Stars, Sickles, and ... Tricolors? - A History of the world since 1936

Hello everyone.

I'm still relatively new to the forum, and I've finally gotten around to posting my first thread.

Before I begin, I have to give credit to the people who have inspired me to join ah.com. I've been a longtime lurker, but joined relatively recently. People like Beedok, B. Munro, Hrvatskiwi, and others have pretty much ignited my interest for alternate history. I just wanted to thank all of you guys for your awesome work.

So, like I said, this is my very first timeline, so please excuse any major errors in my posts; I'm sure that there are more than a few. I intend for this to be my flagship timeline, so it will be receiving most of my time outside of college. No clue about an update schedule, but I'll try to post whenever I can. The format is supposed to be in the manner of a history textbook, although it's not exactly perfect in that regard. Anyways, without further ado, I present to you Stars, Sickles, and Tricolors.


The Flames Advance: The Spanish Civil War
August 1st, 1936- Francisco Franco winced as the Ju-52 transport entered another bout of turbulence. His was one of several transports en route to the Nationalist-held city of Seville from Morocco, transporting some of his army to the mainland for the revolution. "No," he corrected himself mentally," the Republicans would stage a revolution; he was staging the liberation of his homeland from the Red menace!"
Suddenly, one of the pilots began shouting in alarm. "Enemy aircraft approaching from the northeast!" Franco glanced out the window, spotting a silvery metallic glint from several approaching planes. They could only be enemy fighters. As one plane flashed by, another passenger, a defector from the Air Force, named the threat. "Nieuports!"
As his transport began to dive to gain airspeed, Franco caught a glimpse of another Ju-52 falling in flames. Then his plane staggered, and the pilots began cursing, mirroring Franco's own string of obscenities. Franco glanced out of his window again. The right engine was in flames, and part of the wing was gone. His world tilted crazily as the plane suddenly spiraled to the left, and he was thrown against the window with a violent blow. Momentarily stunned, General Francisco Franco opened his eyes to glimpse the Spanish countryside rushing up towards him, before he and the rest of his flight of transports entered into oblivion.


The Spanish Civil War was one of several warnings the world received about the coming cataclysm, one that was looked at but ignored by the major powers. Britain and France, who both provided some aid to the Spanish Republic, sat on the sidelines for the entirety of the conflict. Meanwhile, Italy and Germany both provided the Nationalists with aid and volunteers. It was a foreshadowing of things to come.
The opening stages of the conflict, ignited by a military coup in Spanish Morocco, went quite well for the Nationalists. The Canaries, the Balearics, and Seville were all quickly secured, while the primarily conservative areas of Old Castille and Leon rose up in support of the rebels. However, the first major blow to the Nationalist cause came in early August with the death of General Francisco Franco.
He was the most widely respected leader of the rebels, and his death while en route to take command in Seville was a serious blow to the leadership of the Nationalists. With his death, the choice of his successor became a contentious issue among the various groups of the Nationalist cause. The Falangists preferred General Juan Yague, while the Alfonsists supported Marshal Jose Sanjurjo. This split led to severe mistrust among the Nationalists, and cost them the critical initiative in the early days of the war.
In the end, a compromise was worked out: Sanjurjo would oversee the critical southern theater, while Yague would command the northern theater. This compromise was worked out due to the ongoing battle near Seville. Immediately after its conclusion, Sanjurjo took command and repulsed the Republican offensive. Up north, Nationalist forces managed to link up near Gijon before laying siege to the Republican bastion of Bilbao. Bilbao managed to hold out for two months, before the Republicans staged a breakout and retreated north to the town of Guernica. Meanwhile, the fighting going on in close proximity to their southern border deeply concerned the French. When a few stray artillery shells landed in the border village of Hendaye, the French government acted; it shifted its policy from verbal to physical support of the Republicans. The first shipments of Dewoitine D.500 and D.501 fighters began arriving in January of 1937. The British were not idle either; they began shipping arms and supplies to the Republic in March of 1937. The ranks of volunteers who began trickling in, not only from France and Britain but also the Soviet Union and United States gave the Republic fresh soldiers and new expertise to combat the uprisings.
The Nationalists were also recipients of foreign aid, although to a slightly lesser extent than the Republicans. Both German and Italian volunteers arrived soon after the outbreak of hostilities, the most famous of which were two aerial squadrons, the Condor Legion and the Aviazione Legionaria, from Germany and Italy respectively. Although these volunteers fought valiantly, by the end of 1937 it was clear that their cause was doomed.
While their initial thrust at Seville had been repulsed, the Republicans had managed to regroup and establish a line of defense stretching in an arc from Malaga to Cordoba and Barracota. In the north, naval support as well as a steady stream of foreign supplies kept the Republicans in control of the coast from Portagulete to San Sebastian. In April of 1937, the Republicans launched their first major offensive, aimed at retaking Bilbao. With new Soviet-made 'Rata' fighters, tearing through the surprised Nationalists, the Republicans smashed resistance outside of Guernica after a week of heavy fighting. Bilbao was then retaken with relatively light losses. In southern Castille, the Nationalists were agian routed near Segovia, pushed back further from Madrid. In the heat of June, the fighting picked up in intensity. The Republican army was nearly obliterated near Vitoria. However, the public execution of nearly 100 Basque civilians by the Nationalists turned the Basque against them, and the Nationalists were unable to seize the moment.
In the south, the war turned into a near-stalemate reminiscent of World War One, with neither side making much progress until late in the year. On October 31st, the Republicans pulled off a near-miraculous breakthrough along the Genil River, advancing halfway to Seville. Seville itself fell to the Republicans in late November. Disheartened, the Nationalists pulled back towards Cadiz, where they were holed up for the rest of the war.
After the success of the Winter Offensive, the Republicans prepared a final attack to end the Civil War. Beginning on March 5th, the Republicans used Soviet tanks to advance nearly 60 miles, moving their artillery within range of the provisional Nationalist capital of Burgos. After weeks of shelling, Burgos surrendered on May 17th. The surrender convinced many Nationalists to lay down their arms. By the end of the month, the fighting was officially over.
Internationally, the end of the Spanish Civil War received little attention, as the world was focused on the ongoing crisis over Sudetenland, and the Japanese advances in China. However, one nation which moved to take advantage was the Soviet Union. A significant leftist movement had been present in Spain before the civil war, and the polarization of the nation led to further leftist sympathies in the Republican government. Some of the more radical leftists, such as communists and socialists, called for the establishment of a Spanish Soviet Republic based upon the Russian example, a call eagerly supported by the Soviet Union.
However, instead of moving his nation into a full-blown communist regime, President Manuel Azana instead sought a compromise to solve the issues which had caused the Civil War. He managed to push through several economic reforms which were acceptable to both conservatives and liberals. Seen as a stab in the back to the Popular Front which had elected him, Azana's former backers split along ideological lines. The Communists, Socialists, Republicans, and several splinter groups all went their separate ways. In saving the Republic, President Azana had inadvertently guaranteed civil turmoil for years to come.
 
Hello again
Sorry for the double post, but I have just finished another update, and I wanted to send it out before it got lost in the clutter on my computer.

The Sleeping Giant: America Prior to World War Two

Before its entry into the Second World War, the United States still suffered from the lingering effects of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. However, unemployment continued to fall, dipping below 17% in the spring of 1936. The New Deal's various programs continued to slowly but surely drag America out of the Depression. In May of 1936, the Rural Electrification Act was passed, and electric power began making inroads to rural America.

The Popularity of the New Deal and its positive effects on the American economy led to the reelection of Franklin Delano Roosevelt to the presidency in November. America's international prestige rose as well, when famed aviator Amelia Earhart completed her circumnavigation of the globe in 1937.

The latter half of the 1930's was also characterized by an increase in tensions between labor unions and businesses. In particular, the Memorial Day Massacre of 1937 highlighted the polarization between the two groups. However, President Roosevelt refused to intervene, preferring for the two groups to amicable settle their differences. In 1938, the American worker won his victory with the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which set a minimum wage as well as a maximum number of work hours per week.

During this same time period, the American military received increasing investment from a government concerned with the expansion of Germany, Italy, and Japan. The Army began modernizing its outdated equipment. The Navy received two new fleet carriers, while construction on several new battleships and cruisers began. Also, new research into tanks began; this work would lead directly to the famous M3 Lee tank of the early war years. After the start of the war in Europe, the Neutrality Acts were amended to allow military aid to be sent to several Allied nations, using a 'cash and carry' policy. After the fall of France and L'Exode, the Naval Expansion Act was signed into law; it authorized a further three fleet carriers, several new battleships of the North Carolina, Iowa, and Montana classes, and numerous cruisers and smaller vessels.

In 1940, President Roosevelt won an unprecedented third term in office. He continued his previous policies of past years, while also introducing a new concept that would keep the struggling Allies afloat: Lend-Lease. The Lend-Lease Act was passed in March 1941, authorizing direct military aid to be sent to Britain and the French.; later, the act would be amended to allow China and the Soviet Union to receive aid as well.

Ever since the outbreak of hostilities in Europe in the fall of 1939, the United States had tried to steer a neutral course and keep out; the casualties and horrors of the First World War were still fresh in the minds of many. However, just a few months into the war, this attitude began to change. The Iron Annie Incident, which occurred in December of 1939, led to increasing American hostility towards the Nazi regime and the Axis cause in general. The casualties inflicted upon civilians by the German battle-cruiser Graf Spee angered many, but it was still not enough to convince many Americans that intervention was necessary. This attitude of hostile neutrality ruled for two years, but it all changed on December 7th, 1941.

The attack on Pearl Harbor sparked a massive sense of rage in the American psyche, one rarely seen in the nation's history. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, many Americans desired vengeance not only against Japan, but Germany as well, in return for the loss of the Iron Annie and the Nourmahal. This tremendous sense of outrage led to the unanimous declaration of war on Japan the next day, after an impassioned speech before Congress by President Roosevelt. This speech, immortalized as the 'Day of Infamy' speech, has gone down in history as one of the greatest American oratories of the century. Congress was spared having to vote for war with Germany, however; Adolf Hitler personally announced his nation's declaration of war against the Unite States on December 11th. Now the United States was in the fight, a war like none seen before in human history.
 
Next update is ready. The first three parts are more or less OTL, the final portion is the major divergence.


The Invasion of Poland (September 1939)
In the early hours of September 1st, 1939, Germany launched its invasion of Poland, and in doing so inaugurated the Second World War. The Germans enjoyed not only technological superiority, but also numerical and tactical superiority, which they employed to great success.
After wiping out the small Polish Air Force, the Germans concentrated all of their efforts on advancing eastwards. Army Group North, under General von Bock, cut off the Polish Corridor within three days of the beginning of hostilities. In particular, General Heinz Guderian's panzers distinguished themselves by advancing the front hours, sometimes even days ahead of schedule. By the end of the first week, Krakow had fallen to the 14th Army, while 3rd Army pressed on to Warsaw. By the 15th of September, Warsaw had been surrounded by elements of 3rd Army and 8th Army. Two days later, any hopes of a Polish recovery were dealt a mortal blow when the Soviet Army crossed the eastern border. Warsaw surrendered to the Germans on September 28th, and the last armed resistance ended on October 2nd. This was a dark omen for the future of Europe, as many more nations would be subsumed by the Nazi advance before the war's end.

The Winter War (November 1939-March 1940)
Before the beginning of the war, the Soviets had already shown some interest in Finland; negotiations for a lease on the port of Hanko had fallen through, mostly due to Finnish fears of further Soviet demands. In November, after the official division of Poland with Germany, Soviet troops crossed the border into Finland to take the claims by force.
The Finns were outnumbered and outgunned, but what they lacked in numbers and armaments they more than made up for in determination and ferocity. They were also gifted by a talented commander, Marshal Carl von Mannerheim. Mannerheim had already directed the construction of a defensive line in Karelia, a line which held for most of the war. U north, the initial Soviet offensive managed to cut off and capture Petsamo, while advancing towards the village of Khumo in central Finland. However, after the first week the war devolved into a near stalemate, with the Soviets occasionally managing to advance a few miles in exchange for heavy casualties.
In February, a new offensive was begun under a restructured Soviet leadership. The Finn's defensive line in Karelia wasn't breached for over a week, but the Soviets penetrated deep into central Finland, capturing Suomussalmi, Nurmes, and Iisalmi. This breakdown of defense, along with the eventual penetration of the 'Mannerheim Line', led Marshal Mannerheim to recommend his government engage in peace negotiations. On March 12, 1940, the Treaty of Moscow was signed. The Finns ceded Hanko, the Karelian Isthmus, and Petsamo to the Soviets.

Scandinavia (April-May 1940)
In order to fuel her rapid expansion, Germany needed raw materials, of which the iron ore form neutral Sweden was absolutely vital. In order to secure their supply of Swedish iron, Germany needed to secure the Norwegian port of Narvik as well as the Danish-controlled Skagerrak Straits. In order to secure the latter, Germany invaded the nation of Denmark on April 9th, with only small resistance in the southern part of the small kingdom. The Danish Navy stood aside, allowing the Germans to capture Copenhagen. Before noon, the Danish government had ordered a ceasefire and surrendered to Germany.
At the same time, another German force had set sail for Norway, landing at Oslo, Stavanger, Narvik, and Kristiansand. The Norwegian defenders fought valiantly, but were overwhelmed and pushed into the countryside. The only significant casualty the Germans suffered was the cruiser Blucher, sunk by artillery fire near Oslo.
After being expelled from the coast, the government retreated to the interior of the country, and initiated a plan of fighting retreats to allow Allied assistance to arrive. And arrive it did; the British Expeditionary Force landed at Narvik, securing the port and establishing a defensive perimeter. However, the German advance into the Low Countries and France forced the British to withdraw in order to reinforce their French allies. With the withdrawal of the British, the Norwegian government, led by King Haakon VII, fled to London. The few defenders left in Narvik were unable to do little more than hold off the Germans long enough for the evacuation to be completed. This near defeat in Norway also led to political change in Britain; Prime Minister Chamberlain was ousted by a vote of no confidence, being replaced by Winston Churchill and a coalition government.
Perhaps the most famous Allied casualty of the Norwegian campaign was the destroyer Glowworm. She engaged the German cruiser Admiral Hipper, heavily damaging her before sinking. Hipper herself was sunk just a few days later, with few survivors, by aircraft from the Royal Navy carrier HMS Glorious.

Blitzkrieg in the West (May-June 1940)
After many months of preparation during the Phoney War, or 'Sitzkrieg', during the winter and spring of 1939-1940, Germany launched her strike at the West. Rightly predicting that the Allies expected an offensive through Belgium and northern France, General Erich von Manstein prepared an offensive through the Ardennes Forest, supported by a diversionary strike through the Netherlands and central Belgium to divert the Allied forces. The main offensive was to be spearheaded by General Guderian's panzers. General von Bock was given command of the attacks on the Netherlands and Belgium, while General von Rundstedt would lead the main offensive. Meanwhile, General von Leeb's forces would distract the defenders of the Maginot Line.
On May 10th, gliders filled with engineers and paratroopers began landing in southern Holland and eastern Belgium. They quickly secured vital bridges over the area's canals and rivers; by the end of the day, panzers had arrived from the border,reinforcing the bridgeheads. The trap was now set for the Allies.
The Allies followed the German expectations to a T, moving northwards towards the Belgian-Dutch border. Quick to exploit the opportunity, von Rundstedt's army poured through the Ardennes, with little resistance. By dawn on May 13th, the German Army had penetrated as far as Sedan, when General Guderian's forces began crossing the Meuse. Opposing him was the French Second Army, under General Huntziger. Despite putting up a tenacious defense, the confusion generated by the German attacks and a continuous aerial bombardment forced the French into a fighting retreat. Here, the Germans turned west, towards the English Channel, intending to cut off the main Allied army from the rest of France. During their push to the Channel, the only significant counteroffensive was a minor attack near the town of Compiegne, led by young Colonel Charles de Gaulle. However, this attack had no significant effect on the German advance, and on May 19th they reached the Channel.
Trapped in a shrinking pocket, the Allies attempted a counterattack on May 24th, achieving moderate success before losing all their gains and more the next day. However, the rapid German advance turned out to be a blessing in disguise: the panzers were forced to halt and wait for fuel convoys to catch up, delaying their advance by over 24 hours. This allowed the Allies to launch Operation Dynamo, the largest evacuation of troops ever undertaken. All available vessels in southern England, military and civilian, were sent south to the beaches near Dunkirk, and crammed with soldiers and other refugees to offload in southern Britain. Over the next eight days, nearly 340,000 troops were transported to Britain, a testament to the determination and selflessness of hundreds of brave volunteer boats and their crews. However, a fair amount of the Allies' equipment had to be left behind in and around Dunkirk.
Soon after Operation Dynamo, Belgium surrendered to Germany. This, and the capitulation of the Dutch a few days later, allowed the Germans to focus all of their attention onto France. The French attempted to form a defensive line along the Somme and Aisne Rivers, but this was broken on June 10th. On June 14th, the Germans entered Paris, which had been declared an open city and was thus spared aerial and artillery attack.
On the same day that the Germans had broken through on the Somme, the French government under Paul Reynaud had left Paris for Tours; from there, they moved to Marseilles. Following them was a vast column of refugees and soldiers. The German capture of Paris split the French government into two camps: those who favored continuing the war, led by Charles de Gaulle and Henri Giraud, and those who sought an armistice with the Germans, led by Great War hero Philippe Petain. In the end, the peace faction was overruled, and the French government left for Algiers on June 22nd. However, on the 30th Marshal Petain and a small group of delegates requested a ceasefire with the Germans, effectively ending the war on French soil.
The relocation of the French government to Algiers, termed L'Exode, marked a major shift in the war; now Britain was the only power left capable of standing up to the Germans. However, the majority of the French armed forces stayed loyal to the government in Algiers, and continued to fight for the Allied cause. The French Navy, under Admiral Darlan, remained entirely under Allied control; even the incomplete battleship Richelieu was towed to Oran and completed there over the next two years.
Although few organized and intact elements of the French army managed to escape in L'Exode, enough small units and individuals made it to North Africa to form the core of the new Army of North Africa. A further fourteen divisions were raised and added to the Army, made up of garrison troops, units from sub-Saharan Africa, and locals. The Army of North Africa was also lacking in armor, a side effect of the few transports available for tanks and armored cars; however, enough made it that four battalions were organized, with a few extras spread out as infantry support.
Now, the war entered its most precarious phase. The conflict stood on a knife-edge, easily falling to the Axis or Allies. Both sides faced a tough fight, but now it seemed that Britain itself was in mortal danger.
 
I can't say for certain whether or not Spain will restore the monarchy, but as it stands right now it looks very unlikely. If there is a restoration, it won't happen until at least the late 1950's.
 
I think the French would still be a bit cynical about the implications of a Franco-British Union as a way for Britain to fight to the last Frenchman.
 
In the Balance Part I (1940-1941)

The Battle of Britain (June-September 1940)
After the debacle at Dunkirk and the fall of mainland France, the German high command (Hitler especially) expected the British to surrender. However, with France vowing to fight on from North Africa, and the Commonwealth rallying around them, the British refused to accept defeat. Prime Minister Churchill committed Britain to continuing the fight, and so Hitler ordered preparations for an amphibious invasion of Britain. However, before the invasion (Termed Operation Sea Lion) could begin, air superiority over the British Isles had to be gained. Goering's Luftwaffe was tasked with obliterating the Royal Air Force, to make way for the impending invasion.
Despite being numerically inferior to the Luftwaffe, the RAF managed to hold off assault after assault by Messerschmitt and Heinkel fighters. By utilizing new technology such as radar, coupled with tactical brilliance and determination, the RAF was more than a match for the Germans. Recognizing this, the Germans began bombing airfields, radar installations, and aircraft factories across Britain. However,these bombing raids only partially accomplished their goal, and the RAF remained in the fight while more fighters and AA guns were churned out by the unharmed factories.
By late August, it was clear that defeating the RAF was a lost cause for the Germans. In early September, Operation Sea Lion was indefinitely postponed, and new plans were drawn up to bomb England into submission.

The Blitz (August 1940- May 1941)
When 'The Blitz' was begun by the Germans in late August, it began as precision raids against industrial areas and dockyards. However, the Germans soon became much less specific about their targets. Thankfully, Britain was prepared for these type of attacks. Most civilians had been issued gas masks, and anti-aircraft batteries were constantly on alert. Children had been evacuated into the countryside, as were young mothers and the elderly.
From August to October, the main focus of the Blitz was London, shifting for costly daytime raids to constant night attacks. The London Underground became a safe haven for the citizens of the British capital. Both the King and the Prime Minister made frequent trips into the Underground, to comfort and assure the civilians below. One photograph, of Churchill comforting a sobbing woman whose home had just been destroyed, would later become one of the most famous British photographs of the war.
Despite using the Underground and the countryside surrounding London as a refuge, over 7,000 were dead by the end of September alone, with thousands more wounded or homeless. However, the worst was yet to come.
On the night of November 14, a force of over 400 bombers hit Coventry, killing hundreds and wounding 1200. Even with such horrific casualties, many Britons stoically refused to even entertain the possibility of surrender. In a testament to the absolute determination of the British to continue the war, production of war materials not only continued, but increased during the Blitz, despite the danger from the Luftwaffe. Prime Minister Churchill correctly labelled it "their finest hour".
By Christmas, most of Britain was suffering form nightly raids. In particular, London, Belfast, Glasgow, Liverpool, and Sheffield had been repeatedly hit. Just before the new year began, a force of 140 bombers targeted London, nearly hitting St. Paul's Cathedral and severely damaging Trafalgar Square. Despite this, the British kept in the fight, and the hope of victory remained alive.

The War in East Africa (1940-1941)
After the German invasion of France, Italy had declared war on the Allied powers in June of 1940. When the French withdrew to North Africa, the brewing struggle on the Dark Continent was transformed. While the Italians had a large and capable navy, the French Navy had been specifically built for a conflict in the Mediterranean Sea. Hoping to seize the initiative, Mussolini ordered an offensive in Eastern Africa, while defensive positions in Italian Libya be prepared. The Italians launched attacks from Italian East Africa into British and French Somaliland, and the British Sudan.
British Somaliland was secured by August 20th, putting up minimal resistance. Due to the priority given to the theater in northern Africa, the British forces in the Sudan and East Africa could not expect any significant reinforcements. Despite this, an offensive was prepared for early 1941, and was launched on January 19th. British Indian troops marched into Eritrea form the Sudan under the command of Major General Platt, capturing Massawa on April 1st.
Meanwhile, mid February saw the beginning of another British offensive, under Lt. General Alan Cunningham, into Italian Somaliland from Kenya. The provincial capital of Mogadishu fell to the British before the end of the month. After securing Mogadishu, Cunningham's forces continued across the Ogaden desert to the town of Jijiga.
At the same time, British Somaliland had also been recaptured, the forces then linking up with General Cunningham near Jijiga. The French had also liberated their colony, retaking Djibouti in March. By early April, the joint Anglo-French forces had advanced over halfway to the Italian colonial capital at Addis Ababa, which fell on April 12th. After pulling back from the city, the Italians attempted a last stand at the village of Jimma, surrendering to Lt. General Cunningham after a two day siege. Resistance in the former Italian colony was over by June, and by November the nation of Ethiopia had been reconstituted under Emperor Haile Selassie.

North Africa (1940-1941)
After Italy joined the war, the Allies were now tasked with securing Italy's holdings in Libya, a seemingly daunting task. The Italians had formidable forces in the area, and had had time to construct defensive positions. Despite their apparent superiority, the Italian army under Marshal Rodolfo Graziani remained entrenched on the Egyptian border. Determined to secure all of Northern Africa for the Allies, and therefore strengthen the convoy routes in the Mediterranean, the British organized an offensive under the command of General Archibald Wavell.
The British attack started off with Operation Compass; Lt. General O'Connor's forces struck west from Sidi Barrani, pushing the Italians back to Bardia by December 2nd. The ITalians put up a ferocious defense at Fort Capuzzo, but were outflanked and routed by elements of the 6th Australian Division. From there, the Italians were continuously pushed backwards, Tobruk falling on January 6th and Benghazi on February 4th.
In Tunisia, the French had initially pursued a policy of defense along the Mareth Line, but in mid January Lt. General Charles de Gaulle was tasked with leading the French eastwards to link up with the British. On February 12th, the same day the British took El Agheila, the French launched their offensive. Coming up against relatively light defenses, the French reached the outskirts of Tripoli on the 1st of March; the city itself surrendered on the 3rd of March. The occupation of Tripoli marked the end of major hostilities in northern Africa, with the two Allied armies meeting at Sirte on April 2nd.

The Iron Annie Incident (December 10th, 1939)
The Iron Annie Incident, which occurred relatively early in the war, is generally considered to be one of the biggest German blunders of the war; it was an enormous embarrassment for the Kriegsmarine and Germany as a whole.
The Admiral Graf Spee was one of the most feared of Germany's few capital ships; the 'pocket battleship' was tasked with raiding Allied convoys throughout the Atlantic Ocean, with Captain Hans Langsdorff at her helm. Despite his reputation for rescuing and releasing the crews of vessels he targeted, he is held responsible for almost bringing the United States into the war nearly two full years before Pearl Harbor.
In the early morning hours of December 10th, 1939, the Graf Spee was hunting Allied transports near the Bahamas; the few freighters which did take this route were usually alone and unprotected this close to the territorial waters of the United States. Discovering a lone freighter in the dark, Graf Spee fired on and sank her; Captain Langsdorff was asleep at the time, and the on duty bridge crew did not share his compassion for Allied crewmen. Unfortunately, the freighter, the Iron Annie, was an American ship, carrying a load of supplies from Norfolk to Puerto Rico's new naval station. Before sinking, the Iron Annie managed to send out a distress call, which was picked up by the Coast Guard cutter Nourmahal.
The Nourmahal was an older ship, but was more than sufficient to rescue the crew of the Iron Annie. Records show that the Nourmahal was unaware of the circumstances of the sinking, only knowing that a civilian freighter was in distress and needed assistance. At dawn, the Nourmahal arrived at the last known location of the Iron Annie; the freighter was long gone, and there were few survivors. However, those survivors told of the sudden explosions from large caliber naval guns, and the swift destruction of their ship. Sighting an unfamiliar military vessel in the distance, the Nourmahal gave chase.
After refusing orders to heave to, the Graf Spee accidentally rammed the smaller vessel, splitting her in two. Realizing the implications of what had just happened, the crew awoke Captain Langsdorff, who ordered Graf Spee to flee southeast. However, the American cruisers USS Augusta and USS Tuscaloosa had been dispatched from the Neutrality Patrol to investigate , and were able to intercept the Graf Spee two days later northeast of Puerto Rico. Not wanting to further provoke the already hostile and angry Americans, Graf Spee meekly accepted the cruisers' demand to accompany them to San Juan. Later the next day, the German battleship and her tow cruiser escorts arrived at San Juan, Puerto Rico. She would be interned there for nearly two years, until the German declaration of war on the United States. Then she was boarded and captured by the United States, and recommissioned as the battlecruiser USS Dallas.
The Iron Annie Incident brought the United States even closer to war with the Germans; the Germans' reluctant response served only to further anger the United States. However, the nation was still too divided to declare war. Instead, measures were taken to prevent another similar incident from occurring. American vessels were required to have their markings displayed and clearly lit at all times, and naval production for the Atlantic fleet was stepped up.
 
Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor and the associated Battle of Hawaii is perhaps the most famous event of the war, at least in the United States. It was the first time in over a century that a foreign power had attacked American soil and killed American citizens in an act of war. It marked the entrance of the United States into both the Pacific and European theaters of war, a factor that almost certainly precipitated the eventual Allied victory. America would recover from this initial blow to become the 'Arsenal for Democracy', shipping armaments and supplies to the other Allied powers for the remainder of the war.
Since 1937, the Japanese had been embroiled in their war against China; in order to continue this war, they desperately needed raw materials, especially oil. However, the United States (and with it the Allied powers) were unwilling to provide these materials as long as Japan remained in China. Therefore, in order to secure this oil for her military, Japan turned her eyes to the Dutch East Indies and Malaya as sources. With the British and French deeply involved in the European and African theaters, and the Dutch capitulation to Germany, the only real threat to Japan's designs was the US Navy. A preemptive strike on the American fleet to give Japan time to secure and hold their assets before negotiating a peace was considered vital.
The attack was proposed and detailed by renowned strategist Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, despite his deep reservations about a war against the United States. The attack itself was to be carried out by Admiral Nagumo, leading a force including six of Japan's leading fleet carriers against the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. The date for the attack was set for early on the morning of December 7th, when most of the fleet's personnel would either be just rising or heading to religious services.
Due to an incredible stroke of luck, the bulk of the United States' Pacific Fleet was out of the harbor, preparing to head back from a fleet exercise. However, several major ships were still at anchor in the harbor, and most of the island's aircraft were lined up in rows to prevent sabotage attempts. The entire island of Oahu was a sitting duck.
When the first wave of attackers was spotted by a radar unit on Kahuku Point, the officer on duty erred on the side of caution, radioing a warning to Pearl Harbor at 6:30 am. By the time the general alarm was sounded, the Japanese were only a few minutes from their targets. When they arrived at 7:55 am, only a very few antiaircraft batteries were manned, and only a handful of defending airplanes managed to get airborne. These six aircraft, immortalized as the 'Shining Six', were able to provide temporary air cover for the base, downing 10 Japanese bombers before being downed themselves.
The battleship California was the first vessel to fall victim to the attack; it was hit by several torpedoes and numerous bombs; the ship was already listing heavily to port when her forward magazine was hit. All but 11 of her crew were killed in the ensuing explosion. The Tennessee was also hit numerous times, but she settled upright in the harbor bottom. West Virginia had miraculously already gotten steam up before the first wave had arrived; she broke for the harbor entrance midway through the first wave's attack. She was hit numerous times, and both of her aft turrets were put out of action. However, she managed to clear the harbor entrance and fled towards the safety of the main fleet, 100 miles to the west. As the West Virginia passed Oahu's southwestern point, the second wave arrived over the harbor.
The second wave of attackers flew into much better prepared defenses than their earlier comrades. Accordingly, they suffered greater casualties than the first wave; however, they managed to get in a few more blows during their attack run. The destroyers Cassin and Downes were both obliterated in drydock, and the nearby airfields were also hit a second time. Oddly, the Japanese mostly ignored the vital oil farms to the east of the naval base; after the war, it was discovered that these were saved for a third strike.
Just as the second wave was arriving over Pearl Harbor, the Pacific Fleet was notified of the attack via wireless radio. Vice Admiral Halsey, in command of the fleet maneuvers, was awoken; he ordered the fleet to turn northwest towards Oahu. Lexington's portion of the fleet, under the command of Captain Frederick Sherman, launched a force of 20 Wildcats towards Pearl. Within minutes confused transmissions from Pearl Harbor itself began to flood in; now the full extent of the damage began to take shape. Around this time (9:00 am) the West Virginia established contact with the Enterprise task force, and organized a rendezvous with the fleet. It was at this point that the US Navy suffered a second stroke of incredible luck.
Just as the second wave of attackers was exiting Oahu airspace, General Short had ordered the surviving B-17s and PBYs to form a fan-shaped patrol to the north and northeast of Oahu to prevent another surprise attack. At approximately 10 am, the PBY Echo Two reported sighting an enemy fleet approximately 150 miles north-northeast of Oahu. This information was swiftly relayed to the Enterprise and Lexington, along with orders to link up and attack the enemy fleet immediately.
By noon, the American fleet had rendezvoused south of Kauai, and were passing through the Kauai Channel. Meanwhile the Japanese had no idea that their fleet had been sighted. The two waves of attackers, both badly mauled, had made it back and were being refitted and refueled on the carriers. Admiral Nagumo was in a conference with his senior officers, debating the merits of the third strike. The meeting was tense, and the debate stretched on for over an hour. Foremost on Nagumo's mind was the apparent absence of the American carriers, and how he could find them.
At 2 pm, Admiral Halsey ordered the launching of Lexington and Enterprise's aircraft to attack the Japanese fleet. The strike force, consisting of 28 bombers from Lexington, 42 bombers from Enterprise, and 25 fighters, headed for the last reported location of the Japanese fleet north of Oahu.
At 2:30, a lookout on Zuikaku spotted the incoming American planes. Although anti-air defenses were quickly manned, most of the aircraft were still being repaired on the carriers; the only airborne screens were the Zeros of Shokaku.
The Dauntless dive bombers went in first, scoring hits on Hiryu, Kaga, and Zuikaku; none were serious, except for one on Akagi. A hole was punched through her forward deck, rendering her inoperable for the moment. Next, the outdated TBD Devastators went in on their torpedo runs; they suffered major losses, and only one torpedo made a successful hit on Zuikaku's starboard stern. The third round of attack was carried out by the Navy's newest aircraft, the Grumman TBF Avenger. The hefty aircraft managed to shrug off most AA fire, and scored several direct hits on the Japanese carriers; unfortunately, over half of the torpedoes failed to do more than ram the big ships, their faulty design rendering them duds.
Again, Zuikaku had suffered the most from America's wrath. Two torpedoes had torn large holes in her hull; one to her starboard bow, another just behind her island. A bomb hit on her deck had stated a major blaze among the Zeros parked upon it. Before the day's end, Zuikaku would be abandoned, sinking in the early morning hours of December 8th. Meanwhile, Hiryu had been badly damaged, slowing to a crawling circle. She would be sunk by an American submarine just two days later. Battleships Hiei and Kirishima had also been hit, and would require three to four months of repairs after returning to Japan; Akagi would be out of action for almost a full year, while Shokaku had lost most of her aircraft and would need them replaced. the remaining carriers, Kaga and Soryu, were lightly damaged and required few repairs.
However, the American strike group had suffered significant casualties, losing 29 planes, mostly Devastators and Dauntless'. The casualties at Pearl Harbor were also severe; battleships Tennessee and California were total losses, as were almost every other ship present in the harbor during the attack. The dry docks were out of commission for several months. West Virginia had suffered major damage, and would be in repairs for almost nine months. All of Hawaii's major airfields were too badly damaged for use, and land based air power was down to a few B-17's and PBY's, and a handful of fighters that had been rolled into cover near the airfields. Approximately 1500 were killed in the attack, and several hundred more wounded.
For the Americans. Pearl Harbor was a tactical defeat. Their only major naval base outside of the continental US was rendered temporarily inoperable, and numerous vessels, aircraft, and soldiers were lost. However, the Battle of Hawaii had been a strategic victory; the Japanese were forced to withdraw tow of their front line carriers from service for repairs, as well as sinking one of their newest carriers. In exchange, the Americans had lost no ships and 29 aircraft in the engagement, an incredible stroke of luck.
True to Admiral Yamamoto's warning, the Japanese had truly 'awakened a giant'.
 
In the Balance Part II (1942)

Sardinia and Corsica (May-June)
After December 7th, the American military began flowing into Britain and the Allied bases in North Africa, looking for an outlet onto the mainland. The American Joint Chiefs favored an immediate invasion of continental Europe, preferably into France; the Anglo-French high command rebuffed them, citing the massive casualties suffered earlier in the war. Instead, they proposed an invasion of Italy, Europe's 'soft underbelly'. After conferring for most of a week, the Allied Joint Command agreed to invade Italy form North Africa before attempting an invasion of France or the Low Countries. Two routes were considered for moving into Italy, one through Sicily and one through Sardinia and Corsica. After much deliberation, the Allied Joint Command rejected Sicily as too easily reinforced from Italy proper, and too formidable for an easy invasion anyways.

Instead Operations Brimstone and Grenadier were selected, and preparations were to begin immediately. The date for the invasion of Sardinia was tentatively set for May 1942; command of the operation was handed to General George Patton. On May 24th, 1942 Patton splashed ashore with his troops onto the beach near Cagliari. By the end of the day, the city was secured and the outnumbered defenders pushed deep into the countryside. By June 1st, the American and British troops had pushed north to Sassari and the next day reached the Strait of Bonifacio. The few German defenders, totaling less than a division, were captured and herded into a few POW centers in southern Sardinia, before being moved to the continental US for the rest of the war.

On June 20th, the invasion of Corsica began, with French troops under General de Gaulle landing at Porto Vecchio; meanwhile, British troops landed directly across the strait from Sardinia, near Figari. The island was even more lightly defended than Sardinia, and little resistance was encountered until the Allies reached the town of Ajaccio; even then, the fighting only lasted a few hours before the outnumbered Germans surrendered.

With Sardinia and Corsica secured, the Allies could turn their attention to Italy and the rest of Europe. Meanwhile, General Kesselring was forced to string his defenses out all along the Italian west coast, even drawing from Sicily's garrison in order to strengthen parts of his line. However, in the coming months it would become clear that his defenses were nowhere near enough to stop the Allies.
 
Yes, pretty much. The French and British have pretty much wrapped up the fighting in North Africa by the time Pearl Harbor rolls around, so I figured that the invasions of Sardinia and Corsica (which were seriously considered IOTL) were decent substitutes.
I also have another update coming along later tonight. I've pretty much worked out the rest of WW2, so all i really have left to do is type it up and proofread.
 
The Pacific War Part I (1941-1942): South-East Asia
After Japan attacked Pear Harbor and the Philippines, its other major goal was to seize and hold the European colonies in Southeastern Asia, in particular the oil-rich Dutch East Indies. The first stepping stone to securing the East Indies was French Indochina. After the fall of mainland France, Japan had requested basing rights in northern Indochina, a request that had been denied by Algiers.

The Japanese began their attack in two main locations: one in the north, near the village of Do Son, and one in the south, at Phan Thiet. Both were easily secured in the initial confusion of the invasion, and the Japanese began making inroads towards their main goals of Hanoi and Saigon. In the south, a few French troops managed to retreat into the Da Dun mountains, where they would harry the Japanese for several months before retreating westwards. In the north, Hanoi fell on December 15th; Saigon was captured by Christmas despite heavy fighting to the east. By the end of the year, the French had been pushed into the interior of their colony, with a few managing to escape by ship to Singapore.

The French naval presence in the area was relatively weak; it centered on the old battleship Bretagne along with a pair of cruisers. Bretagne was sunk by Japanese aircraft in the South China Sea on December 10th; of the remaining ships, only one cruiser and a few destroyers managed to escape south to Singapore.

At the same time as the fighting in Indochina, a similar invasion was going on in the Philippines. On the morning of Pearl Harbor, General MacArthur had received word of the attack directly from President Roosevelt himself, and he was ordered to prepare for an imminent attack. Shocked though he was, MacArthur still managed to order air raids on Japanese airfields in Formosa. Although many aircraft were lost on these raids, Japanese airpower in Formosa was reduced by nearly forty percent. These raids also got most of the American aircraft off of their airfields, which were targeted by the Japanese later the same day. The resulting dogfights were large and wide-ranging, but the end result was mostly a draw.

Simultaneously, the Japanese had begun landing on Luzon, at Lingayen Gulf and Aparri. Two days later the Japanese landed at Vigan, between the two beachheads. General MacArthur organized a defensive perimeter across Luzon, stretching from Iba to Cabanatuan. However, this line was soon breached by Japanese forces under General Homma, while simultaneously being outflanked by landings at Lamon Bay. American and Filipino forces fell back to the fortified Bataan Peninsula and the island of Corregidor by early January, declaring Manila an open city. In March, General MacArthur and most of his staff were evacuated from Corregidor by PT boat and shuttled to Australia. By May, the Philippines were completely under Japanese control, and most of the defenders had become slave laborers in POW camps. It was a scene repeated across South Eastern Asia

On January 1st, 1942 Japanese forces under the command of General Yamashita began landing on the Malay Peninsula. The quickly captured the Siamese towns of Songkhla, Kra, and Pakbanang. Further south, they faced stiffer opposition from the British, led by General Percival. The British had fortified defensive positions at Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu, Kuantan, and Endau. However, the Japanese overran the defenders at Dungun, gaining a beachhead by late evening. While reinforcements continued to pour into this breach, the Japanese forces up north in Siam began pushing southwards, forcing the British coastal defenders southwards towards Singapore; the sole exception to this was the garrison of Kota Bharu; there the British managed to hold out for two weeks before being annihilated by the Japanese.

The delay this caused the Japanese allowed General Percival to build another defensive line, stretching from Port Swettenham to Kuala Lumpur and Kuantan. This line held up the Japanese for several weeks, until it was breached on the 3rd of March; Percival then ordered a fighting retreat to Singapore. The port itself came under siege in mid March, holding out heroically until April 4th, when General Percival surrendered the city and its garrison to General Yamashita.

Meanwhile, just a few days after Pearl Harbor, Japanese troops under Lt. General Hoishi began landing on Dutch Borneo, Celebes, and the Moluccas. Within a few hours, they had seized the vital airfields at Kendari and Amboina. In late February, they moved on to Sumatra and Timor, and then Java in March. Batavia fell in April, leaving Bali as the last Allied stronghold in the East Indies. It was defended by a joint naval command, the ABDAF fleet(an acronym for Australia-British-Dutch-American-French). It consisted of three American cruisers, two Dutch cruisers, one British battleship, one French cruiser, one Australian cruiser, and fifteen destroyers from the participating nations. The ABDAF fleet met the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Java Sea in late March of 1942. The battle was a draw; the Allies lost three cruisers and two destroyers, while the Japanese lost four cruisers and one destroyers, as well as two transports. However, the Japanese managed to land on Bali and therefore forced the Allies off the island. By the beginning of April, the joint ABDAF force was forced to retire to Australia where it would recover for the next several months.
 
Italy (1942-1944)
The invasion of Italy, Operation Husky, came a few months after the capture of Sardinia and Corsica. The invasion was a two-winged pincer assault, with Rome in the middle. The northern flank, landing at Civitavecchia, was under the command of General Mark Clark; the southern flank, landing at Anzio, splashed ashore under the leadership of General Bernard Montgomery, a hero of the North African Campaign.

The invasion itself began in the early morning light of September 10th, 1942. Despite fears of a debacle similar to Gallipoli of the First World War, the landings went off smoothly, the defenders easily brushed aside by the Allies' superior numbers and heavier armor. The two wings then proceeded inland, capturing Latina and Viterbo in the first two days. The Allies reached the outskirts of Rome on September 14th, despite a desperate defense by the Germans and Italians. The outskirts of the city suffered severe fighting, but by mid-afternoon on the 15th the garrison commander declared Rome an open city; both Mussolini and Kesselring fled north, barely escaping capture.

With Rome secure, the Allies began pushing over the Apennines to the Adriatic, reaching the coast on the 25th of September. By the end of the month, Italy had been severed in two; Italy south of Naples and Termoli remained under Axis control, although this control became more and more tenuous with each passing day. In the north, the Allies had penetrated as far as Terni and Ascoli Piceno. This front continued to grind forwards each day, while the South was in open rebellion against the Germans. Incidents of German atrocities against local rebels didn't play well with the local populace, adding to the tension. By the end of October, General Montgomery's forces had seized most of the South, while the German troops had either surrendered or turned into renegades. Southern Italy would remain heavily garrisoned until the end of the war,due to the German guerrillas.

Up north the Allies continued to advance, capturing Perugia on October 8th; in Tuscany, the newly assigned General Erwin Rommel had prepared a defensive line to halt the Allied advance which stretched from Elba to Siena and across the Apennines to just north of Ancona. The Allies reached this line in mid October, their advance stymied for most of the winter. However, the Allies used their air superiority to slowly grind down the 'Rommel Line', breaking through in early February. The Germans then fought a fighting retreat northwards to the next defensive line from Lucca to Ravenna. Again, the Allies were held up for several months by the line before managing a breakthrough. In the fall of 1943, the Allies managed to push through the Germans, shattering their defenses. After this the Germans were unable to do more than put up localized resistance, and were pushed into southern France and Venezia. Now the Allied advance continued unabated; they entered Venice on February 27th and Trieste on March 3rd. However, once the Allies reached the Alps they chose to halt their advance for the time being, the defensive positions of the Germans being too formidable and out of reach. This situation would hold until the final weeks of the war in August, while the rest of Italy began a long road of recovery, as the Allies began to carve out their zones of occupation in the once proud Mediterranean nation.
 
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