Anglo-Hanoverian TL
- Thread starter RCTFI
- Start date
First Shots: Taps for Cuba
June 29th: In America: Anglo-Hanoverian and allied troops consolidate their gains in Cuba.
In Europe: The Battle of Udine - Italian troops, backed by Anglo-Hanoverian troops, defeat the Austro-Hungarians in a major battle, driving them even further back. The Italian government calls for a 'crusade' to liberate Italy from the Austro-Hungarians.
June 30th: Army Group West Coast strikes for the first time, hitting the American flank in Washington state. American forces, caught off guard, are driven back.
July 1st: Another load of troops is dropped off in Cuba, bringing total Entente forces to 75,000 (of which 10,000 are actual Anglo-Hanoverian troops - the initial 5,000 Australians, and 5,000 more men, these veteran Hanoverian soldiers.)
July 2nd: The Battle of Seatle starts - it will last for six days as the Americans try to hold on to one of their most critical cities on the north western coast.
July 3rd: The Battle of Seatle intensifies as the Anglo-Hanoverians drive south and begin encircling the city. The Americans, desperate to hold on to one of their large cities after the loss of Minneapolis, pour troops in to the fighting. However, even though the defenders are numerous, almost all of them are green. At this point, America is recruiting everyone it can get its hands on and sending them into the fighting after just a week or two of training. America is desperate.
July 4th: In the American continent, The 4th of July Offensive is launched to relieve Seatle. 60,000 poorly trained American soldiers and almost 200 American tanks (it was meant to be 300, but almost 100 were unable to join the fighting due to a variety of mechanical problems etc.) attack the southern portion of the Anglo-Hanoverian Army Group West Coast.
These fresh American conscripts find themselves facing dug-in Canadian veterans, and suffer horrendous losses. This battle also sees the first large-scale incident of tank-versus-tank fighting - previously only three or four tanks had fought three or four tanks. Here, 40 American tanks engaged 28 Anglo-Hanoverian tanks. This engagement proved the superiority of the Anglo-Hanoverian design - their guns were heavier, and armour of a superior design. Of the 28 Anglo-Hanoverian tanks, 27 were destroyed. However, with the assistance of a trio of light artillery pieces that had been mounted on trucks and were intended for anti-aircraft fighting, 34 American tanks were destroyed.
July 5th: American bombing airships (three of them - the Flint, the Detroit and the Hammer of America, all of which were built by Ford. The first two were named for the cities in which they were constructed, while the last was named by President Ehmann after its completion two weeks after the outbreak of hostilities.) attack Toronto. Almost 40 civilians are killed and several houses are destroyed - the American airships mistakenly released their bombs over a residential neighborhood, as they were flying in the night. The Anglo-Hanoverians make a propaganda film about this - its title is "They Did This to Toronto."
July 6th: In the American Continent: The Battle of Tacoma - Seatle is entierly encircled. It will hold out for only one more day.
In Cuba: The Siege of Havana begins. Guantanamo falls.
July 7th: Following a massive artillery bombardment targeted at the entire city, the Anglo-Hanoverians attack Seatle. Seatle falls almost immediatly, with only light resistance that lasts for four hours. The defenders had apparently been running low on shells and ammunition, and so paniced when they were attacked. 58,000 American POWs are taken.
July 8th: The Entente launches its first attack on Havana. The attack, consisting primarily of South American troops, is repulsed.
July 9th: The Battle of Olympia - fresh from their victory in Seatle, the Anglo-Hanoverian troops advance, and take Olympia with some light fighting.
July 12th: The second Entente assault on Havana. In spite of being almost out of shells, the Americans hold out. This marks their 11th day of resistance.
July 13th: The First Battle of The Gulf of Mexico - an American fleet attempts to relieve Cuba. It engages the Anglo-Hanoverian Carribean fleet in a relatively indecisive engagement, then retreats to its harbours. (eight American and eight Anglo-Hanoverian ships were lost).
July 14th: The Battle of Yakima - heavily reinforced American army units stop Anglo-Hanoverian Army Group West Coast, creating another area of trench-warfare stalemate. In doing so, they take appauling cassualties. Almost 75,000 Americans die in less than eight hours.
July 15th: Another attack is launched against Havana. The Americans still hold out, fighting with almost no artillery of their own remaining. After 14 days of resistance, they only have one American and two captured Argentinian artillery pieces left. Still, amazingly, with the help of the guns of the three American cruisers trapped in port, they hold out.
At this point, the desperate Americans have armed every local they could impress into their forces, and are doing all they can to hold on to Havana.
July 16th: The American bombing zepplins Flint and America's Hammer attack Anglo-Hanoverian ships in the Carribean. They sink the Anglo-Hanoverian destroyer Bali, but in return the America's Hammer is shot down. The engagement is still considered a victory. America will begin large-scale investment into bombing airships and airship-based armed airplanes.
July 17th: A new Entente attack penetrates into Havana. As the sun sets, the Americans hold only the harbor (where they are firing the guns of the two remaining American cruisers until they turn red from the heat, and even using improvised canister shot for them,) The Citadel, an American-build concrete fort overlooking the harbor and a few square blocks of shelled-out rubble.
July 18th: One of the two American cruisers in Havana harbor is destroyed by Entente artillery, while the other one fights on. The guns in The Citadel have been silenced by lack of ammunition, and so they can only watch helplessly (and snipe ineffectively) as the last cruiser, the Hartford, depleted its remaining shells.
When it was out of shells, the Entente proceded to storm it and take it as a prize. The attacking troops were mostly Australians, although the first wave (intended to take the damage if they had had any canister shot saved for a trap) was made up of Brazilians.
The crew of the Hartford fought bravely, in an action that would enter navy history. The ship's Marines all died defending their ship, but it was still taken - the top deck was taken, and the vessel was pumped full of poison gas after its captain refused a chance to surrender. The American navy didn't issue its crews with gas masks, so most of the crew members were killed. Luck and the ship's ventilation system allowed nineteen crewmen to survive and surrender.
After witnessing the end suffered by the Hartford, the American forces in The Citadel surrendered.
The surving members of an American military band grimly played "The Star Spangled Banner" as their flag was lowered from The Citadel. After 16 days of defiance, Havana has fallen, and Cuba with it. The Royal Navy had succesfuly prevented any American relief efforts.
June 29th: In America: Anglo-Hanoverian and allied troops consolidate their gains in Cuba.
In Europe: The Battle of Udine - Italian troops, backed by Anglo-Hanoverian troops, defeat the Austro-Hungarians in a major battle, driving them even further back. The Italian government calls for a 'crusade' to liberate Italy from the Austro-Hungarians.
June 30th: Army Group West Coast strikes for the first time, hitting the American flank in Washington state. American forces, caught off guard, are driven back.
July 1st: Another load of troops is dropped off in Cuba, bringing total Entente forces to 75,000 (of which 10,000 are actual Anglo-Hanoverian troops - the initial 5,000 Australians, and 5,000 more men, these veteran Hanoverian soldiers.)
July 2nd: The Battle of Seatle starts - it will last for six days as the Americans try to hold on to one of their most critical cities on the north western coast.
July 3rd: The Battle of Seatle intensifies as the Anglo-Hanoverians drive south and begin encircling the city. The Americans, desperate to hold on to one of their large cities after the loss of Minneapolis, pour troops in to the fighting. However, even though the defenders are numerous, almost all of them are green. At this point, America is recruiting everyone it can get its hands on and sending them into the fighting after just a week or two of training. America is desperate.
July 4th: In the American continent, The 4th of July Offensive is launched to relieve Seatle. 60,000 poorly trained American soldiers and almost 200 American tanks (it was meant to be 300, but almost 100 were unable to join the fighting due to a variety of mechanical problems etc.) attack the southern portion of the Anglo-Hanoverian Army Group West Coast.
These fresh American conscripts find themselves facing dug-in Canadian veterans, and suffer horrendous losses. This battle also sees the first large-scale incident of tank-versus-tank fighting - previously only three or four tanks had fought three or four tanks. Here, 40 American tanks engaged 28 Anglo-Hanoverian tanks. This engagement proved the superiority of the Anglo-Hanoverian design - their guns were heavier, and armour of a superior design. Of the 28 Anglo-Hanoverian tanks, 27 were destroyed. However, with the assistance of a trio of light artillery pieces that had been mounted on trucks and were intended for anti-aircraft fighting, 34 American tanks were destroyed.
July 5th: American bombing airships (three of them - the Flint, the Detroit and the Hammer of America, all of which were built by Ford. The first two were named for the cities in which they were constructed, while the last was named by President Ehmann after its completion two weeks after the outbreak of hostilities.) attack Toronto. Almost 40 civilians are killed and several houses are destroyed - the American airships mistakenly released their bombs over a residential neighborhood, as they were flying in the night. The Anglo-Hanoverians make a propaganda film about this - its title is "They Did This to Toronto."
July 6th: In the American Continent: The Battle of Tacoma - Seatle is entierly encircled. It will hold out for only one more day.
In Cuba: The Siege of Havana begins. Guantanamo falls.
July 7th: Following a massive artillery bombardment targeted at the entire city, the Anglo-Hanoverians attack Seatle. Seatle falls almost immediatly, with only light resistance that lasts for four hours. The defenders had apparently been running low on shells and ammunition, and so paniced when they were attacked. 58,000 American POWs are taken.
July 8th: The Entente launches its first attack on Havana. The attack, consisting primarily of South American troops, is repulsed.
July 9th: The Battle of Olympia - fresh from their victory in Seatle, the Anglo-Hanoverian troops advance, and take Olympia with some light fighting.
July 12th: The second Entente assault on Havana. In spite of being almost out of shells, the Americans hold out. This marks their 11th day of resistance.
July 13th: The First Battle of The Gulf of Mexico - an American fleet attempts to relieve Cuba. It engages the Anglo-Hanoverian Carribean fleet in a relatively indecisive engagement, then retreats to its harbours. (eight American and eight Anglo-Hanoverian ships were lost).
July 14th: The Battle of Yakima - heavily reinforced American army units stop Anglo-Hanoverian Army Group West Coast, creating another area of trench-warfare stalemate. In doing so, they take appauling cassualties. Almost 75,000 Americans die in less than eight hours.
July 15th: Another attack is launched against Havana. The Americans still hold out, fighting with almost no artillery of their own remaining. After 14 days of resistance, they only have one American and two captured Argentinian artillery pieces left. Still, amazingly, with the help of the guns of the three American cruisers trapped in port, they hold out.
At this point, the desperate Americans have armed every local they could impress into their forces, and are doing all they can to hold on to Havana.
July 16th: The American bombing zepplins Flint and America's Hammer attack Anglo-Hanoverian ships in the Carribean. They sink the Anglo-Hanoverian destroyer Bali, but in return the America's Hammer is shot down. The engagement is still considered a victory. America will begin large-scale investment into bombing airships and airship-based armed airplanes.
July 17th: A new Entente attack penetrates into Havana. As the sun sets, the Americans hold only the harbor (where they are firing the guns of the two remaining American cruisers until they turn red from the heat, and even using improvised canister shot for them,) The Citadel, an American-build concrete fort overlooking the harbor and a few square blocks of shelled-out rubble.
July 18th: One of the two American cruisers in Havana harbor is destroyed by Entente artillery, while the other one fights on. The guns in The Citadel have been silenced by lack of ammunition, and so they can only watch helplessly (and snipe ineffectively) as the last cruiser, the Hartford, depleted its remaining shells.
When it was out of shells, the Entente proceded to storm it and take it as a prize. The attacking troops were mostly Australians, although the first wave (intended to take the damage if they had had any canister shot saved for a trap) was made up of Brazilians.
The crew of the Hartford fought bravely, in an action that would enter navy history. The ship's Marines all died defending their ship, but it was still taken - the top deck was taken, and the vessel was pumped full of poison gas after its captain refused a chance to surrender. The American navy didn't issue its crews with gas masks, so most of the crew members were killed. Luck and the ship's ventilation system allowed nineteen crewmen to survive and surrender.
After witnessing the end suffered by the Hartford, the American forces in The Citadel surrendered.
The surving members of an American military band grimly played "The Star Spangled Banner" as their flag was lowered from The Citadel. After 16 days of defiance, Havana has fallen, and Cuba with it. The Royal Navy had succesfuly prevented any American relief efforts.
Things are looking very grim for the United States, their president really should have stuck to neutrality as a limpet sticks to a rock. I just hope should there be an armistice, that the Anglo-Hannoverians don't set up the circumstances for the another war.
Brilliant stuff though
I would say go for a peace treaty, as an armistice is only a truce.
Yep, must have been thinking of something else then.
The Anglo-Hannoverians would do well to look at the sheer size and industrial muscle available to the USA in any peace treaty. Reasonable terms and a diplomatic charm offensive afterwards might just avoid future problems. Either that or go totally draconian and Balkanise the USA into a lot of petty feuding statelets and continue to play them off against each other.
I somehow doubt even if the war in Europe collapses that the Anglo-Hannoverians have the troops to hold down the USA.
Guerilla Warfare?
In the occupied U.S., there's really not that much guerilla activity occuring - sure, occassionally snipers take shots at Anglo-Hanoverian troops, and bombs are laid... but not enough to really disrupt their planning and organization.
Plus, they're being pretty brutal to the people they suspect of being guerillas - hanging or shooting, mostly. They're being fairly nice to the other citizens, though.
In the occupied U.S., there's really not that much guerilla activity occuring - sure, occassionally snipers take shots at Anglo-Hanoverian troops, and bombs are laid... but not enough to really disrupt their planning and organization.
Plus, they're being pretty brutal to the people they suspect of being guerillas - hanging or shooting, mostly. They're being fairly nice to the other citizens, though.
Ummm...
Well, there was the recent invasion of Iraq, and the slightly less recent invasion of Afghanistan, to name an example...
Well, there was the recent invasion of Iraq, and the slightly less recent invasion of Afghanistan, to name an example...
I was talking historically.
The 1798 war with France, France was at War.
War of 1812, Britain was at war.
WWI, Germany was at war.
WWII, Germany was at war.
Vietnam was at war when the Americans showed up, ditto Korean.
Balancing Act
As the war in Europe wore on, slowly grinding down the still-defiant Prussians and Austro-Hungarians, in America something else was happening...
July 19th: The Battle of The Saint Lawrence River - American troops force a crossing, and advance on Quebec City, taking heavy fire as they cross from Canadian and Anglo-Hanoverian artillery.
July 20th: The Battle of Quebec City - Quebec City is taken by the advancing Americans. After this, the Eastern Front of the North American War is given greater focus by the Anglo-Hanoverians, who respond with three strategies. First, they ship veteran troops from the continent to North America to oppose the advancing Americans and to bolster the Canadian defenders.
Secondly, they deploy 5,000 elite Australian troops from Cuba to Florida in what they call a "mass raid."
Thirdly, they begin bombarding the American East Coast, targeting Boston and New York.
July 21st: After destroying an unprepared company of American troops and temporarily seizing a trio of small American towns, mostly for the propaganda value of their raid, the Entente raiders flee to their waiting ships before an effective American reaction can be assembled.
In New York, the Statue of Liberty is accidentally destroyed by long-range Anglo-Hanoverian shell fire.
July 22nd: The Battle of Montreal - following a brutal fight, Montreal falls to the Americans. It looks as though the eastern front is begining to favor the Americans.
July 23rd: The Battle of Spokane - Anglo-Hanoverian troops assault American trench lines near the town of Spokane. A break-through is achieved, but cannot be fully exploited - in what is also known as the Ninteen Hour Battle, American troops counter-attack, and hold the line with only minor territorial losses.
Still, 45,000 Americans and 42,000 Anglo-Hanoverians were killed in one day.
July 24th: The Battle of Lake Ontario - some American ships clash with an Anglo-Hanoverian force in Lake Ontario. Most of the ships in both fleets were converted civilian vessels, with light guns added to what were in many cases sailing boats.
The fighting is indecisive, although it is widely considered an Anglo-Hanoverian win - they were on the defensive, so needed only to prevent the Americans from securing the lake.
July 25th: President Ehmann assigns U.S. Steel the contract to begin the construction of an American Great Lakes Fleet. The construction of more sea-worthy ships for the American Navy was already underway full-blast.
July 26th: The Battle of Three States - An Anglo-Hanoverian offensive in the west enters full gear - it targets key American positions in Washington state and Idaho, and aims to bring the war to Oregon.
July 27th: The Battle of Three States results in an Anglo-Hanoverian break-through - they push forward, persuing broken American formations across Washington State, towards the south.
July 28th: The Battle of Three States continues. The Anglo-Hanoverians are advancing, although a strip of coastal territory and most of Idaho still holds out.
July 29th: The Battle of Three States sees the first Anglo-Hanoverian troops entering Oregon.
July 30th: The trap is sprung - their supply lines overstretched, the Anglo-Hanoverian advance slows. Then, the Americans launch their counter-attack. It consists of a brilliant pincer move, an act of desperation on the part of the American commander.
Troops and supplies from California had been brought in to the section of coastal territory America still held, and so they were used to attack the Anglo-Hanoverian rear. At the same time, troops in Idaho had been reinforced from the south, and so launched their own attack. Over a course of twenty one hours of battle, the Americans succeded in achieving their first major victory of the war - the Anglo-Hanoverians were cut off. 60,000 men of the Anglo-Hanoverian Army Group West Coast were trapped.
August 1st: The Battle of Walla Walla - supported by a desperate attack from the north launched by every available Anglo-Hanoverian unit, the desperate trapped men of Army Group West Coast launched a desperate break-out attack. They fought with desperate, furious, courage... but, in the end it was not enough. As night fell, the Americans still held strong.
30,000 Anglo-Hanoverians and 28,000 Americans had died, but it had been an American victory.
August 2nd: Operation Noose - an American attack is launched on the pocket of trapped Anglo-Hanoverian troops. After stiff initial resistance, the Anglo-Hanoverians surrender. 35,000 Anglo-Hanoverian prisoners were taken.
Needless to say, this was a great morale booster for the American people - it showed them that it was in fact possible for even the seemingly invincible Anglo-Hanoverian Western Front could be beaten.
In one of his less graceful moments, President Ehmann tried to get the military to have the Anglo-Hanoverian POWs paraded through New York to boost that cities morale. He is refused by General Randalph, who commanded the encircling forces, on the grounds that it would 'not be wise.' As a result of that defiance, General Randalph is removed from command. He also recieves no official praise or medals at all for his acts, and his role in the battle strategy for the encircling manuver, his leadership in The Battle of Walla Walla and Operation Noose are all belittled and minimized. Still, President Ehmann doesn't get his version of the victory parade.
As the war in Europe wore on, slowly grinding down the still-defiant Prussians and Austro-Hungarians, in America something else was happening...
July 19th: The Battle of The Saint Lawrence River - American troops force a crossing, and advance on Quebec City, taking heavy fire as they cross from Canadian and Anglo-Hanoverian artillery.
July 20th: The Battle of Quebec City - Quebec City is taken by the advancing Americans. After this, the Eastern Front of the North American War is given greater focus by the Anglo-Hanoverians, who respond with three strategies. First, they ship veteran troops from the continent to North America to oppose the advancing Americans and to bolster the Canadian defenders.
Secondly, they deploy 5,000 elite Australian troops from Cuba to Florida in what they call a "mass raid."
Thirdly, they begin bombarding the American East Coast, targeting Boston and New York.
July 21st: After destroying an unprepared company of American troops and temporarily seizing a trio of small American towns, mostly for the propaganda value of their raid, the Entente raiders flee to their waiting ships before an effective American reaction can be assembled.
In New York, the Statue of Liberty is accidentally destroyed by long-range Anglo-Hanoverian shell fire.
July 22nd: The Battle of Montreal - following a brutal fight, Montreal falls to the Americans. It looks as though the eastern front is begining to favor the Americans.
July 23rd: The Battle of Spokane - Anglo-Hanoverian troops assault American trench lines near the town of Spokane. A break-through is achieved, but cannot be fully exploited - in what is also known as the Ninteen Hour Battle, American troops counter-attack, and hold the line with only minor territorial losses.
Still, 45,000 Americans and 42,000 Anglo-Hanoverians were killed in one day.
July 24th: The Battle of Lake Ontario - some American ships clash with an Anglo-Hanoverian force in Lake Ontario. Most of the ships in both fleets were converted civilian vessels, with light guns added to what were in many cases sailing boats.
The fighting is indecisive, although it is widely considered an Anglo-Hanoverian win - they were on the defensive, so needed only to prevent the Americans from securing the lake.
July 25th: President Ehmann assigns U.S. Steel the contract to begin the construction of an American Great Lakes Fleet. The construction of more sea-worthy ships for the American Navy was already underway full-blast.
July 26th: The Battle of Three States - An Anglo-Hanoverian offensive in the west enters full gear - it targets key American positions in Washington state and Idaho, and aims to bring the war to Oregon.
July 27th: The Battle of Three States results in an Anglo-Hanoverian break-through - they push forward, persuing broken American formations across Washington State, towards the south.
July 28th: The Battle of Three States continues. The Anglo-Hanoverians are advancing, although a strip of coastal territory and most of Idaho still holds out.
July 29th: The Battle of Three States sees the first Anglo-Hanoverian troops entering Oregon.
July 30th: The trap is sprung - their supply lines overstretched, the Anglo-Hanoverian advance slows. Then, the Americans launch their counter-attack. It consists of a brilliant pincer move, an act of desperation on the part of the American commander.
Troops and supplies from California had been brought in to the section of coastal territory America still held, and so they were used to attack the Anglo-Hanoverian rear. At the same time, troops in Idaho had been reinforced from the south, and so launched their own attack. Over a course of twenty one hours of battle, the Americans succeded in achieving their first major victory of the war - the Anglo-Hanoverians were cut off. 60,000 men of the Anglo-Hanoverian Army Group West Coast were trapped.
August 1st: The Battle of Walla Walla - supported by a desperate attack from the north launched by every available Anglo-Hanoverian unit, the desperate trapped men of Army Group West Coast launched a desperate break-out attack. They fought with desperate, furious, courage... but, in the end it was not enough. As night fell, the Americans still held strong.
30,000 Anglo-Hanoverians and 28,000 Americans had died, but it had been an American victory.
August 2nd: Operation Noose - an American attack is launched on the pocket of trapped Anglo-Hanoverian troops. After stiff initial resistance, the Anglo-Hanoverians surrender. 35,000 Anglo-Hanoverian prisoners were taken.
Needless to say, this was a great morale booster for the American people - it showed them that it was in fact possible for even the seemingly invincible Anglo-Hanoverian Western Front could be beaten.
In one of his less graceful moments, President Ehmann tried to get the military to have the Anglo-Hanoverian POWs paraded through New York to boost that cities morale. He is refused by General Randalph, who commanded the encircling forces, on the grounds that it would 'not be wise.' As a result of that defiance, General Randalph is removed from command. He also recieves no official praise or medals at all for his acts, and his role in the battle strategy for the encircling manuver, his leadership in The Battle of Walla Walla and Operation Noose are all belittled and minimized. Still, President Ehmann doesn't get his version of the victory parade.
Hmmm...
Hmmm... well, do Spanish conflicts with colonial rebels mean Spain was at war during the Spanish-American War? That's the next thing I can think of. (Although you seem to be right as far as the major wars are concerned...)
Hmmm... well, do Spanish conflicts with colonial rebels mean Spain was at war during the Spanish-American War? That's the next thing I can think of. (Although you seem to be right as far as the major wars are concerned...)
Interesting TL. Are there population and industry numbers for the ATL U.S. vs. the Anglo-Hanoverians? Cause in OTL, by WWI, U.S. industrial production vastly exceeded that of Britain and had a larger non-colonial population. Which is why I view the British successes in Canada to be somewhat suspicious. No question the Brits can take the Caribbean, but anything more than spoiler attacks seem unlikely in the North, like offensives that reach Oregon. No matter how inexperienced the American troops are, they should outnumber their Canadian and British counterparts by a significant margin, 2 to 1 or greater, and since it is the Americans that declared war, it makes no sense for them to be caught scrambling to mobilize, allowing the Brits to overrun the frontier, particularly since with the overall poor relations between the U.S. and Britain, the border is likely to be rather heavily fortified. Also, with the poor relations, there is likely to be large purpose built fleets on the Great Lakes, with the far vaster American industrial base on this side of the Atlantic likely giving the Americans a significant advantage, at least until both sides mine the lakes so heavily that neither side can move.
On a secondary note, what is up with the British and destroying cultural landmarks? First Versailles, then the Statue of Liberty. What's next, the Kremlin? Notre Dame? I'm sure the Brandenburg Gate is going to get smashed by artillery, followed by the Library of Congress, then American retaliation blows up Big Ben and Buckingham Palace.
On a secondary note, what is up with the British and destroying cultural landmarks? First Versailles, then the Statue of Liberty. What's next, the Kremlin? Notre Dame? I'm sure the Brandenburg Gate is going to get smashed by artillery, followed by the Library of Congress, then American retaliation blows up Big Ben and Buckingham Palace.
Well, any war that was started by somebody else can't be counted right? Like Japan and Germany declared war first, as did North Korea and Vietnam, though the latter two are kind of iffy as to whether they are actual wars.
Max Sinister
Banned
Why should Korea and Vietnam War not be counted as wars?
Statue of Liberty destroyed? That's not funny.
Statue of Liberty destroyed? That's not funny.
That's what it says under July 21st. As to Vietnam and Korea, I was refering to the idea that the U.S. only declares war on people already at war, bringing up Korea and Vietnam as examples. Can't work of course since the U.S. never declared war in those cases.
On the subject of Anglo-Hanoverian industrial capacity...
When considering the industrial capacity of the Anglo-Hanoverian Empire, one must remember - they are not just England, Scotland and Ireland. They're also a whole lot of Germany, including the Ruhr and many of the other key industrial areas.
Basically, from the Ruhr etc. they have a lot more raw materials, people and so on, which means more factories than OTLy... basically, since they had all of the stuff the IR got going in England, and Hanover was part of their Empire, this TL has "Hanover" being even more developed than OTLy. That comes out to it being basically not just the English, Canadians, Indians, Australians and New Zealanders versus the U.S., but then one has to throw in quite a bit of the German industrial capacity too. So, a more balanced fight, eh?
When considering the industrial capacity of the Anglo-Hanoverian Empire, one must remember - they are not just England, Scotland and Ireland. They're also a whole lot of Germany, including the Ruhr and many of the other key industrial areas.
Basically, from the Ruhr etc. they have a lot more raw materials, people and so on, which means more factories than OTLy... basically, since they had all of the stuff the IR got going in England, and Hanover was part of their Empire, this TL has "Hanover" being even more developed than OTLy. That comes out to it being basically not just the English, Canadians, Indians, Australians and New Zealanders versus the U.S., but then one has to throw in quite a bit of the German industrial capacity too. So, a more balanced fight, eh?
Counter-Attack
August 4th: Operation Yorktown launched. It's initial target is Toronto. From there, the plan is to push west through southern Canada and threaten the Anglo-Hanoverian supply lines, while at the same time moving into Quebec and securing that area.
At the same time, preparations were made for "Operation Liberty," the goal of which would be to push the already overstretched Anglo-Hanoverian and Canadian troops out of the American soil they had occupied.
August 5th: Operation Yorktown kicks off with The Battle of Ottawa. Here President Ehmann shows a level of brutality that was not expected - Ottowa was only lightly defended. However, he gave special orders - American artillery was to bombard the city heavily for eight hours before the attack. His reasons? Revenge for the Anglo-Hanoverian bombardments of New York.
On that subject, Ehmann seemed almost obsesed - he could not bear the fact that he had not been able to defend New York against the Anglo-Hanoverian Royal Navy.
At that point, he is supposed to have commented:
"It would shame me more to have New York be bombarded once more than to be forced to surrender Chicago to the Canadians."
The Battle ol Ottawa is hardly a battle - most of the defenders retreat before the Americans advance.
August 6th: Two things:
In America: The Battle of Lake Ontario - the newly deployed American Great Lakes fleet attempts a crossing of Lake Ontario to bombard Anglo-Hanoverian troops across the lake. They fail - the Anglo-Hanoverians have heavily mined the lakes, and three American Freshwater Battleships (one pair of heavy guns, more destroyers with oversized main armaments than anything else) are lost. This marks the end of effective combat opperations in the Great Lakes.
In the Pacific: The Battle of Midway - with some Anglo-Hanoverian support, the Japanese navy once more engages the American Pacific Fleet. This time, luck is on their side - they manage to sink the American dreagnought Ohio, as well as twelve lighter American ships, and lose only thirteen light ships of their own. All in all, a win. This allows the Japanese to begin an assault on Hawaii...
August 7th: The Battle of North Bay - American forces storm Anglo-Hanoverian trench lines near the town of North Bay. American losses are heavy, but in the end they hold the field. The Anglo-Hanoverians and Canadians retreat in good order.
August 8th: Two things:
In the Pacific: Japanese ships bombard The Kingdom of Hawaii, preparing for an invasion. Hawaiian troops are mobilized, while the American Marines at the American naval bases dig in. Another break-out attempt is made - the dreadnought Colorado leads a number of American ships out of harbor to attack. The attack falls apart when a submarine, apparently an Anglo-Hanoverian craft, torpedoes the Colorado, sinking it with a lucky shot.
In America: The Battle of Sudbury - American forces assault another line of Anglo-Hanoverian defenses, and once again take massive cassualties. They still win the day, though. The general commanding them, one William Johnson, seems to have proven his statement that the best way to silence a machinegun is to send at it more men than it has bullets.
At this point, Toronto is almost cut off from the rest of Canada. Only a thin strip of coastal terrain remains in Anglo-Hanoverian hands.
August 9th: Again, two things:
In the Pacific: Japanese troops land on Nihoa, under the cover of a naval bombardment. One hundred Japanese soldiers attack, and as soon as they have landed, the American outpost there (only eighteen men) surrender. Fortunately for them, they are handed over to the Anglo-Hanoverians.
In America: The Battle of the Coast - American forces attack the Anglo-Hanoverian route-of-retreat from Toronto. They once again take hideous losses, but in the end hold the Anglo-Hanoverian trenches.
Note: During the five days that Operation Yorktown has been underway for, the Americans have lost 95,000 men there. The Anglo-Hanoverians (including Canadians) have only lost 20,000 men in all.
August 10th: Once more, two things:
In the Pacific: Japanese troops land on Maui, Lanai and the other minor islands. After a few hours of half-hearted resistance on the part of the Hawaiian Army, and some (but not a lot by any stretch) assistance from the local Japanese immigrants (many of whom were actually born in Japan) they hold all the islands but Oahu and Hawaii itself. (The American bases were on Oahu and Hawaii, except for one outpost on Maui.)
As before, all prisoners taken by the Japanese are handed over to the Anglo-Hanoverian units involved in the fighting. (Which in this case is less than 1,000 men in all, split between the islands and avoiding the fighting, instead just advancing behind the Japanese and dealing with the prisoners.) This strategy results in few prisoners dieing at the hands of the Japanese - although some are killed just after they surrendered, and some are killed while attempting to surrender.
In America: The Battle of Toronto - the Americans attack and take the Toronto pocket. In spite of the defenders lack of supplies, General Johnson still pushes the offensive as brutally as before. 30,000 American soldiers die in one day. The Anglo-Hanoverians have 12,000 men killed, and when the remaining troops surrender, 28,000 were taken prisoner.
August 11th: As if it could be otherwise, two things:
In the Pacific: The American Pacific Fleet sallies, and engages the Japanese fleet. In an all-day slugging match, 17 American ships, 14 Japanese ships and one Anglo-Hanoverian ship are lost. The result is a stand-off in Japan's favor - they still hold Hawaii.
In America: Operation Yorktown is called off and General Johnson is removed from duty, after even President Ehmann is shocked by the butcher's bill - 125,000 men in seven days. To show for it? Sizable advances, yes... but only 32,000 dead Anglo-Hanoverians and another 35,000 prisoners. (counting the 28,000 taken when Toronto fell.) With a kill-ratio of nearly four to one, the Anglo-Hanoverians were showing the advantages of defensive warfare and a network of fortifications to which they could fall back.
August 12th: The Japanese bombard Hawaii and Oahu in preperation for their invasion. Other than that, very little occurs throughout the world.
August 13th: The Japanese land in Oahu and Hawaii. They do so in force - 5,000 men in Oahu, 8,500 in Hawaii. The Hawaiian Army melts away, doing little fighting, while the King of Hawaii tries to take refuge in the American naval base in Hawaii... only to be lynched by a paniced mob of his own people who, certain they will be denied entry to the American base and so left for the Japanese, are disgusted that he is fleeing them.
The Americans, dug-in at their bases, keep native Hawaiians out, but allow American citizens in.
A stand-off develops, as the Americans prepare to be overwhelmed - there were only 1,000 Marines on Oahu, and 2,500 on Hawaii itself.
Their annihilation is prevented by a clever Anglo-Hanoverian officer, who convinces the base garrissons to surrender, and promises that the civilians will be repatriated. The Marines and sailors, though, surrender and are taken as POWs. Before surrendering, they make one last effort - they load as many men as they can onto the eight remaining U.S. Navy ships that had been trapped in their harbor, and try a break-out. Seven of the eight ships are stopped - of which four are destroyed. One makes it back safely to California.
It's name is the Houston, and its crew and passangers are given a heroes welcome. Their escape is turned into a propaganda piece, with which the American government tries to marginalize the loss of its Hawaiian bases.
August 14th: With Operation Yorktown suspended, Operation Liberty is launched. The Battle of Duluth - American forces drive into the Anglo-Hanoverian lines. Unlike General Johnson, the American commander there is less willing to endure such horrific losses. The battle ends with 20,000 American soldiers and 10,000 Anglo-Hanoverian soldiers dead, and Anglo-Hanoverian lines still intact.
August 15th: Rioting breaks out in Berlin and Konigsburg, as Prussian citizens protest the continuation of the war. The riots are brutally put down.
August 16th: The Prussian King is shot by a sixteen year old communist assassin. The Prussian High Command tries to maintain order with brutal authoritarianism, but fail - rioting breaks out once more. There is a call for democracy, and the Slavic and Polish elements of the Prussian state rise up in a nationalistic frenzy.
August 17th: General Franz von Salzburg, the head of the General Staff, yields to popular calls for reform, and sends a diplomatic mission to the Anglo-Hanoverians, asking about the possibility of negotiating a peace.
August 18th: As news of the Prussian diplomatic mission spreads, Austria-Hungary effectively goes into unrest - Slavs, Croats and even Hungarian nationalists riot in the streets.
August 19th: This in turn leads to a collapse of Prussian power - communist rioters take to the streets in Danzig, Konigsburg and even Berlin itself. In Occupied Russia, order is almost totally collapsing as the Russian people rise up in nationalistic rebellion.
August 20th: The Prussian government falls. A new system is put in place, a "Berlin Republic." This Republic immediatly orders the Prussian diplomats meeting with the Anglo-Hanoverians to get peace "as fast as possible."
August 22nd: The Austro-Hungarian government collapses. The Austro-Hungarian Empire effectively dissolves itself.
(Note: This period is later refered to as "a latter day 1848, save that at this turning-point in history, history was congenial enough to turn." This refers to the nationalistic uprisings which occured throughout Europe in 1848, only to be put down.)
August 23rd: President Ehmann orders General Randolph placed in command of all American forces.
August 24th: Operation New Liberty is launched - American forces attack the Anglo-Hanoverians all along the occupied sections of America. The Anglo-Hanoverians are effectively defeated in detail - against General Johnson, they had relied on his tendency to focus all efforts against one point, telegraphing which position he was going to attack with massive artillery bombardments, which allowed them to move troops in by rail. Randolph wasn't so helpful, and so caught them off-guard, and achieved a near-breakthrough. The Anglo-Hanoverians fall back, and try to rally...
August 25th: Canadian politicians, worried about the potential impacts of fighting on their homes, try to get the Anglo-Hanoverian government to negotiate a peace with the Americans, so that what is at this point seen as an unpopular war can be brought to an end. They are largely unsuccesful, as the Anglo-Hanoverian government, victory-drunk from its European win, is intent on focusing on the Americans, who they see as weak and unprepared.
August 26th: American troops re-enter North Dakota.
August 27th: The Battle of Bismarck (yes, that is a city in North Dakota...) - American troops fight their way through an Anglo-Hanoverian strong-point, largely by rushing its flanks with massed formations of newly redesigned American "Mark II" tanks, thus forcing a retreat.
August 28th: Massive numbers of English and Hanoverian veteran troops are prepared for shipment to Canada.
August 4th: Operation Yorktown launched. It's initial target is Toronto. From there, the plan is to push west through southern Canada and threaten the Anglo-Hanoverian supply lines, while at the same time moving into Quebec and securing that area.
At the same time, preparations were made for "Operation Liberty," the goal of which would be to push the already overstretched Anglo-Hanoverian and Canadian troops out of the American soil they had occupied.
August 5th: Operation Yorktown kicks off with The Battle of Ottawa. Here President Ehmann shows a level of brutality that was not expected - Ottowa was only lightly defended. However, he gave special orders - American artillery was to bombard the city heavily for eight hours before the attack. His reasons? Revenge for the Anglo-Hanoverian bombardments of New York.
On that subject, Ehmann seemed almost obsesed - he could not bear the fact that he had not been able to defend New York against the Anglo-Hanoverian Royal Navy.
At that point, he is supposed to have commented:
"It would shame me more to have New York be bombarded once more than to be forced to surrender Chicago to the Canadians."
The Battle ol Ottawa is hardly a battle - most of the defenders retreat before the Americans advance.
August 6th: Two things:
In America: The Battle of Lake Ontario - the newly deployed American Great Lakes fleet attempts a crossing of Lake Ontario to bombard Anglo-Hanoverian troops across the lake. They fail - the Anglo-Hanoverians have heavily mined the lakes, and three American Freshwater Battleships (one pair of heavy guns, more destroyers with oversized main armaments than anything else) are lost. This marks the end of effective combat opperations in the Great Lakes.
In the Pacific: The Battle of Midway - with some Anglo-Hanoverian support, the Japanese navy once more engages the American Pacific Fleet. This time, luck is on their side - they manage to sink the American dreagnought Ohio, as well as twelve lighter American ships, and lose only thirteen light ships of their own. All in all, a win. This allows the Japanese to begin an assault on Hawaii...
August 7th: The Battle of North Bay - American forces storm Anglo-Hanoverian trench lines near the town of North Bay. American losses are heavy, but in the end they hold the field. The Anglo-Hanoverians and Canadians retreat in good order.
August 8th: Two things:
In the Pacific: Japanese ships bombard The Kingdom of Hawaii, preparing for an invasion. Hawaiian troops are mobilized, while the American Marines at the American naval bases dig in. Another break-out attempt is made - the dreadnought Colorado leads a number of American ships out of harbor to attack. The attack falls apart when a submarine, apparently an Anglo-Hanoverian craft, torpedoes the Colorado, sinking it with a lucky shot.
In America: The Battle of Sudbury - American forces assault another line of Anglo-Hanoverian defenses, and once again take massive cassualties. They still win the day, though. The general commanding them, one William Johnson, seems to have proven his statement that the best way to silence a machinegun is to send at it more men than it has bullets.
At this point, Toronto is almost cut off from the rest of Canada. Only a thin strip of coastal terrain remains in Anglo-Hanoverian hands.
August 9th: Again, two things:
In the Pacific: Japanese troops land on Nihoa, under the cover of a naval bombardment. One hundred Japanese soldiers attack, and as soon as they have landed, the American outpost there (only eighteen men) surrender. Fortunately for them, they are handed over to the Anglo-Hanoverians.
In America: The Battle of the Coast - American forces attack the Anglo-Hanoverian route-of-retreat from Toronto. They once again take hideous losses, but in the end hold the Anglo-Hanoverian trenches.
Note: During the five days that Operation Yorktown has been underway for, the Americans have lost 95,000 men there. The Anglo-Hanoverians (including Canadians) have only lost 20,000 men in all.
August 10th: Once more, two things:
In the Pacific: Japanese troops land on Maui, Lanai and the other minor islands. After a few hours of half-hearted resistance on the part of the Hawaiian Army, and some (but not a lot by any stretch) assistance from the local Japanese immigrants (many of whom were actually born in Japan) they hold all the islands but Oahu and Hawaii itself. (The American bases were on Oahu and Hawaii, except for one outpost on Maui.)
As before, all prisoners taken by the Japanese are handed over to the Anglo-Hanoverian units involved in the fighting. (Which in this case is less than 1,000 men in all, split between the islands and avoiding the fighting, instead just advancing behind the Japanese and dealing with the prisoners.) This strategy results in few prisoners dieing at the hands of the Japanese - although some are killed just after they surrendered, and some are killed while attempting to surrender.
In America: The Battle of Toronto - the Americans attack and take the Toronto pocket. In spite of the defenders lack of supplies, General Johnson still pushes the offensive as brutally as before. 30,000 American soldiers die in one day. The Anglo-Hanoverians have 12,000 men killed, and when the remaining troops surrender, 28,000 were taken prisoner.
August 11th: As if it could be otherwise, two things:
In the Pacific: The American Pacific Fleet sallies, and engages the Japanese fleet. In an all-day slugging match, 17 American ships, 14 Japanese ships and one Anglo-Hanoverian ship are lost. The result is a stand-off in Japan's favor - they still hold Hawaii.
In America: Operation Yorktown is called off and General Johnson is removed from duty, after even President Ehmann is shocked by the butcher's bill - 125,000 men in seven days. To show for it? Sizable advances, yes... but only 32,000 dead Anglo-Hanoverians and another 35,000 prisoners. (counting the 28,000 taken when Toronto fell.) With a kill-ratio of nearly four to one, the Anglo-Hanoverians were showing the advantages of defensive warfare and a network of fortifications to which they could fall back.
August 12th: The Japanese bombard Hawaii and Oahu in preperation for their invasion. Other than that, very little occurs throughout the world.
August 13th: The Japanese land in Oahu and Hawaii. They do so in force - 5,000 men in Oahu, 8,500 in Hawaii. The Hawaiian Army melts away, doing little fighting, while the King of Hawaii tries to take refuge in the American naval base in Hawaii... only to be lynched by a paniced mob of his own people who, certain they will be denied entry to the American base and so left for the Japanese, are disgusted that he is fleeing them.
The Americans, dug-in at their bases, keep native Hawaiians out, but allow American citizens in.
A stand-off develops, as the Americans prepare to be overwhelmed - there were only 1,000 Marines on Oahu, and 2,500 on Hawaii itself.
Their annihilation is prevented by a clever Anglo-Hanoverian officer, who convinces the base garrissons to surrender, and promises that the civilians will be repatriated. The Marines and sailors, though, surrender and are taken as POWs. Before surrendering, they make one last effort - they load as many men as they can onto the eight remaining U.S. Navy ships that had been trapped in their harbor, and try a break-out. Seven of the eight ships are stopped - of which four are destroyed. One makes it back safely to California.
It's name is the Houston, and its crew and passangers are given a heroes welcome. Their escape is turned into a propaganda piece, with which the American government tries to marginalize the loss of its Hawaiian bases.
August 14th: With Operation Yorktown suspended, Operation Liberty is launched. The Battle of Duluth - American forces drive into the Anglo-Hanoverian lines. Unlike General Johnson, the American commander there is less willing to endure such horrific losses. The battle ends with 20,000 American soldiers and 10,000 Anglo-Hanoverian soldiers dead, and Anglo-Hanoverian lines still intact.
August 15th: Rioting breaks out in Berlin and Konigsburg, as Prussian citizens protest the continuation of the war. The riots are brutally put down.
August 16th: The Prussian King is shot by a sixteen year old communist assassin. The Prussian High Command tries to maintain order with brutal authoritarianism, but fail - rioting breaks out once more. There is a call for democracy, and the Slavic and Polish elements of the Prussian state rise up in a nationalistic frenzy.
August 17th: General Franz von Salzburg, the head of the General Staff, yields to popular calls for reform, and sends a diplomatic mission to the Anglo-Hanoverians, asking about the possibility of negotiating a peace.
August 18th: As news of the Prussian diplomatic mission spreads, Austria-Hungary effectively goes into unrest - Slavs, Croats and even Hungarian nationalists riot in the streets.
August 19th: This in turn leads to a collapse of Prussian power - communist rioters take to the streets in Danzig, Konigsburg and even Berlin itself. In Occupied Russia, order is almost totally collapsing as the Russian people rise up in nationalistic rebellion.
August 20th: The Prussian government falls. A new system is put in place, a "Berlin Republic." This Republic immediatly orders the Prussian diplomats meeting with the Anglo-Hanoverians to get peace "as fast as possible."
August 22nd: The Austro-Hungarian government collapses. The Austro-Hungarian Empire effectively dissolves itself.
(Note: This period is later refered to as "a latter day 1848, save that at this turning-point in history, history was congenial enough to turn." This refers to the nationalistic uprisings which occured throughout Europe in 1848, only to be put down.)
August 23rd: President Ehmann orders General Randolph placed in command of all American forces.
August 24th: Operation New Liberty is launched - American forces attack the Anglo-Hanoverians all along the occupied sections of America. The Anglo-Hanoverians are effectively defeated in detail - against General Johnson, they had relied on his tendency to focus all efforts against one point, telegraphing which position he was going to attack with massive artillery bombardments, which allowed them to move troops in by rail. Randolph wasn't so helpful, and so caught them off-guard, and achieved a near-breakthrough. The Anglo-Hanoverians fall back, and try to rally...
August 25th: Canadian politicians, worried about the potential impacts of fighting on their homes, try to get the Anglo-Hanoverian government to negotiate a peace with the Americans, so that what is at this point seen as an unpopular war can be brought to an end. They are largely unsuccesful, as the Anglo-Hanoverian government, victory-drunk from its European win, is intent on focusing on the Americans, who they see as weak and unprepared.
August 26th: American troops re-enter North Dakota.
August 27th: The Battle of Bismarck (yes, that is a city in North Dakota...) - American troops fight their way through an Anglo-Hanoverian strong-point, largely by rushing its flanks with massed formations of newly redesigned American "Mark II" tanks, thus forcing a retreat.
August 28th: Massive numbers of English and Hanoverian veteran troops are prepared for shipment to Canada.