Getting Ahead of Ourselves: A B-29 TL
- Thread starter Parmenion
- Start date
Well this has been one hell of a trip, and I'm sad to see this timeline wrap up. I'll post a few epilogues and maybe some fake wiki articles at some point. Thanks to everyone who commented and liked my timeline, I really appreciate all the feedback I got. I'm working on a Napoleon TL as we speak, so give that a look if you're interested.
It's always good when a TL is able to wrap up nicely with an epilogue, but I'm surprised it's already ending. I expected quite a bit of wrangling over Europe and China before things wrap up- the latter especially is going to be a clusterfuck with how the Japanese got deep into China and unlike OTL weren't clearly falling apart when the war ends. The KMT is very badly battered, but meanwhile the Chinese Communists are tarred as collaborators.
Epilogue, The Treaties
The Treaty of Stockholm, signed September 6th, 1945
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, acknowledging itself as a great obstacle to world peace, hereby agrees to lay down its arms against all members of the Treaty Against Agressive Threats, as will its allies, effective one hour from the signing of this treaty. Furthermore, the government of the Soviet Union shall agree to the following terms herein.
1) The Soviet Union shall resume the borders of Janurary 1st, 1939, and return any territory aquired after said date to its former holder.
2) In addition to withdrawing from any TAAT territory, the Soviet military will withdraw all forces from the signatory nations of the Bucharest Treaty, effective by one week from the signing of this treaty. This shall be done without destroying or impeding any persons or property of said states.
3) The Soviet armed forces shall never exceed 70% the number of TAAT military personel stationed in Europe, and the Soviet Union shall agree to allow observers to confirm this as needed.
4) The Soviet Union shall cooperate with the UN in regards to the prosecution of war criminals and war crimes investagtions commited by its forces.
The Treaty of Kyoto, Signed September 8th, 1945
The Emperor Hirohito, declaring that his nation is the greatest obstacle to peace in Asia, hereby stands down all his forces domestic and abroad, and will abide by the following
1) All Japanese military forces will disarm and either surrender to local forces, or await decommissioning, whichever is more practical2) Japan now and forever renounces any claims on territory beyond the Home Islands and the Ryukus, as well as any claims of control or vassalage over any other region
3) The Emperor of Japan renounces his title for himself and his heirs, and will renounce his divinity
4) Japan shall be subject to military occupation, and prosecution of war criminals deemed as such by the United Nations.
Dang, so Japan doesn't even keep the Emperor around this time. Well, after what just happened Hirohito is probably glad to just keep his life. Who gets control of the Kurils and South Sakhalin?
Honestly...this is likely going to cause a massive headache for the United States in more ways than they can probably imagine. It will likely keep the United States on its toes for far too long.
I still wish that the problems that the B-29 had were emphasized more in this timeline since that aircraft literally killed more American Airmen than the Japanese did - because the engines were such garbage.
Yeah in hindsight I should've put more focus on that, for some reason I thought it went without saying.
Yeah, hells, a good way to emphasize that the B-29 had problems was to have the Tokyo Strike go horribly by having the bomber carrying the nuke suffer an engine fire and break up in flight - since that could literally happen with the B-29. The engine was just so temperamental and finicky that even a little damage would kill it. Which also would have extended the war by some months.
The B-50, with its Pratt and Whitney Wasp Majors, was a much better engine, way more durable, and way more powerful too.
EDIT: I also see the Philippine People not being pleased with the United States in this timeline either.
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Epilogue, The Pacific.
Despite the Ceasefire at Kyoto, fighting in the Pacific continued for some time. The cause of this was usually one of two reasons, either Japanese troops were trying to flee to a more favorable area to be captured (Such as Manchuria) or in darker cases, it was sinple brutality. In the Phillipines for example, General Yamashita still had 400,000 Japanese army and navy personel stationed there, and more or less quit when he was informed of the surrender. It took three more days for any American troops to arrive, which the general spent mostly drinking and not concerning himself with his command or troops, before he killed himself in Manilla when Genern MacArthur arrived to accept his surrender.
While a majority of Japanese forces did accept the surrender, and peacefully awaited repatriation, this was by no means universal. What started as individual orders to destroy equipment essentially turned into anarchy. In some cities, Japanese soldiers used Filipino civilians as target practice to expend their ammo. Others looted the them, hoping to take whatever valuables they could home with them. It's estimated that as many 200,000 rapes occured in this final week, as the IJA essentially "Got their fill" As one GI who landed there said, before withdrawing.
American Marines and soldiers began arriving on the 13th, but to their surprise had one final fight. While most Japanese soldiers did surrender once the Americans arrived in force, many soldiers, the marines in particular, didn't give them the chance. Either out of instinct from the Marianas or Okinawa, or from their disgust at the attrocities commited, many of the inexperienced and ill equipped Japanese were brutally cut down by the marines. The last major fighting occured on the 20th, though some soldiers in hiding wouldn't surrender for decades.
A similar but less intsense problem took place in Indonesia and Malaya, though the commanders there were more cooperative. Balikapan was largely destroyed by the time the Dutch arrived, but civilians suffered much less. In many areas fighting continued, as local independence movements took their chance to assert themselves. The Neatherlands, having lost 40,000 men in the war in Europe, reluctantly agreed to negotiate independence of Indonesia, which was finalized the next year.
In French Indochina had similar issues, but DeGaulle refused to back down. It was only in early 1947 after riots in Paris at the high death toll and expense, that he agreed to let Vietnam go, on the condition that the new government not be Communist. Thailand quietly signed its own peace treaty with the allies on the 9th of September in Bangkok, returning all the territory it had annexed from Malaya and Burma.
While a majority of Japanese forces did accept the surrender, and peacefully awaited repatriation, this was by no means universal. What started as individual orders to destroy equipment essentially turned into anarchy. In some cities, Japanese soldiers used Filipino civilians as target practice to expend their ammo. Others looted the them, hoping to take whatever valuables they could home with them. It's estimated that as many 200,000 rapes occured in this final week, as the IJA essentially "Got their fill" As one GI who landed there said, before withdrawing.
American Marines and soldiers began arriving on the 13th, but to their surprise had one final fight. While most Japanese soldiers did surrender once the Americans arrived in force, many soldiers, the marines in particular, didn't give them the chance. Either out of instinct from the Marianas or Okinawa, or from their disgust at the attrocities commited, many of the inexperienced and ill equipped Japanese were brutally cut down by the marines. The last major fighting occured on the 20th, though some soldiers in hiding wouldn't surrender for decades.
A similar but less intsense problem took place in Indonesia and Malaya, though the commanders there were more cooperative. Balikapan was largely destroyed by the time the Dutch arrived, but civilians suffered much less. In many areas fighting continued, as local independence movements took their chance to assert themselves. The Neatherlands, having lost 40,000 men in the war in Europe, reluctantly agreed to negotiate independence of Indonesia, which was finalized the next year.
In French Indochina had similar issues, but DeGaulle refused to back down. It was only in early 1947 after riots in Paris at the high death toll and expense, that he agreed to let Vietnam go, on the condition that the new government not be Communist. Thailand quietly signed its own peace treaty with the allies on the 9th of September in Bangkok, returning all the territory it had annexed from Malaya and Burma.
Honestly....the Japanese people will not take that well. I can see occupation not being fun for the United States ITTL.
That's one interesting butterfly here. So it appears Yamashita took the coward's way out, yet a worse version of the Manila massacre still occurs. I do hope Masonabu Tsuji gets tried for war crimes in this timeline.
There may also be a Huk Insurgency in the post-war Philippines here.
Epilogue, the Second Red Scare
The United States had ended the war with a homefront almost completely intact, with what could be considered a modest loss of 740,000 personel killed in action. Nonetheless the nation was still traumatized, both firsthand as millions of young men returned with both mental and physical scars, and ideologically. America had in the eyes of many led the world to victory over both of the new opponants to democracy, but what they'd seen scared them. "Communist" practically became the new C-word in many postwar American families, something to be feared, hated, but never spoken of.
The Political Subversion Act of 1945 remained in effect after the war, and its perhaps purposely vague definition of an enemy of the nation meant that it was applied liberally. In a rather brutal twist of fate, many of the first to be arrested were returning soldiers, some of whom were even arrested as they stepped off their ships. After the act had been passed in July, officers had been instructed to report any suspicions of Communist or Fascist ideology, and the FBI spent more money investigating potential domestic communists than pursuing actual spies. By wars end over two million Americans were on various lists that put them in the spotlight, but very few of these were current or even repentant Communists. Given that these people were small enough in number that the FBI exhausted them quickly, they moved down the list.
First were the Socialists, party members and those who were self described. Some men who'd voted Socialist once as far back as 1916, before the Soviet Union was even founded. After that any remaining Facists, and various smaller 'problematic' political parties were swept up. Before long the targets of the bill seemed picked less for their threat to America, and more for their threat to the interests of various people in high places. Union leaders in particular were targeted, almost 20% of them were arrested by 1947, many more chose to disband. Civil rights groups were also hit hard, many of those arrested were simply done to obstruct their efforts to organize.
It should be noted that just because these people were arrested (812,000 in total) doesn't mean they were convicted, in fact less the 5% of them were. But even being arrested, held without bail in many cases, and waiting in clogged federal jails, was traumatizing and disruptive. Local papers often advertised who'd been arrested each morning, and many completely innocent people were tormented by those who saw themselves as more loyal. Many who spoke out against all this were placed under investigation, which in itself was a terrifying period of waiting to see if they'd be arrested. Such arrests were usually at night with no warning, several dozen were killed in shootouts with the police. In one case a young married immigrant couple in Boston was arrested, and despite their pleas no effort was made to care for their infant son, who starved to death in his crib long before either of them were released.
The fact that merely a baseless accusation could place you under ingestigation led to widespread paranoia, which tore families apart. One man in Nevada even murdered his sister due to her past Communist party membership, though thankfully he was still convicted. With fear and political terror gripping the nation most wanted change, but few were willing to speak out. Ironically it would be the military that would protect the people from their own state. The highest ranking and well known generals of the war were largely spared from any scrutiny, though their families weren't always as forturnate.
Perhaps the final straw occured in April of 1946, when J Robert Oppenheimer's Wife, Brother, and sister in-law were arrested under the act. General Eisenhower, despite his new position as chief of staff of the army and despite President Morganthau's insistance otherwise, defended the Oppenheimers in a fierce series of letters to the press. Several generals, notably including Patton, rallied behind their old commander. Patton even famously said in one interview "Why arrest him? Do you know how many fucking Russian widowers there are because of that great man? I'd let him punch me for all I care."
In the end the whole affair proved the first nail in the coffin for the act, it was clear the public wouldn't tolerate this proscription. The act was reviewd by the supreme court once again that summer, and finally abolished after a few hasty revisions in January 1947. It was far too late to save Morganthau though, polling that year showed that his approval were ratings at perhaps as low as 15%. Morganthau chose not to stand for reelection, and instead the democrats sought to salvage their reputation by asking Eisenhower to run. He reluctantly agreed, and in 1948 won the largest landslide in electoral history, carrying every state against the republican sacrificial lamb Hugh Butler. Eishenhower was describe as a long overdue stiff drink for the nation, and promised never to throw the nation into fear and terror again, a promise he delivered.
The Political Subversion Act of 1945 remained in effect after the war, and its perhaps purposely vague definition of an enemy of the nation meant that it was applied liberally. In a rather brutal twist of fate, many of the first to be arrested were returning soldiers, some of whom were even arrested as they stepped off their ships. After the act had been passed in July, officers had been instructed to report any suspicions of Communist or Fascist ideology, and the FBI spent more money investigating potential domestic communists than pursuing actual spies. By wars end over two million Americans were on various lists that put them in the spotlight, but very few of these were current or even repentant Communists. Given that these people were small enough in number that the FBI exhausted them quickly, they moved down the list.
First were the Socialists, party members and those who were self described. Some men who'd voted Socialist once as far back as 1916, before the Soviet Union was even founded. After that any remaining Facists, and various smaller 'problematic' political parties were swept up. Before long the targets of the bill seemed picked less for their threat to America, and more for their threat to the interests of various people in high places. Union leaders in particular were targeted, almost 20% of them were arrested by 1947, many more chose to disband. Civil rights groups were also hit hard, many of those arrested were simply done to obstruct their efforts to organize.
It should be noted that just because these people were arrested (812,000 in total) doesn't mean they were convicted, in fact less the 5% of them were. But even being arrested, held without bail in many cases, and waiting in clogged federal jails, was traumatizing and disruptive. Local papers often advertised who'd been arrested each morning, and many completely innocent people were tormented by those who saw themselves as more loyal. Many who spoke out against all this were placed under investigation, which in itself was a terrifying period of waiting to see if they'd be arrested. Such arrests were usually at night with no warning, several dozen were killed in shootouts with the police. In one case a young married immigrant couple in Boston was arrested, and despite their pleas no effort was made to care for their infant son, who starved to death in his crib long before either of them were released.
The fact that merely a baseless accusation could place you under ingestigation led to widespread paranoia, which tore families apart. One man in Nevada even murdered his sister due to her past Communist party membership, though thankfully he was still convicted. With fear and political terror gripping the nation most wanted change, but few were willing to speak out. Ironically it would be the military that would protect the people from their own state. The highest ranking and well known generals of the war were largely spared from any scrutiny, though their families weren't always as forturnate.
Perhaps the final straw occured in April of 1946, when J Robert Oppenheimer's Wife, Brother, and sister in-law were arrested under the act. General Eisenhower, despite his new position as chief of staff of the army and despite President Morganthau's insistance otherwise, defended the Oppenheimers in a fierce series of letters to the press. Several generals, notably including Patton, rallied behind their old commander. Patton even famously said in one interview "Why arrest him? Do you know how many fucking Russian widowers there are because of that great man? I'd let him punch me for all I care."
In the end the whole affair proved the first nail in the coffin for the act, it was clear the public wouldn't tolerate this proscription. The act was reviewd by the supreme court once again that summer, and finally abolished after a few hasty revisions in January 1947. It was far too late to save Morganthau though, polling that year showed that his approval were ratings at perhaps as low as 15%. Morganthau chose not to stand for reelection, and instead the democrats sought to salvage their reputation by asking Eisenhower to run. He reluctantly agreed, and in 1948 won the largest landslide in electoral history, carrying every state against the republican sacrificial lamb Hugh Butler. Eishenhower was describe as a long overdue stiff drink for the nation, and promised never to throw the nation into fear and terror again, a promise he delivered.
This is an intense red scare. But perhaps the strong backlash at the end might at least make future witch hunts against communism more palatable? Glad that Oppenheimer escapes persecution this time.