Something of Everything

Straha

Banned
B T Ridge
Posted on Saturday, January 26, 2002 - 09:38 pm:

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Here is a time line I've been working on the combines as many of the current topics as possible.

1933:Zangara kills FDR. In OTL he missed because being short he was standing on a wobbly old chair to see over the crowd. In the ATL he finds something more stable to stand on, or puts something under the chair leg to stop it moving or somebody takes pity on the little foreigner and holds the chair steady.

1933-1936: Jack Garner's years as president. Garner was a backroom mover and shaker he pushs through his reforms without consulting or informing the public. ie no FDR style fireside chats. Riots and protests breakout all over the country. Republicans are blamed for starting the depression but the Democrates can't seem to fix it where can the voters turn. A cabal of industrialists & financalists who in OTL planned to topple FDR by force realize they can achieve power legally with the right candidate. They recruit Charles Lindbergh to run for President with twice medal of honour retire marine general Smedly Butler as VP.

1937-1940 Lindbergh's first term effects on USA
1. All strikes and unions are banned.
2. All major and most minor cities build paved airport.
3. All airport are partly controlled by armed forces army, airforce national guards etc.
4. Funding of long range transport planes to move troops acroos the country to put down civil disturbances.
5. Non alliance isolationist policy.

1940: VP Butler dies but Lindbergh still wins second term USA is world leader in aviation because of government funding research. about 4-5 years ahead of OTL

effects on the rest of the world
Without the covert backing of FDR in its war with Hitler Britain is more include talk with anti Nazi germans. They also buy a lot of airplanes & parts from US factories via Canada. With a communication channel open to Britain Rudolf Hess doesn't feel the need to fly there and is still deputy fuerer.Hitler invades Russia the same as in OTL.
Japan seizes the chance to take over european colonies in south east asia while their military are involved against germany. The only place standing in their way to total control of S-E Asia is the the Phillipines. The attack on Pearl Harbour occurs. In this time line the japanese are even more sure that they can stalemate or beat the US as it has not been spending as much on the navy as in OTL.
Big mistake for twelve days after the attack Colonel Doolittle takes off from San Diego with flight of 24 long range transport plane modified for bombing and with extra fuel tanks. The squadron refuels in Hawaii and has already lost 3 planes. By the time they sight the japanese island they number 16 they split in two. Eight planes to bomb Toyko and eight to bomb the navy base they believe the attackers of Pearl Harbour came from. Fewer still make it to mainland China and only four finally make it to Manila after refueling. One of these takes General Macarthur south to safety in Australia.

Hitler who was an admirer of Lindbergh and even awarded him a medal for his flying achievements holds off declaring war on the USA before "tragically" dying in plane crash flying back from inspecting the troops. (the british supply the german resistance with a better detonator for their bottle bomb.) After a three way power struggle between the SS, Gestapo and the army Hess is recognised by all sides as the new Fuerer. A truce is called between Britain and Germany as they negotiate terms for peace. Both sides are not serious about it but need the breahing space to fight other enemies. Britain the japanese and Germany the Russians.

With British Naval power and American air superiority by 1944 the Japanese are pushed back to the home island and bombed into surrender.Germany pushes the Russians east over the Urals but can go no farther. Italy is not part of peace talks and supplied by with german weapons causes so0me trouble in north africa until Monty kicks them out of Ethiopia. The Pacific or Japanese war has forged a new a bond between the USA and the UK at its close Germany fearing an attack from both and having trouble controling the vaste territories it now owns hasterly winds up the peace treaty.

1945 The New World Order
Axis powers control most of mainland europe from the Atlantic coast to the Urals and the Baltic sea to the Mediterranean.

Communist powers control the lands east of the Urals to the South China sea. With most of the Stalinist leaders dead in the great retreat they are more united in ther beliefs.

Ho Chi Mihn declared Vietnam independent when the japanese surrendered. With France still under the control of Germany the US & UK ignore its protests and recognise the new nation.

Heavy tarrifs are placed on British goods in Europe freezing them out of the market. This forces them to depend more on cross Atlantic trade. in 1946 in joins with Canada and the USA in NATO (North Alantic Trade Organization)
 

Straha

Banned
B T Ridge
Posted on Thursday, January 31, 2002 - 02:44 am:

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The Greater Indian Union
Britain is in better shape at the end of the war and can now take its time in giving India independence. A six year plan is put in place. First India is divided into self governing regions. With some careful gerrymandering they end up with an even number of Hindu & Moslem states. In 1945 they elect their own state parliments with upper and lower houses. 1949 with the second state elections a referendum is held the choice is to remain with Britain in control or to form an independent national government on the same lines as the states. Each state gets two Senators in the upper house and the lower house is elected on population basis. Independence wins.1951 is set for the first national elections. The equalibrium is almost lost when southern Afganistan with its tribal ties to the northern moslem regions and under threat from USSR ask to join. The last minute including of Ceylon restores the balance and the G.I.U is born. Fear holds the union together fear of the twin ogres of the north of communism and fascism. Tales of Nazi death camps and Russian forced enslavement to create new factories and farms are spread by the stream of half starved refugees.

B T Ridge
Posted on Saturday, February 02, 2002 - 03:38 pm:

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1951 : Following independence the G.I.U. although it has become a republic is asked if it would like to join the British Commonwealth. The B.C. had started in 1931 as a favoured trading alliance with loose military support with the self governing members of the empire.(Britain, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia)It was B.C. support that had help save Britain in the war. After the war the B.C. took up some of the tasks that in OTL the UN did. It ran the refugee camps in the G.I.U., Trans Jordan and northern africa for those fleeing fascism & communism. Helping run elections in former british and non british colonies. B.C. military forces also aided in the occupation and rebuilding of Japan.
Even with the G.I.U. joining New Zealand is worried that the B.C. its main alliance is coming apart. Britain and Canada have a strengthening trading union with the U.S.(NATO). Australia is also looking to ties with the States and more frightening is the fact some regions of South Africa are doing deals with the Reich.
The N.Z. government starts canvassing the other members of the B.C. about the possiblity of asking the United States to join.
Australia : happy it would save them years of negotiating time.
G.I.U. : happy another republic in the group
Canada : happy another tie to US and to secure the 5000km land border.
S.A. : happy it may make some troublesome regions behave.
Britain : not happy at lossing some of its top dog status.
USA : What's in it for us ?

1952 : At the funeral of King George the leaders of the B.C. come to a majority agreement and the proposal is sent to the US president. After some umming and ahhing the offer is declined. This does not deter the Australians who have some strong ties with one of Republican candidates in the forth coming elections. Commander of allied ground forces in the Pacific, overseer of reconstruction in Japan and leader of the military offensive in the Korean crisis. Former General Douglas MacArthur who spent time during the war there and worked with commonwealth troops in Japan and Korea.
MacArthur campaigns with the slogan : Security & Prosperity with the Commonwealth.
Opponents claim he selling out the republic and restoring the monarchy to power. The wind is taken out of their sails when on being crowned the queen polity declines the role of head of the B.C.

Reichstar the first man made satelite is launched by the Reich.

MacArthur scraps in as President

1953 : The United States joins the Commonwealth but with conditions.
1.It is now called THE COMMONWEALTH OF NATIONS.

2.An offical Constitution is drawn up and signed by all members.

3.There is a judgement council to negotiate major disputes. It has five members two the USA & Britain are permanent the others are elected for five year terms.

4.All member nations shall send a representive to the council of commonwealth nations one member will be elected chairman for a five year term.

5.Any nation can ask to join the commonwealth as long they are willing to abide by the constitution and 2/3 majority of members agree to them joining. Members can be expelled on a 2/3 vote.

6. A permanent location is to be found for the Commonwealth council to reside.

Ireland asks to rejoin the New Commonwealth and there are inquires for Mexico and several other countries.

As if to celebrate its membership the United States explodes the worlds first atomic bomb May 27th 1953.
 
hmm interesting i like it, i don't see how it will turn into otl's bipolar cold war. nice fast easily read. one thing that i find strange is the recognition of vietnam. seems a little bit too easy? wouldn't the recognition of vietnam lend weight to the idea of colonies becoming independent (something otl's britain with its lords and monarchs weren't as i understand it too keen with). btw was zangara the anarchist who attempted to kill fdr before his term?
 

Redbeard

Banned
Interesting, and I think you're right that the 30's in USA had potential for some very significant PoD's.

But otherwise I only have comments on the aviation part. I doubt that ever so much increased funding alone can put development of aviation (or any other technology) to a point which in OTL was achieved by inspiration and experience from real life (combat). So a huge government aviation program initiated in 1937 is most likely to create a huge fleet of planes like they looked in 1937, and the next generations will just be minor modification to the 1937 status. Please remember that most of the great American planes we know from WWII were designed with early WWII European of Pacific combat experience in mind. The air force created from the Lindbergh program will tend to suffer the same problem as the Italian air force of WWII. That air force had its climax in mid 30’s where it was considered the strongest in the world (probably true). But by WWII it was obsolescent as everything from tactics to technology was anchored in mid 30’s thinking.

I could very well imagine that an aviation focused government in 30’s will mean the air force decisively winning the dispute over who shall control the seas (FDR was a navy guy). That will mean large fleets of heavy long range level bombers supposed to combat enemy battlefleets. When the first encounters happen it will show, that level bombers have practically no chance of hitting a maneuvering ship at sea – uups – to bad it takes years to build battleships and carriers!

The army will probably get starved too, as the interwar bomber school actually thought that wars could be won by strategic bombing – they can’t!

Regards

Steffen Redbeard
 
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