Confederacy wins war

[Antonio the Sixth]

Also, as for the Confederacy's declaration of war, I think it has more to do with the status of the regime than with its economic situation : the Confederacy is an Italy-like fascist regime with some revanchist and irredentist feelings (mainly toward the border South, WV, KY and MO, they couldn't get after the war). Plus, while the country's economy is weak, its army is still very strong, enough to afford a war against an insufficiently prepared Union.

[Niemeyerite]

I also like this timeline, IL EST PARFAIT =).

[WMS]

*bump*

Now, now, don't feel bad Antonio V, even considering Storebought's constructive criticism, you're still doing better than Harry Turtledove.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I feel really sorry for not having been able to update this TL since half a month. But now things are getting harder for this as University has begun... I sincerey don't know when I will be able to make the first WWII update, but it certainly won't be this week. Sorry again.

[Antonio the Sixth]

All right, this is the best I can do in school time, I hope you won't feel too disappointed for the lack of updates. Anyways, here is one.


World War II begins

While in the USA, support was high for Roosevelt's choice, the country's future had all reasons to appear dark. For the first time since 1867, the Union was preparing to fight on its own territory. For the firts time since 1815, its survival was directly threatened by a foreign country. The counrty, which was hardly recovering from almost one decade of depression, wasn't ready, neither physically nor morally, to fight a similar war. Not only was the Confederate Army far more powerful, prepared and well-conducted than the Union's, which Roosevelt had barely started to mobilize in 1936-37 ; but Confederacy was not the only threat the Union had to face, as in the Pacific, Japan was ensured to make significant gains and could eventually penetrate the continental US territory. Against those enemies, the Union was left alone, knowing that France and England would be too busy fighting against an ultra-powerful Germany to help them.

Hostilities officially began on October 3, 1938. The Confederate army was the first of all armies to start its manoeuvers. Strongly helped, supplied and trained by Germany during the 1930s, its army was since long prepared to a war against the USA, and with an unseen rapidity, invaded the American territory. Confederate military staff, in agreement with political leaders, favored a "blitzkrieg"-type attack (similar to those Germany was planning against France and Poland), which would concentrate the core of troops in the Eastern front. The goal was to take New York the most rapidly possible, and thus to paralyze the Union by neutralizing Federal institutions. One week later, before the US Army had even the time to react to the invasion, Confederates had already taken Washington, the foremer federal capital. A few days later, they conquered Baltimore, threatening Philadelphia. Elsewhere in the continent, there wasn't much movement in the frontline, as Union troops still weren't mobilized at the frontier and Confederate troops were too weak to try an offensive.

On the European front, Germany concentrated its forces against Poland and Scandinavian countries (both of which had remained officially neutral). France and England didn't take advantage of this choice, and instead remained passively waiting for German hostilities : thus this first period was called "drôle de guerre" in France. Meanwhile, Japan had begun to conquer the entire Pacific region, and each day made its army closer to the American West Coast.

In November 1938, "rally around the flag" considerably helped the Populist party to make substantial gains in both Houses, which they already dominated, reducing Republican delegations to 12 (of 68) in the Senate and 41 (of 343) in the House. Roosevelt, realizing the desperate situation of its Army and the direct threat under the Union, took advantage of this supermajority to pass the Exceptional Defense Act : it imposed mandatory conscription and gave the Administration the right to legislate through decree on issues "regarding the defense of national integrity" without the need of a Congress vote for one year. While a couple of radical republican warned against the threat of an authoritarian derive of the power, most Congressmen saw this decision as necessary to ensure the Government's efficiency. However, Roosevelt radically refused to move the Government outside New york, in a safer place in the West or the Midwest, claiming that "a Government can't fight the enemy if it fears it".

With mandatory conscription, the US army strated to grow stronger (despite lack of experience), but meanwhile, by the spring of 1939, Confederates had taken Philadelphia and advance in most of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The US Army was meanwhile advancing in the West, where only a few confederate troops were present, but the Confederacy was gaining ground in te Mindwest, with the goal of taking Chicago.


The frontline as of April 1939.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Good job, Antonio. Next time, I expect a full-scale TL

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

This is very good. Keep it coming!

[Antonio the Sixth]

In Europe, political changes were occurring among alliees. In UK, conservative Winston Churchill took the lead of a national union Government and promised a victory to a desperate country. Germany began its invasion of France in February 1939, and it took only one month to conquer Paris. The Daladier government, still in place at this moment, was forced to sign capitulation and France was put under German military rule. Meanwhile, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe was now totally subjected to Nazis and their allies. UK became the only opponent to Nazi expansion left in Europe, and in the end of 1939 Germany started massive bombing of main British cities.


The end of 1939 saw further gains by the Confederate Army, which expanded its control over Union territories everywhere in the Eastern half of the continent. The US government was more and more worried by Confederate advance, and a feeling of despair spread throughout the country. With Confederate armies now close to New York, fear concerned congressmen and members of the Administration too, while in States of Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, local executives and legislatures were forced to flee in Northern States. The Union Army, weak and ill-experienced, was getting decimated by a German-like confederate Army. The Roosevelt administration, hoping to find some ally, sent a delegation to the Canadian government in order to convince them to mobilize an army (Canada was already supplying the US Army and was ready to let it cross its territory if this happened to be necessary).


The frontline as of December 1939

[Niemeyerite]

Excellent

[Antonio the Sixth]

Good job, Antonio. Next time, I expect a full-scale TL

Oh well, as of now I consider it to be a full-scale TL.

[Antonio the Sixth]

In January 1940, Canada, also encouraged by UK, began to recruit and prepare an army to help the US. These news were met with some hope in New York, but Roosevelt knew that Canada couldn't be the decisive force in such conflict. The Confederate troops were now only a few miles short to New York, and remaining there would put the entire Federal Government in danger. On January 20th, Roosevelt reluctantly accepted to enact a decree moving the Presidency, the administration, the Congress and the Supreme court from New York to Duluth, Minnesota, a place which was seen as out of reach from Confederate armies for at least one year (but with the advantage, essential for troops’ coordination, of not being too far from the main fighting zones). Only in April, while confederate armies had already taken an entire control over Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the Canadian army started to reinforce the US troops fighting in the Eastern theater. At this point, however, a series of "victories" there (meaning that confederate advance was stopped in Northern New Jersey) allied with an effective governmental propaganda ("live free or die", "we shall never surrender", "united we stand" etc were all extremely effective slogans) had caused a major boost in the citizens' morale. People, while aware of the threat, weren't resigned to defeat anymore. In this context, the announcement that the US-Canadian forces had started to push back the confederates in New Jersey was met with enthusiasm (even though territorial gains were in fact modest.

The confederate government, not really surprised by the "Duluth move", had nonetheless continued to put all its efforts in the Eastern theater, hoping that taking NY would undermine the enemy's morale and force to a capitulation. However, they started to realize that the benefits of such strategy had been quite limited : the territory conquered was far inferior to predictions, especially in the Midwest, and New York seemed more and more out of reach. By May 1940, they decided a major strategical change : they started to retreat from their northernmost territory in the Eastern theater in order to solidify their more southern positions. Meanwhile, several regiments affected to this front were reaffected in the Midwest. The goal was to rapidly conquer Illinois, Indiana and Ohio in order to harm the US' industrial potential. That strategy proved to be effective throughout the end of the year, and euphoria rapidly disappeared in the US when the confederate army reached Lake Erie in September.


The frontline as of October 1940.


Finally, 1940 was also supposed to be the year of a Presidential election. Never, however, a presidential election generated less interest than in 1940. With the country being in danger as it had never been, the two parties reached an agreement in favor of national unity. The Republican party didn't run any candidate, and instead endorsed Roosevelt. Similarly, every incumbent for Senate, House and local elections got the endorsement of both parties, and gentleman agreements determined a common candidate in most open races. To replace Vice President William E. Borah, who had died a few months earlier, Roosevelt picked Populist Party's rising star, Henry A. Wallace of Iowa, as his running mate (he refused, as some of his advisors proposed him, to pick a Republican). Obviously, Roosevelt was reelected in a landslide, and despite turnout reached a historical low, Americans in their majority approved this "era of good feelings", as they felt need for national unity in those hard times. In several states occupied by the Confederate Army, electors couldn't be selected through popular vote and were elected by state legislatures "in exile".



Roosevelt : 98%, 411 EVs

[Antonio the Sixth]

No comments ?

[Lief 🗽]

I like it! Keep going.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

I like it! Keep going.

[Niemeyerite]

I like it! Keep going.

[Barnes]

I like it! Keep going.

[Mr. Morden]

What is life like in the Confederate-occupied parts of the Union?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Oh, well, I feel quite reassured now ! Ok, now I promise to stop bothering you with my depressive "is someone following" comments...

What is life like in the Confederate-occupied parts of the Union?

That's an interesting point, and indeed I planned to talk about it in the update right after this one.


The beginning of 1941 saw Germany further increasing its hegemony over Europe. After more than one year of continuous bombings, being the lone opponent to fascism left in Europe, UK couldn't prevent German troops from starting to land in Scotland (the Southern Coast was too heavily protected for a landing). By March, German troops had secured their control over Scotland and Northern England, and were proceeding, directed to London. The Churchill Cabinet was about to collapse, with several prominent leaders asking for peace talks with Britain, but Churchill himself was decided to hold on, and the Parliament couldn’t afford removing its leader in war times. The English Government desperately asked USA and Canada for some help, but both were far busy in fighting Japan and Confederacy.

Roosevelt began his third term in dramatic conditions : while nothing seemed to be able to stop Confederate advance in the Northeast and the Midwest, the Japanese navy was also closer and closer to the West Coast and the Government knew that it was only a question of months before they would land there. The US Army, having for the last two years entirely focused on Confederacy, had never had the possibility to prepare for such an event, so that even major Californian cities were left unprotected from a Japanese advance. From February, panic caused a massive emigration from the coast to the hinterland, and the Government had no mean to control this movement. Meanwhile, the confederate army was now close to Detroit and Chicago, while the US army was still struggling to prevent them from reaching New York.

After a couple of months, by April, while the frontline appeared to be more stable than expected, the first Japanese troops landed near San Francisco, and rapidly the entire Californian coast fell under Japanese control. American troops had barely started to mobilize against the upcoming offensive, so the Japanese could easily advance further east without being stopped. This new threat generated a new wave of panic among the population and the Government, some political leaders even started to discuss privately about negotiating with the enemies. But a closer look to the situation proved that the situation wasn't as desperate as it could have been, and even that America had a few advantages. First of all, its economy was resisting quite well to the situation of war, there wasn't shortage for essential goods and the people's general welfare hadn't diminished substantially. The situation in the confederacy wasn't even close to that : most of people, already in misery, were now suffering from famine and unemployment. The country's enormous military effort had penalized all other aspects of the economy, and the country's diplomatic isolation had prevented it from receiving the resources it would have needed. The confederate Army was strong, but behind it, the whole country was about to collapse. Its war effort was clearly unsustainable. The second advantage was the negligence of Confederacy in protecting its western territories, which by 1941 were entirely under US control. The military leaders had usually considered these areas as useless and chosen to focus on Eastern parts of the country. However, with the Japanese landing, those areas suddenly revealed their strategical importance : had they kept their control, confederates would have easily joined their armies with the Japanese, so that they could reinforce each other. Instead, with the Union controlling them, the two armies were condemned to fight separately a common enemy.

Those two advantages were considerable, but few people were able to see them at this point. Thus, despair reached a new height on June 22nd when, the same day, Confederacy took Detroit and Japan took Portland. This year, the Independence Day was lived with an odd feeling, as if it could be the last time that the Land of the Free would celebrate its independence, as if a 165 years old dream was close to end. Fighting against Japanese armies began later in July, with American troops of the southwestern front meeting the Japanese near the border with Nevada. Used to fight on small islands and in the Ocean, the Japanese weren't experienced in fighting on a mainland, and their advance was stopped rather easily (though the battle was extremely bloody). Throughout August, the frontline was rapidly stabilized, though military experts unanimously considered this situation as extremely precarious.


The frontline as of August 1941.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Epic

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Epic

[Antonio the Sixth]

In the Confederate or in the Japanese zones, life wasn't easy for Americans in occupied territories. In Pennsylvania, Ohio and southern Michigan, the industries of the Manufacturing Belt were mobilized to support Confederate military forces. Populations were regularly victims of violence, pillages and military oppression. As they were left to their own devices by the government, most of them suffered from hunger. However, all being considered, their fate wasn't much worse of the population of Confederacy itself, who, as said previously, also knew famine and poverty. As usual in those cases, a few of them collaborated with the occupant, while the vast majority remained passive. Japanese were also ruthless, and the fate of West Coast inhabitants (at least those who hadn't already fled) was similar to that of Chinese on the other side of the Pacific. As for Confederate territories occupied by Union soldiers, they were only sparsely populated.

England was meanwhile employing all its remaining forces to survive. Despair was giving Britons even more energy to fight, and while Hitler had planned to take London by the half of 1941, Germany had only made few progresses by the end of the year. Meanwhile, resistance in occupied zones was rapidly developing, in Great Britain and in France most notably. They proved to be extremely effective in guerrilla tactics, so that some territories became resistant strongholds.

From August to November, the frontline didn't move much in the United States, neither against Confederates nor the Japanese. In some way, this lack of changes was good for the American people's morale, as the Confederate advance was seen as unstoppable until then. Harsh fights were occurring between US/Canadian troops and Confederates in the Great Lakes region (they tried several times to penetrate in Ontario and were each time pushed back by Canadians), and in Chicago's suburbs, but the highest losses were on the Confederate side, and disorganization or even mutinies weakened an usually very disciplined army. In November, USA and Canada slowly began to reconquer some territory. Two months later, for Christmas, Americans could celebrate the liberation of Detroit, while Chicago seemed more and more out of reach. Meanwhile, the opposite dynamic was occurring on the Japanese side, and by the time Americans had made those modest conquests in the Midwest, Japan had considerably advanced in Nevada and Southwest territories.

In early 1942, military leaders and members of the staff began a series of meetings initiated by the Administration, with the goal of redefining the entire American strategy. Rapidly, two key questions where asked : Among the two enemies, which represents a greater threat to the country's integrity ? And which is the most likely to be defeated in the shortest time, if the troops focused on fighting against it ? To those two questions, after weeks of debates, military officials gave the same answer : the Confederacy. The Confederacy threatened the country's economical hearts of New York and Chicago, and controlled the manufacturing Belt, and essential element of power for the country. But the Confederacy had also shown the first signs of weakness, whereas the Japanese army seemed more compact and hard to defeat. Those two answers led to one clear conclusion : the strategical interest of the USA was to concentrate most of its military power against the Confederacy, even if that meant conceding land to the Japanese. Roosevelt had difficulties to accept this strategy, which appeared risky and raised many ethical questions. But it's war advisors convinced him that it was the only viable solution. So, beginning in January 1942, a great part of US troops in the Japanese front were moved to fight the Confederacy, and the significant advances that were realized in this month convinced the US leaders that they had made the right choice.


The frontline as of February 1942.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

This is awesome. Keep it coming!

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

We (the United States) better not lose.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

The thing I'm most interested in is whether or not an atomic bomb will be dropped on American soil, and which side will use it!

[Antonio the Sixth]

Sorry for the long delay but in those times several things keep me busy. I hope I'll start writing a bit faster in one week or so.


Hope comes back

As of February 1942, Germany was experiencing its first defeats since the beginning of the war, due to a desperate but resolute British army. The British fleet, meanwhile, was more or less managing to supply the country with basic goods, allowing the country to avoid a famine. German leaders were frustrated to encounter there more resistance than anywhere else in Europe, but the persevered, considering the Britain campaign as a mere formality necessary to end the war. Meanwhile, in the East, decisive changes were occuring. While Trotsky had worked to keep his country out of the "capitalist war", the unavoidable-looking Axis victory appeared more and more worrying for the USSR. Both Germany and Japan seemed more and more to be longing to put Russia under their influence. By 1941, with Japan controlling the entire Pacific and Germany almost all Europe, it was clear that USSR was the next target on the list. Thus, Trotsky was since one year considering an intervention against the Axis, and secretly preparing his Red Army for that.

The offensive began in March 1942, with the Red Army invading German-occupied Poland and Ostland (ie Baltic States). The war, extremely popular in the country, was easily justified by ideological reasons. Sovietic advance, unstoppable in the first few days, was however rapidly contained by German troops, which had remained mobilized in the region (as proved the documents later discovered, Germany was indeed preparing to invade the USSR as soon as they would have finished with UK). However, Germany was caught by surprise and this re-appearing eastern front prevented it to concentrate all its potential against Britain. As a result, both Britons and Russians were starting to make small progresses throughout 1942. As for Japan, while it officially declared war to the USSR, it was too busy on the American front to actually fight.

The year 1942 saw a wave of optimism never seen before in the USA. Americans were consolidating their gains against the Confederacy, with each day bringing some good news from this battleground. Unable to hold on its conquests or to organize a counterattack, the Confederate Army seemed exhausted by more than 3 years of fights. By March, the US-Canadian forces had taken back Cleveland. Two months later, Philadelphia, one of the cities which had been held by Confederates for the longest time, fell too, soon followed by Cincinnati and Indianapolis. Soon after, for the first time since 1940, the US army of the eastern front could meet with the Midwesterners, re-establishing the contiguity of the US-controlled territory. Meanwhile, Western troops were entering in Texas and Oklahoma, where they were usually welcomed as saviors by the population. The once indestructible enemy, the threat to American Freedom, for the first time of the conflict clearly appeared as the weaker of the two belligerents. The Japanese advance too, which peaked in March, started to diminish in following months. The Japanese clearly hadn't the means to fight for the control of the territories they had conquered, and they were soon forced to retreat. Everywhere in the world, things were starting to look brighter for the Allies.


The frontline as of June 1942.