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Asalto

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Sep 30, 2008
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1942


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Imperial cabinet in 1942:

Political leadership: His Imperial Majesty Pyotr IV Wrangel, effective supreme leader of imperial state, excercising great influence in internal and external affairs, military, security aparatus and even economy. Prime Minister Vlasov is a mere deputy and confidant of supreme leader, parliament is a paper institution, with Wrangel's circle being the real origin of Russian legislation. Ministry of economic development strictly follows Wrangel's conception of corporativist state, with Wrangel often directly interfering in ministry work with his wishes and ideas concerning ambitious plans about massive industrialization, agrarian reforms, infrastructural projects and electrification. Foreign policy is formally headed by Lev Gumilov, one of most visible representatives of Eurasianist movement. In spite of Wrangel having the first and final word in foreign policy also, the Eurasianist face of Russian foreign policy clearly shows that Wrangel's ambitions abroad are well synchronized with fundamental Eurasianist concepts.

Military, intelligence and security structures: Army and security aparatus are backbone of Wrangel's empire. Notorious Okhrana was restored and its strong hand prevents internal opposition even from breathing too loud. Flamboyant aristocrat Felix Yusupov, serving as prime minister in time of pre-Tsarist Wrangel's Autocracy before, is now coordinating work of intelligence services. Coups and assassinations are his favorite fields of professional interest. Military is divided among two competing factions: Old and young guard. War minister Field Marshal Anton Denikin is leading the first group. While also representing military influence in state politics, he pursues traditional ideals in military affairs, prefering brutal quality of enourmous quantity, supported by superior firepower, over modern experiments. Yong guard faction is gathered around Chief of Staff, General Sergei Markov, and commander of ground forces, General Jevgenij von Rommel. Those proponents of fast operations, performed by powerful armored spearheads, have many supporters and even more opponents of their doctrines. Such ballance in military structures is also result of Wrangel's interfering. The meaning of another in series of such autocrat's attempts is wish to create constructive rivalry inside military that would merge the best of both concepts. Navy and air forces are somehow still left in the rear, with navy still undergoing great reconstruction with focuss on strong open seas fleet while air force is serving more or less for support roles, usually operating as mere army or naval aviation force.

Economy: Russian economic policy is based on strict corporatist concepts. Agrarian sector raised from famine and ruins of civil war with goverment-promoted and funded massive agrarisation of countryside. New technologies were implemented with great care and surpluses of agrarian products ensure both Russian agrarian autarky and strong export of agrarian goods. Industrialization process is not that successful, but significant industrial growth can be detected. Predominant industrial central planning is mix of direct goverment control and indirect implementation of economic plans via means of crony private enterprise, with big private business with strong connections to regime following the game with various success. This brings along a lot of corruption and inefficiency, what makes industrialization less successful as it should be according to plans. More luck is present with infrastructural projects that are linked and reinforced with reconquests of infrastructural sites of great importance that were out of Russian reach before, like once Mongol-occupied and now liberated portion of trans-Siberian railroad, and Pacific port of Vladivostok that was held by Transamurese Russian collaborators of Tokyo until reconquest in recent Russo-Japanese conflict.

Foreign relations: Russian relations with the other world are mix of some old and many new factors. Russian Empire preserves traditionally good relations with Entente powers, with National France being closest Russian partner from that club. Relations with Germans are cold and warm at the same time, what is result from strong Russo-German lobby in Russia, good commercial ties with Mitteleuropa, German intervention in favor of White Forces during 1st Russian Civil War, but on the other hand also bitterness about German domination of Central Eastern Europe and strong rivalry between two great powers. Relations with Ottomans have improved recently as non-aggression pact was forged between two empires after Russian reconquest of entire Caucasus region, but this situation is uncertain in long-term predictions. Relations with Japanese were never good and are now on lowest level due to Russian success in Far East campaign. Due to strong loyalty to Eurasianist concepts and also due to sheer knowing of realistic capacities, Russia has not much interest anywhere outside Eurasian landmass. This pretty much marks the boundaries of general Russian ambitions.

 
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What? An independent Tannu Tuva with Wrangel in charge?

Eh, it's okay. Not like they amount to much anyway.
 
Great to see another AAR from you, especially in DH. I will be following this very closely!

Also, I love seeing Pavel Ignatiev in your cabinet. He has an interesting Canadian connection BTW. His son George was a Canadian diplomat, and his grandson, Michael Ignatieff, is the former leader of Canada's liberal party and ran for the office of Prime Minister in Canada's 2011 federal elections.

Perhaps we will see Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Ignatiev in the 21st century? :laugh:
 
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Wrangel as the new Czar?

Amazing.
 
@ Zzzzz: Thanks! Russian foreign policy follows the political concept of Eurasianism.

@ SovietAmerika: But Tannu Tuva is such an awesome nation! I simply had to release them...

@ Kaiser Mobius: You gave me some really nice ideas with that, you know...

@ Kurt Steiner: Thank you, and welcome aboard!



Global situation in 1942:​
Few years ago, European continent was plunged into war between rogue revolutionary Syndicalist Internationale and post-Weltkrieg victorious-German-lead-alliance Mitteleuropa over the issue of Alsace-Lorraine. Stalemate on frontline at river Meuse lasts from the early stages of war and reminds on old Sitzkrieg situation. None of sides is able to break trough in spite of costly attempts that take away lots of manpower and material. While Germans and French are main combatants at this bloody frontline, they are aided by many allied troops. On French side, British and Italian expeditionary forces are important factors while many German vassals from Eastern Europe are taking part on German side with their troops.

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Relatively stable but still shaky Austria-Hungary decided not to join the war, at least not yet. While Russo-German relations are not too critical in spite of fears of potential Russian backstabbing move against Mitteleuropa yet , relations with Austria-Hungary have strongly deteriorated due to recent Russian actions in favor of oppressed ethnicities in empire. Russia announced official support for Slovak cause and granted safe haven to Slovak political exiles. It's also not a secret that Russia is trying to get more influence among Orthodox people in Balkans, altough she had not much luck with that yet. Bulgaria is strongly pro-German while Serbia and Greece are weakling nations, strongly commercially dependent on Austria-Hungary. Albania is still shared Austro-Ottoman vassal state while Iron Guard Romania is contained in hostile neighbourhood. Ottoman Empire looks more like Oriental version of current Austria-Hungary than decaying empire as it survived all internal unrests and foreign threats by now, and even strenghtened its regional influence.

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Civil war between three factions, CEDA-lead leftovers of old kingdom, Carlist zealots and leftists banded around anarchist CNT-FAI, each fighting on its own with some light external support, is still raging in Spain. On the other side of the ocean, 2nd American Civil War has ended shortly before the start of European war with effective victory of American Union State that brought down first Syndicalists, then leftovers of federal goverment and in the end also the West Coast separatists. Corporativist nature of both new American and Russian regimes resulted in good relations between two powerful states. Canadian-lead Entente went to war against Syndicalism right after the European conflict broke out, but without much success for now, if we neglect some naval scratches in Atlantic. For now still isolationist-oriented American Union State is in phase of fast reconstruction and benefits a lot from export to Canada as many branches of production were already put back on their feet. New England and Alaska were returned to AUS by Canada in wish to maintain normal relations between two big neighbours. However, Canadians preserved control over strategically important Panama Canal and Entente-aligned Caribbean Federation maintains control over Puerto Rico. In Pacific side, Hawaii and Philippines are now living on their own while expansionistic Japanese Empire who seek total dominance in East Asia, be it Russian Far East, broken China or vast Pacific Ocean, snapped the rest of US Pacific minor insular territories. Australasia is fiercly loyal to Entente and so is also with Delhi in fractured Indian subcontinent.

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Latin America is forgotten continent, with military regime in Mexico consolidating in the North, with pety goverments of various kinds residing in Caribbean region, and with South America being the theatre of rivalry between military-lead La Plata and integralist regime in Brazil.

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Back in the Old World, African-exiled National France isn't able to contribute to crusade against Syndicalism much more than other Entente allies do. French military regime, lead by old Marshal Petain and younger General De Gaulle, is doing everything to consolidate its strength and strike against hated Communards, but not much can be done without stronger foreign support. Big part of Africa is pretty much German dominated, with Egypt-Sudan, South Africa and Ethiopia being the only considerable independent local powerhouses.

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I see this world is not a friend of Syndicalism. Well, at least not in the New World. This is very good for you.
 
Apparently, the trenches are stil useful in this world. No Panzers raging around.
 
The problem of Play with Russia is the high belligerence :(
 
@ SovietAmerika: And I'm pretty sure that you are pleased to see strong AUS hanging around too. :cool:

@ Kurt Steiner: Russia already has Markov in top of general staff and De Gaulle is in power in National France, so if Kaiser won't pull out Guderian from somewhere, trenches won't help much when the iron hordes come to visit. But until then, Germans and Communards can sit in trenches if they really like doing that.

@ Gukpa: You're damn right about that, and I'm not bothered by realistic approach where belligirence makes powerful world-police-wannabe nation declaring war on big bad boy, but having Honduras and Peru declaring war on you is just absurd!

@ 42Aetherius: Thank you very much, and welcome aboard!



Time of troubles:
The violent death of President Kerensky, caused by a lone killer, shocked the pillars of Russian Federation. The unsuitable name Russian Federation was just a leftover of eary Kerensky's attempt to bring back shattering country under united federal roof of young republic and make it more attractive for non-Russian minorities. This policy failed with vast parts of once mighty Russian Empire maintaining their selfdoms, but the name, consitution and anthem stayed. Nothing was really left to federate, except for Siberia and Idel-Ural receiving some kind of quasi-federative autonomy inside the pseudo-federation where even what was meant to be a federal representative parliamentary chamber was more like a club of aristocrats and some regional strongmen from autonomous areas that were handpicked by Kerensky from a pool of suitable regional elites pretty much in style of crony vassalage that enabled mutual benefits. However, death of Kerensky turned Russia upside down. Baron Wrangel and his numerous officer cabal seized the power and established police state to prevent factional fighting and social breakdown.

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Pyotr Wrangel, the Black Baron, attending prayer with his loyal officers. Already at the start of his dictatorship, Wrangel established himself as main promotor and protector of Russian patriotism and national traditions against the ''destructive streams of godless Bolshevism, rotten liberalism and all other kinds of scourge that prey on Russian national vitality''.


However, state of emergency, enriched with all avalible extreme and most brutal security measures, couldn't prevent the increasing civil unrest. Old Senators and moderate Duma deputies that were put under arrest and threatened with execution trembled in fear for their bare lives were not a threat to dictatorship, but radical political leaders that started to gather their supporters right after the death of Kerensky was announced started to wreak havoc. Separatists in Idel Ural were rounded up and eliminated even before they could start an uprising, but Siberian autonomists who were more careful and knew the brutal nature of famous commander of White Army rather kept their heads down. While those in Western Siberia sworn loyalty to absolutistic central goverment in sheer fear, those in Eastern Siberia felt a bit safer due to distance and started to plot. In the end, they managed to pursue Kolchak and his Japanese godfathers to move in and seize the Eastern Siberia that was anexed into State of Transamur.

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Admiral Kolchak was once a Russian unitarist that fought for the united Russia as motto from the old post stamp in his honor declares, but circumstances in turbolent situation in post-revolutionary Russia pushed him into becoming mere Japanese vassal in Russian Far East where he took refuge after failed coup attempt.


But the fate of Eastern Siberia wasn't the greatest concern for the new military dictator of Russia. Local Soviets took power in Northwestern Russia, turning Petrograd into bastion of workers' councils. Wrangel refused to negotiate about their demands for radical social reforms they desired, giving them ultimatum to disband the councils immediately instead. Soviet response was powerful: Russian Soviet Republic was declared and Bolshevik leader Mikhail Bukharin became the head of Soviet goverment. In the borders, greedy neighbours were gathering their troops for some time now. They smelled the blood for some time now and started to move after the Soviet state was declared. Finland moved into Russian parts of Karelia and Wrangel declared war on Finns immediatelly. German Kaiser discouraged the bold move of his Finnish cousin, warning that Germany won't be interfering in case of trouble in Finland as it was not secret that Germans have too much worries in other places already, but the king of Finland fell under total influence of nationalistic Lapua Movement and didn't respond. Other neighbours followed the Finnish suit and moved in their troops. Kazakhs from Alash Orda marched against the Volga river to establish new border there, and Wrangel declared war against them too. However, when Pyotr Kranov of Don Kuban decided to expand Cossack state towards the North, all the way to outskirts of Tsarytsin, Wrangel decided not to risk another war, tolerating Cossack expansion until the better times for Russia come.

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Nikolai Bukharin, heart and soul of new Soviet revolution.


Russian state had many enemies to fight now: Soviets in Northwest that control vast areas around Petrograd, even more towards the North Finns were storming Russian garrisons in Kola Peninsula and remaining outskirts of Karelia, and in the East Kazakhs were advancing by the Volga to grab as much land as possible. Kazakhs were even annoying weak Russian troops in what remained of Siberia, even forcing some those units to flee their border posts. Wrangel couldn't risk to deploy more troops to the East: He couldn't defend even Moscow if she was hit from the rear, and even Kazan and Nizhny Novgorod were in danger as Kazakh scouts were spotted nearby. Because of this danger, large popular army was raised immediatelly in Moscow and sent towards the advancing Kazakhs. Such relatively fast conscription was result of old plan that was made for the case of potential last stand in Moscow, and due to high spirits among the people of Moscow that were result of both natural patriotism and faith into Wrangel's rough but ensuring guidance. Altough Wrangel was personally commanding on Western front against the Soviets himself, his deputies knew how to simulate his presence by good propaganda campaign. ''Army of Moscow'', a great mix of regulars and militias that marched towards the Kazakhs was not devoted only to defense of their homeland: They were determined to bring the war to Alash Orda.

In the West where most of Russian forces were massed and where the heaviest battles took place, Russian regime pumped every drop of energy to take care of menacing threats. Kola has fallen, but stable defense lines were established at the Karelian outskirts. Wrangel decided to take down the Soviets first. Finns can wait for their turn. Masses of weary old soldiers and inexperienced conscripts were thrown against the Soviets with great ferocity that was originating from fanatical Wrangelist officers that relied mostly on brutal fear. Wrangel himself later commented the attitude of his officers towards their troops: ''In Russian Army it takes more courage to retreat than advance.''

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A group of Russian Army soldiers took a break to pose for a photo.
 
Russia will be in a hell of a mess when this war is over.
 
@ Aetherius & Zzzzz...: What more is there to say? Long live the Vozhd!

@ SovietAmerika & Kurt_Steiner: Unfortunately Russia seems to be a magnet for messy situations...

@ Deus Eversor: Thanks for your interest! I must confess that I wasn't really sure if I could handle situation against everyone, Soviets somewhere got hell of a army and I let Kazakhs to expand to much, having to send lots of troops to chase them around Siberia. Cossack stab could be the fatal one, but I don't want to finish this game too soon yet. ^^

@ Bergioyn: I'm glad to have you around here also!




Internal consolidation and defensive expansion:​
Winter of 1936-1937 went into Russian history under the name ''Bloody Winter''. In late February, masses of loyalist troops overran rebel positions and after two decisive battles at outskirts of Petrograd eventually stormed the besieged Soviet capital. Soviet leadership had fallen in last brutal urban battle that raged for two weeks. This was the bitter end of 2nd socialist revolution in Russia.

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Now it was the time to make a move against the Finns. In the East, Russians were holding a defense line at Petrozavodsk while Russian armies were now moving towards the Finnish lines that were established North of Petrograd. When the waves of Russian infantry, supported by massive artillery fire, stormed those Finnish lines and broke them after fierce battling that caused massive casulties especially on Russian side, Finnish goverment started asking for negotiations. More the sea of Russian troops was splashing into Finland, more generous Finnish offers were. However, Wrangel desired no peace. He rejected even the offer where Finnland offered entire Karelia to Russia. Lapua Movement and foolish king had to be punished for their vicious move against the Russia.

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After the fall of Helsinki and several major cities in the South, Finnish army under leadership of Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim started with separate secret talks with Russians in attempt to spare Finland of Wrangelist ''justice'' and to secure better terms for Finland that was closer to Russian rule every new day. Seeing that Finnish army might be of good use in the future and also feeling the sympathies for Baron Mannerheim who was otherwise a staunt Finnish patriot but also used to serve with pride to Russian Empire as imperial officer before the fall of Tsardom, Baron Wrangel decided to negotiate about better terms for Finns. When it was time to execute the agreement, army removed Lapua regime, eliminated its leadership, sent the king back to Prussia and accepted honorable surrender to Russia.

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Valiant Finnish defenders couldn't stop destructive Russian waves.


Right after the fall of Soviet Russia, Wrangel has declared that Russian republic is now also formally defunct and proclaimed the restoration of monarchy. Monarchist-styled black-gold-white flag with imperial eagle was already in unofficial but widespread and regime-promoted use since Wrangelist takeover after murder of Kerensky and republic was only a dead word on paper as Russia under Wrangel was pretty much just a fully politically and administratively centralized state under ruthless military dictatorship. However, when the empire was formally proclaimed after fall of Petrograd Commune, Wrangel revealed no intention to bring one of heirs of Romanov dynasty or even himself to imperial throne yet. The throne remained empty and Wrangel continued to act as a Vozhd, traditionalist autocrat and military dictator. He also held the position of de facto imperial regent. To bring some more glamour and legitimacy to the regime, he chosed flamboyant aristocrat Felix Yusupov as a head of imperial goverment. Recent formal restoration of the empire allowed creation of new monarchist-styled administrative structures, and Grand Duchy of Finland came into place very soon to limit the continuing rise of dissent in occupied Finland and honor the agreement with the Finns.

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Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim became the Regent of Grand Duchy of Finland, integral but autonomous part of Russian Empire. Duchy was created in boundaries of Finnish kingdom as they were in early 1936 and no Russian grand duke was enforced into power in Finland. Ducal throne remained empty on purpose as it was decided that Finnish regent who would represent the imperial rule will be always put into this office instead. Finns also received some other concesions, apart from some administrative and political autonomy, they were also granted that aggressive Russification won't take place. Ducal population was also pardoned from service in imperial army and old Finnish army was curbed in size and turned into ducal guard which received the roles of territorial defense and gendarmerie.
 
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Serves the Finn's right for their stab in the back when Russia was at its most vulnerable. Now, time to bring the Kazakhs under the rightful rule of Tzar Wrangel!