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“The war will be won not only by the bravery of the Soviet army but by the cowardice of the Austro-Hungarian army too."
- an unknown Major General in the Soviet Army

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The City's Last Line of Defence

On July 4, the Brazilians, for the second time, have entered Buenos Aires. La Plata was humiliated again.

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On North Africa, the Reactionary North Italians have landed in Alexandria. Whether it's just a raiding group or an invasion forces. The intelligence still doesn't have a clear picture of it but it must be vanquished at once!

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The first fruit of the offensive was the easiest one. Cracow. The last bastion of the Kingdom of Galicia (a kingdom under the Austrian crown) was captured and dissolved immediately. The government has already left weeks ago for Vienna.

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The main advance under the command of Shaposhnikov have met more resistance and pushed them out again. The secondary advance on the south have captured Oppeln and touched the Oder river.

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On the Hungarian front, the climate have changed. The reluctant Hungarian army, due to the situation of the war, was overpowered by Berlin. Many Hungarian divisions are under German control. Fortunately, not that many of them are. But the change was enough to cause anxiety to the Soviet military. German-led Hungarian troops have broke into the weak Soviet flanks on the South. 2 divisions were trapped between Kielce and Radom and later surrendered, 3 division in Zamosc, an unknown number of divisions Przemysl, and a few more divisions station nearby the area.

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Another news from the technological front as they have made upgrades on computing machines. More importantly, the Deep Operations Doctrine was finished and became official for the Soviet Army. Many armour proponents saw this as progress to harness the power of the tanks. A news from the People's Commissariat for Armaments, a rocket facility is now operational on a top-secret base in Siberia. The experiments were just starting on prototype rockets, which basically resembles like Chinese fireworks except metallic, mechanical and bigger.

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On the Persian front, the situation starts to get into Soviet control as the Red Army rolls into the deserts of Persia and the advancing Persians on the North East have finally been checked and their retreat begins.

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The possibility of just a raiding group on Alexandria was ruled out as the Italians broke out of their beachhead and dig deeper into Egypt. Intelligence gathered that they will be reinforcements to add pressure to the Soviets in that theatre.

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On the 23rd of July, Norway surrendered to the Coalition, marking the first casualty of the Socialist Front. The flag of Sweden waves on the former Capitol building in Oslo. So far, the Swedish government has no announcement on what they'll do on the Norwegian lands. After the surrender, morale within the Coalition nations rose. Socialism is now dead in Scandinavia.

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The 22nd of July 1940. The outskirts of Kustrin.​

“Retreat! Retreat! Orders from the above, comrade!” shouted by one of the crew while listening to his radio.

An enemy artillery shell blasted at their 2 o'clock but it was far enough not to cause damage on the tank sitting at the top of a small hill. The tank fired it's gun precisely at the pillbox, crudely made of wood, earth and sandbags, at their 11 o'clock, smashing it to oblivion along with its garrison and their AT gun.

“Where the f*** did these blasted Germans came from?”

The driver shift to reverse to rollback at the hill, out of sight from the enemy. Once at the foot, the tank went back to advance to make a u-turn and retreat.

“Counter-attack. They threw all they got to make a hole for the trapped soldiers in Poznan for a chance to get out.”

“What? So we're letting these scums escape?”

“Not really. We were ordered to retreat out of Kustrin but we will stop on to... whatever the name of this town is. That's where we stop the Poznan forces. It seems that the pocket is getting smaller.”

“So, after we crush the German army?”

“We retreat to Poznan.”

the others replied with a snicker

“Mission failed then?”

“We didn't make it to Stralsund so...”

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The 23rd of July 1940. Western Theatre HQ, Warsaw.

“...the offensive is now officially a failure.”

The mood of the HQ was damp just like the days when they were facing the Mongolians for the first time. A few towers of smokes from the cigars on the ashtrays or held by the generals' lips. A few footsteps can be heard from the staff walking around the HQ. Some are sorting papers. Some are tweaking their machines accompanied by those beeping sounds.

“So that's it? Just give up and no one tried to salvage Kustrin?”

“You've seen the reports from the front! 9 divisions from Berlin and 4 from Stettin. Our armour – our armour were beaten back!”

“We should have given credit to whomever commanded those forces. That was a brilliant counter-attack-”

“Are you trying to praise the enemy?”

“Am I not speaking the truth?”

“Enough!” Shaposhnikov spoke to end the incoming argument “What happened to the forces on Poznan?”

“We just received it. All trapped forces surrendered and never had a chance to escape and...”

The meeting went on until it was called off. No plan was formulated. Skirmishes along the new frontline went on without any significant move from either side aside from a renewed but half-hearted advance to Kurstin which ended in another German counter-attack putting the Soviets back to where they were after Poznan.

The military higher-ups were given more pressure once more as the French just recently captured the city of Munster. Munster is far away from Berlin but the Russians need to make a breakthrough in order to get a significant portion of Germany on their hands.

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Yup. I got a bit slow. Been busy with Sengoku. So there we go. Offensive is a fail with all I gained is Poznan and Oppeln. I called it off, believing that repeating the plan will result into more failure.
 
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“The Golden Mace will be one of the most amazing feats in the Second Great War. They were the first ones who show the power of the armour. They were the ones who revolutionises modern warfare.”
- an excerpt from The Strategy of Indirect Approach. Comrade Captain Basil H. Liddell Hart. 1942.

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The Final Steps to the Gates of Berlin

The case as been the same after the second attack to Kustrin. It was the final week of the month of July. A grand meeting of the generals on the theatre HQ in Warsaw was held.

“...this plan is too ambitious, comrade.” one of them said “more ambitious than the previous one”

“But this time, it makes sense!” Lt. General Zhukov defended this proposal “we have substantial information that their flanks are inadequate. Comrade Konev have crossed the Oder river on the South West of Kustrin and made reports that the route towards Cottbus is lightly defended. The German officials are expecting us to attack through Kustrin again. The place is a fortress. Not to mention, this operation gives us a chance to surround the retreating Germany army from Cracow”

“I don't think this would work-”

“Do you have a better plan?”

It seems that the Lt. General have won the battle in the HQ and so the operation was given the green light and it shall begin in the 2nd of August 1940.

Operation Golden Mace is where the entire tank formation of the Western Theatre was amassed in Oppeln strike on the southern German lines and surround the huge retreating army in Cracow which is already way pass the Oder river, on their way to Breslau. After that, they would swing north to Cottbus, Potsdam and to Stralsund. Soviet infantry divisions would march north in Stettin and to Stralsund assisting on closing the gap.

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The operation went brilliantly. Breslau was captured and the tired German army from Cracow were surrounded and only a few divisions manage to escape to Austria. Then, they faced their first major obstacle. A German counter-attack from the massive army in Kustrin.

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The tank horde was on it's way to Cottbus when reports were given that the counter-attack was on its way from across the Oder river. The armour division commanders all decided to race to the river and prevent the Germans from crossing and naturally using the river to their defensive advantage.

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The battle went on until the armour retreated back to Breslau to recover, it was a lost battle for the Russians but the damage was too great for the Germans that they decided not to cross the river. A day after the battle, the troops at the North have captured Stettin. The generals on the centre, smelt the weakness and don't want to sit around doing nothing got the permission from the Field Marshall to attack Kustrin for the third time. The spent army melted away and abandoned the lands on the East side of the river.

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The entire German frontline collapsed. It seems that the capital will be liberated by this month. The German government tried to salvage the people's morale with the Battle of Sedan Day with limited results.

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On other fronts, the Spanish Anarchist-Syndicalists were on their last breath in Barcelona. If it wasn't for French reinforcements, they would probably be finished. While it is very unfortunate that Spain will soon devolved into an ultra-Reactionary state under the Carlists, the Soviets have no pity for a mutated workers state who do not follow the correct principles of Socialism.

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The French continues to advance through the heartlands of Germans. It seems that they are trying to block the Soviet's path from liberating more German proletariat.

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On Persia, August 16, the battle of Tehran has started. Capturing this city will be a huge blow for the Persians. The enemy still have no intention on surrendering although it's only a matter of time.

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The Soviet army have finally meet the army of the Middle Kingdom, the oldest Ancient Regime in the world. Hopefully the brave Red troops can hold them off while their comrades are busy in the West.

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In Britain, a total revamp of the Central Council of the Congress of the Trade Unions has began. One of the reforms passed is a new policy of gaining new income to create a “negative income tax” with Clement Attlee at the helm of the Office of the Exchequer. Socialists and other countries paid attention as this hasn't been tried before.

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The People's Commissariat of Armaments have presented a new design for our tanks. Upgrading our armour is now starting.

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In the 15th of August, the envelopment is nearly complete with the defenders on Stralsund keeping the gap open.

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Two days later, the gap was closed and Berlin is surrounded. The Red Army is now marching towards the capital of the country that humiliated Russia back in the Great War and conspires with St. Petersburg's reactionary regime on crushing the Proletarian Revolution. The Siege of Berlin has started.

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End of Chapter

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Took long enough. Now the war can finally be yours. Do you want humilated Germans with red wine, or humilated Germans with white?
 
I suspect negative income tax might very well fail. If theres anyone who understands economics better than me I'd be very interested in their view on the repercussions of such a policy.
 
Er, how would negative income tax work WITHOUT running the nation into bankruptcy faster than you can say "Vodka! :D"? Seriously Britain, kick Atlee out now!
 
I suspect negative income tax might very well fail. If theres anyone who understands economics better than me I'd be very interested in their view on the repercussions of such a policy.

Er, how would negative income tax work WITHOUT running the nation into bankruptcy faster than you can say "Vodka! :D"? Seriously Britain, kick Atlee out now!


The only way I can see this working is for this to be just a roundabout way of giving rebates.
 
Er, how would negative income tax work WITHOUT running the nation into bankruptcy faster than you can say "Vodka! :D"? Seriously Britain, kick Atlee out now!

It's a British Republic. That alone should be enough to break the universe.
 
The only way I can see this working is for this to be just a roundabout way of giving rebates.

That's basically the plan. A negative tax means that if you make less than X dollars, you pay the government. If you make more, the government pays you.

This was proposed by a radical leftist like Milton Friedman, incidentally.
 
That's basically the plan. A negative tax means that if you make less than X dollars, you pay the government. If you make more, the government pays you.

Wasn't it the other way around?

Wikipedia said:
In economics, a negative income tax (abbreviated NIT) is a progressive income tax system where people earning below a certain amount receive supplemental pay from the government instead of paying taxes to the government
 
This is so lame. The Soviets in the DH version of Kaiserreich got a better event chain than this one. :(

Took long enough. Now the war can finally be yours. Do you want humilated Germans with red wine, or humilated Germans with white?

Red. With the blood of the bourgeois! :p

That's basically the plan. A negative tax means that if you make less than X dollars, you pay the government. If you make more, the government pays you.

This was proposed by a radical leftist like Milton Friedman, incidentally.
and Juliet Rhys-Williams. So you have a British who proposed NIT in the 1940s. Perfect timing. That's why I put it in there and it makes sense when you compare it to the event.

Er, how would negative income tax work WITHOUT running the nation into bankruptcy faster than you can say "Vodka! :D"? Seriously Britain, kick Atlee out now!
He should have sticked with teh NHS, maybe? :p
 
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Chapter IX: The Kaiserreich Vanquished

“I declare this city as “Fortress Berlin”. We urge every Berliner to fight for the Fatherland and drive out the Red Scums who are threatening to destroy our beloved city. The Kaiser will stay with you until the end. We will never surrender!”
- The Kaiser's last radio broadcast in Berlin.

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Fortress Berlin

It was the 17th of August 1940. The so-called “Fortress Berlin” stood against the Soviets for eleven hours after being subjugated artillery and aerial bombardment. Seven damaged and ill-equipped divisions stood against the besiegers. Thousands of Berliners volunteered or drafted but the hastily built militia melted easily once they've meet the fires of the Soviet troops.

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After the eleventh hour, the Reichstag was captured after the hardcore resistance of the building's garrison. The capture of the building signals the defeat of city.

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(I have to use this pic. It's a cliché in every Soviet AAR.)​

Shortly after the fall of the Reichstag, the Kaiser's palace was also captured after a hard fight with its fanatical defenders. Mysteriously though, the beloved Kaiser, the imperial family, and other important officials weren't there at all considering how the Kaiser vowed to “stay with them until the very end” according to himself on his radio broadcast.

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This painting was drawn by a soldier. The painter was, later, heavily wounded during the liberation of Austria-Hungary and was sent home where he painted the piece before he was sent back to the front. The piece now sits on the People's Museum of Moscow until this day.​

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20th of August 1940. Berlin. The new Western Theatre HQ.

The HQ's mood was so vibrant and jubilant that it doesn't look like a workplace at all. It's like a private party with office apparatuses and machines scattered all over the place. Even the staff have brilliant faces. Chairman Bukharin just arrived in Berlin by air this morning and landed with a face like sunshine over the ruined and debris-infested city. The HQ was relocated from Warsaw to the Kaiser's palace. What could be more appropriate location than the nest of the dragon itself? The generals, colonels, and field marshall alike all bask on the comrade chairman's good mood along with all his congratulations, compliments and what-not. After all, they deserved it.

“I proclaim this meeting to be open” the conversation starts to get a bit business-like “now as we all know, the city of Berlin is captured but the Kaiser's imperial army is still fighting and they have the capacity to resist. Aside from that, the bloody kaiser himself is missing!”

“Comrade chairman” Proskurov spoke “I've been saving this news for this meeting. The GRU have gathered enough evidence from our officers and our agents in the field that the kaiser have already left the capital 10 days ago-”

Disbelief reigned in the meeting and Voroshilov's voice cut off Proskurov's “10 days ago? The siege didn't even started unti-”

another general interrupted “How did the kaiser made a radio broadcast before the siege?”

“The speech was recorded. There's no way the fool would stay in Berlin when Operation Golden Mace was going tremendously.” the room didn't reply so he continued “The kaiser along with his family and his entourage and the government itself fled and ran all the way to Vienna. They lied not just to their people but also to their army. We already question both officers and soldiers, only the hand-picked garrisons of the palace knew about this.”

“So that settles it then? Vienna; to the south?”

“No, comrade. We should continue west, destroy the remaining German army, and meet up with the French.

“North.” People's Commissar Tukhachevsky said then rose a little, reach the map with his finger, and pointed at Denmark “We go North. There. The Danish straits. The only passageway for our fleets in the Baltic to get out to the North Sea. Isn't that the best choice, Comrade Bukharin?”

The room was quiet because such thought was funny. The Soviet fleet? Their fleet is in repairs after that disaster where all of their battleships sank. Not to mention, the whole fleet is antique. Might as well scrap the whole junk. Kuznetzov is still, of course, pleading for navy modernisation.

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“It's better to have the straits now and have no battle fleet instead of later on having a battle fleet but the strait isn't ours.”

The chairman of the RSFSR nodded his head in approval “We shall go north then. The Kaiser and the French can wait.”

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The new target​

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New chapter so it's just mostly words. More action on the following updates. Next update tomorrow or Monday.