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Jape

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Jul 16, 2004
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A Dark Shadow- Fascist Britain AAR

Benton Street
London, British Empire
March 3rd, 1930

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The front of the building exploded in a burst of brick and concrete, the shockwave smashing glass and lighting the night sky for miles around. Whether the charge needed to be so big was of little concern to it's planters, as it had certainly done the job. From behind wrecked cars and postboxes, half a dozen men, clad in black from head to toe, rushed forward, the leader smashing what little was left of the door away with a swift swing of a procured fire axe. Without stopping the group was down the shattered hallway, scrambling over office rubble, towards their prize.

The vault was blown wide open, its thick metal door imprinted on the opposite wall. They went to work with a smooth efficiency, counting the money and bagging it before another of their number rushed it outside into a waiting Bedford truck. This continued for several minutes, before, speeding out of a nearby street, came two police cars and a seemingly normal Crossley Bugatti convertable. The masked assailants were taken by suprise, the police hadn't put on thier sirens. The three new cars slammed on their breaks, stopping inches from each other. The driver of the truck quickly jumped out of his cab and ran behind the vehicle for cover, joined by two more of the men.
Inspector Dai Thomas, the 'almost-hero cop', jumped out of his car, taking cover with the other officers behind their automobile barricade. Just in time too, as the would-be robbers opened fire with rifles, pistols and a thompson 'tommy' submachine gun. The weapon spat into the assembled cars, forcing the constables to duck.
"Don't you just love American invention"! yelled one of the shooters, his accent distinctly Irish, before unloading with another salvo.
"What do we do Inspector"? asked the nearest officer, Watkins. Dai could see the panic and confusion in the boy's face, he could have been no more than 18, maybe 19. He took in the question, peeking over the bonnet of his fine car, now pebble-dashed with lead, his blonde hair blowing in the wind and his steely blue eyes unflinching to the hail coming at him.

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"We wait until that blasted Tommy Gun is reloading and we open fire, aim for the wheels, the gas tank and those bastard Irishmen if you can". The young men nodded, and with their old service revolvers in hand, waited. Half of the robbers were still throwing bags of money onto the back of the truck, obviously confident of their weapondary superiority. Both sides traded shots until a small lull in the firing happened, Dai and the others finally put their heads over the parapet and took aim, taking out the wheels, gas tank and wounding one of the criminals, who was quikcly dragged into cover. Over excited it seemed, Watkins failed to duck as the Tommy Gun opened fire again, its missles thudding up the car bonnet and through his neck and chest. He fell back, vermillion pouring from his body as he lay on the asphalt.
"Watkins"! Dai rushed to his side, the boy chocking on a mix of blood and tears.
"Sir! Help me sir! I don't, I don't want to die sir. Please"! He begged in between screams of pain. Dai, for all his experiance was blank, he merely held the boy in his arms. Watkins face of panic and fear gave away to an emotionless mask, before he finally slipped away. Quiet. Cold.
"I poached me a pig, lads"! Yelled the machine gunner, before knocking out the street lamp above the policemen, shards of glass falling on them, making them cover their heads. Dai lay Watkins down, as the glass fell and moved back up to the remaining constables, his own face showing no sign of any loss, prompted the others to try the same.

"Okay men, they've just given me an idea, I want you to take out all the street lamps, and then give me covering fire".
"Covering fire? You're going in sir"? quizzed another young officer, Dai hadn't bothered to learn his name.
"do you have a better idea, officer"?
"No, not really sir"
"Well get them to do it then". The officer turned round and passed the message, and then began shooting out street lamps. The whole area soon fell dark and Dai, with his two 45's in hand rushed across the road off to the left, while the officers focused on the right, they had also turned on their high-powered torches, blinding the robbers. Very novel, thought Dai as he rolled onto the pavement and opened fire, throwing two of the men to the ground before they could even turn their weapons, their attention somewhere. The other, armed with an Enfield rifle, swung his weapon round and fired, but only managed to hit the already destroyed masonary behind the Inspector, who fired back in turn hitting him in the shoulder. The Irishman gave a yelp before running into the building, seeking cover.

Dai peeked around the corner, coming close to receiving a face full of lead, the process. As he ducked back he noticed the barrel of another gun pointed squarely at him from the floor. Pouring with blood, the machine gunner shakely held his Tommy in both hands.
"If I'm gonna die" he said "you're coming with me. Pig"! He pulled the trigger, and Dai turned white. Nothing. The confident expression on the man's face turned to horror, which Dai could see even through his balaclava.
"Don't you just love American invention", grinned Dai, his two Colts level, their hammers, cocked.

Two shots penetrated the sudden silence, making the officers edgy, they cautiously advanced. They saw Inspector Thomas rooting through one of the bodies' pockets, its face an unrecognisable mess. He pulled out two clips of ammunition and grabbed the submachine gun, not looking up while he loaded the gun.
"I want one of you to watch the truck, I suggest taking out the other two tyres just in case and you other two follow me in. You got that"? The officers nodded.

Dai and the two men, in crouching positions moved as fast as they could through the wreckage. The remaining robbers began to open fire, using a bend in the hallway for cover but with only bolt-action rifles and pistols they were at a disadvantage against the Tommy gun, which Dai used to keep them pinned while he and the other policemen full on sprinted further to the cover of a large pillar. By now they were within shouting distance of the masked men.

"This is the police! Give up now! We have the place surrounded"! Dai almost cringed at his cliche, which was also an obvious lie.
"Feck you, you're gonna have to come in and get us"! Dai heard the sound of running, they were obviously trying to escape through a back exist.
"After them quickly"! He ordered. The three charged down the corridor, past the destroyed vault. They stopped as they reached the exit. A burst of gun fire was heard form the otherside. What were they firing at? They continued their advance with caution, one of the officers pushed the door open to see two of the men unconscious. They checked the bodies, they had literally been beaten into submission. As Dai looked over them in puzzlement, more firing could be heard back out front. The two officers took the back way out onto the street while the Inspecctor rushed back through the building, to see the officer guarding the truck slumped on the floor and the truck gone. He rushed outside to see the Bedford pathetically moving down the street in an almost uncontrolled fashion, only random jerks of the steering wheel kept it from crashing into a wall. He and the others opened fire, harmlessly hitting the sacks of money stacked on the back of the truck, a trail of paper notes flying out of the back. The crippled vehicle slowly began to pick up speed and Dai signalled to get into their cars. As they did so, a flash, almost like lightning shot past.

The driver, giddy at his survival, excellerated as he turned the corner, sure of his getaway, obviously having not onticed the empty fuel tank. Suddenly straight down the road, came a strangely dressed man, himself masked, he was running straight at the truck! The Irishman knew who it was, and in terror pushed the truck as fast as it would go, but the man kept getting closer, his own speed increasing. The robber closed his eyes and there was a massive crash of noise, his body being vaulted through the windscreen.

Failing to start his Bugatti, Dai rushed around the corner on hearing the noise, and couldn't believe what he saw. The front of the truck was a mangle, a mixture of blood and oil covered the floor, while money rained down all around. As he began to advance, the masked attacker ran towards him, carrying the limp body of the criminal.
"Get down"! He yelled, throwing himself to the floor, as what little petrol left in the truck sparked, causing a massive explosion. Dai and the officers flung themselves to the cobbled road, cursing as they did.

The masked man stood above Dai, offering an outstretched hand, which he reluctantly took. The man's strength was apparent as he picked up the Inspector as if he was a child.
"I think this one is going to make it", said the man, pointing at the driver, who, though a crippled mess, was still breathing "And along with the other two behind the bank, you'll should have some leads about who organised this whole thing". The Inspector didn't respond, merely lit a cigarette and instructed the officers to call for an ambulance. Eventually he had to.
"What are you doing here"
"I heard the explosion and was here as fast as I could"
"This is police business, you have no right to be here". On this the man's size became apparent as he went toe-to-toe with Dai and pointed a finger in his face.
"If it wasn't for me they would have got away, maybe killed somone"
"They did kill somone, two officers"
"I got here as quickly as I could"
"Your 'help' led to god knows how many millions of pounds being destroyed. We might as well have let them have it! We would have stopped that truck soon enough"
"Is that all it's about, money"!
"No. But I'd prefer to think good police officers didn't die for nothing. Now if you don't mind me I have to get this mess cleaned up. I suppose that's one of the good things of being a vigilante, no responsibility"
"I'm not a vigilante, I'm..."
"A hero?"
"Just trying to help"
"Well I've had enough help for one night, thank you". And with that he turned and walked away, while the masked man shot off at inhuman speed.

While he sat their for hours writing out the paperwork, Dai couldn't help but think that tomorrow's papers wouldn't commemorate the brave men who gave thier lives for law and order but a more exciting figure. A man in a mask. A 'super-hero'.
Captain Britain.

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Okay my first HOI 2 AAR, is going to be heavily narrative, based around a Fascist Britain, which also has it's share of super-heroes.
I've wanted to do something like this for a while, and could'nt choose between a Fascist Britain or a normal Democratic Britain fighting alone against evil Nazis.
However the soon to be realeased V for Vendetta film inspired me to do Fascist.

Most of my super characters and other less super shall be from Alan Moore's writings which include, uber patriot Captain Britain and the aforementioned anarchist freedom fighter V, but others might appear as well as those of my own creation.

Enjoy
 
Such a warm reception :D

For those wondering (and they seem few in number) Captain Britain was created by Marvel Comics to try and grab more British readers, however they did it pretty half-arsed and came up with probably the most obvious name/theme possible which wasn't even original, and gave it a strange backstory which was half 50's cheeseball sci-fi and half vague Celtic/English mysticism. In steps Alan Moore, he turned the brand around, and although the base isn't too strong the stories are great.
From this he went on to create V, a very complex story and of course because it was a comic book (well graphic novel) it was never taken very seriously out of its own medium, still again great.
He is also the creator of Watchmen and From Hell and other greats.

There's been a few great AAR's on here with original and often strange backstories and I thought I'd do one, since I always ended up getting bored with my history book style Victoria AAR's. Since I'm hardly the best writer on these forums this is definately just for me, though if anyone else enjoys it, I'll be very happy.

How many times did I just write great?
 
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Let me get this straight: A superhero in a fascist Britain?
 
Point taken about the paragraphs, I had to type it up in a hurry.

Well no its a world where Superheroes, superhumans, mutants whatever you want to call them exist, and Britain is Fascist.

PS Is there anyway oneo f the mods could change the name of the AAR to

A Dark Shadow- A Fascist Britain AAR

I don't liek the name I gave it at all now :rolleyes:
 
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Maybe some of the victorian "super heroes", like Alan Quatermain et all. I think its a really enjoyable read, and good stuff for showing this to us. :)
 
Sir Humphrey said:
Maybe some of the victorian "super heroes", like Alan Quatermain et all. I think its a really enjoyable read, and good stuff for showing this to us. :)

Positive response! :D

I will hopefully be able to include some look back into the history of superheroes in this world, which of course has to include the League even if by another name.
But for now a little history into the rise of Fascist Britain
 
A Bitter War

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The Great War ended on January 1st 1919, as the battling nations collapsed in mutual exhaustion, an end which many pacifists saw as deserving of such a slaughter. Many had believed the ultimately greater economic power of the British and French Empires would have seen them through to total victory eventually, but a series of military and political defeats, many much beyond their own control, ensured their 'inevitable' crushing victory was snatched away from them.

In 1915, following the sinking of the Lusitania and the 'Mexican telegram', Britain had hoped to win American support. Their President Wilson gave more open support to the Allies and the events did move general sympathy towards them as well, especially Belgium, but Wilson misunderstood thier stance. As the 1916 general election closed in, Wilson's platform was one of positive support of the Allied cause but to remain neutral, his oppenent, the Republican, Hughes however favoured preparedness in case of war but stressed strict, un-biased neutrality. It seemed Hughes' more clear cut, less 'wishy-washy' stance appealed to the proud but isolationist American public, ensuring his victory, if only by a small margin. Hughes' government encouraged no exports to either side and even went as far as to give the German Navy a list of their merchant vessels, bound for other neutral nations to ensure as few American casualties as possible from un-restricted U-boat warfare.

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President Hughes​

1917 saw the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, leading to the humiliating treaty of Brest-Litovsk and her pulling out of the war, freeing the Central Powers of a major front. 1917 also saw Italy soundly beaten at Caporetto in October, before the new year saw her armies annihilated at the Battle of Piave River by the Austro-Hungarians, supported by veteran German assault troops. by May 1918 all of Venetia had fallen and Rome sued for peace.

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On the Western Front the Central Powers would give their coup de grace, the Kaiser Battle. Using their last resources, the German High Command intended to smash at the point where the two Allied armies connected and split them, driving the BEF back to the sea and the French back to Paris. Phase One, codename Michaelis began on March 21st and proved a resounding success, the Germans' new stormtrooper tactics sweeping all before them. Despite counter-attacks, the Allies themselves had little fight left in them, their populaces disgruntled, their governments bankrupt and as the U-boat campaign had switched more towards the English Channel, even basic supplies were hard to come by on the front, which was only made worse by the lightning tactics used leading to many important supply depots being captured.

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Eventually the Kaiser Battle officially ground to a halt on August 12th, with Phase Five, codename Marne ending, as planned on the river itself, with several bridgeheads across it as well, even more half-hearted counter-attacks by the French failed to dislodge them while the BEF with its back to the Channel Ports began to draft plans for an evacuation but they came to nothing as they were able to push the Germans back slightly through August. The battle resulted in around 1 million casualties on both sides and left them unable to conduct future operations of any great strength.
Many now believed Germany might be able ot get a favourable peace but fate was fickle, it was the turn of her allies to fall. October and November saw the Ottoman Empire the only Central Power to be trully defeated, and an exhausted Bulgaria to surrender. December 1st saw the Hapsburg Emperor Karl overthrown in Vienna, with Austria and Hungary seeking seperate peaces, which were both granted on the 4th. The Kaiser, fearing his defeat called on the Imperial Fleet to make a sortie against the Royal Navy, which led to a general mutiny at Wilhelmshaven on December 15th. The ever vocal left in Berlin now took the oppourtunity and seized control of government, forcing Kaiser Wilhelm to flee to Holland, before offering peaceon the 24th, which was made official on new year's day, as the two major Allies, thier own nations in turmoil, wished for peace as soon as possible.

The armistice, the Treaty of Versailles was a strange experiance for all invovled. Technically Germany was in a relatively strong position but her weak government was willing to give into almost anything, as the British naval blockade was still active. This was something the Allies used, if only cautiously at first. Reduction of the German armed forces was considered nessecary, as was the stripping of her colonies, it being one of the few prizes the Allies would gain. The German Empire proper would also be cut away at, with France regaining Alsace-Lorraine and large parts of Prussia and Silisea being given to the reborn nation of Poland.
The Austro-Hungarian implosion resulted in several new nations forming, most notably Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. Rumaina would gain large amounts of land, mainly in Transylvania as Italy would in Tyrolia and Istria though because of her early surrender, she would have to pay a sum to France and Britain. Russia's collapse into civil war also brought about new countries, including Finland and the Baltic States.
Many of the ideas of revanche and adventure that had existed in 1914 were by 1919 replaced by a feeling of relief and mouring for the many fallen. It also seemed that even in victory there might be no peace.

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Interesting. Another fab update.
 
A Bitter Peace

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1919 and the early 1920's were a time of great upheaval for the British Empire. She was bankrupt, her territorial duties had grown substantially and the people were up in arms, sometimes literally. In Ireland the army, mainly returning conscripts kept in service for the 'state of emergency' had to combat the IRA's popular independence movement. Troops also had to be used in Britain, most notably against the 'Glasgow Soviet', which was crushed after a month of vicious fighting through the streets of the city. Large scale strikes and riots spread across the country, leading to the infamous Lime Street massacare in Liverpool, when soldiers were given the vague order to 'neutralise' the rioters.
On October 12th 1920, the Prime Minister Lloyd George, desperately trying to force through new reforms to stabilise the country, was shot by a Scottish Communist called Alexander McLellan, and though he survived, would never walk or participate in politics ever again. His successor would be Andrew Boner Law, leader of the Conservative Party and now of the Coalition Government, who had been a staunch oppenent of the reforms, instead he supported a 'tough policy', believing the country would have to sit it out and wait for normalcy to return.

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Lloyd George (d.1934)​

Prime Minister Law would see unemployment, crime and corruption reach new heights. Gun rescrictions were loosened in a short-sighted effort to help overwhelmed Police. The Regulated Auxiliary Act of 1921 would see paramilitary groups come into existance, generally to help out during riots, and despite heavy regulation it wasn't long before the law was being exploited. Volunteer auxiliaries were generally Right-wing, leading to illegal Left-wing para groups appearing to counter them, which only lead to the Right-wing groups to step outside of their loose boundaries. Criminals also took advantage of the law, with thousands of rifles and pistols being purchased under false pretences for non-existant auxilary forces.

The 1922 general election was influenced heavily by the 'Auxies' and the ever worsening situation in Ireland, leading to the first Labour government in history being elected, though they only managed it with support from other Left groups, most notably the British Socialist Party and the Communist Party of Great Britain, who together formed the Labour Popular Front under Ramsey McDonald.
The LPF government saw nationalisation of key industries and services, collectivisation of the farms, the independence of Ireland and the beginning of talks with Indian nationals over the issue of self-government. The Front was divided between the moderate reformers and the revolutionaries, and although the more radical elements were few in number they held the seats necassary for the government to remain in power, leading to many bad comprimises. Collectivisation was, thanks to the CPGB, often forced by troops or auxilaries. Labour was able to create the British National HealthCare Service (BNHCS), free healthcare for all, but again the radicals interfered over the wages of doctors leading to a drain of experianced staff, many moving to Canada, Europe or even Ireland for better pay. The radicals demanded the armed forces be cut down, leading to the RAF being disbanded, no new ships being built and mass demobilisation of soldiers, only adding to the problem of empoyment. Nationalisation seemed to stabalise the economy slightly, but growth was none existant.

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"Auxies"​

Strikes for better pay by miners and factory workers continued to plague the LPF for their whole term and along with the reduction of the armed forces, the letting go of Ireland and India becoming ever more shakey, the Conservatives expected an easy victory. To the shock of Baldwin and McDonald, the Socialist Party, breaking with the LPF, gained an amazing 396 seats. They were certainly a popular party, but many suspected rigging and only two days after the election on May 7th 1926 a coup was attempted by several leading army officers, backed by business magnates and others, however it was a complete shambles, the majority of the army and police oppossed them and they were soon under arrest. The ring leaders were discovered to be General Sir John Dill and Colonel Arthur Percival, who after being found guilty of treason, were executed.

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General Sir John Dill​

It did not end there however, certain reports and confessions from those involved suggested Royal involvement. Prime Minister Hyndman said such an act by the King was "traitorous to the people" and requested his leave of the country. Many called for his execution or imprisonment, but Hyndman was a very patriotic man and wished he had to not do anything at all to King George, but he knew to keep his position, he must. The monarch gave no reply to the request, until several infantry units, supported by armoured cars arrived outside Buckingham Palace on May 16th only hours before millions of Britons would find out about suppossed Royal involvement in the coup through newspapers and radio. After a long stand-off with the Household Cavalry, the King accepted and by midnight was on a private plane bound for Canada.

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George V​

The King's exile was viewed as nessecary by many of the public but it left a bad taste in their mouth. The Commonwealth was furious, and relations between the mother country and her 'cubs' soon went cold. The United States and others feared a complete Marxist revolution, however they were soon proven wrong. Hyndman tried to maintain a moderate government, despite his own grassroots and the Communist MP's demanding more radicalisation. Many businesses had feared a Soviet model nationalisation of all industry but this didn't happen, instead the BSP made collectivisation voluntary, disbanded the Auxilaries and stressed the nation would remain the Kingdom of Great Britain*.
Despite removing some of the LPF's authoritarian laws, Hyndman and his government stumbled on the issues of crime, the money simply wasn't there to seriously combat the criminal organisations that had risen to prominance in London and other cities across the country. The economy was slowy getting stronger but corruption hampered growth and the mass unemployment wasn't getting much better. Another issue was the military; The demobilisation of the Army and mothballing of the Navy had weakened the Empire considerably, leading to many territories being put under the protection of friendly or Commonwealth nations, most notably Australia and New Zealand's co-mandate over Malaya and Singapore and France's over the Cameroon and Palestine. Nationalist sentiment also led to Egypt loosening Imperial control along with India who was granted the promise of full Dominionship by 1940.

Though battered and weaker than ever it seemed Britain would get to see the 1930's stable and rich, as American loans helped her get beck on her feet once more.

*The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ceased to exist on March 1st 1922
 
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Letting the French get their hands on the Empire? By golly things must be bad for blighty.
 
Sir Humphrey said:
Letting the French get their hands on the Empire? By golly things must be bad for blighty.

No, no, no you miss understand, they're just holding it for them. ;)

without US involvement and virtually no US loans or weapons from 1916 onwards, Britain had to keep the Entente going singlehandedly, add to that great civil unrest and those damn lefties screwing things up, its understandable that Britain has seen better days
 
Goodness graceous! This is good stuff!:D