Greater German Reich

**The Greater German Reich** (**Großdeutsches Reich**) is a country in Central Europe with vast colonial holdings across Europe and Africa. They border Sweden to the North; to the east by RK Ostland and RK Ukraine ; to the south by the Kingdom of Italy, Hungary, Romania and Switzerland; and to the East by RK Nordfrankreich.

The German Reich is the heart of the Deutsche Sphäre which encompasses various nations who swear loyalty to Germany and the Reich's European Colonial Holdings which are deemed to be integral core lands of the Reich but operate under their own Governments, these are called Reichskommissariats.

Germany maintains various relations through it's Deutsche Sphäre which is a post-war alliance formed by Germany to integrate what once was the Axis Powers and to pose as a counter to the Mediterranean Entente formed by Italy who are sworn rivals to the south. The Reich has a notable ally who aren't under German Leadership, The British Empire, although some speculate if the good relations are getting colder.

## History

### Post-WW1 Germany (1918 - 1938)

Germany was destroyed by the First World War. The Harsh Treaty of Versailles limited her army and her economy was diminished. The mood of Germany was that of humiliation and anger. This excelled the Far-Right National Socialist Worker's Party under it's charismatic and morale boosting leader, Adolf Hitler.

The Nazi Party gained more and more popularity until the failure of the attempted Beer Hall Putsch. The party soon surged afterwards and with the start of the Great Depression, the NSDAP's ideals of a return to glory and revenge were more popular than ever. In 1933, President Paul Von Hindenburg chose Adolf Hitler to become chancellor.

As Chancellor, Hitler consolidated power until the NDSAP had full control over Germany, The NSDAP transformed Germany into a one-party totalitarian regime and persecuted Communists, Socialists, Jews, and other "undesirables". They would soon begin plans to exterminate these groups of people by the tens of thousands.

In 1936, Germany made it's first move towards expansion when it re-militarized the Rhineland. The French failed to stop them and the British were too busy in their constitutional crisis to even bother. In 1938, Austria was peacefully annexed by the Reich. During the same year, Hitler and King Edward VIII of Britain meet in Berlin to discuss trade agreements and an treaty of non aggression between the two countries.

At this meeting, Hitler declares him ambitions to control the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia, an area with ethnic Germans. The Czechs were protected by the British but Edward stated that they would turn a blind eye over the issue. This lack of care sparked anti-British sentiments in France who denounced Edward and Germany. they also declared that if the Germans attempt an invasion of Czechoslovakia then the French would come to the aid of the Czechs.

Germany invades Czechoslovakia on the 5th of August and France declares war on Germany. Britain stays neutral in the war as agreed. The Second World War begins.

### Second World War (1938 - 1944)

By the end of the year, the Czechs capitulated to the German Reich leading to a period in the war where nothing happened, 'the phony war' as it would be called. The French didn't want to push into Germany and instead stayed in the safety of the Maginot Line. During this time, Mussolini's Italy began to oppose the Germans and started to form alliances in the Mediterranean, notably with Turkey and Franco's Spain. With Italy and Turkey beginning to help Franco in the Civil War.

Germany refused to assist the Spanish who were beginning to align with the Italians and this caused a divide along Europe.

In January 1939, The German Reich invaded Denmark and Norway, the two countries fall to Germany within months. Germany made a deal with the Soviet Union in February called the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact where they would both invade Poland and partition the country. They invaded Poland in March and the country fell by the end of April. The swift advance into Poland showed the world the might of the German Army and scared the French even more but also gave them a sense of heroism as they deemed themselves to be fighting tyranny and evil.

In April, France attempts to conduct bombing raids against the Germans which is countered by them and results in the destruction of a third of the French Air Force. Hitler begins drawing up plans to invade France through the Benelux Region. These plans are put into place in September and the German Tanks overrun the low countries of the Benelux. With the Dutch and Belgian armies in disarray, the French 2nd Army which consisted of the best of the French Forces rushed into Belgium to meet the Germans head on and to hold the line.

By November, the German Panzers cross into France and begin to destroy the French Forces who were being trapped in Belgium. France was left open.

During the first few months of 1940, The French 2nd Army is completely destroyed in Belgium and the Benelux Nations surrender. Paul Reynaud announced a withdrawal of all French Troops to Africa as German Tanks began approaching Paris. He stated that he would allow Paris to fall in order to spare suffering. But he declared that the war would not be over and that they shall continue the war from their overseas colonies.

Not wanting to navally invade into Africa and fight the French in Africa, Hitler met with the British and made a deal. As long as Germany could have the Belgian Congo, Britain could have as much of French Africa as they want as long as they join the war. As the French prepared their new war in Africa, Edward finally announced that Britain would enter the war on the side of the Axis Powers against France. He deployed the Royal Navy and defeated the retreating French Navy at the Battle of the English Channel. The British also invaded French Africa and eventually Reynaud announced the French Surrender.

With the French surrender, Hitler established RK Nordfrankreich and the French State, a German Client State, as the British took a lot of French Africa.

In 1941, The German Reich staged a false-flag incident on the border with the Soviets, prompting an Invasion in May. Field Marshall Zhukov would lead the Soviet Army who were in a very poor shape and on the retreat. Hundreds of Thousands of Soviet Troops were encircled in Minsk, Kiev and Smolensk as the German Army pressed closer to Moscow. Despite the best Soviet Efforts, Finland entered the war in August and linked up with German Troops to surround Leningrad. In the south, Romania entered the war and with German Troops, they began to push toward the caucuses.

At the outbreak of the Balkan War, Germany refused to support her allies in the war and focused solely on the Soviets. Despite this, Hitler is furious about the result of the war in 1942 and threatened action against Italy once the War in the East ends. He was also angry at his allies who he deemed as incompetent.

1942 would see the beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad in June as German Troops surround the city and over 250,000 Soviet Troops. Leningrad would also fall on the 6th of July after months of heavy fighting. The Battle for Moscow began on the 7th of October. The Soviet Army also began to convene on Moscow which would lead to the fall of Stalingrad in late October as Stalin ordered a full defence of Moscow. However this was too late as by the end of November, German Forces began encircling the City. Zhukov ordered a counter offensive to cut off the German Encirclement in the Spring of 1943.

This counterattack would be countered in 1943 and on the 30th of April, Joseph Stalin committed suicide and the Soviet Union capitulated. Zhukov takes all remaining forces east of the Urals to form the Soviet Revolutionary Government.

The German Army attempted to follow the retreating Soviet Army but were decisively defeated at the Battle of Zlatoust where the Soviet Army crushed the Germans who attempted to capture the only railway supply line across to the Urals. With the Germans defeated, Zhukov began a counterattack and pushed the Germans back before having to stop at Gorky due to a declaration of war by The Empire of Japan who invade Siberia.

In 1944, the Germans and the Soviets sign a ceasefire which created a tense border and Adolf Hitler's paranoia led him to believe that the Russians will return and take back their land ,but he was also aware that the German Army couldn't afford to push into Russia again, so he authorised regular Luftwaffe bombings across Soviet controlled land.

The Second World War ends in a German Victory and Hitler redesigns Europe in his own image. He creates the 4 Reichskommissariats out of the German owned land in Russia: RK Ukraine, RK Moskowien, RK Kaukasien and RK Ostland.

### Post-Second World War (1944 - 1946)

With the War over, Germany became the superpower of continental Europe. The British Empire still had high relations with Germany but this was beginning to cool over and turn sour. Despite this, Germany had gained a vast economy of seemingly infinite proportions. In 1944 and 1945, Hitler redesigned the whole city of Berlin to Germania which became the capital city of the entire German World, the city was built entirely by slaves.

Hitler also created client states in their former Allies so that the failures of the Balkan War would not be repeated. In 1945, a Jewish slave revolt would break out in Poland , known as the June Revolt. This was crushed but the world saw that the German Reich was not untouchable and could collapse in on itself. It also rose up concerns that the Germans were doing something within their own country and this rose alarms within Britain and the inactive United States.