Man in the High Castle Lore

Characters of Importance

Characters of Importance

• Hendrik Baumer (83) | Kaiser - 1921
• Clauß von Lindau (63) | Hand des Kaisers - 1941
• Landa Vought (72, CRIPPLED) | Prinzregent - 1921
• Johann Rudel | Chef der Bundeskanzlei - 1947
• Gabriel Pfundmacher | Kriegsmarschall - 1944
• Hugo Bähr | Ordensmarschall - 1941
• Konstantin von Wolkow | Chef der Kaiserlichekanzlei - 1946
• Schneider von Moltke | Direktor der NSB - 1943

Abstract

Following the decisive victory of Imperial Germany in the Second Great War, ended by the catastrophic nuclear strike on Washington, D.C., on April 7, 1947, Kaiser Hendrik Baumer declared a "Century of Peace" under the aegis of the German Empire. This monumental triumph, achieved through strategic brilliance, unrelenting resolve, and the unity of the Empire, saw the subjugation of all remaining hostile powers. The United States, once a titan of industry and military might, was partitioned between the German Empire and its once steadfast ally, the Empire of Japan with the Ottomans now serving as an uneasy buffer state between these two vastly powerful Empires.

The Chinese War:

Starting on July 7th, 1937, one of the longest conflicts in recent memory - the Second Sino-Japanese War would drag on for a total of eight years. This theater of war alone would result in a death toll higher than the total amount of casualties in Africa, the rest of Asia, and America combined. Immediately following the outbreak of the war, Germany would withdraw its military missions from China and instead focus on strengthening relationships between the Germans and the Japanese. Early on, arms shipments would be supplied with advanced technology as well as military envoys.

Initially, the original invested interests of the German Empire, dating back to the 1920s, were the restoration of the Shogunate. However, by 1938, the direction had shifted to maintaining the Imperial Household as a means to an end and ensuring their involvement in a war with Western powers, thereby tying down resources in Asia instead of Europe or Africa. The bond between the two empires grew as tensions in Europe intensified. Yet, when news of Japanese atrocities had reached the ears of the Germans, condemnation of their actions was privately raised.

Initially, the Japanese had refused to modify any of their methods, while German diplomats continued to object. Eventually, the overruling revocation of support was raised, and the Japanese begrudgingly agreed. Few in the Japanese General Staff, as well as those with connections to the Black Dragon Society, would see this as an affront to Japan's honor. The first cracks in a German-Japanese alliance began to show.

Progress would be a steady push deeper into China, exemplified by British support running dry by the fall of Gibraltar and the fall of Burma. The Kuomintang, originally sustained by foreign support, would begin to deplete its stockpiles. Mao’s communists would seize an opportunity to grab a vast amount of land and seize the remaining KMT armories in Northern China. Yunnan, seeing a collapse in support of the KMT, would seize territory in Guangxi and pledge its support to the Japanese, formally withdrawing from the conflict.

Chiang Kai-shek, by early 1945, could see that the collapse of China was imminent and fled to Tibet with Nationalist loyalists. Mao would see the same and would flee to the Urals. Both would disappear for decades, silently building support under the guidance of Russian Warlords. By mid-1945, China was rife with internal power struggles, and the Chinese communists would split into various sects vying for control in occupied parts of China. Upon the invasion of Ichi-Go, there was little left to defend, and the war came to an end.

Battle of Paris, France

In early 1941, while Germany’s resources were tied down on the southern front with Mussolini’s Italy and its allies in Austria and the Balkans, as well as a new eastern front, the now Commune of France had decided on a daring offensive operation to cripple German economic might. Without declaration of war or formal notice, dozens of French armored and infantry divisions crossed the Maginot line and into the industrial heartland of the Ruhr. The French, blitzing to the Rhine, had quickly captured several cities of vital importance to the Empire, such as Cologne, Bonn, and even Düsseldorf. However, the recent officer purges in the Bolshevik coup d'etat in France had resulted in a command staff of inexperienced political hires, far too overzealous or incompetent to achieve the task of crossing the Rhine River, resulting in a firm stalemate.

Under the leadership of a reinvigorated command structure, the German Empire rallied behind the Security and Armed Forces to repel the French invaders from the Fatherland. Additionally, through strategic negotiations, the Netherlands had joined the IEU, resulting in a joint attack from the north and west into a now Belgian communist puppet state. With the French forces shattered and having entirely pulled out of Belgium, they left the ill-equipped forces to serve no more as a speed bump to the Kriegsmacht's war machine. Upon the capture of Brussels, tens of millions of marks in Belgian gold were seized by the Sovereign Office under the “leadership” of Royal Treasurer Skarsgard von Kiel following an altercation between local Kaisergarde and German Armed Forces members.

Upon the capitulation of Belgium, the next phase of Kriegsmacht operations was the push through the Pas-de-Calais towards the French heartlands. Several months of operations followed, with the German Empire’s focus shifting to multiple front lines following changes in administration. Eventually, under the guidance of Gabriel Pafundmachter, the Kriegsmacht had firmly set its sights on the city of lights - Paris.

To first achieve victory, the city of Compiegne lay against the combined might of the Security Forces, dozens of new Kaisergarde divisions, and the Armed Forces. Known as the city where the great humiliation had taken place, the city held great importance in the eyes of the nation. The avenging of unthinkable actions brought about against Wilhelm’s Germany in the Great War. The reason why Germany fell to ashes and was then reborn as the phoenix was the White Rose Germany under Kaiser Hendrik Baumer.

Forces were stretched thin, and consistent operations in the western theater had left forces in a stalemate with no true progress. If there was one thing the Bolshevik high command did well, it was throwing bodies at the frontlines. A plan was devised for a massive deployment of reserve troops to Berlin, where they would form the vanguard of an assault using combined arms, including tanks and aircraft.

The plan went outstandingly; the city had been captured, the revenge for 1918 achieved, and now the gates of Paris lie open.

The Kriegsmacht had devised a plan to quickly surround Paris and exhaust its forces, forcing a surrender or a state of hopelessness in the city. The last thing the German Empire wanted was the destruction of the beautiful city. So, plans were devised to drop propaganda pamphlets, allowing any French citizens to cross the German lines and leave the city without any hassle. At first, many French were skeptical - did they really believe that the Germans would show such mercy? One would try, attempting to see if it was true, and he was let through without any issue. The news spread like wildfire.

Hundreds of thousands of citizens evacuated the city, many still loyal to the former Democratic government or simply despising the current one. With the sheer scale of the evacuation, the last remaining French and Bolshevik troops retreated back into the political center of the city, intending to make a last stand. What remained was brutal block-by-block fighting.

Air support was strictly prohibited, and only small numbers of tanks could fit through the urban sectors, which resulted in bloodshed. First, the German forces pushed the Palais de Justice, capturing it and setting up a FOB, then a push towards the French Central Bank, which was held by the Kaisergarde, then the Interior Ministry was captured, and finally, the last of the surviving French and NKVD operatives assigned to the French Commune held out inside the military academy. The Mayor of Paris, carrying a white flag, exited the building, claiming that he formally surrendered the city. Before he could even turn back and inform his comrades of the news, the crack of a Mosin-Nagant was heard, accompanied by the sounds of Russian yelling, declaring the mayor a traitor to the revolution. A siege of the building ensued, with the last of the Bolsheviks mounting a desperate last stand.

The outside of the building was eventually cleared, with the rooftop serving as a point of symbolic importance. While the fight raged on inside the premises, the order to plant the flag on top of the military academy was given. Dozens of squads of men pushed the rooftop before one man would stand amongst all others - Hans Milder of the Emperor’s own 1st. Kaisergarde would plant the flag on top of the military academy. Declaring the city as theirs.

After the encirclement and capture of Paris, the rest of France fell soon after. General Phillpe Petain formally met with the German High Command in the rubble of the Château de Saint-Cloud and signed a peace treaty. A couple of months later, the regions of

France and Belgium were formally reorganized into a broad state within the newly created Kingdom of France, divided into several duchies and administrative regions, with the region of Paris itself entirely for the Sovereign Office. Kaiser Hendrik Baumer had then seized the crown of the Franks, declaring himself King of the Franks.

Battle of Rome, Italy:

Following the rise of fascism in Austria in 1939, the German Empire sought to revive its once-great empire to bring into the fold of the IEU and wanted to contain the threat of fascism before its sickness could infect other states. The German high command devised a plan to quickly seize and incorporate the Austrian state. Believing that the Austrians would collapse quickly, a military training exercise many dubbed it, turned into a slog that lasted three years. The first setbacks occurred when the Italians joined the war, flooding hundreds of thousands of troops into defensive posts in the Alps. The second occurred when Yugoslavia joined and bolstered the frontlines against the new German ally of Hungary. Third was the near-total collapse of Hungary under pressure on all sides.

Vienna by the end of the month turned into Vienna by October, then to Christmas, and then to Easter. A large number of troops were deployed into the region by both sides. But the economic might of the German Empire eventually overpowered Italy. With many of the Italian reserves of equipment sent to Spain before the war kicked off, the Italian armories were quickly depleted.

Austria fell, then Yugoslavia, and subsequently, with the Ottoman Empire's entry into the IEU, the Bulgarians fell, followed by the capture of Venice soon after. All within the course of a year. However, with the Comintern joining the war to contain German Imperialism, the advances in Northern Italy ceased. Allowing further deployment of units, and with French lend-lease, the Italian reserves were boosted. This would change in Early 1942.

Following the collapse of the French and the formal shift towards offensive operations, the remaining troops who did not wish to surrender to the Germans in France joined the Italian frontlines. However, Italy, which had previously only played defensively in its own territory, would now fight a two-front war on its western approaches.

German mountaineers would make quick work of the underequipped Western garrisons, capturing the cities of Genoa and Milan with the efforts of the air force and armored corps. The valuable Northern industrial sectors in Italy with the strongest bastions of fascist supporters as well. The Grand Council of Fascism would convene, deposing Mussolini and hanging him in the streets, calling him a traitor to the people and its revolution.

Eventually, internal coups and power struggles took place in Rome to decide the next Duce or simply a new leader, all while German forces continued a reinvigorated push south as the northern Italians were shattered. The battle of Rome was less a battle and more a clean-up operation; the Germans had marched right into an internal conflict between communist revolutionaries, monarchists, and fascist reactionaries.

The German Empire had dropped pamphlets of surrender within Rome, which some sects of Monarchists took, believing a restoration of the monarchy would occur. The communists would retreat to underground resistance while the Fascists held up inside of key institutions; the rest of the Italian Army had seemingly deserted the city farther south due to the internal politics.

The city of Rome was quickly captured, fascist buildings were razed, and organized Italian resistance was shattered. Yet, none in the German Armed Forces wished to continue further south into Naples due to a lack of any credible fascist support and the supply drain that would exist, as well as partisan attacks from the various leftist and right resistance cells. In 1942, a peace treaty was signed with the “Italian Kingdom”, which was divided into three regions. The Duchy of Milan, forming the most closely aligned state to the German Empire, and home to the Italian industrial sector. The Papal States, with a restored pope as ruler, served as what would be a blueprint for a “neutral zone” that would be implemented in the United States. And the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, with Victor Emmanuel placed as its monarch. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was granted far more autonomy compared to Milan, due to its distance from Germany proper, and was intended to serve as a satellite state rather than a direct puppet state. The Italian Mafia quickly rose to prominence, assuming control over many of the state’s functions.

Integration of German Officers into the Ottoman Military:

Beginning in July of 1940 at the request of the Ottoman High Command, German Military Advisors were formally invited into the Ottoman Empire. They encountered a large, demoralized and untrained force. They reported back to Berlin immediately that the Ottoman Empire had not recovered at all from the loss in 1918; the Turkish military was in total disrepair and needed new equipment and new structure.

The German Advisors began their work by embedding themselves within key Ottoman units, starting with the elite Janissary inspired divisions stationed to defend Istanbul and Ankara. Led by the Foreign Intelligence Service, along with other veterans from the Eastern Front in the Great War, advisors introduced rigorous Prussian-style drills, emphasizing discipline, mechanized warfare and combined arms tactics.

Initial resistance from Ottoman officers, who viewed the Germans as overbearing foreigners was quelled through a mix of diplomatic maneuvering and demonstrations of superior strategy during joint exercises. By late 1940, German supplied Panzer tanks and Aircraft were rolling into Ottoman ports, symbolizing the deepening alliance.

Growth in Authority of German Officers:

As the Imperial European Union gained momentum in Europe, the German advisor’s influence expanded rapidly. By 1943, with the Ottoman Empire's entry into the war on the German side motivated by promises of reclaiming lost territories in the Balkans and Middle East the advisors almost immediately transitioned from mere consultants to de facto commanders. Skorzeny, by this point an Oberst of the Sicherheitskrafte working alongside Generalmajor Paul Hausser and their cadre were granted emergency powers by Sultan Abdulmejid II to reorganize the Ottoman General Staff. They purged incompetent or disloyal Ottoman officers replacing them with German trained loyalists or even direct German appointees. This “Germanization” process involved establishing specialized training academies in Ankara where Ottoman recruits learned German tactics, strategy and doctrine. They were also taught German language and ideology. Authority grew through subtle infiltration. Constant economic aid from Berlin had by this point practically tied the fate of this Sublime State to the German Empire. Whispers in the Sublime Porte spoke of the “Teutonic Shadow” as German officers controlled promotions, supply lines and even intelligence operations, marginalizing traditional Ottoman Leadership.

Battle of Athens:

The Kingdom of Greece, still with remnants of their Byzantine culture, fell under attack by the Ottoman Empire early in the year 1943, once it became clear that the German Empire would come out victorious amidst the Global Conflict. Their late entry to the conflict drew the ire of Berlin politicians, who, after lengthy petitioning to the Emperor, finally halted his open support of the Sultan, Abdulmejid II.

While the Ottomans quickly moved through the territory of the Greeks, the capital of Athens itself was vigorously defended. Suddenly prior to the encirclement of Athens, the German Command that were directing the invasion of Greece were suddenly ordered by the Sultan and his Ottoman High Command to return to Istanbul, General Cemil Cahit Toydemir was placed in-charge of the entire frontline following this withdrawal of German officers as they obeyed their summons.

This withdrawal held major consequences for the entire frontline; German trained units were also pulled off the frontline and replaced with lesser trained divisions and reserves. The intent was clear to many and morale dropped along the entire front. The true leaders were pulled off the frontline in a display of politics, they wanted to show that Turks would take the City of Athens, not Germans or their lapdogs. What followed was a disastrous stalemate: Ottoman assaults faltered without German tactical oversight, leading to heavy casualties from Greek counterattacks bolstered by supplies smuggled through the Aegean. Desertions spiked among the ranks, with soldiers muttering about “betrayal from the Porte.” Skorzeny and Hausser, recalled to Istanbul under the guise of strategic consultations seethed in private viewing the move as a direct challenge to their authority. Intelligence reports filtered back to Berlin painting the Ottoman leadership as unreliable allies prone to nationalist whims that endangered the broader war effort.

The Battle of Athens commenced on October 13, 1943, with street to street fighting erupting through the day into the night. Eventually, it became clear that the Ottoman forces, while much, were unable to breach the final citadels of the Greek capital. The Sultan immediately sought out the Emperor, Hendrik Baumer, and requested support for his operations through the deployment of numerous paratrooper divisions throughout the Greek holdout regions. This demand for support followed years of inaction from the

Ottoman Empire, which drew even further anger in Berlin. It was decided that the German Empire would take Athens-- for themselves.

In less than a week, five paratrooper divisions dropped from hundreds of planes into the Kingdom of Greece, capturing the government quarter of Athens, remnants of divisions, and civilian leadership swiftly. Almost instantly, demands from the Sultan for the transfer of Athens to their control poured into the German Capital. The Foreign Ministry did not reply. The Imperial War Authority did, however, by moving further forces into the Balkans.

Stalingrad and Moscow, Russia:

The Eastern Front of Russia would be the most destructive front in human-history, responsible for the deaths of millions of Russians and IEU and the crippling of hundreds of thousands. The land would be torched, their homes razed and families torn apart from several years of fighting. By late 1943, a renewed German offensive threatened Moscow, drawing on resources diverted from other theaters of the war.

Before the capture of Moscow could be initiated though, Germany’s oil reserves would begin to dry up as the multiple fronts would have exhausted the resources of Germany. Therefore under direction War Minister Dietrich von Maybach and his Chief of the General Staff Lothar Kühn would supply orders to Army Group South to thrust into the resource rich areas of the Caucasus. However, the first obstacle before this could be done would be the capture of Stalingrad - a propaganda victory per its nomenclature. The egotism of Maybach and Kühn to secure this victory for their Emperor would be their eventual demise.

Following the new shift of focus away from Moscow, brief respite would be provided for the Red Army allowing them to reorganize their lines as Leningrad would soon be under threat from a Baltic push. What was unexpected though was the German push south. Not expecting such an effort, Rostov and Crimea would be captured and the last Soviet forces in Ukraine would be pushed out. The road to Stalingrad would now lay entirely open for Army Group South.

London, United Kingdom:

The Battle of the United Kingdom, initiated on November 4, 1942, after British naval incursions in the Bay of Biscay, was a protracted struggle for air and sea control. The United Kingdom, bolstered by its Royal Air Force and Navy, proved a formidable adversary. The German Luftwaffe, supported by IEU air squadrons under Supreme Command, launched devastating raids on British airfields and ports, but the RAF’s radar-guided fighters and resilient pilots inflicted crippling losses. By mid-1942, the German Empire was struggling to maintain air superiority over the English Channel, with supply convoys being sunk by British submarines and Luftwaffe squadrons decimated. The Kingdom of the Netherlands deployed its navy to blockade British ports, but fierce resistance stretched IEU resources thin, alongside the multiple fronts.

The German Kriegsminister shifted tactics, deploying experimental jet fighters and V-rockets developed with the expertise of the IEU under the Science Directorate. These innovations, introduced in 1943, overwhelmed British defenses, but the cost was staggering; thousands of pilots were lost, and German industrial capacity was strained. The Ausland Geheimdienst orchestrated covert sabotage operations, targeting British radar stations and fuel depots, while IEU intelligence provided critical data on RAF movements. Street fighting erupted in coastal cities like Dover, where IEU infantry, redeployed from the Eastern Front, faced entrenched British Home Guard units. The urban combat was merciless, with civilian casualties mounting as London endured relentless bombardment.

By early 1944, the UK’s economy teetered on collapse, its colonies stripped by IEU occupations led by Hungary and the Ottoman State. The German Prinzregent negotiated a conditional surrender in June 1944, under the Direction of the Emperor for Total Collapse. The victory came at a steep price: over 300,000 IEU troops dead, countless aircraft lost, and British cities reduced to rubble. It was not the only loss: the Prinzregent upon his return, was strafed by Luftwaffe formations believing him to be a member of the Irish Republican Army; he was left forever crippled, though still carrying on official duties from his golden wheelchair. The IEU’s naval and air forces, particularly the Dutch and Hungarian contributions, proved decisive; however, the campaign exposed vulnerabilities in the alliance’s overstretched resources.

Rise of the Twin Empires and Allying with the Japanese:

Months prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Sovereign Office, spearheaded by the Hand of the Emperor, had collaborated with the Japanese foreign ministry to become aligned with one another. In a deal reminiscent of the Treaty of Tordesillas, the two Empires had come to an agreement: Germany would gain uncontested control in a peace deal of Europe, Northern Africa, Eastern North America, South America, Parts of Antarctica, and the Middle East. Japan would be given the entirety of Asia, the Pacific, Australia, the leftover territories in North and South America, as well as freedom of expansion into Soviet far-eastern territories.

The stage was set, the agreements signed, and now it was time to roll the dice.

On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor spearheaded by Admiral Yamato went through. With new bomb technology secretly supplied to the Japanese, notably out-of-date models compared to ones in active use in Germany, the entirety of the American Pacific Fleet was destroyed using modified V1 Rockets.

Immediately following the destruction of the Pacific Fleet and the British fleet tied down in Europe due to German naval rearrangements, the Japanese Navy faced no resistance. The plan of “Nanshin-ron,” spearheaded by the Navy, was quickly put into effect as the Philippines, Malaysia, Siam, Burma, New Guinea, and American, British, and French island chains in the Pacific were all captured and brought into the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere.

The Japanese launched offensives into Australia, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand, capturing these areas with little resistance and little support from the United Kingdom or America. Japan enjoys unrestricted warfare on the high seas, destroying Allied supply convoys.

However, not all went well for the Japanese. With the quick gains of the listed lands within a year, the Soviet Union eyed the Co-Prosperity Sphere with weary eyes. Joseph Stalin would allocate half of the Far Eastern garrisons to be sent to the western theater to be sent against the Germans. The remaining troops in Soviet Siberia would be inexperienced and under-equipped. The Soviets had believed that the Khalkin-Gol victory and signing of a non-aggression pact would deter the Japanese; however, there was a chance, and the Japanese could sense it.

The Imperial Japanese Army, sensing a chance to seize the opportunity, would mass mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops in reserve, even while a land war in India and China was waged; these troops were drastically under-equipped and with almost nothing to provide support in their advance. However, the IJA did not wish to fall behind the Navy, which had been all but useless compared to the IJN, despite still making little to no significant progress in China. So, at midnight on February 22nd, 1943, dozens of IJA Generals left Tokyo in planes bound for Manchuria and cut communications with the civilian government.

On February 23rd, the Rising Sun attacked the Soviet Union from the East. No official declaration of war was provided; green Soviet units would be overrun and destroyed. Vladivostok was captured within a week; vast swathes of far-eastern territories were captured with the help of newly raised White-Russian divisions, as well as volunteers from oppressed Soviet citizens. The general Japanese public was ecstatic; the dreams of a united Asia were becoming a reality, while the civilian government was furious. The IJA and IJN have grown increasingly bold, with a near-total disregard for orders or outright refusal of them. The government would barely be able to regain power over the two branches of service, instead simply attempting to appease them to curry favor.

With the capture of the Russian Far East, Vladivostok and all territory up to the Amur River were ceded to Manchuria, while other occupied territories were planned to form into satellite states in the future. A massive victory for the IJA that emboldened them. However, three more theaters of war still existed - the British Raj, China, and America.

The Raj would be the next theater of war to focus on. The IJN would plan an invasion of southern India, while a dash through modern-day Bangladesh would occur. The plan went outstandingly and was further enhanced by a lack of British support in mid-1943 due to a

focus on Europe, as well as supply issues following the capture of Gibraltar in November 1941. The Raj fell victim to independence movements and quickly collapsed under its own weight.

With all the IJA's resources finally freed up by mid-1945, Operation Ichi-Go was initiated. The Chinese were under pressure from all sides. The Kuomintang surrendered, Mao’s communists fled west to Turkistan and towards contested areas in Central Asia, while the warlords fell in line. The Reformed Republic of China and Qing China were reformed. Wang Jingwei and Puyi heads of their respective China. However, each believed that only one China could exist. Setting up future conflict in the region.

Now, with the Soviets too focused on the defense of Moscow to hold onto their holdings in the East, the Raj was liberated, and China's resistance groups were hunted down, the last plan was for a joint invasion of the United States with the IEU. However, the Pacific Fleet had become formidable over the course of the past couple of years of conflict. The American War Economy was in full swing, and what seemed unfathomable had become reality. The IJN had actually begun to lose in the Pacific; the American Navy was winning consistently with superior strategy and naval advances. But the Japanese had a plan to once again turn the tide of war back in their favor.

In early 1946, a massive explosion occurred inside the Panama Canal. The cause was a captured British Merchant vessel carrying several V1 rockets inside it. The canal would remain disabled for the remainder of the war due to the Allies' focus elsewhere. The American fleet would receive no more reinforcements from the Atlantic, and the Japanese slowly gained the upper hand over the course of several months. Japanese spies in South America, coordinating with IJN bases in New Caledonia and Fiji, would intercept naval reinforcements.

The final step before an all-out invasion of the West Coast would be a simultaneous invasion of the Aleutian Islands and Hawaii. The IJN began to coordinate the assaults with the IJA, using nearby islands to firebomb Honolulu. Hawaii fell within a day, and a Japanese reconnaissance mission near Anchorage, Alaska, set a dangerous record - the first time that the continental United States had been put in the crosshairs of the IEU.

Washington D.C., United States:

The United States, entering the war on December 7, 1941, after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, posed an existential threat to the IEU. Its vast industrial capacity and mobilized armies dwarfed even the German Empire’s might. The German-Japanese alliance divided the war effort: Japan engaged the U.S. Navy in the Pacific, while Germany and the IEU focused on the Atlantic and European theaters. Polish raw materials, Hungarian munitions, Ottoman oil, and Dutch submarine technology sustained the German war machine; however, American forces ultimately overwhelmed early campaigns. By 1945, U.S. troops landed in Europe, the United Kingdom was the easiest land to cover as France was already occupied by Germany and considered a risk.

The Ouroboros, a previously covert organization, then went public, overseeing Project Solaris, accelerated development of a nuclear warhead, a desperate gamble to break the deadlock. The project drained resources, with factories operating around the clock and scientists facing disciplinary action for delays. In March 1947, a German submarine, guided by new navigational expertise and specialized fuel supplies, infiltrated the U.S. eastern seaboard. On April 7, 1947, Operation Easter Dawn unleashed a nuclear strike on Washington, D.C., obliterating the capital and killing key government figures. The attack, a technological marvel and moral horror, incinerated the city, leaving a radioactive scar and shattering American morale.

The U.S., crippled by the loss of its leadership, faced internal chaos as resistance faltered. The German Kriegsminister coordinated a final offensive, with IEU troops landing on the East Coast, while Japanese forces advanced from the West. The surrender on April 15, 1947, ended the war, but the cost was staggering: millions dead, entire cities devastated, and the U.S. economy in ruins.

The Aftermath of the Conquest for Peace:

Several months before the fall of Moscow and the inevitable victory for the IEU over the Soviet Union, the question on how to split up the lands between Germany and it’s allies was raised. Envoys of Germany, Japan, Ottomans, Hungary, Poland and exiled Finnish met in the crownlands of Paris in a meeting now called the First Imperial Accord. The meeting originally was for just the Soviet Union, but expanded to the post-war makeup of most of the world:

Germany would receive Leningrad and Crimea as naval bases and Baku as a joint occupation between them and the Ottomans. The Netherlands would be made into a puppet state and Indonesia ceded to the Japanese. The Germans would also have total control and direction over territories they had conquered such as the United Kingdom and France and their former colonies outside of Asia. Germany would have direct control of a west-Russian, Ukrainian, Baltic and Caucasus protectorate.

Japan would receive Vladivostok and freedom of expansion into Siberia as well as Central Asia and Mongolia.

The Ottomans would receive Georgia, Armenia, and other areas to the Russian south as well as freedom of expansion into Soviet Central Asia - much to the annoyance and contention of the Japanese. They also got much of North Africa and Arabia as well as land all the way down to Ethiopia. Finally, an IEU control zone of the Suez Canal was established with the Ottomans entrusted to defend the land. A satellite state would be established in Persia and Afghanistan. The Ottomans would be shut down regarding Pakistan being brought into their sphere by the Japanese - much to the anger of the Ottomans.

Hungary would receive Slovakia, Romania, and parts of north-eastern Yugoslavia to form Greater Hungary with oil rights to Bucharest to the Germans.

Poland would receive western Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania and would form the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth. In exchange, they would cede ethnic German lands in Poznan and Krakow to the Germans.

The Finns would receive Murmansk as well as the Russian territories to its east.

Occupation of the United States of America:

Though victory was achieved on April 7, 1947, North America was not conquered. The Imperial War Authority was forced into cities and towns to suppress rebellion. While Washington’s will was broken, the citizens of the United States fought on; the German forces assigned to gain control of the new America were more than the combined invasion force of both the British Isles and the Commune of France.

As the population would learn, small arms are nothing compared to the hardened steel of an Empire that had been undeterred in conquering most of Europe. Slowly, town by town, city by city, state by state, the former USA fell under the knee of the Holy Roman Crown.

New York made the Capital of the Imperial American Protectorate:

Following the victory of the Imperial War Authority over the United States of America as a result of an atomic blast directed at Washington, D.C., the area was rendered uninhabitable. The Emperor, therefore, decreed that the City of New York shall be known as the Capital of the Protectorate, with its official establishment in late 1947.

One of the first actions of the new Protectorate was to establish a centralized administration: the States became Duchies, who governed in name, but were often overshadowed or governed in practice by an appointed Governor of the Lord Protector; the Counties were henceforth run by a Count. It was not the only instrument of the republican United States to be tossed aside; the Constitution was rewritten, now permitting only limited personal freedoms and organizing the State under the Lord Protector, the Emperor’s viceroy for the American continents.

New York became both Capital and center of intrigue among the new Protectorate, with the highest ranking of the Protectorate’s officials vying for control, power, and influence over the Protectorate.

Growth of Japan:

By 1947, the Japanese Empire had reached its Zenith. All of East, South, and Northern Asia were united under the rule of the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. However, the final battle for control and total domination of the Pacific, aimed at cementing the Japanese Empire, was on the American West Coast. So, in March 1947, after years of IEU and GEACPS naval and air domination in the Atlantic and Pacific, the final act of the war was to be decided. On April 7th, 1947, the Americans, via long-range Radar, detected massive movements of the IJN as well as aircraft from occupied Alaska and Hawaii, and attempted to communicate this to Washington. No response. Then to the Pentagon, no response. Finally, after several minutes, New York City reported that hundreds of German naval vessels had landed on the Eastern Seaboard, accompanied by hundreds of thousands of troops from German, Ottoman, Dutch, and French forces.

The United States was under attack on all sides. Key American Airfields were struck by V1 rockets loaned to the Japanese, fuel depots destroyed, and Army bases firebombed. A cohesive resistance by the Americans fell apart as communications lines were cut by collaborators recruited from Australia and Hawaii who were embedded in the west. The Japanese made landfall in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Portland, as well as various other points by the end of the day. California, Oregon, and Seattle fell by April 8th. By the 9th, Arizona and New Mexico had fallen, and the rest of the West was collapsing. It ceded to the Japanese when peace was signed less than a week later.

The Japanese were given the entirety of the West up to the Rocky Mountains and Baja California. What happened next was a far milder occupation procedure compared to other regions of Asia. Japanese Americans, still in custody, were freed and given full Japanese citizenship. Also similar to their other occupations, the Pacific States was established, and their official language was made Japanese. All persons in the occupied government were immediately forced to begin learning the language. The Japanese also sought to be seen as liberators and granted previously discriminated individuals equal rights alongside all others. Life, at first, seemed like it would remain the same with simply a new flag to follow.

However, in May, the Kempeitai set up field offices in the Pacific States and began mass surveillance programs on their people using American collaborators. The Japanese also outlawed private gun ownership and imposed major restrictions on non-Japanese. The Pacific States were transformed into little more than an industrial hub and a source of resources for Japan.

In the rest of Asia, GEACPS was seen as liberators to formerly Western-colonized places, and the Japanese initially granted more freedoms to these people. However, Japan had cleverly employed a carrot-and-stick strategy to entice collaboration. Service in local police forces for 4 years or military service would guarantee greater freedoms to persons in occupied lands. They would also utilize volunteers from various Asian countries to ensure that pre-existing connections and corruption didn’t exist.

Furthermore, after the Netherlands was directly incorporated into the German Empire as a puppet government, Indonesia was ceded to Japan. South East Asia became little more than a colony under a new name, the economy was focused purely on the extraction of Oil and Rubber, as well as other natural resources. China was established as a two-government rule with a satellite state, Yunnan. A White Russian Government was formed in Eastern Siberia using exiles in Manchuria. This government was used to combat the Russian Warlords in the region and as a semi-autonomous state. Australia and New Zealand were combined into one country and became a satellite state.

The Raj was divided into four parts, with Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, and India gaining independence. Singapore was put under direct Japanese occupation, serving as the naval hub of the Japanese in the region. However, Central Asia and West Asia quickly became a point of contention.

The Ottomans had seized control of much of their former lands in Northern Africa, all the way down to Ethiopia, as well as Arabia; however, the Japanese had sought to bring an autonomous Turkic Republic and to put it as a satellite state. Additionally, they wished to bring Afghanistan into the fold. Yet, the Ottomans fundamentally disagreed on this issue. The Germans had recused themselves from the issue and simply informed the two states to figure it out amongst themselves. They never did.

Multiple skirmishes were fought over several years, and bombing missions led by both sides decimated Central Asia and Afghanistan. Officially, no nations exist in these regions. Unofficially, millions live under constant fear, and the region has devolved into a wasteland. By 1955, the hostilities formally ceased, but the discovery of oil in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in early 1962 seems to have reinvigorated conflict in the region.

Additionally, parts of western Bolivia and Ecuador have been firmly under the control of the Japanese and have been turned into satellite states. The Panama Canal has been restored and now exists under a joint occupation of the Japanese and Germans, with each vying for more control over the vital trading hub. The surrounding areas of Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Central Africa serve as independent nations with vicious criminal undergrounds and serve as countries where exiles from the German and Japanese Empire hide out. Mexico has been a specific point of contention between the two, with it being a place where smuggling and espionage operations between the Pacific States and Imperial American Protectorate occur. Both have vested interests in the nation but neither has the interest in breaking the truce to invade, since it's seen as an extension of the Neutral Zone. It’s also been a source of contention with reports of the remnants of the American and British governments in exile being smuggled out to Africa, their final destinations being unknown. Brazil also serves as a point of interest for the Germans and Japanese, one wishing to control the rubber reserves and the other seeking to halt Germany from achieving it. Japan serves as the number one producer of Rubber and the 2nd producer of Oil behind the Ottoman Empire. Germany trails behind both.

Upon the cessation of the war, the civilian government of Japan never truly recovered and was sidelined against the Navy and the Army’s vested interests but a third column in government did eventually form and that was the corporate sector. The Military and Navy each ceased areas of interest, the Army focusing on America and China while the Navy focused on their colonial holdings everywhere else. Each would contract corporate powers to begin exploitation of the colonies and funding of programs led by each department.

Japan proper would become bound by corporate interests, the civilian government slowly being absorbed by conglomerates and monopolies. The Army and Navy would use their contracts to fund their own researchers and special projects. Rumours of Army interests in Atomic Power would also arise, but without proper researchers this would be nothing but a pipe dream. The Navy would seize and subordinate a lot of the Air Force and begin carrier and naval expansions as well as expansion of Air Bases.

With the destruction of the Allied Powers, Japan would begin its consolidation of military power. While many within the military believe that the sun will never set on the Empire, many small but influential factions within the Armed Forces - particularly that of disgruntled aviation officers wish to see a return to more traditional means of government. Foreign influences would be rife in a possible effort of destabilization.

Additionally, Corporate Influences would begin to take precedence as an upstart corporation led by Saburo Arasaka would rapidly begin expanding into the resource rich territories. Rapidly gaining in power to eventually become a global economic power. Even outmatching many German corporations in their outputs of Rubber, Silk and various other vital resources.

Collapse of the Soviet Union and Russian Warlords:

Following the fall of Moscow, the Soviet Union descended into chaos. Russian Generals, Monarchists, Reactionaries, Anarchists, Republicans, and all others across the political spectrum fled from areas under threat of German occupation and fell behind the Urals to seize control of their respective areas. Various new unrecognized warlord states were established following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the main ones being as follows:

The People's Patriot Union - Led by Georgy Zhukov and established in 1950, now serves as the new leader of left-wing radicalism in the world. Supporting dozens of foreign communist and socialist insurgencies around the globe and focusing on uniting the remnants of the left in Russia now serves as the most valuable player in Russian reunification. The most well-armed, well-trained, and politically stable of the warlords also have allied with the remnants of the Soviet Navy with the location of their capital being in the city of Archanglesk. Nearby Bolshevik satellite states have been established on the fringes of their territory and serve as a bulwark against any would-be pillagers. The industrial base of the country has significantly grown as well through gun-running operations using secret trade routes in the arctic sea as well as smuggling operations. Georgy Zhukov himself is seen as the new father of the revolution after the disappearance of Stalin in the collapse of the Soviet Union. The exact beliefs of Zhukov are unknown, but he is a firm believer of the World Revolution and seeks to unite Russia by any means necessary. But, the biggest obstacle is Zhukov’s former rival now turned warlord - Laventy Beriya. Now, the NKVD and Red Army duke it out in the frigid regions of Artic Russia to one day establish control. Will Zhukov be able to destroy Beriya and eventually unite Russia, or will he just be a footnote in history?

The Commissariat for Bolshevik Unity - Led by Laventy Beriya and established in 1944, this warlord state differs greatly from many others. Beriya had seen the writing on the wall years before the official fall of the Soviet Union. Allegedly he had sought to see a separate peace deal with the IEU then Japan; both refusing him. After Stalin had found out, he was livid and ordered the execution of him and any loyalists in the NKVD and ordered it disbanded, its powers transferred to the GRU. However, Beriya had received early warning of this order and took him and his NKVD detachments to Vorkuta where they successfully held up until the collapse of the Soviet Union. This state focuses on the subterfuge and destablization of the IEU and Japan, utilizing clandestine operatives and informants around the globe to bring about a revival of the Soviet Union. While notably weaker in the field compared to Zhukov’s warlord states, many young officers have been influenced by “The Spider” Laventy Beriya, most unaware of the level of control he truly holds over international affairs. The Commissariat is also disdained by many and seen as traitors to the Bolsheviks and the Soviet Union as the whole for abandoning its country in the Great Patriotic War. Beriya’s state is not picky with its ideology of their recruits either, allowing exiles from the Russian Empire and First Russian Republic to serve in its ranks upon proving loyalty. With Beriya happy with his small section of Russia, he now seeks to destabilize the world through the NKVD. Will Beriya achieve his dream of unification?

The Eternal Russian Empire - Led by Tsar Nikita Romanov and established in 1948, serves as the monarchist bloc of the newly established warlord states. The self-proclaimed Tsar was a Romanov exile who resided in Paris for many years. Upon the takeover of the French Commune, he was exiled and moved back and forth between Spain before eventually ending up in Manchuria, where he met with exiled White Russians in 1944. By this point, the writing was on the wall that the Soviet Union would collapse, and a great power vacuum would ensue. Originally unconvinced, he would eventually agree and continue to remain in hiding. In late 1947, a few months after the dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Washington, he took over a small region in Yekaterinburg with the help of his supporters after giving himself the Romanov name. The Siberian Cossack Host and Eternal Russian Empire remained at odds in 1962 due to the Cossacks viewing the Tsarists as pretenders and the Tsarists viewing the Cossacks as Japanese puppets. Additionally, many of the people within the Empire are composed of White-Russians who have heeded the call and view Germany favorably for bringing down the Soviet Union. However, over the past decade, the Tsar has grown content to hold the status quo and favors the continuation of raiding and pillaging operations in the nearby Russian Republic. Many young officers, while loving the Tsar, wonder if he will ever seek a reunification of Russia. Will the Tsar be convinced to pursue unification, or will he be overshadowed by more ambitious powers?

The First Russian Republic - Led by Alexander Kerensky and established in 1949, this warlord state is one of the most moderate compared to all the others. Life is relatively stable in its capital of Novobrisik and “free and fair elections” exist for all registered citizens. However, the state is under constant attack by the Siberian Cossack Host to its east and raids from the Russian Empire to its west. The Russian Republic fields a large standing army but does not use it offensively, much to the disdain of the population. Many within the citizenry have grown tired of idleness and wish to seek out a stronger candidate to lead them to victory. Will the Russian Republic bring about democracy to Russia, or will it fall victim to radicals and reactionaries and seek a new form of government.

The Siberian Cossack Host - led by Roman von Ungern-Sternberg and established in 1947, serves as a Japanese satellite state in Russia composed of most of eastern SIberia. Originally assumed dead after the communist revolution, was found in exile and met with the now Tsar Nikita Romanov in Manchuria. They had both originally agreed to work with the Japanese to establish a Tsarist state, but both quickly devolved into bitter infighting on ideological differences and how to treat ex-bolsheviks. Romanov had believed in repatriation and conversion while Sternburg advocated for far more extreme measures. So, in 1946 Sternberg had met with the Japanese and pledged him, Mongolian and Cossack support in Siberia and eventual unification of Russia under his steadfast leadership. The country is primarily composed of White-Russian exiles from Anatolia, America and Manchuria as well as volunteers from Japan’s Asian colonies and prisoners serving commuted life sentences in exchange for service in the Cossack Host. Japan supplies much in the way of arms and money as well as industry but disagreements regarding the return of Vladivostok and North Sakhalin have arisen, bittering relations and possibly a fallout between the two powers. The Cossack Host is also recognized by Japan as the rightful unifiers of Russia and the rest of the GEACPS also recognize the country, turning it into the economic powerhouse of the Russian warlords. Yet, Sternberg has his eyes firmly set on becoming Tsar for himself but has been convinced by his advisors to quench his thirst for bloodshed. Yet, times are changing and he is withering. Will the Baron stay sane, or will he become maddened by age?

With many more smaller city-states and warlords existing, Russia still seems to be far out from unifying. But, perhaps a chance will soon arise in the near future, as all it takes is one spark to ignite the fire of unification…

World at Peace:

With the establishment of the Protectorate in 1947 and the treaties signed with the Empire of Japan that same year, the world was at peace for the first time in a decade. From Berlin, the Emperor stood before the assembled Reichstag, Lords, Generals, and Courtiers as he proclaimed the end to conflict and the era of a new, stable peace that would last forever, yet many in the crowd knew what came next: there was only ever going to be room for one Empire in the end.