....is that something you can actually do in Kaiserreich? Because holy shit do I need to load up my game again.
Photos of the Kaiserreich
- Thread starter pattontank12
- Start date
In Kaiserredeux you can. Carroll can crown Jesus or the Stuart claimant to the British throne as King of America
Not in vanilla KR but it's cooler and wackier cousin called Kaiserredux (technically it's from the mod called "The World Set Free" but it's integrated into KX so it counts)
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Members of the "Columbia" Militia in a captured part of Baltimore during the height of the Smedley Rising.
General Smedley Butler, perpetrator of the Smedley Rising.
George H. Cannon, Butler's right hand man during the uprising.
Flag employed by several militias during the Smedley Rising, which grew to be an icon of the socialist world.
The National Guard routing a rally by demonstrators loyal to the Rising.
The Smedley Rising was an armed demonstration that took place between May 12 to 14 1941, mostly around the Greater Washington Area, with the epicenter and the most concentrated sector being Baltimore, Maryland. It was led by former Combined Syndicate generals Smedley Butler (who was the namesake of the event) and George H. Cannon as an act of defiance to the rule of General, now President, Douglas MacArthur, who had emerged victorious in the 1940 Presidential Elections that was revised as per MacArthur's reformed democracy plan. The uprising was built around 10 separately organized socialist militias. The plan by Butler was to march into Washington DC and demand that the elected president step down. The event was mostly suppressed by combined National Guard and Army forces, with the last pockets of demonstrators being disbanded by May 14th. It is to date the largest armed demonstration in American history. The entire event presented the issue of continued Syndicate and Longist resistance to the presidency, and enabled the suppression and destruction of partisan units still resisting the Federal Government. The event was supported by the Internationale, yet denounced by Germany and the Reichspakt. It would also become one of the most controversial demonstrations in American history, mostly accredited to the initial violent response by the National Guard and the Armed Forces. It would become the main catalyst for what would become the "Red and Grey Cleansing", the systematic destruction of all Longist and Syndicalist resistance which would last until 1946.
After the conclusion of the Second American Civil War in May 1939 with a Federal victory, the Washington Trials focused on the justification of war crimes and felonies committed by the highest ranking members of the American Union State, the Combined Syndicates and the Pacific States. Smedley Butler and Cannon were among the defendants to be tried during the trial of Syndicalist army staff. Due to the lack of concrete evidence for the lawsuits filed against the 2 generals, the final verdict ended up in a not guilty sentence for the 2 generals. They were allowed to retain their ranks in the armed forces, but was placed under strict supervision. They were the only defendants to ever be given the not guilty sentence in the entirety of the Washington Trials, unless counting the not guilty sentence on George Patton of the Union State, which pleaded for a guilty instead just before the final verdict was announced. Both generals went into obscurity and secret activity the months after the trials and before the rising, but conspiracy theories suggests that both were secretly meeting in this timeframe to plan out the uprising. According to recovered documents, the pair got into contact with several remnant syndicate partisans, which would become the 10 socialist militias that would become the bulk of the uprising against the Federal Government. Before the event, the militias were given nicknames to enable quicker identification of groups during the affair: Columbia, Chicago, Milwaukee, Dover, Washington, Indiana, Sacramento, Austin, Miami and Kansas respectively. The formations numbered no fewer than at least 300-500 partisans each by Army estimates.
The 10 militias were assigned to certain areas around the Greater Washington Area. The goal was to eventually capture all important points around DC. The 10 formations would then march into the city and force MacArthur to surrender. Butler would then declare DC as an occupied city commune. Many pundits and military experts today deem that the plan was too optimistic in its approach. The pair had greatly underestimated the response efforts of the National Guards and the Armed Forces, albeit those would remain controversial today. The uprising began at 8 AM on May 12, the second anniversary of the dissolving of the MacArthur led military junta. The Columbia and Chicago militias seized the Greater Baltimore Area, taking the Maryland National Guard by surprise. Full mobilization of local army units under the orders of Maryland Governor Herbert O'Conor was announced by 10 AM. The White House was also informed of the matter, and MacArthur ordered the mobilization and deployment of army units to the area. The rest of the militias sprung up in Maryland and Virginia by 12 noon by that day. By that time, they had seized several areas around Washington DC as planned.
But at that moment onward, everything fell apart for the Rising. The main, and only, communications station they had been using was recaptured by Federal forces, forcing Butler to resort to runners and smaller, less efficient radios. Most of the runners were caught before they reached their assigned militias, which enabled the Federal Government to take knowledge of their moves and predict what time certain events were to take place. The Rising was now relegated to the decisions of the leaders of the militia units. MacArthur ordered that the Army and National Guard to intimidate the rebels into surrender. He also declared martial law and a total civilian lockdown for the next 48 hours in the Greater Washington Area, as it seems the rebellion was relegated to that area only. By the morning of May 13, 3 militias have surrendered on decision by their commanders, and 1 was destroyed when it attempted to resist. The Federal forces used brutal force in compelling these units to give in, with the Columbia militia even being beaten physically by members of the army.
Butler and Cannon knew that their revolt was destined to fail, but still insisted to continue the event and march on Washington. The former went on their backup communications station and announced the plans to the remaining 6. MacArthur had prepared for this very moment. As the units met the intersection near the Capitol, the army opened fired. The crowd scattered as the armed demonstrators fired back, ensuing in a small firefight that would last hours in the streets of Washington. The fighting would last until the next day, the 14th, when the last units were either destroyed or surrendered.
The 2 generals initially evaded capture, but were later apprehended in Dover, Delaware a few days later. Being found automatically guilty of their crimes, the 2 were sentenced to death by the electric chair and unconditional discharge from their posts. In all, 29 demonstrators and 12 Federals were killed, with dozens more wounded. The response by MacArthur is deemed controversial. The Internationale declared May 12 as "The Day of Bloodshed", and was even made a non working holiday in the Union of Britain. It would remain a scar in the MacArthur Administration, and even the General's reputation as a whole.
After the conclusion of the Second American Civil War in May 1939 with a Federal victory, the Washington Trials focused on the justification of war crimes and felonies committed by the highest ranking members of the American Union State, the Combined Syndicates and the Pacific States. Smedley Butler and Cannon were among the defendants to be tried during the trial of Syndicalist army staff. Due to the lack of concrete evidence for the lawsuits filed against the 2 generals, the final verdict ended up in a not guilty sentence for the 2 generals. They were allowed to retain their ranks in the armed forces, but was placed under strict supervision. They were the only defendants to ever be given the not guilty sentence in the entirety of the Washington Trials, unless counting the not guilty sentence on George Patton of the Union State, which pleaded for a guilty instead just before the final verdict was announced. Both generals went into obscurity and secret activity the months after the trials and before the rising, but conspiracy theories suggests that both were secretly meeting in this timeframe to plan out the uprising. According to recovered documents, the pair got into contact with several remnant syndicate partisans, which would become the 10 socialist militias that would become the bulk of the uprising against the Federal Government. Before the event, the militias were given nicknames to enable quicker identification of groups during the affair: Columbia, Chicago, Milwaukee, Dover, Washington, Indiana, Sacramento, Austin, Miami and Kansas respectively. The formations numbered no fewer than at least 300-500 partisans each by Army estimates.
The 10 militias were assigned to certain areas around the Greater Washington Area. The goal was to eventually capture all important points around DC. The 10 formations would then march into the city and force MacArthur to surrender. Butler would then declare DC as an occupied city commune. Many pundits and military experts today deem that the plan was too optimistic in its approach. The pair had greatly underestimated the response efforts of the National Guards and the Armed Forces, albeit those would remain controversial today. The uprising began at 8 AM on May 12, the second anniversary of the dissolving of the MacArthur led military junta. The Columbia and Chicago militias seized the Greater Baltimore Area, taking the Maryland National Guard by surprise. Full mobilization of local army units under the orders of Maryland Governor Herbert O'Conor was announced by 10 AM. The White House was also informed of the matter, and MacArthur ordered the mobilization and deployment of army units to the area. The rest of the militias sprung up in Maryland and Virginia by 12 noon by that day. By that time, they had seized several areas around Washington DC as planned.
But at that moment onward, everything fell apart for the Rising. The main, and only, communications station they had been using was recaptured by Federal forces, forcing Butler to resort to runners and smaller, less efficient radios. Most of the runners were caught before they reached their assigned militias, which enabled the Federal Government to take knowledge of their moves and predict what time certain events were to take place. The Rising was now relegated to the decisions of the leaders of the militia units. MacArthur ordered that the Army and National Guard to intimidate the rebels into surrender. He also declared martial law and a total civilian lockdown for the next 48 hours in the Greater Washington Area, as it seems the rebellion was relegated to that area only. By the morning of May 13, 3 militias have surrendered on decision by their commanders, and 1 was destroyed when it attempted to resist. The Federal forces used brutal force in compelling these units to give in, with the Columbia militia even being beaten physically by members of the army.
Butler and Cannon knew that their revolt was destined to fail, but still insisted to continue the event and march on Washington. The former went on their backup communications station and announced the plans to the remaining 6. MacArthur had prepared for this very moment. As the units met the intersection near the Capitol, the army opened fired. The crowd scattered as the armed demonstrators fired back, ensuing in a small firefight that would last hours in the streets of Washington. The fighting would last until the next day, the 14th, when the last units were either destroyed or surrendered.
The 2 generals initially evaded capture, but were later apprehended in Dover, Delaware a few days later. Being found automatically guilty of their crimes, the 2 were sentenced to death by the electric chair and unconditional discharge from their posts. In all, 29 demonstrators and 12 Federals were killed, with dozens more wounded. The response by MacArthur is deemed controversial. The Internationale declared May 12 as "The Day of Bloodshed", and was even made a non working holiday in the Union of Britain. It would remain a scar in the MacArthur Administration, and even the General's reputation as a whole.
A squad of North Argentine Army soldiers pose for a publicity photo following the occupation of Mendoza, May 1936. The Carlès regime was heavily supported by the German Empire, and the North Argentine Army closely emulated their allies in uniform design and tactics.....something which was much different from the motley, almost haphazard style of their opponents on the south side of the Rio Negro river.
A Patagonian militia platoon poses for a picture in Puerto Madryn, March 1937, a few weeks before the Argentine Civil War resumed in earnest. Brave and committed fighters, their lack of heavy weaponry ultimately meant that they were unable to stop the Buenos Aires regime from completing its “Reconquista” of the south, with support from Germany, Canada, Brazil, and Peru, as well as their Bolivian co-belligerents.
Members of the Spanish Totalist insurgent group Partido Obrero de Unificacion Marxista, better known as POUM. Heavily funded by the Commune of France, POUM would pose the most serious threat to Spanish stability after the end of “La Violencia” in October 1937 and the ascension of Juan III to the throne in January of 1938. The members of POUM, aided by the intelligence agencies of the Third Internationale, would continue to carry out bombings and assassination attempts for years from safe havens in Catalonia and across the Pyrenees, including nearly assassinating Juan III in September of 1941 when the king visited Barcelona. They would also closely collaborate with French soldiers during the Third Internationale‘s invasion of Spain in June of 1943, dubbed Operation Martel.
Ethiopian soldiers advance into the small German colony of Djibouti, 1991. The ruling junta had been struggling to maintain power following a long period of economic decline, combined with a decades long Egyptian sponsored insurgency in the northern part of Ethiopia’s Eritrean lands. Ethiopia had long proclaimed itself a bastion of anti colonialism in Africa, and with Djibouti being one of the last European held outposts on the continent following the final collapse of Mittleafrika in 1974, the regime calculated that a “splendid little war” would enable them to solidify their hold on power, particularly as Germany was already tied down in the long and increasingly unpopular war in Ceylon. The initial Ethiopian invasion saw no real organized opposition, as budget cuts had left the German military presence in the region effectively non-existent. However, German chancellor Kurt Steiner, a former Fallschirmjaeger and veteran of the Second Weltkrieg, rallied the nation to deal with what he declared as an “unprovoked and blatant act of aggression on the part of Addis Ababa“. A carrier battle group which had been conducting air strikes against the Indian backed insurgents hiding in the forests of Ceylon was redirected into the Red Sea; following several weeks of intense air strikes against Ethiopian army targets in Djibouti, and against Addis Ababa itself, Germany‘s marines hit the beaches, both in Djibouti and further up the coast at Massawa, in Eritrea, assisted by an offensive from the Eritrean Liberation Front. The junta had not expected the Germans to land in Eritrea and had concentrated their best forces in Djibouti; the result was that Ethiopian forces in the north collapsed, while the marines coming ashore at Djibouti City came under intense fire and took several days to finally break out of the beachhead. Once ashore the Germans rapidly pushed inland, and within two months of their landing had occupied Eritrea as well as Djibouti and had surrounded Addis Ababa. A renewed Somali invasion of Harar and the Ogaden, at this point, brought the junta to the negotiating table and forced them to accept German rule over Djibouti(although the small coastal nation would gain independence following a referendum in 2017) as well as Eritrean independence in the northern part of the country which had yet to be fully colonized by Ethiopian settlers, and Somali reclamation of the Ogaden, although the Germans forced the syndicalist regime to abandon Harar.
A trio of Albanian People’s Liberation Army insurgents pose with a road sign on their way to Tirana, 1952. The Austrian Empire‘s brutal crackdown across Central Europe in the aftermath of the Hungarian revolt and Serbian invasion of Bosnia had seen Albania swept up as well; seeking to secure their sphere of influence, the von Horstenau government had used a series of raids by Albanian bandits into the Kosovo “special occupation zone” as a casus belli for an intervention in Albania itself; the small Balkan republic had been unable to stand against the Imperial Austrian Army, and Wilhelm zu Wied was placed on the throne(the idea being that perhaps the third time would be the charm) in April of 1939. However, the Albanian people had be outraged by the invasion, and an insurgency almost immediately sprang up in the country‘s vast swamps and mountain ranges. The Austrians, already fighting insurgencies in Hungary, Bohemia, and Transylvania, as well as lesser unrest in Tyrol and Slovakia, nevertheless steadily increased the number of troops they were dispatching to Wilhelm‘s aid. The empire, however, was painfully overstretched— staying firmly neutral in the Second Weltkrieg as a result— and in 1952 the house of cards, which had already been shaken(from 1944 on large chunks of the empire were effectively controlled by partisan “shadow governments”) came crashing down. With the empire from Prague to Belgrade going up in flames the Austrian garrison almost entirely pulled out....which is what the Albanian partisans had been waiting for. The leading insurgent group, the Albanian People’s Liberation Army, launched a general uprising, and within weeks had occupied several of Albania‘s major cities. Wied’s collaborationist army had proved utterly incapable of stopping the insurgents, and the stage was set for the climatic drive on Tirana itself.....
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A row of Messerschmidt BF-109 fighter aircraft of the Swiss Air Force sit on a runway, September 1941. Switzerland had been an early victim of the Sorelian government’s ambitions, being forced to cede Haute-Savoy and the Romandy region to the French in the spring of 1937. The unwillingness of Germany and Austria to abide by their promises of support for Bern had lead to a coup by the SVV, a far right political movement led by Colonel Eugen Bircher. The SVV then set about transforming Switzerland into the “Black Spot of Europe“; a self made fortress bristling with heavily armed soldiers and Landwehr militiamen. The Swiss government had purchased the right to produce BF-109s in early 1936, and the Bircher dictatorship continued producing them in substantial numbers throughout the 1940s. Swiss BF-109s would clash with French aircraft operating near the new border, even shooting down French bombers on at least two occasions. Even after the return of Romandy to Swiss control following the 1944 Treaty of Marseilles the regime would remain paranoid, with rumors of vast bunker complexes being built into the mountains capable of housing entire divisions comfortably. The Swiss thaw of 1993 would finally bring an end to nearly sixty years of dictatorship in the mountainous Central European country, but even today Switzerland is noted for possessing an oversized military and a distrustful attitude towards its neighbors.
South African soldiers warily keep an eye out for members of the “Land and Freedom Army”, a Kikiyu insurgent group in the Kenyan Free State, 1977. The collapse of Mittleafrika after a half a century of German dominance in 1974 had created a power void that many different nations had sought to exploit for their own benefit. South African troops had occupied Southwest Africa as part of “peacekeeping“ operations in early 1975, and when the former British settlers in Kenya, who had stubbornly clung to their identity despite decades of Germanization efforts, asked for their support in dealing with the Ethiopian backed insurgent group, which had been conducting attacks since the early 1950s, Pretoria hadn’t hesitated to send troops into the country. The Kenyan War would grind on for another twelve years until the signing of the Mombasa Accords, which established an egalitarian power sharing arrangement in the Free State, simply known as Kenya today.
(Yes, I know the “Land and Freedom Army” was the Mau Mau’s name in OTL, but it’s simply too good of a name not to use).
Members of the Cambodian National Liberation Front pose for a picture atop a captured German truck, 1965. Cambodia, formerly a province of Thailand, was annexed into German East Asia following the defeat of the Co-Prosperity Sphere in the Great Pacific War, which saw Japan, Thailand(then known as Siam), Transamur, Burma and Insulindia take on the forces of the Reichspakt, with both Russia and Fengtian China entering the war against Japan as co-belligerents(ironically, this was after Russia had forced the Germans, following a year long campaign which saw the hard pressed Reichspakt forces driven all the way into East Prussia, to surrender vast amounts of Eastern European lands; being co-belligerents with the Russians only a few years after losing hundreds of thousands of men killed, wounded, or captured fighting them was enough to give one a headache). The German East Asian colonial forces had performed spectacularly during the war, successfully stoppimg the Japanese advance towards Singapore in the jungles of Malaya at great cost; following the war the administration was enlarged, with Formosa, valuable rubber growing provinces Siamese provinces along the southern border, and Cambodia all transferred to German administration. Nationalists in Cambodia were understandable displeased by this outcome, and began a brutal guerrilla war against the German East Asian colonial administration. Under intense international pressure to commit to decolonization, which had already swept across the French African territories beginning in the late 1950s, Germany announced that their territories in Indochina would be granted independence in 1965 and began a slow, drawn out withdrawal from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, harassed all the while by the successors of the Viet Minh in Vietnam and Laos, and by the NLF in Cambodia.
The “Worker’s Defense”, an improvised tank created using a commandeered National Guard anti-aircraft gun and a miniature tractor, invented by workers of the Combined Syndicates of America. Designated as the LAT-37 by the Red Army, vehicles like these were a common sight in the early days of the uprising, as syndicate forces seized control of major cities across the Midwest and battled National Guard troops loyal to the commands of General Douglas MacArthur. CSA forces would eventually develop their own “regular“ tank forces as well as using British and French lend leased vehicles, but the LAT-37 would remain in service as a tank destroyer throughout the early years of the war. This model is pictured on the outskirts of St. Paul, Minnesota prior to the Combined Syndicates‘ offensive which took the city and much of Minnesota.
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The USS Enterprise (CV-6) as pictured here in December 1941. The vessel, along with the entire Pacific Fleet, would ensure American neutrality and protection from the encroaching Japanese Empire who's ambitions grow by leaps and bounds. President MacArthur made it his goal and gamble to ensure that the United States remains unharmed as the Second Weltkrieg loomed over the horizon. The country had just finished the civil war only roughly 2 years earlier, and the economical situation at the moment could not support a full out war, even with the reputation of being an industrial powerhouse despite German hegemony ruling and the Internationale rising. The USS Hornet (CV-8) would complete the Yorktown Class carriers, which would then be out phased in favor of the now popular Essex Class. The ship carried the nickname "The Big E", and would be a symbol of the re-emergence of American confidence and patriotism as the Second Reconstruction Period went on, ending by 1944.
American soldiers wearing their new uniforms and equipment during a training exercise in a dummy village built by the military, circa late 1941. The old uniform of the 1930s, which was recognizable as similar to the British uniforms of the Weltkrieg in some cases, were deemed outdated by the President and his personally appointed Chief of Staff, New Federalist yet controversial figure, Omar Bradley. As the Reconstruction went on, MacArthur deemed it necessary to reform the armed forces as well to better give confidence and trust to the population in case of an enemy attack against the United States. It would also be a great boost, as he deemed, for his overall Administration as the POTUS. The United States Army went into mass reorganization, including new unit formations and strategies, and better suited training equipment and overall mentorship. This restored the cohesion of the organization and enabled the armed forces to expand to never anticipated heights. The number of soldiers increased as well during the MacArthur Administration.
B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 486th Bombardment Group in a flying exercise, January 1942. The United States Army Air Corps (later the United States Air Force in 1944) also went into massive overhaul, especially in the planes that they utilize and fly. The Martin B-10 Bolo was the backbone of the USAAC for many years since it's introduction in 1934, and was deemed outdated by the institution for the incoming age of new air doctrines and the jet age. Henry Arnold, Chief of the USAAC, personally advocated the replacement of the bomber. The Bolo ceased production in favor of the recently introduced B-17 and the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. This was deemed also a part of the mass reorganization of the armed forces during the MacArthur Administration.
A colorized photo of the USS Alabama (BB-60), a South Dakota battleship that was placed in service as part of the reformation of the navy during the Second Reconstruction, pictured here in her sea trials in May 1942. The United States Navy was deeply divided in a feud whether to focus on either the mighty armor and superior firepower of the battleships or the less armored but strategically important naval asset, the aircraft carriers. President MacArthur himself came forward with a solution: the Navy would equally split the budget of the vessels specifically between the 2 types, and have the navy launch at least 3 of each kind every year. The move was respected by the populace, but overall not effective, as the Navy tended to lean more on the carriers due to their cheaper cost and requiring much less materials to manufacture compared to huge battleships.
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A German volunteer crew pose with their “Donnerschlag“ panzer, Kansas 1938. The Donnerschlag was the first of a new phase of German armored warfare, possessing a 37mm(later upgraded to 50mm) gun and thicker armor than its Ozelot predecessor. A number of these tanks were sent to the American Union State as part of Kampfgruppe Wolf, Germany’s ”volunteer” forces who served in the American Civil War officially from 1937 to 1939, and in a much reduced capacity until the end of war. Donnerschlag panzers proved superior to the British Pilot Mark III and Combined Syndicate L3, which led to the development of the British Medium Mark I as a counter, but their 37mm gun proved woefully inadequate for the job of countering French Char B1 and Russian T-76 heavy tanks during the early stages of the Second Weltkrieg. Ultimately phased out of frontline service in favor of the Donnerschlag-IV and Tiger, the Donnerschlag never the less would continue to serve the Heer as a training vehicle for a number of years after the war, and smaller Reichspakt countries such as Finland, Lithuania and Brittany would continue to use them well into the 1960s.
An Australasian soldier takes aim with a Thompson submachine gun during Entente joint Army maneuvers in upstate New York, 1969. New England, composed of the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont, had declared neutrality, backed by Canadian troops crossing the border, when the American Civil War had broken out, and with the victory of the American Union State had declared its continued independence rather than submit to the “tyrant Long”. While Huey Long and his successors had officially fumed over the declaration, in practice the men running the AUS were pragmatists— they knew that New England posed a perfect dumping ground for dissidents and ”undesirables“ of any sort, and while they certainly could take the Northeast back, especially since of the fall of the Exile government in Canada and the Second Peace With Honor led to massive Canadian military budget cuts, it was far enough away from their power base in the South and Great Plains to render it a potential ulcer. New England as a enemy propped up by foreign powers, however, served as a perfect rallying cry for dissident to be directed outwards rather than at the government in New Orleans. Following the decision by the aging Union State dictator to begin the creation of a vast system of fortifications across Pennsylvania and New Jersey on the New England border in 1962, the Entente began yearly joint army exercises in New England in hopes of deterring the Union State from launching an attack, which continued up until American reunification following the end of the Union State dictatorship.
A Ouragan(Hurricane) jet fighter of the Commune of France over Bordeaux, June 1944. The intense air warfare over Germany, the English Channel, central Italy and France itself led both the Third Internationale and Reichspakt to rapidly develop new and better aircraft in order to counter each other’s own improvements. The Union of Britain‘s Vampire jet fighter entered combat in October of 1943 as the world‘s first functioning jet fighter over the English Channel, but by May of 1944 the Germans had introduced their own jet fighter, the Me-262. The steady Reichspakt advance through France, beginning in March of 1944, had hindered France‘s ability to develop its own domestic jet fighter but by June they had finally managed to get small numbers of Ouragans in active service. The Ouragan had a reputation as a versatile aircraft, carrying out almost as many ground attack missions against the advancing Reichspakt— and later Entente— forces as air superiority missions. However, the rush to get the aircraft into service meant that some of the problems had not yet been fully worked out, with particularly sharp turns while maneuvering sometimes leading to the aircraft going into an uncontrolled spin. The overrunning of the French jet program laboratory at Clermont-Ferrand in January of 1945, and the French capitulation in March of that year— although the war would drag out another year and a half until the Second Peace with Honor— meant that there were never a large number of Ouragans. Several of the aircraft stationed at airbases in Normandy successfully made it to airbases in southern Britain prior to Reichspakt forces overrunning the region, and they would continue operating alongside the Republican Air Force until the end of the war.
An curious Irish Army officer inspects a German supplied Panzerwerfer42 , Ulster, August 1944. The Irish government had remained neutral but strongly pro German throughout the Second Weltkrieg, with Dublin providing a safe haven for Abteilung III B agents conducting operations in the Union of Britain throughout the war. The North Sea Crisis of 1938 had resulted in Ireland officially being neutralized in return for a non aggression pact with the Union of Britain, but continued British diplomatic support for Ireland‘s syndicalists had led Dublin to remain a heavily armed neutral. Germany had sent several convoys loaded with war material to Ireland after the tide of the war had turned decisively in their favor, with everything from Selbstlader40 semiautomatic rifles to Donnerschlag-IV medium tanks. This equipment proved crucial when Ulster erupted in open revolt in June of 1944. The Ulster Volunteer Force, or UVF, had been badly weakened by Irish government crackdowns, but nevertheless was surprisingly well armed with surplus British military equipment. With the help of German supplied heavy weapons, however, the Irish govenemrn was able to swiftly put down their revolt, although a low level insurgency would continue to rage for another three decades.
Kaiser Wilhelm II pictured 1 hour before broadcasting the declaration of war against the French Commune and the Third Internationale after years of tension and the standoffs during the Interwar Period on January 7 1941. The Kaiser deemed it necessary to reinforce his grip on the German Empire as the hegemony was dying down due to his failing mental and physical stature, and the German government going into a state of depression as Black Monday shook the country and the world. Thus, at the convincement of his Armed Forces High Command (Oberkommando der Streitkräfte) led by famous generals like August von Mackensen and Heinz Guderian, Wilhelm came to the conclusion that the Syndicalists must be taken out to preserve his "Thousand Year Empire", as German nationalists called it. At the hour of the Emperor declaring war, German troops crossed the border into the French Commune, and the latter in turn began its drive into Flanders Wallonia and other parts of the Franco-German border. The Second Weltkrieg had begun. In his now widely known diary, "The Times of Old", Wilhelm claimed that the declaration of war was "his last testament" to the Empire that his dynasty had built from the 19th Century onwards. Sebastian Faure of the French Commune would respond with his own declaration, officially bringing the Internationale and Reichspakt into conflict.
Panzer IVs of the Panzerkorps (literally "Tank Corps") in French territory near Nancy during the first days of the Second Weltkrieg. This, along with other German tanks, was the main driving force of the new German tactic formulated by military generals Heinz Guderian and Erwin Rommel called "Blitzkrieg" (Lightning Warfare), which involves fast attacks with armored vehicles to cause mass confusion and to punch holes in enemy defenses, paving way for the infantrymen to come in and clean up survivors from the armored onslaught. Many military experts agree that the Second Weltkrieg was a demonstration on a large scale of the tactic, which proved to be decisive against the then slower but better armored French and Internationale forces. Blitzkrieg would become one of the core tactics used by many nations afterwards, like the United States and the Russian State, which would formulate and base their own armored pincer movements on the tactic. The 2 generals would become the most notable to lead the Panzerkorps. Even Internationale generals like Paul Le Gentilhomme commented that the Blitzkrieg strategy was "very effective to our own forces that we had to copy it."
A few days after the declaration of the Second Weltkrieg between the Internationale and the Reichspakt, President Douglas MacArthur officially spoke to the United States Congress and the whole world in a live broadcast, declaring the neutrality of the United States of America in the conflict. In a unison agreement between the New Federalists and the American Unity Party, though reluctant for the latter, the country took up a stance of armed neutrality to protect American territories as the Second Reconstruction Period went on. The Office of Strategic Services, the intelligence agency of the nation, was assigned to monitor activity in both alliances to prevent a sudden surprise attack on the United States. To further reinforce the claim, the Neutrality Act of 1941 was signed by MacArthur a few weeks later, therefore getting the country from joining. The Navy's High Command ordered all fleets to shoot at any Internationale or Reichspakt naval vessels that "attempt to violate and expel American neutrality". German assets in America automatically went frozen, at the dismay of the German private sector who invested hundreds of thousands of German marks in the United States. The Armed Forces as a whole were placed on high alert for anything that can disturb the neutrality imposed by the legislation.
The OSS in London, spying on the UoB in secret to combat a possible breaking of the Neutrality Act, caught wind of a project by the British Syndicalists and their armed forces to create a jet fighter in response to a secret program by the Germans to create the same thing. Henry Arnold, Chief of the United States Army Air Corps, advocated for a project of their own to fight against a possible Internationale or Reichspakt intervention in the United States. This gave birth to the Bell P-59 Airacomet (pictured above flying with a P-51, circa 1942), the first ever jet fighter prototype of the USAAC. Arnold was unimpressed with the fighter, which was underpowered than expected. It did however give birth to future such projects such as the P-80 Shooting Star, which became the first frontline proven American jet fighter of the Air Forces. It also introduced America to the Jet Age of both armed forces and commercial aircraft, which was quickly outrunning the common Piston Age of planes.
General George Patton, Field Marshal Dwight D. Eisenhower and Chief of Staff Omar Bradley during the 4th Defense Planning Conference in the Main Navy and Munitions Building in Washington DC, December 1941. The Defense Planning Conferences were intended to formulate defense plans for the United States against the different belligerents of the Second Weltkrieg, including the Entente which was neutral before Operation Homecoming, and the Greater East Asia Co Prosperity Sphere. It also was an important step in repairing tarnished relations between the New Federalists and the American Unionists, which were divided in the armed forces as well. There were 5 Conferences in total, with 5 Defense Plans formulated, namely: Defense Plan Grey for the Reichspakt, Defense Plan Red for the Internationale, Defense Plan Blue for the Entente, Defense Plan Yellow for Japan and the GEACPS, and Defense Plan Green for the Mexican syndicalists and their allies in the New World. President MacArthur personally oversaw the meetings, with several armed forces officials present as well. It enabled the US to have a plan of action against the powers that might attack them in a surprise move. The OSS was to take part with the Defense Plans as well through foreign infiltration.
President Floyd B. Olson talking with Minnesota Senator Henrik Shipstead (FL) in Chicago, c. 1937. A fellow Minnesotan and Farmer-Labor politician, Shipstead was one of a handful of officials selected by Olson to travel with him to Chicago for the historic negotiations with Jack Reed that ended the strikes. Shipstead would be instrumental, both in advising Olson on what he could feasibly pass, and in later whipping up enough votes to prevent what nearly was a catastrophic defeat in the Senate, surviving a filibuster by Senator Huey Long. When civil war once again broke out in the South, Shipstead temporarily abandoned his staunch isolationism in order to rally behind Olson's attempts to restore the union. Despite personally opposing the creation of the Selective Service, he did not make any serious moves to block its passage.
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Soldiers of the Polish People's Legion, Polish socialists and ex Bolsheviks who escaped from the German controlled Kingdom of Poland to find new life and opportunity in the French Commune. Approximately 27,000 soldiers made up the Legion, which would be attached to the 4th Army Corps in the Alsace Lorraine Front in the early stages of the Second Weltkrieg, but they would be transferred to the 1st Army Corps after 4 months to fight the joint Flemish-Walloon armies, backed by the Germans. The fierce determination of the Poles was noticed by the Internationale's High Command, and decided to make them a special "multi role" unit, as Polish people were noted to be very hard working, as according to the Commune. Parts of the Legion were normal armed units, accompanied by pioneer sections and engineer attachments. 12,000 soldiers of the Polish People's Legion would die or be wounded in the Second Weltkrieg, accompanied by 30,000 proper Poles from their German client state of origin.
German mechanized infantry fighting in a forest outside Nancy, March 1941. The Imperial Mechanized Corps carried the iconic name of "Panzergrenadiers" (which is the name used by the Germans to refer to either mechanized or motorized infantry units), which would mostly be composed of heavy "assault troopers", including the famous Stormtroopers carried over from the First Weltkrieg to adapt with the new Blitzkrieg tactics of the Imperial Armed Forces. Panzergrenadier units usually accompanied Panzer formations, and they are considered a key part of the execution of the strategy invented and perfected by Guderian and Rommel. The most famous unit of this type in the war is the Panzergrenadier Division Bradenburg, nicknamed the "Bradenburgers", which were notable for their numerous special operations during the war, as well as their paratrooper wing, the 1st Fallschirmjager Regiment, which were trained to a higher standard than the normal Fallschirmjagers of the Army,
Troops of the British Expeditionary Force to the French Commune fighting in the streets of a village in the Franco German border, April 1941. The Union of Britain sent over an initial 200,000 men to the frontlines as the nation prepared for war. An extra 500,000 men was deployed in the following months. These soldiers were among the most elite in the Internationale's command, as many of the officer corps that joined were Weltkrieg veterans who were loyal to the Syndicalist government of the country. They would have a reputation among the Germans as "fighting brutes". Their proficiency in the field was cited as the reason on why the Germans focused on taking them out along with the Polish Legion. Approximately 190,000 British Syndicalists would die in the war, with another 300,000 casualties, both wounded and missing combined in numbers. The Union of Britain would suffer the 4th largest casualty count in the war, behind the German Empire, the French Commune and the Russian State.
President MacArthur announcing on a live press conference in the former British Embassy in Washington (hence the British flags) his intention to return to the Philippines to protect the people from an impending and expected Japanese attack. In this speech he spoke his most famous quote: "People of Washington, I Shall Return." In later interviews, he stated that he was not ambitioning the re-establishment of the Commonwealth client government that governed the country before the Second American Civil War, but was to "help the Filipino people gain knowledge of the basics of self defense and train them against an expected Japanese invasion." Understandably, Emperor Showa or Hirohito was angered with the claim, and called for MacArthur to retract his statement, which he boldly refused. Filipinos were also initially horrified at the statement, but eventually came to realization that they cannot handle an impending invasion all by themselves, due to the lacking funds for the armed forces, and whatever American officers that remained were incapable of handling everything.
A picture of one of San Juan's rural areas shortly after the Handover of Puerto Rico to the United States on February 29 1941. Seeing no point in continuing the occupation since the Civil War in America was over, the West Indies Federation approached Washington DC and offered the return of the unincorporated inhabited territory. The land was handed back with no conflict, but the United States agreed to pay $10 Million as payment for the territory. Poverty in the more rural areas was a deep concern for MacArthur as the Puerto Ricans now rallied to him for help for their survival. The Federal Government initiated several infrastructure programs in the area that compensated for the rural areas, and MacArthur also approved the urbanization of the city areas of the country, especially San Juan (the capital of the territory). It wouldn't be until 1951 that the area was totally lifted from its state and that it would be comparable to the mainland United States in terms of rural-urban distribution.
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Sagittarius TV series (part one)
The titular starship Sagittarius from the popular Canadian science fiction TV series of the same name that aired for seven seasons (2000-2007).
Set thousands of years in the future, where humanity is a longstanding member of intergalactic civilization known as the Systems Ecumune, which unites hundreds of races across five galaxies. In the pilot episode, it's established that a gateway to a previously 'lost galaxy' of Seefra that's proven to be the place of origin of the Vedrans, the ancient founders of the Ecumune that vanished thousands years ago. The Sagittarius is one of many exploration starships sent to the Seefra galaxy to find clues about the Vedrans and contact new civilizations.
Australasian actress Lucy Lawless as Marion Hunt, the intrepid captain of the Sagittarius. Combing both maternal warmth and a tough-as-nails attitude, she is a formidable leader, which made her extremely popular with the sci-fi community.
Lexa Doig as First Officer Rommie, who serves under Captain Hunt with a combination of professionalism and deadpan snark.
The titular starship Sagittarius from the popular Canadian science fiction TV series of the same name that aired for seven seasons (2000-2007).
Set thousands of years in the future, where humanity is a longstanding member of intergalactic civilization known as the Systems Ecumune, which unites hundreds of races across five galaxies. In the pilot episode, it's established that a gateway to a previously 'lost galaxy' of Seefra that's proven to be the place of origin of the Vedrans, the ancient founders of the Ecumune that vanished thousands years ago. The Sagittarius is one of many exploration starships sent to the Seefra galaxy to find clues about the Vedrans and contact new civilizations.
Australasian actress Lucy Lawless as Marion Hunt, the intrepid captain of the Sagittarius. Combing both maternal warmth and a tough-as-nails attitude, she is a formidable leader, which made her extremely popular with the sci-fi community.
Lexa Doig as First Officer Rommie, who serves under Captain Hunt with a combination of professionalism and deadpan snark.
Uhhh...wrong thread?Sagittarius TV series (part one)
The titular starship Sagittarius from the popular Canadian science fiction TV series of the same name that aired for seven seasons (2000-2007).
Set thousands of years in the future, where humanity is a longstanding member of intergalactic civilization known as the Systems Ecumune, which unites hundreds of races across five galaxies. In the pilot episode, it's established that a gateway to a previously 'lost galaxy' of Seefra that's proven to be the place of origin of the Vedrans, the ancient founders of the Ecumune that vanished thousands years ago. The Sagittarius is one of many exploration starships sent to the Seefra galaxy to find clues about the Vedrans and contact new civilizations.
Australasian actress Lucy Lawless as Marion Hunt, the intrepid captain of the Sagittarius. Combing both maternal warmth and a tough-as-nails attitude, she is a formidable leader, which made her extremely popular with the sci-fi community.
Lexa Doig as First Officer Rommie, who serves under Captain Hunt with a combination of professionalism and deadpan snark.
I already have it on the Kaiserreich pop-culture thread https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...-the-kaiserreich.475922/page-21#post-21652313
Djeenie (2016-2020), a Pacific States television series.
The family friendly sitcom focuses on a 3000 year old teenage genie with purple hair (played by music superstar Dove Cameron), whose magic bottle washes on the shores of Malibu Beach. The titular character, Djeenie, is then adopted by a modern Pacifican family who try to help her live a normal life (like having her turn her hair blond to blend in), complete with all the hurdles and challenges that a 21st Century teenager faces, with her magic often comically causing more problems than fixing them.
The show was a runaway hit in the Asia-Pacific Co-Prosperity Sphere, but also quickly gained a cult following in the Internationale, the Reichspakt and more neutral nations like Ireland, Australasia, Ethiopia and the Second Russian Republic. The series was also widely popular in the Ottoman Empire, the Republic of Egypt, the United Arabic Federation and Persia. Dove Cameron received many accolades for her performance as the magical teenager as well as her song that was used in the opening credits "Genie in a Bottle".
The family friendly sitcom focuses on a 3000 year old teenage genie with purple hair (played by music superstar Dove Cameron), whose magic bottle washes on the shores of Malibu Beach. The titular character, Djeenie, is then adopted by a modern Pacifican family who try to help her live a normal life (like having her turn her hair blond to blend in), complete with all the hurdles and challenges that a 21st Century teenager faces, with her magic often comically causing more problems than fixing them.
The show was a runaway hit in the Asia-Pacific Co-Prosperity Sphere, but also quickly gained a cult following in the Internationale, the Reichspakt and more neutral nations like Ireland, Australasia, Ethiopia and the Second Russian Republic. The series was also widely popular in the Ottoman Empire, the Republic of Egypt, the United Arabic Federation and Persia. Dove Cameron received many accolades for her performance as the magical teenager as well as her song that was used in the opening credits "Genie in a Bottle".
Pop-culture of the Kaiserreich
Pacific Sates actress Audrey Hepburn on site in Japan:
www.alternatehistory.com
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Messerschmitt Me 111 bombers flying during a bombing run against Internationale positions in the border, March 1941. The Me 111 was widely used by the Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte (the German Imperial Air Force) throughout the entire war, and would be the staple bomber for the German Army as a whole. The Second Weltkrieg also saw the first overall active participation of the branch of the army, since the air force in the First Weltkrieg was regarded as a more tied to the ground army type of organization, and also saw the first operations conducted using new and innovative air tactics completely formulated by military experts or tactics carried over from the first war. The Statthalter of Mittelafrika, Hermann Goring, was a famed pilot who flew in the Weltkrieg commanding Jagdstaffel 27 during his career, and is known by Helmuth Wilberg, the current Chief of the Air Force and famous Weltkrieg air ace. The Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte was a key component in the Blitzkrieg strategy, as dive bombers and close support aircraft would help in armored spearheads, destroying targets and inducing terror and chaos from above.
US Marines led by Lieutenant General Chester Puller raises the Federal flag over Wake Island in the midst of the German handover of the island on May 7 1941. The Germans pressured the Japanese, who took the opportunity to occupy the island in the duration of the Second American Civil War in 1938. German East Asia governed it as part of their Pacific territories until the beginning of the Second Weltkrieg. The Kaiser wanted to build legitimate relations with the United States and "make up" for supporting the American Union State during the internal conflict. In truth, Wilhelm II wished to appease the US and show Americans that the Empire was willing to reach out and apologize for its actions, hopefully earning the trust of the citizens that the Federal Government would endorse the Reichspakt against the Third Internationale. It was especially important as the United States had a large German descendant population. A few other moves by the Berlin Government followed, like allowing German construction companies to invest in the country and aid in the Reconstruction Process, and offering German advisors to train new units. It is still in argument to this day as to if this strategy of "Appeasement" worked or not as intended.
Zhang Zuolin, Grand Marshal of the Fengtian Government, announces to the people of Shenyang in a live speech the beginning of the Fifth Zhilli-Fengtian War. Joint Fengtian-Japanese forces, backed by military advisors and volunteers from Admiral Kolchak's Admiralty, begins a surprise offensive on a drive towards Beijing, catching Qing forces by surprise. Zhang and the "Jade Marshal" of the Qing, Wu Peifu, and their respective governments have been locked in a cold war since the end of the Fourth Zhilli-Fengtian War. The Fengtian clique especially was seeking vengeance after Zhang's plans were foiled in the Shanghai Conference, which recognized Peifu's clique and the Qing as the legitimate government of China. Only his state refused to recognize Qing sovereignty. The "Tiger of the North" was an especially important figure for anti Zhilli pundits, as the Marshal's government is the only one to contest Qing legitimacy that holds physical territories in China. It also had the armed forces that would seriously match Wu Peifu's forces. The Fifth War would mark the decisive battle, and the eventual fate of China as a whole.
Obsolete FT-17 light tanks owned by the Fengtian Army on parade to the frontlines, June 1941. The Army of the Republic, as it is called, is one of only 2 armies in China that bears tank forces (the other being it's rival, the Qing Army), however they are a decade behind Western designs. Most tank and air doctrines of the armed forces were carried over from what was observed in the Weltkrieg and during the Zhilli-Fengtian Wars. Nevertheless, the Fengtian Government is considered to be one of the most powerful militarily, beside the Zhilli Clique's government. Like most Chinese armies, Zhang Zuolin's army is marked by strong ties of personal loyalty between soldiers and their superiors, and factions divisions of varying cohesion exist within the officer corps. It is notable that the organization into 2 main loyalties: the "Zhang Clique", soldiers loyal to the Grand Marshal on his rise to prominence. There was on the other hand the influential "Shikan Clique", which consists mainly of Rikugun Shikan Gakkō alumni. This group thinks that Japanese influence is a crucial stepping stone to reconquest. They are led by Zhang's Chief of Staff, Yang Yuting. Current disagreements in the clique and the army is considered professional.
Soldiers of the National Army, the Qing Empire's armed forces, on patrol near the border shortly after the Fifth War began. Wu Peifu's standing army is considered to be more advanced in terms of weapons and tactics, as they are backed by the German Empire ever since the restoration of the Emperor, Aisin Gioro Pu Yi. (which was a sort of prize or payment for their help against the Fengtian Government during the Third Zhilli-Fengtian War. ) The army also is one of two armies to bear armored forces, with tanks also being present. The forward elements of the organization were taken aback by the surprise Japanese-Fengtian offensive, and the National Army was immediately called in to help defend Beijing, which was the obvious target of Zhang Zuolin's onslaught backed by the Co Prosperity Sphere. German aid for the Qing was limited as the Kaiser wanted to focus on destroying the Internationale first, but advisors and volunteers from German East Asia was deployed to help their Chinese comrades.
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