Just wait until you hear about the doughnut burger.
Map Thread XX
- Thread starter Balkanized U.S.A
- Start date
- Status
The what
What happened to Inti (Spoiler: I looked)? Good map and scenario tho. Its not every day you see a surviving french Canada. And a tl of this would be pretty interesting with all the changes.
Last edited:
Behold, the material incarnation of a heart attack:
Luther Burger - Wikipedia
I mean, there IS a place called heart attack grill.Behold, the material incarnation of a heart attack:
That being said I've actually had one before and it isn't nearly as awful as it sounds. From a taste perspective, that is. Healthwise it's probably the worst thing I've done to my body in a long time.Luther Burger - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
I have a… soft spot? fetish? deep fascination? with scenarios that are “completely within the realm of physical possibility—both in terms of the laws of physics and the geopolitical reality of their setting before the POD—but seem really wacky, totally outlandish, and which would require a lot of things to go totally right for those involved to occur, but nevertheless did.”
I’m not German, so I need a better word to describe this type of scenario (we need more of this, is what I’m saying) which isn’t just one word as long as the description.
"We don't call it a butter burger because we put butter in the patty or fry it in butter or drizzle melted butter over it; we call it a butter burger because we butter the toasted bun."
"Yeah, but you still put butter in the patty, fry it in butter, and then drizzle melted butter over it?"
"Sure, but that's not why we call it a butter burger."
"Okay."
"You see if you add butter to the patty, fry it in butter, and then drizzle butter over it but serve it on a unbuttered untoasted bun it's not a butter burger."
"That's a joke, son," ~ Foghorn Leghorn
"Yeah, but you still put butter in the patty, fry it in butter, and then drizzle melted butter over it?"
"Sure, but that's not why we call it a butter burger."
"Okay."
"You see if you add butter to the patty, fry it in butter, and then drizzle butter over it but serve it on a unbuttered untoasted bun it's not a butter burger."
"That's a joke, son," ~ Foghorn Leghorn
With the conclusion of the 9th, let the 10th Telephone Map Game begin!
Telephone Map Game: 10th Edition - Claims Thread
Telephone Map Game: 10th Edition - Claims Thread
While not being German either, I do completely understand and agree with what you’re saying
There’s something deeply fascinating about e.g. Viking runes tones on the Caspian.
A fun albeit not entirely plausible map which I've been working on for a week or so.
Basically, the map presupposes what could have happened if Ingvar the Far-Travelled was marginally more successful, managing to carve out a shortlived Norse kingdom on the Caspian shore of Medieval Persia.
I had a lot of fun coming up with alternate Norse names for Iranian cities. The translations are very literal and absolutely not meant to be taken as an authoritative interpretation of what Ingvar's expedition might have named the following cities.
Bálvík - Baku (Fire Bay, named after the Fire Temple of Baku)
Calþenbýr - Qazvin (Caspian Town, named as the chief city close to the Caspian)
Eríksvík - Derbent (Erik's Bay, named after St. Erik)
Gnæfagarðr - Rayy (Tower City, anachronistically named after the funeral tower of Tughrul Bey)
Hreggbýr - Rasht (Rain Town, named for the wet climate of the city)
Kjóllvík - Amol (Ship's Bay, where Ingvar's fleet landed in ATL)
Magigarðr - Saveh (Magi's City, in Iranian tradition the Three Magi set out from Saveh)
Myllaborg - Abhar (Mill's Castle, named for the agricultural produce)
Saxþorp - Shahin (Sword Settlement, named for the fine blades produced there OTL)
Smiðrborg - Sari (Smith's Castle, named for the city's supposed connection to Kaveh the Blacksmith)
Veggrsalr - Gorgan (Wall Place, named after the Walls of Gorgan)
Sources:
Map 1: Traced from "Die Länder von Islâm zur Zeit der Bujiden 945-1055" in Spruner, Karl & von Menke, Theodor: Hand-Atlas für die Geschichte des Mittelalters und der neueren Zeit (Gotha, 1880) with cross-reference to "Map 14: 1040 to the end of the 11th century: The Seljuks and Qarakhanids" in Bregel, Yuri: An Historical Atlas of Central Asia (Brill, 2005) as well as various maps on wikipedia.
Map 1.1: Generated in QGis by using data from projectlinework (Moriarty Hand) and finished in Adobe Illustrator.
Map 1.2: Traced from a Swedish historical atlas whose name sadly escapes me. Runestone placements from Larsson, Mats G.:"Ingvarstågets arkeologiska bakgrund" (The archaeological background of the "Ingvar expedition") in Forvännen: Journal of Swedish Antiquarian Research (1983): 98-113
Love it, ig Could have been interesting with a permanent Rus Azerbaijan.
Thank you! I might make a successor map focusing on this idea
I've also updated the map with some more detailed lore.
Fantastic map as always. Absolutely love your style and implementation here
A fun albeit not entirely plausible map which I've been working on for a week or so.
Basically, the map presupposes what could have happened if Ingvar the Far-Travelled was marginally more successful, managing to carve out a shortlived Norse kingdom on the Caspian shore of Medieval Persia.
Excerpt from page 35 of the Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of the Viking Age
Viking incursions into the Caspian Sea began when 500 Rus long-ships descended the Volga River in 913 AD. After plundering the unprepared coastal regions of Gilan and Mazandaran, the Rus expedition was set upon by Khazar war parties, which slaughtered the Vikings to a man. However, this did little to deter further incursions. Indeed, three decades later, another major raid was launched, which successfully captured the city of Barda’a in modern day Azerbaijan.[1] Although Barda’a was soon abandoned and put to the torch, the city’s capture proved that the Caspian region was ripe for invasion. The flood-gates of conquest were finally thrown completely open when Sviatoslav the Brave, Grand Prince of Kiev, destroyed the Khazar state in 965. With the Volga Delta in friendly hands, the Rus slowly but steadily established a base of operations on the river’s southern estuary, centred on the newly founded city of Volgagard.[2] Small-scale raids grew more frequent and larger in scope in the following decades, culminating with the famous expedition of Ingvar the Far-Travelled in 1036-1040.
The scion of a noble Swedish house related to the legendary King Olof Skötkonnung, Ingvar set out from the Lake Mälaren region with 200 ships and close to 20.000 men in early 1036. Although most historians argue that the original target of Ingvar’s expedition was the Caucasus, it is widely acknowledged that after a few years of raiding up and down the western banks of the Caspian, the riches and the chaotic state of affairs on the Iranian plateau finally convinced Ingvar to launch a concerted attempt at conquering the southern shores of the Caspian. Having secured the cities of Eriksvik (Derbent) and Bálvík (Baku), Ingvar made landfall close to Amol in 1040, which was quickly seized from its weak and inefficient Ziyarid governor and rebranded as Kjóllvík (ship’s bay). Politically speaking, the Viking Invasion occurred at an extremely fortuitous time. The dominant Ghaznavid dynasty had just suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the invading Seljuk Turks at the Battle of Dandanaqan (near Merv), effectively shattering any chance of a coordinated Muslim counter-attack.
Allying with Zoroastrian remnants in the hills of Mazandaran and Tabarestan (evident in the Rus exonym for the region - Bálland, meaning Land of Bonfires), Ingvar’s men made stunning territorial gains over the course of the next five years. Attempts were made at ironing out some kind of Rus-Persian polity aimed at the permanent establishment of Viking settlements in Særkland (Land of the Saracens), but by then an indigenous reaction had already materialised. Tughril Beg, the leader of the Seljuks was adamantly opposed to the presence of a Christian principality within his claimed domains and soon turned the full might of the Turkoman military machine on the outnumbered Rus. Rebellions soon broke out, galvanised by the Seljuk offensive. It was in the course of fighting one of these insurrections that Ingvar fell in 1045 somewhere in Gilan. After his death, the Rus rallied around a captain named Baggi[3], who withdrew to Kjollvík. However, five years later the last Viking stronghold in Iran fell to one of Tughril’s commanders, who killed or enslaved most of the defenders. As the Gripsholm Runestone in modern-day Sweden sadly laments: “… They travelled valiantly far for gold, and in the east gave food to the eagle. They died in the south in Særkland.”[4]
[1] In OTL, this raid was unsuccessful, partly thanks to the outbreak of dysentery amongst the Vikings.
[2] An ATL city.
[3] The name of an actual ship’s captain in Ingvar’s expedition, mentioned on runestone U778
[4] From the OTL runestone
Notes:
I had a lot of fun coming up with alternate Norse names for Iranian cities. The translations are very literal and absolutely not meant to be taken as an authoritative interpretation of what Ingvar's expedition might have named the following cities.
Bálvík - Baku (Fire Bay, named after the Fire Temple of Baku)
Calþenbýr - Qazvin (Caspian Town, named as the chief city close to the Caspian)
Eríksvík - Derbent (Erik's Bay, named after St. Erik)
Gnæfagarðr - Rayy (Tower City, anachronistically named after the funeral tower of Tughrul Bey)
Hreggbýr - Rasht (Rain Town, named for the wet climate of the city)
Kjóllvík - Amol (Ship's Bay, where Ingvar's fleet landed in ATL)
Magigarðr - Saveh (Magi's City, in Iranian tradition the Three Magi set out from Saveh)
Myllaborg - Abhar (Mill's Castle, named for the agricultural produce)
Saxþorp - Shahin (Sword Settlement, named for the fine blades produced there OTL)
Smiðrborg - Sari (Smith's Castle, named for the city's supposed connection to Kaveh the Blacksmith)
Veggrsalr - Gorgan (Wall Place, named after the Walls of Gorgan)
Sources:
Map 1: Traced from "Die Länder von Islâm zur Zeit der Bujiden 945-1055" in Spruner, Karl & von Menke, Theodor: Hand-Atlas für die Geschichte des Mittelalters und der neueren Zeit (Gotha, 1880) with cross-reference to "Map 14: 1040 to the end of the 11th century: The Seljuks and Qarakhanids" in Bregel, Yuri: An Historical Atlas of Central Asia (Brill, 2005) as well as various maps on wikipedia.
Map 1.1: Generated in QGis by using data from projectlinework (Moriarty Hand) and finished in Adobe Illustrator.
Map 1.2: Traced from a Swedish historical atlas whose name sadly escapes me. Runestone placements from Larsson, Mats G.:"Ingvarstågets arkeologiska bakgrund" (The archaeological background of the "Ingvar expedition") in Forvännen: Journal of Swedish Antiquarian Research (1983): 98-113
Quick Lore: The Federal Republic of Central America in this timeline prevented its civil war and survived. The Country's economy would grow with its trading fruits such as Bananas and such. Having been more stable, it prevented the Banana Republic dictatorship that several central American nations suffer in our world. There have been discussions ever since Panama and Belize independence over whether or not they should join the Federation or not.
I would be quite happy to see a Zoroastrian Viking PersiaThank you! I might make a successor map focusing on this idea
I've also updated the map with some more detailed lore.
I first posted this map here around 4 years ago, and just dug it up in an old folder while looking for another file.
It shows South Asia in 2015, alternate history version. The British came and conquered as OTL, but not as much. Bengal came under direct British control, while most of Northern India and what is now Pakistan was princely states under British influence, but no direct control. The Mughals remained as figureheads.
Mysore, Hyderabad and the Marathas were all slightly richer and better organized and were able to stay independent, though they had to kowtow to British interests a lot (except for Mysore, a French ally).
What is now Islamistan, the Republic of the Punjab and the Republic of Free India were technically under the British controlled Mughals, but when the British grew weak there was a revolution and after a short civil war, the three modern republics emerged (around 1930-40ish). Bengal remained under British control and became independent in the 1960s, but retained the British monarch as their sovereign. Ceylon also became independent around the same time, but chose to become a republic and change their name to Sri Lanka.
What do you guys think?
Cheers,
Ganesha
It shows South Asia in 2015, alternate history version. The British came and conquered as OTL, but not as much. Bengal came under direct British control, while most of Northern India and what is now Pakistan was princely states under British influence, but no direct control. The Mughals remained as figureheads.
Mysore, Hyderabad and the Marathas were all slightly richer and better organized and were able to stay independent, though they had to kowtow to British interests a lot (except for Mysore, a French ally).
What is now Islamistan, the Republic of the Punjab and the Republic of Free India were technically under the British controlled Mughals, but when the British grew weak there was a revolution and after a short civil war, the three modern republics emerged (around 1930-40ish). Bengal remained under British control and became independent in the 1960s, but retained the British monarch as their sovereign. Ceylon also became independent around the same time, but chose to become a republic and change their name to Sri Lanka.
What do you guys think?
Cheers,
Ganesha
Courtesy of u/Historynerd0921 from Reddit (HBNG-Kor on DeviantArt), Red Flag over Seoul: a 1970 Korea where the North emerged mostly victorious, with the rump South reduced to the rough boundaries of the Pusan Perimeter.
Thousands of bodies laid dead on the shores of Inchon. General Douglas MacArthur's rash plan to land at Inchon, take Seoul, cut the North Korean supply lines and recover South Korea had turned into a catastrophe as almost everyone had predicted. Everyone except the bigoted general, who was soon sacked for being responsible for thousands of American deaths on Inchon's shores, all for nothing. Not all the steam for fighting was gone, but the will for offensive operations had been greatly reduced among the American command in Korea. A few attempts at landing in Wonsan, Yosu, and Mokpo were made, but with lacking support and extremely cautious generals, no good progress could be made.
By 1952, South Korea looked little different from mid-1950, with the Nakdong River defence line staying stagnant and a few strongholds being established in Southern Cholla province. With increasing casualties and an unresolved stalemate, pressure was mounting up on the army to end the war, as the conflict was turning unpopular day by day. Inclined to do something that would either improve the opinion on the war or pull the North Koreans to the negotiating table, the commanders drew up a plan for a coordinated operation to retake Kwangju, a major city in southern Korea.
September 1953: the operation was commenced with initial victories as the Americans neared Kwangju. But then, the North Koreans offered to begin negotiating for a peace. Though North Korean lands north of the 38th parallel was unscathed by any land battles throughout the war, that did not mean that they could avoid the might of the American air power. Cities across North Korea were bombed throughout the war by American bombers departing from air bases across Japan and what was left of South Korea, which wore away North Korea's war machine bit by bit and nurturing discontent among the North Korean populace. This reality, coalesced with a sudden offensive from the Americans, had coerced Kim Il Sung into peace talks against his will. Negotiations were long and often broke down, but they nevertheless continued. The American offensive on Kwangju, despite the generals' requests, were stopped in fears of provoking the North Koreans and destroying a chance to exit the war.
In the end, an armistice was signed and the war ended with a North Korean victory, as South Korea was reduced into a rump state at the edge of the Korean peninsula. South Korean president Syngman Rhee objected to the armistice at first, but with threats to abandon him entirely if he did not accept the armistice, Rhee caved and agreed to the terms of peace. Rhee was forced to resign a few months after the war in 1954, with Pyung-Ok Chough taking office as the new post-Rhee president. Pyung-Ok Chough, as a staunch anti-communist he was, instituted dictatorial measures that resulted in notable socialist figures such as Cho Bong-Am being taken behind bars. No matter how brutal Chough's reign was, it was ended by not the will of the people, but the forces of nature - cardiovascular symptoms after his abdomen surgery. In the post-Chough drama, the military enacted a coup and accepted a return to democracy, citing their cause as political and social unrest in post-Chough South Korea that threatened the survival of the state. The Supreme Council for National Reconstruction was instituted as the provisional government, with Kim Jong-Pil as its head. Though the military's provisional government did not last due to public pressure, the key figures in the military coup participated in the ensuing elections and elected themselves into key political figures, continuing the military dictatorship that continues today under Kim Jong-Pil.
In North Korea, the triumph had greatly elevated Kim Il-Sung's position in the country even further, resulting in the opposing factions in the Worker's Party of Korea being purged and an incontestable cult of personality being formed around Kim Il-Sung. In Japan, with an imminent communist threat so close to home, the Japanese constitution was amended to facilitate the recreation of the military with American and domestic support in fear of the ascendant communists throughout Asia. In 1953, President Harry Truman stepped down in shame with his term ending, being criticized to be unable to contain the growing communist threat in Asia. Though South Korea survived as a state, there was no denying that the Korean War was a defeat for the Americans; an uneasy start to the Cold War for the free world.
Thousands of bodies laid dead on the shores of Inchon. General Douglas MacArthur's rash plan to land at Inchon, take Seoul, cut the North Korean supply lines and recover South Korea had turned into a catastrophe as almost everyone had predicted. Everyone except the bigoted general, who was soon sacked for being responsible for thousands of American deaths on Inchon's shores, all for nothing. Not all the steam for fighting was gone, but the will for offensive operations had been greatly reduced among the American command in Korea. A few attempts at landing in Wonsan, Yosu, and Mokpo were made, but with lacking support and extremely cautious generals, no good progress could be made.
By 1952, South Korea looked little different from mid-1950, with the Nakdong River defence line staying stagnant and a few strongholds being established in Southern Cholla province. With increasing casualties and an unresolved stalemate, pressure was mounting up on the army to end the war, as the conflict was turning unpopular day by day. Inclined to do something that would either improve the opinion on the war or pull the North Koreans to the negotiating table, the commanders drew up a plan for a coordinated operation to retake Kwangju, a major city in southern Korea.
September 1953: the operation was commenced with initial victories as the Americans neared Kwangju. But then, the North Koreans offered to begin negotiating for a peace. Though North Korean lands north of the 38th parallel was unscathed by any land battles throughout the war, that did not mean that they could avoid the might of the American air power. Cities across North Korea were bombed throughout the war by American bombers departing from air bases across Japan and what was left of South Korea, which wore away North Korea's war machine bit by bit and nurturing discontent among the North Korean populace. This reality, coalesced with a sudden offensive from the Americans, had coerced Kim Il Sung into peace talks against his will. Negotiations were long and often broke down, but they nevertheless continued. The American offensive on Kwangju, despite the generals' requests, were stopped in fears of provoking the North Koreans and destroying a chance to exit the war.
In the end, an armistice was signed and the war ended with a North Korean victory, as South Korea was reduced into a rump state at the edge of the Korean peninsula. South Korean president Syngman Rhee objected to the armistice at first, but with threats to abandon him entirely if he did not accept the armistice, Rhee caved and agreed to the terms of peace. Rhee was forced to resign a few months after the war in 1954, with Pyung-Ok Chough taking office as the new post-Rhee president. Pyung-Ok Chough, as a staunch anti-communist he was, instituted dictatorial measures that resulted in notable socialist figures such as Cho Bong-Am being taken behind bars. No matter how brutal Chough's reign was, it was ended by not the will of the people, but the forces of nature - cardiovascular symptoms after his abdomen surgery. In the post-Chough drama, the military enacted a coup and accepted a return to democracy, citing their cause as political and social unrest in post-Chough South Korea that threatened the survival of the state. The Supreme Council for National Reconstruction was instituted as the provisional government, with Kim Jong-Pil as its head. Though the military's provisional government did not last due to public pressure, the key figures in the military coup participated in the ensuing elections and elected themselves into key political figures, continuing the military dictatorship that continues today under Kim Jong-Pil.
In North Korea, the triumph had greatly elevated Kim Il-Sung's position in the country even further, resulting in the opposing factions in the Worker's Party of Korea being purged and an incontestable cult of personality being formed around Kim Il-Sung. In Japan, with an imminent communist threat so close to home, the Japanese constitution was amended to facilitate the recreation of the military with American and domestic support in fear of the ascendant communists throughout Asia. In 1953, President Harry Truman stepped down in shame with his term ending, being criticized to be unable to contain the growing communist threat in Asia. Though South Korea survived as a state, there was no denying that the Korean War was a defeat for the Americans; an uneasy start to the Cold War for the free world.
Last edited:
Courtesy of u/Historynerd0921 from Reddit (HBNG-Kor on DeviantArt), a 1970 map where communist Korea emerged mostly victorious: Red Flag over Seoul.
Thousands of bodies laid dead on the shores of Inchon. General Douglass MacArthur's rash plan to land at Inchon, take Seoul, cut the North Korean supply lines and recover South Korea had turned into a catastrophe as almost everyone had predicted. Everyone except the bigoted general, who was soon sacked for being responsible for the death of thousands of Americans on Inchon's shores, all for nothing. Not all the steam for fighting was gone, but the will for offensive operations had been greatly reduced among the American command in Korea. A few attempts at landing in Wonsan, Yosu, and Mokpo were made, but with lacking support and extremely cautious generals, no good progress could be made.
By 1952, South Korea looked little different from mid-1950, with the Nakdong River defence line staying stagnant and a few strongholds being established in Southern Cholla province. With increasing casualties and an unresolved stalemate, pressure was mounting up on the army to end the war, as the conflict was turning unpopular day by day. Inclined to do something that would either improve the opinion on the war or pull the North Koreans to the negotiating table, the commanders drew up a plan for a coordinated operation to retake Kwangju, a major city in southern Korea.
September 1953: the operation was commenced with initial victories as the Americans neared Kwangju. But then, the North Koreans offered to begin negotiating for a peace. Though North Korean lands north of the 38th parallel was unscathed by any land battles throughout the war, that did not mean that they could avoid the might of the American air power. Cities across North Korea were bombed throughout the war by American bombers departing from air bases across Japan and what was left of South Korea, which wore away North Korea's war machine bit by bit and nurturing discontent among the North Korean populace. This reality, coalesced with a sudden offensive from the Americans, had coerced Kim Il Sung into peace talks against his will. Negotiations were long and often broke down, but they nevertheless continued. The American offensive on Kwangju, despite the generals' requests, were stopped in fears of provoking the North Koreans and destroying a chance to exit the war.
In the end, an armistice was signed and the war ended with a North Korean victory, as South Korea was reduced into a rump state at the edge of the Korean peninsula. South Korean president Syngman Rhee objected to the armistice at first, but with threats to abandon him entirely if he did not accept the armistice, Rhee caved and agreed to the terms of peace. Rhee was forced to resign a few months after the war in 1954, with Pyung-Ok Chough taking office as the new post-Rhee president. Pyung-Ok Chough, as a staunch anti-communist he was, instituted dictatorial measures that resulted in notable socialist figures such as Cho Bong-Am being taken behind bars. No matter how brutal Chough's reign was, it was ended by not the will of the people, but the forces of nature - cardiovascular symptoms after his abdomen surgery. In the post-Chough drama, the military enacted a coup and accepted a return to democracy, citing their cause as political and social unrest in post-Chough South Korea that threatened the survival of the state. The Supreme Council for National Reconstruction was instituted as the provisional government, with Kim Jong-Pil as its head. Though the military's provisional government did not last due to public pressure, the key figures in the military coup participated in the ensuing elections and elected themselves into key political figures, continuing the military dictatorship that continues today under Kim Jong-Pil.
In North Korea, the triumph had greatly elevated Kim Il-Sung's position in the country even further, resulting in the opposing factions in the Worker's Party of Korea being purged and an uncontestable cult of personality being formed around Kim Il-Sung. In Japan, with an imminent communist threat so close to home, the Japanese constitution was amended to facilitate the recreation of the military with American and domestic support in fear of the ascendent communists throughout Asia. In 1953, President Harry Truman stepped down in shame with his term ending, being criticized to be unable to contain the growing communist threat in Asia. Though South Korea survived as a state, there was no denying that the Korean War was a defeat, an uneasy onset of the Cold War for the Americans.
While I have doubles of the failure of Inchon, and the failed breakout from the Pusan perimeter, (By the time of Inchon the US/UN and SK forces greatly outnumber the nine or ten North Korean divisions facing them. The North Koreans have stretched their supply lines to breaking point trying to pierce the defences around Pusan, and would have great difficulties in bringing up supplies or reinforcements even without a landing at Inchon.)
This is a lovely map with very interesting affects from this.
From Japan getting it military back and A9 being throw out the window to the enlarged North Korea and the affects on the Cold War to little rump South Korea hanging on.
So what happens to "South Korea"? Japanese appendage (I bet that would go over well)? Giant US military base? BFFs with Taiwan? Desperate attempt at far-north Singapore, except without the whole "critical transport hub" thing?Courtesy of u/Historynerd0921 from Reddit (HBNG-Kor on DeviantArt), Red Flag over Seoul: a 1970 Korea where the North emerged mostly victorious, with the rump South reduced to the rough boundaries of the Pusan Perimeter.
Thousands of bodies laid dead on the shores of Inchon. General Douglas MacArthur's rash plan to land at Inchon, take Seoul, cut the North Korean supply lines and recover South Korea had turned into a catastrophe as almost everyone had predicted. Everyone except the bigoted general, who was soon sacked for being responsible for thousands of American deaths on Inchon's shores, all for nothing. Not all the steam for fighting was gone, but the will for offensive operations had been greatly reduced among the American command in Korea. A few attempts at landing in Wonsan, Yosu, and Mokpo were made, but with lacking support and extremely cautious generals, no good progress could be made.
By 1952, South Korea looked little different from mid-1950, with the Nakdong River defence line staying stagnant and a few strongholds being established in Southern Cholla province. With increasing casualties and an unresolved stalemate, pressure was mounting up on the army to end the war, as the conflict was turning unpopular day by day. Inclined to do something that would either improve the opinion on the war or pull the North Koreans to the negotiating table, the commanders drew up a plan for a coordinated operation to retake Kwangju, a major city in southern Korea.
September 1953: the operation was commenced with initial victories as the Americans neared Kwangju. But then, the North Koreans offered to begin negotiating for a peace. Though North Korean lands north of the 38th parallel was unscathed by any land battles throughout the war, that did not mean that they could avoid the might of the American air power. Cities across North Korea were bombed throughout the war by American bombers departing from air bases across Japan and what was left of South Korea, which wore away North Korea's war machine bit by bit and nurturing discontent among the North Korean populace. This reality, coalesced with a sudden offensive from the Americans, had coerced Kim Il Sung into peace talks against his will. Negotiations were long and often broke down, but they nevertheless continued. The American offensive on Kwangju, despite the generals' requests, were stopped in fears of provoking the North Koreans and destroying a chance to exit the war.
In the end, an armistice was signed and the war ended with a North Korean victory, as South Korea was reduced into a rump state at the edge of the Korean peninsula. South Korean president Syngman Rhee objected to the armistice at first, but with threats to abandon him entirely if he did not accept the armistice, Rhee caved and agreed to the terms of peace. Rhee was forced to resign a few months after the war in 1954, with Pyung-Ok Chough taking office as the new post-Rhee president. Pyung-Ok Chough, as a staunch anti-communist he was, instituted dictatorial measures that resulted in notable socialist figures such as Cho Bong-Am being taken behind bars. No matter how brutal Chough's reign was, it was ended by not the will of the people, but the forces of nature - cardiovascular symptoms after his abdomen surgery. In the post-Chough drama, the military enacted a coup and accepted a return to democracy, citing their cause as political and social unrest in post-Chough South Korea that threatened the survival of the state. The Supreme Council for National Reconstruction was instituted as the provisional government, with Kim Jong-Pil as its head. Though the military's provisional government did not last due to public pressure, the key figures in the military coup participated in the ensuing elections and elected themselves into key political figures, continuing the military dictatorship that continues today under Kim Jong-Pil.
In North Korea, the triumph had greatly elevated Kim Il-Sung's position in the country even further, resulting in the opposing factions in the Worker's Party of Korea being purged and an incontestable cult of personality being formed around Kim Il-Sung. In Japan, with an imminent communist threat so close to home, the Japanese constitution was amended to facilitate the recreation of the military with American and domestic support in fear of the ascendant communists throughout Asia. In 1953, President Harry Truman stepped down in shame with his term ending, being criticized to be unable to contain the growing communist threat in Asia. Though South Korea survived as a state, there was no denying that the Korean War was a defeat for the Americans; an uneasy start to the Cold War for the free world.
Another map of Europe at 05th May 1944 from the timeline 1940 - La France continue la guerre (France fights on).
- It's been 3 days since the British landed in Normandy with relative ease, the deception of the false landing in Calais has worked, Caen is expected to fall within a few days and with the Allied forces preparing to cross the Dordogne front, the German situation in France becomes untenable.
- The Italian front is still stagnated along the Gothic line. In the Alps, the French forces have come to a standstill against the German and Italo-fascist forces.
- The battle of the Vistula continues, the Warsaw uprising will not last much longer than 3 months. In Slovakia however, the uprising against the Nazis and the Slovak fascist government sees relative success.
- Romania has been almost completely liberated, Soviet-Romanian forces prepare to invade Hungary.
- Following the liberation of Belgrade, King Peter II and Marshal Tito will be forced to make concessions and compromises for the new postwar Yugoslavia.
(Note, this map is only canon at the Italian, Albanian, Yugoslav and Occitan fronts, the story is still being written and it's at 1944, the Eastern and Normany fronts are courtesy of @PauL62 post here: https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/map-thread-xx.492239/page-49 )
Last edited:
- Status