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XVIII: DIXIE IN THE WHITE HOUSE
  • THE IRON EAGLE
    DIXIE IN THE WHITE HOUSE

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    "Who would have guessed that after years of fighting a Civil war to keep'em south, them Dixies would take over the north?" It was a joke told in the streets at the time of Cordell Hull's untimely death, not ever since McKinley did a sitting President die in office, and now the result of the "Devil's pact coalition", as many nicknamed the 1936-1948 compromise in the Democratic Party, was that a young southern politician, preaching for "States' Rights" and Southern Nationalism, was now in the White House. No one truly expected that the position of Vice President would become relevant, at most with many of the Democratic leadership considering it a token in return for the Dixiecrat support for the Wheeler, and later Hull, Presidency. Like it or not, the Democratic Party needed the vote of the southerners and the midwest, especially with the powerful Ku Klux Klan organization, which exploded in popularity in the late 1910s, stagnating it's growth in the 1920s after the record number of 5 million members was achieved. The hooded radical nativists declined in popularity through the 1930s, especially with the growing unpopularity of the Prohibition and the economical depression ravaging the nation, and yet, the coming of the Pacific War proved a boon to the group as many saw the war as an "Anglo-Saxon crusade against the Asiatic threat", which completely disregarded the Sino-Indian contributions in the conflict that provoked the majority of the IJA losses. Although much reduced to it's grand numbers in the 1920s, going down to a fifth of it's greatest extent, the group still held a strong influence over Midwestern state legislatures, especially around Indiana, adding to the control of the traditional Dixiecrat elites that held control over the southern states, sometimes turning them into de facto one-party States while keeping the rule of the Jim Crow Laws. However, while this "consensus" was not being particularly liked by the Northern Democrats, it granted the party an uninterrupted control of the White House for 12 years, while also now being associated by it's status in the victory over Japan, new issues began to arise in this new world, and the increasing social pressure, the rise of the German Reich, the beginning of American involvement in world affairs first started by Woodrow Wilson, would bring an new age for America just as the purple hearts began to return home.

    The Pacific War was the deathliest conflict in American History, while the general consensus is that the Civil War had between 600 and 800 casualties, the losses from the island-hopping campaign, the naval battles, and especially from the brutal bloodbath of Operation Sunset resulted in between 1 and 1.2 million casualties, including the deaths of practically all American PoWs captured before the invasion, as their execution was ordered shortly after the beach landings of Operation Olympic. The American Army inexperience in fighting a large-scale amphibious operation cost the lives of thousands while causing a delay that killed even more, the tenacious Japanese resistance, both from the military and the local population, made the year of 1946 the bloodiest year in American Military History. Kyushu was a bloodbath, settling into a war of attrition where General Kuribayashi used every single advantage, exploiting blunders and infighting between American commanders, launching small and localized offensives, strikes behind the lines, tunnel and guerrilla warfare that dwarfed the experience of Okinawa. In the "mainland" island of Honshu, the sheer fanaticism of the army and population resulted in acts of sabotage, mass disobedience, intelligence leaks, and unnecessary losses such as in the Battle of Satsuma. Many even questioned if it was necessary to drop the Atomic Bomb at Sendai, with claims that it was used mostly to intimidate the Reich and as a spiteful revenge on the Japanese, others argue over Operation Gomorrah, claiming it was just a show of force by the Thurmond administration to distract the public after the scandalous Black Case Files leaked to the public. But in the end, nothing of that could come close to overshadowing the sheer euphoria the American people felt at the Victory day in 1947, millions of troops returned from the waters of the Pacific, the sea that was covered by oil, blood, fire, and now hundreds of tons of sunk ships, many returned in graves, many never truly returned as their minds were lost, but most returned in triumph at the greatest victory in a generation. After over a decade of economic depression and hardship, isolationism, struggles against the nature itself, America rejoiced in victory and returned to the world stage as the leading power of the Free World.


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    However, the next two years would be controversial, to say the least. President Thurmond has a mixed legacy, being hailed for his foreign policy achievements such as the victory on Japan, the Russian Intervention, and the Levantine War. However, his policies, especially the ones linked on the tense Racial relations in America are still subjected to much criticism, although he was considered a "moderate" on the racial matters, that was in comparison to the standards of Jim Crow South Carolina. The Labor relations were also targeted, as the Dixiecrats, led by Russell and Thurmond, desired to weaken the power of the Unions, specifically with the 1947-48 mass wave of strikes causing instability in the economy. While during the war, the industrial boom caused by the mobilization caused the economy to skyrocket, recovering from the Decade-long depression/recession, the end of the war put back the priorities of the civilian sector while millions of soldiers were now unemployed and left to be absorbed by the market. The United States entered a recession in the post-war period as the transition from a war to a civilian economy arrived, which was only worsened by the embargo made by President Wheeler on German products and the mutual closing of the European market after the formation of the Linz Pakt in 1945. The growing inflation also resulted in economical uncertainty, while Unions, still dissatisfied over the broken promises of the Wheeler era, began to press for growing rights of action while the government attempted to crack down on it. To make matters worse, the Thurmond government would begin to deal with a wave of racial unrest, with the President's refusal in desegregating the armed forces sparking outrage amongst veterans while Klansmen confronted Black American veterans in fights that became increasingly bloody, eventually all culminating in the "Battle of Swainsboro".

    The relationship between the President and Congress were tenuous at time, especially with the House of Representatives which was dominated by the Republican Party at the time, the 1946 midterms struck hard the previously dominant Democratic Party. The long war that seemingly had no end in sight, right in the aftermath of the Battle of Satsuma, the lack of a firmer stance on the German invasions of Sweden and Switzerland, the wartime rationing and price controls, as well as a general pendulum after 12 years of Democratic control, all led to the growing unpopularity of the Democrats in the midterms. The death blow was no doubt the Black Case Files, a scandal that led to President Hull's stroke, which led many to question just how much the government was hiding of it's wartime actions against their own citizens, there was a panic if the Japanese could have still launched further attacks on American soil, which were shown during mass lynchings against Japanese-American citizens in the West Coast. The loss of the Congress restricted many of Thurmond's ambitions, however, he did inherit a relatively friendly Supreme Court made during the Wheeler Era, some of the justices being recommended by initiative of the Dixiecrats in the coalition, although there was a general trend in supporting the expansion of government powers, Wheeler was able to appoint a whooping 8 justices between 1937 and 1945, 3 of these under the recommendation of his Vice-President and de facto leader of the Southern wing of the Democrat Party Richard Russell. It was not uncommon for the President to veto legislation, such as the "American Labor Relations Act of 1947", which argued for a greater expansion of Union bargaining power, the veto being one of the causes of the mass strikes in the post-war years. Thurmond still had some areas where he achieved his wins, namely the foreign policy decisions such as the success in Russia and the critical support of the United Nations during the Syrian invasion of Israel, although many criticized this more confrontational policy. There were very few in America who would agree to jump the gun and invade the fearsome "Festung Europa" after the invasion of a much smaller territory of a nation that was weakened for years cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans in an invasion that lasted over a year, but the majority agreed that something had to be done against the increasingly expansionistic Reich.

    In the Racial matters is where Thurmond's legacy is tainted the most, the President had the not-very-subtle support of several leading "White Leagues", and specifically from the KKK and smaller southern groups, which immediately put him at odds with Civil Rights organizations. In 1947, as the veterans returned home, Thurmond was still attempting to appear as a "moderate southern gentleman", but that pretense immediately ended after the NAACP congress of 1947 when a proposal was made, suggested publicly to the President to desegregate the Armed Forces and lift restrictions on the Federal Civil Service, first placed by President Wilson 30 years earlier. Thurmond not just shoot down the proposal, but threw a gas tank into the fire by publicly declaring "Our boys did not fight a war to come back and being forced to mix with lazy Niggers", he also claimed that African-American regiments showed a much poorer performance in the war, ignoring the fact that many times they were given much inferior equipment, and passed on many African-Americans in the Distinguished Service commendations, such as of the former cooker that shot down Japanese planes during the Pearl Harbor attack, Doris Miller. Not just he refused to grant him the medal which was previously ignored by President Wheeler, but he also claimed that Miller not only did not shoot any planes in the battle but also was one of the first who abandoned the sinking ship USS West Virginia. That only sparked a scandal as it was discovered that Miller's name was put up in consideration, with former President Wheeler confirming it in an interview, publicly apologizing to the man for "giving in to the pressure of certain interest groups in the White House". The scandal was just one of the many caused by Thurmond's increasingly charged declarations, which many blame on the stress of the Presidency, and soon things would be made worse.

    The small town of Swainsboro in Georgia was roughly divided equally between blacks and whites, and on the 14th of April 1947, things would soon blow up between these two groups. As a group of Black veterans from the Pacific War returned home, the local chapter of the Klan began to harass the group, and justifiably there was anger where many believed they had fought to the end for a country which treated them worse than even non-Americans, British troops they came in contact with were impressed by their fighting and equally outraged at their treatment. The veterans remained in contact with one another, forming a small association similar to many other Veterans' associations growing across America, and the men, who belonged to the same all-black platoon during the war, swore protection with one another. After a particularly firely night at the local chapter, a group of three Klansmen decided to take action on their own, attacking the house of one of the veterans in the middle of the night, and as they broke in and attempted to put it on fire, the veteran appeared with a military M1911 pistol and a M1 Garand rifle, blowing up a hole in one of the "Confederate Ghosts", the man fell down on the floor and soon bled to death. The other two ran away from the man's home back to the chapter, claiming that the veteran, named Joshua Smith, had attacked them first as they passed near his house, which led to the Klansmen swearing revenge while Joshua approached his Veteran's club. On the night of April 15th, the Klansmen appeared in front of the Smith residence, with torches and chants meant to intimidate the former soldier, right before one of them tossed a grenade into the house door, what began next was the "Battle of Swainsboro", with the former veterans rallying with their comrade against an attack of "hooded men". The fighting lasted for over an hour and soon began to escalate as other citizens began to join in, the veterans being accused as aggressors resulted in the formation of a lynch mob, invading the black-majority neighborhood the next day, the local police doing nothing to stop them, instead it seemed like they were supporting the lynchers. The veterans organized their neighborhood, and soon the battle itself began with the town's tension turning into a feast of violence, fires breaking out in the area while each side launched retaliations against the other, eventually the news reached Atlanta to the shock of the population. Governor Talmadge, known for his rather enthusiastic support for White Supremacy, dispatched the National Guard to restore the order, and yet it became clear that there was a bias in favor of penalizing the black mob rather than the white one. Joshua and his veterans were brought to the Georgian Supreme Court, and while many called for the death penalty for all in the State, only Joshua would take the capital punishment over the killing of the Klansmen, with the prosecution arguing that the men suffered of Post Traumatic Syndrome Disorder after the fighting in Japan, the other 11 veterans received varied prison sentences. The Case gained national awareness and President Thurmond's only comment was that "Justice was done in the State of Georgia", further eroding his popularity in the North.

    Thurmond's popularity was not particularly appealing for another term, it was no surprise the fact he did not desire to remain as President, instead he claimed to wish to work for his Home State of South Carolina instead, as either a Governor or Senator. Instead he desired to use the remainder of his term to crackdown against traditional enemies of the south: Labor Unions. The war pledge to end strikes during the Pacific War was mostly kept by the unions, yet the pledge would be broken by February 1947 as the war ended and the strikes began. Not since Wilson did the President crackdown so harshly on strikers, with Strom Thurmond being known as the main enemy of organized labor in America, especially in using the FBI to dismantle the efforts of the Congress of Industrial Organizations in unionizing the southern textile industry, the so-called "Operation Dixie" was a terrible failure as it not just met the local resistance of the landed elites, but also sabotage from the Federal Government. The police repeatedly was used to break strikes, while the government used powers given during wartime to seize "vital sectors", such as when a railroad strike ended with the government taking control of several railroads across America. It was quite ironic when the advocation of States' rights was many times ignored when it came to crushing the enemies of Thurmond and the Dixiecrats. Furthermore, despite it's unpopularity, Thurmond still refused to revoke the Prohibition of alcohol, which was only strengthened during the war as part of the rationing policies on wheat.

    Not all was lost for the Democrats, the economy began to recover in 1948, the worst of the racial controversies ended in 1947, and the campaign against the strikes began to show results. Thurmond's attempt to pass a "Right-to-Work" act succeeded that year as a reaction by Congress due to the ongoing fears of a "Red uprising" due to the Labor unrest. There was a far greater concern growing in the minds of the American people, as the nation stabilized and the economy began to grow once again, the worry came from the outside across the seas as Germania began to make it's moves again. After the January Address to the Volkshalle, Hitler began to divert more and more his focus towards the United States, the American troops intervening in the Levant to save Israel just solidified more and more the paranoia of a Jewish-Capitalist conspiracy centered across the Atlantic in Washington, and a United Russia just brought back the Reich's hated rival back together. In April, on the day of the Tag das Sieges, and The Führer's 59th birthday, the "Second Book" was published, a second volume of Mein Kampf which detailed Hitler's personal life between 1925 and 1945, although obviously hiding most of the aspects of the Reich's inner government and his opinions on his ministers, although many references could be found to certain members of the Inner Circle. The book, differently from Mein Kampf which named the Soviet Union as the Reich's main enemy, claimed that the ultimate adversary of the Reich was none other than the United States, claiming that it was inevitable that there would be a confrontation between the "Cosmopolitan, Capitalist, Degenerate, Zionist America" and the alliance of the "Free Europe" led by the Reich (Free in the sense it would be free from "Jewish machinations" rather than any support for liberalism, obviously). The book became the immediate best-seller of Europe, practically every member of the NSDAP needed to have one, in time, not having the book would be practically sacrilege and treason, and it's publishing came in a time where the Reich pushed for an aggressive Naval buildup, calling for the Linz Pakt to mobilize it's naval forces, every drydock from Taranto to Lisbon to Narvik and Halderstadt was being put to work to produce what could only be compared to Napoleon's own plans for a grand armada. Tensions were spiking up again, and many in America feared a war, but more than that, feared the enemies within.

    It all came in April 1948, when a leak from the German Abwehr, later discovered to be the retired Admiral Canaris, through his contacts with Colonel Oster and other members of the German Military intelligence, gave the FBI the tip it needed. Hoover's men discovered a group of RSHA agents infiltrated inside the United States West Coast, and after their arrest it was revealed that the Black Case Files were leaked by German agents in an attempt to keep the country focused on the Pacific War by sparking a national response. The discovery was a boon for the Democratic leadership still tainted by the whole affair, with Thurmond claiming that the whole plot was a fabrication in the first place, instead making a speech where he accused the Germans for trying to sow division in America and using them as scapegoats for the turbulent year that passed. Of course, the Reich was not responsible for all the decisions Thurmond made, the RSHA was much more worried with the internal policing of Europe than a mass expansion into their American operations, that did not stop the paranoia from spreading over to the West. Soon, the "Brown Scare" would begin, named as such due to the color of the SA uniforms, and while it's start was in 1948, it would only begin to build up before reaching the levels of the next administration that was yet to be decided in the national elections.

    Thurmond damaged the Democratic Party, but it was not beaten yet, it began to make a recovery, especially after the President publicly declared he had no intention of running for reelection, that led to a vacuum in the Democratic Party as many wondered who would take his place. The more conservative wing of the movement was weakened, while a more progressive outlook was taking shape, ironically coming from the south in a figure that has given headaches to traditional Dixiecrats since the 1930s. Huey P. Long Jr, Senator of Louisiana and the de facto "Caesar" of the State. Differently from other figures such as Bill "Alfafa" Murray, Talmadge, and Theodore Bilbo, he did not engage in Racial baiting, in fact he was known for his relatively favorable views towards the Blacks and Disfrachised (At least for Southern standards). Long was known for his populist platform, called the "Every Man a King" program, calling for wealth redistribution, large public works, public welfare, and the expansion of infrastructure and education, all while fighting large corporations. It was bold and audacious, gaining an enormous appeal in the 1930s, however he failed to win the Democratic nomination in 1936, and became known as the main opposition figure towards the Wheeler government inside the Party due to his moderation in the Government programs, many times having those initiatives sabotaged by Russell. In 1944, due to his previous support for Isolationism, and dealing with the personal loss of his brother Earl, victim of an assassination attempt aimed at him, he did not contest Hull's nomination although he warned about Thurmond's inexperience on National Politics and Hull's advanced age was not a winning combo. He finally ran in 1948, with the past of his radicalism and isolationism left behind, the 55-year old Senator ran his campaign, seeing as the momentum in America was swinging towards the left, he planned to capitalize on it with his populist platform and mass appeal. Long began planning his campaign in 1946, and by 1947 he was already holding rallies across the nation while his speeches began to be more critic, it began to resonate to the American public, frustrated by the lack of the promised reforms of the Wheeler Administration. As he began to transmit his speeches through radio, and even showing his rally in Banton Rouge on TV, his star began to rise once more.


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    The Republicans, on the other hand, had a candidate in mind across the Pacific. Serving as the Supreme Commander of the Occupation Forces in Japan, General Douglas MacArthur did not hide his political ambitions, and few could deny his capacity to enter that field. He was the most famous military commander in America, known for leading the troops which defended Hawaii and pushed all the way to Tokyo itself, although how much of it was thanks to his efforts is a quite debatable topic. MacArthur was good in taking the credit of hid underlings for sure, and he showed himself a competent administrator in Japan so far. But while he was an active duty officer, unable to actively campaign in politics due to the military honor, that did not stop him from subtly informing the party that he would accept the nomination if given to him, and that began the "Draft MacArthur" movement, rallying the grassroots and machine of the party together. It was clear the nomination would favor the General, and when offered it, he "humbly" accepted, resigned his office by delivering a letter to President Thurmond that only arrived when he was already landing in California. In San Francisco, the General received a Heroes' welcome, thousands cheered him in the streets, calling him already as "Mr. President" or "President Mac". The resistance inside the party came mostly from the veteran conservative Robert Taft, the Senator of Ohio warned that the General's Hawkism could result in a Third World War, however, Taft's increasingly unpopular brand of isolationism came in a worse position after Hitler's second book was published targeting America. MacArthur would ally with Governor of Minnesota Harold Stassen to bring a more experienced and liberal counter to MacArthur's flamboyant ego and conservatism.

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    The Democratic nomination was more contentious, Long was a radical departure from the Party's compromise, the entire system created in 1936 had shown it's contradictions, and yet Russell and Byrd, the two leading figures of the Democratic South, reached towards a more "edible" option. They reached prestigious Senator James F. Byrnes of South Carolina, who accepted many of the old Progressive policies, while also remaining a firm southerner that embraced segregation but who could be more tolerable than Thurmond thanks to his experience. The nomination was a disillusionment to the Northern and Eastern Democrats, who finally broke with the Party's reactionary policies by approaching the only other alternative popular enough to challenge MacArthur: Huey Long. Led by New York Congressman, member of the local committee, and relative of former President Theodore Roosevelt, James Roosevelt, this delegation approached Long proposing a joint ticket to win the primaries, with Roosevelt choosen as Long's Vice-Presidential pick, after long hours of negotiations, the deal was struck, and when the nomination came, Long defeated Byrnes, becoming the candidate of the Democratic Party to challenge MacArthur. That meant fighting an uphill battle against the popular war hero, but that is where Long showed his maturity after years in the Senate, while the former General had never been a part of this political game before.

    Douglas MacArthur believed that his name alone would win him the White House, spending more time in his speeches speaking of the past, of the bloodbath in the Pacific, and of America's necessary place as leader of the Free World against the Reich. Naturally that was an appealing message to Veterans and War Hawks, but once he was asked what were his plan on matters such as old age pensions, tariffs, and labor relations, the General was many times left with hesitant answers, not being able to discuss the details as he lacked experience in such matters of the "Civilian Life". That is when Long played his greatest card, he challenged his opponent to a public debate, to be transmitted through radio in NBC, and despite the protests of his campaign advisors, MacArthur went to the radio, never backing down from a challenge. What happened next was a massacre unseen since the Pacific War when MacArthur's lack of a proper political program was put in contrast to Long's "Every Man a King" program, and the entire nation would hear as the "Warlord" shouted across the table by accusing Long of communist sympathies, followed by the immediate accusation that he was collaborating with Hitler by preaching Fascist demagogueri, which was as paradoxal as one may think. Ultimately, Long narrowly avoided being punched in the face by the irate General, and yet he was still slightly behind the polls as October came, and thats when General George S. Patton, the all-American hero who purged Russia from Bolshevism and defeated the Japanese with his tank legions, gave a critical support for Long. After publishing his memoirs, Patton would move heavens and earth to avoid having to call his rival MacArthur as "Commander" ever again, and as such he made a speech denouncing his former superior as a fraud, and while he did not sympathize with Long, he would support the devil himself if the enemy was "Doug Mac". That declaration came in days before the 5th of November when the election finally arrived and the results came in: Huey Pierce Long Jr was elected President of the United States of America.


     
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    XIX - DU LAND DER TREUE
  • THE IRON EAGLE
    DU LAND DER TREUE


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    It was almost something mystical in some ways, the "Savior of Europe", "Führer of the Greater Germanic Reich", and so many other titles, lived in a luxurious residence on top of the European Alps. It was the beginning of a new decade in 1950, the Tag das Sieges, the day of victory which was celebrated across Europe, was not just the day of the greatest triumph in the history of Germany, but also the 61st anniversary of the man who lead to it, Adolf Hitler. Nobody can deny that, like figures such as Julius Caesar, Alexander, Napoleon, Karl der Grosse, Otto von Bismarck, and Temüjin and others, he had fundamentally reshaped a continent, if not the world history, and one can only wonder what would have happened had Paul von Hidenburg not appointed him as Chancellor in that fateful day of January 1933. Naturally, everyone came to these celebrations, or at least everyone important in the Reich, powerful figures within the NSDAP and the State apparatus seeking to get in the graces of the Totalitarian leader of Europe. As the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS marched down the streets of Germania, Italian troops paraded in Rome, and each of the Linz Pakt states made their own demonstrations of power, the real power of Europe came in the vehicles going up the Obersalzberg, towards the Berghof, black vehicles escorted by bodyguards, an increased measure of security since 1945. Before arriving at night, each black car had to go through an extensive checklist by units of Hitler's bodyguards.

    They each got out in the order they arrived. Naturally, Bormann was already there, always being wherever the Führer was, being responsible for organizing the reception and dinner. He was the natural choice for the occasion, known for his attention to detail and organizational skills both in bureaucracy and in more festive situations such as this one, after all he was the one who oversaw the construction of that very building. Next came in Hess, the most loyal and devoted no doubt, despite the fact he awkwardly was left out of the majority of the social occasions, Hitler still kept him around, an old friend and partner from his very early days before any of the others came in, his last vestige of the old roots of the National Socialist movement, and the technical Deputy Führer of the Reich. He came in with his more unusual mannerisms, being greeted by Bormann who was theoretically his own deputy, but at that point the Brown Eminence had already gathered enough influence of his own to vastly overshadow his superior. The two were also known to be quite cooperative with one another, in the way the primordial Machiavellian mind of Bormann had Hess firmly in his grasp. Then later came in Speer, the Minister of the Four-Year Plan, Minister of Armaments, and Chief Architect of the Reich. But above all, Speer had something no other member in the circle possessed, the genuine friendship with the Führer which gave him access bypassing what even Bormann's firewall could put between him and Hitler. The Architect entered the building with a good humor, trying to keep the spirits up in the room while the host was nowhere to be found yet. Nobody dared to disturb the Führer of course, there were just a few persons who could ever dare to enter a more intimate level with him to the point of summoning him to his own party.

    Himmler and Heydrich's arrival was what brought the mood in the room to a much more tense situation, their mere presence in those black uniforms is what brought a discomforting sensation of fear. Surely, they would not dare to do anything, at least not while Hitler was here, but everyone knew what they were responsible of doing, the unpleasant task that all of them considered as necessary and yet none dared to actively partake to the extent both of them did. There was also the fact the SS was essentially the State within a State inside the Third Reich, with it's own army, economy, organization, and internal rules and policies, with the extension of it's power expanding all over the Linz Pakt. Heydrich had an added fear factor, something that maybe only Bormann could match, the blackmail. He knew everything as head of the Intelligence Services and the Interpol, including facts he only shared with the Führer in his reports. Heydrich was a more charming man than Himmler was and that was seen even from their appearance, Heydrich being 1.91 and Himmler being 1.74, the former being blonde and handsomely declared as a model Aryan, while the later was far from imposing, looking awkward and shy with his glasses. Son of musicians and adapted to high social circles, Heydrich already began to break the icy tension in the room by engaging in conversation, while Himmler more awkwardly greeted the others and asked about Hitler, with Bormann replying that the Führer was getting prepared for the celebrations in his room, receiving nothing more than a nod from the Reichsführer-SS. It was no secret they were hated enemies, everyone hated one another in there, Himmler being frustrated that him, the second most powerful man in Europe, still had to go through a snake-man like Bormann to reach the Führer, him, the "Loyal Heinrich", having to get in the graces of a bureaucrat that could twist his messages and words to his will.

    Next came in more formal state guests, Kesselring as representative of the Luftwaffe and Dönitz as representative of the Kriegsmarine, and both of these guests were quite pressured over the recent events. Ever since the humiliating failure in the Middle East and the Russian Reunification, their sectors each received far greater budgets than before, something that resembled the military buildup of 1935-1939, and with good reason. The publishing of the "Second Book" made it clear to everyone that a war with the west was inevitable in the mind of their leader, the Navy and airforce, alongside the especial "Wunderwaffen" programs, had received high funds and expectations to prepare for an incoming war. The objective was to amass a force powerful enough to punch through the Canal and do what no one ever since William the Conqueror did, the Invasion of the British Isles. It wasn't just that, but plans were also being made to push eastwards to reach the Ural mountains, planning that this time Russia would be thrown back into it's chaos. There was an special plan in Hitler's mind to finish what Saadeh could not, launching an invasion of Israel spearheaded by the Waffen-SS to clean out "The most dangerous nest of zionist vipers in the world". All of that would converge towards a grand invasion of North America, using the French carribbean as a base to launch a campaign to bomb the East Coast, with dreams of rockets bombarding the greatest american cities and ending with a land invasion of the Wehrmacht to destroy the "Rotten structure of Judeo-Capitalist Degeneracy". So when the two leaders came into the anniversary, they brought along the newest reports of the aerial and naval modernizations and buildups, surely a gift that the Führer would appreciate.

    The last one of the inner circle to arrive was Goebbels, who seemed to be quite in a hurry to come to Bavaria by plane. He had just arrived from Germania, where he gave his annual eulogy to the Führer during the parade by representing Hitler. It was no secret that Goebbels was gaining more and more prominence in the eyes of the people and the world, probably being the second most well-known figure of the Third Reich due to his growing appearances in public. The voice that once dragged millions was not what it once was, it was a closely guarded secret that most of the world did not know, but the seemingly invincible Führer was ill, his voice was weakening, and Doctor Morell's solution seemed to bring more and more pills down his throat. As soon as Goebbels, one of the most devoted figures towards Hitler in the inner circle, came in with his coat and cap being handed, the short man came to ask of the Führer's presence only to receive the same answer as Himmler, to which he resigned himself to head back to his corner as he began to talk with Albert Speer, who was already discussing the dockyard production facilities with Dönitz. As the night came in, each one was inside their own circle, mutually distrusting one another while awaiting the big man to come in. Bormann made sure to keep everyone in check as other figures came in, such as Klopfer, Lammers, Ley, Freisler, Funk, Frank, Ribbentrop, von Schirach, Axmann, Eichmann, Foster, Best, Rosenberg and many other Gauleiters, Ministers, and leaders of all across the Reich came into the Mountain retirement, the security of the place making it essentially a fortress.

    The last one to arrive was the representative of the Deutsches Heer, while men like Keitel, Guderian, Manstein, Model, Remer and Schörner would be more appropriate as a leadership figure, it was none other than the Desert Fox himself who arrived. General Erwin Rommel, the dazzling poster boy of the Panzer army, the man who took the City of Alexander the great, outmaneuvering and defeating armies twice his size, and the man who earned much of the praise in bringing Britain to the negotiating table during the 1943 invasion of Egypt. Rommel arrived in the room in a flamboyant way, greeting first other military officers present, especially Kesselring, who was one of the Luftwaffe commanders responsible for providing the support to his Afrika Korps. He commented that he would've arrived into the party with his Panzer, but did not wish to destroy the garden, which provoked laughers from many around, there was no doubt the man was popular, something that many considered a threat, especially since he sometimes mocked the Waffen SS troops and their performance in battle claiming that their greatest victories were in shooting when nobody was shooting back. There was no doubt he was a Hitlerite, in fact he was chosen specifically because he was the Führer's favorite commander. Himmler seemed to avoid Rommel during the party and the feeling was mutual, both of their branches despised one another.

    The men were not the only ones in the party, their families naturally came to visit, the Goebbels', the Himmlers', the Heydrichs', the Bormann's and many others. Goebbels' children were quite responsible for lifting up most of the activity and noise in the room, to the point Bormann had to request Magda to take the children into a separate large room alongside the other wives. There was one presence who stuck out the most, Emma Göring, the widow of the dead Reichsmarshall Hermann Göring and one of the wealthiest women in Germany after she took over her husband's proprieties. Although she had been previously barred from the Berghof due to her rivalry with Eva Hitler, the Führer lifted the ban, much to his wife's discontent, as a tribute to the Iron Marshal's untimely demise. All of these women, especially Magda Goebbels and Emma Göring, disputed the spot for "First Lady of the Reich" in the past, but the official marriage between Adolf and Eva brought an abrupt end for this competition, and while everyone knew that the two had a romantic engagement, nobody truly expected that the "Avatar of the German Volk", who for many years was considered above such things as marriage, would have a wife. And to make it even more "scandalous", nobody expected the coming of young Klara Hitler, born on the 6th of October 1947. Many had disputed if their leader was infertile, doubts which were laid to rest once the result of the marriage produced a true-blood descendant of Hitler himself, and while it was an unsatisfying affair due to the fact it was a girl, Eva first blaming herself for her failure in giving her husband a firstborn son, Adolf seemed surprisingly accepting, perhaps due to his greater connection to his mother, which is what led to her being named after her. The baby was healthy, and by 1950 was already speaking a few words and walking, playing around with other children under the watchful eye of Eva, who considered it her duty as an Aryan woman to be devoted to her child, and seeing that as a show of devotion to Adolf himself. Hitler privately stated that his decision to have a child was a reflection of his duty towards the German people as being their example to be followed, after the war Germany would need it's future settlers, future laborers, future soldiers, future mothers and fathers, even his own family was seen more like a show to the public, as he was always to place the welfare of the German people over his own publicly, something which Goebbels greatly used towards his pro-natality propaganda which was partially responsible for the post-war baby boom.

    Finally, it would be the time. Everyone immediately stopped their conversation and raised their right arm in salute towards the elderly Führer. Despite being only 61, the signs of his decaying health were visible, with his two hands behind his back to hide the shaking, his eyes seeming more tired, his voice no longer as loud and powerful as it once was. Nobody dared to raise those issues, at least not in there, and nobody dared to talk first before their leader. It was an awkward silence as Hitler greeted each one of the guests by shaking hands, engaging in nothing much other than a short talk before heading over to the next. Finally he finished the greetings and turned over to the guests as he began one of his speeches, which all were forced to stand and applaud once he was done with his achievements and the accomplishments of the "Germanic Race". Finally the entire ceremony was finished and the celebrations restarted, each one offering their tribute to the feudal lord. Goebbels made an annual grand speech in public to the Führer in Germania and offered a recording of one of the newest American films that his leader so dearly loved, Speer updated on the conclusion of his Museum in Linz and gave a Persian tapestry, Himmler offered him a ceremonial sword, said to have belonged to Emperor Friedrich Hohenstauffer, also known as Barbarossa, Emma Göring presented him with one of her husband's personal paintings, Bormann offered a golden watch and a handcrafted pen, which was quite suited from a bureaucrat, and Heydrich offered a silver pistol, an special request to Fritz Walther.

    What happened behind the closed doors late in the night was a show of appearances, the members of the inner circle all came to surround the Führer in watching a movie in his private cinema. Goebbels hated Bormann, Bormann hated Speer, Speer hated Himmler, Himmler despised them all and felt more like an outsider, only seated close to Heydrich which belonged to his SS Inner circle alongside other men like Lammers, Dietrich, Seyss-Inquart, Pohl, Hausser, Dietritch, Wolff, and Müller. Heydrich had his own ambitions, naturally, but retained his loyalty to Himmler for the moment by keeping their old partnership, although there were certainly doubts if he would not want to succeed Himmler in the future, perhaps expecting that if Himmler became the successor of the Führer, he would be placed in charge of the SS. Then there was Hess, aware of the world of intrigue but not desiring to be involved, lacking the ruthless ambition of the others and content in remaining completely devoted to the elderly Führer. They spent most of the night awake even after most of the guests had left, due to Hitler's habits of sleeping late and the fact nobody would dare go to sleep first and let their opponents discredit them, Goebbels in particular was tired from the long trip from Germania and had to force himself awake until around 3 AM. The themes discussed ranged from all kinds, from listening to Hitler go in a rant over the lack of reported progress on the Atomic project, to a casual conversation and joking about trivial matters. For a few moments it seemed as if the dictator was decades older than he was, being visibly aged due to the excessive medicine he demanded due to his hipocondriac paranoia, as well as dozing off occasionally while more serious discussions were made such as Heydrich's most recent reports on antipartisan operations. The night ended with a discussion left in Goebbels' diary, where Hitler spoke in a callous manner, talking about the preparations for war, claiming that by the next year the Tag das Sieges would be celebrated in Downing Street, he spoke with Himmler and Heydrich about making preparations for the eventual "pacification" of England, and of a "neutralization" of Israel. He dismissed Israel as a mere show puppet of a much greater scheme of Financial Jews from London and New York, but it was also necessary to ensure that the "base of operations" must be destroyed to safeguard the Mediterranean. He then spoke of his great designs for the Atom program, claiming that the competition between the Reich scientists was naturally superior to the cooperation between "mediocre idea-stealers", that Atomic science could only be the product of an Aryan mind, the idea being stolen by Jewish physicians, the struggle between the different programs, especially between Heisenberg and Diebner, would result in a weapon far superior to the American one. It was a sign for the listeners, cooperation was made by the weaker species, the Aryan competed and the best triumphed, the ideas of social darwinism that were a core of the NSDAP, at least that was what Goebbels registered in his diary on the following day after they all returned to their stations, back to the world of lies and scheming of leading "The Land of the True".

    How could they fight against all odds? How could defy what seemed like an invincible monolith? How could they topple a god? The officers of the Heer knew what was coming, a war that they had no hope of winning, it was one thing to fight the Soviets in a land war, but challenge the Naval and Industrial power of both America and Britain was just unthinkable. And yet what could they do? Hitler was invincible, he was the man who made the world's greatest gamble and it paid off, he made a broken republic into a Continental Superpower in less than 20 years. His word was like the word of God to the German people, nobody would dare raise a criticism and even his most fierce critics had to recognize his triumph over all of Germany's rivals, doing what the Kaiser could not. Even if the true responsible for the victory was the Wehrmacht, the propaganda machine did not show it that way, and even in the Wehrmacht itself they had a declining base of support, former sympathizing Generals and commanders retiring and their positions being taken by Hitlerite dogs like Schörner, Model, Remer and Krebs. However, their one hope was a fact that the Party propaganda desperately tried to keep hidden, the fact that Hitler was a mortal man. His public appearances were more and more limited every month, the last time he made a speech in the Volkshalle was in 1948 and even there one could just notice the tiredness in his voice, in a few occasions during meetings, a few generals were able to spot his hand shaking, always hidden behind his back. There is a reason Goebbels was more and more becoming the public figure of the Regime as the Führer's gifted oratory was declining, he rarely even came to the Welthauptstadt! The moment he was gone is the moment the monolith, the illusion, would break, and the true divisions inside the NSDAP would be revealed at last. The SS, The Gauleiters, the Bureaucrats, the Populists, the Industrials, all hated one another for differing reasons, and soon they would all devour one another for the throne. The bandits in brown shirts could not be allowed to drag Germany and Europe into ruin, that is what Unternehmen Walküre was for, a secret plan to declare a state of emergency if the Reich fell into a State of Chaos during the war, a leftover that was never removed, and now it could be their one chance to make things right, their one chance to stop the madness that consumed Europe while still possible. They could only hope that the Austrian Corporal had the minimal decency of dying before he started the most destructive war in History.
     
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    XX - DIE MACHTKAMPF
  • THE IRON EAGLE
    DIE MACHTKAMPF

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    The end of an era came in 1951, for on the 30th of January of said year, came forward a class of Hitler Youth students, making the annual parade to celebrate the power seizure in 1933. But this was a different class, for the first time, every German reaching adulthood, every student going out of the indoctrination assembly lines, belonged to a generation which has never lived anywhere other than under the rule of Adolf Hitler and the Nationalsozialisten Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP). Parents, who lived in the age of the Weimar Republic, who had seen the liberal era in Germany, old supporters of parties such as the Zentrum and the SPD, saw as their children came back home as fierce loyalists of this new ideology. Now they saw as this new class, this new generation of Germans, the first pure result of National Socialist domination of all life aspects, left home to join the workforce. New Wehrmacht conscripts becoming more devoted to Hitler at each year, the numbers of the SS swelling with new recruits, government bureaucrats, professors, laborers, and all kinds of new employees now belonged to a generation who has never seen the past of Germany in their own eyes. All of them raised from the start in this new ideology which shocked households, grandparents who were outraged their children no longer hailed the Kaiser, now saw their grandchildren praising the Bohemian Corporal. Prussianism was in decline, Prussia itself being dissolved with several new Gau, after the death of Hermann Göring, an act which outraged many generals, however having their voices drowned by the endless masses praising all of Hitler's atitudes. In a refferendum, there was no need to suppress votes as in the past, Hitler being appointed supreme judge and sidelining more and more the German judiciary system and constitutional law. As said by Hans Frank in 1934, there was no longer a need for a written law or constitution, the power came from the Führer, and the Führerprinzip was above all laws, as he was the ultimate representation of the German People's Community, the Volksgemeinschaft. The Enabling Act and the Reichstag Fire Decree continued as a facade of a legal basis, with the ever rarer Reichstag meetings happening just to formally renew the acts by unanimity.

    This was the world of Germania in 1951, the Welthauptstadt, the World Capital, built over the corpses of thousands of slave laborers and the plundered resources of the greatest conflict Eastern Europe had ever seen. The Volkshalle, even in a reduced version, stood proudly as the ultimate symbol of Power in the European Continent, a magnificent building by all accounts, built by the architect Albert Speer. It was an accurate symbol of Germany as, in order to remain standing over the swamp terrain of Germania, an advanced drainage system had to be installed to keep it afloat, with energy generated in distant factories and power plants, built and sometimes even operated, by essentially slaves from the Reich's conquests. The year of 1951 was the year where it would be all put to test, the structure of the Reich being stuck at it's core, for all of the nation served the whims of one man, the Führerprinzip centering all authority and obedience on that man, and that man, approaching his 62nd birthday, was sick, far more than anyone knew publicly. However, in private, in the halls of Germania, the power players, some of the most powerful and influential men in the world, silently knew what was to come, and all began to make preparations for when their Master was no longer with them. Some were devout, such as Goebbels and Hess, true believers in every sense since their younger years, and had to look in despair to a life without the great figure they all worshipped and craved attention and approval from. Others were more pragmatic, Himmler and Bormann looking at the tomorrow with grand plans to take power to themselves as their rivalry naturally grew in time. Others like Speer and Eva had to prepare to see the loss of a close companion and secure their own futures in the incoming power game. Finally, those who still had power to oppose the rule of National Socialism prepared for the death of it's godly figure, preparing to strike once the entire rotten structure of the NSDAP turned against itself.

    But for now, the Führer was alive, making one of his last public appearances on that 30th of January, in the Volkshalle to address a crowd carefully selected by Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels who stood behind Hitler during his annual speech. And while the people cheered, celebrated, and went into a collective hysteria of devotion and fanaticism as usual, a more careful watcher such as the men standing behind the Leader, could notice his weaker voice, his hands trembling, his more distant eyes, and even a difficulty to stay on his feet as the speech ended. Said speech, written by the Führer himself as usual, also showed his deteriorating mind, where he sometimes mistook different countries, like a moment he claimed New York was near Jerusalem, which was officially interpreted as being a link of Zionist conspirators. By the end of the speech, Hitler was hurriedly taken out of Germania while avoiding his usual public appearances, his Chaffeur Erich Kempka, being instructed to avoid crowds while heading to the airport, and from there he took his plane to the Berghof, which became the new center of the Reich by that point, he would only leave a few times before his eventual death. Hitler once said he wished to retire after the war and live in his childhood city of Linz, but of course he did not resign the title of Führer even if the governance was being more and more at the hands of his subordinates and Gauleiters, which decentralized even further the National Socialist system, but he still interfered when a personal stake came. Encouraging disputes, distrust, and divisions within his own party in order to weaken any who would dare challenge his position, while also being in line with his personal beliefs of social darwianism.

    There were a few moments of his personal life which still seemed to affect him, namely a certain visit to the Berghof in February from a famous Austrian conductor. While normally the Berghof was an area of extremely restricted access and initially his entry was denied, the man protested enough at the gate for the guard to reach the Führer who was taking a walk in the building, and once hearing of that name he immediately ordered him to be allowed entry and almost went on a reprimanding rant with the guard for disrespecting such honorable guest. It was August 'Gustl' Kubizek, one of the few people that the tyrant of Europe considered a true friend from his childhood, as it was Hitler's support and appeal to Kubizek's father that allowed him to enter the musical life in Vienna and become a conductor who undoubtly benefited from his personal links. Gustl and Adolf spent an entire day speaking and it was the most energetic the Führer had been in years according to Eva, which clearly caused tesion between Gustl and Bormann, the later bureaucrat being envious of the attention his Führer gave to his childhood friend who had such freedoms to break protocol, while Kubizek detested Bormann's bureaucratic and despotic methods. At the night, the two actually went to Linz, watching one of their favorite classics, Wagner, this time playing "Gotterdammerung", the Twilight of the Gods in old Germanic Mythology, a dark foreshadowing of what was to come. Kubizek had noticed how his old friend's frail health was catching up to him, and it made sense as neither of his parents had lived a long life, nevermind one with the stress of ruling over all of Europe. August was perhaps one of the few who was bold enough to ask the Führer in his final days on what would be the future of the Reich, and he received his answer in private during the performance, as the two were alone in the booth dressed in suits. "The Reich will go to the strongest", is what Hitler said that night of February 7th 1951, in a mimic of Alexander the Great's classic line attributed on his deathbed. At that moment, Gustl was taken by a sense of dread, "as if I was staring at a corpse", and he worried about his future and of his family, to which Hitler reassured that no harm would come to him, advising him to stay dedicated to the arts, which was "the highest demonstration of the beauty of a people", while Politics was certainly not something Kubizek would be able to thrive in. The two returned back to the Berghof, and said their farewells to one another, the former conductor claiming that as he left he knew that it was the last time he had seen his friend.

    This was, however, not Hitler's final act, as later that month he was summoned to a more distant place, at Archangelsk where Werner Heisenberg, who became the leading Figure of the Uranverein, together with Albert Speer, Minister of Armaments, and Bernard Rust, Minister of Education, summoned the leading figures of the Reich to give Hitler the final results of his program. While it had only began to receive proper resources in 1943 and becoming the priority after Sendai, the German nuclear program, with the help of Linz Pakt scientists, archives captured in both Moscow and Bern, as well as some espionage contacts provided by the RSHA, the Program finally achieved it's goal. It was 10:09 AM when, in the cold northern plains of Russia, the sun scorched the earth for the second time to the dreadful horror of the whole world. The "Heisenberg Device", an U-235 bomb nicknamed "Wotan", the highest god of the Germanic pantheon, detonated to a devastating effect of 24 Kilotons, just slightly above the bomb detonated in January over Sendai years prior. And now, the Reich possessed the power of the Atom, thanks to the possession of the combined resources of Continental Europe, and was put as an equal in status to the United States, although Washington possessed far more devices stored and it would take several weeks for the next German bomb to be created. Upon receiving the news, President Long reached towards Prime Minister Eden, advising on increased preparations of British home defenses, when asked if America would join in a war against the Reich, Eden was infuriating over Long's hesitant response, the President claiming that he would simply do what was best for the American people, an angered Eden slammed down the phone as he asked if it was the best for the American people to see Washington razed by Nuclear Hellfire.

    Long's advice proved prophetic as Hitler congratulated Heisenberg's efforts by awarding him the German Cross, with the title of "Father of the Atom", although he was not the inventor of the Atomic bomb, and called for a meeting of Wehrmacht commanders in the Wolf's Lair, a military headquarters used for the Eastern campaign during the war. In the meeting, which was attended by members of the Heer, Kriegsmarine, and Luftwaffe, Hitler discussed extensively the use of tactical nuclear weapons and the unleashing of a bombing barrage unlike any ever seen in history across the channel, thousands of rockets and over ten thousand planes, alongside the majority of the Linz Pakt assets, a Franco-German fleet which included the new Aircraft Carriers, the "Graf Zepellin" and the "Vaterland", to launch the devastating "Operation Sealion". Alongside a massive offensive of the Wehrmacht, the Syrian army, and the Italian army into Egypt and through Turkey with the final objective of capturing Israel and the oilfields of Iraq and Iran. A continuation of Barbarossa, nicknamed "Case Orange", which planned a massive push by the majority of the Wehr forces to capture all of Russia west of the Ural mountains to achieve a more "defensible and natural" barrier to the east and separate "The Asian Hordes" from Europe. On the 27th of February, Hitler left to the Berghof, giving final orders to mass produce atomic weapons and calling for the highest state of alert to all German forces, the orders being transmitted through the Linz Pakt much to the terror of Laval and Mussolini who could only stand and watch their countries being drawn to what would prove to be the Greatest War the world had ever seen, one that could very well destroy mankind itself as scientist Albert Einstein stated in New Jersey upon learning of the detonation in Archangelsk.


    "The arrogance of one man, one who sees himself above all things, is what shall ultimately end arrogance altogether by making sure no more things exist."
    The savior of the world from this brink of precipice proved to be something so small and petty that it was almost comical how one of the most powerful men in the world was brought down by it's smallest creature. His short stay in the cold winter of Archangelsk proved to be Hitler's undoing, as the Führer of the Greater Germanic Reich, on the brink of causing the deaths of tens, maybe hundreds of millions, caught something as simple as a cold. Normally that was hardy fatal, but the cold of the European Alps, added with Hitler's hipocondria, stress, and frail health, soon began to evolve into something more lethal. Doctor Morell merely proscribed even more pills to the Führer, but his stress and fear of death when on the brink of starting what he dreamed to be his greatest victory, his final war against the Reich's enemies, is what proved to be his undoing as he began to overdose on his medicine, demanding his dosage to be increased daily to fight the infection despite Morell's warnings. The doctor saw no choice but to continue to proscribe pills to the Führer, as well as injections of different drugs, vitamins, and even opioids, which led to an ultimate fatal end on the 12th of March 1951, a month from his 62nd birthday, after he took over 40 different pills during the night and went to his private cinema, closing himself alone inside as he began to watch his final movie, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". In the movie, near it's end, the villainous witch is about to achieve her victory over the dwarfs when a lightning strikes the precipice she stood on, and she ended up crushed by the same boulder she planned to use on others, the same way Hitler had planned to use biological weapons such as Anthrax against Britain during the bombing campaign, he ended up killed by a disease at the height of his pride when closest to his victory, just as the evil Queen. In another twist of Irony, the greatest enemy of America, a man who publicly despised all things American as degenerate and cosmopolitan, died of a cardiac arrest while watching his favorite American movie.

    The Morning of March 13th would be the first day of Germany in over 18 years where Hitler was not in charge, and the first one to notice was none other than Klara, Hitler's young daughter who woke up early that morning. The toddler wanted to watch a movie, a cartoon, and woke up her mother Eva, who at first did not notice the lack of Hitler's presence, as it was usual for him to wake up before her. She guided the young Klara towards the private cinema room where an SS guard was standing at the door, claiming that the Führer did not want to be disturbed, Eva asked him if he had seen Hitler leave the room, as the guard was taking the morning turn, he said he didn't, calling through the phone to the station of the night guard where he also claimed he did not see him leave the Cinema, with the movie still on a loop inside. The guard hesitantly knocked on the door and received no answer, the three finally deciding to investigate the lack of response and opening the door to see Hitler apparently asleep on the chair. Eva and Klara attempted to awake him, at first gently, but upon receiving no answer, Eva became more desperate which frightened Klara, causing her to run from the room in fear while Eva shouted for the guard to summon Doctor Morell. Morell had just left the Berghof and was staying at an Hotel in Salzburg, with the SS officers barging inside his room and ordering him to dress up and head immediately towards the Berghof, still dressed in his Pajamas he entered the vehicle while the city was still unaware of what was happening. As the doctor came in, he went straight to the room where a desolate Eva begged him to do something, claiming she could not live her life without Adolf, ordering the doctor to reanimate him, and as much as he tried, Morell could do nothing. Adolf Hitler was dead.

    Martin Bormann was naturally the first one in the scene, he lived in a nearby house in the Obersalzberg, and was still asleep when he received a phone call, waking up to take it as it came from one of his informants inside the Berghof claiming that Eva was screaming in panic and calling for Doctor Morell. Bormann's usual stoic bureaucratic behavior broke as he realized the moment he was expecting for so long has arrived at last, yet nothing could prepare him for this as his face immediately went pale, he spoke to the man across to close down all access and phone lines to the Berghof, this news could absolutely not leak. He finished by exclaiming "Scheisse", a rare bad mouthed moment for the Brown Eminence as he immediately got up from the bed and all sleep went away even for the standards of the workhorse. He dressed up, not even brushing his teeth or hair as he shouted for his driver to take him to the Berghof, only telling his wife about an urgent business which required his attention. He arrived shortly before Morell and immediately followed Eva's cries, seeing Klara hidden under the blankets of her bedroom along the way, being consoled by Traudl Junge, Hitler's personal secretaries who was almost like an aunt to the girl. He went to the cinema and saw Eva crying desperately over Hitler's corpse, and as he saw the dead body of his Führer, Bormann used of all his focus to not panic, as much as he was not a fanatic like Goebbels, he was still a fiercely loyal servant of Hitler, following him for over two decades, and this was a shocking experience for him. Yet he quickly absorbed it, offering to comfort Eva, staying with her for just a couple of minutes before telling her to await Morell while he went to speak with Kempka to break the news. While the Doctor attempted to reanimate the Führer in vain, Bormann instructed the staffers to completely lock down the building, and the Brown Eminence already began his scheeming as he had pickpocketed Hitler's pocket while consoling Eva, going towards his office to secure the one document he needed the most: His Last Will and Testament.

    And yet, the news spread, Bormann was not the only one with staff members inside the Berghof, after all they were SS men. Himmler was already awake, being in Munich for the incoming inspection of a regiment of Waffen-SS graduates to be sent to Amiens where the preparations for the invasion were being made. His inspection was interrupted as one of his aides rushed towards him, giving a quick salute and handing him a document rushly written from the Berghof. Heinrich's hands trembled as he read that document, immediately leaving the inspection to the confusion of the SS soldiers, immediately taking a car to the Obersalzberg and giving strict instructions to contain the news. However that was far too late, Bormann was the first one to give the news to one man in Germania, Hess still being asleep when Bormann immediately summoned the Deputy Führer towards the Berghof without explaining any other reason through the phone lines which he knew could be tampered. Rudolf took his private plane to Linz, from where he would take a car to the Oberzalsberg. By coincidence, Speer was meant to go to the Berghof that day, in order to deliver the news that the Reich's second nuclear device was completed, and even without receiving the news he was headed from Germania to the Führer's residence, being in a car when he saw Himmler's vehicle rushing past him towards the Berghof at a speed he had not seen a Mercedes go before, the two ended up in a literal race towards the Berghof, later being joined by Hess' car in an almost cartoonish way. Goebbels was working tirelessly to prepare his incoming war speech when one of the Berghof staffers informed him of the commotion, the Minister of Propaganda was not told the cause, and yet he rushed all the same in a plane, landing in Munich where his car soon found the others on the road, the four raced through the Bavarian alps in a dangerous, yet comical, way that shows that reality is sometimes crazier than fiction.

    Heydrich was actually in there before the four Ministers, as Chief of the Gestapo and the Intelligence Services, he had naturally discovered the commotion not just from his own sources but, as Bormann suspected, tampering the phone lines coming from the Berghof. Despite Bormann's order, Heydrich issued a counter order to the SS staff to keep the phone lines on, in order to deny the Brown Eminence the monopoly on information. Which is why Bormann was taken by surprise by Heydrich's early arrival as the "Man with the Iron Heart" came in to see Hitler's corpse in the cinema, laying down on the floor with Eva having passed out on a seat and Morell attempting to keep her stable. Heydrich did not show strong reactions, giving instead a disciplined salute and a little show of sadness and grief that Bormann noticed to be quite disingenuous. Later came in the four ministers, rushing inside one after another to meet the sight of a passed out Eva Braun, a panicking doctor who was fearing for his life, a bureaucrat in pajamas, and a sociopath in uniform standing with his face half covered by shadows, it all resembled a scene taken straight out of some dark comedy film. Himmler, already knowing of what was the reason for the panic, still felt disoriented for a while, taking off his glasses with trembling hands and circling around the room. Goebbels, Hess, and Speer had the more genuine and dramatic reactions as the closest and most devoted men towards the Führer. Goebbels fell on his knees in a drama that only a propaganda Minister could produce with a desperate cry of agony, his forehead touching the carpeted ground, calling out loud on why he had to be taken so early. Hess began to cry to himself as he paced around his body, kneeling down above his head and holding it, crying on his hair. Speer was in complete shock, having to sit down at a seat besides Eva as the commotion began to wake her up. Bormann began to approach Doctor Morell, while Heydrich went to a corner of the room with Himmler, the two already beginning to whisper to one another with both Bormann and Speer giving glances at them.

    Eventually, Bormann called for the other members of the Inner Circle, saying that they should move Hitler's body to his room, to which Goebbels immediately protested by standing up and shouting "Who are you to give orders? We follow only the commands of the Führer!" to which Bormann said that Hitler was clearly not "available" at the moment, in a condescending way that only his secretary could say, Goebbels insisted to which Bormann challenged Goebbels to get an answer to the Führer, finally silencing the short spokesman of the Reich. Eva finally broke the awkward silence in the room, asking if they could take her husband's body to his bedroom, to which all agreed, the inner circle formed a circle around Hitler, subtly competing to who would carry his body. Speer ended up losing the competition and instead accompanied Eva with one arm wrapped around her as they went towards his room, and he heard of Eva asking for a Cyanide pill, claiming she couldn't live on without Adolf, to which Speer had to talk sense in her head, bringing her to Klara's room to stay with her daughter, claiming that Hitler wanted her to stay and raise the future generation of his family, to serve as a model for all German women. After talking her out of suicide, he arrived at Hitler's bedroom just as Heydrich was closing the doors, almost being stuck outside as they all began to discuss what to do. Doctor Morell was in the room and gave what he believed to be the cause of his death, a cardiac arrest. It was probably the worst thing to say in the worst place, already being quite unpopularly called a charlatan by Hitler's courtiers, he had to admit that the probable cause of the arrest, after seeing his medicine stash, was an overdose caused by his panic reaction to getting a flu. Immediately Goebbels began to call Morell a murderer, grabbing him by his shirt and claiming he had poisoned the Führer with venoms, the others had to separate the two to avoid Goebbels from strangling the doctor out of rage. Himmler ordered the doctor to be kept under custody by the SS but immediately Bormann claimed that only the Führer could dismiss his doctor, to which Himmler reminded Bormann that Morell was a member of the SS and he was still the Reichsführer-SS. As another argument was seemingly starting in the room when Speer proposed that Morell was escorted out of the room under Bormann's orders as secretary, and since the Berghof was under lockdown he could not leave the house anyways. Heydrich voiced his agreement with the proposition and Bormann complied by ordering Morell to leave the room and stay within the Berghof. Shortly afterwards, both Eva and Klara entered the room, Speer asking if she was better and Goebbels attempting to cheer up the young girl.


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    Naturally all wanted to hear his Last Will and Testament, and Bormann went towards his safe with the key and took it, although he had already done so before. He then began to read out loud to the room as silence fell, all of the men standing in attention to each word. Naturally it all started with him drawing a line from his "calling" in the trenches all the way to the victories of the Reich, speaking of the hopeful future to the German people which made Goebbels and Hess particularly emotional, especially as Hitler mentioned both of their names alongside the others during their "road to triumph". Hitler left the Obersalzberg and his residences, alongside the royalties for the "Second Book", to Klara Hitler, the largest art collection of Europe being given to Eva Braun alongside the guardianship of Klara and the watch over all her assets. The Royalties for Mein Kampf and several other proprieties were to be given to the Party, while Hitler praised the determination of his followers and their loyalty, while also lamenting the death of the Iron Marshal Hermann Göring, who he claimed to be a "Natural successor for the Reich". Finally he went through the qualities of some of his underlings, and claimed that Germany must never be left with a weak leadership, which would only allow it to fall prey of the Jewish enemies of the Reich. Bormann gave a pause as he finally announced in Hitler's will the name of Rudolf Hess, claiming him as an always loyal follower from the Start, a great friend and ally even in the darkest times, who should naturally be expected to receive the torch to carry the Aryan race to a bright tomorrow upon his death. The Bureaucrat finished the testament and gave it to Himmler as he requested to see with his own eyes. As it was confirmed that Bormann was speaking the truth, all of them turned to a nervous Rudolf Hess who was standing besides Hitler's corpse in complete silence. Bormann was the first to raise his arm in a salute, "Heil Hess", with quite more enthusiasm compared to the others who did the same with a varying degree of devotion, overwhelming the deputy with this demonstration as he realized what had just happened. He looked down at Hitler's body for a moment and then claimed that he was not worth a salute, that nobody should be equaled with Hitler's magnanimously, that he was the Eternal Führer of the Reich and therefore above Hess for eternity. Hess raised his arm and gave a Hitler salute which was replied first by Goebbels and then the rest of the room, this was seemingly an ensured and smooth power transition from the Leader to his Deputy, but of course it was not that simple. While the Reich now had a Führer, it was clear that Hess was a follower, not a leader, he did not have the ambition and ability to lead on his own, and that was shown by the way he was looking towards Bormann during the whole ordeal, and as Hitler claimed in his Testament, a weak leader could not lead the Reich.

    Before they even left the room came the question on breaking the news to the public, and immediately all eyes fell upon Goebbels, he did not even question if he was still the propaganda minister, as Hitler appointed him to that position and Hess did not challenge it. They were quick to argue as each one desired to tell their interest groups first, then came the argument on informing the Army, the Gauleiters, the Industrials, and Foreign missions. Upon having the point of the foreign delegations brought up, Speer made the question which was hanging at everyone's head, if the plans for the incoming war were to be cancelled or not. Goebbels immediately began to angrily shout that going back down was a show of weakness and cowardice, that Hitler's will for the destruction of the Zionist and degenerate democracies was not to be stopped, the final orders of Hitler could not be overturned after his death, Himmler agreed with that statement but then Speer raised the concern that they still needed to give a public funeral and days of mourning, which could be easily exploited by the enemies of the Reich as the soldiers should have the right to honor him, Bormann agreed with Speer and claimed that Hitler was not expecting himself to be unavailable, which contradicted Morell's claims. Hess agreed in principle that he could not overturn Hitler's orders but just as the argument continued to escalate, Klara silenced the room with weeping, upon seeing Hitler's body closer, Bormann ordered Eva to take Klara out of the room, Eva's eyes glancing over to Speer, the family friend, who nodded and suggested for her to follow Bormann's "advice", which caused an angry glare from the bureaucrat as Eva and Klara left the room in silence. Heydrich finally stepped in, he claimed that the Führer's desire for the destruction of the Zionists was obvious, however he reminded the SD and RSHA reports, the death of Hitler would cause a general commotion not just in the Reich but all of Europe, and they would need a united front against the enemy, and besides, the people had a duty to honor the Führer, something which just could not happen if the funeral procession was bombed by the RAF. All eyes fell upon Hess again, and he hesitantly called for a "postponing" of the plans, to which Goebbels finally agreed as well as Himmler. War would be avoided, for now.


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    The announcement later that evening was something that shocked the world. In Washington and London, both Long and Eden knew that there was some strange move happening in Germany, with the rumors spreading around of Ministers and Gauleiters mobilizing, many expected that the war was finally about to begin, Eden was in contact with the RAF command to ready the bombers for a preemptive strike on the European Atlantic Coast, especially against the Wasserfall batteries and the air bases. Finally news came from Germania at 5:00 PM GMT, when Goebbels was the first one to come on TV in a rushed out assembly in the Volkshalle, together with the other high-ranking figures of the Reich with the sole exception of Hitler, there was even the rare instance of a woman being seated behind, Hitler's widow Eva who was dressed in black and was now the richest woman in Europe. The Reichminister spoke as the entire world stopped, expecting a war declaration and instead receiving the news of the decade, if not the century, Adolf Hitler was dead, claimed to have been poisoned by Doctor Theodor Morell who provoked a cardiac arrest by falsely proscribing pills under the orders of his "Occult Masters we know so well". Goebbels spoke passionately of Hitler's testament, of his devotion to the people, of his duty to the Fatherland, and the nation which was already on the brink fell on their knees in commotion. Thousands committed suicide to follow their leader to his grave across Europe, the German nation was in complete shock, and the Mobilization for the incoming "Inevitable War" was to be postponed indefinitely, finally Goebbels announced Hess as the New Führer under Hitler's will, giving him the podium as the world awaited. Hess was a skilled orator, although not to the level of Goebbels and Hitler, he was able to work out an already shocked crowd into a complete show of fanaticism, calling for the Unity of the German People's Community an the European Nations to continue the work towards triumph and prosperity, while also continuing the fight against the International Jew, he also made a call, especially to Britain, which brought Eden to a state of confusion, as well as practically every soldier listening to the speech. Hess called for Britain to join together into the European Community, praising the British Empire as a civilizational force in the world, something which coincided with Hess' Anglophilia and his childhood under British Alexandria, asking for their leaders to cast of the shackles of the Jews and join their Germanic brothers in the fight against the Zionists of Israel and the United States. Eden reportedly asked if his Television was not broken.

    Around the world, celebrations broke out over the death of Hitler, in Israel there was a party that flooded the streets of every settlement. Anne Frank in her diary claimed that she had not seen such joy ever since the victory over the Syrians, that no people had ever celebrated so much over the death of one man, reminding her of how the Hebrews celebrated after crossing the Red Sea. In America, the people acted in an explosion of joy mixed in with relief, believing the threat of an incoming war to be over, the streets filled as if it was the Victory Day of 1947, President Long opening a bottle of champagne and making a celebration in the White House, even opening up the gates for the people to head into the garden in a similar way to Andrew Jackson's victory party, although the Secret Service forbade anyone of actually entering the building itself. In Russia, Cities such as Omsk, Vladivostok, and Novosibirsk ran out of Vodka as Monarchists, former Soviets, partisans, and all sorts of enemies set their differences aside to celebrate the death of Russia's greatest destroyer. Celebrations in Eastern European Cities, in Concentration camps, in farms and settlements still manned slavs, were spontaneous, with partisans celebrating with a wave of attacks on German targets and citizens, with local uprisings, all of that having to be violently repressed by the SS over the following weeks with even the involvment of some Wehr units. However, in Germany itself the death of Hitler was meet with a wave of public comotion, while the few remaining resistance members making their own private celebrations inside their homes. Hess declared a week of mourning, Hitler's body being brought to rest in the Volkshalle and exposed to the people for the week. He would be given an official funeral on the 20th of March 1951, a month before his birthday, his body being kept in a closed casket, with an SS honor guard to stay with it. Il Duce Benito Mussolini, the Prince of Wales Albert Windsor, Vice-President Roosevelt, President Campanema, Antoun "Al-Zaim" Saadeh, Caudillo Francisco Franco, Tsar Simeon II, and several other world leaders all came to the funeral, even members of rival nations, although other countries such as Israel and Russia, did not send any representatives for obvious reasons. After a grand spectacle, finishing with each of the main leaders giving a speech, the casket would go by plane to Linz, where Hitler would request in his Will to be kept in the Führermuseum. His body would be embalmed, exposed in a glass structure under strict watch of an SS Honor Guard 24 hours a day, becoming a place of pilgrimage inside the Reich to his devoted followers.

    However, no event was as impactful in Europe in reaction to Hitler's death than what happened in France. The News of the death of the German Führer caused an outbreak of massive celebrations across French Cities, especially Paris. And, as history shows many times when it comes to that specific country, it soon began to turn into bigger and bigger protests against President Laval's regime. In Verdun, the Wehrmacht garrison brutally suppressed the celebrations made by the French citizens of the city as it was considered a territory of the Reich, soon the reaction to the repression, which included at least 17 deaths, led to growing protests within France. Laval was seen as nothing but a traitorous German puppet, and when he began to deploy the police against the protestors, it only sparked greater fury on the French people who began to protest against Laval and the Germans alike, and while the President claimed these protests were under control it was far from the truth. It was a strange mixture that was in these rallies, communists, fascists, republicans, monarchists, liberals, and conservatives all alike were united under the same cause against the declining economy due to the isolation in the Linz pakt and the bankruptcy of French businesses against the German conglomerates, French workers being driven away by Germans and "foreign laborers" from the Eastern territories. German troops garrisoning the coast, with the U-Boat naval bases keeping the nation still under de facto occupation which was only worsened by the mobilizations, with the many unwilling to be drafted to a nuclear war for the sake of the Reich despite the growing Anglophobic propaganda. Laval's cabinet meet at Versailles to discuss the growing crisis, but on the 23rd of March, the reunion was interrupted as a large mob marched towards the palace, including a formation of fascist militiamen led by Jacques Doirot. A general strike was called across the country by underground labor unions as the resistance cells long dormant began to activate, the people saw their chance in the March towards Versailles. Laval attempted to escape by helicopter, only to realize that his pilot had allied himself with the protesters, leading him to land in the middle of the crowd as a very familiar scene in French history repeated itself in one of the most dramatic power transitions of the century. Laval was dragged by the mob towards a guilloutine, a Judge taking the stage over a wooden box and calling the crimes of the President out loud, which included collaboration, desertion, cowardice, and treason against the French people and nation. Laval's cries were deafened out by the mob as he was put in the guilloutine and sentenced to death by the people of France, even the own supporters of Petain's regime abandoning the man who was so hated by the Marechal. Laval would lose his head and now the French people, for the first time in History, had executed a sitting President.

    The scandal shocked Europe, and from there, similar protests began to erupt against the Linz Pakt and German exploitation, a last huzzah of resistance cells long suppressed. In the former Yugoslavia, the infamous Poglavnik Ante Pavelic would be assassinated by a Communist Serbian partisan, rebellions breaking out across the Independent State of Croatia and the Serbian puppet government at Nis. Josip Broz "Tito", leader of the Communist partisans who quickly became one of the most organized and successfull guerrillas in Europe, declared the "Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia", partisans and local militias used the chaos in order to seize large amounts of territory in Bosnia, while the chaos engulfed Croatia. The SS heavily suppressed a rebellion at Prinz-Eugenstadt, former Belgrade, but soon would see themselves increasingly isolated as similar protests happened in Hungary and Romania, against the Arrow Cross and the Iron Guard respectively, in Bulgaria, Hristo Lukov's regency was threatened by protests in Sofia calling for an anticipation of Simeon's reign, although the Prince was barely 14-years old. In Greece, the Italians would have to deal with a General Strike and increased partisan attacks in the Epirote mountains, the Greek terrain proving itself very favorable to Guerrilla warfare. In Portugal, the protests would be more modest, and through a mixture of compromises and repression, Salazar would be able to take control of the country. In Spain, something quite different happened, the Protests, many of them led by old republicans, were beginning to escalate into violence, and General Franco would suffer a fate similar to Pavelic by being assassinated by a former Anarchist guerrilla. However the power vaccum did not last, the protests would be crushed by the Falangist-alligned military, and José Antonio Primo de Riviera, for years overshadowed by Franco, used the opportunity to seize the Spanish State for himself and his Falangist movement, becoming the new Caudillo of Spain. In Italy, the protests were successfully repressed by the MVSN blackshirts, with the use of intelligence, infiltration, and overwhelming force.


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    The French Regime had accidentally created it's worst enemy, the constant propaganda against General Charles de Gaulle only served to make him the figurehead of the Resistance more successfully than any of de Gaulle's own legitimation efforts. In Brazzaville, the General heard about the revolution in Paris, and he knew he would simply not have a better chance as many in the resistance called for him to assume power. He had to be quick, after all, Doirot was already positioning himself to attempt the creation of a proper Fascist State in France, and God-forbid the communists from actually emerging victorious. He did not consult his allies before ordering the Free French forces to mobilize it's naval and land assets, first planning to seize West Africa by taking Dakar, an objective which had failed in the years before, and then advancing northwards towards France to assume the Presidency. However, de Gaulle knew there was a massive looming problem in this approach: The French coast was guarded by the Wehrmacht, the majority of the Navy had sided with the Petain Regime, and it was likely only a matter of time before the Germans intervened. The only way France could survive is if it had the full backing of Britain and the United States, including even to the nuclear end if necessary. De Gaulle presented his case towards Eden at first, and the British PM was all too happy to neuter the threat across the channel and deliver the decisive blow against the Reich, however Britain alone would not be able to defeat the Reich's Festung Europa, it was not something which could be accomplished without the deaths of millions. The Russians, began an initiative of their own to present the case to President Long, "Just give us your backing and all of Eurasia shall stand with you", said Tsar Andrei in a letter, which arrived shortly before Huey Long received a phone call from Eden to bring in de Gaulle's plan. That was it, the grand opportunity, the people of Europe begged for America, from Tito's communists to Greek Monarchists, French resistance and de Gaulle, calls from all across the continent by resistance movements and governments-in-exile, all awaited for just a permission. It was a fateful choice, and Long was not willing to expose America into another total war, having been elected on an anti-war platform compared to the hawkish MacArthur, Long's war was internal, to fight for the American common man against the Federal Reserve, the Monopolies, Banks, Oligarchs, Klansmen and Corporations, and entering in a war would only bring an end to this internal agenda just as the Wheeler Administration was forced to abandon it's programs for sake of wartime measures, and fewwanted a return to draft and rationing right after Operation Sunset inside Long's Cabinet. Besides, with the Reich's advances in rocketry still being mostly an enigma, there were histerical fears that, with the new nuclear capabilities, the Germans would be able to strike nuclear bombs in London, Lancaster, even New York itself. Ultimately, President Long made the decision that entering an European War was not within the interests of the American people, which caused a shocking sense of betrayal all across Europe, French resistance members who once proudly waved the American flag and called for the American army were now realizing they were left to die.

    In Germania, this little wave of Revolutions was seen as an opportunity by more ambitious men, with Hess vacilating personally on what orders to be given, being overwhelmed by this position and still in grief for his departed friend. Hitler's will was remembered by one man in particular, Heinrich "Loyal Heinrich" Himmler, the chief of the SS and the most powerful man in Germany. As the SS brutally suppressed revolts in the east, especially in Poland, through brute force, Himmler remembered the words of Hitler's will, Germany could not be left to a weak leader, and that is something he planned to capitalize. In France, after Laval's death, his cabinet was in chaos, many members being caught and lynched by mobs over the country, what was left of the Cabinet fled to Orleans, and Himmler began to prepare to act on his own in order to end the French chaos engulfing the country. Joseph Darnand, member of the Waffen-SS and Commander of the French paramilitary Milicie, launched a coup in Orleans against the Vichy regime, Laval's cabinet was dissolved and the Milice took control of the French State, launching a request for aid to the Linz Pakt to restore the national order and unity of France. In Paris, the fortified German Embassy was attacked by an armed mob, the Germans used of a local arsenal, including machine guns and even artillery pieces, to fight of the siege of the embassy, however it would be finally broken on the 27th after several days, the mob stormed into the building, lynching anyone inside who spoke German including functionaires, while the local garrison used flamethrowers and gasoline in order to burn the files, with the mob inside the building as it caught on fire, many would be trapped into the flames as the building burned, the ambassador himself commiting suicide before his capture. Verdun was put under siege, all railways and roads were closed down and the population entered on strike, with the threat that an event similar to Paris could happen as the French militia was preocupied in restoring the order in other areas. Doriot and the Fascists would end up sidelined in Paris, the movement's leadership declaring the creation of the Second Paris Commune and ordering the execution of any "Collaborators" within the city, which even included former collaborators like Doriot who had switched sides after seeing the effects of the German dominance over France in the 1940s. Hess finally ordered the intervention on April 1st, Wehrmacht units under General Rommel and Waffen-SS units across the border and within France, including the assets mobilized for an invasion of Britain, stormed into the country to support Darnand's new regime.


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    France was doomed if it depended on the United States, it was something de Gaulle realized upon hearing of Long's rejection, and he knew he would have to act by himself if he was supposed to at least emerge victorious in this struggle. The modest Free French forces could never invade the mainland, but he knew they were enough to be able to take Africa. With the naval forces spearheaded by the Aircraft Carrier Bern, with land forces under General Philippe Leclerq, and a friendly support by the Royal Navy, the Free French set the sights on the port of Dakkar, the key to control the massive territories of West Africa. Before, in 1940, a failed landing was a humiliation to the Free French forces, but this time things would be different, this time on the 3rd of April 1951, there was no need to fire a single shot. The Governor, who had his loyalty to Petain, refused to recognize Darnand's new regime, with him and his forces freely recognizing Charles de Gaulle as leader of Free France, and with that, the administrations of the majority of French West Africa defected to the Free French, much to the shock of both the General and Darnand. However, in France the Paris Commune would not have the same luck, Jean Moulin, a French Resistance operative in London, would report the horrors in the City of Lights when the Wehrmacht descended upon it, with Panzers destroying the makeshift barricades, SS soldiers accompanying the German army quickly making their arrests and executions right behind. The Hotel de Villers, traditional center of French revolutionary activities, was shelled by heavy artillery for 36 hours before the final surrender of it's defenders, with Wehrmacht troops once more marching down the Arc du Triumph, but this time not in the conquest of an enemy nation, but a pure massacre of mostly civilian militiamen, something Rommel was not particularly proud of, but he had his orders.

    Soon Darnand, now with his power secured in the mainland, wished to finally end the Free French threat, with the Reich's permission to expand it's armed forces and mount an expedition with the support of the Kriegsmarine, an expedition would be launched on the 16th of May towards Dakkar and Hess would face his first crisis. Eden, differently from Long, was not willing to back down in his position, challenging the hesitation of the United States by showing Britain as the defender of the Free French. The Royal Navy under Admiral Lord John Tovey, was stationed outside of Dakkar, blocking the way of the Franco-German taskforce with a Franco-British one. A tense stalemate began as both sides dared the other to fire the first shot, but who would break first? Who would back down? The Dakkar Crisis was another instance where 1951 almost began the third world war, but in this case, Rudolf Hess ordered the Kriegsmarine to retreat first, not desiring to enter in a conflict with Britain while the Linz Pakt still had to reorganize itself and due to his Naive Anglophilic atitude, believing himself some diplomatic genius who could turn Britain against America. Without German support, Darnand's expedition was forced to retreat and the Allies celebrated as the massive territories of French West Africa were now given to the Free French, while in Germania, Himmler, who orchestrated this scheme with Darnand, now had the excuse he needed. Germany could not have a weak leader, and now Hess had backed down against the British despite the clear supremacy of the Reich over "Inferior puppets of Judeo-Capitalism", as well as letting the German embassy be massacred. Himmler had a set day to act, the 20th of April, when the Tag das Sieges arrived and the Waffen SS was parading through the Unter den Linden, it would be the perfect time to be rid of Bormann and his puppet Hess once and for all.

    Intrigue brewed inside the Reich, and everyone seeked a way to undermine those in power to take it for themselves. Bormann was the one in power, while Hess was mostly an incompetent and weak figure, Bormann was a sociopathic bureaucrat who ruled from the Shadows, the Brown Eminence, who was behind both Hitler and Hess for decades. It is no wonder Martin Bormann was hated, hated by Speer for his bureaucratic apparatus stagnating the economy, hated by Goebbels for his despotic atitude and manipulative nature towards Hitler, hated by Himmler out of Himmler's desire for power. Hess listened to Bormann's words as a King who always had an ear to his advisor who truly ruled behind the throne. Bormann had started to take full powers from Hess, he was appointed as Deputy Führer, took care of Hess' paperwork that the German leader did not care about, bureaucratic manners that ended up giving Bormann power over several affairs, while the office of Deputy Führer meant that Bormann now vetted the entry of civil servants inside the Reich's robust system. Hess, surrounding himself with more and more interest on astrology and occultism, was an eccentric man, once even giving Himmler several different pots as a gift when the Reichsführer complained about a headache, claiming that he should immerse his feet at water with different temperatures to balance out his mood and heal his mind and body. While Himmler had his own occultist beliefs, it was just ridiculous to him just how open he was about it, apparently he even consulted with Astrologists before taking decisions, many of them being considered as Charlatans who whispered on Hess' other ear. Truthfully, Hess was simply not fit for the job and that is something Hitler himself knew, once commenting in private that if Hess ever became Führer he didn't know who he should pity more, Hess or the Party. Why did Hitler appoint Hess? He did not, that is the answer, Bormann knew of the original contents of the Last Will and Testament, once spying on the Führer himself as he saw the final draft while Hitler had passed out into sleep due to his pills earlier that year. The Brown Eminence took the original Will, which had Hitler's concerns of Hess written on it and recommending merely that he is kept in his current position and far from the real levels of power, and instead he read the copy, with a forged signature, while keeping the real Will with him, in case he ever needed to blackmail Hess. As the Reich became more and more Hess' dominion, Himmler prepared to enact the duty of a National Socialist, the rule of the strong must prevail, he entered in contact with Heydrich and the commander of the Leibstandate Wilhelm Mohnke, the stage was set and soon the Day of Victory would come.


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    April 20th, 1951, The parade was hours from starting, Hess was in his office, not the Reich Chancellery where he had never stepped his foot on since Hitler's death. He was looking fixated at a portrait of Hitler, reminding himself of his birthday that day, remembering of their journey together for Germany. He was not a leader, he knew that, and yet his old master seemed to have trusted him, believed him worthy of his Title even if Hess did not believe himself up to even lick Hitler's boots. He was a show man, one with good contacts, but he was not a Führer, refusing to accept that others saluted him, forbidding people from removing Hitler portraits or even put a portrait of his own at the same level or above Hitler's, and now he was supposed to be the leader in the Victory Day. As the hour struck, he knew he had to get ready, fixing up his uniform, Hess was about to leave his room when someone came through the door, two SS guards in their black uniforms entered his private room and locked the door behind them, holding their Gewehr 47 Rifles, one of the best models for semi-automatic rifles in the Reich. "Mein Führer", one of them said, "You must remain at your quarters, there is an ongoing emergency". Hess attempted to question it further but he did not receive any conclusive answers, and despite not being particularly skilled at intrigue he already knew what was going on, and considering these were SS soldiers, he knew who was behind it.

    Martin Bormann was in the Reich Chancellery when he saw the SS trucks stopping at the front door, from the window he could see the black-clad soldiers rushing inside the building, his own guard being overwhelmed and disarmed, if not supportive of their Schutzstaffel comrades. Bormann would never let himself be captured, but would he just let everything go down the drain? He was a survivor, he did all sorts of things for sake of power, and he could not just have it all be in vain. He knew there was only one man who he could get help from at this moment, grabbing a phone, he called for Generaloberst Friedrich Fromm, the Commander in Chief of the Reserve Army, the main force left in Germany as other Heer units were deployed across the continent. Unknowingly to Bormann, Fromm knew about the coup, and he was not reporting it to the Deputy, he was rather reporting it to another circle of characters who were awaiting for the ideal opportunity. With the SS launching the first blow, it would be easy to justify an intervention to restore the order, this was the moment they all awaited, when the National Socialist apparatus inevitably turned against itself. Fromm, who had begun to grow more distant of the leadership in Germania and owed no personal loyalty to Himmler or Hess, was approached by Tresckow the night before as his sources in the Abwehr informed of unusual SS mobilizations on the eve of the Tag das Sieges. With the coup now being obvious, the Wehrmacht officers would never let this army of fanatics take over the nation, and by claiming Hess has been imprisoned by the conspirators already, Fromm executed Unternehmen Walküre.

    Germania, which was just awakening to see the victory day celebrations, was not awakened by alarms but by machine gun fire. Troops from the Reserve Army entered in combat with Waffen SS units right before the parade, the tanks supposed to participate did not possess ammunition, but that did not stop them from being used as cover or rammed against walls, barricades and crowds of soldiers. Over ten thousand soldiers of both groups made Germania's streets into a battlefield, while the Waffen SS arrested Hess and Bormann, the Army units went after Reichsminister Albert Speer who was in the city to participate in the parade events, he was approached on a radical proposal, with said officers proposing to make him the new Führer of the Reich, or at the very least keep him as Minister in the incoming government. Speer was kept in house arrest as he was not making any decisions so quickly, for the coup to succeed one side still had to neutralize the other, and for now the SS held the two main cards in the Chancellery. Himmler moved Bormann and Hess to the SS Main Office to keep his two "trophies" secured, and uupon their arrival, Hess demanded explanations from Himmler, receiving only the information that the Army was moving into a coup, stabbing in the back the National Socialists to secure power to themselves. Technically that was not wrong, but Himmler did not speak that he was the one unleashing his own coup first, and the Army was merely exploiting that momentary division. His Chief of personal staff, Karl Wolff, was ordered to keep the two of them on watch in separate rooms, and both Bormann and Hess realized quickly that they had no authority in the room, this was Himmler's playground, and more and more he was acting like the Führer he believed himself to be.

    Goebbels was the key figure lacking in this plot, the public image of the party during speeches and announcements, the man who was Gauleiter of Germania and the Master of Information in the Reich. Having him meant cutting the communications and seizing the local party apparatus, Himmler knew that Goebbels could make the news public, use the Tag das Sieges, where all eyes were upon the city, to make the narrative he wished and turn the people at any direction, The Schawrze Kapelle (Black Orchestra, as the Conspirators were refered by the Gestapo) knew that. Goebbels saw from the window of his office as SS and Wehr troops fought one another to see who would be the one to capture him, and he would rather bite a cyanide pill than be captured by either of them. But he had an insurance, he had the communications, the telephones, and just like that his telephone ringed, "Yes, they are coming here, do what needs to be done". The SS were the ones who beat the army into the building, and it was just as he had hoped, with the assurance made by his ally, he would survive this day. Goebbels was kept under watch inside the building, not being moved to Himmler's office like Hess and Bormann, there would be another fate for him as his benefactor finally arrived in a Black car, their alliance was tenuous and unlikely, and Goebbels still had a pill in his pocket in case that was a mistake, but soon the tall "Blonde Beast" entered his office, the guards giving him a salute as Reinhard Heydrich came towards him. "Do you trust me?" Heydrich asked, to which he quickly received a "No" reply, "Good, I don't either". Heydrich gave him a rare smirk while Goebbels just looked at him wondering if he should have taken the pill while he had the chance.

    Keitel was quickly secured by the Schwarze Kapelle and the conspirators, who spoke of the SS coup, but there was one commander who was still free and outranked Fromm and the conspirators, the OKW Chief of Staff Heinz Guderian. The General, who was preparing the troops for the parade, was not foolish to not know of the conspiracies inside the army, but he owed no loyalty to Tresckow, Olbrich, Witzleben, Stauffenberg, or Fromm, he had his loyalty to Hitler, even if they had their disagreements, a Wehrmacht officer never engaged in treason. Goebbels was the only one he was able to reach, and from him he received the confusing news, the Reserve Army was launching a coup and the SS was fighting with government forces against the putschists. Guderian had received confusing reports, after all, he was informed by many sources that the SS were the ones launching the first blow, it was a chaotic situation where two coups were happening at once and he was the only commander near Germania who had a force sufficient to crush both of them if necessary. While some entertained the idea of him seizing power, using his personal prestige as the victor of Barbarossa, Guderian had no intention of doing so, and at the decisive moment he decided to trust the call from Goebbels' Ministry, placing his loyalty to the regime and the true Wehrmacht against the conspirators. Soon he mobilized his divisions and began to enter the city against the troops of the reserve army, but if the SS was truly launching a coup then why did Goebbels not inform Guderian?

    Heydrich was supposed to have returned to the Main Office with Goebbels in his custody by now, Himmler was nervous, his right-hand man had never failed in fulfilling an order, unless the military had reached to the Propaganda Minister first. The Reichsführer-SS was tranquilized when he saw Heydrich's car and his escort coming to the building, but then he noticed that there was the lack of a midget with a broken foot and skeletical face in it. As soon as Heydrich entered his office, Himmler demanded to know where was Goebbels, and Heydrich only informed that he had killed himself with a Cyanide pill, not just that, but Guderian's troops were about to enter the city and nobody knew which side he was loyal to, after all they had Hess. Himmler's argument immediately stopped as the Television airwaves were turned on all across Germania, the news reaching the Reich and the world about what was truly happening in that chaotic day: A coup was launched by military dissidents planning to seize power for themselves, a cabal of military officers stabbed the Reich in the back, but the government forces were restoring the law and order in the city with the help of the Party forces in order to preserve the legacy of Adolf Hitler. Himmler was left confused, was Goebbels not supposed to be dead? Why was he now siding with them? Perhaps he expected to be a part of the future government? That is when he heard the cocking of a gun behind him, and the "Man in the Iron Heart", his ever loyal henchman, pointed a gun at point blank range at Himmler, and as he was left in shock, his own guards approached and handcuffed him, the Reichsführer was in complete shock as he finally realized he was no longer in charge of the SS, and had not been in a long time.

    Bormann thought he had been saved, that the troops of Guderian would smash the putsch and restore order to the Reich, and indeed the Wehrmacht loyalists had entered the city, and the government quarters was being put back in the control of the Hooked Cross troops. But he was not saved, far from it, when the office he was in opened up, he saw Heydrich stepping in, and Bormann already knew of Heydrich's dubious loyalty to Himmler, he promised that the "Butcher of Prague" would be properly rewarded for his loyalty, by taking the command of the SS itself. But then, once he saw the gun at his hand, Bormann's color drained from his face, instead he desperately went on his knees and began to pathetically beg for his life, no words came from Heydrich, only a bullet to the Brown Eminence's head. In the cell on the other side, the scene was quite different once Heydrich arrived, Hess was not shot, instead he was rescued, informed that Bormann had been executed and Himmler planned to do the same to him, but the Reichsführer had been stopped before he could act on his maleficent schemes, Guderian's troops were now collaborating with the SS to crush conspirators within the armed forces who tried to use the chaos to seize power to themselves. Hess chose to believe Heydrich's affirmations, knowing very well he had no choice on that matter and that the Chief of Secret police desired his own reward for this.

    For the rest of the day, the situation on the ground quickly made it's change, Monkhe, being part of Heydrich's plot, collaborated with Guderian's forces, and the combined strength of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS proved far too much for the conspirators. Speer was released from his house arrest, and the plotters surrendered to avoid more death and carnage in Germania, the officers were arrested, and Speer was barely saved thanks to his contacts, as many had believed him to be a part of the conspiracy. The April coup was a failure, soon the main opposition figures within Germany ended up arrested while Goebbels took to the airwaves to announce the restoration of order, the Conspiracy of Heinrich Himmler within the SS being stopped by loyal elements within the party, and the army being stopped by loyalists in the Wehrmacht itself, the legacy of Adolf Hitler would be mantained and he warned that the Reich "Cannot be destroyed from out or within, it's foundations shall last for a thousand years". The "unfortunate" death of Bormann by the putschists was also put on the news the following day, because that night was when Heydrich made his move, in what was called the "Second Night of the Long Knives", Himmler loyalists all across the Reich, and even in other parts of the Linz Pakt, would be assassinated in charges of conspiracy, while many Bormann loyalists were subtly executed or arrested. Over 400 officers of varying degrees from the SS and NSDAP would be executed in one night, all while Roland Freisler was summoned to organize the public show trials in the "Peoples' courts" to the conspirators within the Army.

    As a reward for his services in difusing the conspiracy, Hess felt "obligated" to give Heydrich the title of Reichsführer-SS, alongside the title of Deputy Führer. Goebbels was rewarded for his decisive actions, being finally given the Ministry of Education and Culture from Bernhard Rust, who was quietly encouraged to retire, while the Ministry of Science was split up and awarded to Heisenberg for his discoveries in the field of Nuclear Physics. Speer received the Ministry of Economy with the retirement of Walter Funk due to his declining health, finally achieving almost a monopoly on the control of the Reich's robust economy and State corporations. Hess was kept as the Führer for now, but Heydrich recovered something in Bormann's office after his arrest, something he could keep close in case Hess ever began to get any bright ideas other than showing himself up to public with speeches praising the late Führer. Without the support of the allies, the attempted revolutions in Europe were crushed by the brute force of the Linz Pakt, and while it lost a large portion of Africa, it survived it's first major test, but with an increasingly stagnant economy that was only put in more shock by the coups between March and April, that was surely not going to be the last test for the Iron Eagle.

    On the 23rd of April came the day of the execution, Colonel Stauffenberg, one of the leading figures in organizing the conspiracy, was put in front of a firing squad. He had dedicated his life for Germany, and only too late did he realize the true scale of the Reich's monstrosities. And now their one gamble was lost, the other officers being either placed in camps or executed like him, and honestly he preferred an immediate execution rather than the horrors happening in the East. Their time was passed, the Abwehr was dissolved as soon as the extent of it's oppostion was discovered, it's functions being absorbed by the RSHA, Colonel Hans Oster, who for years led the resistance de facto, who even tried to warn the allies before all of this began, had been executed the previous night, and now it was his turn. The SS firing squadron, as he did not get the honor of a military execution, aimed their rifles at him as he had his back against a stained wall. He could only pray that the Lord would have mercy upon this nation, and hope that at the very least their show on the 20th could show the world that not all Germans were like the criminal gang that took over a nation of honor and made it a nation of scoundrels. His last words were to give a military salute, shouting "Long live our Sacred Germany!" as the bullets fired and it all faded into black and red, at least he would not have to witness the horrors that would come to this world after their departure. Even in death, Hitler had won, his regime survived, and now it would belong to the strongest.

     
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    IRON EAGLE - PART II: 50s
  • Now that the first Part of the timeline has been finished, we have reached the 1950s! What do we have in store? Middle Eastern wars, American politics, Colonial wars, Nazi politics, American racial tensions, a Latin American axis, China no longer being broken up, Kingfish, Communism, McCarthy, Proxy wars, Cultural Wars, Space Race and so on!

    Ver a imagem de origem

    "For God's sake Roosevelt, are we not fighting enough wars here at home?! The only ones who will win with this mess are those chaps up in Wall Street!"

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    "National Socialism shall return to it's roots, the energy of the Aryan man must not be wasted, but it must be directed to destroy his enemies!'

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    "Nazis! Nazis! You are worse than Hitler! At least he made his intentions obvious, but you brownies prefer to hide and tear us from within!"

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    "How can America attack the German racial policy while allowing the Klansmen to act like Nazi goons on it's own black citizens?"

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    "Egypt is on the march to unite the Arab world against the Syrians and Zionists, but first we must retake our canal, and if the cost is a talk with Mr. Mussolini then so be it!"

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    "The Germans are Iran's natural ally against the British imperialists, they are our greatest hope of bringing modernization and power to our proud millenarian people."

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    "All power to the President, the true representative of God and Nation! Salgado will save us from Cosmopolitan degeneracy!"

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    "Honor Mao, Destroy the traitors!"

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    "Per Aspera, Ad Astra!"
     
    XXI - ALL THE KING'S MEN
  • THE IRON EAGLE
    ALL THE KING'S MEN

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    A new day came to America on that 21st of January of 1949, and Huey Pierce Long Junior the son of a salesman, was now the most powerful man in the western world. Defeating all those who stood in his path, from John Parker, to Douglas MacArthur, he overcame all these challengers, from his impeachment in 1929, his relative fade in the 1940s from the stigma of isolationism, his enemies in the Senate and his home state. Many called him a Fascist, an American version of Hitler or Mussolini, others called him a Communist of the likes of Stalin, whose crimes were now being revealed by the new Russian Government, but the truth is just what he said when one reporter asked him his ideology, he was just himself. Long was certainly a populist, a man greatly inspired by his also Democratic predecessor William Jennings Bryan, growing up in the progressive era as he saw in his youth the fight between Roosevelt, Taft and Wilson against the Monopolies. But this conflict was mostly felt at home when he saw the Standard Oil Company as his greatest enemy, once he took law practice he advocated for small causes against corporate giants, when he discovered and invested in an oil well, it would be blocked and bankrupted by the Standard Oil-backed Louisiana government, which was ruled by an oligarchical minority, keeping Louisiana as perhaps the poorest state in the United States during the 1910s. He thought John Parker could've fought against such practices and backed him in the election, giving him the support of the State's impoverished farmers, but instead he saw Parker becoming nothing more than another corrupt stooge, and so he entered politics, at first losing the 1924 run, managing to win the 1928 one and becoming Louisiana's best governor in ages. Roads, hospitals, schools, electrification, literacy programs, crackdown on state monopolies, it was easy to see how he was overwhelmingly adored in the State. At first his opponents attempted to take him down with a fraudulent impeachment process, but he stood firm and defeated his rivals, and by 1932 he controlled the local politics, wrestling control from the old democrats, easily winning a seat in the Senate in 1932.

    Many expected him to be elected as President in 1936, with Hoover's unpopularity following his crackdown on the Bonus Army veterans in 1934, the continued recession only boosting the chances of the Democrats after they failed to take the White House in 1932. He certainly did have great chances, being a skilled orator, gaining national prominence for his radical reform program "Share the Wealth", allying with progressive figures as well as many centrists who were frustrated by Hoover's insufficient measures. Long was not alone in courting reform as Wheeler began to support his case, being initially a supporter of Huey Long and even considered an alternative as Vice President to him, but everything came to a halt on the 23rd of March 1936 when, while in a visit to Banton Rouge, the son-in-law of one of his defeated rivals approached him with a pistol, and while the shot did not hit him, his army of bodyguards shot the attacker 63 times, with Long being hit by one of the bullets. The Senator feared death, begging to God to not allow him to die, claiming he still had "much to do", the wound was not fatal, but it was certainly fatal for his campaign. Being disabled from the primaries and being under recovery, Long instead gave his support for Wheeler, believing he would be able to implement a similar progressive agenda, only for Wheeler's efforts to be under constant scrutiny and sabotage of the Dixiecrats under Richard Russell. After his recovery, Long continued his mandate as Senator, giving his support to Wheeler's agenda and being considered one of the Government's strongest allies in the Senate. Long was one of the authors of several proposals which included the Public Works program of 1937 and the failed National Education Act of 1942, which was quickly sidelined by the outbreak of the war. Huey Long was a lifelong advocate for American isolationism who had voted against a proposed increase in military spending in 1940 and was instrumental in blocking the proposed "Lease Act of 1941", an initiative by House Internationalists to allow for the supply of nations vital to American strategic interests, which had Britain in mind. It is no surprise that the discredit of Isolationism hit him hard in 1942, as one of it's most vocal proponents, which was only made worse by the signing of the Treaty of Lisbon in 1943, as such, he was sidelined in favor of Cordell Hull for the 1944 nomination by the powerful, yet shaky, alliance of Dixiecrats and Progressives who rallied in favor of the experienced Diplomat.

    In the Post-War, however, his star began to rise once again, demobilization bringing in a recession just in time in 1947-1948, thanks to a wave of strikes, the war exhaustion of the American people after the bloody Operation Sunset, and the weakening of the Dixiecrats by the Thurmond Presidency with it's mediocre handling of domestic affairs which included racial riots in Georgia. The Louisiana Senator, now a more experienced politician, linked back his contacts with old progressive figures of the Share the Wealth society, including recruitment of former President Burton K. Wheeler, and he would soon be approached by the Northern Liberal establishment of the Party in order to stop the continued domination of the Dixiecrats, represented by the relatively young and charismatic James Roosevelt. They agreed on a joint ticket after a meeting in December 1947, and the meeting showcased many differences by the Southern manners of Long and Roosevelt's East coast accent, and while they shared enthusiasm over social reforms, Roosevelt was more radical on the matter of civil rights than Long, who saw poverty as a greater evil to fight, but their most glaring difference was the way Roosevelt was an interventionist hawk, and Long was still clinging to many of his former isolationist ways. Still, it was a ticket powerful enough to defeat Russell's Dixie machine, in no small way thanks to Long's charisma during the primaries and President Thurmond's refusal to stand for reelection or intervene in the democratic nomination in anything but securing his future as Senator of South Carolina, one of the few times an incumbent President did not even appear during the Party Primaries. Ultimately the Long-Roosevelt ticket, popular to the impoverished, the farmers, the southerners and northerners alike, the unionists, and those repealed by MacArthur's un-political and aggressive rhetoric, managed to defeat "Big Mac" in the 1948 election against the odds, and soon Long would prepare his government, a mix of older veterans such as Keating and Wheeler, friends and fellow southerners such as McMath, Byrnes, and Noe, and a few friends of Roosevelt such as Nimitz and Wallace.

    The inauguration was a massive ceremony, hundreds of thousands from all across the country, with the largest attendance to the inauguration of a Southern President, Huey Long was sworn in office starting what the Washington Post called "Longmerica", swearing in on the Bible and going right after to address the crowd. Huey started with his usual light-hearted southern charisma, even getting laughers out of the crowd, before he became increasingly combative, speaking of the wealth inequality, of the poverty in rural and urban centers, of the expectations of GIs that returned from the war only to see an America that seemed to have barely come out of the Great Depression. The people became glued to his speech as Long spoke of his grand plans, cheering as he spoke of bringing the wealth back to the American people, of cutting the nation with roads and infrastructure projects, of creating a national push towards education and tuition. At the end he rallied the people with flaming comments, speaking of how he would make it so the wealthy paid their fair share, that small companies grow by forcing the bigger ones to break monopolies, he spoke of the Nationalization of the Federal Reserve in order to "allow the American people to control their own pockets". The flaming comments of the Kingfish were the inauguration of a new age, the first outspoken populist on a national level since William Jennings Bryan, the First Southerner who "cared for the common man" ever since Andrew Jackson became President. He would not rule for the south, he would rule for all the nation, and even gave controversial comments that the "American Negro shall too have his fair share", which left many of his Dixiecrat supporters quite uneasy, a group of Klansmen in the inauguration jeering and having to be kept under watch by the police during the process. He spoke of peace, claiming that "America needs no more purple hearts, no more tombstones and graves for wars thousands of miles away", which left even Vice-President Roosevelt uneasy as his northern establishment was known for supporting hawkish efforts in Asia and Europe. That would be the first televised opening of a Presidential Mandate and ended with Long making religious references to the fairness of his cause, claiming that America was a wealthy and abundant land given by God to it's people, and that greed shall no longer rule over America, but instead the Lord's commandment to share it's abundance to the American people. He would leave to the sound of applauses to the White House, and from there would begin the Presidential Mandate of Huey Pierce Long Jr. the son of a Salesman who became President despite all odds.

    Perhaps that is why so many related to him, Long, despite his charisma and knowledge, was still born a common man, a poor man in rural Louisiana. He was the incarnation of the American dream of defeating all who tried to keep him down and growing to become his own man, with his own wealth and influence, winning victory after victory despite many seatbacks which included even an assassination attempt, until he finally became the most powerful man of the Free World. In his first 100 days, Long would use his known energy to blitz through several new proposals to the Congress, signing several executive orders, and going on a tour across the nation, where he insisted on crossing the plains of the midwest by car. As he became aware on the degradation of several of the roads and the difficulty to make a road travel across the country, he ironically would see the solution in America's greatest enemy. In the German Reich, the Autobahn system connected cities from Paris to Halderstadt, all across the Linz Pakt, the Reich possessed one of the best road systems in the world, and Long would bring that to America where he drafted the Federal Highway Act of 1949, from where the Federal government would unify several different systems across the States while engaging in a large public works program to both combat unemployment and improve the interstate connection in America. Naturally that came with the problem of the Public Works program, Wheeler's "Federal Civil Works Agency" (FCWA) was made in 1937 to combat unemployment, born from a proposal by the Hoover government, many protested it as a Government overreach, and Wheeler greatly defanged his agency under the threat that it would not be passed by the Senate or that the Supreme Court could strike it down. Long discussed the matter with his Secretary of State, who was the former POTUS himself, and Vice-President Roosevelt in order to make the changes necessary, that led to the creation of the "Federal Work and Repair Agency" (FWRA), a program within the "Public Works Administration" (PWA) made by Wheeler. Generally, Long would begin to drastically increase the power and authority of Federal Government agencies that were once obstructed by the old compromises in the Democratic Party, with new relief efforts for farmers and rural communities, a national electrification program, and a centralization of the Public relief efforts that were once centered towards giving funds and loans to State governments. Those were not without controversy but they dwarfed in comparison to the chaos that Long's first "Big Bill" to Congress.

    Long knew that power and money were interlinked in many ways, and that the first step if he wanted to fight "The Power of Big Money" was to control the flow of money in the Nation. Established first by Woodrow Wilson, the Federal Reserve was the closest that America had of a Central Bank, a fight that came all the way from the early America when the Federalists desired to create a strong central banking system while the Democratic-Republicans wanted to keep it on State lines, with Andrew Jackson famously ending the American Central Bank in the Bank wars on 1836. Long planned to renew the fight against the interests of the "Oligarchs who control the pockets of America", introducing his main proposal of the first 100 days: The "Federal Reserve Act of 1949", where Huey Long planned to destroy Wilson's Glass-Owen act of 1913 and bring the creation of the third Bank of America, put under the Secretary of Treasure. The Congress was in uproar, the Markets went into a panic of such a major reshaping of the American financial system, but Long's resolve was unshaken, he would bring down the hammer against the Fed, as he claimed, and bring "Public accountability over it's own money". It is needless to say that many, even in his own party, were shooting down the act, but Long went across Party lines, never really being an enthusiast of party politics and criticizing both the Republicans and Democrats to be like two fraudulent bottles of the same medicine. He managed to pass the act in the House, but the Senate was where the Bill could be killed, and where Long showed how he governed Louisiana. He arranged meetings with Senators, including even the Former POTUS Strom Thurmond who was now Senator of South Carolina and one of the main leaders of the Southern Democrats, but while many in the past would be granted political favors, Long opened up his War Chest. Senators switched their rhetoric from one day to another, and while there were some suspicions, none of them came with evidence of the bribes given by the President. The act was passed in March and the American Federal Reserve was dissolved after less than 40 years, creating the Bank of America, and giving Long a free hand to decide it's members and director, Secretary of Treasure Noe apparently opened a champagne that night.

    In 1949, Long would still continue his energetic push for reforms, now ready for one of America's most revolutionary tax proposals. Huey would impose a "Wealth Tax" over those that had an income above two million dollars, increasing in percentage until it was effectively capped at 200 million dollars of income. The "Long Plan", part of the "Share the Wealth" program, was his plan for not only allow wealth redistribution but to also fund his vast and radical agenda, receiving widespread condemnation, mostly from Republicans but even from Northern Democrats, some of Roosevelt's backers pleading for him to change Long's ambitious tax. However, with the exception of a few changes in congress, the Long Plan passed in September to go under effect on the next year. In the Senate, one senator was standing defiant in leading the opposition, Senator Joseph "Joe" McCarthy, the hero of Wheeler AFB in the Hawaiian campaign who quickly became the leader of the Republican Party in the Senate. McCarthy, elected in 1948, was part of the first wave of post-war politicians that swept America, riding on the wave of anti-germanism of the Black Files leak, MacArthur was not elected but he was and soon he became the one senator every American was able to name. With his fame as a war hero in possibly one of the most romanticized battles of the war, the young Senator became the head of the opposition in Congress after a speech attacking the Federal Government, claiming he had evidence of "Reds and Brownies in the State Government". He accused Long's agenda of communism, despite Huey many times denying any sympathy for Socialism, and claimed the government was "in the bed with Hitler" due to the President's passive foreign policy, fiercely attacking the retreat of the American Expedition in Russia alongside General Patton. Within the Military, Patton became a more prominent figure after MacArthur's resignation from Japan and failed Presidential bid, with the recent military success in Russia being attributed to him as the "slayer of the Red viper" Joseph Stalin and the creation of a "Free system for the Russian people", despite the fact Russia was a military dictatorship with the facade of an autocratic monarchy. Nevertheless, McCarthy's voice found a willing public in many Americans which became increasingly alienated by Long's policies, including very powerful sponsors in Wall Street, creating a movement which was at first called "McCarthysm" in a critical cartoon that ended up fully embraced by the Senator by claiming it was "Americanism with it's sleeves rolled".


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    Despite the opposition, Long was willing to keep on the fight, in fact he found it quite the thrill to have an enemy and he had a great many of those. One of them was none other than Hoover, not the former POTUS but instead the shadow behind him, someone that Wheeler once called "my Bormann", the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Huey knew from the experience he had talking with his Secretary of State, two friends with similar ideals, one with the fighting spirit and the other with the knowledge of the position, Hoover was a snake, a man who truly held power over America, blackmailing politicians, spying on movements, dismantling political groups, manipulating the public opinion, and even running highly suspicious experiments of social and biological level. While they both had more fear of his reputation than of the power he actually had, he still was not a man to be underestimated, and ironically it was Long's enemy that gave him the chance to silence the FBI director and place the directorate back on Presidential Control. McCarthy had kickstarted a movement named the "Lavender Scare", accusing and persecuting suspected homosexuals within the Government, and while it did not produce many real accusations, it ended up manipulating the public opinion, and many groups, including the still powerful Klan, began to harass homosexuals and suspected ones on the streets. Hoover was a man that kept his secrets locked, and indeed that would remain the case for practically all Presidents he had met, none of them could breach into his secrecy, except for Long. Huey was a man just as shady as Hoover, someone who was willing to go low, with rumors that some of his opposition members in Louisiana did not escape his thugs, ending up on a ditch, nobody knowing how they got there. On the New Year's eve of 1950, while people celebrated the first successful year of government, Attorney-General Byrnes was instructed by Long to prepare to "clean up the house" in the Department of Justice. That same night, J. Edgar Hoover's house was broken into and raid while the FBI director was at the New Year's celebration at the White House, an investigation led by the Director himself began, but while it was happening, Long had already gotten what he wanted. Not only did Hoover had one of the largest pornographic collections in the world, but he would also find the only surviving copy of the meeting he had with former POTUS Cordell Hull after the report of the Japanese biological bombing of San Diego in 1946, a conclusive evidence that the Director, who denied blame and directed all of the criticism to the deceased President, was involved in a major conspiracy to hide the cause of the deaths of hundreds of Americans. He would also take, mostly circunstantial, evidence of Hoover's homosexual behavior with his assistant Clyde Tolson, although its rather unlikely that he was actually involved in it, the evidence of Hoover's "betrayal" of American values was at Long's desk now. The director was making his own digging on Long's life aswell, with his shady dealings as Governor and Senator being quite enough to land him in jail, but now he was being blackmailed on his own, and mysteriously several of Long's files were destroyed during the raid. Huey now had the FBI and Hoover's expetise at his full disposal and he began his war against the "Invisible Empire".

    Standard Oil was not the only company that Long went after during his fight in the early 50s, but it certainly was the one he had the most personal stakes against. Rockefeller's Empire once ruled Louisiana and it's reasonable oil reserves like a cartel, bribing the majority of the politicians, avoiding taxes and dues, monopolizing the State's logistics, and crushing small owners. In the 1910s, Long had invested much of his reserves at a small well that struck oil in rural Louisiana, only to lose everything as the well went bankrupt, the only company which was able to handle the logistics of oil transportation was the Standard Oil company and it's refusal to transport Long's oil gave him a fury that rode him all the way to the White House. Now, with the new Progressive Taxes, the Financial system under his control, the FBI blackmailed to do his bidding, and the people rallied on his crusade, the time for revenge would come. Secretary of Commerce Lucas, Attorney-General Byrnes, and Secretary of Treasure Noe all would discuss with the President how to best fight against the powerful corporate interests in the nation, with even Secretary of Defense Nimitz attending the meeting following a discussion with General Eisenhower, both of them worried about the growing industrial influence on the military following the war. Nimitz and Eisenhower were worried that the growing military industries were attempting to push America into wars it had no interest in, conflicts across the Ocean being used to issue military contracts and boost the military spending, and while they agreed on the modernization of the Armed Forces due to the threats given by Hitler's Reich, many questioned how exactly sending troops to China would help fight a nation over a thousand miles away. These meetings would result in several new executive orders and Acts being proposed in the Congress, notably the "Fair Business Relations Act of 1950", which created a Federal Government board to enforce new Anti-Trust legislation, greatly expanding the powers of the Attorney-General to prosecute businesses and break down monopolies. There was also the "FAIR Act of 1950", which established several new criteria for government contracts, benefitting medium companies, and created a new set of Anti-Monopoly legislation that Senator McCarthy claimed "Would break the legs of American Capital and entrepreneurship", not only that but the President would use these newfound powers to crackdown on the rising "Industry of Death", enforcing the act on several military contractors in what many considered a "Betrayal of those who built the machines who won us the war". McCarthy's rhetoric intensified, claiming that Long was purposefully crippling the American military to "Open the way to the Swastika", which is something that Vice-President Roosevelt considered a step too far. Despite his sympathies for the more populist causes of the Long government, he was still a man very much in favor of a strong military power and projection of that power, protesting on the reduction of the Military spending, it seemed that the rift between him and Long was beginning to show. On the other hand, the President finally got his revenge on the Rockefellers, while the Standard Oil had long been dissolved, it's smaller companies continued it's work, and Long considered them to remain all the same, several of these companies would be broken down by the government again, such as the Chevron, other assets being purchased by State companies.

    On Foreign affairs, the Long Presidency was quite the opposite of the aggressive domestic agenda. Prime Minister Eden commented that Long "set back the free world back to before the war" and de Gaulle claimed that "Huey Long is Hitler's greatest ally". The Thurmond Presidency, despite it's faults, was decisive in the first post-war years, securing a friendly State in Russia, supporting Chiang in the fight against Mao, the decisive intervention in the Middle East, and the deepening of the Anglo-American cooperation, mostly thanks to keeping the same foreign relations advisors of the Hull administration. Long's was called the "Pull back" Presidency, with Huey promising a definitive end to the Pacific War by finishing the occupation of Japan, a halt of the American support towards China to instead attempt to mediate a peace agreement, the retreat from the Philippines, the end of the Russian expedition, and the infamous passivity over European affairs that many believed had emboldened Hitler to make preparations to restart the war, something that was only stopped by his untimely death. His isolationism was not as harsh as it was in the Pre-War years, but he was still a disappointment for many who desired to see a more active stance of the United States on world affairs, many considering him responsible for the return of Communism in Asia and the growing influence of Fascist-alligned movements in Latin America such as in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.

    Not everything was a win, there were obstacles such as when the Supreme Court shut down a proposal of wealth confiscation that had to be removed from a 1951 tax proposal, Long began a fight over Free public schooling and college tuition that ended up reduced to free textbooks and adult literacy classes, although the latter faced strong opposition from southerners, with States using literacy tests in order to disenfranchise black voters. Huey would face a difficulty in the rising Civil Rights movement after Thurmond's scandals and his strike on the proposal to desegregate the Armed Forces, on the other hand many pro-black movements would begin to spring up in the south in the aftermath of the recent riots and clashes between Klansmen and Black veterans in Georgia. Huey Long was no Civil Rights advocate in his core, mainly caring about the welfare and economical needs rather than racial matters, but by Southern standards in the 1930s he was a "Nigger hugger" as a certain congressman called him, but while he is not famous for signing any great Civil Rights Act, other than integrating the armed forces, he would do more for it than any other President before him in the 20th Century by tackling the organization which had most famously stood in opposition to it, the greatest strength of the Dixiecrats in the Midwest, the Klan.


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    The Second Klan, born in the 1910s, was not the organization which had the numbers it once had, reaching to up to 7 million members in 1927, going through a decline in membership in the 1930s, with the depression reducing it's donations, the group would go through a relative growth in the 1940s, with the sharp increase in Xenophobia during the Pacific War leading to mass lynchings against Asians. By the end of the 40s, standing with around 900,000 members through the nation, united mainly with the support of the Prohibition and as a reaction to the growing Civil Rights Movement, being once publicly called by President Thurmond as "The White Knights of Civilization", certainly the Thurmond Presidency had served as a blessing to the members of the group who achieved a status not seen since the 1920s. But Huey Long, an enemy of the Klansmen since his time in Louisiana, decided to finally let loose the hounds to destroy the organization, using his newly found control of the FBI to reveal the contrast between the romanticized image of the KKK and the true reality of the group. While previous Presidents either did not act out of political compromise, like Wheeler, or used them to support their ideals, such as Thurmond, Long used the material collected through the years of several incidents, from sexual assault, murder, fraud, and "unpatriotic activities". Between 1951 and 1952, the membership of the Klan would fall to double digits, as scandal after scandal rocked the nation, of the group's apparent hypocrisy, tales of homosexual orgies led to McCarthy actually siding with Long alongside the Republicans, with the Lavander scare at full strength. There were also many connections drawn between the Klansmen and the German SS, although Hitler personally disliked the Klan as cartoonish fools, with even German propaganda using it as a mockery of America, the Anti-German scare through the nation would find a scapegoat into an organization that preached a racial supremacist belief not very different from the enemy across the sea. On the other hand, Huey Long did not repeal the prohibition, despite the callings to do so by many in his own party such as Roosevelt, as he was personally a "Dry" supporter, appealing to a Christian populism similar to the one of his predecessor Bryan at the Turn of the Century. The popularity of prohibition divided the United States in the 1920s and came close to being repealed during the Hoover administration, however the Constitutional ammendment failed, and the Wheeler Administration continued to encourage it, empowering law enforcement to crack down on alcohol, mainly thanks to the Dixiecrat groups within the government. In the 1940s, the war and rationing served to increase support for Prohibition by equating it as a patriotic duty with the wheat rationing, only to continue to be encouraged by the Thurmond Government, beer being called as a "Teuton drink" by McCarthy during the scare. Overall the division between "dry" and "wet" became increasingly less relevant as more divisive questions such as Civil Rights and the Cold War came to dominate the American mindset, and at least for now it was not as much of an "issue of the moment" as it was in the 1920s. People who supported Long for his programs generally did not stop supporting them over the fact he did not support alcohol, while the rate of consumption per capita had been reduced by over a fifth of what it was Pre-Volstead Act.

    Long was not an exclusively left-wing President, in fact, despite the many accusations of Socialism, few could call him a friend of organized Labor. The Kingfish was a populist, not a socialist, he believed in the need of welfare provided by the government, which in turn was made by the People and for the People, not in the hands of Unions. One of Long's most controversial decisions was how he reacted to the Labor unrest after becoming President, because while on the one hand he introduced progressive taxes, educational benefits, sponsored mass infrastructure and electrification projects, and supported the growth of small businesses, he would sign up the so-called "Taft-Hartley Act of 1949", as a compromise to the approval of his "Long Plan". The Act would come to crack down on labor unions, banning Unions which required compulsory membership of workers, prohibiting obligatory fees, and hindered several strike actions amongst the police, firefighters, and other sectors considered "essential to the maintenance and stability of the Nation". The FBI continued the policies made by Thurmond to oppose the unionization of Southern workers, while ironically Long would sabotage farmer's unions. This provoked protests from the Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace, a member of the Farmer-Labor Party, who quickly became McCarthy's favorite scapegoat within the Federal Government due to his previous socialist credentials and sympathy of the Soviet Union and Stalin, which would end up backfiring hard after the Russian Empire made public several secrets of the MGB and the mass repressions during the Stalin era. Wallace would attempt to fire back by creating the "Farmer's Plan", a rural-focused focus of the Long Plan which planned to extend the government coverage, subsidies, and garantees to small farmers, an Act which gained popularity in the Midwest, and Long was vacillating between supporting his ambitious Secretary who was more and more vocal about the plan, or to listen to his more experienced advisors such as Wheeler and his brother Earl, who warned about his growing popularity and potential rivalry. Eventually, Long would crash down against Wallace, as the FBI discovered the habits of the Secretary of Agriculture, with his support for rather... occultist ideas, his visits to astrologists and even the apparent use of government funds to support fraudulent preachers, all habits that could lead to a disaster if made public no matter if true or false. Henry Wallace was forced to back down on his plan that would not be mentioned again until Long passed a very similar "Farmer's relief Act of 1952".

    In the beginning of the 50s, thanks to, or despite, the policies of the President, America would experience an economic boom to a level not seen since the Gilded Age or the Roaring twenties, with the labor crisis passed and the end of the post-war recession as the market returned to a civilian-oriented economy, consumerism began to boom. Long's plans for wealth redistribution gave the consumers a purchasing power not seen before by many who grew up in the depression, the support for small businesses created new jobs every day as people began to finally relieve the "American Dream". Technology advanced with modern day applications, and the government would greatly propagandize the idea of "Five thousand dollars and a car", which would be granted by the progressive tax system, and the return of much of the world trade, with the exception of Europe, after the war, brought with it new markets for American companies. Monopolies were broken up to allow smaller industries to take the place of giants, while others stayed under close watch for their business practices. While much of the age's glamour is owed to nostalgia by the future generations, it is still undeniable that the majority of the sectors in American society saw a growth in quality of life, with the US economy leading the way of the Free World, suppassing even the combined resources of the Linz Pakt, there was a wave of optimism which was symbolized in 1951 by the signing of the "Kyoto Accords" between Japan and the United States on the 23rd of December, the day where the regency of Emperor Akihito ended and the young ruler signed the end of the Japanese occupation that has been ongoing since 1947. Japan was a changed nation, with American resources and businesses supporting it's reconstruction, the majority of the leaders of Imperial Japan being either imprisoned or executed during the Tokyo Trials and a new Constitution made being finally signed, the former enemy of America seemed to be rebuilt as a rehabilitated nation. Although it was one completely demilitarized, with the United States being reserved a right to intervene on it's internal politics and keeping a lease on the ports of Okinawa and Nagasaki, with the Korean People's Republic being made an independent State. In a speech, Long would announce the "American Pacific struggle is over at last", despite more radical voices calling for much harsher measures against Japan and voices inside of Japan who still refused to end the fight, the President had no desire in continuing expensive foreign adventures as shown by the reduction in the Military spending and Foreign support, which generated loud protests and arguments with the Vice-President.


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    As the electoral year was approaching, so did Huey's greatest crisis in the field of foreign policy. The detonation of a German Nuclear device caused worries, while Long was attacked for his inaction in Europe as for the first time, the American people came to fear the horror of a Nuclear War, something which only lended more fuel to the ongoing "Grey Scare", also nicknamed as "Brown Scare". Long received many reports from the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the American intelligence service, about the growing militarization and military maneuvers in Germany. Naval and air exercises on the channel coast, the mobilization of Syrian troops near the Israeli border, the Russian reports of a massive military buildup at the A-A line, and Goebbels' aggressive rhetoric as Hitler's spokesman. Many reports suggested that Hitler was of ill health, that he wanted to finish his "Final struggle" by destroying all of the Reich's enemies in what could be the greatest war the world has ever seen, thousands of rockets, some apparently loaded with Biological weapons, aimed at London and Tel Aviv, new German weapons being mass produced as the economy of all the Linz Pakt seemed to be getting on a war footing, and reports in Portugal of Hitler's supposed "War meeting" at the Wolf's Lair, all of it produced a climate of an incoming conflict that led to Prime Minister Eden and President Long calling one another, with Eden complaining of Long's reluctance in his call. Indeed, Long did not want war to be his legacy, he was fighting his own conflict for the American people in his mind, and a war could put everything at stake, which is why he answered to Hitler's death with great relief, believing the threat of war to be over. Only for everything to almost fall apart in what he called "De Gaulle's Mad Ride", with the Dakkar crisis and the French "Revolution" only bringing him the fear that Britain would start a war where he would be compelled to intervene, in fact there were many calls for him to do so, spearheaded by James Roosevelt, his VPOTUS. Roosevelt was keeping close contact with Eden, de Gaulle, and Tsar Andrei, as well as OSS Director William "Wild Bill" Donavan over the German capabilities. The director informed him that the Germans would be unable to create a second nuclear device for the next three months, giving a short open window for an amassed strike at Germania, which, considering the chaotic power struggle and the centralization of the Reich into the figure of a single Führer (Although the allies were not aware of the greatly decentralized system created by Hitler through the Gauleiters that could compromise a decaptation strike), would give the opportunity for a preemptive strike with the mass use of Nuclear Weapons, an idea which was enthusiastically approved by both Patton and MacArthur. The so-called "Operation Overlord" would strike German nuclear installations and bases of their leadership, although it estimated on heavy losses, the bombardment phase alone could cost more lives than the Battle of Iwo Jima. That is not even counting the number of bodies that the invasion of the fearsome "Festung Europa" would cause, no doubt something that would even dwarf Operation Sunset. But considering the unique circumstances, added with the instability of the Linz Pakt, expected defections, and the still overwhelming nuclear advantage of the United States, Roosevelt reluctantly agreed that the time to strike was now.

    The plan has been presented for Long's approval, with a meeting of all the Cabinet being called as each one made their case, Nimitz claiming that the plan was risky, costly, bold, but also agreed that there was no better time to strike than now, otherwise they would risk the Reich to grow ever more powerful without Hitler's megalomania wastefully expending resources. The combined strength of the USN and the Royal Navy would no doubt defeat the Kriegsmarine, especially with the more advanced doctrine of Aircraft Carriers, but the cost in civilian casualties in Britain alone would be massive, although Nimitz dismissed the idea of an strike in American soil, Long silenced the old Admiral by reminding him that the same was once said about the chances of a Japanese strike on the West Coast, San Francisco and San Diego being evidence of the contrary. Long feared the U-Boats, which became more and more silent, with Karl Dönitz leading the Kriegsmarine to invest heavily on the modernization of it's submarines, with theories that the Germans were already develoing nuclear submarines that could easily spend months away from port and strike the West Coast with missiles, some theorizing that it was possible they developed the delivery of nuclear payloads through the Wunderwaffen program. Overall both assumptions were wrong, as the German nuclear industry was still relatively new and these innovations were not available at the time despite the German Military Propaganda claiming otherwise. But even before the meeting, the President's mind was made up, calling Eden moments before to announce that America would keep it's neutrality over a war started by the Dakkar Crisis. Roosevelt was livid that Long would do so behind his back, to which Long replied "I am the President, James!", and from that moment on, Long and his VP had formed a rift, and with Roosevelt would come much of Long's support in the Northern Democratic establishment. McCarthy and Roosevelt actually both condemned, in different tones, Long's attitude as "Abandoning Democracy worldwide" and "Handing out Europe to a thousand years of oppression", some called it appeasement, Eden and de Gaulle both heavily condemned America's decision, with Eden declaring that "The Free world no longer can count with the United States".

    But avoiding the war proved popular to Long's power base, and after four years, with a majority in the Supreme Court and betting on gaining enough support in the Senate on the coming election, Huey Long announced his plans for the next four years: Criminal Justice Reform, a National Healthcare System, continued expansion of infrastructure programs, and further expansion of welfare programs and "American values". Upon learning of Long's agenda, McCarthy reportedly said "The hell he will!", now openly accusing Long of less than coherent ideals of being both a Communist and a "Nazi Bootlicker", he claimed Long engaged in massive corruption schemes, being the creature born out of the machinations of "Hitler, Stalin and Chamberlain", claiming he was subverting American democracy, destroying American business and competitiveness abroad, and that if he is reelected "By the time his term ends, we will have Jackboots in this continent." While many of these accusations where slanderous lies, it was undeniable that Long was a man engaged in shady practices and an Authoritarian, Long also claimed in secret that he would not take Roosevelt as Vice-President, planing to fire several cabinet positions to fill with personal loyalists and friends, even suggesting on forming his own party, using his popularity to create a true "Progressive and American coalition" of Democrat and Republican dissidents to cripple both parties at once, which matched his several previous declarations where he equaled the Democrats and Republicans. Roosevelt, allied with Northern liberals and dissatisfied Democrats, were drifting further and further away from Long's government, which was made official in all but name after the Dakkar crisis. McCarthy and the Republicans were coming in strong, gaining many new supporters that opposed Long's radical policies and exhausted after almost 20 years of Democrat control over the government, with many calling Long the "American Caesar", a populist tyrant seeking to destroy democracy. McCarthy met with his old friend from the Battle of Hawaii, General Patton, victor of the Russian expedition and one of America's most popular Generals after his bold exploits in Asia and romaticized propaganda of him as the "True American Hero", while MacArthur showed no further interest in returning to politics. After an afternoon recounting their old stories, they compared the situation with the Battle of the Wheeler AFB: McCarthy was fighting at the frontlines to hold back the enemies of America from taking American soil, and he needed Patton to deliver the great blow that would drive them back, the two partners coming to an agreement as the McCarthy-Patton ticket was formed. The elections in 1952 looked more and more like it could become a 3-way race similar to the 1912 election, and all could change in the incoming nomination of the Democratic Party. The fate of America's place in the world was soon to be decided on the ballot.
     
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    HESS’ CABINET
  • THIRD REICH
    Hess Cabinet (1952-???)



    POLITICAL LEADERSHIP

    Führer (Rudolf Hess)
    Deputy-Führer (Reinhard Heydrich)
    Chief of Chancellery (Hans Lammers)
    Minister of Public Englightenment and Propaganda (Joseph Goebbels)
    Minister of Education and Culture (Joseph Goebbels)
    Minister of Economy (Albert Speer)
    Minister of Armaments and Production (Albert Speer)
    Minister of Church Affairs (Hermann Muhs)
    Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ernst Wilhelm Bohle)
    Minister of Science (Werner Heisenberg)
    Minister of Food and Agriculture (Herbert Backe)
    Minister of Youth (Artur Axmann)
    Minister of Justice (Roland Freisler)
    Minister of the Interior (Arthur Seyss-Inquart)
    Minister of Finance (Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk)
    Minister of Labor (Fritz Sauckel)
    Minister of Transport (Robert Wagner)
    Minister of Postal Service (Werner Naumann)
    Minister of Welfare (Erich Hilgenfeldt)



    MILITARY LEADERSHIP

    Chief of the OKW (Wilhelm Keitel)
    Chief-of-Staff of the OKW (Heins Guderian)
    Head of the Wehrmacht (Ferdinand Schörner)
    Head of the Luftwaffe (Albert Kesselring)
    Head of the Kriegsmarine (Karl Dönitz)



    REGIONAL LEADERS

    General-Government (Hans Frank)
    Ostland (Alfred Rosenberg)
    Ukraine (Erich Koch)
    Moscowien (Siegfried Kasche)
    Caucasus (Arno Schickedanz)
    Norway (Vidkun Quisling)
    Sweden (Sven Lindholm)
    Bohemia-Moravia (Ernst Kaltenbrunner)
    Netherlands (Hanns Albin Rauter)
    Belgium-Nothern France (Josef Grohé)



    SECURITY SERVICES

    Reichsführer-SS (Reinhard Heydrich)
    Head of the RSHA (Reinhard Heydrich)
    Head of the Gestapo (Heinrich Müller)
    Head of the SS Main Economic and Administrative Office (Adolf Eichmann)
    Stabschef SA (Paul Giesler)



     
    XXII - OPERAZIONE PUGNALE
  • THE IRON EAGLE
    OPERAZIONE PUGNALE


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    The year of 1952 was an oddity in the context of the greater Cold War, it was a year where an international crisis threatened to start a war between Powers, but without the direct interest of the two main Great World Powers. The unique political context made it so that other than occasional comments or arms sales, the Great Powers avoided being involved into the proxy conflict, opting to instead watch from the sidelines as two nations that were becoming more known as "Second-rate" powers in their respective sides went through the main burden of the war. Furthermore, it was also one of the main reasons of the cooling of the Italo-German relationship that has been in a decline since the end of the War in Europe, especially as one of the most unconventional conflicts in the Middle East put the Anglo-American and German interests awkwardly aligned in containing the growth of Arab Nationalism fanned by the Italians. And if that wasn't enough to classify the "Suez War" or "The Second Levantine War" as one of the most unconventional conflicts in Modern History, the German government's complete disfunction was showcased for the first time as Rudolf Hess and the Reich's Government declared one thing, while Reinhard Heydrich's SS did another thing. The Conflict, named in Italy as "Operazione Pugnale" or Operation Dagger, was a conflict between Old Colonialism and Neo-Colonialism, where Italy desired to grow it's sphere of Influence in the Mediterranean to achieve the dreamed "Mare Nostrum" by ironically allying with Pan-Arabism and Islam against both German-allied Syria, old British interests in the Arab states, and the Anglo-allied support for the State of Israel. Once more, Israel would be fighting a war for it's survival, ironically being on the same side as the "Little Wehrmacht" of the Middle East as they both fought against the rising leader of the Arab States: President Gamal Abdel Nasser.

    Ever since the end of the First Levantine War, a rough definition of peace came to the Middle East. Other than frequent raids by militias across the border between Israel and Jordan, and the constant tension over the Jewish settlement of Bersheeba within Jordanian territory, there were no major military confrontations. As part of Huey Long's general isolationist atitude, the American garrison retreated from the region in 1949, with the British being the main providers for the UN peacekeeping operation. The constant presence of British troops, not just in Israel but in most of the Middle East, was bringing tensions to a breaking point. Ever since the end of the war, Egypt has been under the garrison of between 80 thousand and 120 thousand British troops, their main priority being to safeguard the Suez Canal. However, the economic purpose of the canal to Britain has been under a steady fall, as the Linz Pakt controlled Malta and Gibraltar, British trade ships already avoided the Mediterranean, and with the increasingly violent calls for Independence in the Indian Raj since the end of the war, it became more of a matter of military and political pride to keep Egypt. Cyprus, the last British possession on the Mediterranean, depended exclusively on the Suez Canal to keep itself supplied outside of "Lake Germania", especially with the Cypriots waging a guerrilla war supported by Italy. Turkey too depended on the Suez, as the last neutral power in the region surrounded by German-allied States such as Greece, the Reichskommissariat of the Caucasus, the Social Nationalist State in Syria, and the increasingly Pro-German Pahlavi Dynasty in Iran, without the canal, Iraq would be the only connection of Turkey to the world outside the Linz Pakt. In his later years, Hitler had instructed Franz von Papen to increase the pressure on Turkey to join the Pakt under veiled threats, as he desired to secure a safe land route to the Middle East that did not depend on the Italians, and Turkey did allow German supplies to go through it's territory to reach Syria during the First Levantine War after Hitler showed in Sweden and Switzerland that Neutrality was not an option.

    However, no nation depended more on the continued British presence in the Canal than Israel. The Jewish State, under a paranoia of it's neighbors, was not unjustified in it's thoughts, as Hitler continued his growing militarization and support for Syria as if an offensive was being prepared, and hundreds of thousands of Jews were expelled from Muslim states all across the region as retaliation for the Levantine War, only the settlements in Jordan being protected by King Abdullah's moderate stance and the post-war settlement. In fact, many Jews in Jordan were loyal to Abdullah, seeing him as a protector against the much greater evil of the "Hitlerite Syrian State" that was still awaiting it's opportunity across the border, over 2,000 Jews formed the core of the so-called "Jewish Legion", an army loyal to the King himself that protected Jewish settlements and the Palace, although they had some disputes with the Arab Legion, they mostly shared a loyalty to the crown. However, things were far from peaceful under the surface, especially as Arab groups began to radicalize following the war, many even thought that Abdullah was an Israelite puppet King supported by Zionist interests in London and Tel Aviv, which was a resentment that only grew as the Linz Pakt began to ramp up it's anti-semite propaganda to the Middle East in 1950, with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Amin al-Hussayni, being the main spokesman from Radio Stations through Europe, moving to Italian Libya that same year with the Establishment of the "Radio Benghazi", as part of Mussolini's efforts to grow his influence in the Arab World.

    The constant presence of British troops in Egypt, as it was the only access to the Mediterranean, was seen by many as an insult, and that was something that Prime Minister Anthony Eden had to contend with. The Arab nations were becoming increasingly allied with Hitler and his anti-semite rhetoric, Syria was constantly breathing down at the "neck" of London's centerpiece of the Mediterranean in Suez, in fact, the main reason for the British backing for the UN intervention was not out of pure sympathy for the Jewish people, although they did claim to be doing so for "Humanitarian purposes", but to prevent Saadeh's troops from surrounding Egypt, and by consequence the Canal. Eden believed that if Britain lost the Suez, they would have to abandon Cyprus, Israel would cease to exist, and any hopes of one day striking from the south into Europe in case of a renewed war would be dashed. It was also a matter of personal pride for Albion, as if they left the Suez, the French government of Laval would use the opportunity to claim the British shares and take control of it instead, and a retreat of Britain against the pressures of the Linz pact would generate a domino effect through the Middle East that would cripple the British supply of oil, making them more dependent of US imports from Long's Government. It was no secret that Eden had a personal despise of Huey Long as a populist coward, making not very subtle comments that America needed to go back to the world stage, that "not even the most Naive in Britain believe that Hitler would back down if we dropped our weapons, it appears that even the most naive men in Britain are still more shrewd than the ones in charge of the American international affairs".

    In Syria, Saadeh's government looked strong from the outside, but on the inside the defeat was a blow on his personal Authority. More radical factions within the military, led by Generals Adib Shishakli and Husni al-Za'im, called for increasingly authoritarian methods to keep control as the frustrated population was disillusioned by the loss in the war. Saadeh continued as a Public figure, rallying the people by claiming the United Nations was a Jewish organization that intervened to stop the Syrian struggle, while he also condemned Pan-Arabism as an unnatural ideology, however such ideology was also getting popular in Syria, as many saw that only a united Arab effort could destroy Israel. That is a point where German and Italian interests clashed, as Hitler had supported Saadeh's Pan-Syrianism over Pan-Arabism, and while Hitler was alive that propaganda was greatly toned down by Italy as they did not seek to compromise their relationship. However, Hitler's death led to the rise of a more vocal anti-arab leader in the Reich, Rudolf Hess, a man who grew up in Alexandria and instead believed Britain as a natural ally of Germania, and that British imperialism was a moral force of good to spread civilization through the world, which was a shock to the Pan-Arabs who had for so long placed their hopes in the Reich. Suddenly the German rhetoric had changed, something many considered that a mockery, that Germany was just playing with the Arabs with a false discourse of Unity against Zionist Imperialism only to now want reconciliation with Britain. But as many of the things concerning the Reich, the relationship was full of contradictions and inner struggles, the SS continuing to supply weapons as their officers had to live the confusing position of being devoutely loyal to the Führer and going against his expressed wishes by the orders of Heydrich.

    Mussolini was a more reliable ally for the Arab cause in 1952, despite his previous efforts in the "Pacification of Libya" and the destruction of the Senussi Order, he was a more consistent man in comparison to Hess. That wasn't to say Benito had any particular devotion to Islam, however, many noted the growing prosperity of cities like Tunis, Benghazi, Tobruk, and Tripoli after the Libyan golden rush started in the late 1940s. With that growing influx of money to it's coffers, safe from German regulations and direct interference, Italy began to carve out it's own destiny in the Mediterranean to achieve the famous, or infamous, dream of Mare Nostrum. Not by direct control, but by ensuring a network of client and satellite states friendly to it's interests. The rise of the Falangists in Spain was a boon, however there was worry with the developments in France as Darnand's French SS took control after Laval's symbolic execution by Guilloutine, which only ended up throwing fuel to the fire in Algeria, a French territory considered part of France proper, a part that was ready to blow up. That was one of the first times the Italian Intelligence service, in some ways more specialized in foreign affairs than the German RSHA, began to act against the interests of the Linz Pakt. Mussolini did not trust Darnand, differently from Laval who was a friendly politician even in the 1930s during the Stressa Front, and he saw the Algerian insurrection as a way to both improve his standing in the Middle East and ensure the French would stay occupied instead of turning to territorial disputes about their losses in the Second World War. As a result, the Servizio Informazioni Military (Military Information Service) turned a blind eye to bases of Algerian nationalists in Tunisia, as well as "missing" military Caches, keeping an underground agreement for members of the FLN to not launch attacks or support Nationalists in Italian colonies.


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    The Crisis in 1952 began in Egypt, on the 10th of January, a raid by British authorities on the base of an underground movement led to a short shootout, with the rebels moving into a police station where the police refused to turn them over. After the negotiations failed, the British soldiers moved into the station, the fight resulting in dozens of deaths and the spark of protests in Egypt. The protests, sparked at first by opposition against British occupation, soon began to turn against King Farouk's corrupt rule, considering him a puppet of London, despite the fact Farouk supported the nationalists several times. The protests also took a very strong antisemitic tone, directed at the defeat in the First Levant War and Egypt's supposed "collaboration" with the Zionist movement, despite the fact several Egyptian units took part in the Arab effort, the overall failure of the invasion still loomed as a stain to the Egyptian society. The local British garrison kept since the War was barely able to contain the protests, with a general strike being called to strike at the logistics of the British forces locally. Eden and Farouk would discuss the situation over the phone lines and despite the continued assurance by the Prime Minister that the local forces would protect the Monarchy, the King would flee into exile, with OSS head Bill Donovan calling him "A cowardly fat fucker" upon reporting it informally to President Long. Months of successive failed governments with a spiral of inflation and corruption would lead to Farouk's breakdown on the 18th of April and his escape. The Egyptian Army, led by Generals Mohammed Naguib and Gamal Nasser would quickly make their move by capturing Cairo, with the British government initially refusing to recognize the new government of President Naguib. It would not take long for such a government to change as Naguib, despite his status as a War Hero, lacked the political acumen of his partner, with General Gamal Abdel Nasser becoming the New President of Egypt.

    The shock of the Egyptian revolution sent shockwaves across the Middle East and the world with mixed reactions. Britain was initially reluctant on recognizing the New government, as despite Nasser's assurances, it had a clear anti-British agenda which included the interests in the Suez and Sudan. In Italy, Mussolini would be one of the first to recognize the new Egyptian government as he saw the opportunity of a lifetime before his eyes to fully wrestle the Eastern Mediterranean from British control. In the US, Long was watching attentively, having a certain admiration for Nasser's anti-imperialist and populist stance, yet being weary of alienating Britain even more than it already did. Paris and Dakkar issued their statements, according to their "overlords" in Germania and London, but with both expressing concern about this wave of Anti-Imperialism in Arab lands further provoking unrest in North Africa. Finally, there was Germania, which to the shock of everyone, opposed the Egyptian aspirations, with Hess considering an attack on Civilization that a "savage horde of camel jockeys" was ending the "Anglo-Saxon civilizatory mission". It was a PR disaster for all those who saw the Führer throwing a golden opportunity away and shooting it dead with a Walther pistol, and even Mussolini expressed private condemnation of Hess' atitude. Eden himself was continuously incredulous as far as the intentions of the German leader came, either the man was completely delusional or that was some long-term statesmanship that would make Otto von Bismarck seem as diplomatically competent as Kaiser Wilhelm II.

    Nowhere was this all felt more than in the region itself from Israel to Iraq. The Jewish State grew increasingly alarmed at the rising nationalist government in Egypt and the clear anti-Zionist message of Nasser, who made no secret that Israel was his greatest foe besides Britain. Furthermore, the new Prime Minister Peretz Bernstein was worried about the possible loss of the Suez Canal, which would completely surround the Israeli State and it's economy, making it easily vulnerable to a blockade by it's neighbors. Usually these concerns would be settled by the friendly relations with the Jordanian State, a natural ally against the aggressive Syrians, but things would take a turn to the worse in Jordan. King Abdullah, while on a trip to the region of Gaza, would suffer an assassination attempt by Palestinean militants, leading to him becoming bedridden and further stroking chaos in the country, only worsened by the fall of the Egyptian Monarchy. Abdullah planned to organize an united Federation between Jordan and Iraq, with possible support of Israel, in order to contain Saadeh's Pan-Syrian ambitions. Ultimately, his enemy became Pan-Arabism instead, and while in a weakened position, the British feared that a similar overthrow would happen in Jordan. The Jordanian Legion, as well as the Jewish Legion, were at a heightened alert as unrest increased in the territories west of the Jordan river, with a high level of illegal activities, from smuggling to bribery, increasing in the Egypt-Jordan border. Four days later, on the 27th of May, Abdullah was dead, which led to the worst fears of the British high command to happen as the new Emir, Talal bin Abdullah, was a known supporter of the Free Officers in Egypt and the Pan-Arabist cause. Talal's rise caused concerns in London and Tel Aviv that an Union between him and Nasser would happen, and a drastic course of action would be implemented.

    On the morning of the 13th of June, the Chief of Staff of the Arab Legion announced a military exercise, supposedly due to the heightened threat in the region. While the work for the Jordanian Constitution was still underway, Talal planned to visit the Assembly only to be stopped due to "Security Concerns". Queen Zein, wife of Talal, had left the Palace under escort to the Assembly an hour before the ruler was awake, and upon entering the Parliament, she spoke of the Emir's supposed insanity, as he was rumored to be suffering attacks of Schizophrenia, and that the night before he threatened her and the heir, Prince Hussein, with a knife. Such declarations were made while the Assembly was essentially under military lockdown, and the Prime Minister Tawfik was called to make an emergency vote to force the Emir to abdicate in favor of his brother Naif. Talal was outraged upon hearing the news that he was supposed to be brought to London for a forced psychiatric treatment and accused the British, the military, his wife and the Assembly for launching a coup against him. Ali Abu Nuwar, a high-ranking officer known for his connections with Nasser, informed his troops of the ongoing conspiracy by Anglo-Zionist interests to install the Anglophilic Prince Naif as Emir, soon the news spread across the ranks as Talal was taken to London in a RAF plane, with Naif being installed as Emir. Nuwar would mobilize his own troops against the coup, reaching to fellow-minded officers and a large network of supporters in Palestine. The situation was quickly spiraling in a potential civil war as the Pan-Arabist officers rising up against Glubb and Naif, both denounced as colonialist usurpers. That is when the Italians approached Nuwar with an offer, through proxies in the region the SIM would offer the support of Italian arms to launch a coup at Amman. A shipment of weapons, with over a million rounds of ammunition, and rifles such as the new Carcanno M1945 and the Submachine gun Beretta 43. There was also a group of 20 light tanks, and several light artillery pieces. Furthermore, Egypt would send both political and financial support for the rebels, even the SS would influence the coup by offering information of the enemy troop formations taken by Syrian informants of the RSHA.

    On the 5th of July, Ali and the Pan-Arabists launched a coup, leading to a brutal battle in Amman, especially against the Jewish Legion, who offered the most fierce of resistance before the superior firepower of the putschists took the Capital. Self-Proclaimed General Ali Nuwar would declare himself President of the Arab Republic of Jordan-Palestine, and from there Nasser felt emboldened to prepare his next step: The Suez Canal. Protected by a strong British garrison, the Canal was a last bastion for the former Allied powers in the Mediterranean, as it still allowed them access to the region, especially towards Israel, Cyprus, and Turkey. However, on the 1st of August, Nasser announced the Nationalization of the Suez Canal Company, claiming that the canal, dug by Egyptian workers, would be put back in the hands of Egyptians. A move many in Britain were worried about ever since the rise of Nasser, and especially of his ally Nuwar, and with the MI6 noticing the increasing supplies of weapons, as well as Mussolini's recent agreement to fund the Aswan Dam, there was no doubt in Eden's mind that Mussolini, and by consequence Hess, were the ones truly behind it. Through informal channels, the Reich's foreign office continuously denied any relationship with the Egyptians, claiming that Nasser's Pan-Arabism was also opposed to the Reich's interests in Syria, in fact an arms agreement was refused just months prior in May. The Italians, on the other hand, pointed out the self-proclaimed support of the British to the UN's charter of "Self-Determination", which meant that Egypt did have the right to control access to it's own territory. Initially, Nasser was wary of coming closer to Mussolini, especially as the later continued in an Italianization campaign in both Libya and Eritrea, but the carrot and stick proved an effective method. As he saw the direction the wind was blowing, Mussolini planned to "tame" Pan-Arabism, directing it against Britain, using Nasser as a proxy both by supplying him, while also giving subtle nods about the Nile river and the Italian control over the Blue Nile in Ethiopia, the source of 80% of the waters of the river that served as the basis of the Egyptian civilization since milennia, a flow that could be changed if Mussolini decided to provide hydroelectricity to Eastern Africa.

    The Tensions continued to rise through August as Egypt repudiated the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936, while the British refused to recognize Nasser and instead continued to claim their right to mantain bases in Egypt until 1956. With the Canal being Nationalized under Egyptian control, Nasser's rhetoric was to claim that the canal was under occupation of British troops, severing Egypt's connection with Gaza and the Sinai. Egyptian army forces were being mobilized near the Canal zone while the roads were closed down, a blockade made in land while Egyptian workers in the Canal went on strike, leading to Eden further challenge the Arab President by supplying the canal with air and naval transportation, starting to build up forces at Cyprus and bringing foreign operators to the Canal. President Long was watching with increasing concern, as the Canal was still the main access of Asian and East African markets towards Europe, alongside American oil interests in the area being caught in the wave of unrest gripping the Arab World. But Eden and Long's relationship had deteriorated more and more since the Dakkar Crisis, with the British still blaming Long's inaction for the continued German control over Europe. Secretary of State Burton K. Wheeler, the former President and a respected Statesman, attempted to organize a conference between both sides to negotiate the Status of the Suez Canal. Immediately the question asked was, who would represent the French, who once built the Canal and owned one of it's largest shares? Would it be Darnand's government in Paris or de Gaulle's in Dakkar. Ever since Laval's death, Britain had chosen to recognize Charles de Gaulle as leader of the French People, while the United States, under Wheeler's own advice, refused to recognize de Gaulle by claiming he was a dictatorial strongman no different from Petain and Darnand, a rather grievous insult, and they had yet not retracted their recognition of the Paris government. Furthermore, Nasser called for Mussolini to act as Mediator in a negotiation instead, a move Eden had completely refused while Long and Wheeler still vacillated much to Eden's outrage. The Prime Minister felt as if he was the last sane leader of the World, stuck between a delusional lunatics.

    The Conference went ahead without the presence of Nasser or Mussolini, called in London, the Free French sent their representative which led to the French State refusing to attend. Surprisingly, the Germans accepted the invitation, with that being one of the first times since the Treaty of Lisbon that a German, a British, and an American representative sat down at the table. The Israeli delegation begrudingly accepted after intense protests in the backrooms, but refused to recognize the presence of the German delegates, the same being said of the German delegation who always avoided interacting with the Jewish one. Mussolini and Nasser were both in shock by Hess' acceptance, which only solidified their perception of the new "Detente Führer", and alongside him would come most of the Linz Pakt, with the exception of Spain, Greece, Croatia, and other Italian protectorates. Portugal began to act more as a bridge between both sides, and by the end of the Conference, there was a general agreement that the Suez Canal should return to International Ownership. This Conference, held on the 4th of September, would lead to further division within the Linz Pakt, starting the drift between Rome and Germania in the 1950s that would only worsen during the purges later on against the Catholic Church. Instead, Italian, Egyptian and Jordanian military officers drafted a plan in order to expel the British garrison: Operazione Pugnale, Operation Dagger.


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    The Plan called for a quick and overwhelming strike against the British garrison to be concluded within 72 hours, with the recently modernized Italian Navy, using it's two Aircraft Carriers, the Aquila and the Cesare, as well as three battleships to cut the connection between the Suez and Cyprus, with an attack with planes launched from Crete and Tobruk at Port Said. Land forces from the three nations were planned to converge and overwhelm the enemies, while the Italian Navy would prevent the arrival of reinforcements. The plan depended on the fact that Eden would not escalate into a full scale war against the Italo-Arabian alliance, both out of fear of alienating his Arab subjects, over the reduced capacity of the British armed forces after the decolonization of India, and due to the United States. Huey Long was running for reelection, using a platform of isolationism as his base, he would not risk throwing off his supporters so close to the Election Day over the economically-diminished Suez Canal, especially knowing that a full scale war would likely lead to nuclear confrontation with the Reich. The plan was for a limited, quick conflict that would not even be called a war, but a "Military exercise" on the Sinai desert, which would take out the British garrison and cut off both Cyprus and Israel from outside support. The Operation was so secretive in fact, not even the Germans were notified of it's existence, and the SD would go through one of it's greatest humiliations for failing to discover the plan of their own ally.

    But one nation stood more to lose than any other, and said nation went in contact with Britain in order to save itself. Ever since the coup by Ali Nuwar in Jordan-Palestine, IPF forces have been on a heightened state of alert, with Arab partisans launching more and more provocative attacks, and the Jewish settlements in Jordan, especially Bersheeba, coming under growing raids and harassment by the government that reminisced the SA attacks in Germany during the 1930s. Prime Minister Bernstein would approach Eden in secret, a plan was drafted in order to stop the Pan-Arab tide in the Middle East, by striking both Nasser and Nuwar in a single stroke and launching heavy attacks to turn the people against their regimes. The "Liverpool Protocol" would set for the Israeli forces to launch a Preemptive strike against both Jordanian and Egyptian forces, pushing to the Straits of Tiran and the Sinai. With that as an excuse, the British would call for a ceasefire, so that all forces retreat from the Sinai and Palestine for a peacekeeping operation led by the British, with Israel accepting and the Arabs obviously refusing, which would lead to Britain joining the war in support of Israel, using it's assets on Cyprus and the Suez Zone to bombard both Egypt and Jordan, sending in military forces to occupy the lands between the Suez and the Dead Sea. However, the plan was only to be put into effect after January, as Eden hoped that McCarthy would win the elections, giving the crucial support of a faithful ally in Washington to back both Britain and Israel against possible retaliations. If, however, Long was reelected, then the plan could be launched no later than in November.

    With so much at stake depending on the results of the increasingly unpredictable American leadership, one side would strike first: Operation Pugnale would be put into effect on the 5th of October 1952, a Sunday morning as Air and Naval forces from Italy, Egypt and Jordan took off from their bases and came down upon Port Said and the British checkpoints in the Canal. 10,000 troops of the British garrison would come under heavy attack by hundreds of aircraft, an event which had a striking resemblance to the attack on Pearl Harbor almost a decade earlier. However, the plan began to show it's failings almost immediately as the British anti-aircraft fire was at the ready and the RAF Fighters quickly took to the skies to meet the Egyptian attackers. Jordanian forces, however, would never be able to arrive at the battle thanks to the efforts of the Israeli Mossad, which intercepted the attack orders for Operation Dagger. Knowing that the Arab capture of the Suez would lead to the strangling of the Jewish economy, the Israeli Protection Force launched a preemptive strike that same day, hitting communication and logistical lines connecting the Arab armies and striking south against the Jordanians with a force of over 70,000 troops. The Israeli Air Force, armed with the newest British and American Jets, was a far more organized and formidable foe than during the First Levantine War, and as the Second Levantine War began, the Operational plans to strike the Jordanian planes under "Operation Kadosh", which coincided with the fueling of the enemy planes for the strike on the Suez. In two hours, the majority of the Jordanian airforce was destroyed on the ground, that was followed by the launching of paratrooper brigades under the command of Ariel Sharon into Bersheeba, capturing the settlement with the support of the local Jewish population. Jordanian troops, several of them being gathered in the Sinai, were caught by complete surprise, as well as Egyptian forces in Gaza that immediately came under attack.

    The question of who shot first was the first thing to be debated, with the Arabs and Italians claiming that British and Israeli forces struck first, while the British claimed the Arabs struck the Suez first. But while the international community was rudely awakened on a sunday of war, the confrontation between entrenched British troops in the canal against the overwhelming assault of Egyptian forces was ongoing. The Italian navy ordered a blockade of the Suez as it was declared a warzone, Mussolini calling for both sides to stand down to the negotiation table while under the relentless assault of accusations that Italian planes took off from Crete, rather than Alexandria, shot down pilots confirming such accusations. British and Italian ambassadors were recalled as the two nations were on the brink of war, the Royal Navy forces in Nicosia were being mobilized to move into Port Said while the Italian forces in Egypt were claimed to be "International Volunteers". As the two sides threw accusations, including of the Italians claiming an Italian scout plane was shot down by British forces in Egyptian Air Space, both the Liverpool Protocol and Operation Dagger came under effect. The result was a war erupting from the Nile to the Jordan rivers. British planes, launched from two Aircraft carriers in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Ark Royal and Centaur, and Cypriot air bases, struck against Egypt itself, bombing Radio Cairo, bridges, supply depots, and infrastructure targets linking to the Suez. The effort of the Egyptian forces in the Sinai and Gaza depended on a quick capture of the Canal Zone within 72 hours, and that is not counting on the surprise Israeli assault, which was now driving south towards the settlement of Eilat, across the Negev desert at a speed unseen since the Second World War. Egyptian troops defending Gaza had to be resupplied by air and sea, and the Israeli forces under Moshe Dayam planned to use the first few days to achieve decisive victories while the enemy was undersupplied before linking up with the Canal Zone and digging in on the Jordan river. The fight was light in the regions of East Jerusalem and the West Bank, as the main objective of the Jewish forces was to reach the Red Sea, from where the Strait of Tiran would serve as an alternative to the Suez Canal.

    Jordan was not willing to give up it's main sea access, while Jordanian and Egyptian forces fought surrounded in Gaza and Israeli troops pushed through the Sinai, General Ali Nuwar ordered for Aqaba to be defended to the last man, mobilizing the Arab Legion and recalling his troops from the Sinai. However, the purge of British officers and many pro-British commanders in the Jordanian forces took it's toll on the performance of the troops which were still readapting to new methods. The forces storming the Canal Zone were recalled East, clashing in Al-Kuntillah northwest of Aqaba against the spearhead of the 7th Armored brigade of the IPF. Meanwhile, the British commandos held strong on the Sinai for 52 hours before the Egyptian-Italian troops finally achieved a breakthrough in the North by capturing Raswa on the 8th of October. The capture of the Waterworks was followed by an overall attack at Port Said, where the garrison has been holding out against relentless attacks for three days. The Air War intensified in the region, and the fact that the majority of the Egyptian planes were Italian made things even more obvious to the British High Command. John Cunningham, First Lord of Admiralty and former commander of the Mediterranean forces of the Royal Navy, called for an escalation of the war in Egypt, as the current forces were said to be unable to face down a combined Italo-Arabic offensive before supplies ran out. He called for an attack on Italian Djbouti in order to secure the entrance to the Red Sea, so that supplies could be sent to the Suez, as the forces and equipment in Cyprus would not be enough to sustain a long conflict, especially as insurgents were striking against the war effort in Cyprus, mostly Greek partisans supported by the Italian Intelligence Services. Eden was reluctant, despite his commitment towards victory, he knew that directly retaliating against Italy would bring in the Reich, as he did not believe Hess' offers for Detente, and sparking a war while Huey Long was still the President just was not an option due to the overwhelming firepower of the Luftwaffe and the Linz Pakt. In 1939, Britain certainly could've defended their air space against the German Air Force, but over a decade of German military buildup, with the support of the rest of Europe, all while Britain lost more and more territory such as the Raj, made the fears of a potential German air superiority over the British Isles a very possible reality without the support of the USAAF.


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    The reactions in Washington and Germania were of complete outrage, the two superpowers did not desire to enter a direct confrontation. Long was running his campaign, and a war would only lead to conflict with his electoral base against the Hawks. Hess was still keenly aware of the gap in the nuclear stockpiles between the United States and the Reich, and as he was still locked in power disputes in the Reich and had no sympathy for the Arabs on a personal level, he flew to Milan on the 7th to meet Mussolini. Mussolini and Hess would argue for hours, and the former had a defiant atitude that would've never been directed towards Hitler before. Rudolf had to show strength, the only language Mussolini could understand, and made threats over Italy's status on the Linz Pakt. Mussolini exploited one weakness of Hess, his deep sense of inferiority compared to Hitler, claiming that a man who lives in the shadow of another will never have the strength to rule Europe. This heated conversation ended with both sides returning home and the Italians proceeding with the Invasion, that is when Hess made what was possibly the most ridiculous event in the history of German International Relations since the Zimmerman Telegram.

    Taking a plane on the 12th, Hess took off on a plane towards London, invading British Air Space with an unscheduled visit that caught everyone in Germania and London by surprise. Two RAF Mosquito jets would come to escort the German Bf. 110, Hess' personal plane, which was almost shot down at first, an international incident being barely avoided as the Führer, who commanded the plane himself with Two SS bodyguards accompanying him. The press was kept out as the plane came at night and the Police was in the awkward situation where a foreign Head of State was trespassing into British soil, he was detained in the Airport while Eden was awakened in the middle of the Night. King Edward VIII would be notified of the incident and insisted on accompanying Eden at the occasion, mostly out of curiosity of his intentions. After an hour, the three men would meet in the Airport at 4:32 AM, while BBC reporters were kept unaware of what was happening, with many believing the King and Eden were meeting in secret to discuss the Prime Minister's potential resignation as news were coming from Port Said that British troops had lost control of the Airfield and were running out of ammunition. Hess, with several antiquated views of the British nobility, addressed the King with more respect than Eden, and he told his story as a former British subject in Egypt, admiring the Anglo-Saxon "White Civilization", and speaking of how the Reich and Britain were natural allies against the Zionists and Americans. Hess spoke of the Middle Eastern War, saying that he would stand with Britain against Mussolini and Nasser, if Edward made a commitment to direct British forces into a joint attack with the Syrians against Israel, emphasizing how Zionist groups launched terrorist attacks against British forces in Palestine during the Mandate. The talks continued for two hours, and Eden remarked that if Hess wanted to show commitment to a Detente, Arab forces would have to retreat from the Canal and allow a British peacekeeping force in the Sinai Desert. Hess remarked that if he was able to reach an alliance with Britain as a fellow "Germanic race", he would ditch Mussolini and the "Mediterraneans" for sake of a united "White Anglo-Germanic Front against Zionists and Negroids". Edward was often incredulous when Eden spoke to him as to how incoherently confused Hess was in his words, but with that first secret meeting between the two all doubts were gone. The Two British leaders bid their farewells as Hess returned on his plane as the sun was rising, returning to Germania as he hoped to have made the greatest stroke of diplomacy in the Century. Eden and Edward would remain on the airport discussing if Hess was the world's greatest conman or a raging lunatic, especially as he spoke of occultist elements and even mentioned how he was communicating in secret with the Aryan Avatar of Adolf Hitler.

    That incident would only be confirmed officially by British sources after Eden's memoirs were published, while Goebbels and Heydrich used the Press and the Reich's secret services to keep the story as subtle and vague as possible. Hess is said to have gone on an angry rant against the two by claiming they were undermining his achievements, and he would have to be calmed down as Goebbels made a concession, by taking off the air the movie Titanic, which blamed the sinking of the famous vessel on the arrogant British high class. The Ministers had to publicly make concessions to Hess' Anglophilia, but in private the majority were convinced that it was an idea that would only lead to further alienation of German allies, especially as that was sending the wrong messages to nations such as Portugal, the only European State that was not a full member of the Pakt except Turkey. Hess' suggestion was ignored by the British who instead sent warnings to the Israeli high command that the Syrians could be pushed into the war if the Northern border was left unattended for too long. By Mid October, the Canal Zone had mostly fallen to the Egyptian forces, at an enormous cost for the Arab armies, while the IPF managed to take Eilat and Aqaba after fierce fighting, starting to drive westwards to the Canal while digging in on to contain Jordanian counter attacks. There were serious discussions in Eden's cabinet of just how much was the Canal worth, as the uprising against Nasser failed to materialize and relations with the Arab states were only being more and more crippled by the war, while there was a risk that Huey Long could win the Reelection, even if he didn't, he would still be President until January. Unless the British sent forces through the Red Sea, which meant facing the Regia Marina directly and escalating into a full war. There were also worries that the Egyptians would sabotage the Canal, trapping the British Mediterranean Fleet in Cyprus. There was little strategic worth in Suez since the war, as the fall of Malta and Gibraltar gave the Linz Pakt the control over the Mediterranean, and with India going it's way, the main reason for the canal's very existence for the British was gone. Cyprus by itself was a strategically important island, but keeping a hold of it as Egypt switched into the arms of the Italians was unrealistic. Israel depended far more on the Suez than Britain, even then, as IPF forces captured the Gulf of Aqaba, there would now be an alternative for the Canal.

    There was also the matter of Syria, since the fall of the Egyptian and Jordanian Monarchies, there was a rising paranoia in Saadeh's mind that the "unnatural" force of Pan-Arabism would sweep into Syria. While Israel was the greatest public enemy for Syria, the Zionists were no threat to the Social Nationalist hold over Damascus, the Ba'athists, main force of Pan-Arabism in Syria, were. It was still a surprise to many on the 18th of October when the Syrian army mobilized it's forces to war. The "Little Wehrmacht" no doubt had the strength to tip the balance over in the war. Nasser hoped that the Syrians would strike Israel, which would stop the relentless assault of Israeli forces from linking with the British at Al-Jafjafar. Bernstein hoped that the reports given by the British about Hess' insatisfaction with Mussolini were genuine, and Saadeh would recognize the greater threat of Nasser and Nuwar to his power base. The IPF was not willing to gamble it's existence, the advances on the Sinai were slowed down as many forces withdrew North to face the Syrians. To the surprise of all involved, Syrian troops crossed into the Jordanian desert with an amassed armored assault, with the use of German plane models and tanks that overwhelmed the already weakened Jordanian troops, which were mostly concentrated in the south during a counter attack at Aqaba. The Little Wehrmacht entered the war by Bombing Amman and advancing through the Jordan River valley and capturing Irbid in less than 48 hours. As if the Month of October 1952 could not be more confusing, Waffen-SS volunteers were fighting on the same side as Jewish forces against Arab Nationalists, backed up by an Imperialist Catholic nation. The Jordanians collapsed against the combined effort of the IPF and the Syrian Army, as Moshe Dayam concentrated the war effort against Jordan in order to capture the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Nasser was shocked at this development, reaching out to Hess and accusing him of ordering the Syrians to attack. In fact, even in Germania, many could not understand why Hess was instructing a cooperation with the Jews and British against the Arabs, Goebbels would privately comment with Magda and Eva Hitler that "The Führer would be ordering us shot with good reason if we had ever done this".

    As Amman fell, the British troops still left in the Canal Zone would be finally forced to surrender after over two weeks of intense combat as the ammunition and food supplies were gone. Seeing as the Egyptians could now essentially trap one of Britain's main naval assets in the Mediterranean, Eden began to reach towards Washington to mediate a truce. Wanting to be seen as a Peacemaker as the elections were weeks away, Long invited the involved to New York on the 27th, 22 days of war coming to an end with a Ceasefire. On the 2nd of November, the Peace Settlement was signed: The Nationalization as well as the Nasser government would be recognized by the British who would give up the Canal Zone. The British Warships would be allowed to continue uninterrupted passage of the Straits until 1962, and Nasser would give up any Egyptian claims towards Sudan. But while the IPF would retreat from the Sinai, Nasser would garantee free passage of Israeli ships through the Straits of Tiran. No doubt the greatest defeated in this war was Jordan, as Ali Nuwar would be forced to cede all territories west of the Jordan river and the Negev Desert to Israel, including the control of East Jerusalem and Gaza, losing the Mediterranean access and all Jordanian territories in "Palestine". The Syrians would also annex the provinces of Irbid and the Mafraq Desert. The City of Aqaba would be returned to Jordan, and President Nuwar would be recognized as leader of Jordan. Overall, it is hard to say who won in the "Suez War", Nasser did manage to take the Canal, but at the cost of shackling Egypt in debt with the Italians as the devastation of the war forced him to get more loans from Italian banks. The Syrians contained the momentum of Pan-Arabism, and the new territories along the Jordan river gave a better strategic launchpad for future conflicts with Israel and Jordan, as well as control of the water flowing from the Jordan River. The Jordanians lost some of it's most important territories, but President Nuwar's regime was recognized, now enjoying close links with Nasser and Italy. Israel more than doubled in size, at the cost of essentially losing it's Mediterranean exit that could be closed down at any moment, ships under Israeli flag being subjected to raids in the Sea. Now, surrounded by enemies even more, the Jewish State would have to make peace with a large Arab minority in the new territories and protect itself against both Syrians and Arabs. Mussolini achieved his victory at the cost of his good relations with the Reich as both him and Hess now looked at one another with distrust. The United States, showing itself as a neutral arbiter, would keep goodwill with the Arab States, although relations with Britain deteriorated further, at least between Eden and Long. Speaking of Eden, the Prime Minister would resign in disgrace after his failure, with Rab Butler taking his place as Prime Minister, although Edward, a personal friend of former Prime Minister Atlee, claimed in private that the "Conservatives should have called a General Election for this disgrace". Edward himself wanted to take a more active role in Government affairs, it was mostly the influence of his brother Albert which contained him, but it was clear that after the Suez War, the King was losing his patience with Parliamentary politics.


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    XXIII - SONNŌ JŌI
  • THE IRON EAGLE
    SONNŌ JŌI


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    Colonel Kenji Hatanaka was on his way from Sendai to Fukushima on the fateful morning of January 25th, by pure luck he had avoided a fateful death. He was not in a car, a luxury that most Japanese officers could not afford anymore, either because of the fuel rations or the risk of American fighters. Instead, officers and soldiers alike traveled through the countryside, in the hills and vegetation of the Sendai region, a tiresome journey that kept them safe through a network of tunnels, bunkers, caves and other hideouts. Japan was connected by tunnels, and that was perhaps one of the greatest nightmares for American troops, who could never be sure if their rear was secured, whenever a territory was conquered, the Japanese vanished to the tunnels and struck their supply lines from behind. The forest trail that Hatanaka was going through was being used by many couriers to deliver news, as most of the telegraph and phone lines were taken down, the few radio stations being used for motivating propaganda and songs. He was walking alongside two other soldiers, one of them young enough to be his son, the other a seasoned veteran that has followed him throughout the war. They were tired, rations were low, and yet they were loyal to Kenji and to the Empire, which is why the news they dreaded most was of a surrender. After so many years of such fierce fighting, with millions dead and even more wounded, how could they accept a sacrifice in vain? Hirohito, the Emperor himself, was murdered by the devious barbarians, the invaders who shot him and cold blood and later killed his brother as General Patton's troops took Nagano. How could the servants of the Emperor do anything but avenge such dishonor? The killing of the Emperor, the destruction of the sacred home islands, the massacres against civilians, and the executions of prisoners was more than enough to show why the Americans and the other "Allies" could not be trusted. Even within, the Imperial Army was plagued with traitors, the war effort undermined by treacherous allies. The brave last stand in the mainland was sabotaged by the Manchurians backstabbing the Kwantung Army, the Russians, who provided vital resources from Siberia, now renounced all links with Japan and were receiving US troops with open arms, in Indonesia, the collaborators turned on the garrison, in Thailand the King sided with the Allies. But worst of all were the traitors within, the officers who surrendered Indochina, instead of using the advantageous terrain to bleed the enemy dry as part of the Defense doctrine made by Anami, the surrender of Fuzhou, one of the largest cities in China, to Chiang's forces, all decisions made by cowards. But the worst of them all was Kuribayashi, the General once saluted as a hero, who was bravely holding back the Americans on Kyushu with one of the largest Imperial forces, betraying his oath to Hirohito and surrendering, daring to tell others to stand down with him. The few brave soldiers who tried to fight on were backstabbed by their own officers, for refusing to give up after so much sacrifice.

    Hatanaka was a fanatic and he was not the only one, working within Anami's government and being promoted from Major to Colonel for his loyalty and the death of his predecessors. He was expected to fight on to the end and that was something he would loyally do. A man practically raised by the Militarist doctrines and State Shinto values, one of the most firebrand young officers of the IJA, a true believer in all sense of the word. He accompanied his superior, the Minister of War and later Prime Minister Anami, practically worshipping the man for his decision to fight on, overthrowing the weak civilian government and ending every facade of the frail democracy of Japan. He was a strong man devout to Hirohito, firmly believing in the Emperor's dying wishes to continue the fight until the enemy was expelled. The Colonel was at Saitama, the bloodiest fight of the war in the very heart of Tokyo, he saw as defeatism corroded the Japanese war effort in the frontlines and allowed for Patton and his Steel terrors to cross the valleys and reach Nagano. He was there when the Imperial Family evacuated Nagano and Regent Yasuhito stayed behind in the most noble of sacrifices to protect the Emperor's dying place. He helped escort the young Akihito and stood with Anami as they went first to Niigata, then to Kitakata, and finally Fukushima, being sent to Sendai by orders of the Minister to prepare the City's defenses against a suspected landing. But then it all came to nothing, a courier rushing through the trail made the guards turn behind with Arisaka rifles pointed, forcing the young woman to stop and deliver the news to the Colonel: Sendai was gone. The city, which was one of the last standing industrial centers of Japan, was completely destroyed by a light "as bright as a thousand suns", the woman had burns on her face, being at the limit of her strength as she vomited on the soil, the Colonel taking the letter and relaying it for one of his guards to take it to the Minister ahead of them. Soon enough, that woman was dead, Hatanaka ordering her body to be buried by his other guard while he pondered on the news. There were rumors that the Americans were developing some sort of super weapon, and as he saw later more people coming through the trail, many with the same burns of the courier, others falling dead out of sickness along the way, telling the horrors of what happened in Sendai along the way, he knew she spoke the truth.

    Worse was when him and his guard later arrived at one of the checkpoint bunkers of the trail near the entrance of a tunnel. People were gathered around to rest, soldiers and civilians were practically one and the same now, and then came the message of the young Emperor Akihito, and while Kenji was seated and drinking water from his canteen, came the news that Japan had surrendered. The order was given for soldiers to stand down and follow the commands of the occupation forces, alongside that came the news of Anami's seppuku, his death giving the clear message that surrender was a far too great dishonor for a military man like him. For a moment the people did not know what to do, Hatanaka being the highest ranking officer in the area, at the young age of 34. Finally he stood up, and the soldiers stood at attention as he gave a furious speech, honoring Hirohito's sacrifice and Yasuhito's determination to follow his brother's legacy. However he did something that in a normal circumstance was almost sacrilegious, condemning Nobuhito, the Prince-Regent, as a coward, a traitor like Kuribayashi who betrayed his country and manipulated his Nephew, the Emperor, to surrender dishonorably after being promised great wealth and power by the invaders. He spoke of Anami, the man who took the decisive action at the time of need and showed how the destruction of Democracy made the Empire fight harder than it ever did. Japan did not fall, Japan did not surrender, instead it was victim of a grand conspiracy of traitors within. He spoke of grand plans for a counter offensive told to him by Anami, and that Fukushima would've been the grand launchpad for a counter offensive to retake Tokyo, claiming how the enemy overextended themselves, who believed arrogantly that a million men could hold back the Spirit of the Nation. But just as the Tokugawa puppets were overthrown by the Emperor's servants who expelled the foreigners, so would this occupation end by the strength of the Emperor's loyal servants. He claimed that all of Japan's soldiers were "Orphans of Shōwa", the spirit of the Emperor continued to live on, and so they had their duty to honor the resistance spirit of Japan and avenge their father, with their motto following the same one of those who expelled the foreigners in the Boshin War before them: Sonnō Jōi, Revere the Emperor and Expel the Barbarians.

    The fall of the Japanese Empire between 1945 and 1947 was perhaps the most dramatic event in the modern Asian History. In a matter of years, Japan went from a relatively small territory to ruling over 600 million subjects from Manchuria to Papua New Guinea, and in an even shorter time it lost all of it and was occupied by one of the largest international coalitions in History. Japan after the war was a destroyed nation, one could count on their fingers how many buildings were left standing in Tokyo other than the ones used by the Military. Yet, groups such as the Orphans of Shōwa were not popular at the start, in 1947 the majority of the Japanese only wanted peace after the years of war and the devastation of Operation Sunset. Only the most fanatic were still willing to remain fighting and the US Army would spend the remainder of 1947 hunting down such army cells, but the collaboration of prominent Japanese leaders would ensure a smooth transition. General Kuribayashi and Prince Nobuhito, the Imperial Regent of Emperor Akihito, would meet with General MacArthur on the 30th of January in Tokyo to officially sign the instrument of Surrender, the same day of Hitler's fateful speech in the Volkshalle that innaugurated the Cold War "officially". The two leaders met with the General behind Closed doors, Kuribayashi being able to speak fluent English and acting as a tradutor to the Prince who spoke only the little English he learned during his travels in the 1930s. MacArthur started by lamenting that Hirohito was not able to be in person, claiming that he had hoped to meet the Emperor one day, however he avoided the question when Nabuhito asked of what would happen to his killer. In fact, the young Kennedy had long returned to the US as a national hero, the man who shot the head of the Emperor would naturally have been an obvious target and was kept a way for sake of the troops' morale in Japan.

    The very existence of the Japanese State was called into question, while officially Japan had surrendered unconditionally, there was little in terms of a recognizable "State" to sign it. The last Japanese constitutional government, officially at least, was Prime Minister Suzuki's cabinet, which was dissolved in a military coup by General Anami, who imposed Martial Law and suspended the Meiji Constitution, a move far and beyond even military standards which also led to a bloody purge of prominent Japanese politicians and intellectuals supportive of any sort of "peace". Yasuhito and Anami ruled in an overtly authoritarian way, something that made Anami be more like a Shogun than a modern dictator, acting as a military warlord with an Iron Fist by using the authority given by Yasuhito as Regent. The Supreme Privy Council, which theoretically was one of the highest organs in Japan, was essentially bypassed by the regent, Koichi Kido, the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal, was amongst the victims of Anami's purge for his supposed "Pacifist" leanings and attempts to "influence" the Emperor. As regent, Yasuhito essentially bypassed the Keeper and directly stated the Emperor's desires through himself, something Nobuhito was also capable. Essentially, even the shaky foundations of the Japanese government were gone by 1947 and there was little in terms of "collaboration" that MacArthur, the Supreme Commander, was able to find in the wreckage left by the Militarist coup in 1946. Many intellectuals and Constitutionalists were killed, one of them being Kijuro Shidehara, a former Foreign Minister and a quiet pacifist voice in the House of Peers, killed by a group of radical officers during the night of the coup for the crime of Pacifism. However, some men were still left standing, and Nobuhito suggested the temporary restoration of the Meiji Constitution until a new one could be drafted, naming Tokugawa Iemasa, a prominent member of the house of peers and head of the House of Tokugawa, to serve as Prime Minister provisionally. MacArthur agreed, he further added that there were many voices in America who desired nothing more than the destruction of the Japanese State, including President Thurmond himself, however the growing tensions in the Reich and the American intervention in Russia required a stable Japan to direct the focus to the Atlantic. The Japanese Army and Navy were both dissolved, despite Kuribayashi's protest, where the General claimed that it would be necessary to keep a Japanese force intact to hunt down hardliners and ensure the peace, that was a point MacArthur was not allowed to alter, being an specific demand in the Presidential letter sent to him.

    The meeting on the 30th of January set the first stage of the reconstruction, where three men had to keep a working system in order to disarm Japan: Nobuhito, Kuribayashi and Tokugawa, following the commands of General Douglas MacArthur. Emperor Akihito, a teenage boy, moved in to Tokyo, where the Imperial Palace was put under reconstruction by MacArthur during the war. The young Prince, who had not even been officially presented as crown prince by the time his father died, went through more than most. Born in 1933, named as Prince Tsugu, he had lived a comfortable youth until the "situation of the war did not develop necessarily in Japan's favor" as his father once said in private. When he was 4, the Japanese Army invaded China and raped Nanking during his birthday. When he was 8, Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor in 1942 and was rampaging across East Asia, with the Japanese taking Manila on his birthday. And when he was 11, he had become Emperor as his father died and he was put in charge of tens of millions of civilians and soldiers who killed and died in his name. When he celebrated his 12th Birthday, he was in a deep bunker, preparing to leave to the North as Patton's forces approached Nagano and his Uncle was on his deathbed from Tuberculosis and wartime stress. Now he was a puppet of his uncle Nobuhito, but mostly of General MacArthur, who used him as a symbol to bring peace to Japan. Despite the speeches and callings for peace, however, the Hardliners refused to budge, many were like Hatanaka, refusing to stand down as they fought to avenge Hirohito, claiming, rightfully so to their credit, that Akihito was used as a puppet for peace supporters, a child being manipulated to do their bidding. With the official dissolution of the IJA, many more joined such units, even if they were a minority, the terrain of Japan was more than perfect for a guerrilla war as the Allied forces learned the hard way. In Korea, remnants continued to fight to the very end, attacking Americans, Koreans, Manchurians and Chinese alike as local warlords declared themselves loyal to Prince Yasuhito, refusing to believe that he was dead and claiming that the Allies killed a lookalike in Nagano, with Nobuhito usurping his brother and killing Anami in order to sign a peace, being treacherous just as the Manchurians. Some even said the Emperor was never killed, that Hirohito still continued to fight on while his brothers had made an attempt on his life to deliver Japan to the foreign invaders, claiming that Nobuhito's appointment of a descendant of the Tokugawa Shoguns as Prime Minister and his support of the traitorous Kuribayashi was further evidence of that treachery. Akihito now inherited the most chaotic period in Japanese History since the Sengoku Jidai, and yet he was still only a child, left only with his mother and uncle to watch over him as he lived always under the watch of American soldiers, the same type of men who had once murdered his father.

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    Some claimed that Iemasa's appointment as Prime Minister was a case of Nepotism, as his wife was a member of the Tokugawa Family. However, there were not many options left in Japan for a Civilian leader who could be tolerated by MacArthur and accepted by the Japanese alike in order to form a government. Tokugawa's Ministry began when he was informed he had to form a government. At the age of 62, like most of Politicians after Anami's coup and the fall of Tokyo, Iemasa fled to the Temporary Capital of Nagano, abandoning the city shortly after the news of Kuribayashi's defection came. Yasuhito, upon hearing of Iemasa's escape to the north, had a coughing fit that very likely saved the life of the Tokugawa Prince as it forced the increasingly delirious Regent to rest on his bed, forgetting to brand him a traitor. Anami, who had already lost track of most of the defectors, ignored the matter and deferred it to the Regent as he was desperately organizing the defense of Nagano against Patton's Steel Legions. Ultimately, he was saved for the fact so many others were leaving the Imperial Government in December that none of the two rulers of Japan had even bothered to sign his death sentence for "Treason". Besides, Iemasa did not defect to the Americans, instead he left the city to the North towards Shinano, where he stayed until he was captured willingly by American troops in January. He had been incarcerated in a military prison in Tokyo when he was visited by the Prince regent on the 1st of February, being shocked over the fact he was now handled the greatest curse of a politician: Being invited to govern a destroyed country. He still accepted, over his civic duty and as a personal favor to the Prince Takamatsu. He visited the cells of other politicians, accompanied by MacArthur's assistant, General Ridgway, who reportedly opened up cells to pick up the new Ministers of the government that quickly earned the nickname of "The Prison Ministry" from it's formation. The partially destroyed building of the National Diet served as the new seat of government as Nobuhito, in the name of Akihito, invited Iemasa Tokugawa to form a government.

    Kuribayashi, meanwhile, had much work to do in convincing Japan he was not the traitor branded by Anami's propaganda, a job made much harder as the announcement of the Army's dissolution was made right after he returned from his meeting with MacArthur to Nagasaki, where most of his troops still remained, collaborating with the Allies to keep order in Kyushu. He still had the command of 120,000 soldiers, when discounted the "Volunteers" and dismissed troops, and now they were left unemployed. Not like wages served much, the Japanese economy simply did not exist in 1947, instead items were traded between citizens, many soldiers giving their rations in return of cigarette packages, which served as the new standard currency as the Black Market became a norm long before the surrender. Soldiers simply took what they wanted, and while Kuribayashi strictly punished looters and indiscipline, the situation was far worse in Honshu, as Japanese soldiers raided the farms of their own countrymen to seize food and shelter. Groups like the Orphans of Showa, who still had a minimum of authority, mostly avoided turning weapons on "untainted" civilians, instead raiding Allied army depots and convoys to sustain themselves. The Dissolution of the Army led to hundreds of thousands of weapons being turned over, while in other places, such as the navy, the remaining ships were scuttled to not fall in enemy hands, or thrown in suicide attacks against the occupiers. 1947 was still a violent year, many soldiers who refused to disarm became bandits, roaming the Japanese countryside and refusing to follow the orders of Tokyo's "Prison Ministry" and the "Traitor" General. In order to keep the authority of a collaborative leader, MacArthur allowed for the creation of a "Japanese State Police", headed by Kuribayashi and kept under the Ministry of the Interior de jure, to avoid the military from going out of the Civilian command again. Of course, that led to Japan having what was jokingly called as "The most militarized police in Asia" as essentially all members of the initial force were Army veterans staffed by Kuribayashi.

    What followed in 1947 was a campaign of Pacification that essentially served as a continuation of the war, while the Tokugawa cabinet collaborated closely with MacArthur in order to solve Japan's most urgent issue: Food. The famine in Japan threatened to kill even more than a war, as shown in both China and Russia where the foreign invasions and Civil wars were killing millions every year. There were voices in America who wanted reprisals against Japan, "Not a penny to the Japs" was a common saying by many, especially on xenophobic circles and isolationist sectors, thankfully those would for now be losing against the moderates, many in the former team of President Hull who advocated for a conciliatory peace such as MacArthur, despite the personal opposition of Thurmond, a veteran himself who had a leg crippled by a Japanese grenade. A relief package was sent to Japan, the massive logistics once used for the invasion now being used to feed and treat the scarred Japanese society. Meanwhile, American troops continued returning in coffins to the United States, as over a million men served as the initial occupation force. The Chinese quickly retreated their forces in the occupation as Chiang was worried with the tensions with the Communists back in home. The British, constantly on a war footing with the Germans across the channel and the fighting with Malay insurgents, would also leave the occupation early on, until it essentially became an American affair even more than it already was. A rotation of troops was imposed between 1947 and 1951, with the number of troops constantly being reduced between 1949 and 1951 as the task of the pacification was left for the Japanese police forces. Yet for now, there was little difference in the hunting of insurgents and the previous war except for the lack of a centralized enemy command making the affair even more exhaustive. The terrain of Japan, made of hills, mountains and forests, was perfect for guerrilla warfare, and while 1947 was a year of relative goodwill between the occupiers and the locals, things would change on the following year.

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    In 1948, MacArthur's political ambitions got the better of him, as the Republican Party increasingly called for his name on the ballot and knowing that the victory of the Popular isolationist Huey Long would lead to an even more hostile relationship between Tokyo and Washington, the General left the Islands and resigned his active military command to partake in politics, a shocking upset for many Japanese. Tokugawa, Nobuhito and Kuribayashi worried about who President Thurmond, a very well known Japanophobic, would appoint as head of the Occupation Force. Many expected Ridgway, MacArthur's "right-hand" in his administration, or Chester Nimitz, the man who was second only to Mac in the Pacific Theater, to be appointed. But once the name of William "Bull" Halsey Jr. was announced, all knew which direction Thurmond was taking the Japanese occupation, the "Honeymoon" was over. The New Jersian Admiral was once a disgraced man by his defeat in Midway, yet the Pacific campaigns allowed him to start rebuilding his reputation, known for his uncompromising stance against the Japanese, he was one of the supporters of Lemay's "Operation Gomorrah" which turned most of the Japanese cities into ashes as a retaliation to the San Diego attack, famous for remarking after Pearl Harbor that "Before we're through with them, the Japanese language will be spoken only in hell." The message sent by the POTUS was clear: Japan will be punished, in order to never be able to rise again. Upon seeing the first draft of the Constitution made by MacArthur, Halsey ordered it to be completely rewriten, popular legends even saying he ordered it to be set on fire as he considered far too lenient in it's terms. Thurmond had given the Bull a blank cheque to enact the vengeful side of the American people upon the Japanese and he planned to do just that.

    One of the orders made by MacArthur and approved by Halsey was to create a Supreme International Court to judge the crimes of the Japanese in the Far East, while that was a proposal most agreed with, the reason that it's implementation was delayed was the fact nobody could agree on which nations could send judges. Of course, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, China, the Philippines and New Zealand were countries most agreed should be represented but that is as far as it went on unanimity. Due to the invasion of Indochina, Laval's French government demanded to be represented in judging Japanese war crimes, which also included attacks on other French possessions in the Pacific. The attack on Macau also led to the Portuguese desiring to be represented as well. Both nations were aligned to Germania, and while Hitler despised the idea of an International Court, he could not resist the idea of using it as a form of propaganda in attacking the war crimes of the Allies in the Pacific, and indeed the Allies were guilty of many crimes the Japanese themselves committed in Asia, Operation Gomorrah being an example. The Dutch also reclaimed the right to send a Judge over the crimes committed on the Dutch East Indies, which was not without controversy as Indonesia was recognized as an Independent State by the United States, something which was not unanimous as the British still sheltered the Dutch Government in London. The Colonial controversy was not over as Ho Chi Minh's Vietnam desired to be represented to judge the crimes over Indochina, and so did de Gaulle demand that a French judge of his own be assigned. There were three different nations wanting to hang Japanese war criminals in Vietnam. There was the Manchurian question as the representatives of the former Japanese satellite State of Manchuko wanted immunity, or at least to be judged exclusively in an International Court as it was no secret that Chiang Kai-Check desired to line most of them against a firing squad. The notion by the Chinese to judge collaborators in Russia was rejected as the US was actively supporting the new Tsardom, and a request to send former members of the Russian Fascist Party to Tokyo was rejected by Tsar Andrey who claimed Russian courts had the exclusive right to judge Russian Citizens.



    Ultimately, the Tokyo Trials would begin in April, and the six-month timetable ended up extended for over two years due to the immense amounts of evidence. MacArthur's stubborn anti-fascism was less radical in Halsey, despite the fact the latter was still an outspoken American patriot who despised the Nazis, and that allowed for compromises to be made. United States, United Kingdom, French State, India, Portugal, the Netherlands, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, China and the Philippines would send a Judge, with a total of twelve who would be responsible for judging the criminals based around three categories of crimes: Crimes against Peace, Conventional War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity. There was controversy when the Indian Justice Radhabinod Pal called for the acquittal of all defendants on the charges of Crimes against Peace due to the arguments of the defense that it was an ex post facto law, not existing a previous law that defined Crimes against Peace. There were also claims that the Tribunal was more of a Show Trial to enact a "Victor's Justice" on Japan, judging individuals for decisions taken by the State as a whole, considering Omission as a crime which was considered "Negative Justice". However, none was greater than the Trial of Hirohito, which was widely condemned even outside of Japan, a decision MacArthur opposed during his campaign trail but was pushed by Thurmond during the draft of the Charter of the Tribunal. In a humiliating event, especially to Regent Nobuhito, both Hirohito and Yasuhito would be put in a post-morten trial that even some justices objected, as Hirohito was sentenced to death for his overall command of the nation during the war and authorization of the actions made by the Japanese State with his consent. Yasuhito, during his half year of regency, was charged with several war crimes committed by the Japanese troops during the Home Islands campaign which included orders to execute prisoners of war and the devastation launched in the final months of the war in China. Justice Delfín Jaranilla would make convincing arguments, backed up by the Authority of the Supreme Commander, for a harsh persecution to set an example. The French, on the other hand, were not so eager to give death sentences, as Laval feared that one day the precedent of the death penalty for the defeated could turn against himself. Ultimately, Jaranilla's arguments and Halsey's own pushing would lead to several death sentences, most famously to Hideki Tojo, Shirō Ishii, Kishi Nobusuke and Fuminaro Konoe, although they would commit suicide before their executions.

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    As the public humiliation in the trial was over, Japan's suffering was not. In 1949, Huey Long would take the office of President and the priorities changed in terms of foreign policy. Wheeler, the President during the first half of the Pacific War, was now Secretary of State, while the Isolationist Long had no interest in continuing the costly occupation and reconstruction policies in Japan. There were several voices, especially leftovers of the Hull administration, who saw a "reverse course" in the American atitude after MacArthur left which only was made more intense after Long joined, a course calling for withdraw that only made the stability of the occupation worse. Halsey's draconian measures required a high number of troops to keep order, troops that were more and more restricted as time passed and Long slashed the military budget in his fight against what Wheeler called "The Military-Industrial Complex". Roosevelt understood the situation in Japan, claiming that Halsey needed to be recalled in order for a more compromising candidate such as Ridgway to ensure a smooth transition, but Halsey had his own supporters in America, including General Patton and Senator McCarthy. Wheeler, who only reluctantly placed the oil embargo on Japan in the first place, has always been opposed to American intervention on foreign matters, calling for the government to pull back after the war and opposing the creation of the United Nations, he was the worst possible Secretary of State that Long had to advise on foreign matters. Yet his decisions would conflict with Halsey in order to create the perfect storm and stall the reconstruction of Japan with a mixture of neglect and revanchism.



    A full reform program, made mostly out of punishment in order to "de-industrialize" Japan, was implemented by Halsey. Factories were dismantled, the infamous Zaibatsus were prosecuted and monopolies broken under the guise of new "Anti-Trust" legislation. At Long's request, the Japanese government was also instructed to support new Worker's rights legislation, especially towards agrarian workers. With most of the Japanese infrastructure and Industry ravaged by the war, MacArthur's programs ended up as the main source of food for many Japanese citizens in 1947, such programs would suffer rationing in 1949 as Long reduced the foreign aid in the American budget with the support of Congress. Finally, the Japanese Constitution was presented to the newly elected diet in September 1949 as a collective slap to the face. Japan suffered draconian measures, forbidden from having armed forces, including for self-defense, of possessing ships with a tonnelage bigger than 4,000, forbidden of having an air force, losing control permanently of several of the "Home Islands" such as Okinawa, Iwo Jima, and with Sakhalin and the Kurils being given to the Russian Empire. Finally, the greatest insult was a provision that officially made the United States have the right to "ensure the Independence and free exercise of the democratic rights of the Japanese people". Nagasaki would harbor an US Naval base, and the United States Navy would have ensured rights to dock on Japanese ports for 99 years. The treaty, which was publicly decried as an Unequal treaty by more nationalist figures, ended up ratified by the Diet, despite Iemasa's attempts to negotiate better terms with Halsey, this proposal had already been written in 1948 by the Thurmond Administration. Long considered that some of the terms could be considered excessive, but was assured by Wheeler that such terms were needed to ensure that the Japanese State would never become a threat to the United States again.

    The triumvirate in Japan could see the situation unravel, Regent Nobuhito was not the Emperor, and many used the new freedoms given by the Americans to criticize him. One of Halsey's demands, that Akihito should publicly renounce his "Divinity", sparked controversy as the young Emperor refused to do so. Despite the education being given by American tutors, the young monarch quickly grew to resent both his uncle and his tutors, being kept essentially in a gilded cage while the Japanese people starved on the outside of the palace and survived by the rations given by the Military. Akihito considered the Americans the murderers of his father and his uncle Yasuhito, having grown in the 1930s and lived over a year in an underground bunker, the young boy lived a life more traumatizing than many of his age around the world. But he was forced to learn to contain himself and cooperate while in a position of weakness. Once the news that the Occupation forces made such outrageous demand was leaked, it only gave more strength to Nationalist movements, and the Pacification campaign, which already cost the lives of around 20,000 Americans in 1947, would face contradicting orders by both Halsey and Long. The former desired to intensify the campaign to crush the Nationalist remnants and ensure a smoother transition of Japan into a more US-Aligned State, but Long refused to compromise even more American lives into what he saw as a wasteful campaign. Akihito would reluctantly make the declaration, not out of his own will however, but it would only serve to make many of the more Nationalist-minded Japanese see Akihito as an American puppet.

    Finally there was the issue of Communism, the long-suppressed forces of the Japanese left came to haunt the nation as their main suppressors were sent to the gallows. Iamasa, Kuribayashi and Nobuhito had their own disdain of Socialism, but by 1949 when the first major elections were made under the new Constitution, it came as a surprise when the Socialist Party of Japan achieved an impressive number of seats, some considering it was a reaction to the radical militarism of the previous years, others considering it an influence of Huey Long's policies in America. Tokugawa would then become the first member of the Triumvirate to fall, being the Prime Minister during the decisive years of 1947 until 1949, peacefully retiring to a countryside home with his family, but he would not live until the end of the year. Hatanaka, leader of one of the main northern insurgent cells, the "Orphans of Showa", would orchestrate his assassination for supposedly "giving up Japan to the foreigners, betraying the Emperor with the same cursed spirit of his Shogun ancestors". On the 9th of October, an old Japanese Zero would takeoff from the north, led by a zealous fanatic who crashed into Iamasa's home, trapping him and his wife inside the flames, firefighters would arrive too late to save the former Prime Minister, a man who was handed an impossible task and died despite his best efforts to sustain the Japanese State. Tetsu Katayama, leader of the Socialists, became Prime Minister and yet his government would be dead from the very start. He attempted to imitate Iemasa, forming a brand coalition for unity in rebuilding Japan and even managed to push for several labor laws such as the abolition of child labor, as well as creating a Foster care system aimed to deal with the widespread number of orphans left by the war. However, Halsey's anti-communism would show up as he saw the new Prime Minister with suspicion, Nobuhito himself feared that the Socialists could even push for the abolition of the Monarchy advocated by radicals. With the lack of experience in governing a nation as difficult as Japan during the occupation, Katayama's government collapsed in 6 months, leading to a succession of governments that attempted to balance the harsh demands by the Allied occupation, the stubborness of many nationalist elements that remained in Japan, the continuous guerrilla war in the center and north of the country, especially in Honshu, and their own political agendas. Iamasa's assassination would only throw fuel to the fire as Halsey planned to double down on the Pacification effort, especifically against the Orphans of Showa, in retaliation for the death of the former Prime Minister.


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    Kuribayashi was not a happy man in 1950, his hopes of mercy from the Americans were crushed by Halsey, at the same time as their support was taken out by Long. The Japanese State was defanged when tigers still surrounded it, and the ones supposed to compensate by helping in the fight were not fully commited and in a year they would no longer be around to give the little support they were giving. The High Commissioneer of Police faced death threats everywhere, from radicals to American soldiers, he could see the eyes of hatred all around him as he thought back on the past. He had given his warnings to Tojo and he did not listen, he tried to convince Hirohito to make his desire for peace public, to say without ambiguity that the Japanese were the ones who had to stand down. Perhaps if he had surrendered Kyushu when Anami launched his coup then the war would've ended sooner, or he would have been killed by the Kempetai as it almost happened, and perhaps if the war had ended before the Battle of Saitama, the Americans would still have mercy in their hearts. However, now he had a new task for that year, and for once Halsey was supportive for what he called "Operation Peacemaker", a plan to crush the largest insurgent cell in the North of Honshu, the Orphans of Showa led by the "Devil of Sendai" as he liked to call himself, although some were bold enough to claim he was not at Sendai when the bomb fell. It was a large-scale operation where around40,000 American troops were chosen to give support, Four divisions of mostly fresh soldiers who were having a tour in Japan when Iamasa was killed by a Kamikazi attack. The Police was rooten with problems, many soldiers and officers either let insurgents escape, avoided confrontation or even joined them, the black market was booming with the rationing and criminal elements were taking over entire cities at times right under the noses of the occupation forces. Many spoke of a conspiracy, a plot to take back Japan the moment the Americans were gone, from police officers, former soldiers, lowly peasants and even former Zaibatsus and Generals, rumors talked that the young Akihito could be a part of it. But despite the sympathy for his former companions in arms, Kuribayashi was a loyal man, he would do what it takes to ensure Japan and the House of Yamato would continue to prosper. That included fighting even those elements who misguidedly believed to be fighting for Japan, as he knew that if they ever had power again, there would be no more Japan on the next time.

    Mount Haguro was a holy place for Shintoism, but in November it would become a bloodbath, a place where pilgrims came to be thankful for the gifts of the Present would be a place where the past and present of Japan clashed. The Devil of Sendai made those mountains his base, from where rebel cells all across the North from Fukushima to Aomori were coordinated to launch attacks, a secret network of spies, tunnels, couriers that delivered orders to steal, kill and terrorize Japanese and Americans alike when needed. Even a small airbase made in a cave served to launch the Kamikazi that killed Iamasa, with the fuel stolen from American supply depots or diverted by supporters in the logistical chain. Halsey hoped that by taking off the head, the cells would be dispersed and cease to be a threat, sending in Anthony McAuliffe with the 101 and 103 Paratrooper divisions to support the Japanese Police in storming the Mountain. Between the 6th and 15th of November, the days of Operation Sunset had returned as the fanatics fought back defiantly, screaming the Motto "SONNŌ JŌI" or "BANZAI" as they fell. The battle was decided the moment they were located, despite the fanaticism, the Orphans of Showa were hopelessly outgunned by the Americans, although they did score several victories against the Police and indeed many policemen had joined them in the fight, a fact that was a public humiliation to Kuribayashi who accompanied his "troops" in the fight. Kuribayashi's expetise in guerrilla warfare could have prevented several casualties, however Halsey's distrust of the police force caused issues in communication. McAuliffe, on the other hand, listened to the Japanese advice several times, specifically from Kuribayashi, and through that help, the Americans managed to avoid several deathtraps and killzones in Mount Haguro, and on the night of the 14th, the top of the Mountain was reached, a brutal close-quarters fight broke in the tunnels, with the Orphans of Showa fighting with bayonets, swords, knives, and grenades when out of ammunition. Finally, Hatanaka saw there was no way out, he had failed with Hirohito, yet he would not allow himself to be made prisoner. On the 15th, before the sunrise, the bombs detonated inside the tunnels, bringing down the mountain on top of the defenders and the attackers alike. Very few men would manage to escape and search teams would be finding corpses for months, and a group of trapped American soldiers would be rescued on the 18th.

    As 1951 came, the occupation ended. President Long, Admiral Halsey, Emperor Akihito and Prime Minister Takeru Inukai would meet at Kyoto on the 23rd of December. Security was heighened to it's highest level as the American President came to sign the final agreement to pull out American troops from Japan and what he saw did not look like a fully pacified nation. What kind of event needed Anti-Air guns for protection after all? In the end, the event proceeded with safety, but other than the polite applauses, there were very few Japanese citizens who were particularly thrilled in seeing the POTUS, and most seemed to be only celebrating the end of the occupation for better or worse. As American troops began to board the ships to leave, Nobuhito finished his regency and wished to settle down from politics, offering only guidance to Akihito, but naturally there were other plans. The Nation left behind by the occupiers was one significantly poorer than even Wartime Japan, most of it's industrial parks were gone, workshops were dismantled, the armed forces were gone, and as the Maoists began their advances against Chiang in 1952, a new threat was emerging across the sea. Not all Americans left as a Naval base remained in Nagasaki, as well as several of the home islands of the Archipelago being turned into bases for the US military assets. And that created resentment, as the occupation neither achieved the promise of rebuilding Japan, nor did it fully purge the elements who desired to continue the fight. Despite the death of the Devil of Sendai, many other insurgents existed, but differently from him they were more quiet, more secretive, and were biding their time until the Kyoto Agreements were signed that day. And soon enough they would begin to act, namely on the 26th of Feburary 1952, in the anniversary of the previous radical coup by the Kodoha faction, Prince Nobuhito would be found dead in his country home, with lethal doses of cyanide in his body, many assumed it was a suicide but Kuribayashi knew better. The last standing member of the previous Triumvirate knew that he was surrounded from all sides, and as much as Long had publicly stated that the "Pacific Struggle was over", the former General knew that a lot of blood would still need to be spilled to keep that peace.
     
    1952 ELECTIONS TEASER
  • DEMAGOGUES AND PROPHETS, THE 1952 ELECTIONS
    THE FOLLOWING ARE PARTS OF DIFFERENT SPEECHES MADE BY THE THREE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES OF THE 1952 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION






    HUEY LONG
    Saint Louis, September 21st, 1952

    "According to the Department of Education, the level of Child Illiteracy has halved since 1949, and most of that progress was made by one simple trick that my enemies decry me for: They have books to read now! This is just the beginning but Mr. McCarthy believes that this is no different from Communism. I am not a communist, I am an American! And a true American wants the best for all of the nation, not just the privileged few. Mr. Roosevelt, a man who I had trusted, proved himself to be no different from a rich kid that once visited our town. We had never seen a car before and yet here was the little boy coming up in one, dressed in clothes worth our whole houses. Then he comes up and says he understands our plight, that his father was a rich man who would come and deliver us jobs. He acted like he was our savior coming from above, as if he was in a whole other planet, and when he saw us playing a game of Soccer, he came back to his town and said brought for the other kids to play, only for him and his friends to come back later and tell them that he had taught us to play. And what I see is a rich kid, all grown up in the highest skyscrapers of the coast coming here and says he understand us, taking the ideas of others and acting as if they were their own to try to trick us. I used to believe that not everything was rotten in Washington, but now I see that we need to sweep the house and get rid of those Stooges! Never by violence, but by using their own machines against them! Now, if both of my opponents were just like that I would be finished, however there is a man in Washington, a man filled with hatred who ruined the lives of decent people with lies, who uses fear and terror, calling himself a prophet and saying to heed his voice or the end of times will come. America is not as weak as you believe Mr. McCarthy! America is not a nation of fools! Our good Lord has blessed us, given us everything we need to grow, and we will not throw another generation to start the bloodiest war in Human History! We are fighting our war, and you have picked your side in it, the war on hunger, the war on illiteracy, the war on poverty, the War of Social Justice! We are not backed by the wealthy few, we are fighting with the little we have, but I have a news for you candidate, you and your friends are outnumbered!"


    JOSEPH MCCARTHY
    San Francisco, October 19th, 1952
    "There is a man named David, seated right behind me in this stage, and even if he was not born in America I can safely tell that he is more American than the President. David was still a young man when the boots came to his neighborhood in Brussels, and by the time the war ended, in a neighborhood of seven Jewish families, he was the only one who managed to escape, taking a dangerous journey that took him first to Stockholm, then to London and now here. He could not stay in Stockholm because the boots marched down his street again. He could not stay in London because he could not sleep from the constant air raid drills. Now David is here, and he has nowhere else to run if this land falls. We are a nation that can be attacked, and that much can be seen right behind me, as this same city was once the target of the first Air attack in American Continent. We fought hard, but we beat the enemy back, I can tell from my own experience that the Jap was as willing to kill us as the tales our brave veterans tell. And I can tell too that they aren't even half as fierce and determined as the Nazi, a beast who will destroy us just like they destroyed David's friends. The Middle East is falling, China is lost to the Commies, at any day we will hear the news of war starting in Europe once again. President Long, I am really hoping that you are just Naive but every day it is harder to believe that! We have the files from the Soviets, from Stalin! The Nazis and Communists are one and the same, they made their deals to divide the world between them! German tanks conquered Europe with Red fuel, and now the Reds and the Nazis work once again against the American values. Communists from all across the world, acting as victims, have infiltrated every level of the Federal Government, including even entire Departments! Nazi spies stole the secret of the Atom and delivered it to Hitler so that he could create a bomb capable of destroying this whole city with one blast! If we remain passive, if we do not act, if we believe our freedoms to be for granted, then it is only a matter of time before we all see what David did, the Jackboots on our backyards! We are back in the days of the Bible, when the prophet Jeremiah predicted the fall of Zion and tried to warn all those around to repent and save their souls and the city. They did not hear his warnings, even when Babylon conquered neighbor after neighbor. Now we see the same happening again, as America is being corrupted by the Red and Brown sins, and unless we repent and turn back to the right way, our city upon a hill shall be destroyed like the Temple of Solomon was!


    JAMES ROOSEVELT
    New York City, October 5th, 1952
    "I have meet Mr. Long in 1943 following a Senate meeting, and at first impression he was a quite amicable man, no doubt one you could be friendly with at the weekend barbecue. However, while we shared many ideals and concerns over the welfare of the people, there are some things I only learned in time by working with him in the White House. Mr. Long is a bully, a man who will have his way or no way, one willing to destroy his toy before letting someone else play with it. I could no longer be a part of that government which is why I decided to run myself. Mr. McCarthy and I share the concern over the growing threat of Nazism across the sea, and if we seat idle I believe it is only a matter of time before we have another Pearl Harbor or San Diego in our hands, if not worse. However, that is as far as we share ideals, as I cannot in good faith support a man who seeks to overturn many advances that were made in this Administration, his methodology is to strike fear of spies, a paranoia, and call himself a prophet every time the Nazis have a score. But we have not yet started playing! The Democratic Party will continue to fight for the American people, but we shall correct the mistakes of Wheeler and Long, a true Social Justice will come this time and this time we will not stay idle as our enemies grow! America has a duty to the world, we must provide the example, we must continue our sacred cause of Freedom, holding high the torch and bringing the light against the forces of Darkness. We won't push too far, because we cannot crush the spirit of American entrepeneurship, but we shall make a New Deal between the Business class and the People, neither shall we destroy our Industry as Long is doing, and neither shall we bring back the specter of poverty, if anything we can ensure that both sides work as one for the betterment of America and the World. Through the United Nations, we shall strengthen the pillars of Democracy between friendly nations and repair the damage caused by years of inactivity. We shall come and say that America is back! Freer and Stronger than ever!"

     
    XXIV - PÁTRIA AMADA
  • THE IRON EAGLE
    PÁTRIA AMADA


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    There was another country emerging, and its leadership did not realize that. When Góis Monteiro, the Generalissimo, President of the Council of Ministers, Minister of War, among other titles, woke up after the attempted assassination by the Shindo Renmei, he would see his life entering its last phase. The strong man who held the largest nation in Latin America on a leash for over a decade would not live another ten years, for the time he had left he would come to realize the course he set his country towards and how little the beasts he created were loyal to him. It was always convenient for the Brazilian armed forces to believe themselves above politics, above the civilian population overall, a faith made by the influence of positivism that led to the end of the Empire and was the guiding principle of the first two presidents of the nation. In the 1920s, there were only two paths to rise up in the levels of power of the old oligarch republic: Either be formed in the São Paulo Law College or join the military. Monteiro picked the latter and joined the Military school in a time the new youth was getting violent ideas. His generation believed that the army needed to be in the command of the nation for a long period in order to eliminate the corrupt ruling class from power and allow for a more "mature" people to take up the mantle of politics, although the civilians would always be under the watchful eye of the military. That was attempted during the Brazilian regime, but by the time of the 1940 election, the Generalissimo saw that the "tutelage" would need to last for a longer time, which led to the strengthening of the repressive apparatus during the Dutra Presidency, a man not very known for intelectual capabilities who knew well just how to follow orders from above.

    By the time of the Campos government (1947-1952) came in, the Generalissimo walked around with a cane, making fewer public visits and appearances, even missing the 1949 ceremony of the 19 years of the October 3rd Revolution. Outwards, politicians, businessmen and generals all showed the due respects to the Generalissimo, but the cult of personality seemed to wane with the years, his health was an open secret and there was great doubt of what would happen once he was gone. Góis pretended not to hear the whispers, even dismissing when the head of the DNSI, Filinto Müller, brought reports that many were discussing about his health. Perhaps he gained a sense of mortality after being shot through the chest by a fanatical Japanese immigrant fighting for a man halfway across the world, or perhaps because those talks were still not open challenges to his leadership. His role was becoming more passive with time, the sessions of the council were becoming rarer while the country was only speeding up, caught in a polarizing and modernizing world, with new social and political realities that were shaping the change of guard that would come in the fourth election of the "New" Republic.

    October 7th was a day where a parade was held every year, and at each year it became bigger. It was the day the Integralist Action was founded, and their leader Plinio Salgado made sure to start showing strength following his visit to Rome. The Minister of Education was a very well learned man, something which was surprisingly common amongst the ranks of the Integralists, for instance, Gustavo Barroso was a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, probably the most prestigious institution in regard to the Portuguese language in the world. Others were powerful figures in the Military such as Admiral Rademaker and General Mourão Filho, and the young wing was made of several intellectuals such as Miguel Reale, a rising voice in the Juridical world of Brazil. The AIB was a movement born in the 1930s following the Revolution and the vacuum left by the end of the Oligarchy and the growth of nationalist ideals in culture since the 1922 Modern Arts exhibit, born out of thinkers in the turn of the century such as Oliveira Vianna and Alberto Torres who searched for a national identity for Brazil. While there were internal divisions, if one looked at the parades of the Greenshirts, which were more similar to a Tag das Sieges Celebration, or the speeches made by orators, many would be led to believe they were the greatest threat to Brazilian Democracy.

    But it would be a stretch to call Brazil a Democracy in the first place. While Campos was not as much of a hardliner as Dutra was, the true leadership of the nation was always at the unelected Council of Ministers. The Minister of War was still the foremost leader of the country while the President was a rubber stamp, a glorified diplomat in many ways, and after Osvaldo Aranha attempted to push for reform during his term against Monteiro's de facto junta, it's powers were even more limited by the Institutional Acts, extra-judicial decrees made by the Council which could overturn the Constitution itself. Both Dutra and Campos were men who lacked charisma, a military man and a bureaucrat both placed into a symbolic position of power to parrot the decisions of the Generalissimo and pose no threat of rallying the population against the regime. Which is why the popular frustration only grew during the 1940s despite the economic prosperity, the votes, already largely fraudulent, was essentially worthless as a third of the Senators were appointed, the Supreme Court was stacked, and the Presidency was powerless against the "Fourth Power" or "Moderator Power", a name many political scientists gave by comparing the council with the position of the Emperor during the Brazilian Empire. That is a much more generous name than what the average brazilian called the Generalissimo and his puppet ministers, appointed all by him to serve for as long as he wished. As long as Monteiro himself had a strong grip in the military and State apparatus, it was unlikely that the system would have fallen as it did, but his declining health and mental state would prove once more the greatest weakness of an Autocracy: A weak leader.

    Diplomatically, Brazil was in the awkward position of being a country in the American hemisphere with German sympathies, something shared with states such as Paraguay, the Dominican Republic and Argentina. Francisco Campos made little effort in hiding his admiration for the Authoritarian systems in Europe, openly praising figures such as Salazar, Mussolini and even Hitler at times. The Germanophile Goes Monteiro had to intervene several times with the American diplomatic corps to ensure them that the Lawyer President would not "Kiss Mussolini on Television", although that would ironically prove not to be a hyperbole as Campos went to the funeral of King Victor Emmanuel and accompanied Mussolini after the burial, with a traditional kiss on the cheek being exchanged between the two Heads of State. Monteiro was said to have had almost an aneurysm when hearing the news and spent an hour in a phone call with President Long that same night. Luckily for the elder general, had any President other than Long been sitting on the White House, there would have been severe consequences for these gestures, but the Isolationist Long Administration was far too busy with his internal social programs to impose sanctions on Brazil. On the other hand, there was cooperation between the Reich and the "Tropical Reich", with Germany being the most important European trade partner of Brazil by far, and Brazil being the main exporter of several products such as coffee to the Reich. The Embargo imposed by the United States on the Reich had many loopholes, one of the main ones being the connection between Brazil and Portugal, with Lisbon being a convenient entry port into Europe via third parties, even exchanges between the United States and the German Reich had secret mediation by both the Brazilian and Portuguese governments, the OSS and the RSHA had many black market contacts which were used to exchange spies and even information between Festung Europa and the World.

    Finally, there was the matter of the Brazilian economy, which was both a boon and a curse brought in by the Military Regime. Gois and the Military class of the 1920 "Tenentistas" that formed the Movement 3rd of October were in the forefront of an aggressive modernization policy. Industry was the key, seen as a matter of national survival, the State-Led industrialization efforts between 1930 and 1950 changed Brazil radically from an agrarian nation into a booming industrial hub that attracted investments from both Europe and America. Naturally, Agriculture and the old elites still held a strong position, but the urbanization and industrialization brought radical changes to the social structure of the Continental-sized State, especially in São Paulo, which was growing to be one of the largest manufacturing centers of Latin America, immigrants from all over the country traveling to the region to join the prosperity. But said prosperity was many times an illusion, as the government had to give large credits to the new industries, that led to a deficit that the sales of coffee alone could no longer sustain. The Debt was increasing, and in an attempt to contain that, money was printed. Inflation was rising, the government struggled to find the balance on the exchange rate and keeping it so the imports of industrial machinery did not bring the complete collapse of the economy. Either the Industrialization had to be toned down or the double-digits inflation level every year could turn into three-digits. The economy worked through the METAS plans, which translates to "goals" in Portuguese, and each Presidential term finished with one of those plans, inspired by both the Soviet Five-Year plans and the German Four-Year plan. Foreign aid was a way to contain the effects of inflation, but the Campos government was caught during the era of both Long and Hitler, two leaders who cut back on foreign aid to focus on internal projects and engaged in more Isolationist doctrines. Although in 1951 there was a better result with the Hess government attempting to expand the reach of German influence, it would prove to be too little too late to save the unpopularity of the regime. Wages did not increase fast enough, prices skyrocketed, and adding an increasingly urban population with political dissatisfaction and economical pressure was a recipe for disaster.

    But was there any alternative to Integralism? Initially yes, but by the late 1940s, no. The UDN, the National Democratic Union, initially formed by Aranha as a Liberal force within the regime, was once the most powerful opposition to Monteiro and the 3rd of October movement in the country, but the crackdown which followed Aranha's challenge to the Generalissimo had essentially wiped the party of its power. With a third of the Senate handpicked, it was rare for a member of the UDN be chosen, Integralist militias did the dirty work of attacking Party offices and newspapers with the police consent, and with time the ineffectiveness of the Party led many to distance themselves from it. The Middle class in costal cities, which used to be the backbone for political liberalization, abandoned the party at greater numbers each year. The UDN and the M3O received nicknames for how they voted in Congress: One was the party of "Yes", and the other was the party of "Yes, Sir". Ironically, the Middle Class drove into the arms of the Integralists instead, many wishing to accompany the worldwide trends with the rise of Authoritarian right-wing regimes across Eurasia and the isolationist atitude of the United States. Many had followed the "German Vogue", from dressing styles to even jokes about Jews which became worryingly common in the country. All was set up for the takeover, with a weakening dictatorship, popular dissatisfaction, economical pressure, global trends, and the strength enabled to the Integralist Party.



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    As the uncharismatic Presidency of Campos was ending, the international mood was changing, Hitler's death brought all to the precipice of war, but the rise of Hess would bring along the hopes of a possible reconciliation thanks to his rhetoric. Inaugurated in 1947, the Lawyer President was set to pass the torch on January 1st, 1952, to his successor, and contrary to the smooth 1946 election, this one proved far more divisive behind the scenes. Monteiro's will was imposed by placing Francisco as the candidate for both the M3O and the AIB in their fragile coalition, but now Salgado wanted to have a return for his decisive support over a decade earlier, visiting the elder Generalissimo during a trip to his Home State of Alagoas, the two discussed over making Plinio the candidate of a joint ticket, a proposal initially agreed by Monteiro only for him to retract himself two months later by announcing a candidate that honored the oldest Brazilian tradition of Nepotism. Ismar de Gois Monteiro, brother of the Generalissimo, was named candidate in what can only be described as the greatest political act of suicide of the age. The M3O was running another uncharismatic military man, and this time Gois was not even attempting to hide his intentions by running a candidate pulled from nowhere out of pure nepotism, in fact Ismar himself was unaware he was chosen as candidate for a week as he was in a trip to Portugal at the time. Salgado was furious, the middle class was furious, the Integralists were furious, the people was outraged, and even high-ranking members of the military believed the Generalissimo was truly going senile.

    Truth is that the Strong man who held control of the country for almost 20 years was dying, his health had not been the same since being shot by a Japanese fanatic during an inspection. He worried about the longevity of his family and the military itself in charge of Brazilian politics, true to his doctrine he believed a continued period of military tutelage was necessary before the Army could step down from politics. Ismar was supposed to take his place after death, but he terribly miscalculated his own moves and influence, the military was not united in following his orders and much less inclined in following his inept sibling. Mourão Filho, who was the head of the Integralist movement within the armed forces, remained silent about his loyalties, but he was already in contact with Salgado and the Integralist-sympathizing fleet under Rademaker. Rio de Janeiro was a very vulnerable city to costal attacks, as shown by the naval mutinies in the 1890s and 1910, but first the "Green Rooster" would push for a more democratic way to take over. He launched himself as candidate of the AIB, officially breaking the coalition, while the UDN saw the opportunity to try to run a candidate of their own, Air Force Brigadier General Eduardo Gomes, but few were on the same delusion, the fight here was between Ismar and Salgado, or more Precisely between the Generalissimo and the Integralists.

    Salgado ran an energetic campaign that consumed the Party resources in an all-or-nothing move, with not-so-secret support from foreign entities that included Rome. The Integralists rallied with the costal middle class, regional dissident elites, powerful industrials and even the Catholic church for his candidacy. Ismar lacked the charisma and knowledge of his opponent but was making up for it by having the state apparatus as support for him, especially amongst the poor who were still loyal to the Generalissimo. But the fact the voting system in Brazil restricted suffrage on the illiterate ended up supporting Salgado. November 15th would come and Salgado prepared a move to prevent an expected fraud, he knew the Generalissimo would play his tricks in the ballots, as such he rallied the Integralists and the people in Rio while the votes were counted, a massive show of popular support that ended with a march across the State of Guanabara by tens of thousands of Greenshirts and sympathizers, and that is where his Ministry of Education showed results: A Decade of control of the curriculum and leadership of colleges would end up with the young generation of the Brazilian elite and middle classes marching with the green shirts and the Sigma armband, shouting "Anauê" with arms raised, a move which was inspired by the March on Rome by Mussolini almost 30 years earlier. At that moment, the Generalissimo backed down and the electoral results showed a 47% vote for Salgado, followed by 33% of Ismar and 20% for Gomes. The crowd erupted in celebration as many believed this was the moment Brazil would change for the better, but the President of the Council knew better, he spoke with his inner circle that same night and commented on Salgado's election: "Let him have it, it makes no difference, we will survive just as we survived before. Let the Green Rooster have his party, if he tries to act up, we will serve him for supper!"



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    A week after Salgado was inaugurated, on the 11th of January 1952, the Generalissimo would die during a heart surgery after years complaining of growing chest pains. The new President would not waste that opportunity as he knew very well what would happen next. As a week of mourning was declared, the Council had lost its head, and the almighty position of Minister of War was vacant. The Council could not choose that chair, only a decision by the heads of each one of the three branches of the armed forces could do so. Rademaker, head of the Navy, was already a committed Integralist, Gomes was a dissident from Monteiro's clique and head of the Air Force, who mysteriously decided to remain neutral. That is when an internal squabble engulfed the Army over the succession, something never clarified by the Generalissimo. While the Country mourned and a funeral to the "Commander of the Revolution" was held, Mourão Filho became the new head of the Brazilian Army following a shadow war that included the infamous air crash that killed General Ismar de Gois Monteiro on the 14th while coming from Alagoas to the Capital. The head of the army and the head of the navy already were under the control of Salgado, who chose the next Minister of War and President of the Council, General Olímpio Mourão Filho. His first order? A call for a Constitutional convention, which was oddly well organized considering how rushed it was, with the power to choose a third of the composition being abused to stack the odds even more towards an Integralist Supermajority. In what was named the "Leap Year Constitution" or "Constituição do Ano Bissexto", the Brazilian Integral State was founded on the 29th of February. Salgado now enjoyed all the power he could wish for as a new form of "Integral Democracy" was imposed. The people watched, some cheering, some dreading, some just nervous of what was going to happen. After years building up, Fascism has come to Latin America, in a matter of weeks it turned the largest and State of the Southern Hemisphere into a foothold, beginning what was nicknamed as "Tropical Fascism", possibly the most disastrous foreign legacy of the Long Administration. Now all nations turned their eyes as the "Envy of the New World" became the first Integralist State in History.
     
    XXV - OF DEMAGOGUES AND PROPHETS
  • THE IRON EAGLE
    OF DEMAGOGUES AND PROPHETS


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    There are not words as satisfying to say to some men than "I told you so". The one who says it is named a prophet by many, someone who said words that were called insane years before only to be proven right in an atmosphere of fear. Perhaps the fear spread to the American people at the height of the "Grey Scare" or "Brown Scare", depending on who you ask, was shared by all except by the one who stroke them the most, the one who told America in 1952 "I told you so". That man was Joseph Raymond McCarthy, the greatest enemy of Huey Long and the man who was the most vocal voice in the Senate Republican opposition to his programs and policies. At first, after the war, McCarthy was not a well-known entity in the political scene, he was an unknown senator who won only thanks to his war record, for serving under General MacArthur during the Hawaii campaign and being the commander of the Marines during the Japanese attack on the Wheeler Air Force Base in Honolulu after his superior was killed. If not for the timely arrival of General Patton's armored brigade, the Japanese forces would have annihilated the Marines, and many saw the newly elected Senator as an American hero, part of the "Purple Hearts" generation of politicians who were elected during MacArthur's campaign. However, at first people were not particularly enthusiastic by the man, who did not provide anything new in the political environment, he was not a firebrand speaker or a relentless fighter for some grand cause in Congress, probably he would just have a single term in the Senate, retire back to his home state and write a book while living off a pension.

    But McCarthy found his purpose when looking around the world, especially at the Middle East where Israel, the Arabs, and Syrians were locked in conflict with one another. He came into contact with influential figures and political commentators at the time who spoke of a so-called "Domino Theory". The idea that Fascism was like a tide, which would sweep from country after country until America itself was engulfed by it. Not only did he absorb that, but after the Black Case affair in 1946, there was a common rumor spread afterwards that President Hull was, in fact, innocent of any coverup, that the Bubonic plague outbreak in San Diego was a result of a sabotage made by the German RSHA to blame the Japanese and intensify the American conflict with Japan. Cordell Hull, according to this theory, was an innocent victim, an old man who could not handle the pressure of a scandal and that led to his death, some even claiming President Thurmond was involved in the affair to try to make his predecessor resign. Either way, the time seemed to be healing the memory of the former President as the effects of a growing paranoia in American society, from both the left and the right sectors, on the dangers of fascism, or more specifically of Nazism. Not only that, but Anti-Communism also continued alive in America, and it would only spike up due to two factors: The American expedition in Russia and the Long Presidency.

    In the case of the former, General Patton and his soldiers would participate in the March across Siberia, facing the forces of the weakened Red Army and Stalin's apparatus. Entire ghost towns were found, but upon further investigation those were not cities at all, but rather they were prisoner camps. When Novosibirsk fell, and later the Red Army generals surrendered to Tsar Andrei, the files of the old NKVD were opened, uncovering a massive purge that happened in the Soviet Union during the late 1930s, something military analysts quickly named as the main responsible for the Soviet performance against the Reich. Not only that, the discovery of the full extension of the so-called Holodomor, a deliberate hunger that was exacerbated by the Stalinist regime on the region of the Ukraine and Kuban, showed the full horrors of a brutal totalitarian regime that vindicated the voices of Anti-Communism in America. McCarthy himself would expose several cases together with Patton during the campaign trail to spread the fears of the Soviet Regime. While usually that would be minor compared to the much more threatening Third Reich, the victory of Mao Zedong in China with Long's infamous passiveness towards it would add to the labor unrest in America during the Thurmond Administration to spread the fear of a Communist ressurgence.

    As for the Longist Presidency, no doubt McCarthy's favorite target, there was a whole spectrum of flavors which the Wisconsin Senator could use to attack. McCarthy equalled Long's populism with a "Cripto-Fascist" thought, claiming once that he was "Worse than Hitler because at least Hitler did not hide how twisted and megalomaniacal he was". No doubt, Huey Long was perhaps one of the most Authoritarian Presidents in America when it comes to his style of ruling. He did not like dissidents within his ranks, reason why he grew more and more suspicious of his Vice-President James Roosevelt, he demanded a growing level of sycophancy from his cabinet, and sometimes his trips to Louisiana were compared to Hitler's travels to Bavaria with his own "Inner Circle of Evil". Long was a man who was paranoid ever since his failed Impeachment as Governor of Louisiana, making of a liberal use of the FBI to blackmail members of Congress and even Governors who challenged his bills. He also used the State apparatus to destroy the Klan, which was a very powerful organization during the Thurmond Administration, not out of sympathy for the Black or Catholic population, but in an effort to break the control of the "Dixiecrat" wing of the Democratic Party over much of the Midwest. His policies also included the Nationalization of the Federal Reserve into a State-Controlled "Bank of America" under his Secretary of Treasure James A. Noe, where the President could choose at will the President of the Bank, something Long used for his own purposes alongside his friend, Secretary Noe, with suspicions of Insider trading and even manipulation of the Interest rates. Despite all of that, Long was no doubt one of the most charismatic and personally appealing figures to ever step into the White House, a man who could rally the crowds like no other, a worthy successor of men such as Andrew Jackson and William Jennings Bryan, a populist in the Southern way who was beloved by the American poor and the farmers. In fact, McCarthy's opposition to Long was not very popular in his own State due to the hold the President had over the rural population, which almost led to his defeat in 1950. Long's redistributionist policies, extremely progressive taxation programs and his apparent desire for a welfare State while challenging the largest industries and corporations in America was already enough to make McCarthy call him a communist in more than one occasion in the Senate.

    But none of that made Joe McCarthy be the perfect Republican ticket for the Presidency yet, his speeches in the Senate did make him quite visual in the opposition against Long, but his tirades on the danger of a "Gray and a Red wave" crashing America from both oceans, were considered paranoia by the majority until the events in 1952 completely vindicated him as a prophet. The average American would never be able to answer the difference of Integralism and Nazism, despite the fact they were both radically opposed when it came to matters such as Local autonomy, religion and race. That is why when Brazil was taken over by Salgado after his victory and the Generalissimo's death, there was widespread horror once the "Linz Pakt" had suddenly taken half of South America to itself. Once Mao defeated the Nationalists in China, the "Red Wave" was also at the ready, and the fact Long's government was still clinging to Secretary Wheeler's unpopular isolationist policies have shown to many Americans, especially in the right-wing, that McCarthy was nothing short of a prophet, a man who spent years shouting about the coming of a danger that was being materialized before their eyes, and now to them he was the only way out. A man who would rally the reaction, to bring America back to the world stage and crash the waves before they came. A man who would go on a Holy Crusade of Liberty both inside and outside of the country, recovering the nation from years of inertia to face the dangers in Germania, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Beijing, Hollywood and anywhere else it could be coming from. The dangerous policies of Long's populism would be reversed, breaking the cage to let the Eagle fly once more. To millions of Americans, the Hero of Wheeler was the solution.



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    As for President Long? He was still much more popular amongst the American poor, his welfare policies helped to redistribute wealth while also weaking large American companies, which depending on who you ask is either a blessing or a curse. There was no doubt he would be candidate for Reelection, perhaps even for more than just two terms, and indeed he had a large Amount of support within both parties thanks to the 1950 Congress elections, but the problem is that he clashed constantly with both the Northern Liberals and the Southern Democrats within the Party. Some considered it arrogance, others saw it as a ploy to take control of the Party, others yet saw it as a fight against the elitist Democrat Caucus. The Democratic Party once lost an election which would have been an easy victory in 1932, the Republicans did the same in 1912, and even in 1892 there was a split that allowed Cleveland's victory. It seemed like the Third-Party tradition was going to rise once again in the same 20-year cicle, because Huey and the Democratic Establishment were going to war with one another.

    The final straw was not the takeover of Integralists in Brazil, although that did further cause disputes within the cabinet between Secretary Wheeler and Vice-President Roosevelt, but rather it came from Long himself in May. A popular rally was made when the President visited Saint Louis, few know why he said the words he did, indeed it was shocking even to members of his cabinet. In a speech, Long compared both the Democratic and Republican establishment to two fraudulent bottles of medicine which came from the same tree but were said to be different. He denounced members of the Democratic Party who were siding with the "Wall Street Elite", the same one that was overwhelmingly siding with McCarthy, which also gave the Republican candidate the largest electoral budget in American history up to that moment. The fallout of that fateful speech was a split in Congress as the Progressive Republicans, dissatisfied with the radical right-wing turn of their Party ever since MacArthur which only became stronger with the launching of the McCarthy-Patton ticket, broke ranks. The Progressive democrats, many of them being part of a younger generation which was elected in 1948 and 1950, including most of the Representatives of the so-called "lower clergy" of the Party, would also turn on the Party Caucus after Vice-President James Roosevelt announced officially his electoral bid. But it was not just the progressives who sided with Long, supporters of Isolationism, including the big name of Senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio, protested on the hawkish turn of both parties on a nation still scarred by the brutal Pacific War. Joining them were also populist figures, members of smaller parties such as the former Farmer-Labor Party, and "Longist" allies in the Congress. The "Great Dissent" would see Huey's biggest gamble and perhaps the greatest challenge to the Historical Two-Party system ever formed: The Populist Party.

    For the first time, it was a Third Party that was ahead in the polls, the Populists, which quickly gained the nickname "Kingfish Party". Huey was confident in his victory, he was popular as a speaker, his policies won over much of the American poor. However, his arrogance and overreliance on the popular vote was working against him, while men such as Roosevelt and McCarthy were better political articulators. The Democratic Party denounced the splintering, running James as their candidate with the support of the local party machines from both North and South. The Republicans saw the division working in their favor, but it was undeniable that Long's popular appeal and the Republican dissidents caused a great harm on the victory prospects. But essentially the race would be defined in the fight between Long and McCarthy, with Roosevelt being a more distant third place. After all, James did not have much to offer in his platform that was not already shown in Long's credentials, the President had a tight grip on his base. The progressive programs were already linked to Long in the popular mind, thanks in no small part to McCarthy's own speeches. Meanwhile the Anti-Isolationist platform was already a part of McCarthy's agenda, and the fact George S. Patton was his vice-President just emphasized it more. Patton was an all-American hero, the man who broke the Japanese from Honolulu to Saitama, the man who took Nagano and the Imperial fortress, the man who led the American troops to crush the tyrannical Stalinist regime and fought head on against the German Collaborators in Russia.

    The campaign trail of 1952 was marked for its lack of civility and political correctness, especially in the rallies led by McCarthy, although Long also slandered his enemies as "Puppets of Wall Street". Fear was the theme, the fear of the adversary. McCarthy would be a hawk that would destroy all of Long's popular reforms and plunge America into a world war. Long was a Cryptic mix of Socialism and Fascism who would take over the nation as the next dictator by declaring himself President-for-Life, dismantling the structure of the long-standing traditions of America. Roosevelt was an elitist who represented the corrupt upper powers of the two parties. Fear and hatred were on new heights, especially as other themes were involved, such as the Unpopular "Prohibition" policies. The 18th amendment survived despite several odds against it, first by the support of groups from the Temperance League to even the Klan, the compromises of the Wheeler Administration with the Southern Democrats prevented several proposals to repeal the act from being passed, and finally the World War rationing and anti-Germanic sentiment gave a short-time revival of hostility against Beer. While sale and production were banned, consumption was not, and according to the FBI reports to President Long in 1952, the consumption of alcohol in the United States dropped to less than a fifth of the original pre-Prohibition levels. However, organized crime and ilegal production of moonshine skyrocketed at the same period, only being reduced during the war and the Thurmond Administration when the government intensified the crackdown. Needlessly to say, the policy was unpopular, neither of the two main candidates seemed determined to face it head on, as McCarthy did not wish to risk his support in the right-wing of the American public, many who were associating Beer and Wine as "Fascist" drinks at the height of the Grey Scare. But Long did show signs that he would be willing to call for a new constitutional amendment to revoke the Article. Either way, Prohibition ceased to be as central in the public debate as it used to be in the 1930s, and both sides of the spectrum had greater priorities to settle at first.

    Television was still a more restricted item in the United States, although Long's policies did allow for a greater purchasing power for the lower strata of society, it was still a number around 20%, nowhere near the level it would get by the end of the decade, but still far greater than the meager 7% in the 1948 election. McCarthy challenged Long to a televised debate in September 1952, a challenge accepted by the incumbent, who saw that as an opportunity to appease the fears of the middle and upper classes in the Urban centers. Roosevelt would later appear in a televised interview, but no doubt all the audiences were watching the first Televised Presidential Debate in History. It was an era of experimenting and for a people who always wanted to see something new, seeing the faces of their candidates from home was a novelty unlike any other. The debate itself was not particularly enthusiastic, the two candidates mostly stuck to their usual rhetoric while struggling with the rules of this new type of show that would repeat itself in every election afterwards. By the end of it, McCarthy and Long returned to their campaigns, while Roosevelt had his solo interview where he condemned the "deplorable state of American politics", the lack of "decency and common sense" among the two candidates who were both men who did not seem to have a particularly good taste for the Democratic Process. Overall, it was expected that Long would have a win, being the first Third Party candidate to break the Republican-Democrat Party system, only for the Suez War to erupt, giving McCarthy a full round of ammunition to shoot at the government's inanition while "The Fascist Arab Legions hold one of the most important waterways of the world and the Holy city of Jerusalem as hostages".

    November came and nails ran out, nobody would come out satisfied by the results as, for the first time since 1824, a Presidential contingent election began in the United States. Long won by the popular vote by plurality, however both him and McCarthy failed in winning with the majority of the Electoral votes. Southern States such as South and North Carolina, alongside Georgia and Virginia, mobilized their local political machines thanks to the defection of several prominent politicians including former President Thurmond, in favor for the Democratic Party. The Senate would choose between Long and McCarthy's choices of Vice-President: Estes Kefauver and George S. Patton. Kefauver was a populist politician from Tennessee, a man who allied with the Wheeler administration and pushed heavily towards economic reforms, only to be disappointed by the Former President's constraints within the unstable alliance of the Party and the Southerners. The Senator would be elected alongside the wave of Longist politicians in 1948 and became one of the staunchest supporters of Long's push against Monopolies and big companies, a fact which made him adored by many of the new "Longists" and one of the most prominent names to defect to the "Kingfish Party". Not wishing to have another VP who was at complete odds on so many more controversial matters, especially one he grew to despise as a saboteur from Wall Street, Long chose Kefauver in his ticket during a time he was leading a Senate investigation against Monopolies all over the nation. On the other hand, there was George Patton, a name who was popular, who held the votes of the "Purple Hearts", the veterans of the Pacific War, and was no doubt one of the most hawkish figures in American politics. However, Patton was not a politician, he was a military man very similar to MacArthur, and his racially charged declarations were an open secret that the McCarthy campaign attempted to minimize. The vote came down about who the Senate Democrats would vote for, and if the backers of the McCarthy campaign could afford the cost to make so many Senators ignore Patton's flaws. Ultimately, in a tight vote, Patton was elected as Vice-President of the United States.

    Then it came time for the dreaded Presidential election, and there were few times in history where the House of Representatives was so chaotic. "Kingfishers", as Long's supporters were called, were branded as traitors by both parties, the Republicans were called "War Hawks", and the Democrats were named "Thurmond's bootlickers". The delegations voted according to their States, rather than absolute numbers, and Long had the advantage, with 23 States already voting for him, followed by McCarthy's 19 States finishing with Roosevelt's humble 6 states: Five Southern States and his Home State of New York. Everything seemed to be leading to a Longist Victory as it seemed, all he needed was for two States to flip to his side, and for that he reached out for other Southern States, such as Georgia and Florida. Meanwhile, Roosevelt and McCarthy would begin a long series of negotiations on the days before the Election, which would be held in an open section differently from previous contingent elections. It seemed like a 23-25 result would be achieved as the Democratic Party and the Republican Party both agreed to stop Huey Long's second term, however that was not the case as a crucial defection came on the day of the voting. The aging Senator Robert Taft, probably one of the most outspoken of the Old School Isolationists, held a meeting with Governor Frank Lausche on the Christmas Eve of 1952. Few know of what was debated that night, but when the election came, the Ohio delegation surprisingly voted for Huey Long to the shock of all. The 24-24 tie would lead to a Second Ballot on the 13th of January, just a week later, giving more time for the shady political deals to spread all over the House. Unfortunately for McCarthy, Long was far better at these games, the Louisiana Kingfish had dealt with that type of politics ever since the 1920s when he replaced the local political machine of his State for his own, and over a decade in the Senate gave him time to know how Washington worked far better than McCarthy and his humble 4 years. That is when McCarthy's campaign finally came to give the Final blow as Senator Millard Tydings, a man who once led the committee to investigate McCarthy's allegations of "Crypto-Fascists and Communists in the Federal Government", had the chance to strike against McCarthy after he almost lost his Senate seat due to the Senator's attacks. Tydings made a large campaign within the Maryland Delegation, and by a tight margin of 25-23, Huey Long was re-elected as President of the United States of America.




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    (Electoral College Result)



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    (Contingent Election Result)



    The 1952-53 Presidential election was the largest electoral upset in American History ever since Lincoln's Victory, if not more. A Third Party led by an Incumbent President and made up by a Big Tent of supporters was able to defeat the two greatest political forces in the country, including McCarthy's campaign, the most well-funded political campaign up until that moment. The Republicans had elected their own Vice-President, which led to Huey being now stuck with a man far more opposed to his ideals than Roosevelt ever was. The upset was a shock all over the world, in Britain many felt that this would mean four more years of abandonment, while others believed Long might finally become more sensible after seeing how his Isolationist policies almost led to his defeat. The Economy was still going strong, however, and the people celebrated with cheers to the victory of the Kingfish, while others dreaded that America was walking into further decay. McCarthy denounced Long's victory, although he recognized his own defeat, he vowed to continue fighting for the American people and it's values in Congress. Furthermore, the Longist wave continued, and the APP would strike several victories of their own in Congress, which led to Long having a rather sizeable base from which he could draw support to his agenda, reducing the need for compromises. Several new politicians would arise in this occasion, many of which would leave their own mark on American History. But for now, it seemed like the country was headed towards Four more years of Longism... maybe even more.
     
    XXVI - DER SCHWARZE KREIS
  • THE IRON EAGLE
    DER SCHWARZE KREIS



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    There are always the men who do the dirty work of history behind the scenes, kept away from the grand halls for their presence is so disturbing that the guests leave with nightmares, fearing to have been targeted by just a glance. The Third Reich did not have a lack of these men, present in every regime that has ever had to do it's dirty deeds. Hitler was a man who rarely interfered, in fact many in the leadership of the Reich recognized the more... unsavory aspects of their system, from Speer to Göring, from Himmler to Hess, they all knew what was to be done to their enemies, especially the eternal enemy of the Aryans. Rudolf Höss was one of such men, a young southern German of a middle class catholic family who formed what was the profile of a large part of the SS. They had aristocratic tendencies and even a false classic sophistication, a nobility that contrasted with what everyone knew of them but none dared to speak. He was a Kommandant of the SS, specifically of a certain camp in the countryside of Upper Silesia, one who wanted to hide that nature of his' from the rest of civilized society when his service was no longer useful in there. Following the death of Göring and the immolation of Poland, there was not much else to work with in the region, so in 1947 he was transferred near the former Smolensk to run another camp, now in 1952, he had become more of a liability to the Neuordnung than an asset, a man who sullied the image of Hess' new regime which desired a Detente with Britain, and what a better way to achieve that than cutting back some of the past excesses?

    Europe was "Free of Jews", as Heydrich once said in a meeting of SS officers in the aftermath of the coup attempt, now in his new positions as Reichsführer-SS and Deputy Führer of the Reich, as such it was time to start a new reorganization. Israel still existed of course, both the Jewish State and the United States were still considered threats by the worldwide Zionists to sabotage Germany, although Britain was excluded from the list of "Jewish Puppet States". Over 10 million Jews had perished between 1941 and 1951, the remaining million fled to places such as Britain, the United States, and Israel, the number of slavs was still unknown, and this was the pile of corpses that Hess wished to hide. Naturally he did not wish to end persecution, that would be insanity within the Reich's leadership and even the most "liberal" political figure still defended the war against the untermenschen. But the priorities had changed, no more death when their work was still useful, the growing interests of the leading industries such as IG Farben, Volkswagen, Porsche, Siemens, Krupp, Henschel, Daimler-Benz, among many others, desired to exploit further the pool of labor that the east offered. Not only were many technical experts "saved" from their fate by being essentially sold as slaves to oversee the work of these workplaces, but millions of slavs were being sent across train networks in large programs of ethnic cleansing that served the purpose of the German industry. The Camps were no longer the main destination of Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Poles or Lithuanians, rather they were a constant threat hanging over their heads: Rebellion or resistance would mean a return to such places, and the rebellious prisoners rarely survived to be sold again. The largest Slave system in the world, one even greater in numbers than the Atlantic or Arab slave trade of old, was existing in Europe, kept hidden from the population at large.

    But back to Höss, his fate was sealed the moment the Death camps were closed. Differently from the others, the Reich's 10 camps, initially six and later expanded after the war due to the Generalplan Ost, these were not used with the final purpose being labor, they were used with the final purpose of death. Hitler kept the camps running and when he thought of closing them in the late 40s, the State of Israel was created, and so they now had a new purpose, they were to be the final destination of the Middle Eastern Jews once Saadeh's Little Wehrmacht swept over the Levant, and after that failed, they were prepared for the continuation of the War that Hitler planned, only awaiting for a nuclear detonation in order to match the American strength, that would be the destination of millions of slavs, jews, and other ethnicities once the Wehrmacht invaded and the SS marched behind to establish settlement. However, Hitler was dead, and Hess was not a man who wished for a war against the West. So, the camps were closed down, with the purpose of the untermenschen no longer being death, instead it would be to simply work and if death came along then so be it. Höss, however, was a man who knew too much, one that Heydrich knew that was a potential threat to the Reich's greatest secret. At first, he was simply transferred to a job in the Kaukasus, which was to oversee the extraction of Oil in the Baku fields, but that was never the truth of it, differently from Stalin, the NSDAP was less obvious in their ways to get rid of the undesirables. Sometime between March and June of 1953, he would be caught and executed by Chechen terrorists, a small private funeral would be given to his family with a closed casket and without any press coverage, whether it was true that the terrorist group which killed him even existed did not matter, his fate would be the kind of fate that happened to many of the Reich's enemies within Europe, a subtle and quiet disappearance into irrelevance, their job was fulfilled and the party thanked them for their service.

    Reality inside Festung Europa, the fortress Europe which extended from the Atlantic to the Volga, was one far different from the one across the Atlantic, there were two fundamentally different societies centered around States which could barely be any more different from one another. The waning years of the Hitler golden age were arriving in the early period of Hess' rule, the honeymoon was almost over and the system was one which needed fundamental change on it's economical level. Hess, like his predecessor, never concerned himself much with the financial matters of the Reich, delegating such task to his subordinates. Despite the fact he was the most natural "Hitlerian" successor within the party as many recognized, Rudolf was a man fundamentally different from his mentor. While Hitler was one of decisive action and spontaneous activity, Hess was more reserved and unsure of himself, he was always a follower and not a leader, he was the one who stood behind with a glass of water while Hitler spoke and acted, and yet somehow he was the one who supposedly succeeded Hitler according to the Will of the late Führer's testament, which was treated almost as a Bible by the Party's college of Cardinals. Indeed there were many comparisons drawn by Third Reich leaders such as Goebbels between how the party functioned in private compared to the Vatican, but naturally those religious references would fade with time as the Führer's next enemies were being set for persecution. But for now, there was peace, the war economy set in 1950-1951 was deescalated and soldiers returned to their posts. The investments in military areas would be changed in priority according to Hess' Will now, one which desired a Detente while also being fascinated by aviation.



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    Hess was the public image, he had the charisma necessary to keep a crowd paying attention to his words, he had the credibility of being Hitler's successor, his words were considered by many of the most fanatical followers as coming straight from the Führer's tomb in the Linz Museum. Naturally, the idea that he truly was in an occultist connection with the late dictator is bizzare to say the least, and yet it was something he spoke of many times and he had frequent private visits to the Führer's mausoleum in Austria. He was a bizzare man leading a bizzare regime that with time was becoming a normal sight, the Swastika no longer was a shocking symbol of old mysthisism, but now it was a normal symbol that was synominous with Germany and Europe as a whole in many parts of the world. An entire generation was graduating, living in a world where they never heard anything but the NSDAP's ideology from craddle, and in many cases the parents would be shocked by their children's fanaticism. Despite the general tendency of rebelliousness from the youth, in the Reich the programs set up by the Party, led by the Youth Administration of Arthur Axmann, made sure that this energy was instead directed towards a fanatical loyalty to the Führer, the Race, the Party and the State. But what if these elements were in conflict with one another? After all, Hitler's "Revolution" in 1933 was never a complete overthrow of the German State as Ernst Röhm wanted, instead there was an essentially dysfunctional element of conflict between Government offices and Ministries against Party offices and agencies. That was not even counting how the SS, originally a bodyguard unit for Party leaders, ended up becoming a parallel power that included it's own army, economy, and perhaps even territory, a power that was personified by the figure of Hess' Deputy, the most feared man in Europe.

    Heydrich cursed the day he became the Deputy Führer, not because of any extra responsibilities as that was natural of a man with as many offices as him, but due to the fact he was forced to use his high-pitched voice in public occasions, and each time he did so the aura around him weakened to the public. He was the Man with the Iron Heart, the Butcher of Prague, by all accounts the Reichsführer of the SS, head of so many agencies from the Gestapo to the SD, all grouped within the RSHA, the one who probably had more blackmail material on the German leadership than Hess himself, should have been a figure to be feared by many. Which is why he usually avoided these embarrassments by giving short speeches or not going into some events at all, delegating it to his Deputy Werner Best or even inviting a powerful party speaker such as Goebbels, but he could not have many absences without attracting attention. It was no secret that he was ambitious, a cold player of the Reich's political game who desired to set himself up as Hess' future successor, however for that being the Deputy was not enough. Hitler's will did not officially set that the Deputy had to be the successor, many argued, instead it only chose Hess to inherit his offices. But the truth that perhaps only Heydrich knew was that Hitler had never chosen Hess as successor, rather the Will which was published by Bormann was one which had key differences from the original: Hess was indeed praised by his loyalty and his credentials to the Party, but he was not appointed, rather Hitler called for a meeting of the notable figures of the party into a "Small Senate" which would function as a college of cadinals, ironically. But why Bormann, one of the biggest proponents of such system, did not call for that meeting? Perhaps the answer should be given by the aftermath of his death and the challenge Heydrich faced within the Party: The Control Faction.

    Bormann, the Brown Eminence, was a man who spent over a decade increasing his control by using Hess' office to appoint party officials and influence the selection of Gauleiters within the Reich. He, alongside men such as Gerhard Klopfer, Hartmann Lauterbacher and Helmuth Friedrichs were the men who formed a circle surrounding Hess which pushed for a change in the German system and the conflict between Party and State. Differently from how Hitler purposefully kept a confusing and dysfunctional system for sake of his Darwinian ideals and the desire to keep power centralized in the Führer, Bormann and his clique desired a more orderly system, one which desired a unity of Party and State, where Gauleiters would become Empowered and the position of Deputy, which was responsible for managing the NSDAP's affairs, would centralize more of the powers over the daily affairs. The problem for Bormann was that, despite over a decade in his position as Hess' chief of staff, the faction was still not the dominant force on the political circles, especially with the expansion of the SS's power over the East during and after the war, many of the territories being essentially fiefdoms in the name of "Germanization" such as the Crimean Peninsula. It would ensure a smoother process if the succession was not put under test immediately, rather Hess would serve as a useful spokesman for the process while it happened behind the shadows as a transition. Of course, the Secretary never planned his own death and that Hess would believe Heydrich's manipulation to elevate him as Deputy, that put the Control faction in a paradox: Their policies were originally meant to empower the Deputy, in that time it was Bormann, but now doing so would mean placing the Party apparatus under the sole command of the SS. Besides, with both Bormann and Klopfer dying "due to the bloodthirsty putschists", the faction lacked a central figure. Lauterbacher was a relatively popular man, at least compared to the completely uncharismatic bureaucratic stooges that Bormann surrounded himself with, and yet he was not as much of a "senior" as his predecessor was. Hess technically was the leader of such faction, many times talking in his speeches how Hitler always returned to the old party to seek reliable supporters, but after the Fiasco in the Suez War, the very mental sanity of the Führer was being questioned.

    The economical front of the Reich was no doubt lead by Albert Speer, a man as good in getting the credit and praise for the positives, as he was arrogant and distanced himself from the negatives. Speer was one of the big winners of Göring's death, as no longer the 4-Year Plan would stand in the way of his growing control over the Reich's economy. While Hitler lived, no doubt he benefited by being the "Golden Child" within the Party, sharing an access to the Führer that not even Bormann could stop, and yet now Adolf was dead and he had to fend for himself. His work on the German economy, or rather mostly the work of his subordinates, was appraised both during and after the war by the German public, but he had earned many enemies with the way he acted, always centering the decisions on his own personal brilliance and condescendely ordering Gauleiters to follow his commands in centralizing the economy. While the rhytm did stop after 1943, the German war economy was never put to sleep, and in 1947 Hitler began to dedicate himself towards a final confrontation with the West. That gave his Armaments Ministry full authority to ramp up the militarization once again, with a skyrocket in the levels of military spending in what Speer called "The Second Armaments Miracle", with the resources of Europe available either from conquest or through the Linz Pakt, the Reich's Luftwaffen overcame the RAF, the Kriegsmarine was working with the construction of ships from drydocks in all of Europe, and the Wehrmacht underwent a process of modernization to combat the logistical dificulties once found in the Soviet Union when it came to the Motorization of it's supply lines. By 1951, the Economy was being sacrificed in return for a war that ultimately never came, and despite the initial suspicions, Speer never joined the Putsch, instead he had the Entire Ministry of Economy to command now, and with Hess' rhetoric, it was time to transition to a civilian economy. Which was a task that was harder to do in practice than in theory, other than the brief period between 1943 and 1947, the German economy was one devoted towards the Armaments Industry, there was no long-term plan and Hitler's dismissal of economic affairs was one that was replicated by the Reich's leadership. Short term bursts of activity to reach an immediate goal was the modus operanti of the Party, replicating the Führer's atitude in the Principle of Leadership, however the priorities were changing now.

    Within the leadership of the Reich, the immediate power struggle came through the conflict between Heydrich and the Party, more specifically the "Bormannite" or "Control" wing of the Party. Yet initially Heydrich did not approach them in complete disregard, seeing the potential that strengthening the position of the Deputy would give him, the Deputy himself. Of course, the desire to further strengthen the Security apparatus was in nobody's agenda within the Control Faction, instead they desired to find a way to remove Heydrich from his seat of power, giving not-so-subtle advice to Hess to stroke his paranoia of the SS, after all, if a man such as Heydrich had information on practically everything, then why did he not warn the Führer of the potential coup by the Wehrmacht in the Tag das Sieges? It was a fair question, perhaps because Heydrich did know about the coup and wanted to use it to his own ends by taking Himmler's place in the SS and eliminating the threat of Martin Bormann and his Bureaucracy. Now he was essentially being co-opted within this system by being thrown into the leading position of said bureaucracy, all for the sake of positioning himself as the most logical successor of a man who, by all accounts, was not in ill health, although his mental health could be put into question by most of the world's psychiatrists. Essentially, Heydrich was locked in a struggle for dominance within the StdF, the cabinet of the Deputy Führer, with figures who could not just be wiped away as the SS did with the SA leadership back in 1934. Ironically, the situation within the NSDAP was similar to their much hated counterparts in the Soviet Union back in the 1920s, a power struggle after the death of a leading figure, although there were many stark differences that make any comparison unable to go beyond the surface level: There was no Führer in the Soviet Union.

    Hess, von Krosigk, Hilgenfeldt and Speer would have a meeting in 1951 where the realities of the economy were laid out to the Führer, the Reich simply could not retain the same level of military spending without continuously hurting the industrial productivity or demanding further sacrifices of the People. The recently created Ministry of Welfare had a misleading name, the intention was not exactly to further push for new welfare policies, but rather provide an illusion of it, coordinating programs such as the Winterhilfswerk (The Winter Relief), the KdF (Strength through Joy), Veteran bonuses, Marriage loans, etc, policies which were mostly already in place, and had to be sorted out between those "deserving and undeserving" of help. Truth is that the Welfare for Veterans which was promised after the war led to a sharp increase of the welfare system, and continuously extorting the German people through essentially compulsory donations could only go so far as to prevent a rise in the costs for the State. Besides, Hitler did reduce such donations after the war by claiming the German people had paid it's due sacrifice, that is until his Speech in 1947 when the West was declared an enemy of the Reich and old measures returned to prepare the nation for a war that never came. The rising costs in the military production had to be stopped and that was something Hess, a man committed to a Detente with Britain, was very much interested with. Naturally, the Wehrmacht protested, but after Huey Long's reelection and the British defeat in the Suez War, both the Reich's enemies were discredited as military threats for now, although Hess did insist on a new program to modernize the Luftwaffe coordinated with Kesselring in order to be rid of the antiquated Pre-1943 Air Force and modernize into newer Jet Planes such as the Me.1099. The Kriegsmarine would also finish the production of their Third Aircraft Carrier, the "Hindenburg", which was mostly for sake of prestige than to be an effective force as Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz would convince the Führer towards the idea of a worldwide nuclear submarine force, as their surface fleet could still not defeat the British Royal Navy in an equal battle, and likely never would with the USN nearby in Greenland and Iceland. Besides, in the spirit of a Detente, Hess did scale back on the investments to create a surface fleet, a long-desired plan of Hitler that his successor was actually bold enough to scratch, for now.

    Still, the economy could only grow so much when the Reich lived in a closed environment, as shown by the Embargo placed by the Western Powers, the obvious fact that the Russians would never engage in normal diplomatic relations, and the feared rise of Communism closing China. The Linz Pakt officially followed the policy of Autarky, while the German Propaganda Machine has been in a long-term plan since the 1930s to "readapt" the tastes of the German, and European, consumers. The living Standards in the United States were to be seen as a weakness, the excessive fashion and brands from across the sea to be seen as decadence while the more idyllic lifestyle of the German Volk was exalted as a virtue, naturally that was not an easy idea for many, especially in France and Italy, to adapt to, makeup items were demonized to women, while the more strict and "spartan" style for men was not immediately accepted even after the war. This led to the rise of the Black Market schemes across Europe, and they all seemed to lead to one place in particular: Lisbon. Portugal was perhaps the only "Neutral" power left in the Continent, led by the Authoritarian Estado Novo, Salazar was not a man who liked Germania and it's "Paganism", enjoying relatively warm relations with Britain from an alliance which went back by centuries, but at the same time he always made sure to appease the Reich, joining the Linz Pakt as an observer State and giving up the Portuguese Jewish population after the war as part of Hitler's grand "worker project". He watched in Apprehension as Radicals overthrew Franco's regime across the border and installed the militant Falangist regime, and the independence of India put the territory of Goa at risk. However, there were many secret agreements happening in Lisbon, indeed the city became the "gateway into Europe" for the West, and an exit port to the world for the Reich. The German Embassy had a secret line of contacts to reach both the British and American embassies in the territory, in a very tense background that sometimes led to standoffs when dealing with an exchange, such as an exchange of spies in 1956, negotiated by the lawyer James Donovan, after a German spy plane was shot down over Scotland and the Germans delivered in return a British citizen who was caught in Belgium attempting to call the world's attention to the slave system within the Reich.

    The Black Market was not just something consumers engaged with, rather it became a full-fledged operation by the Reich in some ways, in order to contraband weapons to friendly groups across the world beyond the Festung Europa. Hess was once the head of the foreign office of the NSDAP and his Foreign Minister Ernst Bohle was his successor in the area, the two were in the paradoxal situation of supporting a Detente with Britain while also combatting the influence of the United States around the world, which led to German weapons being found in places such as the Dominican Republic, Brazil, South Africa, and surprisingly even guerrilla groups in Equatorial Africa and Malaya. Pragmatism was something the foreign office had engaged before, the Soviet-German pact of 1939 immediately comes to mind in these cases. Despite ideological differences with the Integralist State in Brazil, there was no small amount of support by German agencies in hunting down communist guerrillas in places such as the Araguaia. Long personally despised this idea of a shadow war for imperialism, but in politics compromises have to be made sometimes, and he saw after the Integralist takeover that Latin America was creepily veering towards Germania. But the British foreign service was the main rivalry of the RSHA in the majority of these conflicts, and in many times, Hess was forced to pull back support for sake of his idealistic idea of a Detente with London.

    But within Germania, the fight for power was never over, Heydrich and the Control Faction were locked in a struggle for power over the German Police, the final leftover of Himmler's Security Empire which was not fully under Heydrich's control. The proposal made by the Reichsführer was to create the Staatschutzkorps (SSK), the State Protection Body which would finally merge the SS and the Police into a single force, a matter which was a practical reality in many ways since the creation of the RSHA, being presented as part of the "Rationalization" process after Hitler's death. However, the creation of the SSK would also eliminate many of the remaining Carrer officers of the German police and internal rivals of Heydrich within the organization. The death of Kurt Daluege, who has been in a semi-vegetative state for years since a heart attack in 1943, was used as Heydrich's excuse to come to Hess with the proposal in December 1953, leaving the ORPO without a clear leader and the way open for the Deputy Führer to accumulate even more control. Needlessly to say, the Gauleiters, most of them with their own dirt under the police archives, were not any more thrilled for Heydrich to permanently merge the Police and SS, which would essentially stop any possibility of taking the police force away from the feared Man of Iron Heart.

    The arguments raged behind the scenes within the Party, Lauterbacher and Friedrichs constantly pleaded for the Führer to veto the proposal, but it became increasingly difficult to reach Hess following his flight, as there was a growing questioning over his sanity within the Party. The SS looked like it was launching a shadow coup by isolating the Führer, with the guards under constant watch and Heydrich adding increasing difficulties for meetings between Party members and Hess without his oversight. On the other hand, there were other ways to reach to the Führer beyond the Party apparatus, ironically that meant the Control Faction would have to use the State mechanisms left behind by Hitler, the Reich Chancellery Staff under the aging, yet still always savvy, Hans Lammers, became a way to intermediate meetings with Hess by controlling access to him. Lammers was bureaucratic man by essence, of a similar vein to Bormann, and while he did not share the ambitions of a strengthened control by the Party over the State, as that would decrease his own leverage, he used his act as a middle man to discuss matters to his advantage. Hess eventually became aware of the situation he was put into, recovering his mental state after the Suez crisis, he kept Heydrich's proposal away as he was increasingly warry of the man's hold over the State, and now with his authority being restored, he began to make plans against his underling.

    He could be fired, certainly the nature of a totalitarian state was such that Hess could literally order whatever he wanted, but he was nowhere near the level of power and influence in practice that Hitler once held over the NSDAP and the Reich. Neither did Hess have the skills necessary to play the high level of tact in the political game that would allow him to bluntly demote the leader of the SS without any risk of long term consequences, especially with the organization's power over German Society at the time. The SS was seen by many as an ideal, they were the perfect guardians of the European Order, the protectors and epitome of the Aryan Race, a new nobility of men, many being related to some of the most powerful figures in German society, even the Hohenzollern Princes were high ranking members of the organization. No, if Heydrich had to be removed he would have to do so by himself, be forced to resign his post by the pressure of those around him and establish a precedence of the Party's dominance. But there was no official organ that could allow a proper challenge to be made to a Party leader like him, which is where one of the Party's old proposals, and Hitler's original desire in his will was introduced: In March of 1954, Hess created the Small Senate by Führer Decree, a group of 64 members which included the high ranking figures of the Party, from Reichsleiters to Gauleiters to even SS men and other "notable members of German society". Needlessly to say, it was completely arbitrary who would be a notable member of Society, but Hess was fully engaged into the project once it was presented by the Control Faction, as a way to "control" Heydrich and the SS, grow the dominance of the NSDAP and fulfill one of Hitler's old desires, all three things that Hess was dedicated towards at the time.



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    The first session of the Small Senate was started by Rudolf Hess with a rousing speech about the Unity and the Future of the Party, perhaps one of Rudolf's best attributes was the fact he was still able to carry a crowd. It was finished with the shouting of "Heil Hitler", as Hess constantly refused to have his name replace his Mentor in the Party Salute. In contrast, Heydrich followed Hess as he was the Deputy Führer, technically responsible over the Party's affairs, delivering an unenthusiastic and short speech that clearly showed his discomfort on the account of his voice. This contrast was followed by the first vote to elect a President for the Senate, something which had originally not been in the agenda as Bormann had hoped the Deputy Führer would already act as President of the Senate, but his untimely death and Heydrich's rise meant that the control over the matters of daily governance and discussion would be under the unnaceptable control of the SS. That is when the vote was held and the result was a surprise to everyone, both from the Control Faction and Heydrich's clique, everyone except Hess was stunned by the result: The young Gauleiter of Vienna, Paul Wegener, ascended the podium after receiving the plurality of the votes, revealing himself as a charismatic and savvy political player. Wegener was congratulated by Hess, and the Führer had showed his card to both sides. He was the one who had placed Wegener into the winning position by getting the support of the Party's young guard and his own loyalists behind the scenes, perhaps his best political play came from the fact everyone underestimated him so much after the Foreign policy fiasco and eccentric behavior that they forgot he was still the man who served as Hitler's right hand for three decades.

    Paul Wegener, a young man born in Varel who was only 10 when the First World War was over, became a rising star within the NSDAP as a part of the Bormannite faction. Born in Varel, graduated in a colonial administration school, he was the youngest Ortsgruppenleiter, or Local leader, of the Party in 1930, rising in the posts after Hitler's takeover by becoming one of Bormann's Adjutant, being called his "Golden Boy" by other members of the StdF. The Brown Eminence called him a reliable and hardworking man, with deep knowledge of the Party's intricacies and possessing an impressive charisma to win over a crowd, which set him above many within the Staff of the Deputy Führer which was filled with uncharismatic bureaucrats such as Bormann himself. Hess came into contact with the young Deputy Gauleiter of Kumark, who later became Gauleiter of Weser-Ems, and replaced von Schirach as Gauleiter of Vienna in 1950, being impressed by his work, the Wegener Memorandum. He was seen more as an underdog for the race, relatively unknown among the higher echelons of the Party where the fight between Heydrich and the Control Faction was consuming everything in it's path. But Hess favored a new approach, one even more radical that would push the Party to firmly establish it's supremacy over the State. With Wegener as the new President of the Senate, he now had a most favorable position to push his own proposals to the rest of the Party, presenting himself as the Führer's favorite while Hess was widely seen as the voice of Hitler and Hitlerism beyond the grave. However, that also made him a target, especially of a certain Albert Speer.

    Speer was dealing with his own problems in 1954, the spectre of Inflation was coming to the Reich, as the enormous expenses after years of damaging policies such as the General Plan Ost, megalomaniac architectural projects made more for sake of prestige than practicality, a military spending dwarfed any other nation in proportion of the GDP, not even counting the destruction of small business by the War Economy and the favoring of large corporations in government contracts, finally caught up to the budget a decade after the war's end. The Golden era was over, and despite the fact the economy was still growing thanks to the sheer resources of the conquered territories, the monetary reserves of the Reich were cannibalized by the reckless militarization and the lack of a long-term economical plan. Most of all, the policy of Autarky and hostility by foreign states was to blame for many of Germany's current shortcomings. To the west, the British Empire and the United States already had the two largest consumer markets in the world closed down, Russia and Israel... it is not even necessary to state why any kind of commerce with these two states was impossible, China and India also had closed their commercial relations with Germania, and the fall of Japan prevented the rise of any potential partner in the Pacific. Only the Middle East and Northern Africa were still accessible, but Hess' very known hatred for the Arabs and the Reich's abandonment of Nasser's cause in the Suez War were already making nations such as Egypt and Jordan be far more hesitant in making agreements with the Germans. The isolation of Europe was something that could very well lead to stagnation, and this is in the best hypothesis of the United States continuing it's isolationist policies, because if Washington began to fully engage in a trade war, it could mobilize resources all across the world to isolate the Germans even further from places such as Latin America, where places like Brazil were one of the few neutral markets still open to the Reich.

    Perhaps the inflation within Germany would have risen quicker if it wasn't for the "foreign worker system", established in mass numbers after the conquest of Poland where the conquered populations in the East were transported from their homelands to work in factories as a replacement for the military conscripts. After the war, the sudden influx of returning Veterans and the pool of workers from the east allowed for an enormous expansion in both agriculture and industry. There was tension between native Germans and foreign workers, the latter being far cheaper and in many cases being just as experienced as German artisans. Besides, the smaller and medium business suffered as they could not compete with the industrial conglomerates which employed millions of essentially slaves from the east in their works. In time, Speer now had to work on mediating between the interests of his powerful backers and the needs of the German population at large as inflation was rising and the wages remained stuck at low prices due to the competition and the monopolist practices of large corporations, including the "Aryanized" department stores, ironically one of the main complaints of small businessmen who first supported the NSDAP.

    But as with every crisis in the Reich, that only gave opportunities, and Wegener was ready to begin exercising his influence within the NSDAP to push for the growing dominance of the Party in economic affairs. With the Control Faction cautiously behind his propositions, perhaps hoping to moderate them, he planned to start a takeover by the Party over the German industries, which still largely were under the guidance of the State, and wrestle it's control from the Ministry of Economy and Armaments. For that he reached Franz Xavier Schwarz, the veteran treasurer of the Party and one of the members of the Control Faction, to use the Party funds as a carrot for the German business, while also using Hess to pressure on the large industrials the need for members of the NSDAP to be assigned official seats in the board of directors of major corporations. Many businesses, after contracting enormous debts with the Reich's megaprojects, began to accept that offer, and that was exactly what Wegener planned: With members of the party increasingly gaining influence in return for bailouts, slowly Speer's influence as a state minister would be undermined by the Treasury of the NSDAP. As Wegener set his plans into action, he was quickly becoming an enemy of Albert Speer, perhaps the figure who most incorporated the "State" side of the conflict due to his powerbase.

    Meanwhile, Heydrich and Wegener surprisingly saw eye to eye on some matters, notably by the latter's SS membership which technically made him one of Heydrich's subordinates. The relationship was far more complex however, due to the interest of Heydrich to make himself the successor to the Führer while Wegener desired to weaken the centralization of the Party and State towards the Führer. Initially there was little conflict between the Security Forces and the process of Partification that the Senate President represented, except for one: The Political Organization of the NSDAP, which Wegener wished to empower, was to have the overall policing control over each Gau. In essence, Wegener's program was a Reichsreform against the centralization in Germania and the State apparatus which empowered the regional leaders of the NSDAP and made them almost feudal lords over their regions. He also envisioned a restriction on the Party membership and a rationalization of the legal system that led to his own pet project: The Constitution. The Weimar Constitution was still technically in use, with the Enabling Act, the Reichstag Fire Decree, and other laws being the legal basis of the regime, but that created an uncertain climate, one which benefitted Hitler but did not do so to Hess as the extent of how "total" the Führer's power was still undefined. Many jurists argued that the very idea of a constitution was unnecessary with the Führerprinzip serving instead as the legitimacy of all law, but the traditional German obsession over bureaucracy finally won out in the mid 1950s and Rudolf Hess created a committee to elaborate on a New Constitution... presided by Paul Wegener.

    Each faction desired a piece, to write an article, to amend a proposal, so many conflicting interests on the final makeup of the Reich threatened to destroy the project before it even started. Wegener was still a man with radical proposals, especially within the Control Faction itself as his desire to streamline and rationalize the laws and hierarchy threatened the high leaders of the party who accumulated power and influence by mediating these conflicts. Heydrich admittedly enjoyed watching Wegener conflicting with the Control Faction itself, but as long as Hess was backing him, the young "Golden Boy" had teeth to back his proposals, nobody could ever openly challenge the Führer, despite many questioning Hess' sanity at his best moments. The Deputy hoped to use the Constitution to push his proposal to create the SSK and officially absorb the Police into the SS, which was still seen as an overreach by the majority of the Party, in fact Heydrich was not a popular man outside the SS circles, and even inside the SS he had attritions with the Minister of the Interior Arthur Seyss-Inquart, who sometimes went against his orders on local disputes between the Police and the Schutzstaffel. Heydrich still possessed the powerful attribute of vetting the entry of new members into the bureaucracy and it did not take long before he began to influence the process of the Constitution with that.

    The conflicts between Wegener and the Control Faction were only starting as Franz Schwarz began to oppose his plans for the decentralization, and money IS power even in the Third Reich. The octogenarian, but still sharp, Treasurer of the Party began to block Paul's efforts to weaken the audit powers of the Party Treasure Office over the Gauleiters, getting many of the Party's old princes to support him. That is when one of Bormann's concepts was pulled out of the office of the Deputy Führer with the support of Heydrich: Schwarz was confronted in 1955 with Wegener having the backing of both Heydrich and Hess to thank him for his services to the Party. As he reached the age of 80, the Führer approved a retirement age for Party members, 80 years by pure coincidence of course. That was still far from what Wegener desired, but he accepted the temporary measure and many old members of the Party and WWI veterans were retired over the year, opening up the Party Treasure office for Heydrich to place whoever he wanted, in return he conceded the office to Oswald Pohl, who Heydrich was glad to be rid of as he was removed from the Executive leadership of the SS Main Economic and Administrative office. Overall, the confrontation ended with the Party Treasure being much weakened, Heydrich placing the Economic office of the SS under a more controllable bureaucrat, and Wegener was one step closer to reaching his goal of Reichsreform.



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    Finally in the Annual speech to the Reichstag in 1955, Hess unveiled the German Constitution after over two years of intermittent arguments and power struggles behind scenes. The so-called "Nazi Constitution" was the ultimate enshrinement of Hitler's decrees and decisions, the core of the NSDAP's ideology being made into law and imposed across half a continent. In practice there was not much change from the Status Quo, merely confirming the Totalitarian system imposed within the Reich, but the devil was in the details (and in much of the rest too). The Party was declared as the sole representative of the will of the German Volk, the epitome of the Aryan Race, and while the title of Führer was given the authority of a god, the Party held something new: The power to elect the successor of the Führer through the Small Senate. Needlessly to say, that was something no man would have accepted in the position of Führer, except for Rudolf Hess who was one of the supporters of such measure. Instead of following the precedent set by Hitler, which was arguably either to have the Deputy Führer or someone appointed in the Will depending on who you ask, Hess allowed for the Party to have the control of perhaps the most important political decision in Germany. It was clear that the Control Faction had much influence in the drafting of the Constitution, as it also officially reorganized the German States into Reichsgaus, merging the titles of Gauleiter and Reichstaatalter, the leadership of Party and State were merged into one office in the administrative level. Wegener fulfilled his goal of pushing a Reichsreform, partially, as the Constitution helped ensure a more efficient system and give a minimal legal security on disputes that weakened the power of regional party leaders. The office of Deputy Führer was essentially renamed into the office of Parteikanzlei, or Party Chancellor, while keeping much of it's functions, it was solidified as the second most powerful Party office behind the Führer himself. Heydrich benefitted from the security of his position for now, but it was no secret that Wegener now had his eyes targeting it.

    The inevitable showdown between the Blonde Beast and the NSDAP happened in April 1955 during a meeting called at Heydrich's request on the Small Senate following the Tag das Sieges. The Man with the Iron Heart entered in the Assembly to propose several laws to be approved by the Party before being sent to the Führer, primary of them concerning the Status of the German Police once more, as Heydrich made his move to consolidate the SSK once again, more confident after spending five years in his office and placing several supporters within the Party apparatus, either through blackmail and threats or gifts and promotions, he expected that the fight between Wegener and the Party princes had worn down one another enough to be able to have the Party support his efforts in order to "Restore the Order and Discipline" to the Reich. But the President of the small senate was far ahead of the "Policeman of the Reich", and every single proposal made by Heydrich failed to pass, even those which did not include any concerns about security at all. Furthermore, the Party members had declared their disapproval of several of his appointments, essentially launching a boycott of his decisions. The day was a humiliating affair that threatened to antagonize the SS against the Party, and Rudolf Hess refused to intervene on the matter to support either side, he would neither force Heydrich to back down and nor would he approve his proposals, which he was fully capable to do, without them being approved by the Party. A crisis within the Party was blowing up and, in the backrooms, both Wegener and Heydrich clashed against each other, but in the end, while Heydrich was a very capable administrator for the SS, he was not as savvy as he thought he was. A precedent was made once a deal was struck behind closed doors, perhaps because of the Reichsführer dislike of his own office and the public exposure, perhaps because of the threat that a new Chief of Police could be chosen outside of the SS, or perhaps because he desired to return to his own dominion as the office of Deputy no longer was an, admittedly shaky, base for succession after the Constitution. Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich would resign from the office of Parteikanzler on the 3rd of May 1955, in return his proposal would be passed, with the German Police and SS being restructured after Wegener had the proposal approved in the Small Senate on the very next session as part of the bargain.

    With the Staatsschutzkorps (State Protection Corps) created to appease Heydrich, the blonde beast was taken out of the halls of power and Wegener finally became the Chief of the Party Chancellery, and considering Hess' predicament, he essentially became the Most Powerful man in the NSDAP. At the young age of 48, right on his birthday of May 5th, he was at a level of power that Martin Bormann, his former mentor, once held, but now without Hitler and instead with Hess in charge as a supporter of his whole Reichsreform process. The NSDAP was enshrined by the Constitution and, by consequence, had made Paul Wegener the leading representative of the German people. Next he would begin a change in the Party ranks, now fully using the new retirement schemes on members of the Old Guard. Oswald Pohl was removed from his position in the Party treasury, something which was only a matter of time after Heydrich left his office, and now both the Party's finances and the small Senate were under his command, and although he had reduced Schwarz's office into a more symbolic "advisory" level, an advice coming from the new "Eminence" of the Party was similar to an order, especially as he had begun to use the blackmail files collected over the years to his advantage, as well as the information in the office of the Party Chancellor. But Wegener had a new idea to further consolidate the future of Germany as a Party-State: The control of the Hitler Youth.

    Artur Axmann, the Reichsjungendführer, or leader of the German Youth, was a member of the young wing of the Party, responsible for raising the next Generations of the German Volk. He was proud to say he was efficient in his methods, the natural "rebellious" tendencies of the Youth were tamed in the Führer's interests, and now the work being made easier each year as time passed and the old generations of resistant SPD voters was dying out in favor of committed supporters of the Party's ideology. Axmann was approached in 1956 to prepare the terrain for a great persecution, one not seen in the Reich ever since 1938, to begin directing the Hitler Youth against a new enemy, the last of the vile zionist influence in Europe. Joseph Goebbels did not have the best relations with Wegener and the new bureaucracy, but they both shared one interest, and so he began to compile the necessary narrative for what was to come. Heydrich, despite the previous confrontation, was still an obedient follower of the orders which came from Hess, and with the complete merger of the SS and Police, the next step would become an ideological explosion that was not seen ever since the war, and the SSK would not stand in the way, if anything they would be given instructions and lists to make the next blow as methodical as possible considering the whirlwind that would be unleashed.

    Easter happened on the 21st of April, by coincidence the day after the Tag das Sieges, the largest demonstration of power of the Reich where fanaticism covered the people from war veterans to children, exactly the day where the decision was made to unleash all that fanaticism against the last force in Germany, and indeed in Europe, which could pose an unified challenge to the power of Germania: The Catholic Church. In the 1930s, men such as Alfred Rosenberg were calling for the fight against the "Jewish Christianity and Decadent Church", but being still so early in their power, the NSDAP could not fight against such a strong and traditional institution, with Hitler calling back his legions and signing a concordat with the Catholic church. That did not prevent persecution from happening, many times when priests projected Jews such as during the Kristallnacht, those were all actions that Germania would never forget, and indeed it was not uncommon for churchs to be "accidentally" burned in Poland during the war, many times as parts of massacres unleashed by the Einsatzgruppen. But the Reich bid its time, Hitler perhaps planned to launch these strikes once the war was over, the final war against Washington and London, however his death and the internal squabbling drained the energies of the Party. Now, there is a standard seen as whenever the popularity of the regime wavered, a wave of persecution was launched against internal enemies, and with the economic woes of the mid-late 1950s, which were only exacerbated once inexperienced, and many times corrupt, party stooges were placed on the directory board of companies and took decisions based around ideology and self-interest, the time had come. A second Kulturkampf, one far more violent than the one made by Bismarck almost a century earlier, was prepared to be unleashed on the night between the Tag das Sieges and Easter, a traditional holy day for the Catholic Church, it was seen as symbolic of the Party refusing to cede its control over the hearts and minds of the people during the night. To avoid casualties from parishioners, the stroke would be launched before the sun has risen.

    In one night, all across the Reich, the SSK mobilized to form perimeters around churches and homes of priests. Despite the propaganda being directed at Catholicism, many protestant churches which refused to endorse the Party's takeover in the last two decades would also be isolated for the coming of the next blow. The SA neighborhood watches and the Hitler Youth took the lead with the radical actions, wielding torches to strike at the temples from small villages to even major cities in the Rhineland and Austria. It was something many had expected to come one day, and yet it was at the same time perfectly coordinated and surprising, the boldness of the Reich's actions could only be compared to it's actions against the Jewish people in the 1930s. Priests were awoken during the night and taken by men in black of the SSK, dragged and beaten into cars and taken to train stations which led to the Reich's "Detainment Centers", many times not even given an excuse, and when given those, they were outrageous and generalized. The people awoke during the night to see the churches, some of which have existed for centuries, being caught up in flames with young men surrounding them and burning down the buildings after they were stripped down from all the valuables. Looting was generalized, with very few temples being spared, most of them being in places such as Austria and Bavaria where locals had managed to form cordons that stopped the advance of the fanatics, confrontations happened and the police rarely, if ever, arrested any member of the Hitler Youth except for a few cases of "overzealousness".

    In the village of Viechtau, the priest was warned by one of the parents of the coming blow just few hours before it happened. Communication by phone had been closed down, yet he went to the streets and awoke the most devout to come for a night Vigil before Easter, once they came he explained the situation, not wanting blood but only asking for the faithful to help him speak with the authorities. Once the SSK arrived at location and found the congregation on their knees with the priest leading a prayer, they ordered the people to disperse. That was not done, instead they remained on their knees, and onlookers began to wake up to see the commotion, the local Hitler Youth chapter arriving to mock the resistant. The stalemate continued for two hours until the local SSK-Gruppenführer, Albert Kleinfeld, ordered the SSK to remove them from the church by force except for the priest. The locals were forcefully dragged out of the church while chanting hymns, and when the priest was the last one left inside, the Hitler Youth set fire to the church to attempt to make him leave, he did not, and instead the town watched as the town church was burned down with the priest inside. There was no glamour in that action, even in the eyes of the Hitler Youth members who were denied an easy night and the SSK commander who would have that memory stuck in his mind forever. By the time Easter morning came, Goebbels went to the radio and television, denouncing a list of crimes made by the Catholic priests, foremost of them being accusations of pedophilia and corruption. The excuse of the persecution was given: A church in Lithuania which harbored guerrilla fighters after a terrorist attack, with the catholic clergy as a whole being named as Enemies of the Vaterland after years shielding the enemies of the Aryan people, the truth is that there was not even a catholic church in the town Goebbels claimed to have been attacked.

    The persecution did not stop on that Easter night, it would only become worse, and within a week the majority of the "troublesome clergy" members within the Reich had been arrested and taken to the camps, most of the churches were not burned but suffered substantial damages. The wave of persecutions did not limit itself to Germany proper, the Reich had unleashed the horror from Narvik to Baku, Protestant and Orthodox churches alike were targeted. The Orthodox church was already under heavy persecution in the east due to it's close links to the Russian Empire and the idenitity of the Slavic peoples which the Reich was actively attempting to shatter for over a decade. After this wave of strikes, Wegener began to launch his own paperwork to reform religion within Germany. Although there were many supporters of "Völkish" religions within the NSDAP, Wegener was too pragmatic to ever take them seriously, and even Heydrich has been setting the neo-pagan ideals of Himmler aside within the SS, now SSK, a process that was accelerated by the incorporation of the Police force. The Vatican was accused of breaking the Reichskonkordat, and so Hess ordered the withdraw of Germany from this agreement, saying it was not worth the paper it was written on anymore, even before there was any official answer from Pope Pius XII. The Minister of Religious affairs Hermann Muhs, had long been a persecutor, but he was mostly contained up until now where he could finally unleash his plans. Although Wegener desired more preeminence for the Party in the persecution effort, as a follower of Bormann's anti-clerical policies, in the end it was Muhs who finally managed to convince Hess to allow the State Ministry to lead the effort to control the Church, with Alfred Rosenberg, Reichskommissar of Ostland, coordinating an old plan with the Minister to control the Christian churches of Germany by calling for a meeting with leading members of the Clergy of several Protestant churches. In May, the Party announced the return of Ludwig Müller's idea of a Nazified Christian Church, a proper and true religion which was freed from it's "Jewish influences", a tall order considering Jesus Christ was Jewish and an entire half of the Bible was written in the Jewish perspective, yet contradictions have never stopped the Party before.

    The movement for "Positive Christianity" had finally crushed the "Confessor Movement" by the decisive action of the State, unifying Protestant Churches under the directive of the Reich's Ministry of Religious Affairs, Martin Niemöller would manage to flee to exile through Italy to London, where his poem "First they came..." became a symbol of the persecution that Christianity was suffering. The intention of the Reich was not an Atheist State, especially as the Constitution itself had no references to Atheism, but to make Christianity subservient to the Totalitarian System that now was under the control of all aspects of personal life, from finances to sexuality. The outside reaction was of outrage, especially from within the Linz Pakt itself, despite it not being enough to trigger a complete division yet, Italy, Spain, Croatia and Slovakia had all protested the German action, while the French government remained silent on the matter due to it's even greater dependence of Germania and the fears that 1951 would be repeated. The Vatican excommunicated all members of the NSDAP and all the clergymen who agreed with the new "Positive Christianity" movement, with Pope Pius strongly condemning the acts of persecution which inevitably drew comparisons to the Roman Empire under Nero. The already strained relationship between the Greater German Reich and the Italian Empire was on its limit, the only thing keeping it together was the Wehrmacht.


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    The internal fights within the Reich were not over only because Wegener was now the "top dog". While he was attempting to extend his control, and by consequence the Party's control, over the State, men such as Speer and Goebbels, whose power base resided on their powerful ministries, were resistant. Goebbels still held the control over the Propaganda machine of the regime, being the "public face" of the Reich after Hitler's death, he had accumulated prestige as a spokesman. Yet his power was restricted within the NSDAP as just the Gauleiter of Germania, and while that was a powerful position, it was still only one position. He was largely seen as an outsider, left out of the main power struggle between Party and State which was represented by Speer, who still had powerful connections as the Party Architect and Minister of Economy and Armaments. In fact, the fact the economy was beginning to stagnate due to the Party's interference was being well used by the Architect to pin the blame of the crisis on Wegener's ambition. Saying that Germany was in an economic crisis was a stretch, but it was undeniable that the golden age of prosperity was long behind them, and the blame game was something Speer knew well how to manipulate. He was a man who knew when to take credit for good and successful policies while throwing under the bus those who he blamed for terrible policies, some of which came from him. Goebbels was one who Speer had actually found an ally of in the struggle against the Party's growing overreach, especially as Wegener was attempting to wrestle the control of the Hitler Youth into the organization of his growing bureaucracy, as the Minister of Education was quite stubborn in keeping control over "Germany's future". As for Heydrich? He was beaten but not killed, despite his apparent attempts to do so by traveling with minimum to no security in places such as the Eastern Reichskommissariats, and consolidated his own parallel power through the SSK, watching from the sidelines as Speer struggled against Wegener. Perhaps out of vengeance, Heydrich sometimes gave support to Speer, and indeed the SSK and the Industrial interests of the Ministry were allied in many ways, including the SSK's Control over the "Workers Programs", but he was always careful not to empower Speer too much, as he had once done to Wegener by allowing him to overcome the Party's princes in the struggle for the Control Faction right under his nose.

    The Ministry of Welfare, which mostly served as a way to determine who was worthy of government assistance in racial and ideological terms, and the Ministry of Labor, which was largely useless except for overseeing the German Labor Front and the "Strength through Joy" programs, would see themselves caught in the struggle between Wegener and Speer. The death of Robert Ley after an alcoholic coma in 1956 had led to an internal struggle over the status of the DAF, as Ley was largely seen as Speer's command over the faction. Wegener desired to put the "Union Question" under the final control of the NSDAP, which would allow Gauleiters to autonomously control the relations between the Union and Industrials within their Reichsgau units. Meanwhile, Speer wished to retain his control over the Union, which would keep his influence in leveraging the "negotiations" between the DAF and the large industries of the Reich, something which was largely settled through bribes to Robert Ley in the past but was growing increasingly contentions over the disputes between German Workers and "Foreign workers". Speer wished for Sauckel, the man responsible for the allocation of "labor" during the war, to take the command of the Union. Despite the fact he was initially a man nominated by Bormann for his job, Sauckel and Speer had worked in close cooperation for years, and Speer's centralization demands from Gauleiters were more allied to Sauckel's needs than the decentralization schemes of Wegener's Reichsreform. Wegener and Sauckel did not enjoy a good relationship during the 1950s, which drew the minister closer to Speer's "State" Faction. Hess was the one who was originally supposed to settle such disputes and normally he did so by taking Wegener's side, but by late 1956 he had become more isolated from the functions of his positions, largely delegating his powers to the Small Senate and the Parteikanzler. Speer was not one to quit easily, and while he knew he was unpopular with the Gauleiters, he still had a large amount of leverage through his position as Chief Architect. Megalomaniacal bulding projects were not something limited to Hitler, many Gauleiters seeked popularity and prestige through the construction schemes, and where did the labor and contractors come from? Speer's connections were still far stronger than Wegener's at the time. The Parteikanzler was given a defeat in the Small Senate as his recommended appointment was rejected by the Party. It was decided that Sauckel would resign from the Ministry of Labor and take up the leadership of the DAF. Hess dissolved the Ministry of Labor and it's functions were given to the Ministry of Economy. It was a great victory to Speer, but on the other hand Wegener would have his win in the Welfare.

    The State functions of the Ministry of Welfare would largely be taken over by the Party in 1957 when Wegener managed to push a new proposal to end the Ministry of Welfare. As Speer spent much of his political credit to keep control over the Labor force, the benefits of the welfare system were left vulnerable against the Party's control. The NSV, the National Socialist People's Welfare program, was largely created by Goebbels in the 1930s until it became a state agency through the "Winter Program", which was essentially an extortion scheme to redistribute welfare to those Hitler found deserving. A Ministry had been established after the war, but it largely kept the functions of the NSV, which was one of the largest organizations within the NSDAP. Wegener did not enjoy the existence of a single centralized scheme in Germania under a Ministry to hold such a powerful tool as welfare, Hermann Göring was the one to blame for this as he desired to put the system of veteran pensions under state control, it remained after his death but no more. Wegener wished to abolish the NSV and the Ministry of Welfare, giving the Gauleiters full authority to determine those who were worthy of assistance within their territories. Goebbels was not able to form the same sort of resistance as Speer did, his power being mostly kept on the control over the German media, at least for the moment, and so Hilgenfeldt was left largelly on his own against the NSDAP's Parteikanzlei. Wegener abolished the Ministry with Hess' blessing in September 1957, placing the control of everything, from unemployment to social security to veteran pensions, into the command of the local Gauleiters, who now were free the use the mechanisms as a Carrot and Stick on their populations.

    The Ural Mountains had long been a dream of Hitler, a natural frontier formed by tectonic plates eons ago who could form a barrier perfectly fit between the Reich and European civilization against the "Asiatic Horde". The first attempt to take it was stopped at the A-A line in 1943, the second attempt was an unsuccessful effort to place a Russian puppet regime during the Civil war, the third attempt ended right before it started with Hitler's death in 1951. Now in 1958, Rudolf Hess planned to finish Hitler's work after a sudden spark came to him years before, he claimed to some that it was none other than Hitler's spirit communicating with him, which attests to the general sanity of the plan. But there was a pragmatic concern: For ten years, the Russian Empire has been rebuilding, acting as a bulwark against the Reich's plans to the east, the fiercest ally of the United States. The Russian people was united more than it ever was, from Bolsheviks to Tsarists, all knew who the true enemy was in the east, with a Swastika over Moscow. In ten years the country had transformed not just from American investments but from the sheer effort of the Empire to be prepared for the inevitable next war. Guerrilla activities in the East were actively striking German colonists, imposing terror in a few regions that hindered the plans for the colonization of the East, despite the fact Hitler did want this in his region to be an active warzone in his plans. The Drang Nach Osten, the March to the East, had to continue, and while the Guerrilla activity was under control by the sheer brutality of the Reich's policies and the divide-and-conquer tactics of the SSK, the sense of insecurity was causing terrible costs that prevented the full economic exploitation of the east. The Party, the SSK, the State, the Military, all agreed that the rising threat of Russia could not go unpunished, and with the Catholic church largely put down by 1958, the time had come for the plans made in 1951 to be brought back to the table. The Wehrmacht was put back to prepare in the most militarized border in the world, to cross beyond Kazan and Samara, to reach the Ural Mountains and once more repeat the success of 1941-1943 by shattering the Russian State and make sure it would never rise again. The offensive, named "Unternehmen Hindenburg" nicknamed after the last Weimar President who commanded the German Eastern front to victory in WWI, would be launched on the 15th of May 1958 all across the East.

    And so began the conflict history would call: The Ural War.

     
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    XXVII - VSTAVÁY ROSSYIA
  • THE IRON EAGLE
    VSTAVÁY ROSSYIA


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    A Monarchist, a Bolshevik, a Militarist and a Peasant walk into a bar, they immediately begin to make the place tense, they draw their weapons, and all of them shoot at the same time at the Bartender who said "Guten Tag". That was a running joke which could accurately describe the spirit of Russia in the 1950s, yes the Government was a Monarchy, but many members of it were also Bolsheviks, from technicians to commanders, and Reactionaries shared uniforms with Red Army Generals. In any other situation that would be an explosive mix, indeed it was, for the better part of a decade, from the Volga to Vladivostok, the land was covered by death, war destroyed and created, the monster devoured all from crops to souls, and one side emerged triumphant. Tsar Andrey could have chosen to just line the Bolsheviks to a wall and execute them as they did to the last Tsar, certainly his ministers urged him to do so, but he convinced the Warlord Vladimir Kislitsin to show clemency. He knew that this was a nation who would need every single soul who survived these years of war for what was to come, because just by the Volga there was an enemy which united all men, women, children and elder in Russia, the one who brought more suffering to the Russian people than any other.

    When Adolf Hitler died, the celebrations across Europe were contained, the Wehrmacht and the SS made sure to show their grip on the continent when that happened. But across the Volga, there was not enough Vodka in Russia for what happened. The people celebrated, even if they still could see the tanks of the Heer, the Luftwaffe scout planes above, and even the Kriegsmarine engaging in a pseudo-war against even fishing ships in the Arctic for sport, for one day they could see a victory coming. If Adolf Hitler could die, any German could die, and one day they would be ready to do just that. Some impatient ones just grabbed their rifles and went to the nearest station of recruitment for the newly formed "Military Secretary of Western Affairs", a subsection of the Ministry of War responsible for the very much illegal actions of sponsoring terrorism in the west, although the term more often used by the American press was "Slavic Freedom Fighters". Hitler had originally designed that concept to continue existing, he wanted the East to purposefully have an element of instability to make sure the German settlers were always the very best of the Aryan Volk, people who lived ready to fight with the daily life being a continuous struggle against the Untermenschen. The Russian government did not mind to be playing into Hitler's delusions, the attacks of partisans against German settlements, although being weakened in the 1950s but a slightly more pragmatic Security force which actually desired to bring a permanent peace in the East, always made sure to keep the pressure on the Reich, and a faint hope to the European peoples.

    It was once a fear of many in Europe that one day Russia, the danger of the Eastern Steppe Horde, would invade the continent. Napoleon in some ways used that fear to unite the continent against Tsar Alexander in his expedition, Britain, France, Germany and Austria all had those fears in the 19th century. And, more famously, Hitler did unite the Continent during Operation Barbarossa, by force, to launch campaign against the "Eastern Slavic Judeo-Bolshevik". Ironically, now that was the great hope of Europeans who still dared to oppose the Swastika, as the Isolationism of the United States saw many movements from France to Yugoslavia being crushed due to what they saw as inanition, many saw in the East their hope. Millions had left to Russia, sometimes by design of the Germans who desired to send away the "excessive" population of the Eastern Territories and purposefully deported them. Although the hunger of the German Industry and Agriculture for laborers and the depleting of manpower by the Generalplan Ost had made the government in Germania cut down on the deportations, many still dared to cross the most militarized border on Earth to reach a land still recovering from war because the alternative were the horrors many still could not believe due to how outrageously monstrous they sounded. But every Russian, Pole, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Lithuanian, Azeri or Armenian who crossed into Russia was another pair of hands which could hold a gun. These groups would be organized into what some called the "Liberation Battalions", others named it in a more accurate way: The Revenge Battalions.

    Of course, before that day came, there was still a long way to go, between 1948 and 1958, Russia underwent its reconstruction Era. The war, the bombings, the complete collapse of the previous economic and social order across the nation left the path open to rebuild it into something new. The war fatigue was seen as the main factor as to why many Bolsheviks had to accept a return to a Capitalist, or pseudo-capitalist, state, besides of course the constant threat of the Germans of striking at the first signal of weakness from Russia. Between 1948 and 1951, Russia went through a reconstruction mostly led by the Military under Vladimir Kislitsin's Iron grip, and then one from 1951 until 1958 which was led by the Tsar himself following the death of the General. The Government was formed by an All-Russian assembly, the Zemsky Sobor, which was called as a continuation of the Provisional assembly set up in Vladivostok, although the assembly in general did not possess much influence over the process, despite the Tsar's attempts to reform the system, the realities of the Russian situation, only made worse by the victory of Mao in China which essentially surrounded the Tsar to hostile States, kept the Iron Fist leading the hands of the State.

    First came the treatment of the former Soviets, with White Army leaders ranging from rehabilitation to shooting them with a bullet on the back of the head. Many fled before the decision was made, there was no small number of Bolshevik theorists and party members who left Russia towards Northern China, first going through Mongolia and then to Beijing where their help was most valuable to the victory of the Maoists. Military officers generally were given clemency for sake of pragmatism, indeed many did desert the Red Army and the MGB to receive an amnesty of the Tsar in 1947, and the presence of American advisors did advocate for a rehabilitation of many capable generals of the Soviet Armed Forces, most being sent into "House Arrest", essentially being left free under occasional watch by the Okhrana. The same luck did not come to higher ranks of the Party, the wrath of the vengeful whites falling upon them. From Editors of the Pravda to the Commissar of Railways and Industry Lazar Kaganovich, few were able to escape the wrath of the Whites, Kislitsin declaring in a speech to the Sobor that "The hangmen shall be hanged, the executioners will be executed, and in one last act of brutality we shall cleanse Holy Russia of the Red Terror". The Tsar, tormented by his young memories of the Revolution, did little to avoid the retaliatory vengeance of the Imperial forces against High-ranking figures of the Communist Party. Although it was ironized that "Stalin already did the work for us" when it came to executing the ones responsible for the October Revolution and even many of those responsible for the Great Purge.

    Next came the matter of the economy, and the news were actually positive because it could not go any way but up. The war had destroyed the Soviet Economy, electricity was a rare thing in Siberia already and the war had destroyed many of the electrification efforts of the Soviets. But the infrastructure was still there, the war economy of the factions forcing them to explore Siberian resources to a large extent, discovering enormous reserves of gas, oil and minerals under the ground east of the Urals, reserves which began to be explored in a limited way to feed the war machine and now could be fully opened up for business. Capitalism was returning, with the collective farms (Kolkhoz) being abolished and private propriety restored, the task at hand was to reverse the brutal collectivization campaign enacted by Stalin against the peasants, especially the Kulaks, members of the middle class in rural Russia which were "Liquidated" by all means, from starvation to deportations and executions. Ironically, Stalin's decisions to send many of his enemies to Siberia played a key role around 1946 in destabilizing his dominions and gave a reliable force of loyalists to the advancing White Army, if only for sake of vengeance.

    What came between the Civil War and the Ural War was a push for industrialization unseen before in Human History, a militarization that could only be compared to the Third Reich itself, the concept of a Nation-at-Arms would be redefined through the effort of the Empire to prepare itself against an inevitable rematch against the Iron Eagle. The United States, at first hesitant, would begin to change it's rhetoric and actions after the 1952 elections. Huey Long saw the decline in the Isolationist policies proposed by Secretary of State Burton K. Wheeler and his administration, under some influence of Vice-President Patton, decided to show strength through Russia, an unprecedented flow of capital and investments which was many times compared to the Pre-WWI Industrialization effort by the Tsar in collaboration with the Entente, preparing the infrastructure of the Nation towards war. Not everything was necessarily directed towards a break-necking speed growth of a Military-Industrial complex however, as Railroads began to cut through Siberia, connecting ports such as Vladivostok and Magadan to the rest of Siberia and reducing the overreliance on the Siberian railway. To support such growth, the Kuznetsk Basin, one of the largest coal deposits in the world, would become one of the new Industrial heartlands of Russia. While Stalin's plan for evacuating the West Russian industry to the east was considered by many as unrealistic, it did achieve some level of success, not enough to replace the losses caused by the Wehrmacht, but later it became the foundation for massive Metalworks in places such as Magnitogorsk. The average growth of the Russian GDP between 1953 and 1956 was of 20%, a miracle by all accounts, and much of it was achieved not only through the booming introduction of capital once barred by the Stalinist regime, but also by the mass industrialization program embarked by the Tsar's government. Many sacrifices were made, conditions in factories being very far from ideal, but the very notion that these machines would one day be used to save Russia, a propaganda point which was constantly shouted by the State, made many be willing to commit to those sacrifices, and whenever there was hesitation, one merely had to point to the other side of the Volga and the millions of refugees who fled from there.

    When it came to governance, Kislitsin was essentially the Russian Warlord, many times compared to Admiral Kolchak or Chiang Kai-Shek in China. The aging lover of Vodka was very much the opposite of the Tsar he claimed to act in name of. Andrey was traumatized by the Revolution, living his years in Britain until he was properly "encouraged" to head to Vladivostok and reclaim a decades-lost throne. He was not exactly a Liberal, he was not even a politician, but ironically he was a man of arts who found himself leading one of the largest forces on the Planet. The Warlord and the Tsar had their clashes, the hardline policies of the "Legitimist Monarchist" were many times countered by the Tsar who found himself surrounded by advisors who wished to pull him from one direction to another. One of these men was the American Lawyer James B. Donovan, who acted as a bridge with the United States government. The Lawyer, former naval commander during the Pacific War, became known after standing in the Tokyo Trials, helping to present evidence against General Okamura on his orders to destroy the City of Nanking as part of his Total Retreat to the North coast. Eventually he gained the attention of Halsey, the Supreme Commander of the Occupation Forces, who recommended him to his personal friend General Patton, the now Vice-President had decided to make him into an Advisor to the Tsar in 1953 after Wheeler was fired from the Secretary of State. Donovan would earn the Tsar's trust in time and would prove himself crucial in the coming years, he also advised the Tsar on the framework for the Constitutional reforms in 1955 which reduced the tensions between Ivan Ilyin's supporters in the Duma and more Liberal-minded groups in favor of a compromise.

    Vladimir Kislitsin's health declined, but despite the disagreements he stood by the Tsar when Hitler died in 1951. Both knew that the opportunity for a Russian attack was there, but despite former Soviet and White Army officers alike calling for blood, both awaited to see the position of the United States. Despite the reforms, the Russian Imperial Army was still very far from a force capable of challenging the Wehrmacht, especially as there were no other comparable armies in the continent who would stand by them. Only a direct US intervention, as the Tsar himself warned Long, would motivate Russian troops to cross the border. As that did not happen, the war was avoided, but the quasi-war in 1951 ensured that the threat of the Wehrmacht would continue to be alive and a constant source of vigilance to the people. Kislitsin would die later that year, and once his position as Supreme Commander was made vacant, the Tsar made himself the head of the Imperial Army to ensure no other strongmen would take the Warlord's place, finally the Assembly, now renamed as Duma, would be able to function with a certain amount of freedom.

    Yekaterinburg was the Imperial Capital and seat of the Tsar and his family, mostly as a statement against Bolshevism in general, but Russia did have three distinct Capitals: The High command of the Imperial Army in the City of Omsk, and the seat of the Duma in Novosibirsk. The Ural Mountains were Russia's natural defense, and Yekaterinburg's proximity was seen more as a liability which made it vulnerable to bombers and even capture, which explains why Perm was not even considered as a seat of power despite the fact it was one of the largest intact cities in the country. The reason for this decentralization, as with the reconstruction itself, was military by essence. Following the detonation of the German Atomic Bomb, the fear of a potential strike that could cripple the country led to the creation of different seats of power and constant relocations by the leadership of the Army and the Tsar. Few had access to knowing where Andrey was sleeping in one night, or where a military exercise was taking place, and many times that was not even happening above ground. Operation Sunset showed that the Japanese bunker system, which could mask entire bases under apparently small civilian areas, was very much effective to avoid the capture of High-level commanders, indeed even in the 1950s, Japanese bunkers were still being found manned by fanatics in the Mountains of Kyushu. By orders of the High command, entire bunker systems, made to resist powerful nuclear blasts, were built in cities such as Perm, Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Irkutsk, Vladivostok, Magadan, Novosibirsky, Tomsk, Tyumen, Akmolinsk, Magnitogorsk and even as far North as Norlisk.

    As far as changes in the military structure went, Russia was badly damaged ever since the Stalinist purges in the High Command, and the distinct doctrines and adaptations made during the Civil war had to be restructured into a single force. Old officers still insisted in the use of cavalry, at the very least as hit and run units, other advocated for an abandonment of traditional warfare entirely and turning the whole Russia into a hunting ground for Partisans. Ultimately, the bad blood between Reds and Whites had to be set aside in the face of the fearsome and proud force of the Wehrmacht. The Germans outnumbered the Russians in 1948, although there was a redeployment of forces and retirement of Wehrmacht units in 1952 due to Hess' attempts at reaching an Entente, those same forces began to be built up again by 1956. A war was coming and all could see it, the question was how Russia would fight it. The arrival of American advisors, many of them experienced in the Pacific War, brought insights on how to support partisan units more effectively. Although the majority of the groups had been wiped out by the sheer brutality and the lack of care from the Germans about "civilian casualties", the remaining groups began to regroup, especially in the Caucasus where a large part of the German oil supply came from. Admittedly, there were few US army officers with experience of massed tank combats, as those were an exception in the Pacific conflict which saw them deployed en masse by the Japanese only in a few engagements such as Saitama, but Patton brought many officers who did participate in the Russian expedition to lend support, such as General Bradley. The KV tanks did show a good capacity in engaging the Panzers during the war, they were outdated against the German E models, the standardization of the Wehrmacht armored forces following Hitler's death and the increased effectiveness of the Luftwaffe, which was considered practically an equal to the USAAF thanks to Hess' fascination with aviation and Kesselring's effort in coordinating Air-Land battles, showed that any conflict would be skewed towards the Reich's forces. However, American model planes such as the F-86, would begin to be produced en masse by the Russian growing Industrial heartland. Russian pilots still lacked experience in commanding Jet fighters in true engagements against the Germans, however, and Air Superiority would still be quite safely in German hands at least at the start of a war.

    What Russians always excelled at were attritional wars, which is precisely the kind of conflict the German "Bewegungskrieg" was made to avoid, the 1941-42 campaigns just showed how the Russian doctrine had become outdated, which is why the lessons of the war included the new methodology of "Defense in Depth", although it was far from a new tactic. Stalin originally had greatly sabotaged the Soviet effort with his orders refusing retreats in strategic moments such as in Kiev, Smolensk, Rostov, Stalingrad, and Moscow, his stubborness played perfectly in the German strategy to provoke enormous encirclements, such as in Kiev where around a million soldiers were lost in 1941, opening up Eastern Ukraine for Hitler's offensives, the Germans did similar maneuvers when capturing Rostov and crossing the Don, finally the encirclement of the Moscow Counter Offensive had destroyed any offensive capacity of the Red Army. The Tsar planned to do exactly the opposite, despite the pride of many officers being wounded, and no doubt knowing the consequences of sometimes leaving vast territories to be captured, he found it best to use the vastness of Russia to run his own type of maneuver warfare, a decision which was considered bold by many and was taken in secret. However, that still did not solve the German Air superiority and the Armor proeficiency of the Wehrmacht. One positive is that the relocation of several factories of the Ford Motors Company, which was an accidental effect of Huey Long's anti-business policies in America, and others would allow the Imperial Armed Forces to have a much more efficient logistical system than the Soviets before who at many times still depended on locomotives. Highways were built, ironically inspired in the Autobahn system, with the logic to resist bombardments and connect the main industrial hubs of Russia with military depots.

    Everything in the reconstruction, from city designs to even the painting, had the coming war in mind. Russia was the most militarized State on the planet and it was not only because of the German threat. In 1952, Mao Zedong would proclaim the People's Republic of China, with no small help from Soviet exiles, and quite quicky the two states were at odds with one another. Despite the propaganda, there was no real dispute between Germania and Beijing, as a matter of fact they had a common enemy, and Mao could be a surprisingly pragmatic man. While China and the United States had their own clash of influence in the 50s, which mostly concerned Korea and Japan, Russia had their own clashes with China over Mongolia. Shortly after the Civil War, Kislitsin ordered the invasion of the Communist State in order to secure a buffer Zone. The Cossacks had instated the old Bogd Khanate in place of the communist government, although many had called for the full annexation of the country, it was seen more like a burden that would overstretch the resources better spend at reconstruction. A low level insurgency by Communists loyal to the old government was supported by Beijing, requiring a non-negligible number of Russian forces to be tied down at the country to keep control over the frontier. Not only that, Port Arthur was seized by the ROC after the fall of the Soviet Government, a dispute which was inherited by the Empire, desperate for another harbor to connect with the pacific to reduce the overeliance to Vladivostok and Magadan, and the PRC which had no interest in negotiating with "Reactionaries". There were negotiations to avoid a full scale war, many times it was the intervention of former Soviet Diplomats which calmed the heads enough, and the fact the Chinese Army was still far more outdated than the modernizing Russian forces. Perhaps in a war of Russia and China, Russia would win, but it is undeniable that a Chinese strike in a moment where the Imperial Army was facing the Reich would lead to a likely capture of cities such as Vladivostok, Chita and Irkutsk that would give a death blow to any outside help coming from the West. That was something both Russia and the United States would wish to avoid, and Mao was able to leverage that threat to gain a Treaty of Non-Aggression in 1955 that led to Russia renouncing it's claims to Port Arthur and any proprieties once held by the Empire and the Soviet Union on Chinese territory, as well as the US giving some guarantees to Mao on his interests in East Asia, but Who is to say this would not be another Molotov-Ribbentrop?


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    On the Political front, between 1951 and 1954, the Duma would be dominated by another man, a former exile and Russian Nationalist named Ivan Ilyin. Previously a Philosopher and Jurist, Ilyin was perhaps the most prominent figure in the Russian Monarchist circles after the Restoration once he returned from his exile in Brazil, where he lived in the South alongside Russian immigrant communities after fleeing Switzerland in 1944. Despite his distrust of the United States and the Western World, he saw the restoration of the Autocratic Tsarist system as the salvation of Russia and decided to support the American intervention, arriving in Vladivostok in 1947. Ilyin had, ironically, seen Hitler's rise with relative positivity like many other Emigrees who saw them as the best hope to destroy Bolshevism, which they did, but he had quickly become disillusioned and was persecuted by the GESTAPO. Now he saw the growing influence of the United States as a double-edged sword which threatened the Russian way of life in a more subtle way than the brutal aggressiveness of the Reich, it might be a lesser evil but an evil nonetheless in his eyes. He was elected to a seat in the Sobor in 1950 and in 1952 he became the President of the Duma, appointed as Minister-President by the Tsar in the head of the "Rodina" Coalition. Political parties were still in it's infancy, seeking an identity of their own, former Bolsheviks attempted to run for seats following Kislitsin's death and despite the very much skewed system, they did achieve a fourth of the Duma's seats, but only allowed to seat under the condition to renounce their revolutionary methods and swear an oath of allegiance to the Tsar. Even then, Ilyin was skeptic of the former Communists, claiming they had no place in political life as it would threaten a repeat of 1917. The Tsar had to keep the fragile peace between former reds and both the old and new whites that was only kept due to the fear of the Germans across the border.

    Ilyin was not an easy man to deal with, his two years of rule were mirred by controversies such as his stance against the growing influence of the US, he approved a law on the Duma which set a large quota on the balance with foreign companies. American and British companies now were forced to spend 80% of their profits acquired in Russia to return in investments on Russia itself, a move which was widely encouraged by economic nationalists and, ironically, by Bolsheviks who called for harshness against the "exploitation" made by foreign capital. The one reason why many companies did not leave Russia after this law was the fact Long's government was not a much better alternative, and Russia still had a relatively cheaper workforce compared to the US where Unions still held a stronger sway than in the Anti-Communist Empire. The defeat of McCarthy in 1952 actually led to many companies to create subsidiaries in Russia to avoid the strong Anti-Trust legislation led by Estes Kefauver and other members of the Longist cabinet. Ilyin took all the advantage from this by selling his policy of economic nationalism as a great win and by 1954 his coalition held a supermajority in the Duma right on time for the fiercely debated Constitutional reform pushed by the Tsar. Andrey saw the split not only in the Duma but in Russia itself, many former Bolsheviks were beginning to feel uncomfortable with Ilyin's push for the Okhrana to detain leaders of the opposition for lengthy interrogatories and the suspicious way the 1954 Duma elections happened, such as fraudulent ballots and police officers preventing known communists from voting. His repression of any attempts to restore Unions was also widely unpopular to a generation of workers which was born in the 1910s and began to work under the cover of many laws made by the Soviets. Ilyin was a stubborn man, and the only one who could contain his power was the Tsar, which is why the Jurist made sure to become close with Andrey as a mentor figure, teaching him about the Russian past and traditions in his own way, being another of the advisors who surrounded the Tsar and attempted to pull him to support their motives.

    Unfortunately for Ivan, he was not immortal, he died in that very same year shortly before his amendments could be approved to the Constitution. The Elderly statesman, Vasily Shulgin, an Emigrèe who once was a member of the Duma in the 1910s, ended up appointed as Minister-President to oversee changes to the amendments, while matters such as the status of the Orthodox Church as State religion were unchanged, the reform also allowed for a relaxation of the Censorship and created several State corporations and social rights which were once given in the Soviet Union to workers. Women were allowed the right to vote for the Duma once again, however many of the old Soviet liberties were taken out of text as Ilyin had insisted on the need to pursue natality policies which were opposed to Soviet feminism, which also led to the prohibition of Contraceptive methods in general with few medical exceptions. Overall the Russian Constitution was still very much a reflection of the ideals of the White Movement, yet there were adjustments to appease former Bolsheviks and Liberals inspired by Western Ideals such as in Vladivostok. One thing remained unchanged: The Power of the Tsar was once again reaffirmed, and the Constitution, as with everything in the Reconstruction, had military purposes such as the compulsory 2-year conscription service and the extensive powers granted by Martial Law which quickly could allow the State to establish a military command economy that was even similar to Soviet Methods, as well as ensuring the control over the populance under the "Total Mobilization" policies.

    Now the countdown to the war had started and between 1955 and 1958, the Russian Military would receive an unprecedented amount of funding and support, as the Germans once again began to make headlines over their crackdown on religious institutions and consolidation of power, with Hess and Goebbels changing their Rhetoric to oppose external enemies, the mistakes of Stalin would not be repeated. The former generals of the Soviet Army were pardoned of their crimes by the Tsar's decree in 1956 under the condition they re-enlist in the armed forces as "Advisors". They did not have command of forces yet, being treated as a reserve as many feared the possibility of a coup, but they were allowed to participate in conferences and war games, coming into contact with American Advisors and their former enemies of the White Army. Anatoly Rogozhin, one of the leading officers of the White Army, once commented "The Reds cannot be trusted, but the Germans cannot keep breathing". That was a sentiment shared by many others in the Army corps, but soon their pool of knowledge did bear fruits. The endless training, expansion and modernization of the Armed forces produced one of the best defensive armies in the world, trained in both traditional and guerrilla warfare, modern infantry tactics used in the Pacific war being brought by the American advisors and readapted to the Russian Terrain, the standardization of camouflaged units to counter the enemy Air Superiority, the use of fast tanks and vehicles for Hit and Run strikes, alongside heavier units adapted from old T designs such as the T-55 MBT for heavier combats, it gave some sort of confidence to the Army. The Navy was a hopeless affair, as the lack of any major ports in the west would mean that any forces would have to cross from the Pacific, but it was also an advantage as that left the Russian supply routes to the outside world mostly protected from U-Boats who had their nearest base at places such as Goa. The Air Force was still outmatched and unexperienced, but the gap was considerably reduced within the decade. That is not even counting the sheer fanaticism that Russian forces, many of whom were refugees from the West, were willing to fight as nobody now could call the Hooked Cross a liberator, but a fate sometimes worse than death.



    And in May 1958, the day had arrived, all across the Volga the same War Machine which destroyed the Soviet Union and almost wiped the very idea of Russia from the earth was on the move again. A decade of preparation would lead to this day as bombers began to strike as deep as Irkutsk and a curtain of fire crossed the Volga to close down on Eurasia. The Ural War had begun.
     
    XXVIII - KRIEG IM OSTEN
  • THE IRON EAGLE
    KRIEG IM OSTEN




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    For the first time in fifteen years, war had erupted in the East, some called it the "Continuation War", others called it the "Third Patriotic War", but to most of the world it was known as the "Ural War", a conflict for the control of a territory larger than Great Britain. It was an unfinished business of Adolf Hitler, who stopped his legions at the Volga river, only crossing it to capture the cities of Kazan and Samara in the last days of the Russian Civil War, taking the cities as bridgeheads for a push that did not come, stopped only by his own mortality. But after years of planning, his successor Rudolf Hess, the man who introduced the very concept of an Eastern Lebensraum into the impressionable and radicalized mind of the Führer, planned to finish the job. The Wehrmacht was ready, from land, sea and air, to continue their relentless push to achieve the perfect natural frontier, once and for all ensuring that the entirety of the Continent would be under the commands of Germania. There was no doubt to most observers that the German Army, considered an invincible force, stronger than even the US Army, with advanced doctrines and technology, would be able to easily shatter the war-exhausted Russian State once again, this time a victory would not only deprive Russia of the remaining wealth of their western territories, but would also forever bury any hopes in the Continent that a liberation of the Slavic peoples was possible.

    The Tsar was determined to not let it happen, he would not have the fate of Stalin, he would not have the fate of his predecessor Nicholas and lose his throne and life to the Germans. Twice did a German State invade Russia and twice did Russia collapse into a bloody period of war which killed millions because of said invasion. From a Reactionary Empire to a Revolutionary State, both of them had once failed, he could only hope that in this third time things would be different. Russia had spent a decade preparing for this war, everything from city designs, cultural life, political system and foreign relations had in mind the idea that one day all the Tens of Millions of citizens would be mobilized. Which is why on the very day the invasion began, the "Decree of National Resistance" went into effect, activating the Clauses of the Constitution that imposed the War Time measures of Russia: Martial Law was declared, citizens could be ordered to vacate homes whenever necessary, the conscripts would have their service extended indefinitely, every weapon could be used from grenades to chemical gas, non essential business and commercial stores were shut down for the war effort. In Germania, Rudolf Hess spoke on the day of the attack with Goebbels and all the high ranking figures from Party Chancellor Wegener to SSK Reichsführer Reinhard Heydrich accompanying. He spoke passionately to a crowd about "Hitler's Last Command" to bring forth a war unlike any ever seen in the east, a war of devastation, a war that would bring the extinction of the Slavic peoples who threatened the Reich, a war which would ensure the Eastern territories would belong to Germany for a thousand years and beyond, forever cleansed from terrorist guerrilla groups. But while the Germans spoke of total war, life had continued mostly unnafected in the West, but in the East, the Empire adopted this atitude from the first moment. This would be a Total War, because if they lost, there would be no Russian Nation left.

    The Command of Operation Hindenburg was given to Field Marshal Adolf Heusinger, former Chief of Operational Planning of the Wehrmacht during the last war who took the place of Heinz Guderian after his death in 1954 as Chief of Staff of the OKW. He was placed as overall commander of the Eastern Forces, in 1957 at the recommendation of Paul Wegener, while he made Hans Speidel, former Chief of Staff of General Erwin Rommel, his Chief of Staff. Speidel was a man of a certain dubious loyalty, as he had many contacts with members of the Schwarze Kapelle which attempted a coup in 1951 following Hitler's demise, yet he was found innocent of any involvement, being redeployed to the west as a sort of political exile. The Eastern Campaign began with Heusinger splitting his army into two distinct forces: Heeresgruppe Nord and Heeresgruppe Sud, Army Group North and Army Group South. The Northern Army, led by the veteran Ernst Busch, was headquartered in the former city of Niznhy Novgorod, now mostly reduced into a military center after the mass depopulation of the East with most of it's citizens fleeing across the Volga. The Southern Army, commanded by the elderly Erich von Manstein, praised as one of the greatest military minds in the Reich, was headquartered in the former Samara, which also was mostly converted into a military and logistical center after deportations. The two forces were supposed to push towards the foot of the Ural Mountains, specifically the cities of Perm and Orenburg, capturing a vast territory through a fast advance fully using the advantages of the modern Wehrmacht and it's "Shock and Awe" tactics to overwhelm the Russians right at the border in the Volga, while using the bridgeheads in Samara and Kazan to break through the Imperial defenses and encircle their forces near the river. The Germans counted on their reputation, as the Russian people would refuse to give an inch of land after knowing the fate of the west, and breaking static defenses was one of the reasons why the Wehrmacht won the first war to begin with. Heusinger gave a promise to the High Command that Russia would collapse as it once did before the first snowflake had fallen.

    The War began on the 15th of May, a Thursday, at Four AM in the local time before the Sun could rise. The sound of Thousands of guns thundered in the air, while Russian radio operators detected several bomber groups crossing the border. German Jet fighter-bombers, flying at low altitude, struck the Radio and communication centers of the Russian Armed forces near the border in order to break their coordination. The Russian Air bases as far as Izhevsk and Perm would be struck by the Luftwaffe, yet the resistance proved itself above Kesselring's expectations as British-imported radar systems detected the approaching Jets, allowing the Russians to launch their own fighters in the air as thousands of planes engaged in air battles. But the battles all followed the same standard, they were short and undecisive, with the Russian planes fighting in order to flee and abandon their own bases to cross the Urals. The Tsar was awoken from his bed and immediately taken to an underground bunker as High-altitude bombers from the Luftwaffe began to unleash Incendiary bombs for morale effect against Russian cities all across Siberia. There was little resistance outside of AA fire, but the damage was also nothing compared to what happened in the previous war. The rebuilt Russian Cities had changed, with wide streets and brick houses making the combat against the flames easier, all while the population would be awoken 15 minutes before the strike, being evacuated to underground bunkers. The Planned morale damage, the tactic of a terror war, had not succeeded in the first day, and while the great majority of German bombers were able to return, they did little other than spending bombs across Siberian towns.

    When the Heer began to cross the Volga, using a combination of Fallschirmjägers and coordinated artillery fire to capture bridges before they could be demolished, the Imperial army followed the same behavior of the air war. At every opportunity the Russians retreated to avoid encirclements, and while the German losses were low, so were the Russian losses, Manstein commented in a report to Heusinger that "The Russians learned", but that information was ignored at the time.What information was sent to Hess was that more territory was captured in the first day than even their best expectations, the Russian lines melted following the Werhmacht's overwhelming strikes. However, as town after town fell, there was little fighting other than the occasional resistance of the Russian rearguard, and when coming across villages, the Germans found nothing but ashes, with burned down crops and salted lands, many soldiers dying as they refilled their canteens with poisoned water. The Sewer system of the town of Yaransk was blown up in a sabotage, flooding the natural sources of water in the city with filth. A farmhouse the German troops came across near Dimitrovgrad had been abandoned by it's occupants, but a booby trap led to the entire building explode as the Methane gas of the manure was detonated under their feet. A gas station in the town of Petrovka would explode as German soldiers approached to refuel their tanks, detonated by Russian rearguard units which continued to do similar stories all across the frontlines. The Wolf was being baited deeper and deeper within Russian Territory and the noose was beginning to tighten around it's neck while the arrogance of their commanders blinded them to the danger they were in.

    It did not take long for the Partisans to strike, the abandoned towns were result of a forced evacuation order, with the entire male population of some settlements, including boys as young as 13 in some cases, while in other situations many women were either conscripted or volunteered to follow their husbands, brothers, fathers and sons into a dangerous task. Weapons were distributed, while also most of the Russian populace at this point did possess experience with firearms after the Bloody decade, guerrilla units similar to the ones used to ambush convoys and scavenge resources during the war were formed. As the Germans advanced, they remained infiltrated behind the lines, with several of these groups crossing the Volga as the Reichskomissariat became undermanned, contacting old Partisan units in Moscowien, Ukraine and the Caucasus to launch strikes. Commando units of professional soldiers began to train and lead said groups to launch hit and run strikes. In the east, the number of guerrilla attacks increased to a level unseen since 1951, settlements were attacked, ammunition depots were either plundered or detonated, convoys and railroads headed to the front were detonated, the SSK quickly became overextended to deal with this level of insurgency, which was above what Heydrich expected. Naturally that would lead to reprisals, with local slavic towns being destroyed, a pattern similar to the ruthless tactics in Yugoslavia began to emerge as SSK commanders began to execute 100 slavs for every german killed, many times taking them directly from camps to be shot.

    Meanwhile, the successes of the battlefield were coming to the Wehrmacht, the air superiority in the west allowed them to strike many retreating Russian columns, others made desperate defenses to allow other units to escape eastwards. It was hard to say there were proper frontlines in this conflict, as the large territory and the highly mobile forces on both sides made the conflict more fluid, contrary to the German expectations, the faster Russian forces were many times able to strike the flanks of armored columns and vanish into the forests. The Luftwaffe could only do so much as the Russian airforce engaged in similar behavior, using the faster American jets to strike at concentrated groups of German spearheads and retreat shortly afterwards. When Izhevsk was captured, the city was found to be in ruins, with the factories being detonated with explosives. But when the Germans captured the town and later continued their advance, Russian forces in the deep underground bunkers would come out and retake the city, striking at the garrisons and vanishing once again, a pattern which began to tie down several troops until said bunkers began to be cleared up. In the case of said city, a defector showed the Germans the location of the air vents and entrances of the tunnel system, which would be sealed off in concrete, only one air vent being opened for Chlorine gas to be pumped down to kill the Russians inside. However, in most of the cases there were no deserters, as all knew what would be the fate of the Slavic people if the Germans were allowed to win.

    The International condemnation came quickly, in Britain the faint hopes of a detente which were fed by Hess' cuts on naval expansion and pullbacks on the Middle East were crushed alongside a Prime Minister and the entire British establishment, that would later lead to disastrous consequences in London. For now the response from Britain was condemnation of the expansion and a pledge of material support to Russia, although logistics for the Empire were costly after the loss of the Suez and India, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Hong Kong would serve as "Stops" before reaching Vladivostok, and lending support through the Middle East became Impossible after the Crisis with the Pahlavi Dynasty and the Second Levantine War. Still in Europe, the Linz Pakt members made a token gesture of support for the Reich, condemning Russia as a terroristic state threatening the peace and civility of the continent through the support of partisans and the pursuit of a nuclear program. But the actual help varied, with nations such as Romania going as far as to send an Expeditionary Force of 50,000 troops (And the Hungarians doing similar mostly to curry favor with the Reich in the old Transylvanian dispute), to Italy who was far more reserved and instead redoubled their own internal efforts to ensure the control of the Mediterranean, the aging Mussolini still being skeptical over Germania's motives and being pragmatic after the Church persecutions caused outrage across several sectors of Italian Society. Finally, the United States had changed from the Isolationism of Long's first terms, and the Ural War was seen as the first opportunity of a large-scale engagement against the Swastika, the President received large support when he declared "Support for the Brave peoples of Russia in their war against Tyranny and Slavery". Like never before since the Pacific War, tanks, planes, trucks, weapons and ammunition were loaded on cargo ships and sent across to Vladivostok, one such ships would lead to the closest the world has ever been to war since the death of Adolf Hitler.

    But support would not suffice to save the Russian Imperial Army from the initial onslaught of the Wehrmacht. Rather, many times it was the conflicts within the Reich that saved many Russian units, namely the complete lack of coordination between Heydrich's SSK and Heusinger's Wehrmacht in the East. An entire encyclopedia could be written about the amount of times Russian troops managed to escape an encirclement because Waffen-SSK units had divergent goals from the Wehr units, and although Ideological doctrination was increasingly common in the Wehrmacht (namely thanks to Wegener's efforts), there was a clear divergence in the priorities between the two groups. Heydrich had seen the conquest in the East as a great boon, seeing the conquest of new territories as a way to further expand the influence of the SSK, as the newly subjugated slavs would have to be supressed by the Security Forces, he could get, as Himmler did, a Blank cheque to establish his own dominions in the territories, especially the resource-rich Volga basin and the mineral wealth of the Urals themselves. There were even proposals to go further and secure a "Buffer Zone" between the Ural Mountains and the enormous Ob river, no doubt that land would lead to a sharp increase on the budget of the Security forces as that would effectively double the conquests made since 1941 in the East in a hard terrain to be pacified. Speer had already entered in contact with the SSK Main Economic Office headed by Rudolf Lange, one of Heydrich's supporters who was placed there after Pohl went to the NSDAP treasury office (and was later retired by Wegener), the logistics were already being organized with a census of the citizens based on old Soviet Archives in Moscow, RSHA information and statistical estimates based around fertility rates. As such, the Waffen-SSK many times showed more concern in capturing refugee groups while the Wehrmacht had different tactical objectives. The SSK was planning for the Post-War world, already believing a victory to be granted, while the Wehr, more often than not, was concerned on achieving said victory, and the disdain between the two camps did not help in fostering a better cooperation.

    On June 25th, the Wehrmacht came across their first major obstacle in Tchaikovsky, a city which covered one of the crossings of the Kama river, fiercely defended by Russian Forces. The 13th Panzer Division led by General Walther Wenck was ahead of it's supply lines, seeking to secure the crossing of the river in order to push eastwards across both banks of the Kama and strike Perm from both South and West. However, Russian Major General Vasily Shaknovich, a former Soviet Lieutenant who was readmitted into the Imperial Army in 1949, would not allow for the armored corps to strike, commanding a defense that on paper outnumbered the Germans, but up until that day, Panzer Spearheads were thought impossible to stop in a frontal defense. At first he ordered all bridges over the Kama river to be rigged with charges, detonating as the German troops approached, on the 28th, using Pontoon bridges, Wenck was able to cross the river to the South near Sarapul, heading Northeast in order to cut off and encircle the city. Unexpectedly, instead of retreating to avoid the encirclement, the Russians would attack the Spearhead while a tank force, mostly consisting of Light Tanks and even including old Soviet models, would come in from the south and strike the Germans from the flank. The Luftwaffe launched an attack from the air, which caused large damage on the Russian armored force, but the Infantry ended up revealing itself to be the Queen of the Battlefield, with the use of small squadrons armed with American anti-tank weaponry, and the new camouflaged uniforms helping by making the troops blend into the woods, a surprise was made when the Infantry almost suicidally attacked the tanks from behind on the battlefield, but the Germans had a critical flaw on the design of their tanks, they were made with an armored war against the massively mechanized forces of the US in mind, the E-120, one of the main German MBTs, lacked proper anti-infantry weapons, and light tanks were in many times sacrificed to develop MBT's instead in the Wehr budget. The Air superiority was what the Germans had counted on to suppress the Infantry, however the new camouflage and squadron tactics of the Russians, instructed by American officers experienced from fighting the Japanese, had proved a better counter against the German planes. The Hubris of the Wehrmacht after 20 years of Invincibility would finally backfire when the news spread of the 13th Division's disastrous failure in capturing Tchaikovsky, naturally the German press suppressed the news, but the Russian propaganda machine showed the entire world that the Panzers COULD be defeated.

    There were many tactics which followed this route as the Armored Spearheads of the Wehrmacht advanced far too quickly for the infantry to catch up. Nearby SSK units could even refuse to help sometimes out of internal rivalries which had been encouraged by an essentially Social Darwinian Ideology indoctrinated from the top. There were reports of disdain by commanders, who considered those foolish enough to get harassed and even surrounded to be "intellectual mongrels which the Reich is better off without". On the Russian side, the fact it was universally known what defeat would lead made a supposedly "divided" nation look and act united, while a "united" nation faced internal squables and rivalries which were in no small part encouraged by their Hubris and the very environment where officers graduated. But even with the Wehr taking surprising losses in the first two months, a very considerable amount of land was taken, Heeresgruppe Nord was reaching the gates of Perm, although still unable to cross the River Kama, while Heeresgruppe Sud began the encirclement of Orenburg. Victory was behind schedule, but a victory was a victory either way, August was still away from the mud season or the winter season, the environment was not going to save Russia, but the delaying tactics did allow the Imperial army to form a formidable defense behind the Kama and Belaya rivers, while fighting still happened between Samara and Ufa, essentially the Imperial Army was pushed back to the Urals, yet it was relatively intact compared to more pessimistic estimates. Meanwhile, the first foreign expeditionaries began to arrive, from former Soviets in China to Frenchmen who just wanted a chance to shoot "Greyshirts", several different groups began to coalesce, arriving in ports such as Vladivostok and Magadan. Leading by far was the role of the "American Advisors", a growing number of troops which were nicknamed by the Russians as "Greysons". Why? There are theories, one of them being the fact many Americans have a surname with the suffix "-son" at the end, and so that was added to the Grey winter clothes the first volunteers used when arriving at the Frontlines. Others claim it came from a man named Zachary Grayson, commander of the first platoon of American volunteers in the American expedition back in 1947, his group became known for his surname and eventually that extended to all American troops in the conflict.

    Regardless of the limited success and the growing number of volunteers, especially in the air, the German Army was still the dominant force, achieving it's first goals of reaching the foot of the Urals, but while Orenburg starved in the south, on the center the city of Ufa stood, and the City of Perm was still a formidable defense to the North. Over Two million soldiers had been mobilized all across Russia to defend the territory. Heusinger gave a halt order in July, a request by the SSK in order to divert soldiers to a counter-insurgence action against partisans striking around the village of Almat, and the city of Samara. The Wehrmacht established positions while the city of Orenburg resisted the siege, General Otto Ernst Remer was placed in charge of the encirclement of the city after the initial assault was repelled, the Ural River was another of the Russian defensive lines, this one being particularly vulnerable due to the lack of natural features to protect most of the land between the former Samara Oblast and Kazakhstan. Under the command of Prince Fyodor, the Tsar's brother and a former student in the Tsarist Army. Fyodor had grown a more experienced commander, accompanying his brother to Vladivostok and being given a command due to the critical lack of professional officers loyal to the Tsar himself, he finished his graduation and, mostly due to nepotism, ended up entrusted with the Defense of Orenburg. Despite an ill health, Fyodor proved himself worthy of a command after repealing the initial assault, devising a scheme to keep the city sustained by smuggling supplies from across the Ural river. Remer several times attempted to complete the encirclement but it would take until October for that to happen.

    However, the halt order proved to be a costly mistake as it gave away something the Wehrmacht relied for years: Initiative and Speed, the basic elements of the Bewegungskrieg. The Imperial Army was under nominal command of the Tsar by this point, with every decision being made theoretically by him. In practice, the Omsk War Room, situated deep in an underground bunker to avoid the risk of bombers, was filled with people who used to slaughter one another until a decade earlier. Reds and Whites, and new Imperial officers, each had their discussions and Andrey had to consider the input of each one of them. He was no Napoleon, however he knew how to delegate tasks to those more capable than he was. The defense of the Perm-Ufa region fell down on a former Soviet Marshal Vasily Chuikov, one of the men who would spend the last ten years "imprisoned", Chuikov was a man skilled on defensive warfare, rising through the ranks during the Civil War when facing the German-supported White Army from the West. A strong defense had been established in the area while Heusinger was seen as overtly cautious by the OKW, although the German Marshal argued that it was necessary to issue a halt order to secure the logistical infrastructure broken down by Russian saboteurs and constantly harassed by Partisans. Hess began to pressure the OKW over the lack of results in July and August, except for the capture of Vyatka in the Northern Front in late August after a brutal urban defense, the city was in ruins by the time the German troops marched on the city center and the SSK moved in to round up the supposed "Partisans". The Vyatka Massacre was a return of the old days of the Commissar Order and the Einstaatzgruppen, with over 3,000 civilians being rounded up in a mass grave and executed. These Massacred continued to prove to the Russians and the World that the rumors brought by refugees of the Reich might have a scale far greater than what was imagined.

    Finally in September, Heusinger ordered the Assault of the Perm-Ufa line in what proved to be the largest battle of the war up until that point. In the skies, the Luftwaffe struck down on airfields, radar stations, and defensive positions, with the Russian Air Force, growing with an increasing number of international volunteers, especially from the US, giving a bloody fight with tons of metal falling from the skies as both old propeller and new jet planes faced eachother. Anti-Air guns were brought forth as the German rocketry experiments proved themselves to be more than propaganda, many of the Flaks of old now replaced with high-speed rockets which exploded at certain atitudes, very efficient against amassed bomber formations, not so much against fast jets. On the ground, German engineers, under the cover of thousands of artillery guns exchanging fire at one another over the river, would launch pontoon bridges that allowed for the Tanks to advance. The so-called "Fall Grau" (Operation Grey) was the assault on the Russian defensive positions in September, at points overwhelming even the well-established defenses through a combination of Air and Land strikes, including Kesselring's feared Fallschirmjägers, paratroopers which captured strategic Russian air bases in the area to prevent the refueling of the Air Force. However, the Werhmacht estimates proved to be optimistic once again, as in half of the estimated crossing points, the Russian defenses held against the German assault. Bridgeheads were established on the other side of the rivers, in the Bashrikian territories further south, German troops had arrived at last on the Ural Mountains, but that would not suffice. Rudolf Hess was decisive in demanding that a statement was made, that the Slavs are shown the cost of continued defiance, and since the crossings near the city of Perm had failed, the "Gateway to the Urals" became the perfect target.



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    The day was October 5th of 1958, a Sunday morning in the City of Perm, a city which stood defiant against every assault that has come from the West, but in that morning everything had changed. Across the river, the Germans brought in their new weapon, a powerful canon derived from the Schewer Gustav and Dora guns which once shelled the defenses of Leningrad. It was the "Wotan", a Nuclear Artillery, one of the dozens that the Reich had in it's arsenal. Taking aim from over 40 miles away, the Canon's sound was heard from afar when it's shell was fired. The Reich did not send it through bombers, after all air raid syrens could reduce the effect of the weapon. The 30-kiloton load would head right for the City, aimed at the downtown, and for the second time in history the Atom was released on war, almost a decade of Nuclear tests leading up to this moment when the blast was a flash seen for miles. The German troops retreated from their positions on the days prior on the other side of the river. The doubts of the soldiers being silenced as they saw the Mushroom cloud, being given Iodine pills and an especialized equipment to strike the city once the heat and radiation had reduced to more liveable levels. But when they went to capture the city itself and crossed undisturbed on the 8th, the sheer terror of what happened would be told for the days to come. Perm was one of the cities which was specifically chosen in order to host an enormous network of underground bunkers and defenses. The German retreat and reports from partisans of the approaching Wotan gun warned the defenders of Perm, as a result, not more than a thousand were killed when the city was struck, and when the Vanguard crossed into the destroyed piles of concrete, Russian troops with radiation suits struck from all sides, artillery shells and air strikes catching the Germans by surprise as the Pontoon bridge was destroyed. The radiation, despite assurances, was still at a lethal level in the city, and so many of the soldiers who fought in the battle would die within the following months, and yet both sides fought ferociously on the ruins before the German Vanguard finally surrendered on the 16th. The Germans brought the most powerful weapon in the world and yet it was not sufficient to break the Russian defense in Perm, in fact it would only cause the shock of the entire world as red alerts were raised everywhere, panic spread with fears of an imminent nuclear escalation, and soon enough the Russians would launch their own retaliatory attack, for the first time in 20 years it was Germany itself which would be targeted.

    On the Port City of Rostock, a Finnish vessel would approach the Harbor on the 27th of October, the city was busy and bustling with the trade on the Baltic Sea which brought in products from the Reichskomissariats in Sweden and Baltics, connecting also with the former Saint Petersburg. But now, that vessel was not Finnish, even if it had a finnish flag and name, and when it arrived at the docks, an enormous explosion shattered windows and eardrums from miles away. The "Fertilizers" were, in fact, explosives, and in a suicidal action, a group of Ukrainian former refugees, trained in infiltration tactics by the Russian Army, would detonate the ship in the largest explosion detected in Europe in over a decade, striking Germany itself as a retaliation over the Nuclear bombing of Perm. Ironically, those explosives would kill more than the feared Nuclear Weapon by striking at the German heartland itself, crippling the operations of the Rostock Harbor for over a week, while the explosion also detonated a nitrate storage, which is the main reason why it was so deathly. The failure of the SSK came mainly from the arrogance of Heydrich himself, a man who walked with few bodyguards, if any, and believed himself untouchable, and as consequence so was Germany. Any terroristic attacks were relegated to the wild eastern lands in his mind, and now he would receive the fallout by being scolded by Hess and Wegener over the security failure in the Rostock explosion, which also exploded the carefully constructed myth of invincibility, as not even during the World War did Germany ever get struck by a large-scale bombing such as that one according to the Government propaganda. Speaking of Propaganda, Goebbels would go to the Media, stroking the fears of the people about the growing Slavic beast in the East, calling upon the Germans to strike at the enemy without mercy, unleashing upon them a "Total Destruction" unlike any the world had ever seen. The Nuclear Taboo was broken to the Reich, just as their own myth of invulnerability, and all of the Continent saw that as the first weakness ever shown by Germania ever since the death of Hitler. But by the end of the Decade, Germany would no longer hold the nuclear monopoly over the Europe either. Heusinger would be sacked from his position after Case Grau failed to capture the cities of Perm and Ufa, being considered overtly cautious and replaced by his complete opposite. Field Marshal Ferdinand Scörner, the Butcher of the East, would take operational command of Operation Hidenburg, and he would be sure to follow Goebbels' words: Total Destruction.

    And so, the first snowflake had fallen, and Russia was still standing.
     
    XXIX - LONGMERICA
  • THE IRON EAGLE
    LONGMERICA



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    The challenge that Huey Pierce Long Jr. had before him in 1953 was the greatest any American President has had to deal with when it comes to Congress. From defections and elections, the "Kingfish" Party, as the Populist Party was known, had acquired around a third of the seats, a considerable number and in fact a plurality, but it was still far from breaking the hold the Democrats and Republicans had on the country. Indeed, even with support from members of the two other parties, Long failed to elect his Vice-President in the continuous election and just barely won his own reelection over McCarthy. And if he thought Roosevelt was an irritating partner, having a personality like George Patton by his side was even more so, the man was not a politician and the only reason he got so far was because McCarthy wanted to monopolize the votes of the millions of Veterans and their families by employing a charismatic commander who fought in the Pacific all the way to the Volga. Cabinet meetings were such a nightmare to handle that the President preferred to meet his advisors separately, Chester Nimitz himself had some rather strong opinions on the Vice-President, however he kept those private unless asked of him and was rather content that at least Patton could pressure Long into giving more funds to the Naval modernization program, which included the conversion of vessels into Nuclear Submarines, if only because Patton's constant rants could be so irritating that you would give him what he wished just to not empty your bank accounts in medicine for your headaches.

    Of course the main problem was the Senate, the Populists were a minority even more than they were in the House, which meant constant compromising with either the party he betrayed or the party which was being increasingly associated with opposing him. Richard Russell Jr. one of the strongest leaders of the Southern Democrats, fought a war on the deep south against the rising populists which was only made worse as the NAACP started to make moves to use this political divide to push for changes, and differently from 1948 under Thurmond, many saw the White House as a potential ally. Huey was one of the least segregationist southern politicians, which was not exactly a great achievement, simply because he did not touch on racial rhetoric and instead diverted towards supporting a more wealth-based rhetoric which was helping black and white voters alike. With the powerful Klan crushed by the FBI as it was caught by the Grey Scare, the terror which kept many communities oppressed had vanished within weeks. Now there was still a lot of opposition to a Civil Rights movement, especially as the Democratic Party was even more entrenched in Segregationist rhetoric as progressive southerners defected to the Kingfish. Long himself did not wish to stroke the fires of these movements, he wanted to keep the focus on a war against the "American Elitist Establishment" which so benefited him, although there were those in his Cabinet who believed that breaking the disenfranchisement of Black Voters and having the credit for it could swing the deep south solidly towards Long and break the Democrats. For now he would take the middle way, as shown in his speeches as he so many times avoided engaging in any mention over segregation, instead he spoke of the plight to the Americans in general and even criticized the posturing of the NAACP once in 1954:


    "Even if I were to abolish tomorrow the segregation of seats in buses, that would not make a difference if you cannot pay for a bus ticket."
    His program for the next four years, and if it was up to him it would be far more than only four years, was to push for further progressive reforms such as the creation of the "American Medical Program", which involved a push for sanitation of poor communities, vaccination campaigns, and the creation of a National Healthcare System, a proposal once raised in Britain by Clement Atlee which had narrowly failed in 1944 due to concerns over the spending, which would likely require great cuts in the military spending as many critics said. Long met with the former British Prime Minister and the two spoke of this proposal, with the President returning and introducing it as a proposal for his 1952 election program. Naturally the Republicans, especially fiscal conservatives linked to McCarthy, were adamant in not further expanding the hold of the Federal Government over economical sectors such as private healthcare, although many were more afraid that Long would too corrupt such agency. During his first term, Huey Long had spread his influence all over the country, from Federal to local agencies, one thing that the public did not yet see was just how truly insidious that administration was, especially at the use of Federal funds. Naturally the FBI, which was now firmly in the control of the President, did it's part to keep that silence and make sure the powers of the executive were felt at even small organizations. One of Long's first actions was to use the Grey Scare, ironically the fires that McCarthy raised only gave more power to the one the former Senator feared most. Employees were called out for Fascist sympathies, German organizations were closed down, even a crackdown was launched against Italian mobsters across the Northeast US, all just to create vacuums that the President began to fill with those he deemed allies. A lot of political influence was being gained by this witch-hunting campaign as the Federal Government went beyond just cracking down on the Klan, but all was fair game when it came to protecting the nation from Un-American activities.

    But the first of the issues the President had to deal with was his own stance on foreign affairs, especially as he wanted to keep his mental sanity when being at the same government of Burton K. Wheeler and George Patton. The former saw the election as a vindication, to show that the definitive war hawk politician had lost against Long in the popular vote and in the House. But the latter saw that the Roosevelt voters were also opposed to isolationism and that polls showed a significant divergence in the American people as the years passed since the end of Operation Sunset and Hitler almost brought the world to war, the Suez War being seen as just the latest incident and many believe that had Long been more decisive on Egypt, China and Brazil, he could have easily won the election (It was more likely for hardline Isolationists to not vote at all) in the College. While the matter of the Electoral College would be brought up later, Long saw the coming midterms of 1954 as the great trial for his experiment, to expand the base of supporters he had on State legislatures, State governments and in Congress. The Democrats were abandoning their isolationism, Northern Democrats being increasingly drawn towards the Republican Party and the Southern Democrats trying to keep them in the same team by doubling down on the militant rhetoric of James Roosevelt. Even former isolationists, such as California Congressman Jerry Voorhis, had abandoned much of their previous isolationism, yet the party's drift towards supporting McCarthysm still made the Congressman join the Populist Party during the split. Although he would be defeated by the Republican Richard Nixon, Voorhis' combat against Oil companies and support for Longist programs gained him an office in the Secretary of Commerce under Estes Kefauver. Long was, above all, a Populist who could change his rhetoric with the national mood, and so Wheeler resigned in May 1953, citing health problems, retiring to his home state of Montana, writing his Autobiography published in 1955 where he overall paints a positive view of Huey Long, defending himself from accusations of "cowardice" and defending his isolationist ideas, some say it was his proposal for the US to leave the United Nations which led to the ultimate demise of the former President and Secretary who acted much like a mentor figure to Long since his early days in the Senate.

    The change in the American foreign policy came with the new Secretary of State Dean Rusk, former assistant in the War Department and recommended by none other than George S. Patton. Rusk had once served under Admiral Halsey, who recommended Rusk to Patton as the President was seeking someone to breathe in a fresh air on the Secretary which was filled with Wheeler's isolationists, many of them veterans of the 30s who were quickly aging. Besides, Rusk was very experienced in the matters of Asia as he served as an advisor during the occupation of Japan, which was crucial as the post-war order in the Continent was falling apart. The victory of the Communists in China, which included the loss of Taiwan due to Long's inactivity, had emboldened the Communists in Korea which was quickly becoming the next flashpoint in East Asia. Successive governments in the Peninsula had failed to establish themselves, the longest lasting around 16 months, with the amassing Chinese army at the north, the assassination of President Lyuh Woon-hyung, one of the founders of the Republic, would serve as the spark for the Korean Civil War as Colonel Paik Sun-yup launched a coup in March 1953 in an attempt to restore order by crushing the Communist insurgents over the country. The severe repression and alienation of the moderate elements only deteriorated the chaotic situation in Korea as open conflicts escalated between well-armed Communist insurgents, which included even former Soviet commanders, and the Korean People's Army. By the time Rusk came to the White House to meet with Long, who did not ask him much about Europe, in fact Long desired to show strength first in Asia as a message to Rudolf Hess and to appease interventionists at home. Rusk was asked about what he would suggest be done in Korea, at first the President was recommended to send advisors to the country to surround the new President Sun-yup or, if not possible to guide his actions, to seek "another guy" to be a better compromise. After that meeting, Dean Rusk would become Secretary of State to guide the new direction the United States was heading to, putting an end to decades of debates over isolationism and interventionism, for now at least.

    Foreign matters aside, Long's main priority was always the United States above all, even if he did scale up involvement in Russia and Asia, as well as an increase in the Military Spending, his main priority as of now was to secure the approval of the American Medical Program, for that he had gained a crucial ally in his main uphill battle: The Senate. While a very reasonable number of Congressmen had progressive leanings, as well as association with "Longist" ideas, the Senate was still dominated by Democrats and Republicans, with many Democrats still feeling betrayed and the Republicans being associated with McCarthyism, it seemed impossible that the Program's proposals would pass, not without being butchered at the very least, until came the addition of a young Senator named Lyndon Baynes Johnson, known as LBJ. The Texan, an admirer of Huey Long, had raised up in the local politics thanks to local connections and his style. Johnson was what many could call "a bully", similar in many ways to Theodore Roosevelt, he knew how to get his way despite very strong opposition, being able to intimidate and manipulate his opponents and strongarm bills quite masterfully into approval. Despite his alliance with Richard Russell, he was one of the first to join Long even before the creation of the Populist Party, quickly gaining the reputation as the "Shark of the Kingfish Party", as many were associating the Populists with Fishes at this point. As the leader of the Populist Minority in the Senate, Johnson fought for the bill, claiming it as the "Greatest American weapon against Death" in one of his speeches, which quickly made the proposal be called the "Immortality Bill" in an ironic way. Many of the remaining Northern Democrats decided to give support for the Bill, as it aligned with their own ideas of expansion of social welfare, and even a few Republicans, it was barely enough to pass the House, but by the end of the year, Long received a phone call that the bill was approved in the Senate even before the voting began. It passed, creating the "American Healthcare System" (AHS or Americare), an idea which likely would have never been approved if not by the progressive spirit of the Long Era, which saw an unprecedented expansion of the Federal Government and it's powers.

    By the end of the year, Long's popularity was reaching new heights, appeasing the Interventionists by showing the developments in the Pacific and Siberia, supporting the American poor and middle classes through the AHS, the boom in the infrastructure works caused by the expanding road systems and electrification of rural areas in the Midwest, as well as new sanitation programs in the Deep South, especially at poor communities along the Mississippi river. Joseph McCarthy, on the other hand, was a broken man after his defeat, retiring from politics and falling further and further into alcoholism in his home while hundreds wanted to sue him for the damage caused by his accusations of Fascism and Communism. The American right had seen successive failures since the World War, but one of it's few remaining triumphs was to successfully keep Prohibition alive, even if the provisions of the Volstead act were not as enforced, the age of rationing was over and while the Grey Scare was successfully associating Beer as a German drink, the same could not be said of Whiskey as many Americans considered it the quintessential American drink. Alcohol consumption had lowered since the 1920s in a permanent fashion and, with the destruction of the Klan, there were not many moralist groups left to keep the ban around. A proposal was introduced by the Republican Party to repeal the 18th amendment and make the Prohibition of Alcohol a State issue, that suddenly propelled Prohibition to a level of debate not seen since the Hoover and Wheeler Administrations where the amendment was once almost repealed. National polls showed that, while many Americans had grown to disgust the very consumption of alcohol, the majority did support the end of a National Prohibition, which was also seen as a way to combat the crime rates in large cities. In October 1953, the 18th amendment was repelled by the 21st amendment, ending over 30 years of alcohol prohibition which left a large impact on American society. In some ways, the Temperance movement won as several states continued dry laws and the consumption of alcohol by the average American had dropped to less than a fourth of the Pre-1920 levels, except for an expected spike in 1954-55, the newer generations had grown accostumed to prohibition, the movies and propaganda for years associated drunkenness to Germans and Italians, the former with beer and the later with wine, which was greatly helped by the fact one of the leading figures of the Reich, Robert Ley, was an uncontrollable alcoholic. The discovery of several health effects from alcoholism such as the association with liver cancer would also keep a certain level of awareness to the subsequent Americans. As a substitute, many resorted to Coffee, which had intriguing effects on the American diplomacy with the Integral State of Brazil.

    1954 arrived with changes in the Judicial makeup of the Supreme Court, a potential tip in the Balance. Of the current Justices, 4 were appointed by Wheeler, 2 by Thurmond and 2 by Long, the one left of the Hoover Administration, Owen Roberts, died early that same year due to an illness, which allowed Long to pick someone to tip the scales. The Court was made up of Four "Progressives" (Three appointed by Wheeler and one by Long) and Four "Reactionaries" (One by Wheeler, Two by Thurmond and one by Long), so far, Owen had managed to keep the balance in favor of Huey, which allowed him to pass several of his progressive reforms despite numerous cases where Congressmen raised the matter to the Court on 10th amendment violations. Long, with the help of Johnson and his own tricks, was able to approve a Progressive, although it would be more accurate to call him a "Longist". In fact, all the three Justices appointed by Long so far were "Longists", they never voted against matters where there was the personal interest of the President involved, such as his programs. A consistent defense of the Federal Government's prerogatives was common amongst these men, and Long planned to continue to appoint those as he made his own safeguard in the Judiciary, after all he couldn't afford that years of hard work for his reforms be thrown down the drain for sake of "States' Rights". However, it wasn't just Southerners who were worried about the Executive Power's growing influence on the Court and it's activism, there were those who feared the overreaching of the Executive Power such as Senator Barry Morris Goldwater from Arizona. The defeat of both MacArthur and McCarthy has made the American right see the need to reinvent themselves with a new personality, but as of now, it could be defined by it's uncompromising opposition to Huey Long, who many saw as a Dictator in the Making, a Caesar who used populism to harvest the support of the masses and destroy the foundations of the Republic. Long did not see himself that way, neither did his supporters who by now were a majority of the American population as shown later that year.

    The 1954 Midterms was a time of change in the United States, the long established party machines of the Democrats and Republicans now had to deal with an ever stronger power on the top, which unlike any other, desired to shatter both of them. Governors and Senators in the Midwest, seeing the winds shifting, quietly began changing allegiances as the first polls were coming up, many expecting a great "Fishing" for the Kingfish, from Texas to Ohio and Idaho, the center of the US was solidly switching towards Long and the President was far from idle. He wished to endear himself to the people, while avoiding major controversies, but also to suppress his enemies by using not just the FBI but the growing strength of the Presidential Office, understanding that he could not outspend the corporations he had alienated. First he would strike a blow through the "National Security Act of 1954", creating a new agency, the CIA. The Central Intelligence Agency, appointing William J. Donovan, head of the wartime OSS, as the head of this new permanent agency, made in order to "Protect the United States against foreign espionage and sabotage", namely to avoid incidents such as Pearl Harbor and the San Diego bombing by improving the American intelligence services. However, the CIA also immediately began questionable tactics as it's first named priority was to investigate potential RSHA agents within the American territory, which led to the arrest of several figures accused to be associated with the German Reich, something which was supported by the population at large, ironically by Long's opposition as they had associated themselves with Joseph McCarthy. It was also discovered that many of these figures, in contact with Fascist-aligned elements in American society, had indirect links to prominent politicians who just happened to be outspoken critics of the President. Of course, not all of them were arrested, but just being under investigation on a campaign year in a country filled with paranoia at the slightest mention of a German word was even worse than imprisonment.

    Similarly, the subsequent "American Protection Act" came to officially prohibit organizations which received funding or engaged in commerce with foreign countries considered "Hostile" to the American people, a measure which was helped by the compulsory registration of such companies made by the Wheeler administration in 1941. It did not extend to just the Communist Party of the United States or the German-American Bund, but even charity organizations were closed down by these acts. German Companies such as Volkswagen, which were de facto banned due to the embargo, were now also de jure forbidden from stepping on American soil. Several companies had to either close their ties to China and the Pakt countries, or come under the watch of the FBI. One of these was the Ford Motors company, which was found to be still in association with several corporations in the Rhineland and Germania, for sake of Patriotism, the company was exposed of doing so, the subsequent crash in their shares would be a critical blow to a company which was one of the great lobbyists of Long's opposition that year. Even German movies were forbidden or heavily censored due to the propagandistic nature within them, such as the colossal "Titanic" made in 1947 which possessed Anti-Semitic and Anti-British elements included within, despite being considered by many a cinematic masterpiece of the time. These acts merely officialized several of the atitudes of the Grey Scare, while also introducing new elements which made the suppression harsher and officialized, with a certain bias towards figures which were considered Hostile, not by America but by the President.

    The appeals to American Patriotism, the Growing economy, the booming living standards, the appeasement of Interventionists with a harsher line to enemy states and Long's personal "charisma" in the campaign trail which included the funding of his infamous "War Chest" would lead to nothing short than a wave of support towards him. Never before had one President benefitted so much from a Midterm election, even in the deep south there was an unexpected success with the election of the Progressive (for local standards) Judge George Wallace in Alabama. The profile of the candidates of the Populist Party was of generally young figures, war veterans, riding the wave of support for progressive legislation of the age and the popularity of the President. Many seats were won even in the Senate, while the House was swung in with several older figures retiring. The propaganda showing the novelty of the Populists was very effective to at time where many people had associated the changes coming from above to improvements towards their personal lives, from Education to Healthcare, Long now had enough support to push for more radical policies of his own benefit.

    Long understood that the greatest advantage of local party machines was the extensive use of Gerrymandering of electoral districts in order to achieve a majority when there just wasn't one. After all, he was a politician from Louisiana, he knew plenty of how Gerrymandering was organized and how the 10th amendment gave the States the prerrogative to organize their own districts. However, he also saw that this was the reason why there were still many establishment politicians who could stay indefinitely in their seats when he was trying as hard as he could to break these machines, which could only go so far by using the limits of the current laws. Which is why in February 1955, the Populists in the House made a proposal to enforce that voting districts should follow the administrative boundaries of the States, which meant in practice that the entire system built over by regional machines would be turned overnight with enormous new districts following proportional representation in places such as New York City. Although there were proposals for a 22nd amendment to abolish the Electoral College, the President understood that would go in too far, besides the current system still benefitted the APP due to it's overwhelming advantage in rural areas thanks to the great investments the Federal Government made in these places. However, the proposal failed in the Congress as far too many politicians, including progressives, depended on the current system to keep their seats, that meant that the bill was doomed to fail, although it reached a close number in the House, the Populists still lacked much in party discipline when it came to voting.

    Naturally that meant the next step to get his victory was to head over to the Supreme Court, Long's legal team went to work just as he appointed his fourth Justice, bringing it to a mostly friendly branch when it came to his proposals. Yet it was still reliant on Wheeler's appointees supporting Long, at least one of them had to, and upon screening the court, the President's cabinet reached the conclusion that attempting to bring the issue of Gerrymandering to the court would be a failure by 5-4, that is if he could count on all his appointees having an interpretation supportive of his own. The President still had options to ensure a friendly court, coming down to two in April 1955: Either expand the number of seats to 11, with Lincoln as precedence, or create a retirement age, which would allow him to remove two of Wheeler's appointees within a year. Both matters were fairly controversial and Huey had to choose wisely where to spend his political capital as the situation in Asia deteriorated, tensions rising in Japan and the War in Korea bringing in the fear the President held for decades that foreign entanglements could divert public attention from the problems he was facing at home. On a more positive news, living standards and GDP continued to reach new heights in the 50s, even with China and most of Europe closed down for trade, thanks to the development of small business after the harsh anti-trust actions and breaks in monopolies held by companies after the Pacific War, as well as the cheaper access to new technology such as Television. Long had the public support, so he believed that appealing to the public could win him his cause. But before he could bring in his own fight, the SCOTUS was caught in a much more complicated affair that has existed long before him.



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    On the 14th of April of 1955, a decision would come out in a decisive case on the matter of Racial Segregation of Schools in America. The case "Heatherston v Board of Education", originated from an action moved by the NAACP in Arkansas, called the inherent inequality in Segregated Schools, demanding those to be considered unconstitutional on the basis of the 14th amendment. However, the Board in Arkansas defended that segregation did not produce an inherent inequality, arguing the principle of "separate but equal" was constitutionally allowed, so long as there was no legal discrimination, the States were free to make their own laws. Naturally, the two justices appointed by Thurmond agreed with the Board, the three other Justices appointed by Wheeler, initially mixed on the matter of judicial activism, decided to stand in favor of desegregation. The White House watched the proceedings very carefully through the Department of Justice. The President knew his word would carry a heavy weight on the decision as he appointed 4 of the justices, which meant that his current complacence on the Racial debate had to be decided. Right now he could weight in a precedent that would protect segregation for decades, no doubt southerners would be thankful. However, he knew his growing popularity in the North would take a hit if "his" justices voted to support a policy as despised as Segregation. Besides, if the court favored desegregation, it would allow the Federal Government to use the decision to enforce desegregation, while also making the Democrats be more easily convinced to support his Court-Packing plan by showing the Supreme court as activist entity which required "Fair and Neutral" Magistrates to direct it. Long's instruction was to "vote according to what you believe just". The case resulted in a landmark, barely achieved by a 5-4 vote, which forced desegregation on a Federal level to educational institutions by making segregation unconstitutional.

    As expected by everyone even outside of America, the result of such divisive issue was to divide American society and make the matter of Civil Rights go from the edge to the center of public discourse, and yet Huey Long believed he could play both sides of this matter and gain the support of both. As the uproar consumed the southern-dominated Democratic Party, LBJ began to work his magic. While the discourse on Civil Rights was running up on the news, secret negotiations, intimidation, bribery and blackmail were ran by Long to push for what he desired. It was a very tight vote, and yet the Judicial Provisions Act of 1955 was passed with the Populists and Democrats, as well as a few Republicans, pushing to counter the Supreme Court as many southerners believed the President would counter activism in the branch while northerners believed he would be rid of the Justices holding back on the push against injustice. In the short term, indeed Long benefitted from doing his part in setting Civil Rights as an issue, with the Supreme Court expanded to 11 Justices and Long now holding 6 seats, a majority with which he could do as he wanted to protect his legislation and push against questionable acts he opposed, such as Gerrymandering. In a landmark case against Gerrymandering, the concern was raised that the practice disenfranchised local communities by separating them according to racial and economic profiles. The court, by a 7-4 vote, supported that the drawing of districts could be subject to Judicial Review if there was conclusive evidence that the districts were drawn with the intent of breaching the 14th Amendment, a similar logic to the Heatherston case where the court would intervene decisively to curtail a practice which treated citizens "unequally".

    But while the President was expanding his powers, stroking fires of social discourse for his own benefit, and reforming the American Welfare system, his greatest trick by allowing the Civil Rights issue to arise was to prevent the unification of his opposition. Democrats and Republicans, after the 1954 election, had been increasingly fearful that the more dynamic Longist system, which could appeal from progressives to even certain types of conservatives under a charismatic figure, was the greatest threat American Democracy has ever faced. The continuous comparisons of Long to Caesar, Robespierre, Lenin and even Hitler were not completely unfair considering just how much he had empowered the executive office and had essentially gathered an army, in their view, of welfare recipients loyal to him. His recent "Homestead Act" as some called, made it all the more acessible the purchase of Real Estate propriety in small towns as a form to counter the Urban sprawl, which was helped by the Interstate road system, farmer subsidies, electrification and improved sanitation of the American rural areas. Long had the undying loyalty of farmers and laborers alike, despite his weakening of the Unions he did push for more favorable worker legislation and cracked down on large companies which were barely accountable by the Federal Government before him. Besides, the rumors were more and more certain that he would run for a Third term, being a moderate on the matter of Civil Rights while his opposition was being fractured by it. Northern Democrats began to defect from the party over it's southern dominance, however Populist governors such as George Wallace and Sid McMath were becoming the new trend in the south, inspired by Long's example, who helped the poor man and attempted to remain neutral on Civil Rights. Which is why the Democrats desired to stroke the flames of Racial Rhetoric in the South, using the Supreme Court as a tool of fearmongering to rally the southern whites against Long. In response, the Northern Democrats flocked to the Republicans, alienated by the new Segregationist push within the Party. The GOP was becoming the leading opposition towards Long, but they also had their own divisions as the matter of Social Welfare clashed against the growing support towards Liberal economics, first attempted by McCarthy and now pushed by men such as Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona. The Republicans were turning quite harshly against segregation, attempting to win over Northerners over Long's moderate atitudes. In this matter, the President had unleashed a monster which could tear, among other things, his own party apart.

    But it was still 1956, the final year before the elections and the situation in Europe would soon give a boost to the White House. The brutal Crackdown made by the Reich against dissenting Protestants and the Catholic Church would lead to a reaction of outrage all across the Christian World. Already hostile, the Brazilian Integralists would completely cut ties with the Reich, in fact it would be Salgado who approached the United States that same year, meeting with Secretary Dean Rusk and Vice-President Patton in a summit between the so-called "Leader of the Latin Axis" and the US representative. Both sides agreed to ease the hostilities with one another and issued a joint condemnation "In the name of the Christian World" against Germania. It was the first time a leader of what some called a "Fascist Regime" had agreed to talks with America. While the opposition used the occasion to call Long an "appeaser" and "Collaborator", for most of the Americans it was seen as a positive for the US to begin making inroads to repair their relationship with other states in the Continent and reduce the threat posed by German missiles in the Caribbean, and with alcohol being more of a Taboo, the opening up of commerce with Brazil led to a boom in the consumption of cheap coffee to the American people as the South American giant was launching it's ambitious agricultural program. The reaction within America was to start associating Nazism with Paganism, although that was an element which was essentially suppressed within the Reich after Heydrich took over the SS from Himmler, there was no lack of movies which depicted the Germans as worshippers of Nordic and Germanic gods of old, while Americans were dutiful and faithful Christians. Long, who for a long time had incorporated Christian principles and references in his speeches, benefitted from this increased religious spin to the Cold War as the Election year came.

    The Republicans were divided on the nomination process, McCarthy, drowned in alcohol and legal charges of slander, was not a wise choice to run. Patton had refused to run against Long, wishing to retire back after a frustrating term as Vice-President, although he achieved his goal of pushing the US towards a more active international role and continue to isolate the Reich. William Knowland, known for being a more "reasonable" right-wing leader who was pushing for an escalation in the Korean conflict to crack down on the growing Chinese influence in Asia, was the leading candidate during the nomination until the persecutions unleashed after the Victory day in Germany began to change the focus of Americans. He still continued virulently focusing on Communism and the threat of China to Korea and Japan which could reignite the Pacific War and also sabotage the efforts of the United States in supporting Russia. Knowland was also one of the leading figures of the Republicans in the Senate, which made him reconsider his Presidential bid seeing as his Asian-focused proposals and opposition to some of the more popular programs enacted by Long were pulling him down in some polls. Another Californian, Richard Nixon, was a rising name in Congress over his virulent anti-fascist stance, but he was still considered too junior as he was only able to win a seat in the 1952 elections, Nixon was also considered by some as too Conservative on the Civil Rights matter, others claiming he was too liberal in it too. There was the need for a more "reasonable" candidate after the failed bid of Douglas "Glass Germania in Nuclear Fire" MacArthur and Joseph "Everyone is Hitler except for me" McCarthy.

    But before the Republicans and Democrats could convene, on the 19th of May of 1956, during a visit to Chicago, Illinois, President Huey Long, at the height of his power, would be the target of a conspiracy. While leaving the city hall, a man would pull out a pistol and fire three shots at his direction before the President's security fired back at the man, two of them missed, but one had hit the most powerful man in the Free World on his chest. He would be rushed to the hospital and stuck between Life and Death.
     
    XXX - DONGFANG HONG
  • THE IRON EAGLE
    DONGFANG HONG


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    A quick glance on the History of the Cold War, at least in it's initial phase, makes it easy for the student of history to miss the rise of a Third Bloc, but at the time the rise of Mao Zedong and his regime in China was hardly unnoticed in the United States, especially due to efforts of the McCarthyst campaign to show the rise of Mao as a rebirth of Communism, an ideology that many believed to have died with Iosef Stalin in 1947 during the fall of Novosibirsky. Efforts of the Russian government to whitewash the reputation of the Red Army, whose experience was vital for the Ural War, were reflected in America by centralizing all the blame of what happened to the Soviet Union on the shoulders of Stalin, Lenin and the Politburo. But in China the view was different, the fall of the USSR was hardly emphasized as a tragedy, indeed it only benefitted the struggle of Mao and ensured that only him would carry on the torch, the fact that many Soviet officials and Theorists preferred to dedicate themselves to the Revolution in Beijing was shown as evidence that China was meant to carry the torch of Marxism. Mao, son of relatively well-off peasants, would now become the paramount voice of Communism, for the fall of the Soviet Union opened up new opportunities that would never have been permitted if Moscow was still the leading voice of the Proletariat. Communism no longer focused on a fight in Industrial Cities and Urban Workers, although the push for Industrialization was still always present, Mao showed it instead as a Revolutionary Idea for the peasantry, the so-called Maoism, and as seen in places from Korea to Peru, the traditional marxist theory had changed and adapted into an Anti-Imperialist crusade by the rural people of underdeveloped countries waging guerrillas to overthrow Urban Capitalists. This Impact, which later in the books was shown as the rise of the Third Bloc of the Cold War, would only be seen in a larger scale during the 1960s, but for that one has to study the beginning of the People's Republic and how the torch was passed.

    When the Sun touched the land in Sendai and the Japanese Empire fell, Asia was left devastated by a decade of struggle, if not more, From Indonesia to Manchuria, the final year of the war which began with Operation Sunset saw the death of an Emperor and a suicidal struggle against a worldwide coalition. But there was nothing but a deep sense of relief and Celebration all across China, Communists and Nationalists alike took to the streets to celebrate the end of a war which killed tens of millions, most of them Chinese. Famine, Hyperinflation and Devastation had ceased for just one day when Victory was announced. Japanese remnants would still continue partisan attacks, especially in Manchuria and Korea, for years but the heaviest part of the war was over. Peking, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, so many cities were reduced to rubble by the retreating Japanese Forces as they were pursued by the Chinese Armies. Still they were able to inflict such heavy casualties that victories tasted like defeats, with tens of thousands dying only to capture cities reduced to rubble and fire, targeted with chemical and biological weapons alike as the IJA turned on their own collaborators out of a mix of fanaticism, paranoia and a dreadful sense of imminent death. In the Countryside, the Communists militias benefitted most as the IJA's little control completely collapsed and small towns saw them as liberators, or so the official history says.

    The first pressing matter was the status of Manchuria. Puyi, the Emperor of Manchukuo and former Emperor of China, was still seated in Changchun with his brother Pujie, who was the de facto ruler following the coup on the 22nd of January, attempting desperately to reach a compromise with the US. Between the 22nd and 25th, and even afterwards until February, Japanese forces fought against the forces of Manchukuo, however most of them obeyed the orders of General Kita and stood down, most of them being retreating IJA forces from the Chinese campaign. In that chaotic couple of months where many were unsure whose orders they were to follow, the NRA halted it's push at the border of Manchukuo in order to repair the destroyed infrastructure in the area. Beijing became a point of contention as the forces of the Chinese Red Army, soon to be renamed as People's Liberation Army, had claimed the control of the city following the liberation. The tenuous alliance of the United Front threatened to collapse even while collaborationist forces still occupied one of the main industrial heartlands of China. During this impase where Chiang demanded that the NRA be allowed into the city, refusing to cede control of what was still the symbolic Capital of the Republic to Mao's Red Forces, the Manchurians attempted to reach to the Thurmond administration and play on the President's anti-communist and hatred of Chiang to invite American troops to secure the independence of a Manchu State. However, the proposal was declined, despite the fact the US collaborated with Japanese allies in Russia, they refused to alienate the Chinese by doing the same and supporting a puppet government of Japan. Pujie had hoped to reach an agreement similar to what Sukarno won in Indonesia, but that effort did nothing to delay the inevitable.

    In February 1947, the Second Sino-Japanese War resumed as the Chinese forces advanced into Manchukuo against the demoralized garrisons and the local armies made up mainly of conscripts who had little stake in fighting for Puyi. Although the Manchu State could not be saved, the Emperor managed to secure to his family an escape route to Japan in return of standing trial, submitting himself to the future Tribunal of the Far East. The Conflict would end around March once Chinese forces reached the Yalu river, the Manchukuo rump state collapsed and the Civil War was about to restart once again, it was a conclusion that in hindsight all could see, but the Thurmond administration, fearing that a reignition of the war would threaten to spill over in the ongoing Russian campaign, attempted to impose a peace agreement between Chiang and Mao through the Gauss-Hurley mission, named after the US ambassador to China Clarence Gauss and General Patrick Hurley. A ceasefire was imposed from above as both parties were in talks over a new Coalition Government, where Mao proposed to recognize Chiang as President in return for the end of the persecution of the Communist Party enacted by him. Mao was a man who knew very well how to play with the public opinion of the Americans, especially since the Ambassador despised Chiang. General Patrick Hurley and many Americans at the time fell into the trap of believing Mao was a man similar to Ho Chi Minh, a Nationalist fighting with a popular flavor who had little in common with communism other than name, a man they could cooperate with as it happened in the Indochina campaign, in fact the General claimed that Mao did a far greater effort in fighting the Japanese than Chiang did, claiming that the Nationalist leader had taken the credit for the successes in the Three Rivers campaign that were in many ways atributed to the actions of the Communists. The Ambassador believed Mao was a better alternative for the US to deal with than the arrogant and increasingly unpopular President of China, yet he still desired to keep the appearance of neutrality during the mission. The greatest consequence of this mission was the fact that during the negotiations for it, the sale of weapons to the depleted NRA was suspended by the US, alongside other measures of economic and military support.

    Between 1948 and 1952, China would end the last deathly phase of the Civil War, the failure of the Gauss-Hurley mission and the breach of the Ceasefire would lead to the attack by the NRA against Mao. But before that, through 1947, the fall of Manchukuo would lead to a race by both parties to capture the rich Industrial lands of Manchuria, which is where the suspension of US support came to hit the NRA the most. As Patton's Russian campaign progressed and the tales of Stalinist atrocities returning to the US led to uproar, the USAAF began to move more assets towards the North, which hindered the Airlifting campaign of the NRA and allowed the Communists to consolidate control over the Manchurian countryside and most of it's largest cities, even sometimes including deathly sieges. There was hunger in China, the infrastructure devastated by a decade of war and scorched land left the Nationalist government vulnerable, especially as corruption only grew as the funds required for the reconstruction seemed to disappear, many believing the influence of Chiang's wife, the Finance Minister and Premier T. V. Soong and the so-called "Four Families" continued to creep inside the government to make sure that even weapons needed for the National Republican Army disappeared into the Black Market. Inflation skyrocketed, the countryside was left abandoned in many areas and Mao's rhetoric of a radical agrarian reform sounded more and more tempting to the 80% of the population of China made out of poor rural peasants. The Ceasefire allowed Mao to consolidate his hold over Northern China and even start the reconstruction of Beijing, mostly as a piece of propaganda as many saw the abandonment of the Chiang administration and it's contrast with the efficiency of the CCP. It also helped the fact Mao was able to seize many Japanese weapons deposits during the offensive, most of those in Manchuria still left intact due to the suddeness of the New Year's coup and the retreat of the IJA into the region. Now with around a Third of the country under his control, Mao's power had to be challenged, and so Chiang broke the negotiations in March 1948 after a year of unproductive talks.

    First came two main offensives of the NRA, aiming at Yan'an and Beijing, the center of command and symbolic capital of the Communists respectively. But defections warned the the Chinese People's Liberation Army of the enemy's advance. Lin Biao, commander of the Red forces, employed a strategy of passive defense, at times surrendering control of major cities to the larger Nationalist forces and wearing them down through attacks in the Countryside and taking control of smaller towns. Despite the NRA's initial successes, the social situation to the Nanjing government went from bad to worse, to the point that in some places the offer of a simple meal lead to thousands defecting to the Communist Forces. Millions of troops on both sides clashed through 1948 and as 1949 came, so did a new government in America. Huey Long, the new POTUS, was a man who saw the foreign intervention in China as a distraction at best and a conspiracy of weapons manufacturers at worst, it did not help the fact Burton K. Wheeler was the Secretary of State, guiding the New President's foreign policy with the same hesitation he had when he had the White House between 37 and 45. Thurmond had given support for Chiang in 48, with the end of the Russian expedition leading to a resumed flow of weapons and financial help to Chiang, while the Kuomitang's Generalissimo finally fired T. V. Soong from his Ministry following the hyperinflationary crisis. Long cut that support within the first month of his government, deciding to leave China to it's own devices and not desiring to taint his reputation by supporting a "Self-Centered Warlord" halfway across the world after half a decade of fighting in Asia.

    In 1949, the Communists seized the initiative, launching the Liaosheng campaign and capturing all of Manchuria, finally achieving a numerical parity with the NRA. The hesitation of Biao and the PLA's generals was contrasted with Mao's boldness, believing that the end of US support for Chiang would give them the decisive advantage. Furthermore, Mao was supported by new backers from the North. Tens of thousands of Soviets, officers, technicians, soldiers, party members and even former MGB officers had fled from Russia after the fall of Mao and the surrender of the Red Army troops, those who held a greater loyalty to Communism than to Russia itself desired to help the rising Red Star, seeing Asia as the future of the Revolution started in Moscow and a base from where Russia could be retaken from the Reactionary Whites. Chief amongst them was Soviet Marshal Vasilievsky, former supporter of Stalin who defected following the Marshal's agreement with Patton. As a former figure of the Interwar Stalinist regime, he still kept contacts which helped smuggle support to Mao, arriving in early 1948 to support the PLA's war effort by serving as an Advisor alongside a group of former Soviet officers known as "The Russian Clique". A man experienced in over a decade's worth of warfare, Vasilievsky supported Mao's bold strategy, identifying the weaknesses of the NRA such as the lack of supplies and low morale, something he was far too familiar with as a Soviet officer.

    Between 1949 and 1952, Three large-scale offensives were launched which shattered the NRA and it's resolve to fight, millions fought across Northern China in the lands poisoned and burned by the IJA. Once triumphant in marching to the North, the Kuomitang's forces now retreated in defeat while social tension and paranoia grew in the still rebuilding capital, studends were seen by Chiang as a fifth column, infiltrated communists, strikes and protests were harshly cracked down to the point hundreds would die between 1950 and 1951 in such marches. Mao was seen as a more attractive alternative, although many new defectors would be quickly shocked by the brutality of the PLA, as Mao's tactics of capturing the countryside and sieging large cities led to the starvation of over 3 million civilians between 1947 and 1952. By the time Nanjing fell in December 1951, during an unexpected winter offensive that crossed the Yangtze river. The fall of the Capital led Chiang to flee to Guangzhou, while the PLA secured vast swatches of China, soon enough the Kuomitang was in an unrecoverable position and many proposed for Chiang to flee to Taiwan. First he refused and fled westwards to Chengdu, perhaps hoping to repeat the resistance made against the Japanese, but a Civil War is completely different from a foreign invasion. He attempted to mobilize supporters from Tibet, but those proved insufficient against the sheer advantage of the PLA and the lack of experienced troops following the defeat in the Northern campaigns forever changed the balance of the Conflict. Finally, in March 1952, Chiang called for a retreat to Taiwan, but in his way to the Island, his transport plane would be shot down over Fuzhou, beheading the leadership of the Generalissimo (although he had stepped down from the leadership of the KMT months earlier).

    Finally, on the 1st of May, choosing a symbolic day for the Communist calendar, Mao proclaimed the new People's Republic of China, the PRC, in the rebuilding city of Beijing. Despite fears of his safety, the event happened without incidents, beginning an new Era to all of Asia and reigniting through all the world the fear of the Communist Specter, which now ruled over roughly a fifth of the world's population and one of it's largest countries. The Kuomitang still kept fighting, through guerrillas in Yunnan until the late 1950s, while the resistance on the Islands would fall to the invasion of both Hainan and Taiwan later that same year. Only the American fleet could have prevented such attack, but there was no desire by the Long government to interfere on the Chinese conflict, declaring that Taiwan was a legitimate territory of China. Even before Taipei fell, the United Nations decided to recognize Mao's PRC as the legitimate Chinese State out of pragmatism. Further military campaigns in the follow up of the civil war included the conquest of Tibet, which not only was accused of supporting Chiang's War effort, but also it was out of ideological reasons, opposing a Feudal Theocracy, and finally to secure the control of the Himalayan mountain passes and the springs of some of the most important rivers in China including the Yangtze and Yellow rivers. Initially there were tense negotiations, but a quick military action was able to "convince" the Regency of the Dalai Lama to accept the terms offered by Mao, being incorporated into China while keeping a level of Religious autonomy.



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    1953 arrived and so did a new era for both China and Socialism. Without Moscow, Mao was free to issue his own directives of how his nation, and ideology, should be organized from that moment on. Soviet Communism was always focused on the more mainstream Marxist thought of an Industrial proletariat, a revolution made by Urban workers and brought outwards into the countryside, a policy that also brought terrible consequences under Stalin as he purged the Kulaks in 1929. Mao, especially after the Long March, held a much different view which did not reject industrialization but changed the emphasis of the Revolution to Peasants. That was an idea far easier to achieve in a country where cities were devastated and most of the population lived away from them in the fields. Which is why the Land Reform was the first priority of Mao's government with the War against the Landlords, the Revolution sweeping all across the continental-sized nation through the fields as the Party began the redistribution of lands into collective farms. Needlessly to say, as with many of Mao's policies, hundreds of thousands would suffer, if not millions, the milennia of control of the countryside by large Landowners in China was broken as the Communist Party began it's crackdown, a Classist Genocide as some called it, lynchings were far from uncommon but the majority of the Landlords, as well as former Kuomitang associates would be brought to work in a system not very different from the Soviet GULAG system, the Laogai system of forced labor, emphasizing "Justice through Labor" to correct the ideological mindset of the ruling classes, although in practice anyone who was considered a Reactionary was sent there, including former poor soldiers of the Kuomitang or even just family members.

    On the outside, China would see the conflict in Korea arise as the country descended into Civil War. The Korean Peninsula had enjoyed a short honeymoon in the late 1940s with the end of Japanese domination, exiled political parties and leaders would flock to the country with the idealistic spirit of rebuilding their nation. It was similar to how many Russian Whites went for Vladivostock in the hopes of rebuilding a post-Bolshevik Russia. Initially the United States gave it's support to the endeavor, the creation of the People's Republic of Korea on the 28th of January of 1947 was the beginning of a new age, although the nascent country would struggle to be born as many Japanese officials refused to accept the surrender, many claiming that the betrayal of the Collaborators in Manchukuo had to be avenged, as well as the spill of the Emperor's blood in Nagano. A Garrison of over 200 thousand soldiers which continued to fight during the so-called "Patriotic War" or "The Die-Hard campaign" as the Americans called it. General MacArthur collaborated with Korean forces and the growing resistance movements to crush the Japanese as the Rouge Elements were accused of treason against Emperor Akihito. The campaign, similar to the Manchurian invasion by the Chinese, was part of the Post-War phase of the Pacific War (although most historians do consider it a part of the war, for sake of simplification the surrender following the destruction of Sendai is considered it's end officially), with American forces launching several landings around the Peninsula while Korean Partisans flooded the region, taking over much of the countryside from the control of the IJA's forces. One major aspect of this war was the enormous delivery of weapons, both American and Japanese guns were delivered to the Partisans while other groups were directly armed by the US forces for the landings as there was little desire to further prolong the conflict in the region.

    The Japanese resistance was short but just as relentless as it was in other areas, General Yoshio Kozuki refused to recognize the surrender, in fact there was a plan of his' to kidnap the Emperor from the Home Islands with the help of other loyalists in order to bolster the morale of the resistance forces. He was not fully unreasonable as he accepted negotiations, but the terms were so laughably outrageous that they were never given more than a glace by President Strom Thurmond's White House. Between February and March of 1947, a brutal campaign happened as the Japanese conscripted locals in forced labor battalions and "Volunteer" militias, in a way very similar to what happened in other parts of Asia. However, the crippled morale, loss of the food sources in the countryside, the bombing campaign and the capture of costal cities quickly led to the local IJA officers assassinating General Kozuki and surrendering officially to the allied forces. The 26th of March would be then called "Liberation Day" from that moment on, the idealistic foundation of the PRK happening right afterwards with the City of Seoul declared as the Capital with Cho Man-Sik being chosen as Provisional President. American forces did not stay long beyond overseeing the demobilization of Japanese elements as most of the troops were demobilized, while the Korean Army was established and it seemed like a stable democracy would grow in the area as both Cho Man-Sik and Lyuh Moon-Hyung, hoped, but that dream would be shattered just as quickly as the Constitutional Convention came.

    There was no shortage of ideas, from a Communist State to even models inspired by the successful conquests of Adolf Hitler, but both Founding Fathers hoped to achieve a consensus, creating a Parliamentary Republic with a Presidential Head of State and a Prime Minister as Head of Government, inspired in the British system despite the fact more right-wing and center-right sectors supported the American Presidential System. The First elections would be called in July after the publishing of the Constitution and the initial attempts of creating a Big-tent party, the "Korean Peasant-Labor Party" by left-wing sectors were fiercely opposed by more center-right groups supportive of Kim Gu (Also known as Kim Koo) and a rival Government-in-Exile which merged with Cho and Lyuh's more left-wing movement for sake of a united coalition against the Japanese during the War. Cho was made President while Lyuh became Prime Minister and Kim formed the "National Democratic Action" a movement formed of divergent right-wing parties which stood in opposition to the Two Founding Fathers. Despite being called "British System", there were significant divergences from Westminster, such as an unicameral house and the lack of properly established traditions and rules. Yet that model could have worked if not for the intervention of the Thurmond Administration, as many claim that the OSS did give support for Kim Gu and his Coalition, especially thanks to the contacts established with one of the leaders of the small "Korean National Association" Syngman Rhee. The financial support of the US did help in creating a fractured mess of a Assembly in 1947, the Peasant-Labor Party had the plurality and the National Democratic Action theoretically had a majority, but Kim was unable to win the election for Prime Minister as many within his coalition joined in supporting a Third Party, as no one was able to elect a clear majority, the Assembly was paralyzed in an endless electoral cicle for Three months as every weekly meeting ended up in another stalemate. Lyuh finally would resign as Prime Minister in October and, as a result, a new election was called which this time gave Kim Gu a majority and made him Prime Minister of Korea.

    He would last 16 months, a record as many would see, most of the time being the constant arguments in favor of new constitutional reforms to establish a Presidential system and sideline left-wing sectors. All while radicalism grew in the Countryside entire swatches of land were falling under control of bandits while the Government struggled to establish it's institutions due to the infighting. Kim was seen by many as nothing less than an American puppet, others claimed President Cho was being complacent and betrayed the original ideals of the Republic due to the lack of a proper land reform. Kim Gu feared that the issue of Land Reform could tear apart his coalition as several right-wing sectors refused to support the proposal of a Reform beyond the bare minimum of seizing lands from former Japanese Collaborators. Communists would seize the chance and by 1948, there were parts of the country already forming communal farms as militias of the so-called "Peasant Leagues" took the matter of Land Reform in their own hands through mass lynchings and the redistribution of land, the Police sometimes being even sympathetic, while on other times they refused to engage out of fear as the movement was led by experienced guerrilla fighters who seized weapons from both American and Japanese deposits.

    Order was lacking in Korea and the stalemate between the President and Prime Minister would lead to the latter finally making a call for a General Election, which is where the Article 29 of the Korean constitution came into play, the President could not refuse a call for General election by the Prime Minister, a fatal flaw for Constitutionalism which was approved as many of the Korean exiled leaders feared a strong executive power due to the experiences in both Japan and China. But surprisingly for Kim, he could no longer count on his American backers, the election of Huey Long and his swearing in ceremony coincided with the Electoral campaign in Korea, a radical change of policy made by Secretary Burton K. Wheeler and the President meant that the United States was no longer interested in meddling with Korean affairs, besides Long had more of a sympathy for center-left groups who openly spoke of admiring him, which was a matter for his own Ego. As a result, Kim would fall into disgrace, to the point of losing his own seat as a Coalition of left-wing parties won. Most surprising of that was the fact the Worker's Party of Korea, a Communist Party, would quickly become the second most powerful force of the coalition behind only the Peasant-Labor Party. Led by Pak Hon-yong, the Communists were a growing political force as they ran the platform of a radical land reform and were very closely connected with the communes organized by the Peasant Leagues which did a lot of work to ensure the population of the communes overwhelmingly voted for the Communists. Rhee saw them as little more than dangerous bandits following the ideals of the former Stalinist regime, but Rhee was not the only figure of the fragmented National Democratic Action which gained relevance as a more radical group grew to oppose the Communists: The National Action.

    Names of Korean organizations get confused, but the National Action was a group formed by Lee Beom-Seok after the war which was made to oppose the Peasant Leagues, it called for a reaction of the Korean Nation against Communism, Complacency and Corruption, the Three "C" which were enemies of the Nation. The group formed militias, some even armed up by the OSS in 1948 and receiving the tacit approval of Prime Minister Kim Gu, but they would only grow stronger in 1949 as the economy continued to struggle, reflecting the aftershocks of the American "Little Depression" in 1948, the growing weakness of the Chinese Republic and the fears of investors of going to Korea as the Leagues continued to occupy large parts of the country in communes. The Assassination of President Cho by a disgruntled Peasant frustrated by the failures of the Government to enact a proper Land Reform policy would only throw fuel into the fire. Some claim the Korean war started with the clashes that year as the Youth League, the militant wing of the National Action which held rallies oddly inspired by the Reich's grand parades at Nüremberg, clashed against the Communist militias. Many times, landowners called the services of the Youth League to oppose coming Peasant League forces.

    In 1949, Pak Hon-Young was made Prime Minister, the condition of joining a coalition with the Peasant-Labor Party, with that he approved a radical policy of Confiscation of land in the country that set the countryside in flames. The National Action called the measures as the first step to the installation of a Communist Country, a fear which was spreading in Urban areas ever since the discovery of Stalin's atrocities in Russia and the arrival of Russian refugees sharing said stories. Once the proposal narrowly passed, Rhee and Lee would lead a boycott of the Assembly as roughly half of it's members walked out, preventing a quorum to be reached for further constitutional reforms to the point the Youth League threatened several moderates to not go to the proceedings. At this time, several politicians were assassinated between 1949 and 1950 as many killings were retaliated by Communists, the country was falling into chaos that year until, after 4 months, Prime Minister Pak was pressured to call a new General Election.

    This time, in protest to the inactivity of the government in suppressing the Youth League and for the betrayal of the Peasant-Labor Party for demanding Pak's resignation, as the former PM accused during campaign speeches, the Communists ran their own campaign in the streets, a campaign of intimidation and even straight up shootouts that resulted in hundreds of deaths. The Worker's Party reached a record high with a Third of the seats, mostly at the expense of the moderates as Pak was elected as President with Ho Hon, another prominent Communist, becoming Prime Minister. That owes to the boycott of the elections by some right-wing groups and widespread fraud enacted in the areas controlled by the Peasant Leagues. Ho proposed that Pak called for Martial Law as Commander of the Korean Armed forces and cracked down on the Youth League, but as he tested the ground for such idea, he would quickly realize that a Martial Law would likely lead on the Army turning on him instead as the armed forces were being increasingly connected with the right-wing groups. Ho's Premiership would last 5 months before his resignation as once more the elected members of the right-wing parties refused to attend the Assembly meetings or important votes, even moderates joining in on accusing the Communists of Voter fraud. Ironically, the supporters of the Presidential system now were opposed to it as Pak was President, while the increasingly frustrated communists demanded greater powers for the President to enforce their policies. Pak and Ho attempted to enforce the Land Reform bill and it did indeed work on some occasions, but whenever met by resistance, the Police was simply not equipped enough to engage the Youth League and the military had a mutinous atitude when it came to cracking down on right-wing sectors.



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    When 1950 came, the Communists were swept away from power once elections came again, called by Ho and Pak in hopes that the continued boycott would allow them to attain a majority. But surprisingly the election gave victory for a broad anti-communist coalition which included all parties of the opposition and even the Peasant-Labor Party. An unholy coalition between Lyuh, Rhee and Lee would lead to the Communists losing their position, despite becoming the largest individual party of the Assembly. Lyuh was made President and Rhee became Prime Minister, but while the Prime Minister once had support of the Thurmond Administration, that was not the case with Long. In fact the leader of the Korean National Association would begin to suffer as his more authoritarian approach made him clash with moderates and center-left figures of his coalition. As part of the agreement, Rhee called for a Constitutional revision in an attempt to end the endless electoral circles by allowing the President to refuse a call for elections and enabling the same Assembly to choose a Prime Minister after resignation, instead of having to call another election. This was actually a proposal agreed by many parties, but the Communists did not wish to see it passed while a coalition which opposed them was in power. Yet the proposal still passed and at least Lyuh did not have to worry about another Presidential election if Rhee resigned, which he ended up doing after the Peasant-Labor Party opposed the revisions to the Land Reform bill which were deemed too "Reactionary" and left the coalition.

    So, between 1950 and 1953, successive governments attempted to tackle the Land Reform issue, but not only that, also several economical and social reforms were put into question. The divisiveness and infighting of the Korean Independence movements and the idealistic attempt of merging them only created a divided nation which was openly fighting itself by the time Mao came into power. The victory of the Chinese Communists only emboldened the Korean Worker's Party, which organized the Peasant Leagues into the new "Korean People's Liberation Army" (KPLA) as a clear inspiration from Mao, centralizing the command of these forces in what seemed to be a planned takeover. The Youth League were only emboldened by the growing radicalization as Lee would finally have his turn as Prime Minister in February, passing the "National Defense Act" which raised the League as an auxiliary police force and massively increased the funding of the Police by allowing them to carry the same armaments as the Armed Forces. But what was about to cause an explosion was the proposed "National Security Act" which banned the Communist Party, shortly before it's vote, President Lyuh vetoed the proposal in a bold show of executive power, that decision would lead to his assassination by a radical on the 4th of March 1953, and the gunshot by a local fascist-supporter would finally provoke the coup.

    Colonel Paik Sun-yup, the Commander of the Seoul garrison and a known anti-communist, acted on the 7th of March before Lyuh even had his funeral. At night a violent move struck the government buildings and the headquarters of the Worker's Party, with the Colonel finding an intriguing loophole: The Constitution never specified that the Prime Minister had to be a member of the Assembly, it was only presumed to be so but lawyers can be quite flexible with a gun to the head. The National Assembly was summoned by emergency at night with Lee declaring his resignation and proposing Paik to become the new Prime Minister of Korea, a move which was overwhelmingly approved and the few Peasant-Labor politicians who voted against it would be called outside and audibly shot to the horror of the assembly members. The Bloody night was far from over, with thousands of Communist party members including Pak being captured and rounded up, being given show trials and executed for conspiring a coup against the State, ironically. The National Security Act was passed with amendments, greatly empowering the office of Prime Minister while abolishing the position of President, making Paik the new Head of State and Government, as well as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. Martial Law was declared in the morning by radio and sound cars as army units marched into the streets, newspapers being closed as both freedom of speech and assembly were abolished. All political parties were declared defunct and all paramilitary forces disbanded (although the Youth League at this point was incorporated into the Police Force), with the members of the Red Guards being given 24 hours to surrender to military authorities.



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    The execution of Pak Hon-yong, banishment of the Worker's Party and the disband order never had a real chance of not backfiring, Paik was well aware of what the consequences would be, but he believed a decisive action was still necessary to save Korea from the dangers of Communism. Kim Tu-bong, one of the leaders of the Worker's Party and in close contact with the Chinese, was with Mao in Beijing when the news came of the coup. He was assured all the backing necessary in monetary and military resources by Mao to defeat the Putsch and the Reactionaries, in fact he had the opportunity to appeal to moderate elements who were terrified of the massacres against suspected communists around the country which were still ongoing. Smuggled back through the Yalu river, he found himself as the most Senior leader of the Worker's Party after the death of Pak, declaring himself Chairman of the People's Republic of Korea. In a Manifesto hurriedly prepared and sent by the end of the deadline, Kim Tu-bong denounced the coup and the failed system of the Republic which betrayed it's people by falling into the hands of Fascist and Reactionary elements linked with former Japanese collaborators. The "March Manifesto" would officially start the Civil War as two rival governments existed in the Peninsula. Much of the North and East of the country was already in control of the Communists including the countryside, but they failed to capture most of the larger cities due to military garrisons with the exception of Hamhung and Chongjin in the North, the former being declared the temporary capital. A quick election gave the result everyone expected with the Assembly being vastly overwhelmed by the communists with a few moderates included.

    Initially, the army was overwhelmed by the offensive of the communists in several areas, including the use of Maoist tactics by capturing the countryside and starve out larger cities. Colonel Paik's regime had alienated several centrist supporters and some argued Kim was a more moderate alternative, especially as peasants flocked in reaction to the massacred conducted by the Military. But similarly, the Communists engaged in their own attrocities by enacting a radical land reform on the areas they took, which included the execution or imprisonment of tens of thousands of Korean Landlords similarly to Mao's system. Mao was very interested in the success of a Korean revolution, which is why Kim was instructed to occupy the Northern part of the Peninsula along the Yalu river, resulting in the capture of Sinuiji at the Chinese border, from where "Workers" crossed the border at the invitation of Kim to work on "Construction projects", workers being an euphemism to Chinese troops and Construction to "National Construction" which meant Revolution. Weapons and supplies flooded in and soon enough Pyongyang, one of the largest Northern cities, was under siege, left to starve until the garrison surrendered on the 19th of May. Quickly things were falling apart until Vice-President Patton and Secretary of State Dean Rusk advised Long to intervene and prevent the fall of the Seoul Regime, as much as Paik was far from the ideal figure at the moment, reports from Japan warned about the potential for growing Labor unrest if the Korean communists were to succeed. He did not declare war, out of fear of escalating a conflict with China, but instead he contacted the Seoul Government which accepted the support of American "advisors".

    The War would begin to slow down after the failure of the Seoul offensive by the KPLA in June, the well-timed arrival of American advisors and the delivery of military equipment halting the advance of the Militias. However that would be only the beginning of a prolonged conflict during the 1950s, and Mao was fairly busy in Beijing pushing for the first Five-Year plan to develop the country's industrial base, agrarian mechanization and finish the reconstruction of Chinese cities. Despite some Soviet advisors advocating for a greater industrial push at the cost of the agricultural economy, Mao disliked that advice, he saw China as the new front for Socialism while the Soviet approach failed. The Stalinist ruthless industrialization caused the weakness of the agrarian sector of the Union, which led to hunger and weakness that allowed the Reich to defeat the undersupplied Red Army, thousands of witnesses came to China telling stories of the hunger in Russia which Mao wished to avoid, claiming that a strong base of peasants was needed to make sure China would never starve in a war. This costed in the short-term efforts to industrialize the nation as the focus was towards the modernization of agriculture with improved fertilizers and tools in Communal farming, which Mao saw as a way to empower the peasants and form a firm base for the Revolution to consolidate in the Lower class by focusing on the Rural Class Struggle.

    Next would come in one of the harsher aspects of Maoism, in 1955, Mao called for Intellectuals and leaders all over the country to address local problems and give recommendations to the government, calling for the "Bloom of a Hundred Flowers" of Chinese intellect. But when the letters came, the Secret Police used the good faith of the people to crackdown on all known dissidents as Mao cancelled the campaign and executed thousands of intellectuals all over the Country. Only the mainstream ideology, nicknamed Marxism-Maoism or just Maoism, would be allowed in the New China and the Chairman consolidated his ruthless rule over Hundreds of Millions, suppressing the rebel groups in the "Anti-Bandit campaign", intellectuals through the "Hundred Flowers campaign", The Upper classes through the "War on the Landlords", and all of that leading to tens of millions being sent over the decade for varying periods of "reform" through the Laogai system. There would be no opposition to Mao Tse-Tung and the PRC, his mass action methods consolidating his rule alongside the growing cult of personality around himself.

    On the field of foreign policy, beyond the Korean War, Russia, Vietnam and India deserve a certain level of attention as each one of these neighboring states had different reactions to his rise and rule. In Russia, the fear of a red terror almost provoked an intervention against China, however the sheer devastation of the Civil War left the country too weakened to face a potential two-front war as no doubt Hitler would seize the chance to attack, as he almost did in 1951 before his death. Mongolia became the point of contention, or as the Chinese called it "Outer Mongolia Question", a territory still claimed by the PRC that was occupied by the Russians during the Chinese Civil War to prevent the communists from capturing it as a base to strike from the south. The Tsar's paranoia left a constant military presence which fought against communist "bandits" in the praires and desert of the country, in fact in 1954 an incident between the PLA and the Imperial Army near Arxan almost led to a full-scale war if not mediated by the US, Mao's "Agressive Defense" doctrines always left the Chinese military a bullet away from a total war against Russia and such tensions had to be relaxed. But Mao did not have an incentive to back down, Russia did in the form of the largest military force in the world desiring to commit a genocide against it's people. In 1955, Russia had to concede to Mao's demands by giving up on all claims and propriety once held by the old Empire and the Soviet government, including the base of Port Harbor and Manchurian railways, as well as greatly scale back on their support in Mongolia, in return for a non-agression deal, one which Mao could easily break at any time.

    India and Vietnam were two nations that had mixed reactions to the Chinese victory, on one hand there was a level of apprehension in India after the annexation of Tibet, while the Vietnamese were always skeptical of a strong China considering their historical disputes and rivalries. Mao used of Pragmatism in both instances to secure a working relationship with other Asian states, especially as he was scaling up his support for Anti-Colonial movements. In India, a meeting would be made in 1957 by both governments, promising to work towards mutual benefit and friendship, with a joint declaration opposing both British colonialism and German expansionism, although there were still concerns over the borders in the Himalayans, there was no apetite for a war, for now at least. As for Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh's admiration for the United States clashed with concerns within the US due to the ongoing Red Scare that was more potentialized after McCarthy's campaign. Mao offered an alternative, proposing an agreement for mutual cooperation and to settle the disputes for the Spratly and Paracel islands, which led to an agreement between Beijing and Hanoi in 1954 as the Vietnamese searched for a stronger ally in the region and Mao wished to combat the isolation caused by his involvment in Korea. Furthermore, Beijing would also begin to sponsor anti-colonial movements in places such as the Malay peninsula and Congo, although that was still a small scale action compared to the greater interventions in the 1960s during the Colonial uprisings all across the "Colonial World".

    Finally, there was the relationship between China and the Linz Pakt, which could be described as anywhere between hostile and complicated. Obviously in the propaganda, Rudolf Hess' Reich pushed the threat of China as Hitler's prophesied "Asiatic Horde", which did become one of the main ideological justifications for the Ural War, while also the Linz Pakt despised the Chinese push against colonialism, especially amongst the Iberians and Italy. On one hand it was benefitial when the Chinese supported guerrillas in Uganda, but on the other their constant threats against Portuguese Colonial holdings left Lisbon in an increasingly tight spot. Portugal was no doubt the country with the worst diplomatic position in the world, needing the backing of one of the Superpowers to defend against a Third rising power while also knowing that approaching Washington would threaten Lisbon and approaching Germania would threaten the colonies and economy. But despite all that outwards hostility, there was an odd understanding of both parties when it came to Russia, both Mao and Hess had disputes with the Tsar, in Mao's case it was the control of Mongolia in specific and the existence of a militarized anti-communist state at the border in General. Despite it's numbers, the PLA still could not fight the Tsarist forces alone, however if a war was to erupt, it would provide for a golden opportunity. When the War happened, Mao already knew in advance that it would begin, through underground contacts with certain sources in the Foreign Ministry. And so, the opportunity presented itself, but Mao, always the pragmatist, would use old Chinese wisdom, he had to be patient and await the right moment. Even if Russia was an enemy, the Reich was an even greater ideological rival and if they crossed the Urals and shattered Russia, who is to say they wont spread their influence into Central Asia? Or start agitating Muslim minorities in the West? On the other hand a total Russian victory means completely losing the chance to reclaim Mongolia. Better yet, why not collect the benefits from both sides?

    And so, the Communist world was being reborn from the ashes of the Soviet Union, a Red Sun rising from the East under a new Chairman, one who could be far more dangerous than Stalin ever was.
     
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    XXXI - UNBESIEGBAR
  • THE IRON EAGLE
    UNBESIEGBAR





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    Ever since 1943, Europe has not seen a winter as bloody and destructive, in fact many would say this winter was the deathliest one in European History, surpassing the scale of the German-Soviet War between 1941 and 1943. Ferdinand Schörner, a man with a reputation as fearsome as the SSF with the brutality of a wild animal, a man appointed following the terrorist strike at Rostock as a direct retaliation to the continuous resistance of the Russian people. No man had been more devoted to Adolf Hitler's doctrines in the entire Wehrmacht, no man had such a reputation of being a relentless commander as he did in the Eastern Front. Busch and Manstein, commanders of the Groups North and South respectively, now had to contend with a commander who was known to be far harsher and aggressive than Heusinger. On the 1st of November, in the former Kazan, Schörner arrived and called for a conference with the High command, immediately issuing orders to scrap Operation Hidenburg, claiming that the previous hesitation has cost Germania the element of surprise and the crucial field advantages of the Wehrmacht. The Air superiority of the Luftwaffe was not as assured, with planes and pilots arriving from factories in both Siberia and the outside world, which is why the strategy would have to be changed in order to force a breakthrough now that the Russians reached a parity with the Wehrmacht in several areas where the OKW once believed itself invincible. Worse is that the supplies were limited at the start of the campaign by the belief of the complete destruction of the enemy armies in large encirclements which just did not materialize, the Russian tactics of exchanging terrain for men and wearing down the German troops by turning the countryside into a warzone with Partisan attacks were crucial in reducing the supplies that were never meant to go past the winter. Wegener had been in many ways the main sponsor of this operation as he planned for a foreign success to endorse his policies to reorganize the Reich internally, in fact he was the hand behind appointing Heusinger and Speidel in the command of Operation Hidenburg. Now Schörner was in charge and the plans changed for the new "Operation Sutur".

    Named after the mythological destroyer in Nordic Mythology, the plan would be a change of the direction the Reich was following in the war, but that would also require collaboration with the Kriegsmarine and the Portuguese government. Salazar, already caught in an uncomfortable situation, now had to deal with a day which many dreaded would come: Macau had to be used as a U-Boat naval resupply station, as the German government planned to strike the Port of Vladivostock, enforcing a U-Boat blockade at the single most important port of Russia. But, naturally, Salazar began to stall and bid for time, knowing that with the situation in Asia, engaging to this extent with the Linz Pakt would put at risk the Portuguese overseas territories that were so exposed to India, Indonesia and China. Besides, the United States and Great Britain were helping to keep the situation under control in Angola and Mozambique, while also supporting the regime in the mainland by exempting them from the Embargo in return for their continued neutrality. It was the second time that the Portuguese had to play a balancing act between an Atlantic-based Power and a Continental Power, but this time fleeing to Brazil was not exactly an option. On the other hand, Schörner wished to sideline the Waffen-SSK in the planning of the operation, despite being a known loyal supporter of the Führer, Ferdinand defended the Primacy of the Wehrmacht on military operations as he did not consider the "Policemen" adequate for large-scale military operations.

    The Germans at the moment still treated this as a frontier war, the economy was not yet mobilized, the number of troops was not ramped up by conscripts in any large scale, the government attempted to keep it as an operation to crush insurgents in some way. Meanwhile the Russians considered this a war of survival, refusing any compromise even if the Germans had offered any. Besides, foreign Minister Bohle refused to even establish contacts with the Russian government itself, there was no formal declaration of war because the Reich did not consider them even worthy of conversing with Aryans. This type of arrogance in the level of State, added with the fact the generation in the battlefield was indoctrinated from birth into seeing themselves as superior, with stories being told of how easily the Red Army collapsed, gave a sense of supremacy to the soldiers that directly led to additional casualties and a shock when the Russians were successfully defending the line behind the Kama and Belaya rivers by the time Winter arrived, even the use of a Nuclear device was not sufficient for the capture of Perm. Now Ferdinand would treat this as a real war, hoping that a successful winter offensive would break the Russian morale before the Wehrmacht was forced to scale up the war and risk the failure of their invincibility mythos.

    On the Russian side, the nuclear attack on Perm proved itself to be a boon to their cause, the shock by the use of Nuclear armaments, which were only used once as a last resort to break Japan in 1947, caused the United States to increase it's intervention in the conflict, the news of the attack and unexpectedly powerful resistance of the Russians led to a "Rally around the flag" effect to the American people in solidarity with the Russians and opposition to the Third Reich after the anti-German sentiment skyrocketed following the persecution of Christian churches in 1956. Even previously neutral States began to offer support to the Russian Empire, with volunteers arriving at the thousands from places such as Mexico, Brazil, Vietnam and Australia. The support in both material and financial matters was officialized when, for once, the United Nations was used as a medium to directly intervene against the German aggression. In a unanimous resolution, with just a few absences including China's, the United Nations passed a resolution in it's Security Council to send forces to Russia in order to halt the "German Aggression against the Slavic People". That meant the numerical inferiority of the Germans would only increase as the help was expected to increase following the Winter, which is why Schörner and Germania were willing to use all means necessary to break the Russian resistance in the winter of 1958-1959.

    Operation Surtr was set to begin on the 20th of November, as the preparations had to be rushed over the month to strike before the arrival of winter. Intelligence from the Russian Army began to pick the signs of a coming offensive in both the reduced patterns of German attacks and partisan reports of coming of large amounts of supplies. Chuikov was informed of such developments and feared of what a breakthrough could lead to as the Werhmacht was feared for it's capacity of exploiting those through the Bewegungskrieg, however further retreats were becoming harder as the proximity with the Ural mountains meant the loss of the Perm-Ufa line would allow the Germans to collapse the central defense of the Russian military and achieve their main ideological goal. A capture of the West of the Urals would allow the Germans to consolidate their goals and halt operations, restoring the conflict to a "cold war" phase and provoking instability that could threaten the Empire itself. Nevermind the fact that the emboldened Mao Zedong would see such defeat as the perfect opportunity to rid himself of his troublesome Northern Neighbor. Chinese divisions were mobilizing around Inner Mongolia for what many expected to be an invasion of the Khanate after the Russian military presence was reduced by both previous agreements and the diversion of troops to the West. The Imperial army had to prepare itself to absorb the damage of a potentially catastrophic offensive, for that all resources had to be mobilized as there would be no break for the winter just yet.

    The Wehrmacht launched it's attack on the 20th by making the sun rise two hours before the hour. The line crossed at Perm would be obliterated by Schörner through the mass use of tactical nuclear weapons, this time sent by the Luftwaffe to avoid the information from arriving days in advance as it did when using Long-range artillery guns. In five different locations across the front with the cities of Birsk and Kambarka destroyed alongside several Russian positions. The artillery was silent, in order to avoid alarming the enemy troops to run to shelters, while the Luftwaffe has spent the previous two weeks focusing against enemy radar sites to cover the area. Fallschirmjägers would strike in other areas of the line in order to sabotage the Russian communication lines, the Heer moved in after the bombardment ceased by crossing the riverline and striking at the flanks where numerous Russian troops were still shattered by the nuclear element. There was an obvious disregard for the effects of the fallout on the German advancing units, with many believing that anti-radiation suits and Iodine pills would suffice to protect them from the proximity to low-yield Nuclear bombs. The breakthrough was the world's most radical example of Shock and Awe tactics, as Heusinger previously avoided those in Perm out of concern of the Radiation effect on his own troops and an arrogant belief that the Russians were both unaware and unprepared for a nuclear strike. Tens of Thousands had died just within the first hour as the Reich shocked the world again by only doubling down on their "Wunderwaffen" armaments.

    As the crossing was made, Panzer divisions would cross the Russian defenses over the following days, avoiding the epicenter of the Fallout but with many still being caught in the radius of the blast, it's no wonder many would be delayed due to the health issues of the troops. Nevertheless, Perm fell on the 24th, although it was already a mostly abandoned wasteland by the time the Red-White-Black flag with the Hooked Cross was raised in the city. The Russian high command scrambled into action to move in reserves and close the several gaps, racing against the German troops while the fight intensified in the snowy skies above. The weather was affecting the attackers and defenders alike, but most of all the Germans who relied on speed and had to deal with the muddy ground of the Russian countryside while harassed by Partisans, sometimes reinforcement columns would spend the way from Ukraine to Izhevsk being struck by hidden enemies, the soldiers arriving exhausted and with numbers dwindling. The Germans would manage to encircle the town of Tchaikovsky, trapping over 60 thousand troops inside the city as the place would be bombarded day and night to force their surrender, something similar happening further south as Prince Fyodor's troops were trapped in the city of Orenburg by the troops of Otto Remer.

    Back in Germania, many circles had begun to celebrate victory, toasts were given in the name of Marshal Schörner, the Wehrmacht was reaching a level of prestige not seen since the days of Hitler's conquests. Comes in December and the expectation of reaching the Ural mountains by winter was close to reality, the situation could still be seen as a victory despite the unexpected tenaciousness of the Slavic troops. On the Sunday, November 31st, Rudolf Hess called for a meeting in the Chancellery between several high figures of the Reich, Wegener was the first one to arrive, followed by others such as Heydrich and Speer. It was more of a social gathering where the Führer, in a rare public appearance, offered a toast for the Wehrmacht's success on the East. He went on to make an incoherent speech where he spoke of the odds stacked against them and also praised the show of force as a way for the rest of the world to finally come to terms with the German supremacy through the power of it's military, while also talking a lot of occultist and racial theories that made the guests only have their beliefs about their leader's sanity. Wegener was the one to give the cue to end the speech by raising a toast for Hess, who suddenly turned to the Party Chancellor and spoke that only Hitler deserved praise, going on to act like a maniac, speaking like the late Führer and copying his mannerisms, rumors that he was possessed by Hitler's spirit at times were claimed to be only propaganda to win the more unorthodox and fringe groups within the NSDAP, but after that incident it was reinforced to those who watched that Hess was becoming a lunatic, if he was not one already, his health has been in decline due to the stress, not much physically but especially mentally. The celebration would continue after Hess went back to his chambers, although the SSK guards looked more like they were escorting him "like he was sneaking in his own party".

    But one thing that was worrying the SSK was the growth in the Wehr's prestige, especially as the "Bloodhound" Schörner continued to acquire gains, and as consequence it was Wegener who reaped the rewards from the success of this operation. Sure, he did appoint Heusinger in the first place, but now that the "Führer" had chosen a more assertive commander who shot soldiers who refused to march into radioactive wastelands everything was fine. Heydrich did not like that, he had previously been at constant odds with Wegener and old wounds were always open in Germania's rotten halls, the SSK was supposed to lead the ideological charge of the Reich but he only ended up humiliated by the bombing in Rostock. The Waffen-SSK troops were left behind as secondaries while the Werhmacht's Panzer divisions mowed down the Russian tank formations in Burayevo on the 4th of December, the "Blackboots" as some called them, were reduced to striking partisans in the conquered territories or protecting the rearguard. Entire Panzer divisions being left to protect the rear in a war of conquest was such an insult that Joachim Peiper exclaimed "We were reduced to hunting rats with Panzerfausts". That is where the infighting within the Reich sabotaged it's war effort, while it did not go as far as shootouts between the two groups, the SSK refused to engage in battles to support the Werh, and if they did they would only appear after Russian troops had sapped away the most of the Army's strength. In return the Wehrmacht's logistics chain ignored the SSK's requests, giving them second-hand equipment at best when during the conflict. The uncooperative nature of the German troops was a crucial issue considering how the rapid conquest and the refusal of the leadership, especially by Speer, to push for a total mobilization of conscripts and military industry was leaving the attackers outnumbered and overextended.



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    That is when the Battle of Chernushka began, in this context the Wehrmacht has been rushing to advance towards the foot of the Ural mountains, in a tight schedule to do so by the end of December. Winter was getting harsher, settling around 30 degrees negative, right ahead of the German advance coming from the West was the town which was one of the major oilfields of the region and one of the last obstacles for the Germans. It was the 6th of December when the Vanguard of the 7th Panzer Army arrived at the city outskirts to meet a surprisingly stiff resistance. Russian troops had fallen back in many positions to avoid encirclements at the same time as reservists crossed the Mountains to flood the West. Amongst the defenders was the 8th Volunteer Corps made up from English-speaking countries, most of them Americans and Australians, there was also the "Revenge Batallion" as they were nicknamed, a force compromised by Lithuanian and Belarussian refugees who fled to the town and now were defending it to the last, indeed they would have a casualty rate of 80%, one of the highest in the war.

    Perhaps the Month-long struggle for the city could have been avoided entirely, it was not a vital target for the Wehrmacht, most of the towns targeted by Operation Sutur had been captured and all that was needed was for the Wehr to dig in for the coming counter attack, but instead it was pride that drove their decisions. Schörner could not allow a single Russian city west of the Urals to stay unconquered, he wanted to show himself as the victor where Heusinger and others failed. Speidel insisted on the need to concentrate the efforts on the flanks, Kesselring proposed to just bomb the city into ashes and call it a day, but none of them would back down from the victory fever. As a result, when the initial defenses stopped the 7th Panzer Army, the Germans doubled down on the pressure by sending in their reserves and even units from other "successful" sectors. The SSK was supposed to take a part on the offensive, specifically Joachim Peiper's "Kampfgruppe", an armored force that had a substantial amount of opportunities to breach the defenses of the Russians from the south, however he did not attack, retreating at the first signal of resistance and overexagerating reports of the enemy forces in the south. Truthfully, the SSK could have struck down at the flank and routed the Russian defenses, but Heydrich gave subtle commands to Peiper, the Wehrmacht needed to lose, Wegener's bet had to be lost. Along the month, 300 thousand German troops would attempt to break the city, while the Russians only increased their numbers as the routed troops returned and reinforcements crossed the Urals. The Luftwaffe punished the resistance, turning the city into rubble, however their air efforts overall were being impaired by winter to the advantage of the Russian infantry on the ground. From the North, the Germans would be halted in Bedryazh, the largest armored engagement of the war so far. Russian tanks, despite being inferior to the German MBTs, benefitted from an assault of combined arms that included even cavalry, with the use of the lethal RPG-7 and the superior speed of American tanks. On the 25th, German Christmas, they had failed to take the lands west of the Urals.


    "Disaster is the Cost of Failure."
    The counter attack was built up since before the Operation, the sheer violence the Germans unleashed in November caught most by surprise, nobody expected the atomic weapons to become yet another machine of war, which made the control of the skies even more crucial. The Russian air force was still very far from defeating the Luftwaffe, which is why the only time such attack was possible was in winter, where weather and visibility was in their favor. Winds from the south, on the night of the 10th of January, struck the German lines with a cloud of poisonous gas in the Northern flank. An artillery barrage, short and precise, would be unleashed shortly before 300 thousand Germans were overwhelmed by a force of almost a million men, striking at their exhausted and overextended lines, partisans continuously harrassed the back and the lack of proper economic engagement in Germania left resources to dwindle. The invincible German army, which so far had only been stalled at best, was now on the run trying to avoid an encirclement as a general counter offensive, Operation Kutuzov, was launched by the Imperial forces. The SSK was the first to obey the order to fall back to the West, but then orders came from Germania, no step back could be given, a directive straight from the Führer ordered the German troops to keep every inch of ground that was taken. This order would be disobeyed by several field commanders on a situational basis, but most of those who did so belonged to the old generation, the new ones, indoctrinated into the fanatical standards of the NSDAP, refused to ever disobey a command of the Führer and admit their defeat. The Russians took full advantage of it, capturing thousands of troops who stayed behind in a last stand, for the first time the troops carrying the Swastika were being captured as whole batallions, being taken to the East to never return. But most of them fought ferociously, in a manner that American volunteers compared to the fanaticism of the Japanese, that resistance did cause some delays but the retreat was turning into a rout.

    The conquests of Operation Sutur were reversed entirely in January, in fact, as German troops had to be redeployed to the center, a relief force would end the encirclement of Orenburg on the south, including saving the younger brother of Tsar Andrey, Fyodor, although the stress of the siege and the weather greatly worsened his tuberculosis and forced him to return to Novossibirsky following the relief. Ufa and Perm would be retaken and Russian troops boldly crossed the Ufa river, with Izhevsk being retaken in the north and the Counter attack reaching as far as Almetiersk in the Center. The Germans scrambled to attempt to stop the collapse of the front, sending in reservists and transferring troops from garrison duties to the East. It was an unprecedented crisis, especially after German troops were trapped in the Yanaul pocket, with the surrender of 70 thousand men being the greatest single blow the Heer had suffered since the World War. However, the Russians were finally halted as they reached the limits of their logistics train and the Luftwaffe mercilessly bombarded the Imperial railroads. But by the time February arrived the message was clear: The Wehrmacht was not invincible.
     
    XXXII - SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY
  • THE IRON EAGLE
    SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY


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    Douglas Edwards, in his years working for Columbia Broadcast, has never announced an event as important as this one. He had to behave professionally, his voice could not show the fear he had for what was a task he did not envy, keeping his hands steady on the desk. He was seated on the studio, rushed out of the peaceful environment that the break room was that afternoon. He had arrived earlier, before introducing the Evening News, he was only chattering with his co-workers over a cup of coffee when suddenly the telephone lines were overloaded all across the country. Everything felt surreal when the break was interrupted by a whirlwind, he had to pick himself up and go to present an emergency broadcast immediately, the President had just been shot in Chicago and some sources claimed it was fatal, others claimed he was already dead, some said it was on the head, others said he was shot on the leg or the chest. The only thing they all had in common is that Huey Long had been shot on his way out of the City Hall by an unknown assaliant that was being taken away as they spoke. Combing his hair was needed to look presentable and so he did on the way to the chair, at least this did not happen during morning News otherwise, he suspected, Cronkite would take the lead with this one. But now it was not the time to think of his co-workers, or even Sara, if she did not know already then she was going to be bursting her heart once she knew. Edwards was far from a Longist, he thought he spoke too much like a communist, but Sara was won over by that man as if he was her lover!

    "Good Afternoon, now it is the Fiftieth hour and twenty minutes local time of the Nineteenth of May, 1956, we have received confirmed reports from Chicago that President Huey Long has been shot at and rushed to a hospital, The Secret Service has apprehended the attacker and taken him under custody, we still await for confirmation of the President's health status and pray for his best recovery."

    This had to do, he could not say if he was alive or dead, they did not know. Usually Edwards was always on the forefront, heck he should have been in Chicago, with the elections approaching how come they did not have anyone following Huey around? Hopefully they would get more updated news from their correspondents and sources in Chicago, he knew that for the next hours he would be the one to announce to over 40 million Americans that their President could be dead or could have just been grazed. This was not the first time that he had been shot either but one can only wonder if twenty years aged him gracefully or his body could not resist anymore. The camera cut and he was surprised at how steady his hands could remain, especially when he had just given the greatest news report in his life, yes he did and that was dawning on him now, he would be getting an Emmy at last if tonight was big enough, and if there is any occasion where it could be big then this was it.

    Miles away, in the White House, George Smith Patton had no idea if he was still Vice-President or if he was about to receive yet another promotion and become President. God knew this country needed a more decisive leader now, the Krauts burning churches! The Commies taking Daegu in Korea! Long was not a man who could deliver them the punching they needed, everything Patton said seemed to go through a filter in that man's earwax and he took half measures with what he was told. But damnit, he did not want the man to die, he was still the President and whoever was the bastard who shot a sitting President of the United States just made the security detail look like buffoons. Hess and his scum would be having a laugh in Germania if they even knew how to smile, whoever was responsible for this humiliation had to pay for it. Patton was receiving news as quickly as they came on Long's health, he knew how men being shot in the field were like, and thats with young men who were at their peak, Huey was not in the age of taking bullets and living to tell the story. Apparently he was rushed to the hospital still conscious and he was being put under surgery, from there onwards it was up to God. For now the General had to think of who WOULDN'T want to assassinate Long in an electoral year, that was easier to think than listing suspects. Krauts? They weren't that stupid, most of times, if they were killing the POTUS as part of a coordinated attack there would have been signs of increased U-Boat activity along the coast and the rockets would be firing now. The commies? They should have loved Huey for all he knew but even that Cajun wouldn't call himself a red and that was enough for these scum, he had seen first hand how Communists could kill one another at the millions for the slightest of differences as if their theory books were the Bible itself! Mayhaps someone from the inside, but who?

    "Sir, the President's surgery has removed the bullet, it has bounced on his ribs, but his recovery will still take time as they found shrapnel on his back."

    That tough bastard would live, Patton grinned to himself and dismissed the man, these wounds were survivable, but he would be out for a while from the field to recover. He took a puff from a Cigar and entered the Oval office, walking around it and yet not sitting on the chair. Patton could be an ambitious man, he could be brash, he could be rude, he could be stubborn, he could be proud, but he was no mutineer, he was not the President, only the Acting President, he would stay in his own office and run affairs from there, but it does not mean he couldn't take a strool that night on his superior's office. He could sit on the chair, nobody would see or bat an eye, but this chair was cursed, over these last years he had seen a complete loaf, a suicidal old man, a raving southern lunatic, and a man who was now in a hospital bed all sitting in there while the country had it's heights and lows. Sometimes he wondered if Mac would have been better in that seat than them, sure the man was a stubborn moron but he was a military man, he knew how to show strength and if it was up to him they would be raising the star spangled banner over that decrept monument in Germania and spitting on Hitler's corpse, they had the power at the time and did not use it, how many would end up dead because they did not kill the monster when he was weak? Maybe it was not too late now and he could do something about it, even if not a direct war, in his precious little days in charge, he could give a reminder to the world that America was still a damn power and not a pushover.




    George S. Patton would be the Acting President of the United States during the period between the 19th of May and the 5th of June when Long was finally transferred back to Washington. The President survived the attack, if only by an inch, but he would carry over a memory of it other than a scar, he would need the help of a cane to walk with his right leg, sometimes using the help of aids to stand in his worst days. Patton's short Presidency was also the most energetic the United States has been in years when facing it's enemies, projects which were being held back were accelerated including the Mark 27 Nuclear device, which would be tested on the 1st of June on the North of Greenland near the North Pole with devastating effects, the largest detonation up until that moment with a 30-Megaton Yield, the "Betsy Ross" bomb which was over the double the expected power, a Thermonuclear device which almost destroyed the delivery bomber. Furthermore, Patton oversaw the famous "Operation Ripper" after reviewing it and more than doubling the firepower (in both artillery and bombers) designed for the operation and seeing Congress approve another act to escalate the number of troops in the Korean conflict. The Communist advance towards Pusan was stopped and Patton became the first President in modern era to personally command the operation. In Late May he would spend a week in Korea and commanded the offensive which shattered the momentum of the Communist forces across the eastern coast of the Peninsula. Patton's classic bold style was a surprise to many who were used to the attritional proxy war approach that had existed up until that moment.

    But while the Commander-in-Chief, as Patton preferred to be addressed, was reliving his old days in the battlefield, the electoral campaign at home was picking up speed. Long's survival was a surprise as much as his assassination, many had celebrated in silence, others dreaded in silence, all gave the best wishes and some was disappointed when the wishes became true. Just the danger of Long's death put the Kingfish Party in disarray, the enormous Frankensteinian beast that was made up of everything from Southerners to Northerners, from Pseudo-Socialists to Conservative Populists, was almost tearing itself to win Long's blessing for the Vice-Presidency, when the Presidency itself could be up to grabs there were factions who turned on one another. But thankfully that damage was stopped just as the bleeding in the President's body, at least for now, but it highlighted the problems in the fact a "Longist" Party could not truly define what "Longism" meant other than following the wise leadership of Kingfish Long. Lyndon Johnson, the Shark, was a man who was put under enormous duress in the first days, as the strongest personality of the Party in Congress, the man lived politics, breathed politics, raised from his childhood listening in wonder the stories of his father's political adventures around his region. No wonder that a man like that would have his own ambitions, although he was especially pragmatic ever since he had his failed race in the early 40s. He knew he could never face Long to take over the Party, but he had begun to plan for the succession, and the Shark had been paying attention in his growing southern rivals, two Governors and a Senator.


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    Alabama Huey, as he came to be known in some circles, was a rising governor in the state of Alabama, who in 2 years had received so much funding that many thought that he was the one supposed to be Long's successor. George Wallace was part of the same wave which elected several new figures into Southern Politics, the "Long" effect was a shakeup of the political establishment and the dominance of the Democratic Party. Wallace came in with a Longist speech and narrowly won the vote for Governor in 1954, joining the ranks of the Populists as a relatively low figure, his rhetoric was allowing him to rise new heights, especially with his policy of "Better Roads, Better Future", which was not different from the main discourse of the Party but was one to the people of Alabama who was seeing a rising wave of populism brought by their sympathy for Long. He had so far refused to engage in racial politics on a large scale, although he did have a certain segregationist bias, many considered it just a consequence of being a politician in Alabama. Others like Governor Sid McMath, known as "Farmer Mac" due to his support for rural communities as Secretary of the Interior in Long's first term, believed that Wallace was a supporter of segregation, a man who hid his true face in a moderate facade and would reveal himself the second coming of the Thurmond Presidency. Sid was the Governor of Arkansas and an old partner of Huey, being greatly inspired by his southern neighbor, he left the government in 1952 in order to run in his Home State, pushing for his policies on a state-level and also receiving a generous amount of funds for his projects. Sid was a liberal, although not to the extent of some northerners, he wanted to continue the focus on welfare policies while slowly pushing to end segregation within the next ten years. That made him unpopular amongst other southern Populists, although he held a very strong sway on the Plains, from Kansas to Montana.

    There was also Jimmy "The Trucker" Hoffa, a rising star in Chicago who had managed to grow stronger in the Great Lakes region. Hoffa was a Labor leader who benefitted from the "Long Wave" to become President of the "International Brotherhood of Teamsters" (IBT) one of the largest Unions in North America, that and of course secretive contacts he held with the world of organized crime in Chicago. But Hoffa was a man much like Long, he was a firebrand, one of the President's staunchest supporters in the world of Unions who now had joined the Populists. He was not a politician, but many in the party were not either, and while he had small chance of actually getting a nomination, nobody could deny that his control of the truckers, especially after almost ten years of heavy investments from the government into highways, could be crucial in making him a Kingmaker during the electoral period. But despite all these unorthodox figures all coming together in the party, nobody would be able to carry the heart of the American people if Long died, the only one who could wield that name like it was his own in front of crowds was Huey Long's own son Russell Billiu Long.

    Russell had been in Louisiana when his father was shot, it just so happened that he was in there as his Senate career demanded that he went to his Home State to listen to the people. But most times when someone approached Russell it was not to speak to him, but to speak to his uncle, Governor Earl Long, or more likely to his almighty father President Huey. It was an open secret that it was his name that made him Senator, just like it was his father's name back in 1948 that made Earl into a Governor. Huey himself disliked that blatant Nepotism, but how could he stop the people from voting for someone with that prized surname? Sure, Earl was a madman more ways than figurative, but he was loyal and cemented the Dynasty's hold on the State for the next millennia. Russell had joined Politics as a Senator in 1950 after Overton's death, he had lived so far a calm life in the Senate, although he was also a favorite of many to be attacked in order to hit his father. He came into contact with "Shark" Johnson, naturally, as a Senator for the Populists after he defected with his father from the Democratic Party, Lyndon saw a man who represented a New South, he was like a more humane vision of Huey Long, not as dominant, or paranoid, in politics but a man willing to compromise. When Russell heard the news, his first instinct was to fly to Chicago, abstaining from a Senate session in order to accompany the surgical proceedings in his father. He was the natural heir to that Dynasty, no doubt the people would see a grieving son, one more empathetic but also fair, as Presidential material. But Russell was nowhere as experienced in politics, he could not play the Senate like Johnson, the crowds like Wallace, the country like Sid, or the Unions like Hoffa. Sure, he would have many advantages due to his name, but would this be a step too far into nepotism for the American people?


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    But all these doubts and contesters were to stay on the background of the Kingfish's Kingdom, because the FBI was dealing with a much larger scheme as Attorney General James H. Morrison began to unravel the sheer scale of the attempt in Chicago. Morrison never thought his job as AG would be to this level, sure he graduated, passed bar and even served some time in Congress to familiarize himself into politics, but when Long invited him to the job in 1955 he never thought he would sign up for this. The Department of Justice was in charge of the FBI which naturally was the one responsible to investigate this gruesome assassination attempt. The shooter was detained on site, a man named John Parker Lee, a former manager of the Standard Oil Company in Indiana, a search in his history would find out far more than just the man's occupation. He was a veteran of the Pacific War, returning a very different man from how he used to be before the war, the next ten years would be a series of unfortunate events. Long's attacks on the Standard Oil would lead to him being laid off in an attempt to cut costs due to several Lawsuits and a Court decision condemning the company to pay fines in the early 50s. Furthermore, his son had decided to join the military and serve as one of the advisors in Korea, recently dying in an ambush earlier that year. But that all still would not allow a man like that to get so close to the President of the United States, Lee's interrogatory should clarify more. But that never came, while being transported into a police car to be taken from one building to another, he would be shot fatally by an unknown assailant who emerged from the mass of journalists trying to get a glimpse of the shooter. Morrison was dealing with a troublesome investigation, because there were so many people who would want Huey dead that trying to get a list would arrest half of the country, they had to follow the due process and for that the FBI had to run an investigation on his background and contacts.

    What was found is that the list of suspects could be from respectable politicians to the lowest of criminals, the theory of a lone shooter was blown away together with Lee's brains in Chicago. Patton had to return from Korea eventually, his blood was really pumping out of the excitement in living his glory days and being the first President to actively lead troops since Washington, he came back to find out the investigation was dealing with trouble. The AG blamed the FBI, the FBI blamed the CIA, the CIA blamed the local police, and one of the cops blamed the sun for preventing him from seeing the killer. Either way, Huey Long was alive, and Morrison would go to Chicago on the 30th to check on the President after 11 days, he was recovering very well as the hospital had a whole wing sealed off with only vetted personnel allowed, there were more security guards in the Northwestern Memorial than the White House ever had, the Secret Service called for all to make sure the POTUS would not suffer another attempt. In his room, he had received some reports of more urgent matters even if the doctors recommended to keep him away from stressful matters. He had taken a vested interest, as anyone would, about who was trying to kill him, he also dismissed the idea of a lone shooter and claimed that this was some sort of revenge ploy by lobbyists, which was far from a discarded theory but Morrison did not wish to go to conclusions yet. Someone jokingly suggested it was a Kennedy, after all they were great marksmen in shooting heads of state. But in Long's paranoid mind, the idea that the Kennedy family, former democrats who turned to the Republican Party and gained prominence as his opposition in the Northeast, could be behind the shooting was not fully discarded. The AG suggested that Long could have something to lead the investigation in his files but he refused to grant the key.

    The Kennedy luck was something that ran through that family, with the exception of the deceased Robert Kennedy. John, his older brother, was a national celebrity after the war for being the man who killed Hirohito, that was the equivalent of a Jew shooting Hitler for most Americans, that allowed him to be elected to Congress in 1948 with great ease, and in 1953 he became Governor of Massachusetts for the Republican Party, riding the wave of McCarthyism. He did not have the same Presidential ambitions of his father, not many had hope for a Catholic President as the Papacy was seen by many as a puppet of Mussolini, and there were other motives, perhaps the experience in killing a Head of State had shocked him away from that. Joseph P. Kennedy, the Patriarch of the Family, would be approached by FBI agents on the 2nd of June, they just wished to ask questions instead of taking him into interrogation. Kennedy would answer them, but he quickly figured out that these questions had the assassination as a background, his behavior changed to accusing the agents of attempting to smear his family's name with their mere presence. Of course they could not seek hostilities with the father of the Governor, they would thank him for his time and leave. The Kennedy's were targets at that moment, at least in the eyes of Huey Long.

    After he left the hospital on the 5th with his candidacy to an unprecedented 3rd term, launching a barrage of accusations against the wealthy and powerful, the nation was in uproar, people cheered for Long, they wanted Long, they wanted to continue the Long reign which saw an era of growth not seen since the roaring 20s, but this time it was one that affected the poorest the most, raising living standards to new heights, lowing the costs through new programs and successfully associating Long with this golden age in contrast to the "Warring Wheeler" years and the chaotic "Thurmond Transition". There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Huey would win the election, the bullet wound in his chest ensured that. When he went to the White House he wanted to personally oversee the investigation, especially trying to connect the dots between the Kennedys and Lee, such as the fact both were heavily associated with the Standard Oil corporations, turns out Lee even had a job offer from Massachusetts. He had job offers from other states as well but this one is what truly caught the AG's attention, because that involved acting as an envoy to Lisbon, a job offer which was very much above Lee's paygrade and it involved what was essentially a code for "Black Market" in the CIA's list. If the Standard Oil Company was keeping contacts with Portugal, while technically not illegal, it meant they were involved with commerce inside the Linz Pakt. This meant the CIA would be taking over the investigation to search possible links Lee had with foreign Countries, and the Standard Oil in General, with the power given by the American Protection Act which forbade US companies of engaging in transactions and agreements with Embargoed nations such as the Reich.

    The Germans had immediately rejected any association with Lee, Eichmann, one of the heads of the RSHA, made a low level encounter in Lisbon with Donovan, head of the CIA. The two would practically scan one another for any weakness of lie, Donovan came back fully believing Eichmann to be a psychopath and Eichmann returned believing Donovan to be an undisciplined cowboy. But the Reich was certainly not behind any assassination attempts on Huey Long, they had their own problems to deal with when suppressing the Catholic Church while also keeping Catholic States connected towards them. Which other foreign link could it be? The Chinese were discarded from the second one saw Patton and pictured him in the Presidential Chair, in the short time he was in Charge he had shattered a Communist offensive in Korea which has been planned for 8 months. There were other groups, like Separatists from Porto Rico or even Korean infiltrators, but again that was discarded because the very idea Patton would be a more compromising leader than Long was a repellant to any foreign sabotage against the latter.

    But the investigation was struck by the Kennedy luck, it is unknown how exactly the whistleblower decided to turn himself in, interrogation would lead to nowhere was the man just did not say anything out of fear. There were theories, some linked to the Bufalinos who ran the most powerful crime family in the Great Lakes, the cousin of the head of the family was literally the attorney of Jimmy Hoffa who would benefit greatly following the attempt in Chicago. However, that is all conjecture based on hearsay, none of that would ever hold up in court, what did hold up in court was what the whistleblower told. With ample evidence he confessed to have been the man who sold an unmarked M1911 to John Parker Lee, the shooter of the President, just a month before the assassination. He had been contacted by a group of "powerful individuals" who wanted to ensure the gun was sold at a low cost to the shooter and told him beforehand that Lee would come. Further conclusions reached to companies that all had something in common: They were donors to the Republican Party. Right that same month, there was a cheerful tone in the nomination of the Republican Party. After months of negotiations and with the decline of the Democrats, some hoped that they would be able to win this year's election. However that all hid what was on the back of their heads, the survival of Huey Long which had made him a Martyr, especially after the speech on the 5th of June:




    "My dear Americans, I am afraid due to medical impediments I cannot stay for long so I shall be brief. I must thank the medical team and those who cared for me in these hard weeks, above all I thank God for granting me the opportunity to do much more with my life. When I was shot twenty years ago, I remember praying to the creator that I live longer, so I could do more, so I could give more. That mercy was granted once and it was granted again this last month. I feared for my life, as any human does, even Christ himself sweat blood on the night before his judgment, I feared that this could be the end and America would be mourning. There were many who wanted me to quit, I ran two terms, they said, I gave America far more than was expected of me and I had earned a retirement back in my home in Louisiana. A third term? So many asked me why to continue this effort, why I continue to put myself as a target of slander and bullets. I wondered that myself, I was waiving off from deciding to run again until that day. In this time I realized what is at stake, Americans, it is no secret that I anger many, those in power who have been shaken and broken, great giants like the Rockefellers and Fords all around have done everything to bring me down long before I was even in Politics back in my home. The Democrats and Republicans for a century have controlled the politics of the country, playing us off one another while on the background they party together, while they are paid by the same corrupt bosses, while they play the same dirty tricks, there are very little differences between them. I was a threat to those who play off the people against one another, blacks and whites, silver and gold, dry and wet, liberal and conservative, they made labels for us to forget our common roots as Americans, picking up teams and distracting us with politics while they exploited us.


    I was one of the many who was exploited, who was deluded, I used to call myself a Democrat, I used to give myself labels and think politics was about who sits in the White House and does magic to help the people. But when I got to Congress I realized that they were all alike, I saw a congress bribed, I saw a Callous White House who cared little for the people who put them in there. George Washington and the Founders have created a nation with all liberty and opportunity a man needed, but this dream was taken from us along the way by the wealthy, who created an establishment who used Tyranny that would make men like Samuel Adams, Thomas Paine, Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson faint in horror at what they created. America was being crushed, which is why I joined politics, which is why I wanted to break this engine who crushed the common man under the tyranny of the wealthy. I reject socialism, those ideals are inherently against the American Spirit, their system crushes the individual. I reject Nazism and their autocracy, of believing a race above others and a leader above them all. I rejected the establishment, the corruption and bargaining that for so long has crushed the common American. Which is why I became their target, because once I was in the White House I was able to do something about it. We have crushed the Monopolies like Roosevelt, we have crushed the Aristocrats like Lincoln and freed the American people, we crushed the Financial system and the debt slavery like Jackson. No more would you spend your life working for a meager of the gains of your boss, now you have the money to prosper by yourself, to be your own boss, to raise your children in this beautiful God-given land. No more do you have to fear that a burn would make you broke in medical bills you could not afford. No more you have to fear your children will go through your difficulties, now they have studies, now they have transportation, teachers, schools, meals, they have a brighter future that we could never have.

    That is why I became a target, my dear Americans. I represented to them the rise of you, I was to them this brighter future where we no longer have to toil for them. I repeat, we are not socialists, if you create a company and grow thanks to the Lord's blessings, it is your right to enjoy the fruit of your sweat. But just because you are cooking the meat, doesn't mean you get to keep the barbecue, just because you own the company does not mean you must keep your workers down! The greatness of America is that we are such a wealthy and free land that any man can grow, but if we have the strong crushing the weak, if we have the few smashing the many, then we are no better than those men in jackboots who trample on freedom! Because how can you be free if you must work day and night and still struggle to feed yourself? How can you be free if you must beg for scraps because you were laid off after losing a finger on a machine? How can you be free when you are taxed to the last penny while the wealthy never get to pay their due? I fought for freedom far more than any of those who accuse me, because they speak of the freedom on papers, but I speak of the freedom of reality, I speak of the freedom which you truly need to enjoy the other freedoms! That is why they slander me day and night, that is why they use their corrupt system against me and others of my mind, that is why they attack my family and now they finally resorted to attacking with bullets!

    But here I stand before you, the Common men and women of America, the people who build this country, the people who toil day and night and are finally receiving their due! I stand here to tell you that they want to turn back the clock, they want to turn back to the time where they could divide us, weaken us, enoying all their benefits and priviledges while our meager rights and liberties are crushed under Corrpution and Monopolies! But I am here to announce that I will not let them do that while I breathe! They break the law, so the law will come for them, they fight against Justice so Justice will fight back, they fight dirty but we will fight clean and show them that just like our forefathers we will not give up on our Freedom! I will run for a Third Term because the country needs me, I will sacrifice again my health, I will sacrifice my life if I must, but I will fight for you! They are weakening, they are desperate, resorting to breaking the minimum decency of respecting someone's life, this may not be the last time they try it, but I will not let fear stop me from this fight as God is my witness! Thank you for your prayers, thank you for your vigils, thank you for your support, and let us give these Tyrants the Justice they deserve!"



    That was a declaration of war, the Party had just nominated Nelson Rockefeller, the peak of ironies of course, with William Knowland, a more hawkish and conservative man to balance Rockefeller, as Vice-Presidential nominee. The very idea of naming the Grandson of the founder of the Standard Oil Company showed that the war with Long took a more personal level to the Republicans as their personality had increasingly shifted towards a big-tent "Anti-Longist" coalition. The Democratic Party had suffered more than any other with Huey's defection, as Richard Russell doubled down on making the Party a defender of Southern Interests against Longist populism which threatened them so much at home, especially after the defeat in Alabama to the "Alabama Huey". There were no delusions that they could win the Presidency, rather they wished to play as Kingmakers by forcing the election into the House, where they still held sway through traditional seats that were more partisan than ideological. But a few days later, a leak to the press would shake the little optimism the Republicans had that year.

    Nelson Rockefeller, the epitome of "East Coast" Republican Progressist, who had largely advocated for programs similar to Long's in an attempt to steal his voter base, would see his name indirectly linked to an assassination attempt at a sitting US President. He claimed that he was being a victim of a smear campaign by his adversary and was put on the defensive, refusing to step down to the level of attacks the White House was unleashing against him and the GOP. Meanwhile, The Democrats chose James Eastland from Missouri as their candidate, who ran his campaign on the south by setting fire to it, using the growing Civil Rights movement and speaking out of it as a threat to the Southern way of life. Both of the old "Establisment" Parties knew chances were already low of defeating Long at his peak popularity when the State machine was becoming more and more controlled by the Kingfish himself. Chances became practically null in the aftermath of the failed assassination as the hopes of a Patton Presidency rejuvenating the Establishment while the Populists destroyed one another over the succession sunk into the bayou.


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    The Populists held their grand rally in Louisiana, needlessly to say why, the event was an enormous and pompous display of power for the Populists, a show of unity as Huey Long appeared before the crowds on the 18th of June, showing himself stronger than ever through the help of makeup to hide his aging and the effects of the shooting. The Party was completely unanimous in it's nomination for him to a Third Term, differently from other parties which usually avoided unanimous nominations of even popular candidates. The Vice-President was a doubt that many had which was settled down when Long picked his VP: Senator Albert "Al" Gore of Tennessee, another one from the State since the failed run of Kefauver. A champion of Long's road system in the Senate and an early arrival in the Populist Party. Gore was opposed to the more segregationist Democrats, although he was not known as a fervorous supporter of Civil Rights either, a middle road that the President was comfortable with. The other Party figures each focused on their own campaigns, either for reelection or to join the Senate as was the case of Sid.

    The election that year was hardly a contest, in fact it was a Long's greatest victory. His enemies were slandered, with his Republican adversary being the greatest gift he has ever received, the experienced and charismatic POTUS went to a debate on CBS against Rockefeller that took full advantage of his rival's surname, he was the epitome of the Establishment that he fought against in the eyes of the people. Sure, many still disliked Long, but they would not go as far as voting for a Rockefeller after the reveal that the man responsible for the assassination was a literal (former) employee of the Standard Oil Company. Eastland and the Democrats contested the South with Long, trying to play the game of Racial relations, but Long knew also how the southern man felt, the enemy was not the negro but the man using the negro as a distraction to skin their wealth from them. He even campaigned on the Black Community in Vicksburg, promising that they too would see the benefits they won being stripped away if an oligarch from New York or an Aristocrat from Missouri won the election while inflaming racial hatred and breaking the fragile "peace" that existed since 1948, it would be a return to the Thurmond Presidency of racial war and economic recession. He was fighting to change and keep the New America against the enemies that wanted to return to the old one. It was all made better for Long as the investigation advanced and led to a group of radical Republicans inspired by McCarthy who named themselves "Society for the Defense of Liberty". Several men, including two Congressmen, were implicated and arrested, only smearing the image of the Republicans as a "Party of Killers".

    With a "Landslide" victory of over 350 electoral votes that swept from Washington to Florida, Huey Long was elected to an unprecedented Third Term with a majority of the electoral vote and a plurality of the popular vote. He had won, the shot in Chicago only ensured that nobody could question the results that year, not only that but the Populists swept in to control at least half of the House of Representatives and a plurality of the Senate. The results couldn't even be contested due to the wide margin, Long's policy and style of ruling were in some way approved and validated by the American people, his enemies tore each other off while he fought for years until the two parties began weakening. Many of the Republican lobby companies were in some way targeted by the Secretary of Commerce and the Attorney General, Rockefeller himself was under investigation over breaching the American Protection Act due to old ongoing contracts between the Standard Oil Company and the German Titan IG Farben, another act which was exposed in his campaign and helped to paint him as an Elitist traitor.

    Long would have his farewell with Patton, the two went out on amicable terms for the latter's standards. George S. Patton's legacy in his short presidency is viewed positively, although many are more skeptical of how he would fare actually running a civilian government in the long-term. But as it stands it was essentially a show of Force, with Patton breaking the standard and being one of the few Heads of State to actually command troops directly in a conflict, he had escalated the low-level Korean War which has been stuck in a stalemate since 1953 with much of the East and North of the country under Communist Control while the Nationalists controlled Seoul and much of the west and southern coasts. And of course, in the most "Patton" move expected, he ordered the test of the world's most powerful nuclear device to that date, whose shockwave was felt around the world from Greenland and led to Hess demanding a nuclear device of 30 gigatons, a suggestion that was shelved for sake of human survival by Wegener after the meeting. The former General and Commander-in-Chief would retire back to California where he would write his memoirs, he also met with General MacArthur one day and the two bitter old men lamented over the fate of their country, reflecting that they should have pushed Wheeler, Hull and Thurmond to go all the way in. Patton claimed that his life's greatest regret was to not have continued the march from Siberia into Europe, reflecting just how much worse the situation was under the Reichsadler if millions of Russians, Poles, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Belarusians, Estonians, Livonians, and Caucasian groups were risking their lives and were willing to go to the frozen hell Russia was even during the Civil War.

    Long would have the first Third Term inauguration Ceremony in American History, it was the largest event that the District of Columbia had seen up to that moment, alongside millions of Americans who listened to every word in Radio and actually saw on TV. It shows the improvement in the quality of life the fact that Tens of Millions were now able to watch their President speak from their homes. Long spoke about the endurance of America, claiming that the fight started in 1949 had evolved to become the greatest change the country had seen since the Civil War. A New Nation had emerged after the decade-long struggle against the elites for Social Welfare and American Values. He spoke of a new Americanism, of a traditional conservative family which was propelled upwards by the hand of the State. The State was not the enemy of freedom, rather it was the definitive expression of the people, free from the manipulations of greed and corruption. He spoke out how the Federal Reserve was broken into the new Bank of America, he spoke how large monopolies were shattered in favor of small and medium business of the common man. Using the great upsurge in religious values thanks to the Reich's attacks on Christian churches, Huey rallied both Conservatives and Progressives, calling for a united struggle of the American people, now embracing the New America, the new Freedom, against the forces of Tyranny, against the forces of hatred and paganism, if not satanism as many of the SSK's fringe occultism under Himmler had been made into a public image of what the Swastika spiritually represented. The enemies of America, both the wealthy who collaborated with these forces out of greed and manipulated the masses with divisive rhetoric, and the forces of Tyranny in Eurasia, would face a renewed and united people. All pretenses of Isolationism once held by the POTUS had been washed away, as if he had never supported the America First movement or as if he had never abandoned Britain and other American allies in the struggle against Nazism. It was as if he did not spend his political career launching his own divisive rhetoric of the masses against the wealthy.

    Long's Third Term continued the trend of the second one, as his own party gained more and more influence, and with that more and more his own political machine strengthened, he began abandoning his previous compromises to intensify his pursuit of his vision of American Society. He would become more proactive in foreign policy, especially in Asia and Russia, the latter of which would become far more intense in 1958 once the Ural War started. But as of now he had to deal with the divide in America over the matter of Civil Rights, an issue intensified during the campaign by the Democratic Party throughout the South. Herman Talmadge, the Georgian governor who had just been elected in 1954 after losing his office in the 1950 election due to the Swainsboro debacle in 1948, would spark controversy as he began to challenge the Supreme Court, and by extension the President himself, over the Heatherson case.


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    The Issue of Racial Integration in Schools was a very sensitive subject to say the least, sure the majority of the country supported it but Long was a southerner and the Populists held a strong sway over most of the South, much of it because they were able to keep the racial rhetoric toned down in comparison to the wealth rhetoric. But the Democrats wanted to force the issue, Richard Russell and Harry F. Byrd, the two largest figures of the "Dixiecrats" that practically took over the old Democratic Party, knew that setting the south aflame with the issue of segregation was the only way to defeat Long and the Populists who gained so much popularity in the country. Ironically the voting system that overwhelmingly supported rural counties had turned against them as the Populists had become the "Farmer's Party" thanks to Huey Long and Sid McMath's agricultural benefits and modernization pushed since 1949. As such, Talmadge decided to act a little earlier than expected, although some considered it later than expected, as the University of Georgia was to receive it's first two African-American students. The National Guard was called up by the Governor and barred the students from entering due to the potential "risk of riots". Ironically this decision itself would cause a protest that began to get national traction. It was been less than a decade since the "Battle of Swainsboro" in that same State and under the same Governor, many had feared that this would lead to yet another racial war in Georgia. Others were more bold, inspired by the men such as Joshua Smith who had received the Capital Punishment as a veteran who defended his home from Klansmen, Civil Rights group began marching and that led to counter marches, all while the students continued to be barred by hundreds of soldiers in the city of Athens.

    And then, on the 15th of September, just 4 days after the crisis began, the guards retreated and the students were allowed in much to the celebration of Civil Rights organizers. But the question is why, why did Governor Talmadge have such a sudden change of mind to the point of going back in humiliation, betraying his Senator and White Supremacist supporters? Some say it was a phone call, some say the call was made by Russell, or Lyndon Johnson, or Huey Long, others say it was by the FBI, others by the CIA, others by the Mafia, some say the Governor was bribed with increased funding and money into his own pocket, others say he was threatened to have funding to the state reduced or cut, others say he was threatened that Long would march the Army into Georgia and remove him from office, others say his own life was threatened. In the end it was a mixed bag, while the incident in Athens was a great victory that made a precedent to integrate other Southern Schools, it was also a demonstration of just how powerful the Federal Government became under Long, especially it's more sinister aspects. To which extent was the POTUS linked to organized crime? After all there were a few rumors that his Secretary of Labor, Jimmy "The Trucker" Hoffa, was in close contact with the Crime Families in the Midwest. Either way, the crisis was solved before there was bloodshed with the governor backing down, seemingly under the pressure of Civil Rights groups. Certainly the version for History books was cleaner than what truly happened on the night of the 14th of September 1957.

    Huey was on the offensive in Congress with new measures, such as the implementation of a Federal Minimum wage of a dollar an hour, a measure some called Communist, others called just common sense that was long overdue. Some small business grumbled but the reform was seen positively as it increased the purchasing power of the Poor American. The Economy continued on a steady and optimistic growth so far, especially as the Indian Markets grew open to American Products thanks to trade agreements and a detente had been reached with the Brazilian government to distance from it's extreme policy of Autarky. Of course the European Market was still essentially closed except for CIA-backed black market schemes that ran into competition with RSHA-backed ones in Portugal. Next came the approval of his nomination for yet another Supreme Court Justice, giving him a safe supermajority which could start pushing for his own agenda in national court cases. A Law graduate, Huey knew the power that the Supreme Court could enforce through the right case and the right ruling, which is why he spent much of his government ensuring the Judiciary was friendly to his causes.

    Congress, Courts, White House, State Governments, State Legislatures, nothing could stop the hold the Longists now held over the Nation, not only in the Populist Party but even Republicans and Democrats who were "convinced" by figures such as "Shark" Johnson in the Senate. His own mortality was the only thing which could possibly stop the Kingfish, who was now in his mid-sixties, which should be a relatively healthy age although it suffered from a decade of Presidential Stress and two assassination attempts. The question was if he would even stop with a Third Term, what about a Fourth one? A Fifth? When would the American people be tired of Long? Or would they ever get tired considering the type of leader he was? He was nicknamed the "American Caudillo" in an ironic way by some, but that would not be far from the style Peron was using in Argentina, a Populist man of the people who pushed for popular legislation and fought a war against the Establishment and powerful corporations, only to use the vacuum of power to place his own agenda, his own personality cult, it was a style which was imitated by others in some way across the Continent. In Cuba, Roberto Agramonte inaugurated the beginning of the rule of the "Orthodox" Party, which was greatly inspired by Long to push for Social reforms. Despite the irritation of old establishment sectors such as the ones represented by former President Fulgencio Baptista. Similarly Jacobo Arbénz in Guatemala would launch his own platform into power based around Land Reform, despite the attempted moved by the CIA to launch a coup in 1954, Long intervened to stop the agency as he had a personal interest in seeing the failure of the United Fruit Company, a known backer of the Republican Party and McCarthy in the previous election which was later targeted by the Attorney General's office over illegal business practices and heavily fined.

    Long would be almost targeted by another assassination attempt when a group of armed men attempted to kill him during a visit in Miami, those men would fail to hit the target thanks to the last-minute strike by the Secret Service. They were Puerto Rican Nationalists, who wished for the independence of their Island from Washington. The President's paranoia continued to make him retaliate against enemies, using the FBI to arrest several Puerto Rican nationalists and intelectuals over suspected links to terrorist groups. But his fears were not completely unjustified as years of repression were radicalizing the American right-wing, which received a boost from the growing religious revival which was pushed a lot through Television, Televangelists such as William "Billy" Graham were winning over crowds and speaking of the need for a Christian Great Awakening in America. Long was certainly supportive of such elements, but many of them were also aligned with the American Right, which had grown restless after a decade of disaster under the Long Administration that many saw as a Fascist Takeover, with Long compared to Julius Caesar, Benito Mussolini, Robbespierre and Hitler, comparisons which did not make as much sense if one looked deep enough but that still had several similarities with the Kingfish's style of ruling. Figures such as Robert Welch Jr. began to emerge, a man who saw in horror the destruction of "Classical Liberal Values" in the Long Presidency and was deluded after the Republicans nominated Rockefeller as an attempt to compete with the Progressive vote. The so-called "Society of the Friends of Liberty" was founded in January 1958 with 20 members at first, but it soon began to explode as former McCarthyists and right-wing Republicans, alongside Democrats, began to join this group as they mirroed themselves in the "Sons of Liberty" during the American Revolution. They were not an armed group, but soon began to grow into a form to coalesce the opposition towards Long. From there they began advocating for a New Right, centered around "Americanism" and opposing "Collectivism", from where Communism, Nazism, Fascism and Longism all came from.

    But so far these groups were small, not a concern to the FBI which had been weaponized into a machine of political suppression in some ways against the two main opposition Parties. The Republicans and Democrats alike began to think of a coalition, setting aside their differences in favor of a single united front against Long in the midterms and, if he ran again in 1960, in the Presidential Election. But this proposal was an absurd, especially with the volatile environment of civil rights that drove an edge between Democrats and Republicans. Many feared it could be a repeat of the Wheeler Presidency where the compromise led to the South gaining a disproportionate amount of influence over American politics that some claim led to the Long Presidency. The Republicans also had to deal with an identity crisis as they could not decide between returning to the right-wing push of MacArthur and McCarthy or continuing to invest in Rockefeller's Progressivism, especially as many in the Right had felt alienated and the party had it's greatest lost since Hoover lost to Wheeler in 1936. Meanwhile the Populists were united behind their leader, and little else.

    In 1958, there were certain expectations in the Midterms that the Populists had lost momentum, Republicans and Democrats alike hoped that the pendulum could finally shift to their favor, in some places such as Indiana they would even form joint tickets for the local elections. However, as if God (or Satan depending on your political positions) wanted Huey to continue his work, Germania moved to ensure that the Progressives would have a rallying cry for this election. As the Conflict in Korea was ending, another began once millions of soldiers began to fight in the greatest war in Europe since the Treaty of Lisbon. The German attack on Russia served as another "rally around the flag", perhaps even more intense than Catholic persecution as the fears of a new war reached a level not seen since Hitler's rule. Conservatives, Liberals and Progressives alike, radicalized by a decade of "Grey Scare" against anything German, now called for a stop on the Teuton Threat, some even suggesting a war with a first strike to cripple the German Nuclear Arsenal, something the retired MacArthur agreed with. But Long was able to instead direct that to Industry, now reaching out to companies that had become more friendly, although not out of goodwill in their hearts, to Huey's cause, starting the War Machine to a level not reached since the 1940s. The largest merchant fleet of the world was now going to Vladivostock on record levels to deliver weapons, ammunition, planes, industrial machinery, food, medicine and thousands upon thousands of volunteers from recruits to veterans.

    There was a certain fear that Russia would fall, especially after the Germans unleashed nuclear weapons in Perm, which provoked a wave of fear in the country that an Atomic War would soon begin. The Midterms had a turnout rate much higher than normal due to this, and while the Populists continued with their majority, there was an interesting upsurge within the three parties, especially the Republicans, of Warhawk politicians. One such example was the election of Knowland as Governor of California with Richard Nixon as Senator in that same state, which feared a return of the Pacific War days when the West Coast could be bombed by Submarines at any moment. The Republican Party would finally embrace it's right-wing that year as many of the remaining progressives either retired or decided to join the Populist ranks as right-wing warhawk figures had come to dominate the GOP. The Democrats had failed in using racial baiting due to Talmadge's humiliation in 1957 and the upsurge in a more foreign-oriented rhetoric that left much of the Dixiecrat leadership of the Party behind, although they won some seats in the south, it was not enough. Russell Long would become Governor of Louisiana as his uncle retired due to health concerns, Wallace would rise to the rank of Senator after a successful term in Alabama, Johnson was re-elected in the Senate, McMath became Senator of Arkansas and Hoffa continued in Long's cabinet.

    After the Russians survived the winter, the Americans would only redouble their efforts to score a decisive win against Germania. Meanwhile, in the US the programs made by the President continued to deliver results with literacy rates at a record high in poor communities, an increase in life expectancy, and on the average income of each American Household. Larger business suffered while those at the bottom benefitted, with his programs being financed by increases in his "Share the Wealth" tax programs and through corporate taxes. However, while he enjoyed approval ratings of around 70%, his opposition was only pushed towards a greater radicalization, with many Populists fearing a strong backlash if the pendulum began to swing, but could he have stopped the Pendulum? Never before had the United States had a President like Long, one might argue that he had reshaped politics itself in America. The Long era, also called the Long reign, started with the Motto of "Every Man will be a King", perhaps Huey was more of a "King" than other Americans. As January of 1949 came, it was the first time in American History where one man has held the supreme power of the nation for a decade, with yet two more years to go if not more, certainly Huey, with his popularity and omnipresent political machinery which took control of the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary, could win another term if nothing drastic were to happen. And yet, even if one may disagree with his methods, no President has been able to have such an impactful legacy except perhaps Lincoln and Washington, but one could argue that Long exceeded them. He expanded the Federal Power and it's influence over the States and the People to levels even Lincoln did not, while he also broke Washington's own precedent on Term Limits and in the Separation of Powers. He went further than Roosevelt in crushing monopolies and great corporations, he went further than Wilson and Wheeler in providing leadership during a testing time in Geopolitics, and he went further than Jackson in crushing the Banks and the Establishment, in fact he essentially made Jackson's party into a regional force at best while Lincoln's party was reduced to a weakened opposition. It is not much of a stretch to say his critics may be right in claiming him as a Caesar, a populist beloved by the people who defeated a rival general and a famous conservative speaker, as the resemblance of MacArthur to Pompey and McCarthy to Cato was called upon, who redistributed wealth and improved the lives of the common man while amassing absolute power over himself, breaking the limits of the consensus, fighting a corrupt establishment and strongarming the legislature to pass his bills.

    But unlike Caesar, Long lived, and he reflected about his near death experience in 1935, when a lawyer shot him in the Louisiana State House. In that moment he prayed for God to not take him, that he still had so much to do. He had thought that his career would have ended in the 1940s due to his previous bet in isolationism, but the post-war and the chaotic governments of Hull and Thurmond had given him a chance, and he had done much indeed. But that was not enough, he would see to it that his life was not spared a second time in vain. He saw the future of America in him, he was America, he was just as much from the people as any of the millions who marched and praised him, a young salesman who managed to get a Law Degree, fought against every odd, even death, and yet he won. There was a sense of destiny to any man who has lived and done as much as him, for over 30 years he has been in politics and he went from a complete nobody to be the most powerful and influential man of the Western World. What else did the future reserve for him? As he had said before he would say again, looking out from the Oval Office to America, his beloved America, in thought with a hand holding his cane and the other behind his back.


    "I still have much to do."
     
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