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True, well it won't be long now until Bavaria's decision regarding the ongoing war is revealed...
Indeed, even with the Kaiserreich restored Germany is still a very broken country
Thanks very much
To everyone...
Apologies for lack of recent updates, Christmas is a fun and busy time haha...also I've kinda had an idea for a mod and been spending most of my time doing research for it the last week or so which is the main reason for the whole not updating my AAR thing.
However, I should have the next chapter up later today and I hope to at least get back to semi-regular updates.
Thanks as always for your support of this AAR
Apologies for lack of recent updates, Christmas is a fun and busy time haha...also I've kinda had an idea for a mod and been spending most of my time doing research for it the last week or so which is the main reason for the whole not updating my AAR thing.
However, I should have the next chapter up later today and I hope to at least get back to semi-regular updates.
Thanks as always for your support of this AAR
Finally time for the latest chapter in this saga...
However, the Free-States were slow to organise their hastily-mobilised armed forces unlike the Deutsches Heer who had retained a standing army quite a bit larger that they were supposed to have under the terms of the Versailles Treaty. Imperial Troops moved into Northern Saxony with almost no local resistance although in the North the Hansa Forces were quicker in opposing the Imperial attempt to quickly capture their capital of Hamburg.
Meanwhile the Bavarian Government officially declared themselves neutral in the Free-State War despite many in Munich wishing to see the toppling of the returned Prussian-led Monarchy. The Bavarians clearly saw how isolated they are and wisely chose not to involve themselves.
On the 28th, the Imperial Army entered the Saxon city of Cottbus and were also engaging a small enemy force near Leipzig. Just four days into the war and Saxony has already been effectively pushed back to their capital of Dresden, surely their Independence won't last much longer.
Leipzig fell the following day and there was already fighting near Dresden. However, things were not going so smoothly for the Kaiserreich in the North, Hamburg was continuing to hold out and Hanseatic Forces had successfully occupied Rostock which had been left open due to Imperial Troops being concentrated elsewhere.
The problem of not having a large enough army to effectively defend the entire border with the breakaway states continued for the Kaiserreich as some Saxon troops broke out of Dresden and moved south where they occupied Bayreuth. The Saxons were welcomed as liberators by much of the still disloyal populace of the city many of whom the Saxons decided to provide arms to. This situation must be reversed quickly.
However it wasn't long before Imperial reinforcements arrived to retake Bayreuth and punish the traitors. Meanwhile further north the Offensive to retake Rostock was progressing well with the Hanseatic Forces in retreat.
Dresden continued to hold out as well dug-in Saxon troops fought the Deutsches Heer to a standstill in places. However there was better news in the North as not long after the Liberation of Rostock the Battle of Hamburg also ended in victory for the Kaiserreich. These defeats caused the Hanseatic Government to surrender and they were soon reabsorbed into Germany.
On the 4th of May Imperial Forces recaptured Bayreuth and after skirmishes with armed civilians many were arrested. While Saxon Forces retreated back East towards their isolated capital their defeat was surely imminent.
The Saxon resistance in Dresden itself continued to be stiff and it wouldn't be until the 13th that Imperial Forces finally captured the city. The Saxon Government promptly surrendered, ending their Independence and this short-lived and unnecessary war.
And so the Free-State War came to and end after just under a month of fighting. This conflict has surely set back Germany's recovery but the end of the hated Free-State system is still a big win for the Kaiserreich. Imperial power is once again absolute within the borders of the restored German Empire and now the road to regaining power can resume once again.
Chapter 15 (The Free-State War)
On the 24th of April 1925 the so-called Free-State War began as the self-declared Independent States of Saxony & Hansa sought Independence from the German Empire who was no longer willing to tolerate their disregard for the Kaiser's rule. However unlike the Civil War that ended the previous year this war would be smaller and confined to the territories that were attempting to secede from the Kaiserreich.
I can envisage some top-quality potential for future films / tv series about the Free State war.
Shame about Bavaria not joining.
Are you using the latest public version of this mod (now more than 15 months out of date)? I think a few things that have happened in your game have not in mine.
Are you using the latest public version of this mod (now more than 15 months out of date)? I think a few things that have happened in your game have not in mine.
Indeed, although I think Interbellum Germany, both in real-life and in this alternate timeline, always have limitless potential for films & tv.
Yeah it was a shame about Bavaria but their time will still come at some point, its only a matter of time
Also I'm using the last version released for 1.4, I know there's that hotfix for 1.5 but I'd honestly just rather wait for the next full version to be released before updating, not sure there was a whole lot added for the fix anyway can't remember.
Is that the only way to get Bavaria back with cores on the provinces? Or is something else in play?
Yeah I'm gonna have to wait until 1938 now to regain Bavaria...which could potentially cause an early WW2 depending on things
New Chapter time...
Of course the effects of the war in the territory of those Free-States will likely continue for some time as Anti-Monarchist elements continue to operate underground. Martial Law had been declared immediately after the war ended and it will probably be a lengthy process to truly restore order in these territories.
Later in the year, many politicians in the Reichstag began supporting a possible secret cooperation with the USSR, seeing as both nations remained pariah states on the world stage and that a secret alliance against the Intermarium could be beneficial for both sides. However, others in the Government saw that Germany was already benefiting rather well from their cooperation with Austria-Hungary and the rest of the Danubian Pact and that any cooperation with the hated Soviets was unnecessary. Ultimately the Kaiser agreed with the latter side, declaring 'No Deals with Bolsheviks' in an address to the Reichstag.
Meanwhile, in North Africa a war had continued to rage between the Spanish and Berber Guerrillas in the so-called Rif War that had been ongoing since 1921. However, the conflict would soon come to an end as the French, concerned with the Rif threat to their own North African holdings, threatened Intervention which caused the Berber leadership to agree to surrender, seeing further resistance against two European powers to be pointless.
By October the German economy was showing real signs of recovery. It was decided that a limited and strictly controlled printing of new money could bring Germany out of debt by the start of 1926. This will be the last year of economic troubles in the Kaiserreich.
The rest of 1925 following the end of the Free-State War has proved uneventful but important. The economy was indeed looking good by the years' end and the crackdown on Anti-Monarchist elements in Germany is progressing very well. The rest of the 1920s will be when Germany recovers and regains her place as a primary world power.
Chapter 16 (Jun-Dec 1925)
As Peace had returned to Germany and the Free-State traitors had been crushed, the Kaiserreich could once again look outwards and once again begin strengthening themselves so they can once again stand up to the hated Allies.
Crikey - it seems like the end of the war meant no end to the strife! At this rate Germany will be exhausted before very long! How is re-armament going?
New Chapter time! and yes its a longer one this time...
It was soon decided that the time was now right to begin a secret reorganisation and expansion of the Deutsches Heer as the Allies had now proved many times that they lack the will to enforce the Versailles Treaty to the letter. Once the Kaiserreich regains sufficient power the arrogant Allies will surely be punished for their complacency. Meanwhile in the Middle East the predominantly Kurdish regions of Southeastern Turkey began a rebellion led by Sheikh Said who seeked to restore the Ottoman Caliphate. This rebellion would not last long and was soon promptly crushed by by Turkish Forces.
However, the ongoing recovery of the Kaiserreich was clearly concerning the Allies, who in March signed a Defensive Alliance with the Intermarium and Bavaria in an attempt to curtail the Kaiser's ambitions of regaining lost land. This Allied guarantee of protection to the upstart Bavarians was a blow to these ambitions as the General Staff had been in the process of planning an Invasion of Bavaria to restore their loyalty to the Kaiser. These plans would have to be put on hold for now but this won't permanently prevent the Kaiser from restoring his rule to all German-speaking territories that once belonged to his father's Empire. Elsewhere the Fascist Government in Italy continued their policy known as the 'Battle for Grain' which aimed to make Italy self-sufficient production powerhouse. Meanwhile Japan was facing increased political extremism of their own as the increasingly fragile Taisho Democracy was plagued by violence mostly perpetrated by Far-Right radicals. It seems more and more likely that Japan could go the way as Italy and embrace Fascism.
The following month the German efforts to reclaim their position as an economic powerhouse in Europe continued as the Kaiser approved the beginning of a 12-year plan at the end of which it was hoped that Germany would have one of the strongest economies in the world.
Later in April there was yet another skirmish at the Inner German border between Imperial Troops and the forces of the German Republic. Casualties were rather high with 61 Imperial Troops being killed as well as 53 on the Republican side. It was the bloodiest yet of the many border skirmishes that had occurred since the declaration of the German Republic in 1924.
In May there were major developments to the south as the Austro-Hungarian Empire launched a surprise Invasion of Italy to regain territory lost to them after the Great War. The Austrians had clearly decided that their alliance with Italy had outlived its usefulness and the time had come to get revenge on the nation who had betrayed the Central Powers. The reaction in Berlin was indifferent as while the Danubian Pact together could have been a potentially powerful alliance for Germany the Italians' politics and their past actions would make them unreliable allies at best. The more powerful the Austro-Hungarian becomes the more useful an ally they can be for Germany.
The Italian Army was taken completely by surprise by this sudden and surprise attack and the Austro-Hungarian Army advanced quickly thanks to the disorganised state of the Italians and the use of advanced offensive tactics based on the Stormtrooper tactics used by the Germans in the last year of the Great War. German military attaches such as Heinz Guderian were extremely impressed by these tactics and the term 'Blitzkrieg' was coined to describe the speed of the Austrian advance, which by the end of May had already reached as far as Milan and Venice.
By the 9th of June the Austrians entered Turin and by this point occupied all of Northern Italy and the entirety of Italy's Balkan territories gained after the Danubian War. Surely the Italian Army can not last much longer before they are forced to capitulate. The performance of the Austrians in this war has greatly impressed German observers, many of whom remember the poor performance of their Austrian allies in the Great War, it seems that the Habsburg Empire has left those days behind and has once again become a military power.
Meanwhile in Afghanistan the Emir Amanullah Khan decided to crown himself as King, upgrading his realm from an Emirate to a Kingdom. Events in Afghanistan would be of interest to the Kaiserreich who see the Afghans as a potential future ally.
On the 22nd of June with the situation seeming hopeless the Italian Government agreed to peace with Austria-Hungary and signed the Treaty of Palermo. In this Treaty the Italians ceded Lombardy, Venetia and all of their East Adriatic territories to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Fascist Government of Mussolini was also able to stay in power but this devastating defeat has caused a large amount of opposition to Mussolini who may struggle to retain his power anyway.
Not long after the signing of the Treaty of Palermo the Austrians decided to establish puppet states in their newly-gained Italian-speaking territories. The Republic of Venice and Duchy of Milan would both return to the map of Europe, neither having existed since before the Napoleonic Wars.
As one war ended in Europe another began in China as Kuomintang Government along with some allied warlords declared war on the Pro-Japanese Zhili Clique in what would become known as the Northern Expedition. The Japanese responded to the Chinese aggression against their friends in Beijing by introducing sanctions against the Kuomintang.
Back in Europe the British officially established the Commonwealth of Nations, which would see the overseas dominions of the British Empire given increased autonomy. This establishment was introduced at an Imperial Conference in London which was attended by the Prime Ministers of all the British Dominions. It will be interesting to see how the British loosening their grip on their Dominions will affect the stability of their Empire.
Meanwhile Austria continued with their process of carving up the Balkans into loyal puppet states as the Duchy of Montenegro was established. The Austro-Hungarian Empire with all their puppet states now control a large chunk of Europe stretching from Northern Italy to the Carpathians to Serbia, it is an incredible reversal of fortune from the broken Republic Austria had been just 7 years earlier. The Kaiserreich will certainly hope to replicate these successes once they have the power to do so.
In November the Northern Expedition in China came to an end with the Kuomintang occupying Beijing and bringing an end to the Zhili Clique. Now almost all of Eastern China was under the control of the Kuomintang which soon moved their capital to Beijing.
The following month the Japanese Emperor Taisho died at the age of 47. He was succeeded by his son who would become known as Emperor Hirohito. It remains to be seen how this new Emperor will handle the increased political instability and militarism in his country.
As 1926 comes to an end Germany remains on the steady road to recovery with the economy at its strongest since before the Great War. While developments outside of Germany are also positive as the nation most friendly to the Kaiserreich continues to grow in power. The Allied protection of the Bavarian traitors is a blow but not a permanent one, it certainly looks like there could be a bright future for Germany!
Chapter 17 (1926)
As the year of 1926 begun Germany's internal problems seemed to be fading away as some measure of economic prosperity returned. There was a renewed sense of optimism amongst the German people that had not been seen since before the Great War ended.
The following month the German efforts to reclaim their position as an economic powerhouse in Europe continued as the Kaiser approved the beginning of a 12-year plan at the end of which it was hoped that Germany would have one of the strongest economies in the world.
Later in April there was yet another skirmish at the Inner German border between Imperial Troops and the forces of the German Republic. Casualties were rather high with 61 Imperial Troops being killed as well as 53 on the Republican side. It was the bloodiest yet of the many border skirmishes that had occurred since the declaration of the German Republic in 1924.
Yeah this period of peace for Germany is certainly well needed.
As for rearmament, its proceeding pretty well I reckon, definitely ahead of where Germany was at the start of 1927 in OTL anyway
Well now, Austrian resurgence is certainly spectacular. One just has to hope it is not a case though of the light that burns twice as bright...
Indeed, Austria-Hungary's success has greatly impressed me, especially with how quickly they took down the Italians in that war...everything just seems to be going right for them and it will be interesting to see how long that lasts.
There isn't a proper Weimar Republic path yet in this mod but one of the next releases is going to add the ability to preserve the Weimar Republic, become a strong democratic Germany and unite with the Allies against the Soviets...it will be like Red Alert and its going to be awesome
Hope that answers your question
New chapter time...
Somewhere the future did not seem so bright was Italy, their devastating defeat by Austria-Hungary the previous year had left Mussolini ruling over a broken country with rising dissent that the Blackshirts were struggling to deal with. This situation came to a head on Valentine's Day 1927 as a coalition of Anti-Fascist Political movements attempted a coup against Mussolini. However this coup would end in failure as the Italian Military remained loyal to Mussolini and the leaders of this coup were arrested. The aftermath of the coup saw a violent purge against anyone suspected of opposing the ruling Fascists and ensured that any further rebellion would be impossible.
Meanwhile the Austrians continued to create new puppet states in the Balkans by establishing the Duchy of Macedonia from the Macedonian territories that had been part of Yugoslavia before their defeat in the Danubian War. On the other side of the world in China the aftermath of the Northern Expedition had led to a period of unrest with widespread looting and rioting, in several East Coast cities there was violence against foreigners. In Nanjing this violence prompted the intervention of the Naval Forces of Britain and the United States who successfully evacuated many citizens after rescue operations which saw some combat against the National Revolutionary Army.
The following month there was further violence in China as Chiang Kai-Shek and the Right-Wing Faction of the Kuomintang began a large scale purge of Communists in all territories under the control of the Republic of China. This purge culminated in a massacre in Shanghai that led to the death of thousands of people who were suspected of being Communists. This violent suppression ended the already shaky alliance between the Kuomintang and the Communists and brought China to the brink of Civil War.
Back in Europe, the increasingly violent political instability and Anti-Polish sentiment in Ukraine led to the Nationalist UVO attempting a March on Kiev to overthrow the Pro-Intermarium Government in imitation of what Mussolini had done in Italy five years earlier. However, unlike Mussolini, the UVO's attempt to seize power was a failure with Government Forces putting them down. In the aftermath of this failed coup the leaders of the UVO were arrested and the organisation would later collapse without effective leadership.
Meanwhile, the situation in China continued to worsen in the aftermath of the Shanghai Massacre and in late April the Chinese Communist Party seized control of the city of Nanchang and the surrounding area. The Chinese Civil War had begun as the Kuomintang mobilised to bring the fight to the Communists.
Back in Germany, the lack of Allied response to the secret expansion of the Deutsches Heer led to the Kaiser approving the next step of rearmament, namely the creation of a new German Air Force. Germany had been forbidden from having an air force in the Versailles Treaty but since that piece of paper was becoming more and more irrelevant each year it was decided to go ahead with this next step. This new Air Force, known as the Luftwaffe, would be the successor to the wartime Luftstreitkrafte which had been disbanded following the Great War. Someday very soon the Germans will once again dominate the skies.
Not long after, in yet another example of how important air travel will become, American Pilot Charles Lindbergh made the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic as he flew a single-seat monoplane from New York to Paris in a flight that took just over 33 hours. It was an amazing achievement and an important milestone in air travel. Hopefully some day very soon German aircraft will be capable of flying to America.
In June the Deutsches Heer was able to announce that order that finally been restored to the regions that had attempted to secede from the Kaiserreich during the Free-State War. In the two years since that war ended the Military had retained an occupation of the rebellious territories that had been plagued by civil disobedience, guerrilla warfare and widespread crime. But now these people were finally beginning to accept that the Kaiser ruled their states. The army could begin reducing troop presence in the former Free-States and the process of reintegration was complete.
This restoration of order was yet more positive news for Germany as internal dissent had now been all but eliminated within the Kaiserreich. As the recovery continues the Germans can now begin to look beyond their borders once again, to territory that is rightfully theirs and someday soon will once again be ruled by the Kaiser as it should be.
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Author's Note: This chapter was originally going to cover all of 1927 but I got hungry so I'm gonna go deal with that first...but I may have the next chapter up later on, although it will be a shorter chapter.
In the meantime, enjoy the events of 1927 Part One
Chapter 18 (Jan-Jun 1927)
A new year dawned on the Kaiserreich with the feeling of optimism amongst the German people growing every day now. If this rate of recovery continues it may only be another decade before Germany is capable of facing down the Allies once again, the future certainly looks bright.
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Author's Note: This chapter was originally going to cover all of 1927 but I got hungry so I'm gonna go deal with that first...but I may have the next chapter up later on, although it will be a shorter chapter.
In the meantime, enjoy the events of 1927 Part One
