The Second Anti-Comintern Pact
Recently a fresh worry has taken root in my mind. The Second World War I carelessly let slip. Of course only a handful of people already knew what I had said, yet I still dropped the phrase in front of the State Duma—where freshly elected assemblymen now sat. Ah, this is awkward. As expected, the Second World War really does need to erupt exactly as history demands. The current Turkish-Kurdish clash hardly counts as a war anyway.
I am no saint. Later, when all the military conflicts flare up across Africa and the Korean independence question arises, I have considered stirring my spoon into the pot of colonial liberation after the war. But I am in no position to spare any thought for the Kurds. After we finish hammering communist Germany, if the Kurds’ passion for independence still burns hot, I may exploit it then—at least, not now.
Setting that aside, it is still uncertain whether everything I predicted will even come true. Colonial workers might rise up because of communist Germany. If that makes administering the colonies too difficult, then perhaps. Hmm.
The Second World War itself has grown irritating simply because I opened my mouth. To the point that conversations like this have begun to surface.
“What if we relocate every factory that would produce wartime munitions to Central Asia?”
“We already did exactly that during the Civil War, so there should be no problem.”
Members who had only recently entered the Duma and still lacked a firm grasp of the situation had begun suggesting we move the factories in advance. The subject of factories had come up repeatedly, but the fact that the idea now issued from civilian parliamentarians rather than the military carried real weight.
If the Second World War doesn’t break out after all this, I am going to be mortified, you damn reds.
Russia is a double-headed eagle that has only just begun to soar. If we start making a great fuss about war preparations, what consequences will that invite? First, from the communist Germans: Kyaaak! That anti-communist bastard is massing troops to strike Germany! They will obviously rearm in the open. They will obviously seize the French-occupied Ruhr again under any excuse they can find. At this rate, shouldn’t I simply pray that Trotsky works diligently to communize America?
Looking at the latest reports from the Ohrana’s American branch, there are constant mentions of black communities gathering in growing numbers. Perhaps Trotsky will set something off after all. If he truly exerts himself and succeeds in turning the United States communist—well, a communist America would be difficult to handle. I have no idea how communization would steer that country. Stronger or weaker, either outcome is troublesome. America itself is an overpowered map; Russia’s current strength would struggle to contain it. Developing the atomic bomb first would not be bad, yet the problem remains that we lack the naval capacity to occupy North America. And if America becomes the very headquarters of world communism, the headache only grows.
Setting that premise aside for now: if, by some miracle, revolution suddenly erupts in France and turns it into a commune; if British forces are ground to dust at Dunkirk and London signs a separate peace with communist Germany; if the western-front armies then press the new Austria-Hungary—then perhaps. Well. If France swings over to Germany’s side, one could call that Second World War level in its own right.
At least, judging by the present atmosphere, if no conflict on the scale of the Second World War erupts because of my single verbal slip, won’t my approval rating truly plummet? Of course, those who have already heard the words from my own lips may feel differently—but that group is limited to the White Army leadership and a tiny circle of high officials.
Should I instead guide events toward a larger explosion in Asia? Could Japan not commit some outrage that deserves not two nuclear strikes but twenty? If the combined forces’ spy and shadowy independence fighter Mutaguchi Renya succeeds in the Imphal operation because Britain botches the European war, if he pushes all the way into India and bleeds the Allies dry, then the situation might become manageable. Yet what would the war with Japan look like then?
In any case, once war begins, Russia must time its entry with perfect precision.
“Hmmm.”
Is there no way? No method to trigger the necessary spark? As expected, France and Britain must thoroughly bungle their war so that the Duma clutches its collective neck. That would be ideal—for the sake of Russian national power as well. If the Second World War ends too cleanly, Britain and France may simply latch onto Germany like leeches and keep their colonies intact. I cannot predict how America will swing either. Therefore they must be beaten so badly, twice or even three times over, that they lose any capacity to hold their empires.
“As expected, I should simply hope it erupts on its own over there.”
Britain tried desperately to build an encirclement of Germany only to fail spectacularly; they may be thinking the situation is still worth attempting. I wonder what kind of potential our communist Germany will unleash. It would be nice if they confidently set off something substantial.
“Woof! Woof!”
Belka barked energetically, tail wagging with all her might. Were German Shepherds always this affectionate? Such a dependable creature, yet she clung far too eagerly.
“Belka, you have it easy. You get fed just for playing with Vladimir and running around to your heart’s content. Ha.”
Belka and I had grown rather close by now. There was little else to do here, and I had no lover with whom to indulge in romance. Only Belka and Vladimir existed in my immediate circle. So, naturally, I had grown fond of her. She could not possibly understand the thoughts swirling inside my head. Because I had already accomplished so much, the expectations of the people of the Russian United States toward me had risen dangerously high. The State Duma would be no different. Now that I had mentioned war, they might feel an invisible burden whether they admitted it or not. Of course, since the conflict was not imminent and I had spoken only in vague terms, no one was panicking just yet.
While I played with Belka, the Black Baron arrived.
“Your Majesty.”
I had instructed him to keep watch on the Kurdish situation. After all, the White Army had taken charge of supplying weapons to both the Kurds and the Turks. In any case, our new Russia’s weapons had been deployed, had they not? Still, a man as busy as the Black Baron would not come merely to report on the Kurds.
“How has the Kurdish situation developed?”
“The Kurdish forces have reached the brink of annihilation on Mount Ararat.”
If they stood on the verge of total destruction, Atatürk must have committed himself with genuine resolve. Once he dragged the entire army into the field, how could the Kurds possibly hold?
“And the performance of our weapons?”
“Thanks to our new models they were driven to the very edge of Mount Ararat in a short time. The Ilya Muromets is yielding satisfactory results as well.”
That much was fortunate. The Ilya Muromets might be a heavy bomber from the First World War, but striking Kurdish positions on a mountain would not be difficult. Proper anti-aircraft guns did not yet exist in this era; such weapons would only appear after more time had passed.
“Hmm. I would like to develop better bombers.”
This field was one in which my knowledge remained painfully thin. There had been no capacity to manufacture fighters in the apocalypse, and the military possessed nothing beyond army-built shelters. The proper course was to gather aviation talent early and accelerate technological development as quickly as possible.
“I understand that the Sikorsky Design Bureau is producing various aircraft designs. They have already improved the Ilya Muromets we sent this time.”
Then that was enough. After altering the history in which the Soviet Union arose, it would be troublesome if our own weight class proved inferior. That was precisely why I had recruited every rocket expert I could find.
“That should suffice. But they have not achieved complete suppression?”
It was rather disappointing that they had failed to finish the job. Was Atatürk incapable of even that much? Or had the absence of a population exchange with Greece and the cession of Pontic Greek territories and Constantinople proven more significant than expected? Even with Atatürk’s power, it seemed difficult. Perhaps Turkey was weaker than I had anticipated. Indeed, the Grand National Assembly’s circumstances had been worse than in the original timeline. There was nothing to be done about that.
“There are also rebellions by restorationists and anti-secularists within Turkey, and the machine guns the Kurds have emplaced in the mountains appear to be causing considerable trouble.”
“Hmm.”
Yes, holding machine guns on high ground would indeed be difficult to overcome. Driving tanks straight up a mountain would be no simple matter either. Since the nation had been founded in the mountains, one would think there were routes tanks could traverse, yet the situation had still grown messy. No—it had not been ruined. But something interesting had occurred to me. I gently stroked Belka’s head and spoke.
“An interesting idea has come to me.”
“What is it?”
I was not certain it could truly be called interesting, yet attempting it once would not hurt. After all, the concept had first emerged in the Soviet Union when Mikhail Tukhachevsky formulated his theory of deep battle. What was I suggesting? What if we dropped troops onto Mount Ararat by transport aircraft?
“What would you think of scattering troops onto Mount Ararat using transport planes?”
“Transport planes, Your Majesty?”
It did not seem like a bad plan. Yes—could we not call these airborne troops? I recalled that the Soviet Union had created airborne units in 1931. Using that concept, a single attempt on Mount Ararat seemed worthwhile.
“I know little of military matters, but if we bomb the mountain and simultaneously drop troops, would that not prove more effective?”
The notion had struck me suddenly. If Turkish infantry could be inserted directly onto Mount Ararat, might they not seize the Kurds? This would also serve as an experiment for the Turkish army. If the results proved ineffective, we could simply shrug and continue our own research.
“Hmm, that is reasonable. A good method indeed.”
Perhaps because the Black Baron’s fate had diverged from the original timeline—having been hailed as a hero of the White Army—he had worked diligently alongside Mikhail Drozdovsky on military doctrine and armored warfare theory within the organizational framework of the United States White Army.
“Study the concept and subtly suggest it to the Turkish side. We should also experiment with the tactic ourselves.”
Preparing airborne troops in advance seemed wise. If we could ready them several years early, they would prove that much more useful when the real war arrived.
“Understood.”
It did not seem like a bad idea. While aiding Turkey, we could help them establish and operate airborne units. Should we dispatch volunteer forces as well? Since the conflict had not reached the level of full-scale war, I wondered whether it held any meaning. If we sent volunteers to fight Kurds, Atatürk would likely disapprove. And if the weapons we had given the Kurds ended up killing our own men, the result would be an utter disaster.
“Now that I think of it, what is today’s schedule? I believe I had an appointment with you, Black Baron.”
The Black Baron served as Minister of Defense of the United States. A man that busy would not visit a mere figurehead Tsarina simply to deliver a leisurely report on the Kurds. He clearly had something else to say.
“Yes. We are scheduled to receive Chancellor Karl Renner of Austria, Regent Miklos Horthy of Hungary, the King of Romania, Prime Minister Ismet Inönü of Turkey, and the Tsar of Bulgaria.”
Quite a crowd. Looking at these names, they were obviously the members of the Anti-Comintern Pact.
“Ah, the Anti-Comintern Pact.”
“Indeed, Your Majesty.”
It seemed I would be meeting foreign heads of state. I wondered how it would unfold. The German Kaiser and Poland—both hostile to communist Germany—had concluded their talks quickly. This group, however, included Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria, so the atmosphere would be rather different. Wait—since Inönü was coming anyway, should I not raise the airborne-troop concept with him directly?
“Another interesting thought has occurred to me.”
“Yes?”
“Let us speak with Prime Minister Inönü about the airborne-troop matter right away. Everyone has carved out precious time despite their heavy schedules. We cannot simply have them sign the Anti-Comintern Pact and send them home, can we?”
Our Mr. Inönü might actually feel somewhat offended. After all, if even we knew about it, he must have received reports of Turkish soldiers being turned into bloody pulp beneath those mountain machine guns.
“That is true. Arranging a separate meeting with Prime Minister Inönü would be wise.”
Yet the truly interesting idea was still to come. The real substance lay in what I would say next.
“There is more. While we are at it, would it not be good to discuss the reconstruction of Austria-Hungary?”
“Would Britain and France simply stand by?”
They absolutely would not. Britain and France would protest treaty violations, but this world already diverged from the original history. Would they not welcome a sufficiently large meat shield willing to bleed in their stead?
“Of course conditions must be attached. Germany has become Italy—no, Germany, Italy, and the Communist Party have all emerged, and Britain failed to establish even a proper encirclement. If Yugoslavia turns red on top of that, would they not clutch their necks in panic? If I openly support the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy, some possibility may exist.”
“Should you not also examine the internal problems within Hungary?”
That was not my affair. The man with the mustache would surely handle it. With his oratorical skill, matters should resolve somehow. We might need to make concessions to the Hungarian nobility, but as I said, that lay outside my domain. Unlike the days when Hungary had been subsumed within the Austrian Empire, what if we restored Hungary to the status it held during the Austria-Hungary period and reorganized the dual empire? That was for the mustache to decide; I could not spoon-feed him every detail.
“We need only help draw out external support. The rest can be settled internally.”
In any case, full-scale war was impossible for now. Neighboring countries had previously blocked the Habsburgs from the Hungarian throne with threats of war. But if Russia stood openly behind Austria? Communist Germany faced the Ruhr question and internal problems of its own. If those could be resolved internally, the rest might fall into place.
Now, then—shall we meet the leaders of the generation that once shook the world with the Great War?