Long Live the Permament Revolution! - a Trotskyist Soviet AAR.

[ThaHoward]

I think at this point the US is probably doomed, unless it can halt the invasion in Canada. It can't use nukes in the amercias without compelte abandoning thier allies and reason, so mexico and canda have to be secured through force. If the US gets invaded, I think its the end for them. If it gets nuked, same thing. But I would advise against the russians doing that if they want any postwar relations with them.

Indeed. The US can mobilize their entire reserve force, however looking at Belgium during WW2 it didn't go as well. The Belgians mobilized all their reserves in a total defense, actually gaining the same numbers as the Germans, however a bunch of untrained and ill equipped reserves and civillians stand little chance against a well oiled war machine.

The US can of course nuke their allies or even their own cities, but as you said then they have lost. They might halt or even stop the Soviet offensive that way, but at what cost? Perhaps even falling to communism is a better prize to pay than nuking your own allies and cities. The Soviets also need to tread carefully. It is not as easy to control USA as lets say Poland. I guess it depend on what their aims are. A swift victory at all cost? Revenge for the US nuclear bombings? Or, as you said, wanting to have good or cordial postwar relations?

 

[Nikolai]

Poor America, once a beacon of light in the world; now to be brutally extinguished by the dictatorial trotskyists.

 

[stnylan]

It is not a mess. It is a sign that the New World needs to join the World Revolution

 

[ThaHoward]

Poor America, once a beacon of light in the world; now to be brutally extinguished by the dictatorial trotskyists.

That's American propaganda! But yes, USA have long withstood communism. It remain to be seen if pure/uncontested communism is a better alternative to the liberal-democracy and Stalin's communism. The latter, yes. The former not so sure.

It is not a mess. It is a sign that the New World needs to join the World Revolution

That's the spirit, the new world will be liberated by the old!

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

It is not a mess. It is a sign that the New World needs to join the World Revolution

Nah. It's a mess. Far too messy for the Mexicans to sort out. They need to hand it all over to mother russia, for their own good of course.

 

[ThaHoward]

Nah. It's a mess. Far too messy for the Mexicans to sort out. They need to hand it all over to mother russia, for their own good of course.

Along with the rest of the world!

 

[ThaHoward]

Interlude VIII:
Workers of the World, United
​

Clockwise from the left: Broken down T-54, the headquarters of Neue Rheinische Zeitung , the Cologne Cathedral and Soviet top diplomats before the summit.

February 23rd 1947. The snow was falling down over Cologne melting before it hit the ground turning the whole event to one of misery, as to amplify the misery that was the war. Leaders of the communist world along with their top diplomats and leading figures in communist parties and unions in countries yet to be liberated. For the first time since the last Congress of the International the communist and socialist world converged on Cologne to discuss the future of the war, the timing and location of the Congress was one of high symbolic value. On the 22nd of February the great leaders of revolution met in Cologne and the very building that Marx and Engels printed the New Rhenish Newspaper: Organ of Democracy during the 1848 revolutions. The 22nd of February itself was the date when the 1848 revolutions erupted in Paris that led on to a political revolution that almost fulfilled the socialist dream of a social revolution, only to be crushed under the whip of the liberal-democracy and the boots of the very men they intended to serve. The communist leaders were not shy to draw parallels between the 1848 revolutions and their own and that they had to remain vigilant lest the bourgeois foil yet another revolution. Let it be the capitalists of the west or Stalinesque demagogues degenerate the revolution. Ernest Mandel's only regret was that the summit was not to be held the next year on the 100th anniversary of the 1848 revolutions.

The next day was the 23rd of February, the start date of the February Revolution according to the Julian Calender. This day was to be one of great celebrations and an impressive military parade inspiring awe in the people watching it. However the parade instead turned to a sour remainder of the internal division in the communist world along with a general war exhaustion. It was already expected by the Soviets that the majority of the delegates would demand an end to the war and be in opposition to Trotsky's vision for Europe and the world revolution - one way or the other. For the Soviets matters were made worse following the nuclear bombing of Vladivostok on the 7th of February. Trotsky who was in India to inspect the troops there and inspire confidence in them suffered another stroke upon hearing of the nuclear bombing. The great leader who had truly made socialism and communism a potent force abroad and within the Soviet Union was now incapable of attending to the Congress. This was, however, not his first stroke. In 1940 he suffered one, and he did so too during the first nuclear bombings in September of '45. Soviet leadership and the communist world at large prepared for a world without their unifying leader figure.

Nevertheless the Congress went on as planned, as mentioned earlier before the first talks in the Cologne Cathedral on the 23rd there was to be a huge military parade. However there was some issues. First of all the weather, the weather turned sour with snow pouring down, melting as it hit the ground turning it to an event of pure misery. Furthermore there was to put it mildly a general tiredness of the war. While during the prior Congress the people streamed in the thousands to watch the newest Soviet and Pact machines of war and cheer on the revolution, this time around most stayed at home. Those who attended mostly did it out of a sense of duty. To make matters worse the Soviets intended to show off their latest fighter jets, however they could not be seen due to the overcast. Instea one could only hear the dreadful roars from their jet engines, sending chills down the spines of the many who had witnessed the various bombing campaigns during the current and preceding world wars. Instead of a fantastical show of force and technical progress it instead became a show of terror. Moreover the Soviet Army would show off its latest invention the T-54. When the T-44 was unveiled during the last Congress it was applauded all over the communist world and sent shockwaves through the capitalist world. Despite its technical prowess it was still in the early stages of production and only early prototypes was shown. The crews who operated them had little to no training of the new killing machines, and as a huge embarrassment for the Soviet armored weapon several of the T-54s broke down, mostly due to human errors, and they quickly became a laughing stock for the people attending and the press alike. The Congress did not start well with the absence of Trotsky, a war that the majority of the population were against along with the parade that in many ways embodied the many problems in the communist world. Problems that even the mighty Union of Soviet Socialist Republics faced.

Old propaganda poster featuring Trotsky saying "Bolshevik Freedom", photos from the tested Ukranian countryside.

Chief among the problems in the Soviet Union was the growing discontent with the war. While the crippling bureaucracy of Stalin had largely been crushed and the promised democratic and union reforms promised by Trotsky and his "Leninists" following their "political revolution" and the end of World War Two had sweeped across the Soviet Union the social issues were very much the same. Ironically along with the process of transforming the USSR into a state of "democratic-socialism" this liberalization of the Union and her many people led to a greater political and individual awareness.

It is important to recognize that by 1947 there was a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, the nuclear bombings in the midst of the harvest of the country that was the bread basket of the Soviet Union crippled their economy and infrastructure. Famine was widespread and Ukranian nationalism surged as it had done under Stalin's heavy handed management of the country. Until now the fury of the Ukranians, and the other nationalities of the vast union, was directed toward the Americans. However as each day passed by and as the corpses piled up they started to openly question the rule of Kremlin. Where was the promised social revolution and classless society? Until now the reasoning of Kremlin was that as long as the industrialized nations of Europe were in ideological opposition to the Soviet Union the nation would suffer. Now that the industrialized nations were in fact communism after their own social revolutions, the situation in the USSR had not improved much. Contrary the current war had led to the attack upon Ukraine along with dreadful quoatas imposed upon the soviets and factories to meet the demands of the war. The mothers and the elderly of the nation also asked when they could see their sons again, sons that was sent away to the Great Patriotic War. Most of them returned in coffins from the new fronts in the third world war, or not at all. However this anger was never directed directly at Trotsky, many still viewed him as a unifying leader of some sort. Most remembered the tyranny under Stalin, and some also the great misery under the Tsar (Trotsky and the Kremlin was also aware of this, and feared the ghost of the Great War would come back to haunt them) and were grateful for the many new political and social programs under Trotsky. Such as greater political liberties, return of "all power to the Soviets" and an introduction of free labor unions. Trotsky was viewed by the people as osme sort of father, especially following the bombing of Vladivostok. While both Siberia and Ukraine was now under extreme hardship, the stroke of Trotsky was seen by many as a parallel to the illness that had fallen over their motherland, Trotsky was truly a caring father to his people, feeling so much with them that he suffered a stroke of his own upon the great newsflash of the nuclear bombing - at least so the propaganda decipted it.

Still the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics were in great need. This was largely helped on by the international posture of the USSR and Trotsky. Romania, Germany, Iraq and Iran sent much of their harvest to ease the need in the Soviet Union. In '47 that aid was beginning to show its positive sides, however other nations such as France and the Balkan Union was more restrained in their aid to the Soviet Union, mostly being introverted and not being overly keen to aid Moscow. These issues would become one of the key talking points in the coming Congress, proletarian and international solidarity across the nation states. Despite all this there was huge social and economic problems in the Soviet Union, many questioned the war time quoatas, and alltough the nuclear bombing of Vladivostok reunified the people against their common enemy, a common slogan was "why should we pay for Kuznetsov's Republics, while we do not afford bread to eat and shoes to call our own?"

​

The newest monsters to Trotsky's Oceangoing Navy.​

Kuznetsov's Republics was the nickname of the notorious Sovetsky Soyuz-class battleships - the Soviet Union Class. While Kuznetsov's Republics had first been a term of endearment for these massive beasts it later became a name to mock the expensive, and often in the minds of needy Soviet citizens, and unnecessary (super heavy) battleships of the Soviet Navy. This did not dissuade Kuznetsov, the Soviet Navy and Trotsky from ordering further Kuznetsov's Republics and improving them. Project 23 bis (improved Project 23/Soviet Union Class) would adress the issues of the preceding four ships of the class. The failure of the Soviet armor plate industry to build cemented armor plates thicker than 230 millimeters (9.1in) negated any advantages from the Sovetsky Soyuz class's thicker armor in combat compared to the previous Japanese Yamato Class, the proposed US Montana Class and even the new fast battleship class the Iowa. With the help of French, German and British engineers, case studies and blueprints the armor belt was increased to 409 mm, moreover the length of the ship was increased to 280m and having a full displacement of 72.000 tons, up from 65.000 tons! The larger size of the already massive Soviet Union class was in order to enable not only the thicker armor, but also to upscale the ship to have a total of four triplle turret 406 mm main batteries. Initially the Soviet planners wanted to upgrade them to the 460 mm cannons of the Yamato, however with the defeat of Japan they were content with 406 mm batteries that could counter the modern US Iowa Class and the still hypothetical Montana Class. In many ways the old and the new Soviet Union Class would be massive force multipliers able to take on even carriers and the newest US battleships. Four of the improved Soviet Union class was ordered, and the order since '35 for 15 of total of these superheavy battleships was also planned, however the newer Kuznetsov's Republics would have a greater emphasis on missile batteries and there was projects to look into the possibility of creating nuclear shells. Still if the Soviet Navy could get hand of four Project 23 bis it would drastically alter the balance of power toward the Soviet side, and as they were intended to take on the US carrier fleet head on they were also outfitted with a much stronger armament of AA defenses.

Around the time of the improved Project 23 yet another Project was greenlighted to be tested, launched and produced. This was the heavy cruiser codenamed Project 66. These were meant to counter the emergence of US heavy cruisers and to supplement the battlecruisers of the Soviet Union (called light battleships and heavy cruisers by the Soviet Navy). The Soviet Union had already 15 heavy cruisers, with 10 of them being the modern Project 22 heavy cruiser, now called the Kalinin Class after one of the many martyrs of Stalin's purges. Seven of the Project 66 puregun cruiser was ordered to buff the Soviet Navy up to complete the needs of the 1936 naval expansion plan. A further 8 heavy cruisers, which class at the time unspecified, was needed to complete the needs of the 1944 expansion plan (30 heavy cruisers).

Pictures of the resource draining ships that was the Kronstadt (smaller painting) and the Volgograd CCs.

In many ways Trotsky had fulfilled what was then percieved as mad ideas for Stalin's Oceangoing Navy. His original 1936 plan called for 24 battleships, his revised plan called for 15 battleships. At this time the Soviet Union sported 17 battleships with a further two in production. Trotsky's 1944 plan was thus achieved with boosting the Soviet Navy with a further 9 battleships. In addition by February of 1947 the first Soviet aircraft carrier was commissioned, the Krasnyi Vozdukh, basically an upgunned British Ark Royal. Krasnyi Vozdukh was stationed in the Soviet Far East Fleet and another one was under production to be finished in October of 1947, this carrier would like her sister sail in the Far East. A further two Project 71B carriers was ordered. These numbers would finish the Naval Plan of 1939 that called for two carriers, the 1944 expansion plan however called for a total of 9 carriers - the last five carriers was to be completed by Project 72 (still under design) and another smaller carrier.

The Soviet Navy at this time was quite formidable. Its battleships consisted of four Soviet Union superheavy battleships, three aging Marat Class dreadnoughts along with the modern fast battleships of Arkhangelsk Class (four in total) and the Lenin Class (four in total). In addition there was the two post war Project 24 battleships, now called the Engels Class, in service with a further two in production. If these two along with the four improved Soviet Union battleships was finished the Soviet Navy would be bolstered to a total of 23 battleships (!), just one battleship short of the original 1936 plan that was a laughing stock among naval experts.

The Soviet Union further augmented their battleforce with four Kronstadt Class battlecruisers, one had been sunk by the US outside of Korea, however it was soon replaced by another Kronstadt Class CC in production. These were to be reinforced by a further seven Volgograd (named after said sunk battlecruiser) Class cruisers, which in several ways was a fast battleship and not a battlecruiser, but were still classified as a light battleship by the Soviet Navy, and it would have state of the art missiles and even ballistic missiles making them ideal fast raiders that could engage their targets far away. A further four Project 25 light battleship/battlecruiser (basically an upgrade of the Kronstadt Class) was under production and was to be named the October Revolution Class. With the construction of the additional Kronstadt CC (only three were planned) along with four October Revolution ships and the seven ships of the Volgograd Class the 1944 expansion plan of 12 battlecruisers were met, while also falling under the quota of the 1939 plan's need for 15 battlecruisers. The massive expansion plans of 1936, 1939 and 1944 was in several aspects met, however these projects came at a great cost as mentioned earlier. The Soviet people in general did not take as much pride in this new Oceangoing Navy as the Soviet leadership hoped for, enormous resources was pumped into this massive navy, meanwhile the Soviet people were starving and struggling to match their production quotas. Battleships and aircraft carriers didn't put food in their bellies.

Trotsky chilling before the congress, several delegates of the congress posing in front of a statue of Lenin.

Back to Cologne. There was obvious fractures within the Soviet Union and many intelligence officers and top diplomats within the Union and the International feared a breakdown of Soviet society or outright counter-revolution. However the atomic bombing of Vladivostok and Trotsky's heart attack strangely unified the people behind their common leader (Trotsky) and against their common enemy (the United States). However the two top Soviet diplomats representing Trotsky (Serebryakov and Orinsky, the former a devout ally of Trotsky since the 1920's, the latter a member of the Group of Democratic Centralism) knew they were acting on loaned time. They were in desperate need to create unity within the International and agree upon some sort of aid from the great industrialized nations of Europe to the Soviet Union. However like the broken down T-54 main battle tank could represent the broken affairs within the Soviet Union so it could represent the division of the International.

While Trotsky was bedridden his political opposition within the International festered. While the Soviet Union was the first ever communist nation, and despite of the Trotskyist doctrine of spreading the revolution through the European continent the communist movement was not as unified as one might have believed. Prior to World War Three there existed four main fations within the International, as the war progressed a fifth and marginalized faction emerged but more on that later. In short there was Left, Center and Right wing factions along with one Independent group.

The Left was interchangeably named the Leninist, Trotskyists and Democratic-Socialists. In short they believed in the theories of Trotsky and Lenin, mostly expressing the need of un-industrialized nations to lead on the social and communist revolutions across the world (and aggressively if needed), socialist unions transcending old national borders along with political and democratic reforms, prior to the third world war included primarily of the USSR, Poland and Romania. The Center was additionally named the Orthodox-Marxists and Marxists. They believed that it was the industrialized nations that should be the leaders of the revolution and the communist world and that the workers should organize the new societies (as opposed to a vanguard party), when it came to the war they advocated an end to the war, war was just an imperialist tool to oppress the working class by pitting them against eachother, instead they believed the revolutions would be spontaneous across the globe. The Center faction was made up of Norway, Sweden and ironically Mongolia prior to the Congress. The Right faction was by its harshest critics called the Stalinists, however they dubbed themself the Eurocommunists and the Luxembourgists. While they might not have had so much in common with Rosa Luxembourg they named themself as such as they drew upon her authority as she opposed Lenin and the USSR upon their policy of uniting all of Europe under one socialist union. Instead they clamored for national self determination (ironically this did not extend to their former colonies) and instead opted for that each communist nation state should look inwards and build a socialist state within their nation, instead of waging expensive wars abroad. For the war itself they wanted a harsh peace treaty on the United States that would enable the socialist states of Europe to properly rebuild and live in peace. The nations of this faction was led on by France, Spain, the Balkan Union (Hungary), Czechia, Sinkiang, the rump state of Yugoslavia and even Germany. This was by far the strongest faction. In addition there was the Anarcho-Communist Faction. Where the Trotskyists believed that a feudal society could skip directly over capitalism and into socialism (in contrast to Orthodox Marxism), the Anarchists believed that any nation (let them be feudal, capitalist or feudal) should and could jump directly into the state of Communism (as described by Marx and Engels, not to be confused with communist parties and ideologies) where the state and government was abolished. Instead there should be no classes, borders etc and society should be exclusively organized from the bottom up by voluntarily participation by the population through councils and unions. This faction was initially very isolated as it was only the Cooperatives of Belgium that adhered to this faction, Belgium in turn only sent their representatives to the International out of necessity and not ideological conviction. They demanded and immidiate end to the war, along with any type of national state and socialist union. The famous novelist George Orwell sarcastially remarked as he reported back to London "(...) noone knows what the Anarchist want, least among them the Anarchists".

The Luxembourgist triumvirate: Diaz, Thorez and Rákosi - the latter is by the looks of it becoming quite cosy.

The principal leaders of the Luxembourgist faction was the three nations that embraced a communist revolution following the Soviet Union and the Trotskyist-Political revolution in the USSR. These were Diaz of Spain (who was itself in an uneasy alliance between the Luxembourgists, Trotskyists and Anarho-Syndicalists), Thorez seated in Paris and Rákosi who had restored Hungary to greatness by reclaiming all of her lost lands and even uniting most of the Balkans in one union. In the Cold War era they had formed a formidable bloc in opposition to the Leninists and Marxists and their various dreams of socialist integration and closer cooperation. In fact it existed quite a bit of bad blood between the original triumvirate and the Soviet Union. When the honeymoon effect subsided the simple facts that all three had been devout Stalinists and openly opposed Trotsky during Stalin's rule was a great thorn in the side of Trotsky. Moreover the "volunteers" in Spain under leadership by Rokossovsky supported Workers' Party of Marxist Unification (POUM), the Trotskyist faction within the Popular Front, over the Stalinist Communist Party. In addition the NKVD agents aided the POUM in the internal civil war within the Popular Front. Had it not been for the Soviet-Trotskyist interference Spain would likely be solely Communist/Stalinist, Diaz had naturally never forgotten this and never forgive the Trotskyists who would seize power from Stalin a year later. The French also became increasingly nationalistic, being afraid of percieved Trotskyist schemes to deprive them of their power (perhaps as Thorez harbored a deep resentment of the Trotskyists) and end their annexation of Saarland and Rhineland. As a counterweight the French opened up talks with Britain, Luxembourg (who was called mockingly Rosa Luxembourg), Germany and Spain to form a European Union as a counterweight to the Soviet Union. Initially these talks proceeded well and for a moment it looked as if all of wester and central Europe from Spain to Britain to Italy to Austria to Czechia would form a European Union of their own. If this succeeded Europe would be split in three major blocs: the Soviet Union in the east (along with their allies Romania and Poland), the European Union and the Balkan Union.

This was not to be. While the Soviets masterfully played the Luxembourgists behind the scenes, they managed perfetly well to fracture on their own. Up until the Third Congress of the International (1947) they were the greatest bloc, by now they were fratured and isolated. The talks of a European Union fell short once it became appereant France was unwilling to give away their occupied territories of Rhineland and Saarland to Germany (who was shockingly quite nationalist themself), moreover France threatened to end the economic cooperation in the Alsace-Lorraine and Rhineland regions with Germany if they did not recognize the French annexation of said areas. This naturally incensed Germany who withdrew from said negotiations and instead turned to the Soviet Union who had advocated free trade and cooperation between the communist countries. Meanwhile during the fall of the London a sort of dualism emerged between Rajani Palme Dutt and Harry Politt where both ruled the Union of Britain (while still under Soviet occupation and terror). However they soon diverged on several key issues, Politt was a Luxembourgist that had been a devout Stalinist who could never really forgive Trotsky for his ousting of Stalin. He welcomed the talks with France with open arms and advocated for a strong centralized state and a dictatorship as France and USSR under Stalin. Dutt on the other hand had initially been supportive of Stalin, but upon the Trotskyist revolution he switched sides to the new leadership of the USSR, and here he spied his chance. Appealing to the ego of Trotsky and with the support of Orwell he critized the model of Politt, named it Stalinist and instead supported a bottom to the top power structure where the Unions and Councils would form the basis of the British Union - a union that symbolized a union between the British peoples but also a confederacy of its many trade unions. Dutt further ridiculed Politt saying that Britain could not accept the European Union proposed by Thorez. He turned their own arguments of self detirmination against them, and made a joint statement with Germany saying "we can't allow ourself to accept such an unequal treaty, that defy the very principles of socialism and proletarian solidarity. We did not overthrow the aristocracy and bourgeois only to be dictated by Paris". The many British red militias soon converged on Politt, stormed his residency and arrested him for counter revolutionary acitivty, before the infamous people's tribunal on Trafalgar Square sentenced him to death. Soviet soldiers stood by and watched.

But perhaps the most crippling blow to France and the Luxembourgists was the death of Diaz. In the midst of all the stress of leadership along with the internal division in Spain and the International he suffered from stomach cancer. As the war progressed his health was rapidly deteriorating and following the nuclear bomibngs of Spain he died just a few weeks later. The already tested Spanish people entered a month of sincere mourning, and while the leaders of POUM shared their mourning they were quick to establish their own position within Spain. They called a new election for the seat of the Presidency and the popular Andrés Nin Pérez became the President of Spain. The position of both the president and premier of Spain was not possesed by members of the POUM - the Trotskyists. The Balkan Union also fell out of grace, most of the Balkans moved into opposition and recognized it as nothing but Magyar Nationalism, sharply critizing them for refusing to give humanitarian aid to the rest of the Balkans and the Ukraine, despite having the resources to do so. In the Balkans both Yugoslavia and Bulgaria turned to the Trotskyist side, Bulgaria following the Trotskyist revolution, and Yugoslavia as they realized their stance of Eurocommunism did not result in an equal union between the Balkan Union and Yugoslavia, instead Montenegro and the rump state of Serbia had to fall in line under Budapest if they were to be ever admitted into the Balkan Union, the creation of a pan Yugoslav union was out of the question. The fall of Mao, one of the sharpest critics of Trotsky and most ardent nationalists in the International, was also a crippling blow to the Luxembourgist faction.

Thus the Luxembourgist faction was greatly reduced, by the start of the congress they were only composed of France and the Balkan Union (both humiliated) along with Czechia (who opposed any European integration under Paris), Sinkiang and Korea.

The Dutch are doing quite well it seems.

Another event that sent shockwaves through the International was the creation of the Benelux Socialist State in the midst of the Congress. The Netherlands were quite.. new to the league of communists, had it not been for the secretariat of the Fourth International they would have been excluded from the Congress as a participating nation. However they were, along with Britain, included as a fully participating nation despite their status as an occupied nation. They claimed that they were the rightful government of the Netherlands and that the legality of the previous government had ended once they set up an alternative government in Batavia. The Fourth International decided that both the Union of Britain and the People's United Provinces (as the Dutch government named their country), and the critics couldn't escape but to notice that both London and Amsterdam were quite pro-Trotskyist and would fall firmly into the Leninist faction. The inclusion of yet another pro-Trotsky country in the International was enough to rock the boat, however that was not the greatest achievement of the Dutch. Long story short Lou de Visser quikly proved himself to be a devou disciple of Trotsky, modeling the nation somewhat after Soviet lines. The country was decentralized into seven provinces that each enjoyed a great amount of autonomy ruled by councils. Due to its geographical location many feared, and hoped, they would align themself with the French, instead they affirmed their loyalty to Moscow and openly pledged that they would aid the Fourth International and Paris Pact "in any capacity (...) in their plight to spread communism across the globe". This internationalist stance caught the attention of both the Marxists and Trotskyists, however they also made harsh critics of colonialization and honored the deceased Anton de Kom, earning respect across the aisles of the International. There they proposed a resolution that all nations within the International should fully decolonize within two years. Most nations agreed upon this, however not how. The Orthodox Marxists, and anti-revisionists, argued that the African and Asian nations should not be forced to be socialists, otherwise they would end up as nothing but a capitalist nation with a socialist dictatorship, the Anti-Revisionists (which we will adress later) even went as far as comparing such an event to the failed socialist regimes under Stalin and Mao. Meanwhile both the Luxembourgists and Trotskyists argued that like the Soviet Union they should skip over the capitalist and liberal-democratic stage in its entirety to socialism, the anarchists argued the same only directly to communism. Long story short the International agreed upon that within two years all the former empires must colonize, if not the clause of Enforced Decolonization would be enforced, in other words the members of the International had to declare war on those nations who refused to decolonize. Furthermore it was decided that each nation should decide over its own form of government; if it should embrace the liberal-democracy, socialism or outright communism. This was a compromise that pleased none, but it guaranteed the end to European (and American) colonial empires and the rule of white man.

But perhaps the greatest achievement of the Dutch was the creation of the Benelux Socialist State. Loui de Visser, Paul de Groot and Antonie Pannekoek managed to pull the three inherently different nations of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg into one Union. This was mostly made possible by Pannekoek who was an early Marxist theorist regarding Council Communism. As he was a sharp critic in the 20s of Lenin's authorian regime he not only earned, ironically, the respect of the Trotskyists (who in fact opposed many of Lenin's measures), but he was also close to Rosa Luxembourg ideologically and he organized the Dutch society so that it was based upon workers's councils and soviet democracy, this was to replace the state and embark society into a state of Communism. In short his theories managed to bridge the gaps between the Trotskyists, Anarchists and Luxembourgists in the Benelux, and the Marxists and the Trotskyists in the International. In the midst of the Congress the Benelux Socialist State was announced, not only showing the possibility of unity between the various factions, but also depriving the Luxembourgists and Anarchists of two principal member states, while bolstering the ranks and prestige of the Trotskyists. Orwell also remarked in a speech in the Congress, and in a report back home, "even Rosa Luxembourg have left the Luxembourgists for pure Marxism and Soviet socialism".

Propaganda poster during the Congress.

The Fourth International was under the official leadership of the Belgian Ernest Mandel, the French Pierre Frank and the Polish-Austrian Karl Radek. Under them sweeping reforms were made, chief among them were the resolution that satellite states and occupied nations that had developed fully fledged socialist governments of their own (i.e Britain, Denmark, Albania, Greece, Ireland, India and the Netherlands) should have equal representation in both the International and the Congress. Other socialist and communist parties (such as in the United States or Argentine) were members, but were only granted observatory rights, but they could still hold speeches, appeals etc. just not propose resolutions and vote over them. This created a massive influx of new delegates to the Congress, in addition to the various changes of loyalty as explained earlier new nations were taken into the warmth. As of the Third Congress of the International the factions were divided as follows:

The Left (Leninists, Trotskyists, democratic/council-socialism): USSR, Union of Britain, Benelux, Poland, Germany, Paraguay, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia (rump state of Serbia + Montenegro), Spain, Iraq (who advocated for a a secular pan-Arabic socialist union), China, Afghanistan and Denmark.

Center (Orthodox Marxists): Sweden, Norway, Turkey, Portugal, Austria, Mongolia, Greece, Indochina, Ireland and India.

Right (Luxembourgists, Eurocommunists): France, Balkan Union (Hungary), Czech Union, Korea and Sinkiang.

Independents (Anarcho-Communists): Italy and Iran.

In addition a new faction arose, one that was named the "Extreme Left". That faction described itself as anti-revisionist and claimed to be a reaction to many false successor ideologies of Marxism. Chief amongst their concerns were to go back to original revolutionairy doctrine, and to oppose the incorporation of any resemblance of capitalist economics in the socialist state. This faction was mostly composed of Albania, a minor nation that were only included after the invasion by the Balkan Union and the Soviet Union. Despite being ciritical of Trotsky's version of the Permament Revolution they chose to ally themself with both the Trotskyists and the Marxists, however both factions mostly distanced themself from the anti-revisionists who was quite vocal in their ciriticism of both the Eurocommunists and the Anarchists. They blamed the Eurocommunists from being capitalist societies and degenerate worker states, meanwhile they were opposed to the theories of the anrcho-communists, mostly for the sake of it not being Marxist. Despite their aggressive nature, they were a useful tool for both the Trotskyists and Orthodox-Marxists as it exposed the inherent flaws of the theories of France and the Balkan Union - the anti-revisionists even openly called the Right for Stalinists.

The new reforms by the secretariat bolstered the position of the Trotskyists, and the new position of strength by both the Trotskyists and the Orthodox-Marxists enabled reforms to be made. The COMECON was now established in the entire International. The Balkan Union and France first vehemtly opposed to be integreated into the common resource market of the International and its centrally planned economy, however the Soviet top diplomats threatened the French in the backroom that if they did not fall in line with the rest of the International their occupation of Rhineland and the Saarland would be ruled illegal, the same for the Balkan occupation of Romanian and Yugoslav lands. In short they were strongarmed to accept the proposals for further economic and political integration. This was a major victory for the Soviets, and a needed one. Grain and needed foodstuffs could not pour into the Soviet Union and her famished population.

But not everything was a dance on roses. The Marxists, Anarchists and Eurocommunists alike were opposed to the war. They had previously been toned down in their opposition to the war, however with Trotsky being bedridden and not present emboldened the various anti-war and pacifist movements in the International. The reason for the opposition for the war was diverse, however in short it can be summarized that the Eurocommunists believed a war was no longer needed as Europe had been secured from capitalist and imperialist intervention, instead resources should be spent on developing socialism within their respective nations. The Orthodox Marxists argued that socialism and social revolutions should not be enforced upon nations as the Trotskyists envisioned. Instead there should be spontaneous revolutions that were bound to happen now that the first revolutions had taken place, and the paradoxes of capitalism was exposed. Along with the anarcho-communists they argued that war was an imperialist tool and in stark opposition to anything that socialism and communism stood for. The Trotskyists on the other hand argued that the revolution could only start in societies that had not yet developed into capitalist societies and liberal-democracies. In short they believed the working class of such nations had grown decadent and passified by the bourgeoisie. Revolution could simply not happen in countries such as the United States, and if it happened both the bourgeoisie and peasantry would be quick to crack down on any social revolution. It was the task of developing nations to march on and liberate other nations. Moreover the socialist states could never exist in co-existence with other imperialist and capitalist nations, such nations would always seek to undermine the socialist states, or they would undermine themself such as under Stalin. Nevertheless it looked as if the the opposition to the Trotskyists would score the most crippling victory, to use the integration of the International against them and force the Paris Pact to sue for peace.

Lombardo the general secretary of PCM. Trotsky bedridden, and later giving a speech to the International.

It was then the Trotskyists recieved help from an unexpected front. The Second Mexican Revolution turned into an outright social revolution and a clerical-democratic counter revolution. In a pen stroke Vicente Lombardo was made the secretary of the PCM and the foreign minister of Mexico. Mexico, through the PCM and POCM, was granted full rights of the Congress. Mexico that once offered Trotsky refuge were once again the saviour of his entire project. Unbeknownst to Encino, Lombardo declared Mexico to be a Soviet Republic, offered Trotsky the formal leadership of the republic and expressed their desire for a Bolivarian Soviet Union. Lombardo was a well respected figure within the Orthodox Marxist faction, and when he made an open alliance with the Trotskyists he truly built a bridge between the Left and the Center. In several ways Mexico was a proof of both the permament revolution of Marx and that of Trotsky, both factions united behind the new Mexico. The Marxists also felt compelled to unite behind the new social revolution in Mexico that was close to being crushed by the United States. Lambardo then made a rousing speech uniting most of the Marxists on the side of the permament revolution and a continuation of the war. But most telling Trotsky appeared, alltough weakened (physically) he held immense sway over the assembled Congress. He gave a speech expressing his opinion, and most not even the Eurocommunists dared to oppose him. In his adress he finished by saying "of course we will support the Mexicans in their struggle against American imperialists". This rallied most of the Congress behind a common and renewed cause. The war against America would go on, and soon the Soviets invaded Canada. The expensive Soviet Navy proved its worth to the Soviet public and a surge of patriotism spread through the nation, who now enjoyed the fruits of opened up markets along with the end of the war being in sight.

And so the Congress sang the International, a song that was given a totally new meaning in face of their last struggle against the so called American imperialists and capitalists:

Stand up, all victims of oppression,
For the tyrants fear your might!
Don't cling so hard to your possessions,
For you have nothing if you have no rights!
Let racist ignorance be ended,
For respect makes the empires fall!
Freedom is merely privilege extended,
Unless enjoyed by one and all.

So come brothers and sisters,
For the struggle carries on.
The Internationale
Unites the world in song.
So comrades, come rally,
For this is the time and place!
The international ideal
Unites the human race.

Let no one build walls to divide us,
Walls of hatred nor walls of stone.
Come greet the dawn and stand beside us,
We'll live together or we'll die alone.
In our world poisoned by exploitation,
Those who have taken, now they must give!
And end the vanity of nations,
We've but one Earth on which to live.

So come brothers and sisters,
For the struggle carries on.
The Internationale
Unites the world in song.
So comrades, come rally,
For this is the time and place!
The international ideal
Unites the human race.

And so begins the final drama,
In the streets and in the fields.
We stand unbowed before their armour,
We defy their guns and shields!
When we fight, provoked by their aggression,
Let us be inspired by life and love.
For though they offer us concessions,
Change will not come from above!

So come brothers and sisters,
For the struggle carries on.
The Internationale
Unites the world in song.
So comrades, come rally,
For this is the time and place!
The international ideal
Unites the human race.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And that ladies and gents are the last interlude. With the final interlude wrapped up we will head on into the final struggle; the Battle of America.

In short the various communists nations in game are split into Leninist-Marxism (Stalinism, Leninism, Marxism, Anarcho-Communism and Anti-Revisionism. I wanted to create a story around that.

Luxembourgism and Eurocommunism are not selected out of their historical doctrines, but rather in their opposition to Trotskyism. Eurocommunism as the first European communists nations are ingame Leninist-Marxist, Luxembourgism as because she was in opposition to Lenin, but also over the fun easter egg that is Luxembourg is now named Rosa Luxembourg in game.

For the decolonized nations if we release nations that become marxist-leninist, leninist or anarcho-communist they'll remain communist. If they become marxist or anti-revisionist they'll be forced into democratic nations.

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

All will become one with the Borg

 

[stnylan]

It sounds as if the groundwork for the next great global conflict is already being laid

 

[ThaHoward]

All will become one with the Borg

All will be freed you mean

It sounds as if the groundwork for the next great global conflict is already being laid

If the USSR and the Pact wins I think there might be another cold war within the International. But like our cold war I doubt it would lead to a warm war now that we have nukes along with the extensive use of WMDs I doubt anyone would want a new major war after three horrible ones. But if we are going to go into the realm of conspiracies, perhaps Diaz was removed by secret services like Mao and Pollit? Perhaps Thorez and Sarkosi be removed aswell?

Speaking of WMDs, I meant to write about it. Basically several nations don't really like the Soviet's liberal use of WMDs, especially in Africa and India. There is talks of limiting nuclear weapons. But as the USSR currently are the only ones having it, it remain to be seen if it will have any effect. But keep in mind France have had a nuclear program since 1938, the revolution, invasion and purges have limited their success. If they, however, choose to restart it, that might lead to a special balance within the Pact and the International. Currently the French are looking for ways to assert their indepedence from Kremlin, or lead the Paris Pact and Fourth International entirley.

 

[ThaHoward]

Chapter 64:
Hail Mary
​

Scenes from the meat grinder.

On foreign soil fighting a war most did not understand why, thousands of soldiers fought in what was later to become known as the St. Mary Pocket or its much more sinister, and ironic, name of "St. Mary's Meatgrinder". Their trusted generals who had led them to victory after victory made a bold move, they executed a plan that was to inflict a decisive and crippling blow upon their enemies ending the war once and for all. Like the two preceding wars this war was dubbed the war to end all wars. But the men caught in the meat grinder was not so sure, their lives had become a living hell. Out of supply and communications with friendly forces they were under constant attacks and stress from their enemies. Their story was one of survival, not one of great ideology and heroism. Every now and then a rocket thrusted down from the clouds and slammed down into the city that was in their sights. What a terrifying sight, in the blink of an eye human lives would be ended and entire quarters leveled like the tales of the old thunder gods thrusting lightning down on sinners. At first the men had speculated when the mushroom cloud would rise above their assigned target, but the prospects of victory withered away as the sound of roaring jet engines and thundering piston engines of friendly fighter planes and bombers disappeared. Had the enemy reclaimed their airfields? What of their comrades had they perished and withered away alike? It was frustrating the city was in their reach, yet they had been stopped in the streets of a ferocious enemy who later pushed them out in merciless counterattacks forcing them to dig down. Their artillery who had rendered the once great city into ruins were now critically low on munitions their orders were to only "fire at point blank range, only if absolutely necessary". Their armor was out of fuel and what was left of it was dug down as stationary gun emplacements of a sort. The enemy fired their artillery upon their lines everytime they tried to rotate their troops or bring in supplies, slowly starving the Soviets out. Their planes strafed them every hour or so with machine guns, bombs, automatic cannons, rockets and napalm bombs giving them no chance for rest. Several soldiers took their own lives or ran into no mans land into a hail of enemy machine gun fire and went mentally insane. Moreover they had developed flying bombs of their own striking right at their lines. They were not accurate, still the buzzing sound and the sheer sight of incoming doom was frightening, even more so than the ballistic missiles coming in from Greenland and Iceland slamming into city. For days they had held out against a detirmined enemy, but the young Soviet soldiers were just as detirmined, "soon Rokossovsky will take the city and free us from our misery, just a little longer comrades" were the passing word. Most of them would never return.

Soviet Belarus is no more!

Disaster struck by sea as it did by air and land. While the Baltic Fleet guarded the troop and supply convoys heading toward the North American theater they were ambushed by a small battlecruiser task force that managed to slip behind their lines and wreak havoc. Their goal was to prevent supplies from reaching the troops of Rokossovsky, among them those trapped in St. Mary's Meatgrinder. Several cruisers and destroyers soon gave chase to the battlecruisers, alltough they were inferior to the big guns and thick armor of the battlecruisers they tailed them and relayed their position to the Soviet battlecruisers, fast battleships and more importantly the dreaded superbattleships of Soviet Union, Soviet Russia, Soviet Belarus and Soviet Ukraine. The big guns of the superheavy battleships missed their targets as the battlecruisers were too agile. After a prolonged chase the Soviet cruiser task force managed to cut off one of the battlecruisers and give the battleships enough time to catch up and aim in their 406 mm main batteries. The four superheavy battleships and two of the modern fast battleships of the Lenin Class pounded their guns on USS Palmyra Island. Soviet Russia managed to gain the killing blow as its shell, who weighted as much as a destroyer escort, smashed through the deck of the battlecruiser and lit up its magazine. Confident in their victory they started to look for the last battlecruiser, however their hubris got in their way. The big guns of Soviet Belarus sent massive shockwaves across the ship and eventually broke its radar system. Confident in their technological edge in armament and armor the captain of Soviet Belarus nevertheless ordered the ship to pursue the remaining surface raider. If the radar had been active the crisis might have been averted, but it happened anyway. Several waves of American torpedo and dive bombers appeared over the horizon. The AA batteries of Soviet Belarus was not enough to deal with the many attacks, and she was largely without escort destroyers. Bomb after bomb dropped on top of the battleship, while several fast moving and magnetic torpedos hit it right in the sides. At first the super thick armor resisted the attacks, but soon the flaws of early Soviet armor and steel designs became appereant, the bow was hit and the rudder destroyed along with the engine that caught fire. The engine room had to be sealed off, several sailors were caught inside leaving them to a horrible faith. Worse yet the Soviet Belarus was sitting ducks with several other air wings coming in for renewed attacks. Several of its magazines caught fire, but it was not enough to deal a crippling blow to the massive superstructure. The sailors on deck and inside the ship was soon confined to dodging bombs and strafing rounds just like the ordinary infantry man on the frontlines. It was then it happened. After intense bombardent then ship finally caved in, a huge fireball split the ship in two with the smoke rising up hundreds of meters into the air. Miles away inland Soviet and American troops, and civillians, alike stood by and watched the massive cloud rise up to the heavens. The Soviet Belarus had exploded on several locations and were sinking. What happened? The outdated Soviet doctrine of decisive battle and battleship primacy was finally proven to be just that, outdated. Indeed they had scored a major victory against the British in the English Channel, but there the Soviets had air supremacy and the element of surprise. Here outside the coast of the United States of America the Baltic Fleet was lured by two fast moving surface raiders toward a total of three American carriers; one Essex Class and two Yorktown Class. The torpedo proved its worth against the right ship for the wrong war. Despite its massive size and guns it was no match against the detirmined carrier task force. The improved version of the superheavy battleship might remedy for some of its shortcomings with improved armor and greater concentration of AA guns. However it was made clear that the aircraft carriers were able to project much more power over a longer distance and at a much less cost. The Soviet soldiers in St. Mary's Meatgrinder stood by and watched as the pride of their fleet blew up. And so did their hopes for any incoming supplies and troops. Such a loss would have sent shockwaves through the Soviet population (who were already quite skeptical of Kuznetsov's Republics) and be a massive blow to their morale. For the Americans, on the other hand, it showed that the Soviets could be beaten.

Us troops withdrawing from the shore defenses, aerial photographs of the landing zones and Soviet soldiers moving into Baltimore.

So where was this St. Mary's Meatgrinder, and where did the migthy Soviet Belarus meet its end? On the eastcoast of the United States of America. Troubled and overstretched all over the globe and between the extreme north of Canada and extreme south of Mexico STAVKA approved of the long planned plan for Rokossovky's 2nd Belarus Front. In many ways it was a major and highly ambitious backhand blow. Soviet troops would land in the American heartland as the US Navy and US Army were committed elsewhere. It was highly ambitious that would have grave implications if it failed. The two first landings took place just south of Baltimore and the second one at the beaches just east of Philadelphia. Both landingzones were met with stiff American opposition, however the Americans were largely unprepared for an attack here. Who could have ever foreseen an attack there? Within hours the landingzones were secure and the two initial waves waited for the rest of the Front to move in and to secure their two primary goals: New York City and Washington D.C.

Rokossovsky will strike the capitalists right in their rotten heart and end the war.

3 in the morning local time, 12th of June. Rokossovsky's 2nd Belorussian Front moved out and secured their respective landingzones. While there had been some resistance just east of Philadelphia and inside Baltimore itself. But it was not enough to take on the Soviet invaders. The plan was so bold and so unlikely in itself that noone saw it coming, not even after Vlasov crossing in from Greenland-Iceland into Canada-Newfoundland no one in NATO nor Pentagon could see such a move coming in. Worse it threatened the entire US front in Canada. Taking Washington DC and New York City (along with the other major cities) would be a major blow to the Americans, politically, economically and on their morale, but it also threatened to cut off the many US divisions and militias up in New England. If they fanned out into Pennsylvania and New York state and reached Buffalo sitting on between Lake Erle and Lake Ontario, New England was bound to fall along with Canada. The loss of Washington, New York City, Philadelphia and Baltimore was big enough blows in itself to perhaps force the US to surrender.

The Soviet troops who landed in Baltimore, along the crossroads between Delaware-Maryland-New Jersey-Pennsylvania and the Soviet contigent east of Philadelphia achieved most of their objectives in short order. In a few hours the major airfields north of Washington was secured along with Pennsylvania (after a short, yet bloody close quarter battle) moreover both Washinton DC and Newark had Soviet troops enter its suburbs. Many Americans believed this was surely to be the end. However the Soviets had many flaws in their plans.

For once their supply lines were critically stretched out. One inscursion by the US Navy and the entire Front under Rokossovsky (who set up headquarters personally in Philadelphia) risked being cut off. Moreover they were in the midst of American heartland. This desperate attack that was by Pentagon considered a last Hail Mary by the Soviet Army to put an end to the war. The Soviets knew this, however, and instead relied upon capturing local American fuel stockpiles and industries to "live off the lands". They would, according to plan, capture all of New England all the way to Washington DC. This would give them enough industrial capacity to be self sufficient and force the US to surrender. However one error made a whole six rifle divisions, one mechanized corps and one armored division land along the St. Mary Peninsula just south of Washington D.C instead of the planned forested areas west of Washington DC as planned. This made the Soviets unable to hermetically close of D.C and siege the city. Instead it opened up the road and railways west of D.C and cut off several of Rokossovsky's divisions south of Washington D.C. Seeing no other option to fight their way out of the pocket these divisions caught in St. Mary's Meatgrinder pressed on the attack while the other divisions north and east of the city fanned out to take control of the surrounding countryside. Instead the Americans rushed in several divisions from the National Guards - many of whom recently created with many of its soldiers not being able to finish bootcamp. These troops, while green, were capable of halting the Soviet offensive - mostly due to their acute lack of supplies. Worse still was when professional American Army divisions arrived to bolster the ranks of Washington D.C where they stopped a mechanized corps from crossing the Potomac river and encircle the US capital - however they failed to secure the airfields already seized by the mechanized corps which opened up the Washington Front to Soviet made bombers and jet fighters. Whilst the offensives into and around Washinton D.C was stopped the Americans pressed on and hoped to reclaim the peninsula of St. Mary and push the Soviet invaders out of these United States. Meanwhile Washington, in the midst of artillery and aerial bombardments, recieved a telegram from Kremlin. They were to surrender and lay down their arms or face the consequences. Truman supposedly replied "Nuts!"

Humankind may end up not being at all.

For his cocky answer he paid dearly. On the 15th of June an atomic bomb went off right above lower Manhattan. Downtown New York was set ablaze with a fire that raged on for days. The Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges collapsed under the sheer destructive force of the blast, and while the Statue of Liberty were still standing she was severly misfigured following a heat blast that melted most of the copper. Wall Street and much of the financial districts of America was totally ravaged. Soviet propaganda decipted it as a major blow to the oppressive institutions of American hyper capitalism - glossing over its humanitarian issues. Truman was still defiant. The very next day another bomb went off above Boston, in many ways the birthplace to America herself. The Soviets and the Spanish got their revenge, foreign minister Serebryakov implored Washington to surrender - Truman was still defiant. It was believed these two atomic blasts would send the American people into a state of shock and disbelief and force them to surrender. Instead it increased they united against a common enemy. The Soviet threat had to be expelled from Northern America at any cost.

Still, however terrible the atomic bombings were, there was a strategic aspect to it all and just not a wish to force the US to surrender. New York as aforementioned was a central area for the American financial market. A nuclear attack there shook the economy of the US. Moreover the two cities were industrial powerhouses sitting on infrastructural hubs. Taking them out would lower the US war economy and enable the Soviet offensive into New England.

The Battles of Washington and Baltimore are over, the Soviets are being pushed back to Philly...

But the atomic bombings did not end the war. Instead it mobilized the American population. The Washington-Baltimore-Newark line came under well detirmined counterattacks. The Soviet troops were on low supplies and alltough the Finnish People's Army was ordered to reinforce the fronts it was too late. In short order the airfields north of Washington was reclaimed by the Americans ending the Soviet air support in the region and being an overall major blow to the Soviet air force as most of the air planes was caught on the ground. Worse were the final loss in St. Mary's Meatgrinder. On the 20th of June a total of six infantry divisions, one mechanized corps and one armored division surrendered with massive casualties. With the fall of St. Mary the Soviet invasion of Northern America had cost well over 300.000 casualties. The Americans pushed on, however, and soon Rokossovsky's invasion force were confined to only Philadelphia and a small salient reaching into Pennsylvania along with a foothold on southern New Jersey. The US pressed on, but by the 1st of July the Soviets managed to reorganize their defenses and hold the ground against further US advances. Still the fronts were very unstable and the US troops had a major advantage, they were at home. The Soviets were not.

At least Canada is out..

While the United States would otherwise celebrate their independence day the shadow of European oppression and tyranny loomed over the nation. On the 4th of July the last Canadian troops were beaten and surrendered as the divisions under Vlasov entered Ottawa. The radiation soaked city was a mere shadow of itself, the few who survived had already sought refugee in the United States, the majority of Soviet troops that entered and occupied the city would later on become victims of cancer. With the fall of Canada there was really only a small pocket of US Army troops left, forming a salient into Canada. The Soviet troops prepared for a final offensive stretching all the way from Lake Ontario toward New Brunswick. It was there the full plan of the Soviet offensive became clear for the Americans. The Front under Vlasov was to advance down New England, meanwhile Rokossovsky would strike north-west to Lake Ontario and encircle the American troops. This naturally led to the US pulling several divisions and manuever brigades from Canada and New England to face the 2nd Belorussian Front who was deemed the greater threat due to its close proximity to both Washtington DC and New York City, this came at the cost of the defenses in the north which became evident as Vlasov secured most of Canada and started his offensive into New England.

..but the good news are soon overshadowed by a phyrric US victory.

For the last few days the war had raged on not only in the air and by the land, but also the sea. We already established the initial sinking of Soviet Belarus, however the Baltic Fleet as a whole engaged the carrier task force. True enough all of the US battlecruisers and the three aircraft carriers were sunk in the many engagements that would later on be called for the Battle of Eastern Seaboard, however it clearly showed the Soviets their shortcomings in naval doctrines, operations and tactics. The entire Baltic Fleet was rendered incapable for both offensive and defensive operations as a meager number of three carriers and two battlecruisers sunk a whopping number of one submarine, three destroyers, three heavy cruisers and three battleships. Amongst them one dreadnought, but also one superheavy battleship and one fast battleship based upon late war designs! The absence of Soviet aircraft carriers and heavy reliance upon battleships showed its limitations. In addition all of the Soviet battleships (five in total, three superheavy battleships, one Lenin class and one Engels class) and battlecruisers and heavy cruisers in the Baltic Fleet was rendered incapable for both offensive and defensive operations and had to be towed back to Kronstadt for reparations. While the loss of the battleships of Soviet Belarus and Lenin was a huge blow to Soviet morale, worse it sent their main battlefleet packing home. This rendered the supply lines of the Soviet troops who had invaded the United States of America and Canada exposed. Admiral Nimitz later said "(...) a handful of carriers single handedly rendered the greatest Russian battle fleet unoperational. We have ten more carriers, the Soviets have none". On the 13th of July the main battlefleet of the US Navy ambushed the retreating Baltic Fleet in the Azores. This fleet was composed of no less than said 10 aircraft carriers and numbered a total of 92 war ships. Meanwhile none of the Soviet capital ships and cruisers were able to participate in combat, the Baltic Fleet risked being sunk alltogether, the Baltic Fleet was sure enough far away from known waters. If the Baltic Fleet was sunk, the entire Soviet Navy in the Atlantic risked being sunk, putting the entire invasion and perhaps even war at risk.

Onward to total victory or total defeat.

With the decisive defeat in the eastern seaboard STAVKA, Vlasov and Rokossovsky knew they had to act. On the 9th of July Rokossovsky ordered his divisions to again go on the offensive, bolstered by a few T-54s in his ranks, and attack out to Washington and New York. By the 13th they reached, after heavy casualties, again Newark and the outskirts of Washington DC. The Soviets tried to cut off New York, but their offensive into the region were quickly repulsed, meanwhile an offensive was taking place into the US Capital, albeit at heavy Soviet casualties against an enemy that would not yield. A Soviet officer loudly complained "why do they insist on fighting? Can't they see the end is near, that the war is lost?", a fellow officer replied: "What would you have done if they invaded our Motherland?" While the Soviets struggled to move forward toward NYC and DC, Vlasov was slowly moving into New England and the American troops in the Canadian salient were slowly withdrawing.

However as the battle raged on in the American heartland a new threat arose. In Mexico the first 12 divisions arrived along with several airwings, prepared to push back NATO forces in southern Mexico. Soon 12 more would bolster them, along with another Front steaming toward Mexico, ready to reclaim northern Mexico and secure the US-Mexican borders. However there was a third invasion of the United States of America, another one by sea. The 1st Belorussian Front under Vasily Kuznetsov sailed over to southern America and was scheduled to land in the two Carolinas taking control of south US and threatening to outflank the US troops in Virginia and Maryland.

Much was at stake. Would the Soviet invasions in northern United States be pushed back before there could be a fullscale invasion from the south (either through the Carolinas or Mexico) or would the renewed fighting spirit of the US Navy spell disaster for both the navy and army of the USSR? Or perhaps Washington DC could be secured and the United States of America and NATO would sue for peace. A lot of questions and uncertainties were looming in the air. It became clear for all that the Battle of America had jut begun and its outcome would have the potential to end the entire war. One way or the other.

Comrade Kuznetsov (the army guy, not the navy guy) have arrived!

(...)

All is ours!
We did not cheat,
In this cruel fight,
We have given all ours
And left nothing to ourselves

Everything is bequeathed to you
For all time, not for a term
And this mental voice of ours
Is no reproach to the living.

For we had no distinction
In this war at all:
Those living and those fallen –
We were all equal.

And no one of the living
Is indebted to us
Those, who took up the colours
From us on the run

Only to fall one step later
For the holy cause,
For the Soviet power,
Like all of us.

I was killed at Rzhev,
And he – somewhere near Moscow…
Where are you, warriors, where,
Is there anyone alive?!

In the million-large cities
In the villages, at family homes?
At the military garrisons,
On a foreign land?

(...)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And here we are at the start of the final struggle. 92 US warships (nearly all of the US ships in game) have ambushed the Baltic Fleet, whose CCs, BBs and CAs are nearly destroyed already. Meanwhile the main battleforce of the Black Sea fleet are returning home to the Black Sea for repairs aswell, is this the end of the Soviet Fleet? And if the Soviet fleet are sunk is that the end of the Soviet invasion of the US?

Now I have exposed all the different invasions of the USA for you. One from Canada, two by sea and if Marx wills it two Fronts will reach Mexico and deal with NATO there before attacking USA from down below - if they reach Mexico that is, and if they manage to win the Battle of Mexico.

T-54 are researched, but only one factory produce them. In game they are not really there, in the narrative the very spearhead of Kuznetsov's and Rokossovsky's forces have recieved a handful of T-54s, but they still rely on T-44s and especially T-34s.

The nuclear bombings are terrible indeed, but remember this: We're fighting a war for our very existence against the US, it did not start as such, but it wound up to be like that once they dropped five nuclear bombs on Soviet cities, and three on Spain. In addition with the nuclear bombing of New York and Boston the US now only need to control less than 75% of their victory points to surrender. Perhaps if we conquer New England, New York and Washington the US will surrender now. Thus we see these bold attempts to invade the United States along with the atomic bombings, they might end up destroying most of the Soviet Army and Navy, but it can be just enough to end this horrible war once and for all. We have at this time around one more nuclear bomb to use, but I refrained from doing it mostly as it would be too horrible in such a short span, rivaling the US bombing of Ukraine and Spain.

 

[stnylan]

When this is all done Trotsky will no doubt be the most loathed man on the planet - but Rokossovsky will not be far behind to my reckoning.

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

They were to surrender and lay down their arms or face the consequences. Truman supposedly replied "Nuts!"

For his cocky answer he paid dearly.

On the 4th of July the last Canadian troops were beaten and surrendered

Jesus, hope the press don't find out the President literally caused that one personally. And with Canada and the east coast beginning to fall, that's kind of it for the Allies, isn't it? Even if the Soviets get thrown into the sea now, the war is either ending in stalemate and the soviets keeping all their land or the US losing.

 

[ThaHoward]

When this is all done Trotsky will no doubt be the most loathed man on the planet - but Rokossovsky will not be far behind to my reckoning.

Whaaat? Only by the enemies of le revolucion.

Jesus, hope the press don't find out the President literally caused that one personally. And with Canada and the east coast beginning to fall, that's kind of it for the Allies, isn't it? Even if the Soviets get thrown into the sea now, the war is either ending in stalemate and the soviets keeping all their land or the US losing.

Supposedly is an important hint here, I'll let you decide how to interpertate that.

Yeah the Soviets have the upperhand now. Even if they lose this invasion I suppose a peace will be on their terms, unless it blows up into a fullscale nuclear war (aka. MAD) of course. However if most of the Soviet Armed Forces (all of its branches) perish in America it might lead to unforseen consequences. In regards to European relations and the Soviet economy.

 

[diskoerekto]

When this is all done Trotsky will no doubt be the most loathed man on the planet - but Rokossovsky will not be far behind to my reckoning.

You mean the guy saving the workers of the world from their shackles? I'm surprised the people of America isn't already joining the Soviets to break the capitalist yoke.

 

[Captured Joe]

The US should be on the ropes by now, the People's Army should be able to defeat them sooner or later.

 

[ThaHoward]

You mean the guy saving the workers of the world from their shackles? I'm surprised the people of America isn't already joining the Soviets to break the capitalist yoke.

That's more like it!

The US should be on the ropes by now, the People's Army should be able to defeat them sooner or later.

Hopefully so, BUT remember that this is their hometurf. That means their chain of supply is much shorter (than the Soviet that risk being cut off), their morale higher and the US is an economic powerhouse with a population of around 144 million men. By the looks of it we're close to winning, hopefully we'll be able to go all in!

 

[Andre Massena]

USA USA USA

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

USA USA USA

In the ground. In the ground.

 

[diskoerekto]

USA USA USA

United Socialist Americas?