Excerpts from British newspapers on the last day of March, 1946:
"...the rain of destruction continued yesterday with a reported 38 missile impacts across southern England. London again suffered the most, with 24 impacts spread seemingly at random across the city..."
"...the casualty toll from the latest blitz of steel now stands at 3,456 in the past ten days, with the total since the beginning of the war estimated at 478,000 persons wounded,killed, or missing across southern England..."
"...Free French forces in Tunisia continued to hold on their vaunted Mareth Line, the Italians seemingly unable to breach its defenses or unwilling to expend the blood necessary to do so...De Gaulle continues to request massive aid from His Majesty's government in the form of loans for the improvement of North African infrastructure as well as arms to equip her tens of thousands of displaced and idle soldiers..."
"...sketchy reports from inside Hitler's Third Reich continue to speak of indescribable horror in occupied Poland...mass killings and the uprooting of entire families is believed to be shockingly common...a growing use of slavery is a constant claim coming from our various sources in the tortured region...the Free Polish government in London continues to rail against what it terms 'the complete and utter annihilation of the Polish people and culture from the face of the Earth..."
"...a destroyer of His Majesty's Royal Navy was reported lost yesterday due to enemy action...the 'Miracle of the Marne' was reportedly struck by an Italian torpedo and sunk within minutes...there are no known survivors..."
"...rumours of a possible shoot down of a German fighter over Ireland were explained today by His Majesty's Royal Air Force...at 10:08 AM local time a Spitfire of the Royal Air Force crashed while on training maneuvers thirty miles south of Dublin...the pilot ejected and was discovered several hours later, having suffered only minor bruises and scratches..."
"...Tensions remained high in Egypt along the heavily fortified frontier with Italy's Libya...several protests by Egyptian Nationalists in Cairo ended with the arrests of nine possible terrorists...clashes between Jews and Arabs in Palestine again resulted in several injuries..."
"..the governor of Singapore today hailed the completion of the latest radar defense installations as 'a major step forward in ensuring the safety of His Majesty's far eastern possessions'...the governor was cheered by many thousands as Meteor Jet fighters flew low over those assembled..."
"...in Canada, Australia, India and South Africa the number of new recruits continues to swell...young men from across the British Empire continue to heed the call to arms in our time of national emergency...in every corner of the world the Union Jack flies proudly, and His Majesty's government can count on the support of its vast and populous Empire..."
April 1st 1946 to July 14th 1946
April 1st 1946
Mussolini gives final authorization for the invasion of Greece. The campaign is set to commence on April 3rd. In the North, Germany has been massing forces in southern Norway for a summer push against the north of that besieged country.
In Poland, the final date for the expulsion of Slavs is reached. In the Ukraine and the eastern reaches of the Greater German Reich millions of Slavic refugees are huddled in massive and squalid camps, where Soviet agents have already begun the task of fomenting radical socialism among the masses of homeless Poles. Poland itself is now a vast empty wasteland, some parts almost completely depopulated. Trainloads of Germanic settlers are already arriving, containing Germanic peoples from across the Reich seeking land grants and low interest settlement loans to start a new life in the new 'eastern living space'.
April 3rd 1946
Italian, Bulgarian, and Turkish troops cross the frontier into Greece on their respective fronts. A surge of Luftwaffe aircraft overwhelm the Greek air force as well as RAF units in the theatre. Stukas and Arado jet bombers, protected by waves of Axis fighters of all types, hammer Greek and British troops as well as industrial and transportation targets. A2b and A3 ballistic missiles, launched from Bulgaria and Italian Albania, hit Athens and other large Greek cities. On the ground Italian and British resistance is fierce and well executed. At the end of the day Axis forces have made little progress on the ground in spite of Axis air superiority.
April 6th 1946
Italian forces have made some progress in their thrust from Italian Albania but the Turkish and Bulgarian offensives have been soundly repulsed, allowing Alliance forces to concentrate against the Italian attack. Axis aircraft, led by the Luftwaffe, continue to maintain air superiority in the region although the Greek air force and RAF are stubbornly resisting against overwhelming odds, and indeed maintaining an even ratio of aircraft and pilot losses despite being outnumbered and outgunned.
April 10th 1946
German forces in southern Norway launch a new offensive into the central part of that country, bolstered by panzergrenadiers fresh from Germany as well as a bulked-up Luftwaffe presence. The Norwegians are well entrenched and supported by British veterans of the hard fighting in the Low Countries. German gains in the first day are modest.
April 14th 1946
In Greece the Turkish and Bulgarian offensives have been utterly repulsed by determined Greek defenders. The Italian invasion in the western part of Greece had been more successful, having driven over 20 kilometers into Greece through rough terrain and stubborn Greek and British defenders. Greek resistance in the west is stiffening as more troops are transferred from the eastern half of the country.
April 17th 1946
In the Ukraine and the eastern frontier of the Greater German Reich the SS and Gestapo begin a campaign of terror within the sprawling new refugee camps there. Any Poles in the camps suspected of being tied to socialist or rebel elements are to be summarily executed. Himmler orders the SS to begin constructing a new series of concentration camps to deal with 'suspect Poles'.
April 20th 1946
British troops, as well as Indian and South African(from Kenya) forces, arrive in East-Africa and invade Abyssinia, Eritrea and Somaliland - they begin to dislodge the Italians.
April 22nd 1946
Germany formally annexes the Baltic states over the strong objections of the Soviet Union. Beria realizes he isn't yet in a position to press the issue and can only watch and wait as the Swastika is raised by jubilant crowds and German troops parade in the streets along the Baltic.
April 25th 1946
In central Norway the Alliance defenses have ruptured after standing firm for two weeks. German mechanized infantry have begun to cut deep salients into Norwegian territory. The recent fighting in Norway has seen the first significant engagements between jet aircraft - with the German 'Swallow' and 'Predator' maintaining a 2.5 to 1 kill ratio over the inferior British 'Meteor'.
May 2nd 1946
Though he is clearly outmatched at sea and any chance of seizing the Falkland islands is now gone, the dictator of Argentina sees one area where he can strike. Bolivia can be wiped from the map. Peru and Paraguay would like nothing better than to grab some more territory and they quickly agree with Rameriz. The SAFB begins gearing up for a second invasion of Bolivia.
May 10th 1946
The Italian invasion in western Greece has been brought a standstill by fierce Greek and British counter attacks. The Italians hold territory as far south as Parga on the Adriatic coast but have been unable to penetrate past the Alliance defenses there. The battle in the air continues to rage and the Luftwaffe has maintained its early advantage. In eastern Greece the fighting has died down to occasional shelling across the border as the Turks and Bulgarians lick their wounds and look to Hitler and Mussolini for direction.
May 12th 1946
Hitler reluctantly agrees to an 'Italian bailout' after several requests from Mussolini. The 1st panzer army, under field marshal Guderian, will be tasked with breaking the back of the Alliance defenses in Greece.
May 18th 1946
In central Norway, Trondheim falls into German hands, marking the final collapse of Norwegian defenses in the central part of their country. British and Norwegian forces have fallen back to a new defensive line in the far north of the country while the Germans bring in more reinforcements and consolidate their recent gains. The Norwegian government has already begun preparations to move to London.
May 21st 1946
The first elements of the powerful 1st panzer army begin arriving at rail heads in southern Bulgaria. Guderian has planned the attack to begin from Petric with a sharp attack across Greece to the port city of Thessaloniki. This move will cut Greece in half and open up the southwestern Greek peninsula to attack from two directions.
May 22nd 1946
A massed strategic bombardment of Athens by Luftwaffe heavy bombers destroys much of the center of the city, kills tens of thousands of civilians, and damages some historical sites. The bombing is condemned as an 'act of insane barbarism' by U.S. president Dewey.
June 8th 1946
The Soviet Union and Britain begin work on a joint railroad project through Afghanistan to give the Soviets a new outlet to the outside world.
Afghanistan finally agrees to allow this after being promised Soviet and British weaponry and money.
June 13th 1946
Guderian's 1st panzer army, along with supporting Romanian and Bulgarian forces, erupts across the Bulgarian frontier into Greece. Alliance forces in this sector had been preparing for this attack but are still caught off guard by the ferocity of the German offensive. The German general staff has been working on some new doctrines based on lessons learned in the hard fighting in the Low Countries and France.
Massed rocket and artillery barrages are used to open narrow corridors through which Guderian's Cougars begin slashing into the Alliance rear areas.
Panzergrenadiers equipped with assault rifles and the latest anti-tank rockets move forward with the panzers in armored personnel carriers to protect the flanks of the spearheads and reduce enemy strong points. The Germans have also improved communications between front line units and indirect fire support - so that artillery and air support are now much more responsive and more accurate. The Germans are also now using proximity-fused artillery shells that can cut down infantry in the open like a reaper through wheat.
June 15th 1946
German forces crash into Norway's last line of defense in the northern section of the country. Well entrenched Norwegian and British defenders manage to withstand the onslaught but the German pressure is heavy across the entire width of the front.
June 18th 1946
Addis Abeba(Ethiopia) captured by the British. A month later Emperor Haile Selassi will return to his city.
June 21st 1946
The 1st Panzer Army enters and captures the Greek port of Thessaloniki despite massive offshore bombardment from British, Greek, and Free French warships. Greece has now been cut in half down the middle.
June 23rd 1946
With German air and logistical support - Italy, Bulgaria, and Turkey resume their stalled offensives. Alliance defenders in Greece are as tenacious as ever and the first day of resumed offensive operations meets with little success for Germany's allies.
June 25th 1946
A combined raid by Italian and German aircraft ravages an Alliance attempt at sea borne re-supply of their forces in isolated eastern Greece. 4 Alliance freighters, several destroyers, and a cruiser are sunk before the Alliance naval forces are forced to withdraw. The raid sees the first operational use of Germany's TV-guided anti-ship glide bomb; the bomb's 1400 pound shaped charge is proven to be a devastating anti-ship weapon.
June 27th 1946
Hitler orders Guderian to resume his offensive into Greece in order to support Italy. Guderian doesn't like the terrain but decides his best option is to attack the right flank of Alliance forces in western Greece in hopes of cutting them off from Athens.
July 1st 1946
After weeks of preparation SAFB forces launch their second invasion of helpless Bolivia. Bolivia can offer virtually no substantial resistance.
July 4th 1946
Axis air forces have successfully managed to drive off Alliance naval forces off the coast of Thessaloniki allowing 1st Panzer Army to rest and re-supply in the port city without fear of constant bombardment. Guderian has set July 9th as the date for his attack west into the interior of Greece.
July 7th 1946
Bolivia surrenders to the SAFB and is soon divided between Paraguay, Argentina and Peru. The ODAS, led by the U.S., strongly condemns this action and warns the SAFB against any further aggression. All relations between the ODAS and SAFB are severed. Tensions are rising in South America.
July 8th 1946
British carrier aircraft strike and heavily damage submarine dock facilities in Portugal and western Spain. The raids meet with little resistance and succeed in seriously disrupting submarine operations based out of this region.
July 9th 1946
1st Panzer Army launches its renewed offensive following a massive three hour bombardment by rockets, artillery as well as heavy Luftwaffe carpet bombing. Initial progress is slow but within Guderian's conservative timetable.
The axis of the new attack is from Thessaloniki west towards Kozani and Siatista.
July 14th 1946
Japanese carrier aircraft, launched from no less than 8 carriers, smash Pearl Harbor in a massive surprise attack. Over 4000 Americans are killed and many more wounded. Following advice from German advisors, the Japanese aircraft came in very low to avoid U.S. radar coverage. U.S. aircraft do manage to get airborne but are overwhelmed by the sheer numbers and ferocity of Japanese planes. Every battleship and aircraft carrier in Pearl Harbor is sunk or severely damaged, including 3 of the Pacific Fleet's 4 Essex class carriers. The 4th is in San Francisco. Many of the harbor facilities are also destroyed, including the oil storage capacity. Honolulu is also struck as are several airbases around the island of Oahu. Japan loses 78 planes in the attack, mostly to enemy fighters but also some to radar-guided flak and old fashioned AAA as well. This cost is deemed acceptable by the Japanese Admirals; for they have just destroyed the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
On the same day Japanese bombers hit Hong Kong, Singapore, Manila, the Dutch East Indies, Borneo, etc; Japanese marines land on Wake Island and Guam. The Japanese Imperial Army crosses the frontier from occupied southern China into French Indonesia with several mechanized columns supported by 200,000 infantry.
Japan has initiated its move south.
I know this sounds very similar to what happened in OTL but a sneak attack on Pearl just makes too much sense from a Japanese point of view. The larger number of Japanese carriers involved and the higher loss of planes they suffer reflects the increased readiness of the U.S. as compared to OTL. The Shattered World attack on Pearl is much more successful than that of OTL because the Japanese also manage to destroy the vital carriers AND oil supply facilities. This pretty much breaks the back AND neck of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Long-term it will also make the American People that much more angry.
To Be Continued...
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