The German Century
- Thread starter Joriz Castillo
- Start date
- Status
They declared war on the USSR and are flooding troops into the Caucasus
Brits? Soviets have some friendly countries if not outright allies. Abnd it has too some its own resources. Not too unrealistic IMO. Of course it would be unrealistic if Soviets manage march to Berlin.
What's going on in Egypt btw? With the Italians stuck fighting the reds and the Turks fending off a Soviet invasion, could ol' Farouk join the reds and maybe the Japanese to gain Arab lands and form a pan-Arab empire.
Was Foruk intrested about pan-Arabism or even any expansionism? And I doubt that he would join to Reds anyway. Altough in other hand he was quiet incomepetent king but woudl he be stupid enough for that? Probably Egyp remain as neutral. Not much winning there and probably just losing things.
A Rock and a Hard Place
A Rock and a Hard Place
Things were going south for the Allies. The communists seemed like an unstoppable force, for every engagement went in their favor. In Algeria, the French were fighting a war of movement as Communards and Africans fought in the hills and valleys east
To make matters worse, the Communards also landed on Corsica. The island had been heavily fortified over the past decades but had been recently become lightly defended as most of the garrison was shipped to North Africa, leaving it open to an invasion. Leading the invasion were the experienced British paratroopers who gained experience in Ireland and the Low Countries.
Despite being outnumbered, the French garrison fought for every inch of ground at the north of the island before they were pushed into the mountains. Corsican resistance still continued until half of the island was under communist control. From the on, anyone who could evacuate did to nearby Sardinia. At this point, the Corsicans felt betrayed by the Algiers government for abandoning them to wolves. A feeling that wouldn't be forgotten.
***
Desert Sands
Despite Italy’s entrance into the war, their military performance was abysmal. In the Northwest of the country, the Italians had been thrashed hard by the Anglo-French forces as they steadily lost ground. When they sent a small force to aid the French, they didn’t fare much either. Despite that, the French managed to put up stiff resistance on the road to Algiers, the capital of the French Republic in exile.
Marshal Petain was adamant that Algiers must not fall, declaring that Algeria is the last stand of the true France and that this would be communism’s graveyard. The majority of the Armee d’Afrique consisted of Black Africans and Muslim Algerians conscripted to fight having been told of the Commune’s supposed desire to abolish Allah.
***
Eastern Steamroller
In the east, a bad situation was becoming worse over time. With the Russian steam roller still moving westwards, the Soviets were at the banks of the Dnieper. As the fighting went on, the Soviets crossed the rivers while simultaneously fighting the Ukrainian troops in the streets of their capital. Before they even realized it, 3 Ukrainian divisions were encircled in Kyiv with no way of escape.
As the Bear's claws tightened around the city, only a handful of troops managed to sneak past the Soviet lines and into the Reichspakt areas. Things finally came to a head with firefights raging across Kyiv's streets. For Stalin, the battle of Kyiv was a huge victory as it showed the might and strength of the new Red Army compared to its tsarist predecessor. For Vasyl I, Ukraine’s King, it was like a gunshot to the chest of his pride. The Reichspakt had suffered their first major defeat at an enemy they had underestimated. But the humiliation didn’t end there. The Bear would keep on moving.
In the Baltics, General Georgy Zhukov kept on delivering hammer blows to the small but high-quality Baltic Landeswehr. In the first month of Operation Nevsky, the Soviets had seized almost all of Estonia and were fighting in the north and center of Livonia. As they got closer to Riga, Duke Adolf Friedrich and his government fled west to the city of Goldingen. Civilians evacuated by ships or on refugee columns towards Lithuania, clogged up the roads and highways for military convoys. The battle for the city was unexpectedly brief as most of the Reichspkat troops retreated across the Daugava river for stronger defensive lines in the Courland region.
In the Caucasus, the Russians had quickly conquered Georgia and Azerbaijan. This secured them the vital oil fields, greatly fueling the Soviet war machine. In the provinces of Armenia and Kars, the Ottomans fought viciously against the Soviets only to be pushed back to the old 1914 boundaries. Due to the need for more men in eastern Europe, the Stavka ordered General Tyulenev to not advance any further into Ottoman territory and hold positions there. Hence, the Caucasus frontline became a static theatre with little territory changing back and forth for most of the war.
In Finland, the Red Army's advance towards Helsinki was all but assured. The fall of Vyborg had thrown the Finnish government into a panic. Nevertheless, Marshal Mannerheim ordered the construction of several roadblocks along the highway to slow down the Russian advance. Still, that wasn't enough to stop the tide. Due to Finland's low population, only a few troops had been mobilized to defend the capital.
***
Western Front
With Germany now facing a war on two fronts, several divisions were pulled from the western borders to be transferred east. This overstretched the German forces positioned along the Ludendorff Line, which the French capitalized on. In July 1941, the Anglo-French forces blasted their way towards Luxembourg City. This was due to the German-Belgian border having no fortifications. House to house fighting raged across the regional capital with the Germans were forced to push back due to British air support. From then on, the way was open for the communists to try heading for the Rhine.
In Elsass Lothringen, the two armies battled along the Vosges mountains and throughout the Moselle region. The German fortifications were working as planned in stopping any enemy advances but were unknowingly fighting a diversion. When news of the French advance into Luxembourg reached the area commanders, they debated whether to withdraw towards the Rhine or stay put.
That decision was made on the news of the French fighting in the streets of Aachen, with some of the divisions moving north to stop the pincer. Unknowingly, the Communards managed to puncture through the weakest part of the Ludendorff Line, clearing for an advance into Elsass-Lothringen. Being flanked, the Germans panicked and retreated north and east towards the city of Strassburg.
For the German High command, the loss of Elsass and Luxembourg exposed the Rhineland to invasion. With orders given to defend every inch of German soil, the troops fought hard but paid dearly as they were forced back across the Rhine river.
***
Best Friends
In Vienna, debating on whether to help their German allies was the biggest issue facing the government of Karl Renner. While the Christian Socials were wholly in favor of joining the war, the ruling Social Democrats were having mixed feelings with some of them wanting to negotiate with the Soviets.
Although most of the Austrian public wanted to join the war, the politicians seemed not really interested. That was until July of 1941 when a Danubian cargo ship supplying goods to Crimea was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine. Russian intelligence had identified that the ship in question was carrying weapons intended for Ukraine, which would be verified decades after the war was over.
News of this sinking inflamed the public, which some saw as the perfect opportunity for Danubia to declare war. Despite that, Renner wasn't budging but only gave a vocal warning to the Soviets to stop sinking their ships.
At first, the Soviets complied. But over time, the Danubians sent more material and humanitarian support to the Allied nations. This increased the likelihood of the Comintern sinking one of their ships. In November, that very likelihood became true when another Danubia ship was sunk by British submarines in the western Mediterranean. For a country that didn't have a large shipbuilding industry like Germany, each sinking became a huge hit for the Federations' overseas commerce.
In August of that same year, Emperor Karl received a letter from his German counterpart, Wilhelm III. In that letter, the Kaiser outlined the need for Danubian intervention and warned of the consequences that come if the Communists take over all of Europe. Reading that letter shook Karl to his nerves, who became determined to get his nation into war. He summoned Chancellor Renner to his palace and asked him to get a declaration of war as the sinking of their merchant ships was enough of a casus belli. At first, Renner resisted saying he would "not send another generation of young men to die in another war". Still, the Emperor persisted. The arguing went on and on until the chancellor relented.
As the Soviet armies reached ever close to the federation's borders, the urgency for war increased tenfold. Faced with no other choice, Karl Radek asked the Imperial Council on November 11 for a declaration of war against the Comintern powers. The bill passed with little opposition. Finally, the Emperor delivered his speech signifying the war as a "Crusade against Bolshevism".
The Danubian Federation had joined the war. Germany now felt safe with their greatest ally on its side. More importantly, the old Central Powers were slowly getting back together for a reunion.
Blessed Karl has hopped on board the German alliance for old times sake and same as Turkey. Now we gotta get Bulgaria and don’t forget Sweden to pitch in.
The next few posts would detail Adolf Hitler's drive to raise Germany's spirits in the face of continuous losses in The Darkest Hour
The double-headed eagle moves to flex its strength. Let's see if it holds firm
I wonder how the US would get involved in this war, if they do. For sure they’re going to war with Japan but I’m honestly wondering how the Asian War connects to the European.
Japan hates Communists but I can see them becoming allies of convenience with them for their Empire.
Japan hates Communists but I can see them becoming allies of convenience with them for their Empire.
Or then Brits or French (communist ones) use torpedos to American ships which are bringing military suypplies to Germany and then USA has not other option than declare war to Leningrad Pact.
I though that this was new update but was just somone asking if this is still alive or not. Why people can't just ask via PM or wtirers' profile posting instead bumping asking if TL is dead or active?
- Status