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Updated 2005-11-10
1947 in Pete's Alternate Draka Timeline
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1947 (The Second Great War)
^ Up: 1947 in the "era" timeline ^
- Situation in January 1947: The British Empire continues to constrict the Japanese Empire in Asia. Japanese trade with isolationist America has declined to insignificance with the horrendous losses suffered by the Japanese merchant fleet and the refusal of American ships to enter the war zone. The Domination and Germany continue to consolidate their hold on their conquests in Europe and Asia. The German Reich continues to increase repressive measures. Tension is high between the Reich and Domination along the long and complicated borders, but there are no signs of imminent attack. Britain is the sole nuclear power since November, but only the Americans at the most highest and secret levels know of it, and the bomb has not yet been used in anger. The remaining minor countries of the world watch and wait.
- January 1947: The British take a strategic pause to mop up the Japanese lurking in the countryside throughout southeast Asia. The front in northeast Asia appears static in winter, but several small forces of Canadians are infiltrating deep behind enemy lines. Japan begins withdrawing troops from the vast interior of Siberia, lowering the minimum age for inducting soldiers within the Home Islands, and creating a Home Army of older men, to support expanded operations against the British-supported Chinese and the increasing Canadian presence.
- February 1947: The Domination and Japan conclude a trade agreement whereby the Domination gets a portion of Siberia (mostly pine forest of little use to Japan) in return for guaranteed massive shipments of raw materials, particularly oil, along the Trans-Siberian Railroad. The border between the Japanese Empire and the Domination moves from Krasnoyarsk and the Yenisey River to Lake Baikhal and the Lena River, putting Irkutsk and Yakutsk in Drakan hands. The known natural resources in the region aren't worth enough to the Japanese to justify the troops holding it; they do unknowingly give away a large undiscovered natural gas field west of Yakutsk, but there's little else there worth the effort. The prospect of receiving the oil needed to run the modern Japanese war machine, and the bushido ethos of their Militarists, blinds them to the alternative of suing for peace rather than losing hard-won territory (one way or another) just to prolong the agony.
While realistically Japan couldn't compel the Domination to hold up their end of the bargain, the Drakans see profit in honoring the deal. Although tensions rise between Britain and the Domination over providing oil to Japan, the Drakans defuse the situation by pointing out that Japanese trains will have to take delivery at the Domination trans-shipment point in Krasnoyarsk using Japanese-owned captured Russian railroad equipment. It will take months (the British estimate years) to rebuild the railways out to Irkutsk up to Drakan standards, even if construction started now in winter, and that will further disrupt traffic until the entire main line is improved. The trickle of oil that the Japanese can arrange to carry away is thus mostly symbolic, and could be limited further by air strikes against the Trans-Siberian Railroad and associated pipelines within range of British airpower. As far as the Drakans are concerned, neither side has "done the math", and the territorial gain is an amazing bloodless coup for the Domination.
- March 1947: Adolf Hitler, a veteran of the Great War with a throat wound, dies of complications to Parkinson's Disease. He goes unnoticed and unmourned.
- April 1947: The war begins to heat up again in Asia as winter begins to break in the north. Canadian raiding groups strike in several rear areas, including disrupting some of the important oil traffic, and melt away into the bush.
- May 1947: Continuing strong speeches by the Pope, and a falling away of support by the German Protestant clergy for the massive repression, have divided the German populace along religious/ethical lines. A group of Army officers and diplomats disgusted with the increasingly racist policies attempt a coup in Berlin on the night of May 12th. They decimate the Militarist hierarchy, but both the Chancellor and Prime Minister flee to foreign embassies. The Chancellor is handed over to the rebels by the British, and killed during a counterattack by loyal troops. The Prime Minister takes refuge with the Domination, and while the embassy is nearly overrun, loyal troops rescue him and the few remaining Drakans. While the conspirators had widespread support, they neglected to arrange activities outside Berlin in the belief that beheading the Militarists need only be done at the capital. Loyal troops elsewhere aren't restrained from flooding in and soon regain control of the city. It's all over too fast for Britain or the Domination to take advantage of the unrest.
The loss in scientists and military supporters of the British fission weapon has delayed the building of a second warhead, and the next test is carried out on May 14th in the Great Western Desert of Australia under extreme safety precautions.
- June 1947: The British War Council finally approves series production of atom bombs in mid-June, and several more months go by while a small stockpile is built. So far, the War Council hasn't approved use of an atomic bomb, as all the areas attacked have been more valuable intact. But increasing losses to fanatical Japanese resistance as the Home Islands are neared make its use on Japanese cities — to compel the Militarist government to surrender — an increasingly serious possibility.
After the unsuccessful revolt, the German Reich comes under the control of Helmut Grandosch, the Prime Minister and now Acting Chancellor. He declares martial law within Germany until mid-November and allows loyal security forces to make massive arrests of anyone suspected of conspiracy against his government.
The Japanese war machine grinds to a halt in a defensive posture, mostly due to the lack of oil with the loss of Borneo and trickle from the Domination. Research and engine conversions to use Korean and Manchurian coal has only limited applications to military equipment. Most of the Japanese oil is allocated to preventing complete British air and naval superiority, but it is inadequate. While the supply lines are long, the British excel at this kind of blockade warfare.
- July 1947: Although he publicly denies it, Grandosch feels some personal gratitude to the Domination for saving his life during the coup attempt, and the Drakan ambassador is able to cultivate a warm friendship during the continuing martial law. In their exchanges, Grandosch begins to realize that Germany is approaching the Domination's type of hierarchical society.
- August 1947: Secret interrogations of captured conspirators, and people unlucky enough to be rounded up, have revealed a far-flung web of opposition to the German Militarists, but it isn't coordinated. The chief focal point of resistance appears to be the religious community. The Militarists begin co-opting the Protestant and Catholic hierarchies by alternately allowing "regrettable incidents" of vandalism and violence against religious property and persons, and offering government support of religious education.
- September 1947: The United States, even with some data from the British, have squandered their early standing in the atomic bomb research race due to the prevailing isolationist attitude and corruption diverting resources from the secret program. The lingering bad blood between Irish-Americans and the British also causes some lapses in cooperation between the two weapons programs. The Americans test their first fission warhead near Taos, NM on September 20th, but are able to go into series production immediately. The US drafts a secret protocol for first use of the bomb: only in a declared war, only on enemy military targets or an enemy invasion in the US, and only after making a cease-fire or peace offer that includes a warning of imminent use.
The Domination's first fission warhead test occurs 2 days later, on September 22nd, in the Sahara Desert. Delays in fabricating components by engineers who don't understand the theory of how the whole item works, due to security concerns and the prevailing "jus' do ya own job" attitude, are mostly to blame. But the Drakan test is the first to deliberately expose humans and structures to blast and fallout effects, so the Domination goes into immediate series production with the best understanding of the effects of an atomic bomb.
Essentially, three of the major world powers arrive at a military atomic bomb capability almost simultaneously, and only the British and Americans are aware that anyone else has one. All three have also decided to conceal their new weapon, as there is no pressing need to use it at present, or even threaten another power with its use. While some lobby the Archon to use the atomic bomb now against various powers, he refuses until a compelling military target presents itself, but he does pre-authorize the use of the bomb if any serf revolt threatens to spread from a single city.
- October 1947: Helmut Grandosch makes a state visit to the Domination at the request of the Archon. Together, they drop out of sight for a day to view a demonstration of the Drakan atomic bomb in the Sahara Desert and tour the site of the prior test. The Drakans imply that they have a ready stockpile of these weapons, and are prepared to use them, while there is really only 1 left and another month needed to produce the next one of the enriched uranium type. While still outwardly friendly, the Archon and the Drakan ambassador to Berlin begin to pressure Grandosch to consider amalgamating the Reich with the Domination. After seeing the Domination's advanced weaponry, Grandosch orders the German jet aircraft and atomic bomb research programs resumed secretly, but it will take months to catch up. He also begins careful inquiries of America and Britain, to ascertain if they have this atomic bomb as well, but the queries are too vague and the knowledge too secret to get a useful answer.
The Domination's plutonium-based design based on Russian work proves superior in yield and ease of manufacture when tested at the end of the month, and is produced exclusively after the first batch of enriched uranium bombs. They begin growing the stockpile at about 2 per month. Soon the Drakans will be able to back up their threats.
- November 1947: A secret plan to voluntarily amalgamate Greater Germany and the Domination is developed, mostly dictated by the Drakans. Although uneasy at making such a momentous move without a visible external threat, the hidden one is obviously that the Domination will use these atomic bombs on major German cities and troop concentrations, and Germany has nothing yet to equal them. A half-joking request to publicly demonstrate the bomb on Portugal is made to the Drakan ambassador in Berlin, but it isn't passed to Archona.
- December 1947: A vast expansion of the German forced labor camps begins, adding enormous capacity for processing and holding, but no new arrivals. Heightened military and police readiness and anti-riot training is ordered throughout the German Reich. The Domination deploys units near the German borders that are strangely (for the Domination) trained to resolve riot situations with minimal loss of life and maximum non-lethal captures. Martial law is over in the Reich, but conditions are little improved.
^ Up: 1947 in the "era" timeline ^
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By Peter Karsanow.
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