Hey guys, thanks for the vote of confidence! I'll keep posting, and hopefully get more readers. Enjoy!
Timeline (1919- 1936)
1919: November 11, Germany surrenders to the allies. December 21, Wilhelm Becker is released, and resigns his commission to fight in the Baltic Landwehr, a Freikorps army defending the baltics from the USSR.
1920: Dominion of Draka refuses to hand over Anatolian territories. Dominationists seize power in Archona and declare independence. British respond by seizing Ceylon, Cyprus, Malta and other small islands under Draka control. Allies embargo the new Domination. Britain guarantees the independence of Greece. Greece, Bulgaria and Romania form the Balkan Entente to defend against Soviet or Draka aggression. Treaty of Versailles. Formation of the Republic of Livonia, a federation of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, with promises to respect the rights of native Russians and Germans. Lithuania’s claims Memel are never pressed. Hitler joins the German Workers Party.
1921: Draka forces attack the USSR and Persia, to distract the citizens from economic hardship. Leon Trotsky leads a masterful defense of the Caucuses. Arch-Strategos William Billiard is executed for incompetence for only managing to conquer the Central Asian Soviet republics. Taipang China with Japanese help, defeats the Domination in a short border war. Japan deposes the Taipang Emperor, creating a personal union under Emperor Hirohito. This is de facto annexation, but de jure China remains independent. Mussolini’s March on Rome. Poland victorious at battle of Warsaw. Becker recaptures Riga. Arrival of British peacekeepers, who stay until 1925.
1923: British forces barely win the Irish War. Shaken to its core by the loss of the Draka and the near loss of Ireland, Commonwealth leaders call the last Imperial Conference. Formation of the United Kingdoms (more popularly, the British Federation). Responsible government given to India, Malaysia. Allied troops withdraw from Constantinople, which is made the de jure capital of the Greek Kingdom (albeit far too close to the Draka for it to be the de facto seat of government, which remains in Athens). Turks expelled from Bulgaria and Greece. Most immigrate to Yugoslav Macedonia. Wilhelm Becker, along with Erich Ludendorff and Manfred von Richtoven (better known as the Red Baron) form the Reichs Aktions Partrei (RAP), a firm monarchist organization intent on the recovery of all core territories of the Reich plus the inclusion of Austria.
1924: Italy invades and annexes Yugoslavia in its entirety. France protests strongly but without firm British backing they do nothing. Germany immediately cancels all reparation payments, citing inability to pay. French troops attempt to occupy the Rhineland, but heavily armed paramilitary groups collectively known as the Watchmen begin a savage insurgent campaign. Adolf Hitler, now head of the newly named National Socialist German Workers Party becomes lead organizer of resistance, coordinating recruitment and logistics despite a Weimar crackdown. The French withdraw after 13 months and 13,000 casualties. German dead estimated at 36,000, large sections of Cologne are reduced to rubble. Hitler becomes a national hero. Becker marries Julia Schweinherd, the wartime lover of Hitler.
1928: The Republic is widely discredited, and the reigning Social Democrats are crushed in the 1928 elections. Centre Party takes power. Hindenburg elected president. RAP attains 75 seats out of 501, National Socialists attain 96. Embargo against the Draka ends.
1929: Stock market crash, American banks recall loans to Germany. German economy crushed. Great Depression begins. Communists prowl the streets. RAP ‘Defenders’ and Nazi SA units cooperate heavy to fight them off and take control of the streets. Cordial alliance begins between Becker and Hitler. Mass dissatisfaction with the Weimar system. Big Business backs Becker as his free market ideals suit them better than the socialist leaning of the Nazi program. Patriotic Jews back Becker in droves as a way of distancing themselves from perceived Communist leaning and for protection against the Nazis.
1930: New elections held. Rap wins 35% of the vote becoming largest single party in the Reichstag. Communists win 30%. Coalition formed with NSDAP, DNVP, KVP, and Center Party. Massive public works begins to repair and expand Germany’s road and rail network. Lufthansa zeppelin fleet is re-serviced. Alliance with the Balkan Entente. Under this pretext and with British blessing, Germany begins to rearm.
1932: February, Outbreak of violence in Austria. Austrian military is unable to contain Communist uprisings in Linz, Salzburg and especially Vienna. Becker sends troops across the border, who are generally welcomed as saviors. Joint Austro-German maneuvers destroy all resistance. Social Democrats and Communists jailed. April, Rump Parliament asks Germany for Anschluss. The Reichstag is called as soon as the proposal is received, that is at 2 AM. The vote is nearly unanimous in favor. Holodomor begins in Russia. Afghanistan finally pacified by the Domination.
1933: Reichstag fire, Becker asks for and gets emergency powers. Hard crackdown on Social Democrats, and many Communists are simply shot in the streets, elected officials or not, in jail or not. Hindenburg dies, and in his will he requests the monarchy be restored. The RAP coalition, with only the Nazis opposing, organizes a plebiscite. Wilhelm III is restored to his family’s throne by 64% of the eligible voting populace (known SDs and Communists are no longer eligible to vote.)
1935: RAP publishes Elvira Naldorssen’s Meditations outside of the Domination, going so far as to produce films about it, stirring up fear and hatred of the Draka around the world. Similar films are made about the Soviet state ‘If America wishes to make the world safe for democracy, then Germany must first make the world safe for Capitalism, Decency and Christianity,’ Becker declares.
1936: January, Becker calls his cabinet together at the Reich chancellery to plan the restoration of the Reich to its former glory…
Wilhelm Versus the Draka
Technical Notes:
Hearts of Iron II: Doomsday, version 1.3a
Difficulty: Very Hard
Aggressiveness: Aggressive
Modifications:
+ Offmap 70 IC (net loss of 34 IC due to difficulty)
Transport load increased by 5X (will be explained later)
Research mod doubled (not that it really helped me get a lead)
Every advancement requires either 5K supplies or 1K money sent to allies or neutral countries I can’t immediately overrun. This represents an intensive research effort which restricts my ability to build a large army.
Will acceptall puppet France if conditions for Vichy are met
Will acceptall puppet the USSR if conditions for Bitter Peace are met
Will acceptall puppet the British Federation if I take all provinces in Britian
No cheats on the Draka.
Cabinet and sliders for Germany have been redone.
Nations:
Ireland, Argentina, Chile are part of the UK. Austalaisia remains independent because I don't want to stretch the Brits too far.
Norway is part of Sweden.
Yugosalvia is part of Italy
Austria is part of Germany
Lithuania and Estonia are part of Latvia (the Livonian Republic, which is Market Liberal)
Japan now rules ALL of Imperial China
Constantinople is a part of Greece
Objectives:
1. Destroy Communism wherever it is found
2. Ally or puppet every nation in Europe
3. Protect Livonia if possible
4. Liberate Armenia and Georgia, and protect them from the Draka.
5. Keep America neutral by keeping relations over +100, using acceptall if that doesn't work.
6. DESTROY THE DOMINATION!
The world of 1936
The ruling cadre of the Third German Empire