I expect operatic accompaniment with a stirring tenor solo as Togo orders his fleet hard to starboard, stoically enduring the falling Russian shells, until all his guns are facing the Russians, and start sending their ships to the bottom of the sea.
The Sun, The Stars and The Sickle: Alt-WWII and a Tripolar Postwar World
- Thread starter WaterproofPotatoes
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I expect operatic accompaniment with a stirring tenor solo as Togo orders his fleet hard to starboard, stoically enduring the falling Russian shells, until all his guns are facing the Russians, and start sending their ships to the bottom of the sea.
No surprise that Admiral of the Fleet Marquess Togo was called "the Nelson of the East", with this victory following his 1894 victory under Admiral Baron Tsuboi at the Yalu River against a Qing fleet that was both larger in number and size of ships.
Another battle that will have more prominence in media as well will be the 1914 siege of Tsingtao, where Japan siezed the colony from Germany
Bookmark1995
Banned
I'm guessing it will involve the villainization of WWI Germans into "proto-Nazis." With Japan portrayed as the "liberator of the oppressed Asians."
Absolutely! Add to that the theme of glorious, loyal Japan aiding noble Britain, and Japan's acceptance by the White powers of the world.
Honestly not that hard to do, given Ludendorf's promulgation of the "stab in the back" narrative, and Germany's fairly brutal occupation of Belgium (obviously still not as bad as the industrial murders of the Nazis, and the Entente nations of the time were not morally spotless either).
Bookmark1995
Banned
Yeah, but I think the whitewashing of World War I is frustrating, because it conceals how stupid the whole conflict was, and how every side, not just the Germans, were stupid for participating. They also, for political reasons, ignore the real monsters of the war: the madmen who crippled Armenian civilization beyond repair.
Interestingly enough on that note, Kaiser Wilhelm II feared the "Yellow Peril", and prior to the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, warned his cousin Czar Nicholas II to take action to defend Europe and Christendom against the invading hordes. The "hordes", so thought by the Kaiser, were to be a few Japanese divisions and 10 million plus Chinese troops, some led by Japanese officers. I can't remember if it was to be a Japanese takeover of China or a legitimate Sino-Japanese Alliance.
Bookmark1995
Banned
Well he was a nationalist Prussian aristocrat and an armchair anti-Semite. So it is obvious he wouldn't be the most enlightened person.
Looking at the successes that the IJN and RN have had (and lack of formal French surrender), is there a War Plan Red-Orange-Gold being kept in the Joint Chiefs' file cabinet for the postwar? The Anglo-Japanese alliance and their empires are still more inherently vulnerable in a state of war than the American mainland. However, compared to Germany and the KMT they actually have substantial overseas power projection that could make the US bleed.
Bookmark1995
Banned
But America has oceans and resources. Even two empires working together would have to work a bit to crack that nut.
That is one big reason of many why the USN is still expanding, but such a scenario is highly unlikely- Canada would fall to the US Army in short order, and the loss of trade would be devastating to both sides.
Not as of yet, but feel free if you want to!
Thinking back to the conversation on cryptography a few pages ago, it's be amusing if the Jewish codebreakers working in Japan managed to come across Soviet diplomatic traffic that hints at the extensive network of Soviet spies in the USA. And then after cross-referencing their intel with the Commonwealth's, quietly pass it on to the Americans and J. Edgar Hoover in particular. The latter just to make sure the leftists in the administration don't get to bury it, or worse, potentially leak it to any Soviet spies present among them.
First I need to know what the post war borders are.
So, for another bit based on a somewhat obscure bit of history...
_______________________________________________________________
Wiggling, Minato gave a grunt as he slowly slipped through the hole and into the metal encasement that he would spend the next few hours in. Finally, he fully entered the suit and sighed a bit in relief before he placed his arms into the ones for the suit. Him and the various helpers all went though various checks of the mobility of said limbs, as well as his legs. With a final nod, he grinned a bit, “Okay, put her on.”
Various sailors nodded as they lifted the top composed of magnesium over his head and fitted it to the seal before completely sealing it. For the next few minutes, they checked the seals to make sure that they were all in place before nodding and giving a thumbs up to the windows in the helmet, something that got a nod back from Minato. Turning on the radio, he cleared his throat, “Radio check, this is Shusseboro-1, please come in.”
Moments later, there was a crackle before a voice answered him, “{This is Mothership to Shusseboro-1, we’re reading you loud and clear. Are you ready?}”
Chuckling, Minato shook his head even though they could not see him, “I am ready for dive, over. Both to do this.” He could feel the crane lift his heavy suit off the deck and then over the side until waves were blow him. As it began to be lowered, he hummed as his feet began to sink under the water, “I ever tell you that my Haha-ue was an Ama? And from a long line of such?”
Over the radio he could hear chuckling, “{Hai, every time you go down. Though I doubt that your Haha-ue ever dived so deep.}”
Grin on his face, Minato laughed as the water closed over the helmet, “You never know! But perhaps I will see Ryuujin’s palace this dive.”
That got him snorts and he continued to chat as the suit sank deeper and deeper beneath the waves. Looking at his depth gauge, he cleared his throat. “One hundred meters...” A few minutes later, he nodded, “Now at one hundred and fifty meters...” Finally, Minato felt his feet touch the seabed and he nodded, “Two hundred and ten meters.” Slowly, he moved around, looking though his small window out onto the dim world in front of him, “This is Shussebo-1, I am now on the seafloor. Proceeding to survey and I’ll try to find an outcrop for samples.”
As he walked, plumes rising from his feet with each heavy step, the radio crackled, “{So, how long do you think it will be before they start building the tunnel? We’ve been doing a lot of survey work after all and getting samples.}”
Only shrugging, Minato hummed, “No idea, probably years away though. But after this we’ll either get started in surveying the sea floor between Hokkaido and Sakhalin. Or maybe the Tsushima Strait for that tunnel they’re always talking about. But know one thing?”
The radio crackled a bit, “{What?}”
A laugh escaped Minato as he shook his head, noting some of the fish swimming past, “When we get back to shore, I’ll be having a drink in honour of Peress-San. Because these suits are a gift from the Kami!”
In return, he got an answering laugh as he continued his work of surveying the seafloor for a future tunnel between Honshū and Hokkaido...
_______________________________________________________________
Wiggling, Minato gave a grunt as he slowly slipped through the hole and into the metal encasement that he would spend the next few hours in. Finally, he fully entered the suit and sighed a bit in relief before he placed his arms into the ones for the suit. Him and the various helpers all went though various checks of the mobility of said limbs, as well as his legs. With a final nod, he grinned a bit, “Okay, put her on.”
Various sailors nodded as they lifted the top composed of magnesium over his head and fitted it to the seal before completely sealing it. For the next few minutes, they checked the seals to make sure that they were all in place before nodding and giving a thumbs up to the windows in the helmet, something that got a nod back from Minato. Turning on the radio, he cleared his throat, “Radio check, this is Shusseboro-1, please come in.”
Moments later, there was a crackle before a voice answered him, “{This is Mothership to Shusseboro-1, we’re reading you loud and clear. Are you ready?}”
Chuckling, Minato shook his head even though they could not see him, “I am ready for dive, over. Both to do this.” He could feel the crane lift his heavy suit off the deck and then over the side until waves were blow him. As it began to be lowered, he hummed as his feet began to sink under the water, “I ever tell you that my Haha-ue was an Ama? And from a long line of such?”
Over the radio he could hear chuckling, “{Hai, every time you go down. Though I doubt that your Haha-ue ever dived so deep.}”
Grin on his face, Minato laughed as the water closed over the helmet, “You never know! But perhaps I will see Ryuujin’s palace this dive.”
That got him snorts and he continued to chat as the suit sank deeper and deeper beneath the waves. Looking at his depth gauge, he cleared his throat. “One hundred meters...” A few minutes later, he nodded, “Now at one hundred and fifty meters...” Finally, Minato felt his feet touch the seabed and he nodded, “Two hundred and ten meters.” Slowly, he moved around, looking though his small window out onto the dim world in front of him, “This is Shussebo-1, I am now on the seafloor. Proceeding to survey and I’ll try to find an outcrop for samples.”
As he walked, plumes rising from his feet with each heavy step, the radio crackled, “{So, how long do you think it will be before they start building the tunnel? We’ve been doing a lot of survey work after all and getting samples.}”
Only shrugging, Minato hummed, “No idea, probably years away though. But after this we’ll either get started in surveying the sea floor between Hokkaido and Sakhalin. Or maybe the Tsushima Strait for that tunnel they’re always talking about. But know one thing?”
The radio crackled a bit, “{What?}”
A laugh escaped Minato as he shook his head, noting some of the fish swimming past, “When we get back to shore, I’ll be having a drink in honour of Peress-San. Because these suits are a gift from the Kami!”
In return, he got an answering laugh as he continued his work of surveying the seafloor for a future tunnel between Honshū and Hokkaido...
To be honest, the idea of a tunnel between Honshū and Hokkaido had been around since the 1910s, it just never got much attention until after WWII OTL because of the loss of overseas colonies. Not to mention that there was one ferry disaster in the straits between the two islands that put further impetus to making the tunnel. It also makes sense here with how Japan is more focused on Defense of the Home Islands rather than grabbing more East Asian clay.
A tunnel between Hokkaido and Sakhalin would actually help that idea. The straits between Hokkaido and Sakhalin are about a dozen miles across and a hundred meters or so deep in the narrowest spot. But, more importantly, Japan might well have a leery eye towards the Soviets who control the northern half of Sakhalin. So a plan for a tunnel makes sense early on when the Soviets were aligned with Nazi Germany and afterwards as well. After all, if you need to fight a war the Soviets, would it not be better to fight them on Sakhalin rather than Hokkaido? And a tunnel and railways would allow for a fast build up of troops without the hassle of ships.
As for a railway connecting Japan and Europe, that would be what they would be planning for the Korea-Japan railway tunnel. Back in the 1930s-1940s, the plan was for the tunnel to start in Fukuoka, Japan in Kyūshū. From there, it would go to each of the four islands and come out, before continuing under the sea, ending at Busan. With that, Japan would be connected to the rest of its holdings and to Europe.
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