The Union Forever: A TL
- Thread starter Mac Gregor
- Start date
Asia-Pacific War: South Asia Jan-Jun 1978
South Asia
January-June, 1978
January-June, 1978
Liberation of Burma
In late January, the Technate of China resumed its advanced into occupied Burma. The Indian commander in the region, General Saral Narang, struggled to hold his ground but guerrilla activity in Assam and Bengal had critically sapped his supplies and reinforcements. While the Chinese pressed the Compact in the north, the Commonwealth’s Southern Fleet landed a small expeditionary force on the outskirts of Rangoon on March 4. Aided by Burmese irregulars under General Khin Hlaing the city fell after five days of hard fighting. With the loss of Rangoon and Mandalay a few days later, the Compact’s position in Burma began to unravel. Narang’s orderly withdraw soon turned into a rout with nearly a 100,000 troops either being killed, captured, or deserting. By mid-June, the Allies gained near complete control over Burma and were poised to move into Assam. In preparation for the impending attack, Indian Leader Nanda ordered the small states of Sikkim and Bhutan occupied, allegedly to “protect” them from a Chinese incursion. The tiny monarchies managed only token resistance before capitulating. In Allied and neutral nations, the occupation of Bhutan and Sikkim was perceived as yet another outrage perpetrated by Nanda and his regime. Unbeknownst to Nanda, this intransigence would have massive unintended consequences.
Fitzpatrick Advances
After nearly a month long hiatus, Field Marshal Fitzpatrick continued the drive north towards Hyderabad in early February. Advancing along a broad front, the next five months brought consistent progress as enemy forces were evicted from nearly all of Mysore and Madras. An exception being an overly ambitious attempt to retake Goa from the south that failed disastrously. Angered by the atrocities committed on their soil, Madrasian troops were often ruthless in dealing with URI soldiers that fell into their hands. As such, executed and mutilated Indian corpses along the roads became an all too common sight. It was also during this period that that the growing tensions between Muslim and Hindu troops in the URI army became readily apparent, as Muslim troops were three times more likely to surrender to the Allies than their Hindu counterparts.
Persia enters the War
Despite a 1975 mutual defense treaty and his own inclination, Persian ruler Shah Hamid Hassan Qajar had been unable to join the fight against the Calcutta Compact due to the objections of parliament. Having muddled through nearly two years of increasingly tempestuous relations with Prime Minister Shahin Attar, news of the invasion of Sikkim and Bhutan proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. The Shah used Sikkim and Bhutan’s downfall as a pretext for war, falsely claiming that an invasion of neighboring Baluchistan by the URI was imminent. Prime Minister Attar and several other dovish ministers were forcibly removed from office on grounds of “disloyalty.” They were quickly replaced by more malleable politicians who would back the Shah. On June 30, the Persian Empire officially declared war on the Calcutta Compact.
Map of the frontlines as of June 30, 1978
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Interesting. I wonder what Persia hopes to gain from this. Nice touch with the religious divides in the URI army too!
The Shah has some ambitious designs for entering the war. This will become clear in the update after next.
No not yet. There are several high profile tournaments like the American Cup. The Pan-American, Commonwealth, and Olympic Games also have major football competitions.
Indeed; I always thought a World War with India and China being the main frontage would be a seriously epic (and blood-soaked) concept. While this war doesn't seem quite so massive in scale compared to WWII, I suspect both sides can spam bodies and rifles at each other in droves and still stay standing.
Persia joining the effort is a good thing for the Commonwealth, but I'm kinda clueless about what they can really add to the table
. If nothing else, it's a sign of solidarity I guess. Meanwhile, the religious divisions in URI are starting to show, and I suspect it ain't gonna make for good times in Delhi any time soon...great update!
Persia joining the effort is a good thing for the Commonwealth, but I'm kinda clueless about what they can really add to the table
. If nothing else, it's a sign of solidarity I guess. Meanwhile, the religious divisions in URI are starting to show, and I suspect it ain't gonna make for good times in Delhi any time soon...great update!
Could Persia be aiming to take Afghanistan and Baluchistan? Or are they planning on hitching a ride with the Commonwealth? Or do they have their own navy capable of landing an invasion force?
Maybe they just want economic concessions from the Commonwealth, and are hoping that joining forces now will assure them?
Anyway, the Allies have a long way to go. It looks as though they're going to be back to where they were before the war started soon, but they still have to defeat India and Japan at home.
Maybe they just want economic concessions from the Commonwealth, and are hoping that joining forces now will assure them?
Anyway, the Allies have a long way to go. It looks as though they're going to be back to where they were before the war started soon, but they still have to defeat India and Japan at home.
Well, I doubt that Persia is planning to annex Baluchistan and Afghanistan. They probably wish to include them in their sphere of influence, and shore up their alliance with Great Britain.
Of the five major alliance groups, two have no particular interest in the region at the current time. (Germany and America) That will leave three power players in Russia, GB, and the Calcutta Compact. (which may or may not survive the war. Not counting China as it is not yet a bloc)
When Britain controlled the Raj, they were a threat to expansion, seeing as they had nominal control over Mesopotamia and the Gulf States. But now, with India divided, and Russia stronger than ever, they need to change their allies. More importantly, they need to show Great Britain that they are serious about their alliance.
In turn, Great Britain might, after the war, quietly encourage their ally to expand its influence into Mesopotamia and Kurdistan. They won't annex, but a Persian-led alliance bloc would provide a buffer against the Russians and bring them closer to those like-minded in religion (Shiites in Mesopotamia and, coincidentally, the Gulf States) and the entirety of the Iranian people. It's possible they might even be interested in Kashmir, but for now, I doubt it will be the case.
...Of course, this leads to the Commonwealth being allied with two separate and rising power blocs if this comes to pass. There's no where else for the Persian bloc to expand, with the possible exception of Oman (or Kuwait. forgot about them). The other states are too strong or wealthy to be brought under their influence at this point. China, however, has several options after securing all of Indochina (including most likely Siam, and perhaps Burma? That is going to be a sticking point) and Korea in their sphere.
Of course, that all involves the sticky question of how thoroughly Japan will be defeated, so I shan't assume too much in that regards. Japan is performing quite competently at sea, and they may negotiate a surrender before a surrender of core territory.
Anywho, enough rambling. Mac did say that Persia's war aims would be in the next update, so probably best just to wait and see at this point.
Of the five major alliance groups, two have no particular interest in the region at the current time. (Germany and America) That will leave three power players in Russia, GB, and the Calcutta Compact. (which may or may not survive the war. Not counting China as it is not yet a bloc)
When Britain controlled the Raj, they were a threat to expansion, seeing as they had nominal control over Mesopotamia and the Gulf States. But now, with India divided, and Russia stronger than ever, they need to change their allies. More importantly, they need to show Great Britain that they are serious about their alliance.
In turn, Great Britain might, after the war, quietly encourage their ally to expand its influence into Mesopotamia and Kurdistan. They won't annex, but a Persian-led alliance bloc would provide a buffer against the Russians and bring them closer to those like-minded in religion (Shiites in Mesopotamia and, coincidentally, the Gulf States) and the entirety of the Iranian people. It's possible they might even be interested in Kashmir, but for now, I doubt it will be the case.
...Of course, this leads to the Commonwealth being allied with two separate and rising power blocs if this comes to pass. There's no where else for the Persian bloc to expand, with the possible exception of Oman (or Kuwait. forgot about them). The other states are too strong or wealthy to be brought under their influence at this point. China, however, has several options after securing all of Indochina (including most likely Siam, and perhaps Burma? That is going to be a sticking point) and Korea in their sphere.
Of course, that all involves the sticky question of how thoroughly Japan will be defeated, so I shan't assume too much in that regards. Japan is performing quite competently at sea, and they may negotiate a surrender before a surrender of core territory.
Anywho, enough rambling. Mac did say that Persia's war aims would be in the next update, so probably best just to wait and see at this point.
Indeed; I always thought a World War with India and China being the main frontage would be a seriously epic (and blood-soaked) concept. While this war doesn't seem quite so massive in scale compared to WWII, I suspect both sides can spam bodies and rifles at each other in droves and still stay standing.
Persia joining the effort is a good thing for the Commonwealth, but I'm kinda clueless about what they can really add to the table
Thanks for the comments and support. To answer a few of the questions...
On India v China: Yes indeed, the two most populous nations in the world have enormous amounts of soldiers to throw at each other. However, the bulk of their forces are directed elsewhere. The majority of China's strength is currently concentrated in Indochina while the URI's main effort is against the Commonwealth in southern India. Burma is to be honest a major but secondary front. Still, its importance continues to increase as the frontlines approach Assam and Bengal. Also, China has been using hundreds of thousands of laborers to improve the road network to and through Burma to support their advance.
On Persia: Persia's aims for entering the war will be revealed soon enough and I believe will come as a bit of a surprise.
I am currently working on the next update. Cheers!
That's a good point, which IMO makes the whole war a lot more chaotic and hard to follow (not in terms of narrative, mind, but scale of the conflict in general). I figured China, as a Technocracy, would be mobilizing a large percentage of its workforce and resources to win as much as it can in the war; I forget where I read this, but ISTR a figure more or less quoting that you can dedicate around 10% your GDP for short periods of time towards defense spending and still maintain relatively high standards of living. Given China's modernization period and available resources (natural, industrial and human all), I suspect they could make quite a big splash even if they do have their fingers in multiple, spread-out pies and not just bashing on the Indian border. And even with them sticking to that, it's enough of a worry to allow the Commonwealth to carry more of the heavy lifting in several spots without feeling too much of a pinch in terms of available assets; were I them, I'd try to stabilize the front in India and focus on knocking Japan out decisively given their prominence in keeping the war going.
Asia-Pacific War: Jul-Dec 1978
Southeast Asia and the Pacific
July-December, 1978
Allied airborne troops landing on Borneo
August, 1978
The Invasion of Borneo July-December, 1978
Allied airborne troops landing on Borneo
August, 1978
With the Chinese fully committed in Indochina, the British Commonwealth looked to open up another front against the Japanese in the Pacific. While contemplating a renewed attempt to retake northern Papua, the failure at the Battle of the Bonaparte Archipelago in April convinced the Commonwealth General Staff to search for other options. Ultimately, Borneo proved the chosen target. Having been under occupation for two years, the three territories of Sarawak, Brunei, and Northern Borneo had become a major source of petroleum and rubber for the Compact war effort despite lingering resistance from guerrilla groups. On August 24, a combined task force comprising the majority of the Southern and Far Eastern Fleets launched the first assault against Borneo. Within hours, helicopter and airborne troops had seized inland airfields, while soldiers from no less than nine Commonwealth nations stormed ashore. Limited numbers of Portuguese troops formerly defending the island of Timor participated as well.
Battle of the Spratly Islands
As expected, the Japanese did not allow such an important possession as Borneo to fall unmolested. On August 26, the bulk of the Imperial Fleet under Admiral Saburo Tsukino steamed south to contest the landings. Known as the Battle of the Spratly Islands, after the nearby archipelago where much of the fighting took place, the naval contest proved to be the biggest carrier engagement in history. The Takasago Koku, Tokushima, Kyushu, Hokkaido, and the Vietnamese carrier Hai Ba Trung (formerly the SMS Sudetenland) squared off against the HMS Indomitable, HMSAS Springbok, NRP Vasco da Gama, and the recently commissioned HMS Albion and HMAS Queensland. After 32 hours of desperate and often hectic fighting, the Compact armada finally withdrew after losing the Kyushu, Tokushima, and the Hai Ba Trung. The Allies however were far from unscathed themselves as the HMS Indomitable and the NRP Vasco da Gama were both sunk. Although today the battle is remembered primarily as a fight between aircraft carriers, submarines played an important role on both sides causing the majority of casualties. With the Japanese repulsed, the Allies managed to secure most of Borneo by the end of the year. On Christmas day Alastair Brooke, the “White Rajah” of Sarawak, triumphantly returned to his shattered palace after two years of jungle fighting. In a memorable television broadcast, Alastair announced to the world that “despite the hardships and privations of the last two years, be assured that the sun is beginning to set on the Japanese Empire.”
Fall of Hue
The Battle of Hue was undoubtedly the longest and bloodiest of the Indochina campaign. It took over six months for Technate and Siamese forces to finally capture the city on December 14. Total civilian and military causalities for the Compact and Allies have been estimated at anywhere from 1.6 to 1.9 million. The ancient Vietnamese capital was completely destroyed with most structures leveled to within a few feet of the ground. Emperor Lành Xuân Ngô managed to flee to Saigon, the last major Vietnamese urban center, before the city fell. Elsewhere in Indochina, the Allies made further gains in Kampuchea and by New Year’s Day laid siege to Phnom Penh.
Vietnamese civilians move about during a rare lull in the fighting
Hue, Empire of Vietnam
September, 1978
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Great update! Can't wait to see what you've got in store for Persia.
How's the Venezuelan front going?
How's the Venezuelan front going?