AH Challenge: Make the Iron Curtain as large as possible

wormyguy

Banned
Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to make the Soviet bloc as large as possible.

No, I'm not talking about countries becoming Communist of their own volition, that's too easy. What I'm talking about is the semi-permanent occupation of that nation by Soviet forces after World War II without acceptance (or at least consent) of its population.

For instance, if the Soviet Union militarily occupies Yugoslavia or Albania, that counts, even though those countries were already Communist in OTL, while if Italy goes Communist, but the Soviets don't occupy it, that doesn't count.

The POD must be no later than 1943, and your Soviet bloc must reflect its state in the year 1955 (to impose an arbitrary time limit). The Soviet Union may not enter armed conflict with any of the Western Allies still in possession of their peacetime capitals.

Do your worst . . .
 
I'm seeing a worse WW2 for the Allies, possibly starting with Hitler not rushing forces into Tunisia and instead holding Southern Italy successfully. D-Day is totally botched, but the Red Army is already in Berlin. Germany establishes a Western redoubt, but the war ends with Northern Italy, Germany, the Low Countries, Denmark in Soviet Control--and in charge of "Burgundy" which includes Paris, leaving only a small sliver of France itself in Allied Hands.

The Soviet Union decides to screw over Chiang and forcibly keep Manchuria as a Soviet puppet under Mao, and then drives past the Yalu river, getting all of Korea as the United States facing a grueling death toll, invades Kyschu after the Emperor's attempt to surrender fails.

The USA is much worse off, and elects Robert Taft as its president, and Taft decides to screw the UK out of a pound of flesh by demanding impossible repayments from the United Kingdom. Not only does this sever the US-UK alliance, it also ends any hope of US investment in the UK's reconstruction. Impoverished and lacking the strength to rebuild itself on its own, the UK collapses into Civil War as a Socialist Minority grabs control of London and calls on the Soviet Union for Help. The Republician forces in the UK are badly outmatched, and a unilaterial pullout from France, the Middle East and Africa is needed.

The Soviets respond by sending a large force into the Island of Britian--and once ashore in large enough numbers, promply screws over the British people by appointing an extreme Stalinist in charge of the Country. Horrible, Orwellian style purges begin to result.

The loss of the UK, France falling into Soviet Orbit, and the United States determined to leave the mess in Eurasia alone and return to a sleeping giant posture, leaves only one player left in Europe--The Soviet Union.

By 1955, the Soviet Union has occupied the Entire Middle East and Destroyed Israel; it has forced an aligned government on India with yet another Stalinist. The Soviet Sphere of Control now extends from Manchuria to the Sahara Desert. With a war against non-allied nations Spain and Portugal leading to their inclusion in a Iron Curtain, you've got nothing less than 1984s Eurasia in 1955.
 
why the hell would the USSR destory Israel? they were the first country to recognise it

Doctor's Plot and the deliberate anti-Jewish actions of Joe Stalin in the 1950s?

That said, I'm thinking my scenario is an extreme wank. But destroying Israel is easier to meeting the challenge than wrapping around it.
 
Doctor's Plot and the deliberate anti-Jewish actions of Joe Stalin in the 1950s?

That said, I'm thinking my scenario is an extreme wank. But destroying Israel is easier to meeting the challenge than wrapping around it.

Stalin never persecuted people BECAUSE they were Jewish, he persecuted Jews among many others. He employed a Jewish foreign minister, was friends with Molotov's wife etc. and was the first world leader to recognise Israel.
 
without too much PODing around I'm thinking Finland and Eastern Austria (PRA). Albania is somewhat possible but not likely

With much PODing: Entire Austria, Finland, Greece, Albania with Yugoslav help. Italy is not to be occupied by soviets, whatever would be taken in the north would end up part of Yugoslavia
 
without too much PODing around I'm thinking Finland and Eastern Austria (PRA). Albania is somewhat possible but not likely

With much PODing: Entire Austria, Finland, Greece, Albania with Yugoslav help. Italy is not to be occupied by soviets, whatever would be taken in the north would end up part of Yugoslavia


Hmm. I always thought it being either Finland or Austria, at least if we get as late and small PoD as possible.

The total Soviet strenght in the Finnish front was 600 000 at the height of the fighting in June-July 1944, and after the Finnish front did not fall, only a (comparatively) token force was left north of Leningrad. In short: making the Karelian isthmus fall in Summer 1944 will put Finland in the Soviet camp, but the occupation of Finland, counterinsurgency tasks and support will detain a large amount of troops that IOTL were already moved south in August.

Thus, ceteris paribus, the Red Army will not go as far in Austria as they did IOTL. In the opposite case, abandoning the last effort to subdue Finland and moving the troops slated for the assault on Finland south already before June would give a big boost to the general effort against Germany and would very possibly see the Soviets take larger areas in Central Europe.
 
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Sachyriel

Banned
Here's a free gif I made a few days ago...

soviet-europe.gif
 
Hmm. I always thought it being either Finland or Austria, at least if we get as late and small PoD as possible.

The total Soviet strenght in the Finnish front was 600 000 at the height of the fighting in June-July 1944, and after the Finnish front did not fall, only a (comparatively) token force was left north of Leningrad. In short: making the Karelian isthmus fall in Summer 1944 will put Finland in the Soviet camp, but the occupation of Finland, counterinsurgency tasks and support will detain a large amount of troops that IOTL were already moved south in August.

Thus, ceteris paribus, the Red Army will not go as far in Austria as they did IOTL. In the opposite case, abandoning the last effort to subdue Finland and moving the troops slated for the assault on Finland south already before June would give a big boost to the general effort against Germany and would very possibly see the Soviets take larger areas in Central Europe.

OK, what about Soviets score big victory, don't opt for total occupation but rather pro-Soviet government backed by some troops (NKVD presence is a given) to enforce/monitor Finnish compliance with peace treaty.
 

oberdada

Gone Fishin'
What about Mandchuko, or rather Northern China?
West-Berlin is a possibility
Bornholm
a soviet uccopution zone in Japan is not entirely impossible with the right POD.

all restricted to not yet mentioned teritories
 
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