Inevitable Triumph: The United States at War, 1939-1947

[therev]

Macarthur has been blinded by the colour RED! It will cover him in glory - I wonder!

[Prufrock451]

As to the book- it's the Encyclopedia of American Secessionist and Autonomist Movements. It'll likely be 6 months to a year before it actually gets released.

Elbasto- no comment.

Therev- no comment.

[Vann the Red]

Sounds pretty interesting. Is it an academic treatment of the topic or does it have a position on the exercise (i.e., these were all misguided or here's a handbook on mistakes made in prior attempts)?

Vann

[Prufrock451]

It is an academic treatment- this is a reference work, y'know.

However, judgment does creep in from time to time, as does a bit of humor. For example, my entry on the Conch Republic ends with the line- "Key West celebrates its secession attempt at the annual Independence Day Festival, where patriots can buy T-shirts and compete in a chili cookoff."

[Gjerg Kastrioti]

Nice Updates Profrock, Hope the book goes well.

[lifeless]

very nice on the book! how about you send us readers free copies?

[Cloudyvortex]

Good to hear, it sounds interesting. Your last line is my entire take on Conch, but it'll be a nice read-then-give to my politically- and historically-minded aunt.

OT: I'm not so sure about giving all Korea to Kim, Rhee had a lot of connections in the States, and he was a Christian while Kim was a Christian-killer so the Democrats would be out of a White House in 1944 for sure. And, no, Communists are never-ever-ever puppets to non-Communists. Kim would either refuse and stay in the USSR, or launch a very risky coup. But it isn't my work o' fiction, so rationalize however you want. I just think this Roosevelt would give Korea to Rhee (without a huge Communist threat within and without, Rhee might have even supported limited democracy) and dared a rebuilding Soviet Union to do anything about it.

[Karl Martell]

Good to hear, it sounds interesting. Your last line is my entire take on Conch, but it'll be a nice read-then-give to my politically- and historically-minded aunt.

OT: I'm not so sure about giving all Korea to Kim, Rhee had a lot of connections in the States, and he was a Christian while Kim was a Christian-killer so the Democrats would be out of a White House in 1944 for sure. And, no, Communists are never-ever-ever puppets to non-Communists. Kim would either refuse and stay in the USSR, or launch a very risky coup. But it isn't my work o' fiction, so rationalize however you want. I just think this Roosevelt would give Korea to Rhee (without a huge Communist threat within and without, Rhee might have even supported limited democracy) and dared a rebuilding Soviet Union to do anything about it.

From all I've read, Kim's communist partisans had been the biggest resistance movement against the Japanese. He wasn't an exile politician who was sent to Pyongyang on Moscow's behalf (like Ulbricht in the DDR, or the Polish communists) he was an indigenous Korean leader who had a substantial movement behind him (in all of Korea) when the peninsula was liberated.

So it's not unrealistic at all that the first Korean government would inculde all Korean parties, regardless of their ideological differences. That's how it was also done in Italy, France and Czechoslovakia. (Where the Communists either seized power for themselves, or were forced out after the non-communist parties started to mistrust them).

Rhee certainly didn't have any more support than the Communists had...

[Rensslaer]

Prufrock,

I have NO IDEA how I could have missed this gem!

I haven't read the whole thing. I've read alot -- and I like it!

Quite a magnificent gift you have for characterization and dialogue. Your dialogue is amazing!

I'll be catching up on this one quick, so I can enjoy it in full serialization.

Rensslaer

[GeneralHannibal]

It is an academic treatment- this is a reference work, y'know.

However, judgment does creep in from time to time, as does a bit of humor. For example, my entry on the Conch Republic ends with the line- "Key West celebrates its secession attempt at the annual Independence Day Festival, where patriots can buy T-shirts and compete in a chili cookoff."

Whats the book called??

[Tskb18]

Whats the book called??

hmm.

As to the book- it's the Encyclopedia of American Secessionist and Autonomist Movements. It'll likely be 6 months to a year before it actually gets released.

[Cloudyvortex]

From all I've read, Kim's communist partisans had been the biggest resistance movement against the Japanese. He wasn't an exile politician who was sent to Pyongyang on Moscow's behalf (like Ulbricht in the DDR, or the Polish communists) he was an indigenous Korean leader who had a substantial movement behind him (in all of Korea) when the peninsula was liberated.

So it's not unrealistic at all that the first Korean government would inculde all Korean parties, regardless of their ideological differences. That's how it was also done in Italy, France and Czechoslovakia. (Where the Communists either seized power for themselves, or were forced out after the non-communist parties started to mistrust them).

Rhee certainly didn't have any more support than the Communists had...

Hmm, thought Kim was in the USSR during the war: an officer in the Red Army. He certainly was at some point before the war. I won't pretend to know as much as you, but I still think it was the Red Army the 'liberated' Korea. I'm surprised that Kim didn't end up with the whole thing. This is the first I've heard of Korean resistence. I knew they hated their cruel overlords (wouldn't you), but chose servitude and life over freedom in death. Except for the Viet Minh and the various Yugoslav rebels, anti-Axis resistence tended to be a waste of lives from what I understand. Thanks for the info, though.

[Karl Martell]

Hmm, thought Kim was in the USSR during the war: an officer in the Red Army. He certainly was at some point before the war. I won't pretend to know as much as you, but I still think it was the Red Army the 'liberated' Korea. I'm surprised that Kim didn't end up with the whole thing. This is the first I've heard of Korean resistence. I knew they hated their cruel overlords (wouldn't you), but chose servitude and life over freedom in death. Except for the Viet Minh and the various Yugoslav rebels, anti-Axis resistence tended to be a waste of lives from what I understand. Thanks for the info, though.

Sources on Korean history are hard to come by, in part because they had such a weird history and in part because the Koreans today have a distorted relationship to history - virtually all their old castles were razed by the Japanese, Japanese and Koreans both claim to be prehistorical ancestors and imperial overlords of each other (archeology is a weapon in that dispute), and because there's two Koreas laying claim to their history as foundations for their respective national myths. Even if they reunite tomorrow, it'll probably take them until the end of this century to sort out what actually happened...
Anyways this might be of soem help...
http://reference.allrefer.com/countr...h-korea22.html
http://reference.allrefer.com/countr...h-korea23.html

[therev]

Thanks Karl, I appreciate your take on the Korean mystery. I was not aware of the lengths the Japanese went to in the destruction of Korean cultural heritage. Having friends who are South Korean, has exposed me to the conflicting mythos of North and South, but they remain silent about the Japanese occupation other than to speak of it in passing.

[Cloudyvortex]

Parallels some things I've read/heard about African 'communism'. Betcha the Viet Minh/Viet Cong and the Khmer Rouge have simular stories.

BTW, UPDATE! Please.

[Prufrock451]

I'm back!

There's a months-long lull in the game here (and despite appearances, I'm not trying to recreate it in real time). This might be a good time to comment on the game.

I played this game a long time ago under an old build. I can flatly guarantee you (having tried many a time since then) that a repeat of this steamrollerin' would be difficult at best.

Germany is smarter, and it builds units like crazy. I've tried landing with 50-odd divisions again on several occasions, and never come close to repeating the success I had in this game.

Japan, though. I can still beat Japan with one hand behind my back. (Base 50 divisions in Hong Kong or Wake Island. Move them to Tokyo Bay. Game over.)

Also, the reworking of events and the addition of espionage makes the game a lot more interesting. It's almost pointless as the US to try and raise your interventionism (damn you, peace demonstrations!), so I've been working the other sliders in recent games. But, the US's massive cash reserves make for an impressive industrial espionage program. I usually lift most of everyone else's blueprints long before 39 starts.

Here and now, however.

It is January 1, 1942.

ASIA:

MacArthur, Governor-General of the Manchurian Mandate, has deployed his troops aggressively along the Soviet border. Not too aggressively, though- Stilwell has denied him most of his troop requests.

To his rear, President Kim Il Sung is growing frustrated in his role as the puppet "President" of the "People's Republic" of Korea.

In Japan, the new puppet government is reluctantly beginning to deal with the realities of defeat- the Tokyo Tribunal is about to pass sentence. Already exonerated: Admiral Yamamoto, who commands the remains of the Imperial Navy- now under the overall command of Field Marshal Stilwell and Grand Admiral King's Pacific Fleet.

Chiang Kai-Shek has severed all ties with the United Nations. Bitter over the rumors of an Allied sellout before the Pacific War, and then after the US occupied Manchuria, Chiang has moved steadily to the right. The Republic of China is now a Fascist state, and Chiang is surrounded by a cabal of ex-Wehrmacht advisors. Anger over the influence of the foreigners has shattered China's wartime truce and reignited civil war. Chiang has ruthlessly destroyed the Guangxi Clique and is now pushing relentlessly on Communist China.

EUROPE:

The bulk of the US Army is again in Eastern Europe, deployed along the Soviet border. Despite the presence of nearly 100 US combat divisions, backed by another hundred divisions of Allied soldiers, the Soviets still outnumber them. Negotiations over eastern Poland have broken down, and a Cold War has begun.

The pariah states of Italy and Spain hope to gain a breathing space for themselves by encouraging the two great alliances to go to war.

The United States has assumed leadership of the United Nations. A number of Latin American states have joined the alliance.

The US economy has again entered a postwar slump. (This is what happens when you go to war early without waiting for the peacetime IC modifiers to change.) Anger over two wars of aggression is building, and the political climate is growing dark, as both parties prepare for what promises to be a grueling midterm election year.

[Vann the Red]

He's back! Whoohoo!

Vann

[Seidita]

He's back! Whoohoo!

Vann

you said a mouthful!

[Prufrock451]

January 1, 1942

Martin Bormann raised an eyebrow. "Do I look dead?"

Reinhard Gehlen curled his lip and said nothing.

Bormann leaned forward, easing the lamp out of the way. "I know you've been busy, Reinhard. I know you're up to your neck in this China business."

"I don't know anything about China. I've been advising the Argentine government. You want to know about China, you should talk to von Falkenhausen's clique."

"Don't play stupid, Reinhard."

Gehlen raised an eyebrow contemptuously. "Just tell me what you're after."

Bormann smiled pleasantly. "I think you know."

Gehlen matched his smile and said nothing.

Bormann sighed. He stood and walked to the door. He rapped twice, and it opened. Otto Skorzeny walked in. Gehlen started from his chair and sank back, resigned.

Bormann sat back down, sighing in satisfaction. "You see now?"

Gehlen nodded slowly. "Sorry I couldn't match his pay, Otto."

Skorzeny shrugged easily. "Never about the money, Reinhard. I'm a rich man. I just think it's time we got organized. Enough of the squabbling."

Gehlen looked back at Bormann, who grinned. "You see, Reinhard? No one's going to shoot you. On the contrary, on- the- contrary." Bormann leaned forward, his eyes hungry. "Just tell me everything. Don't worry about telling me something I already know. I want to hear your take on the situation."

Gehlen narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He leaned forward. "So you know I've got an organization going."

Bormann nodded. "Yes, yes. Buenos Aires. Advisors, imports, so forth."

Gehlen nodded. "All very quiet. And then, Japan went down. The Tokyo SS faction had to scatter fast, and a lot of them ended up in my territory." He glanced nervously at Otto. "Including most of Heydrich's old crew."

Skorzeny shrugged. "I already figured out that Heydrich wanted to be a bigger player. I just didn't figure he wanted the Tokyo SS removed so... thoroughly."

Gehlen smirked. "Too bad he got shot, eh? This close to cornering the Far East markets. With that kind of money, he could have muscled me out of Buenos Aires. Taken over the organization."

Skorzeny smiled politely and said nothing.

Gehlen continued. "So. I was expanding, fast. A lot of the Tokyo crew had... underutilized talents. So I expanded. Mostly by accident- a deal with a smuggler went bad and I had to disappear him and fence his goods myself. I discovered a local governor and I shared a common enemy, and took pay to do what I would have done anyway. Bit by bit. Over the last year, I've built quite a reputation. Put together a few very dependable teams for discreet jobs."

"Which is where I come in," volunteered Skorzeny.

Gehlen nodded. "I got... a message. Rumors circulating through the grapevine. That the Chinese were going back to war. And that no one but Chiang and von Falkenhausen's people were happy about it. So I had a man track down Skorzeny. I knew I'd need his talents and his connections."

Skorzeny smirked. "Your third man tracked me down."

Gehlen glared. "Let's not bring up old debts just now. So. Just as Skorzeny agreed to a contract with my organization, a new rumor starts. That someone wants the whole Falkenhausen Clique dead."

"And where did the rumor start?"

"The same place any rumor starts." Gehlen rubbed his eyes. "I don't know. I still don't know. But I've had contact- by carrier pigeon- with someone who's got big, big money behind him. And is willing to pay it all to see the war in China stopped."

A long pause. Bormann tapped his fingers.

"That's all?"

"I don't know who it is, Martin. Could be anyone. The Americans, the Soviets, the British... the Chinese Triad gangs? Some Tokyo SS renegade? A lot of people benefit from seeing von Falkenhausen die."

Bormann smiled. "Including you, Reinhard."

Gehlen smiled back. "Including you, Martin."

Bormann laughed. "Well, hell. I don't see why we're still talking, then." He pointed. "Otto! Talk to my people in Madrid. Let's make von Falkenhausen a memory." The three men stared at each other, calculations barely hidden behind genial masks.

Skorzeny folded his arms and leaned on the door. "All this backstabbing will be a lot easier when there's only three of us left instead of four, eh?"

Bormann raised his whiskey and winked. "Poor form to say it out loud, Otto."

[lifeless]

very nice updates! indeed, who would kill von Falkenhausen....nice to see youre back