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Does America have any chance of getting any of the European nations in on it's side?
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Considering the only countries in Europe I'm not at war with are Spain, Portugal, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Switzerland, I'm not particularly concerned about that 
The US is more Entente aligned though anyway.
The US is more Entente aligned though anyway.
Chapter 4 - From Boston to New York
May 11, 1943
Once again, it's been awhile, sorry. The initial meeting of armies was uneventful, to those not directly involved, of course. Lone American reserve divisions were doing most of the liberating, the population seemed more than eager to assist in that effort unfortunately. Lone divisions were fine for that job, but don't put up much in the way of resistance, and thus even tired after a long march our army was able to push back, right into Boston itself on the 27th of last month. That was where real resistance started to pick up though. Indeed, so far the job seems to be unbelievably easy, but we know that can't last for long. Around the same time the RN was finally freed to return from escorting transports and begin to hunt the USN in earnest, bringing a resounding victory in the sinking of five American battleships of various classes.
Our forces are now, as we speak, attempting to surround the small state of Rhode Island and bring it back under our control. The weight of numbers is evening quickly, but our generals have kept up with the latest theories of war, and are no dunces. Maintaining speed, we were able to trap a few divisions behind our lines, though likely not as many as hoped when the plan was conceived. Still, while the US can bring much greater numbers to bear than we can, if we keep up this strategy it is likely we can push quite a ways before they can actually get a solid front up. As it stands, word is that the central sector is wide open, and if it weren't for a reasonable caution from our generals, the road to Philadelphia stands open. That would be a nice prize, but the same can be said of our troops from the American perspective, and we are not going to even give them the chance...
Of course, not all is perfect, and I suppose outside of New England the signs of struggle are even more apparent. Our advance in Canada has all but stopped. While of course the best time for the Americans to have intervened would be a resounding "never", the timing was probably for the best. We can lock down the Canadian front with a mere 100,000 troops at the moment, and I think it's no secret that everyone else has been diverted South to keep our momentum going in America. Where exactly I can't say, and that probably is sensitive information. My bets, based off logistic reality, would be that the Niagara or Detroit region would be the most prudent to redirect troops to, if speed is our primary concern. As a final note on the subject, there have been further losses on the Mexican front, though it does appear as if resistance is stiffening after the initial setbacks. I'll fully admit to not knowing as much as I should about the situation, but according to Barry, our allies are using technology and tactics a full DECADE out of date. British troops are top rate, of course, but the Americans are only a bit behind us, and experienced to boot. Their main issue seems to be mass production and supplying arms to their massive manpower.
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May 25, 1943
Success! We have captured the so called "capitalist capital", New York City. It was not an easy battle, though it could have been worse, much worse. After the success of the "Providence Maneuver" as it has come to be called, our forces attempted something similar by cutting around the city, but the famed General MacArthur was there to meet us in great number. Our forces were forced to stop and consolidate. The front has still not solidified, though, and the mass of American troops across the river came at the price of their defense elsewhere, and in the city itself. To maintain speed, a direct assault occurred, and after days of fierce fighting, we prevailed with an estimated eight thousand casualties, to roughly ten thousand Americans. Not that one should be impressed with casualty numbers, but even the propaganda is emphasizing this low number is a trade off for the speed of our attack. We actually managed to take the city in something of a workable condition. Many of the tall New York skyscrapers have suffered damage, but it is only minor. An estimated 10% of the city's industrial capacity was still in working order the day of capture, and the hardest part of getting it up and running again will be herding the workers back, which our system no doubtedly will in short order.
The city marks something of a challenge for us, though. The previous assaults on America has a certain flavour to them, as part of the ongoing Canadian War. New England was also, for all intensive purposes, a recognized state that we had dissolved. Their increased resistance to the second wave, when they had US support, is of course fully understandable, but in terms of how to handle the area there wasn't much question. The only logical thing to do had been to establish a new New England government in short order upon the eventual Canadian surrender. The US would have had little ground to protest, after their all but official recognition of the Canadian backed state on numerous occasions. New York City is different, however. It was not under New England's control at any point. The Mayor had proclaimed solidarity with the CSA, but the Federal forces in the American Civil War had deposed him on day one and established martial law. Thus, New York City was one of the scant few places that had never yielded Federal control during the war. Of major cities, the only peers I can think of are perhaps Baltimore and Washington DC itself. Yet at the same time, we know syndicalism to be a strong force here. The real question is whether or not American patriotism will cancel it out.
The fate of New England is not longer certain, too. It does have some syndicalist sentiment, which is a major reason the land was secured by Canada during the civil war, but at the same time it has very strong regional patriotism, even if at the moment unified American patriotism is making a come back. If we are engaging in this war against the United States, it seems logical that we should, at some point, restore the CSA government. Does this mean we push ourselves to take all of the United States? A Unified North America would be strong indeed, but there are cultural variables to consider, apparently. Would we just restore the areas that rebelled, and leave the right wingers of elsewhere alone, for they would only cause trouble? Will we lump New England in with the CSA, perhaps with New York as a shining new beacon of the new socialism? Will we add Canada, or leave out Quebec? These are important questions, and for once I don't even have a prediction. I only know that at present, May of 1943, our leaders have been silent on the future.
There is also another pressing concern I wish to share, and one which makes this diary all the more important. I, of course, started it with the assumption that we shall emerge victorious, and that I could perhaps serve as a more unbiased source of information for the future. Now, however, there is another possibility, that we ourselves will be rendered atomic ash. There is nothing solid, not yet, but twin rumors recently reached my ears. The first is that the peace faction within Germany was recently completely and utterly shot down, despite the stalemate of the war. To be fair, the Germans are tired after France, but they are now enjoying a relatively easy going war, safe at home. Their trade routes aren't in danger, either, as with the wars in America and the addition of Russia to Mittleeuropa, they don't really need the Atlantic. Trade through the Mediterranean is still viable as well. There isn't much incentive at present time for them to end the war.
The second rumor I alluded to is that the Germans have started their own atomic program, much delayed. They initially were quite open in denying any such device could possibly exist. Not necessarily publicly, of course, as the public had no reason to worry, but those who cared knew where to look. Now, after the capture of the French parts of this team, back under the old name, they have likely reevaluated their position. We know nothing for sure, yet, just that we now have a new sense of urgency to work with.
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A complete conquest of USA after a federal victory in the american civil war would be unrealistic. If you can gain a major victory, you could reasonably obtain concession from Canada and USA.
1) Canada loose Quebec (which keep all the atlantic port, shutting down any royalist menace on GB) but is allowed to survive.
2) New England and old CSA are "liberated" from USA and create a new Socialist Republic of America, with New York as capital (mid way of new england and old CSA)
3)major monetary compensation
1) Canada loose Quebec (which keep all the atlantic port, shutting down any royalist menace on GB) but is allowed to survive.
2) New England and old CSA are "liberated" from USA and create a new Socialist Republic of America, with New York as capital (mid way of new england and old CSA)
3)major monetary compensation
I've been tossing around a few ideas, though nothing is set in stone yet. (Seriously, as we speak I have another tab open playing no further than the next update, heh). I'm one who loves to give hints of what's to come, but honestly, this is one situation where I can't even do that :laugh: I'm actually thinking of setting up a scenario where the AI, via event, will determine some of the post war borders for me, just to add a nice touch.
That being said, you need not worry too much about unrealistic annexations or border changes in any of my AARs. I have degrees in political science and am working on more, and to a degree it literally is my job to debate international relations With that also being said, I'd very much like to see how many different "plans" for post war America we can come up with here. This last comment has made me re-evaluate what was currently my primary plan, at least. That doesn't mean any plans I have written up look like General_Hoth's suggested necessarily, and if anything is a testament to my indecisiveness, heh. For the moment, in relation to that comment, I'll remind the readers that Mexico has a claim on the US, and that future events in the US and my capacity to wage war need to be factored in
That being said, you need not worry too much about unrealistic annexations or border changes in any of my AARs. I have degrees in political science and am working on more, and to a degree it literally is my job to debate international relations
With that also being said, I'd very much like to see how many different "plans" for post war America we can come up with here. This last comment has made me re-evaluate what was currently my primary plan, at least. That doesn't mean any plans I have written up look like General_Hoth's suggested necessarily, and if anything is a testament to my indecisiveness, heh. For the moment, in relation to that comment, I'll remind the readers that Mexico has a claim on the US, and that future events in the US and my capacity to wage war need to be factored in
Okay guys, I've decided upon a plan, though it's still very fluid. I'll try and have an update out sometime in the next 12 hours, though no promises, and it's the biggest one yet, both in terms of pictures (15) and time covered for a normal update (Late May to Mid August). I'm then going to have to take a break for some intensive event coding, but the update after that should be very very good. The possible outcomes from this event chain I'm writing, in all combinations, likely exceed 10 or even 20 (Yeah, I'm too lazy to math it out right now... *whistles innocently*)
Chapter 5 - From New York to DC
June 25, 1943
Sorry for the long delay, once again, but the advance has been reduced to a slog once more. I was right in one prediction, though. The road to Philadelphia was indeed open following the fall of New York City. We were able to exploit the gap, and the road further to the American capital was undefended, but pursuing it too hard would have led no doubt to our own forces being trapped as we did to them before. Resistance is stiffening as we enter the de jure American lands of Pennsylvania. Perhaps our forces just need a small rest, as they've been going breakneck for quite some time now. I don't blame them, or their leaders, at least. They can't possibly know, but I'm sure the highest generals are aware that come this time next year, our forces must be prepared to return to Europe, for Dawn will have broken. We could always build our reserves, I suppose, but it is far from ideal.
In other news, American forces continue to concentrate for a push to Toronto, but a heavy blockaid on our part has so far been successful, at least on the Canadian side of the border. The Mexican front is in a similar state. At sea, though the Americans managed a small victory. A sub sneak attack has destroyed one of our destroyer formations, our first naval loss in quite some time, not counting ships that were forced to put in for repairs. I do not know how much longer until notable progress is made, but feel the need to update you at least once a month.
July 20, 1943
The war still goes slow. We're into central Pennsylvania now, and have managed another encirclement, twice as large as the one in Rhode Island. That's progress, I'd say, even if going is still slow. They've been hitting us hard along the Delaware River, to the point that I'm fairly certain, through the usual network of gossip, that our Generals are going to refocus on a drive across the former CSA heartland rather than plow to Washington. Indeed, Barry says a friend of his (somehow) wrote to him that he's set to be on the Ohio border before long. Operational security is certainly lax, and I hope word of what we are doing here is not so casually leaked. I suppose I am a hypocrite for complaining, though, considering this journal's purpose. With how prideful in each individual state Americans are, I suppose it's not too hard to keep careful note of exactly which province the infantry are in.
As for my own assessment, my wager would be on an attempt to threaten Detroit from the South, to ease a crossing from Canada. I wish that campaign luck, as the mixed results towards Washington have me very very concerned. A saving grace is that the Americans have halted their attempt to retake Philadelphia, but I still hear it was a meat grinder of the highest order. Our troops at the Southern end of the encirclement, though, were forced back. Thankfully, this occurred only AFTER we had secured the surrender of the 35,000 remaining Americans inside.
July 30, 1943
Well, here is an interruption out of the ordinary. I was mad, quite mad, but the anger has simmered now since I heard the news earlier in the day. Partisans have risen up in Montreal. Apparently their objective was to sabotage our fighter wings there, which they did with breathtaking success. Finding our security forces dramatically overwhelmed, they then went on to take over the city, in the name of "Free Quebec". We will have a force back from the front to deal with this within the week, but it still makes me very angry. Our air power has been on the defensive since the Fall of France, and those fighters, while in America for the time being, were going to be a VITAL piece of the plan for clearing the sky when we deliver the project's devices. It won't be fatal to the plan, but we want it as easy as possible, of course. We will manage, I suppose. I do hear the General Secretary was also furious, and immediately ordered double shifts and the aeronautic factories to get another 400 planned planes in the air by the Dawn.
August 19, 1943
We have done it yet again! The Washington advance was on again early this month. I did not report on it sooner because, I am sorry to say, I had dismissed the chatter in the canteen as too hopeful. The news is reporting we have taken the American Capital, though, and there is celebration in the streets, even here! The MPs were careful to keep revelers from being too loose in town, but did not overly dampen spirits. No one got out of control, anyway, as The US was only a reason addition to our list of many enemies. This is nothing compared to if we were marching through Berlin.
I apologize if this summary is a bit disorganized, but I had to get the full story out of Barry, who was rather drunk, and corroborated it with others of similar mental faculties. The advance apparently began on the 4th. Southern and central Pennsylvania is an absolute mess after months of fighting, but we had finally gotten soldiers, however tired and disorganized, into flanking position, and launched a three pronged assault on Baltimore. We had superior position, and numbers, though the Americans were dug in behind impressive trench lines and river-fronted fortifications. It would have been a near thing, could have gone either way, but then something curious happened. The Americans started to withdraw of their own accord, piecemeal, division by division.
After four days of fighting we broke the remaining defenders resolve. Word from captured PoWs is, though this part may very well be purely fabricated, that General MacArthur started pulling troops out of his own accord, either to bolster the Ohio front (which is indeed stiffening to the point where I have reversed my prediction for the area), or because of some sort of major civilian-military disagreement. Perhaps the army does not believe it should defend Washington for strategic reasons, while President Knox insists it be held? Either way, American morale is flagging, hard.
Our troops stormed through Baltimore and kept going, encountering only token resistance that made a final stand at the city limits. Once again, we were able to observe American troops pulling out to the South. The Potomac will make a good defensive line for them, especially after our sprint, but the loss of their capital is a big blow without a doubt! Sadly little military or civilian leadership was left in the city. I am concerned, for they suddenly seemed to almost give it freely, perhaps this is a dire feint and a massive counter-attack is almost upon us, but despite my cautious nature I am optimistic.
We can of course intercept American transmissions, and in the day or so that followed, we've heard many conflicting signals, but all point to chaos within the American ranks. First were broadcasts that proclaimed the government had relocated to Chicago, for safety purposes. That was followed closely, however, by a broad declaration of war powers, and the moving of their capital to Denver "indefinitely". The first announcement was by the military, and only a few hours later did a speech by President Knox. Our people are still free enough that the general public knows propaganda when they hear it, and the government would not crack down on people for talking about foreign efforts at deception, so the rumor mill definitely has it that the speech was the most trumped up piece of garbage they had ever heard.
This has many implications, but I am up late, and a tad tipsy. It might be best to see what happens next, as well, so for now, it is here I leave you, no doubt to return soon.
A very interesting concept, i'l be watching.
Part of me wants to liberal democracies and old Europe to drive you back into the sea, but as a player, I'll wish you luck none the less.
You just don't have the IC to keep up the fight long, unless you can successfully turn North America to your cause. I suppose that nuke rush may be the way to go.
Part of me wants to liberal democracies and old Europe to drive you back into the sea, but as a player, I'll wish you luck none the less.
You just don't have the IC to keep up the fight long, unless you can successfully turn North America to your cause. I suppose that nuke rush may be the way to go.
Chapter 6 - Intrigue in America
September 1, 1943
Dire news. President Knox is dead. Now, at first that might seem like good news, as much as one could cherish the death of another, but President Knox was a weak, old leader. Official word is the defeat at Washington was too much for him, and he suffered a series of heart attacks in Denver earlier this week. At the same time, Vice President Dewey is out of contact, lost somewhere along the rail lines crossing the Mississippi. To fill this power vacuum, the strongman General MacArthur has stepped in. This likely marks the death of democracy in America. Our spies report near chaos in the American government. One thing is certain, though, MacArthur will not surrender, at least not here. We had hoped the civilian government would now be under immense pressure to make a peace deal, but now that is entirely out the window. Indeed, as we speak, a brutal battle is raging as the Americans try and take back Baltimore. They are certain to lose, as we can easily reroute our troops to match the, but it has stalled our advance for the time being.
Not all is bad, I suppose. American morale has plummeted through the floor, and we're observing firsthand widespread desertions in the American army, as high as 20% in some sectors. Even during the height of the recent Civil War, when all but Maryland up to New York City was in rebel hands, the civilian government of Garner remained in control. This naked assault on their form of government has hit many Americans at their very core, considering even as their opponent I say they are far from as bad a spot as they were back in '37! MacArthur is a noted anti-syndicalist, too, and we're hearing reports that he's ordered rear guard units to crack down on "dissenters" and "leftist sympathizers". The war weary populace is too tired to do much, except for a few exceptions. The old CSA strongholds of Chicago and Detroit are noted to be in open revolt. As Detroit is so close to the front, the battle there is one of partisan in the shadow against armored cars, but in Chicago, well behind the lines and with the aid of the city police force, an open rebellion has taken and held territory well in excess of the city limits.
Only more time will tell how this progresses, and while our forces are more than up for a challenge, I fear things will likely be grim.
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September 16, 1943
Slightly over two weeks is more than I expected before I got back to this, but we've had major breakthroughs here, so my excitement has been directed elsewhere. Especially because, frankly, the news from the front is rather depressing at the moment, even if we're still carrying forward.
First on the table, about a week ago we paid for reducing the Newfoundland garrison. Right from under our noses it was taken back. We later sent a recon force and found that around 50,000 men of National France had been moved in-theater and had made their debut with this operation. Thankfully, all essential operations we run out of New Brunswick, but we still had a rather large supply depot there, and the blow to our morale is palatable.
Elsewhere, MacArthur has taken command of the Ohio Front personally. The whole state has become a fluid meat grinder, back and forth. It's wearing us down, but using careful intel we can gain the advantage long enough to surge forward. The problem is, now that the fighting has been going on there for about a month, the road network and general infrastructure is in such disrepair that by the time we reach the far border, fresh American reinforcements are waiting to smash us back. The generals have yet to innovate around this problem, but in my estimation, they are waiting to see what happens in Detroit. The American government is in indisputable control of the city, but citizens dare not leave their homes during daylight, lest they get caught in the crossfire of near constant attacks by former CSA militia members.
Deeper in the interior, the revolt in Chicago has been unperturbed so far, and in fact intel shows the rebels there are probing into Wisconsin, in an effort to gauge support there. Neither state government has made a peep regarding the rebellions, as far as we can tell. On one hand, it could be MacArthur's firm control of the situation. We've gotten confirmation that he's had himself appointed President, after ensuring their Congress was firmly in his control as a puppet. Maybe he's realized the damage he's done by his crass move, and is now backpedaling, but he is apparently going to attempt to give himself a democratic veneer in this endeavor. Most of the damage is likely already done.
On the other hand, though, even the legitimate administration completely restructured the state's that rebelled in '37, including Illinois and Wisconsin. Even without MacArthur, they may be powerless to do anything to aid the resurgent leftists. If so, that makes it very difficult for us to gauge the feeling of the American people. Questions still swirl about what we are going to do to end this war, especially now that MacArthur is in control. The rebellions make a clear case for the reestablishment of the CSA, but it is but one of many concerns, to say nothing of practicality. Either way, I am currently exhausted. What a mess. Perhaps I'll be more insightful later, with more rest, but for today here is where I leave it. Tomorrow we have an important meeting with the Deputy Chairman himself, regarding our production rates, now that we have a preliminary plan for how to make an actual bomb.
Funny you should say that considering this update I just posted...
Honestly, with the death of Knox (which historically happened about 6 months later IRL, but being President, especially in this situation, is stressful as hell) I was struggling to come up with even a single "traditionally" democratic nation left on Earth in this AAR. Then I remembered, Russia actually is. So there you have it, Russia is the most democratic nation in this timeline at the present date, on par with an insanely religious mid-19th century UK IRL. This is also the result of every faction in Russia realizing they aren't strong enough to win by themselves, should they actually make a go of a power grab, thus compromise is preferred.Granted, I suppose Canada is technically a "traditional" democracy still, even if the monarchy is a vastly bigger deal (and it's almost dead). For what it's worth, I interpret "Radical Socialist" in the style of UoB as being a pseudo-democracy. Inperfect, but fairly permissive in terms of human rights, assuming one is employed and one doesn't rock the boat too much.
I'll also note that while I am concerned about IC indeed, it's not as big an issue as it might first appear. Rather, manpower has seemed to be the problem of the day. The front in France, while a few years ago, was going in our favor until France literally ran out of manpower to put into wounded division. After a year or so of that state, the divisions just melted away. Germany, if it had kept being pressed, would have had the same thing happen, just after another year or so. If I got into a stable land war with them again, they'd eventually run out of people. This is, in part, because I did the event chain where I instituted a draft for women as well.
Alright guys, I feel really bad for always posting and yammering on without an update, but I've just played ahead to January 44, and I must say, it was the most intense experience in HOI2/DH I've ever had, including a rather intensive event writing experience. I'm going to resist my natural urge to give spoilers, but I just want to say that the AI picked all the least likely options in the eventual sequence of 12 events, so all the effort was indeed worth it. I'm personally feeling a lot more satisfied than if I just railroaded everything, so I hope you guys like it when we get there in 2-3 updates. How long it takes me to write those... well, it'll probably be awhile, as it was pretty exhausting coding everything.
It'd like to say that your hard work on this AAR is much appreciated. It's been a fantastic read so far on a quite unique setup for Kaiserreich.
It'd like to say that your hard work on this AAR is much appreciated. It's been a fantastic read so far on a quite unique setup for Kaiserreich.
I second that comment, that's a great AAR you are making
Thanks guys. I'm going to try and write an update later tonight. I should add that part of the reason I've been able to go so fast so far has been that we had a few classes canceled because of snow, so I had a lot more time off than normal last week, heh. I actually didn't realize that, as odd as it sounds, because I'd been so engrossed with playing this...
Chapter 7 - The Fall Campaign
October 14, 1943
The slow back and forth, back and forth, of the fortunes told in the war has once again delayed my writing, as well as the furious pace of the research on base. After almost a month the sheer number of things to provide update on force me to lump all developments together, without waiting for an emerging theme. I will start with a bit of good news. The RN is once again fully operational, and shortly after I last wrote set sail to sweep the Atlantic, in preparation for a new wave of reinforcements to America. For the first time since the outbreak of hostilities in 1938, we have six carriers acting in concert. I dare say the USN much watch out now.
After initial operations were conducted, we sent what forces we had on hand to Canada. There is a major buildup going on down in Southern England, so we were able to let the new trainees take over shore patrol, then ship the French refugee divisions off for some real action, which they are most definitely itching for. A few days ago it was reported they performed exceptionally in a sneak attack raid to retake Newfoundland. The Nationalist French had mostly evacuated the island ahead of time, but the sudden loss of port facilities forced many Entente naval vessels out into open sea, where they were mercilessly hunted down by the combined fleet.
Overall results have been mixed in the wider war. We can advance, but where always changes. We are forced into a constant shuffle to find weakpoints, and the Americans fight tooth and nail for each bit of ground. Furthermore, even though America is in dire straits, the Canadians seem to be bolstered in morale as of late by the ongoing hostilities, and we've been forced to send more troops back North. No progress will be made there, and I fear that if we keep going for many more months, the Canadians might actually be able to mount a rag-tag counterattack that actually reaches their major cities. Our individual divisions outclass both the Canadian and American units by far, but the American front is just draining more and more resources.
That being said, MacArthur's new government appears willing to negotiate, as surprising as that seems considering the hardline military stance it takes. We've had some luck advancing through the mountain regions, mostly because we press the advance aggressively, and the Americans cannot keep up despite knowing the land better. As we begin to reach the Southern States, word is that MacArthur is sending out peace feelers. From what I've heard, from a source more reliable than the guards for a change, is that the offers so far have been almost insulting, and thus our government has no intention of accepting just yet. The sad thing is, in my contact's professional opinion, that MacArthur actually thinks he's good at negotiating. The offer he last gave was simply a small buffer zone consisting of New York City, New Jersey, and the Northern half of Pennsylvania. He seems to be under the impression that he is granting us New England under those terms, despite the fact that we already had it. A fantasy if I ever heard one, and I highly doubt we will settle for anything less than the reestablishment of the CSA in some capacity or another, especially as we had previously explicitly recognized Jack Reed's government during the civil war.
MacArthur also seems to be quickly descending the road to tyranny. Now, normally I would attribute a lot of the rumors to our own propaganda, as it's pretty much standard fare. However, friends writing from the front do speak of intercepted American broadcasts, or interactions with civilians in captured towns who talk of the exact same claims. In fact, MacArthur does not deny the steps he is taking, seeing them as positive moves towards strengthening America. Ironically, some might not be too out of place in a more authoritarian leftist society, like confiscating the wealth of rich individuals as was done in former allied France. There have been several forced changes to the American constitution, which I gather is a big deal from speaking to a few friends who were more experienced in diplomatic matters than I. Of course, there is also the standard right-wing scare and terror tactics, too. Banning trade unions were a mere formality for MacArthur, which is almost a personal jab at our form of government. With internal tensions already high in Northern industrial areas, I'm not quite sure if these moves will help MacArthur or not, regardless of other factors. We've not advanced far enough yet, or seen a change in American forces, but who knows what time will bring.
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October 29, 1943
Here is an attempt to keep this log more updated than usual, though unfortunately my experiment with timeliness is brought on by bad news of a sort. Germany has switched tactics with the bombing campaign. The standard coastal attacks are still on, though half-hearted as always. Both sides know they are ineffective. Instead, they pulled back a large sum of bombers, then baited us with another landing attempt at Dover. The beachheads are always just that, and never leave the beach. This time, however, the Germans really threw a lot of manpower into the attempt. Normally we let the defenders handle it, but this one warranted recalling the RN to break up the supply ships. That it did, and by the end of the landing attempt over 10,000 Germans were left on our shores. However, it was but a ruse. As our fleet appeared, so did scores of German and allied bombers. Our navy broke off quickly once the task was done, but the bombers chased the ships back to Ireland. In the end, only four of our light cruisers were sunk, but many of our other ships were heavily damaged, including two carriers and a battlecruiser. We suspect they aimed to take out our carriers and cripple the RN, which was thankfully averted, but this is a dangerous new threat. For some time the RN has been wary of operating too close to Europe, especially in the channel, and it seems these fears have now been validated. Not as if anyone tells me directly, but I highly suspect that the RN will be bottled up in Scapa Flow for some time now, and likely the reinforcement convoys to America will slow dramatically.
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November 13, 1943
And now for some good news. I had not been expecting anything major to happen before winter, but news arrived yesterday that we are at the gates of Chicago, the former CSA capital and one of America's principal cities, second only to New York. The city is still held by rebel sympathizers, which has tied down an astounding number of US army personnel. So many, in fact, that the Detroit garrison was foolishly left at a bare minimum as soon as the rebellion there was put down, allowing our forces to cross from Canada with little to no opposition. This was timed to coincide with our latest lightning strike across Ohio, which has become a trench filled warzone much as Pennsylvania was a few months ago. Thankfully the scale is still far from the last war, and more fluid if our troops can outpace their previous advances. Our soldiers have taken and held Cincinnati as a bulwark on our flanks, and we're set to be in a very good position to advance and break through MacArthur's main defensive line.
What's more, apparently there has been quite a reaction to MacArthur's dictatorial rule. He's pulled back somewhat on his oppression, to the point where he's been forced to allow war news to be published by the major civilian media outlets. He may control the apparatus of government, but apparently word still travels fast in the US, and any attempts at censorship become almost laughable in the face of letters from the front. This is good for us, as it is allowing word of our advance and the defeat of the US Army to spread faster.
Unfortunately, due to the insanely fierce fight raging around the city, we have not been unable to link up with our possible allies, but at the same time, aside from the upper peninsula, we have secured the entirety of Michigan with this effort. Gary Indiana is slowly being pinched from behind, even as American soldiers there try and keep their fellow citizens from uniting with us.
Rulle Britannia, Britannia Rule the waves, it seems that USA will collapse under your feet and the revenge of 1781 finally will be taken, For the Kin..... For the president!
