TheLizardKing
Let's talk Michelle.
1938
Ireland- Better Dead Than Red
Dublin, Ireland, 1938
With rising anti-Communist fervor spreading throughout Western Europe, Irish President Alan Wallace deemed it nescessary for the Irish government to deport all Irishmen associated with the Communist party, to Soviet Russia. Hundreds of Irish citizens found themselves unwillingly sitting on plane en route to either Moscow, or St. Petersburg. While communism in Ireland is not supported by a majority of the population, Wallace's strong demands have left many Irish citizens in shock at the brutality the Wallace administration has thus shown. Small scale riots have occurred in Dublin, Cork and Drogheda, with anti-Wallace sentiment growing, over Wallace's anti-Communism sentiment.
Thus far, Soviet officials have taken care of their new Irish comrades, many of who had trouble initially establishing a new life in the Soviet Republic.
(-2 Irish MP, -1 Irish Stability, +2 Soviet MP)
The 3rd Constitutional Era
Constantinople, The Ottoman Empire, 1938
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Ottoman Nationalist (some may even say fascist), and confidante of Mehmed V has finally succeeded in achieving the massive government overhaul he has been attempting to push on the Sultan-turned-Emperor since he earned his high-ranking position in the early 30's. The Ottoman Empire has long been thought of as the last remnant of an old era. But with Ataturk's changes, this reputation hopefully will soon change.
Among the most startling of his list of changes was the establishment of an Imperial Ottoman Parliament, a governing body of elected officials meant to steer the internal legislation of the empire, rather than officials Mehmed appoints. The head position in this body, the High Chancellor, is to be Ataturk's, essentially placing him as the direct subordinate to Mehmed. His actual office powers are relatively unknown, as of yet. One thing is for certain; Mehmed retains the power over extra-national affairs, with the descisions of trade and war remaining in his hands.
Ataturk watching the Ottoman Airforce train
Though Ataturk has just taken his office, he has immediatley began working, passing laws creating the Administrations of both Communication, and Education Oversight. The Administration of Communication has full organizational and operational control of the Imperial Broadcasting Company, as the Administration of Education Oversight has complete control of the national curriculum for all students in the Empire, with Ataturk's approval of course. Among the first changes the Administration of Education has made in regards approved curriculum is a re-focusing on Western art, and culture, as students are encouraged to begin dressing in a more European manner. Not only that, little actual discussion of the history of the Ottoman's domain, and ethnic groups (I.e, Jews, Arabs, Armenians) are given any major mention in the curriculum. Rather, the history of the Ottoman Empire as a whole is to be discussed.
This of course has sparked a lot of anger in small secularized communities throughout the Empire. Some protests even turned violent in the province of Iraq, but increased Ottoman military activity, and training in the area has been enough of an encouragement for some of the hotter heads to cool off.
(-1 Ottoman Stability)
The Dakar-Constantinople Railroad Begins Construction
Dakar, Senegal, The Kingdom of Italy, 1938
Following the German concept of transcontinental railroads, Italy began constructing its very own railway, stretching all the way from Seneral, across all of North Africa, into the Levant, and up to Constantinople. Aided by the Ottoman and Spanish governments, the first spike was nailed in outside of Dakar in sengal, with the Ottoman's starting outside of Constantinople. The Dakar workers managed to make it all the way to the Spanish Moroccan town, El Aaiun. It's expected the Atlas Mountains may pose a challenge to the project, and it may take a year longer then expected to finish the endeavor. The railroad heading from Constantinople managed to reach Aleppo.
The two ends are expected to meet in Western Libya in 1941, or 1942.
Red Rebels in Persia
Torkeman, Persia, 1938
The Persian education system has began to demonize Communism this year, ironically coinciding with Persian communists gaining considerable support in the northern regions of the nation. Persian communist groups began appearing en masse in the area around Torkeman, and several smaller groups began appearing in the Causcaus region. A police crackdown on Communist activity has led many Persians, armed with Great War-era weapons to actively fire upon Persian police, and military forces. Few have been killed thus far, though the blatant disregard for Persian law is threatening to grow into full-scale rebellion if the situation isn't handled quickly, and effeciently. For now the rebels are few in numbers, and relatively weak.
(-10 Persian MP, -1 Persian Stability)
Operation: Floodgate
Amsterdam, The Occupied State of the Netherlands, 1938
Dutch citizens were awoken early in the morning of June 4th, to the sound of air sirens. French and Belgian Napoleon T13 Bombers, and Bordeaux fighters flooded the skies, bombing railways and ports indiscriminently. Before the Dutch airforce, or even military in general had time to react to the lightening strike, a majority of the Dutch airforce's planes were destroyed as they lay unmanned in the runway. The bombing didn't cease until roughly late afternoon, though only due to the need for refueling and resupplying.
In the midst of the bombing attacks, the France and Belgian spearhead into the Netherlands was made by late morning. The French 1st and 2nd Corp attacked, with French Warkers spearheading the assault, supported by a massive joint Franco-Belgian army. The troopers made quick work of the scattered Dutch defenders, and managed to capture the whole of Zealand before the day was over. The Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta pose the only real trouble to the Franco-Belgian advance, as Dutch troops struggled to mobilize to fight off the invaders. The only real casualties the French experienced occured early in the morning of June 5th, as Dutch forces managed to hold the French divisions on the other side of the Delta, for the better part of two hours, allowing for Dutch residents in the area to retreat towards Amsterdam. However, the Dutch defenders were broken when the iron fist of the French Napoleon bombers came crashing down on their hastily assembled fortifications.
As the French managed to make it over the Delta, and push further inland, the 3rd Corp managed to land a few thousand men to the north, as the French navy seized Dutch ports. The Dutch army attempted to stall the advance of the 3rd corp, but found itself outgunned, and surrended by night. By daybreak Amsterdam was being bombed, with parts of the 2nd corp advancing to within 20 miles of the city. Realizing his hopless situation, the Dutch Prime Minister Pieter Cort van der Linden called for all Dutch units to cease-fire with the French units, as he and a delegation met French general Henri Geruard, to discuss peace terms with his conquorers.
French troops walk through the ruins of Rotterdam
Meanwhile, a small contigent of troops, and ships, along with the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina retreated to Aruba, protected by several thousand miles of sea, and the United States navy.
All Dutch forces in the Netherlands, in an act of defiance, destroyed their weapons, and attempted to destroy their ships, and planes, before the French occupation forces managed to stop them. Despite this, the French did manage to capture a few ships from the Dutch navy, which were quickly re-armed, manned, and re-routed to the Pacific Theatre of the war. Though der Linden called for all Dutch troops, including colonial, to stop fighting, a large amount continued the war on in the East Indies.
The true reason for the war is vague to many. Increased French and Belgian cooperation in the last few years has led to an almost unbreakable bond between the two nations. Apparently, several paramilitaries were seen firing upon Belgian support trucks that were getting too close to the border. Riddled with reports of a German invasion of the Netherlands, in preperation for an invasion of France through the lowlands, many French saw an invasion as nescessary, not only to punish the Dutch for firing on their Belgian friends, but also to protect French interests as a whole.
(-2 French Divisions, -1 French Destroyer, -13 French Bordeaux 37' Fighters, -5 French Napoleon T13 Bombers, -9 French M-2 Congressional Warkers, -2 Conquistador Warkers)
(-1 Belgian Division, -4 Belgian Bordeaux 28' Fighters, -14 Belgian Congressional M-2 Warkers)
(-7 Dutch Divisions, -97 Dutch Bordeaux 28', -81 Hindenburg 29' Dutch Light Warkers, -1 Dutch Dreadnought, -2 Dutch Destroyers, -81 Dutch MP)
(+1 French Airforce Experience, +4 French Cruisers, +1 Belgian Cruiser, +3 French Destroyers, +1 French Submarine, + Occupied Netherlands)
Operation: Eastward Harvest
Jakarta, French Indonesia, 1938
Despite pleas from der Linden, the Colonial forces in the Dutch East Indies remained armed and ready, for the expected French and Spanish invasion force. By August, 1938, a massive French fleet landed several divisions off the coast of Northern Sumatra, as French fighters, and bombers struck the Dutch forces from Borneo, and Malaysia. The French forces trecked south, with major airsupport knocking most Dutch resistance out of the equation. Any majorally entrenched Dutch force was simply ignored, with the French army instead by-passing them, instead of taking heavy casualties. Their main goal was the Dutch colonial capital of the East Indies, at Jakarta. As the French IV Corp rolled down the coast, they began encountering more and more Dutch resistance. Eventually, the French IV stumbled upon a ring of hastily set up defenses around Jakarta.
The Battle of Jakarta
Spoiler :
(-2 French Divisions, -17 French Bordeaux 37', -9 French Napoleon T13 Bombers, -21 French M-2 Warkers, -1 French Conquistador Warker)
(-3 Dutch Divisions, -31 Dutch Bordeaux 28', -13 Dutch Xiaolong X-2 Bombers, -32 Hindenburg 29' Warkers, -19 Dutch MP)
After the fall of the capital, however, all hope was lost, for the Dutch defenders. The Dutch fleet, stationed at Jakarta managed to escape destruction, however, and take several hundred civillians with it. Small skirmishes with French and Spanish ships around the Sunda straits left it in a weakened state, as the presence of a Japanese military fleet on the hunt was enough for the Dutch to realize that all hope was lost. Carrying it's limited refugees to Perth, the Dutch naval presence in the East Indies flickered and died, along with most other Dutch resistance throughout the isles.
Japan pre-emptively struck Dutch forces in Borneo, and after intense fighting throughout the jungle brush, Japan came out on top, as many Dutch defenders simply surrendered. Spanish ships dodged in and out of Flores Sea, landing troops unnopposed throughout the island chain, eventually reaching, and capturing New Guinea.
By September 30th, the whole of the East Indies was owned, and controlled by the Empires of France, Spain and Japan. While the Dutch defense was heroic, it was futile to say the least.
(-1 French Division, -6 French Bordeaux 37', -3 French Napoleon T13 Bombers, -11 French M-2 Warkers, -3 French Conquistador Warkers, -1 French Destroyer)
(-2 Spanish Divisions, -13 Spanish Bordeaux 37', -2 French Napoleon T13 Bombers, -16 Spanish M-2 Warkers, -1 Spanish Conquistador Warkers, -1 Spanish Destroyer)
(-1 Japanese Division, -3 Showa Hikoki Warkers, -2 Mistubishi IS3M)
(-7 Dutch Divisions, -48 Dutch Bordeaux 28', -20 Xiaolong H-2, -48 Dutch Hindenburg 29' Light Warks, -180 Dutch MP, -1 Dutch Destroyer, -2 Dutch Cruisers,)
The Chinese Civil War
Beijing, The Chinese Empire, 1938
The Chinese Civil War continues to rage on in Asia. With recent successes in the East Indies, a Spanish fleet appeared off the coast of Hainan Island, and landed with 20,000 soldiers, and a small contigent of Warkers. The Chinese Red Rebels on the island rebelled against the Europeans, but the Spanish, aided by as many Imperial Chinese troops managed to put a majority of the rebellion down.
Meanwhile, in the North, Red Chinese soldiers swept through Manchuria pushing aside token Imperial resistance. As the People's Army reached the outskirts of Beijing, they began facing more and more Imperial forces, utilizing German, Italian and Spanish weaponry, supported by Hindenburg 29's began cutting down the People's Armies forces. Before long, the entire massive advance of the People's Army was halted, miles from Beijing. Imperial forces in the area had grown to numerous, and too well equitped, for the half-starving, Soviet equipped People's Army. The Aleyskan airforce stopped in to aid the Imperial Chinese Army, hitting raillines and supply depots held by the People's Army.
In the Western Theatre, a similar scene eventually developed, with massive imperial counter attacks, cutting back the People's Army's Lop Nuur Saliant to it's smallest size in 3 years. However, the Imperial Army fought hard for every mile, and as the casualties began to mount, they had to call off all offensives by late summer. Meanwhile, in the south of the nation, by the Siam border, large rebel groups began moving against the Imperial Chinese government outright. With most resources up north, fighting the People's Army's advances, the Southern Chinese Communists enjoyed free reign for the better part of the year.
Imperial soldiers man a machine-gun post
Despite local support, counter Imperialst insurgency countinues to grip land's administated by the People's Army. Supply lines throughout Manchuria have been raided, and spy's are believed to be everywhere. A similar scene is developing in Xingjiang, and Xiazang for the Imperialists. As German and Spanish military advisors poor into direct Imperialist troops, and German weaponry continues to spread throughout the Imperial army, it becomes increasingly clear that the tide of the war doesn't quite favor the People's Army as much this year, as it did the last.
The one benefit the People's Army may see in the coming months, or even years, is an increased agricultural base, and with the conquest of Manchuria, and industrial one as well.
(People's Army: -30 Divisions, - 70 Rabotnik Warkers, -40 Hindenburg Light Warkers, -49 Bordeaux 19', -13 Bordeaux 28', -21 IS1M, -10 Xiaolong H-1, -3 Xiaolong H-2)
(Imperial Chinese: -37 Divisions, -50 Hindenburg 29' Warkers, -32 Bordeaux 19', -13 Bordeaux 28', -7 Xiaolong X-1, -4 Xiaolong H-2)
(Aleyska: -12 Bordeaux 19', -3 Kyoto 32' Bombers)
(+1 Imperial Chinese Army Experience, +1 People's Army Experience, +1 Alesykan Airforce Experience, -689 Imperial Chinese Manpower, -312 People's Army Manpower, +400 People's Army Manpower, +1 People's Army Economic Point, -1 Alesykan Stability)
