• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Please read the forum policies that prohibit more than 20 pictures in a single post. Because of the time and resources needed for pic-heavy AARs we ask that you please only use the pics that are essential for your story.

Your later posts are under the 20-pic limit, and are fine. There is no need to revise your earlier posts, we just ask that you be aware of the limit in the future.

Sorry, I was labouring under the mistaken thought it was 32. I must have misread the rules. I apologise and will not let the mistake occur again!

What can I say, nice update!

I say, have I rendered you speechless? :rofl:

I love the nose art on the B-17. :D

It was hard to find something both representative and within forum rules. She's pretty overdressed for nose art ;)

Nice update so what are your plans for the South and central Americans also the Caribbean?

How dose the world look right now to?

It's funny you should ask that. I'll give a world mupdate in 1940 - it's all a bit mad though I am afraid. In true Kaiserreich fashion, it has to be seen to be believed :eek:
 
We stand as a unit and united we fall.


chapter7.jpg
The increasing pre-eminence of the Motorised Corps of the Union State (the second 3000 men had been assigned to the border with New England during the Centro-American War) lead to Huey Long relieving Harry Knox Jr. of his responsibilities as Chief of Armed Forces, and promoted Patton to the post, and raising his subordinate and friend Kenneth Althaus to the Commander in Chief of the Army.

forrest.png

The Forrest, was named after the Civil War General

The campaign to continue the construction of a motorised, mechanised first wave army that would be able to overwhelm and demolish opposing forces too weak to withstand them, and bypass those that were too difficult lead to the commissioning of the construction of 2000 the Ford Prototype-62 (the 'Forrest' tank) for the end of the year of 1939 and triple that number to be produced in 1940. These tanks were calculated to be considerably better than the German Panzer III tank and an equal match for the French Char D2, this information gleaned from contacts in the La Plataen Army and a captured tank under construction in Guatemala City.

chard2.jpg

The Char D2

The Forrest weighed in at 22 tons with a crew of five and a 50mm gun, and was designed to combine mobility with firepower, as well as large numbers. The Forrest was also to be used to delay and defend elastically, against other tanks, so it had considerably thicker armour than it's counterparts, though it's gun calibre was smaller than that of the Char D2, the range difference was only about 20yards due to the 'long-bore' round Union State tanks used. These tanks and their divisions were accompanied by the mass produced M3 Scout Car, which despite it's name provided mobile command and fulfilled an anti-infantry role extremely well.

As Patton solidified his control of the armed services and Althaus got used to his new office, Long announced that the West Point Academy was to be relocated from upstate New York, where it was deemed to be far too close to New England, and instead to be situated at Jackson, Alabama District – a town to the north of Mobile. Graduates of the class of 1940 would be the first to begin their training at the new facility.

8626277md.jpg

Rockefeller and his associates in the state of New England kicked up a fuss – the 1st 2nd and 3rd Motorised had redeployed from Villahermosa via railway and the 4th through 9th divisions were on duties along the border and given the recent history of the Union State and it's smaller neighbours. His concerns were justified to a degree, the buildup (to what purpose?) of Long's forces and the progression of technological advance in the field of warfare as well as the lightning war in Centro-America that saw Union troops crossing bad infrastructure and rough terrain like it was flatland were terrifying prospects to the well connected and forested states of New England. Contingencies were put into place by the Government there to destroy or block key roads into the nation, as well as the use of a restricted border zone, so as to deny the Union State any propaganda victories, any human settlement within 15 miles of the border (the old New York State boundary) was evacuated.

The expansion of Union industrial capacity continued apace,however the energies being poured into improvement and planning were no longer sufficient to the point that orders were now outstripping capacity. The planned infrastructural improvements to Acapulco, Mexico City and Monterrey were put on hold, as was the Villahermosa line (now over half complete) since the need for the upgrade was reduced with the removal of the Centro-American threat to the Southern border.

pattonalthaus.jpg

Patton and Althaus

Patton's and therefore Althaus' primary concern was the completion of the upgrade for the existing infantry division in the field. Whilst new infantry formations were on paper as undergoing training, men were being channeled into the motorised and the tank units. Whilst the complete phase out of infantry divisions was highly unlikely, the continued construction of infantry was now in order to release the Militia and National Guard divisions that had been raised during the Civil War as opposed to expand the unmotorised portion of the army.

navalmilitiaband.jpg

The Army Airforces also saw the placement of an order for 16 wings of Strategic Bombers and accompanying escort fighters to be completed in 4 batches by Hughes Aircraft Works California.

jpkphoto.jpg

Joseph P. Kennedy

The 15th of August saw Joseph Kennedy, who had been fighting a beleaguered battle to remain in place as the head of the Union State foreign services against the actions of jealous subordinates and undue influence from above, hand in his resignation to Huey Long. In it, he detailed the actions of J.T. Renfrew as the 'cloak and dagger scheming of a traitorous bastard' and the interference of Charles Coughlin in diplomatic affairs 'of such irritation that I have considered renouncing my faith merely to make the man splutter.' Long therefore had to look at those who had fought for the place and make a decision. For two months he considered and interviewed several men for the job. Lawrence Dennis was an early favourite, but with Patton as the Chief of Armed Forces Long knew he would see sparks fly whenever the two men clashed and so Dennis was passed over. Long found Renfrew slightly untrustworthy, and would not elect Coughlin since the man was supposed to be busy running the nation. Lee O. Willard was therefore chosen, as he had acquitted himself much better than his remaining competitor, Coke R. Stevenson.

Willard announced the 'First Hemispheric Conference of the West' shortly afterwards, sending invitations to delegates from Canada, the Carribean Federation, Chile, Columbia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, La Plata, Peru, the United Provinces and Venezuela. The snub to New England did not go unnoticed, whilst the absence of the hemisphere's syndicalist nations said little about Willard and Long's policy aims that wasn't already known. The event was scheduled to begin in Atlanta, on October the 20th.​

ussmassachusettsbb.jpg

AUS Robert E. Lee enroute to Wilmington

The months in-between were marked only the launching of the AUS Independence and the AUS Robert. E. Lee from Charleston Shipyards on October the 7th and 8th respectively. The first in a completely new class of Battleship, with a displacement of 38,000 tons, armour of 12 inches on the belt and 7.5 on the deck and a top speed of 28 knots, Independence-class ships carried an armament of nine 406mm (16 inch) main guns in three turreted groups, twenty 5*inch paired turret cannons, 10 turrets of four 40mm AA guns (10x4) and 76 x 20*mm AA guns at strategic locations around the ship and were for a time, some of the largest ships in the Union Navy. They were also a significant step into challenging the Canadian navy and to furthering the Union State's influence in the Caribbean.

The arrival of all the delegates to the conference was a feather in Willard's cap, and as they sat down to discuss La Plata, Brazil, and the lands beyond the oceans, history was made.​
 
Very nice update, so I see you're being somewhat friendly to Canada? I always thought they should be American, lol.
 
Very nice update, so I see you're being somewhat friendly to Canada? I always thought they should be American, lol.

Nah. They're weird up North. Let em keep their snow and their intentions towards britain, as long as they give back New England.


I must admit I merely googled Deserted House and it came up. :D

@all, Diplo update in the works, taken longer than I expected, work tomorrow but might have it done by tonight. Been playing EU III as Burgundy (I reread Ash: A secret history recently - does anyone know if theres a Mod for the game that puts Carthage in? <.< :D)
 
Mechanizing your army, eh? :D

I love the presentations of new weapons, keep it up in this way!
 
Mechanizing your army, eh? :D

I love the presentations of new weapons, keep it up in this way!

I'll try my best. A cookie if you can tell me what tank it really is (the specs are stolen from the same article, so it should not be too different)

This isn't the best America possible but at least khun's gone.

Hopefully the state will liberalize at least by the 60's due to civil rights, right?

I hope so anyway

Good question. The state's sliders at the moment are ultra right, moderate authoritarian stance with a near full free market, full standing army and a hawk/interventionist bias whilst society is biased toward closed.
 
chapter8.jpg


The meeting was held in San Diego, the city becoming abuzz with the delegates and their accompanying entourages on the 18th of October 1939. The State laid on the funding for the diplomatic corps of the various visiting nations, whilst Long who could not resist an excuse for a parade, took the San Francisco Minutemen for a walking tour of the city centre.
The United Provinces and Honduras both spoke of the working with the Union State, seeing in the government to the north, a strong protector. Peru, Columbia and Ecuador in the meantime used the chance to corner the La Platean delegate in a small bar in downtown San Diego and probe him for the intentions of his country with regards to their Brazilian war, which still dragged on. The Chilean delegate had an argument with the Caribbean Federation delegate over exportation rights for Coca plants which lead to neither of them speaking to the other for the rest of the 5-day conference. The first day was intended as an unofficial meet-and-greet in the city, which was attended by most of the power-players in the Union State.
In his diary, the Canadian delegate, a certain former Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, noted the evidence of distinct factions, despite the attempts of them all to conceal the division within their ranks.

480px-Sir_Winston_S_Churchill.jpg

Patton and Althaus, along with Halsey and Willard made the largest group, all military or ex-military men, they are virulently hawkish in their pursuit of syndicalism and anything else that gets in their way. They speak with that special soldiers tone of certain distaste toward the civilian whilst concealing it such. Generally they seemed faintly uncomfortable in the presence of so many diplomats, seeing us as men who have learnt to talk, but not yet to act... something which I find myself wondering about occasionally myself.

Sherman and Ford, along with Coughlin as their barking dog make up the other group. They are the industrialists who intend to use this time of restricted union power and oppression of the right to strike, the right to free speech and so on as an opportunity to make money. They do well for themselves, even when they pay their tax – Long's Share the Wealth scheme limits them to an income of perhaps 5 or 6 million a year personally, but they plow the profits into construction and expansion, giving the nation great economic power and evading the tax man all the while. Coughlin's support is mostly ideological but he does not see himself for the pawn he is. He is an amateur statesman and a fool in certain ways, but he is a good speaker to a certain sort of crowd and I can see why Ford keeps him around.

Long himself is alone and yet completely in command. He has his own allies outside the clique of leaders with real power. His brother Earl and Lawrence Dennis for example. He manages to bind these two forces, of armed commanders and plutocrats and he makes them work together. The plutocrats make tanks, boats, planes and all things in between, whilst the army serves Long loyally for now. He has a certain charismatic charm about him, a way with words that chimes with certain parts of the brain. I have heard him speak, and whilst I do not always agree with him, I cannot slight his skill at rhetoric. None of his lieutenants has the same power, which makes me wonder for the future of our southern neighbour.

I do worry about Patton. The man is nearly as charismatic as Long in a certain, raw-cut way though I admire his stance on the Syndicalist menace, he is full of vigour and refuses to lie down and let the Internationale get away with their works. The Union State has the potential to be a stalwart ally, even with it's unorthodox practises and designs on New England. Rockefeller is at the same time both useful and an utter irritation. We have him as an example of a democratic America, but the people here are happy without democracy. It terrifies me, that people will give up their rights in the name of a sense of security, and I hope we are never tempted to imitate them.

All the same, I cannot feel that somehow the Union State is a criticism of democratic nations such as Canada, and the United Kingdom. We failed in the task of defeating the German. We failed in the task of defeating the Syndicalist threat when it presented itself. Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.

Still, you can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they’ve tried everything else. We can only hope this is a blip and that Long will free the peoples of America from this maddeningly intoxicating ride eventually. We shall need them if we are ever to plant the Union Flag on the sweet soil of Albion again.


The conference continued with various discussions and debates. The La Platean representative said that the War with Brazil would not see the destruction of their northern neighbour, though the lives of the many soldiers who have fought would not be wasted in vain. The Union State refused to aid the Entente in working against Syndicalism until the issue of New England was resolved. Churchill refused to broach the subject without a delegate from the state, whilst the Union refused to allow one to attend, saying it would be implicitly giving diplomatic recognition to a breakaway region. The Union State also broke their alliance with Honduras and extended a guarentee of independence to Cuba and the United Provinces – stating that whilst the Union State would defend those who needed it, it saw no need to interfere in the internal affairs of their neighbours, with the proviso, those states who became Syndicalist, would learn that the ideology of the worker has no place in the Western Hemisphere.

The conference ended with South American unity at an all time high, the meeting on neutral ground had allowed most sides to vent older frustrations without concern of looking bad in front of their hosts thanks to the freedom of the city that had been granted to all sides. The Canadians returned north, conflicted and quietly concerned, whilst Rockefeller grew ever more paranoid in the Massachusetts Governor's Mansion. Union estimate put the New England Border Guards at 10000 men strong, whilst the Union Armies in the area contained 13000 men in one district, with 8000, in the other two that made up the border. They had both tanks and motorised divisions too, whilst the New England border patrol had Royal Mounted Canadian Police.

benton-fraser-paul-gross.jpg

The question of if was never really on the cards, but now King Edward feared more that when would be soon. Tension simmered below sight, as the industrial expansion and military buildup of the Union State continued apace into the new year, 1940...​
 
Hm, your Forrest tank reminds me on Panzer III. ;)

Oh, and beware of Royal Mounted Police!
 
Americans Play To Win

chapter9.jpg

The opening months of 1940 were a fog-shrouded January, the 'Internal border' as it was referred to in the Union State, with New England, was quiet as the planes were grounded for most of the month. Long spoke to Coughlin, considering the decentralisation of Industry from the Midwest by the destruction and removal of factories. Coughlin called Ford, whilst Patton got wind of something occurring and arrived unannounced shortly after the elderly Ford. Both men convinced Long, who had drafted the act in completion already, that rather than destroying the industrial capacity of the North and reducing both the capacity to supply the armed forces, and to expand the industrial complex elsewhere to bin the act, despite the short term benefits.

henryford.jpg

Henry Ford

Patton and Ford didn't generally get on however, the two men often arguing. The lack of action towards the acquisition of New England was a source of serious contention between the pair, as the industrialist advocated a patient wait, whilst the General had put in place a plan for the invasion and conquest of the rebel states that would be fulfilled within two months should it be put into action. Long refused to speak to Patton on the subject of New England, merely warning him that like his predecessor, he could be replaced.
This lead to Patton quietly ensuring the loyalty of the certain key commanders through the first quarter of the year. The entirety of the New England Border Guard, along with the Great Lakes and a good section of the Airforce were soon lead by a conspiracy of soldiers, with Patton at their head. Long had no idea this was such, and for the time being, the army was slowly being poisoned against him, waiting for the opportunity to strike. The VIII. Union Corps – who had participated in the action in Centro-America under General Wallace also supported Patton, and presented the most direct threat to the Chairman of the Union State, being situated in Charleston and able to seize the capital before any potential serious opposition could arrive. The plot against Long was not elaborate, or indeed planned beyond the fact that the army would act to stop Long from removing Patton from his position, through force of arms if need be.

The conquest of Bolivia lead to the Brazilian armies surrendering as the Syndicalist government fled to France, freeing the Western Hemisphere from their influence beyond a few guerrillas in the Amazon jungle, fighting a lost war. Long was pleased, and ordered a National Holiday – 'Freedom day' to be held on the 17th of January every year. Freedom day also saw the first parade of Forrest Tanks through Atlanta, as the Great Plains and Mississippi divisions joined the freshly refurbished 'Union State' division (formerly the 1st AUS tank division) to process through the streets in a column that stretched the distance of Union Square three times over, as they drove down the specially widened avenues that had been built during 1938 for such an event.

The reconstruction and then reshaping of Atlanta after the war was a project that now was given national focus, as the NBC Cameras caught the sweeping boulevards and statuesque skyscrapers, whilst line after line of tank rolled past to the accompanying music of the Union State Army Choir and Marching Band.

The second of February saw Charles Lindbergh, the head of the Army Air Force being replaced by Curtis LeMay (also known as 'Bombs Away'). The reason being that the Union State needed to focus on strategic bombing over the production of interceptor class fighters, was ostensibly the reason, though it was also a shrewd manoeuvre by Patton to put another of his allies into a cabinet spot. There was a slight element of dissent, mostly amongst pilots and their families who were concerned that the presence of LeMay as the head of the Union Army Air Corps would see the reduction in the importance that the government had given to fighter pilots previously (Halsey was in charge of carrier based craft as part of the 'A ship at sea is its own world.' school of thought).

February also saw the first session of the Assembly of Corporations, which consisted of representatives from the leading fifty industrial and professional corporations in the country, ranked through a formula devised by Lawrence Dennis and calculated through the 'Office for Industrial Ranking' (a sub-office of the 'Department for Corporate Affairs and Armament' under Henry Ford) involving various factors including:
  • size of facilities
  • number of workers employed
  • number of government contracts
  • profits made

The Assembly of Corporations was not an outlet through which the employers or employees could speak directly to the government in the manner of a parliament, but rather they gave advice to the Union State Council on economic affairs, of which Long was the Chairman. The Assembly of Corporations was also designed as an incentive to those who both worked in, and owned factories, to excel and do the best that they could, so as to gain a seat at the Assembly, something which was to be accorded the appropriate prestige as well as the opportunity to cement a lead over their rivals by proposing legislature to the USC that would benefit those of the Assembly.

457pxdrroberthgoddardgp.jpg

Robert Goddard

Late February saw the beginning of massive expansionary construction work at Roswell, New Mexico for the beginning of the 'Union State Army Rocket Research Center', as engineers from Fairchild Aviation and McDonnell Aircraft under the leadership of rocketry wunderkind Robert Goddard were given state financial funding and a government contract, as well as being sworn to secrecy.

roswell40s.jpg

The sleepy town of Roswell soon became the first Union State Closed City, housing the scientists, experts and other personnel vital for the Rocketry Facility as well as any civilians living in the area not directly associated with the project, but working in the local businesses. Historical record of Roswell after 1940 is difficult to find due to this isolation. To allow letters to be sent, the town was known as 'Alberquerque-128', giving the impression to any who were in contact with those at work at the facility or in the town that the mail was being routed to a Postal Box in Alberquerque. Roswell also saw the creation of the Alberquerque Institute for the Sciences, a university combined with a scientific organisation that began to cherrypick the finest minds that the Union State had to offer in order to promote scientific advancement in their specialist fields, whilst educating the next generation of highly intelligent youngsters.

collinsz.jpg

The location of the facility became a state-secret, and soon the scientists from Louisiana State University, who had been involved with the Radiation Laboratory facility relocated in 1940 to Site X – a new facility built 10 mi. south of Roswell and away from the Rocketry Facility. Site X housed the 'NC' or Nuclear Cyclotron, which allowed the several physicists, including Ede Teller, John Van Vleck and Robert Oppenheimer to learn about the fission process whilst a design for a fission pile was worked on. Oppenheimer was watched closely on the orders of the military commander of the project, Lt. General Joseph 'Lightning Joe' Collins of the II. Union Corps due to his perceived Syndicalist leanings. Collins was capable of understanding the principles and procedures at work on a basic level and generally ensured that Site X got what it needed, having taught chemistry at West Point academy in the 20's and he was in constant touch with the team working on Project One-Two-Eight despite his duties as part of the New England Border Guards.

742pxgmc2halfton6x6truc.jpg

Project One-Two-Eight also had the military protecting the facilities and the town itself, with an army base and an army air corps base in the area, the 22nd through 24th Motorised Infantry were placed on guard around the secret city and it's facilities with the permission to use lethal force if trespassers refused to leave without having seen anything. Those who had seen something were to be taken in for questioning by USISB agents.

Through March, April and May construction at Roswell proceeded slowly as LeMay of the Army Air Corps was the overseeing commander for the project, and was more interested in the expansion of the Union State strategic bomber wing. Lightning Joe had a word in Patton's ear, and got direct command of the projects allocations, allowing him the ability to generate government contracts for parts and materials.

On June the 3rd 1940, The Commune of France declared war on a Germany that was distracted by a prolonged Asian campaign separately against Japan and Vietnam on numerous fronts including from the Pacific to Siberia. Most Russian forces in the region were working with the expansive German Expeditionary Corps OstAsien or fighting their own battles in the snowy north. The question was simple – would the Germans hold? Or would Europe become red...
 
Hm, Patton having a secret conspiracy if need be, I wonder if Kuhn will join in as well.

Also, Freedom Day .... is it like Futurama's Freedom Day?
 
Hey, do I get a cookie or not? :D

Otherwise, another great update.
 
Hm, Patton having a secret conspiracy if need be, I wonder if Kuhn will join in as well.

Also, Freedom Day .... is it like Futurama's Freedom Day?

No invites to German spies, and no, it's like a second independance day holiday, but with parades, and stuff.

Hey, do I get a cookie or not? :D

Otherwise, another great update.

You ain;'t seen nothing yet.

This is the 1st part of this chapter. I woulda played/wrote more, but I hurt my shoulder and if I sit still too long, I spend more hours in agony than I would like. :eek: So enjoy!
 
chapter10.jpg

The French campaign was a lightning success in fulfilling it's initial aims, within 9 days, Flanders-Wallonien was annexed by French Panzer Armies and a second thrust had penetrated as far as Freiburg in Bavaria whilst the anti-aircraft cannons along the fortified Franco-German border rattled shell after the shell into the skies. Both the CNT-FAI and the Union of Britain (referred to as the UoB to avoid confusion from hence) Joined the French in their campaign. Despite the French buildup over the last 4 years, most of the German army was deployed in the Far East, dealing with the invasion of Shangqing Tianguo, the war in Vietnam that was dragging on much to the Kaiser's irritation and the Pacific Campaign against the Japanese Imperial Co-Prosperity Sphere.

The Entente joined the war as the Canadian Government saw the opportunity to attack the UoB, whilst dramatic entreaties to the Union State were made on the behalf of King Edward by Winston Churchill. Long was adamant that the return of New England was required before the Union State would provide anything to the Entente other than reasonable trade deals. Churchill attempted to appeal to Long's anti-syndicate stance, with Patton supporting the Canadian diplomat but the Kingfish was adamant, that the Union State was not interested in being drawn into a war with no potential gain for it's people other than that fickle quantity known as goodwill.
Churchill was vexed, and returned to Canada to personally brief and consult with the King and the cabinet, before selling the New Englanders down the river. Rockefeller knew that the gig was up, and joined the Union State as District Governor New England. The day was a great celebration, though the price was heavy.

invasiontraininginengla.jpg

Union Corps XXIII under Ashcroft and Union Corps II under Collins geared up for war, running comprehensive wargames whilst the Union Expeditionary Corps under the command of Wallace began to train for Europe specifically. Under the guns of the Robert E. Lee and the Independence, the Union Navy (aside from a few regional commands) left Charleston Military Docks and proceeded to the New York Dockyards, in order to begin joint naval exercises with the Canadian navy. Time was of the essence, and by August 2nd, 1940 the Union Corps II and XXIII were ready to land in Europe.

training1w.jpg

The main issue was where to land however. The Canadians maintained that the best landing zone was Scotland, via Iceland whereas Union State Generals wanted to land in North Africa, before crossing to Spain with National French troops, avoiding the Northern passages and hopefully dodging the numerically even but technically superior UoB Navy. The French put the dampers on this however, with De Gaulle even refusing to entertain the idea of Union troops on National French soil without prior consultation at least a year in advance. The fact that the Union and Canada both desired to move before the German army could execute a turn around meant that Scotland was chosen as the landing zone.

degaulleradio.jpg

Charles De Gaulle- President of National France

Canadian troops would also not be the first to land on their blessed Albion, through the terms agreed between Long and King Edward, Union Army divisions would provide the first wave since it was felt that Canadian troops would feel too much of an attachment to their homeland which could lead to reckless advances that would then undo the entire campaign as they overstretched their supply lines.
One of the main concerns for the Canadians was the potential devastation of Germany by the French army, as well as the fact that as the Commune pushed further and further east, any strike by the Union and Canada would increase the amount of land that they could 'liberate' from Syndicalist woe, no matter how temporary.

It was decided that the landing in Scotland would take place in on June 6th 1941. Operation Sword would begin with Union shipping (projected to be vastly expanded by 1941) as well as Canadian naval assets crossing the North Atlantic, before landing at the staging post in Iceland and then pushing south to land at and capture Glasgow.

800pxcurtissp40ewarhawk.jpg

The first thing done though was to rebase two fighter squadrons to National France to help the beleaguered De Gaulle defend his airspace from Spanish bombing raids. The war was not looking good for Germany either, by the 7th of July, the Commune had taken Kassel and by the 14th were threatening a crossing of the Elbe at Wittenberg, north of Leipzig.

Austria and the Ottoman empire intervened in favour of the Germans, desperate to preserve the status-quo in Europe at the minimum, and eradicate the Syndicalist at the best. Bulgaria was also approached but only sent aid, denying the Ottomans a quick land transit through their territories in fear that the Germans might reward the Turk with their lands.
July 23rd saw the first shots fired in the war between the Union as UoB naval elements attacked a lone submarine in the Strait of Florida, putting the Minutemen in the districts bordering the Gulf of Mexico onto high alert. Admiral McIntyre and the 2nd Union Fleet were scrambled from Charleston to search the Sargasso Sea in pursuit of the unknown UoB fleet.

The next day the Canadian Caribbean Station made contact with a UoB fleet containing 15 capital ships and 6 smaller ones, Mcintyre redirected the 2nd Fleet Southward as fast as they could travel, hoping to interdict the UoB ships as the overwhelmed Admiral Sonderstrom retreated.

hmsindomitableillustrio.jpg

RNS Land and Labour​

At 1100 Zulu time McIntyre made contact with the RNS Land and Labour, and launched planes from the AUS Saratoga. Spotter planes reported 6 battleships accompanying the Land and Labour, including the RNS Tolpuddle, the RNS Leveller, the RNS Naseby, the RNS Peterloo, the RNS Digger and the RNS People's Charter. The 1st fleet was recalled from Newfoundland – the AUS Robert E. Lee and AUS Independence having been on training exercises in the cold northern seas with the Canadians, both allies surprised by this bold incursion so close to America. Mcintyre fought to keep his inferior fleet out of the range of the UoB battleships whilst keeping them in the area of the Blake Plataeu, for despite their similar numbers, apart from the Saratoga, the largest displacements in his fleet were post-weltkrieg heavy cruisers such as the AUS Pensacola.

The UoB fleet pursued the Carribean Station out into the Atlantic and toward Bermuda, breaking off the engagement as McIntyre in turn followed them, whilst Pollard and the 1st Fleet made a grand sweeping plan to arrive from the North, East of the isle of Bermuda, and then hopefully loop around and into the Republican Navy catching them unawares. However the Canadians foxed the Republicans, and the Union Fleets subsequently lost track of the Republican Fleet. The 1st Fleet held in the New England Seamounts for 12 hours, when a fleet was sighted in the setting sun on the 28th of July. A quick radio query revealed that it was not the pursuing 2nd fleet. The Union had trapped the Republicans in the vice of their two fleets. Pollard attempted to press the advantage, but failed to make contact with the retreating UoB ships. He pursued them toward the Azores impetuously, hoping to make contact.

ussalabamabb60.jpg

AUS Independence​

The pursuit continued until the 30th before the 1st Fleet returned to Newfoundland, whilst the 1st Tactical Army Air Bombardment Wing was sent to damage the port at Gran Canaria, from which the enemy had operated from and retreated to, confirming Scotland as the landing site for Operation Sword. On the 4th of August, the 1st Fleet encountered and sank the French submarine Requin, the kill being credited to the AUS El Paso.

ussyorktown.jpg

AUS Unconquerable​

The 28th of July also saw the launch of the AUS Yorktown, Unconquerable and Grass Fight, modern carriers all, who sailed to Newfoundland to meet with the 1st Fleet upon it's eventual return on the 10th of August.
Sadly the war at sea did not reflect the battlefield that Europe had become. French troops now occupied Berlin and Copenhagen, with the Kaiser having to flee to his East Prussia hunting estate south of Danzig which he established as his new centre of government.

The order to launch Operation Sword was given, despite the fact that the initial landing forces would be half the size planned, as the French ran rampant Europe, it was decided that Britain (code name Airstrip One) was to be liberated posthaste. August 20th saw the meetup of the Union 1st Fleet and the Union Transport Fleet, before heading off to Glasgow.

Meanwhile the research performed within the experimental facilities at Albuquerque-128 continued to proceed smoothly, developing a functioning Rocket Engine that could reach over 10km up, leading to the McDonnell men to begin work on their 'Operational Turbojet Engine Model' or OTEM, whilst Project 128 also began their work into the practical development of fission piles.

norwegiansoldiersonthen.jpg

September saw the arrival at the Icelandic staging post and the final taking on of supplies for the troops. The segregation of Union divisions from the civilians of Iceland was harsh, as their government had permitted military access only on the strength of the 30 ship fleet the Canadians had had in Faxa Bay for 3 months prior to the arrival of the Transport Fleet. The 1st Mechanised Expeditionary Corps were billeted outside of Reykjavik, as the Transport Fleet returned to pick up the 2nd Mechanised Expeditionary Corps and the 1st Union Expeditionary Corps. The planners for Operation Sword had originally envisioned 18 transport ships to move the troops with, reducing the number of trips made, and the 6 missing ships were due on the 18th of November – meaning that the other two corps would cross in one trip whilst the 1st Mechanised (formerly II Union Corps) had to spend their autumn in Iceland, Sword being delayed as it was felt that the scheduling change would be worth the punch packed by the extra divisions.​
 
Nice update, can't wait to see you crush them Syndie bastards.
 
Interesting, De Gaulle has already became President of National France. I would more expect Darlan to be heir of Petain. De Gaulle probably somehow elbowled trough the lines of his rivals for Petain's succession.

Great update, keep up a good work!