Brief history of Europe
After their victory in Great War, Germans had redrawn map of Europe. Main German objective was to secure their enlarged influence in Central and East Europe, and to isolate dangerous Commune of France, Syndicalist regime that emerged in France after defeat of Entente alliance. Pro-German kingdoms of Ukraine and White Ruthenia were established in East Europe, accompanied by heavily German influenced United Baltic Duchy and Lithuania. Former Russian Poland was made independent, but weak nation, that struggled to survive with export of agrarian goods to Germany. In the West, Belgium ceded to exist as nation. German parts were anexed into German Empire, and remaining lands of former Belgium were organized into federation named Flanders-Wallonia. Adalbert von Hohenzollern, Kaiser’s third son, became the first king of Flanders-Vallonia. Most of other German client states are also ruled by nobles from various German dynasties.
Once mighty Austria-Hungary almost collapsed in years after the war. Despite being one of victors of Weltkrieg, things got worse for dual monarchy in years after the war. Vienna was forced to abandon system from 1867 as Ausgleich in 1927 brought broad self-governance to Bohemia, Galicia, Bosnia and Croatia, and even more rights to Hungary. Instead of strong dual federation as before, Austria-Hungary became loose monarchic union, with constituent parts acting like semi-independent nations. In Balkans, independent Serbia was established after withdrawal of weakened Austria-Hungary. Romania was taken over by radical Iron Guard and Greece waited for better times to come. Bulgaria became powerhouse of the Balkans, struggling to keep down jealous neighbours. Albania was Ottoman vassal state, ruled by king of German origin. Austria-Hungary also couldn't keep it's influence in Italy, leaving reactionary Kingdom of Sicilies to be overthrown by Syndicalist revolution. In northern Italy, divided Italian states that were set up by Austrians after Italian defeat, united into Italian Federation under rule of Pope.
However, Austria-Hungary was shaken again by events in 1937. Ausgleich negotiations in this year broke down, throwing Danubian region into bloody war. Hungarians declared full independence, what was not acceptable for Vienna. Semi-independent parts of empire chosed their destiny, with Bohemia declaring full independence and wowing for unification of Czechs and Slovaks. Croatia took Bosnia and fought both Austrians and Hungarians for independence. Galicia used this mess to join with Poland. Germans off course couldn't allow such conflict to be happening in their neighbourhood. Kaiser intervened in favour of Austria and combined Austro-German forces put down all resistance. With help of German mediation, Austrians and Hungarians agreed to return to system from 1867, and strong dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary was restored. Poland was allowed to keep Galicia, since Austria-Hungary was too exhausted to rule one more region. Poland later even signed Treaty of Lomza, accepting proposed unification with Lithuania.
The tensions in Europe were on the rise at the end of 1930s. Civil war in Spain was still raging and there was no sign that any of three sides, legitimate Royalist goverment, Anarcho-Syndicalist rebels, and radical Catholic Carlists, will prevail in short time. Direct German intervention finished the conflict, suppressing rebellions of Carlists and Syndicalists. Attempt of French Syndicalist to dominate Spain with convert support to CNT-FAI failed, but this didn't prevent Paris to lose self-confidence. In early 1940, French ultimatum came on Kaiser's desk: Alsace-Lorraine or war! Germans didn't hesitate, and their entire Mitteleuropa alliance was soon in war with Commune of France, Union of Britain and Republic of Sicilies, united in Syndicalist Internationale. Mitteleuropa was soon reinforced with Austria-Hungary and Italian Federation, which came under Habsburg influence when Vienna managed to push their pretender Josef von Österreich-Toskana on the Italian throne.
Republic of Sicilies was quickly overran by Austrian and Italian armies, but Germans were not so successful against Commune of France. This was mostly consequence of Kaiser's traditional view on military strategy. Some years before the war with Syndicalists, group of ambitious military commanders, led by Heinz Guderian, proposed radical reforms of German military strategy. Guderian and his supporters saw concentrated use of armoured units being key to swift victory. Kaiser and conservative military commanders were against such plan, saying that military strategy reached it's final point in Weltkrieg. When the war with the Commune of France started, German strategy was based on massive use of infantry, supported by superior firepower of heavy artillery. Armoured units were used only as support for infantry units, thus giving small fighting effect. German infantry was entirely motorized, well-armed, trained and equiped, but proved to be soft target when used as shock force. French couldn't break trough German lines in Alsace-Lorraine, but Germans also had very poor success in offensives against French. Reichsheer invaded France via Flanders-Vallonia, but French managed to repulse the attack. It took almost two years that might of Mitteleuropa broke furious defence of Commune. Troughout the conflict, progressive commanders managed to reform German style of warfare, after desperate Kaiser's blessing.
In early 1943, Germans were ready for invasion of British Isles. British Republican Navy and Republican Air Force were tough nut to crack, but Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe soon cleared the way for invasion force. Despite furious resistance, British land forces couldn't stop German invaders. This was consequence of British strategy that always favoured Republican Navy and RAF over ground forces. Those were made mainly from territorial defense units and rapidly trained militia forces. Better trained and equiped regular armies led elastic defence, slowly retreating to Scotland. The war was lost for Union of Britain when Germans reached the Scapa Flow.
Member of Republican Observer Corps scans the skies of London. During siege of London in June 1943, Luftwaffe was often attacking supply centers and instalations of British forces in attempt to break defense of the city.
Germans once again redrawed the map of Europe. France and Britain were partitioned into several states to achieve total German dominance over old foes. Some oppressed nations were liberated, and some nations were revived from the past, or simply invented by Germans, according to various regional diffrences. Respecting the old recipe, new states were ruled by German nobles and local autocrats. British Isles were occupied by three new nations: England, Scotland, and Wales. The fate of France was similar. There were secret talks with National France about exiled French joining Mitteleuropa, for exchange of French mainland being returned to them, but this proposal was rejected by Berlin. Same thing happened with proposal of local French politicians. They kindly asked Germans if new French Republic could be established, off course loyal to Germany, but people would have a right to elect their own president. Berlin refused any attempt of creation of strong French state.
France was partitioned into several states: Occitania, Normandy and Brittany. Some territory was given to Flanders-Vallonia, the rest was used to setup puppet French kingdom, loyal tool of Berlin, ruled by German noble. After death of Occitanian king Lois de Grimaldi in 1949, Occitania became very unstable, and Berlin allowed French kingdom to anex it. After all reparations were payed by new German puppets for sins of their precedesors, German economy started to heal it's wounds that were inflicted by Berlin stock market crash in 1936. Germans were sure that Europe will now live in a peace for a long time.
After destruction of Syndicalism in Europe, German position of dominant global superpower was soon challenged by Japan. Peace in Europe was preserved for quite a long time, with a few interruptions, like Third Balkan War in 1949. This war was fought between Bulgaria and nations of Belgrade Pact. Bulgarian defeat was avoided with help of Austria-Hungary, which intervened in favour of Bulgaria. Serbia, Greece and Iron Guard Romania were defeated. Serbia was occupied and partitioned between Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. Strong resistance movement against foreign occupation was formed, while important Serbian individuals abroad established goverment in exile, located in friendly National France. Exiled liberation movement is led by Serbian royal claimant, which is often wowing that all of South Slavs must be liberated, not only Serbs. Victorious Bulgaria felt self-confident enough to press on dying Ottoman Empire for transfer of authority over Albania, which soon became Bulgarian protectorate. Bulgaria achieved access to Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea this way.
Romania and Greece were punished by high reparations, and pushed into isolation. Those two nations were later shocked by liberal revolutions, which abolished Greek monarchy and removed Romanian Iron Guard regime. However, Greece now struggles to survive isolation by approaching German dominated Europe, but mostly in economic way, by developing tourist capacities. Romania seems very isolated, and waits for better times to come. Romanians discreetly even cooperate with nations of Entente, especially with Russian Empire.