Disclaimer: I would like to thank the lovely Miss Gwendolyn (Turqouise Blue) for posting this for me without her, this update would not be possible.
Sincerely
MissWhatsittoya
"I command to you soldiers of the German Army, if your Kaiser and Chancellor are willing to stay here in the ruin of a city we call a capital, and fight side by side and be willing to die alongside you, the common soldier, shouldn't you be willing to not only die, but live for your Reich? we're being enclosed on, but what makes us weaker, makes us more determined to live, now, Go out there and send the Fascist Devils back to Paris"
Reinhard Heydrich, 1943
Chapter 8: February 2nd, 1943-June 6th, 1944
World War II
For Live, Liberty, and CHOCHOLATE!!!
There Loss at the Battle of St.Louis would be a turning point for the French in America, the 6 month battle turned into demoralizing meaning for the French, As the battle would be one of the bloodiest battles in all of the war, some in the French Army wondered why there bothered going to St. Louis, instead of bombing the city and bypassing it, however, no one dared to question the First Citoyen, Jean Claude Geymere, or they might get sent to a "reeducation camp" in the Algerian desert. ethier way, there still was a war to be fought, the Red Army however was getting stronger every day. and the force of America would soon be brought down on the Fascists of Paris. the 5.5 Million Red Army troops, both men and women, would begin to attack back the French, and take the East Coast of the UASR back, bit by bit..
The Red Army at the Battle of Chattanoga, circa 1943
As St.Louis ended, action reflared up in the Tennesee and Virginian fronts, as the demoralized French were attacked by a new offensive by the reenergized Red Army. Operation: Smoked Viking would press on the French frontline in Virginia and Tenneseee, The Battle of Chattanogga (February 15th-February 26th, 1943) and the Battle of Newport News (February 23rd-February 29th, 1943) would be prime examples of this, the French had overextended themselves, and were suffering morally due to the loss at St.Louis, and the news of stalemate coming from Europe, while the Red Army was reenergized thanks to a combination of the victory at St. Louis, and pure propoganda thanks to said victory, the Second Battle of Richmond (March 17t-March 26th, 1943) would also prove to be another victory for the Red Army, who soon began pushing on all fronts. by late July the French had been pushed back to the Ohio River. and there defensive posistions along the Ohio were sooned threatend by the Red Army and the Red Air Force. the First Battle of the Ohio River (August 3rd-August 10th, 1943) would prove to be a pyhrric victory for the French, who held onto the River, but suffered immense casualties in attempting to hold the River from the Red Army, who made another crack at it a week later in the Second Battle of the Ohio River (August 18th-September 1st, 1943) which a bloody battle for both sides, would result in the American reclaimation of the Ohio. the French begin to try and grind hold to there posistion on the Great Lakes as 1944 approached, the latter months of 1943 would prove to be a grind for both sides, with the Americans fighting to reclaim every single inch of the UASR, and the French fighting to hold on to every inch. the Americans would make rapid advances into the Great Lakes region and Pensylvania in the late months of 1943, including facing the French off at Gettysburg, (September 21st-28th, 1943) before reclaiming Harrisburg, the American advance would stall temporarily near the end of they year, as the French would remain in total control of the Great Lakes, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and much of Northern Pennsylvania. as 1944 arrived, there tenuious posistion would be fragile, as the ever advancing Red Army marched rapidly.
A German Panzerkorp during the Battle of Berlin, circa 1943
Meanwhile back in Europe. the French would turn there eye to a new target, soon the ever neutral beacon of Democracy in Europe would be threatend, next on the French hitlist.. The
Swiss....[1], Switzerland had long held it's system of Armed Neutrality, ever since the Napoleonic Wars when it was invaded by you guessed it, the French, Switzerland had been a base for espionage between the Axis and the Allies, and a place the Nasi's could store tons of gold, but Geymere felt it was time to wipe the Swiss off the map, thus he, along with other Axis Leaders, Josef Leopold and Benito Mussolini, drew up the plans for the invasion of Switzerland, known as Operation: Cheese and Chocholate. the invasion called for it to began with a intense bombing campaign of Major Swiss cites, such as Geneva, Bern, and the capital Zurich, followed by a two pronged invasion of the Switzerland into the Central Plains, avoiding both the Jura Mountains in the North and the Alps in the South. mainly by French troops, but supported by elements of the Austrian, Italian, Saxon and Bavarian armies.
The French Equipeavaiation Forces over Geneva, circa 1943
Operation: Cheese and Chocholate was launched on February 29th, 1943, it began with the French and Austrian Air Forces beginging a intense bombing campaign of the Major Swiss Cites, this obviously caught the Swiss off guard, as there neutrality had just been shot to hell and back, once more, by the French, in the intital hours of the Operation, the Capital, Zurich, along with the economic centers of Bern and Geneva, suffered intense damage in the inital bombing campaign by the Axis, then the French 11th and 10th Armies moving in from the South, supported by the Italian 5th Army, and the French 7th Army in the North, supported by the Saxon 1st and Austrian 10th, would begin invading the Swiss Plateau, and Switzerland itself, as there neutrality had been officaly violated. Swiss Minister-President Oskar Leimgruber officaly passed the act of the Declaration of War against the Axis Powers through Swiss Parliament and Switzerland joined the Allied Powers that day. the Swiss Army itself was reletively well armed and disiplined, but Switzerland itself had not fought in a war since the 1810's, most of it's Military Commanders were not adept to fighting a modern war, while the Swiss Military was a trained fighting force, no one in Switzerland had seen actual combat since 1815. and while the Axis Armies were weakening, they were still one of the most capable fighting forces on Earth, the Swiss having heart and determination, attempted to fight off the Axis invasion, however the Capital would fall a month into the invasion in the First Battle of Zurich "March 27th-April 5th, 1943), and the Swiss government would capitulate a week later. the Swiss Plateau was under complete Axis occupation, and the Swiss goverment had capitulated, a Swiss Government-In-Exile was established in Stockhom, and Switzerland itself would be partitioned between the Axis powers, with the French part being annexed by France, the Italian Part by Italy, and the German part annexed by the Rhineish Republic, throug under French military occupation, the Jura Mountains and the Alps through, became the base of the large Swiss Partisan movement, who continued to wage a guerilla war for the rest of the war against Switzerland's occupiers.
Scene infront of the Brandenburg Gate in downtown Berlin, home to some ferious fighting furing the Battle of Berlin.
Meanwhile on the German Front, the French and Austrians would finally get what they wanted, the brokethrough the Defensive line around Berlin, and soon, a Battle was iminent, the German Army lead by a young ambitious commander named Reinhard Heydrich [2] prepared, and the Axis armies would reach the outskirts of Berlin in Mid June, and thus, finally. the Battle of Berlin (June 25th-September 29th, 1943) had begun. the fighting began on the outskirts in the Burbs around Berlin itself, the German hold on these areas became strainuous, and the skirmish in the outskirts of the German Capital City would be bloody, as the French and Austrians fought to push for Downtown Berlin. the situation in Germany had reached the point much like it did in the UASR, as they began arming anyone who could carry a rifle, including women, as Chancellor Hitler and Kaiser Wilhelm III, who remained in the city despite the beginging of the battle, ordered the same as Brussells had done in the UASR, The Battle of Berlin would replicate much like the Battle of St. Louis had, St. Louis taught the French they needed a better weapon for closer quarters battle, this led to the development of the first Assualt Rifle. the FDA43 (
Fusil d'Assaut Model 1943)[3] had begun development after St. Louis, and by the Battle of Berlin, special units had begun carrying the weapon. the Germans noticed these weapons, and many members of the Heer inside Berlin began using them over there MP-40's. or in combination with there MP-40's. the Battle of Berlin would be highlighted by stench urban warfare, as the French and Germans fought for every street, every block, every apartment building within Berlin. the Kaiser and Chancellor remained in the city[2], armed, willing to die with there soldiers, as the "Old German Bulldog" Adolf Hitler commanded troops at the Reichstag, and helped defend it from a French offensive. the Battle of Berlin would be the Bloodiest Battle of the European Front, As Berlin was turned into Hell on Earth, however the fact that the Chancellor and Kaiser were willing to fight and die side by side with the common Private, was a huge moral booster for the Germans, and would be enough to push them over the edge, the Bloody Battle of Berlin would end after 3 months of bloody warfare in the streets of Berlin, in a German victory, the victory in Berlin would be a huge moral booster to German troops all around Europe and Africa, and a huge turning point in the war.
French tank corps during the Battle of Berlin, circa 1943
Meanwhile, through all of this, Russia had remained the neutral, the struggling Republic had remained neutral due to a weak and fragile state it suffered in since the Russian Civil War, and then the Depression, which hit it hard. President Leon Trotsky had spent since 1932 reparing the Russian economy, however by 1943, the Russian public was getting restless, and many thought it might be time to rethink the neutrality of Russia. which had supplied funding to help keep the German War Machine alive during the war so far, the Capitulation of Switzerland brought the Russian public even more weary towards staying neutral, the last straw would be broken by Bulgaria. who on July 1st, 1943, commenced and invasion of the Neutral Ottoman Empire. forcing them to join the war as well, seeing this a direct threat close to Russia's borders. the Neutral Russians finally broke, and on July 5th, 1943, The Russian Duma unainimously agreed to declare war on the Axis Powers. the Russian mobilization proved to be slow however, as it took about a month for Russia to be ready to fight. the First Russian troops would be deployed to help the Ottomans, who had lost in Constantinople (July 9th-July 16th, 1943) and had been pushed into Anatolia by joint Austro-Bulgar armies. the Russians would prove to be helpful for the struggling Ottomans, as the front in Anatolia began to turn in favor of the Russo-Ottoman forces, through the Axis still held Constantinople strong as 1944 came around, the Russians began increasing funding the the Germans and the UASR, and on January 1st, 1944, the first meeting of the Allied Leaders (Brussells, Hitler and Trotsky) happend at Yalta, in which the three outlined the plan for the Post-War situation.
Japanese troops during the Invasion of Indochina, 1943
Things in Africa remained quiet during 1943 and early 1944, through the Germans began regaining ground lost in Kamerun, Erwin Rommel and Albert Speer began pushing back the French and Italians in East Africa even further as the year waned. and the Italian frontline in East Africa had been pushed back to a highly defended strip going across the border. including most of the North Eastern Province of German Kenya. General Albert Speer had pushed back French forces in the West, and began pushing into the French occupied parts of the German Congo. things in Asia would also heat up as well, seeing this a chance to grab more territory for itself, Japan declared war on France, and invaded French Indochina. the invasion was over in a month, as French Indochina was lightly defended, and fell easily to the Japanese Army, who then moved on to the East Indies, ruled by a French puppet in Amsterdam. the Indonesian Campaign would prove to be a grind through, as Indonesia would break out into full blown Civil War, with the Japanese sometimes having to defend themselves against the French, the Dutch, and the Indonesian rebels.
Things in North America began to be dire for the French as 1944 began, the Americans broke through French defensive lines in Ohio and Pennsylvania, the Battle of The Great Lakes (January 15th-March 19th, 1944) was a two month campaign by the Americans to recapture the Great Lakes on the American side. the campaiagn would prove to be relentlessly bloody, as the French had fell into dire straits, desperation had set in, as the French fought to hold onto every last inch of ground. the Americans fought to gain every last inch of ground, the campaign would end in March with the dislodgment of the French from the former American side of the Great Lakes. through the Canadian side remained in French control, as June approached, the French still remained in control of much of Europe. they were however being pushed back in North America, hold strainuous control to most of New England and the St. Lawrence, losing in Africa. however, the turning point would be soon, and the downfall of the Greater French State built up by Geymere, would soon. begin. with a fight....
on a beach....
[1] I hate Cliches like this gosh darn it, the Swiss are apparntly "Super Duper Uninvadable Magic Spell" uninvadable, I didn't want to be cliche, so I thought, what could I do? and I thought... how about have Switzerland get invaded? that's original, right? so I went with it. hope you enjoy the Swiss getting invaded for once
[2] OTL Nazi Politican Insert Alert.
[3] OTL STG-44 Analouge, through the STG itself will be invented here soon
Next Time on the Reverse Cold War
June 6th, 1944 to January 1st, 1945
Ive Got my Toes in the Sand, Ive Got a Cold Beer in my Hand, Ive Got a War on my Home Front and Im Not Feeling Too Good, Life is Good Today, Life is Good Today