The Germans have landed on Britain itself? 
This war is going to get very interesting indeed!
This war is going to get very interesting indeed!
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47 Miles to London
The German forces in England had several disadvantages. They were bottle necked in Brighton because of the failure at Dover, and the British army was moving to surround them and force them to launch a costly breakout operation. The gas attack at Dover had unnerved many senor German generals, who were reluctant to advance without anti-gas equipment. They had no idea what other surprises were awaiting them in the British countryside. But they had several key advantages as well. Most of the soldiers facing them were members of the Home Guard, although the regular army would soon be moving up to take their place. The Luftwaffe had almost complete air control and would be able to bomb British targets with impunity. And most importantly, they were only 47 miles from central London, a tiny distance compared to what was achieved in Poland or France.
German infantry fighting through the hedgerows of Southern Britain
The advance, however, would be far from easy. Each British village became a center of resistance and intelligence once occupied. British housewives and children had been trained how to count the number and condition of Germans advancing through their village, information which would then be passed secretly to the local priest, who had been trained to use hidden radios to give information to British command. The powerful web of intelligence allowed the British to anticipate German maneuvers. The Germans found the British expecting them when they thought they would take them by surprise. It took the Germans months to destroy these intelligence webs, found in virtually every English village.
Don't be fooled, this quaint little village is part of the underground intelligence network
Churchill had also ordered resistance cells to be pre-trained and equipped. Underground resistance started the moment German troops arrived. Supply truck wheels were slashed in the night, ammunition stores were blown up, and officers walking in the open risked being shot by snipers. The best known of these resistance nests was the one located in the small town of Shermanbury. The resistance sniper there, Rupert Begum, is estimated to be responsible for the deaths of 32 German officers, and 12 collaborators, all killed with in two weeks of the Germans' arrival. In the small town of Houghton the German national hero and rising star Erwin Rommel was shot in the neck by an unknown sniper, and died of the wounds. The Luftwaffe suffered heavily as well, with airfields in England suffering from constant sabotage.
A rare picture of British resistance members, one of which is armed with an early model Sten Gun
Resistance activity was just the beginning of the Luftwaffe's problems. As much as 60% of Germany's air power was needed to keep the Royal Navy at bay. The rest was involved in constant air attacks to try and erode the British army's fighting strength. This also proved a problem, as a the British Operation Army Z created thousands of fake tanks and artillery pieces while hiding the real things. In one raid the Luftwaffe estimated over 200 military vehicles destroyed, while in reality one truck had suffered minor damage. The Luftwaffe became even more overstretched when Hitler ordered terror bombings of London's residential areas, as vengeance for the gas attack. Using fire and gas bombs, the Luftwaffe hit London night after night after night. Civilian casualties shot up, but the London populace maintained a "stiff upper lip," as Churchill put it, and gas, although effective as a terror weapon, caused few deaths.
A devastated area of London hit by fire bombs
The British army proved itself while defending it's homeland. On the defense they followed the old British tradition of stubborn refusal to give any ground. General Von Rundstedt once told Hitler in a report that "the British troops seem to take root in whatever spot they defend. Even when clearly overwhelmed they fight on." The Home Guard also proved it's worth, using the cheap, inferior equipment they had to make sure the Germans paid for every mile. British Matilda II tanks, now also equipped with radios, outfought the Germans on several occasions.
Matilda tanks advancing, accompanied by infantry
By early November the invasion was in it's third month and the Germans had advanced only 40 miles in that time. They had suffered 200,000 casualties, more then the rest of the war combined. Moral was eroding away and officers were increasingly paranoid. The Luftwaffe was hopelessly overstretched, and couldn't hit anything important anyway. Although the British had suffered similar numbers of casualties, not counting civilian and resistance deaths, they were still standing firm. The Royal Navy was growing bolder, raiding German supply ships and sneaking through the protective minefield. The army that had seemed so invincible had been ground down. But that was nothing.
A man by the name of Bernard Law Montgomery was about to take command.
The German forces in England had several disadvantages. They were bottle necked in Brighton because of the failure at Dover, and the British army was moving to surround them and force them to launch a costly breakout operation. The gas attack at Dover had unnerved many senor German generals, who were reluctant to advance without anti-gas equipment. They had no idea what other surprises were awaiting them in the British countryside. But they had several key advantages as well. Most of the soldiers facing them were members of the Home Guard, although the regular army would soon be moving up to take their place. The Luftwaffe had almost complete air control and would be able to bomb British targets with impunity. And most importantly, they were only 47 miles from central London, a tiny distance compared to what was achieved in Poland or France.
German infantry fighting through the hedgerows of Southern Britain
The advance, however, would be far from easy. Each British village became a center of resistance and intelligence once occupied. British housewives and children had been trained how to count the number and condition of Germans advancing through their village, information which would then be passed secretly to the local priest, who had been trained to use hidden radios to give information to British command. The powerful web of intelligence allowed the British to anticipate German maneuvers. The Germans found the British expecting them when they thought they would take them by surprise. It took the Germans months to destroy these intelligence webs, found in virtually every English village.
Don't be fooled, this quaint little village is part of the underground intelligence network
Churchill had also ordered resistance cells to be pre-trained and equipped. Underground resistance started the moment German troops arrived. Supply truck wheels were slashed in the night, ammunition stores were blown up, and officers walking in the open risked being shot by snipers. The best known of these resistance nests was the one located in the small town of Shermanbury. The resistance sniper there, Rupert Begum, is estimated to be responsible for the deaths of 32 German officers, and 12 collaborators, all killed with in two weeks of the Germans' arrival. In the small town of Houghton the German national hero and rising star Erwin Rommel was shot in the neck by an unknown sniper, and died of the wounds. The Luftwaffe suffered heavily as well, with airfields in England suffering from constant sabotage.
A rare picture of British resistance members, one of which is armed with an early model Sten Gun
Resistance activity was just the beginning of the Luftwaffe's problems. As much as 60% of Germany's air power was needed to keep the Royal Navy at bay. The rest was involved in constant air attacks to try and erode the British army's fighting strength. This also proved a problem, as a the British Operation Army Z created thousands of fake tanks and artillery pieces while hiding the real things. In one raid the Luftwaffe estimated over 200 military vehicles destroyed, while in reality one truck had suffered minor damage. The Luftwaffe became even more overstretched when Hitler ordered terror bombings of London's residential areas, as vengeance for the gas attack. Using fire and gas bombs, the Luftwaffe hit London night after night after night. Civilian casualties shot up, but the London populace maintained a "stiff upper lip," as Churchill put it, and gas, although effective as a terror weapon, caused few deaths.
A devastated area of London hit by fire bombs
The British army proved itself while defending it's homeland. On the defense they followed the old British tradition of stubborn refusal to give any ground. General Von Rundstedt once told Hitler in a report that "the British troops seem to take root in whatever spot they defend. Even when clearly overwhelmed they fight on." The Home Guard also proved it's worth, using the cheap, inferior equipment they had to make sure the Germans paid for every mile. British Matilda II tanks, now also equipped with radios, outfought the Germans on several occasions.
Matilda tanks advancing, accompanied by infantry
By early November the invasion was in it's third month and the Germans had advanced only 40 miles in that time. They had suffered 200,000 casualties, more then the rest of the war combined. Moral was eroding away and officers were increasingly paranoid. The Luftwaffe was hopelessly overstretched, and couldn't hit anything important anyway. Although the British had suffered similar numbers of casualties, not counting civilian and resistance deaths, they were still standing firm. The Royal Navy was growing bolder, raiding German supply ships and sneaking through the protective minefield. The army that had seemed so invincible had been ground down. But that was nothing.
A man by the name of Bernard Law Montgomery was about to take command.
- 1
It was the Blitz. The war has taken a dark turn.
Seek75 said:
Not quite as successful as the Germans envisioned...
Tommy4ever said:
Yes, yes it is.
You...you monster! You killed Rommel!
First you take away every single good American, then you take away one of the only good Germans You truly are a terrible person.
First you take away every single good American, then you take away one of the only good Germans
You truly are a terrible person.
Oh God, Montgomery? Can't we have the guy he replaced instead? He isn't in a position to get shot down this time.
For Huey Long and oh so many others, I've passed along the Character Writer of the Week award to you, OConner. Congratulations!
Reminds me of the wargaming of Sealion they'd done at Sandringham. They would push the Germans off the UK within 3 weeks at the latest.
The Battle for Britian
Lt. General Montgomery had proved himself a competent and capable man in the months since Operation Sea Lion began. He had developed aggressive defense tactics that had beaten back numerous German spearheads. He took an unconventional approach to combined arms. Instead of mixing tanks and infantry divisions into one corp, he would create a corps of all infantry and a corps of all tanks and have them support one another. On the 10th of November he was given command of the 2nd army, and Churchill ordered him to launch a counter-attack to drive the Germans back from London.
General Montgomery casually preparing to save the free world
The 2nd army was transformed into a whirlwind of activity when Montgomery took command. Home Guard units were given new training regimes, while the regular army forces were reinforced and expanded. He doubled the number of tanks in the army. He got elements of the RAF, which had been regaining it's strength, to provide air support for the operation. These preparations took time, and the ground became coated with snow and the temperature dropped. Although the winter was moderate, Churchill demanded that Montgomery speed up his preparations. Montgomery replied by saying "We will launch our attack when we are capable of defeating the Germans. Any sooner will mean 30,000 men dead for no gains." The General personally visited each unit before the battle, to address whether they were in "full fighting form." It was mid December before his preparations were finally complete. He had 195,000 men under his command and 1,040 tanks.
British troops march on cleared roads to prepare for the attack
In the meantime the Germans had continued to suffer. They had a critical shortage of winter equipment because the British were supposed to be defeated by October. Vehicles broke down in the cold while regular soldiers suffered. Poor sanitation and the unavailability of fresh supplies had led to an outbreak of diarrhoea that put numerous soldiers out of action. The Germans would only have 120,000 men to face Montgomery's attack, and 650 tanks. The winter had been unusually snowy and severe. Drifts up to 16 feet high were reported. The snow would restrict the operations of both sides, but it also meant that the Germans were confident the British would not try a counter-attack in such bad weather. The front had remained fairly static for the month and a half that Montgomery had been preparing.
German troops fighting, unprepared for the snowy winter
On December 17th, the offensive began. 600 artillery guns opened up on the German lines in a barrage not matched since 1918. The un-entrenched Germans were sent reeling by the intensity of the barrage. For the first five days of combat the British swept away everything in their path, captured 20,000 Germans, and advanced eleven miles. The snow proved difficult however, and General Von Leeb rushed to stop the attack. He set up defenses in the town of Guildford, a vital crossroads, and held it for two days. General O'Conner, a hero of the war in Africa, finally led the attack that shattered his position on Christmas day.
A British anti-tank crew fighting in the snow
The Germans were not comfortable fighting on the defensive, and used the delay at Guildford to gather for a counter-attack. 300 German tanks went into it, and set off the largest tank battle to date. British tanks and artillery ruthlessly wrecked the Germans, forcing them back with heavy losses. German command ordered a retreat across the front, and the German army started running for it's life, loosing ground that had taken months to acquire in days. Concentrated RAF forces gained superiority in the skies and started blasting away at the retreating Germans. The Luftwaffe was so badly overstretched that it could do nothing to help. The Resistance, on orders from Montgomery, mined roads that the Germans were expected to retreat along, delaying them and allowing the British tanks to catch up. The snow played havoc on the German retreat.
Germans desperately try to dig their tank out of the snow.
Believe it or not, German command had bigger problems then the headlong retreat from London. The Royal Navy had launched a concentrated effort to destroy German supply lines. The German navy was incapable of beating them alone, and was dependent on the Luftwaffe for support. The two sides engaged each other on December 30th. Although the RN took severe losses, the Germans came off worst and every German soldier in Britain was at risk in being caught in the largest trap in military history. The German officer corp untied in a plea to Hitler to order an evacuation of British soil. Although he did not authorize it they began the evacuation anyway. Of the 700,000 Germans in Britain, half would be evacuated from December 30th to January 16th without ever receiving orders to do so. Hitler finally realized how desperate the situation was and gave official orders for evacuation. The Germans continued to fight holding actions as another 200,000 men were evacuated to the end of January. But then the Royal Navy blocked their escape.
The HMS Warspite blocking the German's escape
The remaining 150,000 Germans were in a hopeless situation, and their commander, General Von Rundstedt, knew it. He surrendered on February 1st, marking the end of the disastrous Operation Sealion. Church bells rang across England and celebrations filled the streets of London. In his counter-attack, Montgomery had beaten the Germans back into the sea and taken 200,000 prisoners. The Germans had suffered about 100,000 casualties as well. The British had paid dearly for their victory however, with about 125,000 casualties, not including civilians and resistance. Throughout the entire invasion Germany suffered almost half a million losses. The British around 350,000.
A British infantryman gleefully escorts a German POW
Operation Sealion, or The Battle for Britian, had been a bloody and costly affair for both sides. Strategically it was a devastating defeat for Germany. In terms of moral, it was perhaps an even bigger loss. The German army's apparent invincibility had been broken, and the Blitzkrieg defeated. The German people now suddenly had to face the fact that this war would be total, and very costly. The British had looked Hitler strait in the eye and made him blink.
Lt. General Montgomery had proved himself a competent and capable man in the months since Operation Sea Lion began. He had developed aggressive defense tactics that had beaten back numerous German spearheads. He took an unconventional approach to combined arms. Instead of mixing tanks and infantry divisions into one corp, he would create a corps of all infantry and a corps of all tanks and have them support one another. On the 10th of November he was given command of the 2nd army, and Churchill ordered him to launch a counter-attack to drive the Germans back from London.
General Montgomery casually preparing to save the free world
The 2nd army was transformed into a whirlwind of activity when Montgomery took command. Home Guard units were given new training regimes, while the regular army forces were reinforced and expanded. He doubled the number of tanks in the army. He got elements of the RAF, which had been regaining it's strength, to provide air support for the operation. These preparations took time, and the ground became coated with snow and the temperature dropped. Although the winter was moderate, Churchill demanded that Montgomery speed up his preparations. Montgomery replied by saying "We will launch our attack when we are capable of defeating the Germans. Any sooner will mean 30,000 men dead for no gains." The General personally visited each unit before the battle, to address whether they were in "full fighting form." It was mid December before his preparations were finally complete. He had 195,000 men under his command and 1,040 tanks.
British troops march on cleared roads to prepare for the attack
In the meantime the Germans had continued to suffer. They had a critical shortage of winter equipment because the British were supposed to be defeated by October. Vehicles broke down in the cold while regular soldiers suffered. Poor sanitation and the unavailability of fresh supplies had led to an outbreak of diarrhoea that put numerous soldiers out of action. The Germans would only have 120,000 men to face Montgomery's attack, and 650 tanks. The winter had been unusually snowy and severe. Drifts up to 16 feet high were reported. The snow would restrict the operations of both sides, but it also meant that the Germans were confident the British would not try a counter-attack in such bad weather. The front had remained fairly static for the month and a half that Montgomery had been preparing.
German troops fighting, unprepared for the snowy winter
On December 17th, the offensive began. 600 artillery guns opened up on the German lines in a barrage not matched since 1918. The un-entrenched Germans were sent reeling by the intensity of the barrage. For the first five days of combat the British swept away everything in their path, captured 20,000 Germans, and advanced eleven miles. The snow proved difficult however, and General Von Leeb rushed to stop the attack. He set up defenses in the town of Guildford, a vital crossroads, and held it for two days. General O'Conner, a hero of the war in Africa, finally led the attack that shattered his position on Christmas day.
A British anti-tank crew fighting in the snow
The Germans were not comfortable fighting on the defensive, and used the delay at Guildford to gather for a counter-attack. 300 German tanks went into it, and set off the largest tank battle to date. British tanks and artillery ruthlessly wrecked the Germans, forcing them back with heavy losses. German command ordered a retreat across the front, and the German army started running for it's life, loosing ground that had taken months to acquire in days. Concentrated RAF forces gained superiority in the skies and started blasting away at the retreating Germans. The Luftwaffe was so badly overstretched that it could do nothing to help. The Resistance, on orders from Montgomery, mined roads that the Germans were expected to retreat along, delaying them and allowing the British tanks to catch up. The snow played havoc on the German retreat.
Germans desperately try to dig their tank out of the snow.
Believe it or not, German command had bigger problems then the headlong retreat from London. The Royal Navy had launched a concentrated effort to destroy German supply lines. The German navy was incapable of beating them alone, and was dependent on the Luftwaffe for support. The two sides engaged each other on December 30th. Although the RN took severe losses, the Germans came off worst and every German soldier in Britain was at risk in being caught in the largest trap in military history. The German officer corp untied in a plea to Hitler to order an evacuation of British soil. Although he did not authorize it they began the evacuation anyway. Of the 700,000 Germans in Britain, half would be evacuated from December 30th to January 16th without ever receiving orders to do so. Hitler finally realized how desperate the situation was and gave official orders for evacuation. The Germans continued to fight holding actions as another 200,000 men were evacuated to the end of January. But then the Royal Navy blocked their escape.
The HMS Warspite blocking the German's escape
The remaining 150,000 Germans were in a hopeless situation, and their commander, General Von Rundstedt, knew it. He surrendered on February 1st, marking the end of the disastrous Operation Sealion. Church bells rang across England and celebrations filled the streets of London. In his counter-attack, Montgomery had beaten the Germans back into the sea and taken 200,000 prisoners. The Germans had suffered about 100,000 casualties as well. The British had paid dearly for their victory however, with about 125,000 casualties, not including civilians and resistance. Throughout the entire invasion Germany suffered almost half a million losses. The British around 350,000.
A British infantryman gleefully escorts a German POW
Operation Sealion, or The Battle for Britian, had been a bloody and costly affair for both sides. Strategically it was a devastating defeat for Germany. In terms of moral, it was perhaps an even bigger loss. The German army's apparent invincibility had been broken, and the Blitzkrieg defeated. The German people now suddenly had to face the fact that this war would be total, and very costly. The British had looked Hitler strait in the eye and made him blink.
- 1
You...you monster! You killed Rommel!
First you take away every single good American, then you take away one of the only good Germans
I'm just horrible aren't I?
Nikolai said:
Hell ya!
Avindian said:
[video=youtube;WZM-HaXS3wE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZM-HaXS3wE&feature=player_detailpage[/video]
NapoleonComple said:
What you got against Monty foo?
KaiserMuffin said:
Yeah, a lot of people don't seem to realize that Operation Sealion was a doomed effort.
Reading Montgomery's preference for fighting, I must be him reincarnated. I always keep infantry, tanks, and motorized divisions under separate generals.
Also, I demand Rainywood make tons of awesome movies about Montgomery.
Also, I demand Rainywood make tons of awesome movies about Montgomery.
...
The British won a land engagement against Germany? In Darkest Hour and before Barbarossa?
Did you switch factions? The AI almost never defends Britain properly.
On the Montgomery comment, I've often heard it argued that Montgomery basically took over at the point the battle was already won; when he took over British material support in the theatre was picking up and Rommel's army was at the end of its supply lines and exhausted. It wasn't so much that Montgomery was a genius so much as that Rommel had nothing to work with; Montgomery had overwhelming material superiority.
That said, he won both battles of El Alamein and, overall, managed to inflict more losses on the Germans than the British took. The fact of the matter is that he did win.
There's also Market Garden which, to be fair, had it worked would have been one of the greatest victories of the entire war and would possibly have saved Berlin. Problem was it wasn't, mainly because the para's landed right on top of a resting panzer division. Amongst other things.
The British won a land engagement against Germany? In Darkest Hour and before Barbarossa?
Did you switch factions? The AI almost never defends Britain properly.
On the Montgomery comment, I've often heard it argued that Montgomery basically took over at the point the battle was already won; when he took over British material support in the theatre was picking up and Rommel's army was at the end of its supply lines and exhausted. It wasn't so much that Montgomery was a genius so much as that Rommel had nothing to work with; Montgomery had overwhelming material superiority.
That said, he won both battles of El Alamein and, overall, managed to inflict more losses on the Germans than the British took. The fact of the matter is that he did win.
There's also Market Garden which, to be fair, had it worked would have been one of the greatest victories of the entire war and would possibly have saved Berlin. Problem was it wasn't, mainly because the para's landed right on top of a resting panzer division. Amongst other things.
Nah, it's a decently popular doctrine. It's what Rommel preferred, I believe. He hated mixing tanks and/or motorized divisions with infantry.
Maybe I should revoke your award for getting that song stuck in my head. (Just kidding!)
Keep up the good work; I'm looking forward to seeing what role the US will play, if any!
(Just kidding!)Keep up the good work; I'm looking forward to seeing what role the US will play, if any!
The Democracy of Dictators 1940-41
As Europe was torn apart by the Second World War, in America things continued on the way they had been. The Kingfish slowly eroded away the ideas of privacy and freedom of speech that Americans had defended for so long. But there was one challenge left for Long in the constitution. The elections set to take place in November 1940, to determine the politics of the next four years.
Candidates
Robert Taft (Republican)
With the Democrats either joined with the Kingfish or arrested, the only real opposition formed against the Kingfish was the Republican party. They had suffered at Long's hands as well, with many Republican senators and representatives behind bars. Although they had little hope of victory against Long's government, they chose the son of former President William Howard Taft as their candidate. He was a remnant of old Republican thinking brought out by the extreme opposition to the Kingfish, and supported a radial right-wing agenda of mass privatization, huge budget cuts, and a continuation of "trickle down" politics that had been so unsuccessful in the past.
Fritz Julius Kuhn (German-American Bund)
Kuhn was an oddity in the 1940 elections, a pro-interventionist that had not yet been arrested, possibly because of the Kingfish empathy towards another fascist, but more likely because Long didn't consider him popular enough to be a threat. His candidacy, although he had no hope of winning the election, would have serious after effects.
Huey Long (Kingfish)
Before the ballots were ever counted it was already decided that Huey Long would win the election. The very idea that any other candidate could every challenge his popularity, created by millions of dollars in propaganda, was laughable. Even if they could, he would simply have them arrested. He kept his policies unchanged, promising isolationism but "readiness" for war. The rest of his platform was completely irrelevant. The President's victory was assured.
Election Day
The elections were remarkably free of violence, which propaganda said Long's newly upgraded Federal Police were responsible for. In reality the lack of conflict was probably due to the election's outcome being decided beforehand. Turnout was low, at an estimated 41.2%, although no official figures were released by the government.
Voters enter the booths
There was one exception to the non-violence of the election, an exception that would change everything. At 6:30 in the afternoon, as the election day was winding down, a group of a hundred or so German-American Bund paramilitary demonstrators marched through the Mall towards the White House, holding signs supporting Kuhn and yelling loudly to the virtually empty space. When a force of police came to arrest them, they responded by opening fire with dozens of illegally obtained weapons.
Bund paramilitary men with the flash and circle symbol of the Bund
Long's Militia bodyguards left the White House to assist in beating down the tiny revolt. But they would regret their decision, because a small band of Bund paramilitaries led by Kuhn's right hand man, Heinz Spanknobel, then attacked the White House. The squad should have never been able to get past the house's defenses, but they were assisted by someone working from the inside, and shot their way towards the Oval Office. They were cornered in the West Wing kitchen by the remaining Militiamen, and after a ten minute firefight the entire room collapsed on top of them, killing the three surviving commandos.
The collapsed kitchen after the battle
Long, upon finding out why all the shooting was happening, ordered the immediate arrest of all members of the German American Bund, with priority on Kuhn, and an immediate investigation as to who had let the conspirators in. The first was easy, as Kuhn was found breaking into a CBS radio station a few blocks down the street, preparing to announce his presidency. The second would haunt Huey Long for years. When the investigation couldn't figure out who had made the attempted coup possible, Long ordered the arrest of the entire White House staff and replaced them. He then ordered the arrest and execution of Secretary of State Ezra Pound, because he had been pressuring Long to aid Germany. He then ordered a purge of all "Bund sympathizers" within the Kingfish's ranks. Thousands of loyal Kingfish were arrested and shot.
A Militia firing squad going to work. Strangely enough one of the squad's members appears to be black.
Election Results
Unsurprisingly, Long won with 93% of the popular vote, and the Republicans grew even weaker. But the elections had a far more important result in terms of Long's psychological health. The coup attempt, although badly handled, had shown that not all Kingfish agreed with Long's policy. The party would face a serious number of purges for the next year, amounting to a pile of bodies some 10,000 people high. Long was so paranoid that he began relying mostly on two trusted people to run the country: Father Charles Coughlin and General Douglas MacArthur.
Aside from the purges, life continued as normal for most Americans for the next year. But on December 7th, 1941, everything changed.
As Europe was torn apart by the Second World War, in America things continued on the way they had been. The Kingfish slowly eroded away the ideas of privacy and freedom of speech that Americans had defended for so long. But there was one challenge left for Long in the constitution. The elections set to take place in November 1940, to determine the politics of the next four years.
Candidates
Robert Taft (Republican)
With the Democrats either joined with the Kingfish or arrested, the only real opposition formed against the Kingfish was the Republican party. They had suffered at Long's hands as well, with many Republican senators and representatives behind bars. Although they had little hope of victory against Long's government, they chose the son of former President William Howard Taft as their candidate. He was a remnant of old Republican thinking brought out by the extreme opposition to the Kingfish, and supported a radial right-wing agenda of mass privatization, huge budget cuts, and a continuation of "trickle down" politics that had been so unsuccessful in the past.
Fritz Julius Kuhn (German-American Bund)
Kuhn was an oddity in the 1940 elections, a pro-interventionist that had not yet been arrested, possibly because of the Kingfish empathy towards another fascist, but more likely because Long didn't consider him popular enough to be a threat. His candidacy, although he had no hope of winning the election, would have serious after effects.
Huey Long (Kingfish)
Before the ballots were ever counted it was already decided that Huey Long would win the election. The very idea that any other candidate could every challenge his popularity, created by millions of dollars in propaganda, was laughable. Even if they could, he would simply have them arrested. He kept his policies unchanged, promising isolationism but "readiness" for war. The rest of his platform was completely irrelevant. The President's victory was assured.
Election Day
The elections were remarkably free of violence, which propaganda said Long's newly upgraded Federal Police were responsible for. In reality the lack of conflict was probably due to the election's outcome being decided beforehand. Turnout was low, at an estimated 41.2%, although no official figures were released by the government.
Voters enter the booths
There was one exception to the non-violence of the election, an exception that would change everything. At 6:30 in the afternoon, as the election day was winding down, a group of a hundred or so German-American Bund paramilitary demonstrators marched through the Mall towards the White House, holding signs supporting Kuhn and yelling loudly to the virtually empty space. When a force of police came to arrest them, they responded by opening fire with dozens of illegally obtained weapons.
Bund paramilitary men with the flash and circle symbol of the Bund
Long's Militia bodyguards left the White House to assist in beating down the tiny revolt. But they would regret their decision, because a small band of Bund paramilitaries led by Kuhn's right hand man, Heinz Spanknobel, then attacked the White House. The squad should have never been able to get past the house's defenses, but they were assisted by someone working from the inside, and shot their way towards the Oval Office. They were cornered in the West Wing kitchen by the remaining Militiamen, and after a ten minute firefight the entire room collapsed on top of them, killing the three surviving commandos.
The collapsed kitchen after the battle
Long, upon finding out why all the shooting was happening, ordered the immediate arrest of all members of the German American Bund, with priority on Kuhn, and an immediate investigation as to who had let the conspirators in. The first was easy, as Kuhn was found breaking into a CBS radio station a few blocks down the street, preparing to announce his presidency. The second would haunt Huey Long for years. When the investigation couldn't figure out who had made the attempted coup possible, Long ordered the arrest of the entire White House staff and replaced them. He then ordered the arrest and execution of Secretary of State Ezra Pound, because he had been pressuring Long to aid Germany. He then ordered a purge of all "Bund sympathizers" within the Kingfish's ranks. Thousands of loyal Kingfish were arrested and shot.
A Militia firing squad going to work. Strangely enough one of the squad's members appears to be black.
Election Results
Unsurprisingly, Long won with 93% of the popular vote, and the Republicans grew even weaker. But the elections had a far more important result in terms of Long's psychological health. The coup attempt, although badly handled, had shown that not all Kingfish agreed with Long's policy. The party would face a serious number of purges for the next year, amounting to a pile of bodies some 10,000 people high. Long was so paranoid that he began relying mostly on two trusted people to run the country: Father Charles Coughlin and General Douglas MacArthur.
Aside from the purges, life continued as normal for most Americans for the next year. But on December 7th, 1941, everything changed.
- 1
I'm sure they will.
NapoleonComple said:
I think Montgomery gets a lot of flack for Market Garden and not being as aggressive as some other generals, *cough* Patton *cough* but I believe that he was a very competent man and soldier. As for the "beating back Germany in 1940" I may have exaggerated the numbers a bit, but what is most important to me is drama, so I consider it a creative licence.
Seek75 said:
I have nothing meaningful to add to this conversation.
Avindian said:
Oh the US will play a part...
a bermuda harbor ?
That would be fun.
Glad to see the Bund squashed, can't have un-American groups like that tainting the Kingfish. That said I don't think anyone should ever rely on MacArthur, particularly in the scheming confines of a dictatorship.
Hopefully you can send him to be reliable somewhere else. I hear the Philippines is nice this time of year.
I'd have helped you Taft, but considering I'm chilling in Rainywood, I unfortunately couldn't vote. Didn't want to get arrested, you dig?
Surely Long will not fall for this obvious false flag operation by British agents aimed at drawing America into yet another war that will bring only more horrendous economic troubles and grief for America with little to be gained in the end?