Pieces of the Motherland - A Russian Orthodox ATR AAR

January 5, 1939
Moscow, Russia

"My Tsar, I have an idea of what to do about Mongolia."

"Really? Speak, Marshal, I listen to all ideas."

"I believe that a peace with the Mongolians would be the best move to make at this point."

"Anton, we do not yet control all of Mongolia. We cannot annex them. Unless you mean something less than total victory?"

"Yes, Vladimir. I think that the time is not right for outright annexation. I propose that we take the land we have claimed from Mongolia, and install a puppet government. They have no choice but to accept."

"I will think on it. Anton, you must understand that, when the time comes, we must be able to quickly pull them back into the Empire."

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. . . on all fronts. The Imperial Russian Army was proving its mettle, showing that it could handle the armies of Turkestan, Mongolia, and the Don-Kuban Union (see Fig.1). When all of the armies were counted, the Russians were fighting roughly enemy one division for every division they committed to the wars. One on one, the Russians advanced, showing that this was not the Russian army of wars past. The Tsar and the Marshal committed only as many men as was necessary. Their attempts paid off, with advancing armies on all fronts.

Fig.1​

On December 15, 1938, the Don-Kuban Union was annexed by the Russian Empire (see Fig. 2). Most of the Union, and its Georgian holdings, were ceded to Russia, but some areas of Georgia and the Union were annexed by Azerbaijan, which had captured them earlier in the war.

Fig. 2​

On January 1, 1939, Turkestan followed the Don-Kuban's lead, and finally gave in to the Russian Empire (see Fig. 3).

Fig. 3​

The next day was a busy day (see Fig. 4). The Ukraine, like so many other countries, outlawed religious groups in an attempt to strike at Orthodox Faith and Nation groups. Russia announced protection over eastern Ukraine in response. Russia, later that day, announced its Cacaus policy, claiming Azerbaijan as part of the "historic Russian Empire". Azerbaijan was insulted, and Armenia worried that they would be next.

Fig. 4​

On the 10th, the Russian Empire ceased to be in a state of war (see Fig. 5) with the signing of a peace treaty with Mongolia. Mongolia was not annexed, but large tracts of land were ceded to Russia, and a more pro-Russian government was put into place. Mongolia was allowed to keep what was left of their army, and the next month it entered an alliance with Russia, as most Mongolians thought that the war proved their inability to defend themselves. This line of thinking is what would later make most Mongolians believe that. . .

Fig. 5​

Earth's Savior said:

Time to conquer everything!

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March 10, 1939
Moscow, Russia

"No, Denikin."

"My Tsar, I think that you are making a mistake."

"And I do not trust the Japanese."

"Vladimir, they offer an alliance. An alliance!"

"What they offer is to draw us into wars before we are ready. Right now, China. Who next? Britain? France? The United States? We are not ready yet."

"War with the Allies is inevitable, Vladimir."

"And when it comes, we will show no restraint. Until then, we must wait."

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. . . an eventful day. On that day, Tsar Vladimir I proclaimed to a cheering crowd that the Trans-Siberian Railroad was now completely in Russian hands (see Fig. 1). He formed the Trans-Siberian Rail Company, a group of the finest minds in buisness, managment, and engineering, to control the rail line. Later that day, the true intentions of the Russian Empire were shown. When the religious Orthodox nation of Bulgaria proposed an alliance between the two countries, Russia declined, and claimed Bulgaria for itself. Many historians have wondered why the Tsar did this, but he was quoted saying that his reason for this had something to do with "pretty borders".

Fig. 1​

In Transamur, the revival of the Trans-Siberian Rail Company, and Russian control of the railline, put the power-holding capitalists into more contact with the great Russian cities (and markets) of Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Tsaritsyn (see Fig. 2). They began secret talks with the Russians, over the head of the leader of Transamur, Kolchak. When the Tsar made a powerful speach about how the Transamur must be reunited with their fellow Russians, public support for Kolchak plummeted. With Japan already in the (unsuccessful) talks to enter an alliance with Russia, Kolchak had no support from anywhere. Russian troops moved into Amur, then the Vladivostock, unchallenged. Kolchak asked the Tsar to allow him to "bridge the gap" between the two countries by being the Prime Minister, replacing Denikin. Vladimir I had him tried for treason and executed as Transamur was incorprated into the Russian Empire without a fight.

Fig. 2​

As the Sino-Japanese War continued to be fought, the Japanese were in an increasingly bigger mess, with a large amount of partisians and continued fighting against the Nationalist and Communist Chinese. While Japan showed interest in an alliance with Russia, the Tsar said no, and used the opportunity to claim Central China and Mongolia (he was certain that pressure on his Mongolian puppet would bring it into Russia) (see Fig. 3).

Fig. 3​

Having aquired Vladivostock, the Imperial Russian Navy began converting ships in the harbor for its use (see Fig. 4). The ships were mostly former Transamur military vessals, but some were civilian ships. One tanker was converted into the IRN's first aircraft carrier, giving the IRN Pacific Fleet offensive power for the first time.

Fig. 4​

Russia's continued belligerent actions did not please all. On April 24, 1939, France declared war on the Russian Empire (see Fig. 5). The United Kingdom soon followed, as did many others. It would be the Russian Empire's first major war. Tsar Vladimir I made sure that it would not be its last. The war was interesting because. . .

Fig. 5​

stnylan said:

Could we please in the next update have a general world overview / overview of Russia? I confess I am beginning to loose track.

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Timotheos said:

That Tsar seems to be the cautious sort.

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VILenin said:

Interesting indeed! I wonder what possessed the French to do that?

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May 16, 1939
Moscow, Russia

"My Tsar, I think we must prepare for Allied landings from the North Sea and St. Petersburg. Possibly from the Pacific, too."

"We already have, Anton. We have a fairly modern submarine fleet patrolling the North Sea, as well our older sub fleet, we have the St. Petersburg fleet right outside of the city, and we have our shiny new carrier sinking convoys off French Indochina."

"Will that be enough?"

"It does not matter. The French do not want to fight the war. They are more worried about Germany, and possibly even Poland. They are more immediate threats."

"We will not take offensive action?"

"Ah, Anton, who ever said that? However, we cannot at the moment. The Imperial Russian Navy is good enough to keep the Allies away, but we cannot seriously consider attacking them from the sea. Unless you have Vlasov working on a way to march to London and Paris underwater, we will wait for now. I have other plans."

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. . . continued, but little action took place for the first six months of the war. In France and the United Kingdom, the newspapers called it the "phony" war. France sent a carrier fleet out to patrol the North Sea, but other than a few skirmishes with the IRN North Sea Fleet, this did almost nothing. Tsar Vladimir sent his new carrier group based out of the Pacific to patrol around the coast of French Indochina, British Malaysia, and near the neutral Dutch East Indies, where it went to work hunting down lightly defended convoys. Vladimir admitted that this was barely worth the effort, but maintain that the experience that the carrier and its admiral would gain would be necessary at some point in the future.

In the meantime, Romanov realized the fact that he was at war with a major power, and that the situation that he had been trying to avoid was at last upon him. He used the opportunity to declare war upon Azerbaijan (see Fig. 1), a country which he had already claimed, and held parts of Russian Georgia and the former Don-Kuban Union.

Fig. 1​

Over the next three months, the Imperial Russian Army quickly pushed the Azeri army back into a corner (see Fig. 2). Only Baku was under Azerbaijan's control, but it was heavily fortified, and most of the Azeri army remained, as there was little room for the Russians to cut off and destroy it.

Fig. 2​

The Azeris lasted long, but, in the end, they never really stood a chance. On August 16, Russian troops entered Baku, and the next day Azerbaijan was annexed into the Russian Empire (see Fig. 3). This was important for two reasons: it gave Russia control of a large oil source, meaning that Russia had more economic might than before, and it gave the Russians a second border on Persia, which Russia had sought after for a long time, for many reasons.

Fig. 3​

On September 1, 1939, over a border dispute, Germany declared war on Poland, as well as her Ukrainian and Czechoslovakian puppets. Germany quickly made gains, and the rest of the world looked at the war uncomfortably. The Allies, already at war with Russia, did nothing. Russia did not want the Germans to control the Ukraine and Belorussia, which it had announced protection over. The Tsar decided that he must take action, and he did. . .

Fig. 4​