POD 1: A Man Dies, and the World Changes
The Incumbent President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Dies. He dies of a heart attack, while playing a game of chess with his close friend. The doctors are unable to save him. John Nance Garner, becomes the interim President, as the Elections close in. Roosevelt, well, the Democrats now, were primed to win the Election for President, but, a large faction of the Democrats, aided by people such as Charles Lindbergh, and other proponents for keeping America in America and out of Europe, were fighting against the more militarist stance of the mainline Democrats. Eventually, the Race is won, and President Garner is replaced by President Wallace. President Wallace would be faced with a hostile House, Senate, and even party, and he would be unable to get nearly anything done. The Peace Faction of the Democrats, as they were called at the time, pulled back on the lend lease agreements, and fought hard in the senate and house, to keep American labor in America, and to keep the United States out of the war. One of the ways they did this was by pulling back on the tariffs against Japan, ending what could have led to a large-scale trade war between the two nations, and some even argue, it could have led to an actual war. This, causes Japan, to never attack pearl harbor, and, for the USA, to never get involved in the war, either in europe, or in asia, past the former Lend Lease agreements. America never sends men overseas, and as such, by the spring of ‘44, the USSR Falls to the German War Machine. Britain survives the war, signing an armistice with Germany in ‘47. And with that, Europe is at peace. But, not the peace we know. This is Germany’s Peace.
POD 2: The Bear Falls, and the Eagle and Sun Rise
With the creation of the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931, and the creation of the Puppet state of Manchukuo, in 1934, Japan and the USSR now had a shared border, across the Far East, and Mongolia. During the time between 1934, and 1941, border skirmishes, and small battles would frequently occur across these borderlands, with each side attempting to gain the upper hand over the other.
The Second Russo-Japanese War/Soviet-Japanese War of 1939
In 1939, this erupted into a full scale war, with Premier Joseph Stalin claiming that he was utilizing the Soviet Red Army, in a military operation to “Aid the Chinese Republicans, against the Japanese Imperialist Aggressors” and to “Liberate the Common Worker, Laborer, and Peasant, of China.” Soviet Troops would then begin to move across the Border, marching from Vladivostok, and Siberian Garrisons, into Korea, and Manchukuo. Unfortunately, most of these soldiers were poorly equipped, and even more poorly trained, as they began to face the more hardened, better trained and equipped, Japanese Soldiers.
Soon after, in 1941, after a two year long struggle in Northern China, and the Japanese taking of the port of Vladivostok, the German Reich invaded. In a year, they had blasted past Kyiv and the Ukrainian Front, Siberian Front, and North Western Front were quickly crumbling to the German and Japanese war machines, as the Soviet state was unable to fight a war on two fronts. In 1942, they would sign an armistice with Japan, giving up territory in the far east, and most importantly, their access to the Pacific with the port city of Vladivostok. This Territory would soon be reorganized into the Japanese Protectorate of the Republic of Siberia. A Japanese Puppet State, within Russia.
It would, however be better luck, to be a Russian in the Far East, than it would be in the West. As by 1944, the German War machine, and its erstwhile allies, had taken the City of Leningrad, as well as encircling, and besieging Moscow. Premier Joseph Stalin, was believed to have died during the siege.
Beria’s Terror
However, several members of the Soviet Government did manage to flee over the Ural Mountains, now trapped. With the Fascists to their West, and the Imperialists to their East. It was then, that Lavrentiy Beria, Stalin’s Executioner, made his move. He attempted to consolidate power around himself using the NKVD, he attempted to black mail, threaten, and force, several soviet Generals, to swear allegiance to him.
Until, in 1947, a young Dmitry Yazov, found his way to him, and left him a kind note, of a knife in his ankle, and a bullet in his head. The Young Man, having posed as a serving boy within Beria’s Manor House in the new Soviet Capital of Tyumen, had acquired a revolver, a few bullets, and a steak knife, and had set out to murder the man, supposedly, for killing a close childhood friend before the war, that Yazov took personally, and set out to kill the man who he believed responsible.
After he did his deed, Yazov fled the city, eventually, making his way back west, and joining, what would eventually become, one of the largest Anti-German Partisan Groups in Western Russia, The All-Russian League of Resistance.
Red Army High Command
With Beria dead, the threats ceased to exist, and the Soviet Generals began infighting. A few, such as Budyonny, Zhukov, Voroshilov, and others, decided to put aside their grievances with one another, and face the true threat. They united to form a co-equal council, dubbed “The Central Commissariat for the Reclamation of the Motherland'' or, more commonly known, as either Red Army High Command by the common people, or the C.C.R.M. by outside governments and organizations.
However, further east, past the Red Army High Command’s reach, are remnants of the White Russians, Russian Fascists, Monarchs, Republicans, and others, flocking to the Japanese Banner, to be rid, of the Soviet Remnants from their homeland. But, they are nought but a Japanese Puppet.
"A Different War, 1955"
The world is split into 3.
In Europe, the Iron Pakt, led by Germany, stands tall over Europe. Holding sway over the lives of millions, as the Fascist State expands. But, not without problems. The SS fights with the central government, and the Wehrmacht, and Hitler is on his deathbed. In Asia, the East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere, headed by Japan, holds sway. China has fallen to the Tokyo backed Government, and the Warlords are being brought to heel, as Post Soviet Warlords in Siberia, aid the Japanese Advance into Russia, hoping that Japan will aid them, in a crusade against the Nazis
Americas
In the Americas, relatively untouched by war, sits the "Mutual Defence Treaty Organization" or, the Panama Organization, as it is called in shorthand, due to the Treaty of Panama, being the articles that brought this two continent spanning Alliance into effect.Europe
Britain, Ireland, and the Boot of Italy, stand as the last vestiges of a free Europe. Italy, having undergone a civil war in the early 50s, was overtaken by the Nazi Reich, with the Royal Family fleeing to Africa, and joining the Free French, in their opposition to the Nazis.Arabia
In Arabia, the Hashemite Kingdoms, seeing the turmoil to their north, and to their east, joined together in the early 50s, uniting Arabia together, into an Arab Federation. A year after it was formed, it invited a newly independent Syria to join its Federation. And a year after that, Yemen and Oman. followed by the UAE and Qatar after that. They fought a 3 year war with the Saudis, to control the Hejaz region of Arabia. Leading the house of Saud to become bitter, and, to get their revenge, they signed a deal with the Fascists in Germany. Oil, for guns, tanks, and planes. The house of Saud, is preparing for war.Africa
Following the near total collapse of French and British rule in Africa, Portugal took the opportunity to sweep up most of the center of the continent, along with the lion's share of the Congo. though, eventually, the situation stabilized, as Colonial Governors in West Africa, both French and British, combined their powers, to unite in a coequal confederation. as well at the time, Egypt, managed to wrest control from the British, taking Sudan and Palestine with them. The UKA, is currently engaged in disputes with Egypt over the status of Palestine, and war might just break out...Italy
In 1950, the Italians would start a civil war, with the Liberals and Monarchists rising up in rebellion against the Fascist Party. The United States would secretly aid the Rebels, passing along weapons, and giving support. By 1952, the Rebels had secured the whole south in their control, and by ‘53, the Civil war was a stalemate. In the war, the Nazis had moved in on the North, and made it their vassal. The King of Italy and what remained of his parliament, feld south, to their colony in Libya.The Democratic Split
In 1949, there would be a split in the Democratic Party, between the “Dove Democrats”, and the “Hawk Democrats” often also called the “Kennedy Democrats”. With D-Massachusetts Senator John F Kennedy, supposedly on orders by his father, J. P. Kennedy Sr., would put forward a bill, to strengthen the United States Army and Navy, in 1945, a year before the Armistice agreement with the German Reich and Japan. The bill would be hotly debated, before finally being put down in the house, by Dove Democrats in 1948. This would, however, lead to a several year internal split within the Democratic Party, aided by the Pro-Military Republican Party, having drifted from their stance of Isolationism during the War. Some say that J. P. Kennedy Sr. was colluding with House and Senate Republicans, to aid the Democratic Party Split, however, such rumors are just that, baseless rumors.
The American Iron Scare
In 1949, the Democratic Senator from Missouri, Harry S. Truman, and Wisconsin Republican, Senator Joseph McCarthy, came in front of the US Senate Security Committee, with a list. On the list were a large number of names of Supposed German Spies, within the United States. Among them: were leading Klansmen, State level government officials, members of the United States Military, business leaders, and others. This lead to a 5 year witch hunt, dubbed by the press, as the “Iron Scare”. This lead to the US Government, banning the American Fascist Party, in 1951, and the creation of a new House Un-American Activities Committee, whose sole purpose was to find the leading members of these groups, and put them on trial. This lead to “American Fascist Organizations” such as the German-American Bund, the Ku Klux Klan, and others being banned, and their assets seized by Federal, State, County, and City Governments. Notorious Fascist Writers and speakers, were also arrested and put on trial, such as Father Charles Coughlin in 1952, William Dudley Pelley in 1952, the Canadian “journalist” Adrien Arcand in 1951, he would later be extradited to Canada in ‘53, having fled there in late ‘39 to avoid allegations of treason and several felony charges.
Germany’s Damned Dams
With the end of the 2nd World war in 1947, the German War Machine finally ground to a halt. With the exception of the far east territories of the reich, Germany was now at peace. However, that brought problems. German cities were now being flooded by hordes of now unemployed men. And the Government was all but hopeless to stop it.Unless….
In 1948, plans were drawn up, lands purchased, and supplies readied. Hitler would begin the greatest engineering challenge known to man. He and his German Reich, would dam the Mediterranean. Creating hundreds of miles of fresh, arable land to farm, and settle. Gibraltar had been seized by the Spanish near the end of the war, and the German Friendly regime in Madrid, cowed to Hitler’s demands to begin construction. Nearly overnight, hundreds of thousands of German Soldiers turned laborers flooded over the new German-Spanish border, on hundreds of trains. Following them was millions, and millions of tons of concrete, iron, and other materials. And behind them… were the slaves. Slavs, Jews, Roma, and Political dissidents. All of them were sent over to Spain behind the German Workers. All of them, sent on a doomed mission, to dam an ocean.
When American Scientists, economists, and engineers heard of this outrageous plan to dam an ocean, they said it could never be done, and that the death toll for this project would be in the Hundreds of Thousands, if not Millions. And yet. The German Machine of industry marches on.