Soviet Storm, USSR AAR /Fan Mongolia /

Soviet Storm, USSR AAR

The year is 1936. WWII is preparing to come in a mere three years. Historically the war raged from 1939 to 1945 on the European Theater. The war was visited upon the world by Germany. over and over again Germany declared war. this drew in one side after another until Germany had too many enemies to effectively combat, and she was crushed under their combined attacks. This scenario is significantly different. the first variation came in Czechoslovakia. Germany did indeed take the Sudetenland. However, if it was taken they allowed Czechoslovakia to remain in existence. A slightly altered history was beginning to form. However, on August 30th, 1939 they did declare war on Poland.

Just as in history, this sparked war with the Allies. Unfortunately for the Poles, just as in history  the French and English sat behind their wall and did nothing to help. As well, the historical Molotov-Ribbentrop was in effect. As German tanks rolled through their country side, and soldiers in Heer uniform destroyed their army, the Red army move into the area promised to them. Almost as soon as it had started, the war was over. Poland lay destroyed. The Soviets and Germans now shared a long and heavily fortified border. 

The Soviets themselves turned toward expansion. In the early years they'd focused on building an even larger industrial base. The economic machine Stalin had crafted before the war wasn't goos enough. For a true and unprecedented victory, the Soviet Union needed more. Shortly before Germany went to war, the factories of the USSR turned toward a new goal. One by one they took up new orders. They shipped out millions of Mosin Nagant rifles and billions of rounds of 7.62x54mmR. Beside them were fresh order of thousands of tanks, artillery, and armored cars. The Red Army conscripted masses of new soldiers. Its ranks swelled. In the first days of the Second World War millions of Soviet Troops occupied the former Polish territories. Each and every one of them fully equipped for war. The T-28 tanks made appearances along the front in large numbers. Germany faced on one side the Maginot Line and on the other, several million Soviets drunk on nationalism.

In January of 1940, the Soviet Union moved on Finland. Sixty-eight divisions were deployed against the Scandinavia country. Among them was the newly formed tank corp under General Zhukov. His divisions lead the push west to encircle Helsinki. The Finish forced fourteen divisions out to fight the massive Red Army detachment. Unfortunately for them, the Soviet military machine proved nigh-unstoppable. Within the month they were ground to dust under the raging war machine. Following his grand victory, Zhukov was promoted to Field Marshal and relocated to the Prussian front.

As the Soviets conducted their operations in Finland, the Germans prepared for one of their own. In the early months of 1940 they moved against Denmark, quickly capturing it. However even as they seized Copenhagen, the nation of Denmark signed away its Atlantic Oceans, Iceland and Greenland. These land masses changed hands and the United States took control of them. After seizing in northern neighbor, German moved across the North Sea. In April the Wehrmacht landed on the coasts of Norway. Slowly they fought their way up the coast of the Arctic country until they annexed the nation. On May 3rd of 1940, Sweden remained the only surviving Scandinavian nation not under the control of its two superpower neighbors.

In the summer of 1940, the Wehrmacht moved again. They remained unable to push through the Maginot line. Instead they declared war upon the Low Countries of Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The Panzers and Opels of the German military stormed across the front in a blitzkrieg attack. The Allied forces of France, Britain, and their allies rushed to counter act the German storm.  However, the massive military machine of Germany was unstopped by their efforts. The Maginot Line held strong, but the Wehrmacht simply went around the stationary defense. By the end of September, France had collapsed and Germany controlled everything from Poland to the Atlantic. Southern France surrendered and Germany allowed the creation of a neutral zone, Vichy France. As the Germans waged their war, the Soviet Union quickly smashed and annexed it weak Baltic neighbors: Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia.

With France gone, Germany turned its interests else where. The coast remained fortified enough to repel any would-be invasions by the weakened allies. However, the bulk of their forces moved East. The Soviet border was lined full of troops, and to the South the Balkans felt the blitzing wrath of the Heer Forces. Before the Balkan campaign began, Germany was joined by a number of willing allies. Romania, Hungary, Italy, and Bulgaria all came to Germany's aid against the world. Together they controlled the vast amount of Europe which was not in Soviet hands. Together they moved against Yugoslavia. Every member, save Romania, took at least some piece of the country. Bulgaria cut a swath all the way to the west side of the Penninsula. Hungary claimed small southern territories. Italy took the coast line all the way to Bulgaria's border. Germany took the rest, even forming the tiny puppet known as Croatia. The only member who hadn't benefited, Romania, suffered further by having to forfeit territory to Hungary and Romania.

As this all occurred, the Soviet Union prepared for war. Germany had betrayed every promise and gone against every nation that didn't fold to its demands. Hitler's ambition had crushed both Poland and France, doing so brought them against the entirety of the Allied Powers. Germany even trampled upon its own ally, Romania. The Communists surely could not expect to be treated fairly by the fascist power mongers.

Month by month passed, and as they did more troops marched to the front and more tanks rolled to the border. A million fresh troops arrived every half of a year. Rifles sat in armories by the thousands. Beside them were cases of grenades and hundred of automatic weapons. the industrial base of Communist Russia produced enough arms to send their forces against Germany on a level ground. Beside them were new armored columns, replacing the old T-28s. Rows and rows of the brand new T-34 rolled onto the battlefield fresh from the assembly line.

The grand army of the Soviet Union so dwarfed the German force that Hitler and his advisers could not bring themselves to attack it. The force amassed on their borders was far beyond what they had expect. After France collapsed and the Balkans were absorbed, Germany could not find a suitable target. For an entire year, Germany sat inactive. In the summer of '42 the Soviet received their order. Each and every divisions prepared itself for war. In the far east Mongolia and Tannu Tuva allied themselves with the Soviet Union, but their size and distance nullified their power. The Communists of Russia and the other Republics who came together stood alone against the might of Germany, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Italy. In August Joseph Stalin handed down the order.

Four fronts were organized.  Each one had a leading Marshal of the Soviet Union leading it. The northern  most was the Prussian Front, lead by Field Marshal Georgy Zhukov. It sat bordering the Prussia area of Germany, the deepest extent of their power into Soviet territory. The Warsaw Front, lead by Field Marshal Alexander Yegorov. It was located east of Warsaw, and its immediate goal was to seize the city. The Kiev Front was lead by Field Marshal Vasily Chuikov. It was located West of Kiev, its main goal was to defend against German advances and assist the Warsaw Front. Right before the outbreak of war the Kiev front was supplied with a number of armored divisions to allow for the majority of troops to remain in the north. The southern most front was the Romanian Front. The troops bordering Romania were lead by Field Marshal Boris Shaposhnikov. Its goal was to push southward and use Czechoslovakia as a divider and conquer Germany's weaker allies.

War occurred and every front moved. The Marshals commanding over five hundred divisions in field. Millions of Soviet soldiers went to battle in early August. The former country of Poland ignited in bloody conflict. Initial months saw the battle lines slowly shift back and forth. Tens thousands on both sides died in armed conflict. As the conflict began the sides were in a stalemate, unable to crush the other. The only Front that the Soviets excelled in was the Romanian one. The Soviets quickly pushed into Romania and inflicted considerable damage.  However, an unexpected turn occurred. The declaration of war brought Germany sympathy and allies. Nationalist Spain, Portugal, and Czechoslovakia joined into the Axis. 

With the combined might of all nations under the Axis banner, Germany commanded over four hundred divisions against the Soviet union.  The Red Army however stood numerically far greater. They out numbered the Axis coalition by somewhere near one hundred fifty divisions. The two forces crushed against each other, like two massive giants locked in a grappling battle. Slowly, the Soviet army began to over power the German lead forces. They pushed the Germans off balance in the south. The Romanian Front inflicted such damage that the government surrendered. The fascists abandoned Bucharest. The capital building was seized by the Romanian Social Democratic Party. The Communist Government took charge with Stalin's blessing becoming a Puppet of the Soviet Union. The Romanians, who'd been trample by their fascist "allies" joined the Soviet Union in its glorious campaign to liberate the workers of the west.

In the late months of the Fall of 1942 the Romanian Front was pushed further by the Red Army and their new Romanian allies. Hungary held the Soviet forces at bay, but Bulgaria came under intense assault. The Romanian Front held tight as Sofia and Constanta were attacked. The Red Army crushed the Bulgarians. The Bulgarian Army was in full retreat as Bulgarian Social Democratic Party was placed in by Stalin. Bulgaria switched sides just as Romania had. In short order numerous divisions where raised by Communist Bulgaria. These forces moved west, seizing an impressive part of the Peninsula from fascist forces in winter, as the northern forces began to halt due to weather. Shortly after Soviet forces stormed into Greece and crushed the Greeks. The Greek forces fought across  the peninsula, but within weeks they had been cut apart and massacred. The nation was forcibly annexed and all Greeks fighting for the Germans made to lay down their arms. For joining Axis just to fight Russia, Greece was forced to submit to the Soviet Union. It was then recreated as a new puppet client state.

The fascist forces then committed possibly their greatest mistake of the war. After seeing the disastrous defeats on the Romanian front they started relocating troops. As the Bulgarians, Romanians, and Russians defeated the German lead forces Italians landed in the Greek islands and northern forces came to push them back. In the early winter the Greeks were crushed to death and sized by Italians. Twice in only a month the Greek government was destroyed. this time, it remained under Italian control. Slowly, the gathering forces in the Balkans began to apply viscous pressure against the Soviet territory. The Bulgarians, alongside Soviets, fight desperately. Thousands died trying to hold the Bulgarian territory. The Soviets and Romanians tried to take Hungary in order to elevate the situation just south in Bulgaria. 

The bid for an offensive in Hungary failed. Romanian territory even began to slowly yield. The countries of Romania and Bulgaria were separated by another fascist offensive. however, the redirection of troops gave the north ample opportunity to make them pay for the losses in Bulgaria and Romania. Even as winter encroached Prussia was crushed. German forces took heavy losses and were forced into retreat. because of the Axis redirection, their north front stalled and the Soviets took advantage of it. The tanks of the Warsaw front rolled into its target city on Christmas day. After a months of attacking the city, it was finally seized. The Prussian and Warsaw fronts slowly merged and redirected as they seized their objectives. By the end of the year, Danzig and other territories stood as the last defense before Zhukov and Yegorov. Their armies stood prepared to assault Germany.

 As Poland changed hands the fascists amplified efforts in the Balkans. The Bulgarians slowly lost territory. They were shoved back and a pocket was formed. The pocket was removed from their soviet allies. Soviet divisions as well as the Bulgarian army held Sofia and the other last territories. Slowly, they were forced backward and eon of the two new client states was destroyed. Stalin demanded that Zhukov and Yegorov seize Berlin. If the German capital fell, he was sure that the fascist forces would collapse and Romania and Bulgaria could be saved. After all, despite not being part of the Soviet Union they still had become valued servants of the Communist regime. However, even as they attempted to push into Germany, Bulgaria could just not hold. The last defenses fell and the Communist forces were slaughtered to the last man as they violently held out against the fascist attacks.

As East Europe was caught in brutal conflict, war was brewing elsewhere in the world. The United States of America declared war on Germany in early February on 1943. As he Soviets took loses on the scale of millions the Americans were just preparing to enter war. Shortly after the declaration of war, the United States joined the Allied Forces. Finally, the British who'd held the island but was unable to retake the Continent had a real ally to help win the war. However, the democratic alliance was running behind schedule. The Soviets were tearing apart the cities of Poland trying to uproot the German defenses as the Allies tried to get an army ready. Before the months ended another shock was to come. On the 10th of February the Empire of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, creating a different day which will live in infamy.

Stalin and the other Soviets believed all of Europe would be Communist by the time the US was ready to land. Indeed, as March began Soviets pushed the front lines forward.  The Red Army was rallied on, united behind the cry "Remember Bulgaria!". The fall of the recent ally, and the death of thousands of Russian soldiers, in addition to those who'd died taking Romania, brought a sense of duty to the Red Army recruits. It was their duty to take revenge and punish the Germans tenfold for every Communist dead. Indeed, even as Bulgaria fell the strength of the Axis alliance appeared to be failing. The front lines were held by Germans, Czechs, Hungarians, and the Spanish forces under Franco. Their forces had been severely reduced by the loss of two allies and the 1942 Offensive.

Both Stalin and Hitler were completely shocked in March. In the first week of March the Allies landed in Europe. Portugal's weakly defended shores came under direct assault. American led forces crashed into the beaches of Portugal and sized them. Unlike the brutal and casualty heavy battles of Eastern Europe, the Allies seized the weak shores and began embarking. They were ready to attack far earlier than expected by either the Axis or Comintern. Within a few days they'd penetrated into Franco's fascist Spain. However, they're forces were not numerically powerful. They struggled to take the Iberian Peninsula while Stalin's forces continued on.

Stalin and his men worried about the Allied forces taking Western Europe. They had no real idea of why the US was stalled in Spain or how long it would take. It was only clear he had to rush if he wanted Germany for himself.  He demanded that Berlin be seized. He knew that once it fell the Soviet forces could break out of the deadlock. It was easily seen that the war was in favor of the Soviets. Stalin and the others were sure the war was about to end. They'd estimated two to three years before Germany fell, but as March ended Berlin could be seen by advancing Soviet Forces. Stalin encouraged his generals crush the German homeland and then focus on the rest. The Axis appeared somewhat divided. Italian forces still did not appear any significant numbers on the front lines. They battled Britain in Africa, but their home forces refused to move to fight the Soviets. The Hungarians and Czechs also fought bitterly as the Kiev front began taking Czech territory. The Spanish and Germans were scattered across all fronts unable to stop any. The Spanish while scattered across the entire spectrum, they had to fight desperately, and nearly alone against the United States forces. Germany fought to keep its homeland free of the Red Army, but because of its numerous front lines, it failed. Before April ended, Berlin was being approached. To the North and East, Red Army forces prepared for the most crucial battle of the war.

The Red Army assaulted the city in late April of 1943. The Germans pulled together as many defenders as they could, but against the Red Army forces, lead by the armored divisions of Georgy Zhukov they just could not keep the city. As the spring offensive truly began the Nazi leadership of Germany fled Berlin. One after another the leadership fled the city to establish a new capital at Essex. As the leadership abandoned Berlin they left behind hundreds of dead young men who'd fought for them. The German capital had not engaged in a massive battle, there were not enough Wehrmacht troops in the area to defend it. Rather than thousands or millions of dead, like in Poland, only hundreds died in the capital city.

Thanks to the relative little destruction visited upon the city it allowed for the Soviet Union to begin winning hearts and minds. The occupied city was visited by important members of the Communist Party of German supported by Russian Bolsheviks. Speeches were made and propaganda spread. They spoke of the workers struggle and of the promises the Soviet Union had made to all in Germany who laid down arms and abandoned the fascist's war. The bid worked, and for the remainder of the war, not a single partisan uprising struck the occupied territory, though the Germans suffered from them in their occupied zones. The fascist powers truly lost their support as the homelands of its supporters were seized.

By mid-May Germany had lost two more allies. The American lead forces in Spain crushed the fascist forces, the only territory still held were the mountains of Pyrenees and Gibraltar. The Spanish were forced back by the Allied coalition while the Soviets stormed through the North capitalizing on the weakness and disorganization caused Berlin's fall. In the aftermath of the German retreat the Soviets rolled into formerly unconquered provinces and crushed resistance there. Hungary saw the most brutal fighting as Czechoslovakia fell. The hardened and dedicated Hungarian divisions fought tooth and nail alongside Wehrmacht remnants. Budapest was the battle Berlin wasn't. Multiple large assaults hit the city without forcing its defenders out. However, on March 17th after thousands on both sides had fallen in the conflict the Hungarians collapsed and the German remnants fled. The city was seized and resistance quelled as Hungarian Communist Worker's Party. The Party returned in force to Budapest, where it had formerly ruled in 1919. It'd been forced out by Romania after World War I and now it returned near the end of World War II supported by Communist Russians and Romanians.

The battles continued to rage against Communists, however in the South, the campign in Spain had ground to a halt. Now, only the Communists lost troops en mass to the brutal conflict. As May came to a close France changed hands, as the Bolsheviks occupied the cities of Paris, Essex, Leipzig, and others. Northern Europe fell under the crushing force of the Red Army advance. At the same time the Balkans started collasping. The forces from the Warsaw front moved to attack Italy. It went partially around Switzerland and linked up with the Kiev front. As it did, the others moved against Switzerland to assualt Italy directly from the North. In the early days of April, the Alps were cleared and the Soviets started advancing down against the Italy. 

In the West, the forces lead by Zhukov advanced down the coast and prepared to take the Spanish mountains. The last German divisions were scattered through Europe. The final ragged divisions helping Spain sat in the mountains alongside Franco and his last loyal followers. Small pockets of Wehrmacht and Schutzstaffel remained in mainland Germany trying to save their homeland despite the hopelessness. To the North the last defenders of Norway met their deaths to the Arctic Attack Forces. In the Balkans the main surviving bulk stayed. They held south of Romania and north of Italian Greece. To the North and East are the Soviet horde and to the south and west is the Mediterranean Sea. Slowly, they'd been forced into a corner where all they could do is retreat farther into foreign terrain. In the Balkans, the last remainders of Hitler's administration attempted to hold Germany together.

However, even to them, it was obvious it was over. The month of June was nothing but a full retreat for the Germans. The only remaining Axis members were Germany, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. At this time Portugal's European and African territories had been seized by the allies. It occupied Hong Kong, south of Japanese-controlled China. The Italians had lost their African territory and were desperately trying to keep the Soviets from taking their homeland. The Spanish were completely worn down, and their last men sat in the mountains considering surrender. The devotedly loyal forces that had remained in the Balkans to serve Hitler and his men were critically wounded. Not a single Heer division remained at full strength. Millions of dead Germans litter the battlefields, towns, and roadways from Warsaw to Greece. The defense line where the first year of the war had been spent saw divisions shatter against each other. Now those that remain have seen so many of their own die they themselves can barely continue on. It the mid summer, they fought their last battles. One last offensive was launched against Romania, which failed. After that, there was not a single attack. Every fascist battle was defensive against the Communist forces of the Red Army. Slowly the Red Army advanced against the fanatical German forces. Nothing short of an Apocalypse could stop the Soviet Victory now.

Early July was the end. Sofia remained the final capital. The buildings formerly used by the Bulgarian government, both fascist and communist, now were occupied by the Nazi leadership. Swastika bearing flags waved in the air outside of it. They were tattered and worn to threads, just like the government it represented and the army that defended it. The city had been battered by bombs and shells, but had not yet faced a Red Army attack. Not since 1941 had it taken a Soviet rush against it. However, the Red Army was advancing and it would only be days until they arrived. Hitler, crazed and terrified for the defeated he'd lead Germany into, took his own life. He died in Sofia, among his followers. The devoted and fanatical forces that had served him were unable to continue the war. Others followed Hitler and committed suicide. Those that remained sent a message to Field Marshal Chuikov. They surrendered to the Soviet Union, giving in against the powerful juggernaut aggressor. July 3rd became the day when all Germans were told to lay down arms.

 The Balkan forces surrendered. Each division was a shell of its former self. The remaining forces were allowed to return to Germany, since the opinion on the homeland was now in favor of the Communist forces. The forces in Spain interrogated with the Spanish, but truly neither force was too weak to save the nation, or even delay the inevitable. In the end the Soviets collected hundreds of thousands of surrendered firearms and thousands of tanks and armored vehicles. For the new and upgraded Red Army, they were unneeded, but they were sent back to Russia to be tested and probed for their secrets. Surely, a vast arsenal of German weapons could not have hindered research at the least. The sheer volume of weapons and munitions were enough that they could be used by the new armies that were planned. 

The Italians continued to retreat as the Soviets had only to battle them. As they were shoved back, the Soviet Union turned against others. Zhukov lead the forces that finally crushed the Spanish Remnants. Franco and his loyalists may have been among the dead, but they were never found. The thousands slaughtered there were buried in mass graves as Zhukov occupied territory bordering that of the Allies. As Spain fell to the last attack, Stalin announced he'd received word of fascist supporters within Vichy France. Hours later Communist forces penetrated into the region of southern France, waging war against a new enemy. The expert Generals of the German conflict fought unopposed against the Vichy forces. Their forces were slaughtered effortlessly, but even as it unfolded no one raised a finger to oppose Stalin. The Western powers were silent as they realized the whole of Europe, save the Iberian Peninsula, British Isles, and Sweden had been taken by the Soviet Storm.

Even this was not enough however. Fascist partisans in Finland and Norway were captured early August. Stalin and his inner circle were given information that the partisans had claimed Sweden was supporting them. Sweden protested this, but within days Stalin ordered it to be taken. He proclaimed no fascist nation would remain untouched. This surely unsettled the Japan who'd thus far only been in battle with the Allied Forces. With or without evidence the Red Army was now pushing in against the last neutral nation in Europe, Sweden. Unstopped by the Allies the Red Army seized it and annexed it within two weeks. However, rather than occupation Stalin moved in a new direction. The first hints at what the future of Europe was happened. North of Romania a new Communist Czechoslovakia was formed. After it was established by the Czech Social Democratic Party. He then personally oversaw a meeting between the Finnish Communist Party, the Klassenkampen group of Denmark, Norwegian Labor Party, and the Social Democratic Left Party of Sweden. he brought them all together and on September 3rd, two months after the Nazi surrender he created the Stalinist pan-Nordic nation of united Scandinavia.

Shortly after the creation of Communist Scandinavia Stalin sent a massive shipment to it, inside that shipment was a large portion of the captured German weapons. These had both been taken from the battlefield and from the surrender in July. It was enough supplies to outfit a grand army suited to bringing Communism to the world. However, as the world was being reshapped in the North, the South had to be as well. Two days after the creation of the Scandinavian nation, Vichy's European territory was completely occupied, and it was forced to negotiate with Stalin. Stalin completely spit in the face of France, goading them to attack, but they sat and watched as he made a puppet out of Vichy. Their homeland was now completely controlled by the Soviet Union. With it, Stalin gained a massive part of Africa.

As Vichy was being forced to serve the Soviet Union, Italy was on its deathbed. Vichy forces captured Cosica and the Soviets assaulted Athens and Sicily. Finally Italy fell beside Germany and Mussolini was taken to Rome and shot to death by Italian Communists. They, members of the Italian Socialist Party were about to become important figures. Stalin searched out a number of loyalist groups. Many came willingly to him for support. He made them swear allegiance one by one and made them all pieces of his plan. The Bolsheviks of Russia were redrawing Europe. They were recreating it in a way that pleased them.

The coastline and the border with occupied Spain remained in Soviet hands. As did Germany and Poland. Only they had the strength to stop an Allied offensive, should they ever become foolish enough to try. As well, in order to be ready for it, they had to keep the industrial power of Central Europe that Germany, France, and Poland had at their disposal. However, southern Europe needed to be taken over by clients. It could not offer enough of an advantage to offset the costs of occupation. So, Stalin redrew the map. He merged parties and formed new ones. He shifted power structures and redesigned that corner of the world. First, he gave Romania a gift of new territory, she had been a willing ally against the Nazis from early into the war. Next, he reformed Italy, wishing to quickly create loyalty there before they grew to resent occupation. Next he reformed Bulgaria and Greece, the two Communist nations who'd joined the Soviet Union but then sacrificed themselves for victory. With these created there was a gap that had numerous possibilities. After some time, Stalin remade Serbia, the nation Russia had entered the first World War to protect from Germany. he then created Austria and Bosnia to fill the gaps. The reining territory he divided among the formed nations. The map of Europe was completely different in October 1943 than it had been in October 1942 or October 1938.

As the last fascist supporters and die hards were hunted down by the KGB and murdered in back streets and behind closed doors, Stalin announced an all new plan to rebuild Europe. Soviet, Polish, German, and French industry churned away at a mad pace. The territories that the Red Army had smashed its way through was reconstructed by the occupying forces. As he was trying to win hearts and minds, Stalin was also ordering a brand new series of constructions. From Iberia to Denmark massive coastal fortifications were  been constructed. Cement and brick walls were beginning to be built up as guns and mortars were brought in and placed into the structure. The British Channel would now only have a clear shot into a mass of fortifications and defenses rather than open beaches. As well, the Spanish border, where the Soviet and American lines touched new walls and defensive fall back points were made in the mountains. The skeleton crew of Americans watched on in awe as they witnessed the Red Army station enough troops to take all of Spain and then build them massive walls with gun emplacements large enough to fight the former full strength Wehrmacht Army. Even as the borders were fortified, behind them thousands of anti aircraft weapons were put in place. The Allied Powers still had another war to fight with the Japanese and they were watching as the Communist Powers built a new World Order across Europe. 

Farther behind the lines new changes were made. With an army in the millions which no other force in the world could rival the production of tanks and small arms ceased,save to update the outclassed divisions. Instead they turned to new weapons. Naval ships and aircraft were constructed and prepped for battle. As well a multitude of new airstrips and naval installations were built along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Balkans. Then the call came from headquarters, in Moscow, for a brand new type of weapon. Rocket testing sites were built on the Black Sea. On the coasts of it, just outside the city of Odessa a brand new bunch of test sites were built for the testing of ballistic missile weaponry. To protect the new installation, as well as the important assets of the Ukraine region, a series of coastal fortifications were made to protect against an Eastern European landing. Generals argues against the need for it, but Stalin and high command assured them it was just a security measure. The idea was that should they be attacked there they needed to stop any landings. The occupied territory had seen a massive amount of war and destruction, and Stalin really didn't care how much more suffering they received. However, he was sure he would not let any of the Soviet cities fall into enemy hands, now that they had fought so hard to keep the Germans out of them.

The final measure was Novosibirsk. In early 1944 Stalin and his closest advisers traveled down the Trans-Siberian Railroad to the largest city of Siberia. There Stalin look through the city and proclaimed it had the honor of becoming the Soviet Unions next great site as Stalingrad had. He chose it because it appeared to be nearly the hardest place in the Union to capture. Should a war ever come where a force strong enough to challenge the Soviet Red Army emerged and attacked, they would need to fight a thousand battles to arrive here. Either they would need to land in Europe and fight their way through occupied zone and the client states, and even then they'd need to break the Soviet defense lines that protected their cities. Then there would be the brutal march across the Urals and into Siberia. The plans Stalin had concocted would mean that an Eastern attack would have client states of its own to fight. Even then, there was the Asian armies that were preparing to attack. Then there was the Asian infrastructure and brutal terrain followed by the Siberian winters and wastes. Either direct, an army would destroy itself getting to Novosibirsk. So there, a nuclear reactor was created. This would be new secret weapon on the USSR. Its massive armies would hopefully come day he accompanied by an atomic armament.

As all this took place, and the occupied zones and the Union alike were part of a grand new rebuilding plan, the Red Army moved. Much of the army fortified the western coast. Russian and client state forces sat on the coasts from the arctic circle to Spain. Then across France to the whole of Italy until they stopped on Turkey. The coasts were so long that hundreds of divisions and millions of men had to wait there for an attack. As well a large number were moved to the American border zone and to Turkey. A good section was relocated to Asia however. They were placed all across the border zones from Afghanistan to Vladivostok. The largest section was placed against Korea and Manchuria.

In the summer of 1944 the order came. Once again, the Red Army was being sent off to war. The United States had an Allied force to invade southern China. Their advances were slow, hinting at brutal fighting and casualties on both sides. Stalin sat by and watched, reveling in the fact the Allies and the Japan-led alliance, the only threats to his power now, were at each others throats. However, he had plans to restore the Communists to China, and already America had taken took much land. As soon as the troops were in place they attacked. In early July the Soviet led coalition pushed into Japanese territory west of China and into Manchuria. In the center Soviet forces tried to push through Mongolia into Mengjiang. The offensive progressed slowly because of the terrain and the decently equipped Japanese forces.

As the battle was continuing in Asia, the Soviet generals proposed a new offensive. The fear of Stalin was that the Allies may either ally or conquer Turkey and then attack across the Black Sea. Of all attacks, it would wound the Soviets the most. It would be a push directly into the Russian heartland while completely bypassing the buffer zones and occupied territory. They launched a short and brutal campaign. Soviet, Romanian, Bulgarian, and Greek forces attacked Istanbul and eastern Turkey simultaneously. A short month was spent crushing the Turkish military. Once the country was taken, it was divided between the Greek and Soviets, leaving the defenses in both hands. However, rather than stop there the Soviet tank divisions that participated launched a short quick war. They attacked Syria and Lebanon. The two countries were formed when Vichy split. By mid October the Soviet forces bordered the occupied Allied Middle East. Now, the American and the British both had a front line border zone with the Soviets.

At the same time as the Red Generals were having a field day in Turkey, a grand host of Soviet and allied soldiers were striking into China. Unlike the Turkish campaign, this was neither easy nor short. The Turkish armies who weren't needed to defend the coast were immediately shipped out to Asia. However, for the time being the Red Army crashed into the western most territory hardest. A group pushed back the Japanese into India and held them. For over a year they battled back and forth and desperately held the gap between Tibet and Afghanistan. As they did, a slow, bloody pace was maintained. They slowly crossed the rugged and horrid terrain of norther China. In the east the Soviets pushed the Japanese led forces across the Yalu River into Korea. Once in Korea, the Japanese dug in and prepared to defend to the last man.

In late 1944 Stalin decided one less client country was needed. As the Red Army attempted to push their way into Japanese held territory he sent a telegram to the capital of Tannu Tuva. In rather blunt Stalin fashion, he announced their nation was no longer needed. They were tiny, sandwiched in between Mongolia and the Soviet Union. The state was tiny and had no ability to conceivably advance in anyway, unlike the Mongolians who were seizing Chinese and Japanese held territory. So on November 27th, it was absorbed back into the Soviet Union without a single shot.

The Soviet forces finally pushed deep into China. They were sure the Japanese and Chinese were about to collapse and surrender. However, the closer they got to Allied territory, the stiffer the resistance became. Those soldiers who still remained from the early European Campaign compared it to the fighting in the Balkans and Hungary. The battle was carried time and time again by divisions saturated by survivors of the campaigns against Germany. They had the experience and know how to direct their forces. Generals who remembered the battles commanded the veteran junior officers and sergeants who could remember the German fascist forces. Under them where many who'd only seen a battle or two before they were sent East. The new wave of grunts suffered casualties in large qualities, but they were nothing like the original European offensives. Despite this, the Asian battles were despised because of the slow pace and exhausting attrition of Asia.

In the east, Korea still held firm. The Soviets launched countless attacks across the Yalu and suffered the heaviest casualties of the entire Asian Campaign. While the other army groups slowly advanced and fought back and forth over territories, the Korea border troops advanced over and over again. Before the Japanese were forced out their positions over a million Soviet and allied troops were gunned down and left to rot in the river and Korea stretches of land. 

 However, the course finally changed. When the armies from Turkey arrived both the Chinese and Korean army groups received a strong enough boost to make significant progress. The Chinese army group spread out from Tibet to the sea. The relief forces were heavily populated by client state troops. They arrived and refortified then Soviet battle lines. Forces from Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Serbia, and Bosnia arrived in Asia to assist Russian and Mongolian forces thousands of miles away from their home countries.

With this support the Chinese Army group finally performed the breakthrough push it had looked for. In early 1945 the Soviet forces, spear headed by Field Marshal Zhukov's armored divisions met the Allied forces in southern China. Once more, the American forces who had fought a bloody campaign for what they had, but the Russians had brought an even larger force and had fought their way there with fewer casualties. The Americans were still slowly advancing as time and time again the Red Army quickly met them, stopping their advances. The blood stained mountain passes the Americans had fought so hard for was all the received as the Red Army and client forces sandwiched the Japanese and took the last corners the Americans had failed to seize.

To the east, the weary and understrength Red Army and Mongolian forces sat in bloody and exhausted camps. For the past months they had crossed the Yalu more times than they could remember. They'd lost so many men trying to push past the river that they didn't ever expect to get past the Yalu and set up camp in Korea. However, the relief forces arrived from Turkey and east Europe finally. When they linked up the Korea Army group stood at over a million men. They waited a week to rebuild their understrength divisions slightly. However it was only a few days after that they launched their last bloody strike. From east to west, three different bulks of troops forced their way past the river. The Japanese forces collapsed under the massive Red push across the river. As they fled, their divisions tried to hold Pyongyang and Seoul, but both fell quickly as hundreds of thousands of Soviets overturned every stone and killed every loyalist.

When Korea finally fell, their troops redirected to assist the forces still fighting in China. In China, the Red Army and client forces stormed across the rugged terrain and continued to route the remaining Japanese and Chinese defenders. Casualties dropped to an absolute low as T-44s pushed through mountain passes and Soviet snipers picked off troops with their Nagant rifles. Several months after the Americans and Russian met each other the Red Army fought its way into Nanjing and occupied the city. Weeks afterward, China surrendered. The Soviet forces seized the entirety of China and turned their attention to the remaining Imperial Japanese forces.

As Japan had to fight the Communist Army alone it ground to a halt. The Soviets seized the coast and held it against Japanese landings. Near Tibet the Japanese and Soviet armies continued to skirmish across the mountains uselessly. Without another option, the Soviet Generals commissioned transport vessels to carry their men across the gaps to islands. Sakhalin received the first forces. They landed in the north where it was already under Red control, then they seized the south. From there Taiwan and Okinawa were also seized by landings. As the year neared its end Japan looked increasingly weaker and more vulnerable. Massive pieces of its empire had been sized by Communist and Allied forces.

Stalin decided they had enough of Asia. India was already in British control and there was no progress towards southern China. Two new states were created, the People Republic of Korea and People Republic of China. Kim Il Sung and Mao Zedong came to power thanks to Stalin's intervention. Then both nations and Mongolia were granted more territory expanding it each of them to far greater extent than before. Finally, as the Soviet force is Asia looked as though it might attempt more island landings, possibly against mainland Japan, the Soviets sent word to the Japanese for a peace settlement. Stalin had what he wanted and anymore wouldn't be worth the costs. Now, as just after the surrender of Germany, the Communists were ready to simply reorganize and prepare for a stand off with the West. On Christmas 1945, Japan gave into the Soviet Union and gave it the territory it had seized. The conquered territories were then garrisoned by both Soviet and client armies. The farthest, most isolated islands were occupied by Hungarian forces, almost as if punishment for the resistance they had given the Soviets in the Battle for Budapest.

As the Communist left the war, the Allies and Japanese were now left alone and battle once more. They fought back and forth over the area of Vietnam, slaughtering men against each other's lines. Without the Communists assisting the Allied fight against the Japanese, they fell once more into a stalemate. As the Communist Bloc fortified from Normandy to Taiwan, the Allies looked increasingly weaker the more they fought the crippled Japanese military. Indeed once India was liberated, the British forces handed it over to the newly Independent nations of India and Pakistan. Asia was taking a completely new appearance. Both Japan and the Allies were crippled and struggling with each other. The Axis had been ground into dust a year and a half before, and now the Soviet Storm was grinding to a halt. In the wake of it were millions of dead, destroyed governments, crumbling cities, newly created nations, liberated populations, and thousands of new buildings and defenses.