Fascinating post about the new Arabia. Though I assume that the Caliph and his religious scholars tend to assume they are the last letter of the law when it comes to the interpretation of the Qur'an?
The Union Forever: A TL
- Thread starter Mac Gregor
- Start date
Asia-Pacific War: Venezuela Aug-Nov 1979
Venezuela
July – November 1979
American soldiers from the 5th Infantry Division firing at a Venezuelan bunker
November 13, 1979
July – November 1979
American soldiers from the 5th Infantry Division firing at a Venezuelan bunker
November 13, 1979
With the introduction of Colombia and the United States into the war, Venezuela’s prospects for victory all but evaporated. Over the next 40 days, Allied aircraft and missiles swarmed over the length and breadth of the country, decimating Venezuela’s remaining air defenses. By the time the United States was ready to commit ground troops in mid-August, most of the nations of the League of American Republics had entered the war. With the exception of Mexico, Argentina, and Chile however, few contributed significant forces.
On August 11 amidst blistering heat, a joint American and Mexican force of some 38,000 men landed on the Paraguana Pennisula in western Venezuela. Because President Stewart wished to knock Venezuela out of the war as soon as possible, little time was allowed to rehearse the landing. As such, it got off to a rocky start with several costly accidents. To make matters worse, the Venezuelan defenders fought tenaciously before retiring south along the Isthmus of Medanos. Although capturing the Paraguana Pennsula deprived Venezuela of a key oil refinery the fighting inflicted heavy losses on the American and Mexican marines. Further west, Colombia rallied from the surprise attack of June 27, and began to move eastwards. By September, the Colombians had reached the defenses of the important city of Maracaibo before stiffing resistance forced them to dig in. Maracaibo would not fall until November 1. Meanwhile in the east, with the Venezuelans stretched to the breaking point, Lieutenant General Huddleson and his Commonwealth troops finally forced a crossing of the Orinoco River.
With the Venezuelans collapsing in the east and west, Admiral Normand Pfeiffer, commander of the United States Caribbean Fleet, hatched an audacious plan to topple Venezuelan Dictator Vicente Saturnino’s regime. Dubbed Operation Foxhound, the plan entailed an amphibious landing on either side of the capital city of Caracas. With many of the best Army units earmarked for the Pacific, Admiral Pfeiffer was forced to use a number of militia units to make up the shortfall, most of which came from the Caribbean states of Cuba and Santo Domingo. On October 22, elements of the 31st Airborne Division and the 8th Air Calvary Division landed behind enemy lines roughly 25 miles east of Caracas. Ground forces stormed ashore hours later under a hail of artillery and small arms fire. During the chaotic first wave, the 72nd Infantry Regiment (Cuban Militia) distinguished itself by bravely capturing an important draw off the beach allowing the landing of cataphracts later that day. On October 24, as Venezuelan forces tried to contain the beachhead, the second landing occurred west of the city. Venezuela’s costal mountain range made moving inland extremely difficult, and it would take nearly a month before Caracas was surrounded. By the time Allied troops finally stormed the deserted Presidential Palace the city was a smoldering wreck.
In the waning days of the Battle of Caracas, Saturnino fled south to the city of Calabozo vowing to carry out a guerrilla war against the occupiers. However, on November 27 the Venezuelan military decided to take matters into its own hands. Vicente Saturnino was arrested after a brief firefight with his guards, and Brigadier General Jose Narvarte Orzua was declared the head of a provisional government. Once in power Orzua immediately requested an armistice with the Allies. On November 29, despite some continued fighting with hardliners, 30 years of corporatist tyranny in Venezuela finally came to an end.
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Excellent update. Now Venezuela is out of the fight, and hopefully with Saturnino out of the picture, the country will have a fair chance at democracy post-war.
Japan is now the only one left fighting against the Allies, and the fighting from here on out is likely to get very interesting, to say the least. With any luck, the US armed forces' mistakes in the Venezuelan campaign will be ironed out by the time they clash with Japan.
Japan is now the only one left fighting against the Allies, and the fighting from here on out is likely to get very interesting, to say the least. With any luck, the US armed forces' mistakes in the Venezuelan campaign will be ironed out by the time they clash with Japan.
Japan's not stupid; they know they can't win by any measure of the word. It's a matter of time before they go down; it's kind of surprising they haven't sued for peace already.
True, and I agree completely. Unlike OTL, the Imperial Japan of TTL seems more determined than fanatical, and hence, is more likely to hear reason than blindly throw waves of kamikazes at Allied ships.
Japan would love to get a white peace, but we are way beyond that at this point. Nothing short of forking over Hainan, Formosa, and Korea will suffice. The next update will deal with Asia and the Pacific.
Welp, we're in the endgame now! *rubs hands*
Anyone care to speculate what the final peace treaty should look like? How harsh do the Allies want to be on Japan?
The Commonwealth helped out some. A number of Commonwealth naval vessels and aircraft participated in Operation Bloodhound. Most of the ground troops never made it to Caracas, however they did capture substantial territory in eastern Venezuela before the Armistice.
Return of Taiwan and Hainan to China, independence of Korea, democratization and the banning of the Kobushi Party. Probably.
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Well there hasn't been such a gigantic war since TTL's Great War just after the turn of the 20th century. Seems that, like OTL, the 'Great War' was seen as the war to end all wars. After that, it has been mostly colonial/imperial conflicts or regional conflicts. The biggest war between TTL's Great War and the war that just ended was the war between Japan and China. All considerations of who started each conflict aside, there will probably be a popular perception that Japan has caused a lot of war this century.
So take that how you will.
I think that is what they will demand but Japan isn't going to give into that. No sane government would unless their cities are smashed, their home territory under occupation or threat of it. None of the core Japanese territory has fallen why should they give it up?
What is more interesting is what will the allies settle for?
I think, and this is just my two cents. Withdraw from any occupied territory they still are in, Hainan back to China (China will demand Formosa/Taiwan and other islands nearby but the rest of the allies are not going to keep pressing for war over it leaving China rather disgruntled but with no way to take it on their own), war reparations, and some kind of plan for Korea. Either increased Korean involvement in the Imperial government or a plan for decolonization. They would probably also ask for any war criminals (if that is a thing) to be turned over for trial (especially those involved in shooting down the US civilian airliner).
My thought on this is thus: The US has no real reason or need to pursue a death struggle in the western Pacific, sure there was the downing of the airliner thing but the Japanese apologized and paid some monies for that, IIRC. The Commonwealth is war weary and has achieved their main objectives -freeing the occupied Commonwealth countries and destroying that which threatened it. China is really the only one who benefits from pressing the war (and since they were being bombed by the Japanese have good reason to want to continue it).
Wouldn't it be crazy if China had secretly developed nukes? I mean they're a technocracy; it wouldn't be that much of a stretch for them to have the scientific capability before anyone predicted they would.
Besides the loss of outer territories, and democratization, there might be demilitarisation, and some Commonwealth/US military presence to ensure things go that way.
Well, I find myself agreeing with Shadow Knight on most parts, and the general sentiment.
There is definitely going to be a sentiment among the Commonwealth to punish Japan, so the war is going to continue due to inertia. Once casualties start to mount from attacks on the home islands, though, there will be calls for peace.
After all, India, the Indochinese nations, and Venezuela have all been defeated. The vast alliance network has been disassembled, so for the foreseeable future Japan will find itself alone among the states of the world. It will have to moderate itself naturally in order to interact with even its former allies, much less its enemies. Or so will be the thought of those that say enough will be enough.
Hainan will be retaken. That much is known. I'll disagree and say that Formosa will most likely be retaken for the Chinese as well, but only after a long blockade and as part of the conditions for surrender. As for Korea... I had forgotten that China no longer has land access to the peninsula. In order for them to retake it, they would either need to gain access through the IEF (doubtful, as they definitely don't want China strengthened with a puppet Korean government) or they will have to do an invasion across the sea into Korea, which probably would be as difficult as invading the home islands.
Once the writing is on the wall, and before the 4 home islands are threatened, the Japanese will sue for peace. They can point to the model used for the French in the Great War. After all, the terms of the treaty, while harsh, did not disturb Metropolitan France and its largest, and geographically closest colony that contained a large number of French nationals. That, and they replaced monetary reforms with territorial concessions. If they know that they'll lose Hainan/Formosa anyways...
Upon those generic lines, I estimate that the following treaty for Japan and the Indochinese nations would be as follows:
1.Siam will have all territories annexed at the Treaty of Jaykarta restored to her.
2.China will have the islands of Hainan and Formosa restored to her. She will also be granted the Paracel Islands, the Pratas Islands, and the Diaoyu Islands.
3.China will be granted dominion over Indochina, as defined as Vietnam, Laos, Campuchea, and Siam.
4.China will allow Japanese nationals that inhabit the restored territories to freely return to Japan for a certain allotment of time. (Say 6 Months) After that period, Japanese nationals that do not leave will not be granted citizenship, and would have to proceed with the standard naturalization process.
5.Japanese nationals that do not wish to return to Japan and do not wish to remain may be allowed to instead emigrate to any allied nation that deigns to take them in.
6.Japan will retain the Ryukyu islands, the Bonin islands, the Korean peninsula, and all other islands that were controlled by Japan at the beginning of the war.
One and Three are related, and give a bit of a counterweight in a larger Siam to the Chinese. Otherwise, all of Indochina would easily be dominated.
Two should satisfy China's territorial ambitions for the moment. I don't see how the Paracel islands don't go to them. The only nation would would take them would be Vietnam, and at this point...
Four and Five relate to the expulsion of the Han from Hainan and the subsequent resettling of the Japanese onto the island. It will also allow a few defectors that don't wish to go back or stay in China to leave and go elsewhere, although there aren't many nations that open their doors. And those that do leave for another country are almost certainly to be on a case by case basis.
Six just solidifies the Japanese claim on Korea. With all of the nationals expelled from Hainan and Formosa, they have a large number of citizens that can be resettled in Korea.
A fair assessment. I still disagree on Formosa but I could see it going that way. I could see an attempt be made but it could fail badly too. Though a blockade is almost a certainty with the whole Commonwealth navy and the US navy now able to muster the full weight on Japan alone.
Although if Japan calls for peace before any assault on it...well what is asked for and what the allies get it one thing. If a truce is granted to settle peace terms will the Commonwealth citizens really want to die for Chinese territorial ambitions?