Our Darkest Hour: An Axis Victory Map Collection

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Introduction - The Western Reichskommissariats
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    • Thanosaekk

    Hello everyone! This is a project I have started working on, and it will be a series of maps in the year 1960 in an Axis Victory scenario. I will be having polls to see what you are interested in seeing every time, and there will be overviews of what happens around the world.
    The scenario itself will be explored as time goes on, but the main points of divergence are the successful assassination of Franklin D. Roosevelt (therefore a weaker US and a more successful Japan) and a successful Axis Mediterranean campaign before the invasion of the Soviet Union.
    Without any more delay, here is the first update: the Western Reichskommissariats!
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    The Western Reichskommissariats​

    RK Niederlande
    RK Niederlande.png

    The Netherlands was the first country other than Luxembourg to fall to the Reich after the execution of Fall Gelb in May 1940. Fortunately for the Allies, most of the former Dutch government managed to escape and go into exile in London, although many were captured during the Blitzkrieg. Military administration lasted for only a few days, and they were soon replaced by the civil administration called a Reichskommissariat, that had already been tried in Norway and mostly succeeded. The Reichskommissar of the Netherlands was assigned to be Arthur Seyss-Inquart, a Nazi supporter and former Austrian Chancellor for only a week before allowing the Anschluss. At the same time, the Fascist party of the Netherlands, Nationaal Socialistische Beweging, took limited leadership of the nation. The reason behind it was quite complex, but was mainly due to the Dutch Question.
    The Dutch Question was a problem which caused the split between Reichskommissariat administration and the NSB, and revolved around the future of the Dutch territories and people. Both parties agreed that the Dutch were part of the Master Race, but the NSB supported an independent Dutch nation, potentially expanding into Flanders. In contrast, the German government wished for eventual integration of the Netherlands into the Greater Reich as Reichsgau Westland. Soon enough, the SS also took a stance, with its leader Heinrich Himmler supporting the idea of a separate Ordenstaat-Burgund. Generally, this idea gathered little support from anyone but the SS, and soon faded away in the early 50’s. In 1953, a conference was organized in Hamburg to decide the future of the region, but the economic collapse Germany was facing prevented them from changing the status of the increasingly independent RK led by Seyss-Inquart. Therefore, the NSB and German administration have frequent clashes and the government is split.
    In 1960, RK Niederlande is ruled by an unstable regime with corrupt governors all over the place which Seyss-Inquart is trying to stop, as he seeks total and unquestionable power inside the RK. For the people, life is just as difficult as anywhere else in Nazi Europe. At least, Dutch people are considered a sub-branch of the Master Race and are treated with some respect.

    RK Dänemark
    RK Dänemark.png

    The invasion of Denmark as part of Operation Wolfsrudel in early 1940 went perfectly smoothly, with the war going exactly as the Germans wanted it. Panzers crossed the border in South Jutland, while troops landed in Copenhagen and paratroopers captured key locations across the region. The Danish government, seeing that there was no option left for continuing the defense and sought peace with the Nazis, hoping for favorable terms. Surprisingly enough, the Germans allowed the Danish democratic government to continue operating normally, only with German military presence in the country. The Social Democrats were controlling the government and made sure to please the Nazis to retain their “independence” since they were Nordic and considered part of the Aryan ethnicity.
    Unfortunately for them, things got worse as in 1949, the Reich was facing problems. The over-extension, the partisan warfare in the Soviet Union and the desperate need for resources, combined with scandals as the Social Democrats collaborated with hardline communists, meant that Alexander von Falkenhausen, previously military governor of Belgium for a brief period of time, came to Denmark and officially declared RK Dänemark. Despite these intentions, however, neither he nor the Führer viewed Dänemark the same way the viewed the other RKs, as the region was not thought of as a place for colonization. This led to Falkenhausen’s administration receiving different treatment than the other colonies of this kind.

    RK Norwegen
    RK Norwegen.png

    Norway was invaded as part of Operation Wolfsrudel to secure a safe route between Germany and Sweden for trading iron ore. The country quickly came under Nazi occupation since it wasn’t able to reorganize and defend after the initial strike by the Germans, with the first Reichskommissariat being established there, under Josef Verboten. Vidkun Quisling, part of Norway’s Nazi party who attempted to launch a coup during the invasion, was welcomed as all other parties were banned and a large part of the previous government continued operating under the control of Quisling’s movement. In general, this is one of Germany’s most successful and stable RKs, and this trend can only continue, right?

    RK Belgien-Nordfrankreich
    RK Belgien-Nordfrankreich.png

    Often called the brother of Niederlande, Belgien-Nordfrankreich was established in May 1940 with the Blitzkrieg invasion of the Benelux countries and France. It was under the leadership of Josef Grohé, and encompassed the territories of former Belgium, as well as a small strip of land called the zone interdite which included parts of France like Dunkirk. With the Peace of Paris in late 1945, the RK’s existence was continued but the zone kept for German settlement was abandoned as part of the terms, and were given to the French State, nothing more than a German puppet state. Plans for annexing the RK itself were also abandoned, with it remaining divided between the three districts of Flandern, Wallonien and Brüssel. As for the collaborationists who included infamous Leon Degrelle, they were split due to their ideological differences with Nazism, once again similar to the events in the Netherlands.
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    What should the next update be? And, of course, any other ideas are appreciated!
     
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    • China in 1960
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    • Thanosaekk

    China.png

    The nations in the former Soviet lands only include the internationally recognized ones, so the actual situation there is actually very different.

    Manchukuo
    The Manchu State was originally founded in late 1932 by the invading Kwantung Army, who took the opportunity to establish a puppet state under the regency of Aisin Gioro Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Empire before the Xinhai Revolution. Less than two years later, Puyi assumed control as Emperor, although he still refused to be given the title of Qing Emperor again. During the opening stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Manchukuo played an important role as it provided the army much of its resources or even soldiers, while at the same time Japanese settlers dramatically increased the size of the Japanese population which was required for future integration into the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. Unfortunately, this attempt at integrating Manchuria resulted in the Hsinking Putsch of 1952, the coup launched by Manchu nationalists and led by Ma Zhanshan who had previously defected to the Japanese but had changed sides again, although the coup attempt failed. The reason it failed was the intervention of the Kwantung Army, which was particularly active in these years with negotiations for a Third United Front happening and the occupation of Vladivostok. Since then, the autonomy of Manchukuo has been significantly reduced by Tokyo which has been interfering even more recently.

    Japanese Siberian Occupation Zone
    In 1948, the Japanese Emperor Hirohito felt like nothing could be going better for the empire, as it was achieving more victories in China every day and it enjoyed clear supremacy over Southeast Asia. However, the sudden death of Stalin in October and the following collapse of the Soviet Union meant that a previously undefended flank due to the Non-Aggression Pacts with the USSR was exposed. What followed was the establishment of the Siberian Army, which invaded along multiple points across the border in the next year. There wasn't much ground conquered, though, as Japan only needed local tactical advantages and the general area around Vladivostok (renamed to Urajiosutoku in 1952). To administrate these areas, the Empire established the Siberian Occupation Zone headed by Korechika Anami, who was also head of the Siberian Army and the military actions taken in the region.
    Manchuria, citing these areas as previously part of the Qing dynasty in the early 19th century, has been trying to take control of them but the central government at Tokyo has made them remain mostly silent for now.

    Mengjiang
    Mengjiang, also known formally as the Mongol Military Government, was founded in 1936 as a collaborationist puppet state of Japan in occupied Chahar with the aim of uniting the Mongols in Inner Mongolia. Its leader was Prince Demchugdongrub, who remained the leader of the Inner Mongolia independence movement until his tragic death in 1949. He was allegedly killed by Chinese Communist partisans in late November, who bombed the headquarters of the Military Government killing the Prince as well as the commander of the Mongolia Garrison Force Sadamu Shimomura, sparking chaos within the government. After intervention from Tokyo, it was decided that one of the two main commanders of the Mengjiang National Army would take the position as leader of the country, Li Shouxin or Jodbajab. Jodbajab was initially chosen, as his past memories of his close friend's assassination had caused him to get intimidated and defect to the Japanese and he could therefore be controlled more by Tokyo, but his death in 1957 (at the age of 80 years) meant that Li Shouxin succeeded him. So far, his reign has brought significant reforms but the army still holds absolute authority.

    Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China
    Founded in 1940 from the conquered areas of China other than Manchuria and Inner Mongolia, the country Wang Jingwei took control of a country which was in a mess. Aside from being literally occupied by Japanese troops which were fighting to the west, there were communists and republicans all across the countryside, executing guerilla warfare tactics perfectly. In fact, there was even an attempt to found a government behind the enemy lines in 1952 by the KMT which ended in the liberation of Guangzhou, an event which caused a massive deterioration of Japan’s brutal reputation and sparked even more rebellions.

    Formosa Governor-General
    The plan for Governors-General was only a concept, up to 1945 when peace was reached, and Japan decided to halt formal military occupation in favor of these administration zones similar to Taiwan or Korea. Actually, only three of the ideas for the GGs were implemented as the rest was based on the claim that Japan would occupy far away regions like Australia or North America: Formosa, South Seas, and the Melanesian Region. Formosa specifically was brought under the leadership of Takashi Sakai, who replaced the position of governor in Hong Kong after its fall in late 1941. At the end of the war, the Paracel Islands were added to the Governor-General, while Macau and Hainan Island were purchased a couple of years later by Portugal and collaborationist China respectively. Since then, its small area and extensive Japanese colonization meant that it quickly became one of the most stable administration zones of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.

    Republic of China
    Since its foundation in the aftermath of the Xinhai Revolution in 1912, the Republic under the leadership of Sun Yat-Sen and later Chiang Kai-Shek, never really enjoyed a period of prosperity other than the Nanking Decade which was marked by their expansion in the Northern Expedition. This, however, created a problem with the CPC splitting and forming their own rival government, as if the warlords spanning across most of China weren't enough already. It was this weakness that Japan took advantage of in the invasion of Manchuria, and later the start of the Sino-Japanese War, one of the longest wars in modern history lasting 23 years so far. The Chinese were pushed back again and again, with Chiang Kai-Shek "trading space for time", until 1945, when things changed.
    The atomic bombing of Nizhny Tagil in September which led to the Peace of Paris meant that Japan could finally enjoy getting their resources in South-East Asia and use them to fight the Chinese. This had terrible consequences, as the slow push continued and in fact, Japan took control of all of the coastline in 1948. This was the bell of danger for the Atlantic Pact, which started by befriending India even more and re-establishing the India-China Ferry (also known as The Hump) and started supporting not only the KMT, but also warlords through supplies, training and monetary support. In fact, over 1.900.000 tons were transferred through the India-China Ferry, including artillery, primitive missiles and American surplus guns. It is considered the most successful airlift of all time, despite the fact that many Atlantic Pact soldiers have died due to this. As the Republic entered the 1950's, it started to lose grip over the warlords as most of them decided to distance themselves while not strictly opposing the Nationalist government. Chiang Kai-Shek knew of this danger, and so encouraged the "China United" program, which also included the Third Chinese United Front Agreement in 1953 after the failed attempts for a Guangzhou government. In this agreement, representatives of the Republic of China, Shanxi, Yunnan, Sichuan and Ma (with the only major warlord state missing being Xinjiang due to its Nonaggression Pact with Japan) agreed to a defensive alliance against Japan until they are completely out of rightful Chinese lands. Additionally, the China United Program promised significant loans to warlord states and the complex process of them becoming actual, recognized sovereign states. The latter was perhaps the most difficult, as most countries accepted the Nationalists as formally owning the rest of China, but even they themselves knew this was a lie and that recognition of their allies would be beneficial to both parties. However, the lack of a strong national identity in most means that the Atlantic Pact and other members of the western world recognize them as "autonomous regions".
    The political structure of the country remains basically the same ever since Chiang Kai-Shek took control in 1925: a strong dictatorship under the term of a Republic, with very limited independent actions from politicians and collectivism widespread.

    Chinese Soviet Republic
    The Chinese Communist Party, under the leadership of Mao Zedong, had fought for its independence since 1927 and the Nanchang Uprising, but the recent Japanese advances into the Shanxi province in 1955 meant that they were right next to perhaps the largest enemy. They had been centered in nearby Shaanxi with the city of Yan’an as their capital since the Long March, but any attempts to expand their influence beyond that were blocked by the Nationalists and the Ma Brothers. They also refused to sign the Third Chinese United Front agreement, seeing what had happened to Yan Xishan and his Shanxi clique, which has raised worries about their allegiance and Atlantic Pact support has stopped.

    Shanxi Clique
    The Shanxi clique in 1960 is nothing more than a footnote in Chinese geography textbooks, as it is currently under a protectorate status. To start, Yan Xishan effectively took control of the Shanxi province in 1911 during the Xinhai Revolution at the age of 28, and so far has kept control of it. He ruled the province with an iron fist, and switched sides and allied with the KMT during the Central Plains War, giving him an important position within the balance of power that was the warlord system until the Second Sino-Japanese War. Eventually, he found himself under more influence from the Nationalists and joined the China United Program, also agreeing to become a protectorate of the Republic since much of the province had been overrun by Japanese forces.

    Ma Clique
    The Ma Clique was originally founded in the early stages of the Warlord Era, with three members of the Ma family governors of the three provinces which housed a significant Hui population. They were perhaps one of the most influential warlords in the KMT sphere, and were always supportive of them from the Long March to the battles against the Japanese. This earned them significant positions, but with the Republic in decline, they decided to go their own way in 1947 although without declaring a rival government. Their leaders from the Interwar period to 1960 are Ma Bufang (Qinghai Province), Ma Hongkui (Ningxia Province) and Ma Hongbin (Gansu Province). In fact, the three of them are facing a problem in 1960, as they, and especially Ma Hongkui are receiving attacks from the Japanese puppet state of Mengjiang. This has caused greater cooperation between them and the Atlantic Pact, which is sending support through the India-China Ferry and has started some state-building projects.

    Sichuan Clique (Liu Wenhui/Sun Zhen)
    Sichuan in the 1920's was generally the face of warlordism in China, as it was in complete chaos, although it was mainly controlled by five warlords, who were all too weak to completely defeat each other and this led to a general stalemate. However, two of them rose to dominance later on: the first was Liu Wenhui, who led the province of Xikang. His clique was invaded in 1930 by Tibet as part of the Sino-Tibetan War, but the joint defense by Ma Bufang of the Ma Clique, the Kuomintang and Liu Wenhui himself meant that they were quickly repelled. Also, he showed some signs of communist sympathizing during the Long March but the benefits of siding with the KMT were much larger. Sun Zhen, on the other hand, showed no such signs and held on to the North-Western District of Yunnan of which he led the garrison until the end. During the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Liu Wenhui slowly started to expand his influence from Xikang to Sichuan, and eventually became the ruling warlord in every part of the region but the North-West. As the 1950's went by, and Nationalist hold over China gradually weakened, both warlords became increasingly independent, solidified their control, and engaged in frequent border skirmishes. And now, the two states enter the uncertainty of the 1960's.

    Yunnan Clique
    Since Long Yun seized control of the Yunnan Clique in 1927 by overthrowing Tang Jiyao, he has kept total control of the province aside from a few communist attacks in the late 1950’s which sook the nation to its core. During the Sino-Japanese War, he was one of the biggest players as he sent massive amounts of soldiers to fight, and the area under his control was vastly important due to the Burma Road, and later, the India-China Ferry. After 1945 and the Japanese victory due to the Nizhny Tagil bombing, the clique found itself attacked under multiple sides, not just Burma which was their weakest flank and stayed under control only due to the harsh jungle that favored the defender, but also the East. The Japanese continued their invasion relentlessly, and soon captured the entirety of the Guangxi Clique territories which made them an even larger danger to Yunnan. This was the reason that in 1954, they led an invasion force to capture the region of Guizhou which was indirectly controlled by the Republic of China, in order to secure their interests in South-West China.

    Xinjiang Clique
    The Xinjiang clique, originally a Soviet protectorate after 1934, attempted to approach the Kuomintang government only after the German invasion of the USSR. The KMT quickly took this opportunity as they were desperately fighting Japan and signed an official alliance. However, the 1946 offensives by the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere in China that captured important strategic areas made the relation between the clique and the Republic a whole lot more grey. Eventually, with authority over the warlords diminishing and the neighboring Ma Clique gaining their independence from the KMT again, Xinjiang decided to sign a Nonaggression Pact with Japan although it was not an official alliance. This angered the Atlantic Pact, which halted the few supplies that were sent to this region of China for their struggle against Japan.
     
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    • Thanosaekk

    Gabingston said:
    I know this is set in 1960, but is the Third Reich still around in 2018?
    Click to expand...
    So far, everything is set in 1960 and anything after that is non-canon. However, I am planning for a 2018 scenario and I can't guarantee the Reich or any variation of it won't be there.
     
    Free French War
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    • Thanosaekk

    Free France.png

    The Free French War
    Order of battle in Equatorial Africa, January 1960​

    The story of the Free forces in Central Africa starts in 1940, with the Benelux and France falling to the Nazi German war machine. The newly-appointed President of France Philippe Petain, a famous WW1 general, managed to get an armistice just before the total collapse of the mainland in late May of 1940. The agreement included the temporary German occupation up to the current frontlines and the coast, so as to prevent a British invasion, but the rest of the south remained under the Petain government, which, while officially independent, was heavily influenced by Germany (it could also be considered a puppet state until the peace in 1945). Unfortunately for the Allies, most French colonial governors were supportive of the new Petain government, therefore potentially allowing the Germans to have staging points for future invasions. The only colony to reject the new French government, and instead side with the Free French as ordered by Charles De Gaulle, was Equatorial Africa under Felix Eboue, who quickly helped De Gaulle come to Brazzaville and set up an actual functioning government for Free France. There were also many units that instead of surrendering during Fall Gelb, fled to Britain and then went to Equatorial Africa so as to fight for their freedom. Free France remained relatively quiet for the rest of the war, until the Peace of Paris in late 1945 brought WWII to an end. In the final treaty, the issue of Free France was left mostly unresolved, with the Allies having to recognize the French State and stop all aid to De Gaulle, but this didn't prevent him from continuing.

    In 1948, with the Cold War tensions emerging, many ethnic groups and tribes in the Belgian Congo decided to rebel against their government-in-exile as it was stationed in London and only the Force Publique was active in the colony. Many of these groups seized parts of the inland jungle, but few of them were affiliated with any political ideology. Therefore, Germany was reluctant to send help, while Free France was ready to do anything required to keep control in the south. In October 1948, Operation Early Bird was launched, and the 5th Army, which had continued operating in Africa under similar organization, attacked the local militias across the border, capturing Leopoldville within a matter of weeks. However, their advance was brought to a halt by the weather conditions and the jungle, while the groups further deep in the jungle held their positions brutally. The Belgian government-in-exile applauded the effort, as it would allow them to restore order there, and sent the Independent Belgian Brigade to guard Leopoldville, while the Force Publique was reorganized into more of an actual military force.


    However, there was, of course, one country which did not like this at all; the French State. They had become increasingly independent since the Peace of Paris, and were now worried that the Free French would only continue to grow in power. Therefore, they prepared for a full-scale invasion and occupation of Equatorial Africa, launched from their colony in Niger. Tensions grew higher and higher, until on the 9th of August 1955, the Free French War (or the French War of Liberation as it is called in the French State and the Europa-Pakt) began. Petain's forces attacked in specific points which were usually streets or railroads, so as to capture the key points of supply and communication for the "Free" French. At the same time, De Gaulle ordered offensive actions in the Congo to stop, and the army to reorganize and prepare a defensive line in Chad which would hopefully halt their enemy's advance before they reached the "richer" and more inhabitable areas of Central Africa. However, one factor he did not consider was German support. In September, the 3. Fallschirmjäger Division and the 6. Gebirgs Division arrived at Niamey, ready for action. The mountainous terrain in the Tibesti mountain range was thought to be impassable for the French units, but the Germans had sufficient experience, skill and technology to do that. A few days later, they launched Unternehmen Wüstenvolk, one of the largest military operations in Central Africa. The Fallschirmjäger landed and captured airfields near Faya-Largeau to assist with air superiority and bomber raids, as several squadrons of Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighters arrived through Libya (since Italy, while somewhat isolated from Germany, accepted the request as it would also allow them to fight the Free French and slightly expand their colonial empire). Then, the mountain forces were able to quickly capture towns near the Tibesti mountains and the Ennedi Plateau. Italy herself made a minor attack near the tripoint with the Congo, capturing the small city of Obo but stopping there as the rest of the south of Ubangi-Chari was heavily fortified. However, Free France would not fall even if it was attacked by three powers; it was time for counterattack.

    During Late November, with the north of Chad practically under German occupation, Charles De Gaulle decided to meet with the leaders of the Atlantic Pact, or at least, the important ones: Clement Attlee from the United Kingdom, Louis St. Laurent from Canada and Dwight D. Eisenhower from the United States. The meeting, named the Ottawa Conference, resulted in Free France becoming another unofficial ally, similar to Nationalist China. Immediately, convoys were sent to ports like Libreville and Pointe-Noire. Those convoys, aside from basic supplies like food, included a lot of military equipment: B-52 bombers, M4 medium tanks and more. Eventually, even volunteer forces were sent to fight in the Sahara, while humanitarian missions arrived to ensure the natives' quality of life was at least average. Over the course of 1956, the Free French Forces were able to hold the Fort-Lamy Line and even approach Faya-Largeau which was under German administration. Additionally, local native groups in Northern Chad and Niger were contacted by the Atlantic Pact and armed through drops by aircraft to resist against the French State and cause them havoc behind the lines.

    Quickly, a stalemate was reached. Both sides were receiving immense back-up by their respective allies, and neither was able to push through the other's heavily defended lines. The front-line cut through Chad, with Fort-Lamy close enough to be bombarded by artillery shells, and the Ouaddai highlands being almost a no-man's land as neither side sent many troops there. Both sides have started to deplete their resources for this war, and Vichy France has started to lose grip of some colonies, since many of them are in open rebellion. This is actually true for both sides, forcing them to divert resources from the front to guard their internal security.
     
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    • Thanosaekk

    Gabingston said:
    Wouldn't you think that the Reich would've invaded Sweden and Switzerland by that point?
    Click to expand...
    Basically, it was too much effort for the Nazis who were having economical problems after the war, and it could cause international relation problems with America or the Italian bloc (which has split from the Axis).
     

    Thanosaekk

    Banana_Neptune said:
    I highly doubt that Kazakhstan would be one country in the event of a German invasion of the USSR
    Click to expand...
    Well, the wikibox map is supposed to be an "official" map with only countries that have at least partial international recognition. In fact, there is not just one Kazakhstan government :p. There will actually be stuff and lore about what happened to the USSR soon.
     
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