-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Well, Britain is going to be involved in America, I can promise you that, but whether or not it involves "unification" I'll leave up for speculation.
28 - Return to the East
The Far East, had been relatively quiet since the Japanese capitulation six years ago, but on the 11th of July 1957 the region exploded into life again, as a rebellion broke out in the Bharatiya Commune. Leading intellectuals, Princes, generals, old Dominion statesmen, moderate leftists and religious groups rose up in arms against the syndicalist government, declaring a transitional "State of Bangladesh" (ironically the new rebellion doesn't actually control Bangladesh). The fact that the Foreign Office had sent billions of pounds worth of gold bullion and arms and ammunition to this faction was hushed up, however.
British aid was very quickly (suspiciously quickly, in fact) arranged for the rebels, with an enormous commitment of arms and supplies being made. Half of Britain's production of small arms, field guns and support equipment, as well as a third of its tank production, was to be set aside to help the Indian rebels. On top of that, 300 Hawker Hunters and 500 Bristol Brigands were also despatched from British stockpiles.
A Hawker Hunter of the Indian Provisional Air Force on combat operations
The revolt was especially large in the south and northwest, where the power of local Princes had been far stronger in recent years.
A British "volunteer" force was also promised, composed of exiled Dominion troops and volunteers from other Asian colonies, like Singapore and Ceylon. The so-called "Indian Legion" sent by Britain was composed of about 40,000 armoured and mechanised troops, and they were in action by the 10th of August, south of the town of Patna.
By the 31st of August the Indian Legion had encircled the city of Calcutta, capital of the Commune. However, the city was heavily fortified, and still accessible by sea; it would be impossible to take for some time.
At the end of September Indian Legion armoured units drove south, and successfully encircled the city of Dacca too.
Centurion tanks on the drive south to encircle Dacca
The Indian rebellion was picking up steam by the end of November, and had crushed most resistance in Kashmir and Pakistan. Their troops were nearing the frontier with Burma, and most of the Bharatiya Commune was under occupation. However, Calcutta remained untaken, and would be the key to a rebel victory.
The situation, after this sudden success, remained fairly stagnant for about nine months. In August 1958 the British government announced a reduction in economic mobilisation. Rationing of most food was ended, and much industry turned over to civilian purposes.
A family enjoys a meal after the end of rationing in Britain
In October of 1958 Britain's commitment to the war in India was stepped up; the Foreign Office devoted the entirety of British small arms industry's new production to supplying the Indian rebellion. At this point, up to 40% of small arms in rebel hands were British-made.
By November 1958 the situation around Calcutta was getting tense. The Indian Legion found itself in a precarious position around the city, although the city itself was weakening too. On the 12th an assault was mounted, following bombardment with rockets and artillery.
Centurion tanks engage syndicalist troops several miles north of Calcutta
After a few days of bloody street fighting, the Siege of Calcutta ended on the 18th of November 1958, with some five thousand casualties on either side.
Troops survey bomb damage to a heavily-hit Calcutta following the siege
The day after that, the syndicalist government in India capitulated after a fourteen-month long insurrection. However, while the British-backed forces had won, it had come at a price; a very heavy price. Some estimates reckoned that, on both sides of the civil war, as many as 5,250,000 had been killed, and that was only counting combat deaths. Refugees had fled into the Himalayas, the Afghan deserts and hills, and an unimaginable number of civilians must surely have been killed. The War Office would be keeping files on this conflict confidential for a long time, that was for sure. The only saving grace was that the conflict hadn't gone nuclear; reports had shown the syndicalists to have had control of atomic weapons, and the rebels had captured the means of producing them in the course of the war.
Upon the collapse of the syndicalists, the State of Bengal's provisional administration had exerted control to annex the entirety of the subcontinent, Nepal and Burma included.
However, the situation was not to last long; on the 30th of November 1958 the Delhi Declaration was made, in which the State of Bangladesh gave way to a Dominionist government. Nepal was allowed to go free, after it had accepted the reforms dictated to it. The authority of the King-Emperor in India was recognised, and democracy was promised to be reinstated. A General Election in India was planned within the next two years. The Jewel was back in the Crown.
In the meantime, His Majesty appointed J.R.D. Tata as his Viceroy. Tata was an extremely successful Indian businessman, and chairman of the Tata Group, most famous for its enormous steel industry.
Meanwhile, the situation between Russia and Japan wasn't quite as successful. Russian landings had been made, but had devolved into several months of brutal trench warfare around Tokyo, and on the island of Hokkaido.
In December the first S Class ASW frigates were started on at the Clyde; this new type of ship would, naturally, focus on anti-submarine warfare. The Russians had been known to invest heavily in submarine technology, and this was to be Britain's counter. The new ships would primarily patrol the GIUK gap, and around the eastern Mediterranean.
On the 3rd of March 1959 the first Avro Vulcan bomber took to the skies. This distinctively-shaped aircraft performed admirably, proving to be near-aerobatic and extremely fast. The new aircraft was quickly accepted into service with Bomber Command.
The prototype Vulcan on trials over southern England
The Far East, had been relatively quiet since the Japanese capitulation six years ago, but on the 11th of July 1957 the region exploded into life again, as a rebellion broke out in the Bharatiya Commune. Leading intellectuals, Princes, generals, old Dominion statesmen, moderate leftists and religious groups rose up in arms against the syndicalist government, declaring a transitional "State of Bangladesh" (ironically the new rebellion doesn't actually control Bangladesh). The fact that the Foreign Office had sent billions of pounds worth of gold bullion and arms and ammunition to this faction was hushed up, however.
A Hawker Hunter of the Indian Provisional Air Force on combat operations
Centurion tanks on the drive south to encircle Dacca
A family enjoys a meal after the end of rationing in Britain
Centurion tanks engage syndicalist troops several miles north of Calcutta
Troops survey bomb damage to a heavily-hit Calcutta following the siege
The prototype Vulcan on trials over southern England
Unfortunately, everyone, this AAR is coming to an end. There are about three updates left until there's no more gameplay to cover, and then there's a few epilogue updates to chart Britain's path into the future.
All good things have to end sometime. Looking forward to the final chapters!
All good things have to come to an end.
The good old Vulcan. I remember seeing that fly ... talk about a triumph of engineering. Such a beautiful aircraft.
The good old Vulcan. I remember seeing that fly ... talk about a triumph of engineering. Such a beautiful aircraft.
Given that there's maybe a couple of weeks, possibly three, left for this AAR, I'm open to any suggestions for the next one. Kaiserreich, The Great War, and Millennium Dawn are all possible mods I could use, and I do have an idea with a few updates-worth of screenshots for a possible AAR, but I'm still mulling over what I'll actually choose.
To be honest I would be happy with all three - but given there tend to be more Kaiserreich AARs - and your last two have been Kaiserreich AARs - perhaps Great War or Millenium Dawn would be a nice variation?
Okay, so I've got the epilogue chapters loosely planned out; they're going to be in decades, so there'll be a 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s and 2010s update, with a potted history of post-gameplay Britain, featuring coverage of every election, every PM and Leader of the Opposition, plus any wars Britain ends up in. There may also be relevantly-themed music included. But before then, there should be two more game-based updates. Also since there's no actual timeline to go off like there was with gameplay to structure it around, I'm going to throw in a few hidden jokes and gags.
I'll follow whatever you end up writing, but I'm partial to a KR one, there is just so many countries that can give a great story! And now KRv0.5 is just out, so even better.
But else I'd love to see a WW1 AAR where you continue into the post war period. Imagine a KR win YOUR way.
But else I'd love to see a WW1 AAR where you continue into the post war period. Imagine a KR win YOUR way.
29 - Chaos in the North
March 1959 saw a minor step-up in British military expenditure, as some new units were raised and began training; five new wings of the RAF Regiment, and the new Guards Armoured Division, composed of armoured squadrons from the five Guards regiments.
The RAF units were deployed to Land Forces Home Command quite quickly, by the middle of April; they were 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 Wings RAF Regiment. The training capabilities of Britain were undoubtedly the world's best by now.
More troops were raised in the Summer of '59; in June the Royal Ulster Regiment was established to supplement the British Army's commitment to Ulster. Tensions had been simmering in the North for some time, although the Royal Proclamation of 1944 had helped somewhat.
In July the new North Atlantic Squadron, composed of twelve of the S class frigates, was established in Scotland, and deployed to patrol the GIUK gap as intended.
War in the Himalayas was sparked in September, after Tibet demanded the return of Tawang from the Indian Dominion. Naturally, the Dominion was not be bowed by the demands of a few yak herders, however lasting the damage from the Civil War was.
The United Kingdom had been carrying out a standing defence commitment in India since reunification, and in the last couple of months these units had been deployed to the Kashmir area in response to rising tension. It was there that they found themselves first in combat with the Tibetan army. The results were shocking in their success, even to the British commanders. Just over 500 British casualties were sustained for over 5,600 Tibetan dead and wounded. The fact that Tibet had failed to develop any means of modern warfare showed.
A broken down Centurion of the Lifeguards on the Tibetan Plateau; amateur photograph, September 1959
British troops had reached Lhasa by the 28th of September 1959, after the entirety of the Tibetan army was overrun at the border regions. In the end casualties were frankly ridiculous; over 120,000 Tibetan dead, wounded and prisoner, with just over 1000 British casualties sustained in the short Himalayan War.
The resulting Treaty of Golmud was harsh on Tibet; the entire country was handed over to the control of the Shangqing Tianguo, one half of the Sino Coalition, along with the Qing Empire. Bhutan was annexed to the Dominion of India.
The Guards Armoured Division was deployed in Britain the day after the Treaty, too late for any of it units to see action in Asia.
Centurions of the Guards Armoured Division at the Division's inaugural parade through London; the tanks pictured are the new Mk.3, showcasing the "Catseyes" night-vision equipment for the first time
In November 1959 the situation in Ulster suddenly exploded. The Prime Minister of Ulster, Basil Brooke, who had been criticised heavily for his anti-Catholic views, was assassinated with a car bomb on the 2nd of November; the IRA claimed responsibility. Resultingly, the Stormont government collapsed, and direct rule from Westminster was imposed while the situation was dealt with. Meanwhile, Unionist groups began to riot in response to the assassination, attacking Catholic areas of Belfast and Londonderry; the worst violence occurred in the Bogside area of Londonderry. Republican and Catholic elements fought back, with the IRA and various Unionist paramilitaries carrying out open warfare and bombings across Ulster. In the midst of the chaos, the British Army lost control; Irish Republicans declared a transitional independent state in Ulster on the 11th of November 1959. However, nobody really knew what was going on, and some sources reported that the state had been declared by Ulster ultranationalists, others by Unionists dissatisfied with the actions of the London government. Whatever happened, the Irish Republic decided to step in, launching an invasion of Ulster on the 13th. This flagrant act of aggression was met with a declaration of war from Britain, and subsequently the United States was drawn into the conflict in respect of its treaty obligations.
Basil Brooke, Prime Minister of Ulster until his murder in November 1959
A British soldier keeps watch on a street in Belfast; a burned out bus can be seen blocking the road ahead
British troops at a road checkpoint in County Donegal, a hotbed of Republican action
A bewildered-looking British soldier keeps watch over IRA prisoners in Londonderry
The British Army in Great Britain was hastily deployed en masse to Ulster, ready for action. The same day, British troops in Canada began skirmishing with American forces in the Oregon Territory.
On the 20th of November the offensive into Ireland began, with Irish Army and IRA elements being heaved aside by British troops.
The commander of one of the new "Trojan" armoured personnel carriers speaks on the radio during the advance south into Ireland
This sequence of events actually happened in the game for some reason. Ulster randomly broke off without any notification, and the Irish had a wargoal on them, so I guaranteed them because I wasn't up for losing Ulster. Obviously the Irish were allied with the Americans, and it just sort of escalated from there. I assume the Irish took the focus that started the Ulster rebellion, but the focus just didn't have a requirement for Ireland to actually own Ulster, so it happened regardless. Either way, a rather interesting thing to spice up the late game.
March 1959 saw a minor step-up in British military expenditure, as some new units were raised and began training; five new wings of the RAF Regiment, and the new Guards Armoured Division, composed of armoured squadrons from the five Guards regiments.
A broken down Centurion of the Lifeguards on the Tibetan Plateau; amateur photograph, September 1959
Centurions of the Guards Armoured Division at the Division's inaugural parade through London; the tanks pictured are the new Mk.3, showcasing the "Catseyes" night-vision equipment for the first time
Basil Brooke, Prime Minister of Ulster until his murder in November 1959
A British soldier keeps watch on a street in Belfast; a burned out bus can be seen blocking the road ahead
British troops at a road checkpoint in County Donegal, a hotbed of Republican action
A bewildered-looking British soldier keeps watch over IRA prisoners in Londonderry
The commander of one of the new "Trojan" armoured personnel carriers speaks on the radio during the advance south into Ireland
This sequence of events actually happened in the game for some reason. Ulster randomly broke off without any notification, and the Irish had a wargoal on them, so I guaranteed them because I wasn't up for losing Ulster. Obviously the Irish were allied with the Americans, and it just sort of escalated from there. I assume the Irish took the focus that started the Ulster rebellion, but the focus just didn't have a requirement for Ireland to actually own Ulster, so it happened regardless. Either way, a rather interesting thing to spice up the late game.
Oh dear. The Troubles strike! Looks like Quentin Roosevelt's quest to peacefully reunite the shattered union is about to come to a crashing halt. Should have listened to Washington's advice of no entangling alliances. Oh well.
