Hey MH fans, I'm Kanzler and I am pleased to bring you the official Making History: The Second World War Beta AAR (BetAAR). Factus Games has been hard-at-work on the title and are ready to present it to you in Early Access for your feedback and suggestions ahead of full release. I am thrilled to get to demonstrate one of many immersive experiences this title can deliver. This story shall be told from the perspective of the Greater German Reich, or simply Germany.
The Europe of March 1, 1936 is a significantly different landscape than that of March 1, 1914. The German Empire is gone; a Polish state has been restored, Czechia and Slovakia have been merged in to one state, Austria-Hungary has been shattered, France has regained Alsace-Lorraine, and Russian hegemony of the Baltics has ended. The effective monarchies of old have been replaced with both democratic officials and revolutionaries across the spectrum. After a blighted 13 year democracy known as the Weimar Republic, Germany is only now regaining its dignity under the authoritarian rule of the National Socialist German Worker's Party and their Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler. The Germans are now on the brink of Operation Winter Exercise, the remilitarization of the Rhineland.
The French choose to stay their hand, and celebrations erupted across Germany as the most pressing threat to their autonomy is removed. The British offer little condemnation with prominent politician Philip Kerr remarking that it amounted to little more than Germans “walking in their own backyard.”
Even with the triumph, not all are content. Catholics in Westphalia, a demographic that has never been a friend to Adolf Hitler, are making noise and Socialists cause confrontation with the Nazis wherever they dare. The unrest would quickly dissipate, however, as another Great War seems just as far away as ever in the following weeks and months.
In foreign affairs, the situation in Spain continues to deteriorate. By the end of March a Socialist revolt causes the fragile government problems in the south, and in the north the Navarrese declare their own republic.
In April, something of a food shortage (likely spurned by swelling militaries) sweeps the global community. After seeing no opportunity to establish trade for foodstuffs with another country, the Reich sets about infrastructure products in several regions to boost output through mechanized farming initiatives.
Diplomatic relations in the Far East soon come to a fork in the road. Germany has traditionally maintained strong relations with China and even has a military advisor assisting the Repubic of China. However, Mao Zedong's communist rebels have weakened the Chinese state past the point of vulnerability in relation to the expanding Empire of Japan. With the likelihood of a Rising Sun over China increasing by the week, Germany chooses to recall its advisors and establish warmer relations with Emperor Showa.
By late spring Mussolini's conquest of Abyssinia is complete, and Il Duce seizes a rather wicked sum of gold in the process...
The conquest of Abyssinia is divisive, to say the least. The British feel threatened at the growing colonial power of Italy. With Benito Mussolini’s protection policy of Austria the only significant roadblock towards Anschluss, Germany capitalizes on the invasion to butter up Mussolini so that the dream of reunification may become a more plausible reality. The French stay out of the matter as best they can.
Spain restores its rule in Navarra after a spring and summer of warring, but nobody believes their problems are anywhere near being solved.
With the strength of Japan swelling and the Nazis keeping their eye on the real ball, the Anti-Communist International (Comintern) Pact is completed in October, formally signaling the desire of both nations to halt the spread of Marxism. The Soviet Union catches the hint and are none too amused.
1936 ends with officials from Germany and Italy meeting to discuss a formal alliance and permanent deterrent to the global influence of Great Britain and France.
Aside from damaging revolts in Spain, the first half of 1937 is, at the surface, peaceful, though German factories capitalize on the economic boom to skyrocket production, from tanks to consumer goods to research facilities. Germany's industrial capacity has never been better.
In late July, a skirmish along Marco Polo Bridge leads the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan (with its vassal-states) to the Second Sino-Japanese War.
To create a unified state capable of resisting the Rising Sun of Japan, the various Chinese warlords begin consolidating under Chiang Kai-shek, who even issues a joint statement with Mao Zedong declaring an end to all hostilities until the invasion is dealt with.
By the onset of winter the Chinese counteroffensive has shocked the world by overpowering the Japanese invaders and a push into Manchuria begins.
As 1938 begins, the large quantity of motor vehicles both consumer and military put a strain on Germany's oil reserves. Reaching out, the Reich finds a trade partner in the Kingdom of Romania who has ridiculous quantities of it.
In early spring of 1938 Germany begins turning up the pressure on Austria, demanding its government make decisions that pander to the sizable portion of people that desire for the country to be annexed by the Fatherland. In the Far East, a beleaguered Japan finds itself facing a rebellion in Korea.
Tensions in Austria continue to rise. The Austrian SS orchestrates resistance to anti-National Socialist measures by the government. With conflicting reports over the general sentiment towards the prospect of Anschluss, the government calls for a referendum to supposedly settle the matter once and for all. All eyes are on Austria in March.
Instead of seeing the referendum through, however, the German government protests the move as nothing more than a rigged tactic to deny the will of the greater German community. An ultimatum is sent to Austrian officials demanding the referendum be called off and the Anschluss allowed to proceed as planned.
Seeking to avoid a forceful invasion at all costs, Austria submits to Germany and the generational dream of reunification is completed. The Wehrmacht marches in parades through Vienna to the adoration of many. Political opponents now have to contend with the resolution of German authorities directly, and tolerance for Marxism is non-existent.
With the annexation of Austria, morale in Germany is at an all-time high. Elsewhere, however, France and Great Britain simply wonder how things have gotten so out of hand in such a short period of time. Though the larger scale civil war many foresaw for Spain has not yet come to pass, insurrection continues to rock the peninsula. The death toll in northern China and Manchuria continues to mount. The relationship between Great Britain and their Egyptian puppet state grow strained while Germany and Italy's Axis begins to spin. As it turns out, nationalists in the Sudetenland want to return to the Fatherland too, and Czechslovakian authorities are not quick enough to suppress the tide...