The first new conquest for Britain. Considering the date, the second world war will start soon with the Communards demanding Alsace-Lorraine from Germany. The Union of Britain is no more but your Nationalist allies demand their own homeland back.
-
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.
11 - Revenge
The Treaty of Anzio on the 14th of July 1939 concluded the Austro-Italian War, with Austria pressing some unusual claims to the islands of Sardinia and Corsica, but otherwise leaving Italy untouched.
On the 13th of August Russia decided to put a stop to the activities of the laughable New Mongol Empire, and commenced a military intervention.
The first of two planned Admiral Class battlecruisers, HMS Nelson was commissioned into Royal Navy service on the 7th of September, forming the nucleus of a new "Expeditionary Fleet" under Admiral Dunbar-Nasmith. Dunbar-Nasmith was a popular officer in the newly-restored kingdom; he had been the captain of the submarine in which King George V, Prince Albert, Winston Churchill and Arthur Balfour had sailed in 1912, had won the Victoria Cross at Gallipoli while commander of the submarine E.11, and had later been captain of HMS Iron Duke. Under his leadership, Nelson and the second Admiral Class would work together as a roving pair of heavily-armed but fast ships, hunting down lone enemy ships on the open seas.
HMS Nelson on sea trials in the Irish Sea, 1939
On the 12th of September, Romania embarked on an attempt to liberate Transylvania from the Austrians; the Foreign Office didn't rate their chances highly.
The next day His Majesty's Governments of Canada and the United Kingdom were in touch discussing rising tensions between the Entente and Germany. Both Britain and the French Republic were eager to reassert their claims to their colonial holdings, most of which had been wrongfully acquired by Germany following the French and British revolutions. Germany, the foremost power in Europe, and now the world, was unwilling to yield, and it seemed war was the only way to resolve this dispute.
As suspected by many, war broke out just a week later with the Entente's declaration of war against the German Empire. It was decided that British and French colonies must be retaken, and that German militarism, which had been the source of all European conflict since 1871, should be crushed, once and for all. Poland, too, hoped to expand its bounds, by obtaining German-held lands in Pomerania, Silesia and East Prussia.
Almost immediately, the United Kingdom issued its declaration of war on Germany.
The effects of the war were not immediately felt by Britain. No new troops were called up, although the Military Service Act 1937 remained in force, the German air force made no appearance, and the British public went about their daily business. The first taste of action came in the Baltic, with Royal Navy submarines attempting to use the "wolf pack" tactics used by German u-boats in the first war. That might have been appropriate in the vast expanse of the Atlantic, but in the enclosed Baltic it was suicidal. An attack by the navy of the Baltic Duchy and German naval aircraft resulted in the loss of fourteen British submarines, while the British managed only to sink one enemy ship, the VBHS Heinrich. In one fell swoop nearly 80% of the British submarine force was wiped out. The disaster wasn't released to the press for some months.
On the 10th of October 1939, the Dutch government, another Entente partner, capitulated to the German onslaught, with Queen Wilhelmina escaping to Britain.
In order to distract from these early defeats and to brighten the public mood, the Royal Air Force commenced a strategic air offensive. Attacking by night, aircraft from eleven RAF bomber squadrons carried out raids against German soil, with particular attention paid to the port facilities at Wilhelmshaven, Kiel, Hamburg and Bremen in the north west. In total, 132 aircraft could be mustered against Germany.
Bristol Blenheims of 29 Squadron are prepared for a raid on Wilhelmshaven that night
The next day, no doubt hoping to strike while the iron was hot, the French communards attacked Germany too. For a short time, it seemed, these two very different factions might put aside their grievances.
A minor victory was won on the 21st of October, as Liberian troops defeated German troops at the Battle of Freetown and occupied Freistaat Sierra Leone, a German protectorate. France had used the chaos of the American Civil War to establish its own control over Liberia in 1937.
At the beginning of November six new RAF squadrons were stood up at Algiers, to form the Desert Air Force, with the objective of assisting French troops against German Morocco. 42, 43 and 44 Squadrons were equipped with the new Bristol Beaufighter, a heavily-armed twin engine aircraft intended to bring down bombers and carry out ground strike missions. 45 Squadron flew the Gloster Gladiator fighter, and 46 and 47 Squadrons were issued with Fairey Battle light bombers.
A Beaufighter of 44 Squadron lands at an advanced airfield in North Africa
The results of the RAF's strategic air offensive were obvious quite soon, with Wilhelmshaven taking a particular beating. By the 7th of November it was estimated that around 50% of the port's capacity for handling shipping had been wrecked, and the surrounding railway network was also heavily damaged. Nearby German airfields had also been struck, with up to a third of the aircraft based there being destroyed on the ground, and several runways being rendered unserviceable.
Damage caused by RAF bombers at Wilhelmshaven; at least one merchant ship was known to have been sunk in port
On the 14th Egypt and Arabia launched a combined offensive against the Ottoman Empire, with a view to achieving Arab liberation and the final subjugation of the sick man of Europe.
Two days later the inevitable was confirmed, as the Romanians failed in their bid to reclaim Transylvania. Austria, suffering already from internal tensions, enforced no territorial demands on Romania.
On the 11th of December Portugal reaffirmed its commitment to the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, promising cooperation in the war in Africa. Although formally at war only with the German state of Mittelafrika, Portugal allowed British ships to dock at Portuguese ports and British troops to pass through Portuguese territory as well.
A week later the German carrier Peter Strasser made a dash for the Atlantic, unescorted. Battle, Hart and Baffin aircraft of the FAA and RAF struck the German ship in the Channel, causing significant fires and a six degree list to port. The carrier only just managed to limp back to Germany.
Just three days after that a much larger German force was caught by British aircraft, including the carriers Boelcke, Mainz, Rhein and Hugo Eckener, as well as several cruisers and battleships. Significant damage was done to all ships, particularly the destroyers, two of which were seen to have water lapping at their decks as they left the area. Notably the battlecruiser Gneisenau was brought to within an inch of its life.
On Christmas Eve 1939 the German puppet state in Belgium collapsed under the weight of communard troops that had surged across the frontier against an unprepared enemy.
The 31st of January saw the beginning of the Siege of Warsaw, as Ukrainian, Ruthenian and German troops assaulted the Polish capital, along with several thousand Austrian volunteers. Luckily the entire Polish army had managed to withdraw to the capital in time, and now some 500,000 Polish troops prepared the city for a long term defence. Also assisting the Polish were several thousand Cuban and French troops, who had been visiting Poland at the time and were caught up in the declaration of war.
The second ship of the Admiral Class was commissioned on the 16th of February, HMS Collingwood. She joined up with her sister ship under Dunbar-Nasmith, and the two commenced commerce raiding duties in the South Atlantic; they were to operate from the port at Lagos, recently liberated by Indian and Dutch troops.
Worry was sparked in Asia, as Japan declared war against the Qing Empire on the 19th of February 1940.
By the 13th of March the RAF's bombing campaign had been stepped up, with a total of 240 bombers operating over Germany. Also participating were 12 Beaufighters operating in the experimental escort fighter role.
By this point the communards had met with unexpected successes. The German army, divided between Poland and France, and caught on the hop by the surprise attack by the syndicalists, had collapsed. Much of the Rhineland was now under French control, and the important city of Essen had already fallen. With the loss of the border regions, French troops had flooded into Bavaria, quickly capturing Munich.
On the 11th of March 1940 the Entente issued their formal declaration of war aims, at a conference in London, now that victory against Germany seemed likely. The declaration became known as the London Declaration:
"We, the allied governments of the United Kingdom, the French Republic, the Commonwealth of Canada, the Netherlands, the Australasian Confederation, the Dominion of India, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Cuba, the Dominion of Liberia, New England, the Pacific States of America, and the Caribbean Federation, declare the following to be our aims in the present war against the German Empire:
Done at London, the eleventh day of March, one thousand nine hundred and forty."
The French Commune recognised these aims, although it was not invited to the conference. It also asserted its demands for the return of Nancy, taken in 1921, and Alsace-Lorraine, taken in 1871.
The Treaty of Anzio on the 14th of July 1939 concluded the Austro-Italian War, with Austria pressing some unusual claims to the islands of Sardinia and Corsica, but otherwise leaving Italy untouched.
HMS Nelson on sea trials in the Irish Sea, 1939
Bristol Blenheims of 29 Squadron are prepared for a raid on Wilhelmshaven that night
A Beaufighter of 44 Squadron lands at an advanced airfield in North Africa
Damage caused by RAF bombers at Wilhelmshaven; at least one merchant ship was known to have been sunk in port
"We, the allied governments of the United Kingdom, the French Republic, the Commonwealth of Canada, the Netherlands, the Australasian Confederation, the Dominion of India, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Cuba, the Dominion of Liberia, New England, the Pacific States of America, and the Caribbean Federation, declare the following to be our aims in the present war against the German Empire:
- The return of those colonies belonging to the United Kingdom and the Republic of France, unlawfully seized by the German Empire,
- The restoration of an independent Belgium and Luxembourg,
- The liberation of the Polish people in East Prussia, Danzig, Silesia and Pomerania,
- The formal dissolution of that state known as Mittelafrika, and all its institutions,
- The formal cessation of administration of southern China by Allgemeine Ostasiatische Gesselschaft, and the return of that land to the Qing Empire, which we, the allied governments of the undersigned, do recognise as the sovereign power in China,
- The formal dissolution of the German Empire, to be divided into several smaller, independent states, which are to be determined by local negotiation.
Done at London, the eleventh day of March, one thousand nine hundred and forty."
The French Commune recognised these aims, although it was not invited to the conference. It also asserted its demands for the return of Nancy, taken in 1921, and Alsace-Lorraine, taken in 1871.
Last edited:
- 1
Revanche! Germania delenda est! The colonies stolen in 1925 will be returned by force! The Entente and the Third Internationale have joined in an unholy coalition to destroy the German Empire and Kaiser Wilhelm II. I highly doubt it will last for long. A great pity about the Netherlands and Poland. The plan to "reclaim the birthright" should be better thought out! Will there be a race for Berlin?
The Communards assure us that they agree with the London Declaration and that a race to Berlin will be unnecessary, whether or not their word can be trusted is a different matter entirely.
Don't worry, I'm cheating a bit and using player-led peace conferences so I don't have to fit my writing around awful border gore and random puppets everywhere.I wouldn't trust a dirty syndicalist.
12 - A Temporary Victory
On the 21st of March 1940 a force of five infantry divisions under General Deverell departed Portsmouth, bound for action on the African front, where French troops had been fighting for several months.
The next day a force of British infantry and marines landed at Wilhelmshaven, capitalising on an earlier small scale landing by Pacific American troops. Upon arrival the brunt of General Ironside's attack was directed at the neighbouring city of Bremen, whose defences were commanded by General Rommel, a veteran infantry officer of the first war. After a short battle, the city fell on the 25th of March.
A stretcher party of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry picks its way through the ruined streets of Bremen
With the capture of Bremen by British troops, the German cruiser SMS Luxembourg was driven out of the port and into the open sea, where she was torpedoed and sunk by aircraft from HMS Ark Royal; Luxembourg was the first German warship sunk by the Royal Navy so far.
On the 27th of March Herbert Samuel's government began putting together plans for a new social market. They realised that the state now ought to play a large part in looking after workers; hopefully that way they could avoid repeating the events that had driven not only the Liberal Party but the entire country and a global empire into oblivion. To revert to the old pre-revolution methods would just be sheer folly. Some Tories decried this as "watered down syndicalism", but the Conservative Party remained generally unpopular with the majority of society.
The new Vickers Venom fighter went into production on the 25th of April, as a replacement for the outdated Gladiators. There were few Hurricanes available, and all the jigs and drawings had been destroyed by the syndicalists, so a new aircraft was needed. The Venom had been in trials since November, and was much faster than its forerunners.
The prototype Venom on trials at Brooklands, January 1940
By the 13th of May 1940, the communard French troops were barely a hundred miles from Berlin, and had already broken into Saxony. It seemed this time round the French doctrine of élan was actually working. Another major war was started as the French Commune declared war against Austria, with its troops continuing straight over the Austro-German frontier when they came to it. The communards announced it sought the dissolution of the Austrian Empire and freedom and self determination for the various peoples it ruled, and they actually disavowed any attempt on their behalf to exert influence in the area. His Majesty's Government expressed interest in assuring this would actually happen, although they declined to declare war on Austria.
Around this time another leap forward was made, with a derivative of the Blenheim light bomber, the Beaufort, entering production. Somewhere between the Blenheim and the Beaufighter, the Beaufort could carry torpedoes and had much better durability than the Blenheim.
By the 6th of June the situation grew worse for Germany, as communard troops had almost reached the British positions in Hanover, cleaving Germany in two and trapping a substantial force in northern Holland. Poland had continued fighting all this time, and syndicalist troops had pushed against the unprepared Austrians, forming an enormous salient in the Sudetenland, that extended almost to the gates of Vienna.
On the 10th Commonwealth and German forces engaged each other at what was later known as the Second Battle of Jutland, with Canadian and British warships engaging a German carrier group off Denmark. The result was a decisive Entente victory, with the RCN suffering the loss of one battleship, a destroyer and a light cruiser, along with several aircraft, against the German casualties of three battleships, a battlecruiser and two of their prized carriers. The Fleet Air Arm also suffered just over thirty aircraft shot down.
The very next day the German Empire formally capitulated to the combined forces of the Entente and the Third Internationale. However, this was not the end, as Wilhelm II fled the country through Austria and Bulgaria, taking with him a government-in-exile, vowing to continue the fight from Africa. The result in Europe was chaos, as Entente and syndicalist troops scrambled for occupation zones. Eventually the communards asserted control over most of Germany, with Britain and Canada controlling the north-west, as well as East Prussia.
Winston Churchill outside the German Chancellery, shortly after the German capitulation; Churchill had made the trip of his own accord, to the annoyance of some ministers; two officers from the French Commune humour the bombastic Churchill, known to make jokes at their expense as well as the Germans'
Even further progress was being made for the RAF, as on the 17th of June the new Gloster Reaper went into production. A squat and somewhat ugly aircraft, it was heavily armed and intended to replace the Beaufighter in the long-range escort and night-fighter roles.
An early production Reaper pictured at RAF Duxford
The 23rd of June 1940 finally saw the return of the bearskins and red tunics at Trooping the Colour. Despite promises from the War Office, the parade in 1939 proceeding in drab No.2 uniform again, but a special effort was made to boost public morale in 1940. Germany had just been defeated, and it seemed appropriate to add a splash of colour to the scene.
His Majesty the King takes the salute on Horse Guards Parade
HM The King in the full parade dress of the Scots Guards, on horseback, accompanied by his brother, HRH the Duke of York
The African front was mostly quiet during autumn; it had slowly developed into a miserable, slogging push across Sub-Saharan Africa, with little progress being made in exchange for heavy casualties on all sides. On the 28th of November 1940, the Spanish Civil War finally ended, with the legitimate government of Spain, the royalists, coming out on top.
On the 21st of March 1940 a force of five infantry divisions under General Deverell departed Portsmouth, bound for action on the African front, where French troops had been fighting for several months.
A stretcher party of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry picks its way through the ruined streets of Bremen
The prototype Venom on trials at Brooklands, January 1940
Winston Churchill outside the German Chancellery, shortly after the German capitulation; Churchill had made the trip of his own accord, to the annoyance of some ministers; two officers from the French Commune humour the bombastic Churchill, known to make jokes at their expense as well as the Germans'
An early production Reaper pictured at RAF Duxford
His Majesty the King takes the salute on Horse Guards Parade
HM The King in the full parade dress of the Scots Guards, on horseback, accompanied by his brother, HRH the Duke of York
Last edited:
- 1
Germany has fallen but the Kaiser fights on from Africa. Technically lorewise, your glorious naval victory over Germany would be the third battle of Jutland because the second battle of Jutland occurred in 1918 when the Germans broke the British blockade of Germany. Glorious revenge. Fortress Warsaw will be relieved I see. Now the situation with the communards...
Yes, this was an alliance of convenience to right old wrongs. But the French and the British have never been easy allies, let alone when they are on different sides of a violent political divide.
They say they're content with the recovery of their stolen lands and the total destruction of their eternal enemy, Germany, but I think Britain may have to intervene in a few places and prop up a few local governments, just to...ease the transition.
Germany, a state that existed for less than a century, is not and was never our eternal enemy. The eternal enemy lies in wait across the channel.
Don't worry, the syndicalists will get what's coming to them, fear not. For now though, Germany and its inherent militarism, the cause of all tension in Europe since 1871, must be crushed once and for all, to allow Europe to live in harmony again.