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Media / Create a fictional/factual historical background for your NW character!
« on: November 06, 2013, 05:16:24 am »
Hiya all! Title says it all, here is mine:
Early Life
Born on August 24th, in the year 1788, Johannes Volker was the second son of a wealthy Coal mine owner in South-West Silesia, Reinhardt Volker. Hailing from a coal mining village just outside of Breslau, Johan grew up to a life of luxury; he did not have to work in the mines, and spent most of his days reading his fathers books. As a young man, Johan knew that his older brother would take control of the family's mine when his father passed, and decided to dedicate the early years of his life to his education. Johan has a very gifted student, talented in latin, mathematics, and philosophy, Johan soon outgrew his Volksschule teaching, and decided it was time to go to a university.
Education
In 1805 Johan packed up his belonging (a few sketchbooks, a journal, and a collection of books on philosophy) and moved into Breslau to attend university there. His first year Johan excelled in his philosophy classes, but received negative marks by many of his other teachers for his habit of questioning their judgment, and for refusing to follow direct instructions. Loving life among the middle-class educated population of Breslau, Johan spent many nights in taverns, houses, libraries and other such locations ferociously debating with his peers. Were it philosophy, politics, war, or any other number of subjects, Johan would debate for hours on end. This explosive personality led him to become a leader among students, guiding them with his fiery words.
Invasion
One year later, when Napoleon's forces invaded Prussia, Johan longed to fight for his home; however, because of his age, and his father's influence he could not fight for Prussia. Luckily for him he was saved the bloody fights at Jena and other locations throughout Prussia, and watched in pain as his country was subjugated by France. Fuming at the defeat of his country, Johan would dedicate the next years of his life to fighting the French in any way possible.
For the next three years of his life, Johan would outwardly speak against the French, and organized students against them. Never taking any real action, Johan simply riled up his classmates with patriotic fever and preached to them the glory of an independent German state. This period of resistance culminated in 1809, when Johan was invited to the New University of Berlin, to be taught by Johann Gottlieb Fichte, a strong advocate for revolution. Johan was taught the ideals of German nationalism, and became even more fiercely opposed to French rule. For the next three years, Johan would remain at the New University of Berlin, learning and growing more and more bold with his speeches and writings against the french.
The Wars of Liberation
When King Frederich Wilhelm III sent out his call for the German people to rise in 1812, and called for the creation of a landwehr, Johan was one of the most adamant supporters of the revolution and quickly rushed back home to Silesia. Back home Johan wasted no time, and with the help of his father and older brother, began mobilizing the people in and around Breslau, calling for them to come join and fight the French. Together they rounded up well over a thousand men, and gather with other men from around Silesia to form the Silesian landwehr. The men from in and around Breslau were numbered 4th in line of the Silesain landwehr regiments. Johan's father Reinhardt was made Major of the First Battalion. His older Brother Heinrich was made Kapitain of B Kompanie. As for Johan, he was made PremierLeutnant of the 1. Zug 1. Battalion. The brave Silesians were low on equipment and weapons, but high in spirit. Marching on to meet with the rest of the army of the 6th coalition the 4. Silesian landwehr was attached to the army of Silesia, 7th Brigade, along with the 15. Silesian Landwehr and 3 battalions of the Leib Infanterie regiment. Over the summer of 1813 the 4th was trained by the Leib regiment until their soldiers were just as ready for battle as the footguards.
To Battle
Meeting armies of the 6th Coalition the Prussian army marched from Wartenburg to meet Napoleon on the field at Leipzig. Part of the 380,000 fallied force, the 7th Brigade was initially held in reserve. Johan surveyed the battlefield, awed by it's sheer scale and horrible destruction. Having never seen combat before, Johan was sick at his first sight of a Russian soldier, torn in two by a cannon ball. Two days after the start of the battle, on October 18th 1813, 30,000 men of the Silesian army were moved to the front by the Parthe River to reinforce Langeron's Russians. The 7th Brigade was called upon to be some of those reinforcements. The next day the Prussian reinforcements were sent forward to capture Leipzig, and to prevent a french escape. The 7th Brigade was in the second wave of attackers to attempt to pry Leipzig from the French. On the Chilly morning, Johan lined his platoon in front of the village, calming his men, although he himself was shaking to the bone. Just a few hundred meters away, the dying groans of hundreds of men could be heard, an endless chorus of agony amid the thundering artillery. After what seemed like hours, the order to advance was given, and the 4th Regiment began it's slow methodical advance to Leipzig. Just seconds after the advance was started, prussian Fusiliers were sent forward to harry the French; With bullets cracking all around then the men of 1. Zug advanced, unwavering, at 150 meters the first man as sent tumbling to the floor as a bullet lodged itself in his gut, the unteroffizers yelled to close the gaps and the march continued. Soon the dull thud of bullets hitting their targets became a familiar sound, as more and more men fell out of line. At 60 meters, when Johan could begin to make out the facial features of the men shooting from behind the barricades, he ordered the charge. A deafening cry went up as the Silesians were let free, individual clumps of men began charging individual ad-hoc fortresses. All over Men in blue and yellow climbed over thrown together barricades, bayoneting the weary defends where they stood. Elated by the charge at the barricade Johan rallied a dozen men around him and charged a house holding a collection of Frenchman and Poles, spanning a dozen different regiments. The door was barred by a stout Polish sergeant, who had a missing tooth and a unruly mustache on his upper lip. His face frozen in a snarl Johan lowered his pistol and fired it point-blank into the Poles open mouth. Spraying gore on the wall behind him, the Pole offered an opportunity for the men surrounding Johan to charge the door and effortlessly make short work of the cramped French and Polish defenders in the hovel. Johann was in shock, not believing that he took the man's life. The trance as broken quickly when one Johan's unteroffiziers forcefully pulled him into the blood soaked cottage. As Johan looked out the small window of the hovel, he was blown backwards by a massive explosion. Ears ringing he looked up to see the bridge prematurely detonated, leaving thousands of French dead, and thousands more stranded. Aware of how hopeless the situation was, the Frenchmen on the wrong side of the river quickly gave up their arms, and surrendered to the Prussians.
The Battle of Leipzig was won.
More to come tommorrow night!
Johannes Volker
Early Life
Born on August 24th, in the year 1788, Johannes Volker was the second son of a wealthy Coal mine owner in South-West Silesia, Reinhardt Volker. Hailing from a coal mining village just outside of Breslau, Johan grew up to a life of luxury; he did not have to work in the mines, and spent most of his days reading his fathers books. As a young man, Johan knew that his older brother would take control of the family's mine when his father passed, and decided to dedicate the early years of his life to his education. Johan has a very gifted student, talented in latin, mathematics, and philosophy, Johan soon outgrew his Volksschule teaching, and decided it was time to go to a university.
Education
In 1805 Johan packed up his belonging (a few sketchbooks, a journal, and a collection of books on philosophy) and moved into Breslau to attend university there. His first year Johan excelled in his philosophy classes, but received negative marks by many of his other teachers for his habit of questioning their judgment, and for refusing to follow direct instructions. Loving life among the middle-class educated population of Breslau, Johan spent many nights in taverns, houses, libraries and other such locations ferociously debating with his peers. Were it philosophy, politics, war, or any other number of subjects, Johan would debate for hours on end. This explosive personality led him to become a leader among students, guiding them with his fiery words.
Invasion
One year later, when Napoleon's forces invaded Prussia, Johan longed to fight for his home; however, because of his age, and his father's influence he could not fight for Prussia. Luckily for him he was saved the bloody fights at Jena and other locations throughout Prussia, and watched in pain as his country was subjugated by France. Fuming at the defeat of his country, Johan would dedicate the next years of his life to fighting the French in any way possible.
For the next three years of his life, Johan would outwardly speak against the French, and organized students against them. Never taking any real action, Johan simply riled up his classmates with patriotic fever and preached to them the glory of an independent German state. This period of resistance culminated in 1809, when Johan was invited to the New University of Berlin, to be taught by Johann Gottlieb Fichte, a strong advocate for revolution. Johan was taught the ideals of German nationalism, and became even more fiercely opposed to French rule. For the next three years, Johan would remain at the New University of Berlin, learning and growing more and more bold with his speeches and writings against the french.
The Wars of Liberation
When King Frederich Wilhelm III sent out his call for the German people to rise in 1812, and called for the creation of a landwehr, Johan was one of the most adamant supporters of the revolution and quickly rushed back home to Silesia. Back home Johan wasted no time, and with the help of his father and older brother, began mobilizing the people in and around Breslau, calling for them to come join and fight the French. Together they rounded up well over a thousand men, and gather with other men from around Silesia to form the Silesian landwehr. The men from in and around Breslau were numbered 4th in line of the Silesain landwehr regiments. Johan's father Reinhardt was made Major of the First Battalion. His older Brother Heinrich was made Kapitain of B Kompanie. As for Johan, he was made PremierLeutnant of the 1. Zug 1. Battalion. The brave Silesians were low on equipment and weapons, but high in spirit. Marching on to meet with the rest of the army of the 6th coalition the 4. Silesian landwehr was attached to the army of Silesia, 7th Brigade, along with the 15. Silesian Landwehr and 3 battalions of the Leib Infanterie regiment. Over the summer of 1813 the 4th was trained by the Leib regiment until their soldiers were just as ready for battle as the footguards.
To Battle
Meeting armies of the 6th Coalition the Prussian army marched from Wartenburg to meet Napoleon on the field at Leipzig. Part of the 380,000 fallied force, the 7th Brigade was initially held in reserve. Johan surveyed the battlefield, awed by it's sheer scale and horrible destruction. Having never seen combat before, Johan was sick at his first sight of a Russian soldier, torn in two by a cannon ball. Two days after the start of the battle, on October 18th 1813, 30,000 men of the Silesian army were moved to the front by the Parthe River to reinforce Langeron's Russians. The 7th Brigade was called upon to be some of those reinforcements. The next day the Prussian reinforcements were sent forward to capture Leipzig, and to prevent a french escape. The 7th Brigade was in the second wave of attackers to attempt to pry Leipzig from the French. On the Chilly morning, Johan lined his platoon in front of the village, calming his men, although he himself was shaking to the bone. Just a few hundred meters away, the dying groans of hundreds of men could be heard, an endless chorus of agony amid the thundering artillery. After what seemed like hours, the order to advance was given, and the 4th Regiment began it's slow methodical advance to Leipzig. Just seconds after the advance was started, prussian Fusiliers were sent forward to harry the French; With bullets cracking all around then the men of 1. Zug advanced, unwavering, at 150 meters the first man as sent tumbling to the floor as a bullet lodged itself in his gut, the unteroffizers yelled to close the gaps and the march continued. Soon the dull thud of bullets hitting their targets became a familiar sound, as more and more men fell out of line. At 60 meters, when Johan could begin to make out the facial features of the men shooting from behind the barricades, he ordered the charge. A deafening cry went up as the Silesians were let free, individual clumps of men began charging individual ad-hoc fortresses. All over Men in blue and yellow climbed over thrown together barricades, bayoneting the weary defends where they stood. Elated by the charge at the barricade Johan rallied a dozen men around him and charged a house holding a collection of Frenchman and Poles, spanning a dozen different regiments. The door was barred by a stout Polish sergeant, who had a missing tooth and a unruly mustache on his upper lip. His face frozen in a snarl Johan lowered his pistol and fired it point-blank into the Poles open mouth. Spraying gore on the wall behind him, the Pole offered an opportunity for the men surrounding Johan to charge the door and effortlessly make short work of the cramped French and Polish defenders in the hovel. Johann was in shock, not believing that he took the man's life. The trance as broken quickly when one Johan's unteroffiziers forcefully pulled him into the blood soaked cottage. As Johan looked out the small window of the hovel, he was blown backwards by a massive explosion. Ears ringing he looked up to see the bridge prematurely detonated, leaving thousands of French dead, and thousands more stranded. Aware of how hopeless the situation was, the Frenchmen on the wrong side of the river quickly gave up their arms, and surrendered to the Prussians.
The Battle of Leipzig was won.
More to come tommorrow night!
) I believe two platoons is most effective because:
