Change in War in Europe

chris N · Nov 19, 2016

General Eisenhower returned to the United States and retired from the Army. The President Asked him to consider running for President as a Democrat but Dwight told the President that he was not interested. It seemed that the Republicans were also trying to convince the popular General to run only as a Republican. General Douglas MacArthur had finally been ordered home. He had crossed President Truman one time too many. In a private conversation Ike gave the President an opinion of Douglas, which wasn't very faltering.
The President had decided that he would retire. The world appeared to be headed for a Cold War between the US and the USSR.

chris N · Nov 20, 2016

The USSR had signed treaties with the Baltic States and Finland but it was angry at the annexation of territory by Poland and was determined to regain the Western Ukraine. While the Cmmunist Party was making moises the Red Army was still attempting to recover from the war and maintain government control in the Caucasus Region.. The Nationalist in China had won the civil war and were mopping up the remains of the Communist insurgents that remained and extenting total government control over the vanishing number of warlord. President Truman was cheered in Korea as the man who had restored Korea and in a meeting with Chang Kai Shek the President was thanked for US assistance..
With the start of the Political season just a few Months away the President was able to announce the return of 4 divisions of troops to the US by the end of the year and another 4 were to come home in 1952.

chris N · Nov 21, 2016

1952 Former General Dwight Eisenhower was on his way to to being drafted as the Nominee of the Republican Party. President Harry Truman was disappointed that the former General was not running as a democrat but he had decided that he would not run for re-election as President. He had put his family through enough and he planned to retire to Missouri.
In Russia there was a struggle between the Red Army leadership and the rest of the communist party leadership over who would run the country.
In the Western Ukraine the Military governor had granted the Ukrainian people the right to elect their own legislature. The Communist Party was banned in the Western Ukraine. The Army of the Western Ukraine had officially come into assistance in 1951 when several battalion of the border guards were being the cadre upon which the new Army was formed. Twelve Brigades each consisting of three infantry battalions and an artillery Battalion. Two more Brigades were formed in August of 1952.
These two Brigades consisted of two tank battalions, 1 Mechanized Infantry Battalion and a self Propelled artillery Battalion. The tanks were modified copies of the American M-47 tank produced by Czechoslovakia. The tanks were armed with a Skoda 100mm gun. The Half tracks were exUS Army that had been donated to the Ukrainian army. Plans were to increase the army to 18 Infantry Brigades, 4 Tank Brigades and 4 Mechanized Brigades.

chris N · Nov 21, 2016

January 19,1953 President Truman was just thinking that in less than a day he and his family would be on the way home to Missouri. He had met with President -Elect Eisenhower and they had talked about the Army and the President's hope that the new President would be able to bring more of the boys home from Europe. When the War had ended there had been 50 divisions of American troops there and now there were just 22 and the President had set plans in motion for another 4 divisions to come home. Ike said that with the growth of the Ukrainian Army it looked like barring a crisis with the Soviets US troops strength would be down to 12 divisions. It was hard to believe that George Patton had died in an automobile accident just last year. The Army's CID had looked into it and found somethings which caused some people to believe that the Soviets may have had something to do with it. FBI Director J Edgar Hover had had the Bureau look into things and there was enough evidence to make it seem like it did happen.

chris N · Nov 22, 2016

President Eisenhower had the Joint Chiefs of Staff work out a plan which would allow the US to continue the draw down of forces in Europe. Plans were to build up the Western Ukraine Army and Air Force. The Ukraine was operating the G91 fighter used by the Italian and German air forces. The Ukrainian Army would begin to organize its brigades into divisions.

chris N · Nov 23, 2016

March 1953 The United States and the Republic of the Western Ukraine formally exchange Ambassadors. This is followed by diplomatic recognition by Great Britain , France Germany, Czechoslovakia , Italy and Austria. Poland and Romania have had embassies since 1950 in the country. The USSR files diplomatic protest and there are demonstrations in front of each of the western embassies.
Albania: A Civil War has broken out between the Communist controlled government and the forces seeking to liberate the country.
Romania King Michael has returned to the country that he was forced to flee.

chris N · Nov 23, 2016

July 1953 The Ukrainian President arrived in the US for talks with President Eisenhower. The Ukrainian leader was hoping for a trade agreement with the US and for a security agreement agreement with the US. The Ukriane was worried about the threat that continued to exsist.

chris N · Nov 24, 2016

The Cease fire between the Western allies and the USSR continues. There is an argument in the Kremlin between those that want to seek a permanent peace agreement and those that can not except the loss of territory. Finally Marshal Zhukov and the Majority of the Red Army leadership tell the party that war with the west is unthinkable. The Soviet state was very lucky that President Truman did not order Nuclear bombs dropped on the USSR. If that had happen the situtation in the USSR would be worse as there would be nuclear contaminated zones and a shortage of all sorts of minerals and fuel.
He proposed working on a treaty which would see some Soviet territory recovered. The USSR had concluded an agreement with the Republic of China. It had in effect turned over those Chinese Communist leaders who had escaped to the USSR to Chang Kai Shek. Resulting in better relations with the Nationalist government.
Japan had recovered all of the Japanese Islands siezed by the Soviets at the end of WW2 thanks to the US.

chris N · Nov 26, 2016

It was clear that the Red Army was determined to move th country beyond the late war with the West. The USSR was in no condition to start another war and for the foreseeable future the country would have to acknowledge the fact that the Western Ukraine was lost. Still they would ensure that the Western Ukraine would not receive any resources from the USSR. Thus waging an unofficial economic war.

chris N · Nov 26, 2016

1954 Geneva Switzerland: Delegates from the allied Powers were meeting with the Soviet Delegation to final hammer out an agreement which would end the state of Hostilities. Fighting had ended in 1949 with a cease fire agreement and a truce but officially there was still a state of war between the parties. The agreement would set the final borders between the USSR and the Republic of Poland and the Republic of the Ukraine (Western). The USSR had already signed agreements with each of the Baltic States and the Republic of Finland so the treaty would ratify that agreement. The Soviets also officially acknowledged the return of the East Prussia Zone to the German state.
The Treaty was hammered out in 45 days. It did return some Soviet territory with the provision that it be part of a demilitarized Zone.

chris N · Nov 27, 2016

The Treaty of Geneva was ratified by the Allied Governments and the USSR some 60 days after it was initialed. The Soviet Leader and President Eisenhower signed the agreement in Stockholm. Thus the war officially came to an end and the United Stated began to plan to reduce its forces in Europe from 10 Divisions to 6 divisions by the end of the year . There was a NATO meeting scheduled for the Spring of 1955 which would discuss NATO force levels in the East.

chris N · Nov 28, 2016

For the most part peace had finally come to Europe. There were exceptions to this of course. Albania was unstable and Yugoslavia continued to hold together only do to the will of Tito. Even so the collapse of the Communist Governments in Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary had also seen some interesting changes. King Michael of Romania had returned to that country. The monarchy was popular after the tragedy of a communist occupation.

chris N · Nov 28, 2016

1955 Republic of the Ukraine. The US Seventh Army was still stationed in the Ukraine . It was now down to 6 Divisions plus support personnel. The Americans were fairly confident of the Ukrainians ability to defend their country from Soviet Attack. The border seemed to be constantly patrolled by both sides. The Soviets had built an impressive wall and had watch towers both to prevent an invasion by the West and to deter those that wanted to escape from the Soviet State into the freedom of the west. There were incidents when Soviet border guard fired upon those that manage to find a break in the fence.

chris N · Dec 1, 2016

1955 NATO had established bases in East Prussia. The Former British Army of the Rhine had become the British Army of East Prussia and there was a proposal to move a corp of the US Seventh Army to either East Prussia or to Poland. The BEEP was frankly just a shadow of the former British force. It consisted of an Armored Brigade, 2 Mechanized Brigades, RFA Regt, Air Defense Regiment and the Canadians had attached a Brigade to it consisting of a tank Battalion, 2 Mechanized Infanty Battalions, Artillery Battalion and an Air defense Company.

chris N · Dec 1, 2016

1955 Soviet Intelligence was attempting to see if the Americans would change their President next year. They were also hoping to undermine the west. The USSR had made an arms deal to equip the new Egyptian government with modern Soviet made jets and tanks at a bargain price. The Egyptian had overthrown the Monarchy and Nasser had in turn replaced the Egyptian strong man. Nasser was acting like the leader of the Arab world. French Intelligence traced arms used by the rebels in Algeria to the Egyptians. When Nasser Nationalized the Suez Canal he ticked off the British who still had investments in it. Anti-Israel actions by the Egyptian had gotten the Israelis to the point of willingness to act. The Result was Operation Musketeer. It would be a British- French invasion of Egypt.
British and French intelligence Alerted the CIA that the Egyptians were causing problems in Algeria including the death of civilians. Acts of Terrorism.
The French had in 1955 granted Indo-china self rule.

chris N · Dec 2, 2016

The Israelis clashed with the Egyptians as they had had it with Nasser's harassment and support for attacks on Israel. The British and the French had co-ordinated with the Israel's As the Israel Army pushed across the Siani Peninsula bring it closer to the Suez Canal the British moved forces to intervene.. The Royal Navy launch air strikes to neutralize the Egyptians and to cover the landing of British forces.
President Eisenhower had been briefed by the CIA and by the US Military. He decided that he would discuss the matter with the British Ambassador to the United States and the Israeli Ambassador befor he made any remarks.. The CIA was briefing the President about Nasser's involvement in the conflict in Algeria. It was clear that the Egyptian leader had blood on his hands.

chris N · Dec 3, 2016

President Eisenhower was assured by both the British and French Ambassadors that the operation in Egypt would be quick. Operation Musketeer was already underway and it was hoped that it would result in the Fall of Nasser and the establishment of a more peaceful Egypt.

chris N · Dec 5, 2016

Egypt collapsed under the assault by Britain, France and Israel. The British had ousted Nasser from power and were now attempting to insure that the replacement government would be far more reasonable. It also sent a clear message to the arab world not to go radical. When there was a coup attempt in Iraq the British encouraged the Jordanians to react and promised to provide support,

chris N · Dec 8, 2016

The collapse of Nasser and Egypt also resulted in a change in attitude in the Middle East.The Europeans as well as some in the Middle East wanted the problem resolved. Jordan and Israel signed a peace agreement.

chris N · Dec 9, 2016

The collapse of Nasser's Egypt had the benefit of ending the war in Algeria. The French government had already gained the upper hand and everyone pulled out of it.