Capto Iugulum: 1940 - 1959

[Lokki242]

Naser al-Din looked over Tehran from the palace balcony. It was late evening, and red glow from the sun still lingered on the horizon. Lights were dotting the city from those still awake. Naser's father, Abdul, had once ruled this city. His father had done so much better in so many ways.

Naser had messed up. He should have carried on the legacy of his father, a man in fear of the ever growing Russian presence in the north. But Naser had dismissed this. War with Russia was inevitable, but it would not be for years. He would have plenty of time. Time he could spend worrying about the Sunni insurgency in and around Baghdad. How foolish Naser had been. The call had come in about the war's beginning, and the Shahansha had been caught totally off guard. However, he still had to honor his obligations and alliances. He responded to the news with one simple message.

"Then announce that the Shahdom is at war with Russia."

Naser pondered over all of this as he looked over the cityscape. His armies had been broken and nearly routed. The unfinished fortifications his father planned overrun. Betrayal by the Kazakhs, a state only existing due to Iranian generosity. The Suez closed, cutting off essential trade. It was all such a disaster. Naser al-Din II had failed his people. He would have to make it up to them.

________________________________

A few weeks earlier, Captain Ibed Darroush had been writing up the latest action report for his brigade stationed at a fort near Sharoud by the Kazakh border. It was simple, detailing the eradication of tribal insurgents unwanted by either nation. It concluded calmly and directly with,

"Complete victory. No survivors."

As he finished up the letter, he heard a gunshot. Within seconds, he heard dozens more. Drawing his British manufactured pistol, he rushed outside, just in time for an artillery barrage to come down on the walls. They collapsed easily, killing the men atop them. Seconds later, Kazakh calvalry rushed through the gap, firing their rifles, followed by Russian infantry.

Captain Darroush ran back inside the building, firing his pistol at the invaders as he went. He got inside just as another artillery barrage came down on their encampment, causing the walls to crumble and rubble to strike his head. Darroush immediately passed out.

When he awoke, he was alone in the rubble. Pulling himself out from the concrete, he saw that the enemy had left, and all of his men were dead. The nearest military outpost was a day's journey away. And he made that journey.

When he arrived, he was nearly accosted by the guards until he proved his rank. The Captain then demanded to see the commanding officer of the outpost, and he was obliged. Once in the commander's presence, he had one thing to say.

"Complete defeat. No survivors."

OOC: My first real hand at a NES story thing. Sorry if it sucked

 

[Bair_the_Normal]

OOC: I like it, but there's one minor correction. Khazak should be Kazakh.

Oh ,and EQ, if it isn't too much to ask, what's the status on small arms right now? What kind of weaponry is being fielded by our current powers in this war?

 

[m.t.cicero]

3 September 1940​

The Times of India
The War of Hegemony
Special Report
Ravendra Kondaveeti​

MUMBAI, INDIA - Even as His Majesty the High Prince concludes his suppression of the perfidious princes' bloody rebellion, a far bloodier conflict has engulfed the world. The world's two premier powers, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United Russian Empire, are now engaged in a life-or-death struggle, and the victor will likely emerge as the world's most powerful nation. The two mighty nations each have brought to bear a myriad of allied powers great and small, with fighting at least tangentially related to this war occurring on four continents; South America has managed as a whole so far to remain on the outside of this conflict. The aftermath of this war will doubtless touch every nation on the face of the planet however, and there will surely be more nations joining the fighting before the dust has cleared. A generation ago there was the Great War, which had a multitude of powers, many of relatively equal strength, engaged in a vicious melee around the globe. This war is very different however; while the Great War was multipolar, this war is decidedly bipolar. It is a War of Hegemony where there are two distinct sides standing behind one nation, each with two clear goals: the annihilation of its opponents and the establishment of a new order in the world. The aftermath of this war will likely see a new world, with borders in some areas being unrecognizable, if not erased, and, perhaps most importantly, the predominance of the victors' ideology over the world.

This War of Hegemony has drawn ideological lines much more clearly than its predecessor, for while the Great War had both constitutional and absolutist governments on each side, this conflict has only two exceptions; Italy is the lone constitutional government on the Russian side while Persia stands as the only absolutist nation in the British camp. Even then, Italy may have been drawn to Russia in part because of its fear of an internal Proletarist rebellion, and so its decision to go to war can be explained ideologically. Britain has long warned of the absolutist menace in the East, while Russia constantly complains of the freedom which allows Proletarism to flourish in the West. This is a conflict where each side stands for different ideals; Russia represents the divine right of the monarch to rule, while Britain is defending popular sovereignty as essential to fair governance. To look at the war on these terms is to see that it is not merely the Second Great War. No. This is a War of Hegemony. Story continued on Page 6

OOC: Officially throwing The War of Hegemony in the ring as the name for this war, if only because the Second Great War lacks a certain...something as a name.

 

[Jehoshua]

ooc: Calling it "The War of Hegemony" would I think imply that the war is about Russia as the nation which first struck seeking to become the worlds hegemon, regardless of the geopolitical narrative you intend to realise in the name. This rhetorical implication would obviously be from one side of the war (the opponents of Russia) irrespective of any truth present, considering Russia itself has stated other reasons (restoring the legitimate government of Scandinavia, pre-empting allied responses to the attack on the same, and redressing hostile Anglo-German affronts to Russia as it sees it) which would make it a non-neutral term for the conflict. I'd suggest we let the war take its course. In time a fitting name will come to mind as its character and events become more fully realised.

 

[Gem Hound]

OOC: The victors will get to name the war once it is over with.

 

[Grandkhan]

As a general rule, wars are normally named by historians after they have concluded. Normally, people just call it "the war" (or, the war in Blah if referring to a specific one that is happening that they are not in fact involved in or are involved in multiple wars) while its happening, because hey, what other wars are going on at the same time in the same place? Its only once historians and analysts need to discuss the conflict that they start getting names.

I haven't seen any case of people referring to WW1 as the Great War till after 1918, the same with WW2, and basically every other conflict I can think of. Correct me if I'm wrong, however.

Orders

Spoiler :

With the German, British and Scandinavian manufacturing and agricultural base being turned over to the war effort rather than export, there should be gaps in supply of manufactured and agricultural goods that Denmark can exploit (even with the Brazilians, Argies, and whatever else, there should still be some niche - comparitive advantage and all that).

Danish industry should start focusing towards the European neutrals export market, specifically those nations which previously depended on exports from Britain and Germany. The Danish agricultural sector (Denmark traditionally is a big exporter of dairy goods, and I can't see any reason why that should be different in this TL) should particularly benefit as the German and British agricultural sectors move towards filling government contracts rather than the export market. Similar things should hopefully also happen with industrial and consumer goods production and their sectors in Denmark, particularly with demands on the country by the military going down.

 

[Symphony D.]

I haven't seen any case of people referring to WW1 as the Great War till after 1918, the same with WW2, and basically every other conflict I can think of. Correct me if I'm wrong, however.

OED states: "1939 Time 11 Sept. 38/1 Some of the diplomatic juggling which last week ended in World War II was old-fashioned international jockeying for power. Ibid. 18 Sept. 10/2 Exports of arms, munitions and related materials in World War I amounted..to only 25% of total exports to the Allies."

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Do we even have to explicitly state that, in the event of war, companies from our own countries can make a profit by selling goods? I'd think that it really should go without saying.

 

[Immaculate]

Do we even have to explicitly state that, in the event of war, companies from our own countries can make a profit by selling goods? I'd think that it really should go without saying.

100% agreed. State-level stuff- changes in regulations, government policies, yes. Opportunistic development by private industry- no.

 

[momo1000]

OOC: I will be retaking my position as the true Scandinavian state of Kongo. With the help of our Russian, Roman, and Italian allies, House Vasa and her loyal patriots prepare to sail across the Atlantic Ocean and reclaim our rightful Silver Throne. Mannerheim, get ready. Here we come. Long live the Emperor, and long live Scandinavia!

 

[JohannaK]

That's what I call 'gift of opportunity'.

 

[ryaz]

Rail mounted artillery being the catalyst for the destruction of the Mannerheim line? I'll be expecting my royalty checks in the mail, Russia.

Also, there is no way that Landcruisers are anything but completely ridiculous. They would literally sink into the ground if they're on anything other than specially prepared roads. We saw this with stuff like the Ratte.

Eh, landcruisers won't sink into the ground depending on armor thickness and amount of empty space within the tank. Still, it'd be so mechanically expensive to operate as to preclude reasonable usage. But this is a game.

Too bad giant anti-tank ditches weren't developed.
Or anti-tank mines.
Actually it's quite baffling that no one developed defenses against supertanks.
Although it'd really make more sense to use casemate 200mm gun tanks for anti-fortification purpose, but this is much cooler.

-----------
Switzerland decries the needless bloodshed currently occurring, and maintains our neutrality in the current conflict.

 

[Shadowbound]

Although it'd really make more sense to use casemate 200mm gun tanks for anti-fortification purpose, but this much cooler.

For the record, I've suggested these to belligerents in the past. The heavier armament and lower profile more than make up for the lack of a turret, especially since tanks wouldn't be able to fire on the kove anyway until the development of better fire controls. Cf Swedish S-tank.

 

[Grandkhan]

Do we even have to explicitly state that, in the event of war, companies from our own countries can make a profit by selling goods? I'd think that it really should go without saying.

100% agreed. State-level stuff- changes in regulations, government policies, yes. Opportunistic development by private industry- no.

Denmark is actually kind of statist by this point, given it'd have a massively oversized industry basically dedicated to serving the military solely from 1924~ish to 1940~ish. The idea is that the government pushes these industries towards the export market rather than filling government military contracts (which aren't necessary due to Danish disarmament). Perhaps I should have made it more clear however, if I can work out how to phrase it.

 

[ryaz]

For the record, I've suggested these to belligerents in the past. The heavier armament and lower profile more than make up for the lack of a turret, especially since tanks wouldn't be able to fire on the kove anyway until the development of better fire controls. Cf Swedish S-tank.

You're mistaken. In defensive and direct fire artillery purposes, casemates/turretless designs are superior. But tanks don't always fire on the move. They sometimes have to rotate their turrets to counter targets they suddenly encounter, and in some circumstances, they can't traverse their hull (due to terrain), or other reasons I can't think of.

 

[TheLastJacobite]

The sixteen planes of Wolf Pack Squadron prowled through the skies over Germany. The CorSmi-31 “Hunters” of the squadron were a specially modified version of the Russian Heavy fighter equipped for destroying tanks. Instead of the standard 500 lb bombs, two vicious 37mm cannons were slung underneath each of the wings. They were capable of puncturing a hole in just about anything the enemy could throw at the unstoppable Russian advance.

Commander Andrei Volchek and his fellow Hunters were patrolling just east of the front. The fighters had swept the skies in the region of any enemy planes, which benefitted Wolf Pack. Though the CorSmis were formidable against ground targets, they were vulnerable to enemy fighters due to their added weight. Behind them in the distance, a pillar of smoke marked the now encircled city of Berlin. As he scanned the numerous fields below for enemy activity, Volchek’s radio crackled to life.

“Wolf Pack leader, this is Control”

“Control, Pack Leader.”

“Pack Leader, tankers to your north west have radioed for help. Apparently, they bit off more than they could chew. Fly to grid D-9 and provide cover.”

“Understood, Control.”

Volchek consulted the map Fighter Command had provided him. It was the same for all the troops in the region to coordinate airstrikes and reinforcements. After confirming the location, he barked into his radio “Wolf Pack, change to bearing 300 degrees and prepare for combat.”

The sixteen planes sped northwest. Plumes of smoke marked their intended targets. As they passed over the trees boarding a large field, Volchek could see what had happened as if he’d been there. A force of four T-28s and two older T-20s had encountered a small group of German tanks just at the edge of their range. After a brief skirmish, the Germans had retreated over a small rise, and the Russian tanks had pursued. Instead of finding a handful of fleeing tanks, however, they’d found themselves out in the open facing a half dozen entrenched enemy tanks, with approximately another half dozen more streaming out of the far tree-line. With half of their tanks in cover and more coming up behind, the Russian tanks were now caught in the open on flat ground with a steep rise behind them impeding retreat. The Germans clearly had the upper hand and were expecting an easy ambush. They were in for a nasty surprise.

“Second Flight, break left, take the tanks coming out of the trees. Fourth Flight, 30 seconds behind them. First Flight, we have the dug in tanks. Third Flight, 30 seconds behind us.”

The planes broke formation to follow his orders. The first two flights spread out, all four planes in a row, almost wing tip to wing tip, with the two other flights flying just behind them. The four planes of his flight dropped down to treetop level and slowed down to give them a better angle to the enemy tanks. The German tanks, oblivious to the danger, continued to fire at the Russian tanks, scoring a hit on one of the T-28s, which burst into flames. They thought themselves safe in the small trenches that defended them from frontal attack, but left their sides dangerously exposed. Volchek smiled and pulled the trigger.

Fireballs the size of a man’s fist spat out of the cannons under the wings, their booming shots shaking the whole plane. Volchek fired in three round bursts, focusing on the closest tank. Six globes of death shot forward, slamming into the top of the nearest tank causing it to burst into flames. He then moved onto the next tank, which also exploded. His flight mates did likewise, spreading chaos and destruction among the Germans. To his left, he saw one of his squadron fire at one of the tanks that had been advancing in the open towards the Russian tanks, striking the target low and on the side and destroying its drive train. Unable to stop at the suddenness of the attack, it continued to roll forward, throwing a tread and unintentionally and abruptly exposing its side of the advancing Russians. The Russian tanks capitalized on this and quickly turned the German tank into an inferno. The ambushers had become the ambushed.

As he flew over the edge of the field, Volchek banked to the right just as the last two flights began their own strafing run, clearing out the remaining Germans. Those left out in the open and closest to the tree line had already turned around and sprinted for cover. Those formerly in cover were reversing out of their ditches and trying to make a break for it, but caught between the attacking tanks and planes, they stood little chance. By the time the Russian planes had finished their strafing run, two thirds the German tanks were destroyed, with the rest fleeing back west. The Russian tanks, on the brink of annihilation just a few minutes earlier, now renewed their attack, picking off the remaining stragglers and any foolish enough to continue the assault. As he continued his slow turn, he saw more Russian tanks along with trucks and ground troops arriving just behind the battlefield to reinforce their victory here. Operation Onslaught continued its relentless pace. It had been a good day.

 

[Lord of Elves]

That's what I call 'gift of opportunity'.

Or the NESing equivalent of carrion vultures.

 

[TheLastJacobite]

Or the NESing equivalent of carrion vultures.

OOC: To be fair, at least he's taking a nation he played before (at the worst time in its history I might add) and not just jumping into the NES for the first time.

 

[Lord of Elves]

OOC: To be fair, at least he's taking a nation he played before (at the worst time in its history I might add) and not just jumping into the NES for the first time.

"Nation" is debatable.

 

[Nintz]

OOC: Nevermind, I thought I could still do this for a bit but just learned that a few things coming up will cut even further back on time I have to NES, which was already low to begin with. Won't be doing any NESes at all that aren't ultra-light in terms of reliable time commitment (NES Craft for example).

I don't exactly feel good about this, seeing as how this is when TLJ has decided to start a huge war, but I don't really have a choice. Almost anyone has a better chance to win the war simply by actually paying attention and sending orders. Which I won't have the reliable capacity to do very soon.

So...as much as I hate having to say this prior to the war (it still feels like a cheap cop-out to be honest), I'm going to need to drop out entirely for the time being. If you're interested in Germany please PM me.