| “ | Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. | ” |
–J. Robert Oppenheimer | ||
| Moscow-Washington Conflict | |||||||
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| Part of American-Soviet Cold War | |||||||
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First World
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| [1] Officially. | |||||||
The Moscow-Washington Conflict, informally known as the Third World War, was a global conflict that lasted from 1968 to 2000. The vast majority of the world's countries, including all of the great powers, fought as part of three major opposing alliances. The first world, the second world, and the third world. It ended after the last remaining states which were still at war with each other finally either collapsed or made a truce. Nuclear weaponry played a major role, as multiple world powers used their stockpile in the war.
The Moscow-Washington Conflict was by far the world's most deadly war, resulting in 700-750 million confirmed deaths, some studies even showing 800 million. About 90% of these fatalities were among civilians, with multiple mass media programs considering the event as the "World's worst crime against humanity."
There were multiple minor causes to the Moscow-Washington Conflict, however, the major cause was a major nuclear accident where a B-52 Stratofortress had crashed near Thule Air Base, setting off the four on-craft nuclear missiles. Presuming an enemy attack, NATO forces launched a counter-force attack destroying multiple population centers in the Warsaw Pact. It is still unknown the cause of the crash of the plane, but most assume either a plane malfunction, a missile attack, or on-board spies. Other causes include the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War, and Vietnam War.
All recorded nuclear strikes up to 1969.
As the nuclear missiles hit multiple targets in the Warsaw Pact, about 28 million were killed, and leadership scrambled to start a counter-attack. Multiple nuclear weapons were fired back and forth, killing millions, as Warsaw Pact ground divisions rushed to the frontline to attack West Germany and Austria. However, this plan was foiled by mountain defenses and damage to major Warsaw Pact military bases. Within a month, both major powers had nearly deprived themselves of all nuclear capabilities, and no nuclear weapons were fired ever again after a year. Around this time, the two major powers, the United States and the Soviet Union, completely collapsed, and the war then was restrained to the Pacific front and minor civil conflicts. Within a decade, all member states who were previously participating in the war either collapsed or made peace, informally ending the war around June 1977. The war officially ended with the Treaty of Geneva on 1 January, 2000. This treaty had no terms except that all states would officially leave a state of war. This treaty is also renowned for being the shortest treaty in history.
Background[]
Cuban Missile Crisis[]
In 1961 the US Government put Jupiter nuclear missiles in Italy and Turkey, and attempted to invade Cuba. Starting in November of that year the US Government engaged in a campaign of terrorism and sabotage in Cuba, referred to as the Cuban Project, which continued throughout the first half of the 1960s. The Soviet administration was concerned about a Cuban drift towards China, with which the Soviets had an increasingly fractious relationship. In response to these factors, Soviet First Secretary, Nikita Khrushchev, agreed with the Cuban Prime Minister, Fidel Castro, to place nuclear missiles on the island of Cuba to deter a future invasion. An agreement was reached during a secret meeting between Khrushchev and Castro in July 1962, and construction of a number of missile launch facilities started later that summer.
Meanwhile, campaigning for the 1962 United States elections was underway, and the White House denied charges for months that it was ignoring dangerous Soviet missiles 90 mi (140 km) from Florida. The missile preparations were confirmed when a US Air Force U-2 spy plane produced clear photographic evidence of medium-range R-12 (NATO code name SS-4) and intermediate-range R-14 (NATO code name SS-5) ballistic missile facilities.
When this was reported to President John F. Kennedy, he then convened a meeting of the nine members of the National Security Council and five other key advisers, in a group that became known as the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (EXCOMM). During this meeting, President Kennedy was originally advised to carry out an air strike on Cuban soil in order to compromise Soviet missile supplies, followed by an invasion of the Cuban mainland. After careful consideration, President Kennedy chose a less aggressive course of action, in order to avoid a declaration of war. After consultation with EXCOMM, Kennedy ordered a naval "quarantine" on October 22 to prevent further missiles from reaching Cuba. By using the term "quarantine", rather than "blockade" (an act of war by legal definition), the United States was able to avoid the implications of a state of war. The US announced it would not permit offensive weapons to be delivered to Cuba and demanded that the weapons already in Cuba be dismantled and returned to the Soviet Union.
After several days of tense negotiations, an agreement was reached between Kennedy and Khrushchev: publicly, the Soviets would dismantle their offensive weapons in Cuba and return them to the Soviet Union, subject to United Nations verification, in exchange for a US public declaration and agreement to not invade Cuba again. Secretly, the United States agreed with the Soviets that it would dismantle all of the Jupiter MRBMs which had been deployed to Turkey against the Soviet Union. There has been debate on whether or not Italy was included in the agreement as well. While the Soviets dismantled their missiles, some Soviet bombers remained in Cuba, and the United States kept the naval quarantine in place until November 20, 1962.
When all offensive missiles and the Ilyushin Il-28 light bombers had been withdrawn from Cuba, the blockade was formally ended on November 20. The negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union pointed out the necessity of a quick, clear, and direct communication line between the two superpowers. As a result, the Moscow–Washington hotline was established. A series of agreements later reduced US–Soviet tensions for several years, until both parties eventually resumed expanding their nuclear arsenals.
North Yemen Civil War[]
The North Yemen Civil War was a two-phase civil proxy conflict between the rival governments of North Yemen. The conflict began in 1962, with Saudi Arabia sponsoring an intervention on behalf of the Kingdom of Yemen against the rival Yemen Arab Republic, which was directly supported by Egypt.
Muhammed al-Badr, the son of Imam Ahmad took a heavy-handed approach to Egypt's pan-Arab diplomacy. In 1958, al-Badr proposed that the Kingdom of Yemen would become involved in the United Arab Republic, but only as an alliance so that Ahmad could preserve his throne.
In 1961, al-Badr began a series of purges targeting alleged "Christian spies" in Yemen, an action which was not only immoral but grotesque to the United Arab Republic's secular institution. al-Badr's actions drew criticism, including from the military, and in response he banned military speeches and silenced calls for reform.
When Imam Ahmad died in 1962, al-Badr was Crown Prince and could not become Imam until he got the ratification of the Ummah. He was unpopular with the Ummah because of his diplomatic engagement with Egypt, but he ascended to the position of Imam regardless. One of al-Badr's first actions as Imam was to appoint a socialist Nasserist to command the Palace Guard. At this point, al-Badr had burnt bridges with both ends of the political axis in Yemen. This would set the background for the North Yemen Civil War.
Vietnam War[]
Following the Gulf of Tonkin incident in August 1964, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution that gave President Lyndon B. Johnson broad authority to increase U.S. military presence in Vietnam, without a formal declaration of war. Johnson ordered the deployment of combat units for the first time, and dramatically increased the number of American troops to 184,000. U.S. and South Vietnamese forces relied on air superiority and overwhelming firepower to conduct search and destroy operations, involving ground forces, artillery, and airstrikes. The U.S. also conducted a large-scale strategic bombing campaign against North Vietnam.
Thule Affair[]
Estimated map of the explosion
On 21 January 1968, an aircraft incident, sometimes known as the Thule affair or Thule accident (Danish: Thuleulykken), involving a United States Air Force (USAF) B-52 bomber occurred near Thule Air Base in the Danish territory of Greenland. The aircraft was carrying four B28FI thermonuclear bombs on a Cold War "Chrome Dome" alert mission over Baffin Bay when an unknown incident forced the crew to abandon the aircraft before they could carry out an emergency landing at Thule Air Base. Six crew members ejected safely, but one who did not have an ejection seat was killed while trying to bail out. As the plane crashed, the four on-board thermonuclear bombs detonated with a combined strength of 5800 kilotons, killing all survivors instantly, and almost destroying Thule Air Base. This incident is blamed for being the start of the Moscow-Washington Conflict.
War[]
Response to Thule Affair[]
Assuming an enemy attack via nuclear means, Thule Air Base immediately messaged the U.S. National Security Council, which notified the President of the United States via teletype. President Lyndon B. Johnson immediately called multiple NATO officials to prepare for an incoming attack. Warsaw Pact intelligence agencies immediately took note of the spike in emergency communications after 8:22 PM UTC. By 8:32, Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the arming of multiple nuclear weapons. This was passed down from National Security Council to local silos via morse code-encoded message.
"DEFCON 1, PREPARE NUCLEAR SYSTEMS, ENEMY ATTACK REPORTED. MORE INFORMATION TO FOLLOW."
Teletype list of Nuclear Targets
Eventually, another message followed reading over 350 targets within the Warsaw Pact to drop nuclear weapons on. This list included Moscow, Warsaw, St. Petersburg, a multitude of military bases, Belgrade, Kyiv, Minsk, and multiple overseas ships. As the missiles would take a while to reach the Warsaw Pact, Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the United Kingdom to launch ~50 nuclear weapons of their own to destroy Warsaw Pact targets. By 8:34 UTC, the Polish Air Force had detected 10 nuclear missiles aiming for nearby targets, and immediately alerted the Warsaw Pact. The Soviet Union had launched their nuclear weapons by 8:37 PM UTC.
First nuclear strikes[]
The first confirmed NATO nuclear strike landed at 8:36 PM UTC, striking the city of Rostock, East Germany. Resulting in the death of ~100,000. About 20,000 would die after the attack The first Warsaw Pact nuclear strike landed at 8:40 UTC, on Hamburg, West Germany. This bombing killed 400,000, and 50,000 would die afterwards. A survivor of the bombing of Hamburg states:
“ One minute I was reading The Reporter, and the next, my radio blasted to get in a shelter immediately. I had at first thought it was possibly a hailstorm, but this was far too urgent to be the case. As soon as the radio stated an atom bomb was coming, I had gathered my family in the crawlspace and prayed. ”
Nuclear Explosion in Hamburg
These nuclear strikes destroyed massive amounts of military equipment, decreasing the Soviet nuclear supply down to 20,000. This caused more precise nuclear bombings on strategic areas, familiarizing the concept of tactical nuclear strikes to war leaders. After the first attacks on the Warsaw Pact, the Soviet Union would fire 250 nuclear weapons at strategic chokeholds and major population centers, such as Anchorage, New York, Stockholm, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., and various military bases. Ten warheads would be shot down before landing, such as the weapon aimed at Stockholm, yet many would make their target.
Activation of the Emergency Alert Notification System on NBC.
The nuclear bombardment in the first hours of the war are nigh impossible to calculate, but some estimate 20-50 million. The first "cut off the head" strike being only somewhat successful, NATO would drop nuclear weaponry on major troop movements as to hold off infantry invasions.
Early war[]
Battle of Germany, 23 January, 1968
After the first couple of hours, both sides nuclear weaponry had been stunned, so the majority of further attacks was via aerial and infantry means. Major troop movements were recorded in East Germany, in which a mobile task force had rushed the borders and quickly rolled through the unarmed and flat northern areas. West German troops in the south were more easily prepared, and had terrain to their advantage, pushing the rapid East German advances to a stop. The swathes of concentrated East German troops allowed for tactical nuclear strikes to take out the blunt of the troops.
Denmark would quickly muster a light infantry force, attempting to attack from the North, but this light infantry would be destroyed by nuclear submarines of the coast of East Germany. 50,000 deaths would be reported after the attack on the light infantry, and be a major morale hit for Denmark, which had been struggling to prevent itself from being seized by East Germany.
After the destruction of masses of troops on both sides, the East German front became mainly a "phony war" type stalemate. This resulted in the naval fronts to be a major aspect in the war, as on 25 January, 75,000 Yugoslav forces would rush through the Alps and Apennines towards major cities such as Venice. Via the Adriatic Sea, Yugoslavia would also hold naval superiority towards eastern Italy. A drafting order would also be in subsequent effect in Yugoslavia. This, however, along with the nuclear strikes, would cause major disarray for Yugoslav internal politics.
Invasion of Cuba on 26 January, 1968
On 26 January, the United States Coast Guard and Navy would organize 4 divisions and 1 nuclear submarine to attack Cuba. The Invasion of Cuba (Spanish: Invasión de Cuba) was a military landing operation on the northwestern and far-eastern coasts of Cuba in 1968 by the United States Military. It was aimed at overthrowing Fidel Castro's communist government. The invasion took place during the height of the Moscow-Washington Conflict just a week after the start of the war. At the beginning of the invasion, Havana was destroyed by a 1 megaton warhead, and U.S. troops began island-hopping on Cuba's island claims. Reaching Havana, which was most destroyed by nuclear weapons, civilian troops and militias would fight the infantry troops fiercely, which kept American troops from easily reaching the capital city.
The Warsaw Pact, Nicaragua, and Venezuela would attempt to deliver troops to Cuba to aid in the war, but were blockaded and unable to enter due to fierce naval superiority in the waters of the Caribbean. This would also spark naval dogfights around Cuba and Venezuela, along with a naval blockade of Nicaragua to prevent further aid from their allies.
Internal conflicts[]
The invasion of Yugoslavia
On January 30, Josip Tito would hold a speech in Yugoslavian-occupied Trieste, eventually being shot by a Bosnian nationalist. Tito would be rushed to the nearest hospital, only to die on 2 February. Mika Špiljak would take the Presidency, as the office of Vice President had been vacant. Špiljak would take office in dire conditions, as mass rebellions would break out in Yugoslavia.
Riots in Croatia demanding political decentralization
The Warsaw Pact would redirect troops from the stalemate East German front to Yugoslavia to prevent riots, giving NATO forces an upper hand in Germany. By Valentine's Day, East Germany would be pushed back to the Elbe river. Italy, seeing a particularly weakened Yugoslavia, would drop nuclear weapons on major military bases and destroy Soviet and Czechoslovak troop movements to contain the riots. In a last-ditch effort to contain the riots in Yugoslavia, Martial Law would be ordered by 27 February as an order from Špiljak, and autonomy of the constituent republics of Yugoslavia would be dissolved. The Martial Law would, however, in turn cause mass casualties, due to citizens to be ordered to stay in their homes no matter what. Fear among the citizens to leave their homes would cause a lack of nuclear safety, as most citizens would not be able to hear warnings of nuclear bombings. (Most homes in Yugoslavia did not have access to a radio, and nuclear sirens would be unusable due to destruction of communications). Even if they did, they would lack necessary materials to survive oncoming attacks.
By March, Yugoslavia once again erupted in mass chaos after reports of mass police brutality came into action. Attempts were made to close the borders, but thousands would inevitably rush to NATO military camps surrendering, if guaranteed a new home after the war. Within weeks, Northern Croatia and Slovenia would have fallen to NATO, allowing an easy destination for citizens who wished to leave Yugoslavia.
The sparks of internal conflict in Yugoslavia would ripple across the world, as other countries would become heavily displeased with current military action. This would include East Germany, as sudden losses in the war would lead to low moral and suspicions among government. Essentially, a new Stab-in-the-back legend would arise, yet instead of Jewish people blamed (such as in the Second World War,) it would be liberalization efforts in East Germany taking the blame.
| “ | In complete irony, as the riots in Yugoslavia would ravage the country in an attempt to force the country to leave the war and to end the harsh dictatorship, East Germany would fall to a mass psychosis that the exact opposite was to blame, and that the government had been too lenient. | ” |
–John Lewis Gaddis on the internal conflicts. | ||
In the middle of February 1968, North Korea launched an invasion of South Korea in the midst of the war. South Korean forces repelled the initial North Korean attack, but the North Korean military was heavily backed by Chinese forces. The South Korean military eventually gained the upper hand and pushed the North Korean military back across the DMZ, but the North Korean government refused to surrender, opting to drop nuclear weapons on major troop movements in an attempt to regain control of the conflict. The two sides were locked in a stalemate for the majority of the war.
Flag used by the Revisionist Alliance, the East German flag with the coat of arms cut out.
Finally, political stability collapsing from internal conflicts, East Germany would fall into civil war. The war was a result of an ideological divide between two groups, hardline Communists, allied with the SED and the executive branch of the GDR, and the Revisionist Alliance (RA), allied with radical members of parties such as the Liberal Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union,
The hardline Communists believed in a more radical approach to communism than the RA, while the RA aimed for the liberalization of East Germany, and for the country to leave the Moscow-Washington Conflict. The war had four main fronts: the East German frontlines in the Moscow-Washington Conflict, Berlin, the Berlin-Frankfurt railway, and the Berlin-Prague motorway. The war began in April 1968 with the East German hardline communists launching an offensive against the RA. The East German RA were able to seize control of Berlin and Frankfurt, while the hardline communists quickly seized control of the Berlin-Prague motorway.
In April 1968, the RA launched a massive offensive against the Berlin-Prague motorway and the Berlin-Frankfurt railway, in an attempt to seize control of both of these main military routes. However, the anti-revisionist forces had an army with better technology, the support of the Warsaw Pact, and an overall superior troop count. The hardline communists were able to retake control of Frankfurt, but were still unable to take control of the crucial Berlin-Frankfurt motorway. Throughout May and June, the Soviets gained control of the motorway. In August, the East German leadership could not maintain the support of the Warsaw Pact, as leaders had become displeased with their management of the civil war. This eventually would give the RA an upper hand. The East German leadership decided to finally give up the Berlin-Frankfurt motorway in exchange for the other two routes. The East German hardliners were able to take control of the motorway, and the Warsaw Pact forces retreated to the city of Dresden.
The hardline communists would lose the war, but not before launching a nuclear attack on the motorway, which the Revisionist forces had taken. The attack was a response to the revisionist forces launching an offensive on the Berlin-Frankfurt motorway, which the hardline communists believed was the only route to the motorway from Dresden. The nuclear strike would be a total failure, as the RA were not able to take the motorway, and the nuclear strike was only able to destroy a small section of the motorway. The failure of the nuclear strike was a major blow to the hardline Communists, as they were unable to capitalize on their last ditch effort.
With the end of the civil war, the RA would declare neutrality, declaring the German Provisional Republic. This neutrality would not last for more than a month, as in June 1968, Poland and Czechoslovakia broke the peaceful frontlines in Germany, and captured Berlin in a matter of days. East Germany would be divided between the USSR, Polish, and Czechoslovak administrations. Despite the recontainment of rebellion in Germany, this would only lead to a further Domino effect across the world.
Burnout[]
American and Taiwanese troops preparing for battle
During Summer 1968, On the Pacific front, Taipei had been taken by the People's Liberation Army, yet the troops would near instantaneously undergo a naval blockade. China would take Macau, but fierce civilian fighting in Hong Kong would delay the plans of the Chinese administration. China would opt to drop nuclear weapons on the US naval fleet, along with multiple Taiwanese cities. Taiwan would fall, but not before a mass evacuation of Taiwanese citizens carried out by British and American forces that had previously been stationed in Hong Kong. Due to the movement of troops away from Hong Kong, Hong Kong would finally fall to China in a couple weeks.
At this point, near to no fighting had taken place on the homelands of the main powers. However, on 14 August, 1968, Soviet Troops would launch a full naval assault on the Aleutian islands, along with airstrikes of Juneau and Anchorage, both strategic points in the war. American troops would near immediately rush to the front in the Aleutian islands, despite being near completely unprepared for a naval invasion. This would result in Soviet forces plowing through the Aleutian islands with ease, Until a fierce battle in the battle of Unalaska on the 30th of August. The battle resulted in the destruction of 2 Soviet warships and 1 American destroyer, along with the deaths of 20,000. This would become one of the first battles of the conflict where more than 75% of the deaths were military-related.
Battle of Unalaska, 3 December 1969
The battle of Unalaska would be a pyrrhic Soviet victory, and would prove previous suspicions - that land warfare was overly expensive and unsuccessful for both sides. Still fearing land invasion of the United States mainland, the United States would order all remaining NATO states in Europe to launch a combined 500 nuclear weapons at all east Soviet military bases, supply lines, and strategic centers in December 1968 before the Soviet Union could plant nuclear weapons in the new Aleutian SSR.
With the newly established front lines completely destroyed, Alaska would remain a stalemate front. The Aleutian SSR would not be bombed due to fears of harming loyal American citizens, and no naval invasions would take place for weeks. This would become the main cause of the Burnout, a period in the war of multiple collapses of states, and military activity mainly ceasing.
After the destruction of the Soviet eastern seaboard, the main armed front in the war, Soviet officials stationed in Vladivostok would scramble for a counter-attack, before settling for launching their last 100 accessible nuclear weapons as the remaining strategic points in the United States. In the attack on the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson would die, sending the United States into disarray.
The United States would induct Hubert Humphrey as the new President of the quickly faltering country, and order European allies to begin aerial assaults on the Eastern powers. He would also issue a state of marital law in the US, along with attempting peace talks with Soviet leadership. These peace talks eased tensions between the two powers, eventually convincing Nicaragua to declare a state of neutrality in the war. Humphrey would also provide the American Economic Reimbursement Act, in which he would fund small businesses to "steer the American economy back on course."
Humphrey, despite being a mainly successful President, had done little to ease internal tensions. After multiple organized attempts at assassination, he would eventually step down from office in 3 weeks, making him the shortest lasting President in American history. Due to the enactment of martial law, vacancy of the Vice Presidency and most governmental offices, Congress would assemble to decide the Presidency. After a week of intense infighting, Congress would finally decide William Westmoreland would take office, eventually resulting in a series of political protests due to the militaristic nature of the General. Westmoreland would have a drastically different approach to the war, rather than opting for peace, instead launching series of coordinated attacks, including Operation Inconceivable, a mass series of tactical attacks on Chinese waters, attempting to retake Taiwan. He would also approve the Evacuation of Administrations Act, a political act that spread the executive, legislative, and judicial branches to various different locations in the United States, designed to rotate every 6 months. Congress would be moved from their former meeting place in The Greenbrier hotel in West Virginia, specifically in the underground bunker designed for a nuclear exchange during warfare.
Westmoreland had a harsh approach to the Chinese, being rumored by Chinese news sources to order execution of Chinese captains, unless they would give him information of the troop movements during the Pacific war. This was also the point where the Korean front finally collapsed into chaos. Without the Chinese support for North Korea, in January 1969 South Korean troops would break the front around the 38th parallel. South Korea would capture major amount of southern cities, but would eventually be pushed to a stop 20 miles south of Pyongyang due to the fierce civilian resistance.
The Starry Plough flag in the outskirts of Limerick, commonly used by the PIRA
Meanwhile, on the Western front, European forces had captured Berlin from Eastern control, resulting in the major frontlines being pushed to the Neisse River. Czechia in Czechoslovakia would also surrender, resulting in Slovakia being the remaining counterpart of the former state. A provisional "Czech Republic" would be set up by NATO forces in Prague in February 1969. After this, the front would once again be stalemated, except for civilian insurrections. 2 nuclear weapons would be fired during the annexation, including a 0.5 megaton strike on Belfast, the current economic center of the United Kingdom due to the destruction of the mainland. The fallout would spread to Ireland, resulting in a major famine. During the famine, robberies, riots, and food hoarding would take place. The PIRA and multiple other splinter groups would attempt to seize the Irish government, resulting in mass bombings, conflicts between the military and the PIRA, and eventually all out civil infighting. Remnants of the British army in Northern Ireland would act as support to Ireland, eventually ending the conflict after the splinter forces were either dissolved or forced into submission. The PIRA is now a mainly underground organization.
After the Conflict in Ireland, The remnants in Northern Ireland would opt to join Ireland, which eventually stirred down remaining conflict as Ireland was reunified.
Map of the Korean Front (Mid-February)
Battle of Sapporo, February 20, 1969
Major battles would occur in the East, as North Korea would fall to South Korean forces, officially resulting in a United Korea. The North of Japan would come under attack by Soviet naval forces, resulting in a Japanese military withdrawal from the war. Japan would still supply their allies with troops, but mainly stayed out of the war. Due to the loss of a main ally, South Korea would once again become under attack, as China would push into the North of the country.
The Filipino government, seeing an easy opportunity, seized the Paracel Islands due to distraction from Chinese troops on the main frontlines. The Philippines would use the captured islands valuably, using it in the efforts of Operation Inconceivable. This also allowed an easy-to-access naval base for the United States and the First World powers. In March 1969, the Philippines, in conjunction with the United States, launched an attack on Chinese occupied Penghu County and the Matsu Islands, seizing it from the under defended troops. However, being surrounded by the Chinese navy on all sides, Penghu County was eventually recaptured quickly.
The Matsu Islands were rushed to be quickly fortified, yet did such with ease due to the position of the islands being not far from the Philippines. The Matsu Islands were a integral and key point in the war, due to the easy access to both Taiwan and China. The Matsu Islands eventually became a massive heliport and airport for troops on the move. Worrying about a possible naval invasion of CPC headquarters, the Chinese government would move from Beijing to Ya’an. This would come eventually in handy, as aerial bombings of Beijing would commence, along with terrorist attacks and riots. In Ya’an, the CPC would re-organize.
Collapse of the United States and the Soviet Union[]
In April 1969, the Soviet Union had experienced mounting internal conflict due to the massive war, along with infant mortality reaching up to 60%, 2/3rds of the population being dangerously unhealthy, and the death of about 1/10th of the population. Multiple internal riots began, especially in the Baltic states, of which the Soviet Union failed to control due to the destruction of the western Russian SFSR. Seeing a new opportunity, West Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands began funding the rebellions with money, arms, and heavy weaponry. Estonia would be the first to eventually completely secede from the Soviet Union after the pro-Soviet government resigned. The rest of the Baltic states followed. After the Baltic republics declared their own independence, the Russian SFSR and the Byelorussian SSR quickly armed multiple divisions to retake the republics. Poland, rushing all of their troops towards Lithuania, would succumb to their under-defended western flank. Poznan and Gdansk would be captured quickly, causing the Polish to redirect their troops elsewhere. With funding from the First World and NATO, Lithuania utilized their nuclear power plant to eventually build a fissile nuclear weapon with an explosion worth 10 kilotons of TNT. This nuclear weapon was loaded into a newly built nuclear silo on the Åland Islands by NATO forces, and eventually launched at Vladivostok. NATO forces would then utilize the base to launch 9 more 100 kiloton weapons at major troop movements in Byelorussia and Russia, along with the cities of Brest, Minsk, Vyazma, and Kronstadt.
Siberian ultranationalism would grow, as militant groups would form from deserters of the former Soviet Ground Forces, especially among people of Sakhan descent. Hoping for independence similar to that of the Baltic states, multiple protests and political lobbyists would attempt to give Sakha increased autonomy or independence, which would result in an emergency vote by the Supreme Soviet. This vote would be eventually overridden by the Soviet leadership, causing protesters to seize the meeting area of the Supreme Soviet. Using emergency powers, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union would order the reorganization of Soviet subdivisions.
The Russian SFSR would dissolve, with the Siberian SSR as its counterpart. The Byelorussian SSR would also fall into civil war across a period of a couple weeks, before opposition forces officially dissolved Soviet leadership, and announced the Second People's Republic of Belarus. Ukraine would proclaim independence, yet eastern provinces such as Luhansk and Donetsk would declare their own independence from Ukraine, resulting in a minor conflict that is still ongoing today.
In June 1969, the Supreme Soviet would finally vote to dissolve itself, and to rebuild the government from the ground up, with the remaining loyal provisional republics forming a Confederation. This confederation would be known as the Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics, and would be a union between the Hokkaido SSR, the Aleutian SSR, and the Siberian SFSR.
Congressmen being evacuated from the scene, wearing masks to keep safe from radioactive dust.
The United States would fall to the same fate, as General Westmoreland would be killed during a protest in San Juan. After the death of Westmoreland, the U.S. Congress, specifically the Senate, voted to override the Constitution of the United States as the executive branch of the United States had been nearly decimated and no pretender to the Presidency was found, and the Cabinet began fighting on which one of them would become the leader. The vote proposed a Provisional administration of the United States, lead by a collective directory. The vote would happen repeatedly, with increasingly more votes for the suspension of the Constitution. After the third vote, where 41 out of 100 members of the U.S. Senate voted for overriding the Constitution, on July 4th, 1969, a mass national riot would be organized by members of both major political parties, and result in the citizen occupation of the The Breakwater Inn and Spa in Maine, where Congress had held as a meeting place after the Evacuation of Administrations Act. The rioters would also attempt to seize the National Archives and Fort Knox. While the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were hidden in an undisclosed location, now known to be the Raven Rock complex in Pennsylvania, important historical artefacts such as George Washington's Military Commission and the Gettysburg address would be seized by the rioters. During the attempted raid on Fort Knox, 82 people attempting to raid the base would be killed out of the 156 attending the riot. Most of the surviving rioters stayed out of the base and would be arrested later.
Unknown man playing electric guitar after the collapse of the United States
In an emergency transmission from the Philippines, The United States Congress was authorized to be evacuated to the U.S. Embassy in Manila after the riots ended. Multiple planes would land in various airports across the country, allowing different members of the government to evacuate, along with government artefacts. After the evacuation of all remaining government, It was assumed that the United States had dissolved, not realizing the existence of a U.S. Government-in-exile. The U.S. officially dissolved on July 31st, When the Government-in-exile voted to dissolve their provisional government. A speech was held by the leaders of the Government-in-exile stating that the United States would soon be reformed by its own citizens.
Multiple American troops would be stranded in the Matsu islands, not realizing the United States had collapsed. These troops would be quickly overrun by Chinese forces, with some surrendering, deserting, but most dying. Despite the near absolute Chinese victory, This seize would undoubtedly have major consequences, as the American troops fought hard, and Chinese forced had assumed most of them would surrender after hearing the collapse of the United States. However, they fought hard and continuously.
Cooling tensions[]
After the collapse of the two major powers, the war fronts nearly completely halted. Over time, multiple other nations would collapse or split, such as the United Kingdom, which rescinded its mainland claims after it became nearly uninhabitable. This happened over time, beginning with Northern Ireland in August, Wales in November, and Scotland and England in January. Most of the successor states, however, maintained pro-UK sentiment, and either kept helping NATO or became neutral, along with the successors to the United States.
The Western front finally started again after the newly independent former Soviet republics joined NATO in March 1970, and took over the rest of Czechoslovakia. NATO progress would not continue for long, however, as France, Germany, and multiple other states would collapse in late Spring. Poland and the rest of the Warsaw Pact would dissolve too. The Western front would be stalemated for the rest of the war.
Pacific battles[]
After the entire Western hemisphere would leave the war, The Pacific would be the last remaining front for the war. South Korean forces would be pushed back to the outskirts of Pyongyang, and struggle to keep control of the city. The Philippines, however, would send 100 thousand troops to the Pyongyang front, and would plan pushing the People's Liberation Army back to the Hamgyŏng Mountains. India, previously neutral in the war, would also fund the counter-attacks in hopes of the surrender of China, and for them to seize Kashmir.
Battle of Taiwan, Summer 1970
In Summer 1970, the siege of Pyongyang would end, and Chinese forces would be forced to lay defensive positions in the Hamgyŏng Mountains. Considered a victory for South Korea, the Philippines, and India, morale would boost among the forces. As the Korean front slowed to a stop, China massed thousands of forces in Korea. With the help of Australia and Indonesia, the Philippines would send their troops to retake Taiwan. The Filipino troops would be stationed in the southern Japanese islands and the Paracel islands with permission from the Japanese government, and launch a naval invasion in Taiwan. The Chinese forces, expecting that an attack would instead take place on the Matsu Islands. Hualien County would be the first attack point for the troops, quickly seizing the undisturbed national parks, and using them as a defensive point. Using the Hualien rivers to quickly traverse towards the center of Taiwan, mountain travel because much easier for the combined forces of the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand.
The tactic of "river-hopping" became an integral part of the recapture of Taiwan, with the Filipino forces gaining control of the Xiuguluan rivers next. China would send multiple thousands of troops from the Korean fronts to the Taiwanese fronts, which allowed South Korea to gain advantage over the Hamgyŏng Mountains, and eventually pushing the borders back to that of February 1969.
A new 'Confederation of Soviet States', soon to be the second Soviet Union, would send troops to support the Chinese forces. Eventually, multiple river-hopping forces would be encircled, causing the Filipino and Australian troops to retreat around August 1970. Chinese forces would retake the former ROC, and finally prepare integration into the country.
The loss of Taiwan would be a major morale loss for the remnants of the Western pact, but the troops would continue pushing on. Korean and Filipino forces would redirect from Taiwan back to the Korean front, which China was once again making steady progress upon. At this point, the International Committee of Restoration would send funding to India, which was meant to fund programs to help restore the country. However, India instead redirected these funds towards their Military, and a push into Tibet was ordered.
Stalemate in Lhasa, 1970
Chinese forces would hold off the invasion using the plateau to their advantage, but would face harsh attacks, as Indian troops were better trained for mountainous terrain. Indian troops would slowly roll to Lhasa, where a stalemate would take place. This stalemate would last until an Ambush attack on a Chinese motorized division re-ignited the battle.
India would win the battle of Lhasa, and sue for peace with China. Tibet would gain independence as an Indian client state, and the two countries would cease warfare. After the peace, this resulted in a major catastrophe for the remnants of the West, as one of their biggest allies left the war. China would begin pushing back into North Korea, but not before a Manchurian uprising took place, hoping to score independence like Tibet. This allowed South Korea to re-take the peninsula and fund the Manchurian rebellion. These series of uprisings eventually lead China to leave the Moscow-Washington Conflict, and enter the Second Chinese Civil War.
Post-Burnout and recovery[]
Current status of the Donetsk War.
After the ending of most fronts in Asia, peace would be mainly restored to the continent, excluding the civil infighting. However, across the world in the West, multiple minor wars would begin, such as the Donetsk war in Ukraine in February 1971, where Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts declared their independence, and fought a war against Ukraine. This would be the beginning of the Donetsk Wars. Ukrainian troops quickly spearheaded towards Mariupol with 2 thousand troops, only to be blocked by forces stationed in Yalta. Ukraine would also attempt to sever the border between Luhansk and Donetsk, succeeding for about a month, before Donetsk troops encircled the 12th Light Infantry Regiment in March 1971, causing the borders to reconnect at a thin point known as the "Snizhne Corridor". This point has been attempted to sever multiple times. After this, the war has mainly stalemated, with minor offensives made in North Luhansk. This war is still ongoing today, entering brief periods of complete stalemates. These stalemates have lasted from 1973-1977, 1981-1990, and 2000-2012.
Aftermath[]
Treaty of Geneva[]
While the war by most is considered to have ended around June 1977, when the Polish War ended, the war officially ended with the Treaty of Geneva, signed in January 2000.
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