Apocalypse in Sight: The Eternal Struggle

This is my TL Thread. Every post of mine will probably have a picture of some sort (or something to make indetification easy, so they won't be a pain to find. Lets start:

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VOLUME 1: ARBITERS OF RUIN

June 10th, 1935 , MOSKVA, THE KREMLIN

General Secretary Joseph Stalin paced back and forth in his office, pipe in hand. The developments in Manchuria had been bothering him for some time. The Japanese were being too blatant for their own good, as were those damned Finns. Enemies were everywhere; even in the army, the sacred force which guarded the Socialist State, there were spies, traitors, and opportunists. And the snotty little Politburo. How he wished to do away with it. All the time they threatened to derail everything, and never once did they do any good.

"Finally", the dictator thought, "I can be rid of them." His loyal servants, the NKVD, were performing this task as he spoke. Every day sheets filled with sweet numbers passed under his glance, and he lusted for more.

"And those dogs of the Army", he muttered quietly to himself. But he discontinued this last thought. He had work for those lazy pigs to do. And work was sure to tie up their scheming hands. Chuckling, the Man of Steel took his seat with the statistical sheets, puffed contentedly from his pipe.

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March 12th, 1936, BERLIN

Chancellor Adolf Hitler looked over the report which found itself on his neat, empty desk. Unable to read the type at such a close distance, his fingers trembled towards his eyeglasses.

"SPEZIAL ABWEHR GEHEIMBERICHT"

It was one of those far-fetched plans that could only have come from Military Intelligence, he thought, and instantly shrugged it off, disappointed. They never sent him anything useful. As he was about to put it to the side, however, the words "Kernsplatung und Fusion" caught his attention. Der Führer was no scientist, but something about those terms appealed to him, like some ominous specter. As if in a trance, he scanned the sheet, carefully taking in its inexplicably gripping contents. Even the explict and blatant mention of Jewry (their leaders, no less!) failed to turn his attention from the theory.

Folding the sheet into quarters and crudley pocketing it, the Great Dictator stood and telephoned his personal service to prepare a car. It was time to make a personal visit...


 
DEVELOPMENTS: January 1935 to December 1937

1935: The first of Stalin's governmental purges begin.
September: The Nuremberg Laws are established.
October: Mao Zedong becomes the head of the Chinese Communists, after the Long March.
1936: March: A basic theory for nuclear fission and the possibility of fusion is developed by German scientists, and is brought to the attention of Hitler.
October: Axis Powers are formed.
December: In Xian, China, Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-Shek) is kidnapped by some soldiers and forced to cooperate with the Chinese Communists.
1937: Stalin steps up his purges. Over 700,000 people are implicated and killed. However, the military is left largely untouched on Stalin's order.
July: Japan invades China. Stalin secretly pledges support for the Chinese Communists, while maintaining good relations with the KMT.
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Can somebody provide me with a nice, big map of Eurasia?
 
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1938: The Soviet-Finnish War

As Hitler gobbled up his neighbors, Stalin’s plans for Finland fell into action. Believing that his army (which had been spared from purges) could easily take on the northern nation, in February he ordered an unprovoked, hastily-planned surprise attack straight at Helsinki.

Hoping to declare an end to hostilities within two months, the truth soon became apparent. Many Soviet troops succumbed to the bitter resistance rooted in the countryside, while the defenders of Helsinki turned the capital into a deathtrap for Russian tanks. It happened frequently that an entire convoy would be taken out of action just by the first and last vehicles being targeted as they rolled down a narrow avenue. The invaders responded by razing various sections of the city, causing mass embitterment on the part of the local populace and driving them to rebellion. By August, hundreds of thousands of Russians had lost their lives, and Stalin had had enough.

His army had failed him.

The Red Army finally left Finland in March 1939, more than a year after their intrusion. The war had achieved nothing. Morale was low, and Stalin, terrified at what ideas this display of utter ineptitude would bring to Hitler and the Capitalists, gave one simple order to his military staff: Defend the Motherland.

And for the foreseeable future, Russia kept to her lonesome.

DEVELOPMENTS: 1939

March
: The last Soviet troops leave Finland. All Finnish territory is recaptured by the Finns. The Czech Republic ceases to exist, having been absorbed by Germany.
April
: Hungary invades Slovakia, beginning the Slovak-Hungarian War.
May: Slovakia capitulates. Hungary annexes Slovakia.
August
: General Zhukov defeats an attacking Japanese Army in Inner Mongolia. In the next month, the Red Army makes some token advances into Outer Mongolia and Manchuria. USSR support to both CCP and KMT continues.
September
: Poland invaded by Nazi Germany. France and UK declare war on the Axis.
November: Last Polish Army forces crushed by Nazis. Polish refugees are let in by the USSR, only to mysteriously disappear, again by Stalin's orders. The bulk of leftover Polish army units however, run to Romania.


 
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THE WORLD OF 1940

ApocMap1940.png

 
Last Polish Army forces crushed by Nazis. Polish refugees are let in by the USSR, only to mysteriously disappear, again by Stalin's orders.
The Polish Plan was to Mobilize along the border with Romania. this was prevented OTL by the Russian Invasion.
Here they manage the Mobilization, Meaning Germany loses a lot more Men & Equipment before the remains of the Polish Forces evacuate into Romania.
It took till May 1940 for Germany to replace/repair all the Equipment used in Poland. Here it will take longer.
OTL May 1940 had some unusually nice weather, which helped Germany in it's attack. Postpone the Attack on France till June and Germany runs into some very severe Bad Weather.
Also the longer War with Poland will surely Butterfly the Crash of the General carrying the German Plans.
As Such the Germans will use the Belgium Attack Strategy, Which is what France was prepared for.


With Germany taking all of Poland, I see Russia Upgrading & expanding the Stalin Line.

September : Poland invaded by Nazi Germany. France and UK declare war on the Axis.
OTL the DoW was just on Germany. Italy DoWed France in June 1940 after France appeared ready to collapse. ?Any Reason France and the UK are expanding the War this Soon?
April : Hungary invades Slovakia, beginning the Slovak-Hungarian War.
May: Slovakia capitulates. Hungary annexes Slovakia.
?Wasn't Slovakia part of Yugoslavia? ?Or Italy???? I Don't think it was Independent.
 
Wasn't Slovakia part of Yugoslavia? ?Or Italy???? I Don't think it was Independent.

Slovakia was independent since March 14th 1939.
It was not a part of Yugoslavia but of Czechoslovakia, it's not Slovenia (a part of Yugoslavia, and not independant at the time).

By the way interesting TL.
I'm subscribed!
 
The Polish Plan was to Mobilize along the border with Romania. this was prevented OTL by the Russian Invasion.
Here they manage the Mobilization, Meaning Germany loses a lot more Men & Equipment before the remains of the Polish Forces evacuate into Romania.
Ok, I'll change that.

It took till May 1940 for Germany to replace/repair all the Equipment used in Poland. Here it will take longer.
OTL May 1940 had some unusually nice weather, which helped Germany in it's attack. Postpone the Attack on France till June and Germany runs into some very severe Bad Weather.
Also the longer War with Poland will surely Butterfly the Crash of the General carrying the German Plans.
As Such the Germans will use the Belgium Attack Strategy, Which is what France was prepared for.

Well damn, I need Hitler to win in France. The French army was, in this time, corrupt and incompetent, so I think a German victory won't be too difficult.

With Germany taking all of Poland, I see Russia Upgrading & expanding the Stalin Line.
This goes as part of Russia's defensive position.

OTL the DoW was just on Germany. Italy DoWed France in June 1940 after France appeared ready to collapse. ?Any Reason France and the UK are expanding the War this Soon? ?Wasn't Slovakia part of Yugoslavia? ?Or Italy???? I Don't think it was Independent.
DoW Noted.
Slovakia is north of Hungary, next to Poland. It gets conquered by Hungary.
 
Slovakia was independent since March 14th 1939.
It was not a part of Yugoslavia but of Czechoslovakia, it's not Slovenia (a part of Yugoslavia, and not independant at the time).
Dang It --I always get those two confused -- Forget I said Anything.
Well damn, I need Hitler to win in France. The French army was, in this time, corrupt and incompetent, so I think a German victory won't be too difficult.
A German Victory will still be possible, but it will take a lot longer and be a lot more costly.

Also without a quick French Defeat, Mussolini may listen to his Penpal Churchill, and stay out of the War.

Re;Map
The bottom half of Sakhalin should be Japanese Yellow.
 
A German Victory will still be possible, but it will take a lot longer and be a lot more costly.

Also without a quick French Defeat, Mussolini may listen to his Penpal Churchill, and stay out of the War.

Re;Map
The bottom half of Sakhalin should be Japanese Yellow.

I guess I won't butterfly the plane crash then...
You'll see what happens to Churchill.
Sakhalin is taken by Soviet forces in the 1939 Japanese-Soviet conflict.

DEVELOPMENTS: 1940

January: Japan and the USSR come to agreements about a cease-fire to stop the fighting in Northern China. Two Soviet puppet states, called Northern Manchuria (zh. 被满洲) and Inner Mongolia (zh. 内蒙古) , are formed and put under administration of local Communist governments.
April: Britain and Germany both invade Norway simultaneously. British troops are landed, and the German forces lure them into a trap at Trondheim. They are then cut off from supplies and totally destroyed. The defeat is a great morale-breaker for the British populace, but the war effort continues.
May: Despite losses suffered in Poland, the Wehrmacht invades France. Part of the German force is slowed in Belgium,but this is little to seal the fate of France.
July: Despite strong resistance, Germany has won the Battle of France and lays down terms of surrender, which are accepted. Vichy France is created. Allies declare war on Italy.
On July 13th, Winston Churchill is involved in a automobile accident at night. He dies the next day.
August: An extensive system of concentration/labor camps are built, mostly in Poland. They are modeled after the Soviet GULAG system, and the aim is to maximize production. The Polish intelligentsia are rounded up and sent to these camps.
Turkey attacks and captures Syria from the French.
Germany pressures Lithuania and Latvia into an alliance of "mutual defense." The USSR moves troops into Estonia and begins construction of a sea base on
Saaremaa island.
September: The "Aufbau Ost" directive is signed in Germany, which lays out plans for future German operations in the East. Germany, Japan, Italy, and Turkey (along with all other allies) form the Axis powers.
October: The desicive phase of the Battle of Britain begins. An experimental rocket weapon, launched from bomber aircraft, is used to target military installations with limited effect. However, the rocket shows some potential. The weapon system is named Luftrakete (abv. Lufkete), and further development continues in tandem with the V1 and V2 systems.
November: German U-Boats interdict British shipping in the Atlantic and Medditerranian. Italy has begun prdocution of its own models of submarine.
In the UK, protesting occurs against the war. the RAF has been decimated, due to concentrated attacks on air/radar bases.
December: British-German negotiations begin. On Christmas, a cease-fire is signed.

THE WORLD OF 1941
ApocMap1941.png

 
Is Winston Churchill Prime Minister when he is killed in an automobile accident? If he is who becomes PM. If not, who is PM?
 
Is Winston Churchill Prime Minister when he is killed in an automobile accident? If he is who becomes PM. If not, who is PM?

Churchill had been PM for a month or so I think. I don't know who would replace him as PM though, can someone help me?

BTW I have a lot for homework and college applications to complete, so I'm sorry this TL is going kinda slow. I'm currently working on some ATL Nazi missile concepts; they should be ready in a couple days.
 
July: Despite strong resistance, Germany has won the Battle of France and lays down terms of surrender, which are accepted. Vichy France is created. Allies declare war on Italy.
So It took a extra Month, But ?why do the Allies DoW Italy? and add a extra Country to fight.
 
The Allies DoW Italy because it attacked France as in OTL. I just didn't mention it.

No Italian East Africa?

Oops, that should be in the process of being captured by UK right now.
 
ROCKET WEAPON DEVELOPMENT IN THE THIRD REICH (1939-48)

PART 1/3



Luftsturzrakete

Lufkete.png


As early as 1939, the Germans had been working on a rudimentary air-to-ground rocket bomb, under the project name “Luftsturzrakete.” It was directly connected with all other rocketry research, including the infamous ballistic missile program.


By the Invasion of France, a complete prototype named “Lufkete Null-model” was completed and production began in July. This was test prototype, and a limited batch of 300 examples was completed in October, to be tested in actual combat over Britain.

Fig. 1: The Lufkete L-0, carried beneath the Ju-88 medium bomber, was directed by simply pointing the bomber in the latitudinal direction of the target and releasing the rocket, which came under its own power after a few hundred feet of descent, then entering a gradual slope to the target. This early model suffered from appalling flaws, most notably flight deviation and malfunction. Of 300 test examples, only 70 were reported to have functioned well by even the most liberal of standards.

Immediately following the test run of the L-Null, a second prototype was brought into a short evaluation and then production. Called the Lufkete v.1, it was actually rather different in design to the L-Null, being much smaller and differing in the idealized flight pattern. This rocket was much more straightforward in operation, as its engine started immediately upon release, making aiming an easier task. A light payload made it a fast weapon, two of which could be mounted on a Stuka. Its primary defect was a lack of striking power, and subsequently nicknamed “Firecracker” by British troops.

Fig. 2: The L v.1 saw the first major combat in the Middle Eastern campaigns in 1941, during which it was mainly used to strike fortifications and other military installations.

Fig. 3: A further development of the L v.1, called the L v. 2, was fitted with an armor-piercing warhead, as the L v.1 was often insufficient to defeat bunkers and tanks. A lack of precision made it less successful than the L v.1, which in comparison was used against generally larger targets.

The L-Null, however, was not dead. The rocket scientists had learned what mistakes had caused the large rocket-bomb to fall short of expectations, and utilizing lessons learned from the L v.1 design, produced a new model, the L v.3. It was similar in appearance to the L v1, but nearly twice the size. It carried over twice the payload in a new shaped charge. The Luftwaffe personnel nicknamed it the “Treiber” to differentiate it from its smaller brethren, and was dubbed by British troops as “Fireball.” This new model made its debut in early 1942, and like the L-Null, was mounted on medium bombers.

Fig. 4: The L v.3 rocket-bomb.

Fig. 5: The L v.4, the smallest Lufkete. Was designed for CAS in an anti-tank role.

By 1943, it had become apparent that the Luftwaffe could not always enjoy air superiority, as evidenced by the ongoing fighting in the Middle East and now Russia. In tandem with the ballistic missile program, the concept of a long-range Lufkete was attempted. The last of the Lufkete models, it was designated L v.5, and is considered to be the first operational cruise missile.

Fig. 6: The L v.5 was, by and large, a failure. It was very difficult to aim and seldom hit its targets. Its long range only magnified this problem; the further away the target, the less accurate the missile could be. Nevertheless the L v.5 was a milestone in missile development.
 
Churchill had been PM for a month or so I think. I don't know who would replace him as PM though, can someone help me?

BTW I have a lot for homework and college applications to complete, so I'm sorry this TL is going kinda slow. I'm currently working on some ATL Nazi missile concepts; they should be ready in a couple days.

The two contenders for the PM job were Churchill or Lord Halifax. Halifax was more open to a negotiated peace.
 
It's not dead. I'm still working on World War 2. I am going to scrap the current format that I am using, and switch to a style similar to MerryPrankster's RussiaVSDraka TL, plus maps and illustrations. I will try to release installments in more complete forms.

I suppose I should give you guys a summary of what happens however, since it will be a pretty long time till my next update.

World War 2

The Second World War is fought with less cooperation between the Allied and Soviet powers. The Nazis also enjoy more success as they mount a victorious campaign in the Middle East; however, like OTL, this success is destroyed when the invasion of Russia in 1942 begins. There is no Final Solution, as the Jews are sent to concentration camps in the Middle East. The Pacific war is less intensive and Japan is defeated faster due to worse planning, logistics and a more concerted Soviet involvement in east Asia. The United States and UK suffer a lot more casualties than OTL trying to retake Europe and the Middle East, and ultimately use the atomic bomb on Germany, causing the Nazis to surrender to the Allies in 1947/8.

Postwar setup
The USSR consolidates its power in east europe as a defeated but recovering Germany assumes an ever-more important military and economic role (together with the USA) as the strongman in Europe. The Cold war really kicks off in China and Korea, where the superpowers are much more involved than OTL. Korea falls totally under Communist rule and a concentrated US effort to help the KMT results in a Chinese Civil War that lasts into the mid-fifties, killing many millions of people but allowing the ROC to continue its rule over Guangdong and Taiwan. In the Middle East, the Jews are largely expelled from Israel and the superpowers begin to set up camp in Iran and the Arab states.

Cold War
As in OTL, the superpowers do not fight directly but this time the regional proxy wars are much more full-formed and involve much more help from the superpowers. This is especially true in South Asia, North Africa, and Latin America, where multiple wars reminiscent of WW2 erupt. In the meantime, a vigorous Space Race between NATO and the Warsaw Pact leads to heavy exploration and militarization of outer space. In the 90s, the Communist bloc undergoes massive economic reforms similar to OTL China; and while the USSR does not collapse, it is nonetheless shaken and much of the world is destabilized.


The End
Up to this point, the world of this TL is economically not as strong as OTL; mostly because of huge military expenses and the wars that they go to. The USA and NATO in particular suffer from unstable economic situations, and culturally and ideologically speaking, they are much more conservative than OTL, with large liberal minorities unfairly represented in government.
The Second World never quite recovers from the effects of the economic turnover in the 90s, and in the 2010s, a desperate USSR tries to grab onto the remains of a collapsed Yugoslavia before the NATO "fascists" can absorb it.
Thus it is again in the Balkans that the "War to End All Wars" erupts...
 
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