A Communist Germany AAR: Part 3

Published: 2017-02-02, edited: 1970-01-01

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A Communist Germany AAR

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Game: Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game

A Communist Germany AAR: Part 2

Images: 55, author: Bluntforce9001, published: 2017-02-02, edited: 1970-01-01

A Communist Germany AAR: Part 3
We resume our quest against the Capitalists and the Stalinists
Ruins of Rome
Large parts of Italy are in ruins and it will take a long time before Italy will be able to recover. One particular incident involves the Monte Cassino, an ancient monastery. The monastery received heavy artillery fire from our army despite an agreement to surrender it peacefully; there’s no doubt that this was caused by the poor organisation and discipline of our troops.
Football in Italy
Despite Italy’s ruin, the FIFA tournament is well under way and is being exploited fully to promote Democratic Socialism. There have been several incidents involving Italian players and crowds displaying Fascist iconography or shouting Fascist chants but on the whole Italy seems to be on its way towards accepting Communist rule
Free Libya
Libya was liberated from imperialist rule as part of the Italian surrender. Old royalist Italian flags are being lowered across the country to raise the new flag of the Libyan Republic. It will however require a lot of effort to develop Libya into a true Socialist nation.
Tank development
We need to begin planning for just how exactly we are going to defeat the Soviet Union. We will never be able to mobilise as many men as the Soviet Union so other methods are needed to crush the Stalinists. Our most experienced Military Scientists believe that the future of warfare lies in utilising armoured units to breach enemy lines and surrounding their armies in a highly mobile fashion. We see no other way in defeating the Soviet Union and so decide to begin development of a new tank which should be able to defeat the Soviet Union.
Panzer II
The vehicle has been designated the “Panzer II” as it is replacing our current tank the Panzer I. This new tank will be equipped with a 2cm autocannon along with a coaxial machine gun and shall emphasise mobility over crew protection. Once we have finished prototyping these machines, they’ll enter mass production and will play the most crucial role in liberating the Soviet people.
Revolution in Denmark
Another successful revolution! Denmark falls to revolutionaries after being inspired by the defeat of the Fascists and pledges itself to our International. We consider the possibility of incorporating Denmark into the republic, but we decide not to as this idea is incredibly unpopular with the Danes and would reek of hypocrisy and imperialism. Schleswig does however voluntarily decide to split from Denmark and re-join Germany.
Iceland and Greenland
Greenland and Iceland have however defected to the USA despite Danish opposition. With the UK and France supporting this secession, we are in no position to force their return to Denmark. If anything this makes the capitalists hostility against us clear but it is still an embarrassment to the International.
Libyan development
Years of Italian exploitation and general poverty makes Libya a poor place to promote Communism from, however if we can transform the backwater desert country into a true Socialist metropolis then we will clearly show the superiority of our ideology. We begin sending aid to Libya to develop the country.
Revolution!
The revolutionary wave spreads across Europe as Czechoslovakia falls to revolutionaries and joins the Fourth International! This is particularly good for our organisation as Czechoslovakia possesses a sizable army and industry.
Army divide
A few days later we receive very troubling news no doubt provoked by the successful revolutions in Czechoslovakia and Denmark as well as the defeat of Italy. Numerous highly respected officers in the army resigned today after making a spectacle of our government for apparently defiling Germany’s great past. There is no doubt that this resonated with other reactionary generals in the army and further resignations look likely. More worryingly, this indicates that the army as an organisation cannot be trusted and a coup could be possible. We must act quickly to prevent the counterrevolution!
Potential coup?
Investigating further into the state of the army we make some unsettling discoveries. Pretty much the entire German officer corps are opposed to our state and many of the especially high ranking staff of noble background are making their hostility visible to the entire army. We cannot allow this anti-Socialist thought to continue as an officer staff opposed to our state will definitely refuse to assist us in a war with the capitalists and will undoubtedly plot against us. Something must be done.
Purge the army
Under the guise of reorganising the army, we launch measures to purge the army of opponents of the working class. All officers of noble background and those who are suspected of being reactionaries are forcibly “retired”. Officers who were directly involved in plotting against the state or were particularly vocal in their opposition are imprisoned for treason against the working class. The army is reorganised to promote equality and respect between ranks and the remaining officers are either ideological supporters of our rule or too paranoid to plot against us. This has no doubt crippled our army but a weak army will be unable to launch a coup. We can only hope that this bloodless purge will be the last but it will take some time for our army to recover. At this rate we’ll never be able to liberate the Soviet Union from the Stalinists or defeat the capitalists.
Sudetenland annexation?
Going back to Czechoslovakia, the new Republic puts itself under our wing and we are given the opportunity to force the transfer of the Sudetenland to our Republic or even annex Bohemia entirely. In the end we decide against either of these options. Annexing land from new members of the International will make us seem like conquerors rather than liberators and jeopardise our organisation. We trust the Czechoslovakians to take care of the Germans in the Sudetenland; after all we are all brothers.
Revolution in Finalnd
Revolution in Finland! Revolutionaries overthrow the Finish government and establish a Socialist state. However, rather than joining our International the Stalinist Fins instead ally with the Soviets. It is clear that the Soviets are building an alliance to destroy our International. From this point on we will prioritise liberating the Soviet people from the totalitarian Stalinists lest they crush our movement. The war with the capitalist powers can wait.
FIFA finishes
The FIFA tournament in Italy goes off without any issues, though the Soviets did refuse to attend. The capitalists are probably aware of our split with the Soviets now. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place all went to members of the International bringing prestige to Socialism and the International.
Enigma machine
German cryptologists develop a new method of encrypting secret messages with an “enigma machine”. This will have useful military applications and it is doubtful that the Soviets or the capitalists have developed encryption as sophisticated as ours at this time.
Armament merger
A few months ago we merged our vehicle manufacturers into one single organisation to reduce waste. Continuing along these lines we merge Mauser and Rheinmetall to create one single manufacturer of small arms and artillery. Already they begin development of new bolt action rifles for our army. German armaments will be the best in Europe!
Elections begin!
At the start of September we are finally ready to begin Germany’s first democratic elections under the KPD. Socialism is the most democratic instrument of power and naturally we will hold elections to reflect this. The German public will be given the opportunity to select their next President and Chancellor in a free and fair election. The legislation from the Stalinist KPD banning opposition parties is still in place, however we feel our party offers enough choice for it to still be a democratic election. After all, we are leagues ahead of the Soviet Union where they are stuck with the totalitarian despot Stalin
State of alliances
At the end of September we take note of the state of alliances throughout Europe. Revolutions have been attempted in most minor European nations to varying levels of success. Revolutions all succeeded in Denmark, Poland, Italy, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia making them all devout members of the Fourth International. Finland also fell to Communists but instead joined the Stalinists in allegiance against our International. Finally revolutions have been attempted in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Sweden but all unfortunately failed leading to their governments allying with the capitalist powers. In the event of a war our International could face attack from every direction.
President elected
The campaign season ends in early October and Ernst Toller is re-elected as President. Ernst Toller was the president of the short lived Bavarian Socialist Republic that emerged after the Great War. The German people appear to like his charming personality and political neutrality as well as his history of promoting democratic Socialism. His success in saving Germany from economic collapse helps as well, obviously.
Chancellor elected
Erich Mühsam is re-elected as chancellor of the German Worker’s republic. Mühsam worked with Toller in the Bavarian Socialist Republic before being arrested when it was crushed by the Fascists. Mühsam has a history of anti-Fascist writing particularly against Hitler which appears to have struck a chord with the German Proletariat.
Naval development
The German navy is in a completely pitiful state and is in desperate need of modernisation. If we want to liberate the world outside mainland Europe, in particular the United Kingdom and especially the USA, we will need to improve our navy. To achieve this, we will merge some of our navy’s research teams to reduce wasteful overlap in a similar way to what we did with our armament producers. But in addition to this, we have decided to stop development of submarines entirely and use Blohm und Voss’s resources to improve our production of Battleships and Carriers. Producing these capital ships will allow us to crush our opponents directly and open the path for naval invasions.
Atomic research
Werner Heisenberg and Albert Einstein, two of Germany’s most esteemed physicists have appealed for government funding of their research. They claim that if given the resources they could launch pioneering research into the atomic world which could have practical benefits to our state, as well as also bringing us great prestige. We agree to fund the scientists and hence begin establishing a Faculty of Atomic Research in Germany.
Ethiopian reform
Hermann Duncker has integrated himself into the court of Haile Selassie and feels that he can now begin pressuring the Ethiopians for social reform. We offer the Ethiopians more aid in return for reform, however if they refuse we will cut off aid entirely. It should be obvious to the Emperor what the correct choice is.
Ethiopian reform
Ethiopia agrees to outlaw slavery in return for continued aid from the International. This should create a new lower class in Ethiopia which will make up the future proletariat of Ethiopia. The seeds of revolution have been sown...
Saarland rejoins
The start of a new year in Germany begins with a plebiscite being held in the Saarland, one of the last parts of Germany still being occupied by the Capitalist powers. Many Communists had fled to the Saarland during the Nazis rise meaning local support for our regime is strong. It is no surprise then that 90.3% of citizens in the Saarland voted to rejoin Germany, forcing France to relinquish the area.
Saarland rejoins
The Saarland officially rejoins Germany as French troops begin to withdraw. Local industries are quickly brought under worker control without our interference and the red flag flies proudly over the city.
1936 plan
In February our program from last year to bring all German workplaces under worker control has concluded and we will begin implementing this year’s plan which is essentially a continuation of that policy. There have been some issues with bringing all industry under worker control so the government will control some factories to fulfil the bare requirements needed for our state.
Autobahns
A new round of Autobahns begin being built as there are still some unemployment workers in Germany. We hope one day all of Germany will have world class infrastructure.
Strike
Germany’s first strike since the KPD came to power breaks out in early May despite the excellent pay and conditions our workers receive. Some curious transactions show that the leaders of the strike had received money from the USA before downing their tools leading us to suspect foul play from the Americans. We haven’t yet received any indication so far that the Americans were hostile to our state so this is slightly concerning. Regardless of their questionable motives, we agree to the striker’s demands and begin enforcing higher working conditions in the few state owned factories.
French slander
The French press attempt to brand us as a rouge state aiming for world domination. Many Frenchmen are sympathetic to Socialism so don’t buy into the media’s lies. This hostility from the Capitalists is becoming all too common of an occurrence now...
Arab nationalism
The local Libyan leaders we put into power have begun branding themselves as the legitimate rulers of all Arab people and want our permission for them to establish a pan-Arab state. We believe supporting such a state would cause colonial unrest in the French and British colonies so we will allow it.
Arab nationalism
The new Arabian People’s Republic is declared. The Republic claims ownership over all land between Morocco and Oman. In the future, we hope to liberate the Muslim world and bring these regions under the Republic’s control in a federal system of government.
Ethiopian reforms
6 months after slavery was outlawed in Ethiopia we feel it is time to press for more reform. Capitalists have appeared in Ethiopian society and have begun exploiting the freed slaves. We will press for reform that will improve these ex-slaves class consciousness.
Ethiopian reforms
Ethiopia agrees to educate their lower classes and also begin to properly industrialise the country. Socialism can only work in an industrial society so this is a necessary step to achieve revolution.
Atomic research
We have finished establishing a Faculty for Atomic Research for Heisenburg and Einstein. They request additional funds to create the actual laboratories needed for their experiments which we eagerly provide.
American slander
The American press has launched an all out propaganda assault on our Republic calling us a threat to world peace, secret Fascists, totalitarian despots and all kinds of false things. Worryingly this appears to be being believed by the American, British and French people leading to increased opposition to our state from these people. If this keeps up, the capitalist states may actually be able to get enough public support to declare war on our republic! We need to quickly defeat our largest threat, the Soviet Union so that we can then focus on the Capitalists.
Increased tank production
In response to this emergency, production of Panzer IIs is ramped up and the first 9 tank divisions should be ready in 2 months. High production shall be maintained until we have enough tanks to safely defeat the Soviet Union.
Ethiopian reforms
Hermann Duncker claims that the Ethiopians are developing quickly and it is clear that he is taking his role seriously. As a gift, a number of outdated German ships are given to the Ethiopians to protect their coast. This should help promote Ethiopian trade.
Investments pay off
The benefits of our investments made in 1933 into Education, Healthcare and Policing are finally beginning to appear. German schools and hospitals will soon become the best in the world!
New year war games
To kick off the start of 1936 some war games simulating the invasion of the Soviet Union begin. This should help improve our crippled officer ranks.
A new flagship
The research team Volksmarinewerft begin developing a new kind of Battleship that will surpass the ships of our rivals. This “Super Heavy Battleship” will be the largest of its kind when completed and will be the flagship of the German navy.
Libya industrialised
4 months later the Libyans discover vast quantities of oil in their state which should help boost their economy. By this point we can say that Libya has become an industrial nation bringing great respect to Socialism as an ideology. We will import Libyan oil in exchange for further aid from our state.
Mobile warfare
In addition to armoured divisions, motorised infantry also begin being produced. To give this infantry extra firepower, armoured cars will be attached to their divisions. We really hope this mobility based warfare pays off...
Revolution in Ethiopia
Ethiopia has gone from strength to strength and is now a centre of anti-colonialism and socialism in Africa. The Ethiopian proletariat has become militant and seeks revolution; if we provide them with the supplies they might be able to overthrow the government.
Revolution in Ethiopia
Shorty after our supplies arrive, Hermann Duncker rallies the Ethiopian worker and the monarchy is overthrown in a quick and bloodless revolution.
Revolution in Ethiopia
The old emperor Tafari Makonnen assumes position as Ethiopia’s first Socialist president. While we have our concerns about having royalty leading a Socialist state even as a “president” Duncker assures us that he is a true Socialist. Due to this, we agree to grant Ethiopia observer membership in the International.
Fascist troubles
After the Italian war, many Fascists fled to France which as of late have begun to cause a great deal of trouble for the French government. Open conflict is becoming commonplace forcing the French government to begin suppressing the Fascists. Obviously we have no complaints about this.
Spanish civil war
We receive news from Spain that the military attempted to overthrow the liberal government and impose a Fascist dictatorship. This coup was luckily shut down by revolutionary trade unions leading to civil war breaking out in Spain between the military and the liberal government supported by the Spanish worker. We will consider sending aid to help the Spanish workers in their fight against Fascism.
Spanish civil war
To our shock and horror the capitalists begin to send supplies and volunteers to assist the Fascists! It appears that the capitalist’s hatred of Socialism is so great that they would rather arm Fascists over a liberal government supported by Socialist trade Unions. More worryingly, the Americans direct intervention here is a clear indicator that they too will soon move to oppose us. We need to deal with the Soviet Union quickly or else!

Next chapter:

Game: Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game

A Communist Germany AAR: Part 4

Images: 61, author: Bluntforce9001, published: 2017-02-02, edited: 1970-01-01

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