Shattered World -
A Worse World War: Part 25
The False Calm
November 18th 1943 to May 13th 1944
November 18th 1943
The Kriegsmarine commissions its third Reich Class super battleship. The
'Fatherland' is widely reguarded as the deadliest warship ever, outclassing
every other battleship in the world. The Royal Navy has been expanding to
keep pace with the Germans and now has 50% more heavy warships than it had
in 1935. Despite 5 years of German naval expansion, the Royal Navy still
outnumbers the Kriegsmarine by about 7 to 1. Germany's only naval advantage
is in its large and advanced U-boat fleet which now numbers over 200.
November 24th 1943
In field trials, the new U.S. Pershing tank so impresses Patton that the
eccentric general demands its immediate mass production in the presence of
Roosevelt who agrees with the caustic general. Large scale production is
set to begin in 44 or 45. The Pershing is the only western model in development
that can challenge current generation German models.
Tank development is a year or two ahead of of OTL thanks to the Eurasian
war which raged for 4 years and involved huge tank battles. Also, the war
started a year earlier than OTL WWII.
December 13th 1943
In Armenia widespread anti-Turkish unrest erupts into outright revolt. Turkish
forces in the area come under attack and many Turkish occupation authorities
are captured or killed by the Armenian rebels.
December 17th 1943
Turkish forces, with German air support, begin to press into the areas of
Armenia in rebellion, burning and looting as they move.
December 20th 1943
British and Italian soldiers fire at each other across the Libyan-Egyptian
border. Both sides accuse the other of forcing the incident but the exchange
of fire is contained and does not escalate. Tensions between Britain and
Italy rise over the incident.
December 25th 1943
In what becomes known as the "Christmas day massacre" Turkish forces surround
and slaughter around 700 Armenian civilians who the Turks claim were "rebels
and terrorists". Word of the event only got out because a western news reporter
was in the vicinity.
December 27th 1943
The Armenian revolt comes to an end and the Turks begin a period of harsh
reprisals.
January 12th 1944
The Turks begin to construct a series of forced labor camps across Armenia
in which "undesirable" Armenians will be isolated from the general population.
German SS and Gestapo advisers are aiding the Turks in this program.
January 22nd 1944
In China, Chiang Kai-shek announces the destruction of "organized communism"
in China, though in reality communist guerillas remain scattered around rural
China. Japan, meanwhile, continues to press its campaign in northern China,
carving out deep chunks of territory.
February 2nd 1944
In Los Alamos, New Mexico, U.S. scientists working for the Dover Project
succeed in creating a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction for the first
time. It is the first step towards the creation of an atomic weapon. An effective
'Atom Bomb' is still two to four years away according to the project's leaders,
given current funding levels.
February 15th 1944
The Royal Navy captures a German spy vessel operating off Scapa Flow and
detains the crew. Germany, claiming the craft was a mere fishing vessel,
angrily condemns the act and demands the return of the ship and the crew.
March 3rd 1944
Germany's first regular 24-hour-a-day TV broadcast service launches with
the opening day of 'Reich Television'. The station broadcasts state news,
propaganda, and public information to Berlin's few operating television sets.
There have been regular broadcasts in England and the U.S. for several years
already. There are less than 20,000 television sets in the world, most of
these in the U.S.
March 8th 1944
Argentina, now firmly fascist, openly announces its intention to join the
Axis Powers. The U.S. and the Alliance immediately respond, threatening to
embargo all trade, freeze Argentinian assets, and break off diplomatic relations.
Argentina, having underestimated the reaction to its announcement, publicly
backs down but secretly begins talks with Germany.
March 12th 1944
Argentina and Peru, both fascist, sign a sweeping series of economic and
military agreements, forming the South American Fascist Block, or SAFB. Both
Argentina and Peru are secretly gearing up for major military buildups, with
much of the equipment coming on credit from Germany. German military advisors
have been entering the two SAFB nations for several months now. Germany's
interests in South America are purely opurtunistic - German bombers operating
out of Peruvian airfields could attack the Panama Canal and U-boats out of
Argentina could aid in plans to cripple shipping in the Atlantic.
April 2nd 1944
Germany brings together several of its leading scientists to head an atomic
research project, this following news of the U.S. success at creating a nuclear
chain reaction. The German effort is very much in its infancy and is at least
two years behind the U.S. program, and less well funded.
April 27th 1944
An uprising begins in Ethiopia against Italian authority. Britain begins
making plans to covertly support the Ethiopian rebellion.
May 2nd 1944
First shipments of modern British rifles and other light equipment begin
to arrive in Ethopia. Italy protests the British action and the British deny
everything, claiming the weapons are black market contraband coming out
of South Africa. The lie is plausible and so Italy can do nothing more than
protest. The Axis Powers arn't going to war over a rebellion in Ethiopia.
May 7th 1944
Several members of the British parliament are arrested after being accused
of conspiring against the Crown in a fascist plot. The trumped up charges
will later be dropped due to lack of any evidence, but the parliament members
are forced to retire. Anti-fascist sentiment in Britain and France is higher
than ever.
May 13th 1944
The Luftwaffe downs a British airplane over the North Sea to the outrage
of the British. However, since the aircraft was a spy plane operating in
German airspace just as the Germans claimed, the British don't care to press
the issue. Germany gives photographs of wreckedge from the downed plane to
western news agencies as proof of the incident, scoring a propaganda victory
over the Alliance. The incident serves to raise tensions in western Europe.
To Be Continued...
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