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Teutonic Knights and Martial Races
Teutonic Knights and Martial Races

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German Ovambo troops protecting the border (1943)
While Liberia was defending itself from France and Britain, their German allies/frenemies/co-belligerents were engaging with the British, and later with the French, in an effort to knock them out of the war. If they were deprived of resources, they would obviously have to fold. The Germans targeted the British first because they had more territory than the French, which also happened to be more desirable. They also wanted the French (who were leading the charge) to tire themselves out in Liberia before dealing with them. This later became a strategic error when the Liberians took much of West Africa.

The Germans were able to capture Uganda and Kenya by July of 1941. This was important because it effectively cut British Africa in half, disrupting supply chains. Key to Germany's relatively swift victory was the cooperation of locals, specifically old British collaborators who the more racist Britannianists forced out of power. The Hutu peoples of Rwanda and Burundi rebelled in September, and German Congolese Forces rushed to aid them. These losses were uncomfortable for Britain, but not a death blow. However, the Germans were undeniably gaining momentum in Africa, thanks in large part to their ability to use their colonial subjects for more than just forced labor or cannon fodder. The Germans would launch an assault on Tanzania in April of '42, but actually found themselves getting bogged down by a large garrison of vengeful Canadian and Indian troops. As the Germans pumped more and more troops into the region, problems emerged in the south.

South Africa was by far the most stable part of Allied Africa, thanks to its large white population. The Coloured population was also very loyal, as nothing soothes a population's feelings of inadequacy quite like kicking down at another, lower population. Having fortified their borders early in the war, the South Africans were eerily quiet. This is because South Africa was, quite frankly, less loyal to London than the other White Dominions. Much of this was due to the ancestry of the white population. While there was a large core of British and Dominion descended whites in the country, they were a plurality of the white population as opposed to a majority. The other white groups were decidedly less loyal. The second largest group of whites, the Afrikaners, were still pretty sore over the whole "Britain stole our land that we rightfully took" thing. There was also a large group descended from about 80,000 hardcore Confederates and Redeemers who the British whites had treated as "trash from the Colonies" and thus aligned with the Afrikaners, who saw them as spiritual, cultural, and racial brethren. Finally, there were also several thousand Canadian refugees, who were upset that they had let London use their country as a staging point for the 9/11 attacks, and were repayed for their loyalty by essentially being left for dead. These factions controlled a majority of the local Britannianist movement and military. South Africa this spent the war doing the bare minimum for the greater war effort, and engaging in "Demographic Security Operations." These entailed finding the most restive Native groups and engaging in a combo of sterilizations and mass executions, done in order to improve the security situation of the white and Coloured classes. However, by 1942 these had mostly wound down, and the South Africans were hardly opposed to territorial expansion. In May of that year, South Africa shocked the world by easily taking old Rhodesia (Botswana and Zimbabwe), with the infamous Lion Guard going in to murder thousands of rebelling Africans. The reason Rhodesia fell so quickly was because there were large, powerful minorities of English-speaking whites who weren't overly fond of their Teutonic overlords and who aided Capetown in its imperialist excursion. This also had the effect of cutting off German Southwest Africa from the rest of the African empire, making them an easy target. Theoretically.

German Southwest Africa was majority ethnic Ovambo. The Ovambo people had actually gotten on fairly well with their colonizers, and their heroics in WWI had earned them high praise from the Kaiser. Now, isolated from Germany and with minimal aid forthcoming (they were fighting in Europe, East Africa, Persia, and Arabia simultaneously while also having to discourage rebellions or Soviet shenanigans) the Ovambo and the local German population had prepared for a South African invasion as best they could. When the South Africans charged in on October 11th, 1942, all hell broke loose. The Ovambo responded with a Liberian-esque war effort. Making use of everything they could find, and trading with neighboring Portuguese Angola, the Ovambo and their German overseers held out against a well equipped invasion force of over 150,000. A peculiar thing began to happen: the colonists and colonized increasingly worked as equals. Competent Ovambo officers were soon commanding white troops, something that would have turned heads even in relatively liberal America, to say nothing of Europe. However, expediency trumped any reservations. To justify this, colonial governor Adolf Glücker referred to a series of scientific and social science papers that developed a new theory of race, published in Berlin to controversy in 1932. Racial superiority wasn't a matter of skin color, but of a more vaguely defined "germplasm derived race strength" that could be reflected in fertility, inventiveness, and martial prowess. After all, the authors argued, how could one explain the massive power of the Asian Japanese or the multiracial Americans, while very white countries like Ukraine languished in obscurity? While these papers were ignored by the German establishment after causing a mild scandal, they were perfect for Glücker. He announced on June 13th, 1943, that German Southwest Africa would be made into a domain for the "Ovambo Martial Race" after the War and that he would resign his post. Surprisingly, Berlin backed the move. There were a variety of ethnic groups who had been very helpful to the war effort, and this explanation was a convenient way to reward them and explain Germany's dependence on them without looking weak. The Kaiser himself said that Germany's impressive performance was the result of "Teutonic Knights and Martial Races alike."

As the war came to a close, the Germans raced the Liberians to gobble up French Africa and seize British Egypt-Sudan. This meant that an offensive against an enlarged South Africa, while not out of the question, would be expensive, bloody, and time consuming. These were not attractive adjectives at any time, much less when Germany was trying to deal with crushing Britain, and was preparing for a potential intervention into India. Instead, a peace deal was struck. The South Africans would renounce Britannianism, pay a few million dollars in reparations, and sign an alliance with Germany as an independent Republic. In return, they could keep Rhodesia and their racial caste system would remain intact. If anything, the white population's position would soon be bolstered. When America deported the some 700,000 Protestants from Ulster after the war, 450,000 of them would wind up in South Africa. A further 500,000 ardent Britannianists from Britain and 60,000 from Australia would soon join the Ulstermen, as would essentially all 240,000 Dutch Indonesians. Most of these displaced persons settled in Old Rhodesia or the northern half of South Africa proper. Algeria would later become a dumping ground for French Croixists a la South Africa, and would be dubbed the National State of Algeria. Sudan, Tanzania, and the rest of French Africa not seized by Liberia would become German colonies. Namibia was formally declared the Ovambo Martial State on New Year's 1944, the first of its kind. Cameroon would become the Highlander Martial State, named for the Cameroonian Highlanders, the plurality ethnic group in Cameroon that had been integral in capturing French North Africa and holding the line against Liberia. Nigeria would become the Yoruban Martial State for similar reasons. As rewards for their help, the Bantu peoples of Kenya and Uganda were allowed to form a Bantu Martial State, as were the Hutu peoples of Rwanda and Burundi. Egypt was made a puppet Kingdom under strict control, while Ethiopia was sold to Italy, who built a puppet state there. Africa had been transformed forever.

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South African troops in German Southwest Africa (1942)

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Hutu volunteers in Tanzania (1943)

 
Will America be more powerful than OTL by present day?

Eh.... yes and no. On an absolute basis, absolutely. America will be richer, more militarily powerful, more populated, and more advanced than OTL. However, on a relative basis, America will be dealing with peer competitors. There's not going to be a bipolar or unipolar world order ITTL.
 
I belive the shadow will be 4 ways. I assusume there will be american geman and soviet but will and a brazil bloc. Wil the brizail bloc will include praugay and urguay but it also include Spain protogal alegia and south afirca
 
I belive the shadow will be 4 ways. I assusume there will be american geman and soviet but will and a brazil bloc. Wil the brizail bloc will include praugay and urguay but it also include Spain protogal alegia and south afirca

Brazil will definitely be one of the blocs. You're also going to see China and India arise later on. I'm still finalizing the details on all of Brazil
 
Brazil will definitely be one of the blocs. You're also going to see China and India arise later on. I'm still finalizing the details on all of Brazil
Are you saying that the shadow will one day be a five or even 6 way contest or will the soviet and or brazial bloc collospe before the rise of the indain chiness bloc
 
Eh.... yes and no. On an absolute basis, absolutely. America will be richer, more militarily powerful, more populated, and more advanced than OTL. However, on a relative basis, America will be dealing with peer competitors. There's not going to be a bipolar or unipolar world order ITTL.
Even though the difference will be less, will it still by most indicators (GDP, PPP, etc) be #1?
 
Even though the difference will be less, will it still by most indicators (GDP, PPP, etc) be #1?

I think so, with China being a much closer #2 compared to OTL. China is going to be developing earlier, faster, and is going to escape things like the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution, so they'll be a legitimately wealthy country.

So a heavily armed South Africa surrounded by hostile ststes and composed of forcibly relocated people. This will end well..

South Africa is actually allied with Germany and the Martial States, and Portuguese Africa isn't doing so hot. There will be a few years of readjustment, but I don't anticipate anything worse than the dislocation in OTL Germany caused by the huge number of people relocated there.
 
I think so, with China being a much closer #2 compared to OTL. China is going to be developing earlier, faster, and is going to escape things like the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution, so they'll be a legitimately wealthy country.



South Africa is actually allied with Germany and the Martial States, and Portuguese Africa isn't doing so hot. There will be a few years of readjustment, but I don't anticipate anything worse than the dislocation in OTL Germany caused by the huge number of people relocated there.
Is alergia aligned with Germany or are they aligned with Brazil
 
It kinda seems to me like the United States in this timeline is actually suited to have a special relationship with Germany akin to OTL’s with Great Britain. I’m guessing that with German culture not being as disliked the USA winds up developing institutions similar to the Fatherland?

Like, does the USA here have a General Staff system?
 
It kinda seems to me like the United States in this timeline is actually suited to have a special relationship with Germany akin to OTL’s with Great Britain. I’m guessing that with German culture not being as disliked the USA winds up developing institutions similar to the Fatherland?

Like, does the USA here have a General Staff system?
I see the us and germans like rival football teams in the same league or rival companies. Thete are some basic rules but they operate on the trust but verify system. To outsiders the rules are suspended.
 
It kinda seems to me like the United States in this timeline is actually suited to have a special relationship with Germany akin to OTL’s with Great Britain. I’m guessing that with German culture not being as disliked the USA winds up developing institutions similar to the Fatherland?

Like, does the USA here have a General Staff system?

So, here's how I envision relations shaking out:

The Germans and Americans don't have a special relationship a la the US-UK because there are fewer ties that bind, they've only fought one war together, and Liberia is going to become a huge sticking point in the post war world. However, their rivalry will also be much more gentlemanly than the US-USSR rivalry of OTL. I think the closest analog to the US-UK Special Relationship you're going to see is going to be between the US and China. China will be very heavily American influenced.

German culture has influenced the US, I just need to delve into specifics. Off the top of my head, there are probably more German loan words in American slang, German cuisine is more popular, and there's probably been some more German influence on education than OTL
 
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