How's the situation with the Battleships? Is gonna be as OTL?
+
Will they also built the Centaur-class light fleet carriers?
+
Will they also built the Centaur-class light fleet carriers?
A Better Decade - a British TL.
- Thread starter Sarthak
- Start date
This timeline has been a really good read so far keep up the good work and I really like the inclusion of some good old New Zealand politics in this thread even if it’s just the logo of the British “National Labour Party”.
couldn't find a proper logo otherwise. Thanks though!Deleted member 94680
The National Labour Party is something very different to the National Labour Organisation alluded to ITTL...
I'm not sure they had one, as they were an "Organisation" as opposed to a true "Party" - their electoral colour was green, through.
I assume you are meaning trade dominance of goods not produced in Canada? Canada is not so much a market as a producer of resources and goods. For example Canada was the second largest auto manufacturer in the world post ww1 until 1923, there is a pretty large industrial complex in place and growing. Remember that OTL Canada produced over 800,000 military vehicles during ww2, over half of the Empire production, and than Japan, Italy and Germany combined. That industry was built up during the 20's and 30s. There were also many tool manufacturers etc. Goods "Made in Canada" were pretty prominent. at the time As i mentioned many manufacturers had been bought by American Parent companies but Ford of Canada trucks still have "Made in Canada" printed on them. I guess ITTL some of these companies could be British owned instead. Given the relatively small size of the Canadian market and large internal production the way Britain could increase trade would be the way they did OTL. When the Americans passed the Smoot-Hawley act they tariffed the resource imports from Canada so resources were directed more to Europe, especially to Britain. So buying more resources from Canada to support increased industrialization in Britain, which is probably happening anyway, seems a more realistic path than trying to out compete American imported goods in Canada that are already dominated by Canadian produced goods anyway.
Nice chapter but i think this part is kinda strange. I dont think King George would advise a national goverment at that point. The UK is standing strong and at that point no major incident happend. I think he would advise for general elections. After the election with no clear winner, no coalition in sight and the italian<->ethipia war breaking out he could call for it.
Also i think the second Austrian should have been German or the this world has taken a strange turn.
Barefoot tribesmen don't do well when mustard gas is used against them, and even the regular Ethiopian Army wasn't any better protected against it.
A more prosperous and more confident Britain could close Suez to the Italians. This would cause all sorts of problems for Italian logistics while at the same time extending British support for the Ethiopians to include gas masks and treated waxed Clothing to protect against mustard gas. Indeed I think that ITTL the British public will be more willing to allow a harder line against the Italians following the use of poison gas.
Be made advices like these OTL which were accepted by the politicians largely. Besides the general elections were slated to happen this year (,1935) anyways.
That's what is basically happening in terms of economics in North America.
I know but otl was vastly different to itl. They formed the national goverment in reaction to the crisis 1931 and never left it until after the war. Here they dont form it and since the election was slated for 1935 anyways i dont think he would go for the national goverment first. As i said i think he would just say: Since the elections are this year go for the general Election. And after that doesnt really work since noone has a majoritiy would he advise for the national goverment. Doesnt really change the endpoint but i think the way how to get there has an impact on the politics during the election and afterwards.
I'd like to know how other countries are reacting to TTL's richer U.K. Are other countries copying some of the successful UK policies. It must be clear to most that not being on the Gold Standard and increased government spending on infrastructure where major factors in Britian coming out of the Great Depression earlier than most.
Certainly I'd expect calls from within the US for similar policies (however I can't see them coming of the Gold Standard). Also a UK that is richer, sooner is going to increase its trade both for exports and imports. This would have a positive effect on US production IMHO. would this allow the US and some other economies to start to recover earlier? Also the UK is investing in other countries. This would have a similar effect.
Finally what do the leaders of other countries feel about Britain and have their perceptions altered duevthe changes in TTL?
Certainly I'd expect calls from within the US for similar policies (however I can't see them coming of the Gold Standard). Also a UK that is richer, sooner is going to increase its trade both for exports and imports. This would have a positive effect on US production IMHO. would this allow the US and some other economies to start to recover earlier? Also the UK is investing in other countries. This would have a similar effect.
Finally what do the leaders of other countries feel about Britain and have their perceptions altered duevthe changes in TTL?
1936
Chapter 9: 1936
***
1936 was a slightly tumultuous year for the British government, British society and the British monarchy and royalty as a whole. Whilst after the reign of Queen Victoria, the British Monarchy had largely been confined to a ceremonial status and diplomatic status, the monarchy was extremely respected in the general populace of the people, and when the Monarchy spoke, the people listened. This influence on society was a great one, a soft power; not a hard power, but a very influencing power that could have political consequences that may not exactly be liked.
The year began with the British blockade on Italy reaching an alltime high, as the British parliament passed the act to embargo oil supplies and oil exports to the Kingdom of Italy as well. Italy’s advance into Ethiopia stalled as a reason, and from British Sudan, and British Kenya, British weapons were slowly finding their way into Ethiopian hands; and the British codebreakers in Cairo and Alexandria were repeatedly trying to break the Italian codes, and when codes were broken, passed intel to the Ethiopian Empire in Addis Ababa. These were very helpful to the Ethiopian government, however by no means was it a game changer. Britain could not afford to send weapons en masse, or risk war with Italy, who had 500,000 troops in East Africa, and around 200,000 in North Africa, a huge number disparity for the paltry 70,000 British forces stationed in the Middle Eastern Theatre.
Italian Troops in North Africa during a patrol during these tense days.
The Italian advantage in arms; number, and technology, and with some dispute in command, the Italian advantage was too high for the Ethiopians to surmount. Whilst the Italians bled, and bled white due to the war in Ethiopia, they were advancing.
Meanwhile, the government was ramping up the production of wartime goods and productions, and due to the war scare enveloping Europe, as scarred memories of the Great War scarred the minds of Europe, the possibility of a large scale European War due to the Austrian Crisis and the Italo-Abyssinian War, as much as diplomats liked to disagree was high. Britain was pumping these weapons out everyday with an increased pace, and the British government was starting to sell extra weapons at lowered. But tariffed prices to the dominions, most notably, Canada, South Africa, and Australia in case of war. The Australian Navy was told that should war break out, then the Australian Navy and the Royal Navy together would have to conduct an amphibious assault and invasion into Italian East Africa through Somaliland and Somalia, and all forces were kept at high alert. Reserves weren’t mobilized, however the situation was still tense and grim throughout Europe. However much to the dissatisfaction of the British, it was really only them taking a slight stand, and the British government was becoming very very annoyed with the current French attitude of doing nothing as long as nothing adverse happened to themselves.
Meanwhile in January 20th, King George V, a beloved King, died and he was succeeded by the Prince of Wales, now named as King Edward VIII of Great Britain, and Northern Ireland. In the Dominions, the ascension of Edward VIII to the throne was accepted and ratified by the Dominion’s respective parliaments.
King George V of Great Britain.
A Short incident happens in the middle of the year as King Edward VIII is almost assassinated by George MacMahon, who is said to be on the payroll of the Italian secret services and the Italian government. This further inflames public opinion against Italy, and any move backing down against the Italians in East Africa is just thrown out of the door. The entirety of the Royal Armored Force is transferred back to Egypt, and the British Territorial Armies are being slowly transferred to British Egypt, Sudan and Kenya, just in case war breaks out. Military installations, equipment and men are evacuated from the Somaliland Colony of Great Britain.
The negotiations between the Egyptians and the British regarding an upcoming treaty for Egyptian sovereignty was put on hold for the entirety of the Italo-Ethiopian War as tensions skyrocketed in the area, and Britain could not afford to lose any strategic depth in the area.
In 16th November, after days of heated debates, King Edward VIII told Prime Minister Samuel of his intention of marrying Wallis Simpson; who was a twice divorcee. This horrified the Jewish Prime Minister who stated that such a thing would reflect badly on the Monarchy in Great Britain and all the Dominions, in fact; and probably affect the entirety of the Commonwealth. He implored King Edward VIII to take a different decision and marry someone else.
Later Edward VIII tries to compromise stating that he was willing to commit into a marriage with Wallis Simpson in a Morganatic marriage, so that Simpson would not become Queen of Great Britain after marriage, and simply the consort of the King. Prime Minister Samuel reluctantly presents the case to the Dominions and the Cabinet; and the idea of Morganatic marriage, which is completely foreign in Great Britain and the Anglo Monarchical World, completely rejects the idea, and in 10th December, King Edward VIII signs an instrument of abdication to abdicate the throne in favor of his Brother, Albert, the Duke of York. The Abdication Crisis, whilst not exactly a crisis per say, was still a profound event in British politics and domesticity and Albert, Duke of York was coronated to become King George VI of Great Britain and Northern Ireland alongside being the King of the Dominions. All the Dominions Parliaments alongside the British pass the act of Abdication recognizing the abdication.
News of the Abdication.
In Ireland, De Valera had been advocating to use the abdication crisis to remove the powers of the British monarchy in Ireland, however his entire scheme was stopped dead, when Frank MacDermont and the National Center Party gave a reply that was a resounding ‘no’, as monarchist sympathies was still very high in Ireland, despite the anti-British rhetoric and Anglophobia of the general population.
Whilst all of this was going on, in the army, the army managed to fully motorize their Field Artillery and the Royal Artillery Corps this year, and the motorization efforts had been a very good success for the British Army as a whole. It had shown to become reliable, faster, more efficient, and most importantly of all; more cost effective in all aspects considered. This was a net gain for the British Army, and currently after much of the work in improving the British Army completed on plan with the Liberals, the British Army was currently becoming involved in gunnery drills for the Army.
With the spectre of war looming in the horizon with a great power, the British government and the higher ups of the British Army were calling out for greater training exercises, and the British government willingly decided to pass an Act of Training Reform for Military Practices and the British Army in Great Britain, Egypt, Sudan, Kenya, started to conduct realistic warlike scenarios to keep up training to make the troops better prepared for the war. Artillery bomblasts were used from a safe distance to make the new recruits used to the sound of artillery and to make sure that shellshock doesn’t happen in case of war for the soldiers. The British government was also currently involved in actively increasing the logistical capability of the British Army.
Currently, the logistical situation of the British Army for any defensive maneuver was perhaps unmatched in any sort of way by any other power; however the offensive logistical capability of the British Army was very lacking. Orders for trucks as supply carriers were increased, and logistical supply ‘tents’ were created all over North Africa in case of war. Within Britain itself a blanket of logistical capabilities were expanded for the British Army, and storage, and prioritizing of goods for wartime storage had already begin in small numbers to increase the efficiency of British logistics in case of a war with the Italians and maybe the Germans regarding this flashpoint in East Africa. The British Army was also putting in orders for better clothes and uniforms, deeming them to be old, and not at all suitable for modern service in the battlefield, and whilst the civilian industries for these kind of orders were largely reluctant of diverting resources for the military order, they went ahead, and new issued clothes and uniforms, which were far more suitable to modern warfare found their way into the bodies of the British troops.
British Army Trucks.
Meanwhile the Matilda II stopped testing and was passed for production. This was largely due to the increased time and funds which were made available to the British due to the government’s war fright going on right now. During the middle of the year, the Matilda II entered production in the British Shadow Factories and the British Factories intended to replace all other infantry tanks in the British Army and become the prime infantry supporting tank in the British Army’s inventory.
Not as fast as the Matilda II, however the Vickers Centurion, the British Universal Tank, also ended testing and was approved for production and at the end of the year, it was started production in the British Armament Industries and the British Shadow Industries. This tank was to become the main tank of the British becoming the ‘armored spearhead’ of the British armors and the British tanks in any sort of war.
Meanwhile, the book of the new doctrine of the British Armor was published by Percy Hobart and Sir John Carden for use by the Matilda II Tank and the Vickers Centurion Tank. The book named The Art of Mobile Warfare was co-authored by the both of them, and it was generally considered to be a very good success, and whilst reluctantly on the part of the War Ministry, Mobile Warfare was largely adopted as the armored doctrine of the British Armored Corps, instead of a support force; with maximum emphasis given to the shock capability of the Armored force.
Meanwhile in the Royal Navy, the third aircraft carrier in the Dreadnought class Aircraft carriers, HMS Monarch was commissioned into the Royal Navy during a time of heightened tensions.
Meanwhile the production of the Tribal class Destroyers were ramped up by the British Admiralty.
In a meeting and conference between Italy, Japan, America, and France who were all initially wondering and negotiating for the continuation of the London Naval Treaty; the conference which would be for the Second Naval Treaty fell apart completely as Japan, who was already warring with the Communists in Manchuria and with border clashes with the Soviet Union walked out of the conference stating that in wartime they could not afford any limitations on their naval programs. Italy, who was enraged by Britain’s acts of economic warfare against them, walked out of the meeting entirely, and France, who was suffering through problems of internal issues, had to bail out from the conference as well. This largely ended the negotiations for a second naval treaty and the prospective Second London Naval Treaty never came to be, and instead the First London Naval Treaty was kept in force.
Meanwhile the Fleet Air Arm officially ordered 400 Fairey Seawolfs choosing the Seawolf as the primary weapon of the Fleet Air Arm in the aircraft carriers. The plane was now classified as a ‘fighter/bomber’ because of it’s dual capabilities, even though it was largely a bomber, it had the capability to act as a fighter as well. The Hawker Company was currently looking into the production of a navalized Hawker Hurricane as well, just in case, as things continued to look hot in Europe.
A new set of Battleships for the Royal Navy, the King George V class of ships including the first one, HMS King George V was also laid down to start construction this year.
HMS King George V
Meanwhile within the Royal Air Force, the production of the Gloster Damocles for frontline service was completed and the production for stockpiling continued, as the production of the Hawker Hurricane now took precedence in the British Royal Air Force. Meanwhile the RAF was also looking into the Fairey Seawolf to become a Close Air Support Plane of the Royal Air Force as well, and around 120 of them were ordered for 10 squadrons of the British Royal Airforce. Meanwhile the Supermarine Spitfire R.1/36 specification was chosen to become the mainstay version of the Supermarine Spitfire warplane, as it started testing flights this year. The Vickers Crecy was renamed to be the Vickers Wellington, and the 4 engine heavy long range bomber officially came into production this year.
The Supermarine Spitfire.
Frank Whittle gave a report this year with his jet patent stating that with the aid from the Air Ministry, a jet aircraft would be ready to fly into the skies within five years at maximum. The request is approved and the Committee of Jet Aviation Development (CJAD) is established with Frank Whittle at it’s helm; to oversee the testing, designing and eventual production of jet aircraft on part of the British Aviation industries.
Meanwhile in the international stage, the Italo-Abyssinian War was just the tip of the iceberg in international tensions and international tensions were rising by a good amount; especially so when Germany reoccupied and re-militarized the Rhineland against the Versailles Treaty. In Westminster, members of the Tories such as Anthony Eden and Winston Churchill howled trying to make the government act against the Nazi Government in Germany, however the fear of War, whilst for all purposes, Britain was largely ready for it, was not something that Britain wanted, and Prime Minister Hebert Samuel officially placed an arms embargo on Germany and stated that Britain was protesting over Germany’s moves in the Rhineland in violation of the Treaty of Versailles.
The Remilitarization of the Rhineland.
The Spanish Civil War which had erupted between the Republicans and the Nationalists also saw Italian volunteers and German Volunteers fight on side of the Nationalists. Samuel, a pacifist by nature was unwilling to escalate the war in Iberia, especially so when the situation in the Horn of Africa was turning pretty hot between the Italians and Germans.
the Spanish Civil War.
As British and by de facto reason, French interests clashed over with German and Italian interests, and with the embargoes placed crippling the Italian economy, the Italian Il Duce and the German Fuhrer signed an agreement in Trieste called the ‘Act of Mutual Assistance’ between Germany and Italy, in which Italy finally gave up its position in the Austrian Question in return for German economic and military aid’ by this point the agreement was already a de-facto military alliance, and tensions only heightened due to this.
Meanwhile, as conflict seemed likely in the future, the British diplomatic and political bodies were finally working within their full capabilities to finally end the ‘Indian Question’ within the British Empire once and for all.
Despite the howls of anger of some imperialists such as Churchill who was largely ignored by the rest of the Cabinet, the ‘Act of the Raj 1936’ was proclaimed.
As a prelude, the 1936 Indian General Elections had seen the following results come in:-
Indian National Congress – 44 seats (Jawarlal Nehru / Mahatma Gandhi)
Muslim League – 40 seats (Mohammed Ali Jinnah)
Europeans – 9 seats (Sir Leslie Hudson)
Justice Party – 30 seats (Natesa Madaliar)
Bengal National Party – 15 seats
Independents – 9 seats
As polarization continued, whilst it was formerly good for the British, the need for stability was now there, and the British government was now drafting a resolution for the Indian Question.
The Imperial Conference of 1936 in Colombo, Ceylon between the Dominions saw the ‘Act of the Raj 1936’ finally ended the Indian Question once and for all.
The Imperial Conference of 1936, Colombo, Ceylon.
The Act of the Raj 1936 after months of negotiations, diplomatic walk outs, protests etc, finally gave the following for the British Raj:-
Stability had returned to ‘British’ India, however, the tensions that were present in the making of the dominions would define the history of the subcontinent for many more decades to come.
Map of the Indian Dominions circa 1936:-
Dark Yellow - Dominion of Hindustan
Light Yellow - Dominion of Dravidia
Brown - Sultanate of Hyderabad.
Dark Green - Dominion of Pakistan
Lime Green - Kingdom of Kashmir
Purple - Dominion of Bengal
Red- Dominion of Assam.
Meanwhile, tensions rose, and now with the British eyeing the European continent with trepidation, they prepared, officially passing the ‘Bill of Rearmament Act’ through the parliament in the dying days of the year.
***
***
1936 was a slightly tumultuous year for the British government, British society and the British monarchy and royalty as a whole. Whilst after the reign of Queen Victoria, the British Monarchy had largely been confined to a ceremonial status and diplomatic status, the monarchy was extremely respected in the general populace of the people, and when the Monarchy spoke, the people listened. This influence on society was a great one, a soft power; not a hard power, but a very influencing power that could have political consequences that may not exactly be liked.
The year began with the British blockade on Italy reaching an alltime high, as the British parliament passed the act to embargo oil supplies and oil exports to the Kingdom of Italy as well. Italy’s advance into Ethiopia stalled as a reason, and from British Sudan, and British Kenya, British weapons were slowly finding their way into Ethiopian hands; and the British codebreakers in Cairo and Alexandria were repeatedly trying to break the Italian codes, and when codes were broken, passed intel to the Ethiopian Empire in Addis Ababa. These were very helpful to the Ethiopian government, however by no means was it a game changer. Britain could not afford to send weapons en masse, or risk war with Italy, who had 500,000 troops in East Africa, and around 200,000 in North Africa, a huge number disparity for the paltry 70,000 British forces stationed in the Middle Eastern Theatre.
Italian Troops in North Africa during a patrol during these tense days.
The Italian advantage in arms; number, and technology, and with some dispute in command, the Italian advantage was too high for the Ethiopians to surmount. Whilst the Italians bled, and bled white due to the war in Ethiopia, they were advancing.
Meanwhile, the government was ramping up the production of wartime goods and productions, and due to the war scare enveloping Europe, as scarred memories of the Great War scarred the minds of Europe, the possibility of a large scale European War due to the Austrian Crisis and the Italo-Abyssinian War, as much as diplomats liked to disagree was high. Britain was pumping these weapons out everyday with an increased pace, and the British government was starting to sell extra weapons at lowered. But tariffed prices to the dominions, most notably, Canada, South Africa, and Australia in case of war. The Australian Navy was told that should war break out, then the Australian Navy and the Royal Navy together would have to conduct an amphibious assault and invasion into Italian East Africa through Somaliland and Somalia, and all forces were kept at high alert. Reserves weren’t mobilized, however the situation was still tense and grim throughout Europe. However much to the dissatisfaction of the British, it was really only them taking a slight stand, and the British government was becoming very very annoyed with the current French attitude of doing nothing as long as nothing adverse happened to themselves.
Meanwhile in January 20th, King George V, a beloved King, died and he was succeeded by the Prince of Wales, now named as King Edward VIII of Great Britain, and Northern Ireland. In the Dominions, the ascension of Edward VIII to the throne was accepted and ratified by the Dominion’s respective parliaments.
King George V of Great Britain.
A Short incident happens in the middle of the year as King Edward VIII is almost assassinated by George MacMahon, who is said to be on the payroll of the Italian secret services and the Italian government. This further inflames public opinion against Italy, and any move backing down against the Italians in East Africa is just thrown out of the door. The entirety of the Royal Armored Force is transferred back to Egypt, and the British Territorial Armies are being slowly transferred to British Egypt, Sudan and Kenya, just in case war breaks out. Military installations, equipment and men are evacuated from the Somaliland Colony of Great Britain.
The negotiations between the Egyptians and the British regarding an upcoming treaty for Egyptian sovereignty was put on hold for the entirety of the Italo-Ethiopian War as tensions skyrocketed in the area, and Britain could not afford to lose any strategic depth in the area.
In 16th November, after days of heated debates, King Edward VIII told Prime Minister Samuel of his intention of marrying Wallis Simpson; who was a twice divorcee. This horrified the Jewish Prime Minister who stated that such a thing would reflect badly on the Monarchy in Great Britain and all the Dominions, in fact; and probably affect the entirety of the Commonwealth. He implored King Edward VIII to take a different decision and marry someone else.
Later Edward VIII tries to compromise stating that he was willing to commit into a marriage with Wallis Simpson in a Morganatic marriage, so that Simpson would not become Queen of Great Britain after marriage, and simply the consort of the King. Prime Minister Samuel reluctantly presents the case to the Dominions and the Cabinet; and the idea of Morganatic marriage, which is completely foreign in Great Britain and the Anglo Monarchical World, completely rejects the idea, and in 10th December, King Edward VIII signs an instrument of abdication to abdicate the throne in favor of his Brother, Albert, the Duke of York. The Abdication Crisis, whilst not exactly a crisis per say, was still a profound event in British politics and domesticity and Albert, Duke of York was coronated to become King George VI of Great Britain and Northern Ireland alongside being the King of the Dominions. All the Dominions Parliaments alongside the British pass the act of Abdication recognizing the abdication.
News of the Abdication.
In Ireland, De Valera had been advocating to use the abdication crisis to remove the powers of the British monarchy in Ireland, however his entire scheme was stopped dead, when Frank MacDermont and the National Center Party gave a reply that was a resounding ‘no’, as monarchist sympathies was still very high in Ireland, despite the anti-British rhetoric and Anglophobia of the general population.
Whilst all of this was going on, in the army, the army managed to fully motorize their Field Artillery and the Royal Artillery Corps this year, and the motorization efforts had been a very good success for the British Army as a whole. It had shown to become reliable, faster, more efficient, and most importantly of all; more cost effective in all aspects considered. This was a net gain for the British Army, and currently after much of the work in improving the British Army completed on plan with the Liberals, the British Army was currently becoming involved in gunnery drills for the Army.
With the spectre of war looming in the horizon with a great power, the British government and the higher ups of the British Army were calling out for greater training exercises, and the British government willingly decided to pass an Act of Training Reform for Military Practices and the British Army in Great Britain, Egypt, Sudan, Kenya, started to conduct realistic warlike scenarios to keep up training to make the troops better prepared for the war. Artillery bomblasts were used from a safe distance to make the new recruits used to the sound of artillery and to make sure that shellshock doesn’t happen in case of war for the soldiers. The British government was also currently involved in actively increasing the logistical capability of the British Army.
Currently, the logistical situation of the British Army for any defensive maneuver was perhaps unmatched in any sort of way by any other power; however the offensive logistical capability of the British Army was very lacking. Orders for trucks as supply carriers were increased, and logistical supply ‘tents’ were created all over North Africa in case of war. Within Britain itself a blanket of logistical capabilities were expanded for the British Army, and storage, and prioritizing of goods for wartime storage had already begin in small numbers to increase the efficiency of British logistics in case of a war with the Italians and maybe the Germans regarding this flashpoint in East Africa. The British Army was also putting in orders for better clothes and uniforms, deeming them to be old, and not at all suitable for modern service in the battlefield, and whilst the civilian industries for these kind of orders were largely reluctant of diverting resources for the military order, they went ahead, and new issued clothes and uniforms, which were far more suitable to modern warfare found their way into the bodies of the British troops.
British Army Trucks.
Meanwhile the Matilda II stopped testing and was passed for production. This was largely due to the increased time and funds which were made available to the British due to the government’s war fright going on right now. During the middle of the year, the Matilda II entered production in the British Shadow Factories and the British Factories intended to replace all other infantry tanks in the British Army and become the prime infantry supporting tank in the British Army’s inventory.
Not as fast as the Matilda II, however the Vickers Centurion, the British Universal Tank, also ended testing and was approved for production and at the end of the year, it was started production in the British Armament Industries and the British Shadow Industries. This tank was to become the main tank of the British becoming the ‘armored spearhead’ of the British armors and the British tanks in any sort of war.
Meanwhile, the book of the new doctrine of the British Armor was published by Percy Hobart and Sir John Carden for use by the Matilda II Tank and the Vickers Centurion Tank. The book named The Art of Mobile Warfare was co-authored by the both of them, and it was generally considered to be a very good success, and whilst reluctantly on the part of the War Ministry, Mobile Warfare was largely adopted as the armored doctrine of the British Armored Corps, instead of a support force; with maximum emphasis given to the shock capability of the Armored force.
Meanwhile in the Royal Navy, the third aircraft carrier in the Dreadnought class Aircraft carriers, HMS Monarch was commissioned into the Royal Navy during a time of heightened tensions.
Meanwhile the production of the Tribal class Destroyers were ramped up by the British Admiralty.
In a meeting and conference between Italy, Japan, America, and France who were all initially wondering and negotiating for the continuation of the London Naval Treaty; the conference which would be for the Second Naval Treaty fell apart completely as Japan, who was already warring with the Communists in Manchuria and with border clashes with the Soviet Union walked out of the conference stating that in wartime they could not afford any limitations on their naval programs. Italy, who was enraged by Britain’s acts of economic warfare against them, walked out of the meeting entirely, and France, who was suffering through problems of internal issues, had to bail out from the conference as well. This largely ended the negotiations for a second naval treaty and the prospective Second London Naval Treaty never came to be, and instead the First London Naval Treaty was kept in force.
Meanwhile the Fleet Air Arm officially ordered 400 Fairey Seawolfs choosing the Seawolf as the primary weapon of the Fleet Air Arm in the aircraft carriers. The plane was now classified as a ‘fighter/bomber’ because of it’s dual capabilities, even though it was largely a bomber, it had the capability to act as a fighter as well. The Hawker Company was currently looking into the production of a navalized Hawker Hurricane as well, just in case, as things continued to look hot in Europe.
A new set of Battleships for the Royal Navy, the King George V class of ships including the first one, HMS King George V was also laid down to start construction this year.
HMS King George V
Meanwhile within the Royal Air Force, the production of the Gloster Damocles for frontline service was completed and the production for stockpiling continued, as the production of the Hawker Hurricane now took precedence in the British Royal Air Force. Meanwhile the RAF was also looking into the Fairey Seawolf to become a Close Air Support Plane of the Royal Air Force as well, and around 120 of them were ordered for 10 squadrons of the British Royal Airforce. Meanwhile the Supermarine Spitfire R.1/36 specification was chosen to become the mainstay version of the Supermarine Spitfire warplane, as it started testing flights this year. The Vickers Crecy was renamed to be the Vickers Wellington, and the 4 engine heavy long range bomber officially came into production this year.
The Supermarine Spitfire.
Frank Whittle gave a report this year with his jet patent stating that with the aid from the Air Ministry, a jet aircraft would be ready to fly into the skies within five years at maximum. The request is approved and the Committee of Jet Aviation Development (CJAD) is established with Frank Whittle at it’s helm; to oversee the testing, designing and eventual production of jet aircraft on part of the British Aviation industries.
Meanwhile in the international stage, the Italo-Abyssinian War was just the tip of the iceberg in international tensions and international tensions were rising by a good amount; especially so when Germany reoccupied and re-militarized the Rhineland against the Versailles Treaty. In Westminster, members of the Tories such as Anthony Eden and Winston Churchill howled trying to make the government act against the Nazi Government in Germany, however the fear of War, whilst for all purposes, Britain was largely ready for it, was not something that Britain wanted, and Prime Minister Hebert Samuel officially placed an arms embargo on Germany and stated that Britain was protesting over Germany’s moves in the Rhineland in violation of the Treaty of Versailles.
The Remilitarization of the Rhineland.
The Spanish Civil War which had erupted between the Republicans and the Nationalists also saw Italian volunteers and German Volunteers fight on side of the Nationalists. Samuel, a pacifist by nature was unwilling to escalate the war in Iberia, especially so when the situation in the Horn of Africa was turning pretty hot between the Italians and Germans.
the Spanish Civil War.
As British and by de facto reason, French interests clashed over with German and Italian interests, and with the embargoes placed crippling the Italian economy, the Italian Il Duce and the German Fuhrer signed an agreement in Trieste called the ‘Act of Mutual Assistance’ between Germany and Italy, in which Italy finally gave up its position in the Austrian Question in return for German economic and military aid’ by this point the agreement was already a de-facto military alliance, and tensions only heightened due to this.
Meanwhile, as conflict seemed likely in the future, the British diplomatic and political bodies were finally working within their full capabilities to finally end the ‘Indian Question’ within the British Empire once and for all.
Despite the howls of anger of some imperialists such as Churchill who was largely ignored by the rest of the Cabinet, the ‘Act of the Raj 1936’ was proclaimed.
As a prelude, the 1936 Indian General Elections had seen the following results come in:-
Indian National Congress – 44 seats (Jawarlal Nehru / Mahatma Gandhi)
Muslim League – 40 seats (Mohammed Ali Jinnah)
Europeans – 9 seats (Sir Leslie Hudson)
Justice Party – 30 seats (Natesa Madaliar)
Bengal National Party – 15 seats
Independents – 9 seats
As polarization continued, whilst it was formerly good for the British, the need for stability was now there, and the British government was now drafting a resolution for the Indian Question.
The Imperial Conference of 1936 in Colombo, Ceylon between the Dominions saw the ‘Act of the Raj 1936’ finally ended the Indian Question once and for all.
The Imperial Conference of 1936, Colombo, Ceylon.
The Act of the Raj 1936 after months of negotiations, diplomatic walk outs, protests etc, finally gave the following for the British Raj:-
- The British Raj to be dissolved.
- The British Raj to be dissolved into the Dominion of ‘Pakistan’, the Dominion of ‘Hindustan’, the Dominion of Dravidia, the Dominion of Bengal, and the Dominion of Assam.
- The Upper House of each Dominion to be the ‘Rajya Sabha’ for all the Princes of India to be based upon the hereditary peers of the House of Lords.
- The Lower House of each Dominion to be ‘Lok Sabha’ which was to become the lower house and based on the British House of Commons.
- The Kingdom of Kashmir and the Sultanate of Hyderabad to become independent as well; however becoming Dominions by acknowledging the Suzerainty of the British Monarch whilst retaining their own monarchs.
Stability had returned to ‘British’ India, however, the tensions that were present in the making of the dominions would define the history of the subcontinent for many more decades to come.
Map of the Indian Dominions circa 1936:-
Dark Yellow - Dominion of Hindustan
Light Yellow - Dominion of Dravidia
Brown - Sultanate of Hyderabad.
Dark Green - Dominion of Pakistan
Lime Green - Kingdom of Kashmir
Purple - Dominion of Bengal
Red- Dominion of Assam.
Meanwhile, tensions rose, and now with the British eyeing the European continent with trepidation, they prepared, officially passing the ‘Bill of Rearmament Act’ through the parliament in the dying days of the year.
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Some portion of what you ask is in the new chapter, though not all. The rest will come slowly; no worries. Any thoughts about the TL?