Blood, Soil, and Tears: The World after the World War

[Tresckow]

Blood, Soil, and Tears
The World after the World War

Adolf Hitler inspecting soldiers of the Waffen-SS at the first annual Victory Day parade (October 29, 1944)​

Introduction
Well, I am returning to dangerous territory again: World War II alternate history. Unlike my original timeline, Blood and Soil, this one will focus on the world after a partial Axis victory over the Allied powers, diving into the politics, conflicts, and changes that happen in this alternate timeline. I have put a lot of research and thought into this, but above all else I am doing this for my enjoyment. I hope you will enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.

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Chapter One
October 28, 1942

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"I speak to you now with a heavy heart. For three years we have fought valiantly and bravely. Our soldiers showed dedication beyond anything seen before in our lives. Our people stood strong in spite of bombs raining down on our heads, sometimes for weeks at a time. For three long years, our nation and people have clung together to remain strong in the face of the Nazi threat that had been looming across the Channel for years.

[...]

But now, it is up to ask the question: do we want a war forever? Shall we continue to endure the hardships of our brave boys going to war and never coming home? Our mothers weeping over their sons returning in a coffin?

[...]

In collaboration with our American allies, we attempted to take advantage of the fall of Moscow. We had hoped that by concentrating her forces further and further east, Germany would be caught off guard by a western attack in occupied France, and that not only could we liberate the French people from their German overlords, the Soviet government of the late Comrade Stalin would be relieved of the offensive into their homeland. But unfortunately, as we know now, Germany was well-prepared with not just her soldiers, but those of her collaborators. Our brave boys had stormed the beaches of France and drove out the enemy last month, but as of last week, all of them are now in the hands of the enemy, or worse.

[...]

We have fought strong to defend our island home from the wrath of fascism, and we deterred any attempts by Herr Hitler to invade and conquer our land. But now is the time for choosing peace over war. As of this morning, the German Reich has offered to us the option of peace after the catastrophe in our attempted liberation of France. After consultation with cabinet, our military, and His Majesty the King-Emperor, we have decided that it is in the best interest of our people that we come to the negotiating table with Germany.

[...]

Effective midnight tonight, all hostilities between Britain and her dominions against Germany and Italy shall cease, and we will enter negotiations with Berlin and Rome to preserve peace for Europe.

[...]

Where there is defeat, there is also victory. This is far from a surrender or a capitulation. We turned the U-Boats away from British shores. A German soldier never set foot on British soil. And above all else, the Union Jack flies high over London. The world may seem bleak after four years of unbelievably horrific warfare, but with my trust in God, I see brighter days ahead."

Prime Minister Anthony Eden's radio address to the nation​

 

[Nazi Space Spy]

Great start!

 

[Seandineen]

So The Leader will undertake a soft peace with his fellow Nordic British Empire. I suppose Mussolini gets to keep his conquest in Albania.

 

[Scrivener]

Huh, a partial victory? I'm guessing that Japan got its door kicked in by the USA while Germany (and to a lesser degree, Italy) triumphed over Europe. Interested to see how this plays out.

 

[Lalli]

So The Leader will undertake a soft peace with his fellow Nordic British Empire. I suppose Mussolini gets to keep his conquest in Albania.

Probably but pretty surely still lost its colonies in Africa.

Huh, a partial victory? I'm guessing that Japan got its door kicked in by the USA while Germany (and to a lesser degree, Italy) triumphed over Europe. Interested to see how this plays out.

This is probably best what Axis could realistically get. Japan is pretty much doomed anyway,

 

[TheBalkanizer]

I assume NS Germany will not be able to sustain itself

 

[Tresckow]

Chapter One, Part II

Now left with only a war in the far east, largely being undertaken by the United States against the Japanese Empire, the king dissolved Parliament to call a general election for the first time in seven years. The Prime Minister knew that his election would be an uphill battle, but had some hope that by campaigning as "the peacemaker" and focusing on postwar reconstruction, the people may take a more favorable view of the ruling Conservative Party and give him enough seats to continue governing.

The word "delusional" is not strong enough to describe his strategy. In spite of leading by double digits since the start of the year, Labour would score a shockingly massive victory over the Tories. Labour would win a whopping 435 seats, falling just a little behind Stanley Baldwin's numbers in the early 1930s, whereas the Conservatives would fall to a measly 104 seats. Eden was not able to overcome the baggage of the failure to defeat Nazi Germany and his party remained tied to the economic depression of the 1930s. Furthermore, his "peacemaker" strategy only served to connect him to his predecessor's predecessor, Neville Chamberlain, despite the fact that agreeing to a ceasefire with Germany was popular with a majority of the British people. Not all of the Tories' losses were to Labour, however. The Liberals enjoyed an upswing in support, rising from 21 seats in the last election to 57 seats, while National Liberal shrunk down to 21 seats. All remaining seats were won by independents or candidates standing as minor parties.

Results were delayed by two weeks to allow British soldiers stationed abroad to mail in their votes from the Pacific, and on December 28, Clement Attlee was summoned by the king to form the first Labour majority government.

Clement Attlee, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1942-????)

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[Seandineen]

Since Archibald Sinclair did so well. I would like to think the Liberal Party would play a roll, even if they aren't the government party.

 

[marktaha]

What became of Churchill?

 

[Tresckow]

Chapter Two
Autumn 1942

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Despite Stalin's promise to fight even if Moscow fell, Stalin fell with Moscow. The Wehrmacht had effectively surrounded and cut off Moscow after a grueling campaign that left Germany's supply lines stretched to the brink of collapse. Whereas much of the Soviet government had managed to flee amidst the chaos, being largely undetected by the Wehrmacht and dreaded Einsatzgruppen, Joseph Stalin was not someone who could blend in as a panicked civilian fleeing the besieged city. High ranking officials like Molotov and Kalinin impersonated the Soviet peasantry, and the average Wehrmacht soldier had no clue who they really were. Stalin, with his imposing figure, his bushy mustache, and his head full of dark hair, could be made by any German in Russia. His face had been plastered everywhere in Moscow for nearly a generation now, and his cult of personality made him a prisoner to his capital. Like a captain of a sinking ship, Stalin now vowed to go down with Moscow, seeing no other alternatives to escape.

As the Germans closed in on Moscow and the battle cries of German soldiers could be heard outside his fortress Dacha, Joseph Stalin put a pistol to his head and pulled the trigger.

Joseph Stalin (18 December 1878 - 7 March 1942) ​

The Germans, of course, made use of Stalin's death by announcing it to the world, hoping to drive down Soviet morale and push them to surrender. This surrender, however, would never come. The governing coalition of Mikhail Kalinin, Andrei Zhdanov, Vyacheslav Molotov, and Lavrentiy Beria assumed control of the Union and adopted the Ural Strategy, ordering a mass evacuation of civilians and industry eastwards to the Ural Mountains and destroying everything as they retreat. Initially, Kalinin conveyed to General Konstantin Rokossovsky that he wanted to mobilize the cut-off forces in the Caucasus and evacuate them via occupied Iran, but on the 10th of March, Japan escalated its border conflict with the Soviet Union[1] into a full-scale invasion from Manchuria. Vladivostok reported that the Imperial Japanese Navy was bombarding their ports and were facing Japanese forces coming in from the Manchu-Soviet border. These plans were scuttled, and instead, General Dmitry Kozlov put up fierce resistance to Army Group South's offensive, hoping to take as many Germans down with him as he could.

Mikhail Kalinin, one of the last of the "Old Bolsheviks" who survived Stalin's purges and still held power
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Six months later, Mikhail Kalinin (de facto leader of the Soviet Union, but leadership was de jure collective) would interrupted during dinner telling him that Britain has made peace with Germany, following the failed invasion of France. He was irate, decrying Eden as a fascist sympathizer and a traitor, but when he looked in the mirror, he began to weep. He saw how old he had gotten, and came to the realization that he would likely not see Russia liberated from German oppression in his lifetime. Commissar Nikita Khruschev, who was eating with Kalinin, later wrote that Kalinin sobbed the words "it's over" repeatedly, burying his head in his arms on the table. The following day, Kalinin penned an editorial for Pravda, lambasting Britain's decision to make peace with Germany, however editors were keen to refine some of his more crass attacks on Winston Churchill and Anthony Eden, hoping that Britain would maybe continue helping the Russians under the table. The government waited in fear for the sound of Luftwaffe bombers to come overhead.

Strangely, no such raids came for the rest of the year.

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[1] This is one of my points of divergence. A joint German-Japanese invasion of the Soviet Union is ridiculous, but a continued Soviet-Japanese border conflict is not. Hint hint, there's a reason why Georgy Zhukov has not been mentioned once in this chapter.

 

[Tresckow]

I just realized I messed up the dates for Britain's peace. Thank God I caught it before I wrote further updates. Won't change too much but was a poor oversight on my part. I accidentally wrote that Sledgehammer took place in 1943, but it was supposed to happen in 1942. I'll update the infobox and re-read what I've wrote and make corrections as necessary.

 

[Tanner151]

I like this. Definitely following.

 

[Issei Uzumaki]

Interesting. Watched.

 

[Seandineen]

What do the dominions think about this White Peace?

 

[mcginnis2002]

What do the dominions think about this White Peace?

Australia and New Zealand are probably happy this means that the British can now focus all their attention on Japan, who pose a much greater threat to those countries than Germany. The Boers are probably delighted to see the Germans humiliate Britian. I'm not too sure how Canada would react.

 

[stirlingdraka]

Interesting I`m watching this.