Alternate Asia 1946

The ending of the Second World War saw the collapse of the Japanese Empire. It saw a major redrawing of the Map of Asia. Soviet forces had Liberated Manchuria and North Korea. The US liberated South Korea.
The ending of the Second World War saw a resumption of the Chinese Civil War as the Nationalist and the Communist Battled to see who would control China. The United States had helped to rebuild and modernize the Nationalist Armed Forces. The Chinese troops that had fought in Burma had benefited from this training. it had also seen the weeding out of corruption in the Chinese military and reforms.. For nearly three years the Chinese Civil War had waged. The Nationalist had been unable to recover Manchuria but they had managed to drive the Communist out of the rest of China.
The Nationalist under Chaing Kai Shek had then set a demilitarized Zone between the two China's but on either side of the Zone it was heavily fortified.
The Chinese leader had still called for the destruction of the Communist state but had realized that China needed vast help to recover from the damage caused by 8 years of destruction.
The Chinese leader asked for US help and investment in his country.
At the same time he had denounced the treaties that had given foreigners special rights. The Chinese leader and the British had reached an understanding regarding that position.
Britain had restored its position in Hong Kong. It had strengthen its defenses of the crown colony. Britain had also set up a legislative body in the crown colony. This assembly would be elected by the people. The British Government would continue to appoint the Royal governor but an opening was made in giving the citizens of the colony a voice.
Korea had been divided and the South had become a democratic Republic. Unfortunately the North had become a very closed state modeled upon the Soviet Union. Elections which were suppose to have taken place in all of Korea were never held in the North. The Soviet backed leader of the North proclaimed the North the People's Democratic republic of Korea.
The French and Dutch had re-established themselves in their colonies in Indochina and the Netherlands East Indies. While in July of 1946 the United States granted independence to the Philippines.
India was granted independence by Britain as was Ceylon. There was however a question as to whether it would break apart due to religious strife.

The Republic of China's military had revived a variety of American Military equipment during the War. As for tanks the Chinese army had American Stuarts, Lees, Sherman and even some of the American Chafee light tanks.. the Chinese Air force had been equipped with the American P-40 fighter, C-46 and C-47 tansports and the B-10 , B-25 and B-26 bombers. The Chinese had also recovered some wreckage of American B-29 Bombers that had crashed landed in China enroute to airbases in China that had allowed raids on Japan.
The former Chinese Naval attache to great Britain had returned home from that post and had been charged by Chaing with building up a Nationalist Chinese Navy.
Admiral Soong had used his wartime contacts with the Americans to seek to gain US built Warships and assistance in the training of Chinese sailors and technical personnel. The United States had large numbers of surplus ships that the Chinese government could acquire at low cost.

Asia was in turmoil the result of the Second world War had unleasesd a lot of trouble for the Colonial power. The French were facing a Communist lead insurgency. The failure of the Communist to win their own Civil War in China had resulted in the fact that the Viet Minh had been cut off from much needed supplies. The French Army had launched a surprisingly effective offensive. This offensive had had a lot of luck. Killed in the surprisng use of Paratroopers, Commandos and other forces was General Giap . The Political laeader of the Communist Ho Chi Minh was wounded and latter was captured by the French Vietnamese forces.
It is very probable that this might not have been possible except for the fact that the United States had provided france with much military equipment including aircraft, tanks, armored vehicles, artillery etc. This had allowed the French/Colonial forces mobility and fire power. The insurgency was not over but the faitel blow had been dealt in 1946 and by the time that the Chinese Civil War went cold the conflict in IndoChina was over. While France retained bases and influence Vietnamn, Laos and Cambodia were all on the road to independence.
The bloody colonial conflict had also moved to the Duch Far Eastern Colony. Both Nationalist and Communist had joined forces in an attempt to oust the Dutch. The Netherlands had suffered from the Brutal Occupation by Germany and there was a question as to whether it hat the military forces as well as the Political will to fight.
The Dutch did gain the upper hand in some areas but it was unclear as to whether or not they could win a long term conflict.
The period also saw a Communist Insurgency break out in Malayasia.
Here it appeared that there was only limited support among the Malayan people but more among the ethnic Chinese Minority.
British, Australian, New Zealand and Indian troops made an all out effort to crush the insurgency. It required a massive effort including relocation of population and an attempt to win the hearts and minds of the population. Slowly the allied forces gained the upper hand but it was nearly 16 years before the very last of the Bandits were eliminated.

I see, this is some kind of larger version of my Chinese Navy TL?

Yes this is a larger view of the world. There may be some changes.

The world prior to the end of the Second World War: In the Months before his Death President Franklin D Roosevelt had begun to change his view of Stalin. He had ordered changes in the occupation zone for Post War germany. The UD would press to the Elbe river and thus the Western allies would control more of Germany. General Patton's forces had also pushed into Czechoslovakia and had liberated Prague.
The United States and Great Britain insisted on free elections in Poland. Tis began a series of clashes of views that began the slide from being allies toward the beginning of a cold war.
President Harry Truman insisted that the USSR withdraw its military forces from Northern Persia now that the war was over. Great Britain invervened in Greece to help prevent a communist take over of the Kingdom.
The United States began to supply surplus military eguipment to its allies or sell the surplus equipment to them.

In Asia conflict was taking place between the colonial powers and the nationalist or Communist.
In Korea the United States Established a Military advisory mission that would train the South Koreans to defend their country. The US supplied the ROK constabulary/Army with the same small arms that it had used in the second world war. However it only equipped the country's army with 75mm pack howitzers and a limited number of105mm guns. As for anti tank weapons the ROK received Bazookas and 57mm Anti tank guns, The also received some Chafee light tanks.
The United States Air Force supplied the ROK with some P-51 fighters, som recon aircraft and a few transports. The US Navy supplied them with some Buckley class destroyer escorts and PT Boats. The US did not want to trigger a War, especially since the President of Korea kept spouting about liberating the North.

The Soviet Union had been far more Generious to the North . It supplied it with T-34/76 and T-34/85, Assault guns and much heavier artillery. The Communist had not only fighters but loads of attack aircraft.

What of Japan?

General MacArthur had Korea as part of his area of responsibility. He also oversaw the Pacific and as a result met with the Nationalist Chinese leader.
Chaing was seeking American and western investment in his country. The country racked by 8 years of war with Japan and then 3 more years of battles with the Communist needed everything. It would need assistance in repairing its infrastructure and its production of goods, etc. Also western help would be appreciated to dam China;s river to control flooding and produce Hydro-electric power.
China wanted also to form partnerships with American companies so as to produce goods for the Chinese Military and the civilian economy.

Japan: General MacArthur occupation forces oversaw the demilitarization of Japan. The country had suffered greatly from the American bombing both Conventional and the Atomic bomb. Japan received a new Constitution which set it on the path toward being a democracy.
Japanese industry shifted in direction. The occupation gave it a shot in the arm as American Money paid the Japanese to carry out maintenance work on military equipment.. Still by 1950 the country was beginning to see improvement.
The Japanese were only slowly being allowed limited rearmament

Then came a misstep by the Secretary of State of the United States when he left Korea out of the US defense Zone. It was all the North Korean Leader needed to gain soviet approval fro a reunification of Korea under his leadership.

People's Republic of China: Mao had fully expected that with the ending of the 2nd World War that he would gain the upper hand over the Nationalist and wrestle control of China from them. Things had not gone as he had throught. The reforms that the Americans had mad in the Chinese forces that had fought in Burma had spread to the rest of the army. Thus it had taken a supreme effort just to prevent the fall of Manchuria. Missteps by both sides had allowed Mao to hold on.
Manchuria however had been stripped by the Red Army of much of its Industrial plants. Thus in 1950 the PRC was just starting to rebuild. It was dependent upon the Russians for weapons.
Russia supplied the PRC with tanks , artillery and aircraft. It also began to supply Pt boats, some surface craft and a few submarines in return for base rights at what had once been known as Port Arthur.

Everyone was surprised when artillery rounds started to impact in South Korea. The North Korean army's tanks were able to over run the South Korean military's forces. General MacArthur was woken up with the news of the communist attack.
Washington also received an alert that something had happen was happening in Korea.
MacArthur ordered US Air Power to intervene and strike the North Koreans. He also wanted a fact finding mission dispatched from
Japan to Korea.

I see that India in your TL remains united? Why's that?

At the moment I haven't exactly decided if India will split as it did in our time line or if it will remain united. India at the moment is something that will have to wait. Right now there is a war in Korea to deal with. It will effect Japan, the ROC and the PRC.

chris N said:

At the moment I haven't exactly decided if India will split as it did in our time line or if it will remain united. India at the moment is something that will have to wait. Right now there is a war in Korea to deal with. It will effect Japan, the ROC and the PRC.

Click to expand...

IMO India should split as in OTL, but it's your TL. About war in Korea, I frankly don't see how RoC and PRC could stay out. And if they get in, then Soviets also have to get in to save PRC and DPRK, and that brings US in conflict etc...

In the PRC Capital in Manchuria the Chinese government was wondering who had given the Korean leader permission to start a war. No one had consulted the PRC regarding this. The PRC had just received its first Russian made Mig 15 Jet fighters. It was mainly equipped with aircraft that would have been at home in the last war
Mao wanted the People's Liberation Army to be reinforced along the border with the ROC and along the border with North Korea.
The North Korean army was pushing south and it appeared that Seoul
was about to fall and the North Korean forces were pressing ahead. They hoped to push as far south as Pusan and thus make it unlikely that the Americans would respond.
MacArthur using his own authority had ordered the USAFFEC to strike at the North Korean spearheads. He had ordered a Task Force to be dispatched from Japan to aid the South Korean forces. Unfortunately ., the US occupation forces did not have the Sherman tank as there had been a fear that the Japanese bridges could not handle the weigh of the Sherman tank. Thus they only had the lighter M-24 tank. This tank was armed with a 75mm gun but had thin armor. MacArthur had requested reinforcements. He had requested the Marines to dispatch forces to Pusan.
The American 7th Fleet had forces steaming to the area. This would bring additional air support as well as sea based gun support from Cruisers and destroyers.

Moscow: Stalin was made aware of the North Korean invasion of the South. He had received reports that the North had done quite well. Moscow had no idea that the Americans had already begun to intervene.
The Republic of China had been receiving additional ships and equipment from the United States. The US had sold or given the ROC 4 Fletcher class destroyers, 2 Sumner and 2 Gearing class destroyers. Below one of the ex American destroyers

Washington DC: President Truman was waken to receive news that the North Koreans had invaded the Republic of Korea. He was also iformed of what action General MacArthur had taken.. The President wanted the US Ambassador to the UN to bring this act of aggression.
He fully expected to call the British, Australian and Canadian Canadian Prime Ministers as well as the President of France latter in the day.

General MacArthur had a visit from the Japanese Prime Minister, who expressed great concern about the invasion of the Republic of Korea by the north. The Japanese Parliament was about to take a major step in rearmament by organizing the Self Defense force. The United states would be providing some equipment to Japan but Japanese industry was expected to produce copies of the American weapons as well as Japanese designs.
Japan had been concern at the growing military strength of the communist states in the region and the possibility of communist controling all of Korea had now set off alarm bells.

India 1946 the British government after the Second World War had now begun to prepare the country for independence. The last Viceroy of India would be Lord Louis Mountbatten. After the decision had been made problems began to crop up there was a difference of opinion between those of the Hindu faith and those of the Muslim faith. As long as the British had controlled the country that problem had been held in check but with the last British Military personnel to be gone by 1948 religious tensions began to grow.
The result was that the Viceroy attempted to mediate a peaceful division of the country. Surprisingly the Muslim population in the eastern part of the country was less demanding of breaking away.
Still a division would be made creating the country of Pakistan.