In 1919, the discovery by Oxford Professor Elliot Ingram of the new Trans-Newtonian materials, 11 in total, sent shockwaves in the world's academic class. Scientists thorughout the world have started to investigate how to extract, utilize and develop what is effectively not just a series of new chemical elements, but an entire field of science hidden in the Earth's core.
The endless prospects derived from these materials range from traveling in the interplanetary ether, to weapons capable of disintegrating a town in mere seconds, to technology that would allow mankind to settle and conquer new worlds.
As the most brilliant minds of the developed world start the arduous journey in Trans-Newtonian Science, the Russian peasant couldn't be more unimpressed. What lies ahead is not a bright future, but misery, war and death. The Russian Civil War has begun, and with it a struggle that will define the Russian state for the centuries to come.
Loading scenario 1 - The Russian Civil War...
Jan 6, 1920: First major offensives of the war, the Siberian Army advances on Ekaterinodar, incidentally the Tsar's last known location.
Jan 10, 1920: The French remodel the Légion Étrangére to the new Légion Internationale Revolutionaire (LIR from now on). A Red Guard unit is shipped from St. Petersburg to France to train. In return, a LIR brigade is sent to the Bolsheviks. These regiments are equipped with the nimble Renault FT Light Tankette, believed to be very suitable to the Russian plains.
Jan 15, 1920: Germany sends an infantry division as Freikorps "volunteers", unbeknownst to the public. Japan sends a Kempeitai (Military Police) unit to Khabarovsk. This frees up one regiment of conscripts from Siberia, although the move increases the Japanese influence in the area.
January 22, 1920: The Romanovs are killed in Ekaterinodar. The Siberian Army overextends in their attempt to rescue the Tsar, with the soviet counterattack taking the Whites by surprise. As a result, a division is encircled and lost.
The Romanov Gold train is secured and rearmed at the Moscow Arsenal. (SOV: +1 Armored Train, +1 Financial Center)
January 30, 1920: Three Cossack conscript brigades and one infantry division from the Donbass join the White Army. One international red guards regiment joins the Red Army.
February 10, 1920: After the first battles, the Civil War hits a lull. The Russian Winter forces most troops to stop operations.
The only area that sees action is Volgograd, with some tentative attacks by the Don Army, which quickly die down with a 2:1 casualty ratio.
February 26, 1920: The French send a second LIR brigade in Russia. The French CGT Chairman Léon Blum, however, announces that France's power projection capability will be used to further other goals in the medium term future, whilst aid sent to the Red Army will consist mainly of supplies.
March 3, 1920: As the snow melts in the south, the ground turns to mud. Infantry reigns supreme in this environment, with the Red Guards fighting in a spirited fashion. The world is stunned by the discipline showed by these glorified militias, although some speculate that this style of semi-organized warfare suits the Bolshevik units.
The Siberian Army is forced on the defensive in the Urals.
March 17, 1920: The British assemble an intervention force with soldiers from the whole Empire, the All-Empire Expeditionary Force (AEEF). The King Himself has confirmed that this will be the only military force that will be sent around the world this year, stating that "too much imperial blood has been shed already, but we must stand against the red tide and do our part in the fight for the civilized world".
March 29, 1920: The AEEF lands in Murmansk and begins deployment southward, towards Petrograd.
April 6-7, 1920: Battle of Petrozavodsk. The Red Army stops the AEEF's advance with help from the LIR units.
The town suffers considerable damage from Imperial bombardment units, hoping to demoralize the enemy.
However, the bombardment has the unintended consequence of making the terrain even more suitable for defense, with the Red Guards and LIF opting for ambush tactics. The result is a resounding defeat for the AEEF, which is forced to retreat and begin the construction of defensive works outside of the city.
News of the battle reach the French population through a detailed report from the Légion, causing euphoria in the streets of Paris.
The first victory of the workers against a foreign, imperialist power is celebrated throughout the nation (CoF Stability: +1)
April 8, 1920: The British population learns of the defeat from the socialist publications, and the news instantly causes discontent in London. Henry Slater, head of the British Army Expeditionary HQ, immediately resigns from the position.
The King is furious at what many see as the last in a series of blunders by the Army, contrasting it with the Navy's gallantry and excellent performance in the past years. The public is unimpressed at best and openly discrediting the army at worst, with talks of a withdrawal from Karelia undergoing.
April 11, 1920: The Siberian field artillery is able to strike down an Armored Train in Kazan, thanks to undercover spotters in the city.
April 28, 1920: An additional brigade of volunteers arrives in Petrograd. The Japanese deploy another Kempeitai unit in Siberia.
With the situation deteriorating, the Japanese high command begins drafting plans for operation Hyoheki (Ice wall), codename for the occupation of the Russian far east.
May 13, 1920: With the snows all but gone, the bolsheviks launch the Great Spring Offensive, performing less admirably than on the defense, but still pushing the White Army.
May 24, 1920: The Freikorps manage to halt the offensive in the west on the Daugava/Dniepr river line. In the south, the Ukrainian state occupies Crimea to prevent a Communist invasion.
With lines touching, both sides elect not to escalate. The tentative borders will crystallize on the frontline.
May 27-28, 1920: Exhausted and demoralized, the AEEF tries to retreat via the Karelian Railway, but is intercepted by three regiments of Red Army regulars. A battle begins at the railroad junction of Medvezhyegorsk.
The battle for the railway is eventually lost, with the AEEF in a scattered retreat. Members of the unit will return to Britain as late as 1922, escaping through Finland.
Whilst the new Army Chief escapes the fire, the débacle largely blamed on his predecessor, the public opinion turns decidedly against any more foreign adventures. Some nationalistic groups circulate a rumor that the Royal Navy is preparing a coup to "save the nation from itself".
The rumors are immediately dismissed, but this situation might inspire some ambitious Navy officers...(UK: Stability -1)
June 2, 1920: The Siberian Army is in full retreat on the Trans-Siberian Railway, blowing up multiple sections around Omsk and Novosibirsk. The Red Army gives chase but it will take time.
June 14, 1920: The Japanese high command orders the start of Operation Hyoheki, deploying half of the Army on a defensive line on the rivers Uda and Zeya. Most of the Far-Eastern Army units are in confusion. Some open fire but are quickly silenced by the Japanese firepower, some understand and accept the situation, others again believe Japan has entered the war.
June 22, 1920: The Red Army avantgarde reaches Omsk. The White Army is now adopting delay tactics to slow down the bolsheviks, but the resistance is falling apart.
July 9, 1920: The Japanese Army reaches its defensive line and begins fortifying the area.
The puppet regime of the Amur Republic is estabilished, adding 1.5 million people and 5 CIs to the Japanese Empire.
Prime Minister Takaoka Kogo makes an announcement, declaring that any act of aggression towards the Republic will be treated as a declaration of war to the Empire.
The Red Army protests, but the Politburo knows the nation can hardly afford another war at the moment, therefore no action is taken.
August 1, 1920: The Red Army announces the surrender of the Novosibirsk garrison. End of effective organized resistance from the White forces. A small but constant stream of units crosses the border into the Amur Republic, with the state now being officially recognized by many nations.
The Politburo announced that it will take no action against the splinter state, in order to rebuild the nation.
Casualty List:
Red Army: 3 Mixed Infantry Divisions, 5 Red Guard Brigades
UK: 1 Infantry Division, 1 ANZAC Brigade, 1 Indian Brigade
Fra: 2 LIR Brigades
Germany: 2 Freikorps Brigades
White Army: Up to 70% of the starting units, with the remaining disbanding and deserting
World map: August 1920 available in the menu - map bureau
The war shocked the world. In France, the rebellion won because the rebellion was the army. Or so it was thought. The Red Army's combination of better leadership, better unit organization (largely inspired by the French) and sheer manpower won the day.
This serves as a wake up call for most great powers: the military doctrines will need to be updated. The new TN technology will also play a part soon.
The rest of the world is covered in chapter 2 - The Trans-Newtonian Revolution.