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Kurt_Steiner

Katalaanse Burger en Terroriste
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Feb 12, 2005
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Well, lassies and lads, here we are to continue with what I started in The Great War, with some changes to the original timeline and twists to make the try worth of doing it. I just plan to have a different WW2, avoiding some sad events of the conflict (mainly the Italian and French defeating themselves -1-) and doing some charming mischiefs all around.

Don't even think that I'm going to refrain from killing any politician, general, singer, actor, pet or whoever I deem necessary, as I did in my previous AAR. Let me quote Paul Fussell: "If in the First World War you're one over four million uniformed Americans, you're actually pretty anonymous. But if in the Second World War you're one of sixteen million, you're really nothing". How does that translate into this AAR? Easy: the more people involved in it, the more chances for mindless, wanton and random killing of historical characters for me. If you happen to have any historical figure that you want me to spare his life -or the other way round-, don't be afraid of mention it. Or be afraid, as you may be giving me some crazy idea.

I'll try to be as historical as possible, but butterflies were operating even before the timeline of this AAR began (as poor Stanley Baldwin may testify) and this may led to some "alternative" behaviour in some historical characters. However, don't expect a Neville "Terminator" Chamberlain, a berseker Lord Halifax, a humble and sensitive Charles de Gaulle or a common-sensical Duce. And no, Peti Niebla is not going to appear this time in this AAR. I do know that I'm going to be quite harsh with some people (or even with some countries), so I would like to be told when to calm down myself a bit if I happen to loose my marbles. Please, forward any suggestion, proposal or whatever you proper and right.

Game: HOI2
Scenario: vanilla 1936: the Road to War
Dificulty: Normal
Country: The British Empire, to continue with the WW1 saga.

uno-1.jpg


1936
Chapter one: The Great Depression and the World of Tomorrow.
Chapter two: A long week in politics.
Chapter three: Storm over the Danube.
Chapter four: Between the Fascio and the Cross
Chapter five: Treaties and deals.
Chapter six: A Spanish summer.
Chapter seven: Et in Africa Ego...
Chapter eight: The Duce is Dead, Long Life the Duce!

1937
Chapter nine: Purged Peace
Chapter ten: A review of the British armed forces (I).
Chapter eleven: A review of the British armed forces (II).
Chapter twelve: A review of the British armed forces (III).
Chapter thirteen: Dirty hands
Chapter fourteen: The shame of Prague
Chapter fifteen: The old warhorse
Chapter sixteen: Distant guns
Chapter seventeen: The Man and the Press

1938
Chapter eighteen: The Hammer and the Carrier
Chapter nineteen: "Da Gunz"
Chapter twenty: The Pact of Steel
Chapter twenty-one. The King is dead, Long live... oh wait, WHAT?!?!
Chapter twenty-two. Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła!


-1- First pun of the AAR. Imagine how it's going to be the rest of the Alternative sArcastic naRration. with this start.
 
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Chapter one: The Great Depression and the World of Tomorrow.

Perhaps one of the strangest cases of foreshadowing the world has ever known was a novel written in 1914 by Joseph "Joe" Sullivan. In this novel, "The World of Tomorrow", we are told about an alternative world that sunk into chaos after a severe worldwide economic depression culminated in a world war which ended with a cataclysmic nuclear exchange that vaporized all forms of life in the Earth. And, of course, in 1929, the US stock market collapsed as well. Although the novel was written as a work of fiction, it strangely foretold the events of what would come to be one of the most devastating conflicts of all time. The World of Tomorrow depicted by Sullivan was marked by the complete collapse of democracy in most parts of the world and his replacement by Communism and Fascism, which, ultimately, led to the final war that destroyed the world. Here reality and fiction depart from each other...

Cohler, Deborah (2000). "Judging a World by Its Cover: Critical Perspectives on The World of Tomorrow". New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 1-093-91094-5.



One of the consequences of the US stock market crash of 1929 was the wave of popular revolutions that spread in Eastern Europe in 1930-1933. In spite of the brutal repression of left-wing parties which took place in the 1920s, the already unstable states of Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Poland were plagued by social unrest, high unemployment and strikes and the sudden withdrawal of all kind of foreign investment, which destroyed their economies. The violent repression that followed -as the 1929 miner's strike in Valea Jiului (Romania)- and the drift towards fascist dictatorships of teh governments of those countries just played into Stalin's hands, that increased his subversive efforts in the area, forefeiting for a while his territorial ambitions. Thus, ironically, the first Communist rebellion took place in Romania, when King Caroll II attempted to transform Romania's already shaky democracy slowly deteriorated toward fascist dictatorship. He only managed to start a violent albeit brief civil war against Codreanu's Iron Guard and once both sides decimated themselves mutually, it was time for Carol's son and heir, Michael, supported by the main political parties, to overthrew his father in August 1930 and culminate the annhilation of the Iron Guard. Then Stalin amassed several armies in the border with the Balkanic country, to press the young king to name Dr. Petru Groza of the Ploughmen's Front, a party closely associated with the Communists, prime minister. Hardly two weeks later the new Premier deposed him and proclaimed the Romanian People's Republic.

bucharest-1.jpg

Mass Revolution in Bucharest, Romania.

Bulgaria was the next country to fall. After the Tsar Boris III deposed in 1923 his prime minister, Aleksandar Stamboliyski of the Bulgarian People's Agrarian Union, the country had underwent a personal dictatorship when King Boris assumed control of the country by establishing a regime loyal to him until 1926, when he was forced to relinquish power by another coup d'etat and a more moderate government under Andrey Lyapchev took office. An amnesty was proclaimed, although the Communists remained banned, which could not avoid that a leftist alliance, including the re-organised Agrarians, won the elections of 1931 under the name "Popular Bloc". Boris III was sidelined by its own people as he had become a symbol of oppression and even the nobility and ruling class considered that his continuity was a hindrance for the development of the country. Thus, after the elections of 1931 and the "Popular" victory, Boris left the country and the People's Republic of Bulgaria was proclaimed under the rule of Georgi Dimitrov and the Bulgarian Communist Party.

FieldMarshallVonMackensenAndCrownPrinceBorisReviewingBulgarianRegiment.jpg

Field Marshall von Mackensen leds the deposed Tsar Boris to his car
to take him to visit Kaiser Wilhelm III after his arrival to Berlin.

This two coups marked the fate of Poland, Yugoslavia and Hungary, which followed a similar path in 1931-1932. In Yugoslavia the assassination of Alexander I (October 1931) and the following coup d'etat which followed left the country in the hands of Josip Broz Tito, who proclaimed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, while Alexander's his eleven-year-old son Peter II escaped to Greece and, from there, to France. In Poland the cause for revolution was the unexpected death of Pilsudski (unbeknown to the public, Pilsudski had for several years been in declining health) on 21st March 1932 and, in the ensuing chaos, the Polish Communist Party staged a coup d'etat while Stalin moved several armies to the Polish border. Under pressure, the provisional government led by Aleksander Prystor collapsed. The President of the Polish Republic, Ignacy Moscicki, resigned while and appointing Wladyslaw Raczkiewicz, the Speaker of the Senate, as his successor. Raczkiewicz then fled to France, where he proclaimed the Polish Government in Exile along with several exiled members of the Polish Peasant Party, the Labour Party and the National Party. The last to fall was Miklós Horthy, Regent of Hungary, who was simply arrested when the Communists took power in Hungary in October 1932.

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Then, an iron courtain of silence fell over Eastern Europe.
 
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The Best Army and the best Navy, along with the two best Air Forces in the world against the Red Menace. Maybe here the British learn proper tactics and the Germans learn to build Heavy Bombers that don't burst into flames or have divebrakes. I approve. :D
 
I was only able to catch up with your last AAR in the end; all I can say is 'monumental'.
Hoppefully it's sequel will be as epic as the first part!
 
That's a considerable amount of Eastern European communism. On the plus side it now means Britain can sit out WW2, no need to try (and fail) to save Eastern Europe from dictatorial oppression if they're already oppressed.

But that's not the way this is going to go is it? Either way glad to see you've raced on with this one Kurtie and I look forward to the vast harvest you will reap of the world's historic figures. On which note any chance of John Wayne actually seeing some combat this time round? No real reason, it's just because I think you'd do something amusing with it.
 
How come you have Yugoslavia now, The Great War ended with Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia independent?

Maybe there was similar scenario as IOTL: State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs couldn't get international support and merged with Kingdom of Serbia into Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes to protect itself from territorial ambitions of neighbouring countries. The only diffrence in Kurt's scenario would probably be that instead of forming common state, Slovenes and Croats would rather declare independence individually. Of course this would make them even easier prey, so seeking Serbian support would be neccessary in this case too. Entente leaders didn't care too much for new nations that were part of Central Powers member states before, so seeking protection from smaller Entente member was in fact the only avalible option.

@ Kurt: Great start, count me in!
 
Nice start, Kurt. I am glad you are continuing this.

If you happen to have any historical figure that you want me to spare his life -or the other way round-, don't be afraid of mention it. Or be afraid, as you may be giving me some crazy idea.

I heard some of Joe Kennedy's sons would like to see military combat.
 
I'm sad. I was hoping for an unfascist Britain, drunk on power, that Franklin Roosevelt would have to stop.
 
What happened to Czechoslovakia? Please tell me it didn't fall to Communism as well... yet... :D
 
I suspect wedged in between Germany and Austria as your fair homeland is, I doubt it will easily fall. It might be the casus belli that ignites Europe, though this time the Germans come to help.
 
SMITE: Joe Kennedy, Dugout Doug MacArthur, Francisco Franco
GLORIFY:Jose Antonio Aguirre, John S. Wood(The American Rommel), Robert Eichleinberger, Harry Truman
 
Addendum to Prior Post:
KILL WITH FIRE Reinhard Heydrich
SPARE FROM PLANE CRASHES Glenn Miller, José Félix Estigarribia
PROVE THAT HE SECRETLY CONTROLLED FDR Fala
KILL WITH ADDITIONAL FIRE Dr. Joseph Mengele
MENTIONVictor Abens
 
A premature Communist Eastern Europe. Very interesting.
 
I wait with baited breath.
 
Chapter two: A long week in politics.

The British general election of 14 November 1935 resulted in a large majority for the Conservative party, now led by Neville Chamberlain. The number of seats won by each party were as follows, October 1931 results in brackets:

Conservative: 317 (290)
Liberal: 183 (152)
Labour: 65 (99)
National Labour: 45 (60)
Irish Nationalist: 2 (2)
Other Political Parties: 3 (12)
-------------
Total: 615
------------

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Thus, Neville Chamberlain had been Primer Minister for barely a month when he had to face his longest week in politics. It began on the first week of December 1935 when someone whispered on the Prime Minister's ear that King Edward VIII was considering divorcing his wife, Queen Marina, to marry his mistress, Thelma Furness, the former Viscountess Furness. The Royal marriage had been a quite complicated affair since they married six years ago and now, apparently, it was entering into a new age of strife.(1)

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Then fate struck on the German ally of London, to the dismay of the Foreign Office: Reichschancellor Gustav Stressmann was having a bad time, too. On March 1935 Germany and Austria and agreed, with the approval of the League of Nations, to introduce a Customs Union between the two countries, hoping that this measure would stimulate both economies. While some critics -mainly French- stated that behind this measure was a German attempt to annex Austria, the Union was eventually created without too much ado... for a while. Apparently, Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss, who had banned the Socialist party on February 1935 (2) and assumed nearly dictatorial powers, had went all the way to become a de facto dictator by introducing the authoritarian First of May Constitution. Austria, thus, became a one-party state, to be led by the Vaterländische Front (Fatherland Front ) and introduced the Austrofascism, very similar to Mussolinni's regime.

dolfuss.jpg

Sometimes a hat is reason enough to kill somebody.

And to that kind of regime Stressmann found himself allied. The members of the Reichstag were appalled. Germany was appalled. The young Kaiser Whilhelm III was appalled. Chancellor Stressmann was just shocked. And to make things look even worse, a Dutch communist called Marinus van der Lubbe assasinated Dollfuss on December 28, 1935. Stressmann, it goes without saying, was not too happy about how the ultra-right parties of the Reichstag were to take this. Stressmann could hear in his head the voice of Gregor Strasser, the leader of the minor but noisy ultra-right Alldeutsche Verband party, shouting: "CoMMiEs, CoMMiEs eVeRyWHere!!!!".

s28t5.png

Stresseman seen here in the Reichstag trying to make sense of what looked as a small mistake.

It was to be a hard week in politics for both statesmen.


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The Balkans: the loveliest place to go on a holiday trip in late 1935/early 1936.


(1) Pip's butterflies went wild here and when George V fell seriously ill with septicaemia in November 1928 the butterflies took that chance to kill him on the spot. Queen Mary had some words with his elder son and the rest is, well, alternate history.
(2) It took place in 1934, but I needed it later.



@trekaddict: ...and maybe the British learn in time to build tanks worth of that name before the war is over and the Germans learn what to do with battleships for once an all. :laugh:

@Mr. Santiago: Thank you. I hope so!

@El Pip: Good point, but if they are already opressed it's Britain's duty to save them for themselves, isn't it? Otherwise, why to kick Urabi's ass in 1882 (Suez aside, of course... calm down, Eden, calm down, old boy).

I'm afraid you're right. Britain is going to save the world. Otherwise, what I would be to tell: Well, here you have Germany kicking all the way to Moscow... boring, you see... Let's go then to jolly Britain! Sports: Cricket results...

Too appealing, I know...

PS: John Wayne... actually I was tempted to use his claim in his Playboy interview to have been a socialist during his years at college and to turn him into Comrade Marion, the first Secretary of the USSA, but that would suck and Mr Madien won't be too amused with that twist of fate. I guess that this time the U.S. Naval Academy won't reject him.

@Carlstadt Boy: Because Serbia didn't forgot his claim to become a whole Pan-Slavian state even if Croatia and Slovenia were independent. Thus, by naming themselves Yugoslavia was a way to tell the world what was their opinion about the "puppet states".

@Asalto: As I stated in my previous AAR, Croatia and Slovenia declared themselves independents when the A-H Empire collapsed. With so many issues at hand nobody care but for Serbia until it was too late. Then nobody wanted to have a headache for that silly topic.

@Nathan Madien: I'm glad you're with me in this madness, too.

And they're likely to see some action, too. Remember that I'm a bit fan of John and Bobby. Yes, I'm a very vicious being.:laugh:

@Red Cesar: That's an option I'm toying too. A Marxist Japan is quite appealling to me and would help me to solve some irksome questions. In fact, I have the flag ready, just in case :D

@Faeelin: Mmmh... The States coming to rescue the world... No if I can help!

@Winner: Of course not!

Later on perhaps :D

@trekaddict -2-: And in exchange they may even get the Sudetenland! :D

@H.Appleby: Poor Macca... I bet that if Japan goes commie he will have a hell of a time to sort thing out. And I have plans for Franco... Oh yes... Plans...

Er... are you sure about Trumann? :D

@SovietAmerika: Thank you. I hope that they will give me a hard time.

@TemplarComander: Wait no more, my lad.

Note: This update has been slightly delayed by the evil influence of some gorgeous and complicated (understatement of the century, perhaps?) women. But I got it ready in the end. Now I fully understand good old Pip's complains. And I'm not even married!
 
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And out go the arms restrictions (at least for Heer and the Lufties) in Germany....
 
Stresseman seen here in the Reichstag trying to make sense of what looked as a small mistake.

And then Austria did something very stupid, like claiming the Sudetes.

Also, Kurt, what? no Wallis this time?!
 
What happened to Ireland in this timeline? Did the British win the Anglo-Irish War