New chapter time!
Chapter 20 - July-August 1943
With the red flag now flying over Paris, the final defeat of the French reactionaries is surely imminent. With American troops in their capital and the Soviets beginning to breach their lines along the German border the French can surely not hold out much longer despite their obvious fanaticism. However, in the south the French have launched a strong offensive towards the Mediterranean Coast and seem poised to cut the Soviet Forces there in two. Such a disaster for the Soviets can only benefit the Americans in the long run but if the French decide to turn west they could regain territory currently held by the USSA and their Portuguese comrades and as such preparations may need to be made in case such a situation comes to pass.
Hours later the American Red Army enter the coastal city of Dieppe, which had been acting as the French capital since the Fall of Paris. Once again the French Government is able to escape the city and soon arrive in Verdun which is already been threatened by the advancing Americans. From Verdun the French propaganda machine continues to demand more needless sacrifice from their own people. One figure noticeably absent from the French leadership in Verdun is their King, Henri VI, who was last seen in Dieppe before the cities capture and the Monarch was certainly not found, dead or alive, by the Americans after the cities fall. The French Propaganda Minister has also remained noticeably silent about the King's fate which for the moment remains a mystery to the USSA and her allies.
Meanwhile further north the French forces in the Normandy Pocket continued to be slowly ground down with the last forces in the pocket retreating towards Cherbourg where they will no doubt seek to make a last stand. Further East another French counteroffensive was launched towards Reims, this offensive proved to be much better organized than previous attacks by the French Army and there is a danger that Reims might be recaptured.
On July 4th the last French forces in the Normandy Pocket surrendered near Cherbourg with over 6,000 prisoners entering American captivity. The expected last stand by the French did not materialize and after some fighting near Cherbourg the French General saw the writing on the wall and officially surrendered to the Red Army. Around the same time the American advance through Northern France continued with the fall of Amiens just hours after the surrender near Cherbourg.
Meanwhile in East Asia, where heavy fighting had been ongoing concurrently with the battles in Europe, the fighting there effectively came to an end with the surrender of the Reactionary Chinese Government to the Soviets who by now had captured all of the major Chinese cities. Days later the Soviets officially established the People's Republic of China as a satellite state while maintaining direct control of both Manchuria and Xinjiang. This unfortunately expected move by the Soviet revisionists has made many Chinese Communists unhappy as they had no doubt expected a unified Communist China, this situation can and will be exploited by MSS Agents who are already making contact with many of the dissatisfied Chinese Communists in the hope of soon swaying China away from Soviet influence!
Back in Europe the French offensive towards Reims ended in failure as the Americans were able to maintain control of the city despite taking heavy losses. Meanwhile further North the Americans captured the coastal city of Dunkirk allowing them to encircle another French force in Calais and also bringing them within sight of the border with French-occupied Belgium. With the Soviet failure to advance beyond the Netherlands it seems extremely possible that the USSA will now be able to liberate at least some of Belgium themselves.
News was less positive further south as the second American attempt to capture the well-defended city of Chaumont south of Verdun ended in failure while Verdun itself also continued to hold out against the Red Army. Worse was still to come as the French forces in Chaumont launched a powerful counterattack towards Troyes where the disorganized American soldiers were forced out of the city. After these defeats news of the destruction of the small French force in Calais hardly seemed significant. Meanwhile the Soviets have begun to make some serious progress into Eastern France with the city of Metz falling under their control. With the Maginot Line now breached in the south the fighting along the Franco-German border, long static, may now become mobile again.
There was some more good news further north for the USSA not long after however as the Red Army achieved a decisive victory near Lille. However the situation back south continues to worsen as after the recapture of Troyes by the French they are once again threatening Reims, this time with a much stronger force. The fact that the French are now diverting several divisions to the front with the USSA is of course concerning as these veterans, who have fought off Soviet advances for months, are undoubtedly the most battle-hardened troops remaining in the French Army and their well-planned offensive has brought them within striking distance of Paris once again. The French cannot regain their capital!
Back in Asia the Soviets have established a new Socialist puppet state in North Vietnam, which had been occupied by China in the early years of the war. The leader of this new Vietnamese state, Ho Chi Minh, speaks of fighting imperialism in Southeast Asia and of friendship with Moscow and it unfortunately seems like Vietnam will remain a loyal ally of the Soviets for the foreseeable future.
Back in Europe the French offensives continue with Reims falling to the French. Fortunately the arrival of several American divisions means that the threat of them reaching Paris seems like it is ended. Indeed the French advance has apparently left them extremely overstretched and the Americans are able to launch devastating counteroffensives towards both Reims and Troyes and further north the Red Army achieve another decisive victory near Hirson.
The counteroffensive towards Reims is also hugely successful for the Red Army who while suffering heavy losses are once again able to drive the French out of the city. Further North there is more good news for the Americans as Sedan is captured after a short skirmish with poorly armed local forces and the first Red Army forces enter Belgium and battle with the local French forces near Mons and Bruges.
Over the next few days the Red Army recapture both Troyes and Reims while the Soviets continue to advance west capturing the city of Nancy. The city of Nancy was the site of a major US victory over the French Empire in 1918 and it had been hoped that the city would once again be captured by American forces but unfortunately this was not to be the case here. Still these advances by both the Americans and Soviets is beginning to crush the embattled French forces between the two Socialist armies. The end of both the war against the French reactionaries as well as the race for territory between the USSA and USSR is now undoubtedly ending its final stages.
On July 25th the city of Verdun, long fought over, finally falls to the American Red Army and hours later the American and Soviet Forces in the region meet up. This meeting between the two Red Armies is not as friendly as previous such meetings as a clear rivalry has now developed between the two Socialist powers competing for French territory. Nonetheless this meeting now means that the remaining territory under French control has been cut in two and the Fall of Verdun also leads to the capture or death of several prominent French politicians and the ones who successfully escaped Verdun, including Prime Minister Deloncle, are now roaming the French countryside south of Verdun while a Military Government is formed by the French in Belgium, meanwhile the whereabouts of the French King remain unknown. This collapse of central authority is clear proof that French defeat is now surely imminent.
The competition for land between the Socialist powers continues as the Americans push south towards Chaumont in an attempt to reach the city before the Soviets, defeating a sizeable French force on the way. Meanwhile the Soviets have entered Eastern Belgium where the Americans have recently defeated French forces near Namur, the city from which the French Military Government is operating.
However not long after the French Army in Belgium is able to outmanoeuvre the Red Army and recapture Lille. The Americans are able to promptly counterattack and drive the French back out but this was still somewhat of a shock to the Red Army leadership.
The following day an Uprising occurs in Amiens as a Monarchist youth organization known as Camelots du Roi seizes control of the city from the small Red Army garrison. The proximity of Amiens to Lille where the French had just attacked the day before suggests to the USSA leadership that this was a coordinated action between the Camelots du Roi and the Military Government in Belgium. This suspicious grow further after French commandos land on the Northern coast under cover of darkness to aid the uprising in Amiens. It seems unlikely that the scattered remnants of the French Government were capable of planning this operation on their own, suggesting that another Government may be aiding the French in their fight against Socialism.
Further south the American advance south continues with Chaumont being captured before the Soviets can reach the city themselves. Further North the remaining French forces have now been squeezed into two large pockets by the advancing American and Soviet forces, one in Northern Belgium and one around Northern Alsace-Lorraine. Once these two pockets are defeated the French ability to fight will be all but destroyed.
Meanwhile the attempted Monarchist uprising in Amiens is crushed by Red Army reinforcements. This coordinated operation was well planned and it was only the now pitiful state of the French Army that prevented it from becoming a major problem for the USSA. While none of the Commandos could be captured interrogation of several Camelots du Roi members suggests that the Commandos may have been covertly aided by members of the British Government who seek to weaken the Socialists in Europe, even if it means quietly aiding their Axis enemies. There is currently no proof of British involvement in this plot and it would be unwise to seek conflict with the Allies before the Axis are even defeated but rest assured MSS Agents in England will be tasked with seeking proof.
Back in Alsace-Lorraine the Americans and Soviets are both fighting against French forces in the pocket. There are even some joint operations carried out against major points of French Resistance like at Arlon where the Soviets are able to capture the city before the Americans after heavy fighting. With Alsace-Lorraine now effectively under Soviet control the American Red Army in the sector will be diverted north and south to aid in advances there instead.
By Early August the Soviets are able to capture the cities of Belfort and Le Creusot effectively blocking any further American advances south. At this point the Soviets demand to be allowed to deal with the French Government, who by now have reorganized in Lyon. The Americans agree and reinforcements are moved north to ensure Belgium comes under American control once the war is over.
The situation in Belgium is extremely favorable to the Americans with Bruges falling under their control. The last French forces in Belgium now fall back to the capital of Brussels where the Americans hope to reach before the Soviets...
...and on August 8th the Belgian capital is in American hands and not long after the remaining French forces in Belgium surrender. This ends all effective French resistance in the North and now the only French forces still fighting on are in the south against the Soviets. It now seems unlikely that the USSA will gain control of any more French territory and as such now the priority should be to consolidate control of the territory they now control and wait until the French surrender.
On August 10th Lyon falls to the Soviets and the French are surely on the verge of defeat now. The following day there is an unexpected development as King Henri VI of France surfaces in England where he announces French surrender to the Allies and calls on the French people to overthrow the Fascist Government. Not long after the French Government is indeed overthrown by Royalists with the help of British Soldiers who were able to sneak into France through lightly defended Soviet territory in the South. The French Royalists agree to hand over control to a British Military Administration for the moment. The British then warn both the Soviets and Americans that any incursion into their territory in France will be considered an act of war. After the surrender of France becomes official the Spanish also agree to peace with Britain but not with the Socialist powers who are occupying their territory. The war will continue for the USSA until Spain is defeated but with the surrender of France and much of France under American control, there is much cause for celebration in the USSA!