The Kingfish - A Fascist United States AAR

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Japan's High Tide

After the battle of the Philippines Japan launched a massive offensive across the Pacific Theater. The inexperienced and under prepared American forces melted in the face of their attack. Admiral Yamamoto launched a ceaseless assault on By the end of 1942 it seemed like the Japanese would have free rein over the Pacific.

The Battle of Guam

Most of King's Pacific Fleet had fled the battle of the Philippines to get repaired in Guam. They were quickly caught up in another Japanese attack on July 8th. Still heavily outnumbered, King's fleet was virtually annihilated in a four hour battle with Yamamoto. Half a dozen ships, including one heavily damaged carrier, would be all that limped into Pearl Harbor a week later.

The USS Enterprise was barely afloat when it came into the harbor​

The island's defenders, numbering around 5,000, were rapidly overwhelmed by Japanese marines four times their number. After some sharp fighting that bought enough time for the island's air forces to be evacuated, they surrendered. The Japanese turned the island into the first piece of a planned defensive ring around the home islands.

The Fall of Wake and Midway

After the ravaging of the Pacific Fleet by Yamamoto, it took time for Nimitz's fleet to deploy and stop him. He used the importunity to take dozens of virtually defenseless allied islands all across the pacific, most notably Wake and Midway. Allied forces were deprived of every major airfield in the pacific by the end of October. 17,000 Americans with a smattering of other allied troops were taken prisoner as well, and hundreds of planes were destroyed.

Japanese culture was all about honor, and those who surrendered were no longer considered worthy of life​

The Battle of Guadalcanal

The local authorities of Guadalcanal, who planned a speedy surrender the moment the Japanese showed up, were rather surprised when 20,000 US soldiers along with tanks and engineers showed up on October 22nd. American high command had determined that victory in the Pacific would be rendered impossible if the Japanese controlled all the airfields. They had been sent to build and protect one on Guadalcanal, code-named Operation Watchtower.

Removed an image triggering virus warnings -- Avindian

The Japanese got wind of the operation in late November, and quickly launched a full air and ground assault on the island with 50,000 men. The American forces had just been reinforced by 5,000 Militia led by Leutenant General "Chesty" Puller, who had no intention of letting the Japanese get their hands on another island. Puller was a Kingfish and Militiaman who had worked his way through the ranks the hard way, via battlefield promotion. He was a veteran of American interventions in Haiti and Nicaragua, and was one of the few American commanders who had experience in jungle fighting. He had earned a reputation for fanatical devotion to the Kingfish and his defiant attitude. In spite of the fact he was outnumbered 2 to 1 and faced uncontested Japanese air and naval power, he told his men that "We got the Japs right where we want 'em."

Don't mess with Chesty​

Although Guadalcanal had no hope of holding out in the long run, Puller gave the Japanese a damn good fight. After three months of solid fighting the Japanese had taken horrific losses, around 12,000. They had managed to reduce Puller to a 500 ft perimeter around Henderson field, which was crowded with the 2,000 or so survivors of his forces. This is when Puller said his most famous line "They are in front of us, behind us, and we are flanked on both sides by an enemy that outnumbers us 20:1. They can't get away from us now!" and ordered his men to fight to the death. A week later, after a hellish series of Banzai charges, the Japanese crushed the last resistance. Out of the 25,000 Americans defending it, only 211 survived. Puller, along with all the Militia, were among the dead. Their last stand cost the Japanese an additional 3,000 men.

An American machine gunner preparing to fight to the death​

By March 1943, the Japanese had taken control of every major port and airbase in the Pacific except for two, Pearl Harbor and Port Moresby. If they took either of these, the allied position in the Pacific would be indefensible...

 

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Maybe if Britain stays really really quiet the Germans, Japanese and Americans will kill each other?

You could be right...

Good update! The last part about a divided military is worrying though...

Will the American's be able to work together, in spite of their different views? No, of course not.

Well, Long doesn't mess around - even though his level of eloquence might not qualify him as a silver-tounged orator.

I would hesitate to describe any demagogue as "silver tongued."

 

[Kaiser_Mobius]

With casualties like the ones suffered at Guadalcanal, the US military looks like it is going to have a very difficult fight ahead of it. Even with its major advantages of manpower and industrial production, battles where the US loses thousands of soldiers are going to take a nasty toll....

 

[Jape]

Oh dear, the Pacific seems to be quite a pickle.

Never realised Mr. Long had such... interesting hand movements.

Anyway, onwards America for a mockery of freedom!

 

[Muskeato]

Just got up to date on this, really well written! Looking forward to the rest.

 

[Clueless636]

looking forward to the next update whenever that may be =3

 

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The Battle of Port Moresby

After crushing the American fleet and air force in the pacific, the next logical step in the Japanese war plan was an invasion of Australia. Before any such invasion would be practical however, the vital Port Moresby would have to be captured. The Japanese had over 40,000 men to overwhelm the tiny Australian garrison of perhaps 5,000 men. General Hitoshi Imamura's plan was extremely simple: Use air superiority and the superior speed of his bicycle mounted troops to outmaneuver the Australians and cut them apart. He planned to begin his attack on March 3rd. At four in the morning he began his attack.

Japanese troops marching into a native village​

He launched the attack not knowing that the Australians had been reinforced by 30,000 American troops led by General Omar Bradley. They were a mixed bunch of National Guard units, with men from Texas, Mississippi, and strangely a "mulatto", or Hispanic, unit from New Mexico. They had been transferred in the night before his attack, and the resulting battle caught both sides unawares. After a few days of confused fighting, Imamura withdrew and prepared for another, more comprehensive, attack.

Omar Bradly hoping to be a hero at Port Moresby​

Bradly took the time to set up a clear perimeter around the port, and call for planes and reinforcements. Imamura also called for reinforcements, but was told there were none available. Bradly favored an aggressive defense, launching a number of raids on Japanese camps. American troops were still ill at ease with jungle fighting however, and Bradly called off the raids and a planned counterattack, instead focusing on holding the line. Imamura launched a fresh attack on the 20th, and weeks of vicious fighting ensued, in which the mulattoes distinguished themselves as the "toughest nuts to crack" as General Bradly put it.

A squad of mulattoes resting in between the action​

After months of fighting, the Japanese were advancing at a crawl, and worse, were running out of supplies. Bradly had also received his request for more air power, and for the first time Japanese air control was being contested. But Imamura knew Port Moresby's importance, and would not give up. Both sides took increasingly heavy losses as March turned into April, and the Japanese slowly worked their way forward, even launching Banzai charges to push their enemy back.

Japanese bicycle troops, capable of outrunning any allied unit, on the attack​

Finally, as a harsh Pacific Spring turned into a harsher Pacific Summer, the Japanese were stopped cold. 20,000 U.S. Marines, under the personal command of General MacArthur, arrived on April 27th and launched a powerful counterattack. More adapt at jungle fighting, they pushed the exhausted Japanese forces back easily. They continued to push them back until they were miles from ever touching the port. Although "MacArthur's Marine Corp" proved to be excellent and feared soldiers, they were also ill-disciplined, and committed many brutalities against Japanese POWs and the local population, some of which included rape and murder. When Bradley asked MacArthur to enforce discipline, he famously replied "Let the boys have fun Bradley." By mid-May the Japanese were in no position to launch an offensive.

Marines trudging through a swamp in New Guinea​

As well as being a massive strategic loss for the Japanese that forced them to shelve any plans to invade Australia, the battle was also a sign of things to come. Imamura's supply problems were overshadowed by problems similar problems in other battles. The Japanese war machine was overstretched, fighting in China, Burma, Singapore, and garrisoning dozens of islands across the Pacific. They did not have the manpower nor industrial capacity to fight across that many theaters. And yet an almost unbroken series of victories in Burma and China convinced Japanese high command to continue the offensives.

One of many overworked Japanese supply ships​

Also of note was General MacArthur's triumphant "rescue" of Bradley, although he hardly needed saving. Never the less, MacArthur and his marines got most of the credit for the victory, although Bradley had made his victory possible by holding out so long. MacArthur was a national hero overnight, and his popularity went through the roof. Back in Washington, President Long took a good hard look at the victory. Although great, everyone saw it as MacArthur's, not his...

The loyal American MacArthur reporting for duty​

 

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With casualties like the ones suffered at Guadalcanal, the US military looks like it is going to have a very difficult fight ahead of it. Even with its major advantages of manpower and industrial production, battles where the US loses thousands of soldiers are going to take a nasty toll....

Don't worry, I'm sure the invincible General MacArthur will save the day!

Oh dear, the Pacific seems to be quite a pickle.

Never realised Mr. Long had such... interesting hand movements.

Anyway, onwards America for a mockery of freedom!

Yay! Take away peoples' rights for freedom! Yay!

Just got up to date on this, really well written! Looking forward to the rest.

looking forward to the next update whenever that may be =3

Good to know there's still interest. This AAR ain't even close to dead yet!

 

[Deathknight15]

Good because I was starting to worry. Keep it up!

 

[Teivel]

I think would be well advised to keep MacArthur off American soil and fighting in the Pacific where he can't do any harm.

When the conflict looks to be won (if you get to that stage, the Japanese do seem overstretched already though) i would think it best that MacArthur be tragically killed in action and turned into a (silent) martyr for Long's new America. We don't need any political power plays or coups now do we?

 

[alxeu]

Mr. Huey Long! After hiding in silence for several months, I have captured 3 tanks, and have 4,000 men behind me. We have Washington D.C. surrounded. Surrender the presidency now, or we will fire.

 

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While American forces battled in the Pacific, a hush fell on Europe. The Wehrmacht had been crippled by the disaster of Operation Sealion and the confidence of German command had been dented. Britain was in ruins and had no capacity to launch a counter attack, and so the sides had reached a stalemate. Although Germany had superior manpower and production capacity, the British had the Channel, and an arsenal of ships and planes to defend it. The Germans did invade Yugoslavia and Greece but throughout 1941 and 42 the war was fought "around the edges" as Churchill put it.

The War in Africa

When Italy joined the war they launched a sweeping attack across Africa that met no resistance. Most of the British army had been withdrawn to defend the homeland, and what remained in Egypt was mostly ill-supplied and badly trained local troops. General Richard O'Conner was in charge of the apparently hopeless defense, and had no intention of retreating or surrendering. He had 30,000 men to the Italian's 150,000, a handful of tanks and heavy artillery, and virtually no air power. He was so desperate for armored cars that he seized civilian vehicles and added armor and guns.

A modified Rolls Royce​

O'Conner then launched Operation Compass, and beat the Italian Army out of Africa. Suffering from incompetent leadership and lack of fighting spirit, Italian soldiers surrendered in droves, and were easily defeated when they did fight. O'Conner's forces captured 115,000 Italian POWs in two months, and slaughtered the remainder of the Italian forces. Mussolini was utterly humiliated, and had to ask Hitler to save the situation in North Africa. Hitler sent the upcoming General Walter Model.

The new commander in Africa​

Model had the Afrika Korps, about equal in numbers to O'Conner's forces, but with more tank units. He launched a series of swift attacks that drove O'Conner's forces back. However, the war in Africa was sidelined for the invasion of France and the Battle of Britain. Both generals called for reinforcements, but both were told there were none available. O'Conner's ingenuity did not fail him however, and he started equipping and training Egyptian militia units. Although poor quality, they raised his numbers to 50,000 and allowed him to counter attack Model, the battle culminating around the port city of Tobruk.

Egyptian officers at a staff meeting​

In late 1941 O'Conner was requested by General Montgomery to aid him in the Battle of Britain. There was no other British general who was a match for Model, and he launched a fresh attack. The British were beaten back, but Model's offensive ran out of steam. British forces on Malta were playing havoc with his supply lines and the Battle of Britain was depriving him of reinforcements. The German army proved unprepared for the desert warfare, leading to tank malfunctions and diseases that crippled the Afrika Korps. The British managed to stop him at El Alamein, 50 miles from Alexandria. There the front would remain for most of 1942.

A German soldier fighting in Africa​

The Bliz

Although the Luftwaffe had been weakened by the defeat in Britain, they still outnumbered the RAF considerably. Hitler ordered the continuous terror bombing of London and other major British cities, using not only firebombs, but also deadly mustard gas, which could eat through skin, causing boils, blindness, and suffocation. Adding to the barrage were V-2 rockets. However, none of these attack methods were particularly effective. The gas would often be blown off target by the wind, and even when it was on target gas masks and heavy coats were enough to counter it. V-2s were even more unreliable, often landing completely off target and doing no significant damage.

A V-2 flying towards London​

Despite the attacks, British resolve remained strong. Bunkers were built and huge amounts of anti-aircraft fire met every attack. Gas masks became a common household item for many families in London, with children especially. Over time there was a feeling of normalcy in the hell of the cities and community activities, like dances, became commonplace. Rainywood movies became more popular than ever, and The British maintained a "stiff upper lip" and endured.

British school children in gas masks

A milkman doing his rounds through the ruins of London​

America and Europe

Although President Long and Prime Minister Churchill openly despised one another, both had something the other needed. America had resources that Britain was short off, and Britain was the perfect staging area for an invasion of the mainland. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was sent with an initial force of 90,000 men to Britain to begin preparations for an invasion of the mainland. Unlike Long, he got along well with Churchill and Montgomery, who had become supreme commander of the British army after the Battle of Britain. He requested more troops and planned for a joint allied invasion of mainland France in 1944 or 45, depending on how the war in the Pacific went. Churchill wanted to invade Greece or Italy, as he thought they would be weaker and was worried about communist partisans taking over Greece before they could get there. Whatever the final decision would be, Eisenhower got America and Britain working together in Europe.

A decent American in Churchill's eyes​

But very shortly all plans to invade the mainland were shelved. Something unholy occurred in Eastern Europe...

 

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Good because I was starting to worry. Keep it up!

I may be weeks between updates, but there will be updates!

I think would be well advised to keep MacArthur off American soil and fighting in the Pacific where he can't do any harm.

When the conflict looks to be won (if you get to that stage, the Japanese do seem overstretched already though) i would think it best that MacArthur be tragically killed in action and turned into a (silent) martyr for Long's new America. We don't need any political power plays or coups now do we?

Hmmm... an interesting idea...

Mr. Huey Long! After hiding in silence for several months, I have captured 3 tanks, and have 4,000 men behind me. We have Washington D.C. surrounded. Surrender the presidency now, or we will fire.

I have 100,000 men and 300 tanks surrounding you. Just give me a reason.

 

[alxeu]

I got a stick!
Also, google chrome says there's malware.

 

[NikephorosSonar]

I got a stick!
Also, google chrome says there's malware.

I wouldn't worry about it, Chrome likes to label certain legit sites as malware. (In this case, one of the pictures comes from DavesWarBirds, a website about of course, military aircraft)

 

[NapoleonComple]

I hope that unholy event in the east is Barbarossa and not some fresh hell for the allies.

 

[Jape]

I hope that unholy event in the east is Barbarossa and not some fresh hell for the allies.

Maybe the Old Ones have arisen?

Anyway, I'm catching up here and enjoying the ride. I agree Mac needs to some an 'accident' of some sort after his campaign is done.

 

[NikephorosSonar]

Maybe the Old Ones have arisen?

Anyway, I'm catching up here and enjoying the ride. I agree Mac needs to some an 'accident' of some sort after his campaign is done.

MacArthur cannot die, he can only fade away!

 

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The Unholy Alliance

On the 4th of February, 1943, in conditions below freezing, Soviet soldiers crossed the border of Manchuria into Japanese territory. General Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov led a lighting attack on startled Japanese troops, who were little more than a token border guard. In less than a month, Manchuria was overrun and Emperor Puyi signed a surrender to the Russians and was taken as a Russian POW. Japanese troops in China were cut off from their bases in Korea, and the vast Red Army descended upon them. General Tojo, the most influential member of the Japanese army, contacted Berlin, demanding immediate action against the Russians. He was told that the Soviet Union was Germany's loyal ally and Japan would soon receive a declaration of war from the Third Reich. Germany had just sold out Japan to the Russians.

Russian cavalry scouting in Manchuria​

The alliance agreement signed between the Soviet Union and the Third Reich was officially called the East-West Military Cooperation Agreement, or the East-West Alliance. It detailed that in return for military assistance in Europe and a continuous supply of oil, Germany would recognize Manchuria, Korea, and the long disputed Kuril Islands as rightful Russian territory, as well as recognizing most of China as lying within the Russian sphere of influence. Most senior Nazis were shocked that Hitler would agree to such a deal, and in actual fact he hadn't. Hitler's health had taken a serious downward turn in mid 1942, and his good friend Joachim von Ribbentrop had come up with the idea all by himself. "The only part Hitler had in the treaty was his signature" Albert Speer, the German Minister of Armaments, wrote in his journal, "Every point and agreement of the treaty came from Ribbentrop."

Well traveled businessman turned diplomat Joachim von Ribbentrop​

The treaty came from fear of Allied invasion after the disaster of Operation Sealion. The German army had taken huge losses and the American army was thought to have six million men in arms. Ribbentrop and many senior members of the German military, including Hermann Goring, chief of the air force (and friend of American Vice President Charles Lindbergh), who thought declaring war on America had been a bad idea. His air force and influence had already suffered during the Battle of Britain, and it was well within his interests to make sure such a thing would not happen again.

An alternative theory was that he was just insane​

For Stalin the alliance meant dominance over Asia for the small price of committing men to fight an invasion that would almost certainly not happen now. The Great Purge had done terrible damage to the Red Army's officer core (Zhukov was one of the few senior officers would survived it) and the Red Army itself was under-trained, ill-equiped, a half starved. The Five Year Plans had done wonders for Russia's industry, but the common people were no better off, or even worse, than they had been before the revolution. Stalin needed a good war, with a clear enemy, to get them in fighting shape and test Russia's industry. It also put him in a more powerful position when Russia and Germany inevitably stabbed each other in the back.

A Russian tank factory producing for the war effort​

The agreement called for a million Russian soldiers to be stationed in Italy, Greece, Denmark, and Normandy, expected locations for allied invasion. Russian and German soldiers were wisely kept as far away from each other as possible, but disputes did break out. Usually common soldiers caught fighting could expect harsh punishment. For Germans, it meant court marshal. For Russians, it meant execution. The two armies officers argued just as much, although they solved disputes by fighting wargames with each other, usually simulated German invasions of Russia or vice versa.

The Red Army marching to defend their sworn enemies​

In Britain, all plans of invasion were shelved, and an emergency conference was called for all allied leaders. As well as Long and Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, leader of the Free French, and Getulio Vargas, President of Brazil (who had recently joined the war) attended. Chiang Kai-shek, leader of what remained of the Republic of China and a friend of Long's, was absent. The Russian air force had shot down his plane, and it was not known whether he survived or not. At this news Long demanded that China be saved, and tens of thousands of American troops got ready to ship out...

A group of black soldiers begins their lonely trip across the Pacific​

 

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I got a stick!
Also, google chrome says there's malware.

I wouldn't worry about it, Chrome likes to label certain legit sites as malware. (In this case, one of the pictures comes from DavesWarBirds, a website about of course, military aircraft)

I didn't notice the problem (I use firefox), but the mods have thankfully removed it for me.

I hope that unholy event in the east is Barbarossa and not some fresh hell for the allies.

I felt so guilty seeing this comment and knowing the truth.

Maybe the Old Ones have arisen?

Anyway, I'm catching up here and enjoying the ride. I agree Mac needs to some an 'accident' of some sort after his campaign is done.

Lovecraft may claim his revenge after the war if I get bored. There might also be a Game of Thrones style power struggle instead however. It's a 50-50 chance.

MacArthur cannot die, he can only fade away!

Perhaps you would like to join MacArthur's marines?