Poland Stands with Czechoslovakia version 2.0
- Thread starter KnightofTempest
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1936-Spain Tears itself apart, Countries Rush to back their favorites
In 1936, the Spanish Second Republic was a volatile mix of ideologies. The Republic was mostly supported by Liberal and Leftist Parties, however there was great Support in Spain for the Carlist and Falangist movements. Carlism was an ideology that was popular amongst the former nobility and military which sought the return of a Monarchy, descended from Don Carlos, Count of Molina. It was conservative, but not radically so. The Falangist movement on the other hand, was popular with more rural populations and had a fascist character similar to the Nazi Party in Germany or Mussolini in Italy. In 1936, these 3 ideologies had captured significant support and were at odds in Spain.
In April of 1936, a group of Republican Generals, led by Jose Sanjurjo, Hero of the Rif War and governor of Spanish Morocco launched a Coup against the Republican Government, aided by elements of the Army and Colonial Administrations. The Coup succeeded in Capturing much of Northern Spain with the Exception of Navarre, Catalonia, and Aragon, where Carlist Ideology dominated, but failed to win victories in Madrid and the South. Normally this would have caused less confusion that what wound up happening, for the Carlist Claimant to the Throne of Spain, Afonso Carlos, was a sickly old man and the Carlists in Navarre, Catalonia, and Aragon would not move without his say so, leaving the Falangists to fight the Republicans without worry for their Flanks. However on the third day of the Coup, Afonso Carlos died of Fever. His successor, Xavier of Bourbon Parma was not of a mind to let the Opportunity slip him by and was backed by France and the Little Entente. Shortly after the situation stabilized, the Carlists raised their flag in revolt and were supported by volunteers and equipment from France and the Little Entente. This only threw the situation in Spain into further confusion.
Soon, Germany and Italy sent volunteers and Equipment to Sanjurjo's Falangists, and the Soviets, Americans, and British did the same with the Republicans. The stage was set for a three way proxy war in Spain, with each of the foreign powers using the opportunity to test new designs and tactics in Spain.
The first major action of the War Proper, was the Valencian Campaign led by General Francisco Franco, Former Governor of the Balaeric Isles, and supported by the Italian "Gruppo Veloce" which was a mechanized formation with attatched Air Wing formed from Italian Army and Regia Aeronautica Volunteers. The Campaign caught the Republicans by surprise, as they had been expecting an Assault from Castille and Leon towards Madrid and had placed the Majority of their Best Formations along that front. Instead, the Falangist Naval Forces opened up on the City of Oropresa del Mar, shelling coastal defenses that were only at partial readiness before conducting an Amphibious Assault on the town. They were opposed in this by the Republican 38th Coastal Defense Division and another Brigade of Soviet Volunteers. The 38th Coastal Defense Division was used to being a rear echelon formation during the Colonial Wars and had not seen action since before the Great War. The Soviet Volunteers were likewise of Poor Quality, suffering from the effects of the Beginning Stages of Stalin's Great Purge, where military leaders were often arrested or exiled. The Italian and Falangist Troops that assaulted the town were able to easily sweep them aside.
By May much of Central Valencia was in Falangist hands and only redirection of the American Abraham Lincoln Brigade and several Republican Divisions managed to stem the assault, however a Carlist Offensive from Catalonia, spearheaded by the Volunteer Polish Jan Sobieski Legion and containing multiple Carlist Divisions attacked into Northern Valencia and once more threw the Republican defenses into disarray, taking the Towns of Vinaroz and Benecario and pushing into Falangist held areas as the Falangist Forces closed in on the City of Valencia. By June much of the Falangist Gains in Valencia had been taken by Carlist Forces and a three way battle for the City of Valencia was brewing.
However the Southern offensive had mostly done what Sanjurjo had untended and weakened the Republican Northern Front allowing for the Falangist Forces in Castile and Leon to begin a Drive on Madrid. Heavy fighting between Soviet and British Volunteer Forces and the German Condor Legion, both sides backed by divisions of their respective Spanish allies ensued. The German Condor Legion was proving highly effective with their Panzer II and III tanks and Bf-109 fighters. The British especially recieved a rude shock as their Mark II medium tank and even the new Bristol Blenheim fighters could not compare with German Counterparts. The Soviets at least seemed to understand that their forces were outclassed by the Condor Legion and fell back on mass use of artillery and anti aircraft guns to repel German assaults.
By August, fighting was around Segovia and Valencia. It was in these two battles that the Carlists and Falangists proved the Worth of their new equipment. The Italian Gruppo Veloce was surrounded by the Polish Jan Sobieski Legion and two Carlist "Fast" divisions equipped with French Trucks and Armored cars and was cut off from the City of Valencia just days after its capture by Falangist Forces. This was effected via a flanking maneuver during the night, when the Italian planes generally wouldn't fly and the Italian Scouts were less able to spot maneuvers. The Flanking attack was masked by a rainstorm which further clouded vision. The Italians opted to surrender rather than be destroyed for the benefit of Spaniards, an act which began to force a rift between Mussolini and Hitler. The Carlist Forces then swept into the city and over the course of a week managed to push out the Falangist divisions. The survivors under Franco retreated west of the city only to be set upon by the American Abraham Lincoln Brigade and 3 Republican Divisions. In the fighting that Followed, Franco was Captured and the Falangist Remnants in the South destroyed. Franco would spend the remainder of the Civil war imprisoned in Gibralter.
In Segovia things were not looking up for the Republicans as the Falangists had managed to completely rout the Republican Divisions North of the City, forcing the Soviets and British to withdraw to the City itself and try to reorganize the shattered Republican divisions. Ultimately the Delay caused the loss of Segovia as the Falangists and German Condor Legion managed to use it to gain a strong foothold in the City. Brutal city fighting occured after that, sometimes Room by Room, but ultimately, by late August, Republican Forces were pushed out of the city of Segovia and retreated towards Madrid. Fortunately for them, the Falangists had been chewed up in the fighting and were in no shape to pursue, allowing for new defensive lines to form around Madrid.
In September a Carlist attack out of Navarre, aided by French Volunteer Divisions and Basque forces promised autonomy by the Carlists drove on Logrono on the Ebro River and evicted the Falangist Division there, continuing on towards Burgos. This forced the Falangists to redirect some of their forces back northwards to face the assault down the Ebro Valley and the Battle of Burgos took place in October of 1939 and was a victory for Carlist Forces who infiltrated the city prior to the battle with Spanish Speaking Basque Agents and caused a revolt amongst the more politically moderate populace during the battle which caused havoc in the Falangist Rear.
It was during the first Battle of Madrid in November that the Republicans got their first big break in the war. The rerouting of Falangist reinforcements Northwards to Burgos caused the Falangest push on Madrid to fail, though the Condor Legion tried desperately to get their Falangist allies to launch one more push into the city, repeated assaults on heavily fortified positions and the previous nightmare of city fighting however had sapped all enthusiasm and the Falangists were repulsed from Madrid and withdrew back to Segovia.
It was the Republican success at Madrid, and Carlist Victories at Burgos and Valencia that allowed London and Paris to come together for talks on how to best deal with the Spanish Situation. Both agreed that a Constitutional Monarchy with a King Beholden to the Cortes was better than a Falangist dictatorship and forced the Republican and Carlist leaders to agree to the arrangement on threat of withdrawing aid. Thus on Christmas Day 1939 was the Proclimation of the Restoration of the Kingdom of Spain announced from Madrid. King Xavier of Bourbon Parma was crowned king of Spain. Backed by Britain, France, the Little Entente, and the United States. The Soviets withdrew their support for any Spanish Faction in disgust.
With the majority of Spanish Forces arrayed against them, the Falangists were forced into a corner. In a meeting of allies on New Years Eve in Munich, Hitler and Mussolini discussed what to do about the situation. Mussolini wanted to abandon Spain as a lost cause and focus his efforts in the Balkans. Hitler argued that to abandon the Spaniards was cowardly. The meeting only widened the rift between Italy and Germany and Germany began to consider looking to Hungary as a firmer ally than Italy.
1937 would dawn with Falangist Spain on the Backfoot, her enemies united and her allies bickering. . .
In April of 1936, a group of Republican Generals, led by Jose Sanjurjo, Hero of the Rif War and governor of Spanish Morocco launched a Coup against the Republican Government, aided by elements of the Army and Colonial Administrations. The Coup succeeded in Capturing much of Northern Spain with the Exception of Navarre, Catalonia, and Aragon, where Carlist Ideology dominated, but failed to win victories in Madrid and the South. Normally this would have caused less confusion that what wound up happening, for the Carlist Claimant to the Throne of Spain, Afonso Carlos, was a sickly old man and the Carlists in Navarre, Catalonia, and Aragon would not move without his say so, leaving the Falangists to fight the Republicans without worry for their Flanks. However on the third day of the Coup, Afonso Carlos died of Fever. His successor, Xavier of Bourbon Parma was not of a mind to let the Opportunity slip him by and was backed by France and the Little Entente. Shortly after the situation stabilized, the Carlists raised their flag in revolt and were supported by volunteers and equipment from France and the Little Entente. This only threw the situation in Spain into further confusion.
Soon, Germany and Italy sent volunteers and Equipment to Sanjurjo's Falangists, and the Soviets, Americans, and British did the same with the Republicans. The stage was set for a three way proxy war in Spain, with each of the foreign powers using the opportunity to test new designs and tactics in Spain.
The first major action of the War Proper, was the Valencian Campaign led by General Francisco Franco, Former Governor of the Balaeric Isles, and supported by the Italian "Gruppo Veloce" which was a mechanized formation with attatched Air Wing formed from Italian Army and Regia Aeronautica Volunteers. The Campaign caught the Republicans by surprise, as they had been expecting an Assault from Castille and Leon towards Madrid and had placed the Majority of their Best Formations along that front. Instead, the Falangist Naval Forces opened up on the City of Oropresa del Mar, shelling coastal defenses that were only at partial readiness before conducting an Amphibious Assault on the town. They were opposed in this by the Republican 38th Coastal Defense Division and another Brigade of Soviet Volunteers. The 38th Coastal Defense Division was used to being a rear echelon formation during the Colonial Wars and had not seen action since before the Great War. The Soviet Volunteers were likewise of Poor Quality, suffering from the effects of the Beginning Stages of Stalin's Great Purge, where military leaders were often arrested or exiled. The Italian and Falangist Troops that assaulted the town were able to easily sweep them aside.
By May much of Central Valencia was in Falangist hands and only redirection of the American Abraham Lincoln Brigade and several Republican Divisions managed to stem the assault, however a Carlist Offensive from Catalonia, spearheaded by the Volunteer Polish Jan Sobieski Legion and containing multiple Carlist Divisions attacked into Northern Valencia and once more threw the Republican defenses into disarray, taking the Towns of Vinaroz and Benecario and pushing into Falangist held areas as the Falangist Forces closed in on the City of Valencia. By June much of the Falangist Gains in Valencia had been taken by Carlist Forces and a three way battle for the City of Valencia was brewing.
However the Southern offensive had mostly done what Sanjurjo had untended and weakened the Republican Northern Front allowing for the Falangist Forces in Castile and Leon to begin a Drive on Madrid. Heavy fighting between Soviet and British Volunteer Forces and the German Condor Legion, both sides backed by divisions of their respective Spanish allies ensued. The German Condor Legion was proving highly effective with their Panzer II and III tanks and Bf-109 fighters. The British especially recieved a rude shock as their Mark II medium tank and even the new Bristol Blenheim fighters could not compare with German Counterparts. The Soviets at least seemed to understand that their forces were outclassed by the Condor Legion and fell back on mass use of artillery and anti aircraft guns to repel German assaults.
By August, fighting was around Segovia and Valencia. It was in these two battles that the Carlists and Falangists proved the Worth of their new equipment. The Italian Gruppo Veloce was surrounded by the Polish Jan Sobieski Legion and two Carlist "Fast" divisions equipped with French Trucks and Armored cars and was cut off from the City of Valencia just days after its capture by Falangist Forces. This was effected via a flanking maneuver during the night, when the Italian planes generally wouldn't fly and the Italian Scouts were less able to spot maneuvers. The Flanking attack was masked by a rainstorm which further clouded vision. The Italians opted to surrender rather than be destroyed for the benefit of Spaniards, an act which began to force a rift between Mussolini and Hitler. The Carlist Forces then swept into the city and over the course of a week managed to push out the Falangist divisions. The survivors under Franco retreated west of the city only to be set upon by the American Abraham Lincoln Brigade and 3 Republican Divisions. In the fighting that Followed, Franco was Captured and the Falangist Remnants in the South destroyed. Franco would spend the remainder of the Civil war imprisoned in Gibralter.
In Segovia things were not looking up for the Republicans as the Falangists had managed to completely rout the Republican Divisions North of the City, forcing the Soviets and British to withdraw to the City itself and try to reorganize the shattered Republican divisions. Ultimately the Delay caused the loss of Segovia as the Falangists and German Condor Legion managed to use it to gain a strong foothold in the City. Brutal city fighting occured after that, sometimes Room by Room, but ultimately, by late August, Republican Forces were pushed out of the city of Segovia and retreated towards Madrid. Fortunately for them, the Falangists had been chewed up in the fighting and were in no shape to pursue, allowing for new defensive lines to form around Madrid.
In September a Carlist attack out of Navarre, aided by French Volunteer Divisions and Basque forces promised autonomy by the Carlists drove on Logrono on the Ebro River and evicted the Falangist Division there, continuing on towards Burgos. This forced the Falangists to redirect some of their forces back northwards to face the assault down the Ebro Valley and the Battle of Burgos took place in October of 1939 and was a victory for Carlist Forces who infiltrated the city prior to the battle with Spanish Speaking Basque Agents and caused a revolt amongst the more politically moderate populace during the battle which caused havoc in the Falangist Rear.
It was during the first Battle of Madrid in November that the Republicans got their first big break in the war. The rerouting of Falangist reinforcements Northwards to Burgos caused the Falangest push on Madrid to fail, though the Condor Legion tried desperately to get their Falangist allies to launch one more push into the city, repeated assaults on heavily fortified positions and the previous nightmare of city fighting however had sapped all enthusiasm and the Falangists were repulsed from Madrid and withdrew back to Segovia.
It was the Republican success at Madrid, and Carlist Victories at Burgos and Valencia that allowed London and Paris to come together for talks on how to best deal with the Spanish Situation. Both agreed that a Constitutional Monarchy with a King Beholden to the Cortes was better than a Falangist dictatorship and forced the Republican and Carlist leaders to agree to the arrangement on threat of withdrawing aid. Thus on Christmas Day 1939 was the Proclimation of the Restoration of the Kingdom of Spain announced from Madrid. King Xavier of Bourbon Parma was crowned king of Spain. Backed by Britain, France, the Little Entente, and the United States. The Soviets withdrew their support for any Spanish Faction in disgust.
With the majority of Spanish Forces arrayed against them, the Falangists were forced into a corner. In a meeting of allies on New Years Eve in Munich, Hitler and Mussolini discussed what to do about the situation. Mussolini wanted to abandon Spain as a lost cause and focus his efforts in the Balkans. Hitler argued that to abandon the Spaniards was cowardly. The meeting only widened the rift between Italy and Germany and Germany began to consider looking to Hungary as a firmer ally than Italy.
1937 would dawn with Falangist Spain on the Backfoot, her enemies united and her allies bickering. . .
Nothing yet. However Hitler has agents in Austria currently fomenting unrest in favor of Anschluss while Europe is distracted in Spain, which to be fair is a bigger deal than iotl.
That'll be detailed in the next part
1936 elsewhere, Italian Adventurism, German Skullduggery, and Chinese Turmoil
Spain was not the only event to happen in 1936, though it was the one that drew everyone's eye. Italy and Germany were not content to simply back the Falangists in Spain, but they also launched endeavors elsewhere. For Hitler, the reunification of Austrian Germans with the German Reich was an issue on which he was extremely interested in. For Mussolini, the expansion of Italian Influence abroad was key. The two dictators would act on these issues while the Entente powers were distracted in Spain.
Since almost his inception as Chancellor, Hitler had been sending agents into the Austrian Republic, agitating Austrian Germans with promises of a great reunification of the German People. At the same time, Hitler funneled money and arms to the Austrian National Socialist Party, which was in opposition to Chancellor Dolfuss' Austrofascist Government. Not only that, but Hitler had secretly been engaging in Talks with Dolfuss' Right hand man, Kurt Schussenig to secretly take over Austria and guide the nation into a merger with Germany. The three pronged approach was especially effective and by June 1936 all the pieces were in place to enact Hitler's master plan for Austria.
First Austrian Nazi Party Paramilitary troops, posing as Communist Paramilitary troops, assassinated Chancellor Dolfuss on June 12th during the Chancellor's lunch at an upscale cafe in Vienna. Next, Schussenig stepped up to take the reigns of the Chancellorship and vowed to bring the traitors to Justice, enacting a month of arrests and deportations which would secretly remove all opposition to the proposed Anschluss from within the government of Austria. Finally, with all the agitation for Anschluss having gone on since 1935, a referendum was passed asking the People whether to pursue the proposed Anschluss, one which passed by a comfortable Margin. Finally in October the Anschluss Treaty was signed between Sussenig and Hitler and Austria began it's Integration into the German Reich.
This series of events completely blindsided Britain and France, who had been so focussed on Spain that the Anschluss seemed to come out of nowhere. Immediately France demanded to see the Ballots from the Referendum, but because Hitler had only tampered with the circumstances that brought the Referendum about and not actually fixed the vote in any way, the French inspection found the Referendum above board. The Entente could do nothing.
Meanwhile Mussolini had been Scheming with the Yemeni Government to expand Italian influence in the Red Sea. The Emir of Yemen, Imam Yahya had seen much of his territory cut away by the British to form the Aden Protectorate and he was desperately searching for a way to gain enough resources and military might to force the British to cede back most of what he had lost. Mussolini felt that this was a good chance to expand Italy's influence in the Area. He sent arms and military advisors to the Imam in exchange for a favorable trade and diplomatic treaty. In essence, making Yemen an Economic puppet of Italy. The Imam, desperate for any great power Backer, agreed to Mussolini's terms and by August 1936, the first Italian Advisors and Weapons shipments reached Yemen, along with Italian Oil and Mineral Exploration Teams. In a speech to the People, Mussolini defended the treaty saying, "As Rome once counted Axum a friend, let Italy now count Yemen one."
Of course this Italian Adventure Greatly Alarmed Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia. Selassie had spent the past decade and a half crushing rebellious vassals and attempting to Modernize his country. Most Recently he had put down a rebellion by the Powerful Noble Gusga Wale, which forced Wale to flee into exile in Yemen. Selassie, fearing the new treaty might see Wale return to plague him with Yemeni and Italian Backing, attempted to nationalize Italian Assets in Eithiopia, including the Italian Owned Addis Ababa-Jimma Railway, which was hugely profitable in that it was the main freight access from the Capitol to the Main Coffee growing areas of Eithiopia.
For Mussolini, this was a golden opportunity which just fell into his lap. He had previously had no intentions of Evicting Sellassie and placing Gusga Wale on the throne, however Sellasie's paranoia had given him an excuse to Meddle and in September of 1936, an Italian Expeditionary Force of 300,000 men arrived along with Gusga Wale from Yemen and began to march on Addis Ababa. For the great Rural Nobles who had been frequent opponents of Sellassie, this seemed like the answer to their prayers and they rallied around Gusga Wale.
Sellassie's response was slow in coming for all that he had been modernizing Ethiopia. There were not many rail networks with which to move troops around and mobilization was slow. On Paper, Ethiopia could field 800,000 troops but by the time Italian Forces reached Dessie, he had only managed to rally some 150,000 troops to defend the City. It didn't help that his frequent attacks on the Provincial Nobility had made him enough enemies outside the Capitol that his defense was hampered by unrest and Sabotage. By the end of September, Sellassie's forces had been driven out of Dessie and the Italians were closing in on the Capitol. By October, Addis Ababa was under siege and all provinces outside the Capitol were in revolt. Haile Sellasie himself was smuggled out of Addis Abbaba just ahead of Italian and Rebel Forces, fleeing incognito to French Djibouti and from there taking ship to London. In his place was a body double in an attempt to trick the defenders into believing their Emperor was still with them. This backfired when on October 16th, a stray Italian shell hit the Palace and the Defenders, believing the explosion had killed the Emperor, began to surrender en masse.
By the 20th of October, 1936 Gusga Wale was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia by his noble and Italian backers. Ethiopia was then forced to sign several treaties with Italy, essentially making them an Economic Puppet of Italy, though the Italian Commander, Prince Amadeo, the Duke of Aosta made sure to leave enough profit in the treaty terms for the Nobles and for Wale, that they would rather keep working for Italian interests rather than abrogate the treaties. Thus with an informal empire in Yemen and Ethiopia secured, Italy's influence rose to new heights.
Meanwhile in China, unrest with the KMT government over the Treaty of Tanggu had been simmering for some time. Chen Jitang, former Warlord and current Governor of Guangdong and head of the 1st Army Group had been rebuilding his power base in Guangdong Province since the Treaty and was furious with Chiang Kai Shek's Government for turning over such a large swathe of Chinese territory to the Japanese. Jitang had been secretly planning revolt for some time, using the wealth from his Province to trade with the British in Hong Kong and modernize the 1st Army Group with British Training and Equipment. In April of 1936 he finally had enough trained and modernized troops to begin a campaign against Chiang.
First, Chen reached out to Li Zhongren and Feng Yuxiang, one the Governor of Guanxi and the other a General. Feng and Li had been planning a revolt of their own when Japan had invaded Manchuria and forced them to unify with Chiang on Policy in the face of the Invader. However both men hated Chiang personally for his self-aggrandizing manner, as well as politically for ceding so much territory to Japan. The two agreed to combine forces with Chen to oust Chiang from power.
Alliance set, the three men launched an all out assault on Nanjing, spearheaded by the powerful and Modernized 1st Army Group. Furious at their insubordination, Chiang ordered Wu Qiwei and the 8th Army Group south from the Japanese Border to defend the Capitol. The two Forces met in July at the Battle of Nanchang, where the Superior Training and Modern Equipment of the Rebel forces, as well as the Experience of Li Zhongren as a commander, managed to encircle and destroy Wu Qiwei's 8th army group South of the City of Nancheng. The City Garrison then defected to the Rebels, who pressed onwards North to Nanjing.
Ironically, when they arrived at Nanjing, they found a mixed group of Soldiers and Police waiting for them, led by Wang Jingwei, the former Premier. Jingwei, seeing the writing on the wall, and also disgusted with Chiang's handling of the Treaty of Tanggu, rallied a force of garrison troops and police to coup Chiang. Li, Feng, Chen, and Jingwei then hammered out an agreement between them and by August 2nd 1936 a new KMT Government had formed in Nanjing, one which was interested in modernization and defeat of Japan. The KMT immediately began importing economic and military advisors from Britain and set about their task.
Meanwhile Tokyo looked on in alarm. . .
Since almost his inception as Chancellor, Hitler had been sending agents into the Austrian Republic, agitating Austrian Germans with promises of a great reunification of the German People. At the same time, Hitler funneled money and arms to the Austrian National Socialist Party, which was in opposition to Chancellor Dolfuss' Austrofascist Government. Not only that, but Hitler had secretly been engaging in Talks with Dolfuss' Right hand man, Kurt Schussenig to secretly take over Austria and guide the nation into a merger with Germany. The three pronged approach was especially effective and by June 1936 all the pieces were in place to enact Hitler's master plan for Austria.
First Austrian Nazi Party Paramilitary troops, posing as Communist Paramilitary troops, assassinated Chancellor Dolfuss on June 12th during the Chancellor's lunch at an upscale cafe in Vienna. Next, Schussenig stepped up to take the reigns of the Chancellorship and vowed to bring the traitors to Justice, enacting a month of arrests and deportations which would secretly remove all opposition to the proposed Anschluss from within the government of Austria. Finally, with all the agitation for Anschluss having gone on since 1935, a referendum was passed asking the People whether to pursue the proposed Anschluss, one which passed by a comfortable Margin. Finally in October the Anschluss Treaty was signed between Sussenig and Hitler and Austria began it's Integration into the German Reich.
This series of events completely blindsided Britain and France, who had been so focussed on Spain that the Anschluss seemed to come out of nowhere. Immediately France demanded to see the Ballots from the Referendum, but because Hitler had only tampered with the circumstances that brought the Referendum about and not actually fixed the vote in any way, the French inspection found the Referendum above board. The Entente could do nothing.
Meanwhile Mussolini had been Scheming with the Yemeni Government to expand Italian influence in the Red Sea. The Emir of Yemen, Imam Yahya had seen much of his territory cut away by the British to form the Aden Protectorate and he was desperately searching for a way to gain enough resources and military might to force the British to cede back most of what he had lost. Mussolini felt that this was a good chance to expand Italy's influence in the Area. He sent arms and military advisors to the Imam in exchange for a favorable trade and diplomatic treaty. In essence, making Yemen an Economic puppet of Italy. The Imam, desperate for any great power Backer, agreed to Mussolini's terms and by August 1936, the first Italian Advisors and Weapons shipments reached Yemen, along with Italian Oil and Mineral Exploration Teams. In a speech to the People, Mussolini defended the treaty saying, "As Rome once counted Axum a friend, let Italy now count Yemen one."
Of course this Italian Adventure Greatly Alarmed Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia. Selassie had spent the past decade and a half crushing rebellious vassals and attempting to Modernize his country. Most Recently he had put down a rebellion by the Powerful Noble Gusga Wale, which forced Wale to flee into exile in Yemen. Selassie, fearing the new treaty might see Wale return to plague him with Yemeni and Italian Backing, attempted to nationalize Italian Assets in Eithiopia, including the Italian Owned Addis Ababa-Jimma Railway, which was hugely profitable in that it was the main freight access from the Capitol to the Main Coffee growing areas of Eithiopia.
For Mussolini, this was a golden opportunity which just fell into his lap. He had previously had no intentions of Evicting Sellassie and placing Gusga Wale on the throne, however Sellasie's paranoia had given him an excuse to Meddle and in September of 1936, an Italian Expeditionary Force of 300,000 men arrived along with Gusga Wale from Yemen and began to march on Addis Ababa. For the great Rural Nobles who had been frequent opponents of Sellassie, this seemed like the answer to their prayers and they rallied around Gusga Wale.
Sellassie's response was slow in coming for all that he had been modernizing Ethiopia. There were not many rail networks with which to move troops around and mobilization was slow. On Paper, Ethiopia could field 800,000 troops but by the time Italian Forces reached Dessie, he had only managed to rally some 150,000 troops to defend the City. It didn't help that his frequent attacks on the Provincial Nobility had made him enough enemies outside the Capitol that his defense was hampered by unrest and Sabotage. By the end of September, Sellassie's forces had been driven out of Dessie and the Italians were closing in on the Capitol. By October, Addis Ababa was under siege and all provinces outside the Capitol were in revolt. Haile Sellasie himself was smuggled out of Addis Abbaba just ahead of Italian and Rebel Forces, fleeing incognito to French Djibouti and from there taking ship to London. In his place was a body double in an attempt to trick the defenders into believing their Emperor was still with them. This backfired when on October 16th, a stray Italian shell hit the Palace and the Defenders, believing the explosion had killed the Emperor, began to surrender en masse.
By the 20th of October, 1936 Gusga Wale was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia by his noble and Italian backers. Ethiopia was then forced to sign several treaties with Italy, essentially making them an Economic Puppet of Italy, though the Italian Commander, Prince Amadeo, the Duke of Aosta made sure to leave enough profit in the treaty terms for the Nobles and for Wale, that they would rather keep working for Italian interests rather than abrogate the treaties. Thus with an informal empire in Yemen and Ethiopia secured, Italy's influence rose to new heights.
Meanwhile in China, unrest with the KMT government over the Treaty of Tanggu had been simmering for some time. Chen Jitang, former Warlord and current Governor of Guangdong and head of the 1st Army Group had been rebuilding his power base in Guangdong Province since the Treaty and was furious with Chiang Kai Shek's Government for turning over such a large swathe of Chinese territory to the Japanese. Jitang had been secretly planning revolt for some time, using the wealth from his Province to trade with the British in Hong Kong and modernize the 1st Army Group with British Training and Equipment. In April of 1936 he finally had enough trained and modernized troops to begin a campaign against Chiang.
First, Chen reached out to Li Zhongren and Feng Yuxiang, one the Governor of Guanxi and the other a General. Feng and Li had been planning a revolt of their own when Japan had invaded Manchuria and forced them to unify with Chiang on Policy in the face of the Invader. However both men hated Chiang personally for his self-aggrandizing manner, as well as politically for ceding so much territory to Japan. The two agreed to combine forces with Chen to oust Chiang from power.
Alliance set, the three men launched an all out assault on Nanjing, spearheaded by the powerful and Modernized 1st Army Group. Furious at their insubordination, Chiang ordered Wu Qiwei and the 8th Army Group south from the Japanese Border to defend the Capitol. The two Forces met in July at the Battle of Nanchang, where the Superior Training and Modern Equipment of the Rebel forces, as well as the Experience of Li Zhongren as a commander, managed to encircle and destroy Wu Qiwei's 8th army group South of the City of Nancheng. The City Garrison then defected to the Rebels, who pressed onwards North to Nanjing.
Ironically, when they arrived at Nanjing, they found a mixed group of Soldiers and Police waiting for them, led by Wang Jingwei, the former Premier. Jingwei, seeing the writing on the wall, and also disgusted with Chiang's handling of the Treaty of Tanggu, rallied a force of garrison troops and police to coup Chiang. Li, Feng, Chen, and Jingwei then hammered out an agreement between them and by August 2nd 1936 a new KMT Government had formed in Nanjing, one which was interested in modernization and defeat of Japan. The KMT immediately began importing economic and military advisors from Britain and set about their task.
Meanwhile Tokyo looked on in alarm. . .
Better than IOTL.
Poland has a Comparable light tank to the Panzer II and is importing medium tanks from Czechoslovakia. It also has limited numbers of the PZL 50 which is comparable to the Hawker Hurricaine. Poland Also has a semi automatic rifle and submachine gun in production. They can also mobilize 1 million men in a week or so, though anything more will take much longer.
Czechoslovakia has both a good light and medium tank, as well as a decent fighter in limited production and light bomber. It is currently importing semi automatic rifles, submachine guns, and 45mm anti tank guns from Poland, though they are experimenting with light machine guns and automatic rifles. Currently they're looking at something similar to the BAR for an automatic rifle, but some designers have an idea that will be developed into something like the German STG 44, though that won't be even in prototyping until late in the war with germany if not after.
Both are exporting equipment to Romania.
Meanwhile German designs are as iotl, but Hitler was rational enough in 1936 to let Speer become minister of armaments. That means that the Panzer 3 is being fielded in higher ratios than iotl and that the vast array of fighters and bombers have been whittled down to a few basic types, simplifying logistics.
Same as IOTL. The Sudetenland is next on Germany's pickup list after Austria, but the Czechs are in a stronger position than iotl, being part of the Little Entente with Poland and Romania. France also has been rearming ever since Versailles was abrogated and is the main Great Power Backer of the Little Entente. At this point, France is ahead of Britain in rearmament and certainly more willing to fight Germany.
Chamberlain might consent to letting Germany pick up the Sudetenland, but Daladier never will, and with the Little Entente on his side, it might even cause the war to happen a year earlier than iotl.
Currently Stalin is more concerned with the Great Purge, which is just starting. He has some tentative plans to force the Finns into giving up control of enough territory on the border to form a buffer between Germanophile Finland and Leningrad, as well as plans to occupy the Baltic States, but he is more focussed on cleaning house right now
1936 America: the US Crime Policy, Politics, and events south of the border
The United States in 1936 was just starting to claw its way out of the Depression caused by the 1930 stock market collapse. The 30's for the US was one that saw an increase in Organized Crime, with Bosses like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano parlaying their fortunes made from bootlegging into more legitimate enterprises, which often sold goods at reduced prices that depression era people could afford. This not only got the public on their side, but also closed off an avenue for arrest, as they could now show legitimate income from these businesses.
This stymied efforts by J Edgar Hoover's Fledgeling FBI to arrest them or any of their Capos, but it was not the only challenge they faced on that front. In 1936, Al Capone decided to put forward several candidates for political and legal office, he backed 2 judges, a sheriff, and a candidate for mayor of Chicago, all of which won due to Capone's Money and Popular Support, all of whom could work against federal agents attempting to arrest Capone. Luciano in New York, copied Capone and saw similar successes. With its efforts to arrest them stymied, and their influence growing, the Government was forced to put the investigations on hold for the moment. So long as the Underworld was quiet, they could not arrest anyone. Hoover was furious however, and told the President that he would be ready to jump into action the second the first bodies of renewed mob violence hit the floor.
The unnasailable positions of Luciano and Capone aside, FDR's government was working quite well. In April of 1936 they had signed a trade treaty with Canada that saw an increase in Revenue which, when combined with Roosevelt's New Deal Policies was steadily pulling the US out of depression. The treaty was so popular that Roosevelt looked to sign a similar trade treaty with Mexico, however the Mexicans were distracted by an enemy south of their border.
In 1934, Belieze, Honduras, Guatamala, Nicuragua, Costa Rica, and El Salvador formed the Central American Federation, a political, economic, and military alliance aimed at increasing the purchasing power, standing, and defensive capabilities of its constituent nations. Mexico was alarmed at this move, as Guatamala had claims on the Region of Chiapias, which had joined Mexico in the 1820's and those claims had never been abrogated. As such, Mexico wanted more than a Trade Treaty with the US, but a military alliance aimed at containing the Central American Federation. Elements of American businesses such as the United Fruit Company also pushed for this alliance, but Roosevelt was unwilling to commit to war so soon after getting the still fragile economy back on track. This reluctance caused Mexico to walk out of the treaty negotiations.
Blow to his administration taken, Roosevelt looked to be facing a serious challenge in the upcoming election from Republican Candidate William Borah, an Isolationist who used the "Mexican Debacle" as proof that America should focus on her own issues rather than meddle in the affairs of her neighbors. Roosevelt's popularity among the people was strong, but Borah was gaining favor amongst the political elite and could potentially swing the Electoral college his way. Of course never before had a Candidate won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College, and Roosevelt was sure that he would pull out a victory.
Unfortunately that was exactly what happened. Roosevelt won the popular vote by tens of millions of votes, but Borah managed to convince enough electors to swing the electoral college his way. Roosevelt was furious at this and challenged the result of the election in the courts. In December the US supreme court voted that the election results, though constituitionally permissible by the letter of the law, went against the spirit of what the founders intended. While they could not strike down the results as unconstitutional, they reccomended that a constitutional amendment be voted on to allow for stricter guidelines for the electors of the electoral college on how they would vote.
This proposed amendment would be the subject of much political debate throughout 1937. Meanwhile, Mexico and the Central American Federation would begin an arms build up, with Mexico being backed by Germany and Central America by France. President Borah was unwilling to move from his isolationist standpoint to block this proxy war.
Mexican Forces would cross the Guatemalan border in 1937. . .
This stymied efforts by J Edgar Hoover's Fledgeling FBI to arrest them or any of their Capos, but it was not the only challenge they faced on that front. In 1936, Al Capone decided to put forward several candidates for political and legal office, he backed 2 judges, a sheriff, and a candidate for mayor of Chicago, all of which won due to Capone's Money and Popular Support, all of whom could work against federal agents attempting to arrest Capone. Luciano in New York, copied Capone and saw similar successes. With its efforts to arrest them stymied, and their influence growing, the Government was forced to put the investigations on hold for the moment. So long as the Underworld was quiet, they could not arrest anyone. Hoover was furious however, and told the President that he would be ready to jump into action the second the first bodies of renewed mob violence hit the floor.
The unnasailable positions of Luciano and Capone aside, FDR's government was working quite well. In April of 1936 they had signed a trade treaty with Canada that saw an increase in Revenue which, when combined with Roosevelt's New Deal Policies was steadily pulling the US out of depression. The treaty was so popular that Roosevelt looked to sign a similar trade treaty with Mexico, however the Mexicans were distracted by an enemy south of their border.
In 1934, Belieze, Honduras, Guatamala, Nicuragua, Costa Rica, and El Salvador formed the Central American Federation, a political, economic, and military alliance aimed at increasing the purchasing power, standing, and defensive capabilities of its constituent nations. Mexico was alarmed at this move, as Guatamala had claims on the Region of Chiapias, which had joined Mexico in the 1820's and those claims had never been abrogated. As such, Mexico wanted more than a Trade Treaty with the US, but a military alliance aimed at containing the Central American Federation. Elements of American businesses such as the United Fruit Company also pushed for this alliance, but Roosevelt was unwilling to commit to war so soon after getting the still fragile economy back on track. This reluctance caused Mexico to walk out of the treaty negotiations.
Blow to his administration taken, Roosevelt looked to be facing a serious challenge in the upcoming election from Republican Candidate William Borah, an Isolationist who used the "Mexican Debacle" as proof that America should focus on her own issues rather than meddle in the affairs of her neighbors. Roosevelt's popularity among the people was strong, but Borah was gaining favor amongst the political elite and could potentially swing the Electoral college his way. Of course never before had a Candidate won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College, and Roosevelt was sure that he would pull out a victory.
Unfortunately that was exactly what happened. Roosevelt won the popular vote by tens of millions of votes, but Borah managed to convince enough electors to swing the electoral college his way. Roosevelt was furious at this and challenged the result of the election in the courts. In December the US supreme court voted that the election results, though constituitionally permissible by the letter of the law, went against the spirit of what the founders intended. While they could not strike down the results as unconstitutional, they reccomended that a constitutional amendment be voted on to allow for stricter guidelines for the electors of the electoral college on how they would vote.
This proposed amendment would be the subject of much political debate throughout 1937. Meanwhile, Mexico and the Central American Federation would begin an arms build up, with Mexico being backed by Germany and Central America by France. President Borah was unwilling to move from his isolationist standpoint to block this proxy war.
Mexican Forces would cross the Guatemalan border in 1937. . .
You can make the self-aggrandising Speer minister for anything, it wont magically speed up the Pz III/IV.
First, the tanks were in development until 1938. Its not likely much if anything can be done to speed this up. Its not like Germany was ambling along with this, but there are constraints on development, like the availability of properly skilled engineers and the simple time taken to do tests and add improvements.
Second Germany's war production was constrained by its lack of foreign currency. Even if you do somehow advance the PzIII, you'll have to give something up.
And I think you are overestimating the Me109 you mentioned in Spain. This isn't the Me109 of 1940, its the far less powerful model (they didn't start upgrading them for some years, the engine wasn't ready).
Except that development started earlier than iotl. There was an arms race that spurred on new designs. Things are anywhere from 1-3 years ahead of schedule depending on country and piece of equipment. Rearmament started earlier as well.
As to Speer, say what you will about his personality, but he at least knew that you couldn't field 10 different types of fighters and 8 different types of tanks and not have your logistics be a mess.
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