Ride of the Black Tsar: A Russian Empire AAR (KR)

Part 13: Drang nach Westen/the Second Weltkrieg





With Central Asia dealt with, the time had finally come to decide on a new direction for expansion. While more than a few in the cabinet were keen on taking back the territory lost to the Mongolians and Japanese, the Tsar, loathe to do any more unnecessary fighting in Asia, declared that that the empire's next target would be Eastern Europe.



Eastern Europe, being nominally in the German sphere of influence, could pose a potential geopolitical minefield. Relations still slightly sour over the Don-Kuban incident, Wrangel decided to first bring Ukraine and Belarus back to the empire, with red Poland to be dealt with at a later date.




On April 29th, 1939, Foreign Minister Brassov flew to Berlin to hammer out an agreement with the Germans. Berlin, still humiliated and bitter about the ceasefire with Khrushchev's regime, was willing to turn a blind eye in Ukraine in exchange for a mutual defense pact:



The Vozhd's government was in a bind: With tensions between Germany and France at all-time highs, the prospect that Russia could be dragged into a war for which she was nowhere near ready was a very real one. However, Wrangel being unwilling to allow the Ukrainian regime to exist any longer than absolutely necessary, ordered the pact signed.




Meanwhile, in the former Kazakhstan, the last of the partisan activity was suppressed by July of that year. However, Europe was about to see all hell break loose:




A border skirmish in the disputed region of Alsace-Lorraine erupted into full-scale war between the Internationale and Mittleuropa. Both Berlin and Paris dragging their allies into the conflict, on the evening of August 8th, 1939, the Second Weltkrieg had officially begun.





While Berlin pressed Moscow to enter the war fairly early on, Brassov made one thing clear to the Germans: That after the war with the Bolsheviks, Russia would need at least two years of preparation before being ready for war with the Internationale, a point which Wrangel made very clear to the Kaiser during their last meeting. Much like with the Don-Kuban crisis, the Germans were not happy. Although no one knew it at the time, Russia not entering the war early on would have an enormous effect on the 1940s and 20th century as a whole.

Part 14: Deterioration

In late 1939, governments and civilian populations the world over were glued to their newspapers, radios, and local newsreels, anxiously awaiting news out of Europe about the Second Weltkrieg. Wrangel's court in St. Petersburg was no exception to this trend. Indeed, the entire European arm foreign intelligence apparatus of the Russian Empire was directed to obtain more information on said conflict. However, some did more than just wait:



Ten days after the beginning of the war, the British government-in-exile declared war on the Union of Britain and the Internationale as a whole. Another naval force chipping away at the British Republican Navy was to be a welcome addition in the minds of German military planners. But the French, unwilling to be locked into a long war on the Franco-German border, had one other trick up their sleeves:



On the evening of September 29th, 1939, the French Army stormed the Swiss border crossings, engaging the border guards around Geneva. Even in the face of international condemnation for the invasion of a famously neutral state, Paris pressed on, intent on using the area as a staging ground for incursions into southern Germany.


In the face of the French invasion of Switzerland, most states simply issued a formal condemnation of Paris. However, some took the incursion better than others:



In accordance with their treaty with the Swiss, Austria declared war on the Internationale. However, after several skirmishes which Vienna was on the losing side of, the Austrian Kaiser, recognizing French strength, signed a ceasefire with Paris. The Commune, having styled itself as a "liberator of the proletariat" thus unwilling to accrue (much) more infamy, agreed.




By late October, the German situation in the Low Countries was a mixed bag of sorts: While the Imperial German Army had successfully overrun much of the Dutch People's Republic, the plucky Dutch were still hanging on in the far west with extensive French air and artillery support. Furthermore, the French offensive into the German protectorate of Flanders-Wallonia was nearly complete.


Nonetheless, the reports out of Africa had bought some heartening news:



Mittleafrika, the German puppet state consisting of the bulk of former Anglo-German colonies in Africa, had succeeded in overrunning the Internationale-aligned state of South Africa. By that time, word was already getting around that the Kaiser was to order the former South Africa integrated into Mittleafrika.



Meanwhile, on the home front, the Tsar, as a gesture of reconciliation, saw fit to give Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Azerbaijan a great deal of autonomy within the empire. While the official purpose was as a gesture of goodwill and to increase government efficiency, later interviews and memoirs by various cabinet members would confirm that Wrangel had already ordered the vast majority of the Imperial Russian Army west in preparation for war with Ukraine, as well as to keep a Poland increasingly close to France from getting any ideas.


By the first few months of 1940, the French saw a considerable gains in their war:



The defeat and annexation of Switzerland:



And the defeat and partition of Flanders-Wallonia with the Netherlands. While the German High Command assured the German people that these defeats were only temporary setbacks, a series of telegrams sent back and forth between Brassov and the German Foreign Ministry began to display an increasing sense of desperation.




The French, in a bid to improve their international image, released a red government in Wallonia, perhaps in a bid to cover for the annexation and integration of Flanders by its Dutch ally.


Increasingly concerned by these developments, the Vozhd called a secret cabinet meeting: Having heard chatter among scientists regarding the potential use of nuclear fission in weapons, Wrangel inquired with Armaments Minister Nikolai Krasnov about the topic. Krasnov replied that it would be theoretically possible, albeit very expensive and time-consuming. Eager to achieve a so-called "ultimate weapon" in order to make up for the relative numerical weakness of the army, the Tsar ordered a program (codenamed the Zelenograd Project) towards the development of such a weapon:

I'm also worried about Russia's weakness, 1940 and the Vozhd faces dissent and posesses a meagre industrial capacity (though copious manpower reserves). I hope your puppets are worth the dissent and lost IC they cost you and spam infantry and militia for all they are worth!

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Eh, the IC from Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Central Asia were negligible at best and I didn't want to waste troops garrisoning the middle of nowhere.
But I did have more time to build up my IC/prepare for war.

I imagine MacKinder's "Heartland" theory is popular among the White Russian intelligentsia, especially with Wrangel's men in charge.

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Yep, red Ukraine and Poland had better watch out. But both of them (at least on paper) are no pushovers.

Haha poor Germans! xD

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Just keep reading.

I'm looking forward to the final battle between you and the Internationale, especially since this Russia hasn't been übercheesed like some others. Unfortunately the syndicalist AI tends to have problems with Russia (and KR AI in general...)

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The German AI against France is extremely good. I was kind of surprised by how difficult a time the French were having even though I loaded up the file and manually deleted a lot of German units.

Oh, and the Totalist France is just a result of my own meddling.

they are serious??????? after they left ukraine on their own, now they want to liberate europe??????? greatest ai right here right now... /thread because we already know internationale lost after loosing ukraine

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I modified the event files so that red Ukraine wouldn't join the Internationale immediately after its creation.
Like I said earlier: I wasn't ready for war with the reds by '39.

Part 15: das Undenkbare



As per the terms of their truce with the Syndicalist Internationale, Austria would not enter the Weltkrieg on behalf of Mittleuropa. However, the Austrian Kaiser would send some supplies and allow volunteers to help their German brothers.




On the Italian peninsula, the Mittleuropa-aligned Kingdom of Italy fell to the forces of Benito Mussolini's Socialist Republic of Italy on the evening of June 10th, 1940. Almost immediately, Mussolini ordered his soldiers to begin a campaign of iconoclasm in regards to Catholic relics and sites in the newly annexed territory. Throughout the summer of 1940, refugee ships reached as far as Sevastopol, the Vozhd receiving the exiles with open arms.




For the leader of Mittleuropa, the situation was just as desperate: Having crossed the Rhine earlier in the year, the French had enveloped Bavaria and had begun the final push towards Berlin. He and his cabinet alarmed by these developments, Wrangel ordered Russian intelligence assets in Germany to stay put, as well as for the diplomatic staff to begin the evacuation of Russian expatriates in Germany. Despite these developments, the German defenders still put up a spirited defense of their homeland.


Also, a development in Russia's neighborhood which was just as alarming, if not more, than the impending fall of Germany: After years of flirting with Paris, Poland, seeing the poor fortune of (one of) it's traditional enemies, officially joined the Internationale, beginning an offensive against eastern Germany and Lithuania. With Vilnius being almost entirely dependent on German support, the results were surprising to no one:




During the evening of November 9th, 1940, the Tsar was awakened by Vlassov from a well-deserved nap for a meeting of the highest urgency: Reports out of Berlin announced the fact that the last defenders in Germany proper had surrendered and the French control over Berlin had finally been solidified. After the French Communal Army's victory march ending at the Brandenburg Gate, the French security commissars even went so far as to set up a guillotine in front of the gate and invite the Imperial family to stay put:



Fortunately, the Kaiser and his family had been evacuated by plane hours earlier, landing in the somehow still neutral United Baltic Duchy for refueling and maintenance a mere two hours before.The Atlantic already heavily mined by the British Republican Navy, the Germans requested use of Russian airspace in order to get to Africa and continue the fight against the Internationale. A request granted by the Vozhd. With this note, the long, tense cabinet meeting about the French Ordre Nouveau (and how to deal with it) had begun...

Part 16: Und der Zukunft zugewandt

With the syndicalist powers on the empire's borders, every soul in Wrangel's court realized that the next target was their Motherland, and that war with the Internationale was not only desirable, but inevitable. But even in spite of the great strides in preparations made by Russia ever since Germany first called her to war, it was estimated by Armaments Minister Krasnov that the demands placed by the Tsar would only be ready by mid-1944 at the earliest.

The defeat of the German Empire sent shockwaves across the world: In most of Europe, the reaction was one of panic in the face of an invigorated and increasingly belligerent Internationale. In France, Britain, and Italy however, the mood was one of jubilation as celebrations (thought by many as being organized by their respective governments) broke out across those states. According to Russian intelligence, the French had several plans for a post-war regime in Germany:



However, Paris decided that a new state consisting of Germany minus the spoils of war taken by the Internationale, was the best option.



With an interim government headed by veteran agitator Wilhelm Pieck, the German Union was, in theory a sovereign state. However, the ubiquitous presence of the French Communal Army and security services made it clear who was really in charge. In a speech to a less-than-enthused crowed, Pieck described Germany as "Auferstanden aus Ruinen und der Zukunft zugewandt." During the intelligence briefings regarding Pieck and his comrades Walter Ulbricht and Otto Grotewohl, the Tsar, for some reason or another became infuriated by these three, going so far as to drive his fork and knife into their photographs.


But Pieck and his government made one massive mistake their first act:



With so-called undesirables being barred from command in the new National Volksarmee (again a term which mysteriously infuriated the Vozhd), many of these former officers attempted to join the Kaiser and his government in Africa. Some on the other hand, elected to remain in their homeland in order to build a network of resistance fighters against the French and their puppet government. Their chosen leader, General Josef "Sepp" Dietrich was received at court by Wrangel to discuss how best to soften up the German Union in preparation for the coming war.


Of course, the war against Mittleuropa would claim one more victim:



Tiny Denmark, having stood with Germany for months even after the fall of the empire in Europe, finally fell to the reds early in the morning of November 21st, 1940.


In response to the ever-tightening grip of the Internationale over Europe, the Tsar leaned on Krasnov harder for news about the Zelenograd Project:



However, Krasnov was adamant that the nuclear weapons project was still in its infancy and that it would be at least another three years before it would be ready.


In the meantime however, the Vozhd turned the empire's attention to the biggest prize yet:

Part 17: Russo-Ukrainian War



From his Kursk field office, Wrangel once again led his veteran 1st Corps into battle against the reds. The Ukrainians, unable to hold the border positions, fell back to specifically fortified, more defensible positions. In spite of these fortifications, the Imperial Russian Army forces pressed in from the north, south, and east, the ultimate goal of Wrangel being to herd most of the Ukrainian forces in the east before finally encircling and crushing them.


While delivering some token aid to their socialist brothers in Kiev, the Syndicalist Internationale, high off of its victory against Germany, had begun to set its sights beyond Europe:



The French-led Internationale had increasingly begun to send agitators, supplies, and weapons to socialist groups in French Africa. With the Internationale having almost complete run of the Mediterranean, there was little that the Entente could do to stop them.





Under extreme pressure from Paris, the left-wing movements of Germany were combined into a single entity known as the Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, presumably in order to do the bidding of their French masters more efficiently, a fact which the Vozhd was informed of in a phone call from Vlassov. At the news of the creation of the new party, the Tsar excused himself to the latrine from which audible retching could be heard.




In Ukraine, the eastern pocket had finally collapsed, with only a few troops managing to escape the wrath of the army. Meanwhile, the assault on Kiev had begun in earnest.




In Central Europe, the German Union officially (although intelligence reports of NVA troops patrolling the streets of Copenhagen would cast doubt on the veracity of these reports) ended its occupation of Denmark, with a Syndicalist government released in order to join the war effort against Mittleuropa.



Some welcome news out of Paris: The French government announced its intention to "respect the sovereignty of our neighbors across the Mediterranean". Wrangel however, urged caution, pointing out the fact that the Commune did not have the best record of honoring its promises to "reactionary" states.


By 1941, the first shipment of equipment to General Dietrich's German Resistance was ready. Shipped along with humanitarian aid for the German people as not to draw suspicion by the French security services, this shipment of arms and supplies was bound for the Bavarian Alps, already a hotbed of anti-socialist resistance:









As expected by the court, the promises from Paris amounted to nothing fairly quickly

Part 18: To the Victors...


With the crisis in Africa continuing unabated, Wrangel and his cabinet, still fairly confident in the military strength (although said strength was not nearly enough to stand up to the full fury of the Internationale) of National France, decided to focus their attention to matters closer to home.


In the early morning hours of February 11th, 1941, the people of Kiev were met with a not entirely unsuspected surprise:



With the official capitulation of the Ukrainian People's Republic, the Imperial Russian Army was in complete control of the streets of Kiev. Khrushchev and his inner circle were "disappeared" as to prevent any uprisings in his name and the complete disarmament and integration of the Ukrainian Army had begun.




Meanwhile, on the 13th of March, the Poles successfully removed another Mittleuropa member from the map, integrating White Ruthenia, the reds immediately afterwards declaring the People's Commonwealth as to appeal to Polish nationalism as well as put a humane face on their new conquests. Although rumor had it that Paris was pressuring Warsaw to return a good deal of the territory taken from Germany to the German Union. Nonetheless enraged at the syndicalist monster on the empire's borders, the Tsar inquired with General Markov as to how long it would take to crush the Poles.




Despite their (apparently) conciliatory policies towards their puppet in Berlin, in Africa, all hell was about to break loose thanks to the Commune.


And so the time came to decide the fate of Ukraine: As usual, the hardliners were demanding the integration of the Ukrainian state into the empire. This time however, the Vozhd actually granted some concessions to the hardline faction, with some exception:



As per the new minority policies, the portions of the state inhabited by ethnic Ukrainians were to be granted autonomy, while the eastern, largely Russian portion was to be incorporated into the empire outright. However, due to the previous influence of Khrushchev's government, the post-war Ukraine was to be kept on a very short leash:







As usual, the Internationale issued grandiose proclamations about the impending "liberation" of the workers of Europe and Africa. With the Russian Empire as the only remaining non-syndicalist major power in Europe, it was clear to whom these statements were directed.




Finally, the Internationale made an interesting declaration: Paris and London proclaimed that MacArthur's regime, a Russian ally, was an illegitimate government and that the CSA was the legitimate government of the United States of America, and finally, that they would use any means required to return the rightful government exiled in France and "liberate" the American people.

Part 19: A War for Revenge and Final Preparations

In early June of 1941, the Vozhd made his first visit to Africa in order to pay his respects to a hero of the Weltkrieg and a steadfast (with some bumps of course) of Russia:



Following the eulogy for his father, the new Kaiser, Wilhelm III delivered a solemn vow to those in attendance: That the Commune of France would one day fall under his watch and the German people liberated from the red yoke. Immediately after the funeral, Wilhelm III sought out Wrangel and his entourage immediately for secret negotiations regarding the war. Russia's industry and military were expanding by leaps and bounds, yet still was not ready for the total war required with the Commune and its allies. However, before departing for home, the Tsar made the new Kaiser a promise that his people would not have to abide syndicalist tyranny for much longer.



As expected, there was more trouble in French Africa over the summer, courtesy of the Commune.




During the afternoon of October 1st, 1941, the Tsar received much-welcome news from Krasnov: The Zelenograd Project had finally borne fruit, with the first nuclear reactor online at Ivanovo.
However, it would still be a couple of years before the first usable weapons would be ready.




On the morning of November 20th of that same year, National France declared an end to the syndicalist unrest in their various provinces, with the leading agitators either jailed permanently or executed. A collective sigh of relief was breathed in the high commands of Ottawa and St. Petersburg: Neither was willing (or in the case of Russia, able) to launch an incursion into Africa in the event of Algiers failing to destroy the states.



For the consumption of the Syndicalist Internationale, the empire maintained an official policy of neutrality in world affairs. However, with growing tensions between France and a Russia increasingly close to Germany, in the eyes of many, war seemed all but inevitable.




During an early morning meeting on June 24, 1943, the Vozhd and his cabinet were greeted by an unusually excited Markov: With the completion of research into mechanized infantry divisions, a cornerstone of the general's favored mobility focus doctrine was finally ready for action. Intrigued by these claims, Wrangel agreed to witness the latest military exercises regarding the mechanized forces.




Meanwhile, General Dietrich's resistance fighters (with Russian aid) were becoming an increasing thorn in the side of Paris, having begun a general rising in Mainz. While the uprising was eventually crushed by the French Army, the rising was a huge boost in morale for the German resistance, as well as a considerable loss of face for the Commune.



In Latin America however, things could have been better: With Centroamerica on the warpath, a drive towards the hostile regime of the United Provinces seemed all but inevitable. As insignificant as this one act may have seemed to the outside observer, it had a vital effect on the Weltkrieg in Latin America.


Finally, it was nearly ready:



During the evening of March 25th, 1944, Wrangel was awakened by an urgent call from Vlassov: The finest scientific minds from across the empire had a breakthrough and were working night and day in order to develop atomic weapons: The ultimate weapon was in the empire's grasp. Scheduling a cabinet meeting for six hours later, the Vozhd decided that it was finally time to put the finishing touches on the plan for the liberation of Europe.



No friend of the syndicalist governments in Latin America, the MacArthur regime had explicitly stated that an invasion of the United Provinces would be the last straw. When this ultimatum was ignored, the US State Department officially entered an application to join Mittleuropa, a move well received in the interim German capital of Dar es Salaam.