Dead by Dawn: The Road to Revolution

[The Admiral Hook]

Very interesting stuff and I like the frequent and concise update style. Good for injecting some good quality AH while on the go.

I noticed the "peace for years to come" thing and I'm a little worried that there won't be an American cultural Uberenemy for an alternate Cold War post WWII which is what I was hoping for... I forgive you because I know you're actually saving a lot of innocent lives by staving off not only the holocaust (which is obviously a good thing) but also the single greatest Great War there ever could have been (which would have been very cool, sorry to say)...

Unless Japan still rears its ugly head in some years... in which case, all bets are off. With a balkanized and/or weakened China, Japan's invasion could do much better and then it may turn its eyes to the whole Pacific...

At any rate....

Thanks for checking out "Sour Imperium: The Life and Presidency of Jack Johnson" (SHAMELESS PLUG RETURNED!) and keep up the excellent work on this!

[Enigmajones]

Originally Posted by TheInfiniteApe

Very interesting stuff and I like the frequent and concise update style. Good for injecting some good quality AH while on the go.

I noticed the "peace for years to come" thing and I'm a little worried that there won't be an American cultural Uberenemy for an alternate Cold War post WWII which is what I was hoping for... I forgive you because I know you're actually saving a lot of innocent lives by staving off not only the holocaust (which is obviously a good thing) but also the single greatest Great War there ever could have been (which would have been very cool, sorry to say)...

Unless Japan still rears its ugly head in some years... in which case, all bets are off. With a balkanized and/or weakened China, Japan's invasion could do much better and then it may turn its eyes to the whole Pacific...

At any rate....

Thanks for checking out "Sour Imperium: The Life and Presidency of Jack Johnson" (SHAMELESS PLUG RETURNED!) and keep up the excellent work on this!

There will be war in Europe, but not in the same timeframe as in our TL.

[Enigmajones]

The Iron Fist

The German Civil War is remembered for being one of the most brutal exercises in futility ever seen on the European Continent. Of all the interwar conflicts, none had a death toll as high, not just in terms of military, but in terms of civilian lives. With the borders all around Germany closed off, the people of Germany were in a word, quarantined. Food shortages became a major worry after NSVP Wehrbauren burned their crops in an effort to keep from feeding the Nazi troops. During the war morale was low on both sides, with the high command of each army doing all the thinking. In the National Socialist camp, the Army of the Revolution was lead by Otto Strasser, which caused a slight divide in the troops who supported Ernst Rohm. Rohm himself respected Strasser to much to make an issue of it, besides the fact that Rohm homosexuality was the reason that Gregor Strasser kept him out of the position. In the Reichswehr camp, Schliecher was the commander in chief of all Republican forces, including the Reichsmarine, the Reichswehr and the Reichluftstreitkrafte, an air force created at the time of the coup.

The Nazi's were at an immediate disadvantage, because whilst they had a massive army, they had no air force or Navy, nor did they have any hope of gaining either. This caused setbacks at first and forced the Nazi's to retreat to the southern part of Germany by the winter of 1932. Under Otto Strasser the armed forces recollected themselves for a planned offensive on the capital. Otto confidently boasted to his brother that the swastika would be flying over the Reichstag by Christmas of 1933. The confidence proved unfounded as the war turned into a hideous stalemate. The names of Efurt, Zwickau, Steinau and Leipzig plastered the headlines of daily papers in Paris, New York, London and Moscow. The Battle for Thuringia would end the Nazi offensive on Berlin and the Nordenmarsch ended in February of 1934, forcing the Nazi's into the realization that the war was possibly unwinnable. Some similar feelings were being expressed in the capital where President von Schliecher was worried that Festung Bayern, would be in the hands of the Hitlerites forever if an offensive could not succeed. He continually extended offers of alliance to any neighboring nation in return for assistance in the war. By the summer of 1934, he had found two allies.

Benito Mussolini, Il Duce of the Kingdom of Italy and leader of the National Fascist Party, had been offering the involvement of Italian troops since as early as 1932. However, the anti aircraft guns in Nazi held territory were shooting down any planes flying overhead, so the only viable route was by land and the only route by land from Italy to Germany was Austria. Austria, now under the rule of Engelbert Dollfuss, a self described Austrofascist, was an ally of Italy and a confidant of Mussolini. He was however, wary of helping the Germans as he was firmly against a Greater Germany. Thus, he would refuse to allow Italian troops to move through Austria if Schliecher swore not to promote the annexation of Austria, a move that von Schliecher approved of. By October of 1934, he agreed to the deal. And on Christmas Eve, 1934, the Austro-Italian force launched its invasion of Germany.

The attack on their rear caught the Nazi High Command completely off guard, and Munchen, which had been bombed occasionally by Schliecher planes, was now being bombed continuously. At the beginning of the war, the Nazi's had placed a large army on Austro-German border, but in order to push towards Berlin, had left a small remnant force under the command of Sturmabteilung-Standartenfuhrer Theodor Eicke. Eicke's orders were to make sure no saboteurs or people escaped and most of his force were young soldiers drafted to the cause from the streets and juvenile halls of Bavaria. Which would explain his surprise at the massive armed force that quickly overwhelmed his position. Soon forces were called back from the front to protect Munchen, the capital of the National Socialist Republic of Germany, from the Austro-Italian force. The retreat from the front coincided with the Reichswehr offensive which gradually overwhelmed and captured territory until the National Socialist Army was left to nothing but a remnant in the region south of Nurnberg to Munchen. The Nazi capital was relocated to Regensburg where Strasser announced that the revolution was a failure. Gregor decided to flee from the country to Switzerland. He left the Nazi forces in the hands of Ernst Rohm, who would continue the fight. Gregor Strasser and his small group of 10 bodyguards fled south until they were stopped at a Reichswehr checkpoint in Sigmaringen. The guards recognized Strasser and a firefight ensued. When it was over Strasser and the bodyguards were dead.

By January of 1935, Munich had fallen and the Nazi's only held official control over a small region surrounding Regensburg. Rohm swore every soldier to fight to the death and the siege only ended in late February when an Italian-German force captured the city, Rohm was captured and executed by the state days later in Munchen. The war was over and National Socialism and all of its brother organizations were outlawed. Otto Strasser escaped to Denmark, through bribery and deceit. But the thousands who had served in the SA and the other Nazi forces, a form of oath was required to be let back into normal society. And while the fighting was officially over, National Socialist Guerilla's remained a problem in the South of Germany until the late 1950's. In Berlin, Kurt von Schliecher declared the nation to be at peace and formally signed an alliance with Austria and Italy. And Europe breathed a collective sigh of relief, the war was over, even if the smell had not yet left the air.

[AYoungContrarian]

Very interesting. It's not often that a "different Nazi leadership" TL has the Nazis not succeeding in rising to power. Props for originality.

[Enigmajones]

Originally Posted by SVeach94

Very interesting. It's not often that a "different Nazi leadership" TL has the Nazis not succeeding in rising to power. Props for originality.

Thanks! I was worried that after all the excitement over the idea of Strasser ruling Germany that people would be disappointed.

[Life In Black]

Nice. What is Otto Skorzeny up to now? In OTL, he was involved with the Austrian Nazi party.

[Enigmajones]

Originally Posted by Life In Black

Nice. What is Otto Skorzeny up to now? In OTL, he was involved with the Austrian Nazi party.

The Austrian Nazi's are imprisoned by the Dollfuss regime. Most have fled for Switzerland, a haven for Nazi's in the Post-1935 Europe. Many more will eventually flee to America, a land where National Socialism never loses it appeal. But ITTL, Skorzeny becomes an Austrofascist.

[Sumeragi]

Originally Posted by Enigmajones

Thanks! I was worried that after all the excitement over the idea of Strasser ruling Germany that people would be disappointed.

Well, not really. Having Strasser win by civil war is akin to Hitler succeeding in his putsch, so I like the path your choose.

[Enigmajones]

Originally Posted by Sumeragi

Well, not really. Having Strasser win by civil war is akin to Hitler succeeding in his putsch, so I like the path your choose.

Oh good. How is the Asian history?

[Sumeragi]

Originally Posted by Enigmajones

Oh good. How is the Asian history?

A bit too rushed and unrealistic in my view. Having Prince Chichibu gain the throne would most likely have had Koudouha (Imperial Way Faction) become a more important power in the Army, and with them at the helm, we'll be seeing more commitment for marching north. Also, the Nanshin-ron (Advance South Strategy) would never gain the support for a Pacific War.

[Enigmajones]

Originally Posted by Sumeragi

A bit too rushed and unrealistic in my view. Having Prince Chichibu gain the throne would most likely have had Koudouha (Imperial Way Faction) become a more important power in the Army, and with them at the helm, we'll be seeing more commitment for marching north. Also, the Nanshin-ron (Advance South Strategy) would never gain the support for a Pacific War.

Yeah my knowledge is far lessened in the Pacific theatre.When I do my retake of this I'll make sure to heavily redo the Asian history.

[The Admiral Hook]

You tricked me. I am heartbroken...

EDIT: I can't stay mad at you. AWESOME UPDATE!

[Enigmajones]

Originally Posted by TheInfiniteApe

You tricked me. I am heartbroken...

EDIT: I can't stay mad at you. AWESOME UPDATE!

Sorry man, I just had to do it. But Strasserism and Nazism don't fail as ideology, which means future political movements based on it won't be so afraid of being hated or holding the stigma that occurs in OTL.

[Enigmajones]

I deleted my most recent Asian update and will be talking Samuragi and any others about the course Japan would take under Emperor Tensho. But remember there are two different governments in China circa 1929, Beijing under Zuolin and Nanjing under Kai-Shek.

Also by the way, here is the speech from Hitler that I gained the name from

You can see that what motivates us is neither self-conceit or self-interest, but only a burning desire to join the battle in this grave eleventh hour for our German Fatherland ... One last thing I can tell you. Either the German revolution begins tonight and the morrow will find us in Germany a true nationalist government, or it will find us dead by dawn!

[Enigmajones]

The Chosen People In A Forsaken Land

Of all the ethnic groups that were present in Germany at the start of the Civil War in 1931, none would be dealt a blow as harsh as the Jews. With a history in Germany stretching back to the Roman Empire, the Jews had been persecuted since the time of Charlemagne. But the anti-semitism experienced after Germany's loss in the Great War, lead to an unprecedented surge in anti-semitism. One of the large reasons for this was the Dolchstosslegende, which was the concept that were it not for the traitorous actions of the government of Germany, the communists and most importantly, the Jews, Germany would've won the Great War. The concept grew popular in right wing circles and was a pillar of National Socialism, both in the form of the NSDAP and the NSVP. It was also hugely popular in the DNVP, who would become the de jure party of the state after the civil war.

During the war, the Nazi's routinely raided Jewish neighborhoods, selected certain men and women and had them shot as a manner of raising morale in the Nazi camps. Jews in Nazi held territory, suffered losses more than any other civilians in Nazi held territory. Synagogues were routinely burned in Bavaria and throughout the south of Germany. These atrocities were widely publicized by the government in Berlin in an attempt to garner more Jewish support for their cause. And it worked, a special battalion of Jewish soldiers, lead by Oberst Erwin Rommel, served with distinction against the Nazi's during the Battle for Thuringia. Although given dangerous assignments and having a high casualty rate, the soldiers were loyal and were awarded for their service. Its veterans were given special treatment during the Schleicher regime (1935-1954) even as their fellow Jewish citizens fell prey to the governments anti-semitic actions.

Even as their young men served in the Reichswehr, the Jewish community under the control of the Berlin Government were persecuted. In order to free up soldiers for the fight against the Nazis, the Stalhelm and Bismarckjugend of the DNVP were given the right to police the territory. These Great War veterans and nationalist youth organizations were anti-semitic and nationalist and were mostly tasked in fighting communist saboteurs present throughout Prussia and the north of Germany. However, they often just invaded Jewish neighborhoods and lynched the Jewish men whom they assumed were responsible for the acts of treason. Although not nearly as severe as the actions of the Nazi's, the Jews of the north were under harsh treatment. It was for these and the over all devastation in the country that caused many Germans to immigrate, many of whom were Jews. It is considered that an estimate of 45% of Germany's jewry left Germany for the Netherlands, France, Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Free Germany* and the United States.

By wars end, about 25% of the prewar German Jewish population had died, with Jewish war orphans being quite common in the post war era. Most of them were raised in state run orphanages, run by the DNVP, where a process of Germanization occurred, causing many to lose touch with their Jewish heritage, this act of cultural assassination caused a huge outrage in the world's Jewish communities, when the details of the scheme were released to the public in 1959. The remaining Jews in Germany, grew gradually more distant from the von Scleicher regime, especially after Alfred Hugenberg was declared Reichskanzler in 1936. Laws banning Jewish citizens who had not served in the Reichwehr, known as the Rommel Exemption, passed in 1938, proved the final straw in a long list of grievances. By 1950, their was only a small minority still active in Germany that still practiced their faith. Large amounts had migrated to British Palestine, which was open to Jewish settlers and Zionist recruiting agencies were common in Jewish neighborhoods throughout Germany. There were a larger group of Jews who remained in Germany, who were German and Christian in upbringing and were non practicing. These were the results of the DNVP youth cultural rehabilitation program. The fate of the German Jew, was a bleak one, forced from their home and scattered across the globe, a fate unenvied.

[Enigmajones]

From the Rubble

Post war Germany was desolate place. Although Reichswehr victories early on in the war had spared much of the country from devastation, the entire southern portion of the nation was in ruins. Munich, Cologne, Nuremberg, Stuttgart, Mainz, Frankfurt, Erfurt and Leipzig had become nothing more than piles of rubble with people. The south of the country was under joint Italian, Austrian and Reichswehr occupation and Nazi partisan activity was still quite common in Bavaria and Wurttemberg. The German government was nothing to speak of. There was no Reichstag and there were no plans for the opening of a civilian government. During the war, the nation had been run by edicts from von Schleicher's personal office in the Benderblock. After the war ended, Von Schleicher was sworn in as Reichspraesident. This caused a minor uproar amongst the DNVP who believed that their loyalty should be rewarded. Von Schliecher was hesitant but succumbed to the requests in January of 1936, when Alfred Hugenberg, leader of the DNVP, was declared Reichskanzler. Hugenberg would serve in this capacity until his death in 1951. The rise of Hugenberg to power was met with the outlawing of any other political party in Germany, which was met with public outrage, although none more violent than in Saxony.

In what was referred to as the Saxon Revolt, the declaration of the outlawing of all other political parties was met with disgust in the NSVP stronghold of Saxony. The Wehrbauren brigades had fought bravely against the Nazi forces in the civil war, especially at Leipzig and Zwickau, and saw this development as an act of betrayal. The NSVP immediately organized an assault on the Reichswehr base in Dresden. This small outpost had been left largely empty, as soldiers were needed on far more important fronts, and was easily captured by the NSVP. The leader of this revolt, Heinrich Himmler, took the officers present hostage and sent demands to the government in Berlin to overturn the declaration and allow the NSVP to continue its existence. The demands were ignored and the Wehrbauren were slaughtered two days later by an overwhelming force. The swastika was formally banned and so was any form of a National Socialism as a political organization. Saxony, along with Bavaria, would remain stronghold's of anti-government sentiment for years to come.

In foreign relations, the German Reich was quick to establish a formal alliance with both Austria and Italy. Soon the Reich began to establish relations with the United Kingdom, France and the majority of the world. Certain holdouts remained, however, and the von Schleicher regime was far from global popularity. The Second Polish Republic, under Edward Rydz-Smigly, gave formal recognition to the Weimar remnant in East Prussia, which drove an early wedge between the new German Government and Poland. War had almost broken out when a Reichsmarine fleet had steamed out from Kiel to retake the rebellious territory, but were met by the Polish MWRP, who blockaded the German ships. The German ships left with the message that any attempt by the German Reich to retake East Prussia would be considered as an act of war against the Polish Republic. The German ships backed down, as Germany needed to recover from their own conflict before starting another. Another area of contention was the Polish occupation of Danzig. Danzig, officially a free city state under the Treaty of Versailles, had been occupied by Polish forces in 1931 and had remained under Polish control since that time. Germany initially complained to the League of Nations about this, which resulted in a sanction against Poland. In response, Poland withdrew from the League. Germany, Czechoslovakia, Italy and Austria would withdraw soon after.

In Germany, the government under Hugenberg began to pass a series of laws prohibiting Jews from participating in the new Germany. Small laws were passed, prohibiting Jews from owning pets, receiving drivers licenses, owning stores or homes and finally a law barring any Jewish citizen from voting, which was a redundant concept, as no one in Germany could vote, and wouldn't be able to until 1968, but the symbolic gesture was strong. It did face opposition from decorated war hero Erwin Rommel. Rommel, who had commanded a Jewish battalion during the war, pleaded on their behalf to von Schleicher who allowed the laws to be passed, unless the Jewish citizen could prove they had served in the Reichswehr, in which case they would be exempt from the laws. This act of kindness was never forgotten and across Europe, ex-patriate communities of German Jews applauded Rommel's stand on their behalf, earning him the nickname in British and French circles as "the good German" or "le bon Allemand". In 1937, the German national flag was switched to the old Imperial flag, along with the formal renaming of Germany to the German State or Deutsches Staat, to avoid confusion with the old Weimar government. The renaming of Germany, was matched in Konigsberg to the title of the Free Republic of Germany, or Freirepublik de Deutschland.

In 1936, Italian troops were forced to evacuate from Germany to be shipped to East Africa, where the Italians were fighting a war of imperialism. Although little reported by the German State, thousands of veterans who had served in the Sturmabteilung, were given to the Italians to help serve in their war. They were given the choice of fighting for Italy or living the rest of their lives in back breaking labor camps. The choice of the majority was unsurprising. The troops who would serve in East Africa, were to never return to Germany, either gaining homes in Italian Libya or moving to South America.

[Enigmajones]

The Danzig War

By 1939, Poland seemed poised to take power on the world stage. The weakness of the Germany and the lack of a threatening Red Army on either side, the Polish Republic was growing more an more powerful. In a scheme devised by Jozef Beck, with assistance from the Maritime and Colonial League, the Jews of Poland were advised to leave for the French colony of Madagascar. This was because of overpopulation within Poland and the prominent anti-semitism prevalent in Polish politics. From June of 1939 onwards ships filled to the brim with Jewish citizens departed for Madagascar. The trip was long and hard and once the immigrants landed on Madagascar, the Jews ended up moving to the capital of Tannarive. The almost 100,000 Polish Jews would end up becoming loyal french subjects, backfiring against the Polish plan to convert the colony to their rule. An additional 100,000 Poles, containing a Jewish minority, departed for Liberia after an agreement between the governments of Monrovia and Warsaw. This half of the scheme would work quite well and Liberia would grow into an Polish colony by the 1970's.

This era of Polish nationalism was topped off by the dedication of a large memorial to Pilsudski in Warsaw. And in an event that Poland hoped to keep quiet, annexed Danzig and formally renamed the city Gdansk. This move caused an uproar in Berlin. Von Schleicher had ended occupation in all areas of Germany excluding Saxony and Bavaria by 1938. But morale amongst the people was low and worried that his own power might be challenged, von Schleicher took advantage of the Danzig annexation. He called on Poland to immediately exit Danzig or face war. President Rydz-Smigly immediately dismissed the threat as a hollow one. In the summer of 1939, von Schleicher commissioned three generals as Field Marshals, in command of three army groups. Erich von Manstein, Ferdinand von Bredow and Fedor von Bock were each given the tasks of capturing Konigsberg, Warsaw and Krakow respectively. Von Manstein's force was headquartered in Stettin, whilst the other two generals were headquartered in Breslau. In the Fall of 1940, the Generals were ordered to strike.

The attack, which was supposed to be a surprise that forced the Poles to capitulate. However, the Polish, thanks to intelligence gathering, was well aware of the Reichswehr's plans. When the Germans marched on Poland in September, they were met with heavy resistance. The Polish had built a heavy set of fortifications across their border with Germany during the Civil War. As a result the German force became mired in a stalemate. The only general to gain ground was von Manstein, whose force was able to lay siege to Danzig by December of 1940. But the Polish were to dug in. The war proved to be a tremendous waste of the German's time. By March of 1941, it was clear that the Germans would not gain any further territory and von Schleicher sued for peace. The Treaty of Breslau agreed a return to pre-war borders. The war seemed to be a waste in the eyes of the German military, but von Schleicher vowed to return to war, to his generals at least. Von Schleicher made sure that the next time he went to war, he would have an alliance. The war resulted in a surge of Polish nationalism unseen since the Polish-Soviet War.

[Life In Black]

Nice string of updates! Any chance of an update about Belgium? I'm curious as to what Leon Degrelle is up to.

[Enigmajones]

Originally Posted by Life In Black

Nice string of updates! Any chance of an update about Belgium? I'm curious as to what Leon Degrelle is up to.

Western Europe is being put together. I still have to figure out what happens to the British and French Empire's respectively.

[MRig]

This is very interesting. I like the landscape created by a more powerful Poland. Any chance that the Intermarium idea will be revived?