Committee (is) forced to hold interim Olympic games in 1906 (which will be held) in Athens, in an attempt to revive the flagging Olympic movement.
An interesting sidenote: Iced tea (is becoming a favorite beverage due to this year's) Exposition. It seems that it was so hot during the Expo that the staff at the Far East Tea House couldn't even give away their product. (So what did they do?) Very simple - they poured the hot tea over ice cubes! The new drink (is quickly becoming) the Expo's most popular beverage

Andy-All:
Great Press guys. Keep up the good work!Oh and thanks for the history lesson Donald :-)

The Map can be downloaded from:
http://www28.brinkster.com/ajscott/showmap.asp?game=Ironhand&season=a1904

Spring 1905 DEADLINE: 09:00 GMT, Tuesday 23rd December 2003.