RED DAWN: The Next World War, An Alt History of WW2 (IC)

by **Democratic East-Asia** » Sat Jun 03, 2017 4:30 pm

RED DAWN: The Next World War

"The end may justify the means as long as there is something that justifies the end."
-Leon Trotsky

"As long as there are sovereign nations possessing great power, war is inevitable."
-Albert Einstein

"Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives acclaim earned in blood of his followers and sacrifices of his friends."
-General Dwight D. Eisenhower

"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."
-Winston Churchill

https://discord.gg/XvUQxM6 (Our discord server)
OOC - OOC here
IC - here

BACKSTORY

by **Democratic East-Asia** » Sat Jun 03, 2017 4:32 pm

THE INTERNATIONAL WORKER'S TIMES

WORLD EVENTS | ECONOMICS | POLITICS | TECHNOLOGY | EDITORIALS

ISSUE #4. January 21st, 1938. Edited by Isaac Babel and Boris Pasternak, International Worker's Times Office of Leningrad

UESR KARL MARX LAUNCHED FROM LENINGRAD
By Mikhail Sholokhov

The UESR Karl Marx

The Russian SFSR Ministry of the Navy announced today the launching of the UESR's newest naval battleship: The UESR Karl Marx. Named after the creator of communism himself, the UESR Karl Marx represents the UESR's largest leap in terms of naval technology, and is the first Soyuz Sovietzky-Class battleship to be put into service. Capable of maintaining a maximum cruising speed of 28 knots and armed with nine 460mm (18.1 inch) guns, the 70,000 ton vessel is currently the largest and one of the most modern within the UESR's combined navy, and will likely maintain that position for some time to come. Russian SFSR authorities claim the warship can "match any other battleship fielded by the western and capitalist powers, while proving the effectiveness of socialist engineering".

For the sake of comparison, the United States' newest battleship: the North Carolina-Class, has yet to be released from port if official reports are to be trusted, and is significantly smaller than the Marx. While the Americans definitely have more experience at building naval ships than those living in the Russian SFSR, the great multitude of minds within Eurasia has allowed engineers working for the German People's Republic to aide their comrades in the construction process. The only prior experience the Russian SFSR has with battleship construction comes from old models dating back to the Great War, all which are now out of service.

Adding a second battleship is expected to drastically increase the UESR's ability to project power in the Baltic Sea, where the Marx is to be stationed. However, there are a number of concerns regarding the UESR Karl Marx. Like most UESR ships, the training quality of the crew is a matter of worry, despite recent efforts at bolstering the navy. Another factor is the potential material cost of such a ship. At well over the equivalent of 1,200,000,000 Russian rubles, the UESR Karl Marx has definitely put a dent into the naval budget of the Russian SFSR, costing some six times more than the average Kirov-Class cruiser. In the case a long-term war breaks out, the Naval Ministry estimates that there may be a limit on the number of Soyuz Sovietzky-Class battleships produced, in order to conserve funds for other "potentially more effective" areas.

3RD FIVE-YEAR PLAN BEGINS IN THE KAZAKH SSR
By Akhmet Baitursynov

Kazakh workers stand by a new tractor

This year marks the beginning of the Kazakh SSR's 3rd Five-Year plan, and is to be characterized by a mass expansion of the agricultural and agricultural machinery industries. Since the redistribution of land formerly owned by the pre-revolution nobility and gradual collectivization of these lands, grain production has increased by millions of tons per year, with tens of millions more hectares having been cultivated since 1928 (the 1st Five-Year plan). The government's Virgin Lands Campaign has been quite effective at attracting new settlers and providing food for the various republics of the UESR, many whom rely on food imports. That being said, there are a number of areas the Central Committee of Kazakhstan has decided to focus on in particular.

Agricultural collectivization has put a heavy strain on the Kazakh SSR's agricultural machinery industry, which has struggled to meet the demand for tractors since the advent of the first Five-Year Plan. In 1929 alone, over 90,000 tractors had been shipped to the Kazakh SSR by the Russian SFSR and other associated European republics, while barely 4,000 were made at locally owned state and worker run enterprises. That being said, production of tractors has increased since then, but still remains pitifully low at just ~12,000 a year. To address this issue, a new exchange program was proposed with various UESR European republics including the German PR, asking for the arrival of agricultural and industrial specialists in aiding the Kazakh SSR while allowing Kazakh students to work and gain experience elsewhere. Results have yet to appear, but the Central Committee is confident it will be a success. Already, extensive aide from the Russian SFSR has resulted in higher grain production, but effectiveness of this aide is still to be determined.

In order to address problems dealing with crop productivity, the Kazakh SSR is also planning to see to the construction of 50 new fertilizer factories by the end of next year. Chemists and experts from the German PR, Western Slavic Soviet Union, and Hungarian PR have been hired in directing the construction of these factories, and eventual production of the nitrogen-based fertilizers to be used in new virgin lands and existing collectives. General Secretary of the Kazakh Communist Party, Mirjaqip Dulatuli, has expressed his enthusiasm in the plan's chance of success. As he stated just 2 weeks back at a local communist party rally in Astana, "The people of Kazakhstan have much to look forwards to in the next five years. Soon we'll feed not only the Kazakhs and Central Asians, but fellow comrades around the world!"

TENSIONS INCREASE IN THE EAST
By Vera Panov

Soldiers of the Mongolian PR participate
in drills near the Manchurian border

Following recent advances by CCP forces in the Shaanxi and Gansu Chinese provinces, tensions between the UESR, Republic of China, and Empire of Japan have been on the rise. It is no surprise that the UESR has been backing communist forces in northern China since the late 1920s, and these acts have without a doubt provoked the Republic of China and it's "ally" in the Japanese Isles. This situation has been deteriorating since the advent of international volunteer regiments in the 1930s, which have regularly been funneled through UESR territories into CCP controlled China. The UESR has been accused numerous times by the West and the Chinese government for "funding insurrection" and directly intervening in Chinese affairs. While we cannot deny the first (although I, and many others would prefer to call it "promoting socialism through foreign aide"), the second statement is unfounded and based off heavy interpretation. Even so, the Chinese Republican government insists that the UESR has been involved in Chinese affairs, something we can only ignore for now.

Regarding the Japanese buildup in Manchukou, the Far Eastern command has been most concerned. With barely a quarter of a million troops (many reserve) in the area, and lacking any means of quick resupply and reinforcement, Far Eastern command has recently requested the UESR government for reinforcements, hopefully to be sent prior to 1940. This has caused some disagreement within the UESR, as numerous republics have expressed little interest in preparing for a "hypothetical conflict thousands of kilometers away from home". Nevertheless, Lev Trotsky of the Russian SFSR has promised to send an estimated 200,000 soldiers and 4,000 vehicles of various sorts (including 2,000 tanks) to the Far East. When this is to happen has yet to be determined.

Potential escalation into war has also prompted nearby republics to begin general mobilization, especially in case of the Mongolian People's Republic. Liberated in 1921 from what at the time was a dysfunctional and racist government, Mongolia has been solidly independent ever since, and has stated it will defy any attempt by either the Japanese or the Chinese in asserting control of the area. Marshal Rinchingiin Elbegdorj has called for Mongolian forces to begin war drills along the Mongol-Manchu border in a show of force against the Japanese. His actions have been heavily debated within UESR political circles, and many accuse Rinchingiin of "unnecessary aggression" and warmongering. Opponents of Rinchiniin have called for his removal from office, while supporters claim that Rinchiniin is doing the right thing "in order to prevent imperialist aggression and conquest".

by **Orostan** » Sat Jun 03, 2017 4:44 pm

THE INTERNATIONAL WORKER'S TIMES

TECHNOLOGY | WORLD EVENTS | POLITICS | THE SCIENCES

NEW TANK DESIGN IN WORKS, AIRCRAFT MODIFIED

The German Bureau of Military Technology announced today the development of a new tank known as the T-34 based on a Russian design not yet placed into production. The Bureau's hard working designers met with other weapons makers from Eurasia at a meeting in Danzig, high quality PFRG weapons and parts were agreed to be incorporated into the design. The T-34 prototype is currently being constructed in a facility near Warsaw, where Polish workers and weapon designers work to bring forth a metal beast to protect the land and ideals we hold dear. After the meeting discussing the possibility of the T-34, airmen and aircraft makers met to help determine the future of the People's Air Force. They meet to discuss plans relating to modifying the almost outdated Polikarpov I-16, which is presently phased out in most if not all Eurasian SSRs in favor of the LA-5. The I-16's blue print modification was drawn out, which featured a closed cockpit pressurized design among maneuverability upgrades and weapons changes. A prototype of this new variant is planned to be built in Dresden, from an I-16. This is only part of the miltiary expansion planned to protect the PFRG and her citizens from the danger posed by this new political age we are entering into.

DIPLOMACY WITH THE CAPITALISTS

Rosa Luxembourg, the Premier of the PFRG, has met with the West German ambassador and requested that the two nations resume talks relating to border disputes and renegotiation. This comes after two men, one West German and the other a citizen of the PFRG both claimed ownership to a house that was split along the border, and similar occurrences in towns split along the border. The haphazard drawing of the border following the Revolution that brought the PFRG into existence split many families and close knit communities. Premier Luxembourg has stated she hopes that her counter part in West Germany will see this issue the same way, and seek a peaceful resolution.

NEW FACTORIES OPENED IN THE EASTERN PFRG

Factories in East Germany have had their ribbons cut, and their operation begin. This comes after a deadly fire killed 10 and burnt down two factories. Thanks to strict building and fire codes most of the workers were able to escape in time. The funerals for those who died will be held in the following weeks. The burnt down factories had been producing Tanks for the military, which still suffers from an under supply of tanks and aircraft. The finished KL-1 Model tanks, based off of the KV-1, that were in the factories during the fire were not destroyed, and took the heat and debris surprisingly well. They were literally driven out from the debris by a team sent to salvage them.

The factories to replace those burnt down will employ the surviving workers from those that were destroyed. One worker said that "In the West German economy, I'd be out of job!" It should also be noted that the working conditions and machinery in the burnt down factory were of frequent complaint by the workers committee there, despite the best efforts of the management. The police have determined that the fire was an accident, and that the factories age was the most likely cause of the deaths of 10 workers. The Premier has submitted a bill to the Parliament which would procure funding to renovate the existing factory systems, especially military factories, to make them more modern and more efficient, as well as more accommodating to the workers there.

by **Greater Redosia** » Sat Jun 03, 2017 8:31 pm

The National Revolutionary

Needed reforms finally arrived!

After many centuries of rule by the hated Qing dynasty, after the Xinhai Revolution that founded the republic, and after an attempt by the communists to destroy our republic, Chiang and Executive Yuan have finally begun implementing many reforms that the people of China have been long waiting for. These reforms include: land redistribution, the establishment of local school and healthcare, religious freedom, and cultural equality. Though some of the reforms (namely those dealing with healthcare) have been scaled down due to the current civil war and the current economic state that the Republic is currently in, most reforms have been welcomed by the people and are being enforced by local KMT officials around the country. The warlords of the many states initially showed disinterest, but were convinced by Chiang's arguments and the looming threat of our communist neighbors.

There have been military reforms, troop movements, and reintroducing the local production of an age old tradition of the repeating crossbow!

The military of the Republic has been an organizational nightmare for most of the civil war, and even prior to the revolution, but Chiang has made major efforts in reforming the structure of the military and centralized command. After the recent advances by the CCP into the Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, the National Revolutionary Army has been put onto the defensive by direct order of Chiang. After regrouping and forming four main army groups: Army Group 1 defending from the edge of Qinghai-tibet border to the Qinghai-Gansu border, Army Group 2 defending from the Gansu-Qinghai border to the Shaanxi-Shanxi-Henan border, Army Group 3 and Army group 4 defending from the Shaanxi-Shanxi-Henan border and the Shanxi-Hebei border. There are also several smaller armies behind the main army groups as reserves under the Army Group 5. Army Group 1 is under command of General Yun, Army Group 2 under command of General Sun Lianzhong, Army Group 3 under command of General Sun Weiru, Army Group 4 under command of General Yang Sen, and the smaller Army Group 5 is under command of Chiang Kai-Shek. As Chiang proclaimed, "Those that need my support will be given to it by my own word alone." Interestingly enough, Chiang also mandated that villages and towns restart the production of repeating crossbows. Though an ancient weapon, the repeating crossbow was quite revolutionary at its time, and as supplies of firearms dwindle, the use of swords and crossbows serves as a possible alternative.

Industrialization, Defense construction, infrastructure, arming of the peasants, and a revolutionary meeting with the warlords and Chiang!

With the need for more weapons and other goods increasing, the need for industrialization has also increased, with that in mind, Chiang is allowing western companies to come in and support the republic's industrialization efforts. The construction of more military factories are underway and the hope for more foreign support continues. With the recent offensives against the CCP dying down, the focus on the defense for the KMT military has increased with the building of trenches, anti-tank emplacements, bunkers, and pill boxes as objectives of high importance. Bridges connecting Shanxi and Henan through the yellow river have also been destroyed to prevent communist forces from utilizing them. The construction of the local schools, clinics, and improvements towards infrastructure also continue at a slow but promising pace, but budget restrictions prevent too much from being done at the time. Villagers have been armed and given weapons to defend themselves from the advancing CCP forces, and hopefully will show their loyalty towards the government. Finally the meeting with the Warlords has been concluded and further cooperation has been achieved; although slightly unhappy with the reforms that were made by Chiang, the warlords have decided to accept them, stating that "We'd rather have our borders slightly adjusted than have our country entirely taken." Chiang announced that all warlord armies are now being trained by KMT generals and officers in order to improve the discipline of their soldiers and prepare for combat against CCP forces.

by **Costa Fierro** » Sun Jun 04, 2017 1:40 am

Rome, Italy. January 2, 1938:

Italy had welcomed the new year with a renewed optimism for the future. The country had been recovering from the Great Depression and the government continued to press forward with new infrastructure projects. Just last year, Italy saw the entry of a new electric train running on a newly electrified line between Bologna in the north and Naples in the south, with the trains passing through Rome. In an age of steam, electrification was a great leap forwards in rail technology. The trains themselves were also fast, with speeds close to 200 kilometres an hour. They were also comfortable, with many thousands of people purchasing tickets simply to experience the trains for themselves. Italian Prime Minister, Marshal Pietro Badoglio, had approved plans to extend the line north to other important Italian cities, such as Florence, as well as major industrial cities like Turin.

Marshal Badoglio was also presiding over Italy's major modernisation programs for its military. The majority of fighter aircraft in the air force, the Regia Aeronautica, were biplanes first designed in the late 1920's and early 1930's, and whilst they were very much modern aircraft, the speed at which developments in military aviation were progressing quickly meant that these aircraft were becoming obsolete. New aircraft designs were due to enter service this year, having received substantial orders from the government. New ships were being built too to replace older vessels in the Regia Marina.

Most importantly, the Army was also engaged in modernisation as well. Italy only had three types of tracked armoured vehicles in service and two of them were small tankettes based on British designs. Italy's only combat tank was the Fiat 3000, a small, two man machine that was based on the French Renault FT-17 and that design by 1938, was over two decades in age. Italy needed something much more modern and manufacturing giant Fiat had stepped in with a light tank and a medium tank design.

Badoglio also had political concerns to consider. Europe in 1938 was polarized and Italy was no exception. Communist Yugoslavia did pose some threat at least with regards to it's military, which was similar in terms of capabilities and technology to that of the Italians. But Italy had the largest navy in the Mediterranean and superiority of the seas gave her a distinct advantage. Badoglio had approved a defensive wall to protect Italy's recently added territory on the northeastern extremity of the Adriatic Coast and construction of this wall continued. He had contemplated engaging in direct diplomacy with the leaders of Germany and France to form a European alliance against communism, although not necessarily to act against the threat of the communist states in Europe but rather as a way of dealing with the unstable Spanish Republic. His foreign minister, Galeazzo Ciano, had also expressed interest in establishing contact with the Spanish nationalists in order to ferment instability and sow the grounds for a military coup, or, if need be, a full military intervention. An unstable, communist friendly state in Western Europe could have the potential to be exploited by communist states and pose a threat to France and Italy, as the Spanish Navy had considerable capital strength.

"The Spanish Question" was still on Marshal Badoglio's mind as his motorcade sped through the streets of Rome towards Ciampino Airport. His motorcade consisted of two motorcycle outriders in the front, three Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 sedans for each of the members of the Triumvirate and another two motorcycles at the rear.

They entered Ciampino's apron directly through a side entrance and proceeded to a waiting Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 tri-engine transport aircraft which was to take them on the two hour journey north to Turin. Accompanying him on the flight north was Commander of the Regia Marina, Admiral Inigo Campioni and Commander of the Regia Aeronautica, General Giuseppe Valle. All three were to oversee the revealing of Italy's new tank designs which were due to enter service the following year. Additional staff members also boarded the flight.

The aircraft taxied to the end of the runway and then took off to the north, heading for Turin. As they flew, the Triumvirate discussed events in Spain.
"I am under no illusions that the communists would very likely succeed in establishing a similar regimes to those that exist in the east," Admiral Campioni said. "If we were to act, we should do so with the support of the French and the Germans, who no doubt would be willing to act if Spain decided to head in the wrong direction."
"It would also depend on whether or not Spain's military is united or even loyal to the republican government," General Valle added. "Franco holds consierably sway over Spanish nationalists and we could always urge him to start a military rebellion and indeed, provide him with the tools and the financial support necessary to overthrow the republicans without direct intervention."
"Either way, we need to see whether or not the Germans and the French have any additional ideas about what to do with Spain," Admiral Campioni said. "Militarily they're in a better position to be able to carry out an intervention if necessary. We would be able to effectively remove any naval threat the Spanish possess. They have two battleships and two heavy cruisers to our eight battleships and eight heavy cruisers, not to mention what the French have in Toulon. If direct military intervention was deemed necessary, I would have no hesitations about engaging the Spanish fleet directly."
"We'll wait," Marshal Badoglio said. "I'll have Foreign Minister Ciano to contact Paris and Cologne to see what they intend on doing."

Fiat's Design Bureau, Turin, Italy. January 2, 1938:

The Triumvirate were led into a large warehouse where a number of Fiat-Ansaldo officials (the combined consortium that had come together to design Italy's new tanks) where a number of display boards and two tanks were displayed. One of the men, a short, balding man in his late 40's with glasses led them over to the smaller of the two tanks.
"This is the L6 light tank," he said. "It is armed with a 20 milimetre Breda automatic cannon derived from the anti-aircraft version already in service with the Army. The cannon can penetrate 36 milimetres of armour, enough to be able to engage any communist tank currently in service. The L6 can carry 296 rounds of ammunition for the main cannon. A secondary armament is fitted in the form of a coaxial eight milimetre Breda machine gun, with 1,556 rounds of ammunition. In terms of armor protection, the armour of the tank is between six milimetres and 40 milimetres thick, giving it good protection. Furthermore, it is equipped with a 70 horsepower engine capable of propelling it to a top speed of 42 kilometres per hour, the same as our L3/33 tankettes. It has a range of 200 kilometres." The man showed them the next tank.

"This is the M11 medium tank. It is designed primarily to be a combat tank capable of engaging and destroying other enemy tanks. It is armed with a 37 milimetre gun in a casemate in the hull, capable of penetrating 58 milimetres of armour. In the turret, it has two eight milimetre machine guns. The M11 can carry 84 rounds of 37 milimetre ammunition and 2,808 rounds of eight milimetre ammunition. Armour protection ranges from six milimetres on the top of the tank to 30 milimetres of armour on the front of the hull and turret. The engine is a V8 diesel producing 105 horsepower, giving the tank a top speed of 32 kilometres an hour and a maximum range of 200 kilometres."
"When do you expect these to be service ready?" Marshal Badoglio asked.
"Sometime during next year we should expect to see the first batches arriving." The man replied. He then gestured to some of the design boards. One was designs of a tank similar to the M11 but with the main cannon in a turret rather than in the hull. However, the cannon described was a larger 47 milimetre weapon. It was designated the M13. Another design included was an assault gun based on the M13 tank, carrying a 75/18 Modello 1934 field gun with anti-personnel and anti-tank capabilities. Other designs included a new armoured reconnaissance vehicle and an armoured personnel carrier based on a transportation truck.

With the presentations over, the Triumvirate were escorted outside to watch a demonstration of these tanks in action.

by **Greater Slavic Union** » Sun Jun 04, 2017 3:16 am

The National Worker

TECHNOLOGY | WORLD EVENTS | POLITICS | ECONOMICS | EDITORIALS

PLANS FOR MILITARY EXPANSIONS

The Sejm has passed today a law allocating an extra-funding to the Armed Forces for the Reserach&Development section of each of the three branches. The National Worker's Political correspondant, Maria Krečąková, has interviewed the law's main submitter Stefan Vôński, a KSZN member.
"Some might say this is just an attempt to put more money into the Arms industry, but I can assure you it is not like that: by approving this law, we approved the transfering of a further 120 million Krunas tranche to our Armed Forces, in order to carry on with technological research and with the retrofitting of many weapon systems." said the MP. "We furthermore decided to committ ourselves even more to the UESR by doing this: just think how many countries import their weapon systems from us? Iran, Hungary, Anatolia, Jugoslavija and Romania just to cite some of them. All of these are UESR-member states, and as such will be highly benefitting from our enlarged Research&Development budget." he added. When asked what projects does he think are the most relevant ones for our country, Dr. Vôński stated that "Surely the retrofitting of the Army's equipment, as well as the production of an improved T-34 whose specifics we do not wish to reveal yet, are the most relevant of said projects. In any case all of them are relevant, given our absolute necessity to maintain a technological edge over the capitalists."
Whether these new investments in technology will correctly play their part and will enable us to get closer to victory over the Capitalist enemies of our country or not, is yet to be seen. Sure thing is that this is something we can only rejoice to.

DIPLOMACY - UESR

Our country, as we all know, is part of the Union of Eurasian Socialist Republics, and as such it has strong ties with all other member states, especially Jugoslavija and Persia. With some other member states tho, the relationship is not as good: the German People's Republic. Ever sing ethe end of the Great War, our relationship with our socialist western neighbor has been turbulent, especially because of an issue concerning the current borders and the treatment of our fellow Nationals within the German PR.
Our nation's government, President Michal Kovařícki and Chancellor Śviętosłava Vłodarščyká in primis, have been pushing for international support of the country's position, and it looks like they managed to get it, or at least to discuss about it. Earlier this week, indeed, the President has met a UESR-envoy in Warsaw, and the Chancellor has met a Persian delegation in Kyiv. We still do not know what they specifically talked about, but we can be pretty sure that the border dispute with the German PR has been one of the topics. We have no source to confirm such claims, but given the country's relentless efforts to push our view as the internationally-recognised one, such meetings would have been, we believe, a waste of time and resources, if they had not talked about it.

NEW SHIPYARDS IN UKRAINE

Ukraine is well known to be the country's largest Republic, as well as the richest in natural resources. Its development, however, has been slowed in these years due to the persistance of a Zarist mentality is a large part of the country, especially in the rural areas, which prevented the Country's effort in modernizing and developing it to be fully successful; now, however, we might have reached a new stage in the development of Ukraine.
The project of the Ukrainian National General Shipyarding and Shipbuilding Facilities (UNGSSF), which started three years ago, has finally been completed, with the cutting of the ribbon in the two last Facilities, located in Evpatorja and Osipenko respectively.

When interviewed, one of those who worked to the construction of the Osipenko Shipyarding and Shipbuilding Facility (SSF) stated as follows: "I am proud to have worked here, in Osipenko. I am from Bohemia, and I love my job, because it gives me the possibility to give a job to other people as well. I personally think that this project will help us Make our Nation Great Again, and it will be the very first seed of a prosperous future for the Ukraine and for the WUSR as a whole."
Another worker, when interviewed, said that "If the country wants to reach the position it deserves in the international arena, it needs to be evenly developed, and that is what we are building: an even, fair, and great WUSR. A Country of the People, made by the People, and for the People."

Estimates for the growth of the GDP of the Ukrainian Slavic Soviet Republic range from 10 to 17% yearly in the next 5 years. The Facilities of the UNGSSF will start production in a maximum of three months, helping re-build the Country's fleet.

by **Hashirajima** » Mon Jun 05, 2017 3:55 am

[Location: Kwantung Army HQ, Manchukuo]

Hideki Tojo, commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, looked up from his paperwork at the door knock, frowning. While he had been the former Chief of Staff of the unit, and thus not exactly unfamiliar with the state of affairs that he is now facing, his new posting - coming after a short stint as Inspector-General of Army Aviation- came with a new set of challenges. "Come in."

At that, a young major entered the office. "Sir, border patrols sighted the Mongolians beginning another round of drills near the border. The men are getting restless. Any plans for them, sir?"

"Not at the moment. Keep an eye on them, and report back to me if they deviate from their usual activities."

"Understood, sir. Oh, and just for your interest, the Shinshuu Maru has been recalled back to Korea."

"Noted."

"Also, Lieutenant-General Yamashita had been recalled to Tokyo. Something about a new assignment."

"I see- SAY WHAT?"

[Location: Sasebo Naval District HQ, Nagasaki, Japan]

"So, we're expecting the carriers in, what, two days?"

"Yes sir. Damn shame though, Yamato would have been a magnificent battleship."

"One that would have been sunk at range by any enemy with half a brain. You know this, I'm sure, since bloody Isoroku himself held that briefing last month. Battleships will be a dying breed in the coming days, it's all about the carriers now. Even other nations are catching up in that aspect, despite the headstart we had. Remind me, which ones are we expecting?"

"Yamato, CarDiv 5, and two of the light carriers. Houshou is still in Yokosuka, seeing as the higher ups want to streamline the pilot training programme. Oh, I heard they've finally completed Ryuuhou too, she's gonna be another training ship. Possibly here, actually, or Maizuru.

"Also, and you didn't hear this from me, but I heard they've found a buyer for those turrets."

"What, the Type 94s? Weren't they supposed to be assembled in their wells?"

"The components were already machined, seems like the battleship admirals..." He snorted. "... jumped the gun. Imagine their faces when His Majesty himself ordered the half-completed hull converted."

"Heh, I can imagine. So... why the sudden fleet movement?"

"Well, they say they're going to hold fleet training drills off Okinawa. Seems like they're planning to form some sort of carrier-centred fleet or something. I figured they're just trying to keep Yamato a secret for now, seeing as Kure will be busy assembling them turrets for our buyer, whoever that is. Though the drills are probably real too. These new ships... no one really knows how best to use them. I guess the higher ups want to figure that out too."

[Location: Imperial General HQ, Tokyo, Japan]

Lt. Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita stood outside the meeting room, pacing. After his reassignment to the Kwantung Army, he had expected to just live out his career as a divisional commander. And divisional commanders, as a rule, don't usually get recalled right back to General HQ for their orders. Then, a voice sounded out from behind the doors. "Come in, General Yamashita."

Straightening up his uniform, Yamashita entered the meeting room to find himself face to face with the Emperor himself, as well as a number of high command members. Field Marshal Prince Kan'in Kotohito, commander of the Imperial Japanese Army, gestured to an empty chair. "Please, have a seat. We thank your for your patience, as we needed some time to finalise your next posting, General. Now... how would you like to visit Taiwan?"

"... if I may ask, sir. What's the reason behind this transfer?"

It was the Emperor himself who answered. "The Empire have come to an agreement with the Chinese Nationalists, and will take to the field in China alongside Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek against the Chinese communists. It was felt that having the Communists take China will be most... disadvantageous to the interests of the Empire. It is our intention to form another elite unit like the Kwantung Army, to be headquartered in Taiwan, in preparation for this. And we feel you will be best-suited to this role, given your past views."

Yamashita could only blink at this announcement. His Majesty himself recommending him for a position that would be equal to Tojo's? Nodding hurriedly, the lieutenant-general nervously stammered out. "I-I'll not disappoint Your Majesty. I promise to put in my most into this."

"Very well. Now, about the details... Prince Kotohito suggested that the local aborigines in the mountains might come handy, with us expecting warfare in mountaineous regions of Northern China. The local Han Chinese may also be convinced to act, in aid of their mainland bretheren. What are your opinion on this, General? And we want an honest assessment. If we are to go to war, it will not be won by lip service. We need to be true to ourselves, to do otherwise is to court defeat."

Taking a moment to organise his thoughts, Yamashita thought back to his time in the Kwantung Army. "If we are fighting the CCP, they will almost certainly have Soviet support. This would possibly mean a heavy focus on armoured formations. I have taken a look at our current inventory of armoured vehicles, and regretfully, Your Majesty, our tanks are far outclassed. Even our most esteemed troops in the Kwantung Army would be hard-pressed to face the full might of the Soviet tank regiments. Also, I have heard of new developments in firearm technology from the United States, something about a semi-automatic service rifle. This, I feel, is also a good direction to head towards. We will not be able to outnumber the UESR or the CCP, so victory will have to be achieved through tactics and a technological edge..."

by **Lan Khao Xang Hom Krung Tai** » Thu Jun 08, 2017 11:40 am

République française

The French Republic

In the Third Republic, a type of patriotism was stirring. With the election of Marcel Beauchamp, a veteran of the Great War, he brought upon the French people, a rhetoric of national restoration, from the war that had devastated and withdrew faith away from the government. Communism. This was the enemy he sought to use. It was them that had split Germany, and destroyed many nations in the East. It was the ideology that threatened the nation. A strong military for a stronger France, so that no nation would dare make war on France again.

Encouraging the strength amongst France and her people, Beauchamp initiated reforms of the colonies, to bring them closer to the French identity. Standards of living were to be raised, especially in West Africa and the Congo. They were even given more freedoms, as French citizens, relieving them of the titles of subjects.

The military's rise with Beauchamp increased enlistment into the army. Young and brave Frenchmen, coerced to join the armed forces. Military spending was given more into their budgets, to completely replace the French service rifles of aging Lebels and Berthiers with the newer MAS-36 and MAS-38 rifles. SOMUA 35/40s and Char G1s were given high priority as the newest line of combat tanks to enter production. Paratrooper units were being created under air-force airborne schools.

In the navy, the Alsace and Normandie battleships, of the new Alsace class were being set out on trials. By Eurasian news sources, a new, larger battleship, the Karl Marx was being deployed. In retaliation, these classes were to rival the new ship, alongside the Richelieu battleships.

Off in the colonies, to draw stabilization from the regions, there was to be assimilation of the indigenous population. This saw more opposition from the French conservatives, but it mattered none to Beauchamp. He had won the will of the people, and was winning the will of the territories. Logically, to keep the French hand over its territories, was to give government rights and heightened standards of living. To put the rights over a few men from Paris over the millions of Senegal or Algeria? Beauchamp would not toy with it.

by **Democratic East-Asia** » Sat Jun 10, 2017 9:08 pm

THE INTERNATIONAL WORKER'S TIMES

WORLD EVENTS | ECONOMICS | POLITICS | TECHNOLOGY | EDITORIALS

ISSUE #4. January 27th, 1938. Edited by Isaac Babel and Boris Pasternak, International Worker's Times Office of Leningrad

THE PRESIDENT'S WORD
A special political editorial by Michal Kovařícki, President of the WUSR

How many people, do you think, live in the WUSR? 20 millions? 40? It's 70 millions. And how many people of Western Slavic nationality do you think live outside the borders of the WUSR? Well, this is something we are also unsure about, we the number is surely over 15 millions, just counting those living in Europe. And most of these live in those lands that were, and actually sould still be, ours but are currently held by the PFRG.

First, some geo-historical background. The lands currently known as Silesia, Lusatia, East Prussia and Pomerania are not German lands. Why, should one ask? Well, first of all Silesia and Lusatia had been Bohemian for centuries, up until the Seven Years' War, when they were ceded by the Habsburgs to Prussia. Such an act was not signed by the Habsburgs as Kings of Bohemia, but as Archdukes of Austria ad Holy Roman Emperors, meaning it should be considered invalid. Secondly, Pomerania and East Prussia have traditionally been Slavic lands which have been germanized in recent centuries.

Now, many of you readers might already know about the situation of the so-called "Western Slavic-German Border Dispute", but for those who do not know what we are talking about: it is a dispute between the WUSR and the FPRG over the lands of Silesia, Lusatia, Pomerania, and East Prussia. But where does such a dispute, which undermines the solidity of the UESR in the most critical of fronts, come from in the first place? Is it just a clash for land? No: it is a Clash of Cultures.

The term "Clash of Cultures" has been coined by Otto von Bismarck to describe the struggle against the Catholic Church, but it was actually more, especially in the Polish lands that Prussia had occupied: it was a clash between the Prussian and the Polish nations. Not only was it expressed in the form of religious repression, but even more in the form of Germanization. At the time, in fact, the main attitude of the German elites towards the Slavs, and the Polish specifically, was one which can be described in words by Frederick II of Prussia: "all these people with surnames ending with -ski, deserve only contempt", "slovenly Polish trash", "dirty and vile apes". Such an attitude resulted in the repression of every Slavic and Polish element in Prussia, by methods such as closing Polish schools, prohibiting the Polish language, even prohibiting the Poles to build houses of their own; and finally, yet most importantly, it resulted in the settling of hundreds of thousands of Germans in Polish lands.

Now, we Western Slavs always look at the future with Optimism, as we have always done, and one of the main traits of our mindset can be described with a phrase which used to be pivotal in many rallies and discussions before we got independence back: "If we can't achieve something, we should still work hard so that our sons achieve that, and they should do the same in case they find themselves in our own situation, and so should do all generations of our Nation, as we always did.". But what has it to do with the matter we are talking about? Well, when Socialism triumphed in Germany we hoped it could have led to settlement for the issue of Germanization of Poles and Slavs living within German territory, but no, that did not happen.
What happened, indeed, was nothing: pure nothing. Nothing did the national Government to stop those acts, nothing did the local governments, and nothing did the Party.

Under the "Penal Code of the Western Slavic Union of Soviet Republics: "Any act leading to the discrimination of fellow Nationals on national basis, and any act which puts fellow nationals in a condition of non-equality to others on national basis are to be considered Crimes against the Nation, and those guilty of committing such crimes are to be deemed as Enemies of the Nation. One fellow National who, even if in the position of doing so, does not act to solve these problems, is to be considered guilty of said crimes as well, and thus to be deemed Enemy of the Nation". And this is the crime that Rosa Luxemburg, or actually Róża Luksemburg has recently been charged with by the Supreme Court.

What are our demands, and what are our proposed solutions to the problem?

Given the current situation, we demand:

1. The re-run of the East Prussian Plebiscite of 1920, as it was de-legitimized by the fact of the German side not only engaging in mass persecution of Polish activists, going as far as engaging in regular hunts and murder against them to influence the vote, but also falsify lists with eligible voters, writing down names of dead people or people who weren't eligible to vote. Furthermore, cards with pro-Polish votes were simply taken away by a German official who declared that they were "invalid" and presented voters with cards for the pro-German side, voters were observed by German police in polling stations, pro-Polish voting cards were often hidden or taken away, and Polish controllers were removed from polling stations. We thus demand the re-run of said Plebiscite.
2. The return of Silesia, whose population is majorly Polish, to the WUSR.
3. Two separate plebiscites in Pomerania and Lusatia to define wheter they want to stay within the borders of a country which has been oppressing them for centuries, or whether they want to return to their natural Homeland.

We are, and will always be, ready to go as far as possible: we do not fear anything, and will fight, if necessary, for the return of said lands to their Homeland.

Red Square - Moscow - Russian SFSR - Union of Eurasian Socialist Republics

Red Square as of 1938, Moscow

The beating heart of the Russian SFSR, and one of the UESR's more important cities, Moscow served as the national capital of Russia, and held a great deal of importance when it came to the UESR's internal politics. It was here that the Soviet Union of the old was led, and it currently it was a center of military related discussion, all which pertained to the UESR's planned war of liberation in Europe and Asia.

The recent years had been quite tense to say the least, and the political leadership of the UESR was on edge. Conflict was inevitable, and although many hardline Trotskyists and internationalists within the government were excited about the idea of a world revolution, the UESR as a whole needed time to prepare. Some republics were still lagging behind with their industrial and infrastructure plans, and not everyone was fully onboard regarding mobilization and military centralization. This was definitely an issue, and would have to be resolved with the greatest haste, hopefully within the next 2 years.

Multiple UESR republic representatives had proposed the founding of a central military, one that no republic would have any individual control over; rather the UESR as a whole would direct its every action. While a number of republics such as the German PR, Russian SFSR, and Central Asian SSRs had expressed support for such an idea, numerous Eastern European states had opposed it. Many UESR republic had once been parts of /or had been heavily influenced by empires prior to the revolutionary wave during the 20s, and had no interest in falling under a system they considered "oppressive and demeaning". Negotiations had gotten nowhere, and for now, the system of individual state-directed militaries stood.

This however hadn't prevented many parts of the UESR from beginning partial mobilization. Reserves were slowly being called up, while the combined-UESR arms industry was to see a sizable increase in funding over the next 2 years. There had been a massive push by UESR Marshal Mikhail Tukhachevsky and a few of his associates for the creation of large, modern mechanized and tank based armies. A massive increase in weapons production was needed, and the case of "40,000 aircraft and 50,000 tanks" / rapid mechanization had also been stressed by Tukhachevksy. That being said, the UESR was horribly behind Tukhachevsky's personal goal, barely meeting 1/2 of Tukhachevsky's given numbers. Intent on getting more attention towards his proposals, the Marshal had organized a meeting of various military officers and politicians to be in Moscow's Red Square, for the sake of discussing his plans "in front of the people", as the Marshal put it.

Everything had gone by roughly according to plan: a few hundred officials showed up, Tukhachevsky made his appeals, everyone talked about politics and the military for some time, and eventually they all dispersed. The meeting had been public to show the "openness" of the UESR's government to its citizens, but semi-hypocritically reporters had been secretly monitored in order to prevent them from picking up any "critical information". It was a decent publicity stunt for the Russian SFSR's government, which used this "public debate secession" as an example of how "true Marxist-Leninism" worked. That being said, many other republics would beg to differ, claiming Tukhachevsky's "gathering of military minds" was nothing particularly special. Either way, the plans discussed would be incredibly important for later, if "later" ever came.

Later that day at a nearby cafe, Moscow

Comrade Valenksy Petrenko sat down on a small wooden chair within a local Moscow cafe room. After nearly 4 hours of talking and standing, he was exhausted, hungry, and feeling somewhat thoughtful. As a nearby waiter asked him about what he wanted for lunch (which was quite late, as the so-called "Red Square Military Convention" had started quite early in the morning), Petrenko motioned for his friend Altan Demir to sit. Demir, who was born in the Turkish SSR just after it's communist revolution, had met Petrenko in Istanbul during their time in the military. While Petrenko didn't know much Turkish, Demir had taken multiple years of Russian, and was actually quite fluent in it, which certainly helped them communicate with one another.

"So Altan, what did you think of it?"

"The military convention? Well, it certainly was a bit different from what we normally do. Didn't think high command would be so willing to hold such a meeting in public. You'd think it would be more private, especially with all the things mentioned."

"Hmm, regarding what Tukhachevsky and the others talked about, what do you make of it? I thought the whole '40,000 planes and 50,000 tanks' statement was a little excessive, especially given that our neighbors don't have nearly that many vehicles."

"Wartime preparation. It's common knowledge that the capitalists despise the UESR, and will they will likely attack in the next few years. Even with the fact the global depression has yet to fully recover, we can never underestimate them. Countries such as the United States and Britain are still immensely powerful, and quite large economically. It's best we prepare early than wait for them to do so."

"Hmm, what about the Marshal's proposed '250,000 trucks and 10 million troops by 1940' plan?"

"The what.. 250,000 trucks?! I must've misheard, as I was sure he had said 25,000..."

[Location: Lake Khasan, Disputed territory, Soviet-Japanese Border. February 2nd, 1938]

Comrade Ivanov peered over a nearby ridge towards the what would be the Japanese side of the border, assuming where he stood right now was definitive Soviet territory. Lake Khasan was positioned in an advantageous location overlooking the Korean city of Rajin, and the nearby railroads that went through the region. That being said, Far Eastern Command believed it would be in the interest of the Russian SFSR and UESR as a whole to occupy the area, and the give UESR forces a minor advantage in the case conflict broke out. That being said, the Lake Khasan area was highly disputed, and chances were that the Japanese wouldn't appreciate a few Soviet divisions simply idling a close distance from their rail network and one of their Korean cities.

A total of 36,000 soldiers (3 Eurasian divisions), roughly 370 tanks of various types, and approximately 250 artillery pieces had been stationed on the ridge west of the lake, with a few hundred planes in immediate reserve. While the 3 divisions waited, the construction of a few communication's centers, small bunkers, machine gun emplacements, and sandbag piles had proceeded, in case the Japanese planned to do anything aggressive.

It was quiet for now, but sooner or later some idiot was destined to do something dumb. And it turns out, something stupid did happen. One of the few SPGs on the ridge had lobbed a shell after it's half drunk crew decided to fool about, and the shell itself had smashed into a nearby tank, detonating the tank's ammo rack and causing it to burst into flames. The SPG had been in an isolated spot, and it looked as if the tank had just exploded out of nowhere. Almost immediately, one of the more paranoid officers had thought it was a hidden Japanese AT gun a kilometer or two away that had hit the tank (which happened to be quite in the open), and he immediately ordered his artillery forces to return fire at what he presumed was an active enemy emplacement.

Initially confused, the crew operating the dozen or so guns under this particular officer began firing at a hill across the border (the officer had thought this was the place) until Ivanov had driven over on his BT-7 a few minutes later and told the idiots to stop. And stop they did, although the commanding officer continued to insist that the "fascists had cowardly attacked good Eurasian troops during a time of slight vulnerability". Ivanov shook his head as he got back in his tank and drove back to his positions. The officer who had overreacted was definitely a political appointee, not someone actually fit for the job. Either way, it didn't matter, he would likely lose his status sooner or later, especially if real combat was to occur.

by **Hashirajima** » Sun Jun 11, 2017 12:12 am

[Location: Soviet Border, Korea]

BOOM

As the sound of munition detonating against the ground, the patrol leader looked out of the guard post situated close to the border. "What the hell was... Russians?"

After verifying that nothing was actually being shot at, he ducked back into the little guardhouse, one of many that dotted the disputed Soviet-Japanese border (or would that be the Soviet-Korean border)? Grabbing the radio, he called the local detachment base.

"Yes, we've seen that too. The 19th and 20th are heading there right now, and we're confirming orders with the... hold on. We've got an incoming."

[Location: Japanese Korean Army HQ, Keijo, Korea]

"Yes, this is General Ueda... ah, General Tojo, what's the matter?"

"I'm sure you've noticed the Soviet munitions landing on our side of the border..."

"Yes yes, we're aware of the shelling. The garrison are on their way."

"Very good. I'll send the rest of the Seventeenth Area Army to reinforce your position from the Manchukuo part of the border. Just in case."

"What... alright. I'll alert the commanders."

[Location: En-route to border, Korea]

A convoy of trucks headed down the deserted dirt path leading towards the Soviet border, carrying the troops of the 19th and 20th Infantry Divisions, Japanese Seventeenth Area Army. Inside one of the vehicles, the commander of the 19th Division was conducting a visual inspection of his troops. Satisfied, he was about to take a short rest before they reach their destination...

That was, until his radio operator called out to him.

"Sir, HQ's calling."

"Hand me the handset, will you?" A quiet scramble as the handset was passed across the truck. "Yes, speaking."

"Alright, we'll keep a lookout for them. So, we're not engaging yet? Roger that." Nodding to the radioman to end the connection, the lieutenant-general yelled across the room. "Call the 20th!" A short burst of static later...

"20th Division."

"This is the 19th. The rest of the Seventeenth Area Army is also deployed, at the Manchukuo-Soviet border. Orders remain to be on high alert, but not to engage. Apparently the shelling stopped, AND was hitting nothing at all, which command felt was odd."

"Understood."

[Location: IJA HQ, Tokyo]

"Are we really doing nothing about the shelling?"

"Nothing overt. There's no proof of intent, and we are far from ready to fight against the Soviets."

"But, this could have poor impact on the Empire's standings..."

"The troops have been tasked to advance to the ridge west of the Soviets' furthest positions, with light emplacements. Just to ensure that the Soviets understand our position regarding this."

[Location: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tokyo]

"Understood, sir. I'll make sure the Soviets understand what is our position on this..." Putting down the phone, Foreign Minister Kouki Hirota sighed. Making a few notes of the previous call, he took a moment to organise his thoughts before calling his Soviet Union counterpart...

by **Democratic East-Asia** » Sun Jun 11, 2017 11:02 am

[Location: Town of Khasan, Soviet-Japanese Border, Far Eastern Military District]

Some time later that day

As the nearby bombardment died down, Comrade General Vladimir Ligachev became incredibly tense. According to information gathered from the local lookout post a few kilometers up stream had indicated sizable amounts of troop movement on the other side of the border if reports were to be believed. It was without a doubt that the imperialists were preparing for something, and this definitely didn't sit well with the general.

Looking over a map of the area, Ligachev ordered a few of his junior officers over to discuss possible strategies.

"Comrades, it appears that the imperialists are moving, what their intentions are we cannot be sure."

"I'd think that they're simply strengthening the border, after what just happened a few kilometers up the line," an officer replied, unsure whether or not he was correct. "From the few garbled transmissions I've received, it appears that one of the artillery officers got somewhat uppity and decided to open fire on the other side of the border for what was apparently 'imperialist aggression', whatever that means."

"What my comrade is saying is that one of our tanks blew up for no apparent reason, and the of artillery officer in charge of the particular artillery brigade interpreted this as a Japanese attack, thus firing back."

While it seemed the discussion was reaching a logical conclusion, it was at this point that General Ligachev spurred himself into speaking.

"OK. It is without a doubt that the imperialists meant to attack us! We must respond immediately!"

"General! I don't think we should come to conclusions so fast!"

"It doesn't matter! This is not a time for reason, as our whole Eastern Front is now threatened! For years I've been stationed here and watched the buildup of imperialist forces. We can wait no longer! Order the men to advance towards the Tumen River."

"But general, we're technically already intruding into Japanese territory as is. That would be a blatant border violation!"

"It doesn't matter, it's not like they have any men on this side of the river. After all, it would be impractical and too difficult to defend."

"..."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get to it!"

[Location: Ridge overlooking the Tumen River, Soviet-Japanese Border]

"Alright men, orders from Khasan have been given, telling us to advance towards the edge of the river. Any questions?" An officer asked his men.

"No questions? Good. We move out immediately."

Soon after, a few thousand Soviet soldiers began their descent from the ridge overlooking the Tumen to their side of the river. There was no resistance, as there were simply weren't any Japanese this close to UESR's border. In the meantime, the 42nd Tank Division, which had been stationed a few kilometers upstream from here, had also began to advance forwards. No orders were given to open fire, as the leadership in Khasan was unsure whether the 3 divisions present were fully combat ready. If the earlier incident were any indication, organization around here was an utter mess. Only half of the Soviet tanks present were combat ready as of the moment, and half the men were still sitting about in the winter cold acting as if there were nothing to do.

Funnily enough, both of the 42nd's SU-100Ys were combat prepped, despite being the largest and hardest to operate vehicles within the division.

[Location: Russian SFSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Moscow]

Maxim Litvinov had just finished some calls with various correspondents within the Greek SSR about economic reforms and strengthening relations with Russia, and was still quite busy as of the moment. Very soon, his phone rang again. Briefly taking a quick sip of water from a nearby glass, Litvinov settled down once again, and picked up the phone...

by **The New Earth Federation** » Sun Jun 11, 2017 7:14 pm

Colonge, German Republic

It was an overcasted day in the German Republic however people still walked in the streets of Colonge. Tanks and military personnel where also out and about, this is largely due to the fact that the GR is a military republic so military service, focus and preservation was very much necessary as to the east the UESR stood ready to invade. The defeat of the German Empire during WWI saw the fracturing of the once formidable empire into two states that hated each other with out question, the German Republic which was largely capitalist and the People Republic of Germany which was largely communist. The GR while smaller then it's UESR opponent had a very formidable, advanced, and well organized military, as well a huge industrial base. During the Sparkist Revolution western Germany wasn't really politically important to the Sparkists seeing it wasn't home to Berlin the capital of the German empire, however it was economically important to both sides during the revoltion, however the small uprisings there failed as they where put down quite quickly by the pro capitalist forces and military forces. The capitalists might have lost the political importance of Berlin and Eastern Germany but they won the economical importance of western Germany.

The Kapitolkomplex, the place where the politicians of the GR gathered to discuss budgets, bills, etc was a massive series of buildings housed Chancellor's residence, Parliament, High Command, as well as several other administrative buildings. It's architecture was largely modern gothic however it was very much reinforced with walls sporting concrete up to 3 meters thick. Chancellor Frederick looked out of his window and I to the courtyard below where a squad of Truppen where patrolling it. Behind him sat four officers on field grey US based dress uniforms with matching trench coats, he turned and faced then three Marshals.

"Chancellor" spoke the left most Marshal as he sat up and looked at him "The Heer is ready to begin full mobilization when need be, the UESR when thy do invade will think twice about pushing into the GR. As far was we know, they might have numbers but we have determination and overall better training and structure"

"While you are correct High Marshal Von Herman it is best not to be cocky, without support form our allies most the US and Western Europe we might as well count our way of life goodbye. How goes the research on you latest tank designs?"

"The Panther tank as the egg heads in R&D call is is going quite well, the first prototype should be complete by end of 1939....it's a medium-heavy tank sir....don't you think a full blown heavy tanks would be better suited?"

"No, we need a good combination of armor and weaponry to keep our tanks effective, if we can ou maneuver them we gain the upper hand. War is after all a game of maneuverability....."

"While I'm not army grunt I do agree" replied a young looking female who was the High Marshal of the Luftwaffe. "Speed and agility can win battles, however we also need firepower......our tanks should be faster then those MkIV used by the bits in WWI by a long shot."

The five personnel continued to debate and compare for the next few hours, showing the weaknesses and strengths of the GR and it's allies, they also compared the weaknesses and strengths of the UESR.

Bremen Military Boot Camp, 15 miles from Bremen
The trucks rolled over the gravel road and into a large complex of concrete buildings, wooden walls, pits and other military training equipment. As the next group of trainees entered the complex most of them where at the age of 18, fresh out of high school and ready to serve their country against the communistic east. Many of them where joking around and smiling, even when they got off of the trucks most of them had huge grins on their faces, an officer stepped forward and greeted the recruits.

"Guten morgen mein recruits!" He said is voice was slightly muffled by the mask he wore "Ready to serve your country with honor!"

"Yes Kaptain!" They shouted

"Sergut!" He looked around and noticed three recruits messing around and not paying attention "You three!" He bellowed at the three "FRONT AND CENTER!" The three looked at each other and shrugged then reported in front of the Kapitän, he looked at them and then spoke "Your idiotic behavior and failure to pay attention has been noted and if this was a battle you three should have had a higher chance of getting killed or wounded. Situational awareness and paying attention are crucial when it comes to warfare"

"We are sorry Kapitän, it will never happen again" replied one of the recruit

"I'm sure it won't" he said before drawing his saber and stabbing the one that just spoke in the leg the outer thigh area, giving the recruit a slight flesh wound, the recruit went down screaming in pain and grabbing his leg spouting curses as he did so.

"I am going to say this once, awareness is key on the field" he started cleaning his blade and sheathing it "War doesn't care how good you are or what you where, if you don't pay attention to the situation you will die, failure to assess the situation and adapt will result in death." He began to pace in front of the recruits "Survival isn't automatically guaranteed here, we train you so you can survive longer on the field then anyone."

China

Ten grey trench coat and gas mask clad soldiers walked off the transport ship and into the harbor, as they walked down the dock people around them gave them weird looks and whispered behind their backs. The sergeant of the squad looked toward his Truppen and then back toward the street where they found a nearby officer the sergeant approached him and spoke

"We are from the German Republic our orders are to meet with a Chinese military representative......"

by **Greater Slavic Union** » Fri Jun 16, 2017 8:49 pm

The National Worker

TECHNOLOGY | WORLD EVENTS | POLITICS | ECONOMICS | EDITORIALS

The President's Word

How many people, do you think, live in the WUSR? 20 millions? 40? It's 70 millions. And how many people of Western Slavic nationality do you think live outside the borders of the WUSR? Well, this is something we are also unsure about, we the number is surely over 15 millions, just counting those living in Europe. And most of these live in those lands that were, and actually sould still be, ours but are currently held by the PFRG.

First, some geo-historical background. The lands currently known as Silesia, Lusatia, East Prussia and Pomerania are not German lands. Why, should one ask? Well, first of all Silesia and Lusatia had been Bohemian for centuries, up until the Seven Years' War, when they were ceded by the Habsburgs to Prussia. Such an act was not signed by the Habsburgs as Kings of Bohemia, but as Archdukes of Austria ad Holy Roman Emperors, meaning it should be considered invalid. Secondly, Pomerania and East Prussia have traditionally been Slavic lands which have been germanized in recent centuries.

Now, many of you readers might already know about the situation of the so-called "Western Slavic-German Border Dispute", but for those who do not know what we are talking about: it is a dispute between the WUSR and the FPRG over the lands of Silesia, Lusatia, Pomerania, and East Prussia. But where does such a dispute, which undermines the solidity of the UESR in the most critical of fronts, come from in the first place? Is it just a clash for land? No: it is a Clash of Cultures.

The term "Clash of Cultures" has been coined by Otto von Bismarck to describe the struggle against the Catholic Church, but it was actually more, especially in the Polish lands that Prussia had occupied: it was a clash between the Prussian and the Polish nations. Not only was it expressed in the form of religious repression, but even more in the form of Germanization. At the time, in fact, the main attitude of the German elites towards the Slavs, and the Polish specifically, was one which can be described in words by Frederick II of Prussia: "all these people with surnames ending with -ski, deserve only contempt", "slovenly Polish trash", "dirty and vile apes". Such an attitude resulted in the repression of every Slavic and Polish element in Prussia, by methods such as closing Polish schools, prohibiting the Polish language, even prohibiting the Poles to uild houses of their own; and finally, yet most importantly, it resulted in the settling of hundreds of thousands of Germans in Polish lands.

Now, we Western Slavs always look at the future with Optimism, as we have always done, and one of the main traits of our mindset can be described with a phrase which used to be pivotal in many rallies and discussions before we got independence back: "If we can't achieve something, we should still work hard so that our sons achieve that, and they should do the same in case they find themselves in our own situation, and so should do all generations of our Nation, as we always did.". But what has it to do with the matter we are talking about? Well, when Socialism triumphed in Germany we hoped it could have led to settlement for the issue of Germanization of Poles and Slavs living within German territory, but no, that did not happen.

What happened, indeed, was nothing: pure nothing. Nothing did the national Government to stop those acts, nothing did the local governments, and nothing did the Party.

Under the "Penal Code of the Western Slavic Union of Soviet Republics: "Any act leading to the discrimination of fellow Nationals on national basis, and any act which puts fellow nationals in a condition of non-equality to others on national basis are to be considered Crimes against the Nation, and those guilty of committing such crimes are to be deemed as Enemies of the Nation. One fellow National who, even if in the position of doing so, does not act to solve these problems, is to be considered guilty of said crimes as well, and thus to be deemed Enemy of the Nation". And this is the crime that Rosa Luxemburg, or actually Róża Luksemburg has recently been charged with by the Supreme Court.

What are our demands, and what are our proposed solutions to the problem?

Given the current situation, we demand:
1. The re-run of the East Prussian Plebiscite of 1920, as it was de-legitimized by the fact of the German side not only engaging in mass persecution of Polish activists, going as far as engaging in regular hunts and murder against them to influence the vote, but also falsify lists with eligible voters, writing down names of dead people or people who weren't eligible to vote. Furthermore, cards with pro-Polish votes were simply taken away by a German official who declared that they were "invalid" and presented voters with cards for the pro-German side, voters were observed by German police in polling stations, pro-Polish voting cards were often hidden or taken away, and Polish controllers were removed from polling stations. We thus demand the re-run of said Plebiscite.
2. The return of Silesia, whose population is majorly Polish, to the WUSR.
3. Two separate plebiscites in Pomerania and Lusatia to define whether they want to stay within the borders of a country which has been oppressing them for centuries, or whether they want to return to their natural Homeland.

We are, and will always be, ready to go as far as possible: we do not fear anything, and will fight, if necessary, for the return of said lands to their Homeland.

February 2nd, Warsaw
Michal Kovařícki

Kyiv, Ukraine

Elections were to be held days in many cities of the WUSR, among these are Minsk, Břeść-Litevski, Užorod, and, most importantly, the Ukrainian capitol of Kyiv.
This city, which gave birth to the WUSR’s Chancellor Śviętosłava Vłodarščyká, wasn’t only one of the largest in the whole WUSR, with its 2,3 million inhabitants, large factories, and highly-developed economy overall, but also one of the main cultural centers of the country, being home to two University and one Technical Institute.
As it can be easily understood this city was extremely important under the political point of view, due to the afore-mentioned factors, and it had thus been given extremely high attention by the Communist Party ever since the creation of the Union of the Western Slavic Peoples, the predecessor of the WUSR; around 1926, the city council became Communist-led for the first time, and has been ever since.

Now, in 1938, elections were to be held once again, and the Communists were once again the favourites: receiving extensive funding, being able to mobilize huge electoral base, and having the advantage of 12 years of successful administration of the Kyiv Municipality. Hundreds of thousands of people, actually 1,600,000 people, would have had the possibility to vote. And most of them already knew who to vote for…

Election Day, Kyiv Central Electoral Commission

Michal Kovařícki had just arrived, with a very important guest, to the city of Kyiv, when he took a taxi and asked the driver to bring him to the KCEC, the Kyiv Central Electoral Commission. He turned to the guest he was with, Sergei Ivanov from the UESR’s western Republics, with whom he had discussed of the border issue with Germany for the previous days.
They arrived at the KCEC, and were greeted with a grand salute by the man people inside the hall where the ballots were being counted. One after the other, it was announced what party did the votes “belong” to, and, from what could be heard, the KSZN had a huge edge over all other parties.

All of a sudden, the counting stopped, and the counter, a female, declared “The results are about to be announced, please wait until seat-assignment is finished.” Soon later, she took the word again, in announce the results.
“I am proud to announce the results of the 1938 Kyiv Town Elections. Communist Party of the Slavic People, KSZN: 900,800 votes; Our Ukraine - Centre Party, NU-CS: 159,500 votes; A Future for Kyiv, PzK: 211,000 votes; Kyiv - Our Land, K-NZ: 134,000 votes. The Kyiv Central Electoral Commission hereby declares the KSZN as winner of the Kyiv Town Elections, with an absolute majority of 62,33% of the votes, thus granting the party with 78 out of 120 seats The other parties get the following seats: to the NU-CS go 13 seats thanks to 11,04% of the votes; to the PzK go 18 seats thanks to having obtained 14,60% of the votes; the K-NZ will receive 11 seats thanks to having gained 9,27% of the total votes. Abstention has stopped at 9,66% of registered voters.”
The crowd cheered: as usual, most of the people inside the KCEC were members of the KSZN, and so it was obvious what the reaction to the announced results could have been.

Somewhere near Białystok – Polish SR – WUSR

Čestmír Kovář looked back, towards his comrades. All of them were volunteers, and all of them had been selected for this elite unit which they were a part of after months of harsh training and after having passed a very strict “aesthetical examination” as well.

The 11th Guards Division had been formed in 1932, as the threat from neighbouring Germany was constantly growing. It was one of 15 similar Divisions, called Guards Divisions or simply Guards, all of which, just as the 11th, were composed by volunteers and volunteers only. At first, it seemed like a pointless idea, given that the Army, although being highly popular, did not attract so many people to form 15 divisions with volunteers only, but… well, the government decided that these divisions would have had wages being 150% higher than regular divisions, and this certainly was the key factor in attracting all of the 225,000 people needed for those Divisions to be formed. To be honest tho, the number of people who tried to get into those divisions was way higher than the afore-mentioned 225,000, more like 750,000, but most of the people who got to the recruiting station were either rejected after the first examinations, or were expelled from their soon-to-be-formed units during training. The reason why many were rejected even before reaching training was because of the above-mentioned “aesthetical examination”. This examination was literally just looking at the candidates, who had to fulfill certain requirements, these being light hair and light eyes, of whatever colour, and a minimum height of 182cm for men and 175cm for women. Many people did not meet said requests, and were rejected; however, were able to get through a four-weeks training course to evaluate whether they could have been useful to the Armed Forces or not: those who were considered as such were asked what Army branch did they want to be a part of, and then sent to said branch for a complete training course, after which they joined regular units in the place of soldiers performing their mandatory service.
The Guards Divisions were not all of the same type: from the 1st to the 5th were Armoured Divisions, from the 6th to the 10th were Mecahanized Infantry Divisions, the 11th was a “pure” Infantry Division, whereas the remaining ones form the 12th to the 15th were Motorized Infantry Divisions.

So, Čestmír was looking at his comrades, his brothers and sisters, born from his same soil, breathers of his same air, believers in his same ideals, living his same life, serving his same country, kissers of his same flag, and singers of his same songs. As this day was going to be a very important day, they were not dressed in their normal uniforms, but in their ceremony ones. They walked, for a long, long time which seemed endless to most of them, until they reached the place where they were to be notified about their new orders. Finally they arrived: they were gathered together with their whole Brigade in an open space, where the Pułkovnik (Colonel) Tadeuš Dvorcek was ready to address his brigade. It was a very long speech, one which most people would have never managed to listen through completely, but the men and women of the 11th Guards Division, generally speaking and making many exceptions , managed to do that. Somehow.
Long story short: the 11th Guards Division was going to China, to help the CPC in its struggle. They would have been accompanied by some 1,500 houfnice vz.30 cannons, 25,000 ZH-29’s, 30,000 ZK-383’s, and 2,500 ZB-53 machineguns. All of this was part of a program which had been agreed upon by the WUSR and the CPC in a secret conference held in Prague two weeks earlier, on the 1st of February.

Report from "german" territories East of the Odra-Nisa Łužycká line *

February 27th, 1938.

Results of the referendum in East Prussia: 65,9% Poland, 31,3% Germany, 2,8% blank or nullified votes.

Results of the referendum in Silesia: 66,8% Poland, 27,8% Germany, 2,6% blank or nullified votes.

Results of the referendum in Pomerania (East of the Odra-Nisa Łužycká line): 52,7% Poland, 39,3% Germany, 8% blank or nullified votes.

Results of the referendum in the Štěcín (Stettin) area: 67,5% Poland, 20,3% Germany, 2,2% blank or invalid votes.

Overall result: Germany’s land East of the Odra-Nisa Łužycká line will become WUSR’s with immediate effect.

*Oder-Neisse line in the WUSR’s language.

by **Nitu-Lime** » Sat Jun 17, 2017 4:24 pm

The Siamese Times

Military buildup on British and French Border!

Recently the Siamese military, lead by our great King, Xu Huin, and his best generals, the Siamese military has begun moving units and artillery to the border of the British and French. As many as half of the army has already been mobilized to the borders, although some sources tell us it was much less. This follows increased call within Siam to expand outward and take back the land that the European dogs stole from us. Many say this may be a prelude to war, and reactions from the rest of the world are mixed, with some applauding the decision, while others condemned it.

Our military insider in our great army, Major Qon Xohi, has told us that 'this buildup is nothing to worry about, and is mostly for Siam's self-defense, as countries like Britain and France have a force many times larger than Siam, and if they attack us we need to be ready. Thats really all this is, a measure meant to protect our country, not send it to war.' So our government seems to tell us that this is a defensive movement, like when a decade ago we built forts along our borders, or when we bought the best airplanes for our air force.

Others however, are not so happy about this buildup, and do not think it so good a thing. A source from the CPS or the Communist Party of Siam, says that 'This movement of troops is designed to be a precursor to a war with two global European Powers, why else would more than half our army be there? In addition to that, lately our great King has been more and more consulting his generals, no one knows why, but many suspect that they are planning an invasion of French Indochina.'

Many different perspectives on this topic, in our next issue we will investigate the forts on the French-Siamese Border.

Implementation of the Factory Plan nation wide!
As we covered in our last issue, the government has been taking increased steps to catch up to Europe's technological prowess, from first making Bangkok into a global trading center, to most recently building airfields in the countryside for our brand new airforce, the Monarchy has been very supportive of the Westernization effort to make us more like the Europeans.

Our King announced earlier today that this plan would include importing tons of resources from Europe and India to make our own factories here in Siam, and that eventually he wanted our country to be able to make its own guns, its own tanks, and even sell its materials to other countries so they could Westernize. This move has been met with some resentment from the farmers and workers in the countryside, who already resent the fact that the King built an airfield in their land without asking them.

The King, and his ministry report that this Plan will take about 5 years to implement, but no one is sure how true that is.

by **Reatra** » Sat Jun 17, 2017 10:24 pm

The Communist Party of China

Serve the People

Since the Long March ended in 1932, the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army has seen a meteoric rise. From a small band of guerrillas who'd recently been massacred by the Kuomintang, they were able to quickly gain control over a region of China and liberate the people there from the semi-feudal relations of the society. As more Soviet weaponry and ammunition and supplies came in, and as the land reform progressed, and as the hardened guerrillas trained the peasant volunteers, the Red Army quickly became able to defend itself against Kuomintang attacks. For years the Red Army has been increasing its influence, expanding the Liberated Zone, freeing millions, and gradually becoming stronger.

Now the National Revolutionary Army of the Kuomintang has ceased their offensives. They've grown tired. They've bled more than we. We are constantly harassing them, their morale drops and their equipment breaks. The peasants they forcefully conscript into the NRA often feel lost, homesick, hate those who force them to fight, or try to do their best but knowing inside that the battle is unwinnable. "Why fight for Chiang Kai-Shek," they think, "who kidnapped me and forced me to hold a gun and shoot at fellow Chinese, when I can fight for the communists, for Mao Zedong, voluntarily and be fighting for land reform and liberty?" Constant pressure, even if the pressure is not enough to fully break the enemy, does a lot to ruin their morale. And when an enemy has low morale, they are much less likely to fight well and much more likely to mutiny. But in order to increase the likelihood that the enemy troops will defect to our side, and increase our chances of truly liberating all of China, we need to increase the pressure.

We need to win a real battle.

Since the Kuomintang has stopped its attacks, our troops now have some time to regroup. As such we have reorganized the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, shuffling out our tired troops for those who have had more time to rest. Our most experienced divisions are given time to relax somewhat working in the fields rather than fighting, but they will be needed again very soon. The Soviet volunteer divisions are being tasked with coalescing in Central Shaanxi, where their experience in conventional warfare will be put to use in the first conventional offensive of the CPC in a decade since the failed attempt by Commander Li during the time of the Jiangxi Soviet Republic. The newly arrived 15,000 elite infantry from the WUSR (for which we are very thankful) will spearhead the attack, after the 55,000 other Soviet troops get into position and some 132,000 other Red Army forces surround the target some miles out. Our guerrillas will likely not be noticed, considering the Kuomintang would be too busy trying to prepare for an attack from the north-east by the Soviet volunteers. As the attack starts the guerrillas will rise up and cut off the target from resupply, slowly moving further and further inwards, a small mountain pass will be left open for any Kuomintang battalions to attempt to escape from, where they will then be caught by the Red Army. Sun Tzu said an enemy with no chance of retreat or escape fights more ferociously, so we will leave this mountain pass available and have it lead right into our welcoming arms... so that we can send any escapees to political reeducation camps in the North. The elite Soviet troops will be the head of the hammer, but every piece of this equation is necessary to ensure that we experience minimal losses while capturing as many Kuomintang men as possible.

The target? Ankang. A city turned massive military base after the resumption of the Civil War after the Long March's end. It has long been a heavily defended area, as its loss would prove catastrophic for the Kuomintang in the North, and the CPC's gradual expansion south as endangered it. The Kuomintang, though, likely has little way to know just how large this attack really is. It has been planned for months, and the recently arrived WUSR volunteers have given us the capability to attack sooner rather than later.

Of course the setup for such a battle will take place over the next couple weeks, as our men rest and the volunteers are exercised and trained in guerrilla warfare.

by **Wysten** » Mon Jun 19, 2017 4:33 pm

Somerset
The dawn rose early that morning bringing a slight fog to the port. In the port stood 60 men in crisp tan uniforms at attention all looking at the man in front of them. Clive Caldwell was the commander of a volunteer force of RAAF pilots. He looked at his men they were all under his command. "Men this be the final time you see our good country let's just hope it is not the final. Alright get your gear and put it on the ship." The men saluted did an about face and walked to pick up their bags and walked towards the ship. There was a convoy getting ready on board two ships were packed with 10 Hurricanes and 20 Bristol Beufort. After two hours the ships set sail.
Western Australia
A group of militia men stood ready for trails. They were a new batch for a goverment reform of increase of active duty military from 3,000 men to 5,000 men. Meanwhile a trade request went to the US for a request for a batch of Thompson SMGs and 20 Tomohawk fighters. Also an extensive industrial effort is enforced in Canberra. The Australian embassy in Siam is evacuated.

The Australian fleet is sent to Siam to patrol the water ways. The Australian military is put on high alert. Meanwhile in the industry front the engineers came up with the idea of the Cruiser Tank AC1. It is to have a 17 pdr gun with cast armour. The army is ordering a batch of 200 for a new division. The War Cabinet also met today and passd Industrial Act 1 where the ordered the production of the ordnace 25-pdr as well as the Hurricane Mk 1 as well. Meanwhile the Naval cabinet approved of the building of two Dido class light crusiers as well as three Tribal class destoyers. This will be the beginning of many naval modernization programs.

by **Hashirajima** » Mon Jun 19, 2017 11:12 pm

[Location: Korea-Soviet Border]

Panting, a private rushed into the field camp that's still being set up around his route, heading straight for the command tent as eyes from all around followed him. Bursting into the middle of a discussion amongst division commanders, he froze for a moment.

"S-sirs, Private Yoshida, 20th Infantry Division reporting. The Soviets are advancing, last seen setting down across from us along the Tumen River!"

"... sonova." The reply came from the private's own divisional commander. "We should move out, just to make sure they don't advance further."

"Agreed. Private, go inform the troops. Grab their gear, we move out in 20 minutes."

[Location: Manchuria-Soviet Border]

"Looks like they've stopped by the river, eh?"

"Yeah. Shall I go report back to command?"

"... who's gonna spot for me, then? Don't worry, the others down there would have noticed too. I have a feeling Tojo himself is aware, by now."

[Location: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tokyo]

A click from the handset, and a gravely, heavily accented English sounded out. "Russian SFSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maxim Litvinov speaking."

Collecting his thoughts, Hirota replied. "This is Minister Kouki Hirota, Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I'm calling regarding the-" At that moment, his secretary placed before him a slip of paper, a brief on the most recent developments at the border. "- *ahem* Sorry about that. As I was saying, I'm calling regarding your nation's troops at the border with Korea. As I understand, your forces have shelled across the border with no provocation, and then proceeded to advance into what is clearly sovereign Japanese territory. If I may ask, what is your nation's intentions in doing so?"

[Location: Yokosuka Naval Base, Kanagawa]

"Admiral Yamaguchi, new message from HQ."

"Thanks." A puff of cigar smoke, followed by a hum. "Interesting..."

"Carrier Hiryuu. Proceed to Maizuru Naval District for mustering. GEN HQ."

[Location: Kure Naval Base, Hiroshima]

"Sir, HQ called in."

"This note? Thanks, Captain." A slip of paper exchanged hands.

"Carrier Zuikaku. Proceed to Maizuru Naval District for mustering. GEN HQ."

[Location: Ominato Naval Base, Aomori]

"Admiral, new orders."

"What's it, lieutenant?" The note was handed over, and read over the brim of a coffee mug.

"Carrier Akagi. Proceed to Maizuru Naval District for mustering. GEN HQ."

[Location: Sasebo Naval Base, Nagasaki]

"Sir, a telegram."

"Thanks, Ensign." The note was received by a hand, scarred in a war long past and missing a finger.

"Carrier Yamato. Proceed to Maizuru Naval District for mustering. GEN HQ."

by **Welfresio** » Wed Jun 21, 2017 7:05 am

Dhawan Regime

January , 1938

The Bharatiyan Commune stands tall and proud, free from reactionary , capitalist and ultra-nationalist shackles! We shall attain our freedom for all!

In the city of Lucknow, was in total ruins, the once great skyscrapers are shells of their former financial success, being ridden with shrapnel, dead bodies and bullets.
Soldiers from both sides traverse the heaps of rubble acting as trenches or dugouts, and whoever was careless enough to wander about the dead streets was quickly shot by a sniper across a block away.

In the city of Indore, the once shining ancient structures that attracted tourists from the Empire has tumbled down because of artillery shelling or fierce house-to-house fighting.

Those urban jungles was the one of the strategic objectives needed to be captured inorder to bring down the British, And connect with Gurgabachan Singh, and then finally, the tables will be flipped to the other side.
Supported by Eurasian-built tanks, they were a complete surprise in a usually infantry-only fight, quickly gaining an advantage overnight and sweeping previously hard-to-take towns and villages in a couple of months.

But when the British brought their own to counter this, it quickly grinded to a stalemate, and now this particular front is the only thing from breaking it.
Both Rakshaka and Naseem would have to coordinate closely to give the advantage to the righteous government, but with conflicting interests regarding on how to win the war, the pen will be truly the sword.

Delhi Red Guard - Pictured by PFC. Tariq , Kursi Road - 2/15/38

5th Tank Battalion - Pictured by First Lt. Janiv , Highway 47 - 2/12/38

Factory 540 , Karachi

A couple of officers following the head technician in the loud background of mechanical tools and grease approaching a yellow box located in the secluded area of the facility.

"What is this?"

He carefully opened up and showed 2 copies of the Surya 7.62mm Pattern 1938 and its Carbine version engraved on the sides.

"This is our newest copy from the batch of rifles sent by the UESR, We have successfully made a copy after dozens of rifles had..some quirks not deemed to be suitable by the soldier in the field, this is the finest we can do, I ensure you, every soldier who receives this will be thankful."

Surya 7.62mm Pattern 1937 Rifle and Carbine - S-37 7.62 - Models pictured in unknown location

The technician answered any question they threw at him, he was locked and loaded to deflect any doubts to the trash bin, and shortly after, they were shaking hands.
"I'm very impressed with your work, Sarkar, I'll expect more from you." After they signed the approval for limited production, they then headed off in their sedans, while Sarkar watched them go, fading off the distance before he went back inside to tell the good news.

Capital Hill , Delhi

Sometimes, at a simple swipe of his signature of approval, the country changes like a snake under his charm, be careful however, for it may bite if you do it wrong.
And that's what specifically whats happening, he had just recent reports from the Skärlit Internal Committee concerning some of his generals loyal to Naseem, something serious.

Thousands of weapons and supplies meant for soldiers within other armies are suddenly gone, constantly blaming the enemy for convoy attacks was revealed as dozens of them was discovered in the hands of their own, this has contributed to the poor reputation of the 4th and 8th Army under command of Ajrh Iveer, which has turned into a public humiliation until he was replaced by someone else before this discovery.

The fact that he didn't have a good relationship with Naseem after questionable decisions on occupation policies and controversy over the use of indiscriminate bombing, Rakshaka had to do something to restrict his influence within the Army, first things however, was to repair the massacre and damage left over by the war.
When he visited the streets in multiple cities he was shocked at the outlandish conditions each one, having its own unique stench of despair.

But that despair will end soon, as soon as he gets enough funds to support a government budget for his interim Minister's and their own respective branch, then this despair will be wiped away to reveal a new India, a Red Raj.

by **Reatra** » Wed Jun 21, 2017 2:51 pm

Ankang, the city-turned-military-base, sat nestled inside the valley. Some one hundred and twenty two thousand soldiers sat within it. It was, at this point, so militarized that some 80% of its population were soldiers or military personnel of some other sort. It is an old city, and before the Kuomintang militarization it was a small city too. Now, though, it was right on the edge of the Liberated Zone, and since there was really no real "border" between CPC-control and KMT-control, it was quite easy to get a large number of troops near the city.

It was Winter, so by 17:45 it was dark enough to crawl through the valley down the slopes and towards the city. The Soviet volunteer troops, led by the West Slavic elite infantry of the 11th Guards Division, with some 55,000 Soviet troops behind. The Soviet troops are much more capable in conventional warfare than the Chinese Red Army men, although they had to be trained by our guerrillas some upon their arrival in the Liberated Zone. So, at 17:45 the troops began their slow crawl towards Ankang, covering the four to five miles to surround the small city in five hours. It was cold, being winter in the mountains, and so the densely packed military city's inhabitants were inside. The vast majority of the civilians were known to live in a specific quarter of the city, a quarter that was not targeted by the ensuing artillery barrage.

At 23:00 the artillery opened fire from the surrounding mountains. Thousands of pieces of light artillery, which were closer to the city, along with a few heavier pieces stationed in places around the valley, began pummelling the city. Ankang lit up, as the tens of thousands of soldiers who were inside homes and barracks and buildings suddenly had to get out to survive. Buildings collapsed and people were funnelled into the few open spaces of the city, plazas and such. Nobody had really expected this night to be anything special, nobody had expected the CPC to be able to get so much artillery so close. Thousands were dying, something had to be done! People desperately tried to organize into their squads and platoons and battalions, but the artillery was too much and the chaos too great.

At 23:57 the barrage stopped. For a few minutes the men of the National Revolutionary Army looked out for more shells coming in, they didn't hear anything. They looked out into the darkness around the city. At midnight, 0:00, a single flare shot up into the sky, burning a blindingly bright red. Followed by two more on each side, and two more, and two more, and two more, and two more. As the first flare was falling down the last ones were going up. Imagine the horror these young men who had been forced to leave their families and fight for a man they hated felt when they saw this. Suddenly a warcry rang out, it wasn't Chinese, which was more than a little confusing.

"Ura! Ura! Ura! Uraaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Tens of thousands of Slavic men jumped up out of the grass and charged, and the artillery started up again.

Tens of thousands of Kuomintang men attempted to escape, seeing the obvious hole in the communists' charge and attempting to run out into the mountain pass in the dark of the night. They were allowed to run out, because waiting for them hidden in the mountains were almost a hundred thousand Red Army troops that would apprehend them and bring them north to attend political reeducation. The Soviet volunteers were an incredibly effective fighting force, able to be the "hammer" that crushed the Kuomintang against the "anvil" that was the rest of the Chinese forces around the city. Great mercy was shown, as it was a direct order from Chairman Mao that all who surrender be treated well and handed to the nearby Chinese Red Army forces for transfer north. As the battle raged on, as morning came, the artillery stopped as the Soviet forces had gotten too close for it to be safe. But urban combat is tough, and despite the terrible morale of the Kuomintang troops, it will take some time to flush them out of Ankang of Kuomintang men. As the Chinese Red Army troops followed the Soviet volunteers into the city, the Chinese communist slogans and promises of good treatment and liberation to those who surrendered did a lot to encourage many to come out with their hands up. But of course there are thousands more who refuse to give in to the communists. The battle will likely continue for some days as the small civilian populace is protected and city blocks are secured.

by **The Traansval** » Thu Jun 22, 2017 5:49 pm

Áras an Uachtaráin
Pheonix Park
Dublin

February, 1938

President Douglas Hyde pinched the bridge of his nose as Taoiseach de Valera and Minister for Defense Frank Aiken argued loudly with each other in his office. The two were going at it with the other ministers of the Government of Ireland, who stood with them in a huddled circle. They were of course arguing over the one thing all government officials argue over; budget....

MoD Frank Aiken: The Irish Defense Forces are severly underfunded and totally unprepared to face an enemy attack. Our inventory comprises mainly old weapons we took from the British, and its all outdated. I'm having to arm infantry battalions with water cooled Vickers and bloody Lewis Guns! Everyone can see that war is on the horizon, and our allies, in particulur the US, are more than willing to help us arm a modern and effective army. ONLY WE CAN'T BLOODY AFFORD IT, BECAUSE YOU BLOODY HOUNDS IN THE DAIL WON'T GIVE US A CENT!

Aiken was a military man through and through; he'd fought in the War for Independence and the Anti-Treaty war in the Irish Republican Army, and had now joined the Irish government after founding Fianna Fail, which became the major party in the government. The only problem was his fellow Finna Fail men, like De Valera, thought that Ireland had better things to spend its money on then the Defense Forces.

Taoiseach de Valera: THE DAIL WON'T GIVE YOU A CENT BECAUSE YOU DON'T NEED ANY GOD DAMN MONEY. Your current budget is enough to keep up the army and thats all it needs to be for gods sakes! Our allies will keep us safe, there is no need to worry about keeping up a modern force, when the US and Britain will do it for us!

Hyde slammed his hand down on his desk, silencing the room. He rubbed his temples; he had had a stroke just months earlier and had been confined to a wheel chair ever since. He brought his head up to see the Cabinet standing around like children who had just been scolded by their mother; all except de Valera of course, he was as stuborn as a mule, good thing he was a staunch Irishman.

President Hyde: Might i remind ALL OF YOU... that the budget is not yours to decide; its the Dail's, and De Valera has no more constitutional power to influence this then you do Aiken. If the cause of increasing the Defense Forces budget is that just, then i'm sure it will be nothing to stand in front of them and convince them. Arguing here in my office like squabling seagulls will do nothing to further any of your causes. Now please, i need my rest, leave.

The ministers of the Irish Government looked to each other before slowly shuffling out of the room. Hyde heaved a great sigh, and looked up to see De Valera's piercing eyes on him.

De Valera: Hyde, is all well?

Hyde: *Sigh* No, i fear not. My stroke has taken much of what little energy i had prior, and now that i'm paralyzed from the waste down i fear for the stability of my government. What would the people think when their Head of State, the man who is supposed to be the strong back bone of the nation and to lead it to glory and great, is crippled.

De Valera: You give far far too much power to your office; your hardly a figure head.

Hyde: A figure head i may be; but by god i will do what i can to ensure Irelands future is safe and prosperous. Aiken has a point Edmund, even if our allies can protect us we need a force that can atleast on paper stand up to the Communists.

De Valera: Hyde i know the Defense Forces are in shambles but we're not made of money! Even before the market crash we weren't rich, and after we DEFINATLY don't have the funds to keep up a military budget like the Americans or the British or the French....

Hyde: Edmund, i'm not saying we put half the damn GDP towards the armed forces, but a small increase could mean the difference between a army in shambles or a decent fighting force. Your universally respect throughout the nation; the Dail loves you, your Senead loves you, the people love you! If you went in front of the Dail and you told them that a increase in the Defense Force's budget is the best thing for the nation they will listen! You know i speak the truth, i can see it in your eyes. Do it, if not for me or not for Aiken, do it for Ireland!

De Valera gave a great sigh, he took his hands back from the edge of the desk where he had rested his weight, and stood tall before his President. A Steele look in his eyes became present before he gave a nod of assent and spoke crisply.

"For Ireland"'

February 20th, 1938

The Dublin Times

WORLD EVENTS | ECONOMICS | POLITICS | THE LATEST NEWS | EDITORIALS

Issued by the Irish National Post Office
Cost; 10 ¢

SHAKE UP IN THE DAIL!

After a speech by both Minister of Defense Aiken and Taoiseach De Valera, the Dail voted in a 100-58 majority to pass the 1938 Budget, which will increase funding to the Ministry for Industry and Commerce, the Ministry for Agriculture, and the Ministry for Defense. This coming as a surprise after years of near neglect to the Defense Force by the Government. In other news, funding to the Ministry of Land, Ministry of Local and Public Health, and many more have seen reductions in their budget from last year, which has many officials in these Ministries outraged, and calling the Dail and De Valera "Warmongers" who seek only to build up Ireland as a military state in service to the west. More on page 4

National Irish Telegraph Service
Message sent from station #431
Sender: Frank Aiken, Minister of the Ministry of the Defense; Apart of the Government of Ireland
Reciptiant: John Cudahy, US Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the State of Eire.

Dear Mister Cudahy, i send you this with the support of the Ministry of Defense in the hopes of opening certain economic negotiations. The Department of Defense is interested in purchasing from the US military supplies and armament from US Military Surplus, along with possibly the assist in training the men. If you can, we'd like to meet as soon as possible.

National Irish Telegraph Service
Message sent from station #431
Sender: Frank Aiken, Minister of the Ministry of the Defense; Apart of the Government of Eire
Reciptiant: Sir John Maffey, Representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain to Eire

Sir Maffey, as the head of the Ministry of Defense it is my duty to make sure the State of Eire is defended from all outside threats. We both know that war is on the horizon, and it is in both our interests to make sure the Irish are ready for it. If at all possible we'd like to meet with you and your government to discuss the possibility of Military aid to Eire,
mainly in the form of weapons and ammunition.

National Irish Telegraph Service
Message sent from station #431
Sender: Frank Aiken, Minister of the Ministry of the Defense; Apart of the Government of Eire
Reciptiant: FN Herstal

Dear FN Herstal; the Ministry of Defense of the nation of Eire is interested in contracting FN Herstal to produce Short Magazine Lee Enfields with the McMurphy Device.

by **Democratic East-Asia** » Thu Jun 22, 2017 6:28 pm

[Location: Soviet-Japanese Border, town of Khasan]

General Ligachev paced madly through the hastily erected camp site as he fought internally whether to attack or to hold back. In his mind, the damn imperialists were itching closer and closer, and this was not good. Having participated in the 1918 October Revolution back in his hometown of Tsaritsyn (now Bukharingrad), Ligachev knew for a fact that no imperialist was ever to be trusted, and that they were to be eradicated whenever possible. Of course, this was impossible given his initial orders from Far Eastern Command, but the message had later changed regarding any potential use of force. That being said, Ligachev was personally hell bent on "making the Japanese pay".

Ordering a number of officers over, he told them to pack their equipment and move the command post back to a predetermined fallback point some 15-20 km away from Khasan, which wasn't the most ideal of places to defend. As the few trucks within the town began to drive away, Ligachev gave a set of orders to the field officers who remained behind.

The order was simple: open fire.

This was met with a significant amount of confusion, although it soon became clear that Ligachev simply despised the Japanese and their presence, and wanted it removed. That and there might've been another few underlying political motives, but those honestly didn't matter now.

There were more than a few groans.

[Location: Soviet-Japanese Border]

Comrade Ivan Ivanovič Ivanov rested as his BT-7 light tank stood idle near the riverside. Command had been somewhat slow at giving orders, and it appeared that the Japanese were beginning to assemble, if Ivan's senses were any indication. Waking himself up from a short snooze, Ivanov took a quick chug of vodka (from the one bottle he had taken along with him) and checked the periscope in his tank for any outside movement. Peering in the far distance, Ivan saw blurs which resembled vehicles and soldiers.

Seems like the Japanese are moving, no doubt thanks to that idiotic artillery officer from earlier.

Behind his tank were a couple of A-20 "medium" tanks, armed with their stubby 76 mm guns and built in a semi-sleek fashion. From what Ivanov knew about tanks, these were technically just supposed to be temporary "filler vehicles" until the new T-34 would be released. The older T-35 and T-28 tanks had been deemed unsuitable for armored combat, although there were ironically still at least a few dozen of those vehicles within Ivanov's armored division. That being said, there were a number of heavier KV tanks, and two odd SU-100Ys (Which likely had been thrown out from some other division's inventory).

While Ivanov mused, his tank's radio suddenly began broadcasting what appeared to be new orders.

Prepare to open fire on imperialist forces! These are direct orders from military command, do not question them!! ****

Wait what?

They couldn't be serious?! Open fire for no apparent reason?! What sort of madness was this?!

Well, screw me, and screw the military leadership. General Ligachev is undoubtedly as crazy as that artillery officer...

Adjusting his sights onto what appeared to be a Japanese tank a kilometer or two away, Ivanov ordered a 45mm armor piercing shell loaded, and aimed his tank's turret at the enemy's upper glacis. The Japanese tank looked like a light tank, so armor penetration was definitely not an issue. His BT-7's 45mm gun's AP shell would be able to go right through, if what Ivanov knew about light tank armor thickness was accurate.

This is it, this one shot better count...

With a click of a trigger and within a fraction of a second, the 45mm AP shell was sent flying out of the cannon's barrel at hundreds of meters per second, spinning in a manner similar to a football. Within seconds it came in contact with the thin armor of the targeted Japanese light tank, piercing straight through and shattering into numerous fragments. The small tank became a burning inferno, and the resulting explosion likely killed soldiers in the tank's immediate vicinity.

While the explosion seemed small from a distance, it took almost no time for more experienced members of Ivanov's tank division to open fire and attempt driving their tanks towards better positions.

It then came to Ivanov's realization: that damn idiot known as Ligachev had ordered a few thousand men into the open, with no easy way of falling back. There were a few roads, but those were at a few kilometers behind the lines, and were still in the open. An airstrike along with an artillery bombardment would be devastating if it hit at the right time. At this point, Ivanov decided it was a better idea to fall back than to stand and fire. It was at this same time that Eurasian artillery and rocket trucks behind the front began opening up.

Oh shit...

Ivanov knew that this whole spectacle was quickly going to deteriorate, and he wanted no part in it. Sadly, he happened to be stuck right in the middle of the mess.

[Location: 5 km behind the border]

As Eurasian troops in the front began opening fire in a rather disorganized and random manner, the artillery crews further behind were just as inconsistent in how they proceeded. No one had expected orders for an immediate attack, and many guns had yet to be set up. The only unit of artillery fully ready for action was a single battery of four BM-13 (later known as Katyusha launchers) rocket trucks, which quickly fired off its first salvo of M-13 rockets.

While the initial salvo was fired off in roughly 10 seconds, and yielded the same amount of firepower as some 72 conventional guns, the reloading and relocation process tripped up the truck crew. One BM-13s got stuck in a ditch and had to be pulled out by a light tank, while the other three were being loaded at an abysmal rate, mainly due to the fact the "nearby" ammunition truck wasn't actually that close by.

Other artillery units had similarly poor initial performances, as soldiers scrambled to their positions and struggled to unload dozens of howitzers and other weapons. Of course, Ligachev knew none of this, as he was simply too infatuated with all the ideas he currently had in his head. Ligachev wanted a quick victory, and his compulsivity in doing so had gotten him to fire off the first shot.

[Location: Russian SFSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Moscow]

"We shelled your territory? I never heard of anything of the matter..." Litvinov replied, somewhat confused about the issue at hand. Whatever had happened was definitely a recent development. It was at that moment an aide rushed in with a report from the Eastern Front. Apparently, General Ligachev had decided to attack. Litvinov could only sigh in disappointment.

"It appears we have a tremendous problem at hand... that being said, I don't have any direct connections to the Far Eastern Military Command, and I am not sure what the commanding officer there is thinking. I'm afraid I cannot do much as of now."

by **Greater Slavic Union** » Thu Jun 22, 2017 9:25 pm

Západosłovánska Zviązek Řečypospolitych Radzěckich
Western Slavic Union of Soviet Republics

Presidential Palace, Warsaw - March 5th, 07:24am

Michal Kovařícki, the President of the WUSR, the man in which more than 70 million people placed their faith wholeheartedly, stood idle at his black dek, in the Presidential Palace in Warsaw. He might have not been doing anything from another person's perspective, but his mind was full with thoughts about things to do: he had documents to vision, laws to formulate, places to visit, and, more importantly, stuff to do to fully integrate the newly-acquired lands into the Union.

Ilya Šostak

A man ran ino the room; he was dressed in civilian clothes, and had his hair dressed in a very strange way, when compared to what the people used to dress their hair like. He carried a letter from the Minister of Foreign Affairs to the President, Michal.

"Ilya, what do you bring with you today, my dear friend?" Michal said.

"Miša, there is something you have to know. It's very important." answered the 182cm tall man.

"Is that letter what you mean with these words?"

"It is, Miša."

"Give it to me." Michal told Ilya, and this handed the letter over to him. The president read the letter as fast as he could, devouring the words with his eyes, as they moved through the worded lines of the Minister's letter. The message that letter was carrying was one and just one: war. It looked like an incompetent general, one of those who moved to their position only thanks to their political connections, of the RSFSR's Army had just attacked the Japanese near Khasan, on the RSFSR-Japanese border between Vlatdivostok's region and the Korean peninsula.

"Fucking Ligachev..." Michal said.

"Should I do anything else, Miša?" asked Ilya, who knew too well the way he should had behaved with Michal, depending on his mood.

"No thanks, Ilya, you can go."

"Sure, Miša." said Ilya, leaving Michal alone inside the room.

Michal Kovařícki was alone in his office, once again, but this time there was only one thing left to occupy his mind: what to do with Khasan and the Far East. He was the President of the WUSR, the richest of the UESR's republics, one of the largest, and one of the most populous ones: he had to do something, even if he was miles away from Khasan, he had to. It was his duty, and he would carry it out.
He moved to the desk, and composed the Kremlin's number. This would have been a long call, maybe, certainly a tough one, he thought.

Michal's call was quickly received by Litvinov, the Russian SFSR's minister of foreign affairs, who immediately said: "Greetings, who may this be?"

"It's Comrade Michal Kovařícki, President of the WUSR. I suppose you are Comrade Minister of Foreign Affairs of the RSFSR, Litvinov" Michal answered.

"Ahh, Comrade Michal. So what brings you to calling the Kremlin?"

"It's Khasan... I know what happened, Litvinov..."

"Oh... that. I'll put it straight: it was a complete screw up, and will likely end in disaster... I'm not sure what General Ligachev was thinking, but he decided to initiate hostilities."

"I know, and I think that something should be done to deal with that Ligachev. Now, Comrade Litvinov, could I please talk to Comrade Trotsky? I know he is in charge of the Army and well, no offense but... he is more relevant in this affair."

"Of course, I will inform him immediately." said Litvinov, before leaving the line open and exiting the room for a moment, after a while, he came back, picked up the phone once again, and said: "Alright, he has been informed and should be ready for the call in a few moments."

"Thank you very much, Comrade Litvinov" said Michal, as he could hear the sound generated by somebody entering the room where Litvinov was in. Soon after, Litvinov left the line open again and exchanged a few words with Trotsky, before the latter picked up the phone in Litvinov's stead.

"Comrade Michal, is it not?" said Trotsky.

"It's me, Comrade Michal Kovařícki, President of the WUSR, dear Comrade Trotsky" answered Michal.

"Ahh, comrade Michal. This call is about Khasan, is it not? Comrade Litvinov was kind enough to inform me about that."

"Yes, this is, dear Lev (I think we can call each other by just the names don't you?), and I am very preoccupied..."

"Of course Michal. So, what's your opinion on the matter? I've decided that Ligachev needs to go as soon as possible. I'm still debating who to replace him with though. We both know that he's definitely not suitable for military command..." Trotsky said.

"Of course Michal. So, what's opinion on the matter? I've decided that Ligachev needs to go as soon as possible. I'm still debating who to replace him with though. We both know that he's definitely not suitable for military command."

"Yes, Lev, and you know what I told you when you approved his promotion to a rank that high... anywyas, I personally think that completely removing him would be too much, and would actually put the situation even more at risk. Think of it: there is an incompetent commander, the soldiers are ill-prepared and badly-equipped. How do you think a completely new commander could be doing, if not bad?"

"That is quite true... although you have to remember it wasn't fully my decision to promote him, Ligachev has his allies within the Congress of Soviets. Removing him at this moment would definitely not be the best of options, but I'm sure the officer corp beneath hims is more competent. That being said, what do you have in mind? We definitely need someone capable of balancing out Ligachev's negative attributes"

"You see... you used to have a secret police called the NKVD... and one of my generals used to be a member of it, so I can't trust him very much. Even tho he is highly competent. Furthermore, there is another General who I would be glad to get rid of, despite his capabilities. He is even a former general of the RSFSR's Army...
They could be able to balance him, I think..." suggested Michal.

"Hmm, the names of the two? I may know who they are..." asked Trotsky.

"One of them, the former NKVD offiicer, is Michał Rola-Żymierski, whereas the other one, the former Red Army commander, is Karol Świerczewski. Are they fine for you? I can have them in Khasan in 12 hours via plane, if you want."

"Sure, Michal, I remember them now. Send them there if you want." after what to do with Ligachev had been decided, Michal and Trotsky agreed to meet again, like they used to do when Michal was younger and was in the RSFSR as the Army's attaché to the embassy.

Soon after, Michal issued a Presidential order declaring that General Michał Rola-Żymierski and General Karol Świerczewski had to be transfered to Khasan that same day, while also declaring the transfer of 300 ST vz.38 tanks to the RSFSR troops stationed there. Unfortunately tho, Karol Świerczewski died in a car accident while driving, drunk, to the airfield, thus being replaced by Zygmunt Berling.

Red Army HQ, Khasan - March 5th, 19:55am

Michał Rola-Żymierski and Zygmunt Berling had finally arrived to Khasan. As soon as they got there, they asked to be brought to Ligachev's personal office.

It would not have turned out well for the Russian general.

by **Hashirajima** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 7:55 am

[Location: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tokyo]

Frowning at the less-than-substantial reply, Hirota sighed heavily before answering. "Well, I am of the opinion that you should make haste and obtain a connection to this Far Eastern Military Command. An unprovoked attack will not be tolerated by the world powers, whether they are involved or not. I'm certain you are well versed in international law. In the meantime, do understand that I can't in good conscience ask our own men to do nothing... I'll at least try to prevent further escalation."

[Location: Kyuujou (Tokyo Imperial Palace), Tokyo]

"Sir, His Majesty will see you now." Announced the chamberlain. Nodding, the bespectacled major-general, clothed in the uniform of the Imperial Japanese Army, entered the private meeting room. The room itself was nondescript and rather bare, a testament to how infrequently it was used. A low, traditional table occupied the centre of the room, and behind it a lacquer screen depicting Mt. Fuji. And behind the table sat Emperor Hirohito himself. "Do have a seat, Prince Yi Un."

Nodding, one of the last members of the Korean Imperial Family sat down. "What does Your Majesty wish to see this humble soldier about, sir? The House of Yi is no more, isn't it? I'm merely a soldier of the Army, not a prince."

Chuckling, Hirohito took in the man before him. Tall, well-built from his career in the land forces, smartly-groomed, this Prince of Korea might not look as formidable as some of his brothers, but he does have a record that speaks for his leadership abilities. 'He'll do.'

"You are here, aren't you? Firstly..." With that, the Emperor of the Great Japanese Empire actually bowed. "We wish to offer Our apologies. For the atrocities Our forebearer had wrought upon your family and nation, We are most sorry." Yi Un, taken aback, watched mutely for a moment.

"Th-this... Your Majesty, how can one such as myself ever deserve this-"

"This is what the bloody history of Our empire deserves, and We are not blind enough to be unable to see the wrongdoings of Our nation. We only wish that you will find it in your heart to forgive us."

To that, Yi Un could only nod. "... it's an event long past. We, the people of Korea, might not forget nor forgive the perpetrator, but you are not personally responsible. This apology... I will gratefully accept."

"Thank you. Now...We have a request for you."

[Location: Gyeongbokgung, Seoul, Korea]

"We wish for you to take command of the Korean regiments, to be renamed the Joseon Army. It is hoped that your leadership will once more raise the spirit of your countrymen, in resistance against the Soviet aggressors. It is Our wish that, by the end of the war, Korea will once more be a sovereign nation in her own right, with a firm and capable government. And this shall be the first step. What do you think... Crown Prince?"

Looking around, Yi Un saw the construction workers, provided by Japan as repayment, working on restoring the residence of his ancestors. Nodding, he turned away from the almost-complete Main Throne Hall, and from memory, found himself before the hall that housed his forebearer's ancestral tablets. The IJA staff that followed him paused. "Wait here." Yi Un instructed, before entering the building.

Within, on an elaborate altar, was the wood-and-jade plaques bearing the names of all his ancestors, the past Kings of Joseon and the two Emperors of the short-lived Korean Empire, Emperor Gojong and his own brother Emperor Sunjong.

Taking off his officer hat, the newly minted lieutenant-general performed the traditional sebae. Thrice, he bowed, showing respect and honouring his forefathers, coming to a kneeling position after. "My Father, my Brother, my ancestors. This son of Joseon has returned to his homeland. He has come to bring our great nation back to her former glory, and beyond. I hereby swear, I will not rest until our foes are vanquished, until the Phoenix Throne once more sees a King and Emperor of Korea in his rightful place." Bowing once more, he turned and left the hall, once more followed by his staff.

"Come, everyone. We have a war to plan. And a people to awaken."

[Location: A hospital, Tokyo]

The patient in bed stirred, and her daughter, seated beside, hurriedly rose to attend to her ailing mother. "What is it, mother?"

"I... are we returning home?"

Glancing at the letter she left on her chair, the younger girl nodded. "Soon, mother. Soon."

[Location: Japanese Korea Army HQ, Seoul]

"The Russians are advancing! They've opened fire."

Alarmed, the comms officer in the operations room was finding something to reply with when General Ueda himself grabbed the handset.

"All units are to advance at once. Push for Khasan! Artillery, begin shelling of the enemy frontline!"

[Location: Korea-Soviet Border]

The broadcast, made throughout the Korea-Soviet units of the 19th and 20th Infantry Divisions, generated widespread incredulity. That's really to be expected, given that their previous orders was to not start hostilities. And NOW the general wants them to advance that far?

Mentally, Private Yoshida groaned. 'Right. General Ueda had always been a proponent of the Northern Expansion. Kami damn it...'

Looking at the advancing Soviet tanks, he gripped his own rifle tightly. Then, a thought occurred to him. "Wait. Artillery?"

[Location: Japanese Korea Army HQ, Seoul]

Glancing at the map marked by various troop deployments, LT. GEN Yi Un frowned. "That's way too close to our troops..."

Sighing, he headed for the radio workstation and took the handset from Ueda, the older general turning sharply towards the newcomer. "What..."

"BELAY THAT. ALL TROOPS, HEAD FOR COVER. Tanks, cover the withdrawal. All artillery, fire for effect after 10 seconds." Nodding to the radio operator to end the call, he turned towards Ueda. "Sorry about that. But our troops are way too close for artillery involvement."

"Who are you... Lieutenant-General Yi Un, what is the meaning of this?"

"Sir, I'm sure you've received orders. HQ want you back in Tokyo. I've been tasked to take over command of this front."

"But... the war just started..."

"The Empire has deemed this moment unsuitable for the war to begin. My job is to end this thing before it flares up further. Now, I believe His Majesty is expecting you in a few days. You might want to start packing."

Nodding, Ueda gave the younger officer one more glance before leaving. One does not simply ignore an Imperial summon.

Back at the communications desk...

"Colonel Sakamoto, go muster the 51st. Corporal, get me Busan Naval Base."

A quick dial, followed by a burst of static. "Busan Naval Base. We hear you 10/10. What's the matter?"

"This is Lieutenant-General Yi Un. Get me Vice-Admiral Zengo Yoshida. I wish to request support from the First Battleship Division."

[Location: Busan Anchorage, HIJMS Nagato]

"Sir, transfer call from the base. It's the IJA, a lieutenant-general by the name of Yi Un."

'That's... new. What does Prince Yi Un of Korea want?' Taking the proferred handset, VADM Yoshida (no relations to a certain IJA infantryman) answered. "Yoshida speaking. What's the matter?"

"The Soviets have begun their offensive at Tumen River, south-south-east of Khasan. Unprovoked. I've been tasked to put down the hostilities as soon as possible, and given the lack of any warning, I suspect the Soviet commander might be acting on his own. Foreign Ministry confirmed that the Soviet government has no idea of the assault until just now, but I'm not too inclined to actually believe them. I'll wait for the attacking troops to be countermanded, but that'll take too long. How fast can the First Battleship Division get within bombardment range?"

"A greater part of today, I'll say. Estimated time of arrival will be after nightfall. Do you require air support?"

"I can sortie the 1st Air Army, but any additional help will be much appreciated."

"Understood, I'll bring Chitose and Chiyoda as well, then."

Ending the call, the vice-admiral took a breath before calling out to the bridge staff.

"All hands, prepare for departure. Nav, set course for Rashin. Comms, inform CarDiv 3."

[Location: Korea-Soviet Border]

Watching the enemy rockets soar across the battlefield, Yoshida frowned. 'Not sure if we can outlast that kind of firepower.' Spotting a dead radio operator, he scrambled over, pulled the radio set off the cooling corpse, and conducted a check. 'Great. It still works.'

Thus lugging the setup, he slowly creeped across the field, away from the rest of the retreating Japanese troops. At last, he spotted the rocket trucks. A bit of mental calculation and map-checking, and the private ducked into a nearby shrub.

"HQ, this is Private Yoshida. Enemy rocket emplacements spotted at the following map coordinates..."

"Copy that. Artillery barrage incoming. Now get out of there you maniac!"

Grinning, Yoshida ran. And behind him, it rained fire.

[Location: Taipei, Taiwan]

"General Yamashita, the Chinese resistance leaders have arrived."

"Good." Nodding to his aide, the lieutenant-general entered the meeting room. "Everyone. Thank you for your time. Now, I'm not fond of beating around the bush, so here's what I have called you all up for. Surely you've heard of the news from the mainland. The Nationalist forces are under a renewed CCP offensive. His Majesty, the Emperor of Japan has tasked me to support your brethren. Are you willing to join me?"

[Location: Central Mountains, Taiwan]

Eyeing the tribemen surrounding his small party with rifles and spears, the major calmly nodded. "We wish to see your leader, huntsmen. We... have a proposal. One that might interest your people. Tell me, have you heard of the Takasago Volunteer Corps?"

[Location: Northern Hokkaido, Japan]

Thanking the Ainu tribe leader, the IJA colonel took a drink of the native brew. "Now, I know the Empire had historically not given much mind to your people. It is our mistake, and we apologise. The Emperor, His Majesty Hirohito, is saddened that some of his subject were unable to benefit from the success of our nation, and now seeks to retify this immense oversight."

Nodding, the elderly tribesman grunted out. "What is it that you seek? You mainlanders never offer aid, and certainly unconditionally."

"Seek? We only wish to help return to your people your ancestral homeland... if your people wish. It's all up to you."

[Location: Straits of Taiwan, Pacific Rim]

"Sir, a telegram from Navy HQ."

"Alright. Lunch is in an hour, don't forget."

"Thank you, admiral Nishimura."

"Vice-Admiral Shoji Nishimura. Commence the mustering of the following units: BatDiv 2, BatDiv 3, CruDiv 4, CruDiv 5, CarDiv 4, DesRon 2, DesRon 3, DesRon 4. Training exercises shall now enter Code Red. IJN HQ"

iiWiki · by **Vionna-Frankenlisch** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 10:51 am

Khasan, Russian Far East District

Alexandr Leishey jolted awake as the radio next to him crackled painfully into action, he grabbed for the headset and listened intently.

"Leishey, note this down and get the message to Vladivostok," a voice spoke, "Bolshevik forces have attacked the Japanese on the border and are pushing them back with tanks, artillery and infantry. We can see the battle from here and the Bolsheviks appear to be winning and the Japanese are retreating."

Alexandr scratched at a notepad with his pencil, quickly noting down the reports he received. "Is the Grand Duke to know of this?" He asked.

"Yes, as soon as possible, we may be able to receive Japanese support if this escalates to war. The time is nigh, brother, the repression of the Bolsheviks will soon end."

Archangelsk, Russian Northern District

"You are requested and required by His Grace, the Grand Duke, to take forty Imperial soldiers along with engineers, specialists and political agitators and form a new Military District in Leningrad from which to engage in subversive activities against the Bolshevik menace and raise further troops to combat the enemy."

General Sergey Nikolaev was not surprised by his orders, St Petersburg was the historical capital of the Russian Empire and anti-bolshevik sentiments were somewhat more rampant there, as was the wish for the return of the prosperous old ways. In the minds of many people, the Bolsheviks had come to bring prosperity and riches to the populace but had brought nothing but poverty and repression greater than that in the days of the Tsars. Of course, the vast majority of the Russian population was still loyal to the government but support was wavering and the White Movement aimed to capitalise on this to the best of their abilities.

Vladivostok, Russian Far East District

Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich sat in silence, pondering the reports coming to him, 'Japanese troops engaged by Bolshevik forces.' He had been badgered over the last month or so with news of increasing tensions but now that it had actually come to battle he felt it was somewhat... Anticlimatic? Arranged around him was his staff and he ordered his Foreign Minister,

"Can you arrange a meeting with the Japanese, Ivan? Now that they have entered the fray our chances have improved tenfold, we need guns, ships, planes and tanks to win back our beloved Russia and the Japs have these priceless pieces of equipment. I want to see them, to get the support we need."

"Do not worry, Your Grace," the reply came from Ivan Konstantinov, "You will meet with the Japanese, and what's better, I can bring the Chinese and British too. The world trembles at the might of the Bolshevik menace, they know that it is time that it was brought to its knees and if nobody else will... The Russian Bear must rise again, better and stronger than ever before."

by **Wysten** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 12:28 pm

Shaanxi China
Desmond Frent stood in the early morning a light fog covered the ground waiting for the sun to chase it away. Frent shivered a bit it was a cold morning and his flight suit was hardly doing anything to help. Lights a cigarette it provided little warmth. He then heard a call over the base intercome. "All pilots please report to the briefing room."

Walking towards the small building he finally felt some war air in the room. Sitting down next down to George his rear gunner he smilled "Ready for our first mission?" He asked a look of excitement was all over his face. The lights dimmed and Clive Cadwell the group leader walked up to the board. "Welcome men to operation blue sky blue. The name of our strike on ChiCom positions in Ankang." He said then a slide appeared showing a map if the city it was filled with craters and they could see serious holes in the multiple bridges splitting the city in half. "Our targets are any convoys coming in and out of the city that will be attack squad one lead by Hansten the second targets are any boats trying to cross river and targeting these three tall building they contain large amounts of soldiers and in all probability have a base of command" he said pointing towards three buildings. "This will be attack group one lead by Frent. Desmond nodded. Clive continued "Next is my squad we will provide cover and strike any AA positions in and around the city. My squadron is fighter 1 be ready to move in 30 minutes good luck and god bless." the men nodded and walked out.

The sun has risen chasing away what little of the fog was left. Desmond was ready the two 250 lbs. bombs were loaded and primed. Already squad one was taking off leaving dirt everywhere. Getting into the twin engine aircraft he started it meanwhile George was checking his gun and gave a thumbs up to Desmond. Desmond responded as well and started the engine the plane slowly ran down the runway slowly gaining speed it was finally of the ground putting the landing gear up he called over the radio " 2-1 is off." he said and after a short time he heard similar calls and then the entire strike force was off.

As they were coming over the city Desmond could see the smoke from there. Big black plums of smoke like factories working overtime. Coming in it was even worse with large portions of the city filled with craters and he could see some destroyed tanks. "Alright men this is it remember you objectives 1-1 out." a loud roger that came out and the groups spilt. Desmond sighted his target a small boat with the CCP flag he turned his plane pointing the reflex sight towards the boat. As he almost came over the boat he pulled the trigger and the Hispanio cannons gave a loud tap sound he saw the bullets hit a couple of men their bodies flying into the water. Pulling around he then aimed his fighter towards the building once he was close enough he hit the bomb release and pulled up. "Great job Desmond that was a direct hit." George said Desmond turned around and saw smoke coming from the center of the building on top he saw a group of men getting on an AA gun but before they could aim the gun the roofed exploded. One of the hurricanes came around. "Having trouble there 2-1?" it was Clive flying around strafing the enemy troops.
Northern Australia

The ships were ready.1,000 outdated Enfield rifles 200,000 rounds of ammo 10 AEC Matador trucks 50 ML Mortar 3 inch with 20,000 HE rounds 5 fairmile B type and 10 AC1 Sentinel tanks being sent to Ireland. Meanwhile telegrams were sent to Japan China US and the whites to form something called the JPC or Joint Pacific Committee

RED DAWN: The Next World War, An Alt History of WW2 (IC)

RED DAWN: The Next World War, An Alt History of WW2 (IC)

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