Introduction
Originating from some messing around re: how long WW2 could possibly be. Comments?
A Free German exile unit during the Fall of Germania, c. 1975.
Introduction to "The Second World War: 1939-1977", by Michael Fairfield
"Before describing the conflict itself, it is necessary to examine the circumstances leading to the three-decade struggle between democracy and fascism.
By 1939, the Nazi government had solidified control over Germany, and entered a tenuous alliance with the Soviet Union. Both states had tremendous industrial capacity and aggressive foreign policy. But, most importantly, both were hostile to the liberal Western democracies. On September 1, 1939, German Wehrmacht troops entered Poland, initiating the European portion of the Second World War. Soviet Red Army troops entered shortly after, and within four weeks, the nation of Poland ceased to exist. Its Western and Eastern provinces were respectively annexed to Germany and Russia.
Franco-British fears were seemingly justified. Though they failed to prevent the Rhineland debacle, a violation as flagrant as this could not stand. The decision to bomb Soviet oil reserves, then, seemed logical. Western Air Plan 106 was executed on April 1, 1940. Four squadrons of Bristol Blenheims launched from RAF Habbaniya conducted the night raid on state-operated refineries in the Baku region.
Though the actual damage was minimal, the political consequences were disastrous. On April 2, the Soviet Union officially declared war on Britain, prompting riots from national communist parties. France, which had up to then been in secret peace negotiations with Russia, was suddenly rebuffed. The Soviet Union, it seemed, had been driven into the German orbit.
If the invasion of Poland was an embarrassment for the Allies, the Fall of France was devastating. Massed armor and mobile troops rampaged through the Low Countries before breaking through the Ardennes into Central France, within six weeks having captured Paris and carved the Third Republic in two. Northern France and the Atlantic coast were absorbed into the Reich proper, Medditeranean France reorganized into a German dependency.
Although the Reich’s European war of conquest had concluded, the Second World War had just begun."
The header image is by Mathaeus Graef, fora HOI4 mod called The New Order.
A Free German exile unit during the Fall of Germania, c. 1975.
Introduction to "The Second World War: 1939-1977", by Michael Fairfield
"Before describing the conflict itself, it is necessary to examine the circumstances leading to the three-decade struggle between democracy and fascism.
By 1939, the Nazi government had solidified control over Germany, and entered a tenuous alliance with the Soviet Union. Both states had tremendous industrial capacity and aggressive foreign policy. But, most importantly, both were hostile to the liberal Western democracies. On September 1, 1939, German Wehrmacht troops entered Poland, initiating the European portion of the Second World War. Soviet Red Army troops entered shortly after, and within four weeks, the nation of Poland ceased to exist. Its Western and Eastern provinces were respectively annexed to Germany and Russia.
Franco-British fears were seemingly justified. Though they failed to prevent the Rhineland debacle, a violation as flagrant as this could not stand. The decision to bomb Soviet oil reserves, then, seemed logical. Western Air Plan 106 was executed on April 1, 1940. Four squadrons of Bristol Blenheims launched from RAF Habbaniya conducted the night raid on state-operated refineries in the Baku region.
Though the actual damage was minimal, the political consequences were disastrous. On April 2, the Soviet Union officially declared war on Britain, prompting riots from national communist parties. France, which had up to then been in secret peace negotiations with Russia, was suddenly rebuffed. The Soviet Union, it seemed, had been driven into the German orbit.
If the invasion of Poland was an embarrassment for the Allies, the Fall of France was devastating. Massed armor and mobile troops rampaged through the Low Countries before breaking through the Ardennes into Central France, within six weeks having captured Paris and carved the Third Republic in two. Northern France and the Atlantic coast were absorbed into the Reich proper, Medditeranean France reorganized into a German dependency.
Although the Reich’s European war of conquest had concluded, the Second World War had just begun."
The header image is by Mathaeus Graef, fora HOI4 mod called The New Order.