"For a Long Time Europe has hailed itself for war, as a way to show how tough a man is, but this war, is unlike any war we have ever seen before. I will not end this fight, I will fight in the plains, I will fight on the beaches, I will fight in the sand, the snow, whatever it takes, to beat the Fascist horde, until my heart stops beating"
Adolf Hitler
Chapter 5: July 1st, 1936-December 7th, 1939
Hail Geymere!!!!
French Propoganda, Circa 1939
July 1st would mark the beginging of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, the first of a series of events in favor of the Paris-Vienna-Rome Axis that would take place over the next few years, the war had deep roots in the inital Scramble for Africa. as Italy had attempted to colonize Ethiopia back in 1900, however the Ethiopian Army turned out to surprise everyone, and the "more advanced and better trained" Italian Army would be defeated decisivley by the Ethiopian Army in the First Italo-Ethiopian War. the Ethiopians became only one of two African states to resist European colonization, this loss to Ethiopia became a stigma point of Italian Nationalism, as Benito Mussolini sought to exploit this, after months of Border Clashes on the Ogadan-Somalian border, Italy invaded. the League of Nations would critizise the Unprovoked Italian invasion, however the League, created after WWI, was flawed, and was unable to protect one of it's member states, Ethiopia, from Italian aggression.
Pietro Badoglio, The "Hero" of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War
The War was a stalemate in the East for the first few months, as Ethiopia pulled together a long defensive line the West, the Italians broke through in the North however, As the Ethiopians began to be pushed back in the North by Italian Eritera, the citizens of Ethiopia began to become frustrated, as while it had major international support, no one seemed actually willing to help it agaist the Italians. as the European powers not allied with Italy were afraid of another Great War happening, and appeared unwilling to take action that might cause another Great War. the Ethiopian Army was advanced for it's posistion in Africa, comparable to some smaller European states, however the Italians had numbers, and numbered appeared to be a factor in the end, the Ethiopians attempted to hold strong for months, but in October 1936, they were broken, at the Battle of Ogaden, when the last remenets of the Ethiopian Army were vanquished by Italian troops. Italian General Pietro Badoglio would then begin his "March of the Iron Will" to the Ethiopian Capital of Addis Abada, during said march, Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie would quietly escape via train to the German Kenya, where he would then flee to Berlin, to live in exile. Badoglio would reach Addis Abada on October 20th, 1936, and thus, the Italo-Ethiopian War was over, the League of Nations had failed, and Ethiopia was no longer a independent state.
French troops marching into Belgium, to finalize the Connéxion
circa 1938[2]
Meanwhile things in Europe would begin to get dicey, the First Citizen of the French State, Jean-Claude Geymere, had secretely been conducting a program of re-militrization of the French Army since the National Socialist takeover of France in 1933, his series of ambitious expansion was set to now begin. according to a provision of the Treaty of Versallies, the Vosges region of France would remain de-militized and occupied by Central Power troops until 1935, they pulled out in 1930 however, after renegotiation of French reperations. however Geymere saw this de-militrization as temporary, and saw fit to reclaim the area. on October 11th, 1936, French and SS Troops would march into the Vosges, unopposed initally, German troops would begin forming near the border, threatening war agaist Geymere, however Germany's economic problems and fear of another war would cause her to back down, and thus, Geymere had won his first victory.
French (Along with some SS) Troops testing out a New Machine Gun Model, Circa 1937
After a year had passed. Geymere mad his next move in 1938. there had been a long standing movement in Belgium, which was half French, for Union with France, however said Union had been banned by the Treaty of Versallies. through Belgium, which had been a vassal state of Germany, the vassal regime had fallen out of favor, and by 1938, had been replaced with a Fascist regime modeled after the French one. Geymere had with increasing violence ordered the Belgian government to issue a referundum on Union with France, after much talk, the Belgian government agreed to appoint National Socialist officals to the government, and issued a referundum, however in a attempt to undermine the referundum and keep Belgium a soverign nation, the minimum voting age was set at 24. believing that people younger then that were majorily supporters of the French "Nasi" Ideology, this infuriated Geymere, who apparnatly would not stand for a blantant declaration of Belgian independence in a vote, the Belgian leaders desperatly sought to Germany, the UK and Russia for support, but no one took the steps, so, he gave in to Geymere's demands, and resigned. the French Army would then commence a invasion of Belgium a few days later, albeit badly organized, they met no fighting, but instead cheering of roaring crowd's performing the Nasi salute and waving French flags, and thus, Geymere made the Trip to Brussells, and declared the offical "Connéxion" of Belgium and France. the Netherlands would also slowly fall under the influence of Geymere's regime at this point.
First Citizen Jean-Claude-Geymere arriving in Brussells to speak to the Belgian citizens and anounce the Connéxion, circa 1938
Geymere's next push of territorial expansion would come at the expense of Spain. after suggestion by one of his adis, Geymere began pressing agaist Spain, the border region of Catalonia had a significent French population. demanded the Spanish grant more rights and autonomy to the French population of Catalonia, these demands were designed to be unreasonable and declined by the Spanish government, Geymere then began pressing his demands further, stating he desired French annexation of Catalonia, that he would not let the French peoples of Catalonia be oppressed by the government in Madrid anymore. threatening action, as previous acts of appeasment had shown, Germany, and Russia were not willing to go to war, as they feared another Great War. the demands continued to be made, as soon, Chancellor Franz von Papen, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and President Leon Trotsky sought to negotiate a reasonable agreement to the Catalonian Crisis. meating in the French city of Toulouse to discuss. without Spanish representation, after a month of heated negotiations, which accusations of Extermination agaist the French in Catalonia came up, Kaiser Wilhelm II, von Papen, and Trotsky came to a agreement with France in which it would allow the French annexation of Catalonia, the Spanish government capitulated on the issue thereafter, and Catalonia was annexed into France, however Geymere was not done with Spain, in March of 1939, he sent a ultimatum to the rest of Spain, threatening war if they did not concede to Geymere's demands of the disestablishment of there government, Spain would capitulate. and would be made a Puppet of France, with the North being directly occupied by the French Army, and the South being turned into a Puppet run by Spanish Fascist, Francisco Franco.
The Japanese seizure of Manchukuo, 1936
Meanwhile in Asia, things would heat up. Japan would seize and annex the region of Manchuria in 1936 after border clashes with Chinese troops, installing a Puppet government in the new Independent "Manchukuo" led by the last Chinese Emperor. while French Indochina would become a more united colony, the UASR also began increasing it's influence in the Americas, as the CPB (Communist Party of Brazil) led by Hidalgo Lula, and his form of Communism, "Lulaism" the corrupt regime in Rio de Janiero would begin losing support by the day. as revolts begin in earnest in Chile and Peru, the First Five-Year Plan instituted by Orman Rovelle Brussells would also prove succsessful, the American economy was beginging to recover, and Brussells began to think of thinking outside of America, as he began to set ideas into motion for the future, as the UASR began to recover from the Great Depression, and the popularity of the Communist regime set in stone, back in Europe, the Ottoman Empire began to drift away from it's Alliance with Germany, and sought itself as a dual oppurtunist, not fond of France and the Axis, but not willing to drag itself into another European War, one it might not win this time, as Ottoman Policy began to shift to a forms of armed neutrality, it seemed the Central Powers was all but dead, Austria also began having issues with the Serbs who had overthrown the Austrian vassal state over it's nations, and the Bulgars soon gained fear of Serb and Greek revolt in Macedonia, and would officaly join the Paris-Vienna-Rome Axis, politics in Russia and Germany would remain stagnat. as the Social Democratic Party would remain dominant in the Reich, thorugh split into two factions, the Anti-War Faction, of current Chancellor Franz von Papen, who sought to appease Geymere and avoid all out European war, and the War Faction, led by Adolf Hitler[1], who sought to curb growing French power and influence, and fight the Axis. the Scandinavian nations would also remain stagnant, along with much of still colonized Africa, sans the fall of Ethiopia.
However, all of that would change forever, as December 7th, 1939 started, and soon, the Roaring Thunder of Tanks, Planes, and Rifles soon would fill Europe.
The Seed's had been planted in 1919, it was finally time. For Round Two.
[1] I think it's pretty obvious by now where im taking it with Hitler, with Russia being the America analouge, and America, well, being Russia. obviously.
[2] Ignore the obvious German words on the road signs and please direct your attention to the story at hand,, this has been a Public Service Anouncment by the Timeline Commision Authorities..
Next Time on the Reverse Cold War
The Exciting Start of World War II, the March across the Rhine.
1939-1941
