if the Japanese were smart, when the Soviets attack in the west, they offer co-belligerant status against them to the Germans by invading the Soviet far east
The German Century
- Thread starter Joriz Castillo
- Start date
- Status
Problem is just that Japaan is pretty much stuck with China. So probablyJapan remain neutral as long as possible.
Soviets would deplete the far east to go for Europe so it would be a pretty bloodless victory for them... plus buys them cheap oil and goodwill from the Germans
Did the Battles of Khalkhin Gol happened in this TL? If I'm not wrong, that is the primary reason why Japan never invaded the Soviets in OTL. Plus in OTL Japan had much less conflict of interest with Germany and they still didn't coordinate with the Germans
If we are going for a reverse ww2 analogue, then the Soviets should join by doing a surprise attack against Japan sinking a fleet anchored at Seoul, thus bringing the Japanese firmly into the German side.
Operation Vercingetorix
Operation Vercingetorix
For decades, France and Italy had seen each other as ideological enemies. Both sides had called the other’s system as literal hell on earth, with both of them accusing each other of being a threat to Europe. It was no surprise that the 2 countries would have drawn up plans to deal with each other. While the Italians only had defensive plans, the French had offensive plans to occupy the industrial north of the country.
On April 6, a squadron of planes flew off from airfields near the French Alps. Once in the air, they flew to their targets across the mountains towards La Spezia. The Italian ships sat in the harbor, slacking off not expecting any surprises from the French. Their day would be ruined as the first enemy planes dropped their bombs on the unsuspecting ships in the harbor.
By the time the attack ended, half of the Italian surface fleet was under the water. The Regia Marina in the western Mediterranean had been neutralized, for now, leaving the French Communal navy breathing space in conducting their skirmishes. When Mussolini received reports of the attack, he ordered the Italian army to be ready. But the Duce forgot that his army wasn’t in a battle-ready state by ‘41.
The next phase was for the Chasseur Alpins to clear the fortifications. This was a difficult thing to do as the Italian forts took time to clear out. But one by one the forts were eventually cleared. From then on, the alpine passages were open for the French to pour into Piedmont and Liguria. What made the French success possible the use of heavy firepower and shock tactics to smash away any defenses on the Alpine wall. The combination of these 2 tactics proved effective enough to wipe away the Italians before they could strike back and storm through the Alps with ease.
Combat in the Alps, Early April 1941
In the first few days of April, the city of Turin had fallen to the French as with half of Liguria. Despite heavy resistance by Italian troops, the French continued the roads to Milan and Genoa. As they continued advancing, more and more local anti-fascists came out of hiding. Many of them turned on their local Blackshirts who didn’t flee by summary execution. From April to June, the Reds pushed deep into northern Italy where they were temporarily halted at the Ticino river, which was near Milan. They then turned their direction southwards by capturing Parma and Reggio Emilia until they were barely halted a division of Blackshirts and Bersaglieri.
The Italian army on the move, April 1941
Before the invasion, the French had established contact with the underground Italian Communists and their leaders living in exile. Hence, they were invited to set up a government based in Turin from which they could set up the communist system. Leading this puppet government were two men, Amadeo Bordiga and Palmiro Togliatti. From their temporary capital, the Communists proclaimed their Socialist Republic intending to overthrow the fascist kingdom in Rome.
Announcing his country’s declaration of war against the Leningrad Pact. Il Duce told his audience that Italy was prepared for one goal; to win (Vincere). In private, however, he had planned on declaring war on the French before they did. None of that mattered now, as the entire country rallied behind Mussolini for their biggest battle in decades. For all intents and purposes, Italy was now in a war between ideologies.
Italian Frontlines, June 1941
I like the Barbarossa analogue, but would Italy really have been caught that unprepared? Plus those Alpine forts were REALLY tough to dislodge/move through rapidly, not quite the same as the wide open plains and peat bogs of western Russia
The French had been practicing their fort storming tactics for a few years. This involved small squads of commandos sneaking in the night and capturing them. If that failed, they would use airplanes to ground the forts to dust before storming them.
WW2 air power can't grind well made forts into dust. They lack the penetration for it. You might as well try to kill a modern Abrahams tank by throwing a hundred grenades against it's front armour. The damage does not actually accumulate if you never penetrate the targets armour. In OTL WW2 the Germans maintained control of several French Fortresses all the way until the end of the war and I doubt the French at this point have the air power that the combines US and UK air forces had in 1944.
Eastern Storm
Eastern Storm
Soon enough, the young Russian man was stopped by a couple of Ukrainian border policemen who took him into detainment. During the interrogation, the young defector revealed that the Soviets were massing their armies on their border and would attack any day. Though skeptical at what he said, the Ukrainians took his words into consideration. The defector was soon taken into custody and the information was sent to the Ukrainian government which ultimately led to the Germans.
***
Over the past several months, reports of Russian spy planes flying over the border regions alarmed the various eastern European nations but didn't grab the Germans' notice. They were busy fighting in the west in their own country, leaving the eastern states to fend for themselves. Left with no choice, they begin slowly mobilizing their armies just in case.
On the Soviet side, several army fronts were being prepared with 5,000 planes, 19,000 artillery pieces, 7,000 tanks, and 2,500,000 men. Years of rearmament at Stalin’s behest have made the Red Army became a giant sleeping beast waiting to be unleashed.
Red Army troops marching to its staging areas, May 1941
On the morning of June 22nd, 1941, Eastern Europe woke up to the roars of the Russian war machine coming to life. Artillery rained on the Reichspakt positions while planes flew overhead to destroy all their planes which were parked in neat lines, making them target practice for the Soviet pilots. Once that was cleared, the Red Army stormed across the borders and steamrolled the Reichspakt armies with full force and might.
In Berlin, the news of the Soviet invasion frightened everyone including the General Staff. Germany was going to have a bad time fighting a two-front war just like last time. Immediately, the Kaiser ordered that the Russian steamroller be halted at all costs before they reached German soil. Several units were sent to the east in the form of Panzers and infantry divisions.
With Germany as the head of the military alliance, it was natural that they would be in charge of the entire Eastern command. At its head was Walther von Brauchitsch, who would command all the forces of the eastern states. On the opposing side, were the likes of Tukhachevksy, Voroshilov, and Zhukov.
The Soviets planned their assault with 3 army fronts. The Northern Front was to attack the Baltic states and reach Konigsberg. The Central Front was tasked to advance across Belarus and reach the Polish border. The Southern Front was tasked to advance all the way to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. When these plans were to be met, further offensives deep into Europe would be planned.
***
Other places were also invaded that were considered strategically vital. In August, the Soviets under Semyon Buddyony invaded Georgia & Azerbaijan which were vital in transporting oil to Germany. After 2 months, the Georgians surrendered while the Azerbaijanis held much longer as they retreated to Nagorno-Karabakh while Baku was placed under siege. This provoked the Ottoman Empire into declaring a jihad against the atheistic Soviets which came with a declaration of war.
In the north, the Soviets under Timoshenko invaded Finland through the Karelian Isthmus. Unlike the Caucasus, the Finns had been preparing for this situation which led to huge Russian losses. At first, the Soviets were stuck in a stalemate along the Mannerheim line but that was solved with volleys of Katyusha rockets fired at the Finnish positions. Advancing through thick forests, the Russians stormed through the isthmus and into the outskirts of Vyborg.
Despite heavy resistance at Tali-ihantala, the Soviets flanked and routed the Finnish forces until they had stormed the city. One of Finland’s largest cities had fallen to the Reds and the Finns were feeling the blow in its morale. If help was to come, it better come quick.
Soviet tanks entering Vyborg, 1941
Soviet frontlines in Finland after the Fall of Vyborg, July 1941
Last edited:
You gave the Soviets pretty much exactly the OTL figures from the beginning of Barbarossa. There's no way they could field this without the resources of the Ukraine, the Baku Oil Fields and everything else that they owned in OTL but don't in TTL.
Germany may have to bite the Bullet and ask for Japanese help to relieve the pressure.
Imperial Japan could be the USSR of this particular version of WWII
Imperial Japan could be the USSR of this particular version of WWII
Made some changes:
- Budyonny is replaced with Ivan Konev after not making any headway in Azerbaijan
- I've reduced the USSR's numbers to rough estimates as numbers regarding how many soldiers in terms of ethnicity there were in 1941 is hard to come by.
- Status