The Sun Rises Yet Again
Chapter 19: An Old Order Made Anew
February 9, 1926
Mosley has been discharged from the hospital. Although it will still take some months for it to heal fully and weeks for him to be able to even walk, he can finally truly return to work. Makgill and Sinclair inform Mosley that P. S. Burton has finally been found as the lull during the winter months has allowed them to quicken the search for him. His real name is Eric Blair and his transfer order is already in place, with Fuller placing special priority on it. He should be in London in a week. Mosley congratulates Makgill and Sinclair on a job well done.
Mosley asks Beatty to begin working on a new class of battleship, one meant for actual service and to have two laid down by the early 1930s. Beatty assures him he will get it done. Sopwith tells Mosley that all the planes have gone through test flights and several improvements have already been made and that they can begin producing them in factories potentially before the end of the year. Mosley thanks him for his speed in this endeavor and sends notice to Kitson to begin working on merging H.G. Hawker Engineering, Avro, and Black Aircraft into a single massive aircraft manufacturer that would be given preferential treatment as an incentive. He also informs him of the South Africa Scheme and tells him to meet with Salazar to work out compensation for Portugal.
Mosley meets with Fuller in his office to check on how the planning against the Ottomans has progressed.
Oswald Mosley
"Hello Fuller. May I enter?"
J. F. C. Fuller
"Hello Your Excellency! Yes, please come in. I presume you are here to inquire on the state of planning I have carried out with my colleagues?"
Oswald Mosley
"How right you are! Please, tell me."
J. F. C. Fuller
"I assure you it is going well. Once I had announced the news to them they jubilated with a most gay attitude. We were so fervent in our planning that we quickly built a baseline for the entire war that night."
Oswald Mosley
"Surely you must be jesting?"
J. F. C. Fuller
"I am not. We are still working on a complete map and plan but we have our major operations outlined and have consolidated them all into a 'War Plan'."
Oswald Mosley
"A 'War Plan'?"
J. F. C. Fuller
"It is all the operations, strategies, and information prevalent to a nation in case of military action. I have here the War Plan for the Ottoman Empire, code-named
War Plan Macedon. It's all right here."
Fuller hands Mosley a folder filled with over a hundred papers and documents.
J. F. C. Fuller
"We shall expand upon it, it should easily reach over a 1,000 pages by its completion, minimum."
Mosley looks at the many papers and glosses the operational procedures page.
Oswald Mosley
"Operation Olympus, Operation Themiscotles, Operation Agamemnon, Operation Steel, Operation Lawrence, Operation Trajan, Operation Plataea, Operation Trojan War, and Operation Theodosius."
J. F. C. Fuller
"All operations against the Ottoman Empire."
Mosley reads through the many operations and details within the page.
An asterisk is placed to show that all nations apart from Britain shall be referred to as the Allies unless a specific nation (or nations) is (are) to be involved separately.
Operation Olympus, key objectives; supply, train, and prepare Greek nationalists to rise up in arms against Ottoman forces in Attica and the Peloponnesus.
Operation Themistocles, key objectives; use British and Allied fleets to achieve naval supremacy in the Aegean and the greater Eastern Mediterranean sea and block all Ottoman naval actions, most importantly, the possibility of Ottoman reinforcements being delivered to Greece by sea.
Operation Agamemnon, key objectives; land Allied forces into Greece to drive back Ottoman and potential Greek loyalist forces.
Operation Steel, key objectives; execute a successful naval landing at Alexandretta and secure Syria under British occupation.
Operation Lawrence, key objectives; incite the Arabs, Kurds, and Armenians to revolt against Ottoman rule.
Operation Trajan, key objectives; a sizable army with a large armored component is to drive through Ottoman forces in Iraq and secure it under British occupation.
Operation Plataea, key objectives; Greek and Allied forces are to drive through Ottoman controlled Greece all the way to Istanbul's west side by land.
Operation Trojan War, key objectives; Land ground forces in the Dardanelles, as well as the Çanakkale province in general, by way of naval invasion. Push back Ottoman resistance and approach Istanbul's east side by land and open the strait of Mamara to allow British and Allied fleets access to Istanbul's south side by sea.
Operation Theodosius, key objectives; gain control of Istanbul and possibly the Ottoman government and military high command if possible. If the city refuses to surrender then continuous shelling and bombing by land, air, and sea forces until they do so. If the city still refuses to surrender, an assault on the city by land forces and marines shall be carried out.
Oswald Mosley
"This is most impressive Fuller. Do you have any other War Plans?"
J. F. C. Fuller
"Alas, I do not. We need more info and time to develop them. We are brainstorming on plans against France and Germany."
Oswald Mosley
"Very well. Have you gotten in contact with the African rebels?"
J. F. C. Fuller
"Yes, Auchinleck has notified me that he has opened communications with several groups, through loyal third parties of course, I doubt they would talk with us directly. They say they desire to kill all White South Africans, the Afrikaners especially, and would gladly accept any help that we can give them. They don't have the faintest idea that we are behind this."
Oswald Mosley
"Excellent. Begin shipping arms, munitions, supplies, and trainers. Ensure that all material is out of date by at least 10 years, I don't want these to have rebels modern equipment. And prioritise sending over foreign made equipment before ours if possible. All trainers should be African. We must ensure that no one ever finds out we are behind this."
J. F. C Fuller
"I will do so Your Excellency. I must also mention that the Claudius II will be ready for its first test run in 2 weeks. I thought you would want to be there."
Oswald Mosley
"I would, thank you Fuller."
J. F. C. Fuller
"It is nothing Your Excellency."
Oswald Mosley
"Prepare to meet in the cabinet room in half-an-hour."
J. F. C. Fuller
"Yes Your Excellency."
Mosley returns to his office and contacts Joyce, happy to hear that the propaganda prepared is performing quite well. Mosley's favorite is a rather simple one, an orange poster with the phrase "The King is dead, long live the King". Edward plans to announce his intent to propose to Helen a month from now. Mosley wheels over to Garand's office at the RSAF.
Oswald Mosley
"Mr. Garand, may I enter?"
John Cantius Garand
"Yes, of course Prime Minister. What brings you to my office today?"
Oswald Mosley
"I came to inspect on the progress you've made with your rifle."
John Cantius Garand
"It is coming along quite well. I suspect I may be finished by Spring, I have been working on this for almost 5 years now. The biggest difficulty is changing it work with your .303 British cartridge, I originally designed it with our .30-06 Springfield cartridge in mind."
Oswald Mosley
"Very good, very good. Would you happen to have a working prototype to show me?"
John Cantius Garand
"As a matter of fact I do. Come with me, I'll show you."
Garand and Mosley head outside to a shooting range. Garand aims the rifle and fires 8 rounds in quick succession, surprising Mosley greatly. He then reloads the clip quickly and fires again at a different target with similar speed. He reloads the clip once more and fires at the most distant target, about 450 meters away, and fires 8 shots once more. The two walk up to the targets to inspect them, all of the shots are hits, even the one at 400 plus meters.
Oswald Mosley
"Garand, I am extremely impressed. This rifle of yours is truly a sight to behold."
John Cantius Garand
"Thank you. I've also made it incredibly easy to field strip. A properly trained soldier can field strip it without tools within a minute, and with tools a novice can do so at similar speeds. It is relatively easy to clean and fix any problems with the rifle that may occur on the battlefield. It weighs just under 10 pounds."
Mosley compliments Garand on his work and he bids his goodbyes.
He heads to Kitson's office to discuss several matters.
Arthur Kitson
"Hello Your Excellency. What brings you here today?"
Oswald Mosley
"Many things Kitson. First, have you figured out a way to compensate Portugal for their cooperation?"
Arthur Kitson
"Well I haven't met Salazar yet, but I believe I have a solution that will prove negligible to us and satisfactory to them."
Oswald Mosley
"What is it?"
Arthur Kitson
"A cut of South Africa's diamond mines for several years. The diamond mines are rich and will not be exhausted anytime soon and it will not hamper our economy at all."
Oswald Mosley
"That sounds like a brilliant solution. You never cease to amaze me Kitson. I also wanted to discuss our tariffs with Portugal and Italy."
Arthur Kitson
"I thought you would. Do not worry, I have already talked with my friends in the Privy Council and the Board of Trade to lower the tariffs down to 30%."
Oswald Mosley
"You must go lower, 25% is the maximum."
Arthur Kitson
"Are you certain?"
Oswald Mosley
"Yes, this will help facilitate economic and diplomatic ties between our nations. These will reduce the strain on our economy in times of war."
Arthur Kitson
"I understand."
Oswald Mosley
"Have you made any progress in the beginning stages of our nationalisation of the economy?"
Arthur Kitson
"Yes I have. For our fighting forces, H.G Hawker Engineering, Avro, Blackburn Aircraft, Boulton & Paul Aircraft, Bristol Aeroplane Co., De Havilland Aircraft Co., Fairey Aviation Co., General Aircraft, Gloster Aircraft Co., Handley Page, Parnall Aircraft, Phillips and Powis, Saunders Roe, Short Brothers plc, Supermarine Aviation Works, Westland Aircraft, Vickers, Rolls-Royce, Armstrong-Whitworth, Coventry Ordnance Works, William Beardmore and Co., J. Samuel White, John Brown and Co., Cammell Laird Shipyard, Swan Hunter, various uniform manufacturers, and several other companies will provide us with aircraft, ammo, vehicles, small arms, artillery, uniforms, war ships and everything they require from guns to targeting systems. The Great Western Railway, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, the London and North Eastern Railway, the Southern Railway, the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, and the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway will be united into a singular railway company. I also have plans to standardise our railway gauge across the nation so as to facilitate easier transport of materials, goods, and people.The industrial manufacturing companies of David Colville & Sons, Consett Iron Co., Dorman Long & Co., The English Steel Corporation, GKN Steel Company, John Summers & Sons, Pearson & Knowles Coal & Iron Co, Partington Steel & Iron Co, Wigan Coal & Iron Company, The Park Gate Iron and Steel Co., Richard Thomas and Baldwins, Round Oak Steelworks, South Durham Steel & Iron Company, Stewarts & Lloyds, The United Steel Companies, British Aluminum, The British Petroleum Company, The Gas Light and Coke Company, and many others will provide us with the resources needed to fight our wars. Brunner Mond, Nobel Explosives, The United Alkali Company, and The British Dyestuffs Corporation will merged into the single company of Imperial Chemical Industries and they will provide us with chemicals for civilian and military uses. Unilever and others in its field are all very open to the idea of a merger, if we can convince them to do so we can maintain strong control over products coming in and out of of the country. The only issue to all of this of course will be the backlash as some will argue this monopolising of the majority of key industries is in violation of Common Law. Chambers and I have been working on several treatises to argue against this. Once we are done I will attempt to move forward, I will inform you when this time come.I also have been talking with some forward thinking industrialists and they informed of a extremely promising idea that could help reduce labour costs, increase efficiency, and save time. They propose that if we were to standardise the rail system, as I already intend to do, we can begin to introduce intermodal containers. These would facilitate faster movement of materials from ships to rails, would hinder the pilfering of cargo, and would pave the way for further mechanisation of the industry, potentially saving millions of pounds and freeing up thousands of workers for the military and other jobs. You would need to crack down on the dock worker unions, but I suspect you won't have any trouble with that. "
Oswald Mosley
"Wonderful, most wonderful. I see great things for our economy in the future. Continue along this route and I suspect it will bear great fruit. Head to the cabinet room, there will be a meeting in 5 minutes."
Kitson heads towards the cabinet room while Mosley heads to his office to phone everyone to come. Sometime later, everyone is gathered in the room around the table, ready to begin
Oswald Mosley
"Welcome Kitson, Ross, Makgill, Fuller, Joyce, Chambers, and Barlow. You will notice that we have several new members here today and I am certain you know them quite well, but I shall introduce them regardless. Mr. Sinclair, Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service. Mr. Beatty, First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy. Mr. Trenchard, Marshall of the Royal Air Force. Mr. Wilfred Risdon, head of the Ministry of Information And lastly, Mrs. Norah Dacre Fox, the future head of the soon to be created the National Union of Women's Mobilisation. This group will be an Non-Government Organisation, funded and supported by us nonetheless, that will work to mobilise the women of Britain and to use them further our political, social, economic, and military goals. Her New Feminism will motivate the women of our nation to do all they can to support us. Now let us take our seats and commence another cabinet meeting."
They sit down and prepare to say what they desire.
Oswald Mosley
"Who wishes to go first?"
Clement Anderson Barlow
"I would like to. My commission has made great strides in figuring out how bad overpopulation in the cities is and how to best alleviate it. My commission and I and have come up with a plan of action that would advance in two stages. The first would be the passing of a bill called the New Towns Act. It would be the development and subsidising of several new towns all strategically placed to be near to existing cities such as London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool, Bristol, Leeds, Bradford, Newcastle, Newcastle, and several others so as to reduce population density and provide proper housing for many. The second stage, which isn't meant to be enacted until some years after the New Towns Act, would be the Expansion of the Metropole Act. It would be the construction of new massive cities that would be placed in undeveloped areas that have potential for growth so as to increase the population and reduce urban density even further. I am not ready to begin implementation of either of them and need more time to ensure my plan is ready to begin. We have also looked into prospects for mechanising the farming industry by encouraging the proliferation of tractor factories, which in times of war can be turned into tank factories if need be. It would cut down on labour in the agricultural industry which would free up more men for the military."
Oswald Mosley
"That sounds fantastic. Continue to investigate this problem and I will continue to contribute funding. Next?"
William Joyce
"I have received the list of people from the Imperial Indian Delegation on groups and individuals they wish for us to support. I would like to gather Fuller, Sinclair, Kitson, you, and I together so as to form a committee for the purpose of assisting the Loyalists abroad in fiscal, political, diplomatic, and military matters. I also would propose the formation of an international volunteer organisation for those who would wish to support us, something along the lines of the Czechoslovak Legion in the Great War. I think the name, the Imperial Legion, would do quite well."
J. F. C. Fuller
"Providing military support to them is important, especially the ones in the German colonies and in India as those will be the hardest to regain. As for this Imperial Legion, it could be an effective diplomatic tool with the associated countries and I support the formation of it."
Arthur Kitson
"Financial support will be extremely important, if push comes to shove, our Loyalists must have the funds, manpower, and arms necessary to fight a guerrilla war against our enemies until we can arrive."
Oswald Mosley
"Then we are in agreement on both of these proposals. Who will go next?"
George Makgill
"I have news for you Your Excellency."
Oswald Mosley
"Good or bad?"
George Makgill
"Good. I have found a man to head your proposed Institute for Internal Integrity. His name is Basil Thomson, he has worked as a police officer and is currently at MI5. I also have a list of others who would be transferred to I3 upon its creation."
Oswald Mosley
"That is most wonderful news Makgill. Do you have anything Fuller?"
J. F. C. Fuller
"Yes I do. As you have stated that Mrs. Fox will form the National Union of Women's Mobilisation, I believe that she can possibly include the use of women in military duties, such as anti-aircraft crews, radio operators, trained for defense in case of an invasion, as implausible as it may be, cooks, and many more jobs that if can help us to maximise our efficiency and free up manpower for our army."
Norah Dacre Fox
"That sounds like an excellent idea, I will see to it when the time comes."
Hugh Trenchard
"Your Excellency, I have must inform you I have made a great breakthrough that will benefit our aerial developments significantly."
Oswald Mosley
"What would these be?"
Hugh Trenchard
"I established serious relations with members of the Règia Aeronautica and the Força Aérea, with men such as Francesco Baracca, Ettore Muti, Pier Ruggero Piccio, Umberto Nobile, Vittorio Revetra, Gaetano Costa, Francisco Craveiro Lopes, and Humberto Delgado. We have reached upon a massive exchange of information and tactics between our air forces, the Italians especially possessed useful information. This will lead to increased cooperation between the three of us. Such cooperation will lead to greater efficiency and yields for the resources we will invest into our air forces. I have also tossed the idea of working in tandem to construct various airports in our countries to facilitate strategic and commercial travel between our nations, improving the airlines which will also allow for increased diplomatic options. Do I have your permission to do this?"
Oswald Mosley
"My complete support. This is most wonderful news Trenchard and I would strongly encourage you to pursue this path."
Hugh Trenchard
"I will do so."
Oswald Mosley
"Is there anything else?"
David Beatty
"I have begun the construction of the battleships and they should all be commissioned by 1932 the latest. As for the name of the class of the battleships, I have decided upon the name "King Edward VIII". As for names of the ships ,I have several in the works. The first shall be named after King Edward himself. The second shall be named after our late King, George V. The third will be named after Jellicoe, his memory being respected and used to spread fear into our enemies. The fourth one is still up for debate and hasn't been settled on. They will feature 16 inch guns, strong armor to protect the magazines from detonating, as well as alternate boiler and engine rooms which will prevent all power being lost by a single shot."
Oswald Mosley
"These ships will serve us greatly in the coming conflicts. And with that, I believe we are done, good day to all."
All say their farewells and exit their room. Makgill and Mosley head to Mosley's office to discuss one more matter.
Oswald Mosley
"What is it that you wanted to speak to me about Makgill."
George Makgill
When I said I had news, I had good news and bad news. Finding Basil Thomson to head I3 was the good news. The bad news is that I plan on resigning. My age has made me unable to continue in this office any longer. My resignation will be handed sometime in March. As for my replacement, I recommend Sir Vernon George Kell. He has been with the agency longer than I have and has done great work. I suggest striking his name from the reserve list so as to enlist his services fully."
Oswald Mosley
"I see. Although your resignation saddens me, I wish you the best in your future endeavors."
George Makgill
"Thank you my friend. I am honored to have served under you and to have helped in making Britannia great once more."
Makgill stands up and shakes Mosley's hand before exiting the room.
Mosley continues his work. He has been keeping a close eye on American politics. Coolidge, disheartened with his failure of a term, had announced he would not seek reelection and would not accept any nominations. This led to the question of who the Republican party would choose to head into the 1928 presidential elections. Although the primaries had not begun, it is believed by all that the party will choose none other than former Chief of Staff and four star General, John Joseph Pershing.
Pershing had begun to show his skill early in his career. He served in the 6th Cavalry and participated in several Indian campaigns and was cited for bravery for actions against the Apache. He once again showed his skill and bravery in the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars. His talent and potential was quickly recognised by President Roosevelt, who recommended his promotion to colonel, however the practice of favoring seniority over merit prevented this from happening. In 1904, he attended the Army War College, and then was ordered to Washington, D.C. for "general duties unassigned." Roosevelt, being unable to promote Pershing, petitioned the US Congress to authorise a diplomatic posting which they approved. Pershing was stationed as military attaché in Tokyo in 1905. He served as an observer in the Russo-Japanese War attached to General Kuroki Tamemoto in Manchuria from March to September, returning to the United States in the fall of 1905. Roosevelt employed his presidential prerogative and nominated Pershing as a brigadier general, a move which Congress also approved. In 1908, Pershing briefly served as a U.S. military observer in the Balkans, an assignment which was based in Paris. Upon returning to the United States at the end of 1909, Pershing was assigned once again to the Philippines, an assignment in which he served until 1913. In 1916, following the break down of relations between an unstable Mexico and the United States, Pershing was ordered by President Wilson to head into Mexico with a sizable expedition to seize an opportunity in which Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata were together near the border in order to to plan a joint offensive against Carranza as Villa had suffered a hard defeat, a meeting that was supposed to be secret but was revealed by Carranza's spies. Pershing moved in rapidly and surprised the rebels, quickly defeating their forces, capturing Villa, and wounding Zapata who escaped. Pershing's accomplishment of capturing the famed Pancho Villa further raised his popularity with the American people. In October 1919, after having been promoted to the rank of General, was sent to the Philippines by Wilson to put down another Philippine revolt, which he did successfully, remarking in June 1920, "By God boys, I think we might actually be home by Christmas!", which was said in mocking of the phrase "Over by Christmas" which was used by European nations during the first year of the Great War. He in fact did make it to the Continental US by December 3, 1920, proving his joking statement correct. He was promoted to Chief of Staff in 1921.
Pershing has stated that he has no intention of campaigning, however he said he would not decline to serve if he was called by his fellow Americans. With Coolidge not running, his open dislike of his Vice President, and his endorsement of Pershing, it seems as if the beloved Black Jack is a shoo-in to win the Republican nomination, but he must win the vote of the nation.
The South Africa Scheme progresses at a rapid pace, Britain's rearmament and renewed fleet construction programs show great promise, his control over the country grows stronger and stronger and soon it will be an iron grip. This grip will not be used to oppress his fellow Britons but instead to guide them to the greatness that is so within their grasp. He is extremely interested to see if Pershing could unify the nation and bring America out of her decline. Some within the Victorian Union call Mosley the British Augustus, a title he liked very much but couldn't acknowledge due to connotations that would drive some people away from him. Would Pershing be the hero America needs? Only time would tell. Mosley has more important matters however, no Lion is cowed by an Eagle, be it German, French or American. The Old Order would be reestablished with new life.
Garand and His Rifle, 1926
Wilfred Risdon, Army Medic, Member of the Victorian Union, Advocate for Miner's Rights, Political Organiser, and Head of the Ministry of Information, 1925
Norah Dacre Fox, Militant Suffragette, Feminist, Victorian, and Primary Face of Female Supporters of the Victorian Union, 1912
A Squad of Victorian Women Hailing Mosley, Who Is Off-Screen, in the Traditional Hailing of the Victorian Union, the Bellamy Salute, 1925
Basil Thomson, Former Member of Scotland Yard, MI5 Agent, and a Writer, 1925
John Joseph Pershing, 4 Star General and Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Famous for Impressively Capturing Pancho Villa and Putting Down A Revolt Which Could've Erupted Into the Second Philippine-American War. Although He Shows No Interest In Attaining Political Office, He Will Likely Be the Republican Candidate, 1923
George Michael Cohan, American Entertainer, Playwright, Composer, Lyricist, Actor, Singer, Dancer, and Producer, Writer Of the Popular Patriotic Song, Over There, Which He Wrote When Pershing Headed to the Philippines, 1908
