The Butterfly Effect: A British AAR

[El Pip]

It was also pretty vital to be one if you wanted to get onto the board of the bank of England. And most people did want to get on the board.

There's actually three different types of banker and man of finance at the time (mostly holding true to today): the become obscenely wealthy people, the city grandees who want honours and a ton of retirement boards and Quangos, and the City grandees, meaning City of London hierarchy, who want to get on the various Courts and become Lord Mayor.

Pretty much this, the last two categories can be blurry but there is a sharp divide between them and the first category. The divide is one of motivation not outcome or skill, some City Grandees were obscenely wealthy and some of the scrabblers who prioritised only money ended up bankrupt, often because they had tried to ignore politics.

Hence the interest in a series of 'leaguless' post war treaties, I suppose. More stuff needs to get resolved now rather than later.

But the resolutions are hard, unless you have the stomach for a lot of 'population transfers' and other unpleasantries, which the Soviets absolutely did.

Fascist thinking hasn't covered itself with honours so far TTL. Mussolini ruined Italy for a few decades. Germany has accomplished some internal short term progress and a lot of rearmenant but at the cost of midterm Catastrophe without a massive looting war or bakruptcy.

Outside looking in, the third way doesn't look quite so food for thought as OTL 1937/8.

Indeed, it will not surprise you there is a chapter brewing on this very subject.

Problen with Hungary from the Nazi perspective is they want a bit too much land in areas we want, and their other claims are also complicated because there's some Germans there as well.

Compared to Bulgaria which wants majority Bulgar regions, Macedonia (which at the time can be argued to be majority Bulgar) and Istanbul. Even their maximalist claims for the Thracian coastline and an adriatic connection at the expense of southern Albania aren't difficult. And none of it is actually land we want or claim.

This is entirely true, yet I still maintain Hungary ended up being the better wartime ally for Germany. Bulgaria never actually declared war on the Soviet Union, kept finding excuses not to co-operate with Germany and then ended up trying to quit the war early and declare neutrality. They made a very small contribution to garrisoning Yugoslavia and some of the bits of Greece they occupied, but that was about it. The only land battles Bulgaria fought in the war were after it had switched sides and was fighting against Germany, this is not a sign of a good ally.

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

this is not a sign of a good ally.

A sign of good sense though.

 

[Killerduck]

I wish Chrome remembered my half written longer response...

Anyway, informative and interesting as usual. Many new stuff about Danzig I didn't know, and many stuff about Poland that I half known - they seem in character. Interwar Poland did suffer from main character syndrome, most of their schemes can be plausible only in HoI4.

And possible German-Polish axis sounds fun. New Entente always seemed incompatible with French plans for long and defensive war - if Germans are battering at Poland France cannot wait to fully mobilise and rearm, they are essentially forced into WW1 strategy but with much weaker eastern ally.

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

I wish Chrome remembered my half written longer response...

Anyway, informative and interesting as usual. Many new stuff about Danzig I didn't know, and many stuff about Poland that I half known - they seem in character. Interwar Poland did suffer from main character syndrome, most of their schemes can be plausible only in HoI4.

And possible German-Polish axis sounds fun. New Entente always seemed incompatible with French plans for long and defensive war - if Germans are battering at Poland France cannot wait to fully mobilise and rearm, they are essentially forced into WW1 strategy but with much weaker eastern ally.

You can manually save your drafts using the post save function.

 

[Lord Durham]

I am just pleased that you are making the attempt. As it happens there is a summary post produced by @TheButterflyComposer which should help in getting you somewhat up to date, you can consider him to be my Boswell in this regard; The TBC Unofficial Summary Post

The TBC Unofficial Summary Post is a great reference. You should consider adding it to your first post index for those readers who may want to jump on board.

I agree with the Wraith interpretation obviously. There will never be any more detail than that, but it was such a huge factor in Nazi thinking and how they measured 'success' or not that you have to very cautiously brush up against the issue every now and then.

I can agree with @Wraith11B's interpretation, too. But I also thank @TheExecuter for pointing it out. Rules like this are important, especially as the Powers That Be above my pay grade can get pretty ornery, considering today's antisemitic climate.

Anyway, good post, El P.

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

The TBC Unofficial Summary Post is a great reference. You should consider adding it to your first post index for those readers who may want to jump on board.

It remains out of date, but I'm sure it'll get updated at some point in the indeterminate future.

 

[Wraith11B]

It remains out of date, but I'm sure it'll get updated at some point in the indeterminate future.

A very @El Pip way of thinking... One that he would definitely approve of.

 

[El Pip]

Good day to everyone. I don't want to start spreading unnecessary panic or alarm, but there is a very real risk that the next chapter may well emerge soon and, far more seriously, be topical. Normally I watch real life events race past as the chapter slowly comes together, but it appears the dark stars are suitably aligned and this may not be the case.

I do wish to stress it is still possible the last few bits of the chapter will take ages and the danger is averted, but I feel it wise to issue the warning as a precaution.

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

Good day to everyone. I don't want to start spreading unnecessary panic or alarm, but there is a very real risk that the next chapter may well emerge soon and, far more seriously, be topical. Normally I watch real life events race past as the chapter slowly comes together, but it appears the dark stars are suitably aligned and this may not be the case.

I do wish to stress it is still possible the last few bits of the chapter will take ages and the danger is averted, but I feel it wise to issue the warning as a precaution.

A mixture of trouble with tariffs, trouble in the Pacific, trouble in Russia, trouble in the US, and trouble with British Steel?

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

Bearing in mind that this is THE AAR which is slower than RL, we are used to wait, mighty Pip.

In any case and keeping in mind good old Allenby, if you happen to keep us waiting too long, you know the drill... the Tower awaits...

 

[Cromwell]

Good day to everyone. I don't want to start spreading unnecessary panic or alarm, but there is a very real risk that the next chapter may well emerge soon and, far more seriously, be topical. Normally I watch real life events race past as the chapter slowly comes together, but it appears the dark stars are suitably aligned and this may not be the case.

I do wish to stress it is still possible the last few bits of the chapter will take ages and the danger is averted, but I feel it wise to issue the warning as a precaution.

You heard him lads, that's a cast iron promise of an update by the end of play tomorrow! Hurrah! Topical eh? I hope it isn't about cup difficulties for Birmingham City...

 

[Wraith11B]

Possibly something about an American populist discussing things about which he knows not?

If my maths are correct, eight more to go to find out!

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

Is the TTL pope dying? The German economy/government in crisis? Have the tory party collapsed and look set to die out? An insane South African destroyed another nation? Birmingham's gone bankrupt? Dick Van Dyke stars in a hit film? A sex scandal in the Church (any of them)?

 

[RobbieAB]

Is the TTL pope dying? The German economy/government in crisis? Have the tory party collapsed and look set to die out? An insane South African destroyed another nation? Birmingham's gone bankrupt? Dick Van Dyke stars in a hit film? A sex scandal in the Church (any of them)?

So many topical events to choose from! So many great options to fuel a wander of into another strange and weird corner of history!

 

[El Pip]

A mixture of trouble with tariffs, trouble in the Pacific, trouble in Russia, trouble in the US, and trouble with British Steel?

Yes.

Bearing in mind that this is THE AAR which is slower than RL, we are used to wait, mighty Pip.

In any case and keeping in mind good old Allenby, if you happen to keep us waiting too long, you know the drill... the Tower awaits...

The fate of Allenby is indeed a warning to us all.

You heard him lads, that's a cast iron promise of an update by the end of play tomorrow! Hurrah! Topical eh? I hope it isn't about cup difficulties for Birmingham City...

Naturally my first thought was about metal workers producing drinking cups, but I believe you are referring to association football. Wikipedia informs me that Birmingham City did indeed have a bad season and go out in the first round of the cup they played, one can assume that still occurs.

Possibly something about an American populist discussing things about which he knows not?

If my maths are correct, eight more to go to find out!

America is involved somewhat, but not for populist reasons or indeed anything they directly do.

Is the TTL pope dying? The German economy/government in crisis? Have the tory party collapsed and look set to die out? An insane South African destroyed another nation? Birmingham's gone bankrupt? Dick Van Dyke stars in a hit film? A sex scandal in the Church (any of them)?

Yes (it's the same OTL pope who spent ages being horribly unwell, one for later though).
Yes (as always).
No.
No. But perhaps a look at what Hertzog and Co are doing now they are out of power should be on the list.
No. Very much the opposite if anything.
No. Still at school.
Yes. The German Catholic church is still being investigated under the Nazi "Immorality Trials" about the systematic abuse of children, which the Bishops admitted they knew about and covered up.

So many topical events to choose from! So many great options to fuel a wander of into another strange and weird corner of history!

Indeed, actually trying to be topical looks exhausting!

Right now I am now wondering if I can work in something on drinking cups and the Birmingham metallic tableware industry. Something about electroplated Britannia metal vs EPNS in the context of nickel availability and strategic metal imports. Not sure there is enough in it, but maybe.

 

[Killerduck]

After carefully checking number of posts per page I deduced it is still safe to comment, so - Huzzah, it returns!

During hiatus I had lots of semirelated questions (well, completely unrelated to story but related to UK) but didn't want to necro the thread.

Good thing I forgot them all, it would be quite a chore to type up.

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

Right now I am now wondering if I can work in something on drinking cups and the Birmingham metallic tableware industry. Something about electroplated Britannia metal vs EPNS in the context of nickel availability and strategic metal imports. Not sure there is enough in it, but maybe.

No. Very much the opposite if anything.

Here's your through line.

No. Still at school.

Creeping up on us though. Much like David Attenborough or, in his time, Bruce Forsyth. Just someone who is always there if you pick a year after the 1930s.

3 to go. Going to make it before Good Friday now.

 

[RobbieAB]

Here's your through line.



Creeping up on us though. Much like David Attenborough or, in his time, Bruce Forsyth. Just someone who is always there if you pick a year after the 1930s.

3 to go. Going to make it before Good Friday now.

Random thought: What does it say about us that we call fridays the financial markets collapsed “Black Friday”, but the day we murdered God “Good Friday”?

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

Random thought: What does it say about us that we call fridays the financial markets collapsed “Black Friday”, but the day we murdered God “Good Friday”?

Because we were supposed to murder God, he told us to do it, and it ended up saving the entire human race for all time eternally, so the doctrine goes.

The stock market collapsing on the other hand wasn't part of any plan, screwed up everything, and ended up aiding the rise of the secular version of the Antichrist.

Anyone thinking of entering this debate better be quick, and succinct, for we only have one post to go.

 

[Wraith11B]

Well then, for the love of the God, @El Pip , save us all!