The Empire of Friedrich III and the rise of Germany (my first TL)

Status
Not open for further replies.
Herr Frage

Herr Frage

Onkel Willie said:
The Germans will indeed break out ut I'm not saying it won't be costly. I still haven't figured out a way to get the US involved even though Roosevelt is anti-Russian ITTL btw :mad:.
Click to expand...

Mayhap the Yanks are kept out of it? The Vaterland does not require their aid to defeat the likes of Sternberg and Petain. What allies the Reich has is enough to crush those antisemitic bastards back into the prermafrost.

Seriously though, with TLs I have heard repeatedly iof you have to really force anevent you are getting away from alternate history and straying into Harrison territory. If you cannot think of a way for the Yanks to jump in perhaps in this TL they do not.
 
Last edited:

Tomac

The He -129 must be a piss poor aircraft if it can only carry 50Kgs of Bombs.:D:D
Please note that Henchel abbrievation is He not Hs.
Germans tend to use the first two letters of the company name well at least during OTL WWII.
I don't know if the Imperial German Airforce even used standard designations so you could perhaps fudge this a bit. {or whatever it's called. Oh I just found it Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte – German air force so it wouldn't be called Luftwaffe as Germany is still a monarchy.}
Click to expand...

One point; the Henschel was refered to as Hs. (and not as He.) to avoid confusion to those aircraft made by Ernst Heinkel. Of course, during the first war, he was working for Count Zeppelin's firm at Lindau, so maybe he's still there?
 

Onkel Willie

Herr Frage said:
Mayhap the Yanks are kept out of it? The Vaterland does not require their aid to defeat the likes of Sternberg and Petain. What allies the Reich has is enough to crush those antisemitic bastards back into the prermafrost.

Seriously though, with TLs I have heard repeatedly iof you have to really force anevent you are getting away from alternate history and straying into Harrison territory. If you cannot think of a way for the Yanks to jump in perhaps in this TL they do not.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't underestimate the Russians if I were you. That idiot Ungern von Sternber will rather fight until the end and since German supply lines will get overstretched long before they reach the Urals he can do that. The Russians are also much stronger than they were in 1909. Perhaps even stronger than OTL's USSR because of all that foreign investment. And a world war isn't a world war without America ;).
 

bm79

This is a really interesting an well-thought-out timeline. I remember a British mini-series from back in the day where Gemma Jones played Friederick's wife Victoria Louisa (anybody out there remember what that was called?), and I've always wondered what Germany would have been like had he lived. I especially like how the wars have each come earlier, and how this has led to quite a bit of catch-up in terms of military equipment.

I only have a couple of small quibbles:

1) Islamabad was purpose-built by Pakistan to serve as its capital, and as such didn't exist yet OTL, much less ITTL. Zahir Shah would have set up his gov't-in-exile in either Peshawar or Lahore.

2) What does the cold of the Himilayas have to do with the Japanese drive on Calcutta? For one thing, Calcutta is 150-200km west of the Ganges, where you have the British and Germans making their stand, and secondly, the Ganges delta region of Bengal (OTL Bangladesh) is a tropical, waterlogged plain. Sure, they'd have to get through the mountains of Assam to get to the Ganges, but the main fight isn't in the mountains but in the delta...

Other than that, keep on truckin', dude!! You've created a very unique timeline, and I've quite enjoyed it over the past few days reading through it.
 

Onkel Willie

Strange. According to this map

India_Geographic_Map.jpg


Calcutta is actually very close to the Ganges or is that a different river next to Calcutta?
 
Last edited:

Onkel Willie

Here's chapter 18. Sorry for the lack in updates the past week. I've got exams coming up next week.



Chapter 18​


On the 19th of October 1940 Roman Ungern von Sternberg gave the go ahead for Operation Neptune. It was one of the largest operations ever conducted by the Russian army or any army for that matter. Russia’s large manpower pool would come in handy during this offensive. It was the first large offensive undertaken by the Russians against the Germans. During the past few months the Russian army had maintained a defensive stance against the Germans which was obviously not paying off. The entire Ukraine and parts of Belarus were in Germans. The Russians had spent the entire war picking on lesser German allies. Finland had been overrun and the northern half of the Baltic Archduchy, more commonly known as Estonia, had been taken. Both were not very profitable. In Finland the Russians were embroiled in a withering guerrilla war against the remnants of the Finnish army and unbeknownst to the Russians Swedish volunteers. Estonia on the other hand was mostly quiet but was of little use to the Russians. Now the time had come for Russia to act. The offensive had been planned minutely by Zhukov, Rokossovsky and Tuchachevsky. As soon as the Germans would become embroiled in the city fighting the small amount of Russian troops in Romangrad, Russian forces were to encircle the Germans and subsequently cut them off. The offensive started on 4 AM on the 20th of October. The Germans were utterly stunned by this bold Russian move. Some units managed to evade the troops of the Russian colossus. Many were however caught between the pincers and were crushed. German flanks buckled and broke because of the pressure. At least 500.000 Germans, 100.000 Austrians and 75.000 Romanians were trapped between the Russian forces and the Volga. A grand total of 675.000 Central Powers’ forces were facing 1.9 million Russians. The Russian pincers met near Kalach after three days.

To counter German air superiority the Russians fielded the Yak-1 developed by the Yakovlev design bureau. It had been founded by Alexander Yakovlev in the mid twenties. He had previously been employed as a motor technician and had showed great interest in aircraft. The massive Russian rearmament programs included the overhaul of Russia’s obsolete air force. This had allowed his company to flourish. The plane was slightly inferior to Germany’s Bf-109 but could be produced in massive numbers due to its relatively uncomplicated design. Already around 1900 of them had been produced during the past twelve months. Many had seen little combat during the last two or three months since the Russians were hoarding them for this occasion. It’s more advanced sibling the Yak-3 would cause the Imperial German Air force a real headache. That would be the incentive to develop the Fockewulf Fw-190. The massive use of this plane would give the Russians local air superiority in the region surrounding Romangrad.

The Russian offensive progressed well as the Yak-1s kept the German air force busy. Russian forces could do as they pleased for now. The Russian offensive wasn’t left unnoticed by the OKH. Guderian who was in charge on the eastern front ordered Von Kleist and his two panzer corps to immediately attack the wall of Russian forces surrounding the 18th army to create a wide enough gap to extract all forces in the besieged city. Von Kleist did as he was told but was repelled by the battle hardened veteran Russian units which included a Black Eagle tank corps equipped with the heavily armored and powerful R-5. Sheer Russian fanaticism didn’t help much either. German troops in the city were hopeful as they could hear weapons fire and explosions in the distance. The troops in the city launched their own offensive to link up with their rescuers but it was in vain. The overwhelming Russian numbers would keep them in the city for now. Von Kleist in the meantime was forced to retreat after having suffered heavy casualties. It was a particularly annoying defeat because Romangrad had been sight. It was almost within the grasp of German forces. Only sheer numbers had pushed Von Kleist out. Several Russian tank divisions had been rushed into to strengthen the attack force even more. The Germans inside the city could feel the weight of over 1.9 million Russians bearing down on them as they entered the city and began to crush the Germans. The Germans dug in and fought for every house and every street as their was nothing else to do until reinforcements arrived. Nothing was left unused to stop the Russians. Cars and trams were used to create barriers. There were a handful of engineers whose explosives were used to create anti-tank ditches and trenches. What little barbed wire was available was used to block all main roads in the city. For now the Germans had enough resources to keep on fighting. Those would be drained within a month however or even faster with the heavy fighting going on. Von Manstein who commanded the 18th army had done all he could. He had set up his command post in an abandoned Russian bunker. All of his maps were spread out on a big solid table. He discussed the options with his staff officers as fighting continued and Russian shells rained down and landed closer and closer to this position. They concluded that a successful breakout was unlikely at this time and that they should defend themselves and sit tight until they were rescued.

A smaller offensive named Operation Triton was launched after the encirclement was complete. The objective was to push the Germans away and to capture several cities such as Kotelnikov and to reach the Donets river. The big push succeeded because of Russia’s local numerical advantage. Their casualties were severe though as the Germans fought fiercely. They got close to the Donets and even reached the eastern bank in some places in spite of German resistance. But were pushed back over 100 kilometers to a point somewhere west of Kostelnikov by a similarly large German counteroffensive in mid-December. Ungern von Sternberg was exhilarated and wasn’t deterred by the German counteroffensive and stated that was but a mere cough of a corrupt old dying system. He would be proven very wrong.

In the middle east things had taken a turn for the worse for the French and their Italian allies. Over the past few months a series of freak sand storms combined with Ottoman counteroffensives had made Italo-French positions in Gaza untenable. This was only worsened by overstretched supply lines. The fall of Malta in April had improved the situation but it was not enough. Austrian submarines and Royal Navy ships operating from Ottoman harbors were still trying to disrupt French supply lines in the Mediterranean Sea. De Gaulle had tried against all common sense of the world to hold on to his positions in Gaza. Sand had clogged the engines of his tanks. Many were destroyed by their crews so the British and the Ottomans wouldn’t get them. The strength of the Corps de l’Afrique had been severely depleted because of their tenacious resistance as they retreated fighting and the storms which had plagued them all winter. The Ottomans had more experience with this phenomenon and had shielded their equipment from the sand. During the summer the French and Italians had tried to reach Jerusalem but were pushed back a few miles from the city. The city was almost within the grasp of the would-be crusaders. De Gaulle would not get that glory. He had hoped that a quick surprise dash would be sufficient to defeat the totally unsuspecting Ottoman-British force. His supply lines were too long however. After the Ottomans and British pulled themselves together they counterattacked. The faltering supply lines caused the offensive to collapse into chaos after enough pressure was applied. The French and Italians were chased all the way back to Gaza. It was there that some semblance of order was established. The French managed to maintain their prepared positions. In several British-Ottoman offensives the French were battered. Some units were devastated beyond recognition. De Gaulle ordered a fighting retreat. Several large battles took place all over the Sinai desert in which the French were routed. It wasn’t over though. The French were had been mauled but no devastating defeat had been inflicted. 1940 ended with the Ottomans and British in control of Gaza and large swats of the Sinai desert.

Back in Russia the situation seemed to be improving after a successful German counteroffensive which resulted in the partial failure of Operation Triton. An air bridge had been put into place in spite of the apparent local Russian air superiority. Many pilots risked their lives willingly to aid their comrades. Many would perish. 300 tons of supplies were being flown in every day by German, Austrian and even some Ottoman planes to keep the 18th army going. That was however insufficient as the trapped forces required 500 tons as the absolute minimum. A large scale rescue operation was being prepared by none other than general Rommel. This extraordinary feat would give him the nickname steppenwolf which was a well deserved name. Guderian allowed him to use whatever means he needed to pull out the 18th army. Many Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighters, Henschel Hs-129 dive bombers and Ju-88 bombers were brought in to give him total air superiority once more. This would be the pinnacle of blitzkrieg and one of the most spectacular of Rommel’s victories. The German Imperial air force and the army would cooperate flawlessly. The core of the attack force was formed by Rommel’s own 7th panzer division, Von Kleists two panzer corps which had regrouped after the defeat at the gates of Romangrad, the 17th and 18th air armies, the 38th mechanized division and the 1st paratrooper division. The 7th panzer division would later become known as the ghost division as it seemed as if it could pop up at will on any battlefield. The paratroopers would be dropped near key roads and junctions in and near Romangrad. They would hold their positions assisted by the entrapped forces in the city. It was the first paratrooper drop since the invasion of Norway. The tanks and soldiers would attempt to reach them from the outside and create a breach in Russian lines. The element of surprise and the return of air superiority if not local air supremacy would ensure victory. Unternehmen Freie Adler which translates as Operation Free Eagles was scheduled to begin on January 7th 1941.

The operation started on the planned date and things seemed to go well. The Russians were not expecting a counteroffensive so soon but quickly pulled themselves together. The ground was frozen rock solid which meant that German tanks could advance rapidly. The air battle became quite one sided as the Germans outnumbered their adversaries about two to one. Bf 109s engaged the Russian Yak-1s and downed many of them thereby creating a path to the city. German Ju-52 transport planes took off and landed an entire division of paratroopers near key points in the city. All major roads leading into the city and also several train stations and the Mamayev Kurgan were secured by paratroopers. They were aided by the forces in the city as the Russians fought fiercely to get back these places. Urban warfare was something new for most of the paratroopers but they fought well. Together with the enclosed 18th army they defended and held their ground obstinately. During the encirclement which had already lasted three months now the city had been torn apart. There was not a single building left undamaged and fighting raged throughout the city. In the meantime German panzers started to move and engaged the forces surrounding the city. Ju-88 bombers and Hs-129 dive bombers started to attack Russian ground forces. Strafing runs conducted by Hs-129s were particularly devastating to Russian tanks. German panzers fought most of the morning just to get to Kostelnikov. It took them another two days to get to the Russian lines around Romangrad. They advanced at lightning speed. Fighting around the city was intense but the 7th panzer division managed to cause a gap in Russian lines. Von Kleist and his panzer corps immediately joined in to widen the gap. Von Manstein took this opportunity and ordered his 18th army to move. Several panzers belonging to the 18th army joined in and widened the gap even more. A Russian counterattack with some hastily assembled units failed. The Russian pincers were thrown back by the Germans. All forces had left the city by 16th of January. The city was left to the Russians who took over and completed German defenses in the city. The Germans had gotten out but the siege had bled the 18th army white. A total of over 160.000 men had either perished or had been captured by the Russians.

Ungern von Sternberg was once again outraged. The city had been retained by the Russians but for him it was yet another loss. The 18th army had escaped his clutches. He ranted for most of the day about how he was surrounded by idiots who didn’t understand him. Tuchachevsky, Zhukov and Rokossovsky were smart to stay out of his way. If he had laid eyes on them at that time he might have executed them. Other people bore his rant. Mostly servants suffered from his bad temper. He once again lived up to his nickname Crazy Baron. In the meantime Russian forces consolidated the city and the surrounding areas. Zhukov who was present on the front ordered his forces to establish a defensive line on the eastern bank of the Volga and to bolster the defenses in the ruined city. Every house and every street was turned into a defensive position. Miles of barbed wire and many anti-tank obstacles and minefields were built to supplement the preexisting defenses that the Germans had constructed during the siege. Zhukov was determined to prevent the Germans from crossing the Volga. Later on casemates and bunkers were built on both sides of the river. He knew that if they crossed they would head straight for Astrakhan. If that was allowed to happen Russia would be cut off from its most important oil supply in Baku. That would be a significant defeat as Siberian oil was enough to supply only 35% of the army although it could be cranked up to 45% by using more slaves. That still wasn’t enough though. Baku was really important for the Russians. Romangrad was therefore turned into a bastion.
 
Last edited:

Onkel Willie

Here's another update.



Chapter 19​


1941 had begun and still their was no sign of victory. Neither side was willing to make any concessions. Ungern von Sternberg demanded nothing less than the restoration of Russia to its pre-1911 borders and then some. Germany wasn’t planning on doing anything like that. It would mean the loss of its Polish, Baltic and Finnish allies and probably the dismemberment of Germany’s Austrian ally. That would increase the strength of national-democrat Russia too much. On the other side of the world the Japanese wanted to keep the gains they had made in Southeast Asia which were quite substantial. They had overrun the Dutch East Indies, the Siamese peninsula, German Islands in the pacific and bits of India. That was unacceptable for the colonial powers Germany, Britain and Holland and so the war dragged on in Asia as well. No side was able to inflict a decisive defeat and the United States were seeming to remain neutral so American industrial power wasn’t going to enter the fray any time soon.

On the eastern front the Germans had rescued the 18th army. In February they had attempted to reach Astrakhan again. The offensive was a bloody defeat for the Germans who were beaten back repeatedly as they attempted to retake Romangrad and cross the Volga. The entrenched Russians commanded by Zhukov stayed put and threw back the Germans every time they attempted to breach Russian lines. The Volga front would turn into a stalemate for the time being as German generals were unwilling to send anymore troops into that meat grinder. Wilhelm II visited the troops on the frontline during that period. He made a tour of the eastern front. He was received with great enthusiasm everywhere. His visit was a boost for morale for the weary troops who had seen all kinds of horrors in battle by this time. He made a speech in which he encouraged the men to go on and fight for the fatherland which still supported them wholeheartedly. After his visit he went to Odessa to meet some important Ukrainian government officials. The Ukrainian hold on their territories in the east was still shaky as the sizable Russian minority there fought Ukrainian authority. Emperor Wilhelm II said he would aid them but made no commitments.

Because the Volga front wasn’t going anywhere soon the German high command decided to start an offensive somewhere else. In Belarus German lines lay about 70 kilometers west of Minsk. They had been there ever since Germany’s last offensive in the area in June of the previous year. This new offensive would give the Germans yet another puppet state which could aid in their struggle. It started on April 4th 1941 and was reasonably successful. The German general staff had a good reason to engage the Russians here. Ukraine had been conquered but Belarus was still largely in Russian hands and could be seen as a protruding bulge on German maps. This bulge had to be gotten rid of. German, Polish and Lithuanian forces attacked from the west, south and northwest. Because the Russians needed to reinforce the Volga front after the battle of Romangrad to prevent the Germans from reaching Astrakhan they had to take away troops from other fronts including Belarus. Russian forces counterattacked and threw back the smallest army group attacking from the northwest which consisted of German and Lithuanian troops. The counteroffensive petered out soon and left other areas lightly defended. The numerical advantage of the Germans and their allies was giving them victory again. Rokossovsky did what he could. In defiance of Ungern von Sternberg’s orders he made strategic retreats when necessary to prevent any troops from being surrounded. Russian forces regrouped near Minsk and entrenched themselves. Rokossovsky was determined to turn the front into a rock solid wall of men and guns against which the Germans could keep on throwing men and not win. He however didn’t have the manpower to launch that kind of campaign. On the last minute several fresh newly trained divisions arrived from the Russian hinterland. They managed to do the impossible by keeping Minsk and keeping the German offensive contained in a bulge a few kilometers west of the outskirts of Minsk. The arrival of an additional eight Polish divisions which were pulled away from occupational duty finally broke Russian defenses after one week of vicious fighting. After another week of street fighting Minsk was in German hands. On the 21st of April Minsk had fallen and the Byelorussian Republic was proclaimed the day after. A small Byelorussian volunteer legion of about 20.000 men was created to bolster the numbers of the Central Powers even more.

They were fervently anti-Russian as Ungern von Sternberg had instituted a strict Russification policy. Previously Czar Michael II with his more liberal views had promoted Byelorussian culture and national identity as long as the Byelorussians remained loyal to the crown. This was changed back by Ungern von Sternberg. During his rule all administrative posts were given to Russians and speaking the Byelorussian language in public was prohibited. Everyone was to speak Russian and adhere to Russian culture. Cultures and religions other than Russian culture and religion were suppressed. Russian was taught on schools and Russian Orthodoxy was forced upon the population. Especially Yiddish and Judaism was suppressed. The deportation of Jews hadn’t gone unnoticed. Many who had Jewish friends and acquaintances had suspicions about were they went. All of this had alienated many Byelorussians who would have otherwise supported the Russian Empire. The cry for a free Byelorussia had become louder in spite of Russian oppression. Now Byelorussian independence was a fact.

The Germans didn’t stop there. Instead they advanced even further. The advanced was slowed however by Russia’s scorched earth policy and heavy resistance. The Central Powers had numbers however and threw more soldiers into the mix. After six weeks of intense fighting the Germans finally reached the outskirts of Smolensk were their advance grinded to a halt. A combination of Russian resistance, good leadership from Rokossovksy and German supply lines that were too stretched out had caused the offensive to falter by early June.

On their way to Smolensk the Germans discovered something truly awful. They encountered some sort of prison that was completely filled with Jews who were living under bad conditions in some forest east of Minsk. German officers quickly concluded that this was merely the first stop of the Jewish prisoners since there was a railway headed east. The Jews were locked up in filthy, draughty barracks. They were reasonably well fed since the Russians wanted to use them as slaves. The lack of hygiene however had facilitated the outbreak of an influenza epidemic during the cold winter. Some even had pneumonia. It was also a labor camp. Jewish prisoners were forced to work and do all kinds of things such canning food, making clothes or making boots. Many of the women had become sex slaves for the camp leaders to get some extras such as more food. Just outside the gates the Germans found another shocking revelation. They found a mass grave with at least 5000 bodies in it. All of them had been shot. Most of them were women, children, old people or other people who were deemed too weak to work under the harsh conditions in the camp. That was only logical since the Russians forced men, women and children alike to work fourteen to sixteen hours a day. The bodies had been there for several years. By now the Russians used poison gas to exterminate the Jews since that wasn’t such a waste of bullets. That was done in Siberia but this would remain unknown until the very end of the war. In the west this was a tremendous shock. No one could imagine that Russia or any other country was able to commit such a brutal act of genocide and enslave an entire ethnic group. The Jews received all medical care and food the Germany army could spare. Many would move to Germany and after the war to America or the Ottoman Empire. Some joined the German army to fight the national-democrat threat. Russia was discredited in the entire world.

Emperor Wilhelm II lived just long enough to witness this event. He was utterly disgusted with Russian anti-Semitism and declared that Germany would not stop until all national-democrats or Nadems as they were called, were brought to justice. He died shortly thereafter on June 4th 1941. He died of a pulmonary embolus in Berlin. A huge crowd of mourners came to pay homage to their emperor and to see for the last time the man who had led them through this war so valiantly instead of succumbing to Russian demands and displays of barbarism. He received a grand state funeral and was interred in a mausoleum attached to the Friedenskirche in Potsdam were his father Friedrich III was also interred. He was succeeded by his son who was crowned emperor Wilhelm III of Germany and king of Prussia. Time for mourning was brief. He had to go to work immediately as Germany was at war.
 

crackersncheese

This is incredibly great. I like how it all just seems to flow, as if this is real history. But like everyone else, I'm wondering how the US gets invloved. hopefully it won't be too long before its revealed.
Anyways, keep up the good work!
 

Farfromhome

This is one of the better timelines that I have seen and the amount of updates is incredible. Hopefully you are starting a new trend with the amount of detail and length that you have put into this project.
 

Onkel Willie

Thanks for the compliments. Chapter 20 is coming up soon. I can reveal one thing. The United States will finally enter the war. I just need to do a reread to get out mistakes and I need to add some finishing touches. I hope you'll enjoy it. ;)
 

Onkel Willie

Thanks again :). Here's chapter 20. Enjoy.



Chapter 20​


In early April 1941 the Japanese took the initiative as well. They launched a large offensive to take Calcutta which they had failed to capture last year. They were however ill prepared for the tenuous German-British defenses which had been constructed along the Ganges and Hooghly rivers. The Japanese struggled just to get through the river delta in Bangladesh which was well defended. Many bridges were blown up by the Germans and the British. The Japanese also had to face determined defenders who had dug themselves in on the river banks facing the Japanese. The hot and humid climate didn’t aid the Japanese either since their soldiers only got tired quicker because of it. After breaking through British-German lines they had to fight in the jungles. Most defenders retreated to the jungles after their defensive lines were broken and fought a guerrilla war. The Japanese had two new additions to their arsenal which would prove to be a very nasty surprise. Both were aircraft. The first one was the A6M Zero which was designed to counter the German Messerschmitt Bf-109 and British Spitfires. It was more than a match for the Bf-109 and even slightly superior to the Spitfire. It was widely used on all fronts by the Japanese and remained a decent fighter even after the introduction of the Fockewulf Fw-190, the P-51 Mustang and later on the first jet fighters which enabled the Central Powers to engage the Zero on more equal terms. Its amazing maneuverability made it an opponent that was not to be underestimated. The Chinese air force would field its own updated version of the Zero until the mid fifties. The other addition was the Nakajima B5N ‘Kate’ torpedo bomber. It was a decent torpedo bomber and was superior to contemporary torpedo planes such as the Fairy Swordfish but would be surpassed in quality fairly quickly by other torpedo planes. Nevertheless it would remain a part of the Japanese air force until the end of the war. Not many had been produced yet and therefore they wouldn’t influence the outcome of this latest Japanese offensive.

The Japanese continued to push for Calcutta and reached the Hooghly river around mid-June shortly after the coronation of emperor Wilhelm III. Fighting was difficult and some in the Japanese government were voicing their concerns about rising casualty rates. Some even dared to propose making peace with Britain and Germany on the most favorable terms. Japan had the advantage now and should try to get peace since they could get very good terms. They might have to make some concessions but would get large gains nonetheless. Japan was already bogged down in Manchuria. The Japanese army couldn’t afford to have a second China on their hands according to the politicians. The militarists silenced the opposition however and continued their conquest. The offensive was quite successful despite the casualty rate. The river Hooghly was reached but the Japanese army failed to cross it because of localized German and British counterattacks. The objective of capturing Calcutta was not achieved. The British and Germans had defended the city valiantly and had held it again.

In China the front had stabilized. It wasn’t going to budge in spite of huge Chinese and Japanese attempts to achieve a breakthrough. Most of the frontline consisted of heavily fortified trenches. This trench warfare was typical for the Manchurian front. Bunkers, barbed wire, sandbags, anti-tank ditches, landmines and anti-tank obstacles such as dragons teeth were a common sight. Some of these can still be seen today. The front would remain static like this for quite some time. The Japanese high command had decided that it was best to focus on other fronts that were still mobile. Japanese forces had retreated about twenty kilometers to create a shorter more manageable frontline. This also freed up at least forty divisions which could be used elsewhere. Chiang Kai-Shek in the mean time kept sending hordes of Chinese men to their deaths in useless offensives aimed at breaking Japanese lines. They usually managed to only conquer a few hundred meters of ground at best. More often than not they were repulsed by determined Japanese defenders or they had to abandon their gains because of Japanese counteroffensives. Unfortunately for the Japanese China could lose millions of men and still keep on fighting. Chinese numbers seemed inexhaustible. Japan on the other hand could not afford to lose so many men and therefore stuck with defending their gains in Manchuria. The air war in China was becoming more grim for the Japanese as well because the Chinese had started to produce their own version of the Messerschmitt Bf-109 called the J-1, under license of course.

Chiang Kai-Shek had also heard of the mass grave and labor camp the Germans had found in Belarus. He was disgusted and used this as an excuse to declare war on an already beleaguered Russia. He immediately ordered his forces to annex Uyghurstan which the Russians had taken from the Chinese by blackmailing them in their darkest hour. China declared war on Russia on the 15th of June 1941. Uyghurstan was overrun within five days and was reduced to being Xinjiang again. After five years of independence Uyghurstan was no more. Another country which had broken free from Chinese rule was Mongolia. The country had declared its independence in 1912 in the wake of the overthrowing of the Qing dynasty. China at the time was too weak to do anything about. By the early twenties Mongolia was firmly within Russia’s sphere of influence so China didn’t bother to do anything about it. Russia might be weakened by the 1909-1911 war and the subsequent humiliating peace treaty but was still a potent enemy for China at that time. China was not ready for a war with Russia. Now Chiang Kai-Shek was confident enough to declare war on Russia. The Manchurian front wasn’t going anywhere anyway.

The Chinese invaded Mongolia on the very same day they declared war. Mongolia was a steppe. The Gobi desert and the plains were excellent for blitzkrieg tactics which were widely employed by the Chinese. Chinese tanks were mostly copies of German tank designs. Derivates of the panzer II and panzer III were the most common tanks used. The Mongolian army was poorly equipped. Mongolian army units were equipped with aging Russian equipment from the twenties and thirties. The Mongolian army resisted valiantly but did not slow down the Chinese advance significantly. Their Russian overlords were unable to be of much assistance as they were tied down elsewhere. A few armored divisions were sent to aid the Mongolians. It was a very quick war. Chinese tanks advanced rapidly. Chinese bombers and dive bombers attacked helpless Mongolian ground units. The Mongolian air force consisted mostly of biplanes which were at least ten years old. Only in the cities did the Mongolians stand a chance. In urban warfare the mechanized Chinese army didn’t have a big advantage anymore. The capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, was reached within six weeks. The rest of Mongolia was occupied within another week. The Mongolian government surrendered on the 5th of August. After 29 years of independence Mongolia had ceased to exist. China had bluntly annexed it and totally disregarded the people living there. They had nothing in common with China and wanted to be free. Mongolia would never become independent again on way or the other.

The Chinese continued to advance in the lightly defended steppes of Siberia. The attacking forces were split into three groups: army group west, army group center and army group east. Army group east continued its rapid advance and reached the Baikal lake and the nearby city of Irkutsk a mere six weeks days later. The city’s population panicked when the first Chinese artillery shells landed in the city center. Irkutsk had seen its share of warfare during the Russian civil war in 1912 but this was different. They thought the Germans were attacking and that a disaster was imminent. It was of almost impossible for Germans to get a sizable force there but civilians didn’t know much about warfare. The Germans might have been able to get a force there by marching from India to China across the Himalayas. Little did the Russians know that German forces in Asia were totally preoccupied with fighting the Japanese in India alongside their British allies. This shows how well Japan and Russia communicated and coordinated their efforts. Secondly such a march through such inhospitable terrain would be difficult to say the least even in summer. Further to the west the Chinese captured Semey and Rubtsovsk. In Semey they found data about Russia’s nuclear weapons program. A small supply of uranium and some equipment was found. It was not much. The Chinese found about ten pages with calculations and a bunch of cyclotrons. This was definitive proof that Russia had a nuclear weapons program. The found data and equipment were part of a larger complex which had been evacuated before the Chinese arrived. This equipment, data and uranium would form the basis of China’s own nuclear program. At the same time army group center advanced towards Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk. Both cities were in Chinese hands by mid-October. What little Russian units were presented did what they could but were outnumbered. General Konev could do nothing but conduct a fighting retreat and institute a scorched earth policy.

Back in St Petersburg Ungern von Sternberg was outraged about what he perceived as Chinese treachery. He was also slightly panicking since the Transsiberian railway was now cut in half. The Chinese had effectively cut off the Russian far east from the Russian heartland in the west. He diverted units from the Afghan front which was still a stalemate. A counteroffensive to recapture the Transsiberian railway was launched. It was quite successful. The railway was recaptured but not before the Chinese damaged it. It would take days if not weeks to repair the extensive damage caused by explosive charges. By early November the Siberian front had stabilized and would sway back and forth for most of the war.

By now the Germans and British knew or at least suspected that the other had a nuclear weapons program and started to cooperate reluctantly. They knew that the chance of getting an atomic bomb would be much greater if they cooperated. The Germans and British had been prompted to do so after the discovery of a nuclear complex in Semey by the Chinese. Especially Germany was worried since it would be in the line of fire if the Russians got an atomic bomb first. There were Russian bombers which were able to reach Berlin and several other cities in eastern and central Germany. The Germans were the ones who started the cooperation by contacting the British ambassador by phoning him. They contacted him for ‘something urgent’. They revealed to him that Germany had been developing nuclear weapons since the very beginning of the war and sought to cooperate with Britain to overcome the threat of a Russia getting nuclear weapons first. The British ambassador replied calmly that he did not have the authority to speak of things like this and had to speak with his superiors in London. The British could guess that Germany had an atomic bomb program. British intelligence knew that the Germans were secretly hoarding uranium. They also knew that a large underground complex had been built in southern Germany. Its purpose was obvious. After a secret conference between German and British delegates both countries agreed to aid each other. An exchange of data and supplies occurred. Germany had already solved a lot of the mathematical issues but needed equipment and uranium for reactors which they needed to separate U-235 from U-238. The British had sizable uranium deposits in India in South Africa and very large ones in Canada and Australia. Germany had uranium in German southwest Africa but those deposits wouldn’t be discovered until 1950. The British on the other hand had gotten stuck with the mathematical problems. The equipment was there but calculations were difficult. They complemented each other. On December 1st 1941 the Tube Alloys project and the Uranverein were merged into Project Omega.

The chosen path was the implosion type weapon which was more difficult to construct but was also more efficient than the gun-type assembly weapon in which only an estimated 1% of the fissile material would undergo fission according to initial calculations. Unlike the United States the Germans and British did not have the means to explore both possibilities especially because they were fighting a major war. In 1942 the Germans discovered plutonium which had a lot of potential. Unbeknownst to the Germans and British the Americans had already discovered plutonium two years earlier. The leaders of Project Omega decided to stick with enriching uranium which was cheaper although Pu-239 was more suitable for mass production. Only small quantities of plutonium would be made during the war all of which would be used in the bomb mixed with U-235.

German troops on the eastern front had been very busy in the meantime. A large offensive in early July to move the frontline to the Bryansk-Orel-Belgorod had run aground due to repeated Russian counteroffensives. The Germans were pushed back to their lines as they had been before the offensive. A second German offensive which was led by Guderian himself managed to push the frontline to a line running from Bryansk to Belgorod. Both Orel and Kursk remained out of reach for now. The outskirts of Kursk were within reach of German artillery batteries though. Another offensive in early August to retake the northern half of the Baltic archduchy failed miserably. The Russians had a lot of troops in the area. The loss of that area would have brought the Germans terrifyingly close to St Petersburg. The Volga front remained as static as it had been since January. Several offensives were launched by both sides during the period from August to December. Neither side managed to prevail and inflict any significant defeat. Guderian decided that his forces needed time to recuperate from their losses. No large scale offensives would be undertaken until German numbers were replenished.

A covert operative of the CIA found out about Project Omega and told president Roosevelt everything he knew. Roosevelt ordered Oppenheimer to double his efforts. Oppenheimer was already doing all he could. After the discovery of Russia’s nuclear research center by the Chinese and the discovery of Project Omega by the CIA the budget of the Manhattan project was doubled. Efforts to mine uranium and to find more deposits within the United States were increased. Both were great developments for Oppenheimer and his team. He however was three years behind on the British and the Germans and had a lot of catching up to do. This wasn’t the only preparation for war. The United States had a naval program of their own which was also sped up. The first of the Iowa and Montana-class battleships would be launched in 1942 and 1943 respectively. A new fighter called the Mustang was designed that would be able to match both the German Messerschmitt Bf-109 and the Japanese Zero. Roosevelt was purposefully trying to get the United States into war to fight the fascist threat. He had already passed the Lend Lease act to aid Britain and Germany. He was using American escort ships as bait. In spite of this French and Japanese submarine captains were explicitly told not to engage American ships except when fired upon first. The French and Japanese ignored this bait dangling right in front of their faces. So Lend Lease continued as did the unofficial war between the Axis and the American navy in the Atlantic and Pacific.

Relations between the old Kaiserreich and the United States were generally good which explained the help the Americans were giving Germany and Britain. After the discovery of the genocide of the Jews in Russia by the Germans the American populace was disgusted with Russia’s actions and now shared Roosevelt’s opinion that fascism was the greatest evil. The American government made a statement in which Russia’s crimes were denounced as barbaric. An trade embargo was instituted as well like they had done before after Japanese war crimes in China. The government felt lukewarm for war at best as Germany and Britain seemed to be able to defend themselves on their own. Congress did approve the creation of a volunteer legion which both ethnic Germans in the US and Jews had been lobbying for for quite some time. American soldiers were also allowed to become part of the volunteer legion but had to resign. This was done in order to make it look like the US army was not fighting. American soldiers did get a return guarantee which meant that they could come back into the army upon their return. It was funded almost entirely by the Jewish community and a few charity organizations. The initial strength of the American Volunteer Legion, or AVL for short, was around 25.000 men which is slightly larger than a division. This number would eventually swell to around 150.000 men. This was all America could do apart from declaring war. This force was led by general Eisenhower who had some German ancestry. The first units of the AVL would arrive in late December and would make a good impression on both sides. In the meantime the pro-China lobby, the Jewish community which was had become more and more vociferous after German finds in Russia had been made public, and the large German community were lobbying to get the United States into the war. Congress however didn’t want war yet though. Roosevelt had already tried to use the loss of destroyers at the hands of French wolf packs as a pretext for a declaration of war which obviously did not work. So Roosevelt would need to find himself a better pretext.
 
Last edited:

Phönix

Banned
Hi.
This is my first post ;)

I realy like the story, but what I kinda dont like is that its quite similar to what realy happend, if you know what I mean. Beasicaly some names are swapped around. The only thing that is intressting is that Germany and England are cooperating and it seams they will have the first bomb, which means they will the be "new America"...beasicaly very strong. Unlikely that Europa will fall as it actually did in 1950. So there might even be a conflict between the USA and Germany-England... intresting. A cold war or somthing like that.

But what about South america? They too could join the war, the dont really like the US, and Argentina at that time was quite rich. Russia and especially Japain could give them Weapons, them America would have "real" enemies. Somthing the USA never had.. how will they react? Can they react proberply? might even fall into some sort of Nationalism..

Anyways, fun to read.;)
 
Last edited:
Top
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top