Photos of the Kaiserreich

[Worffan101]

British propaganda poster of the immediate pre-Second Weltkrieg era. The Horner government was active in recruiting women to the Union's cause, and several female officers would later rise to supreme command of the British military by the 1950s, early even by the standards of the Third Internationale.

CNT-FAI propaganda poster of the Spanish Civil War. The CNT-FAI, radical anarcho-socialists, were heavily backed by the Third Internationale during the conflict, and were ultimately victorious due to French "volunteers" crushing Carlist Spain. Socialist Spain has devolved into a highly decentralized state built around primarily agrarian communes, and is currently dealing with a loud conservative faction that wishes to re-industrialize and become a louder, more powerful voice in the Third Internationale.

 

[theg*ddam*hoi2fan]

British propaganda poster of the immediate pre-Second Weltkrieg era. The Horner government was active in recruiting women to the Union's cause, and several female officers would later rise to supreme command of the British military by the 1950s, early even by the standards of the Third Internationale.

So ITTL, the Night Witches are British? I approve

 

[theg*ddam*hoi2fan]

Photograph of famed Japanese novelist and playwright Mishima Yukio, together with his friend Ishihara Shintaro, c. 1950. This photograph was taken shortly prior to both men enlisting in the Imperial Japanese Air Force, in which they both served during the Second North American War.
Although Mishima had been turned down for service in the Army and Navy during the 1940s owing to health problems, following the foundation of the IJAF and its separation from Army control there had been a brief period where standards were not as exacting as the other services: this, coupled with Mishima's efforts to build himself up, led to his being accepted.
Mishima would go on to serve with distinction in the Second North American War, scoring a dozen aerial kills against US 'Razorback' jets. However, the war would have a profound impact on him, as not only would he suffer the loss of his right eye, but his friend Ishihara - another aspiring writer prior to enlistment - was killed in action over Nevada. Ishihara's death led to a sea-change in Mishima's personal philosophy: while he would remain patriotic, he would become an outspoken critic of 'militarism for its own sake', calling for Japan to 'only think of defence, not of aggrandisement' and drawing comparisons between the 'mechanised wars of imperialism' and the 'pure, spiritual' nature of the samurai. Survivor's guilt would also be a frequent feature of much of his body of work, in particular in the Sea of Fertility tetralogy - the third book would, indeed, feature a character who effectively was Ishihara in all but name.
In 1974, Mishima committed suicide at his home in Tokyo. Found with him were a death-poem and a record player, on which he had been listening to the gunka piece Senyuu repeatedly.

Rare photograph of Mishima in North America, c. 1951, tying a hachimaki headband prior to a mission.

 

[Worffan101]

So ITTL, the Night Witches are British? I approve

Look at the badge, that's a grain and gear.

 

[theg*ddam*hoi2fan]

Look at the badge, that's a grain and gear.

Nice

 

[Deleted member 82792]

Any ideas what the actors of Star Wars (from Mark Hamill to Daisy Ridley) are doing in the Kaiserreich timelines? Any thoughts?

 

[Magnimik]

Any ideas what the actors of Star Wars (from Mark Hamill to Daisy Ridley) are doing in the Kaiserreich timelines? Any thoughts?

It's hard to say, since lives of most of them are obviously past KR timeframe, and their background isn't very significiant to say about the potential role of their ancestors in the Kaiserreich events.
It'd be interesting, though, to see what would Christopher Lee do in KR, since IRL he participated in both Winter War and World War II.

 

[WotanArgead]

Shooting a working demonstration in Novocherkassk. 1962
After the second Weltkrieg, the Russian Republic became a new superpower. Russian Conservatives announced the "Revival of the Greatness of Russia". The basis of Russian neocolonialism was the reactionary regimes of Eastern Europe and the Autocratic Monarchies of East Asia.
By the mid-1950s, the economic policy of the Conservatives had exhausted itself. The majority in the senate received the Russian Socialist People's Labor Party (formerly the Left Socialist-Revolutionary and Menshevik bloc). Their program provided for moderate nationalization and expansion of social guarantees. The second half of the 50's turned out to be quite successful, but new government spending required (mainly material compensation to owners of nationalized enterprises) to demand new taxes. In the early 60's, prices for food products increased dramatically. All this provoked the workers to mass appearances. In Novocherkassk the situation reached a frank uprising. The government announced the "provocation of agents of America and France" and ordered the execution of the strikers. The following year, the Constitutional Court decided to raise the electoral qualification.

Parade of the Romanian Iron Guards.
The Potsdam Treaty on Co-operation and Defense was an alliance of states that would normally have fought each other. One of them was Romania, which was under the full control of the Party-Military Formation "Iron Guard". The basis of the movement was Ultranationalism, Clericalism, Anti-Semitism, and Anti-Syndicalism. Having overthrown the monarchy, the Guards became an instrument of terror and obscurantism in the territory of Romania.

Divine service in the Orthodox church. Second half of the 30's.
One of the pillars of President Romanov was the Russian Orthodox Church. After negotiations with the clergy, the clericalization of education began, and Patriarch Kirill received the post of "Minister of Culture". Often, Orthodoxy was used as an excuse for conservative politics and for dissenting dissenters. In particular, in the formulation of the "Exceptional Law Against Socialists" persecution against the Bolsheviks was justified "by the need to protect the traditional Orthodox faith from the Red Atheists." In the 50's, the clericalism came to naught, and the "Second separation of the Church from the State" occurred.

 

[pattontank12]

Any ideas what the actors of Star Wars (from Mark Hamill to Daisy Ridley) are doing in the Kaiserreich timelines? Any thoughts?

Mark Hamill would have obviously played the joker in a live action batman.

 

[Worffan101]

"Fighting Rebel Jenny", propaganda figure of the Combined Syndicates government and later PRUSA. The PRUSA was quick to bring women into the workforce, thanks to the presence of Syndicalist leaders like Chair of the People's Congress Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, and due to its relative lack of military experience early on sought to bolster the revolutionary militias by moving women to support units, some aircraft units, and industry. Women did not, however, make it into the military in the same numbers as the Union of Britain until the 1960s.

PRUSA Eugene Debs-class supercarrier Proletarian Freedom. This immense vessel is one of the most advanced warships in the world, and is emblematic of the titanic military power of the PRUSA. Based out of Pearl Harbor, the Proletarian Freedom carries a complement of Seattle Aircraft Union Su-32 Hornet jet fighter-bombers and is fueled by a nuclear reactor.

PRUSA Chicago Commune-class supercarrier Workers' State of Michigan. A slightly smaller conventionally-powered design, the six ships of the Chicago Commune class are used to complement the ten ships of the more expensive, nuclear-powered Eugene Debs class. Shown here in the 1980s near Beijing for exercises with the PRC navy, carrying a complement of Hughes-Gurevich HG-23 Finback swing-wing fighters.

 

[Magnimik]

"Everlasting Summer" is a visual novel, produced by Russian game developer Soratnik Games that tells the story of Semyon, who is a reclusive 25-year-old living in a large city somewhere in early 21st century Russia, spending most of his time in his flat interacting with others on his computer and earning enough to keep the bills paid. One winter day he boards a bus to attend a reunion, falls asleep along the way, and awakens to find it's now summer and he's dropped off at the front gates of a place called Sovionok. Semyon soon discovers it is a Yunarmia camp populated by youth, including several attractive girls who show interest in him; furthermore, he has reverted to his 18-year-old self and it is now the Russian State during the first years of the Kalterkrieg.

Inspired by the fact that there is a reference to the actual visual novel in the Russian translation of KR in Yunarmiya events.

 

[Zoidberg12]

An American government militia parading and marching through Madison, Wisconsin after recapturing the city from the CSA in 1937.

An American government militia photographed outside of St. Louis, Missouri in 1936.

Japanese soldiers marching through Vladivostok in Transamur, 1924.

 

[theg*ddam*hoi2fan]

Soldier of the Royal Thai Army 2nd Infantry Division, Queen's Guard (part of the Burapha Army) in the Philippines, c. 1968. All Asia-Pacific Co-Prosperity Sphere members contributed forces for operations in the Philippines. The 2nd Division in particular would gain a reputation for hard fighting and tenacity, being greatly respected by their allies.
It is considered an example of the tenacity of the Filipino Syndicalist guerrillas that they were able to hold out until 1970 prior to surrendering, despite their lack of allies and a general hostility towards Syndicalism.

HTMS Chakri Naruebet, formerly HIJMSS Shoho, the Royal Thai Navy's only aircraft carrier. Sold to Thailand in 2002, the carrier operates twelve PSA-built Boeing Hidalgo VTOL fighters, though plans are underway to upgrade to the Japanese Tancho. The Kingdom of Thailand was the final member of the APCPS to operate a carrier after Japan, the Pacific States, and the Republic of China (later the Union of China).
The carrier has seen action in joint APCPS-Commonwealth peacekeeping actions in the Indonesian Civil War, as well as taking part in a number of humanitarian missions. Crew positions on the ship are a source of great competition among the officers and men of the Royal Thai Navy.

Takei Hosato, Japanese actor and political activist. Takei was born in the Pacific States of America, but his parents - along with large numbers of Japanese-Americans - relocated to Japan as a result of the Civil War. Takei would first rise to acting prominence in the 1960s, appearing in the Edo period drama Mito Kōmon as the samurai retainer Atsumi Kakunoshin (Kaku-san). He would later go on to play Captain Kyoshiro Minobu in the long-running science-fiction series Space Destroyer Yukikaze, the role that many see as his definitive one.
From the mid-1970s, Takei would be an early activist in favour of increased rights for Japan's LGBT population. This would prove to be an uphill battle - not because of entrenched homophobia or prohibitive laws, but more as a result of cultural inertia, the preference of external conformity in Japanese society, and Japanese politicians not caring enough about the issue either way to make any definitive policies. Indeed, Takei would once observe half-jokingly that the lack of laws against homosexuality in Japan caused their own problems, as politicians and the public were frequently able to say 'You're legal, what more do you want?'. However, he would ultimately see several prefectures of Japan bringing in civil partnerships in the mid-2000s, and such partnerships being extended across the Empire by 2016.

 

[HIM Dogson]

The map of Europa from Valkyria Chronicles, a Korean game that combines Second Weltkrieg era weaponry with a fantasy plot. It also mixes elements of shooters with strategy, as the player must command a small squad of soldiers in battle to gain victory.

The game takes place in Europa, a parable to Europe. In the past, Europa was dominated by the Valkyryur Empire, a utopia where magic was able to provide for the welfare of all people. The Empire collapsed, however, leading to chaos, with Europa eventually coalescing around the Monarchist East European Imperial Alliance, based on Mitteleuropa, and the People's Republic of Atlantea, based on the Internationale, which formed after the Atlantean Republic lost the First European War.

The game opens with the People's Republic invading Gallia, the home of one of the two main protagonists of the game, Alicia Melchiott. Alicia, a girl from a minor noble family, is playing with her friend, Selvaria Bles(a Darscen, who are oppressed across Europa) when they come across Imperial Captain Welkin Gunther, the second protagonist of the game, who is leading his squad in retreat from the Atlantean onslaught. In a tutorial mission, players take control of Welkin's squad as he attempts to evacuate the town. The heroes fail, however, as Atlantean troops take aim at Alicia and Selvaria, to stun, as per the orders of the mysterious Atlantean General Maximilien Eubriand. This results in Alicia summoning a shield, seemingly out of thin air, allowing for Welkin and his squad to escape. Selvaria, however, is captured, despite Alicia giving her a chance to escape.

This reveals a major mechanic of the game: Alicia's magic. She is able to provide buffs to the player's squad, summon shields, or act as a super-soldier. The means by which the player achieves this, though, are left ambiguous initially, so as to set up a plot twist down the road. It is revealed over the course of several missions as the player retreats into the Empire away from the Atlantean army that Alicia has the power of the old Valkyries; again the reason is left ambiguous. Meanwhile, Eubriand meets with his lieutenants: Oscar Moss(a fairly clear reference to Mosley) a scenery-chewing maniac who likes cackling evilly almost as much as he likes ranting about Direct Rule from Westernschade, and Spinello Viccini, Eubriand's adjutant who feels immense respect for him. Eubriand introduces the first of a super-soldier program harnessing Valkyrie magic... Selvaria Bles.

Soon after, Selvaria and a squad of Atlantean troops attempt to destroy Welkin's squad. Selvaria confronts Alicia, where the latter demands to know why her friend betrayed her. Selvaria tearfully questions if Alicia can comprehend the oppression she's had to deal with on a daily basis, saying that Atlantea, and Eubriand, represent freedom for her people; for that she is more than willing to betray one friend. At this the Imperial army arrive, forcing Selvaria and her Darscen squad to retreat.

Welkin's squad gain a brief respite, and meet with General Werner von Kalmann, an overall affable man who is somewhat bigoted, though not consciously. Welkin is informed that General Viccini is moving with a tank division towards the Empire's oil reserves. After a series of missions, the division is surrounded and Viccini captured... only for the squad to discover that the attack was diversionary in nature, with the true thrust being towards the Imperial Capitol.

What follows is a massive sandbox map of the Capitol of Randgriz. However, the player doesn't have the time to fully explore it(but can take many alternate routes through the city) as they fight their way through the city towards the Imperial Palace to save the Imperial Family. The mission ends in a boss fight with General Moss in a self-propelled artillery unit, who had been destroying the "Aristocratic, Imperialist city that should be ruled directly by the Proletariat" before the player stops him. As the squad fights their way into the palace, they encounter Selvaria, who has killed the Kaiser, Frederick IV, prompting a second boss fight where the player has to protect Crown Princess Cordelia; here, Alicia is strong enough to gain an advantage, but is stopped by Maximilien Eubriand. Eubriand is revealed to be a user of magic himself; he encourages Alicia and Welkin to join him in building a better world. When they refuse, he enigmatically replies that he has what he came for, and asks that they come to Gallia. As Cordelia is crowned Kaiserin, the Imperial army departs; she herself vows that the Empire will not rest until the leadership off the People's Republic are brought to justice for their atrocities.

The next series of missions involve liberating Gallia, including a storming of Alicia's hometown, Bruhl, still in a state of disrepair after becoming a battlefield. Alicia also discovers a mass grave containing her parents, and vows vengeance. Welkin, meanwhile, questions the ethics of forcing men into battle while having a conversation with the captive General Viccini, asking the man why he supports Syndicalism. Viccini replies that he doesn't support Syndicalism, simply Eubriand; he has an immense amount of respect for the man, as he thinks he actually cares for common people. The Gallia arc climaxes with an assault on a laboratory, where it is revealed that the Valkyrie harnessed the power of magic through human sacrifice; the player can read this information in notes throughout the level. The squad also find a machine to harness magic energy, and dozens of corpses; ether, the basis of magic, is actually made up of human souls, which the Valkyrie intercepted on their way to the afterlife using machines like what Eubriand has. The souls don't need to be harvested for small scale combat magic, but they are needed to support Valkyrie civilization. Finally they find a message: Meet me tonight.

Welkin and Alicia meet with Eubriand and Selvaria; Eubriand goes on a speech about how the suffering of the few is a small price to pay for the prosperity of the many. Alicia considers this, but rejects it, remembering what Selvaria told her about minorities. Back at the base, she asks Welkin to kill her, not believing she can be trusted with limitless power if she kills others. Welkin talks her down, saying that the need to stop Eubriand comes first.

The next mission is a full-scale assault on the final Atlantean line of defense before an invader can reach the People's Republic itself: the Revolutionary Defensive Line. This mission is partially a stealth mission, with players needing to infiltrate the enemy fortifications and kill the soldiers inside. The level following this involves the second boss fight with Moss, where the player must position their soldiers to take cover against his artillery strikes, and edge closer to kill the mad General. Following this victory, the Imperial Army prepares to invade Atlantea.

In the Atlantean capitol of Westernschade, meanwhile, Eubriand and Selvaria meet with the Atlantean Committee of Public Safety. The Committee tell the General that they have negotiated a peace treaty with the Empire whereby Atlantea will cede several border provinces and grant independence to half of its territory but Syndicalism will be allowed to continue. Eubriand replies that he denies these terms; Atlantea is too close to gaining utopia to give up now. The Committee try to arrest Eubriand with the Red Guards, but Eubriand and Selvaria easily defeat them with magic before massacring the entire government. Eubriand then gives a speech detailing how the Committee have betrayed the Revolution, and that he was taking command of a government of national salvation, that demands that everyone, including the elderly and children, fight for the Revolution. Many new militias are raised in preparation for the final battle. Eubriand then reveals to Selvaria his true plan: to lure the Imperial army into the capitol and kill them all with a bomb. Such a massive amount of death would give him enough energy to begin to build his utopia... although sacrifices would need to be maintained.

Meanwhile, the Imperial Army advances through the countryside surrounding Westernschade. The player is faced with guerrilla war, in many cases from child soldiers. If the player spares all children(by lowering their health such that their AI decides to retreat and not killing them) Spinello Viccini joins the party, seeing that they care more about the people than Eubriand. At the end of the level Selvaria meets with Welkin and Alicia, warning them not to enter the city, and live to experience utopia. What follows is a speech by Welkin to his men rejecting Eubriand and his willingness to sacrifice so many lives for utopia. Welkin tries to convince Kalmann to not attack Westernschade, but the General refuses. Thus, the last three levels of the game begin.

In the first level of the climax, the player storms through Westernschade, reaching the airport where Eubriand's plane carrying the bomb is about to take off. This results in a final boss fight with Selvaria, as she guards the entrance to the plane. Alicia refuses to kill her former friend, leaving her incapacitated, and they move into the plane as it takes off. This next level presents the player with a variety of objectives; one squad, containing the engineer class, must move into the bomb bay to deactivate the bomb; one must move to the cockpit and confront Eubriand. The bomb is defused and Eubriand's magic is defeated, and the plane crashes. Just as the war seems to be ending, Eubriand emerges from the plane, having rerouted all the ether from everyone who died in the battle to himself. He can't create his utopia, but he can destroy the horrible world everyone lives in. This results in the final boss fight of the game, against a godlike Eubriand. In the first phase of this fight, the player can't even damage Eubriand, and must survive against him, until Selvaria, realizing the error of her ways, sacrifices herself to break his magic shield. Even with this, not even Alicia alone has a chance against him, but the entire squad working together is able to slowly lower his energy, allowing the final blow to be struck. In fury, he roars "You chose this! You chose this world!" as he is defeated. The war has finally come to an end.

Viccini is put in control of Atlantea to rebuild the country, as Welkin and Alicia settle in with their lives after the war. Alicia asks Welkin to make sure she's never seduced by magic as Eubriand was. The game has been praised for its story, gameplay, and villain, although some believe that the metaphor about a Syndicalist utopia and magic is somewhat heavy-handed. The game also received an animated series and several sequels. Valkyria Chronicles 2 follows Kaiserin Cordelia's fight against a military coup led by Conservative Generals, while the third game is a prequel showing the fall of Eubriand from a heroic army captain in the First European War to the villain he becomes.

 

[Stan The Man]

Cross posted from the wikibox thread

 

[Worffan101]

Communard aircraft carrier Sebastien Faure on patrol off of Marseilles. The Sebastien Faure is one of two French carriers, and frequently collaborates with the Union of Britain's own fleet carriers, though neither class is the equal of a German or American carrier.

British aircraft carrier Red Dawn on her maiden voyage in the North Sea. Currently the older of the two active British fleet carriers, Red Dawn is slated to be replaced by a second Philip Snowden-class carrier in 2020.

Kaiserliche Marine fleet carrier Kaiser Louis Ferdinand near Kiel on sea trials. Intended to be a more affordable design still capable of German power projection, opponents of its implementation and its emphasis on V/STOL over conventional navalised fixed-wing aircraft view this shift as an "admission of defeat" against the Red menace.

German fleet carrier Vaterland, current flagship of the German navy, shown on maneuver off the Danubian Adriatic coast. Germany's only current nuclear-powered carrier, it is attacked by budget hawks but viewed as a key factor in German power projection by nationalists.

 

[HongCanucker]

The newest fleet carrier of the Royal Navy, HMS Victorious, at sea during military exercises in the North Sea. Fifteen of the Victorious class were ordered by the British government to gradually replace the older Unicorn and Vengeance class vessels, with three vessels to be distributed among the home waters of each of the British Empire's nations. They make use of the latest in British engineering and innovation, including nuclear propulsion achieved through two advanced yet economical SNC-Lavalin nuclear reactors, electromagnetic aircraft catapults developed by an Anglo-Indian consortium, and an air wing comprising the latest British fighter designs.

A de Havilland Beaver fighter-bomber launches from the deck of Victorious. Developed and tested by the de Havilland consortium largely through its Canadian subsidiary, the Beaver represents a strong guarantor of British aerial and naval power through its ability to conduct long-range strike missions against naval and coastal targets, while also being a capable fighter in its own right. It largely complements the air superiority role of the Supermarine Wolverine, one of the most advanced fighter aircraft ever to be deployed on sea.

 

[theg*ddam*hoi2fan]

HIJMSS Oyashio, one of Japan's six Oyashio-class nuclear attack submarines. Currently, the IJN maintains eighteen nuclear-powered attack submarines: the newer Oyashio-class and the older Harushio-class, which are gradually being phased out in favour of the Oyashio.

Republic of China Army General Wang Sheng inspecting troops on the ROC-Qing Border c. 1962. Despite the division of the nation, the ROC Army was one of the larger armies in the Asia-Pacific Co-Prosperity Sphere and was heavily equipped by Japan. Since the creation of the Union, the Chinese continue to maintain a large land army and air force.

Picture of a Chinese female soldier of the National Revolutionary Army - later the Republic of China Army - during the Second Wuhan Uprising. A number of women served openly in the uprising, and after the Pacific States, the Republic of China was the second nation to practice Universal Conscription from 1959 onwards, citing the danger from the 'Qing Imperialist Menace' and their Russian allies. The practice has continued since the foundation of the Union of China and the formation of the Chinese Federal Army.

 

[Deleted member 82792]

Can anyone think what a Kaiserreich version of Bright might be like?

Any thoughts?

 

[Redshank Galloglass]

Scotland the Brave, national anthem of the Scottish Syndicalist Republic of the Union of Britain and march of the Highland Red Guards.