The Union Forever: A TL

[Mac Gregor]

A random bit of TUF trivia. Here is a list of U.S. presidents that have been Master Masons as of 1976.

George Washington
James Monroe
Andrew Jackson
James Polk
James Buchanan
Abraham Lincoln
David Hill
Robert Lincoln
Theodore Roosevelt
Leonard Wood
Nelson Doner
Zachary McKinnis
Vernon Kirkman
Leroy Conner
Frank MacArthur

 

[ZincOxide]

Hmm! I seem to recall that Technocracy in the 1930s had some influences from Communists, so it's not surprising that they have a bit of the "evangelize it!" attitude.

 

[Mac Gregor]

Hmm! I seem to recall that Technocracy in the 1930s had some influences from Communists, so it's not surprising that they have a bit of the "evangelize it!" attitude.

Indeed, Technocrats generally believe that spreading their system is the only way to stop the needless "waste and inefficiency" brought on by too much religion, traditions, monarchy, and democracy. Plus, China is eager to build up a buffer zone of friendly regimes.

 

[Mac Gregor]

Hey everyone, glad to see that someone has been adding to the TUF tvtropes page. Please keep it up. Does anybody have any other tropes from the TL that are missing?

 

[EnglishCanuck]

Hey everyone, glad to see that someone has been adding to the TUF tvtropes page. Please keep it up. Does anybody have any other tropes from the TL that are missing?

The Great War as a trope, and the space race, not to mention Tank Goodness for the Second Acatamaca war.

 

[Mac Gregor]

The Great War as a trope, and the space race, not to mention Tank Goodness for the Second Acatamaca war.

These all sound valid. I could also think of ...

"Every Man a King" for monarchies being more wide spread.

"Retro Country Names" for places like Abyssinia and Siam.

 

[Utgard96]

These all sound valid. I could also think of ...

"Every Man a King" for monarchies being more wide spread.

"Retro Country Names" for places like Abyssinia and Siam.

Those aren't actual tropes.

 

[EnglishCanuck]

Well monarchs who actually do something is a good trope, and I think there is one for alternate state names.

 

[ZincOxide]

Someone should add the "Call a Rabbit a Smeerp" trope, if there's anything like the famous renaming of tanks to barrels in TL-191.

 

[Mac Gregor]

Those aren't actual tropes.

I guess I don't understand what is considered a trope. I thought they were just recurring themes?

 

[Mac Gregor]

Someone should add the "Call a Rabbit a Smeerp" trope, if there's anything like the famous renaming of tanks to barrels in TL-191.

That should work for the TL's cataphracts.

Also, there are words in the TL that don't exists in ours such as

toftian (adj): resembling an extremely unlucky string of occurrences
nietzsche (adj): to convey the meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. Ironic.

Is there are trope for this?

 

[Utgard96]

I guess I don't understand what is considered a trope. I thought they were just recurring themes?

In theory, yes. In the context of TV Tropes, however, there's a series of established tropes with names and articles, and new ones (I think) have to be approved of by the community to gain currency, so I for one generally frown on inventing new tropes for a single work.

 

[Mac Gregor]

In theory, yes. In the context of TV Tropes, however, there's a series of established tropes with names and articles, and new ones (I think) have to be approved of by the community to gain currency, so I for one generally frown on inventing new tropes for a single work.

Got it. Good to know.

 

[Mac Gregor]

India and the Americas

March – June 1977

T-58 "Welsh Dragon" gunship firing in defense of Bangalore
May, 1977​

The Bangalore Pocket

In early March, Indian leader Harshad Nanda was faced with a serious dilemma. He could attempt to finish off the Commonwealth forces in the south or redirect India’s attention to the east and push the Chinese out of Burma. Ultimately, Nanda decided to concentrate on the south and send a smaller force to delay the Chinese. During the previous winter, the URI had failed to capture the important city of Bangalore through head on assaults. On March 26, Nanda ordered 31 divisions to attempt a double envelopment of the city. In yet another brutal slogging match, the URI finally managed to cut off the city by the end of May. Bangalore however refused to surrender. Commanded by Madrasian General Somdev Anand the city’s defenses held out against amazing odds. Nanda was eventually forced to call off the attack due to exhaustion, lack of fuel, and the need to divert resources elsewhere. It now became a race against time as to whether the Commonwealth could relieve Bangalore before it succumbed to the URI’s siege.

Raid on Vancouver

On April 8, while the bulk of the Japanese fleet was preparing to move against Singapore, a second operation was launched on the far side of the Pacific. Designed to divert attention away from Malaya, the aircraft carriers Shikoku and the newly commissioned Aichi struck against Canada’s chief western port of Vancouver. While lasting less than two hours, the attack’s three waves caused considerable damage. Fourteen Commonwealth ships were sunk, including the cruisers HMS Optimist and HMCS Vesperia, and a dozen more were damaged. More crucially several dry docks were rendered inoperable, and a large oil storage facility on Vancouver Island was destroyed causing a massive fire. The Commonwealth lost 3,194 killed including 288 civilians. Of these, 47 were Americans working in various capacities at the busy port. The Japanese lost 49 of the 162 aircraft used in the attack. More surprising than Japan’s ability to covertly launch such an audacious operation was their ability to withdraw without any serious hindrance by Commonwealth forces.

The attack on Vancouver had major political consequence for Canada. Outrage that such an important city was so inadequately protected prompted a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Elsdon Leon and his Conservative government. In the horse trading that followed a new coalition government under Keegan Garfield of the Liberal Party and the separatist Parti Quebec Libre (PQL) was formed. Along with Ireland and New Zealand, this made Canada the third Commonwealth realm to change governments since the start of the war. Many feared that the new Liberal-PQL government would not prosecute the war with the same intensity as the Conservatives.

The Caribbean

Having captured British Guyana and Trinidad in February and the nearby island of Tobago on March 2, Venezuela began fortifying their gains against the inevitable counterattack. Dogfights between Venezuelan and Commonwealth fighters became a common sight over the blue waters of the Caribbean. The task of recovering the lost territories fell to Canadian Lieutenant General Brayden Huddleson who began assembling a polyglot force of Canadian, Irish, Nigerian, and Caribbean troops on Jamaica. With resources stretched thin on other fronts, Huddleson was forced to improvise often commandeering civilian vessels to serve as landing craft. By the end of June, Huddleson believed that he would soon be able to avenge the Commonwealth’s honor and retake Trinidad.

LAR Reaction

Venezuela’s entry into the war and the Vancouver raid brought the war to the Americas. The League of American Republics was deeply divided over what course of action to take. Some nations were eager to move against Venezuela like Colombia whose president had already deployed additional troops to guard the border. Others like Brazil wished to stay out of the war. In May, the LAR agreed on a new round of sanctions against Venezuela and declared that any further aggression would not be tolerated.

In the United States, the newly inaugurated President Stewart faced her first major test dealing the deaths of American civilians at Vancouver. In a televised address to the nation, Stewart condemned the attack and threatened to invoke the Monroe Doctrine if Japan continued its incursions into the Western Hemisphere. While genuinely wanting to keep the United States out of the war, Stewart understood that the corporatists were a serious threat. As such, Stewart convinced Congress to grant Canada another sizable loan and to sell them several naval vessels at bargain prices. Furthermore, Stewart began strengthening army and navy assets in America’s Micronesian and Polynesian territories, a move that greatly unnerved the Japanese.

Frontlines as of June 30, 1977​

 

[Beedok]

Very nice update, however I'm not sure how they hit Vancouver. Did they fly over Vancouver island? They'd probably be spotted. They couldn't really go south of the island as they'd risk violating US airspace, or would have to fly over Victoria. Maybe they snuck between the mainland and the island from the north? Still seems awkward and with a high chance of being spotted. Victoria or Prince Rupert would be much more vulnerable (if less useful to hit).

 

[Utgard96]

You mention a new Canadian government - how does the Canadian political system look ITTL? Is it still a Tory/Liberal two-party system, or are there third-party forces other than the Quebec separatists? Also, I have a hard time seeing anyone forming a coalition with Quebec separatists, since the Tories have always been opposed to secession on principle, and the Liberals have counted Quebec among their strongholds since confederation, so they'd be cooperating with their chief rivals in that province.

 

[FleetMac]

Not to dogpile on the Vancouver attack either, but why would there be any chance of Peaceniks getting into power after such a direct attack? Maybe I don't understand Canadian political thinking very well, but I'd be right pissed and screaming for Japanese blood, were I in their shoes. At the very least, I can't see Canada not beefing up their defenses to prevent another such attack from happening.

That being said, I really liked this update on the whole. First of all, can I say how much I enjoy seeing pictures like this update's "Welsh Dragon" in action . More importantly, Bangalore managed to stymie the Indians in a major battle which should be helpful from a morale purpose if nothing else; if they can make it stick, all's the better. As for the events in the America's, I feel Japan has absolutely no right to be "unnerved" about the buildup in Micronesia and Polynesia, as they're the ones attacking the hemisphere and encouraging Venezuela to go around conquering islands. I really hope the latter gets their asses handed to them, especially if they attack any more of their neighbors (the LAR does seem to at least be drawing a line in the sand, which is better than nothing).

 

[Beedok]

Not to dogpile on the Vancouver attack either, but why would there be any chance of Peaceniks getting into power after such a direct attack? Maybe I don't understand Canadian political thinking very well, but I'd be right pissed and screaming for Japanese blood, were I in their shoes. At the very least, I can't see Canada not beefing up their defenses to prevent another such attack from happening.

It wasn't a Pearl Habour style surprise attack though. They'd been at war for a while. So it was just seen as the government being underprepared to defend the nation against a foe they were already at war with. The Canadian/Newfoundlander populace weren't really rallied and screaming for German blood due to U-boat attacks in their waters (or on their shores one time), more just concerned about managing it properly. If the pro-war party is bungling the defence then I can understand the war growing less popular. Canada doesn't really have the same "sanctity of soil" issue that Americans seem to.

 

[FleetMac]

I guess since it's been an ongoing fight instead of an out-of-the-blue sucker punch (at least from the layperson's point of view) that does make a bit of sense. However Vancouver is IIRC one of the biggest ports in North America (let alone Canada), and if they decide that peace is the better option, can they really trust Japan to honor them backing out? This may not be OTL's Japan per se, but the same neo-feudalist attitude seems to have been retained ITTL wherein such a peace overture might be taken as "cowardice" in their eyes...not the kind of attitude I'd want to foster. At the very least, perhaps they should finish the fight in the Caribbean before any sort of peace process begins, to start from a position of strength (then again, I'm sure my anti-Japan bias WRT this timeline is glaringly obvious, so YMMV).

 

[Beedok]

I guess since it's been an ongoing fight instead of an out-of-the-blue sucker punch (at least from the layperson's point of view) that does make a bit of sense. However Vancouver is IIRC one of the biggest ports in North America (let alone Canada), and if they decide that peace is the better option, can they really trust Japan to honor them backing out? This may not be OTL's Japan per se, but the same neo-feudalist attitude seems to have been retained ITTL wherein such a peace overture might be taken as "cowardice" in their eyes...not the kind of attitude I'd want to foster. At the very least, perhaps they should finish the fight in the Caribbean before any sort of peace process begins, to start from a position of strength (then again, I'm sure my anti-Japan bias WRT this timeline is glaringly obvious, so YMMV).

The populace probably figures that Japan is interested in Asia and is only attacking Canada because it's involved in the war. Vancouver might be a busy port, but in the grand scheme of things Japan has other worries and the US will get grumpy if they attack a north american nation that wasn't already at war with Japan. I don't support the back out here, but it isn't like Canada is on Japan's top 10 most important nations to attack list if they back out of this war.