I was wondering....Could we se more of how is the fight in europe in the next update?
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Well, the three next updates (chap. 24-25-26) were actually done until my external hard drive decided to die after a nasty power outage. With it also died the saves of the aar...
Since two months I've been working on remaking my game from scratch, hopefully the new events were saved on my computer so they were spared of destruction. Last week, I've finally completed the work on the scenario and: good news! Its pretty much the same thing as it was before. I will start writing chapter 24 soon and I expect an update on friday
.
And yes, the war in Europe will be much more covered in the next update...
Since two months I've been working on remaking my game from scratch, hopefully the new events were saved on my computer so they were spared of destruction. Last week, I've finally completed the work on the scenario and: good news! Its pretty much the same thing as it was before. I will start writing chapter 24 soon and I expect an update on friday
.And yes, the war in Europe will be much more covered in the next update...
- 1
Chapter Twenty Four: Some Flowers in Your Hair
October 1st 1942, Free Germany Headquarters, London.
Kaiser Wilhelm III sat down on the chair behind his desk and let out a long sigh. Back in 1914 when his father was murdered and himself was crowned during a time of war he thought it was the time of his life, but time now showed him he was wrong. Right now, he was at the head of a government in exile with no means to do anything against the dangers treating his native land. Here in London, at the Headquarters of the Free German resistance, he felt useless. He had previously asked General Rommel to allow him a trip in Africa and to give him a command on the battlefield but Rommel had refused, stating that the loss of the Kaiser would be a death blow to the Free German Cause. Wilhelm couldn’t disagree with him on this point but, the Kaiser felt his place was at the head of his troops, not at the head of a government with no land to govern.
Wilhelm III shaking hands with Paul von Hindenburg, two important figure of the Great War.
The meeting he had just finished did nothing to raise his morale, the news were bad in Germany, very bad. The red tide had restarted its dead rolling towards Western Europe. Probably pressed by the coming of the winter, the Soviet general staff had launched a general offensive on all parts of the front with the goal of breaking the stalemate in place since the summer setback against the poles. This time though, reports showed that armoured units were a lot more used and that the results were disastrous for the Axis. In another situation, Wilhelm would have rejoiced of this news, but with the Red army at the gates of Europe, there was nothing to rejoice about. Indeed, the Smirvovists had made clear that every inch of land gained in Europe was to stay under the control of the proletariat, in other words, under Soviet direct control.
And it might happen sooner than most military analysts had predicted, during the meeting, the Kaiser had been informed that on November 25th the Red Army had taken Warsaw and that its pincer movement to encircle the 4e Corps d’Armée of the French Royal Army pinned in Lodz and Wloclawek was about to be completed as Czestochowa had fallen and the fight for Bydgoszcz was about to end. If the French weren’t able to stop the Russians, the battered German army now under command of a Nazi puppet regime would likely not be able to stop it neither.
Russian soldiers in Poland circa November 1942.
To avoid the complete control of Western Europe by USSR, plans for a landing of Allied troops were evaluated by the Allies. Two years after the initial German defeat and the disastrous evacuation at Bremen, the Allies, particularly England, had rebuilt their forces and were now ready to strike back. The problem was, were? Wilhelm was pushing for a landing in the Heligoland bight to save Germany from complete Soviet occupation and to stop the Russians in their progression in the West. However, the second option, the invasion of France, had already started and the British didn’t wanted to stop it now. With the landing in Corsica and Operation Yellow sea, England had secured Provence and was now willing to exploit this advantage. Logistically, launching an invasion of France in parallel with the North African campaign would have been impossible for the United Kingdom on its own. But with the fighting in Africa mostly carried out by Commonwealth and Free German forces, most of the British Army was free to use somewhere else. Not to mention the enormous manpower of Dominion of India that would be crucial in such an operation.
Kaiser Wilhelm was still trying to push forward the liberation of Germany first but he knew it was hopeless by now. The fall of Egypt and the successful counter attack in Libya had convinced the Allies that Italy wasn’t a threat anymore and that an Italian campaign would be a piece of Cake, if ever necessary. The feeling in the high spheres was that once Germany and France had fallen, either to the Allies or to the Soviets, Italy would surrender whatsoever. It was true that with its navy at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, its Army fighting in the defensive in North Africa and its obsolete air force, Italy could not carry the fight for much longer, but when this happen, who would control Italy?
Last but not least, the North American theatre was the only one where truly good news where coming from. After nine months of fighting, the unthinkable was happening, the American power house was in way to be defeated. The Kaiser himself had trouble believing it. The USSA had every advantage you could dream of during wartime, manpower, industrial superiority, larger Army and air superiority. But so many things had gone wrong for America, most of its advantages were wasted in the first days of the war. They even managed to fail to destroy a Mexican naval squadron on its way to bomb Los Angeles! The main problem of the American Red Army was its lack of good leadership. Indeed, after the revolution of the 30s, most of the generals who commanded the US Army refused to join the newly formed American Red Army. The “big three”, as they were called, had even escaped to Canada and asked the American people to join them in their fight for liberty. The “big three” was composed of: General Douglas MacArthur, Admiral Ernest King and Lieutenant Colonel Curtiss LeMay. These three military leaders, with MacArthur at their head, had leaded the underground movement against communist America since its beginning and were suspected to have taken shelter in Canada since New England was reincorporated into the Union. Other officers simply refused to serve the Red Army, amputating it of a large part of its former experience.
The big three, from left to right: MacArthur, King and LeMay.
Now, San Diego had fallen to the Mexican, Detroit to the Canadians, Boston was occupied by the British and Washington and New York were under Confederate control. The battle for Chicago had started and, even if its end wasn’t near, the outcome was predictable, even with half a million defenders the capital of the USSA would fall, inevitably. What good would this make to the German cause? The Kaiser didn’t know, most likely nothing though.
The boring part of the meeting had been the part about Asia, apart from Australia and India, no countries were at war in the area and the region seemed pretty quiet. The two giants, China and Japan, were not considering war between themselves according to the British secret services, not that Kaiser Wilhelm agreed with them on this. In his mind, he clearly remembered a meeting of his private council during the middle 30s when his staff had told him that China and France were planning to sign a secret pact in case of war against USSR… Would the Chinese attack was another question, obviously they hadn’t been ready when France was attacked but this was almost six months ago, if they were to attack it would probably be now, to benefit from the winter that is preventing the Russians to sends large amount of troops in the east.
Chinese troops ready for the inspection in 1941.
Will it come soon enough to save Germany? Only the future will tell the Kaiser and right now, he was sick of the bad news, he stood up and started to leave the office for his residence where he could have a sleep. While leaving, he forgot to turn off the radio but didn’t hear the speaker of the BBC talking before shutting his door.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the reports coming from America claiming that Imperial Mexican forces have been sighted near San Francisco have just been confirmed by our embassy in Ottawa".
October 1st 1942, Free Germany Headquarters, London.
Kaiser Wilhelm III sat down on the chair behind his desk and let out a long sigh. Back in 1914 when his father was murdered and himself was crowned during a time of war he thought it was the time of his life, but time now showed him he was wrong. Right now, he was at the head of a government in exile with no means to do anything against the dangers treating his native land. Here in London, at the Headquarters of the Free German resistance, he felt useless. He had previously asked General Rommel to allow him a trip in Africa and to give him a command on the battlefield but Rommel had refused, stating that the loss of the Kaiser would be a death blow to the Free German Cause. Wilhelm couldn’t disagree with him on this point but, the Kaiser felt his place was at the head of his troops, not at the head of a government with no land to govern.
Wilhelm III shaking hands with Paul von Hindenburg, two important figure of the Great War.
The meeting he had just finished did nothing to raise his morale, the news were bad in Germany, very bad. The red tide had restarted its dead rolling towards Western Europe. Probably pressed by the coming of the winter, the Soviet general staff had launched a general offensive on all parts of the front with the goal of breaking the stalemate in place since the summer setback against the poles. This time though, reports showed that armoured units were a lot more used and that the results were disastrous for the Axis. In another situation, Wilhelm would have rejoiced of this news, but with the Red army at the gates of Europe, there was nothing to rejoice about. Indeed, the Smirvovists had made clear that every inch of land gained in Europe was to stay under the control of the proletariat, in other words, under Soviet direct control.
And it might happen sooner than most military analysts had predicted, during the meeting, the Kaiser had been informed that on November 25th the Red Army had taken Warsaw and that its pincer movement to encircle the 4e Corps d’Armée of the French Royal Army pinned in Lodz and Wloclawek was about to be completed as Czestochowa had fallen and the fight for Bydgoszcz was about to end. If the French weren’t able to stop the Russians, the battered German army now under command of a Nazi puppet regime would likely not be able to stop it neither.
Russian soldiers in Poland circa November 1942.
To avoid the complete control of Western Europe by USSR, plans for a landing of Allied troops were evaluated by the Allies. Two years after the initial German defeat and the disastrous evacuation at Bremen, the Allies, particularly England, had rebuilt their forces and were now ready to strike back. The problem was, were? Wilhelm was pushing for a landing in the Heligoland bight to save Germany from complete Soviet occupation and to stop the Russians in their progression in the West. However, the second option, the invasion of France, had already started and the British didn’t wanted to stop it now. With the landing in Corsica and Operation Yellow sea, England had secured Provence and was now willing to exploit this advantage. Logistically, launching an invasion of France in parallel with the North African campaign would have been impossible for the United Kingdom on its own. But with the fighting in Africa mostly carried out by Commonwealth and Free German forces, most of the British Army was free to use somewhere else. Not to mention the enormous manpower of Dominion of India that would be crucial in such an operation.
Kaiser Wilhelm was still trying to push forward the liberation of Germany first but he knew it was hopeless by now. The fall of Egypt and the successful counter attack in Libya had convinced the Allies that Italy wasn’t a threat anymore and that an Italian campaign would be a piece of Cake, if ever necessary. The feeling in the high spheres was that once Germany and France had fallen, either to the Allies or to the Soviets, Italy would surrender whatsoever. It was true that with its navy at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, its Army fighting in the defensive in North Africa and its obsolete air force, Italy could not carry the fight for much longer, but when this happen, who would control Italy?
Last but not least, the North American theatre was the only one where truly good news where coming from. After nine months of fighting, the unthinkable was happening, the American power house was in way to be defeated. The Kaiser himself had trouble believing it. The USSA had every advantage you could dream of during wartime, manpower, industrial superiority, larger Army and air superiority. But so many things had gone wrong for America, most of its advantages were wasted in the first days of the war. They even managed to fail to destroy a Mexican naval squadron on its way to bomb Los Angeles! The main problem of the American Red Army was its lack of good leadership. Indeed, after the revolution of the 30s, most of the generals who commanded the US Army refused to join the newly formed American Red Army. The “big three”, as they were called, had even escaped to Canada and asked the American people to join them in their fight for liberty. The “big three” was composed of: General Douglas MacArthur, Admiral Ernest King and Lieutenant Colonel Curtiss LeMay. These three military leaders, with MacArthur at their head, had leaded the underground movement against communist America since its beginning and were suspected to have taken shelter in Canada since New England was reincorporated into the Union. Other officers simply refused to serve the Red Army, amputating it of a large part of its former experience.
The big three, from left to right: MacArthur, King and LeMay.
Now, San Diego had fallen to the Mexican, Detroit to the Canadians, Boston was occupied by the British and Washington and New York were under Confederate control. The battle for Chicago had started and, even if its end wasn’t near, the outcome was predictable, even with half a million defenders the capital of the USSA would fall, inevitably. What good would this make to the German cause? The Kaiser didn’t know, most likely nothing though.
The boring part of the meeting had been the part about Asia, apart from Australia and India, no countries were at war in the area and the region seemed pretty quiet. The two giants, China and Japan, were not considering war between themselves according to the British secret services, not that Kaiser Wilhelm agreed with them on this. In his mind, he clearly remembered a meeting of his private council during the middle 30s when his staff had told him that China and France were planning to sign a secret pact in case of war against USSR… Would the Chinese attack was another question, obviously they hadn’t been ready when France was attacked but this was almost six months ago, if they were to attack it would probably be now, to benefit from the winter that is preventing the Russians to sends large amount of troops in the east.
Chinese troops ready for the inspection in 1941.
Will it come soon enough to save Germany? Only the future will tell the Kaiser and right now, he was sick of the bad news, he stood up and started to leave the office for his residence where he could have a sleep. While leaving, he forgot to turn off the radio but didn’t hear the speaker of the BBC talking before shutting his door.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the reports coming from America claiming that Imperial Mexican forces have been sighted near San Francisco have just been confirmed by our embassy in Ottawa".
- 3
Chapter Twenty Five: Viva México!
The delagations meet for the first time in Sao Paulo.
Because of the Mexican declaration of war against the USSA in July, a lot of things that happened before that date went unnoticed to the Mexican public. Which do not mean these things aren’t worth to mention. One of these is the conference of Sao Paulo. Opening on June 20th 1942, the conference saw the establishment of a strong basis for future collaboration between Mexico and Brazil. Following the Mexican victory in the Great Central American War, Brazil had showed a lot of interest in an alliance with Mexico, believing that it could bring stability to Latin America. Stability was essential to maintain both Empire’s monarchy and thus Mexican Prime minister Félix Díaz answered positively to the call of Brazil. For the opening of the conference, Empress Maria came in person to Sao Paulo. It was the first time the empress traveled to a foreign country and only the second time that a Mexican monarch traveled outside of Mexico during his reign. The first had been Maria’s uncle, Augustin II who went to the Confederate States during the First World War to show to the world the neutrality of both nations and their will to maintain it. Today however, Maria wasn’t traveling to maintain neutrality, she was willing to tie new links and insure a greater protection to her country.
The delagations meet for the first time in Sao Paulo.
Because of the Mexican declaration of war against the USSA in July, a lot of things that happened before that date went unnoticed to the Mexican public. Which do not mean these things aren’t worth to mention. One of these is the conference of Sao Paulo. Opening on June 20th 1942, the conference saw the establishment of a strong basis for future collaboration between Mexico and Brazil. Following the Mexican victory in the Great Central American War, Brazil had showed a lot of interest in an alliance with Mexico, believing that it could bring stability to Latin America. Stability was essential to maintain both Empire’s monarchy and thus Mexican Prime minister Félix Díaz answered positively to the call of Brazil. For the opening of the conference, Empress Maria came in person to Sao Paulo. It was the first time the empress traveled to a foreign country and only the second time that a Mexican monarch traveled outside of Mexico during his reign. The first had been Maria’s uncle, Augustin II who went to the Confederate States during the First World War to show to the world the neutrality of both nations and their will to maintain it. Today however, Maria wasn’t traveling to maintain neutrality, she was willing to tie new links and insure a greater protection to her country.
The conference officially began with a common speech of Pedro and Maria in the afternoon of June 20th, preceded by an official meeting of both monarch in the morning. Chairman Díaz didn’t make the travel and instead sent his famous foreign minister Francisco Castillo Nájera the same who had been in charge of the buying of British Honduras. The day that followed the opening ceremony, the debates started and by the end of the day, both nations had come to an economic agreement. Both Brazil and Mexico would provide funds to each other in order to promote a sector of the industry chosen by respective governments. Most of day three was dedicated to trade. On this terrain, an agreement was quickly reached, Mexico wanted rubber and Brazil oil. Two resources that each country could easily provide its counterpart with. A trade agreement was signed and the two parties retreated to their hotel rooms, waiting for the next morning. The fourth day of the conference was all about a possible military alliance between the two monarchies. Brazil advocated a formal alliance with promise the help in a hypothetical war but Mexicans diplomats instead insisted on a non-aggression pact as a first step for a future alliance under more formal terms. After a short debate on the question, Brazil accepted and the Brandão-Nájera pact was ratified in the evening.
Monument to the Independence in Sao Paulo where Pedro I declared the independence of Brazil in 1822.
Then came the closure of the conference, the ending speech was given by Emperor Pedro and both delegation shook hands for a last time. The Mexicans went back to Mexico City with a historic agreement in the pocket and in Rio, the government was satisfied with the will to cooperate showed by Mexico. In Brazil, the Mexican investments were put into the armed forces with the objective of expanding the size of the army to face possible threat from Brazil’s neighbours. Brazil having the largest navy of Latin America, there was no need for Getulio Vargas government to put more money into it. In Mexico, the money from Brazil was put into a large program aiming to expand some already existing factories. Thereby, companies like the aircraft manufacturer TNCA, the Compania Metalurgica Mexicana or the mining Penoles were given subsides to expand their producing capacities. With a demand from the government always increasing for these companies’ products and the large offer of workers because of the relatively high unemployment, the Mexican industry could easily afford such a growth. Of course, Mexican economy would never be able to compete with Confederate of Northern industry but the idea was to make it self-sufficient to reduce reliance on foreign investments.
The Talleres Nacionales de Construcciones Aeronáuticas seen here in 1912, would greatly benefit from government fundings.
Highly related to the signature of the Agreements of Sao Paulo was another event that went under the radars in Mexico but not in Brazil. Just after the beginning of the Mexican offensive in Arizona, reports from South America showed that Argentina and Peru-Bolivia had started negotiations in Arequipa with an unknown objective. In Mexico, nobody payed attention to it but it sparked fear in the Brazilian government which was unwilling to see its two neighbours working together against Brazil. Since decades, the southern part of the New World had been peaceful but not tensionless. Brazil, had claims on the small part of the Amazon controlled by Peru-Bolivia and some members of the military were even asking for the return of Cisplatina, currently known in Argentina as the State of Uruguay. A lot Paraguayan nationalists had also moved to Brazil when their country ceased to exist and since are asking for support to bring back their lost country. Pedro II hadn’t been very willing to listen to them but they had a strong supporter in the person of his son, the crown Prince Pedro.
The situation evolved quickly and in September 1942, as the Mexican Imperial Army was struggling to hold on Tucson, Peru-Bolivia and Argentina officially entered a military alliance with the goal of “maintaining the current political situation in South America and guaranteeing the territorial integrity of Argentina and Peru-Bolivia”. Brazilians were furious of the inaction of their monarch and the Prime Minister Vargas demanded the Emperor the authorization to send a warning to Buenos Ares and Arequipa but Pedro II refused, not inclined to raise the tensions. The public opinion and the press accused the sovereign of cowardice and the now underground Integralist movement joined its voice to the popular discontent. Adulated by the public, the crown Prince tried to lighten up the mood with some public speeches but failed and, on September 25th, a member of the AIB tried and failed to assassinate the Emperor. The police arrested the man but he committed suicide while waiting for his trial.
Crown Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza.
Félix Díaz sent a letter to his counterpart Getulio Vargas in which he asked the Brazilian Prime Minister if the situation in Brazil could degenerate in another attempt to a coup and what would happen to the Sao Paulo Agreements in the event of such a coup. Vargas stayed vague in his response and failed to reassure Díaz who asked his head of intelligence, Victor M. Cardenas to take any measures considered necessary to protect the interests of Mexico in its new partnership with Brazil. Rapidly, spies were deployed in Brazil and in soon became obvious that the actual Prime Minister Vargas was seeing himself as the only real ruler Brazil should have and though no evidences successfully linked him with the assassination attempt on the Emperor, it was presumed that he now worked with the AIB to take down the Emperor. In Cardenas’ report to Díaz, it was underlined the fact that if Vargas was to seize power it was highly doubtful that he would preserve the monarchy as the popularity of the crown Prince among the people was too high to allow the establishment of a dictatorship and also because Prince Pedro was considered dangerous because of his hostility towards the Vargas administration.
With all these elements combined together, Chairman Díaz had all the reasons in the world to worry when, on January 1st 1943, Emperor Pedro II peacefully passed away in his sleep…
- 1
Chapter Twenty Six: Time of Change (part I)
Prime Minister Getulio Vargas was scheduled to meet with Crown Prince Pedro on January 5th at 10 am. The Brazilian Premier would take a limousine at his residence and from here, roll to the Imperial Palace where the future Pedro III would be waiting for him. The Crown Prince would be waiting for him on the doorstep as the ceremony was all filmed for the television. There, when they shall meet together, just before entering the Paço Imperial, the car would explode.
Pedro Garcia (what an irony) had planned is mission minutely and was sure of his success. He had just replaced the two spare wheels of the limousine with two wheels of his own fabrication. With torpex explosive and nails instead of air chamber. The detonation would be fatal to anybody more or less close to the car. The main concern of Pedro was the timing, Vargas was scheduled at 10:00 but who knows at what time he would really arrive? Early, late, on time? Pedro was anxious, the sun was about to rise in the sky and he would soon be forced to leave the garage of Vargas’ residence. He decided to put it on 10 am sharp. He left for his hideout as fast as he could and informed his two colleague of the Mexican Imperial Intelligence.
- I’ve set the bombs on 10:00, we have to make sure Vargas do not arrive before that.
- Okay, what do you propose?
- I say, we watch him and if it looks like he is going to be early, we take our car and we improvise something, we can’t fail.
- Alright, so I’ll inform Karl who is still in observation to inform us of any movements.
- Good.
The morning lasted days, and when the Prime minster finally left his house, thank god, he was on time. For the last time of his life, Getulio Vargas would arrive right on time at an appointment. Everything went as planned, the black limousine stopped just in front of the Paço Imperial and Vargas came out. He and the Crown Prince walked toward each other and shook hands. The hate they shared was obvious in their regards, it was almost like if Vargas was going to coup the monarchy right now. But that didn’t happen, at 10:02, two minutes late, the timer of the bombs went out and a giant explosion blew up the car, its driver, the Imperial guars, the cameramen, the Prime Minister and the Crown Prince. A giant cloud of smoke and debris was projected in the sky in front of the Imperial residence and the wreck of the car violently crashed back into the grounds a couple of seconds later.
Operation Sunset was a success.
===
In Mexico City the news of the assassination of Crown Prince Pedro was met with protests and disapprobation. Chairman Félix Díaz officially offered his condolences to Brazil and to the Imperial family and Empress Maria personally assisted to a Mass in memoir of the victims of the explosion. Mexico offered its services to help Brazil found the authors of the attack and Brazil rapidly accepted the offer. In Brazil the reaction to the attack was one of massive protest, a wave of nationalism seized the country, Integralist flags were burned in public and figures of Plínio Salgado were hanged by angry crowds. The popularity of the Ação Integralista Brasileira melted like snow in the sun and in some staunch pro-monarchist towns, party offices were burned. Only a couple of days after the attack, the authorities discovered that Getulio Vargas was planning a coup and the establishment of a republic before the Crowning of Pedro III. For the loyalist members of the government and the anti-liberal generals of the Imperial Army, it was the long-waited casus belli to crack down the republican movement in Brazil. During the week, arbitrary arrests and even, in some case, executions, took place across the Brazilian Empire. The republican movement had its head cut off and lost any hopes of gaining power in the short term. The AIB was also affected by the crackdown but on a smaller scale, having a large proportion of monarchist in its rank even though the party was considered as the main suspect in the attack of January 5th. The purge stopped on January 12th, the day of the official crowning of Princess, now Empress, Isabelle. Her first act as new monarch was to order the crackdown on the republican movement to stop. The Empress appointed Washington Luís as Chairman of the Council of ministers, a 73 years old career politician and promised free elections before the end of the year.
The common investigation of the bombing in front of the Imperial Palace conducted by both Brazil and Mexico never succeeded, to this day it is still unclear who the sponsor was…
===
Operation Sunset had been ordered by Chairman Félix Díaz just after the dead of Emperor Pedro II. He was following the situation in Brazil from very close and he personally estimated that Vargas and the Crown Prince were a threat to the stability of Latin America. The success of a republican coup from Vargas might have triggered a full scale civil war in Brazil because, if the popularity of Emperor Pedro was low, most of Brazilian still supported the institution of monarchy. On the other hand, the Crown Prince never hided his aggressive feelings toward Peru-Bolivia and Argentina and with his long time support of the Paraguayan nationalists, the might-be emperor might have triggered a war in South America during a time Mexico wouldn’t had been able to take its share of the cake. Only half a dozen person in the government and the intelligence knew about the operation. The men who had conducted it in Brazil were now all dead, the plane in which they came back to Mexico had been mistakenly shot down over the Gulf of Mexico by the Mexican Imperial Air Force. Díaz knew it was a cruel way to honour heroes but he couldn’t have taken the risk of revealing the secret of the operation.
Prime Minister Getulio Vargas was scheduled to meet with Crown Prince Pedro on January 5th at 10 am. The Brazilian Premier would take a limousine at his residence and from here, roll to the Imperial Palace where the future Pedro III would be waiting for him. The Crown Prince would be waiting for him on the doorstep as the ceremony was all filmed for the television. There, when they shall meet together, just before entering the Paço Imperial, the car would explode.
Pedro Garcia (what an irony) had planned is mission minutely and was sure of his success. He had just replaced the two spare wheels of the limousine with two wheels of his own fabrication. With torpex explosive and nails instead of air chamber. The detonation would be fatal to anybody more or less close to the car. The main concern of Pedro was the timing, Vargas was scheduled at 10:00 but who knows at what time he would really arrive? Early, late, on time? Pedro was anxious, the sun was about to rise in the sky and he would soon be forced to leave the garage of Vargas’ residence. He decided to put it on 10 am sharp. He left for his hideout as fast as he could and informed his two colleague of the Mexican Imperial Intelligence.
- I’ve set the bombs on 10:00, we have to make sure Vargas do not arrive before that.
- Okay, what do you propose?
- I say, we watch him and if it looks like he is going to be early, we take our car and we improvise something, we can’t fail.
- Alright, so I’ll inform Karl who is still in observation to inform us of any movements.
- Good.
The morning lasted days, and when the Prime minster finally left his house, thank god, he was on time. For the last time of his life, Getulio Vargas would arrive right on time at an appointment. Everything went as planned, the black limousine stopped just in front of the Paço Imperial and Vargas came out. He and the Crown Prince walked toward each other and shook hands. The hate they shared was obvious in their regards, it was almost like if Vargas was going to coup the monarchy right now. But that didn’t happen, at 10:02, two minutes late, the timer of the bombs went out and a giant explosion blew up the car, its driver, the Imperial guars, the cameramen, the Prime Minister and the Crown Prince. A giant cloud of smoke and debris was projected in the sky in front of the Imperial residence and the wreck of the car violently crashed back into the grounds a couple of seconds later.
Operation Sunset was a success.
===
In Mexico City the news of the assassination of Crown Prince Pedro was met with protests and disapprobation. Chairman Félix Díaz officially offered his condolences to Brazil and to the Imperial family and Empress Maria personally assisted to a Mass in memoir of the victims of the explosion. Mexico offered its services to help Brazil found the authors of the attack and Brazil rapidly accepted the offer. In Brazil the reaction to the attack was one of massive protest, a wave of nationalism seized the country, Integralist flags were burned in public and figures of Plínio Salgado were hanged by angry crowds. The popularity of the Ação Integralista Brasileira melted like snow in the sun and in some staunch pro-monarchist towns, party offices were burned. Only a couple of days after the attack, the authorities discovered that Getulio Vargas was planning a coup and the establishment of a republic before the Crowning of Pedro III. For the loyalist members of the government and the anti-liberal generals of the Imperial Army, it was the long-waited casus belli to crack down the republican movement in Brazil. During the week, arbitrary arrests and even, in some case, executions, took place across the Brazilian Empire. The republican movement had its head cut off and lost any hopes of gaining power in the short term. The AIB was also affected by the crackdown but on a smaller scale, having a large proportion of monarchist in its rank even though the party was considered as the main suspect in the attack of January 5th. The purge stopped on January 12th, the day of the official crowning of Princess, now Empress, Isabelle. Her first act as new monarch was to order the crackdown on the republican movement to stop. The Empress appointed Washington Luís as Chairman of the Council of ministers, a 73 years old career politician and promised free elections before the end of the year.
The common investigation of the bombing in front of the Imperial Palace conducted by both Brazil and Mexico never succeeded, to this day it is still unclear who the sponsor was…
===
Operation Sunset had been ordered by Chairman Félix Díaz just after the dead of Emperor Pedro II. He was following the situation in Brazil from very close and he personally estimated that Vargas and the Crown Prince were a threat to the stability of Latin America. The success of a republican coup from Vargas might have triggered a full scale civil war in Brazil because, if the popularity of Emperor Pedro was low, most of Brazilian still supported the institution of monarchy. On the other hand, the Crown Prince never hided his aggressive feelings toward Peru-Bolivia and Argentina and with his long time support of the Paraguayan nationalists, the might-be emperor might have triggered a war in South America during a time Mexico wouldn’t had been able to take its share of the cake. Only half a dozen person in the government and the intelligence knew about the operation. The men who had conducted it in Brazil were now all dead, the plane in which they came back to Mexico had been mistakenly shot down over the Gulf of Mexico by the Mexican Imperial Air Force. Díaz knew it was a cruel way to honour heroes but he couldn’t have taken the risk of revealing the secret of the operation.
With Empress Isabelle in charge, Brazil would likely stabilize and stay calm for long enough to allow Mexico to rest and prepare itself for the great moment. Félix Díaz hoped his successor would follow the same path he did, he would soon be 75 and he knew he would not live to see the day Mexico would take its place among the great powers but he hoped it would happen. With Escamilla before and him now, he thought that someone else would raise to power with only the interest of Mexico in mind. “Yes, this day will come, it has to.”
“Félix?”
“Yes darling?”
“A call from general Krumm in Eugene.”
“What does he want?”
“He said the Yankees have asked for a cease-fire.”
“Félix?”
“Yes darling?”
“A call from general Krumm in Eugene.”
“What does he want?”
“He said the Yankees have asked for a cease-fire.”
Last edited:
- 1
Hi everybody,
after a pause for the holidays which was extended by some unexpected issues with the modding of TBL, I'm finally back! I'm happy to said that I've a more fexible schedule than I had in precedent months and with it, I expect to be able the release an update every two weeks.
Mexicans at the cry of war will be celebrating its first birthday in a week! I would like to thank everybody who's been following me since last year, It's good to know my writing isn't too much boring. (I hope I improved a little)
Again, my personal thanks to all the followers and I hope you'll enjoy the update!
Sincerely, TheRem
===
Chapter Twenty Six: Time of Change (part II)
Confederate officers posing for the camera on V-A Day.
Barely three days after the crowning of Empress Isabel in Rio de Janeiro, the Communist American government in exile in Minneapolis sent to Confederacy’s capital city of Charleston a cease-fire proposition. After short consultations with the others members of the Allies, the decision to accept the peace proposition of US President Thomas was taken. It was decided to not continue the war until unconditional surrender because of the critical situation in Europe. Indeed, a red Europe dominated by USSR was considered to be a lot worse than a negotiated peace with Chicago and with the successful Italian counterattack on Corsica and the destruction of an entire Royal Marines divisions at the hands of Italian paratroopers, British, Canadians and –who knows?– Mexicans troops were badly needed elsewhere. Moreover, the 12 months long North American campaign had been a defensive war against the aggression committed by the USSA upon the Confederated States. Thus creating a situation where, apart from the Confederate government–and in some extent, Ottawa–no Allied powers were willing to continue a war against America, even if the Communist administration wasn’t considered by Great Britain as the truly legitimate government of the former United States. The Allies wanted to make it quick. The time lacked to spend months on treaty negotiations and, anyway, the USSA were not in a position to contest the upcoming results of the peace conference. This peace conference began in Richmond, Virginia on January 27th 1943, twelve days after the provisional armistice signed outside of Dayton in Ohio between US General Malin Craig and CS General George Patton, the soldiers had done their job, now the diplomats were to begin theirs.
Confederate Newspaper headline on January 16th.
American “observers” were allowed to participate to the talking but for the most part of it, it was dictated by CS President Harry F. Byrd. As it opened, the conference took the appearance of a reckoning between the Union and the Confederacy. It was “only” the second armed conflict to emerge between the States in 80 years and again the South had won with the combination of incredible luck, short war and foreign intervention and obviously President Byrd wasn’t eager to fight another was anytime soon with its northern neighbours. In order to avoid other wars, the Confederacy took the leadership of the conference and asked its allies to impose hard conditions upon the USSA. London wanted to avoid antagonizing Chicago and British Labourist PM Oswald Mosley’s representatives refused to follow Byrd’s path. One man changed this.
The most senior British representative that crossed the Atlantic to participate to the peace conference was a man named Winston Churchill. As senior politician in the House of Common in London, Churchill had the reputation of being a “bulldog” and his reputation in political circles had led him to the highest spheres of power in the UK, without however reaching the status of Prime Minister. With a war cabinet composed of members of all parties in parliament, if the PM wasn’t going to go himself, Mosley was almost forced to send Churchill, and to America Churchill went. He was known for being an Americanophile and Mosley not-so-secretly hoped that he wouldn’t accept too bad conditions for the USSA. But Winston Churchill was also a staunch anti-communist and once in Richmond he clearly showed that the first thigh he saw in the person of President Norman Thomas was not a fellow english-speaking american gentleman but a criminal red agitator. The irony being that Thomas was considered to be part of the moderate wing of the American Socialist Party and a lot more socialist than communist and it was him who had restored the freedom of speech in 1936. To Churchill all this mattered little, and behind the scenes he started building support for a harsh peace among the other British delegates and also those from the other Allied participants.
The notable absent at the Richmond conference was Mexico. With some 90 000 Mexican casualties during the war (counting KIA and POWs) and 206 000 men under the colours–the fifth largest army of the Allies–the Empire had played a key role in the last six months of the Second war between the States and was now asking for its part. But President Byrd had, under pressure from his State Secretary Walter F. George, a 65 years old conservative–and hispanophobe–member of the Democratic Party, decided to not invite Mexico as formal negotiator to draw more concessions on the East Coast.
Mexican Imperial Guards in San Diego, January 1943.
On February 7th, a meeting between representatives from Massachusetts and Allied delegates raised the question whether New England wished to remain within the Union under the actual political climate of the USSA. The answer came rapidly: New Englanders had enjoyed their independence and were no fan of communism. Under these circumstances, the decision was taken to bring back the independent State of New England. Protests emerged from the Canadian negotiators because of the probable instability of the new State. They stated that if Chicago was to again take control over New England in a near future, the large Canadian cities and industrial centers would be dangerously close to the border of an angry neighbours. To accommodate Ottawa, Maine was detached from New England and split between Québec and New Brunswick to the dismay of the New Englanders present that day. The part of New York State north of a line draw between the southern tip of Lake George and Lake Ontario was also given to Ontario to create a buffer zone in front of Ottawa. As if it was not enough, Churchill pressed, and obtained, that Canada should be given a “mandate” over Michigan, transforming the Great Lakes into a Canadian inland sea and granting access to the Allies to Michigan’s formidable industrial capacity and steel production.
At Richond, Detroit and its industries went under the control of the Allies, a vital addition to their war effort.
As the conference was reaching its end, the defeated Americans suffered one last blow when it was decided that New Yorck City would be accorded to New England. New Englanders refused to accept the City and its surrounding areas to avoid angering the USSA too much, stating their desire to create a lasting peace. For Walter F. George, New York City couldn’t remain under American control, at least for now, it was a too much important industrial central and would provide the USSA too much power projection on the Eastern sea coast. The Confederate State Secretary therefore proposed to Churchill a deal he couldn’t refuse, a British mandate on New York City. It was accepted by the British, euphoric of having a foothold on US soil for the first time since the First American Revolution. Some–the Mexicans “observers” permitted to listen, but not to participate, among them–were arguing that this decision would only bring more trouble in America but they were ignored.
Lord Louis Mountbatten would become the first Governor General of the Free City of New York in March 1943.
With Northeastern America dissected, the Treaty of Richmond was imposed on the USSA on February 15th 1943, opening a new area in the new world. The Allies then turned they regard towards Europe where the other communist power was slowly pushing the Fascists back. Russia would be another, bigger, threat to deal with. But after the success achieved on this side of the Atlantic and with the CSA on its side, Britain hoped that this challenge could be overcome.
In Ottawa, the Canadian government was preparing to send its army in Europe and to put back on track the industry in Michigan but struggled with the 6 millions new inhabitants that had joined, against their will, the Dominion.
In Boston, the new New England administration was starting the process of rebuilding its country destroyed by a year of fierce fighting. Voices were already calling for the reintegration into the Union and socialist agitators, angry at the simple thought of leaving the USSA, had already started to throw bombs in protest.
In London, PM Mosley almost had a heart attack at the sight of what Churchill had done in Richmond. But in view of the extremely positive reaction from the public opinion, he kept his feeling for himself. To his wife Oswald would famously say: “In 1919, somebody said that the Treaty of Potsdam wasn’t a peace but an armistice for twenty years, and he was right. This piece of junk Churchill signed in Richmond is even worse.”
In Charleston, President Byrd was welcomed in hero as he came back from the conference, he was not totally satisfied with the Treaty, fearing that even under these hard conditions, the USSA might be able to stand back on its feet and ask for revenge.
In Chicago, Norman Thomas was feeling his Presidency was about to end. Everybody in the Party knew a Chief who had lost a war that was supposed to be won couldn’t stay in power. The question was who would succeed him? The Trotskyites in the extreme left wing of the Party were gaining support but the population in the streets was strongly opposed to them, the future looked not so bright for America.
In Mexico City, the Empress was fuming at her Chairman. The exclusion of Mexico from the peace negotiations had brought the Mexicans in the streets, Diaz government was on the brink of collapse and the Army had broken its usual silence to issue strong protests. General Dominguez, victor of San Diego and Sacramento, was coming back from California and marching towards Mexico had the head of the II Cuerpo and Admiral Blanco’s Infantería de Marina had refused to disperse the protesters in Salina Cruz.
In Winnipeg, three men in exile since a decade decided that their country had suffered enough humiliation, that the current situation was asking for big changes and that communism in America had lasted for too long. They packed up and crossed the border into the USSA. The big three was back.
Revolutions never come alone…
after a pause for the holidays which was extended by some unexpected issues with the modding of TBL, I'm finally back! I'm happy to said that I've a more fexible schedule than I had in precedent months and with it, I expect to be able the release an update every two weeks.
Mexicans at the cry of war will be celebrating its first birthday in a week! I would like to thank everybody who's been following me since last year, It's good to know my writing isn't too much boring. (I hope I improved a little)
Again, my personal thanks to all the followers and I hope you'll enjoy the update!
Sincerely, TheRem
===
Chapter Twenty Six: Time of Change (part II)
Confederate officers posing for the camera on V-A Day.
Barely three days after the crowning of Empress Isabel in Rio de Janeiro, the Communist American government in exile in Minneapolis sent to Confederacy’s capital city of Charleston a cease-fire proposition. After short consultations with the others members of the Allies, the decision to accept the peace proposition of US President Thomas was taken. It was decided to not continue the war until unconditional surrender because of the critical situation in Europe. Indeed, a red Europe dominated by USSR was considered to be a lot worse than a negotiated peace with Chicago and with the successful Italian counterattack on Corsica and the destruction of an entire Royal Marines divisions at the hands of Italian paratroopers, British, Canadians and –who knows?– Mexicans troops were badly needed elsewhere. Moreover, the 12 months long North American campaign had been a defensive war against the aggression committed by the USSA upon the Confederated States. Thus creating a situation where, apart from the Confederate government–and in some extent, Ottawa–no Allied powers were willing to continue a war against America, even if the Communist administration wasn’t considered by Great Britain as the truly legitimate government of the former United States. The Allies wanted to make it quick. The time lacked to spend months on treaty negotiations and, anyway, the USSA were not in a position to contest the upcoming results of the peace conference. This peace conference began in Richmond, Virginia on January 27th 1943, twelve days after the provisional armistice signed outside of Dayton in Ohio between US General Malin Craig and CS General George Patton, the soldiers had done their job, now the diplomats were to begin theirs.
Confederate Newspaper headline on January 16th.
American “observers” were allowed to participate to the talking but for the most part of it, it was dictated by CS President Harry F. Byrd. As it opened, the conference took the appearance of a reckoning between the Union and the Confederacy. It was “only” the second armed conflict to emerge between the States in 80 years and again the South had won with the combination of incredible luck, short war and foreign intervention and obviously President Byrd wasn’t eager to fight another was anytime soon with its northern neighbours. In order to avoid other wars, the Confederacy took the leadership of the conference and asked its allies to impose hard conditions upon the USSA. London wanted to avoid antagonizing Chicago and British Labourist PM Oswald Mosley’s representatives refused to follow Byrd’s path. One man changed this.
The most senior British representative that crossed the Atlantic to participate to the peace conference was a man named Winston Churchill. As senior politician in the House of Common in London, Churchill had the reputation of being a “bulldog” and his reputation in political circles had led him to the highest spheres of power in the UK, without however reaching the status of Prime Minister. With a war cabinet composed of members of all parties in parliament, if the PM wasn’t going to go himself, Mosley was almost forced to send Churchill, and to America Churchill went. He was known for being an Americanophile and Mosley not-so-secretly hoped that he wouldn’t accept too bad conditions for the USSA. But Winston Churchill was also a staunch anti-communist and once in Richmond he clearly showed that the first thigh he saw in the person of President Norman Thomas was not a fellow english-speaking american gentleman but a criminal red agitator. The irony being that Thomas was considered to be part of the moderate wing of the American Socialist Party and a lot more socialist than communist and it was him who had restored the freedom of speech in 1936. To Churchill all this mattered little, and behind the scenes he started building support for a harsh peace among the other British delegates and also those from the other Allied participants.
The notable absent at the Richmond conference was Mexico. With some 90 000 Mexican casualties during the war (counting KIA and POWs) and 206 000 men under the colours–the fifth largest army of the Allies–the Empire had played a key role in the last six months of the Second war between the States and was now asking for its part. But President Byrd had, under pressure from his State Secretary Walter F. George, a 65 years old conservative–and hispanophobe–member of the Democratic Party, decided to not invite Mexico as formal negotiator to draw more concessions on the East Coast.
Mexican Imperial Guards in San Diego, January 1943.
On February 7th, a meeting between representatives from Massachusetts and Allied delegates raised the question whether New England wished to remain within the Union under the actual political climate of the USSA. The answer came rapidly: New Englanders had enjoyed their independence and were no fan of communism. Under these circumstances, the decision was taken to bring back the independent State of New England. Protests emerged from the Canadian negotiators because of the probable instability of the new State. They stated that if Chicago was to again take control over New England in a near future, the large Canadian cities and industrial centers would be dangerously close to the border of an angry neighbours. To accommodate Ottawa, Maine was detached from New England and split between Québec and New Brunswick to the dismay of the New Englanders present that day. The part of New York State north of a line draw between the southern tip of Lake George and Lake Ontario was also given to Ontario to create a buffer zone in front of Ottawa. As if it was not enough, Churchill pressed, and obtained, that Canada should be given a “mandate” over Michigan, transforming the Great Lakes into a Canadian inland sea and granting access to the Allies to Michigan’s formidable industrial capacity and steel production.
At Richond, Detroit and its industries went under the control of the Allies, a vital addition to their war effort.
As the conference was reaching its end, the defeated Americans suffered one last blow when it was decided that New Yorck City would be accorded to New England. New Englanders refused to accept the City and its surrounding areas to avoid angering the USSA too much, stating their desire to create a lasting peace. For Walter F. George, New York City couldn’t remain under American control, at least for now, it was a too much important industrial central and would provide the USSA too much power projection on the Eastern sea coast. The Confederate State Secretary therefore proposed to Churchill a deal he couldn’t refuse, a British mandate on New York City. It was accepted by the British, euphoric of having a foothold on US soil for the first time since the First American Revolution. Some–the Mexicans “observers” permitted to listen, but not to participate, among them–were arguing that this decision would only bring more trouble in America but they were ignored.
Lord Louis Mountbatten would become the first Governor General of the Free City of New York in March 1943.
With Northeastern America dissected, the Treaty of Richmond was imposed on the USSA on February 15th 1943, opening a new area in the new world. The Allies then turned they regard towards Europe where the other communist power was slowly pushing the Fascists back. Russia would be another, bigger, threat to deal with. But after the success achieved on this side of the Atlantic and with the CSA on its side, Britain hoped that this challenge could be overcome.
In Ottawa, the Canadian government was preparing to send its army in Europe and to put back on track the industry in Michigan but struggled with the 6 millions new inhabitants that had joined, against their will, the Dominion.
In Boston, the new New England administration was starting the process of rebuilding its country destroyed by a year of fierce fighting. Voices were already calling for the reintegration into the Union and socialist agitators, angry at the simple thought of leaving the USSA, had already started to throw bombs in protest.
In London, PM Mosley almost had a heart attack at the sight of what Churchill had done in Richmond. But in view of the extremely positive reaction from the public opinion, he kept his feeling for himself. To his wife Oswald would famously say: “In 1919, somebody said that the Treaty of Potsdam wasn’t a peace but an armistice for twenty years, and he was right. This piece of junk Churchill signed in Richmond is even worse.”
In Charleston, President Byrd was welcomed in hero as he came back from the conference, he was not totally satisfied with the Treaty, fearing that even under these hard conditions, the USSA might be able to stand back on its feet and ask for revenge.
In Chicago, Norman Thomas was feeling his Presidency was about to end. Everybody in the Party knew a Chief who had lost a war that was supposed to be won couldn’t stay in power. The question was who would succeed him? The Trotskyites in the extreme left wing of the Party were gaining support but the population in the streets was strongly opposed to them, the future looked not so bright for America.
In Mexico City, the Empress was fuming at her Chairman. The exclusion of Mexico from the peace negotiations had brought the Mexicans in the streets, Diaz government was on the brink of collapse and the Army had broken its usual silence to issue strong protests. General Dominguez, victor of San Diego and Sacramento, was coming back from California and marching towards Mexico had the head of the II Cuerpo and Admiral Blanco’s Infantería de Marina had refused to disperse the protesters in Salina Cruz.
In Winnipeg, three men in exile since a decade decided that their country had suffered enough humiliation, that the current situation was asking for big changes and that communism in America had lasted for too long. They packed up and crossed the border into the USSA. The big three was back.
Revolutions never come alone…
One day again lads, one day again. One day we will rise again. For now though, rest, and let righteous hatred persist in your dreams.
Tomorrow, boys and girls. For tomorrow.
Tomorrow, boys and girls. For tomorrow.
An excellent AAR, this world is really shaping up to be a doozy!
Mexico's absence from the peace was troubling to say the least, no gains for the brave struggle is a bitter pill to swallow!
Mexico's absence from the peace was troubling to say the least, no gains for the brave struggle is a bitter pill to swallow!
Thanks for the feedback guys, it's always fun to read!
Thank you! I'm trying to keep it realistic even though sometimes it's fun to play a bit with the storyline.
These two sentences might have something in common...
Yes and even if Diaz swallow it, will Mexico follow?
Chapter Twenty Seven: Revolutions (part I)
It was a cold Sunday morning in Mexico City. The sun was hidden behinds the clouds and the rain had just stopped falling after a downpour during the night. But still, Mexicans were out in the streets, shopping and enjoying the return of some rationalized products in groceries and corner stores. Two newsboys were in competition to sell their copies of La Crónica del Imperio and El Universal at the angle of Del Imperio and Louis-Napoléon streets with the Monument to Emperador Maximiliano in background, Julio Vasquez with his trolley full of copies of the Excélsior joined them, hoping to make some profits. The 13 years-old boy placed himself of the opposite sidewalk and started to shout for clients. Soon Mexicans eager for news began to flow and in three quarter of an hour half of his papers were already sold. His two young competitors were gone, out of copies, and he was now the only one remaining.
Most people buying Julio’s newspapers were not happy at all seeing the headline. Indeed, when men stopped and started to talk together close to him, they were talking of Prime Minister Díaz with words sounding like “coward”, “crook” and “profiteer”. The man who bought him his last paper told him that Díaz was “sold to the Confederates”. The headline of the Excélsior stated:
Chairman Díaz to sign the peace of Richmond today, no gains for Mexico!
Julio didn’t really understood what Mexicans were reproaching to the Prime Minister, his papá had told him that if he had known how Díaz would behave in such a situation he would never had voted for him. From what he had read the Chairman had said that his decision had something to do with the absence of significant participation of the empire to the final victory of America. Julio didn’t really understood why Mr. Díaz was saying this, his cousin Marco had died after his plane had been shot down a couple of weeks after the start of the war, for him that was a significant participation.
He was about to leave the Plaza del Imperio when odd sounds in the distance caught his attention. What was it? He began to hear people screaming and cheering but the odd sound was still impossible to identify. Leaving his trolley behind, he ran the plaza up to the Eduardo González Arévalo Street at its western tip and stopped there. From where he was he couldn’t see what was coming but he could now identify the sound he was looking for: hoofs clapping of the paved street. But not just a couple of hoofs, hundreds no, thousands of hoofs. Excitement filled his body, he ran back to his previous emplacement, grabbed his trolley and rolled it back to the sidewalk of Eduardo González Arévalo Street. He turned it upside-down and climbed on it, now at least he could see over the heads of the growing crowd around him.
What he saw was the greatest thing he had seen until now. An entire division of cavalry of the Imperial Army was marching in the street. Men in shinning uniforms covered the landscape and where followed by infantrymen on foot, bayonets fixed at the muzzle of their rifles. Colored banners of different regiment could be seen here and there, at the head of the column a man was holding a giant tricolour flag with the Imperial eagle on it and just in front of him another one mounted on a white horse, the chest covered with medals, was leading the soldiers into the capital. As they passed before him, Julio climbed down his trolley and followed the men. They began marching toward the giant statue of Maximilliano I in the middle of the Plaza and as they passed the monument, soldiers saluted and each flags was slightly lowered in sign of respect. Julio was thinking the soldiers were to stop their march here but they didn’t.
The infantrymen marching behind the cavalry stopped on the Plaza del Imperio and circled the statue in the middle of it but the cavalrymen continued eastward on Del Imperio Street. Entering the Maximiliano Avenue, Julio walked the 2000 foot of the street with the cavalrymen until the general leading the march ordered a turn on the right and then of the left to join 28 De Mayo Avenue. Julio then asked himself if he should continue to follow. Down 28 De Mayo Avenue was the Plaza de la Constitution and the Palacio Nacional, what if the cavalrymen weren’t here just for show? After all the parade hadn’t been announced and the soldiers hadn’t brought with them a band, just horses, rifles and guns… In his small boy mind he began to worry, he was too far away, he should go back to his job, his boss wouldn’t be happy to know him here.
He wanted to go back but the crowd was so thick, he couldn’t do anything but follow the mass, thousands of people were pressing him to continue to the Palacio. Julio was seized by panic. It was too late, he shouldn’t have followed, he tried to move away from the center of the crowd to a less packed area but before he could achieve his objective, he was at the Plaza de la Constitution, with the Palacio Nacional in front of his eyes. Petrified, he watched the horses trotting to the official residence of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers and the Prime Minister Félix Díaz advancing on the central balcony.
A shot was fired and everybody shut up. The Prime Minister tried to talk but as he pronounced the words “fair peace” the crowd spontaneously started to sing the national anthem and forced him to interrupt his speech.
Mexicans, at the cry of war,
make ready the steel and the bridle,
and may the Earth tremble at its core
at the resounding roar of the cannon.
and may the Earth tremble at its core
at the resounding roar of the cannon!
Let gird, oh Fatherland!, your brow with olive
by the divine archangel of peace,
for in heaven your eternal destiny
was written by the finger of God.
But if some enemy outlander should dare
to profane your ground with his sole,
think, oh beloved Fatherland!, that heaven
has given you a soldier in every son.
Díaz then tried to start his speech again but no one stopped singing and suddenly, in a great roar, the soldiers joined the people.
War, war without quarter to any who dare
to tarnish the coats of arms of the country!
War, war! Let the national banners
be soaked in waves of blood.
War, war! In the mountain, in the valley,
let the cannons thunder in horrid unison
and may the sonorous echoes resound
with cries of Union! Liberty!
At the sixth stanza, the crowd began stamping foot on the ground and Julio, unable to contain himself anymore joined the people around him and shouted to his Prime Minster:
O, Fatherland, ere your children, defenseless
bend their neck beneath the yoke,
may your fields be watered with blood,
may their foot be printed in blood.
And may your temples, palaces and towers
collapse with horrid clamor,
and may their ruins continue on, saying:
Of one thousand heroes, here the Fatherland began.
Fatherland! Fatherland! your children swear to you
to breathe their last for your sake,
if the bugle with its bellicose accent
calls them together to battle with courage.
For you, olive wreathes!
A memory for them of glory!
For you, a laurel of victory!
A tomb for them of honor
A very old man in a wheelchair pushed by a young lady and wearing an old-fashioned uniform then shouted: “Long live the Empress!” and began to shed tears. He asked the lady to bring him back home and passing next to Julio he told him: “Remember this day small boy, remember this day.” Not knowing what to answer, Julio looked back at the castle, the doors of the Palacio were being opened. The general on the white horse climbed down his stallion and entered the residence of the Chairman, opening thereby a new area for Mexico.
It was a cold Sunday morning in Mexico City. The sun was hidden behinds the clouds and the rain had just stopped falling after a downpour during the night. But still, Mexicans were out in the streets, shopping and enjoying the return of some rationalized products in groceries and corner stores. Two newsboys were in competition to sell their copies of La Crónica del Imperio and El Universal at the angle of Del Imperio and Louis-Napoléon streets with the Monument to Emperador Maximiliano in background, Julio Vasquez with his trolley full of copies of the Excélsior joined them, hoping to make some profits. The 13 years-old boy placed himself of the opposite sidewalk and started to shout for clients. Soon Mexicans eager for news began to flow and in three quarter of an hour half of his papers were already sold. His two young competitors were gone, out of copies, and he was now the only one remaining.
Most people buying Julio’s newspapers were not happy at all seeing the headline. Indeed, when men stopped and started to talk together close to him, they were talking of Prime Minister Díaz with words sounding like “coward”, “crook” and “profiteer”. The man who bought him his last paper told him that Díaz was “sold to the Confederates”. The headline of the Excélsior stated:
Chairman Díaz to sign the peace of Richmond today, no gains for Mexico!
Julio didn’t really understood what Mexicans were reproaching to the Prime Minister, his papá had told him that if he had known how Díaz would behave in such a situation he would never had voted for him. From what he had read the Chairman had said that his decision had something to do with the absence of significant participation of the empire to the final victory of America. Julio didn’t really understood why Mr. Díaz was saying this, his cousin Marco had died after his plane had been shot down a couple of weeks after the start of the war, for him that was a significant participation.
He was about to leave the Plaza del Imperio when odd sounds in the distance caught his attention. What was it? He began to hear people screaming and cheering but the odd sound was still impossible to identify. Leaving his trolley behind, he ran the plaza up to the Eduardo González Arévalo Street at its western tip and stopped there. From where he was he couldn’t see what was coming but he could now identify the sound he was looking for: hoofs clapping of the paved street. But not just a couple of hoofs, hundreds no, thousands of hoofs. Excitement filled his body, he ran back to his previous emplacement, grabbed his trolley and rolled it back to the sidewalk of Eduardo González Arévalo Street. He turned it upside-down and climbed on it, now at least he could see over the heads of the growing crowd around him.
What he saw was the greatest thing he had seen until now. An entire division of cavalry of the Imperial Army was marching in the street. Men in shinning uniforms covered the landscape and where followed by infantrymen on foot, bayonets fixed at the muzzle of their rifles. Colored banners of different regiment could be seen here and there, at the head of the column a man was holding a giant tricolour flag with the Imperial eagle on it and just in front of him another one mounted on a white horse, the chest covered with medals, was leading the soldiers into the capital. As they passed before him, Julio climbed down his trolley and followed the men. They began marching toward the giant statue of Maximilliano I in the middle of the Plaza and as they passed the monument, soldiers saluted and each flags was slightly lowered in sign of respect. Julio was thinking the soldiers were to stop their march here but they didn’t.
The infantrymen marching behind the cavalry stopped on the Plaza del Imperio and circled the statue in the middle of it but the cavalrymen continued eastward on Del Imperio Street. Entering the Maximiliano Avenue, Julio walked the 2000 foot of the street with the cavalrymen until the general leading the march ordered a turn on the right and then of the left to join 28 De Mayo Avenue. Julio then asked himself if he should continue to follow. Down 28 De Mayo Avenue was the Plaza de la Constitution and the Palacio Nacional, what if the cavalrymen weren’t here just for show? After all the parade hadn’t been announced and the soldiers hadn’t brought with them a band, just horses, rifles and guns… In his small boy mind he began to worry, he was too far away, he should go back to his job, his boss wouldn’t be happy to know him here.
He wanted to go back but the crowd was so thick, he couldn’t do anything but follow the mass, thousands of people were pressing him to continue to the Palacio. Julio was seized by panic. It was too late, he shouldn’t have followed, he tried to move away from the center of the crowd to a less packed area but before he could achieve his objective, he was at the Plaza de la Constitution, with the Palacio Nacional in front of his eyes. Petrified, he watched the horses trotting to the official residence of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers and the Prime Minister Félix Díaz advancing on the central balcony.
A shot was fired and everybody shut up. The Prime Minister tried to talk but as he pronounced the words “fair peace” the crowd spontaneously started to sing the national anthem and forced him to interrupt his speech.
Mexicans, at the cry of war,
make ready the steel and the bridle,
and may the Earth tremble at its core
at the resounding roar of the cannon.
and may the Earth tremble at its core
at the resounding roar of the cannon!
Let gird, oh Fatherland!, your brow with olive
by the divine archangel of peace,
for in heaven your eternal destiny
was written by the finger of God.
But if some enemy outlander should dare
to profane your ground with his sole,
think, oh beloved Fatherland!, that heaven
has given you a soldier in every son.
Díaz then tried to start his speech again but no one stopped singing and suddenly, in a great roar, the soldiers joined the people.
War, war without quarter to any who dare
to tarnish the coats of arms of the country!
War, war! Let the national banners
be soaked in waves of blood.
War, war! In the mountain, in the valley,
let the cannons thunder in horrid unison
and may the sonorous echoes resound
with cries of Union! Liberty!
At the sixth stanza, the crowd began stamping foot on the ground and Julio, unable to contain himself anymore joined the people around him and shouted to his Prime Minster:
O, Fatherland, ere your children, defenseless
bend their neck beneath the yoke,
may your fields be watered with blood,
may their foot be printed in blood.
And may your temples, palaces and towers
collapse with horrid clamor,
and may their ruins continue on, saying:
Of one thousand heroes, here the Fatherland began.
Fatherland! Fatherland! your children swear to you
to breathe their last for your sake,
if the bugle with its bellicose accent
calls them together to battle with courage.
For you, olive wreathes!
A memory for them of glory!
For you, a laurel of victory!
A tomb for them of honor
A very old man in a wheelchair pushed by a young lady and wearing an old-fashioned uniform then shouted: “Long live the Empress!” and began to shed tears. He asked the lady to bring him back home and passing next to Julio he told him: “Remember this day small boy, remember this day.” Not knowing what to answer, Julio looked back at the castle, the doors of the Palacio were being opened. The general on the white horse climbed down his stallion and entered the residence of the Chairman, opening thereby a new area for Mexico.
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