USSR Victorious

USSR Victorious originally began as a collaborative effort between myself and another member of the Alternia/Different Worlds discussion boards. The POD involves Truman deciding not to use nuclear weapons in Japan and the effect that decision had on the outcome of the Cold War. This timeline is to be considered open to anyone who wishes to help finish it.

Timeline
1945: President Truman decides not to use the A-bomb and authorizes an invasion of Japan, which is carried out later in the year. One of the main commanders is General Bradley, shipped to the east in order to fight with highly specialized infantry formations for the first time in the Pacific Theater. Bradley proves he is a great overall tactical planner but fails horribly in the prevention of civilian booby traps and guerrilla warfare that faces the Allies in every occupied zone. Operation Coronet is repulsed with serious casualties, meaning that the Allied forces have to slowly advance to the north from the southern islands mile by mile.

The Soviet Union joins the war in the Pacific and drives the Japanese out of China and Korea. New communist nations are created including a unified Korea and a Socialist Federation of Indochina out of old French Indochina under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh. Mao is “assassinated” by a nationalist sympathizer, and is replaced by a pro-Moscow leader. China grants the Russians rights to use the industrial base of Manchuria to enhance the Soviet Pacific fleet. When France refuses to recognize Indochina, the Soviet Union sends it's troops south through China to safeguard Indochina, the lands they liberate from the Japanese are handed directly to the Chinese Communists. France wouldn't establish diplomatic ties with Indochina until well into the 50's. The Nationalist Chinese flee to Taiwan.

1946: As the invasion of Japan leads to the largest amount of American death in any theater of the war, public opinion turns against the Truman administration. The Soviets soon join in the invasion of Japan by landing troops on Hokkaido. The Soviets by comparison face much less resistance due to the conventional units being shipped south to combat the American invasion.

British Prime Minister Atlee is outraged with the poor American war planning and soon British troops involved in the mainland invasion are reduced to policing actions, there are rumors that persist to this day that Atlee sent out peace feelers to the Imperial Japanese government. Whether or not this is true it signaled the start of the Anglo-American Split that would take full shape in the next decade.

The Americans are reduced to using chemical weapons against Japanese positions and destroying rice crops as reprisals for the attacks carried out by civilians. Many Japanese begin to starve during the long winter early in 1946. Total anarchy sets in as civilians flee to imperial zones, overcrowding cities already under heavy bombing and shelling. The Soviets, who have thoroughly pacified their part of Japan begin to set up a communist provisional government, Japanese soldiers who refused to flee or commit suicide are sent to toil in factories in Korea.

Industry in Korea begins to grow thanks to Soviet support and Japanese forced labor. While the Japanese are starving in the war zones the Koreans report their best harvest in twenty years.

Slowly chewing through barbed wire and booby traps for every inch of soil, the American army finally reaches and lays siege to Tokyo. In hopes of bringing about a speedy resolution to the conflict, Truman orders a nuclear bomb dropped on Tokyo. 48 hours after the bomb is dropped the American army storms the ruins of the Japanese capital. Japan surrenders a few days later and the country is split between the US and the Soviets, who control Hokkaido. The British, furious that they don't also get a zone of occupation; withdraw their troops from the nation entirely. Scattered resistance still permeates the country and a gut-wrenching number of army officers commit suicide. What remains of the Japanese army goes underground for years fighting against occupying forces and being aided by sympathetic civilians and Soviet agents; organized fighting by the army would stop in 1947 but informal warfare continued well beyond that. Emperor Hirohito is tried for war crimes and later sentenced to death. Once thought of as too westernized by the more traditional Japanese, he is now revered as a martyr to Japan. By autumn, famine had broken out due to the low growing season. Millions of Japanese die from malnutrition that exceeded the Ukrainian Collective Farm Disaster. To add insult to injury to the Americans, the Russian zone in Hokkaido simply imported its food from Korea and due to low amounts of destruction there, farming was not as severely disrupted, as it was other places in the former nation of Japan. Japan had become a vast poverty ridden basket case. Fanaticism for the old Imperial government soon was replaced by simple hatred for Americans and several underground Communist movements appeared, aided to a great extent by the Soviet Union.

1947: The great loss of life among the Americans and British in the Japanese campaign sways much of Europe's war-torn electorate to favor the peaceful and "restrained" policies of the Soviet Union mouthed through local Communist parties. It also gave the Soviet Union an upper hand in new negotiations sponsored by Stalin. Because of the Vienna conference Stalin manages to extend the zone of occupation for the USSR to include all of Austria, and add many miles of valuable industrial zones to Eastern Germany. A Russian backed coup in Turkey succeeds in toppling the current government. With it the new Socialist Republic of Anatolia is created. Sensing weakness in their overlords, the Kurds declare their independence. The British and French recognize the Kurdish state in order to stop the further spread of Communism, but Truman abstains, fearing a confrontation with the now more powerful Soviet Union. A bloody war breaks out in the Anatolian south, which becomes known as the Kurdish war of Independence. The British give Northern Iraq to the Kurd. The Iraqis are forced to comply, with the outrage of the average Iraqi citizen, spurring Arab Socialist tendencies in Iraq and many other Arab nations. With Turkey communist another rout to aid Greek Communists in the Civil War opens, and before the end of the year they manage to seize Athens and create a Communist government. The West would recognize the Democratic People's Republic of Greece in 1948. In Italy, the Communist Party wins new governmental elections, but American and British troops enter the Italian parliament and arrest the Communist-majority government. They then disband the Italian republic and re-install the monarchy under Umberto II. The King was to have direct authority until the West could set up a more "appropriate" government. This causes a massive surge in support for the Communist party throughout Italy; there are several Communist riots, which result in the arrest and execution of more communist leaders for "treason and sedition". Terror attacks begin on allied bases. Atlee vows to stay in Italy as long as necessary. The Americans however are getting calls from home to leave Italy to the British. By Christmas the New Socialist Republic of Austria is created.

1948: The War in Kurdistan ends with an Independent Kurdish state propped up by the British army. Back in the US, the huge loss of life caused by the invasion of Japan and protests from American troops affected by radiation poisoning, causes Truman to lose his bid for reelection when the Democrats nominate Harry F. Byrd who goes on to win the election. Byrd promises an end to American intervention across the world. He announces his plan to enforce only the Monroe Doctrine in foreign affairs, while slowly dismantling the New Deal back home.

1949: Britain and France are forced to give up control of West Berlin to the Soviet Union after the United States pulls out and the Soviet Union blockades the city. Both nations had tried to supply it from the air but without American help they could not bring enough supplies in to keep the city from starving.

1951: Without help from the United States, the nations of Western Europe create the European Confederation to provide a united front against communist expansion, help rebuild themselves from WWII, and also help maintain member nation’s colonies across the world. The founding members included Britain, France, West Germany, Italy, and the Benelux countries. The wounds between Britain and the United States are relatively fresh, so when President Byrd offers to support the Confederation in return for a say in its affairs Britain says it would leave the league should the Americans control what the league does in any way. The Confederacy is off to a rocky start, member states have a difficult time coming up with a charter that would suit all of its member nations including fast liberalizing France and militant conservative Britain. In order to maintain British membership, the European Charter maintains that overseas colonies are necessary in order for Europe to thrive, despite the protests of colony-less West Germany and Italy who once again grumble that the aftermath of the war has made sure they cannot prosper. To add to the league's difficulties young rabble-rousers and ex Hitler-Youth form small, violent groups that venerate Hitler. Some of this resonates with West Germany's youth feeling the effects of a stagnant economy and being too young to remember the days of Hitler. In order to combat the rising violence West Germany calls in British and French military police to end this youth gang threat. Throughout most of May arrests are swift and common. In the Republic of Japan a new wave of communist bombing rock Kyoto. This violence continues throughout the year in Japan. East German industry expands until unemployment is minimal and food imported from Ukraine and Korea makes a surplus in foodstuffs in any part of Central Europe for the first time since the end of the war. A large pro-Soviet movement in Yugoslavia gains ground, they argue that the best way for socialist countries to thrive is to work with the Soviet Union as evidenced by the People's Republic of Hokkaido and The German Democratic Republic success stories. The People's Republic of China invades Tibet, and executes the Dalai Lama, who was attempting to escape with help from elite Soviet commando teams; with no leader to rally around the Tibetan independence movement is stagnant and weak.

1952: In the American presidential election Byrd is reelected. Americans put him in office for another 4 years as they enjoy the removal of the United States from world affairs, harkening back to the 20's. Byrd promises a new age of economic progress and international isolation. The Soviet Union detonates the first hydrogen bomb, putting ahead in the arms race. American President Byrd calls this "Europe's Worries" and speaks of how the United States has no conflict with the Soviet Union or its allies. Funding to America's bomb program is few and far-between. As a result America won’t gain its hydrogen bomb until well into 1957. In Austria, tunnels between them and Italy are built that allow the transfer of weapons, funds and materials to the communist underground. The European Confederation makes sure that only men that London and Paris approve get into office thoroughly corrupting Italian democracy and allowing resentment to grow, particularly in Rome where the largest of the underground communist movements are centered. That isn't the only place where communism must be kept in check, in Holland where communists made up a large portion of anti-German partisans during the war had to bar the party from the elections after it appeared they may get a significant portion of the vote.

1953: Joseph Stalin dies. In the aftermath of his demise Beria is arrested and tried for treason. Political upheaval throughout the communist bloc begins as the client states of the Soviet Union begin to feel unrest, and many more liberal leaders start to come to the surface in Hokkaido, Austria, and Poland. The Result is a public opinion in the bloc turning away from the old Stalinist policies and wanting to embrace a more open policy. Out of this sentiment comes Nikita Khrushchev, who becomes the next General Secretary of the Soviet Union. In the first year as secretary he introduces a number of reforms, which allow for more public expression and more prosperity in the client states. China and Korea take longer to implement them.

1955: The Warsaw Pact is founded between the Soviet Union and the communist states of Europe. The Seoul Pact is a similar alliance between the Soviet Union, China, Korea, Indochina and Hokkaido.

The Bandung Conference demands the decolonization of European colonies. The European Confederation refuses. Violent revolts spread across several colonies including India where there is a massive rebellion. The rebels start out simply demanding Indian independence but eventually grow to be socialist in nature. The mountain passes fall quickly to the rebels who maintain many bunkers along the border with China. British troops are unable to prevent pro-Soviet marches and heavy rioting in New Delhi. European troops are sent to hold the colony while Britain attempts to work out a peace plan by making them a dominion. Still, after the success of the rebels up north the Indian populace is overwhelmingly in favor of independence, tying down many Confederation forces. In light of the rebellion the Soviet Union begins to expand its sphere of influence in south Asia and Khrushchev sends aide to the rebels there. 1956: The Cuban Revolution begins with an attack on the Moncada Barracks. The Soviet Union begins arms Shipments to Cuba via Submarine; the need to deliver these Arms inconspicuously would eventually lead to the Konavolov Class cargo Submarines and opens the doors for entirely new classes of Submarine.

The Soviet Union invades Yugoslavia to depose Josip Boz Tito after reports reached Moscow that he was planning to ally with the European Confederation. The Confederation protests this, but with the ongoing civil war in India they realize they do not have the resources to fight off the invasion. Tito does flee to the Confederation while Yugoslavia is broken into two separate communist states, Croatia and Serbia.

In the US presidential election, Republican Douglas MacArthur wins the Presidency. He promises to increase the interests of the United States by shoring up the military presence in Central America and taking a bigger interest in South American internal affairs. This, while resonating with US voters causes much unrest, particularly in Cuba and Argentina where a Young Dr. Ernesto "Che" Guevara founds the Revolutionary Communist Party of Argentina. It grows popular after Peron steps down and the charismatic Guevara is soon backed by Moscow.

1958: The United States, at the behest of the Batista government, sends troops to put down a communist revolt in Cuba. Thousands are imprisoned but this just fuels the fire of the communists who vow to continue a guerrilla war.

Fidel Castro the leader of the Cuban communists flees to South America, where he meets with Soviet agents who promise to continue to supply the rebel Cubans for as long as possible.

1959: The Raid on Guantanamo takes place, when communist frogmen swam under four US vessels and attached timed mines, provided by the Soviet Union to them. The destroyer USS Cumberland, the frigate USS Persistent, the destroyer USS Highland Light, and the transport ship USS Lauban. The mines explode at around 11 o'clock at night. The Lauban caught fire and burned violently for a week, its oil making the water in the harbor burn. The Persistent's magazine, near the bottom of the hull caught the full brunt of the blast and she was blown in half with fiery wreckage showering down on most of the base. The Cumberland was holed too far below the waterline and sank in shallow water, she would remain there for years blocking the main port and leaking oil. The Highland Light was hit in the engine room and fire spread throughout the ship's aft, The crew managed to stop the fire from reaching the magazine but the Light still ran around it's stern in ruins. During the chaos a hundred communist gunmen took up positions inside the base and proceeded to battle US rescue crews and Marines. Total deaths were well into the hundreds. The raid only spurs the United States government to send more soldiers to Cuba to end the communist revolution.