alternatehistory.com
Reich-1
Prominent Leaders:
President Peter J. Marshall (US President)
Fuhrer Heinrich Himmler (President of Greater Germany)
Premier Vladimir Luzenkho (Premier of the Soviet Union)
In the early days of Infinity exploration, there was one world that they were sure they would find if only because of Hollywood movies almost insisted on it. A world where the Third Reich won World War II. None were initially found in Quantum-5 and many historians working for Infinity started to believe that only in Homeline and near echoes did the Third Reich actually last as long as 1945, the discovery of Reich-1 in Quantum-4 refuted that theory, if only just. Upon it's first discovery in Local Year 1947, Hitler was alive and the Nazi Party was still in power in Europe. The Third Reich and it's allies occupied the UK, France, everywhere besides Ireland and Sweden and the weakened Soviet Union. While the Soviets were the first to break the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Germans rather than going on the offensive let the Russians attack. In this world Himmler was well informed of Stalin's officer purges, and following the public execution of Zhukov by the KGB advised the Fuhrer to defend rather than attack. The Wehrmacht agreed that attacking Stalin was foolish, but if they dug in and let Stalin bloody himself against Greater Germany they could force terms on Russia allowing them to consolidate in the Western Front. While Infinity can't get records on precisely how the Soviets advance failed so completely, General Rommel was appointed Chief of Staff for the Wehrmacht as it was his panzers that outflanked and obliterated the Soviet armies. Dunkirk two years earlier poised the British Isles to be ripe for the taking. Operation: Sealion was a success, and in a few short months saw the British Isles fall to a foreign landing force for the first time since 1066. It was here in 1944 that the Third Reich reached it's apex; master from Toulouse to Warsaw, Copenhagen to Marseilles. It would not last...
The United States, under President Roosevelt was identical to it's Homeline counterpart except for one figure, instead of Cordell Hull, Roosevelt's Secretary of State was a man named Nathaniel Drake Sterling. Sterling was a sympathizer for Germany, and OSS at the time considered he might have spied for the Reich. The difference is that Sterling engineered a deal in December of 1941 that guaranteed the USA would not support a war on Germany. Simply put (and Homeline found this out at Sterling's trial in 1949) Stirling had a meeting with the German Ambassador that revealed the attack on Pearl Harbor. He "tried" to arrange a meeting with the President, staff, and drafted memos but none of them "reached command in time". As he was the black sheet of the Cabinet, and Roosevelt handled foreign policy himself mostly only appointed him to the post to appease Congress, it was believable and that testimony would destroy Roosevelt's administration. In the first cabinet meeting following the attack, he informed the President, if compelled to testify Sterling could say he tried to warn the President, but no one listened; and as much as Stimson argued for it, the Secretary of State couldn't just disappear. In the end, war was inevitable but only if Germany declared war openly to support its ally, Japan... It never came, as Sterling got word to the German Ambassador in time. The War in the Pacific took priority and with only Lend-Lease support the UK was on borrowed time. Churchill in 1949 stated "I shook that devil's hand in 41. If I knew then what I know now I would have strangled him myself." The United States has been at war for nearly a decade, and the strain is showing. Between the French, British and other immigrants the United States and Canada are stretched to their limit. A common thought is that if any war to liberate Europe lasts more than two years, the soldiers will revolt. The much publicized trial of former Secretary of State Nathaniel Sterling, garnered large headlines, but Homeline monitors can't help but notice that most American media coverage is now screened by the Office of Public Information prior to broadcast.
Japan's defeat was inevitable with Germany's stab in the back, in fact Stalin was so worried about American encroachment in Asia that he split forces from German invasion to counter the Americans, only further making the Soviet defeat inevitable in Eastern Europe. By 1944, Japan was down to the home islands. Sakhalin was captured by American marines, and were preparing for an invasion of the home islands in March 1945. While Japan was defeated, so to was another island nation in Europe.
The last 7 years in Reich-1, have shown just how unsuccessful the Nazi attempt to assimilate populations was. Widespread revolts outside Greater Germany are common, and only military occupation is keeping the whole of Europe from revolting. While Stalin may be dead, his successor has seen the Soviets rearm and in 1951, flagrantly violate the 1944 Ukraine-Baltic DMZ agreements. In France and the UK resistance is strong and creating a brotherhood beyond their former alliance. Add to that President Marshall's aggressive blockade of the North Atlantic, and preparation for Operation Liberation, and the "Atlantic Pact" already debating the post-war New World Order, and the name Reich-1 seems to be a misnomer now. Germany has bet everything on Nuclear Weapon development, which the Americans are trailing behind half-convinced that it's a pipe dream, and the Soviets lacking the resources entirely.
Stalin suffered lead poisoning in 1946, as in he happened to fall onto 18 bullets. The Soviet leadership removed him from power, and their military was so anemic, and their industry so sparse that fighting Germany was a pipedream at best. After a string of inept leaders, and the failures to stop the poisoning of the Ukraine and Phase 1 of Generalplan Ost, a man by the name of Luzenkho has become Premier. Not much is known about him that is verifiable by Homeline, but it is known he met with President Marshall in Anchorage in 1948, and that a form of Lend-Lease, where American Industry is rebuilding a new Soviet Union.
The rest of the world is in chaos as the Overseas Colonial Empires effectively stopped operating in 1945. India in 1945, in a deal with the United States and UK government in exile in Ottawa saw independence. The Dutch simply withdrew to Australia after Indonesia was liberated, the Atlantic Pact oversaw the creation of a federal government there but little else. The Republic of China still exists but is continuing to fight Communist insurgents, whether or not they have Soviet backing is unproven. Japan is still occupied by the Atlantic Pact (mostly American) armed forces, with final withdraw scheduled for 1955. In Africa, the quick departure of the British and French, and the inability of the Germans to police the territory has created a vaccuum, one that American business is willing to invest in with promises of more capital if Europe is liberated.
Perhaps soon Infinity can rename the world from Reich-1 to something else.
OOC: Reich-1 by Infinite Worlds very brief description and the scenario outlined is pretty close. However I am taking a line about "Battles in India" to mean some form of fascist uprising the Germans are trying to support. Unlike in OTL, the Soviet Union is nearly a failed state, only held together by the the authoritarian Luzhenko's regime, and Russian hatred of Germany (Generalplan Ost getting through Phase 1 in the DMZ, Crop devastation by German bioweapons). Germany itself is sort of run by an odd combination of the military leadership and Nazi leadership. Similar to German command in the tail end of World War I... and the General populace is quite concerned by this as well. The Republic of China was allied with the USA against China, but they are more ambivalent about war with Germany. The United States has been at war for so long that it's war-time measures are becoming a bit... too well entrenched, and some Homeline monitors are concerned that the United States could be on the slippery slope towards a technocratic authoritarian state.
Reich-1
Local Year: 1952
Local Year: 1952
Prominent Leaders:
President Peter J. Marshall (US President)
Fuhrer Heinrich Himmler (President of Greater Germany)
Premier Vladimir Luzenkho (Premier of the Soviet Union)
In the early days of Infinity exploration, there was one world that they were sure they would find if only because of Hollywood movies almost insisted on it. A world where the Third Reich won World War II. None were initially found in Quantum-5 and many historians working for Infinity started to believe that only in Homeline and near echoes did the Third Reich actually last as long as 1945, the discovery of Reich-1 in Quantum-4 refuted that theory, if only just. Upon it's first discovery in Local Year 1947, Hitler was alive and the Nazi Party was still in power in Europe. The Third Reich and it's allies occupied the UK, France, everywhere besides Ireland and Sweden and the weakened Soviet Union. While the Soviets were the first to break the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Germans rather than going on the offensive let the Russians attack. In this world Himmler was well informed of Stalin's officer purges, and following the public execution of Zhukov by the KGB advised the Fuhrer to defend rather than attack. The Wehrmacht agreed that attacking Stalin was foolish, but if they dug in and let Stalin bloody himself against Greater Germany they could force terms on Russia allowing them to consolidate in the Western Front. While Infinity can't get records on precisely how the Soviets advance failed so completely, General Rommel was appointed Chief of Staff for the Wehrmacht as it was his panzers that outflanked and obliterated the Soviet armies. Dunkirk two years earlier poised the British Isles to be ripe for the taking. Operation: Sealion was a success, and in a few short months saw the British Isles fall to a foreign landing force for the first time since 1066. It was here in 1944 that the Third Reich reached it's apex; master from Toulouse to Warsaw, Copenhagen to Marseilles. It would not last...
The United States, under President Roosevelt was identical to it's Homeline counterpart except for one figure, instead of Cordell Hull, Roosevelt's Secretary of State was a man named Nathaniel Drake Sterling. Sterling was a sympathizer for Germany, and OSS at the time considered he might have spied for the Reich. The difference is that Sterling engineered a deal in December of 1941 that guaranteed the USA would not support a war on Germany. Simply put (and Homeline found this out at Sterling's trial in 1949) Stirling had a meeting with the German Ambassador that revealed the attack on Pearl Harbor. He "tried" to arrange a meeting with the President, staff, and drafted memos but none of them "reached command in time". As he was the black sheet of the Cabinet, and Roosevelt handled foreign policy himself mostly only appointed him to the post to appease Congress, it was believable and that testimony would destroy Roosevelt's administration. In the first cabinet meeting following the attack, he informed the President, if compelled to testify Sterling could say he tried to warn the President, but no one listened; and as much as Stimson argued for it, the Secretary of State couldn't just disappear. In the end, war was inevitable but only if Germany declared war openly to support its ally, Japan... It never came, as Sterling got word to the German Ambassador in time. The War in the Pacific took priority and with only Lend-Lease support the UK was on borrowed time. Churchill in 1949 stated "I shook that devil's hand in 41. If I knew then what I know now I would have strangled him myself." The United States has been at war for nearly a decade, and the strain is showing. Between the French, British and other immigrants the United States and Canada are stretched to their limit. A common thought is that if any war to liberate Europe lasts more than two years, the soldiers will revolt. The much publicized trial of former Secretary of State Nathaniel Sterling, garnered large headlines, but Homeline monitors can't help but notice that most American media coverage is now screened by the Office of Public Information prior to broadcast.
Japan's defeat was inevitable with Germany's stab in the back, in fact Stalin was so worried about American encroachment in Asia that he split forces from German invasion to counter the Americans, only further making the Soviet defeat inevitable in Eastern Europe. By 1944, Japan was down to the home islands. Sakhalin was captured by American marines, and were preparing for an invasion of the home islands in March 1945. While Japan was defeated, so to was another island nation in Europe.
The last 7 years in Reich-1, have shown just how unsuccessful the Nazi attempt to assimilate populations was. Widespread revolts outside Greater Germany are common, and only military occupation is keeping the whole of Europe from revolting. While Stalin may be dead, his successor has seen the Soviets rearm and in 1951, flagrantly violate the 1944 Ukraine-Baltic DMZ agreements. In France and the UK resistance is strong and creating a brotherhood beyond their former alliance. Add to that President Marshall's aggressive blockade of the North Atlantic, and preparation for Operation Liberation, and the "Atlantic Pact" already debating the post-war New World Order, and the name Reich-1 seems to be a misnomer now. Germany has bet everything on Nuclear Weapon development, which the Americans are trailing behind half-convinced that it's a pipe dream, and the Soviets lacking the resources entirely.
Stalin suffered lead poisoning in 1946, as in he happened to fall onto 18 bullets. The Soviet leadership removed him from power, and their military was so anemic, and their industry so sparse that fighting Germany was a pipedream at best. After a string of inept leaders, and the failures to stop the poisoning of the Ukraine and Phase 1 of Generalplan Ost, a man by the name of Luzenkho has become Premier. Not much is known about him that is verifiable by Homeline, but it is known he met with President Marshall in Anchorage in 1948, and that a form of Lend-Lease, where American Industry is rebuilding a new Soviet Union.
The rest of the world is in chaos as the Overseas Colonial Empires effectively stopped operating in 1945. India in 1945, in a deal with the United States and UK government in exile in Ottawa saw independence. The Dutch simply withdrew to Australia after Indonesia was liberated, the Atlantic Pact oversaw the creation of a federal government there but little else. The Republic of China still exists but is continuing to fight Communist insurgents, whether or not they have Soviet backing is unproven. Japan is still occupied by the Atlantic Pact (mostly American) armed forces, with final withdraw scheduled for 1955. In Africa, the quick departure of the British and French, and the inability of the Germans to police the territory has created a vaccuum, one that American business is willing to invest in with promises of more capital if Europe is liberated.
Perhaps soon Infinity can rename the world from Reich-1 to something else.
OOC: Reich-1 by Infinite Worlds very brief description and the scenario outlined is pretty close. However I am taking a line about "Battles in India" to mean some form of fascist uprising the Germans are trying to support. Unlike in OTL, the Soviet Union is nearly a failed state, only held together by the the authoritarian Luzhenko's regime, and Russian hatred of Germany (Generalplan Ost getting through Phase 1 in the DMZ, Crop devastation by German bioweapons). Germany itself is sort of run by an odd combination of the military leadership and Nazi leadership. Similar to German command in the tail end of World War I... and the General populace is quite concerned by this as well. The Republic of China was allied with the USA against China, but they are more ambivalent about war with Germany. The United States has been at war for so long that it's war-time measures are becoming a bit... too well entrenched, and some Homeline monitors are concerned that the United States could be on the slippery slope towards a technocratic authoritarian state.
- Prometheus_2300
- Word Count: 1.4k