a Valkyrie Rises Over Europe, a Alternate Story of the Cold War
- Thread starter Kaiser K
- Start date
Probably not a bad idea. Seeing as I know didly squat about the historical Space Programs outside of the basics and what everyone would know.
Am I sensing some lost Cosmonaut analogues?
Err. Well. Depends on what you mean?
There's conspiracy theories that the Soviet Space program made errors that resulted in Cosmonauts either dying in while being sent into space, or getting stuck in space.
Naturally, the Soviet/Russian government covered it up, pretending it didn't happen.
Oh right, those. I was drawing a blank there for a minute on what he meant.
As for the question he presented, it will depend really, how the Space Race goes between the United States and the Reich and anything that happens is a series of events we will just have to see as they unfold.
Time for more crazy madness and hijinks
This one might be a little short, I'll have another update soon about the events in India and perhaps some other events? hmm.. we shall see..
The breakout of the Egyptian Crisis was another shocking blow to British power and prestige. The once mighty Empire where the "Sun Never Set" was slowly collapsing under it's weight. With the fall of India and the collapse of the former order in Egypt. Britain was quickly finding that it not only was no longer the most powerful. But that "Britannia" was not as feared as she used to be.
In the aftermath of the August 9th Coup launched by the Free Officer's Movement. Forces loyal to the new regime quickly consolidated control of Egypt, displacing British administrators as well as the forces loyal to the British and the Muhammad Ali Dynasty. A similar nationalist rebellion broke out in neighboring Sudan. Further disrupting British control in North Africa as Sudanese nationalists took Khartoum and several ports on the Red Sea.
Figure 1: Clement Atlee, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Indian and Egyptian Crisis
The main concentration of British forces remained in the Suez, with the garrison totaling around 10,000 men who were tasked with defending the Canal and the Sinai Peninsula. Egyptian forces attempted several attacks on the Canal itself, however British forces. Aided by reinforcements from neighboring Palestine and Transjordan were able to hold the Canal against the furious Egyptian attacks.
Despite successes against Egyptian forces in terms of holding the Canal, Britain was unable to project itself back into the remainder of Egypt proper, being stunted by Egyptian forces during the offensives of "Operation: Ajax" in December of 1949 and January of 1950. The home front also brought problems for Britain, as the country. Now embroiled in it's second colonial war in a mere 3 years quickly turned public opinion even further against Prime Minister Atlee and the Labour Government then it already was in the aftermath of the Indian War.
The successes of the Egyptians and Sudanese in their independence struggle quickly served as inspiration for the other Arab people's that lived under the rule of London. Revolts and Violence at the behest of Arab patriots erupted across British Libya, Iraq and the Palestinian Mandate, these Freedom Fighters banded together and managed to coordinate several attacks against the British Administration in their respective lands, the most famous of these attacks being the infamous Jerusalem Riots of New Years Day 1950. The rebellions in Britain's possessions across the Middle East and North Africa caused massive disruption to British control in the region and only brought about further issues for London, who found it increasingly difficult to keep control of the unruly colonies. especially in the face of increasing public scrutiny.
Figure 2: Civilians are shown in the above photograph running in terror during the Jerusalem Riots of 1950 after a explosion at a British Postal Office. the Jerusalem Riots were apart of the overall "Arab Spring" against the British of 1949 and 1950.
Considering the situation, The British Government soon began actively discussing options regarding how to end the Crisis in the Middle East, which ranged from terminating the Mandate in Palestine to pulling out of Libya. However, no matter what they considered or what would be decided, the situation for British forces in the Middle East and North Africa was increasingly dire. Especially as British forces had to deal with a alarming rate of Arab defection. Causing the loyalty of many of their forces to be questionable, causing friction and many morale issues among forces in the region.
The final straw against British rule in the region would end up being the Egyptian offensive Codenamed "Phoenix" that was launched against the Canal and the Sinai in February of 1950, the 50,000 strong Egyptian force marched on the Canal. And after a long and bloody battle that saw 21,000 Casualties combined between the Egyptian and British forces involved in the Battle, were able to overwhelm the Suez Garrison. Capturing the Canal, the Egyptian Army quickly moved on the Sinai Peninsula itself, quickly capturing it in it's entirety as British forces retreated out of it's remaining Egyptian territory.
The Loss of the Canal was a huge prestige loss for Britain, in a mere 3 years the country that had at one point been the mightiest in the world saw itself humiliated by two of it's most prestigious colonies, losing the Crown Jewel's of the entire Empire as well as control of the Canal to Egypt. As more British men died attempting to defend the far flung Empire and with sinking popularity at home, Atlee pulled Britain out the Middle East wholesale. Terminating the Palestinian Mandate and abruptly leaving both Palestine and Libya to their own devices as the British pulled their forces out of Palestine and Libya and back into Iraq, Kuwait and other neighboring British possessions.
While the end of the Egyptian Crisis was a huge victory for the young Egyptian Republic, it would ultimately spell the end of Clement Atlee and his government. Who were subsequently voted out in the following year's general election. With the Conservative Party re-assuming leadership under Atlee's successor as Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden.
Figure 3: I-34, scheduled to go between Vermont and Oregon, is shown above under construction above somewhere in Pennsylvania. I-34 is just one of many Interstates slated to be constructed as apart of the Federal Highway Act, passed in 1951.
Over in the United States, Douglas MacArthur's inauguration as the country's 34th President saw the beginning of a new era in the country as well as the end of the 15 year hold on the presidency that the "New Deal Coalition" had held since Franklin D. Roosevelt's inauguration in 1933. As the first Republican Presidential Administration since Herbert Hoover's took hold, it was forced to deal with the new issues of the era. Which mainly involved the brewing ideological conflict with the Greater German Reich.
The German Nuclear Test that occurred in the Summer 1947 had unleashed a frantic frenzy in the United States as Anti-Fascist Paranoia among the Civilian populace about a The Threat of Fascism and the "Impending Atomic War" erupted, causing a great commotion in the Western Hemisphere. While the Executive Branch itself did not share the same exact paranoia that was espoused by some Civilians and many Congressman who personally espoused the need for a tougher stance against Germany. The government quickly realized that the threat of the Germans and the forces of Fascism were a grave concern to not only the government in Washington, but to many nations closely allied to the United States.
These nations, which included Great Britain, the Soviet Union and Free France. Among others, Came together with the United States to form a counter-weight organization to the German "Tripartite Pact", which would lead to the formation of the Allied Cooperative Treaty Organization (or ACT, as it quickly became known as). The Organization, as stated in it's Charter. Was designed as a "Alliance of like minded Democratic and Free Nations" banded together against the forces of European Fascism.
MacArthur was a extremely active President Foreign-Policy Wise. Being one of the main supporters behind the formation of ACT. As well as being the driving force behind the end of the Occupation of Japan and the signing of the American-Japanese Friendship Accord of 1950. Which increased ties between the new Japanese government and Washington.
Figure 4: President MacArthur's motorcade makes it way through Green Bay during MacArthur's visit, circa 1951.
MacArthur was also extremely active on the domestic front. Getting the Federal Highway Act passed through Congress in February of 1951, the Act authorized the use 25 billion dollars for the construction of 41,000 miles (66,000 kilometers) of a new Interstate Highway System across the continental United States, the program. Inspired by the expansive German "Autobahn" Network. Was projected to be completed over a 10-year period from it's signing into law. MacArthur's other domestic achievements also included the continuation and expansion of many New Deal agencies. as well as expanding Social Security
General MacArthur and Vice President Harold Stassen, accompanied by MacArthur's wife Jean, traveled to Green Bay, Wisconsin in June of 1951. MacArthur was scheduled to meet with Governor Walter Kohler. before accompanying the Governor to a Luncheon and a Show at Bay Theater with Several Prominent Local Business Leaders in the City. Before returning to the Airport, where MacArthur and the Vice President would depart for a fund raising dinner in Madison, before returning to Washington, DC the next day.
Air Force One arrived at Austin Straubel International Airport at 9:36 AM on June 26th, 1951. The President, Vice President and the First Lady departed the Airport ten minutes later, making their way towards the Theater, the Presidential Motorcade arrived near the Theater at roughly 9:56 AM, and made a right hand turn onto S. Washington St. The Motorcade began to slow down as it approached the Theater, as they arrived, MacArthur turned towards Jean MacArthur. and reportedly said to his wife jokingly "I wonder if anything exciting will happen today?".......
However, in a sick and twisted turn of events, the peaceful and sunny Green Bay day would turn into madness and chaos as the sounds of bullets filled the Wisconsin Street.
A mere 45 Minutes Later, President Douglas MacArthur was dead.....
This one might be a little short, I'll have another update soon about the events in India and perhaps some other events? hmm.. we shall see..
=======
PART 8
...And into the Fire
PART 8
...And into the Fire
The breakout of the Egyptian Crisis was another shocking blow to British power and prestige. The once mighty Empire where the "Sun Never Set" was slowly collapsing under it's weight. With the fall of India and the collapse of the former order in Egypt. Britain was quickly finding that it not only was no longer the most powerful. But that "Britannia" was not as feared as she used to be.
In the aftermath of the August 9th Coup launched by the Free Officer's Movement. Forces loyal to the new regime quickly consolidated control of Egypt, displacing British administrators as well as the forces loyal to the British and the Muhammad Ali Dynasty. A similar nationalist rebellion broke out in neighboring Sudan. Further disrupting British control in North Africa as Sudanese nationalists took Khartoum and several ports on the Red Sea.
Figure 1: Clement Atlee, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Indian and Egyptian Crisis
The main concentration of British forces remained in the Suez, with the garrison totaling around 10,000 men who were tasked with defending the Canal and the Sinai Peninsula. Egyptian forces attempted several attacks on the Canal itself, however British forces. Aided by reinforcements from neighboring Palestine and Transjordan were able to hold the Canal against the furious Egyptian attacks.
Despite successes against Egyptian forces in terms of holding the Canal, Britain was unable to project itself back into the remainder of Egypt proper, being stunted by Egyptian forces during the offensives of "Operation: Ajax" in December of 1949 and January of 1950. The home front also brought problems for Britain, as the country. Now embroiled in it's second colonial war in a mere 3 years quickly turned public opinion even further against Prime Minister Atlee and the Labour Government then it already was in the aftermath of the Indian War.
The successes of the Egyptians and Sudanese in their independence struggle quickly served as inspiration for the other Arab people's that lived under the rule of London. Revolts and Violence at the behest of Arab patriots erupted across British Libya, Iraq and the Palestinian Mandate, these Freedom Fighters banded together and managed to coordinate several attacks against the British Administration in their respective lands, the most famous of these attacks being the infamous Jerusalem Riots of New Years Day 1950. The rebellions in Britain's possessions across the Middle East and North Africa caused massive disruption to British control in the region and only brought about further issues for London, who found it increasingly difficult to keep control of the unruly colonies. especially in the face of increasing public scrutiny.
Figure 2: Civilians are shown in the above photograph running in terror during the Jerusalem Riots of 1950 after a explosion at a British Postal Office. the Jerusalem Riots were apart of the overall "Arab Spring" against the British of 1949 and 1950.
Considering the situation, The British Government soon began actively discussing options regarding how to end the Crisis in the Middle East, which ranged from terminating the Mandate in Palestine to pulling out of Libya. However, no matter what they considered or what would be decided, the situation for British forces in the Middle East and North Africa was increasingly dire. Especially as British forces had to deal with a alarming rate of Arab defection. Causing the loyalty of many of their forces to be questionable, causing friction and many morale issues among forces in the region.
The final straw against British rule in the region would end up being the Egyptian offensive Codenamed "Phoenix" that was launched against the Canal and the Sinai in February of 1950, the 50,000 strong Egyptian force marched on the Canal. And after a long and bloody battle that saw 21,000 Casualties combined between the Egyptian and British forces involved in the Battle, were able to overwhelm the Suez Garrison. Capturing the Canal, the Egyptian Army quickly moved on the Sinai Peninsula itself, quickly capturing it in it's entirety as British forces retreated out of it's remaining Egyptian territory.
The Loss of the Canal was a huge prestige loss for Britain, in a mere 3 years the country that had at one point been the mightiest in the world saw itself humiliated by two of it's most prestigious colonies, losing the Crown Jewel's of the entire Empire as well as control of the Canal to Egypt. As more British men died attempting to defend the far flung Empire and with sinking popularity at home, Atlee pulled Britain out the Middle East wholesale. Terminating the Palestinian Mandate and abruptly leaving both Palestine and Libya to their own devices as the British pulled their forces out of Palestine and Libya and back into Iraq, Kuwait and other neighboring British possessions.
While the end of the Egyptian Crisis was a huge victory for the young Egyptian Republic, it would ultimately spell the end of Clement Atlee and his government. Who were subsequently voted out in the following year's general election. With the Conservative Party re-assuming leadership under Atlee's successor as Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden.
Figure 3: I-34, scheduled to go between Vermont and Oregon, is shown above under construction above somewhere in Pennsylvania. I-34 is just one of many Interstates slated to be constructed as apart of the Federal Highway Act, passed in 1951.
Over in the United States, Douglas MacArthur's inauguration as the country's 34th President saw the beginning of a new era in the country as well as the end of the 15 year hold on the presidency that the "New Deal Coalition" had held since Franklin D. Roosevelt's inauguration in 1933. As the first Republican Presidential Administration since Herbert Hoover's took hold, it was forced to deal with the new issues of the era. Which mainly involved the brewing ideological conflict with the Greater German Reich.
The German Nuclear Test that occurred in the Summer 1947 had unleashed a frantic frenzy in the United States as Anti-Fascist Paranoia among the Civilian populace about a The Threat of Fascism and the "Impending Atomic War" erupted, causing a great commotion in the Western Hemisphere. While the Executive Branch itself did not share the same exact paranoia that was espoused by some Civilians and many Congressman who personally espoused the need for a tougher stance against Germany. The government quickly realized that the threat of the Germans and the forces of Fascism were a grave concern to not only the government in Washington, but to many nations closely allied to the United States.
These nations, which included Great Britain, the Soviet Union and Free France. Among others, Came together with the United States to form a counter-weight organization to the German "Tripartite Pact", which would lead to the formation of the Allied Cooperative Treaty Organization (or ACT, as it quickly became known as). The Organization, as stated in it's Charter. Was designed as a "Alliance of like minded Democratic and Free Nations" banded together against the forces of European Fascism.
MacArthur was a extremely active President Foreign-Policy Wise. Being one of the main supporters behind the formation of ACT. As well as being the driving force behind the end of the Occupation of Japan and the signing of the American-Japanese Friendship Accord of 1950. Which increased ties between the new Japanese government and Washington.
Figure 4: President MacArthur's motorcade makes it way through Green Bay during MacArthur's visit, circa 1951.
MacArthur was also extremely active on the domestic front. Getting the Federal Highway Act passed through Congress in February of 1951, the Act authorized the use 25 billion dollars for the construction of 41,000 miles (66,000 kilometers) of a new Interstate Highway System across the continental United States, the program. Inspired by the expansive German "Autobahn" Network. Was projected to be completed over a 10-year period from it's signing into law. MacArthur's other domestic achievements also included the continuation and expansion of many New Deal agencies. as well as expanding Social Security
General MacArthur and Vice President Harold Stassen, accompanied by MacArthur's wife Jean, traveled to Green Bay, Wisconsin in June of 1951. MacArthur was scheduled to meet with Governor Walter Kohler. before accompanying the Governor to a Luncheon and a Show at Bay Theater with Several Prominent Local Business Leaders in the City. Before returning to the Airport, where MacArthur and the Vice President would depart for a fund raising dinner in Madison, before returning to Washington, DC the next day.
Air Force One arrived at Austin Straubel International Airport at 9:36 AM on June 26th, 1951. The President, Vice President and the First Lady departed the Airport ten minutes later, making their way towards the Theater, the Presidential Motorcade arrived near the Theater at roughly 9:56 AM, and made a right hand turn onto S. Washington St. The Motorcade began to slow down as it approached the Theater, as they arrived, MacArthur turned towards Jean MacArthur. and reportedly said to his wife jokingly "I wonder if anything exciting will happen today?".......
However, in a sick and twisted turn of events, the peaceful and sunny Green Bay day would turn into madness and chaos as the sounds of bullets filled the Wisconsin Street.
A mere 45 Minutes Later, President Douglas MacArthur was dead.....
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Fukkin' Puerto Ricans.
Well, they'd better be Puerto Ricans, or I'm not seeing that $20 I put on them again, that's for sure.
GO STASSEN!
PS: What show or play were they planning to see? Will it enter the public consciousness to the same or a greater extent as "Our American Cousin"?
Well, they'd better be Puerto Ricans, or I'm not seeing that $20 I put on them again, that's for sure.
GO STASSEN!
PS: What show or play were they planning to see? Will it enter the public consciousness to the same or a greater extent as "Our American Cousin"?
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This is very sound advice. if only political figures listened..
Fukkin' Puerto Ricans.
Well, they'd better be Puerto Ricans, or I'm not seeing that $20 I put on them again, that's for sure.
GO STASSEN!
PS: What show or play were they planning to see? Will it enter the public consciousness to the same or a greater extent as "Our American Cousin"?
The Party or Parties that are responsible for MacArthur's assassination will be revealed next update. it might be Puerto Ricans, it might be American "Nazis", it might be just some insane lunatic, who knows?
the MacArthur's and Vice President Stassen were planning to see "The King and I" (I do not know if the Bay Theater was showing the King and I in OTL. they probably were not. but Creative License is in effect here of course).
and even through MacArthur never got inside. I imagine so.
I do imagine that the rightwing banana republic dictators of Latin America are not seeing much love from the US ITTL. especially when you consider the fact that Peron, Vargas and friends in South America are supported by and outright friendly with the European Fascists.
This in turn will probably push the US leftwards, as well as inclining America to support leftists or yes, even Communists (especially since the US already took the leap of allying with what's left of the Soviet Union, who is a member of TTL's NATO) in order to combat the Germans and the Right-Wing World.
The US supporting Leftists or Communists will certainly change the dynamics of many nations and regions as the US tries to combat German influence around the world. especially when you consider Leftists and the US have enough in common that the whole Communism vs Capitalism spiel is pretty much dead in the water..
What if the assassin turns out to be German, or German-American? Might we see a new outbreak of Germanophobia in the United States, as in WWI? Could TTL's 'Second German Scare' be OTL's 'Second Red Scare'?
EDIT: On another note Kaiser K, might we see ACT develop into a 'United Nations' organization like that in OTL? Perhaps a combination of sorts of OTL's UN and NATO. It would certainly be interesting to see, instead of two armed camps (NATO & WARPAC IOTL), 2 opposing 'world orders', the 'Neue Ordnung', and the United Nations!
EDIT: On another note Kaiser K, might we see ACT develop into a 'United Nations' organization like that in OTL? Perhaps a combination of sorts of OTL's UN and NATO. It would certainly be interesting to see, instead of two armed camps (NATO & WARPAC IOTL), 2 opposing 'world orders', the 'Neue Ordnung', and the United Nations!
What if the assassin turns out to be German, or German-American? Might we see a new outbreak of Germanophobia in the United States, as in WWI? Could TTL's 'Second German Scare' be OTL's 'Second Red Scare'?
EDIT: On another note Kaiser K, might we see ACT develop into a 'United Nations' organization like that in OTL? Perhaps a combination of sorts of OTL's UN and NATO. It would certainly be interesting to see, instead of two armed camps (NATO & WARPAC IOTL), 2 opposing 'world orders', the 'Neue Ordnung', and the United Nations!
Hmm. that is certainly a idea regarding MacArthur's assassin... a very interesting idea. But then again, there are plenty of people who could want the man dead. and plenty of just outright insane people willing to murder the President. You never know who the one to pull the trigger could be, until he's caught of course..
As for ACT. it's certainly possible that the Organization eventually evolves as time goes on and becomes more then just this timeline's counterpart to NATO (as the Tripartite Pact serves as this Timeline's counterpart to the Warsaw Pact), However, it does depend, it would definitely require the right people behind the helm willing to steer ACT in that direction and build such a organization, especially when you consider the fact that the idea of a UN type organization kind of got shot dead in the water by the German victory and the establishment of the 'Neue Ordnung' in Europe.
so ACT may evolve, or may just stay TTL's counterpart to NATO. You never know.
And now we get a long summer of reruns and have to wait till September to find out who shot MacArthur... no wait, I'm thinking of Dallas.
Slight issue. The matter of the US Highway Interstate System was directly inspired by Eisenhower heading to Germany and seeing the Autobahns. It may be much different in terms for the US Highway Interstate System, but there were other proposals.
Also, do you need a 'beta' reader to read over the updates to correct spelling, grammar, etc?
Also, do you need a 'beta' reader to read over the updates to correct spelling, grammar, etc?
Hmm, would that massively effect the overall proposal that MacArthur got through Congress that much?
Well, MacArthur never actually drove on the Lincoln Highway from what I recall, so I don't se that occurring for a nation-wide one at the moment. I see it being done with the 'Federal Highway Act of 1951', creating a network of freeways in New England, the Midwest, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, D.C., and Virginia. That would be most likely to start with, primarily to improve the movement of commerce within the region.
Depending on events that occur, a second one in like 52, 53, or 54, could occur, doing the Carolinas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas. While that is going on (due to high cost), later on in the 50s, you may have an additional one to New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Kansas, and Oklahoma. I need to do a bit more reading on it.
May instead of a National Highway Act, this US may invest in improving railroad and developing high speed railway from coast to coast. I don't know if this will eventually decrease the need for national air travel though.
I would like to thank this update's Guest Co-Writer. Usili. for working with me on this chapter
The assassination of President MacArthur in Green Bay, Wisconsin, ignited a tempest of anger, those worried about the future, and sadness for the populace of the United States of America. The report had suddenly broke in on television and radios across the country, nearly a full hour after the assassination. While they were echoing, the Vice President, Harold Stassen was being rushed to Austin Straubel International Airport, while Air Force One, a Douglas DC-6 was being readied to leave, and return to Washington immediately. The sound of further gunshots after the President had been hit, forced the driver carrying the Vice President to get him back to Austin Straubel immediately. The threat as realized of course, had Stassen agree to what the driver suggested, more in shock than anything. Arriving at Air Force One, reports had arrived that MacArthur had been confirmed dead. Secret Service, convinced the President to return to Washington immediately, in order to protect his life, and the need for a new President of the United States.
Figure 1: Senator Allen Fitzgerald (D-PA). Leader of the "Fitzgerald Commission" that was created by President Harold Stassen to investigate Douglas MacArthur's assassination.
It was a last minute decision, to have the Vice President inaugurated on board Air Force One, with Judge F. Ryan Duffy, part of the Seventh Circuit, being brought to Air Force One just prior to takeoff. Harold Stassen would become President of the United States at 11:46AM, nearly two minutes after Air Force One took off from Austin Straubel. Meanwhile, at Truax Field, in Madison, Wisconsin, two F-80A Shooting Stars from the 176th Fighter Squadron (part of the Wisconsin Air National Guard) were dispatched immediately to escort Air Force One to D.C. The flight would last nearly four hours, before arrival at Bollings Air Force Base, and then President Stassen being brought immediately to the White House. President Stassen, would at 8:11PM Eastern Daylight, make a speech, with “Those assassins, who have killed President MacArthur, are traitors to the United States... Under all power available to the Presidency, shall we hunt those responsible, and justice shall be dealt.”
While the speech was on-going, Strategic Air Command, formed in the end of 1947, with the testing of the German atomic bomb, had been moved up to DEFCON 2, with bombers throughout the United Kingdom, and United States on standby. At the present time, the United States Eighth Air Force, with two fighter groups, one of Thunderjets (~64 F-84F Thunderjets), and one of Shooting Stars (80 F-80C Shooting Stars), and nine bombardment groups, three of Superfortresses (~60 B-50D Superfortresses), four of Stratojets (~90 B-47B Stratojets), and two of Peacemakers (~42 B-36H Peacemakers) composed the main forward operational nuclear force under SAC, based in the United Kingdom. Budget cuts, had lessened the amount of available of forward nuclear forces, but were still significant. At the time, the remaining Superfortress bombardment groups were in the middle of upgrading to the new B-47B Stratojets, a significant boost to the available SAC strike force that could hit the Nazis.
Figure 2: A flight line of B-47B Stratojets in Southern England, c 1951
This would pose a note to be known, of the Air Force's first 'Broken Arrow' incident. June 29th, 1951, two USAF B-47B Stratojets were operating under a nuclear readiness mission, off the coast of Lowesloft, England. One of the B-47s suffered a surge, and loss of Engine 4 and Engine 6. With the loss of power to two engines on the right-side, and already, the aircraft sharply dropping in the right, the crew authorized bail-out of the B-47. The B-47B in question was carrying a Mk. 15 nuclear bomb, a 3.6MT nuclear weapon. The B-47B impacted two miles off the coast, the nuclear weapon not detonating. This would ignite a six week search for the nuclear bomb, which was able to be recovered, and in addition, garnered experience required, for later Broken Arrows, which would become vitally important for SAC.
In Congress, momentum was already growing for a committee to be formed to investigate the assassination of Douglas MacArthur, 34th President of the United States. Junior Senator from Pennsylvania, Allen Fitzgerald of the Democratic Party, would lead the committee into the investigation of the assassination. In the first two weeks of the investigation, large amounts of evidence was garnered of a 'fascist' organization lying within the United States itself. The assassin, Edward T. Prent, was discovered to have been a WWII-veteran, who did live within the Green Bay area. Checking his body (after being shot by police during a shootout at a local Green Bay bar), they discovered nearly 10,000 USD on his body, and a telegram from Charleston, South Carolina from a 'Leonard Dritt' telling him it is time to kill the President. Leonard Dritt's place in Charleston, had been given permission for both a search warrant, and an arrest warrant. On June 27th, police entered Dritt's residence, and arrested him, along with seizing significant amounts of information relating Dritt, Prent, and other people to an 'American Fascist League' present within the United States. The amount of information had expanded itself, with Senator Fitzgerald saying to news reporters, “This is a grave, grave threat to the United States of America, which poses a grave risk in our fight against totalitarianism and fascism. We must under all available powers, investigate such a threat, and persecute all individuals involved with this. The government cannot standby, as fascism and totalitarianism weeds itself into the United States.”
Figure 3: The M1 Garand with a sniper scope used by Edward T. Prent to assassinate President Douglas MacArthur
Figure 4: Edward T. Prent, a retired U.S. Marine who served with distinction in the Pacific and North Africa during the Second World War. He was a well known Fascist sympathizer and ultimately became the Assassin of President Douglas MacArthur, Prent was ultimately in the end meet his demise once he got involved in a shootout with Green Bay Police during a attempt to escape the city.
The tensions between Hindus and Muslims were not anything new. The two sides had throughout their respective histories held a long standing rivalry or even at times a mutual hatred of each other. It was only their mutually shared goal of driving the British out of the subcontinent that prevented conflict from breaking out between the two sides. Once the British were driven out however, the last main obstacle between the two were removed, thus leading to hostilities to igniting between the two.
The breakout of the Indo-Pakistani War in 1948 was initially met with quiet, as not much else besides minor skirmishes between the two armies persisted for the first months of the Indo-Pakistani War. It was only with the launching of the Indian "Fall Offensive" in October of 1948 that things escalated to all out warfare.
Figure 5: Pakistani troops move artillery across the Frontline in Kashmir. c. 1949
The main front lines were in the disputed territory of Kashmir and Jammu (which was claimed in it's entirety by both Pakistan and India). The Indian "Fall Offensive" saw the Indian armies make substantial gains into Kashmir as the Pakistanis were forced to fall back to a stronger defensive line several hundred miles North, a Pakistani counter offensive in December rolled back some of the Indian gains. but the front lines stabilized as things dragged on into 1949 and further.
Further operations by both sides throughout 1949 would see minimal gains as both sides failed to make any decisive strikes against the opposing side. The majority of military action during 1949 would occur on the High Seas as the small and shackle Indian and Pakistani navies fought for control of the surrounding waters. The most famous of these battles would be the Battle of Palk Strait, between the southern coast and the northern tip of British Ceylon. The battle would see almost a quarter of Pakistan's naval force sunk at the hands of an Indian naval squadron. An utterly humiliating defeat for Karachi.
As the war dragged on into 1950, the leaders of both countries soon looked for a possible end to the conflict as casualties mounted up. This would ultimately result in the Chinese mediated ceasefire of Jaipur which would bring an end to hostilities in the First Indo-Pakistani War. However while the ceasefire would certainly be the end of this war, it would not be the end of their mutual hostilities between the two.
=======
PART 9
To Scare a Mockingbird
PART 9
To Scare a Mockingbird
The assassination of President MacArthur in Green Bay, Wisconsin, ignited a tempest of anger, those worried about the future, and sadness for the populace of the United States of America. The report had suddenly broke in on television and radios across the country, nearly a full hour after the assassination. While they were echoing, the Vice President, Harold Stassen was being rushed to Austin Straubel International Airport, while Air Force One, a Douglas DC-6 was being readied to leave, and return to Washington immediately. The sound of further gunshots after the President had been hit, forced the driver carrying the Vice President to get him back to Austin Straubel immediately. The threat as realized of course, had Stassen agree to what the driver suggested, more in shock than anything. Arriving at Air Force One, reports had arrived that MacArthur had been confirmed dead. Secret Service, convinced the President to return to Washington immediately, in order to protect his life, and the need for a new President of the United States.
Figure 1: Senator Allen Fitzgerald (D-PA). Leader of the "Fitzgerald Commission" that was created by President Harold Stassen to investigate Douglas MacArthur's assassination.
It was a last minute decision, to have the Vice President inaugurated on board Air Force One, with Judge F. Ryan Duffy, part of the Seventh Circuit, being brought to Air Force One just prior to takeoff. Harold Stassen would become President of the United States at 11:46AM, nearly two minutes after Air Force One took off from Austin Straubel. Meanwhile, at Truax Field, in Madison, Wisconsin, two F-80A Shooting Stars from the 176th Fighter Squadron (part of the Wisconsin Air National Guard) were dispatched immediately to escort Air Force One to D.C. The flight would last nearly four hours, before arrival at Bollings Air Force Base, and then President Stassen being brought immediately to the White House. President Stassen, would at 8:11PM Eastern Daylight, make a speech, with “Those assassins, who have killed President MacArthur, are traitors to the United States... Under all power available to the Presidency, shall we hunt those responsible, and justice shall be dealt.”
While the speech was on-going, Strategic Air Command, formed in the end of 1947, with the testing of the German atomic bomb, had been moved up to DEFCON 2, with bombers throughout the United Kingdom, and United States on standby. At the present time, the United States Eighth Air Force, with two fighter groups, one of Thunderjets (~64 F-84F Thunderjets), and one of Shooting Stars (80 F-80C Shooting Stars), and nine bombardment groups, three of Superfortresses (~60 B-50D Superfortresses), four of Stratojets (~90 B-47B Stratojets), and two of Peacemakers (~42 B-36H Peacemakers) composed the main forward operational nuclear force under SAC, based in the United Kingdom. Budget cuts, had lessened the amount of available of forward nuclear forces, but were still significant. At the time, the remaining Superfortress bombardment groups were in the middle of upgrading to the new B-47B Stratojets, a significant boost to the available SAC strike force that could hit the Nazis.
Figure 2: A flight line of B-47B Stratojets in Southern England, c 1951
This would pose a note to be known, of the Air Force's first 'Broken Arrow' incident. June 29th, 1951, two USAF B-47B Stratojets were operating under a nuclear readiness mission, off the coast of Lowesloft, England. One of the B-47s suffered a surge, and loss of Engine 4 and Engine 6. With the loss of power to two engines on the right-side, and already, the aircraft sharply dropping in the right, the crew authorized bail-out of the B-47. The B-47B in question was carrying a Mk. 15 nuclear bomb, a 3.6MT nuclear weapon. The B-47B impacted two miles off the coast, the nuclear weapon not detonating. This would ignite a six week search for the nuclear bomb, which was able to be recovered, and in addition, garnered experience required, for later Broken Arrows, which would become vitally important for SAC.
In Congress, momentum was already growing for a committee to be formed to investigate the assassination of Douglas MacArthur, 34th President of the United States. Junior Senator from Pennsylvania, Allen Fitzgerald of the Democratic Party, would lead the committee into the investigation of the assassination. In the first two weeks of the investigation, large amounts of evidence was garnered of a 'fascist' organization lying within the United States itself. The assassin, Edward T. Prent, was discovered to have been a WWII-veteran, who did live within the Green Bay area. Checking his body (after being shot by police during a shootout at a local Green Bay bar), they discovered nearly 10,000 USD on his body, and a telegram from Charleston, South Carolina from a 'Leonard Dritt' telling him it is time to kill the President. Leonard Dritt's place in Charleston, had been given permission for both a search warrant, and an arrest warrant. On June 27th, police entered Dritt's residence, and arrested him, along with seizing significant amounts of information relating Dritt, Prent, and other people to an 'American Fascist League' present within the United States. The amount of information had expanded itself, with Senator Fitzgerald saying to news reporters, “This is a grave, grave threat to the United States of America, which poses a grave risk in our fight against totalitarianism and fascism. We must under all available powers, investigate such a threat, and persecute all individuals involved with this. The government cannot standby, as fascism and totalitarianism weeds itself into the United States.”
Figure 3: The M1 Garand with a sniper scope used by Edward T. Prent to assassinate President Douglas MacArthur
With more and more details growing on, President Stassen authorized the creation of a 'Commission' in order to investigate fascist and totalitarian groups within the United States, and to bring the full force of the law against them on July 27th, 1951. This would create as some call the 'Fitzgerald Commission', named after Senator Allen Fitzgerald, who became head of the commission. The Commission, would begin with the questioning of Leonard Dritt, along with five other figures, including a Staff Sergeant within the South Carolina National Guard, who had given the M1 Garand to Edward T. Prent. By October, the commission had revealed that the 'Condor Legion', a Fascist organization which had connections to the Ku Klux Klan, as one of its main groups, by using segregation within the American South as a symbol of fascism and totalitarianism. This would ignite firestorms across newspapers throughout the United States, over the matter at hand. Nonetheless, other matters must be looked at accompanying the 'Grey Scare' occurring within the United States.
Figure 4: Edward T. Prent, a retired U.S. Marine who served with distinction in the Pacific and North Africa during the Second World War. He was a well known Fascist sympathizer and ultimately became the Assassin of President Douglas MacArthur, Prent was ultimately in the end meet his demise once he got involved in a shootout with Green Bay Police during a attempt to escape the city.
The tensions between Hindus and Muslims were not anything new. The two sides had throughout their respective histories held a long standing rivalry or even at times a mutual hatred of each other. It was only their mutually shared goal of driving the British out of the subcontinent that prevented conflict from breaking out between the two sides. Once the British were driven out however, the last main obstacle between the two were removed, thus leading to hostilities to igniting between the two.
The breakout of the Indo-Pakistani War in 1948 was initially met with quiet, as not much else besides minor skirmishes between the two armies persisted for the first months of the Indo-Pakistani War. It was only with the launching of the Indian "Fall Offensive" in October of 1948 that things escalated to all out warfare.
Figure 5: Pakistani troops move artillery across the Frontline in Kashmir. c. 1949
The main front lines were in the disputed territory of Kashmir and Jammu (which was claimed in it's entirety by both Pakistan and India). The Indian "Fall Offensive" saw the Indian armies make substantial gains into Kashmir as the Pakistanis were forced to fall back to a stronger defensive line several hundred miles North, a Pakistani counter offensive in December rolled back some of the Indian gains. but the front lines stabilized as things dragged on into 1949 and further.
Further operations by both sides throughout 1949 would see minimal gains as both sides failed to make any decisive strikes against the opposing side. The majority of military action during 1949 would occur on the High Seas as the small and shackle Indian and Pakistani navies fought for control of the surrounding waters. The most famous of these battles would be the Battle of Palk Strait, between the southern coast and the northern tip of British Ceylon. The battle would see almost a quarter of Pakistan's naval force sunk at the hands of an Indian naval squadron. An utterly humiliating defeat for Karachi.
As the war dragged on into 1950, the leaders of both countries soon looked for a possible end to the conflict as casualties mounted up. This would ultimately result in the Chinese mediated ceasefire of Jaipur which would bring an end to hostilities in the First Indo-Pakistani War. However while the ceasefire would certainly be the end of this war, it would not be the end of their mutual hostilities between the two.
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First off, thank you for the TL with this premise, and I would like to say, before I begin, that I am glad you are writing it (however unpleasant the subject matter is, for obvious reasons), and you certainly get credit for not taking the well-meaning but ultimately morally poor route out by having the Nazis mysteriously turn into a sane and rational regime when they were in truth the very opposite of that. I would ask how few of the people in the German-occupied USSR, the Jews, the Poles, the Czechs, the homosexuals, the Gypsies, the various slave labourers (including, no doubt, those being used to build Speer's dreams of cities) et cetera are left and how the German colonisation of Eastern Europe is progressing but I suspect that it would just depress me.
As for nuclear weapons and the German Abwehr, I continue to maintain that a successful Nazi nuclear weapons programme, either through Nazi efforts or through German Nazi penetrations of the Manhattan Project (Nazi Germany's intelligence efforts were less than stellar, to put it extremely mildly), is utterly implausible, but given that you've more or less admitted this and said that it is simply a necessary premise for the TL then I will simply go along with it.
The only thing that really, really surprises me ITTL is that the British are doing so little to defend their empire. IOTL the chosen reaction to Egypt attacking the British-held Suez Canal in circumstances far more ambiguous than this was an outright attack on Egypt that was only stopped by the threat of the United States to wreck the British economy if they tried it. The case of the Suez Canal ITTL is more analogous to the French in Algeria or French Indochina (Vietnam), or indeed the British and the French in OTL's Suez Crisis, than it is to OTL decolonisation of India (where the British withdrew more smoothly) because of that element of force; for an empire to give up a territory on its own terms, albeit while in a precarious situation where it fears that it might not be able to keep that territory in the future, is far, far less of a loss of prestige than to give up a territory due to losing that territory to rebels within. Attlee wasn't the most militaristic of men but for even an Attlee government to accept losing colonies by force—not giving up colonies but losing them in a manner that couldn't possibly be seen as anything but a British military defeat against forces that everyone in the world knows the British could beat if they tried to—at a time when the UK still has the military capacity to retain them sounds difficult to say the least. There were important reasons why decolonisation was nowhere near as smooth or graceful a process as that.
As for nuclear weapons and the German Abwehr, I continue to maintain that a successful Nazi nuclear weapons programme, either through Nazi efforts or through German Nazi penetrations of the Manhattan Project (Nazi Germany's intelligence efforts were less than stellar, to put it extremely mildly), is utterly implausible, but given that you've more or less admitted this and said that it is simply a necessary premise for the TL then I will simply go along with it.
The only thing that really, really surprises me ITTL is that the British are doing so little to defend their empire. IOTL the chosen reaction to Egypt attacking the British-held Suez Canal in circumstances far more ambiguous than this was an outright attack on Egypt that was only stopped by the threat of the United States to wreck the British economy if they tried it. The case of the Suez Canal ITTL is more analogous to the French in Algeria or French Indochina (Vietnam), or indeed the British and the French in OTL's Suez Crisis, than it is to OTL decolonisation of India (where the British withdrew more smoothly) because of that element of force; for an empire to give up a territory on its own terms, albeit while in a precarious situation where it fears that it might not be able to keep that territory in the future, is far, far less of a loss of prestige than to give up a territory due to losing that territory to rebels within. Attlee wasn't the most militaristic of men but for even an Attlee government to accept losing colonies by force—not giving up colonies but losing them in a manner that couldn't possibly be seen as anything but a British military defeat against forces that everyone in the world knows the British could beat if they tried to—at a time when the UK still has the military capacity to retain them sounds difficult to say the least. There were important reasons why decolonisation was nowhere near as smooth or graceful a process as that.