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May - September 1940: 1 million Russian soldiers (disguised as civilians) are transported to Italia Nuova. At the same time, women, children and various institutions (research centers) are moved away from Russian and Italian border areas to safer ones.

October 1940: Un-occupied South Russia unites with Novorossiya forming the union of "Veliky y Novy Rossiya" (Old and New Russia). Gridenkov also has troops moving in. The German technocracy protests, gives Russia an ultimatum to leave the area.

November 1940: After the ultimatum ran out, Germany starts mobilizing, as do its allies. More troops from Atlantis and Argentinien are transported to Europe for the expected war, the troops along the Henrich line are put on alert. Due to the WW1 doctrine, noone in Germany wants to start an attack, however; besides, the winter prevents an attack into Russia anyway. Neither side formally declares war.
In the occupied areas of South Russia, a partisan war starts.

December 1940: Russia forces Armenia (which has Baku occupied) to deliver oil to them.

February 16th, 1941: After three months of a "Fauler Krieg" (lazy / foul war), the Germans decide to take the initiative after Russian recon planes have crossed the border. Germany declares war. Greater Italy stays neutral. So does China, since the pact with Germany only says they have to help Germany in case of a Russian attack (and vice versa).


Situation at the beginning of the war:

Germany:
Europe: 60 millions
Allies in Europe (Poland, Bohemia, Hungary, Finland-Estonia): 55 millions
Atlantis: 95 millions
Argentinien: 30 millions
(240 millions)
Plus the other Balcan states (55 millions), which aren't that reliable allies though.

Italy:
Core Italy: 50 millions
North Africa: 15 millions
North Atlantis: 45 millions - a good part are refugees from the former parts of the New Roman Empire, which are independent now, and from the German-occupied west.
South Atlantis: 25 millions
(135 millions)

Russia:
Novorossiya: 150 millions
South Russia, occupied by Germany: 50 millions
South Russia, free: 40 millions
(190/240 million)


February 23th, 1941: Russian short-range rockets hail down on Riga, Dorpat (Tartu) and other parts of NE Germany. Germans are shocked, although the psychological damage is worse than the physical one. The Germans will strike back with bomb attacks on Pskov, Smolensk, Kursk and other Russian cities.

April 4th, 1941: Russian partisans manage to kill the German general Uhrlau, who was responsible for the defense of the front north of Kiev.

April 8th, 1941: Completely unexpected, Russian tanks break through the German lines - not in the industrial area further east, as was expected, but west of the Dniepr, aiming towards Kiev. The new commander Wolfgang Henrich (son of the WW1 general and technocrat Wieland Henrich, who also thought up the Henrich line) is totally overburdened with the situation, has his troops move towards the little city of Chornobyl, to prevent the Russians taking Kiev.

April 15th, 1941: The situation at the East Front is still confused. The Russian tanks have taken Zhytomyr and reached the outskirts of Vinnytsia.

April 16th, 1941: Greater Italy declares war on Germany, starts with an attack into German-occupied Slovenia. Troops which are already moving eastwards have to be redirected to the new southern front.
Italian rockets from the Chibcha province (OTL west Colombia) strike the Nicaragua canal, making it useless for the Germans.

April (Second half) 1941: The "Atlantean Vespers": Italians attack German troops and settlers in Montana (OTL East Colorado and West Kansas, Italian-settled but German-occupied). The number of German victims will exceed 100,000.

May 1941: After heavy fights with the German Gebirgstruppen, the Italians have taken Slovenia and are advancing into Croatia.
Concentrated Italian attacks in the Great Plains have pushed the Germans back into OTL South Dakota. Since the most experienced German troops are in Europe, or defending the capital Martinsburg (OTL Philadelphia), the Italians still advance.
Montana is liberated, the German troops there have fled into Texas.
The Russians have marched along the southern Bug river and now reach the Black Sea. The German occupation troops in the OTL East Ukraine are caught and also have the partisans in their back. They can only be supported via the sea.

June 1941: Although the Germans have stabilized the new East front and try some counter-attacks, they can't break through to the troops caught in the East. Wolfgang Henrich commits suicide on June 16th. (Insert joke here along the line of "at least he got THAT right" or "probably he needed some help for that too".) In fact, the pocket is shrinking, and Kiev, Charkov and the Donez area have been liberated by the Russians.
At the southern front, the Italians have conquered Zagreb and march through Slavonia (east Croatia). While the Balcan states officially have joined the war on Germany's side, they don't bother much to support Germany, being fed up with the Technocracy constantly interfering in their affairs.
The Italians in Atlantis have reached the Canadian border, splitting German Atlantis in two. The German government in fact advises Canada to stay neutral, since they fear a Russian invasion, and Canada is more useful if they stay neutral.
Caroline agrees to become a protectorate of Greater Italy.

July 1941: Croatia has capitulated and was occupied by the Italians, although the German navy still tries attacks on Dalmatia and Istria. The Hungarians battle the Italians in Voyvodina.
The German pocket has further shrunk, now along the line of (OTL) Nikolayev-Kirovograd-Dniepropetrovsk-Berdyansk.
The Russians now have mobilized many new troops in the former German-occupied areas and start to attack in Volhynia, steadily advancing.
In Atlantis, the Germans have stabilized the front along the Rockies (in the west) and the Red river (in the east). However, on July 19th, a coup topples the pro-German government of Louisiana, which switches to Greater Italy's side now, giving them access to the dockyards of Nouveau Orleans.

Germany tries to contact its old allies, but Braseal has to fight with inner problems, the Muslim states and new states in Atlantis don't want to risk the wrath of Russia and Italy, and China also doesn't want another war after defeating Nippon.

August 1941: Serbia and Bosnia join the allies, start to fight against Germany. The Italians make first incursions onto Hungarian ground, take Pecs and Szeged.
The Russians crush the Germans in the pocket west of the Dniepr, leaving them only Crimea and Taurida.
At the east front, the Russians have taken Odessa, threatening the Dacian states (OTL Romania).
In Atlantis, the Italians move south into Texas, where German troops are still around, and advance even faster.
Further South, Italian troops start marching from the Andes into Central Atlantis, aiming at the Nicaragua canal.

September 1941: Italy fights in the Hungarian Plain.
The Russians have taken Taurida, enclosing the Germans on Crimea, where they put up hell of a fight at Perekop. Further west, Russian troops have reached the Polish SE border.
In Atlantis, the Italians threaten to crush the German troops in Texas, after they've pushed through to the coast and destroyed the harbors.

October 1941: Increasing Russian attacks coming from Kerch and the fact that Italian ships have managed to block the Bosphorus make the situation of the Germans on Crimea look even more bleak. Now however, the Germans get unexpected support: The Judeans claim they can save their troops.
The Italians have taken Debrecen, and the Russians have crossed the Carpathians. And now the full horror becomes visible for everyone in Germany: The threat that the Russians and Italians might come together and enclose all of Old Germany...
Further north, the Russians are advancing in Livonia and Littauen.
Although the situation in Texas doesn't look good, the German occupation troops can flee along the Rio Grande, led by a young officer who knows the area, going towards Kalifornien. Although this will cause some diplomatic trouble with Mexico, the troops are saved.
Central Atlantis has capitulated to the Italians.

November 1941: Despite fighting hard, the united German-Polish-Czech-Hungarian armies can't prevent the Russians and Italians to close the ring around Germany. Now the people there can only be supported via the Baltic - which entries are controlled by the Socialist Block, so practically, they're shut out from the world. And the winter is coming. Gridenkov states very confidently: "Now we've got Germany at the balls!"
Russia in the north has pushed the Germans behind the Memel/Nyemen, and also threatens Poland. In the south, the Balcan states have made armistices with Russia and Italy or even joined them. German soldiers and advisors in these countries try to flee; some are saved by the German navy.
"The Help from the Holy Land": Judean diplomats bribe the right officials of the government of Trapezunt, so the latter agree to transfer the surviving German soldiers from Crimea through their land to Kurdistan, from where the Germans can go to Mesopotamia and their bases at the Persian Gulf. Although they have to give up their full equipment, the cadres of the German army are saved.
Italy forces Florida to accept their protectorate, occupy their harbors to build more ships. The Germans answer by landing on the keys.

Meanwhile, the Socialist Block declares war against the kingdom of Andalusia, last remaining free state on the Iberian peninsula.

December 1941: Crimea is evacuated, and afterwards occupied by Russia. After the German Black Sea fleet has brought the last soldiers to safe harbors, it's scuttled so the Russians can't use it.
United Russian and Italian armies have occupied all of Hungary and southern Slovakian lands. Further north, the Russians have pushed the Germans and Poles behind the Vistula. They start to shoot rockets on the industrial areas of Upper Silesia and Bohemia.
In Atlantis, the Germans have recovered from the first shock and collect their troops to start a coordinated attack in the Great Plains. In florida, they reach the Miami river.

Other events in 1941: Germany (and to some extent Canada too) let millions of men from the "Chaos" (the many new states in Atlantis, Africa and India) immigrate, to work in the arms industry, instead of the Germans who have to fight.
Along what will be later called the "forgotten front" in Argentinien, the Germans sometimes try to attack the Italians, who can easily defeat those attacks, having the Andes for defense. Sometimes the Italians try to invade the Argentinian plains, but are defeated either.


January 1942: Near the sleepy little city of Auschwitz, the Germans, Czechs and Poles deliver a last big battle against the advancing Russians. When the battle is over, more than 300,000 soldiers will have died. One horrified German officer speaks out in this situation: "Certainly this place has never seen such a massacre on any world, in any time."
After the battle of Auschwitz, the Russian overrun the rest of Poland and Silesia, threatening the core of Germany. The capital of Dresden is hit by rockets and bombs.
Italian troops are fighting in Austria and Bohemia, at the same time also pushing into Tyrol.
In Atlantis, the Germans start to push back the Italians in OTL Minnesota and Montana/Wyoming.

February 1942: The Italians have reached the Inn and make Bohemia capitulate.
Russia conquers all of Germany east of the rivers Oder and Neiße.

March 1942: When the situation of Germany is hopeless, being outnumbered worse than 3:1 and lacking tanks and planes, the Russians standing at the doors of the capital and with the population exhausted by the hunger, the armies in European Germany capitulate on March 13th. Some units, however, keep on fighting. Most of them will be destroyed during the year, but some units can hold out in the Alps, the Black Forest and the Sudeten mountains.
Switzerland (which never was happy in the German technocracy) splits off again, but declares to fight on.
Germany is occupied: Southern Hesse, Bavaria, Franconia and Austria, plus Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia are occupied by the Italians, while the Russians take the big rest.

The Russians and Italians celebrate their victory, contact the German government in Martinsburg and ask for their capitulation. Their price: Germany has to agree that the two old empires of Russia and New Rome are restored, in the "full borders" (which means Russia including Poland, Bohemia and Prussia). To their surprise, the Germans refuse. The reason: Their winter offensive in Atlantis was successful, and they're driving the Italians back. In the long run, this could become dangerous for Italia Nuova, since German Atlantis has twice its population, despite their initial losses.

European Germany is lying on the ground, but the Germans in Atlantis and Argentinien are obviously alive and kicking. There's no easy solution visible for the allies: The Russians know too good from their defeats in the anti-Russian War and the first World War that an invasion crossing the ocean won't be that easy. Especially since the German navy is still standing strong and prevents any crossing. Gridenkov orders "the biggest fleet the Earth has ever seen" to be built, promising to "conquer Atlantis with our Floating Fortresses". At the moment, however, even the German Mediterranean fleet is still active and sometimes even can attack Italian harbors.

China starts to become suspicious at the Russians, so the latter have to station more troops along the Chinese border.

On March 23rd, Andalusia capitulates too and is incorporated into the Socialist Block. The king flees to Morocco.

April 1942: Russia declares war on the Finnish-Estonian republic, invades. They occupy the only Arctic harbor of the country Petsamo, overrun Estonia (except for the capital Tallinn), and also advance into Finland proper.
The Caucasus alliance of Georgia, Armenia and Trapezunt is forced to "invite" Russian occupation. When the Germans get news about this, they bombard Baku from their bases in Kurdistan. Gridenkov swears revenge.
The leaders of Italy discuss the next step. Since the Germans still control the two ends of the Med, they decide an attack into Algeria and Egypt. Meanwhile, they cross the Lech to invade Lower Switzerland.
In Atlantis, the Germans are battling the Italians for the Dakota lands. They also have conquered half of the Florida peninsula.

May 1942: The Finnish-Estonian republic has to capitulate and is annexed by Russia. Now the whole continent is divided between Russia, Greater Italy and the Socialist Block (and the first two's satellites on the Balcan).
Italian troops invade Algeria and Egypt. The latter is supported by German troops, but to no avail. At the end of the attacks, the Italians have reached the last defense line before Alexandria.
Germany contacts Mexico, one of the biggest states in Atlantis, to recruit Native Atlantean troops to fight the Italians.

June 1942: Battles in the Nile delta. Germany hastily starts to train the Egyptian army, and the Judeans even help.
Gridenkov has troops transported south, invades Kurdistan.
Italians take Stuttgart.
After winning the sea battle of Svalbard, Russian ships can break through the German lines, transport ~100,000 men to Italia Nuova.

July 1942: Algerian government capitulates. Alexandria has fallen, and Cairo is threatened.
Russian troops have reached Lake Van in Kurdistan. Gridenkov is envious about the new successes of the Italians. So he decides to attack Choresm, which was a Russian protectorate before the war.
Germany has taken control of its old territory in Atlantis. Now they start the counter-attack.

August 1942: Russian troops cross the Choresmian border.
In Kurdistan, Diyarbakir falls, and Mossul and Kirkuk are bombed.
After the conquest of Cairo, the Egyptian government gives up; now the Germans promise the Egyptians full political freedom for after the war and a lot more, collect the remaining troops again.
German troops in Gibraltar capitulate; the Socialist Block now rules the whole peninsula.
Italians control most of Lower Switzerland.
In Atlantis, the Italians manage to surprise the Germans again when they send troops through the "empty circle" (OTL Utah, Nevada) and harass the Germans in Kalifornien. It stays a minor diversion, though.

September 1942: Russian troops have reached the Judean border. The diplomatic relations of the Judeans with both Russia and Greater Italy are bad since they kicked out the Jews after lost WW1, but they stay neutral, and since the Judean army is well equipped and organized, both nations consider an attack on them as too costly.
Instead, the Russians conquer all of Kurdistan, and the Italians reach the Suez canal. The German navy has to retreat to the western Med. Now Italy invades Morocco too.
In Choresm, the Russians have overrun the northern steppes and reached Lake Balkhash.
Germans start to advance in OTL Missouri, Kansas, Colorado; in the long run, this could turn out dangerous for the Italians, since they get most of their grain from there. The Germans control the full Florida peninsula and threaten Virginia (OTL Georgia).
Coming from Vorarlberg, the Italians cross the young Rhine, advance through the Swiss plains.
A Russian fleet crosses the Pacific and battles the Germans before the Kalifornian coast.

October 1942: Choresmians fight the Russians in the Karakal valley. Gridenkov order the troops in Kurdistan to prepare an attack on Baghdad.
In the Nile valley, the German and Egyptian loyalists have to retreat further.
The Italians have taken Oran, bomb Fes. Germany sends advisors to Morocco to organize resistance.
In Central Atlantis, the Germans land troops and attack the Italians holding the Nicaragua canal.
Basel conquered by the Italians.

November 1942: Italian Alpini cross the Atlas mountains, besiege Fes.
German-Egyptian troops in the Nile valley march to the coast, where they're shipped and sent to Mesopotamia, where the Russians are attacking Baghdad. The Italians occupy Assuan.
The Russians are bombarding the fertile areas of Choresm along river Syrdarja.
After hard fights, the Germans now control Italia Nuova west of the Mississippi (although the Italians keep Texas, Louisiana).

December 1942: An Italian thrust in northern Morocco threatens Ceuta; German troops leave the Balearics, which are occupied by the Italians instead.
Russians have reached Lake Aral, encircled Baghdad.
In Atlantis, the Germans have taken the Italian part of OTL Illinois (the southern tip).

Other events in 1942: All three powers frantically work to develop rockets and bombers with wider ranges (5000 km and upwards). Neither is successful.
The Germans attack the harbors controlled by the Italians from their aircraft carriers, preventing the Italians from building a strong fleet.
The Russians start to dismantle German factories to rebuild them in Russia, as a revenge for the lost WW1. In the German and Polish cities at the Baltic, their citizens are forced to build ships for Russia. Since the Suez canal is destroyed, the Russian Black Sea fleet can't break through to the Atlantic or Red Sea.


January 1943: After the Italians took Meknès, Fes also capitulates. In Ceuta and Tangiers, the Germans hold out.
Russians have reached river Syrdarja. Their rockets hit Samarkand and Buchara. Baghdad capitulates.
The Germans have strengthened their army in Atlantis by allowing sixteen-year-olds join the army and building up an army of black and Arab (ex-)slaves, who have some reasons to hate the Italians. They now control the coast of Virginia (OTL Georgia), so the state of Florida is mostly liberated again.

February 1943: Italians thrust through Morocco, reach the Atlantic at Kenitra.
Russians cross Syrdarja. They also move further south in Mesopotamia, aiming at Basra.
Germans start to attack in Texas.
Zürich, besieged by the Italians, capitulates.

March 1943: Ceuta capitulates, and Tangiers is close to. Germans prepare to give up the north of the country.
Russians have reached river Amudarja. Now the situation of Choresm is hopeless, they capitulate, and the whole country is occupied.
At Al-Amarah, German-Arab troops fight a last big battle successful against the Russians.
The Nicaragua canal is under German control again. The Italian troops north of it have to capitulate, being cut off.

April 1943: German head quarter in Anfa (OTL Casablanca) starts reorganizing the resistance of southern Morocco. They also start a propaganda sender in the city, calling Arabs to fight against the Italians. The Germans even start to recruit Africans from their former colonies.
The Russians in Mesopotamia start advancing again. Choresm is occupied, comes under a military government.
German troops in Texas have reached the Rio Grande in the west. They also cross the border from Florida to Caroline, Louisiana. Italia Nuova is now threatened from the north, south, west and the sea.

May 1943: Italians try to attack the German Azores, unsuccessful; however, they can transport many troops to Atlantis.
Basra is besieged by the Russians. News about some cruelties committed by the Russians in Mesopotamia reach the shahdom of Persia, which protests.
Italians fight Germans and Moroccans in Rabat.
After long fights, the Germans have reconquered the SE corner of Louisiana, but now face heavy resistance in Tenesi (OTL northern Alabama / Mississippi, Italian-settled).
Swiss government in Bern officially capitulates (while some Swiss still fight the Italians in the mountains).

June 1943: The Russians have taken Basra and Kuwait. The Germans do a "scorched earth" strategy, which includes destroying the oil wells. The Russians have to do a lot of work restoring them.
Gridenkov attacks Persia, aiming at a restoration of the Russian rule in the south.
Rabat is under German control again. The first free African units arrive in Morocco.
Germans besiege Charlesbourg (OTL Charleston), the capital of Caroline.

July 1943: Russians take Mazar-e Sharif in Afghanistan and Abadan in Persia. At the Gulf, they advance towards Awal (OTL Bahrain).
Germans in Morocco have some disagreements with the Spaniards there (who form the majority of the population).
Texas is controlled by the Germans again.

August 1943: Russians take Herat, advance in Persian Kurdistan. They have reached Qatar in the south, but have to stop because their support lines are in danger.
Germans in Morocco push north again towards Tangiers.

September 1943: Russians take Kabul, complete conquest of the Persian border areas in the north and west.
Tangiers is German again, which prevents the Italians from breaking out from the Med.
Charlesbourg conquered by the Germans.
Winter begins unusually early in the northern hemisphere. Later, scientists will find out that the Germans setting fire to the oil wells of the Gulf are to be blamed for that.

October 1943: Russians take Ghazni in Afghanistan and Mashhad in Persia. They also start to attack in the south again, advancing towarsds Abu Dhabi.
Germans and Moroccans take Fes back.

November 1943: Russians take Kandahar and the small city of Tehran. They also take Abu Dhabi, and the Germans defending Awal islands have to capitulate.
Uprisings of the Tamazint Berbs in the Atlas Mountains, who form a "third party" in the local war.

December 1943: Russians take Masqat, concluding their conquest of the Gulf.
Germans reconquer Melilla.
In Atlantis, the Italians now only hold the delta, having lost all the land west of the Mississippi. And the Germans east of it are coming closer too.

Other events in 1943: Gridenkov decides to build a new capital (which will be named simply Rossiya) at the Urals, the European-Asian border, to represent both parts of Russia equally.
The war is still undecided: Persia and Morocco still resist in the Old World, and in Atlantis, the Germans have the upper hand now.


Stories:
[post=978921]Resistance fighters in the Alps
A joke with (TTL) Stalin
Maybe for the last time: A thread from the WWW forum[/post]