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Part XVI: The Second
Great War
When
war initially broke out, the United States was actually non-commital towards
the conflict. President Boren and the socialists did support the East Russian
Republic, but popular opinion was extremely wary of fighting in a foreign war.
Boren did what he could, getting Congress to approve the near unrestricted sale
of weapons to the Republic and pass a full embargo on the Russian Empire, and
to expel most Imperials from the country. And the Boren Administration had not
entirely given up on the diplomatic option, with diplomats working, both
formally and informally, trying to end the war before it mushroomed out of
control.
The Empire made early advances into
the Republic, bombing much of the rail networks and moving well past Lake
Baikail. By mid-May, things were looking bleak. To make matters worse,
following failed negotiations between Beijing and Vladivostok, the Chinese
Republic declared war on the Eastern Russians on May 2, gaining promises of
increased territory from the Imperial Russian government.
Germany, though threatening war, had yet actually act, and
most of the European powers were waiting on the Kaiser. The events of June 12,
2002, would drastically alter the events of the conflict, and make it grow into
what would become know as the Second Great War.
-Samuels, Dr. Lewis. Blood
and Ice: The Second Great War, 2002-2005. Georgetown, Washington D.C.: Georgetown
University Press, 2022.
“….and
I’m Frank McCaully, and this is an ANN Breaking News Update. We are going live
to our correspondent Amanda Sasser, in Berlin, where there has been a report of
a violent explosion in the heart of the Reichscapital. Amanda, can you hear
us?”
“Yes
Frank, I can hear you. I’m standing in Pariser Platz, not far from the American
Embassy and the famous Brandburg Gate, and as you can see behind me, a huge
plume of smoke is rising from Unter den Linden Strasse, where an expolsion,
believed to have originated in the subway tunnels underneath the streets,
ripped into traff…” Amanda receives a piece of paper with new information, and
looks stunned.
“Amanda,
what is is?”
“F-frank,
according to his report, President Boren’s motorcade was on Unter den Linden at
the time of the explosion, and it appears that this bomb was targeting the
President. He had arrived in Berlin last night and was staying that the City
Palace with the Kaiser, and was headed to the Chancellory to meet with
Chancellor Lehmann this morning when the bomb went off.”
-Broadcast from June 12, 2002, ANN Archives, New York City,
New York.
PRESIDENT DEAD: RUSSIANS TO BLAME!
BERLIN, JUNE 12- President Boren, on an emergency trip to
Germany to discuss with our allies about what options existed concerning the
conflict in Russia, was killed by a terrorist bomb that exploded in the subway
tunnels as the President’s motorcade passed on the street above. Initial
evidence uncovered by German and American security agents points to Imperial
Russian involvement, possibly being a hit ordered by the Russian Prime Minister
himself. German Chancellor Heinrich Lehmann stated that Germany would likely
declare war on Russia within the next 72 hours, as soon as the Reichstag could
be convened and vote. Germans are outraged that the Imperial Russians have
perpetrated this dastardly murder on their territory. Since the bombing,
hundreds of people have been laying flowers outside the American Embassy in
Pariser Platz in honor of America’s slain leader.
Vice
President Samuel Doughty was in Lakehurst, New Jersey, attending the dedication
ceremony of the National Airship Historical Center, where the original U.S.S.
Eagle is one of many older airships that are now on display to the public. In
an eerie throwback to the 1974 assassination of President Hubert Humphrey,
Doughty was sworn in as President in the same lounge that President Kennedy
took the oath of office following Humphrey’s death. In address to the nation
last night, President Doughty swore to avenge the murder of our fallen leader,
and to come to the aide of the East Russians. Congress is expected to vote on a
declaration of war later today.
-“President Dead: Russians to Blame!” The Washington Post, June 13, 2002.
RUSSIAN WAR CONSUMES GLOBE
LONDON, JUNE 20- In the wake of the assassination of
American President Daniel Boren, the Russian War has consumed most of the
Globe. America and Germany declared war on Russia on June 13th.
Poland, Denmark, and Finland declared war on Russia on June 16th.
China declared war on the American-led coalition on June 17th. Japan
Declared war on China on June 18th after Chinese warships fired on a
Japanese passenger ship that had left Vladivostok bound for Tokyo. And today,
the British parliament voted to declare war on the Russian Empire in a near
unanimous vote. The Prime Minister and other members of the government have
requested that the Commonwealth Executive Council meet in an emergency session,
with the hope that the entirety of the British Commonwealth would stand in
solidarity against the Russian Imperials and declare war. It is expected that
Iran, Iraq and possibly Pakistan will ally with Imperial Russia. For the first
time in nearly a century, it looks as like the world could be dragged into a
second Great War.
-“Russian War Consumes Globe,” The Times (London), June 20, 2002
Imperial Troops Take Yakutsk
Vladivostok, July 11-
The Imperial Russian Army has taken the East Russian city of Yakutsk, on the
Lena River, in yet another victory in the Russian War. As it stands now, the
Imperials have completely overrun the Republican defenses along the Lena River
and are driving towards the next defensive line at the Aldan River. The
Vladivostok Army has suffered heavy losses during this fighting, and the East
Russian government is crying out for aid. The city of Vladivostok has been
under almost daily bombardment from Chinese aircraft flying out of Harbin. The
Chinese have attempted to take the city of Khabarovsk, on the Amur River, but
have been pushed back past the border.
The
single positive note from the war so far has been that the Imperial naval base
on Sakhalin Island has been captured during a joint East Russian/Japanese
assault, ending the Imperial Navy’s presence in the Pacific. Nearly half of the
American Pacific Fleet is expected to arrive in the Sea of Japan within the
month to alleviate the burden on the Japanese and Republican navies.
-“Imperial Troops Take Yakutsk,” L. A. Times, July 12, 2002.
Warsaw Bombed!
Warsaw, July 20-
The fighting of the Russian War has finally spread into Europe. For weeks, the
German and Polish navies had been blockading the Baltic Sea, and had sank
several cargo ships attempting to leave the Russian Empire. However, until
today that was the only real confrontation. That changed in the early hours of
the morning, as Imperial Russian bombers, likely flying out of Minsk, flew over
the Polish border and bombed central Warsaw, damaging the Polish parliament
building and many other buildings. Hundreds are feared to have been killed. At
the time of print, there was still no word on the whereabouts of the Polish
President and his family, and a bomb did strike the Presidential residence.
Chancellor
Lehmann has assured the German people that the German and Polish armies will be
moving against the Russian Empire “as soon as humanly possible.” There is a
fear that the Imperial Russians may try and invade some of the Baltic states
and take back territory it controlled during the era of the Imperial Baltic
Federation. There have been reports of troops massing on the border with
Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Those nations have declared a state of emergency
and have called up their reserve forces.
-“Warsaw Bombed!”, Berliner
Morgenpost, July 20, 2002.
Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia Fall
Warsaw, July 30-
The Imperial Russian Army has poured over into the three former Imperial Baltic
states, quickly wiping out the defense forces of all three nations. The attacks
began two days ago, beginning with the bombings of the major cities in these
countries, along with bombings of the main military installations. The Russian
Navy engaged the German and Polish navies, breaking the blockade and then
attacking the port cities of these nations. To make matters worse, the Russian
Army is still on the move, and Polish authorities fear that Russians are moving
towards the Polish border, possibly to invade Poland itself.
-“Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia Fall,” The Times (London), August 1, 2002.
Khabarovsk Falls to China
Vladivostok, August
9- The East Russian Authorities have confirmed that the Chinese Army has
taken the city of Khabarovsk, on the Amur River, cutting off the rail lines
that link Vladivostok to the rest of the country. There is now a air of panic
beginning to spread in the East Russian capital, with their main army having
been pushed back to the Aldan River Defense Line, and the Imperial Russian Army
looking poised to break through soon. Farther south, the Imperials have reached
the city of Chita, and with the fall of Khabarovsk, it is feared that Chita
will fall soon.
The
silver lining in the conflict is that American troops will soon arrive in East
Russia, and the War Department stated that they feel confident that these fresh
soldiers will be able to take back Khabarovsk and at least stabilize the
frontline at the Aldan Line before the onset of winter.
-“Khabarovsk Falls to China,” The Washington Post, August 10, 2002
The
first summer of the Second Great War was considered, overall, a victory for the
Imperial Coalition. The Russian Empire had taken Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia
at the end of July and had crossed the boarder into Poland on the 2nd
of August, disrupting German and Polish plans to invade the Russian province of
Belorussia on August 4th. The Allied forces were on the defensive in
Europe, as well as in the East. China took Khabarovsk on August 9th,
and were encroaching on Vladivostok as well. The Imperial Russians had taken
Yakutsk early in the war, and on August 20th they took the city of
Chita. There was a real fear that East Russia would fall before winter if
things did not change quickly.
Luckily,
the first American forces arrived in Vladivostok on August 10th,
with the full force arriving in the country by August 22nd. In the
last major advance of the summer, the American and Republican forces launched
an attack on Khabarovsk on August 30th, the city was taken from the
Chinese in mid September. And with
American troops augmenting the Republican ranks on the Aldan Line, the Imperial
Russians were not able to make any more territorial gains in East Russia.
In
the West, the Allies were able to push the Imperial Russians out of Poland by
mid-August, with German and Polish troops crossing into Lithuania and Russian
Belorussia in September. By mid October, the Allies were laying siege to Minsk.
British troops arrived in Poland on October 22nd, and with this the
Allies were able to make a powerful enough surge to take the Lithuanian capital
from the Imperial forces on November 3rd.
-Price, Dr. Henry, Great
War of the 21st Century, London: New British Press, 2018.
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