Pieces of the Motherland - A Russian Orthodox ATR AAR

May 4, 1937
Moscow, Russia

"Ah, General Vlasov, please, sit down. What brings you to my office today?"

"Marshal Denikin, with all of the wars that have been popping up in the last few months, I have been working with units on military exercises and war games, as you have ordered me."

"Yes, General, all those wars. First the Kazakh Republic and Turkestan, then Italy and Turkey, then Japan and China, and now Georgia is holding off both Azerbaijan and Armenia. . ."

"Yes, Marshal. The war games and exercises have led me to believe that simple reorganization and redeployment of our armed forces is not enough to make the Motherland a real military power. We are considered a, ah, joke by our neighbors. We need to reform our military, all doctrines and tactics, if we are to succeed against threats to the Rodina."

"What do you suggest, Vlasov?"

"We cannot try to attack other countries with waves of men, like in the Great War. Kerensky left our army too small, and we do not have the industrial power or time to create a large army. We cannot, like the Germans seem to be doing, use speed and armor to attack others, as, again, we simply do not have the resources. I think that the best bet is to have a modern army with good leadership and allow the officers to take initiative at the front. We have good leaders, more than we can use. I think that, if you allow me to, Marshal, I can make this work."

"You have persuaded me, General Vlasov."

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. . . tension between the Kazakh Republic and Turkestan eventually led to war. The radical Islamic Turkestan claimed all of the land in the secular Kazakh Republic, and declared war in order to get it (see Fig. 1) on January 18, 1937.

Fig. 1​

Initial gains were made by Turkestan in the Central region, almost reaching the Russian border, but along the Caspian they were pushed back to the Persian border (see Fig 2). The defeat along the Caspian Sea halted the Turkestani army while it regrouped and attempted to push the Kazakhs out of the area.

Fig. 2​

The war, along with the number of other wars popping up throughout the world, alerted some countries of the horrible shape that their armies were in. Many countries, like Russia (see Fig. 3), worked to improve their armies.

Fig. 3​

Turkestan pushed the Kazakhs out of Turkestan, and cut Kazakhstan in two. They spent several months capturing western Kazakhstan (see Fig 4).

Fig. 4​

After a year of hard fighting, Turkestan held much of Kazakhstan's territory (see Fig. 5). In fact, the only area where Kazakhstan had not lost gound was the area around their capital. At this point, Russia and its new. . .

Fig. 5​

Bismarck1 said:

Intresting, what are the effects of each general when chosing a military path?

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Timotheos said:

I'm more interested in whether the Italy-Turkey war is getting anywhere. Or the Caucasian war. Actually, I think all the wars really. Must be in a warmongering mood.

Crush the lot of them. We can sort out the remains afterwards.

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January 12, 1938
Moscow, Russia

"Patriarch, thank you for meeting me today."

"Marshal, it is a pleasure to speak with you again."

"You have, in the past, voiced support for the reinstatement of the Tsar, is this correct?"

"Yes, Denikin. Romanov is as religious an Orthodox Christian as you will ever meet, and my position as Prime Minister has taken away from my duties as the Patriarch. Why? You said that you did not think that the time was right for restoring Tsarism last year."

"Ah, my dear Mikhail, that was last year! Restoring the Tsar to the throne has always been my goal: I have lost faith in democracy because of Kerensky, communism because of Lenin, and fascism because of Hitler. I am looking out for the interest of the Motherland; I will not live forever, and when I die, I want to know that none of those governments takes power in the Rodina. The Russian people have grown used to our government, and they trust us. More importantly, they trust the church: our studies have shown that, since I have taken power, the amount of weekly churchgoers has risen to an all time high. If you, as Patriarch, back the decision, then the Russian people will embrace Romanov, the heir to the throne of the Tsar of Russia."

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. . . years in power, Denikin chose to do what Mikhail Pol'skii had wanted to do before: reinstall the Tsar see (Fig. 1). Denikin chose to do this because of political reasons, and because he thought that all other types of governments would not be able to lead Russia strongly and make decisive decisions after he died. If it had happened when Pol'skii had suggested, there would be great dissent among the people, perhaps even another civil war. However, unlike before, the Russian people did not protest this decision. In fact, many people supported this move, and hoped that the new Tsar would bring Russia and the Orthodox Church the glory it deserved. He was crowned January 19, 1938 in the Cathedral of the Dormition in Moscow.

Fig. 1​

Not all were pleased at the news on a new Tsar. The Kazakh Republic immediatley announced that it owed nothing to the Russian Empire. Tsar Romanov responded by claiming that the Kazakhs did indeed owe the Russian Empire something: the Russian dominated western and northern areas of the Kazakh Republic (see Fig. 2).

Fig. 2​

Romanov and Denikin immediately began to exhibit signs of an expansionist nation (see Fig. 3).

Fig. 3​

March 25, 1938 was an eventfull day for the Russian Empire. The Cossacks of the Don-Kuban Union renounced all ties to Russia (see Fig. 4). Romanov responded by claiming the territory of the Union for the Russian Empire. Later that day, another decision was made in the Kremlin. Central Asia, historically part of Russia, was on the brink of being completley dominated by Turkestan. The Tsar proclaimed that Turkestan, a radical Islamic nation, should not be allowed to share such a long border with Russia (see Fig. 4 again). Russia declared war on Turkestan and the Kazakh Republic that day.

Fig. 4​

It was Russia's first war since the civil war. The world turned its eyes to see how the Orthodox Imperial Russian Army would fair against the secular Kazakhs and Islamic Turkestanis. . .