"Today we raised our Victory Banner above Paris, however it appears our war is not over, this specific war, but a new one... has begun"
Orman Rovelle Brussells
Chapter 10: January 1st, 1945-June 28th, 1945
World War II
The End is Nigh for the Wicked Slug
As 1945 came around, the end was clearly near for the Axis Powers of France, Austria-Hungary, Italy and Bulgaria, they all were being advanced upon on all sides by the Allied Powers. these four nations combined ruled to control much of the world earlier in the war, however overstretched, the Fascist alliance is crumbling by the day, the End is Nigh for the Wicked Slugs, they say...
Red Army soldiers moving through a destroyed French city.
In France, the German-Russo forces marching from the North, the Americans marching from the South, the desperate French armies worked to keep the advancing allied armies at bay, the French would plan a desperate last offensive in late January of 1945 as the Allied Forces pushed in Belgium in the North.. Operation: Feathered Rooster, was conducted under the most amount of secrecy, as the French worked to keep radio traffic a minimum, goal being to capture Antwerp and destroy four allied armies, forcing them to go to the peace table. the offensive was launched on January 28th, 1945 against the Allied Front Line in Northern Belgium, the Battle would gain the nickname the "Battle of the Bulge" (January 28th-March 1st, 1945) after the inward bulge in the Allied front line reported in the news. the battle was fought within the densely forrested Ardennes, the Allies were succsessfully caught by surprise, as bad weather and the attack commencing on weakly defended Allied forces was achieved by the French Forces, this temporarily grounded the Luftwaffe and the Russian Air Force. the initital battles went in favor of the French, however improving weather conditions allowed the German Sixth Army, led by Erwin Rommel, recently transfered from Africa, decisivly defeated the French Army, the loss at the Battle of the Bulge left the French severly depleted of men and resources as the Army retreated back to the Montwerp Line protecting Paris, however the South was still a concern for the French.
French Artillery Corp during the Battle of Paris, circa 1945
Meanwhile in the South, the Red Army had been making rapid advances against the French, having succsessfully liberated Spain, the Red Army had begun pushing into Southern France. the French were severely weakend, and the Grand Armee was a shell of it's former self. the Red Army had morale, confidence, logistics and sheer size on it's side. the French appeard to be outmatched and outwitted in the late stages of the war. other Axis allies would soon feel the wrath of the Red Army, as the Americans launched a invasion of Italy in the South, and sent a task force to Greece.
Situation right before the beginging of the Battle of Paris on April 7th, 1945, Blue showing the French defensive line on the outskirts of Paris, Red showing the American posistions, Grey showing the bogged down Germans along the Montwerp Line.
Meanwhile in Bulgaria, the Anatolian Front was descisivly in the favor of the advancing Ottoman-Russian Armies. as mass Serb revolts in Macedonia, and Greek Revolts in Thrace and Macedonia would begin tying up the exhausted and stretched out Bulgar forces, Bulgaria would end up being the first Axis Power to capitulate, as the Ottomans and Russians would capture the Bulgar Capital City in the Battle of Sofia (January 29th-February 17th, 1945) as valient Bulgar resistence would collapse as the nation could no longer fight, it officaly surrendered to Moscow and Constantinople on February 21st, 1945, and thus, this opened up the front towards Austria, the minor nationalities had begun seeing the writing on the wall. as the Austro-Hungarian Army began to overall collapse. many soldiers from Bosnia, Croatia, Hungary, and other subjects began defecting and forming Liberation Armies, that began to work with the Allies. in the offensive itself, the German "Silesian Offensive of February 1945" broke through Austrian lines in Bavaria, Saxony and Silesia. the three provinces were soon overrun by the end of February. as the German Army breached Austria-Hungary proper from the North, the Russians were halted at the Danube however, as valient Austrian fighters soon bogged the Russo-Turkish Armies. The main thrust of the German offensive moved into Bohemia, much as the Prussians had done in the Austro-Prussian War, while a smaller group of the Army marched into the Austrian plains, bypassing Liechtenstein and South Tyrol. through part of the German Army would break off to advance towards Venetia. and begin the Venetian offensive. the German and Austrian armies would meet at a famlier place, Konigsgratz would be the site of another bloody battle (March 17th-April 5th, 1945) the Battle of Koniggratz would end in a desicive German victory, opening up the front deeper into Austria, the Whermacht would swoop down the Bohemian Plains and attack Prague (April 13th-April 23rd, 1945) succsessfully capturing the city. as they moved into Austria, at this point and time, the Americans had begun sending aid to Communist rebels in the Slavic parts of Austria-Hungary, Communist rebels in Bosnia and Montenegro captured major cites and declared themselves independent from Austria, as the Red Army began making landings into Bosnia and Croatia. assasulting Austrian posistions in Dalmatia and the coast.
American planes during the Battle of Paris, 1945
Meanwhile back in France, the advance of the Red Army was alarming, they soon were making 40 km a day. as there goal soon came near, the Capital City of France, Paris, would soon be in reach of the Red Army, the French had stalled the Germans and Russians along the Montwerp Line for a while, however the March Offensive had broken through French lines along the Loire River, and the Red Army had reached the outskirts of Paris on April 7th, 1945. the French had created a defensive line along the Eure River in the outskirts of Paris. the Parisian Suburbs of "Poincare Heights" would see the first action of the long and bloody Battle of Paris (April 8th-May 2nd, 1945) the initial assaults on the outskirts of Paris worked to breakthrough the French defensive line and break into the interior of the city. the fighting on the outskirts of the city began with the reletless bombing of Paris by American Artillery, as the Stubborn French defenseive attempted to keep the Americans from breaking through Poincaire Heights. on April 23rd However, the Red Army would break through and push into the downtown of Paris, attacking from the North, South and West, effectivly encircling the city. the defense of Paris was headed by the severely depleted Grand Armee, and the SS, supplemented by the Police, the Geymere Youth and the Elderly People's Forces. the Battle of Paris would be the bloodiest battle of the war. as the desperate French forces fought to defend there capital, as French goverment officals had retreated to the Citoyenbunker. under the city of Paris, the forces above fought to defend the city. as the advancing Red Army marched from building to building, room to room, as intense close quarters and hand to hand combat ensued against the increasingly desperate French forces within Paris. main goals within the city included the capture of the Notre Dame Cathredral, and the Effiel Tower, two of Paris's most famous landmarks, on April 29th, The Red Army began attacks on government buildings throughout the city, as the street to street combat got more intense by the minute, after knocking out the Artillery at the Paris Zoo. the Red Army was to launch attacks on the Cathredal of Notre Dame, intense fighting began in the Famous Cathredral, as the Red Army forces pushed onto the island to capture it, the fanatical SS Elites defending the Cathredral would attempt to fend off the advancing Red Army, after a intense battle in the hundred year old cathredral, it would fall to the hands of the Red Army, tattered, destroyed, the last stand of Geymere's fascist state would be of course. at the Effiel Tower. the Tower, which stood above the city impresivly, soon began feeling the wrath of Red Army Artillery, through not enough to send it crumbling down, as Brussells wanted it standing. for a reason. the large tower made a good spot for Rocket Launcher teams to attack the Red Army below. intense fighting occured in and around the tower, including the famous Fairgrounds near the Tower. which saw heavy fighting between the SS Elies defending the tower and the Red Army. however the Red Army victory would be cemented late that day, when two American soldiers climbed to the top of the Effiel Tower, and planted the Hammer and Sickle on top of the Effiel Tower, full-scale French defense in the city would end with the capture of the Effiel Tower, speratic fighting would continue throughout the city for the next few days, however French resistence within Paris would end on May 2nd, 1945. bringing a end to the Battle of Paris, the French Instrutment of Surrender would come on May 8th, 1945. thus ending the war in North America and Western Europe, however, the discovery of "Concentration Camps"[1] and the large scale plan to exterminate the Jews, Algerians, and other groups deemed "Sub-Human" by the French, in Algeria, Chad, Upper Volta, and throughout Africa, would mean the end was nowhere near for the leaders of France
Meanwhile, as the Battle of Paris had been raging on, Jean-Claude Geymere married his longtime girlfriend Maria Tannu in the Citoyenbunker, before commiting suicide on April 30th, 1945.
Kaiser Otto I, of Austria-Hungary
Over in Austria, the Habsburg Empire was crumblign underneanth itself. the minorities of the Empire were growing ever more restless with the rule of Vienna. as Germany advanced from the North, the Americans had begun advancing into Croatia, and the Russians from the South. the minorities of the Empire began to grow unrestly. shortly after the capitulation of France in the Battle of Paris, the minorities of the Austro-Hungarian Empire began to be done with the Empire. Montenegro declared independence on May 6th, 1945. Croatia would soon follow on May 10th, 1945, as the Red Army began supplying the Croat and Montenegrin Rebels against the Austro-Hungarian Army, the Romanians officaly for good overthrew the Austro-Hungarian Military Junta in Bucharest. Michael II assuming the Romanian Throne on May 12th, 1945. Hungary remained loyal to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as Romanian Forces, with support from the Ottomans and Russians began pushing into Transylvania, the Serbs had regrouped and began pushing into Hungary themselves. with support from the Red Army and the Russians. Meanwhile the Germans had secured Bohemia and Moravia, with small pockets of Austrian resistence remaining, Bohemia would be put under Military Occupation, the Whermacht meanwhile began fighting in Upper Hungary (Slovakia), while the 9th, 12th, and 16th Armies swung around to march towards Vienna. the Austrian Army was crumbling underneath it's feet. Vienna's defenses were hastily constructed. the Germans would reach the city on May 26th, 1945, The Battle of Vienna (May 26th-June 8th, 1945) would be a battle similar to it's companion in Paris. pure bloody hell, the Germans and Austrians fought in the streets of Vienna, as they fought intense urban combat, the Austrians attempted to defend the city from the Germans, however Vienna had been surrounded, Vienna would capitulate on June 8th, 1945. when the last Austro-Hungarian defenses in the city collapsed. and Kaiser Otto I surrendered the Austro-Hungarian Army to the German Forces, led by Fieldmarschall Erwin Rommel.
Last known photo of Benito Mussolini before his death.
Meanwhile in Italy things had bogged down tremendously, the Americans had invaded via the South in Sicilly, however they had been bogged down by the Fanatical Italian Army who defended along a defensive line stretching across the entire Penisula, 200 km south of the Capital City of Rome, known as the Gotic Line. the Americans attempts to break the Gothic Line had turned into a Meatgrinder for both the Italians and Red Army, as the fanatical Italians, loyal to there Duce and King, continued the fight despite the collapse of the rest of the Axis. the Germans and Russians invading through Venetia had become bogged down by the Italians in the North, but we're making some gains, albeit however slow, the Russians the last few years, since 1941, had been developing a superweapon on unimaginable proportions, calls for Italy to surrender by the Seine Declration issued by the Allies, as agreed upon by Brussells, Hitler and Trotsky outside Paris in mid May, had fallen on death ears. so the Russians, tired from the war. decided to launch there superweapon against the Italians, at 8:25 PM, on June 25th, 1945, the Russian Plane, codenamed the "Flying Heidi" took off from a Russian Base in Albania, Heading for Naples, Italy. the plane reached Naples 25 minutes later. the lone plane flew over the city, it was alone, the Italians were confused, as why would a Russian plane be alone? ethier way, they sounded the air sirens, through, the plane flew over the city, and then dissapered, however it had dropped it's payload.
However, this was no ordinary bomb, this was... A Atomic Bomb, a bomb made of fission and nuclear materials, a bomb that could destroy cites, the Russians had been secretly developing the weapon with the secret Petrograd Project since 1941. 3 had been made, Gadget, which was tested in the Siberian wasteland, Trotsky, the one dropped on Naples, and another one, to be used again if the Italians refused to surrender. the bomb was dropped, and Naples was leveled in a instant, a large Mushroom Cloud appeard over the city, as many confused Italians were bewildered at the sight of a Atomic Bomb. the Italian government, bewildered, was shocked at what had happend, however, they did not surrender. the Next Day, another Russian Plane would take off from Albania, and drop another Atomic Bomb on Salo. the Italian government, would then fall into upheavel, Mussolini would be overthrown the next day, and Italy would surrender to Russia on June 28th, 145
And thus, the guns fell silent on Europe, Italy fell under occupation, and the Second World War had ended, but a new war, a Cold War...... had begun.
[1] Im not going to go into gory details right now, most ill probaly end off giving is basics obviously, but ill deal with that post war ramifications and that later.
Next Time on the Reverse Cold War
The Post War Shake Up, + See Fascists on Trial on Beaudrox.
June 1945 onward. the beginging of the Cold War...
