A World Of Razor Wire: A Cold War Alternate History

Road To A Divided World (Part 1)
I know this may not be the most realistic. I'd be happy to discuss my thought process.

Being persuaded by some of his advisors, Hitler allowed for German support of pro-Axis factions within the Turkish government for a potential coup in July of 1941. Turkish officers sympathetic to Germany and convinced by successes in the Balkans, carry it out and seize power. In return for their aid, Turkey was allowed to take whatever Soviet territory in the Caucasus it takes as well as Cyprus, Northern Iraq and parts of Syria. The Italians also offered them islands that were part of Greece which the Turks considered their own territory. After the fascists took power, they joined German forces in the attack on the USSR, justifying the move as a protective measure meant to ensure that Turkey would never have to fear an attack by the Soviets. They also pushed Free France forces out of Syria and begin moving into Iraq, garnering the support of those who sought to expel the British from the country and remained undeterred by the defeat of the Golden Square group.

The British responded by sending as many soldiers from India as possible, making the Middle East a much more intense theatre of the war. German and Italian forces in North Africa seek to push into Egypt as soon as possible with the Turks pushing south. The British tried to fortify Iran as much as possible from possible Axis invasions. The Turks pushed into the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian SSRs but become bogged down in the mountains. Despite attempts to overwhelm Soviet forces in the Caucasus, the ultimate prize of Baku was within Soviet control. The Soviets also arm Kurdish nationalists who further wear down Turkish units. Support only further increased once America was brought into the war after the Pearl Harbor attack. US supplies began making their way to Iran and into the Caucasus.

By late 1943, it was clear that the Allies possessed the initiative. In late 1944, France was liberated and Mussolini had committed suicide before he could be arrested by Italian partisans. Around that same time, all Axis forces were expelled from the territory of the USSR and the drive to Berlin began. By early 1945, Romania and Bulgaria had fallen to the Red Army. Turkey tried to sue for peace with Stalin, but the entire country was overwhelmed by Soviet forces. Kurdish resistance fighters operating in Syria, Turkey and Iraq were given enough support that they were able to clear their ancestral territory of Axis forces. After breaking through Hungary and Poland, the Soviets swarmed into Germany from the east while America, Britain and Canada did the same from the west. The Wehrmacht fought as best it could, holding out until the beginning of fall in 1945. Hitler himself committed suicide during the fight for Berlin in September of that year. The Soviets began planning for operations against Japan soon after.

Come the beginning of 1946, most of northern and eastern Germany is under Soviet control as well as most of Turkey and the majority of Eastern Europe. Western Armenia was annexed to the Armenian SSR. The Kurds were to be given their own nation created from the territories they now posed. Communist parties in Eastern Europe prepare to take power in upcoming rigged elections planned for after Axis force were expelled. In the Soviets then invaded Japanese territory in Eastern Asia, targeting Manchukuo, Korea, and China proper. Manchuria was taken in a month and a half, with the entirety of the Korean Peninsula taken as well. Choibalsan's army pushed into Mengjiang with the support of the Red Army, taking over Inner Mongolia. Prince Teh was publicly executed in Ulaanbataar in 1950 after a show trial. The Japanese surrendered in November after the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Osaka.
 
add Turkey and a year more of war and the Soviet will be hardly in a good position, more death, more destruction and in OTL 1946 they were in the middle of a famine (the last of the big one)
 
Road To A Divided World (Part 2)
In Moscow, news of the final defeat of the Axis Powers is met with immense celebrations. In a speech broadcast from the Kremlin, Stalin announces that the Palace of the Soviets will resume construction, though this time under the name of the 'Palace of the Revolution' in order to signify its purpose as a cultural hub for the international socialist movement. Much of the building material would be provided by Axis POWs still in labor camps. Communist governments start to take power in Eastern Europe around this time. Berlin is the crown jewel of the new Soviet empire, being the capital of the nascent GDR which encompassed most of Eastern Germany and much of its northern parts. East Prussia becomes part of the USSR while West Prussia and Upper Silesia is annexed by Poland. Silesia and Pomerania remain under the authority of the GDR. The Black Sea was entirely under East Bloc control. Czechoslovakia falls under Soviet influence in 1948 as a result of a coup in Prague.

Not all in Eastern Europe went Moscow's way though. Yugoslavia was not within Stalin's sphere of influence and Tito was proving himself to be a major annoyance. With no real guarantee of Yugoslav compliance, a potential wild card was sitting right in the middle of a region of enormous significance to both power blocs. Dean Acheson pressed President Truman to give support for Tito upon realizing the level of suspicion Tito held for Stalin's motives. The Greek Civil War ends with many Greek communists fleeing to Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Turkey to escape arrest.

The combination of creation of the Kurdish People's Republic right after the end of WWII, the formation of a Communist state in Turkey and the local uprising that formed the Azerbaijan People's Government greatly trouble the Iranian leadership who feared that the Soviets might make a play for the northern part of the country. Kurds in Northwest Iran use weapons seized from the army during the Allied invasion in 1941 and are able to expel local forces before declaring the Republic of Mahabad which would soon become another part of the KPR. The Azerbaijan People's Republic was given enough Soviet made weapons to repel the forces Tehran sent to crush them, forcing the Shah's government to acknowledge the independence of the APG. For the moment however, it seemed that an uprising by the rest of Iran's Kurds and Azeris was avoided. Stalin decided to pull Soviet forces out of Iran after that, deciding that it would not be wise to incur sanctions against the USSR by pushing futher.

In China, the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War causes the Civil War to resume. The ROCA's push against the Communists in Manchuria stalls due to a lack of supplies and the front bogs down into a stalemate. The Kuomintang's problems are further exacerbated by the uprising in Taiwan against the new Chinese authorities, which requires the deployment of large numbers of ROCA troops to quell. The deaths of nearly twenty thousand Taiwanese people has become a major embarrassment in Nanjing. The Ma Clique also has its hands full fighting Uyghur separatists as well as forces of the Mongolian People's Republic which took control of Inner Mongolia in the final days of WWII and led to many Han Chinese fleeing south. Urumqi falls to the forces of the Second East Turkestan Republic as a result of the KMT being forced to face two opponents in the region.

In April 1948, Mao is killed during a mortar strike during a visit to a guerrilla detachment, forcing Lin Biao to take command of the PLA. He is able to take advantage of the Kuomintang's splitting of resources to Taiwan and Xinjiang in order to capture Beijing and Tientsin but can go no further. The communist insurgents operating in Shandong are forced out by this time and rejoin the rest.. However, the war becomes a static slog once more, draining the resources of both sides. Both the Americans and Soviets were unwilling to risk a conflict over China and forced the KMT and CCP leadership to begin peace talks in Bangkok, concluding in early 1949. As a result, the existence of the Second East Turkestan Republic (renamed the Uyghurstan People's Republic), the People's Republic of China and Mongolia's added territories are all officially recognized. Though the Kuomintang is able to control the lion's share of China, they also now have four communist states as neighbors. Korea is the only one of the four to not have any real involvement in the conflict, with Kim Il Sung prioritizing economic and social reforms.

While neither superpower was involved with the partition of India, it still results in massive bloodshed. Sectarian violence erupts in many cities, causing the deaths of tens of thousands and millions to become refugees as they try to make it to either Hindu majority areas or the provinces that will soon become part of Pakistan. Footage of bodies filling up railways platforms makes its way worldwide as does pictures of those killed during skirmishes between Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. The violence becomes the basis for a brief war between Pakistan and India.

The detonation of a Soviet nuclear weapon in August of 1949 shortly following the creation of NATO ensures that tensions between the two superpowers remain high. With the old empires of Europe starting to crumble, what is to come in the next ten years is anyone's guess.

Soviet Bloc states as of 12/31/1949:

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

People's Republic of Poland

German Democratic Republic

People's Republic of Bulgaria

Socialist Republic of Romania

Hungarian People's Republic

Czechoslovak People's Republic

People's Socialist Republic of Albania

People's Republic of Turkey

Kurdish People's Republic

Azeri People's Government

People's Republic of Turkestan

Mongolia People's Republic

People's Republic of China

Democratic People's Republic of Korea
 
A Birthday Party And Future Plans
Note: Dialogue in this segment is in Russian

December 9th, 1949

Hall of the Order of St George, Kremlin

The assembled leaders stood from their seats as the two guards pulled open the doors, letting Stalin walk into the room. The Soviet leader's birthday was an event that demanded the presence of the men chosen to lead his new vassal states. They were seated at a massive table and waiting for the food to be brought out. Some of them had translators with them while some were alone, confident enough in their Russian speaking skills to get by.

Stalin smiled and waved as he made his way over to his seat at the head of the table. Glasses of wine were poured by nearby waiters and once they were filled, Stalin began to speak.

"Comrades, these past ten years have put one trial before us after another. We have been forced to confront powerful enemies bent on undoing the work of Lenin. But their efforts have been for naught."

The group clapped. Stalin nodded and continued speaking.

"Our camp has grown as well. A decade ago, comrade Choibalsan was the only other leader in the socialist camp. I am in awe of how many have joined in the years since. There is a great deal of work to be done, but I have faith that you will do extraordinary things.” He raised his wine glass.

“To the revolution, and the might of the worker!” Stalin said.

“To the revolution, and the might of the worker!” his guests echoed. They all downed their drinks as the doors opened and a feast made its way over to the table. Hoxha whispered something in his aide’s ear and the aide turned to Mohamet Tamer, Turkey’s new ruler.

“Comrade Tamer, Comrade Hoxha wishes to know what your thoughts are on consolidating our defenses in the Mediterranean.” Tamer pursed his lips.

“We are still restructuring our army. We need to purge neo-Ottoman thought as best we can, get rid of the old guard. The border with Greece is a cause for concern though I can attest that the Balkans shall be a fortress against Western aggression. With the help of the Albanian comrades, we can ensure our security in the Aegean Sea and provide help in the Ionian. The Black Sea belongs to the socialist camp, that is not debatable.”

Stalin nodded.

“And if need be, our navies will sail through the Bospherous to crush the Imperialists.”

Kim Il Sung grinned.

“I believe it would be prudent to train for coordinated actions against the Imperialists in our respective regions.”

“Explain,” said Ulbricht.

“You face the Americans, British and French in your part of Europe, Comrade Ulbricht. Comrades Qasim, Choibalsan, Biao, and I face Chiang.”

Choibalsan laughed.

“Even with the miserable state of Chiang’s military, it would be years before we can take offensive actions.”

“We don’t need to attack him,” said Uyghurstan’s ruler. “We need to fortify our borders with China as best we can. We need to prepare for offensive actions by the Imperialists. There is a great deal of work that cannot be allowed to be disrupted. That being said, Comrade Kim, Korea will need to fortify itself as best possible.”

“There is also Tito to be concerned with,” said Chervenkov. The Bulgarian swallowed a forkfull of steak before continuing.

“He is unpredictable. Intransigent. If he were to throw in his lot with NATO it could be catastrophic for the security of the socialist camp.” Dej nodded.

“His military is battle hardened. He could make things in the Balkans very difficult for us.”

“We will prepare as best we can,” said Tamer. “Our camp shall be a fortress, a bastion of the proletariat’s might.”

“Indeed,” Stalin told him. “We will respond to any foolish actions that NATO chooses to undertake but we will act defensively.”

“Of course, Comrade Stalin,” Tamer replied. Talk soon turned to Kim Il Sung’s wife and children who’d be arriving in Moscow for the New Year’s celebrations, military matters being brushed to the side for the time being.
 
House Cleaning
Meanwhile,

West Garden, Presidential Palace, Nanjing

Silence.

If there was a single longing etched into the hearts of China's people, it was the desire for silence.

This was what Ching Kuo had emphasized during his interview with the Times of London reporter earlier that day. After enduring over twenty-five years of ceaseless warfare—both internal strife and foreign invasions—China's people craved tranquility. They yearned for time to reconstruct their economy, mend their society, and rebuild their lives.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the generalissimo's son sat at a table, perusing a report while savoring his tea. The document detailed the recent apprehension of two hundred army officers, their incompetence and corruption laid bare. Their ill-gotten assets had been seized by the state, and the severity of their transgressions would dictate their fate: forced retirement, imprisonment, or even execution.

Yet, amongst these targets, Ching Kuo harbored a distinct interest in capturing a more prominent quarry: Chen Yi. Though acknowledged as a capable military commander, Chen's tenure as Taiwan's governor had been an unmitigated catastrophe. He squandered the goodwill the island's populace might have harbored toward the Kuomintang. Chen's refusal to address the Taiwanese in their native tongue—Japanese, a language they had spoken for decades—revealed a glaring disconnect. He secluded himself within Taipei's town hall, granting free rein to opportunists. Rarely did he engage directly with the Taiwanese. The fallout of quelling an uprising ignited by his own negligence proved to be a tragic waste of life and economic potential. At a juncture where every productive asset held unparalleled value, Chen had essentially ignited a bank vault ablaze, consuming precious resources.

For Ching Kuo, a mere forced retirement wouldn't suffice. He yearned to see Chen Yi face a court martial.

Fortunately, a promising cadre of politically reliable officers was emerging from institutions like Whampoa and other academies, a testament to the adoption of a West Point framework. The gaps within the ranks would soon be replenished with the capable and the dependable. Ridding the military of the inept, the corrupt, and the cowardly was aimed at reinforcing China's security and the regime's stability.

Ching Kuo had also floated the idea of appointing Sun Li-Jen as the head of Whampoa. The presence of a renowned war hero at the academy's helm would undoubtedly attract aspiring students. Learning under the tutelage of the commander of the famed 'Best Army under heaven' would be a remarkable honor, a testament to their dedication.

A meeting with Chen Cheng regarding the opium predicament was slated for the following month. The strategy involved redirecting drug dealers toward laborious tasks, while growers and addicts would receive more lenient treatment. Poppies' cultivation zones could be transitioned into spaces for rice and grain, effectively breaking the stranglehold organized crime had over the economy. China's major cities were already embarking on industrialization, a challenging endeavor given their limited access to Manchuria's factories. Nevertheless, progress was being achieved.

The time had come to fulfill the promise his father had heralded: the end of the century of humiliation.
 
Not too impressed
December 28th, 1949.

Hohhot, Mongolian People's Republic.

The moment Tahar swallowed his tea, the biting cold seemed to recede from his body. Even within the confines of the new office building that served as his workplace, the chill found its way to seep in. Plains winters were like that, and this season was shaping up to be a tedious one, a fact that was not lost on him.

He knew his wife Chakha, four months into her pregnancy, would likely not enjoy it. Already displaying temperamental moods, her condition wasn't making things easier. Still, the idea of giving birth in spring held some appeal to her. The time of year when life burst forth anew seemed a fitting backdrop for the arrival of their offspring. The thought of holding their child for the first time often crossed Tahar's mind, injecting a sense of purpose into his otherwise monotonous duties.

His current task involved overseeing the gradual integration of Mongolians from the former Inner Mongolia into the military. His responsibilities encompassed the creation of new units and the appointment of NCOs to train the recruits. As dull as the work was, Tahar couldn't deny anticipating the challenges. They were more or less having to build whole new units from scratch. The military that had been assembled under Mengjiang's rule held little value—a fact he had come to recognize from his own experiences.

He was a corporal then, a lieutenant now. On the eve of his being sent into battle, Nazi Germany teetered on the brink of collapse, while the Soviet Union began shifting its gaze toward Japan's dominion. At the time, Tahar had expected some form of action to come his way, yet the orders streaming from Ulaanbaatar caught him off guard.

Head south, crush the puppet prince in Kalgan, drive out the imperialists.

Reunify the Mongolian people.

While he was no political genius, he understood well enough that such directives wouldn't have come from Choibalsan without Stalin's approval. If Stalin had smiled on this campaign, who was he to question his orders?

His company found itself embroiled in several battles against the army cobbled together by 'Prince De' with Japanese assistance. In these engagements, Tahar's unit dealt more blows than they suffered. It often verged on the comical how outmatched the puppet troops appeared. The Japanese seemed hesitant to trust them with substantial firepower, or perhaps they had none to spare.

His squad's machine gunners mowed down cavalrymen with brutal efficiency, while he and his comrades dispatched Arisaka-armed soldiers with submachine gun volleys. The toll was not insignificant; he lost companions he had grown fond of. Yet, their resolve remained steadfast. Pushing forward, they found themselves in Hulunbuir before they fully comprehended their journey's progression. By that point, the Mengjiang army had all but disintegrated. Those who survived the onslaught were of dubious caliber, mirroring the quality of their equipment.

Despite the poor performance of the puppet army he faced, Tahar was proud to have served. He helped reunify the Mongolian people, and faced down the imperialists. The celebrations that ensued were second only to the spectacle that took place once news of Japan's surrender came. Tahar was decorated, promoted, and sent off for further training.

Posted to Hohhot as a freshly minted lieutenant, he found Chakha working diligently in a nearby factory's office pool. Her responsibilities included overseeing production quotas and ensuring operational smoothness. Both he and Chakha recognized the importance of setting a positive example for the child they were eagerly anticipating.

With a faint smile, Tahar took another sip of his tea and reached for a stack of papers detailing upcoming postings for recruits nearing the end of their training. While the precise locations of their assignments remained uncertain, he had a fairly clear sense of the general trajectory. They were destined for the Mongolia-ROC border. Tahar's visits to that border had been infrequent, yet each time he ventured there, he observed the gradual escalation of defenses. Bunkers, ammunition storage facilities, airfields, radar installations, all meant to make Chiang think twice before trying anything.

It made him very happy to be in his office instead of there.
 
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