Hungary's New Light Tank has successfully completed trials and is expected to go into Production in 1936! The Toldi IIa features several improvements over the Toldi I amongst which are an improved engine, extra armor, and an upgunning to a 40mm anti-tank gun. The Improved Engine is expected to be able to allow a top speed of 60 KpH as opposed to the Toldi I's 47 KpH, and an operational range of 250 Km as opposed to the Toldi I's 200Km. In addition the 40mm anti-tank gun can penetrate 65 mm of armor at a range of 100 meters and is capable of using the same ammunition as the Bofors 40mm Anti-Aircraft Gun produced by Sweden.
From: Kingdom of Sweden
To: United States of America @Alexo
We have enjoyed strong ties for a long time. Incidentally the United States is home to a large community of Swedish people. We are very strongly in favour of continuing said ties and enjoying strong relations with the American Government.
Secret:
That said we do have three families that have acquired estates in Hawaii. The recent talks by Mexico have left us worried. Can we get some assurance from the American Government our fellow Swedish in Hawaii will be kept safe?
We are very much in favour of continuing strong relations with Sweden.
Secret :
The situation on the islands is fluid at the moment, but negotiations are underway. We will pass the information about these families on to our consulate and do our utmost to keep them safe from reprisals.
To: Nativists@inquisition
From: The United Kingdom of Great Britain
Secret:
We realize you are in quiet a quandary here, and we want to help you out. Now of course there is a condition attached, after all no one truly acts in a purely altruistically but we promise to guarantee Hawaiian economic and political influence, and that's what matters right?
From: Kingdom of Sweden
To: United Kingdom of Great Britain @Comrade Jeff
Greetings friend. Our two nations have in the past enjoyed very good relationship. We wish to continue said relationship in a very strong matter. We believe we gain a lot from cooperation.
To: Kingdom of Sweden
From: United Kingdom of Great Britain
We would love to continue and expand upon our current relationship with Sweden. To start we propose a royal visit and perhaps a lowering of tariffs, creation of business incentives and other measures to strengthen our ties.
Secret:
And y'know, neither of us want Sweden to fall victim to the Societist monster on your border. So if you ever need help in that regard, you have a friend in London.
Greetings. We would like to inquire as to your views on the current conflict in China. Tokyo has grown increasingly concerned about the radicalism and destabilization promoted by the republican rebels, and we finding it difficult to resist the logic of taking action against them. While a full military intervention is, of course, completely out of the question, we are wondering if London would be interested in a joint effort to enhance the Qing Dynasty's war effort through financial and military aid. We don't doubt that the Qing would be suitably grateful for our assistance in such a fundamental conflict.
Secret:
From: The United Kingdom of Great Britain
We in London are...interested by your proposal, as a strong radical republican China is a threat to us and other powers with interests in China. But we also fear throwing money and material into a blackhole of a lost cause, never to be seen again. We should continue this discussion in a more secure fashion ((PM)).
To: Nativists@inquisition
From: The United Kingdom of Great Britain
Secret:
We realize you are in quiet a quandary here, and we want to help you out. Now of course there is a condition attached, after all no one truly acts in a purely altruistically but we promise to guarantee Hawaiian economic and political influence, and that's what matters right?
Why would you send weapons to Colombia to then send to Hawaii? Why can't you just ship them from Mexico?
If the Japanese are looking for a fight, they'll find a bloody nose. Simple as that. We're not looking for a war but we don't see why we should let the Japanese dominate Hawaii.
Secret:
Our current positions can be used to our advantage. I wanted to give you the support for the Reformistas. Not, that I fear the Japanese, our combined military might would crush them, but to keep up appearances. If I directly gave the Reformistas supplies they wouldn't trust me and would believe I would drop out on them again. You however, possibly have thier trust, more than I. Also I wish to maintain the element of surprise as when the Japanese react violently. Mexico will step in to help the Reformistas and Columbia, changing the battle to our advantage
From: UKGB
Secret:
Well, we were hoping to secure the lease of either Wake island, Midway island, or preferably both in return for diplomatic and monetary assistance; not to mention the supply of small arms and accompanying ammunition.
Ceasefire and Redeployment
Strategic movement of French assets within Ukraine
French foreign legionaries marching across Armyansk and into the Crimean Peninsula.
It is no secret that the French Empire is heavily involved in the affairs of the Ukrainian Civil War. Being behind the formation of the country after the Great War, France was quick to install a member of the Bonaparte family to rule over the fledgling nation. For a time, things continued on rather nicely. Through the economic and military backing of France, King Ivan I and his supporters found little resistance to their rule. Numerous modernization programs were launched and soon the Ukraine started to boast something close to an industrialized agriculture and manufacturing industry. This only increased the popularity of King Ivan I, as his rule had began to bring a prosperity that had gone unknown to the region under the administration of Russia. If one could measure the strength of a regime in times of prosperity, the Kingdom of Ukraine was a rather formidable state.
Sadly, these times didn't continue for a extravagant length of time. With the shadow of the Great Depression settling over Europe, hitting France particularly hard, the foundation for the Kingdom of Ukraine began to show cracks. Without the economic loans and investment of the Empire, unemployment ran rampant within the nation. Factories that were opened up during the brief period of economic growth where quickly closed down. While France was able to form something in the way of relief programs for its disgruntled masses, the Kingdom of Ukraine was without dime nor dollar to establish similar efforts. In their anger, the citizens of Ukraine started to turn their anger towards the "foreign oppressors" that controlled the government. Knowing that King Ivan was little more than a puppet with his strings in Paris, resistance groups started to form within the dark corners of the nation. One Ivan the first died, all hope for a peaceful resolution went along with him.
Soon the nation fell into war, the numerous factions that had formed in the shadows starting to wage a conflict to determine the rightful ruler of the region. In the east, a red revolution under the backing of Eurasia. In the west, an Integralist regime with the backing of Prussia. Stuck in the middle of it all, the dwindling presence of the Kingdom of Ukraine. Seeing the situation for what it is, the government of France was quick to convene on the issue that could become a stout anchor to their economy. Only recently recovering from the devastation of the depression, many French politicians debated over a proper response to the conflict that has plagued the region. Finally a consecutive decision was reached after a diplomatic deal with Prussia was struck.
Even though the powers of Prussia and France have shared a rocky history within the last few decades, representatives from the nation's concurred that the reds should take precedent over their petty grievances. Thus, a cease fire was agreed to and a uneasy peace fell between the respective factions. Unknown to Prussia though, France had little intention to fight the reds alongside them. As the integralist forces moved up, they found empty fortifications and only a faint hint that they had once been manned. More times than not, Societists forces had moved up in the absence of resistance. This sparked numerous skirmishes along the front lines.
With French forces being funneled back into the Crimea, true fortifications have began to erect themselves around the peninsula. Being manned by the veterans of the civil war on the main land, Crimea has began to be referred to as "Forteresse Malakoff" in reference to the major French victory in the Crimean War. Even though France may have re-positioned the soldiers who fought on the mainland, the nation's intentions to hold on to Sevastopol have been made clear.
For now, the French Empire has fortified its position within Crimea and have made plans to wait for the opportune time to return to the mainland. With more pressing issues beckoning for France's attention elsewhere in its expansive empire, a solution for the Ukrainian crisis has been forgone.
For now.
Summary
-With more pressing issues at home and throughout the empire, the French backed royalist forces have pulled out of the mainland. This occured shortly after a ceasefire was declared with the integralist forces.
-Legionaries, volunteers, and anyone who did not wish to face the Societists by their lonesome have fallen back to the Crimea Peninsula.
-Fortifications have been erected throughout the Crimea with hopes to deter any plans to invade the peninsula.
-While French ground forces have taken a backseat to the conflict, air brigades continue to bomb Societists positions,
To: Empire of France @Carro Armato
From: The United Kingdom of the Netherlands
SECRET
Well, Mexico certainly has stepped in it, wouldn't you say? To see them so openly discussing carving up Hawaii between themselves and Japan should give us all pause. What are your thoughts on the matter?
To: The United Kingdom of the Netherlands
From: The Empire of France
Secret: We concur, such behavior by both Japan and Mexico has given us reason for pause. Although, being that small and fragile Kingdom that it is, once cannot say it was unexpected. We shall convene with the US about this issue, as we are positive they have a stronger vendetta against it this brash move.
To: United States @Alexo
From: The Empire of France
Secret: What is you opinion of the recent events that had taken place in Hawaii.
To: Japan
From: Nativists
SECRET
Simply put? The economic concessions as you have outlined them are unacceptable, as the central tenet of our ideology--as well as the very reason we are fighting--is to prevent such foreign influence from repeating the events of January of this year.
To put it more explicitly:
Designating Hawai'i an "area of interest" is not acceptable, and nor is free access to all Hawaiian ports. Each nation may negotiate separate treaties with Honolulu to station forces there, along with the appropriate compensation for basing rights.
These two are perfectly fine, with the exception of the freedom to bear arms (we do not want the Fusileros to return); we are not naïve enough to believe that the existing foreign populations can simply be removed. As we said, our problem is that the next few clauses of the deal seem geared towards expanding the influence of foreigners.
What are the terms of this lease? How long will it be in place, what forces will be stationed there, will Hawai'i be permitted to revoke this lease if the terms of the agreement are not adhered to?
And what is to stop these investors from merely usurping power once again like the Reformistas did?
Here lies our biggest issue. Frankly, local Hawaiians are unable to compete in an environment where larger foreign powers operate with impunity. We have seen this occur again and again, in China, in Siam, in our own nation, and yes, in Japan. We are not interested in our own Bakumatsu, and nor are we interested in having foreign powers dictate our policies.
This is unfortunately something we cannot agree to without some... shall we say assurance? We would like a concrete timetable for the involvement of this force, with a concrete date for their withdrawal from Hawai'i once order has been restored.
1. Fine, that's just semantics
2. The Mexicans will not give up their arms unless forced to. And they have far more guns than you do. This part of the treaty is necessary to make it palatable to Washington and Mexico City, and gives your citizens the ability to stockpile weaponry and defend yourselves, in case they try it again.
3. Ten year lease, renewable, and like we said the financial terms of the lease are negotiable, and can be a way for Japanese aid to Hawaii.
4. The fact that your government will be strengthened, both financially and militarily. The Mexican coup attempt took place because the Hawaiian government was weak and poor. In the future, it will be wealthy and strong, and you can resist attempts like this in the future. We can also probably negotiate a limited nationalization of foreign assets.
5. There's no way we could get the Americans and Mexicans to agree on your demands in full. You know this, as well as us. The IJN will not be bombarding San Diego and Seattle over Hawaiian tariffs. For the moment, disproportionate American and Mexican influence in your economy is a fact of life. What you can do is punish those who clearly wish to annex Hawaii, and work to lessen foreign influence in the future. We might be able to agree on some mechanism for Hawaii to have some control over tariffs, but we doubt that Mexico or the US will be interested.
6. Sure, we've no intention to overstay our welcome.
We're trying to accommodate your desires as much as possible, but there aren't many of your demands that the Americans and Mexicans will accept. Hawaii is very small, and the United States and Mexico are very large, and while Japan wishes for nothing more than the freedom and independence of the Hawaiian people, we do not plan to go to war over it. A refusal to return to something approaching the pre-conflict normal won't be accepted, and will only lead to more bloodshed and misery for the Hawaiian people
We are very much in favour of continuing strong relations with Sweden.
Secret :
The situation on the islands is fluid at the moment, but negotiations are underway. We will pass the information about these families on to our consulate and do our utmost to keep them safe from reprisals.
From: Kingdom of Sweden
To: United States of America @Alexo
Secret:
We thank the American Government for this. Perhaps we ought to add a detachament to the Swedish embassy in the US to deal with matters related to Hawaii.
To: Kingdom of Sweden
From: United Kingdom of Great Britain
We would love to continue and expand upon our current relationship with Sweden. To start we propose a royal visit and perhaps a lowering of tariffs, creation of business incentives and other measures to strengthen our ties.
Secret:
And y'know, neither of us want Sweden to fall victim to the Societist monster on your border. So if you ever need help in that regard, you have a friend in London.
From: Kingdom of Sweden
To: United Kingdom of Great Britain @Comrade Jeff
King Oskar and the Prime-Minister of Sweden would be delighted to receive the King of Britain and of the Commonwealth in Stockholm. And yes we would be open to a later deal but we would like to request that we keep Norway as a favorable partner.
Secret:
We are pleased on that and I am sure our Finnish brothers will as well. We have been entertaining the possibility of actually promoting Finland from a Duchy to a Kingdom as well to symobolize there status in its union with Sweden. (OOC: I would suspect that Finland is basically being treated as my Scotland to your UK.)
From: Kingdom of Sweden
To: Kingdom of Norway @inquisition
Greetings old friend we trust everything is well with you.
Secret:
We were wondering if the Norwegian Government is open to some sort of cooperation? Both Integralism and Soceitism rear his old head on us. We feel that to keep both these threats together our two countries should strive to work together lest what happened in Denmark happening to one of us. What does Oslo think?
As you might expect, we are appalled at the audacity of the Mexicans, who thought they could have their proxies simply seize Hawai'i at gunpoint. The balance there has been delicate since the turn of the century - we've been jockeying with them for influence for decades now, but with our economic woes, the Mexican settlers in the more recent past acquired a somewhat larger footprint on the ground than our own.
We feel Mexico tipped their hand with their initial diplomatic dispatch, signaling intent to 'split' the islands with Japan (and probably thinking they'd keep the economically important ones for themselves) Now, they've walked that back under international pressure, and renounced the Reformistas. We have an agreement in principal with Japan, which Mexico has signaled their approval of as well, for the restoration of the Kingdom with safeguards to assure the balance of power is not disrupted again.
We have left it to the Japanese to negotiate with the Nativist forces on the ground. They are an Asian power and their presence in Hawai'i is more distributed among the immigrant labor class than the landowning elite, as ours is. With this, as well as the friendship between the late Emperor Meiji and the current King's father, we feel they're seen as more of an honest broker among the Hawaiians. We're keeping tabs on things, though - talks are proceeding slowly but we are confident an agreement is in the cards. Once that happens, we will take the necessary steps to oust the usurper regime.
2. The Mexicans will not give up their arms unless forced to. And they have far more guns than you do. This part of the treaty is necessary to make it palatable to Washington and Mexico City, and gives your citizens the ability to stockpile weaponry and defend yourselves, in case they try it again.
4. The fact that your government will be strengthened, both financially and militarily. The Mexican coup attempt took place because the Hawaiian government was weak and poor. In the future, it will be wealthy and strong, and you can resist attempts like this in the future. We can also probably negotiate a limited nationalization of foreign assets.
5. There's no way we could get the Americans and Mexicans to agree on your demands in full. You know this, as well as us. The IJN will not be bombarding San Diego and Seattle over Hawaiian tariffs. For the moment, disproportionate American and Mexican influence in your economy is a fact of life. What you can do is punish those who clearly wish to annex Hawaii, and work to lessen foreign influence in the future. We might be able to agree on some mechanism for Hawaii to have some control over tariffs, but we doubt that Mexico or the US will be interested.
Then unfortunately we have reached an impasse, as this particular clause is the one we cannot accept. If the Mexicans and Americans will not agree to allow us to keep our self-determination, then they are not worth making an agreement with in the first place.
From: Kingdom of Sweden
To: Kingdom of Norway @inquisition
Greetings old friend we trust everything is well with you.
Secret:
We were wondering if the Norwegian Government is open to some sort of cooperation? Both Integralism and Soceitism rear his old head on us. We feel that to keep both these threats together our two countries should strive to work together lest what happened in Denmark happening to one of us. What does Oslo think?
To: Sweden
From: Norway
Can't really complain. SECRET
We share your concerns, and believe that, in recent years, the sanctity of Scandinavian independence and neutrality has come increasingly under threat.
From: UKGB
Secret:
Well, we were hoping to secure the lease of either Wake island, Midway island, or preferably both in return for diplomatic and monetary assistance; not to mention the supply of small arms and accompanying ammunition.
Name: The Empire of Japan Head of State: Emperor Showa Head of Government: Saitō Makoto Type of Government: Constitutional Monarchy Population: 98,111,000
Japan: 70,000,000
Korea: 22,899,000
Taiwan: 5,212,000 Capital: Tokyo
Domestic
Internal Events:
-TBD
Economic Status:
-TBD
Military
Army:
265,000 (17 active divisions)
2,000,000 trained reservists, manpower pool of 7,000,000 (10% of the population of the Home Islands) (DEMOBILIZED)
~1,000 tanks or tankettes (equivalent to 3 armored divisions)
Navy:
10 Battleships: 4 Kongo class (Kongo, Hiei, Kirishima, Haruna); 2 Fuso class (Fuso, Yamashiro); 2 Ise class (Ise, Hyūga); 2 Nagato class (Nagato, Mutsu); +3 1939-41 (Yamato, Musashi, Shinano)
From: UKGB
Secret:
Weapons wise we can offer you machineguns, rifles, grenades, and ammunition and the like. Hell, we could probably donate an old patrol boat or two, which could open up many strategic options for your forces.
And what is stopping Mexico from arming their own once again? Or the United States?
An acceptable arrangement, then.
Specifically, we would like to nationalize the assets of all foreigners who took part in the coup, as well as expulsion from Hawai'i for high treason.
Then unfortunately we have reached an impasse, as this particular clause is the one we cannot accept. If the Mexicans and Americans will not agree to allow us to keep our self-determination, then they are not worth making an agreement with in the first place.
Do you honestly expect the Mexicans to even keep their end of the bargain up if weapons are banned? Hawaiian police aren't exactly going to be busting into the Mexican consulate on illegal weapon charges. This way, everybody will be armed, instead of only the Mexicans.
We might be able to get the Mexicans to agree to the nationalization of guilty parties. The Americans will certainly accept that measure.
What would the alternative be? We cannot be an advocate of your interests if you give us nothing to work with. Would you accept the control over tariffs, but with upper limits?
Greetings. The IJA would like to send officers to observe your forces in the conflict against the communists in the Ukraine. We are extremely concerned by Societist expansionism, and would like to get a look at the way their forces fight, and how your men have gone about opposing them.
In addition, we have noted that the geography in Ukraine bears a striking similarity to the Manchurian plain, the area where any UESR-Japanese conflict would likely take place. Would it be possible for a contingent of officers with experience in the Ukraine to travel to Harbin for a conference with senior leaders in the Manchukuoan and Japanese army? We are eager to listen to any insights and lessons that you have learned in the conflict that can be used in case of a conflict with the Societists in Asia.
Mod Report: Ghost Boats Well... Maybe not quite.
In recent decades, the Kingdom of Spain has been facing increasingly trying times. The brief but brutal Philippine War of Independence—as well as its humiliating defeat at the hands of Japan—robbed the aging European empire of most of its Pacific territories. The one exception was Spanish Indochina, "officially" known as the "Kingdom of Cochinchina." In its desperation to prevent any more public loss of face, Madrid doubled down on the colony in the 1930s, increasing the garrison, bringing in more Spanish troops to supplement the native garrison, and generally tightening its control from Saigon.
So there was a small amount of suspicion aroused among the Spanish and French colonial authorities when a number of small, unregistered boats were reported by naval patrols and local farmers in the late hours of the night between February and April of 1935. The sightings came at relatively regular intervals, but the details were often confused and inconsistent. Sometimes the boats would simply skulk near the coast, and other times they would come in to land packages or people. Patrols dispatched to the reported sites would sometimes find footprints leading off into the dense jungle, but nothing more.
By May, the monsoon season in Indochina began to set in, and the "ghost boat" sightings gradually slackened and disappeared as the summer rains made visibility more difficult overall. French and Spanish colonial authorities dispatched troops to those areas, but nothing more could be found. The garrisons reported the odd occurrences to Saigon and Hanoi, who passed the information on to Madrid and Paris. It was a small, brief incident from which nothing came, but it was certainly unusual.
Summary: - A number of small boats are spotted off the Indochinese coast, but nothing appears to come of the incident.
- The colonial garrison has reported these sightings to the French government, and has temporarily stepped up brownwater and coastal patrols.
From: UKGB
Secret:
Weapons wise we can offer you machineguns, rifles, grenades, and ammunition and the like. Hell, we could probably donate an old patrol boat or two, which could open up many strategic options for your forces.
Do you honestly expect the Mexicans to even keep their end of the bargain up if weapons are banned? Hawaiian police aren't exactly going to be busting into the Mexican consulate on illegal weapon charges. This way, everybody will be armed, instead of only the Mexicans.
From: Nativists
SECRET
Perhaps a compromise then. The right to bear arms will be retained, but the number and quality of weapon imports to Hawai'i will be heavily restricted, and their sale will be controlled by the government.
What would the alternative be? We cannot be an advocate of your interests if you give us nothing to work with. Would you accept the control over tariffs, but with upper limits?
Well, that would depend on what those limits were, and on what sectors they would be placed. We would also like to know the stance of the Americans and Mexicans regarding what they would and wouldn't accept, not simply what you say they would. We have agreed to a number of things that fly in the face of every core tenet of our movement, so we are certainly not "giving you nothing to work with;" we simply do not wish to give you everything.
To: Sweden
From: Norway
Can't really complain. SECRET
We share your concerns, and believe that, in recent years, the sanctity of Scandinavian independence and neutrality has come increasingly under threat.
From: Kingdom of Sweden
To: Kingdom of Norway @inquisition
Secret:
Indeed that is true. That is why I decided to ask if Norway would be interested in a Defensive Pact or some sort of agreement to protect our mutual indepedence and neutrality? Said pact could also involve non-militar matters mostly cooperation on the basis of economy and science if you want to. What do you say?
Name: United Kingdom of the Netherlands Head of State: King Alexander Head of Government: Prime Minister Johann Van der Zee Type of Government: Federal Constitutional Monarchy Motto: "Ik zal handhaven" ("I will stand firm") National Anthem: Wilhelmus ("William") Population:
The Netherlands: 23,296,701
Dutch Kongo: 9,300,900
Suid Afrika: 10,759,000
Nieuw Holland: 447,178
Indonesia: 6,542,000
Suriname: 165,000
Capital: Amsterdam
Domestic
Internal Events:
- TBD
Economic Status: Recovering
- TBD
Military:
Army:
250,000 troops
2,000,000 reserves (demobilized)
750 tanks/armored cars
Navy:
2 Fleet Aircraft Carriers
2 Escort Carriers
7 Battleships
12 Heavy Cruisers
16 Light Cruisers
68 Destroyers
50 Submarines
6 Minelayers
80 MTB's/Patrol Boats
10,000 Marines
Air Force:
Army: (front line only)
25 fighter squadrons
19 light bomber squadrons
17 medium bomber squadrons
7 heavy bomber squadrons
Navy: (front line only)
350 carrier based fighters
400 other aircraft (reconnoissance, transportation, etc).
Alliances, Agreements, Pacts, and Trade:
- Founding member of the Axis
- Close ties with France and Italy
- Warming relations with the UK
From: UKGB
Secret:
Our initial proposal would be the 20 year lease of Wake and Midway island's, which upon the conclusion of the lease, we shall return the islands to the Kingdom of Hawaii but we will maintain the right to use the built facilities on the islands for a time to be dermined when the lease ends.
From: Hungary
To: Romania @inquisition
We would like to increase trade relations between our two nations. We propose a mutual lowering of tariffs on each other's goods to help stimulate trade between our two nations. What say you?
We would like to increase trade relations between our two nations. We propose a mutual lowering of tariffs on each other's goods to help stimulate trade between our two nations. What say you?
We would like to increase trade relations between our two nations. We propose a mutual lowering of tariffs on each other's goods to help stimulate trade between our two nations. What say you?
We would like to increase trade relations between our two nations. We propose a mutual lowering of tariffs on each other's goods to help stimulate trade between our two nations. What say you?
Name: Popular Republic of Brazil Head of State: Name Head of Government: Name Type of Government: One party dictatorship Population: 37,150,000 Capital: Rio de Janeiro
Domestic
Internal Events:
Six years after the people's victory in the Brazilian Revolution, the new Popular Republic is focused on itself more then ever. Economic and social reforms continue, as the first five year plan draws to a close. The brazilian economy, experiencing blow after blow during the '20s, from the Great Depression to the Amazon War and finally the Revolution.
