August 1876
News has reached Princess Viktoria that Mittelland's first Army Division to begin occupying Dongolo and the Abba Territory has met with disaster. A typhoon hit southeastern Mafrica last week while the Mittelland transport fleet attempted to shelter in Mosul Bay, unfortunately, the ships were all dashed against the eastern cliffs by 30 foot waves. Once the typhoon blew itself out and turned into a monsoon across southeastern Mafrica, the Princess ordered all her craft to sea to attempt to rescue who they could.
The ships arrived back several days later to report the great disaster of the Mittelland army division.
The river craft and the dhows had rescued a large portion of a Uhlan Regiment, without their horses, and 302 other troops of all ranks and services, including 26 sailors. All soldiers were taken immediately into the Princesses service.
The Mittelland Army has lost upwards of ten thousand troops, an equal number of horses and all arms. This is to say nothing of the Naval loses of 75 ships of all descriptions and their crews, and has put Mittelland plans five years or more behind schedule.
With a brighter bit of news a section of Hussar Jaegars (scouting twenty miles or so ahead of the column building a road and laying telegraph lines toward El Shab; about 50 miles from our new capitol in the build stage tentatively named Neu Brandenburg by the Princesses) has reported finding an ancient city on a hillock (actually a limestone quarry) and surrounding area. P. Viktoria has ordered the Col. commanding the Hussar Jaegars to advance to the location and return with a full report.
The Col. is expected to report in a week or two.
