For Want of A Sandwich - A Franz Ferdinand Lives Wikibox TL
- Thread starter MaskedPickle
- Start date
But yeah, the Italian left's case for a Republic of Italy, with the late King's failures, is very much based on "at least a President can easily be replaced if he screws up badly"?
What country would he be in, ITTL, and any claims to fame he has here?
So, how big is anti-nuclear sentiment ITTL between this and the Vladivostok attack, then?
I have a bit of a problem with the Peenemünde Space Center, as it being the launch point of an orbital craft is deeply unrealistic.
An ideal space center is as close to the equator as possible and has nothing but emptiness east of it. This is necessary as if you want to reach orbital velocity you want earth spin to help you, witch is significantly greater at the equator. And as you are going to launch east you want no settlements directly under a mental tube, which flies by the power of the most reactive materials humanly imaginable continuously exploding under it. Even if the entire thing does not "go through a rapid and unplanned disassembly" it is going to eject stages and 100 km east Peenemünde we are over OTL north Poland or ITTL Prussia. If the staging happens further east than that would be over Russia, which would also be also horrifyingly bad. If the ejected rocket stage does not kill someone, then the russians will at least have all the parts of a state of the art german rocket scattered around their backyard.
This is why IRL the three largest space centers are Cape Kennedy, as south and as atlantic in its position as you can get while remaining on the continental USA, the ESA's Guiana Space Center, right at the equator near a major port and still on sovereign French soil and Baikonur Cosmodrome, in the middle of the Kazakh steppes and as south as you could get in the USSR. Penemüne's only space launch was the Aggregat 4s' (more commonly known as the V2) which were barely able to reach space on a ballistic course, and were absolutely not designed with orbital trajectory in mind. I would be deeply surprised if von Braun and his team does not know that Peenemünde is a hideously bad place to get to orbit.
I don't remember that what happened with the German colonies in africa, but if they remained under German control reasonably long (like 60's), I would have to guess the german space center should be near Dar es-Salaam in German East Africa. Which is a major port, east of it nothing but the Indian ocean for almost 2 000 km and it is significantly closer to the equator then the entire metropolitan Germany. Although for the latter reason something north of Dar es-Salaam would be even better, but then you get into the problem, that the british controlled Zanzibar is just right there, under your prefered flight path.
An ideal space center is as close to the equator as possible and has nothing but emptiness east of it. This is necessary as if you want to reach orbital velocity you want earth spin to help you, witch is significantly greater at the equator. And as you are going to launch east you want no settlements directly under a mental tube, which flies by the power of the most reactive materials humanly imaginable continuously exploding under it. Even if the entire thing does not "go through a rapid and unplanned disassembly" it is going to eject stages and 100 km east Peenemünde we are over OTL north Poland or ITTL Prussia. If the staging happens further east than that would be over Russia, which would also be also horrifyingly bad. If the ejected rocket stage does not kill someone, then the russians will at least have all the parts of a state of the art german rocket scattered around their backyard.
This is why IRL the three largest space centers are Cape Kennedy, as south and as atlantic in its position as you can get while remaining on the continental USA, the ESA's Guiana Space Center, right at the equator near a major port and still on sovereign French soil and Baikonur Cosmodrome, in the middle of the Kazakh steppes and as south as you could get in the USSR. Penemüne's only space launch was the Aggregat 4s' (more commonly known as the V2) which were barely able to reach space on a ballistic course, and were absolutely not designed with orbital trajectory in mind. I would be deeply surprised if von Braun and his team does not know that Peenemünde is a hideously bad place to get to orbit.
I don't remember that what happened with the German colonies in africa, but if they remained under German control reasonably long (like 60's), I would have to guess the german space center should be near Dar es-Salaam in German East Africa. Which is a major port, east of it nothing but the Indian ocean for almost 2 000 km and it is significantly closer to the equator then the entire metropolitan Germany. Although for the latter reason something north of Dar es-Salaam would be even better, but then you get into the problem, that the british controlled Zanzibar is just right there, under your prefered flight path.
Don’t suppose Namibia would work for the same reasons, then?
Thinking about it it might be somewhat ok. A mostly uninhabited country full with desert, so flying east would be also ok there. Water is a bit safer and allows easier recovery of still usable parts, but these are secondary priorities. The problem there is that you are getting away from the equator. So orbital flight needs more fuel, more fuel equals more mass, more mass requires more fuel, more fuel requires more mass, more mass.... so on and so on. And all of this eats into the mass of the payload that needs to get to orbit.
The best possible space launch sites are always at the equator on the eastern coast of a continental landmass. Namibia is ok, as it still relatively close to the equator (checking on a map it does not look further away than Cape Kennedy), but there is a reason that there are always plans to build new space centers at northern Brasil or Kenya, ewen as northern Brazil is like a couple hundred km south of Guyana Space Center, but it would be still a noticeable change in the payload/fuel ratio.
But then again there is a level of compromise at play here, no one wants to put THEIR spaceport to foreign soil (Russia kind of has to live with it), so political and economic considerations are are still important. For example Cape Canaveral was originally chosen as it already had an air force base and building up new station even more south of it was a stupid and costly idea. The problem with Peenemünde is that is that even Munich would beat it in southern Germany, but Windhoek or Dar es-Salaam are beating it by margins that it becomes funny.
Well here Tanganyika wasn’t independent until 1977, so it would work.
Country profile - Biafra
New
Biafra is a country in Western Africa, bordered in the west by Odudawa, in the north by Sokoto, in the east by Kamerun and in the south by the Atlantic Ocean.
History
Colonial Nigeria, although united under British rule, was far from being achieved in reality : either between the Muslim north and the Christian south, or between the Hausas, Yorubas and Igbos, direct or indirect rule, divisions ran deeply and as African peoples were beginning to agitate for independence, the Igbo people in the Eastern Region began their movement, starting with the Igbo Federal Union, willing to differentiate themselves from Yorubas, Hausas and Fulanis, winning approval as a Christian nation and moreover to prosper on the revenues of oil, that has been discovered near Port Harcourt.
The Nigerian Civil War (1964-1970) began with massacres of Igbos in northern Nigeria by islamists rebels, prompting the Igbos to side with the British intervention and to push for their separation of colonial Nigeria : under the Treaty of Manchester, Nigeria was separated along ethnic lines and the separate Colony of Igboland was created in 1970, with the British launching a program for eventual independence by 1980, relying on local warrant chiefs (Eze) to form the basis of a nation-state ; the future country would take the name of Biafra, after a pre-European country in the region.
Biafra became independent on 30 May 1979, with its oil infrastructure and incomes being put under British economic control, under its first President, former missionary Akanu Ibiam. The state of Biafra, who had become a prosperous state thanks to oil, raised the lust of its neighbours and Sokoto declared war on its sister country in 1982 : even if Biafra benefitted from the support of the whole Commonwealth from the first day, the surprise invasion would lead to a military coup from Field Marshal Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, barely two months after the invasion. Biafra would resist and win the war by 1984 while Odumegwu-Ojukwu would become the country’ sole strongman, establishing a cult of personality (such as renaming Port Harcourt as Port Ojukwu) and positioning himself as a modern and pro-Western politician, able to enhance the young country’s development while enriching himself.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu died in 2011 and was succeeded by his Vice President… his widow, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu (née Onoh). The longtime President’s choice resulted in a military revolt in 2003, resulting in a proclamation of martial law the following year and a temporary shutdown of the oil rigs. Mrs. Ojukwu had to fight herself a coup attempt the following year but managed to inherit her late husband’s uncompromising rule, reinforcing her image as a pro-Western strongwoman by fighting islamist terrorist attacks in Port Ojukwu in 2016 and maintaining her rule to this day.
Political situation
A member of the Commonwealth, Biafra is a federal presidential constitution republic, the President being elected for a six-year term by popular vote while the Parliament is comprised of a Senate and a House of Commons, based on the Westminster System. That is the official system : Biafra has been a military dictatorship since the 1982 military coup and the Alliance for Biafra remains the only authorized political party, Parliament being filled by Ojukwu cronies.
The current President is Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, one of the few female heads of state of Africa : the daughter of a former Foreign Minister and winner of the Miss Africa 1989 beauty pageant, she married President Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu in 1994, thirty-five years her junior and bore him three children. She became the country’s first vice-president in 1998, on the occasion of her thirtieth birthday, and managed to succeed her husband on 26 November 2011, winning sham presidential election in 2012, 2018 and 2024. Officially encouraging free elections, wealth redistribution and female representation, she made no attempts to alleviate the dictatorship and even reinforced her rule after the 2016 islamist terrorist attacks in Port Ojukwu.
Social situation and population
Even as the official discourse presents Biafra as an united nation-state, the 44-million population is far from having only one ethnic group : if Igbos form the majority of the population and monopolize all high positions in the country, they have to compose with Edos, Ibibios, Ekois, Ijaws and Itsekiris, which do not much official representation. As such, English is the country’s lingua franca, Christianity is officially encouraged and Igbos take all the spoils of the country’s prosperity.
Having been a dictatorship since 1982, democracy is mostly dead in Biafra : opposition is muzzled under pretenses of repression against islamism and pan-Africanism, while the Alliance for Biafra remains the only political party authorized. The riches of Biafra and the quality of hospitals and schools thus serve as a convenient veil for the country’s inequalities and dictatorship.
Economy
Traditionally based on palm produce and coal, the Biafran economy was changed forever by the exploitation of oil starting in 1937 by Shell : its riches were determinant in the development of Biafra as a separate independent country and then as a cornerstone of the Ujukwus’ rule, allowing them to foster a rapid modernization and to alleviate taxes and public funding. Yet, Biafra has failed to diversify its economy and is subject to the Dutch disease, as extensive oil exploitation is threatening reserves and no plans have been made whatsoever for a post-oil era. In the time being, Biafra enjoys a high GDP and extensive recognition internationally.
Military
Upon her accession and the 2012 coup attempt, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu conducted an extensive purge of the country’s military and was able to rebuild it as a main asset of her dictatorship, installing her cronies in positions of power. Thanks to German, British and CHinese investments, the Biafran Army is among the most modern in western Africa, composed of ground forces, a naval fleet and an air force ; most of the army’s duties are concentrated on keeping oil fields and political repression.
Culture
Very influenced by British rule, which established the Eze system of warrant chiefs and Christianization, the Igbos were able to develop their own ethnic identity along with independence, the stability and prosperity of the country encouraging tourism, while the Ujukwus’ rule allowed traditional art to flourish while encouraging Westernization, such as forbidding male polygamy and discouraging Neo-Kemetism. Port Ujukwu is considered one of the leading cultural capitals of western Africa, while Biafra is able to resonate internationally thanks to its football team (that managed to win African Cups) and its writers, such as Chinua Achebe or Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a democracy activist forced to exile in the United States.
History
Colonial Nigeria, although united under British rule, was far from being achieved in reality : either between the Muslim north and the Christian south, or between the Hausas, Yorubas and Igbos, direct or indirect rule, divisions ran deeply and as African peoples were beginning to agitate for independence, the Igbo people in the Eastern Region began their movement, starting with the Igbo Federal Union, willing to differentiate themselves from Yorubas, Hausas and Fulanis, winning approval as a Christian nation and moreover to prosper on the revenues of oil, that has been discovered near Port Harcourt.
The Nigerian Civil War (1964-1970) began with massacres of Igbos in northern Nigeria by islamists rebels, prompting the Igbos to side with the British intervention and to push for their separation of colonial Nigeria : under the Treaty of Manchester, Nigeria was separated along ethnic lines and the separate Colony of Igboland was created in 1970, with the British launching a program for eventual independence by 1980, relying on local warrant chiefs (Eze) to form the basis of a nation-state ; the future country would take the name of Biafra, after a pre-European country in the region.
Biafra became independent on 30 May 1979, with its oil infrastructure and incomes being put under British economic control, under its first President, former missionary Akanu Ibiam. The state of Biafra, who had become a prosperous state thanks to oil, raised the lust of its neighbours and Sokoto declared war on its sister country in 1982 : even if Biafra benefitted from the support of the whole Commonwealth from the first day, the surprise invasion would lead to a military coup from Field Marshal Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, barely two months after the invasion. Biafra would resist and win the war by 1984 while Odumegwu-Ojukwu would become the country’ sole strongman, establishing a cult of personality (such as renaming Port Harcourt as Port Ojukwu) and positioning himself as a modern and pro-Western politician, able to enhance the young country’s development while enriching himself.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu died in 2011 and was succeeded by his Vice President… his widow, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu (née Onoh). The longtime President’s choice resulted in a military revolt in 2003, resulting in a proclamation of martial law the following year and a temporary shutdown of the oil rigs. Mrs. Ojukwu had to fight herself a coup attempt the following year but managed to inherit her late husband’s uncompromising rule, reinforcing her image as a pro-Western strongwoman by fighting islamist terrorist attacks in Port Ojukwu in 2016 and maintaining her rule to this day.
Political situation
A member of the Commonwealth, Biafra is a federal presidential constitution republic, the President being elected for a six-year term by popular vote while the Parliament is comprised of a Senate and a House of Commons, based on the Westminster System. That is the official system : Biafra has been a military dictatorship since the 1982 military coup and the Alliance for Biafra remains the only authorized political party, Parliament being filled by Ojukwu cronies.
The current President is Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, one of the few female heads of state of Africa : the daughter of a former Foreign Minister and winner of the Miss Africa 1989 beauty pageant, she married President Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu in 1994, thirty-five years her junior and bore him three children. She became the country’s first vice-president in 1998, on the occasion of her thirtieth birthday, and managed to succeed her husband on 26 November 2011, winning sham presidential election in 2012, 2018 and 2024. Officially encouraging free elections, wealth redistribution and female representation, she made no attempts to alleviate the dictatorship and even reinforced her rule after the 2016 islamist terrorist attacks in Port Ojukwu.
Social situation and population
Even as the official discourse presents Biafra as an united nation-state, the 44-million population is far from having only one ethnic group : if Igbos form the majority of the population and monopolize all high positions in the country, they have to compose with Edos, Ibibios, Ekois, Ijaws and Itsekiris, which do not much official representation. As such, English is the country’s lingua franca, Christianity is officially encouraged and Igbos take all the spoils of the country’s prosperity.
Having been a dictatorship since 1982, democracy is mostly dead in Biafra : opposition is muzzled under pretenses of repression against islamism and pan-Africanism, while the Alliance for Biafra remains the only political party authorized. The riches of Biafra and the quality of hospitals and schools thus serve as a convenient veil for the country’s inequalities and dictatorship.
Economy
Traditionally based on palm produce and coal, the Biafran economy was changed forever by the exploitation of oil starting in 1937 by Shell : its riches were determinant in the development of Biafra as a separate independent country and then as a cornerstone of the Ujukwus’ rule, allowing them to foster a rapid modernization and to alleviate taxes and public funding. Yet, Biafra has failed to diversify its economy and is subject to the Dutch disease, as extensive oil exploitation is threatening reserves and no plans have been made whatsoever for a post-oil era. In the time being, Biafra enjoys a high GDP and extensive recognition internationally.
Military
Upon her accession and the 2012 coup attempt, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu conducted an extensive purge of the country’s military and was able to rebuild it as a main asset of her dictatorship, installing her cronies in positions of power. Thanks to German, British and CHinese investments, the Biafran Army is among the most modern in western Africa, composed of ground forces, a naval fleet and an air force ; most of the army’s duties are concentrated on keeping oil fields and political repression.
Culture
Very influenced by British rule, which established the Eze system of warrant chiefs and Christianization, the Igbos were able to develop their own ethnic identity along with independence, the stability and prosperity of the country encouraging tourism, while the Ujukwus’ rule allowed traditional art to flourish while encouraging Westernization, such as forbidding male polygamy and discouraging Neo-Kemetism. Port Ujukwu is considered one of the leading cultural capitals of western Africa, while Biafra is able to resonate internationally thanks to its football team (that managed to win African Cups) and its writers, such as Chinua Achebe or Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a democracy activist forced to exile in the United States.
Erich Hartmann in real life had an amazing life too !
We can summarize that.
I imagine Erdogan would be known as an Islamist zealot abroad. Or a football player.
Anti-nuclear sentiment is big among the general population, but nuclear proliferation runs high.
It was a small mistake: the initial German space center was in Pennemünde (because Easter eggs are great) but the launch base is in Dar-es-Salaam.
@MaskedPickle ! Amazing work as always! Maybe a wikibox on the Habsburgs (Karl I, Otto I and Karl II)
If an opinion poll was held on the question of a Republic, how much of the Italian population would say they'd want a Republic of Italy and how much would want to keep the Kingdom around, then?
What were the leaders and goals of the coup attempts and how close did they come to succeeding in overthrowing the Ojukwu regime?
So a Houston/Cape Canaveral situation between the two rn?
They are scheduled.
I think the polls would be mostly apathetic regarding the establishment of a republic, and there are no mainstream leaders nowadays who would be willing to undertake such an upheaval.
The objective of the coup leaders in Biafra were to overthrow Mrs. Ujukwu and take power. They were almost successful but she was able to rely on her camarilla.
It's exactly that !
What would a “Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated in Sarajevo on June 28th, 1914” online alternate history timeline look like ITTL?
Can you do list of prime ministers of Khalistan and/or country profiles of Khalistan