There is probally a need for a New Delhi
You can also check out this, only take in 28kt and you should get a rough estimate of casualties.. https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/
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There is probally a need for a New Delhi
You can also check out this, only take in 28kt and you should get a rough estimate of casualties.. https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/
There is probally a need for a New Delhi
You can also check out this, only take in 28kt and you should get a rough estimate of casualties.. https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/
India has a high population, high traffic rate and has weather hemmed in by the mountains in the north. China should be alright but south east asia, the subcontinent and the middle east are going to get a massive radiation cloud coming if theres anymore bombing...even then, thats so much fallout spread out over the country that large areas of it might be irradiated. Take in famine and insurrection put downs as well and a 100 million seems conservative.
That's a fair point. However remember that these are "only" 28kt and not as massive as the later atomic and hydrogen bombs. Still their destruction capacity are ridicolous compared to conventional arms. But if we look at Japan they did get two nuclear bombs dropped at them OTL in a much denser area. These six nuclear bombs in India was spread out from modern day Pakistan to easternmost and southernmost India. The effects shoudl be terrible nonetheless, I don't doubt that. But three nuclear bombs in the major areas of Spain and a dense area in the main center of production of foodstuffs in the USSR is bound to create some major issues aswell.
But as I said, I think the Soviets realized just how far they pushed it and is now going to restrict themself. But as I said the entire war would take a gruseome turn and humanity is now at its lowest point and it is uncertain if this war will end at all or if all will end. It's also difficult to calculate the exact effects of things as well we have never experienced something like this OTL, and hopefully never will. But I agree, it will "eff" up India for a while (due to forum rules, I can't make a narrative on the civillian side of things) and also the soldiers who have to fight through that radiated areas.
Interlude VI
Interlude VI: Liberty Enlightening the World
We'll see about that...
The 20th century was projected to be the American Century. Half a century of peace, democracy and prosperity, forged out of the fire of two world wars. America, it seemed, had outgrown the old world as they once great European nations laid broken, their economies devastated and their countries left in ruins from two disastrous wars. The New World, on the other hand, emerged as both the moral victor and more importantly the economic victor. Early on the American hengemony was taking its shape. Leading on to create this new world order they hasted to found the UN and several free trade agreements and found a world economy based upon the US Dollar. The Statue of Liberty in New York made a promise that liberty would enlighten the world and with the USA being the undisputed - in their own eyes at the very least - leader of this liberty and the free world, it was the US that would take up the torch to lead the world into a new age. But it was not to be.
A new conflict arose. A conflict based on ideology, of socialism versus capitalism, commism pitted against democracy. And where the US and Truman hoped to at the very least cooperate with the USSR and Trotsky, the eastern giant had other plans. Soviet Russia was founded in a state of deep paranoia and distrust, where anyone was seen as potential counter-revolutionaries. This state of distrust had only grown under Stalin, and while it was not as rampant under Trotsky as with Stalin, it still existed. And this paranoia was especially directed against the western world. The communist world soon pulled the rug out from the feet of Truman. And as Truman stumbled, so did the free world. The Soviets engaged on the aggressive Southern Thrust that effectively removed most of the oil supplies to the west, soon a general embargo of NATO as a whole followed, with the communist nations withdrawing from the United Nations and replacing it with the International. USA and the few remaining democracies in Europe was now cut off from the lifeblood of their economies; Middle-Eastern oil. Trotsky had applied a tourniquet and tightened it every day to slowly strangle the west who now only relied upon US oil reserves. Trade was now only restricted to a few nations and natural resources was scarce. Along with this came the war scare, the markets naturally didn't react well and soon the western world fell into deep recession. For every day it became more and more apparent the American Century could only forged in the fires and blood of another war.
Truman was said to be a mushroom enthusiast.
And that war came. A war that was according to NATO a war to stop the endless communist expansion and their tireless quest to sacrifice innocent lives to achieve their vision of an utopia, and according to the communist world an unsanctioned NATO intervention in Bulgarian domestic affairs. Nonetheless the war came after several aggressive Soviet thrusts in the region, that was finally stopped by the US Navy in the Aegean Sea. But there was a few issues. How could the United States stop the Soviet expansion in Europe? The people was tired of war, and rightly so, and did not want their sons, brothers and husbands to fight in another world war losing hundreds of thousands, or perhaps millions of their countrymen. And let alone, how would they fincance such a war? During the second world war the superpower struggled as it was with financing their war, now they had to wage a war in a state of deep recession and social unrest. But Truman had one ace up his sleeve: the nuclear button - and he knew how to use it.
The success of the PACT offensives into Europe and Britain shocked the western world, but most of all the Americans. For the first few days the spirit of its people was somewhat high. Afterall, in their own mind at least, it was the New World who came to the rescue of the Old World during the past two wars. It was the Americans who ended the bloody conflicts of the Europeans and made sure democracy and freedom prevailed. But now the fortunes was turning against them. Battle after battle was lost, and more and more of their fellow countrymen could only return in a flag draped coffin or not return at all, becoming just another unknown soldier. But the American brass knew from the get go that this war was one that was strategically difficult to win by conventional means. They needed to wage a war of attrition, outproduce and outlast their continental foes that was already in economic ruin and social despair. Their strategy was simple, to unleash the fury of the atomic blasts upon Ukraine and from then on shock and starve the Soviets into submission. This would be followed up by another offensive into Iberia with the liberal of atomic bombs to conquer the peninsula and liberate one of the major communist nations and sealing off the Mediterranean. The atomic bombs was dropped over both the USSR and Spain, but the plan backfired.
A later reconstuction of one of the many anti-war movements.
The nuclear blasts in the Soviet Union and Spain sent deep shockwaves into America itself. The use of such excessive force deeply shook many. Questions arose if the United States was waging a fair war, or simply if the war could be won. The Soviet and PACT offensives did not end with the nuclear bombings, instead all of Britain was now conquered along with the US offensive in Spain being twarthed with high casualties, only for some 300.000 US troops surrendering in Algeria a few months later. Many started to question why they would fight this war abroad, committing overt war crimes, while there was social injustice at home. This was only fueled by Soviet agents and disinformation, who had a relative large base of operations in the trade unions but saw a surge of support among the middle class and the intellectuals. While the American soldiers was fighting a war on the frontlines, there was a sense of an informational war at home. Soon these tensions escalated into outright clashes between the police and anti-war protestors and socialist unionists. Field Marshal MacArthur was soon put on the task to create a secret committe to end these treasonous elements at home. MacArthur had since the election of '44 advocated for a "crusade" against communism, akin to the crusade of Eisenhower against Nazism, and his own crusade against Japanese imperalism. MacArthur became increasingly aggressive in his rethorics and even advocated for an allout nuclear against the Soviets. He was sidelined from foreign politics, instead he was directed to lead a clandestine operation of sorts domestically. To root out the corruption of communism and socialist subversion and treason that plagued the nation - real, dubious or otherwise. The second red scare had begun.
The yanks are coming!
Fast forward to the 26th of August 1946. Just two months ago Field Marshal Vlasov and his 2nd Baltic Front conquered Iceland and Greenland. This alarmed US high command, and the population. Unknown to the latter, but known to the former the Soviets had just tested nuclear weapons of their own. While their B-29 Superfortress replicas (Tu-4) could not reach continental America from Greenland this alarmed them nevertheless. What if the Soviets managed to create longer trekking strategic bombers? At the very least Greenland and Iceland could be the springboard of a greater offensive into Canada and Newfoundland, an offensive that had to be stopped. The US Navy was sent off to the Labrador Sea, Davis Strait and Baffin Bay. The sheer presence of US capital ships, and most notably carriers, alone was enough to make the mighty Baltic Fleet and the White Sea fleet to turn tail to Iceland. With the threat of outright invasion for the time being dealt with, the eyes of the US high command turned to mainland Greenland. An ambitious naval landing was ordered along the western and southern coast of Greenland, totalling 13 manuever brigades. The Soviet defenders being low on supplies and fatigued from their costly invasion was taken aback as American destroyers and cruisers pummeled the shores with cannons and missiles. The Americans quickly established a beachhead and was now posed to liberate Greenland.
American soldiers in Greenland.
The Soviets troops and commanders was panick stricken. The Americans hit their shores with such a detirmination that the Army commander respnsible for holding the beaches committed suicide. The invasion force moved up into the hills and entire Soviet Rifle Divisions was encircled and soon they surrendered. Vlasov for a moment pondered if he should pull his divisions out of Greenland, and instead fortify Iceland. Every such notion, however, was categorically refused by STAVKA. Instead he had to committ more troops to the battle, pulling his garrisons away from Iceland and into Greenland, while another Front would have the task of fortifying Iceland. Moreover Vlasov, with the permission of Trotsky, issued a special directive. If any unit was found guilty of withdrawing in the face of the enemy, then the responsible commander and commissar of said unit was to be executed, along with every tenth soldier of the unit - randomly selected. In the face of streched out supply lines, worsened weather conditions, new weapons such as fighter jets and a new found resolve among the Soviet troops, the American offensive soon withered out. The offensive that had the much needed breakthrough for the Americans was soon reduced to a stalemate.
And they're gone.
And by the 10th of September, in the wake of the first nuclear bombings in India, the US forces pulled out after failed offensives and deteriorating weather. Thousands died on both sides, and the failed offensives highligted the sheer difficulties of naval assaults, only making the Soviets weary of their own planned offensives into Canada and Newfoundland.*
But the intended knockout blow did not come in Greenland. The US strategy was largely the same as it had been since the atomic blasts over Ukraine and the invasion of Spain. They were to fight a war of attrition and inflict the Soviets a decisive blow on the field, a field that would force the Soviets to the negotiation table - quite similar to the Soviet model. It was first intended to be in Korea. MacArthur advocated a full on assault from Korea and Japan into Communist China and the Soviet Union. To create a quagmire of sorts of and use the atomic bombs to obligitrate the Pearl of the Far East. Japan, it was reasoned, would join the war on the US side if a sufficient US presence was in Korea. Afterall the Japanese had under American blessing started to re-arm, and they were keen on a rematch so to speak after the Soviet execution of their Imperial family. However this was not to be, the Americans mostly sidelines MacArthur as an aggressive warmonger and instead let him, Senator McCarthy and J. Edgar Hoover focus on their domestic issues. This proved, in the long run, to be a fatal mistake. Even with the success of knocking out the Far East Fleet the USA failed to take advantage and prevent a Soviet buildup, as we all know Rodina were not restraining herself and T-44 tanks soon rolled into South Korea and ousted the Americans from the Far East.
US casualties in the jungles of Africa.**
In short the US was weary of casualties in the Far East and thus did not committ themself fully until they had built up sufficiently. Afraid to let another campaign as that of Spain and North Africa repeat itself, they chose to fully build up before striking. The Soviets knew this, and went on the offensive. Ironically this lead to two of the costliest campaigns of the war. With no foothold in Europe or the Far East, the US had to bait the Soviets into costly offensives (on both sides) that would in the end grind the Soviet war machine to a halt, and let the economic beast that is the USA win the war slowly but steadily. The Americans amassed troops, airplanes and ships in the Indian and African theaters along with false reports of American nuclear build ups in said theaters. Moreover false reports was seeded of imminent Anglo-American offensives into Afghanistand and Iran, to cut off Soviet oil supplies and threaten her soft underbelly. The Americans, however, did not intend to go on the offensive. Instead they hoped for a repeat of Korea of some sorts. Not for a decisive American defeat, but for the Soviets to go on the offensive, to make a pre-emptive strike when they were in fact not ready for it. The plan was to slowly bleed the Soviets out in the mountains of India, Persia and Afghanistan and the jungles and deserts of Africa. And they were right. Both in Africa and India the Soviets were bleeding themself into certain death, and disease and malnutrition was especially taking its toll in the forer theater. Entire divisions and corps perished in the fighting an for once it looked like the US gamble paid off, albeit at a high cost.***
However American fortunes in India was to turn around as the Soviets unleashed their own atomic bombings, crippling the US supply lines, means of communications and wreaking havoc across the famished Indian country. This however came at a price. The unprecedented use of atomic bombs turned the public against the Soviets, with its agents having a hard time to justify their own use of atomic bombs. True the US were the first to use these weapons, with the intended use of crippling and starving the Soviet population, but all that was soon forgotten. The people of the USA now rallied behind their leader and their war as they no longer saw it as just another war, and an unjust war at that. They saw it, as the Soviets had seen it ever since the nuclear blasts over Kiev, Odessa and Sevastopol, as a war of survival and not ideas. And among the the population of the US, her allies also rallied behind liberty enlightening the world, most notably India.
All of Europe is now truly liberated...
Still there was a war going on, with massive casualties on both sides in Africa and India in particular, but also smaller theaters. On nightfall of the 22nd of November 1946, a joint force of troops led on by the Balkan Socialist Union overwhelmed the tiny nation of Albania. On the 27th of November the nation formally capitulated, with its King Zog fleeing to Libya, and from there into America. It was said Washington then saw a boom in its tobacco industries. Nevertheless Europe was now fully under communist and PACT control. Not one nation was a member of NATO or non-aligned.
If they can't take the war to us, we'll take the war to them!
Then on the 4th of December bombings started to wreak havoc along the major industrial centers of the East and West Coasts, and even Alaska. At first the government said these were accidents, but they were too coordinated and to forceful to be just mere accidents. Then they blamed the few remaining communists and socialists within their Union. MacArthur and his clique had full powers to root out the subervise elements within their society. A state of emergency was declared by Truman and the gloves were off. Thousands of intellectuals, union leaders and members, people in the entertainment industry, politicians and even everyone who had every been a part of a socialist or communist organization was arrested. Arrested and trialed often without regard to the rule of law and legality.
Over the past months there had been several arrests and purges, but these were often legal and were done quietly. After the bombings, however, these arrests spiked and they were often done quite publically, akin to the purges made by Stalin shortly before his fall. But these purges were often supported by the public, who saw its need against communist traitors within their own ranks. It was not until Christmas, and the last atomic bombings in India, that these attacks was revealed to be not done by terrorists, but instead Soviet rockets! A Soviet missile had failed to go off outside of New Jersey, and the American public and press as a whole could see what these attacks really were about.**** Naturally this lead to a great deal of fear and panick among the populace. But where the leaders of America thought it would lead to riot and moral collapse, it had the opposite effect. Again the American population rallied behind its leaders, and anti-war cries became more and more unpopular in the face of Soviet war crimes and the purges done by MacArthur. Coupled with the knowledge of Soviet nuclear bombs and now cross continental missiles (who of course could not carry nuclear weapons) the American population once again came together to face off their common enemy who was hellbent on not only ending the American way of life, but America herself. The American people braced itself to fend off the Red Hydra, let it be in the jungles of Africa or the shores of America.
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*For a moment there I believed the Americans would win, they even managed to take one province before the luck turned around and the island was under full Soviet control. I suppose supply issues was the key factor to the failed US invasion, along with penalties of Soviet air superiority and penalties from amphibious assaults.
**Don't worry, you'll hear more about the campaign in Africa at a later point.
***In India up to this point we lost 5 divisions. For Africa you'll have to wait and see.
****As you can see we now bomb the US with rockets. Hopefully this will hurt them just a little bit, but I don't think it will have any decisive impact on their industries.
Decided to do the US update now. Hopefully you'll get a better understanding of their situation and strategy, along with the battles in Greenland and Albania. Now it remain to be seen if the war can reach US shores, or if both sides will use Asia and Africa to wear eachother out.
Also remember that 1948 is the deadline for the AAR. We'll what happen if that deadline is reached with neither side surrendering.
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We'll see! The Soviets demand Revenge, but can they cross the oceans? At least Asia and Africa will be where the slamming goes down, but how long can the US substain bombing by rockets? Not to say potential airplane bombers or nuclear bombs.
Apologies for the delay, the next update will roll out this evening or tomorrow at noon.
Chapter 61
Chapter 61:
Seven Months to Lake Tanganyika
Seven Months to Lake Tanganyika
American Lockheeed Lightning clearing out Soviet positions with fire.
In the distance the drums of war rang out. It was a terrifying beautiful sight as the artillery illuminated the horizon with tracers whining through the air, giving its victims a death kiss before the heavy 122 mm assault guns sent them to their maker. Several light bombers flew over their heads toward the ridgeline dropping their deadly payload of the dreadful firebombs consuming the once untouched jungles of the dark continent. The screams of hundreds of American soldiers carried toward himself, there where he sat in his foxhole observing the terror that unfolded in awe. A year ago he would have wished this upon the enemies of the revolution, but now he felt nothing but fear. He personally knew all too well the effects of conventional and unconventional weapons alike - artillery, air strikes and machine guns. High explosives and napalm. His body was broken down, nothing but skin and left with his face resembling that of a bitter old man and not that of a young man 19 years of age. His fellow comrades sarcastically called their rapid weightloss for the Popov diet after the Marshal commanding the 2nd Ukranian Front, the Popov diet led to certain death. Either from a slow death of malnutrition or a quick execution by a commissar if he heard the sarcastic remark. His feet and boots were worn out, trampled apart from the long march from the pyramids of Egypt to the jungles of Zaire. He and his comrades marched for the survival of their motherland, for glory and to liberate the workers of the world. But so far there had only been misery and death. His uniform that he once was proud to wear were now rotten rags, rotten from the sweat of his hard labor and long marches, rotten because of the moist and rain in the jungles. His weapon had rusted from the lack of time and provisions to properly maintain it. He looked across the moonlit rolling hills dotted with cornfields, scrawny cattle and a burned out deserted village. It was a far cry from the amber waves of grain that covered his native Ukraine. Months of war had devastated this once beautiful country - but it was a mere taste of what awaited him at home.
The whistles rang out. Once more into the fray. He and his comrades cried "oorah" on the top of their lungs, but where their former veteran comrades terrified their fascist adversaries the cries of this soldier and his comrades were mere shadows of the past, the pure exhaustion could only muster a mere whimp. Helicopters flew in and picked up casualties, but it was not for the brave Soviets. This priviledge was for the so called oppressed Americans. For the Soviet soldier there was no such luxury. The American line were stormed, but the soldier fell to an American fighter.
He was killed somwhere in Congo, nowhere on the map. In a nameless bog, In fifth company, On the Left flank, In a cruel air raid. He did not hear explosions. And did not see the flash. Down to an abyss from a cliff. No start, no end. And in this whole world, to the end of its days - neither, patches, nor badges, from his tunic you’ll find.
Soviet propaganda along with an all-African delegation in Moscow.
That was the harsh reality of the soldiers fighting in the Congolese theater in '46 and '47. Africa was only considered a secondary, if not tertiary, objective by Trotsky and his generals. To them it held no strategic significance. If the Mediterranean and the Suez were secured so would their oil and their strategic position in Europe and the near east. Soviet marines, paratroopers and armor would cross across the English Channel and deal a decisive blow to the British Empire that would knock them out of the war and the shackles that oppressed the workers. The workers were to rise up all over the world, just as the prophets of Marx, Engels and Lenin had predicted. This uprising were to be followed by a Red Dawn over the North American continent. This was not to be. Instead Operation Zapad opened up Pandora's box. Western Europe was in ruins, in Britain there was a wave of red terror never seen before and Ukraine and India laid barren and decaying under nuclear blasts and fallout. The Commonwealth, USA and exiled European armies flocked under the banner of NATO and the liberal-democracy. STAVKA grew paranoid and feared that along with India, Africa would be used as a staging ground to unleash the atomic age upon the socialist world and reclaim the near east and its abundant oil supplies.In the dark continent thousands of NATO troops mustered along with native soldiers who pledged loyalty to the Union Jack. A land invasion into Egypt from Sudan or into the Levant and Mesopotamia from the horn of Africa and through the Arabian peninsula was a real threat. However the gravest threat came from the Americna long range bombers and the advent of the jet engine. Reports ticked in with NATO construction of airbases in Africa, having the potential to reach the oil fields of the Paris Pact and the cities of southern Europe. The construction of airfields and build up of troops was well underway and the attention of NATO turned toward the Cooperatives of Belgium, or rather Zaire. Nominally liberated the Cooperatives of Zaire (called Congo from this point on) were literally in the center of Africa and with its river network it was in several ways the key to holding Africa. But most decisively it was rich in uranium. The majority of the uranium in the Soviet and German atomic projects hailed from this vast country. Moreover to the south of Congo were South Africa also rich in uranium. In short the majority of uranium in Soviet atomic weapons came from Congo and the majority of American atomic bombs came from South Africa. In effect controlling both of these regions had the possibility of depriving their adversary of most of their nuclear capabilities or perhaps even the totality of their weaponized nuclear weapons. It goes without saying how this could tup the balance of power to either side. Then there was a last factor that played in for the decision making for taking on Africa. Where the now legendary Marshals Rokossovsky and Tukhachevsky argued for focused manuever based operations to force NATO to surrender or sue for peace, the old shcool Marshals of the likes of Budyonny and Voroshilov still held great sway in STAVKA, despite their earlier Stalinist ties, and argued that the focused deep operations would not win this war. What was needed was a final decisive battle a "mother of all battles" to be fought out between the massive armies of the Paris Pact and NATO where the victor would take all spoils. Deep Operations was set aside for a type of warfare that embraced attrition, once more strategies of Great War and the two civil wars was embraced to break the stalemate. The industries of the socialist world would surely outproduce the capitalist world, and its people would endure and prevail with an iron will over the decadent oppressors.
Propaganda poster saying "Africa is fighting, Africa will win!"
However Africa also held a certain ideological sway to the Paris Pact and the International. During the brief years of the cold war it was decided by the Congress of the International that all oppressed people needed to be liberated from their bourgeois. Lenin and Trotsky added a new dimension to Marxist and socialist thesis that Marx and Engels had not truly developed at their time. Imperialism was also a product of capitalism, and the native populations were equally oppressed by capitalism and athe bourgeois as the proletariat were. Already from the birth of the Soviet Union their had been efforts to liberate the many colonies of the world. When Lenin and Trotsky were at the helm of the union, the socialist experiment were an expansionist international experiment that sought to spread the word of socialism. However with the ascendancy of Stalin came a shift in policy. Internationalism, and in many ways even Leninism (despite Stalin's official ideology of "Marxist-Leninism") were set aside in favor of socialism in one country. As a result the extensive network of infiltrators and communist parties, held together by the Comintern and NKVD withered away. However as Trotsky, and what his followers called "true communism", returned internationalism and expansionism was again on the agenda. While the Trotskyists was mostly forced by circumstances to focus on rebuilding their nation after yet another civil war and prepare for a second world war rather than spreading the gospel of socialism to the globe, they still maintained a internationalist profile, exterting influence wherever they could.
This was done through hard power and soft power. Countries such as Poland and Finland were overtly pressured into accepting a communist regime, lest they risk war. Elsewhere, such as France, the international brigades and NKVD trained, armed and funded rebel groups and socialist parties and unions to prepare them for revolution and civil war. However the Soviet leadership and intelligence services also saw other tools to achieve their goals. That was through soft power. Perhaps the most important means was granting shcolarships to foreign students and admitting them to Soviet colleges and universities, from there they would return to their home country sowing the seeds of socialism, internationalism and revolution in their home country. This became especially potent after the admission of Spain and France into the socialist world. Moreover the USSR and other socialist nations and unions projected themself as a beacon of light, the message was that the socialist countries offered internatinal solidarity and fair rights for workers - in stark ideological contrast to countries such as the United States, where black people were not given the same rights and the United Kingdom with her colonies.
Following the end of the Second World War Trotsky were in many ways faced with a ghost of the past. In the interwar era and during the Second World War he could argue that for the time being the motherland needed to rebuilt and fascism needed to stopped in Europe. However now he was faced with his very own arguments when he was head of the Red Army and Foreign Minister during before the death of Lenin and the Second Social Revolution of 1938. Where nationalist minded states such as France, Spain and the Balkan Union advocated what resembled Socialism in One Country, Trotsky was pressured to take an internationalist stance in the Congress of the Internationale. It was decided that Africa and Asia was to be liberated from imperialism. Consequently seperatist movements and nationalist movements were funded and armed in the colonies as were afro-american rights movements in the United States, along with admission of influential people to European universities and scholarships. It was believed to be a sufficient distraction for the more ideological anti-imperialist, however with the Third World War and the occupation of Europe these factions grew more radical and demanded a campaign to liberate Africa and Asia from their colonial overlords...
The Seven Weeks to Lake Tanganyika is well underway, surely nothing can stop the red beast.
These considerations, a strategic move to prevent an invasion into the near east from Sudan or the Arabian peninsula, to secure the uranium mines of Congo and South Africa, deprive the US of airfields to host atomic bombers, the doctrine of a decisive battle and the ideology of internationalism and anti-imperialism mixed together to become a dangerous and volatile cocktail; the Sub-Saharan Strageic Offensive. Emboldened by the collapse of NATO troops in Egypt, Algeria and Morocco the divisions of the 2nd Ukranian and 3rd Ukranian fronts, under Popov and Timoshenko respectively, were tasked with racing down the nile river and reach the border of Ethiopia. These Fronts had played pivotal parts in the Southern Thrust and Proletarian Shield operations (the Cold War offensives to take on Iran and Iraq and the WW3 operation to invade and occupy the Levant and Egypt) and would race down the Nile, break out of the Nubian desert and secure the lakes of Victoria and Tanganyika. Once they reached the Ethiopian Plateau the 2nd Front would continue its march south along the Nile and to Lake Victoria and then swing westward toward Congo and Lake Tanganykia. Meanwhile the 3rd Front would swing north of the Ethiopian Plateau, pacify the Horn of Africa and with it the threat of a NATO incursion into the Near East. Once secured they would push south and further toward Lake Victoria and Tanganyika. This massive operation was in effect a major pincer movements between two whole Fronts (Soviet Army Groups) that would meet around Tanganyika.
Soviet planners, impressed by their own rapid advances during the Seven Days to the River Thames, called the race toward the African lakes for "Seven Weeks to Lake Tanganyika". This impressive race would be followed by "Rapid Shaska" where the 2nd Front would strike toward to west coast of Congo/Africa while the 3rd Front would cut South Africa away from the rest of Africa by slashing through the liberated Portugese colonies of Mozambique and Angola. Seeing the success of their own plans in the near east and Europe STAVKA believed Tanganyika would be reached in seven weeks, making it the invasion of history taking the most territory in the shortest time. If it only were so easy.
A knocked out Pershing in Uganda, notice the Siberian troopers.
NATO was taken aback by the offensives out of the Nubian Desert. Military intellegince suggested that the armies of the USSR and the Paris Pact was exhausted from their numerous offensives and their supplies as a critical point after the atomic bombings of Spain and Ukraine and their rapid advances. According to them the Soviets were simply incapable of making a march out of the treacherous lands of Sudan and into the wilderness of Africa. It was believed that they (USA and the Commonwealth) would have more than enough time to properly pacify Congo, reinforce Portugal and the Horn of Africa. But as the saying goes, a plan rarely survives first contact. Soviet armored, motorized and mechanized divisions rushed out of the Nubian Desert (stripped down to the bare minimum of needed fuel, munitions and foodstuffs, tents etc. were left behind alltogether to keep up the momentum) and rapidly beat off ill prepared NATO troops. Most of them British territorials composed of refugees and natives. These troops proved to be ill suited for a flexible defense and against the massive Soviet assault. The Commonwealth troops were so low in munitions that artillery pieces were only allowed to fire at a direct trajectory against targets if they posed a direct threat. Put differently they would not provide fire support in the conventional sense, indirect fire or barrages. If their positions was under direct attack they would provide fire like an ordinary rifle or anti-tank gun. Anyway entire battalions were captured and the opposition was swept aside. However already now a few troubling signs were starting to show.
Despite all the propaganda the native tribes and nomads did not welcome the Soviet troops with open arms, instead they sold information to their highest bidder and helped sabotage Soviet supply lines. In addition it became clear that the Soviet soldiers were not as well accustomed to the harsh climate of Africa as their adversaries, and where their adversaries knew the terrain, the Soviets did not. The few units who were given maps of their operational areas often had majorly outdated maps, giving no meaningful insight into the terrain ahead, road junctures and other communication lines. As mentioned beforehand the manuever units of the invading armies were stripped to a bare minimum, it was believed they would be supplied and reinforced once they reached their positions. Instead it became a logistical nightmare for the Soviets. Few of the units in front got their supplies which stalled the invasion. This was made possible by several factors. Nomadic tribes loyal to NATO sabotaged the supplied lines, extensive interdiction campaigns by the USAAF and the USN, along with the USN and remnants of the Royal Navy using Yemen and the Horn of Africa to block any Soviet supplies by sea. They had to come down through the long and exposed way down the Nile. The US Army also sent several armored brigades and Armored Cavalry Regiments (ACR) to delay the Soviet advance. This was most telling as it showed that they US was able to field some of its finest units to delay the Soviets, and they possessed the new M26 Pershing tanks in large quantities. While the 102mm armored and 90mm armed tank was slightly inferior to the Soviet T-44 variants, it was more than enough capable of taking out even T-34-85s and were especially deadly for the ordinary Soviet rifle platoon while they were concealed. Moreover the US employed several new inventions in large scale, this included helicopters for medical evacuations and scouting roles, and liberal use of napalm bombs.
Yet still the Soviets were on the advance.. for the time being.
The Horn of Africa is a thorn in our side.
By the 20th of July, after 9 days of the offensive the Ethiopian Plateau was reached. The first sub-objective was reached, however it took over a week to reach the area that had the most suitable terrain for manuever warfare. A mere week into the campaign the Soviets were starting to face organized defenses, and not a thorough collapse as they had promised. The terrain were now much harsher, with jungles, dense woodlands and rugged hills ahead. The 3rd Front that was meant to quickly pacify the Horn of Africa was suddenly stuck in the narrow pass around the cities of Asmara and Massawa and the entire Front was now bugged down into a major traffic jam, thus far the largest in history. This traffic jam was made all the worse by NATO destroyers and cruisers who steamed out off Yemen and Djibouti and harassed the front and rear echelons alike with accurate fire support, both from naval cannons and rocket artillery. There was, however, little the Soviet Navy could do about this. Sending the Black Sea Fleet out of the Suez Canal and into the narrow Red Sea would spell certain defeat with the majestic US battleships and carriers lurking in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, furthermore the Far East Fleet had been confined to their bases by the Pacific Fleet. Afterall the entire offensive into Africa was in part to deny NATO troops a staging ground into the Arabian oil fields and the Mediterranean. STAVKA and the various Soviets (empowered by the sweeping Cold War reforms) openly discussed to demand transit through Ethiopia or even violate Ethiopian sovereignty alltogether by sending in the VDV over the country and mountians troops into the country to reach Djiouti and encircle the American troops holding the line, and deprive them of their main port in the area. This was, however, quickly overruled by Trotsky and his closest advisors. They warned against the potential effects of not only extending the front and supply lines, but also if they invaded the last remaining African state (recently liberated from the Italians) they risked being portrayed as yet another colonial conquerer instead of a liberator. The 3rd Front needed to be used as a battering ram and force its way into the Horn of Africa, there was no other way around - literally.
Where the 3rd Front was under immense pressure, the 2nd Front rolled ahead. Several Commonwealth troops was encircled, however they were not greeted as the liberators as they were told they would be. Instead local tribes harassed them, with US and Commonwealth troops utilizing a scorched earth policy, cutting off every available communication line, destroying supplies rather than leaving them behind, mixing road signs, mining the few roads and even conducting several raids and sabotage missions by Army Rangers, Marine Raiders and British Commandos. Soviet commanders soon became frustrated as none of their maps were updated, and it did not help with NATO sabotage missions. Instead they relied upon intelligence by the locals, naturally none of them knew any Russian and they often provided false intelligence. The Soviet troops also became frustrated as the supply lines were constantly cut off and under pressure, by non existing infrastructure, NATO special forces, native raiders and traffic jams. The clogged up supply lines and broken tanks (despite being reliable cross country, even the T-34 and T-44 needed regular maintenance for their tracks and fuel) were also ripe targets for NATO troops who called in artillery and air strikes (often utilizing the dreaded napalm) to a horrendous effect. The frustration and anger of the Soviet troops was often carried out on the local population, further alienatng them from their liberators. Still the 2nd Front was progressing slowly and steadily advancing southward, with almost all of the former Anglo-Egyptian Sudan under Soviet control.
Scenes from the tank battles along the Horn of Africa.
Where the 2nd Front in the west was plagued by guerilla tactics and nautre, in the east the 3rd had to break into the Horn of Africa. This resulted in the Battle of Horn Africa, one of the greatest tank engagements of the war to that date. The Americans had a clear advantage in this narrow terrain. Their heavy and medium tanks could be used in a defensive posture with ample artillery and air support. Moreover their naval and airbases were close by where the Soviet bases were far away. In effect this meant that the American troops could recieve reinforcements and supplies in a more rapid fashion, in addition their airforce could scramble more rapidly, and along with the destroyers and screens harass the Soviet troops. In addition the Americans only needed to defend a few and narrow passes in the ragged terrain. As hours turned to days, days to weeks and weeks to months Voroshilov became impatient. Voroshilov was given the overall command of the two Fronts and along with the old cavalry officer Budyonny they agreed that Timoshenko was not aggressive enough. By September he was given a deadline of one month to break the American lines. So far the Americans had put up brilliant flexible defenses, making good use of their battle multipliers and responding to the feared katuysha and artillery batteries with counter artillery barrages. Timoshenko was now forced to press on his attack or risk being sacked - or worse. His new plan was simple, the Soviets would simply use their superior numbers as a battering ram against the American wall. To hit them again and again until they fall. Voroshilov requested by September to unleash the atomic blasts over Djibouti and Mogadishu. However his request was denied, partly because of the objections from Rokossovsky and Timoshenko. According to them such an attack would destroy the already fragile supply lines in the region, expose their troops for radiation in the narrow pass and turn the population against them. But for STAVKA as a whole, the argument that weighted the most was that India was the more vital theater, and the rest is history as we know.
Either way a major tank battle occured. Hundreds of tanks were lost by both sides, and tens of thousands of Soviet infantrists. An American soldier recalled "they moved toward us. We mowed them down in our killing field. Then another line came, they got clipped down. Then another. Then another. For each time they came a little closer, and we had no other option than to retreat". However where Voroshilov got the thumbs down for a nuclear attack, he was greenlighted for other unconvential attacks. Katuysha rockets and artillery tubes alike were armed with unconventional war heads. The Soviet troops were only supplied with masks - if they were lucky. These warheads along with constant carpet bombing of napalm and an air offensive that led to hundreds of Soviet fighter planes being downed eventually wore down the American defenses. The narrow pass toward Djibouti was eventually taken, however it took some three weeks after the deadline to Timoshenko and the loss of well over 100.000 lives and irreplaceable equipment. The 3rd Front fanned out into Somaliland, however their levels of functioning guns, airplanes, tanks and artillery was at a critical low point. Once the Soviets broke the lines Eisenhower famously said "Trotsky's ambition is to be king of the world. To reach this ambition he are willing, and capable to burn the world. Even if that make him king of the ashes".
It's been seven looong weeks.
By October Timoshenko and his Front was allowed to rest. The whole Seven Weeks to Lake Tanganyika was a huge embarrassment for Voroshilov, and a living hell for the soldier in place. All of the horn of Africa was secured, with only the port of Mogadishu putting up token resistance. However the losses were massive. Most of the divisions of the Front was combat ineffective, with a whole of three divisions being wiped out to the last man. Meanwhile the NATO naval and airbases in and around the Gulf of Aden continued to harass Soviet supply lines. Along with the 2nd Front the 3rd Front was stuck. The 2nd Front under Popov was starting to make advances into Uganda, but was hindered by well established American and Commonwealth defensive positions. And the supply situation grew only worse by each day, along with American artillery barrages and napalm bombing and unconventional attacks to stall and delay the Soviet advance.
Soviet soldiers struggle during the wet season.
The phyrric victory in the Horn of Africa was made worse by the coming rain season, along with unexpected climate changes attributed to the mushroom clouds over Ukraine, Spain and India. The casualties mounted up on both sides, and where the NATO troops had functioning supply routes the Soviets had not. As the wet season stepped in more Soviet soldiers fell to malnutrion and disease than hostile action. Most of the units were in effect combat ineffective and stuck in traffic clogs or lost due to poor maps and lack of communication. Meanwhile most of the American troops in the Horn of Africa was safely pulled out, to not repeat another disaster as the Tunisian Pocket. The Soviets were unable to push further inland, and most telling of the frustrating situation during several of the Soviet offensives they often lost more men to friendly fire than to enemy fire. When they first met their enemy they were highly mobile and supplied and offered stiff resistance. An Army commander when he was to report on the progress reported that "I know for certain we won't reach our target in seven weeks. There might be Seven Months to Lake Tanganyika, but it will most likely be seven years". He was shortly thereafter executed, but the troops on the ground began to call the campaign for seven months to Lake Tanganyika, and "Voroshilovs folly". As for Voroshilov himself he was deposed as it became clear that his decisive battle in Africa failed. The Soviet soldiers on ground was unable and unwilling to push forward, meanwhile the American and Commonwealth troops was pushing forward in Congo and holding the line, being well supplied and quickly returned control of the Portugese colonies to the exiled government. Angola and Mozambique would join the effort on NATO's side rather that of the communist international.
It was January of 1947 and both of the major offensives in Africa and India had come to a complete halt, exhausted, overextended and out of supply. Only a miracle could break the tide and decide the outcome. Voroshilov was himself sentenced for both incompetence and his former ties with Stalin was used against him. He was demoted to a junior officer and sent to the Far East. The question, however, was if the man himself was responsible for the halt and if more thorough re-examination was needed to turn the tide.
By 1947 there is a complete stalemate, and what have been accomplished?
I was killed near Rzhev,
In a nameless bog,
In fifth company,
On the Left flank,
In a cruel air raid
Ididn’t hear explosions
And did not see the flash
Down to an abyss from a cliff
No start, no end
And in this whole world
To the end of its days -
Neither patches, nor badges
From my tunic you’ll find
I am where the blind roots
Seek for food in the dark
I am where the rye waves
On a hill in the dust
I am where the cockerel cries I
n the dew of the dawn
I am where your cars
Tear the air on highways
Where – small stalk to small stalk –
River’s weaving its grass
Where for the remembrance
Even my mother won’t come
In a bitter year’s summer
I was killed. And for me
Neither news nor bulletins
Will come after this day
Would you, the living, count
How long before that
For the first time in front news
They named Volgograd
The front burned without stopping
Like a scab on the flesh
I was killed and I don’t know
Is Rzhev ours at last?
Have ours held their ground
There, on the Middle Don?
This was the month of horror
Everything was at stake
Could it be that by autumn
He already took Don?
And he broke through to
Volga Riding onto its bank?
(...)
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I have decided that if the NATO forces take all of Belgian Congo and control the horn of Africa I'll make Yemen and Oman a part of the Allies. Saudi-Arabia will either be a part of NATO or the Allies will declare war on them. This is to create a viable and rational path of approach for the AI into Iraq and Iran.
There is now a total stalemate. My troops in Africa are totally spent for, as you can see we've suffere over 400k casualties and can't push forward anymore. We'll see if the NATO troops are wholly on the defensive, or if they'll take their chance and push forward.
I also stepped outside of the war a little bit, and weaved in political events from the interwar and cold war and interpersonal rivalries to the overall campaign. There may be more of that in the future, especially as I heard rumors of Trotsky not being in his prime anymore.
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What are they even fighting for at this point? Would the war not end sooner if the Red Army made a B-line to North America instead?
The issue fast approaching is that the Allies are compeltly spent as a fighting force but fight on because they will collapse in on themsevles if they stop. Nothing short od insurrection will stop them.
The Cominterns? They're running out od men, pure and simple. They could do with a decade or more of peace before the final push, which they will definitely win. That's the frustration. They are so close to total victory but won't achieve it. They'll break before the allies do. Ironically, a similar situation to Russia's war with japan in the early 20th century.
The Cominterns? They're running out od men, pure and simple. They could do with a decade or more of peace before the final push, which they will definitely win. That's the frustration. They are so close to total victory but won't achieve it. They'll break before the allies do. Ironically, a similar situation to Russia's war with japan in the early 20th century.
Glory? The Soviets fell for the old idea of a decisive battle. I have a feeling that even the might of mother Russia may lose a war of attrition against the US. B-lines would be nice, but I doubt the US will let bombers pass over their coast. But Sovjet engineers are quite busy building airfields in Greenland
That's an interesting point. It is frustrating, the USSR are close to victory, but there's an entire ocean in their way. Along with the industrial might of America, her manpower pool and the manpower of the Commonwealth colonies.
I also see a parsell between the Axis and the Pact. They both believed their unwillingness for war were weakness. When war came they thought their rapid successes would end the war. But now they are both running out of men and supplies, while their enemy can't be touched and is patient with abundant resources.
The fighting is bitter indeed, the forces of capitalism are nothing if not persistently obdurate.
The same might be said about the forces of socialism
At least they all get to see the world and travel to exotic places..
Interlude VII
Interlude VII:
Dragons and Knights
Dragon Rising.Dragons and Knights
The four leaders of the middle kingdom, each of them eager to be crowned king.
China was a nation with an abundance of natural resources and manpower. But as it was rich in resources and population it were fractured into several camps. In theory all of China was united, save for Sinkiang/East Turkestan. Ever since the fall of the Qing dynasty the Middle Kingdom had been split into several warring factions, with the fall of its Japanese conquerors the country had never truly healed with the provinces of Yunnan and Guangxi, though nominally a part of China being de-facto independent. These states were made independent both as the central bureaucracy of China was inefficient and corrupt, but mostly due to the tug of war between the Soviet Union and USA during the cold war era. USA placed large parts of southern China under military and political occupation and enabled the de-facto independence of the mentioned provinces to ensure economic control of southern China and to create a bufferzone between communist controlled Hanoi, while keeping the Burma road open. In short southern China was kept fractured and under US occupation to prevent communist from making inroads from the south and keep the Republic of China dependant on the United States of America in a new reality where the communist Chinese controlled all of the Chinese coastline. In addition to the US intereference in the Middle Kingdom, the province of Sinkiang and its warlord remained sovereign, in name and practice, owing to the fact that its warlord were the only one who did not surrender and bend its knee to Emperor Hirohito. Sinkiang was not only fully accepted and recognized by the International (forcing the government of Ming to recognize its cession), but it was also recognized by the United Nations in its brief existence, mostly as a horse trade between Trotsky and Truman - Sinkiang for south China.
However as mentioned beforehand the greatest split among the Chinese was not the defacto independence of some provinces nor the Chinese depedency of USSR and USA, but it was split in two main camps; the Republic of China (RoC) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) - between western democracy and communism. These two camps were further split. The RoC suffered a ruling party, the Kuomintang (KMT), being split between the socialist left and the conservative-liberal right. Moreover the KMT was split between democrats and autocrats, making up for several failed and shortlived governments. To the north the PRC was split between what would later be known as the "Maoist" and the "Soviet" factions of Mao and Ming. During most of the cold war the RoC came under a part social-democratic, part Marxist coalition between Weng Wenhao. Meanwhile the PRC would see Mao Zedong emerge a the nominal leader of the people's republic with Ming being the de-facto leader.
However as the world drew closer to another war, the superpowers largely withdrew from the Middle Kingdom as their attention were needed elsewhere. In this chaos the various factions in both the RoC and the PRC began an open struggle for power within their respective states. Once the dust settled the smoking barrels turned away from internal purges as the flames of war embraced Asia. Both of the Chinese states had just fought deadly civil wars amongst themselfs, and their attention were now turning toward eachother with each bloc being backed up by a superpower eager to control the region. The Chinese civil war was far from over, peace had not settled on the nation that had been in constant internal and external wars and conflict ever since the first opium war over a century ago.
The Generalissimo and his American masters.
But before we examine the situation of 1947 we need to step back a little. The Republic of China was born anew following the fall of the so called "Reorganized China", which in truth were nothing but a puppet of the last Japanese Emperor. The new Republic of China was quickly declared by returning members from the KMT and democrats alike, and most importantly being backed up and supported by the United States and the United Kingdom. Chiang Kai-shek was returned to power, but this was mostly made out of a compromise where none could agree on who should lead the new Republic. In the absence of any central rulig figure, and with the support of the victorious Allies, the Generalissimo was returned to prominence and was given the official task to develop a democratic and republican China (forced upon the Chinese through the Paris Treaties), but also to restore the glory of China and end the unequal treaties.
However Chiang was loathed by the Chinese, the populace and the elite alike, for his failure to halt the Japanese conquestion and that he fled the country to the United States. Moreover he was seen as nothing but another western puppet who was installed in China for further unequal treaties and colonial exploitation. Though in name heading the new committee to write a new constitution and create a democratic system, there was no secret that the US and British observers to these committees were the ones pulling the strings. A US based democracy was created in China, despite the heavy NATO influence on the new Chinese system the Chinese Communist Party in the Republic of China was allowed to exist even as the United States and the United Kingdom initially pressured Chiang to crack down on the CPC to prevent all of China to fall to the red wave. This was made through shrewd political manuevers by both the PRC and the International as a whole. They appealed to the United Nations stating that a banning of its communist and socialist parties would contradict its very basic charter regarding freedom of speech and political freedom, and Trotsky even went as far to warn Chiang that a banning of the CPC would result in a Soviet intervention to "restore democracy. Truman and Halifax were naturally weary of another world war and backed down, even pressuring the Generalissimo to allow the CPC to operate freely and pardon its former members. The proud Generalissimo initially opposed this, enflaming nationalist sentiments in his population by both defying the "western imperialists" and the "faithless communists", however as America and Britain threatened to sever their ties with the RoC, end their aid and support the opposition along with the prospects of a Soviet intervention Chiang conceded. The Republic of China was heavily reliant upon American and British trade and assistance to keep its military and economy afloat. The PRC controlled most of the coast, with the remaining ports in US hands and the only landbased routes to the vast British Empire coming in from Yunnan.
A coalition between communists and social-democrats, what could go wrong?
This was a major humiliation for the Generallisimo, he promised to end the influence of western nations and an end to the unequal treaties. Instead the proud Chinese people were humiliated further, Chiang's response was crackdowns on civil disobedience and to censor the press. He reaped as he sowed, however, and ended up with widespread demonstrations. Enter Zhang Lan and Weng Wenhao.
The PRC under Ming watched closely as the situation in the Republic of China developed and was eager for the Red Dragon to swallow the Tiger to unify the Middle Kingdom once more. Several communist leaders were sent from the PRC by Ming with one mission; to spread the revolution to the Republic of China and unify the nation, by peaceful means or othwerwise. The two principal leaders of this movement was Zhang Lan and Zhang Guoatao. Guotao reconciled with Ming under the mediation of Moscow, however his narrow and orthodox views of socialism was not appealing to the Chinese middle class, let alone the political elite. It was there that Zhang was paired up with another Zhang, namely Lan. Zhang Lan made a name for himself as he had been a long standing oppositional figure to the KMT, and a founder and leading figure of China Democratic League. He had, however, been influenced by western entryists and both Ming and Guoatao. The two Zhangs created an alliance and merged their two parties forming the Social Democratic Party of China. Despite the merger of this party in the Republic, they did not get enough votes to create a majority government of their own.
Instead the Zhangs had to turn their eyes toward the right, namely the left-wing of the KMT. The KMT was in many ways a strange hybrid of Sun Yat Sen and the Chinese revolutions being from its inception a strange mix of liberal-democracy, autocracy, nationalism and socialism. Where the Generalissimo became the leader of the right wing faction and showed his true autocratic colors following the independence from Japan, the left-wing of the KMT grew stronger mostly by entryists and Trotskyists disguised as social democrats. The KMT was effectively split between a left-wing, a right-wing and a moderate faction. Not beforelong the disgraced and moderate Weng Wenhao became a leading figure of the moderate faction. However there was an issue, despite the KMT got enough votes by themself to form a government, the party itself was so deeply split between the three factions that it could not create a stable government. The moderate faction at first supported the right-wing faction of Chiang, however his methods became so unpopular and autocratic that they had no choice to withdraw their support. With great hesitation Weng accepted the proposition by the Social-Demoratic Party to form a grand coalition. Weng Wenhao was made the Premier of China while Zhang Lan became the President of China. The revolution of was spreading, both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China were headed by communists.
But I thought the Zhangs were the heads of China?
Naturally this infuriated the former President, the Generalissimo. He declared it a coup and evidence of elecetoral fraud by both the left-wing within the KMT and the Social-Democratic Party. He declared martial law and ordered the arrest of all non-right winged KMT members and the members of the Social Democratic Party of China (SPC). This only enflamed the situation and the former President was now seen as nothing but an anti-democratic powermonger. The Army of the RoC was soon engaging eachother and its own population. It was a civil war between the red and the white forces of China. In response the Hanoi road was once more opened up with Indochinese militias streaming into China, however most was stopped by US and British occupation forces in Southern China. But where most of the supplies in the south was stopped, International Brigades came into RoC from the east coast, with militias and "volunteers" entering in by the thousands from the PRC. Initially most of the RoC Army was loyal to their Generalissimo, however the vast amount of foreign and Chinese "volunteers" tipped the scales to the favor of the leftist forces, soon Zhang placed left-wing KMT officials and generals in key positions allover the Republican Army and state apparatus. Chiang appealed to Great Britain and America for support, however fearful of intervention by the Paris Pact if they should interefere, they instead closed down the Burma road along with the American controlled ports. They demanded that Chiang respected Chinese democracy. That was the last nail in the coffin of the Generallisimo. The Army swore fealty to the new government under Zhang, and Chiang was soon arrested and hanged.
The new government saw years of political stability for the people of the Republic of China. The KMT (with the left-wing, among the many entryist communists, being in near full control of the party) and the SPC strived to create a welfare state, modeled after most of the fallen European nations and the New Deal programme in America. This could, however, not be done without the heavy financial support of both NATO and Paris Pact nations. Hospitals for all was created, unemployment relief programs was initiated along with public works programs, tax reforms and along with educational reforms reaching out to even the rural areas. Zhang and the left-wing of KMT even began to negotiate for a re-unification of China. Zhang and his allied even began to pressure Weng and the KMT for further reforms, and much more radical at that such as extensive land distribution.
This did not go unnoticed by the western powers nor the moderate members of the KMT. During Operation Southern Thrust, American and British investors made heavy inroads into the RoC as the communist world was preoccupied with war. Speaking of which, when the Cold War ended wih a hot one things spiralled out of control for Zhang and the leftists. The Americans demanded that Weng had to deal with his left-wing allies, and so he did. The left of the KMT was exposed for their entryism and open links with both the PRC, the USSR and the French Commune. They were accused of doing the bidding of the western powers. With the Paris Pact occupied by their steamrolling of Europe, and vicious battles in Indochina, Weng and his moderate (liberal and conservative democrats) grabbed power supported financially and armed by the United States. With the Paris Pact unwilling to intervene and Trotsky forbidding Ming to intervene (fearing an American invasion into the Soviet Far East) Weng and the democrats took control over the nation, fully purging the state bureaucracy and the Republican Armed Forces for any and all social democrats and communists - real or otherwise. The Americans soon took control of affairs and made even heavier investments into the government led by Weng. Military advisors was sent to the Republic along with relief aid and military aid in the form of small arms, artillery, radios, munitions and tanks. Squadron of P-51 mustangs and even the brand new jet fighter of F-80 Shooting Star.
Who shall rule China, the people or the soviets? At the very least Mao got his hair back.
Mao Zedong saw the fall and executions of the Zhangs and the eradication of communism in RoC as his chance to reclaim power, stepping away as a popular figurehead who had his position merely for the Soviets to have a popular leader in the People's Republic, supportive of their cause. Mao and Ming had been bitter enemies ever since Wang Ming created the United Front behind his back in opposition to Japan. Mao ridiculed Ming for his failure in the RoC, saying that this new United Front was just as unsuccessfull as the first. Furthermore he accused Ming of being nothing than a puppet dancing to the tunes of Trotsky.
Mao and his faction had pressured Ming to follow the "One China Policy", which called for the reclamation of China's "natural borders". This meant an open invasion of the Republic of China, but also of Tibet and much more controversial; Sinkiang. The Ming government was pressured by Moscow to recognize the independence and sovereignty of Sinkiang (promising Sinkiang mutual aid against any Chinese foreign aggressor), moreover Moscow vetoed any open invasion of either Tibet or the Republic of China, fearful of American or British intervention. Naturally this changed with the opening of the world war, however Moscow and Paris dictated the war policies and did not, for the time being, see China as the primary theater of war and instead wanted to have a focused approach into western Europe and Britain. Mao saw this as a weakness by Ming, and interpertated the whole affair as that the Paris Pact was not only exploiting China as a colonial power of old, but also had no interest in the Chinese region.
Ming's China had become reliant on military and industrial support from both Moscow and Paris, and with the nationalist approach of Mao he once more openly challenged the Marxist Orthodoxy of Ming. Where other "nationalist" states in the Paris Pact still remained loyal to the International, and in turn Trotsky, Mao was now in open opposition to the authority of Moscow and Trotsky. Where Ming was a disciple of Orthodox Marxism, being reliant on Soviet generals to structure his military, and Soviet engineers and funds to industrialize the nation, Mao was in opposition to this. He argued that a China needed communist teachings and models that was adopted to the current situation of China, where the teachings of Marx and Lenin was focused on western Europe and Russia respectively. Ming had only been exploited under the pretex of Internationalism, instead China should focus on itself and the One China Policy. A coup took place and most of Mings followers were executed or imprisoned. Soviet advisors, officers and citizens were expelled. Ming, despite being a high level target, managed to escape to Moscow.
The Battle of Beijing.
The People's Republic of China was subsequently expelled from the International and the Paris Pact lifted all friendship and mutual cooperation treaties with the People's Republic of China. Maoism was also sidelined with Stalinism by Trotsky, and with the RoC having rooted out their left-wing members and firmly anti-communist Mao found himself isolated. However it was not until the Soviet invasion of South-Korea that the Soviets returned to China. Ming had proclaimed a second iteration of the Chinese Soviet Republic and formed an opposition government in Sevastopol. Soviet and exiled Soviet-Chinese troops entered the People's Republic of China. Fighting in the harsh terrain of northern China the Soviet-Russian and Soviet-Chinese armies took over 4 months to root out the last Maoist supporters. Mao himself was hanged for his treason, and Ming was restored to Beijing, albeit as a supervised puppet.
Three Fronts will strike into China. Two into the heartland of the Chinese Republic, one into the American occupation zone.
Despite the many civil wars among the two Chinas, and Mao's revolt against the USSR, the Soviets remained interested in control of the region. This was made especially true when the RoC signed a defensive alliance with Japan, and with the invasion of India the Paris Pact grew weary of a Sino-American intervention into either India, Indochina or into the PRC itself. Three Fronts was ordered to make preperations of an invasion of both the RoC and Japan. The Transbaikal Front and elements of the 1st Far East Front would strike into the RoC with support of Soviet Chinese troops, while the Steppe Front who were not properly rebuilt(9 divisions) would strike to "liberate" the American occupied zone, isolating RoC totally from the seas and creating an opening up the Hanoi road. The 1st Far East Front would also strike toward Japan where the bulk of its armored and motorized forces would strike. The Americans, however, picked up increased chatter among the Far Eastern Districts in the Soviet Military, and images and other reports showed a massive Soviet buildup in the region. It remained to be seen if the Americans believed in those reports - and if the Soviets were capable of yet another invasion in the midst of their exposed lines in Africa and India. The invasion of China also had the secondary objective of opening up a second front in the Indian and Indochinese theaters.
Japanese soldiers are not known to put up a fight against invaders..
The Red Army.
The rough organization of the (main) Soviet armored and mechanized formations following the 1946 reorganization.
The Red Army had underwent a major transformation by the end of 1946. Its formations were streamlined. Several generals wanted to elevate several units to "guards" units, however Trotsky refused so. He stated that their infantry divisions were already named "Rifle Division" as that was the elite units under the Tsarist regime. There should be no openly elite units in the egalitarian army. However he also opposed the more radical soldier's soviets who wanted to again have elected NCOs and officers.
Instead a unified Armored Division/Corps was created, having a total of two armored brigades, with three regiments being composed of T-34-85 and T-44 tanks, with the remaining regiment being of heavy KV and LT tanks. In addition they were composed of three Motorized Rifle Regiments, and had the support of several artillery regiments and tank destroyers. The Mechanized Corps/Divisions followed largely the same organization except that it lacked the heavy tank regiment. The Mechanized Corps was also slated to have their motorized rifle battalions to be fully mechanized with BTR-40 and BTR-152s, however sufficient numbers of these armored personell carriers had not yet been made. Indepedent tank brigades, however, were fully outiftted with a mechanized regiment and the idea was that all light brigades would become a standard brigade, a heavy brigade had in place two heavy armor brigades. All of the independent were planned to become armored divisions/corps in the future. The Motorized Rifle Division was the only divisions slated to have light tank battalions, and were in many ways a reversed Mechanized Division/Corps with the number of tank units being swapped with motoried infantry units and vice versa.
These armored and motorized formations also had attached to them self propelled artillery and anti-air battalions along with a tank destroyer/assault gun battalion and the regular artillery regiments. The SP and tank destroyer battalions was not defined as heavy, light nor medium, but were instead given heavy or medium or light armor depending on their intended mission. For example in the jungles of Africa light tank destroyers and SP artillery were prioritized to rapidly engage, ambush and withdraw from battle. Their artillery regiments were naturally motorized.
For better or worse, unlike the imperialist Americans, the legged infantry remain the core of the Soviet Army.
Despite these efforts to motorize and mechanize the Soviet Army the bulk of the Red Army remained infantry formations, dependant on mostly legged infantry and horses. This was in deep contrast to the fully mechanized and motorized US Army. In the end it always come down to the infantry and his rifle. The rifle divisions themself was organized into three rifle regiments, with one ind. engineer battalion, one ind. medic battalion, one ind. recon battalion, one ind. signal battalion and an ind. anti-tank battalion. Within the ranks were also one artillery regiment, one anti-tank regiment, one rocket-artillery regiment and an attached anti-air regiment.
Hopefully it isn't too little too late.
One of they key inventions that was finalized in 1947 was the Soviet jet fighter. By July it was fully tested and was ready to enter service. In September that year the first migs saw action in India and shocked the American and Commonwealth troopers there. The deployment of large scale jet fighter formations in India forced the Americans to spare what few they had to China and India. The Soviets also planned to build a monstrous strategic bomber; the M-4. It was intended to four jet-engine strategic bomber capable of both holding nuclear weapons and reaching North America! If they were employed in either Iceland or Greenland or the Russian Far East, they could drastically tip the balance to the favor of the Soviets. However these bombers were unlike anything the USA or USSR had designed and it remained to be seen if they would leave the drawing table at all.
New inventions are made, however can one handle those night optics at all?
Other inventions were made, some of them were night vision optics for Soviet and German made battle rifles, however they were large and clumsy and NATO troops already deployed some of them in lesser numbers. Most importantly they allowed infrared optics on Soviet armor and half tracks. The other Soviet half-tracks were also shown to be.. lacking in several fields. Their armor was only sufficient to stop rounds from service rifles, but not from heavy machine guns (e.g 12.7mm M2 Browning) let alone anti-tank weapons. Moreover they had, compared to tanks, poor crosscountry capabilities and their backs were exposed to aircraft strafes or artillery shrapnel. BTR-152 and BTR-40s was planned to replace the lend leased American half-tracks and captured German half-tracks and the domestic Soviet half-tracks based upon these. They had armor thick enough to withstand said 12.7 heavy machine guns, and they were fully wheeled giving them a better cross country perfomance, along with their top being covered.
It remain to be seen if one of those beasts will be commissioned at all, and if so if they'll survive contact with the US Navy.
By the end of December the Krasnyi Vozdukh class aircraft carrier was finally being revised and was ready to enter production. The Krasnyi Vozdukh was basically a copy of the British Ark Royal, however they were also equipped with main guns (at the expense of its airdeck) making it what the Soviets called a Heavy Aircraft Cruiser. Moreover the 71 Project was revisited. This project was cancelled in 1940 due to the coming of the war, however the Soviets desperately needed to bolster its naval air force if it was ever to compete with the US Navy. Until now the Soviets was largely inexperienced with designing warships, and especially aircraft carriers. However with the subjucation of Germany and Italy, the occupation of Britain and the alliance with France the Soviets recieved much needed help, engineers and schematics for developing the floating airfields. Like the jetpowered strategic bomber, however, it remained to be seen if they would finish and enter service. A total of 9 aircraft carriers was planned, with the majority going to the Far East Fleet. 2 Krasnyi Vozdukh carriers were already in production. In total the Red Fleet had 16 battleships (four of them being superheavy battleships), 4 battlecruisers, 13 heavy cruisers, 19 light cruisers, 62 destroyers and 63 submarines.
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Before you say it, nope those motorized artillery etc. are not actually in game. They are just part of them narrative wise. Take away the motorized artillery, AT and AA and that are the ingame divisions. The motorized rocket artillery are in game, along with tank destroyers and SP AT and AA.
This interlude was intended to also cover developments in the European communist world and the Soviet Union. But the China part became much bigger than first planned, as a result their will be only one more interlude regarding communism in Europe and the Soviet Union. The Red Army part is mostly to just give a brief overlook on the new things that have happened to the red army.
In game wise there have been peace in China and Mao and Zhang Lan rule the PRC and RoC respectievely. Narrative wise they are both dead right now, and the RoC are ruled by Weng and PRC (now called Soviet China) by Ming. China, Yunnan and Guangxi are also puppets of Japan ingame, narrative wise they are allied to Japan to contain Soviet influence and reliant on US support. Soviet China are a puppet of the USSR both in game and in the narrative.
Can't have a different vision of the revolution, otherwise the revolution wouldn't become truly global.
It is nothing short of heresy to defy the prophets of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Trotsky.
