I agree with you and I'd also like to add two things:
- nukes are powerfull, but they can't really be used when you are fighting against guerillas in the mountains,
- 'Urprising of local patriots' might soon occur in Transamur.
-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
I agree with you and I'd also like to add two things:
- nukes are powerfull, but they can't really be used when you are fighting against guerillas in the mountains,
- 'Urprising of local patriots' might soon occur in Transamur.
Oh but of course they can be used in mountains. Best place to use them actually if you're not fighting a conventional war. Least amount of fallout, radiation etc when the blast and the spread of fallout by winds is confined by mountains. Least numbers of civilian bystanders. Easiest territory to cordon off on preparation for a strike, to control access before and after the attack.
But they're not going to be effective at all, of course, since it's 1950s heavy aircraft trying to deliver seriously big and unwieldy weapons on what should be precision targets, like cave complexes in lime stone hills, or secret camps hidden by trees in a deep valley. If they hit the right valley it's a smashing success, forget about hitting the actual target.
The cost/benefit ratio would be horrendously lopsided - precision bombing on the mountains, that means the heavy bombers which are the most expensive pieces of high tech that 1950s Japan has, flown by elite pilots who have years of flying experience, are now doing low level runs where 1930s vintage flak hidden between fir and spruce can take easily them out. Dropping a weapon whose production line costs like a third or so of the total Japanese military budget. On a target that they may or may not miss. That may even not be there at all since who knows if the guerrilla haven't already packed up their stuff three days ago. It's totally ridiculous and while that doesn't mean it's impossible (may be done for ill conceived propaganda reasons) the cost of it all, and the likely frequent loss of super expensive, super prestigious weapon systems, will mean that it'll be a giant embarrassment.
Imagine the loss of face when, after a boastful announcement of success in an atomic strike against the key rebel stronghold in some mountain, a week afterwards the same rebels who were supposed to be incinerated in atomic fire, give photo interviews to the Chinese press and make jokes about how the most powerful weapon in the incredibly powerful Japanese arsenal can't even smash a few unwashed red faced peasant outlaws hiding in the hills of Yan'an. Imagine the horror on the minds of Japanese military strategists who have to explain to the diet the next day, why the diet should continue to fund super expensive nuclear weapons research if it's such a joke. Nah, the political risk is just too much even if a mountain region is the least bad place to use a nuclear weapon against insurgents.
- 1
As for Transamur... I'm not so sure they would actually want to be the first to rise up. It's a thinly populated region with cruel winters. The Russians just aren't enough in numbers and the villages far too few and too far from each other, for a guerilla movement to get anywhere. Mao once said the guerilla needs to be able to swim among the civilian population like a fish swims in water. I don't think a sparsely populated, mostly uninhabitable territory really presents those preconditions.
Plus there's the racial antagonism, and the remoteness of the territory. These place the Russian population at a very vulnerable position vis a vis an unrestrained Japanese military.
The Japanese can just round up and terrorize the Russians in the territory and no one in the empire would really bat an eye as long as the foreign policy repercussions were tolerable, because let's be honest, sympathy with people who totally don't look like you, and say they don't like you, is a tough sell even in modern times and the 1950s weren't modern times as we know them. Transamur is remote, and thinly populated, you can very easily put the region under lockdown, let no news out, neither to Russia nor to the Japanese home front, and tell the Japanese army to "just handle the situation". All armies that cultivate aggressiveness in their troops also cultivate sadism as a side effect, it's an unfortunate fact of human psychology. No army is free from sadist tendencies. And for a sadist, the sight of a helpless person locked in a secluded room is more arousing than ten naked women sitting on their bed. Transamur under lockdown, isolated from the world, with a Russian insurgency presenting a pretext for harsh measures, that's like a helpless girl, hands tied, dress already torn, in a dark basement room, is an offering from evil gods to a sadist, it's an invitation to terror and torture.
So the best strategy for the Russians wanting to shake off the Japanese would actually be PR campaigns, civil disobedience, mass strikes, industrial sabotage, boycott of state institutions, and most importantly reaching out and making alliances with the organized Japanese pacifist movements so that the cause can be brought up with the Japanese public. If they do that while the Japanese are getting drawn deeper and deeper into an intra-Chinese Civil War, odds aren't bad that the Japanese will not want to commit to military style repression that would detract from the (in their eyes) main effort. Transamur isn't really a vital part of the Japanese colonial empire so odds are the Russians might be able to broker a Japanese withdrawal at the cost of some face saving gestures.
Plus there's the racial antagonism, and the remoteness of the territory. These place the Russian population at a very vulnerable position vis a vis an unrestrained Japanese military.
The Japanese can just round up and terrorize the Russians in the territory and no one in the empire would really bat an eye as long as the foreign policy repercussions were tolerable, because let's be honest, sympathy with people who totally don't look like you, and say they don't like you, is a tough sell even in modern times and the 1950s weren't modern times as we know them. Transamur is remote, and thinly populated, you can very easily put the region under lockdown, let no news out, neither to Russia nor to the Japanese home front, and tell the Japanese army to "just handle the situation". All armies that cultivate aggressiveness in their troops also cultivate sadism as a side effect, it's an unfortunate fact of human psychology. No army is free from sadist tendencies. And for a sadist, the sight of a helpless person locked in a secluded room is more arousing than ten naked women sitting on their bed. Transamur under lockdown, isolated from the world, with a Russian insurgency presenting a pretext for harsh measures, that's like a helpless girl, hands tied, dress already torn, in a dark basement room, is an offering from evil gods to a sadist, it's an invitation to terror and torture.
So the best strategy for the Russians wanting to shake off the Japanese would actually be PR campaigns, civil disobedience, mass strikes, industrial sabotage, boycott of state institutions, and most importantly reaching out and making alliances with the organized Japanese pacifist movements so that the cause can be brought up with the Japanese public. If they do that while the Japanese are getting drawn deeper and deeper into an intra-Chinese Civil War, odds aren't bad that the Japanese will not want to commit to military style repression that would detract from the (in their eyes) main effort. Transamur isn't really a vital part of the Japanese colonial empire so odds are the Russians might be able to broker a Japanese withdrawal at the cost of some face saving gestures.
- 1
Will the RoC just support anti Japanese guerillas or will they be involved in a direct fight instead?
Personal stuff is out of the way for the moment by which I mean that I finished my exams and its been less than a month. No post yet, but soon(TM), it's fairing fairly well.
I would hazard to call it Vietnam. The closest description that I would actually hazard would be an alternate Britain trying to keep India under wraps following WW2 in our timeline. Except of course that half of India is already gone and the half that this alternate Britain controls, it doesn't really control either at least not nominally.
Indeed, the Japanese are only getting buckled in on the ride of the "Foreign Conqueror of China Experience". I do also want to thank you for the insightful and long paragraphs. It's motivation for me as well.
Direct actions at this point by the RoC would probably not have that favourable results for the RoC, although the elite of the KMT are now less terrified than they were after the Japanese levelled Sydney Harbour the threat the Japanese pose hasn't realistically gone anywhere. Direct actions would also drive off Japanese capital needed to continue the modernization of the South. This capital or to be more exact its owners posit a way for the Republic to pressure the Japanese to abandon the "basket case" that makes up the League, whether it works is of course another question.
I would hazard to call it Vietnam. The closest description that I would actually hazard would be an alternate Britain trying to keep India under wraps following WW2 in our timeline. Except of course that half of India is already gone and the half that this alternate Britain controls, it doesn't really control either at least not nominally.
Indeed, the Japanese are only getting buckled in on the ride of the "Foreign Conqueror of China Experience". I do also want to thank you for the insightful and long paragraphs. It's motivation for me as well.
Direct actions at this point by the RoC would probably not have that favourable results for the RoC, although the elite of the KMT are now less terrified than they were after the Japanese levelled Sydney Harbour the threat the Japanese pose hasn't realistically gone anywhere. Direct actions would also drive off Japanese capital needed to continue the modernization of the South. This capital or to be more exact its owners posit a way for the Republic to pressure the Japanese to abandon the "basket case" that makes up the League, whether it works is of course another question.
- 2
1960 - The Three Big Diseases
"[...]The wind of change is blowing through this continent and whether we like it or not, the European decline on the world stage is a political fact. Although we must accept it as a fact, it is not impossible to sail against the wind as some defeatists would have us do, if we are to do so however our national policies must take account of it.
Germany has not bled alone and that blood cannot be wasted, but instead provide a new and unified destiny for the whole of Europe.[...]"
Excerpt from the Winds of Change speech by Konrad Adenauer in Aachen
The words of the German Chancellor rocked the German establishment, large portions of it still convinced of its own superiority in the world at large. However despite laying the seeds of Europe's future, the speech went relatively unnoticed outside of the Continent with the newspapers and broadcasts of most nations dominated by more local topics. Nowhere was this more true than in the Japanese Home Islands, still being rocked by the revelations of the Minamata disease. Although the zaibatsu and other corporations had often been target to criticism for their less than stellar conduct, these criticisms had rarely gained nation-wide traction outside more radical circles. This seemingly long established tradition was however crumbling on public display, as attempts by Nichitsu (Chisso) to at deny responsibility, as well as later deny links between its factory and the disease, did little to appease the public. Instead many were drawn to the side of the afflicted families by the increasingly radical bending of truth employed by suit-clad Nichitsu spokesmen. Demonstrators, primarily local fishermen and their families, soon took to the streets, often lead by veterans, many of them having taken up fishing after their service. Initial protest actions soon grew from simple manifestations for compensation whilst blocking access to the factory to attempts at blocking the wastewater pipe employed by the factory and demands for action to be taken that this could never be repeated. Even though local police forces proved willing to stop the protestors from getting out of hand, such as escorting them away from the pipe and posting guards to it, the demands by Nichitsu executives for more a adversarial stance fell upon deaf ears. Whilst the demands themselves were never truly denied out right, a 'flexible' position was advocated and adopted by most officers. The 'flexible' policy was finally ended by the mayor, forcing a return to the status quo prior to the Nichitsu demands.
The cooperation between reservists and fishermen is credited for the valiant strength of the the protestors in Minamata.
Left: Levels of cadmium poisoning along the Jinzū River
Right: Prevalence of the Itai-Itai Disease in women over 50 along the Jinzū River
Prior to the Minamata Struggle the the latest prominent deployment of yakuza against protestors had taken
place during the Second Miike Miners Strike in 1956.
Following the yakuza deployment, the protests in other cities like Tokyo took on a
more radical tone than the sit-in pictured above.
Following his ascension to premier Ikeda endeavoured to change the his out of touch image,
which most visibly manifested in his adoption of a single breasted suit and thick plastic-rimmed glasses.
January
January 14 – In the Combined Syndicates of America, the Central Committee unveils the 'bachelor's tax' as well as limiting access to birth control as a way to combat growing anti-social tendencies.
January 19 - In Egypt, construction of Aswan Dam begins.
January 22 - German Chancellor Adenaeur holds his 'Winds of Change' speech in Aachen. In it the 84 year old chancellor laments the continuing decline of European, especially German, influence on the world stage. Adenaeur however counters those calling for Europe to cede its place and instead calls for the foundation of a Europarat and with it the transformation of Mitteleuropa into a true and unbreakable union.
January 27 - A river of lava from the Kilauea Volcano spils over the last earthen dike that had protected the village of Kapoho in the Hawaiian islands. The town is destroyed, but its 300 residents are saved thanks to early evacuation efforts.
Lava approaches the school building in Kapoho, even after the lava cooled the area remained abandoned.
February 5 – The first CERN particle accelerator becomes operational in Geneva, Switzerland.
February 18 – The 1960 Winter Olympics begin at the Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the German Empire.
February 23 - In Japan, Prince Naruhito, the first child of Crown Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko, is born.
February 29 – The 5.7 Mw Agadir Earthquake shakes coastal Morocco with a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme), destroying Agadir, and leaving 12,000 dead and another 12,000 injured.
The extra edition announcing the birth of Prince Naruhito proved a moment of calm in an otherwise chaotic year.
March 6 - The Empire of Japan announces that it will deploy a further 3,000 men to China to serve as advisors in the training of a counter-insurgency force. The troops would also serve to ease pressure on Japanese forces already in China, which number 100,000 excluding forces on the Manchurian-Russian border.
March 12 - The governments of Australia and New Zealand announce that Edward IX has passed away in his sleep at the age of 22. The Australian government claims that he died of pre-existing medical concerns, which had been exacerbated by the recent revelations of the survival of his father, many conspiracy theories quickly arise concerning the nature of his death. Princess Elizabeth ascends to the throne at the age of 33.
March 29 – The Kingdom of France wins the 1960 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Tom Pillibi' by Jacqueline Boyer.
March 31 – The Minamata protests turn violent, as the Nichitsu (Chisso) Corporation employs yakuza soldiers in an attempt to break the demonstrations in front of their factories. Protestors however refuse to back down and soon find themselves joined by local police forces. The failure by Nichitsu makes it the subject of much ridicule and inspires further protests further across the country.
former Australasia, was denied the right to attend the funeral of his son King Edward IX.
April
April 6 - Kōno Ichirō calls for a leadership vote to reaffirm his position as head of the Rikken Seiyūkai due many raising questions about his competence. Having however drawn the ire of the other factions, he is abandoned by them in the first round. Backroom deals between the factions agree upon Ikeda Hayato, widely seen as a placeholder due to his tendency for gaffes, as the next prime minister and leader of the party.
April 15 - Labour Minister Ishida Hirohide and Health Minister Nakayama Masa negotiate an end to the protests gripping the nation. Demands for direct compensation are dropped in exchange for stringent promises to tackle the lax environmental legislation. The words are also accompanied by closure of the facilities in question whilst through governmental inquiries are conducted.
April 20 - 'Rock Around the Clock' releases in the CSA sparking the so-called 'rock'n'roll revolution'.
April 30 - In the Japanese Empire, Sony, formerly the Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation, launches the world's first transistor TV.
Although 'Rock Around the Clock' was far from the first song in the genre, it was the first one to truly gain mass appeal
as well as demonstrate to the public a new generation of government backed Syndicalist musicians.
May 1 - In Denmark, Radikale Venstre wrestles control away from the Social Democrats winning the 1960 Folketing election.
May 3 - Jacques Piccard and Lorenz Magaard descend into the Mariana Trench in the bathyscaphe Trieste, reaching the depth of 10,911 meters, and becoming the first human beings to reach the lowest spot on the Earth.
May 15 – Trabant 4, the first weather satellite is launched into orbit by the German Empire.
May 16 - In Japan, the Masaki kidnapping case leads to the establishment of 'press agreements' between the police and the press. Under the terms of these agreements in exchange for not publishing stories about certain events such as kidnappings or hostage crises when they're still happening, the press will later have unfettered access to police records concerning the case.
May 18 – Real Madrid beats Eintracht Frankfurt 7–3 securing itself the fifth European Cup victory.
The Trieste mission was seen by many as an attempt by Germany to flex its muscle in the Pacific through non-military means.
June 1 - Demonstrations by left-wing forces break out across industrial cities in Northern Italy ahead of the Olympic Games. Whilst the protests themselves are crushed by Austrian and Italian gendarmerie, the action draws strong criticism from the Syndicalist government of Sandro Pertini, who harshly condemns these actions and threatens to withdraw support in organizing the "Italian" games.
June 5 – In Finland, the gruesome Lake Bodom murders shock the nation.
June 19 - In the Russian Empire, liberal and left-wing politicians reveal numerous corrupt dealings between the military junta and the Russian Orthodox Church. Small scale demonstrations and protests take place that are easily dispersed by the arrival of Cossacks.
June 28 – King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand arrives in Tokyo for a 4-day royal visit to Japan.
The Cossacks had proven an invaluable partner to the Russian internal security apparatus,
as a sort of mounted gendarmerie especially following the de facto dis.
I have split 1960 into two pieces since there is a bit more that I want to talk about when it comes to that year. So I hope you'll bear with me as I endeavour to deliver posts once again in a reasonable time.
Last edited:
- 3
- 2
Great episode! I liked that bit about false-Edward, Adenauer's attempt at creating alternate EU and these environmental protests. Let's hope that Japanese will be healthy again.
Great episode! I liked that bit about false-Edward, Adenauer's attempt at creating alternate EU and these environmental protests. Let's hope that Japanese will be healthy again.
Glad to see you back in action, Health
Glad to be back, I just hope that Yakuza or a number of other things won't knock me out of action again.
Historical parallelism aside, the 60s are going to get whack. So I hope you and the rest will enjoy as well.
New post soon... Probably today since the post itself is done, depends on how fast I can iron out the proofreading issues.
- 1
Looking forward to that next update. Me, too often I just skip that proofreading process, to my detriment.
1960 - Three Moments of Summer
"Comrade Major, Lieutenant Malloy reporting."
The lanky Irishman looked at the stocky Brit hunched over some papers lying on the ersatz writing table that his boys had dragged in a day prior. The Anglo turned his face towards him and it seemed as aeons before he offered a curt "At ease, Lieutenant. Please, have a seat."
"What in the blue blazes is going on," Malloy thought to himself whilst pulling up a chair and trying not to pay too much attention to the probing eyes of the major "First surprise manouvers and then an Englishman drops from the sky. What have have the brass been drinking?"
His internal monologue was cut off by another question by the major "Tell me, Lieutenant. Do you know who I am and what I am here to do?"
The question fit perfectly into the monologue in the head of the lieutenant. How should he know, the man had only arrived a day before by parachute and after showing the Captain some orders, the Cap had tasked him with taking care of the guest before retiring to his quarters for what sounded like aggressive amounts of drinking. Still something in him stirred and not wanting to betray his CO he countered. "Comrade Major, I've not been made privy to that information. Your arrival has caused quite a kerfuffle in the company. Some soldiers have even taken to taking bets on what you're here to do."
That seemed to rustle the stranger.
"Ah, of course. Where are my manners? I have become well acquainted with you, but had not even bothered to introduce myself. I am Major William Fisher of the Third Directorate of the Department of Internal Security of the Union of Britain. To put it bluntly, I am military counter-intelligence and my task is to watch over the men that came with me."
"Great, counter-intelligence that's the last thing we needed," is what Malloy wanted to say but restrained himself offering up a more conciliatory "And what has that to do with us, Comrade Major?"
"You see Lieutenant, my superiors have referred me here not necessarily for you or your men. Although they will under go additional... introspection with me for the time that I am stationed here. Rather our interests lie with your radar arrays."
Lieutenant Malloy felt as, if a cold wind had just blown past him. He now understood why the Captain had reacted as he did. Noticing the Brit jotting something down on the papers in front of him, the Lieutenant regained control of his senses once more and spoke up.
"Our RADAR? I beg your pardon Comrade Major, but what business does the British government have with our RADAR? I trust you are well aware that Ireland has also chosen to refrain from military entanglements with the Atlantic Treaty Organization. As to my men..."
"You do not have to lecture me Lieutenant. I am not a fresh recruit nor are you a political officer. I was hoping to have this discussion with your Captain, but seeing that he is unavailable let me cut to the chase. I trust that news of the continued provocations by the reactionary lapdogs of the Russian military junta and their puppet the Czar against the revolutionary vanguard forces in and around the Arctic Ocean have not gone unnoticed among your forces," Major Fisher responded in a way that Lieutenant Malloy felt he was putting more emphasis on denouncing the Czar than their own political officer did the Collins era clique.
"Of course Comrade Major, but I still fail to understand how we could be of aid. Our RADAR installations do not cover the area nor could we be of any other use for advancing the cause of the Revolution."
"You are correct Lieutenant, the RADAR in their current location offer inherent strategic benefit to the ATO or the Syndicalist International. However it is not the positioning of the RADAR that is important, but rather its origin. I do not think I need to tell you that RADAR is not cheap and that the origin of your pieces are not secret to us."
"You want our RADAR because it is German?"
"Precisely," countered the Brit "in our research we have come to the conclusion that despite Russian advances in the field over recent years much of their equipment is still of German origin - whether it was stolen, bartered or traded for that much remains partially unclear. Whilst we do also have experience with German RADAR all the pieces we have had access to are multiple decades old. We have also ascertained that the pieces you posses are remarkably similar to those in use in Russia. Due to this our governments have reached an agreement and allowed us access to study your RADAR. Do not be glum Lieutenant, if things go right you could make history."
It going well was what Lieutenant Malloy or rather Poruchik O'Rourke of Russian Foreign Intelligence feared the most.
-----------------------------------------
The beginning of the 1960s had been heralded with hope for a more peaceful world from voices across the globe. This was fuelled by the fact that the so called Second Weltkrieg that had raged for almost 2 decades had subsided and despite minor internal unrest, as well as some guerilla actions in Africa as well as Asia, the Great Powers were finally at peace. This peace would however prove to be little more than an illusion as tensions continued to spike only to seemingly falloff again, just as it had in the 50s, and although the decade would see little to no direct conflict between any of the major players, the world would continue to inch around the edge of the precipice. However that was yet to come for now the public remained fully in the grips of the 1960 Olympic Games. The Games, which had begun to be heralded as representing unity despite ideology especially in the case of the 1960 Games, had however themselves recently come under threat following the bloody suppression of protests in Northern Italy by the Austrians as well as their pliable Italian subjects. Many historians would later attribute the rather harsh actions taken by Austrian gendarmerie as an early and successful version of the events that would lead to the outbreak of the Danubian Wars.
When news of the violence reached Naples the government of the SRI was furious, demanding immediate explanations as well as apologies from their Northern counterparts, threatening to pull out of the Olympics, if their demands were not met. This turn of events unsurprisingly landed the SRI among its old 'frenemies' in the Syndicalist International, something which the Northern Italians would use to their advantage quite deftly. Through a tenuous, but trustworthy link, that that the Papacy held within the SRI a report was quickly passed linking Italian-American provocateurs with the uprisings. The report also included dates extracted from some of these captured operatives on future uprisings that targeted the SRI. This link then assured that the report passed almost directly to the table of Sandro Pertini. Although initially unconvinced, Peritini kept the contents of these notes in mind, instructing trustworthy intelligence sources to look into them. Following the repeat of such events and the capture of more provocateurs just weeks later, this time in the SRI, the report would serve as basis for further denouncements of Syndicalist International for intervening in inter-Italian affairs as well as attempts to disrupt the détente. Although the SRI still continued to demand an apology on behalf of the workers of Italy, they would confirm their plans to go forward with the Olympics as well as the détente. As the modern reinterpretation of the Italian Wars as well as the the Games, kept the public fixated on Europe, events over the Arctic were unfolding that would first undermine the belief in a peaceful decade.
Talks of détente in Italy had rocked Italy and the world, whilst Austria cautiously approved of the initial steps,
it cracked down hard on any talks of Italian reunification especially when it came to Veneto.
The Russian state increasingly saw the Northeast passage as vital supplementing
the Trans-Siberian railway to maintain its sizable Russian presence in the Far East.
The Browder government however loudly denounced the actions of the Russians, claiming that the plane had been little more than a civilian aircraft surveying the Arctic and that the radio as well as navigational equipment of the plane had been damaged. The Browder government further denounced the Russian demands for an apology instead demanding the Russians hand over the two surviving airmen as well as issue an official apology of their own. The Mosleyite government with Foreign Minister Bevan at the head had always been eager to mediate such issues. The death of Bevan just a few days after the sparking of the row had however nearly immobilized British efforts, as different factions in the Trade Union Congress attempted to lobby Mosley for their favoured candidate. The British plotting and scheming to get one over on the other was however of little concern for the Americans and Russians, who continued to continued pushing tensions highter and higher. The Americans sought to enforce their demands by moving significant naval and air assets into the region among them the carriers People's Hammer and Overpass, the pride and joy of the People's Navy. The Russians responded with significant deployments of their own, visibly through the deployment of Tu-95 bombers with nuclear payloads escorted by Su-9s and invisibly through the deployment of a number of submarines.
The American People's Navy carrier Overpass in 1960 after an extensive refit.
The Arctic Organization that Castle and von Brentano spearheaded proved vital in laying the groundwork for further international cooperation such as the International Maritime Organization as well as the International Aeronautics Organization.
July
July 1 - A Russian Air Force Su-9 interceptor flying north of Murmansk over the Barents Sea, shoots down a six-man RB-47 Stratojet reconnaissance plane belonging to the Combined Syndicates of America triggering the Barents Sea Crisis.
July 7 - In the Union of Britain, Foreign Minister Aneurin Bevan succumbs to stomach cancer. His death comes at an inopportune time as Mosley had planned for him to mend fences with the Russians on behalf of the Atlantic Treaty Organization.
July 10 – The Spanish national football team defeats the German national football team 2–1 in Paris, to win the first UEFA European Championship.
July 24 - In Shiga prefecture a sightseeing bus falls off the Mt Hiei motorway and crashes into the valley floor killing 28 and injuring 14.
Russian Sukhoi Su-9 fighter-interceptors undergoing launch preparation on the runway.
August 1 - Mutsu, formerly Ominato Tanabu, becomes the first city in the Japanese Empire to adopt a name written in hiragana.
August 17 - In the Russian Empire, the trial of the two CSA airmen that survived the crash begins in Moscow and sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage.
August 20 - The German Empire launches the satellite Trabant 5 with two dogs, 40 mice, two rats and a variety of plants. It returns to Earth the next day and all animals are safely recovered.
August 20 - In Finland, the Red-Earth coalition is toppled as the National Coalition Party takes a surprise victory in the parliamentary elections leading to a coalition between it and the Agrarian League.
August 25 — In Rome, the 1960 Summer Olympic Games begin, whilst initially planned to show unity beyond politics the "June Massacres" have drawn considerable attention in the Syndicalist world. Although no participant state boycotts the events, there is considerable tension in the air between American and Russian as well as Syndicalist and Italian athletes. The Americans, Germans and the unified Italian team take the most medals at the Games.
Whilst the Trabant 5 payload included a number of other animals it was the
two dogs Pfeil and Hamsterer that really caught the imagination of the public.
September 3 – Ceylon elects Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike as its Prime Minister, the world's first elected female head of government.
September 8 - Following tense stand naval and aerial stand-offs in the Arctic, the Russian Empire and the Combined Syndicates of America call for their forces to stand down and are joined by Germany and Britain in calls for international talks on the future of the Arctic to take early next year.
September 10 - In Japan, NHK officially starts its colour broadcasts.
September 14 - 27 people are trampled to death in Keijō, capital of Japanese Korea, when a bomb threat causes a stampede off a train after it reaches the station.
Inspired by what was increasingly being described as the 'Indian model' 1960 elections swept the Sri Lankan Freedom Party
lead by Bandaranaike into power. Promises for cooperation with India saw the party gain even among the Tamils, where its nationalist positions had caught much flak.
October 4 – The administration of Laos is overthrown in a coup backed by the Republic of India and declares itself independent from the Indochinese Federation.
October 10 - The National Liberation Front of Northern China is founded in Changsha.
October 16 - In China, a manifesto written by nine distinguished Qing loyalists is sent to Emperor Puyi advocating that he reform his increasingly rigid and corrupt government, as it poses an existential risk to the survival of the Empire. Rather than follow their advice the Emperor instead orders for several opposition newspapers to be closed and for intellectuals as well as journalists to be arrested. Whether the decision was made of his own volition or by one of his many 'advisors' remains unsolved.
October 30 – Dr. Michael Woodruff carries out the first successful kidney transplant in Australia at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
His service in the Syndicalist War as well as the short Japanese invasion had seen Woodruff
master improvised medical procedures as well as spark a lifetime interest in immunology.
November 3 - In order to facilitate the reform of what many in the Imperial Army Headquarters call a 'fundamentally dysfunctional system', the Japanese government approaches the governments of Northern China offering cheap loans to fund the overhaul of the numerous armed forces in the region.
November 11 - In Laos, elements still loyal to the government in Saigon attempt to overthrow the new Indian backed government, but fail triggering the start of the Laotian War.
November 14 - Austrian and Hungarian officials clash over the issue of Transylvania, as Austrian attempts at stopping the expansion of the Legion have been continually stonewalled by Hungarians, fearful of Austrian overreach. The issue is solved by intervention of the Kaiser Otto von Habsburg, who sides with the Austrians on the condition that implementation of the orders be left to Hungarian officials.
As a lieutenant Vang Pao had participated in the operation that spirited the Laotian Royal Family beyond the
border to India during the downfall of German Indochina, vowing to return to protect his people the Hmong.
December 9 - The classic British TV soap opera May Street premieres.
December 15 - King Mahendra of Nepal deposes the democratic government in his country and takes direct control himself. The Indian government refuses demands by democratic elements to interfere and restore order.
December 19 – Fire sweeps through the IJN carrier Ranhō while she is under construction at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal; killing 50 workers and injuring 150.
December 27 - In Japan, Prime Minister Ikeda announces the Income Doubling Plan, which foresees doubling the national GDP by 1971 through. More conservative economists are quick to call the plan out for threatening to overheat the economy whilst public groups attack it for what they see as a going back on promises for increased environmental legislation.
The Ranhō was the first in what the Japanese media had nicknamed the supercarrier. Although initial plans had
called for an atomic propulsion system, it was cancelled due to practical issues still present in the project.
Glad to have you on board and I concur, luckily people are kind enough to point them out, usually. Especially when you least expect it.
- 2
Echoes of the Gary Powers incident here, though in this case with the ideological labels switched (in a sense). That said, the fact that this is still fundamentally a multipolar world means that the context is far different, even if the stakes are no less high for the powers involved.
Also, it seems as though Germany is becoming the "Britain" of this timeline, a once-great global power that has increasingly withdrawn in on itself and is increasingly finding itself in the shadow of a power it once regarded as its junior.
Also, it seems as though Germany is becoming the "Britain" of this timeline, a once-great global power that has increasingly withdrawn in on itself and is increasingly finding itself in the shadow of a power it once regarded as its junior.
I like that multi-polar cold war, it feels very different and fresh in comparasion with OTL bipolar one.
- 1
Gary Powers sort of overshadows the other events of that time period due to how bombastic it was, but yeah definitely a degree of it. As to Germay... There is certainly a degree of Britain going into it, but unlike the Britain of our timeline this Germany has not been "Suezed", humiliated of course in China and Indochina, but it has not resigned itself to this fate.
Going off on a bit of a tangent here, but why not. The dynamic with Russia as well as the other powers that are rising up to surpass it is a bit different. As you say Germany became a the great global power or arguably even a monopole, at least the closest this world has yet come to such a power, after the Weltkrieg and the collapse of the British Empire. Victory in the Weltkrieg and the subsequent establishment of German power on nigh all continents drove the fear of the Stahlhelm into people from Timbuktu to Tokyo. This fear however is finally abating and has been for a while now, as a new generation is taking the reigns of power. Whilst they saw the Germans defeat the French, they've also seen that Germany is increasingly a titan on legs of clay. The two massive European wars may have not bled them completely white, but their complexion has gotten a lot more pale. However as I've said before the Sun has definitely not yet sunk on Germany.
Glad you enjoy it.
.... Right, probably no post this week since I've been writing papers and that can be really mentally draining. I will try to get one out next week, but I'll refrain from making any promises since I have to work on my thesis as well.
- 2
No worries; real life always takes priority. Best of luck on your papers and thesis
1961 - High North
The establishment of the Arctic Organization and through it the Arctic System is often lauded by many as one of the great achievements of the post-Syndicalist War period along with satellites as well as the transistor. Although far from perfect, like the other great achievements of the period, and often denounced as little more than a comfortable lounge for elderly diplomats to engage in increasingly complex and ludicrous diatribes, the Organization would serve an important purpose forming vital chance for direct and constant communication between the Syndicalist and Capitalist powers, at least those that were party to the Arctic Treaty. However, in the early days of 1961 all of that still lay ahead. Following the official 'ceasefire' to the crisis both the Americans and Russians had continued to somewhat unwillingly push for international compromise, whilst continuing to try and get one over on the other through less direct means. Whilst many would claim that the British and Germans efforts to draw their increasingly erstwhile allies away from the brink during the Murmansk Crisis would turn out to be in vain this could not be further from the truth, as a diplomatic solution isolated both states from conflict in Europe and provided them a valuable gateway into the Arctic. This is why when the Crisis ended that that much to the chagrin of both the Russians and the Americans, both countries had been strong-armed to call for international discussion for the future of the region. Not soon after, both the London backed Syndicalist Republics of Norway and Iceland as well as the American backed Syndicalist Republic of Canada presented their claims and wished to be included. They were quickly followed by the German-backed Kingdoms of Denmark and Finland and even the traditionally neutral Kingdom of Sweden, who too presented their wish to be included in the talks. Although the summit would begin in earnest on the 20th of January in Geneva, a whole constellation of unofficial contacts between diplomats from the Big Four - Germany, Russia, the UoB and the CSA, as well as the Little Six - Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Canada, had already been underway. With some even preceding the declaration of official negotiations.
The Pont de Carmes at La Flèche in more peaceful times. The first exchange would earn it the
moniker of "Bridge of Spies", a nickname which would be reinforced by further spy exchanges.
Arctic borders of all nations as defined by the Arctic Treaty, Finland
relinquished its claim to territory in exchange for financial compensation.
-----------------------------------------
January
January 3 - A Junkers Ju-52 belonging to the Finnish airline Aero crashes near Koivulahti on approach to Vaasa Airport in Finland, killing all 20 on board. Subsequent investigation reveals that the crash was due to pilot error as both the captain and first officer were exhausted from lack of sleep and had consumed alcohol prior to the crash.
January 15 - In Japan the Yokohama Marine Tower opens to the public. The 333 meter tower is billed as the tallest lighthouse in the world.
January 17 - In the Bantu Federation violence breaks out across the Congo as news begin to filter about the execution of noted independence figures Joseph Kasa-Vubu and Patrice Lumumba. Although bitter rivals rumours had recently spread about a deal being struck between the two men to put their differences aside for Congolese independence.
January 20 - Chairman Browder announces in a pre-recorded radio broadcast that as a sign of goodwill during the negotiations over the Arctic, the Russians have released the two surviving airmen as well as the corpse of a third that had been shot down over the Arctic and the CSA too would handover the same amount of captured Russian operatives. The exchange would take place on the 25th of January.
January 22 - A group of 24 Iberian leftists lead by exiled Portuguese military leader Henrique Galvão hijack the Santa Maria, the second largest ship in the Portuguese merchant navy, diverting it off course to the CSA owned island of Saint Lucia. The event gains widespread press in both the Syndicalist and Capitalist world and succeeds in drawing public attention to the corporatist regimes in Iberia.
see Aero finally retire the 'Täti Ju' in exchange for newer designs.
February 4 – 250 guerillas belonging to the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola and backed by the Atlantic Treaty Organization unsuccessfully attack the São Paulo prison fortress. Whilst tensions had been building prior to this including an attack by Portuguese forces on protestors, the counterattack marks the beginning of the Portuguese Colonial War.
February 9 – The Arctic Treaty is signed by the Empires of Russia and Germany, the Union of Britain, the Combined Syndicates of America, the Kingdoms of Sweden, Denmark and Finland as well as the Syndicalist Republics of Canada, Iceland and Norway. The treaty is to come into effect a month after all parties ratify it and from that moment is open to any states that want to participate, pending approval by other members.
February 13 – The government of the Bantu Federation makes an official statement on the deaths of Lumumba and Kasa-Vubu, blaming it on guerillas radicalized by Syndicalism.
February 21 - In Japan, Ikeda Hayato leads the Rikken Seiyūkai to victory in the general election. Ikeda's economic policy as well as continued promises and slight steps to solve environmental issues capture the imagination of the public. The remaining Minseitō members find themselves completely marginalized in the Diet, whilst the social welfare policies pushed by the Kōno cabinet and further supported by the Ikeda cabinet see even Taishūtō support dwindle despite increasing concern among the public towards China.
February 27 - In Nagoya, the popular theatre Misono-za is completely destroyed in a fire. Rapid evacuation efforts mean that everybody manages to get out without being harmed.
March 3 – Elizabeth II is crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Ireland and all the Dominions beyond the Seas. The continued insistence on claiming the entire lost British Empire draws criticism from home and away.
March 18 - 'Nous aurons demain' by Franca di Rienzo wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1961 for Switzerland.
March 25 – The renovation of the tram network in Sydney, Australia is completed. The completion marks the end of the recovery period of Australia and the opening of the network is attended by the recently crowned Queen Elizabeth II.
March 28 - Hungarian gendarmerie are deployed to Transylvania in force officially to help the local police forces restore order as ethnic tensions in the region have been reaching higher and higher levels. The deployment marks the transformation of the Transylvanian conflict.
April 3 - NHK begins the broadcast of its morning soap operas or asadora. The series begins with "Daughter and Me", a story of a widowed man taking care of his daughter born between him and his deceased French wife.
April 5 - Kanagawa Hōsei University Second High School secures a victory in the 33rd "Spring" Kōshien thanks to the of its ace Shibata Isao. This is the first consecutive victory at both Kōshien events since 1937 and the intervening school reforms.
April 12 - Venus 1, a German satellite, becomes the first man-made object to fly-by another planet by passing Venus.
April 18 – Portugal sends its first military reinforcement to Angola.
April 24 – Swedish warship Vasa, sunk on her maiden voyage in 1628, is recovered from Stockholm Harbor.
No worries; real life always takes priority. Best of luck on your papers and thesis
Many thanks, at least one of those papers is done. So here is this before I return to the deep, dark pit that is academic writing.
Last edited:
- 2
- 1
Ach academic writing... Godspeed and don't let it drag you down too much. Everything has an end.
Thank you for another marvelous update to this fantastic story Good to see peace established over the arctic!
Thank you for another marvelous update to this fantastic story
Good to see peace established over the arctic!I loved that part about negotations, it's very realistic. I also like, that Royal Family still claims Britain and rest of the non-existent Empire.
The fact that Liz visited Sydney before Melbourne hurts me more than you can know , but on the Arctic stuff successful international negotiations and demilitarisation always bodes well. Thanks for the update.