The Invasion of The Soviet Union

* Italian War of Conquest (1941)

Combatants| * The Imperium
	+ The Italian Empire
	+ Imperial African Territories
* Union of East Asian Soviets

Commanders| * The Emperor of The Imperium
	+ FM. Walter Model
	+ Gen. Felix Steiner
	+ Gen. Olbricht
	+ Gen. Smend
	+ Adm. Donitz
	+ Gen. De Pell
	+ Gen. Fromm
	+ Gen. Brandt
	+ Gen. Von Kleist
	+ Gen. Walther Wenck
* Reinhard Heydrich
	+ Gen. Azikiwi
* Kyuichi Tokuda
	+ FM. Manusuko
	+ Adm. Mamoru
	+ Gen. Sapento
	+ Gen. Quinne
	+ Gen. Kapuso
	+ FM. Zhukov
	+ Gen. Timoshenko†
	+ Gen. Vasilevsky
	+ Gen. Beria
	+ Gen. Malinovsky 💀
	+ Gen. Rokossovsky 💀
	+ Adm. Alafuzov 💀

Strength| * 5,000,000 Imperial Guardsmen and Conscripts
	+ 30,000 ISD Stormtroopers (3 Divisions)
	+ 25 Armoured Divisions
* 250,000 Italian Soldiers
* 50,000 Imperial African Soldiers
* 6,000,000 UEAS Conscript Soldiers

Casualties| * 500,000 - 750,000 Imperial Soldiers
	+ 5,000 Stormtroopers
* 150,000 Italian
* 27,000 African
* 1,000,000 UEAS

5,000,000 Soviet Citizens killed during the War

**The Invasion of the Soviet Union** , or **The Winter War**, was a large scale war between The Imperium / Union of East Asian Soviets alliance and The USSR. The War was the Bloodiest War in History with over 15 Million Casualties, 5 Million being Soviet Civilian Casualties. The Might of The Imperium was too much for The Soviets to handle and they gradually were forced back.

With the Imperium in control of the Balkans to The Baltic Sea, they launched a Massive Invasion of The USSR involving 5,000,000 Imperial Soldiers and a combined 300,000 Puppet Soldiers. Due to the Treaty of Imperia signed by The Imperium and The Union of East Asian Soviets, The Union of East Asian Soviets invaded from the East.

## Prelude

With the End of The War of Liberation and The Italian War of Conquest, The Imperium held a desire to invade Russia. The Emperor personally wanted to Invade Russia and be the First Foreign Nation to Occupy and Annex Russia. With the Nazi Counterattack 0n 16th July 1942 to the 4th February 1943 being destroyed and a Calm Period occurring which would last from the 4th February 1943 to the 19th September 1945, The Emperor saw this as a perfect time to Invade The Soviet Union. He began amassing a Supreme Army Force of 5 Million Imperial Soldiers, many being conscripts, on the Imperium-Soviet Border in Poland stretching to The Black Sea. He assembled many of his finest Generals to command The Invasion. He also Took Part in the Planning.

On the 2nd January 1943, The Emperor met with Kyuichi Tokuda, the leader of The Union of East Asian Soviets (1930 - 1953) to discuss a joint Invasion of The USSR ,setting up a buffer state, annexing land and keeping good foreign relations.. They drew up the Treaty of Imperia. They also added respected spheres of influence in Asia, Europe and Africa and a pledge by Both Leaders to not intervene in any wars The other Nation was Involved in e.g. If the UEAS and FAS went to War, The Imperium had to stay neutral.

The UEAS already had bad relations with the Soviet Union and had a large force constantly on the Border. By April, They had 6 Million Conscripts on the Border. In the USSR, Joseph Stalin believed the Imperium wouldn't invade The Soviet Union and instead the UEAS would. As such, he heavily fortified The Eastern Border with Elite Cold-Weather Soldiers and Forts. He had around 5 Million Soldiers on the East and 2 Million in the West.

Stalin would soon find himself horribly wrong as a Combined 5.3 Million Strong Imperium and Allied Army would Crash into the Western Defence.

## The War

### Beginning of The War (3rd April 1943 - 30th April 1943)

In the Early Hours of The 3rd April 1943, 5 Million Imperial Soldiers crossed into Soviet Occupied Poland and Ukraine. The Soviet Soldiers on the West were completely taken by surprise. The Imperial Army was relentless and used this period of confusion to take as much land as possible. On the First Day of the War, 10,000 Soviet Soldiers would be Killed and a Further 5,000 Captured. Around Midday, Joseph Stalin would be informed about the Invasion by Superior Officers and Stalin retired to his room for 3 Days. Field Marshall Zhukov took command of the West and organised a Withdrawal to Defensive Lines with the Molotov Line being completely collapsed. He wanted a majority of Soviet Forces to be reorganised on the Volga River Defensive Line and stretch into a salient around Moscow by the End of June. Stalin eventually returned and sent a call for 10 Million Men to come to Defence of The Motherland. He ordered the Retreating Soviet Armies to burn all Crops and destroy Infrastructure they find to slow the Imperial Advance.

On the 20th of April, The Whole of Soviet Occupied Poland was now largely under Imperial Control and Imperial Army Group North under General Olbricht, Von Kleist and Wenck had reached The Baltic Nations occupied by the USSR. Model's Army in the South had made Great Gains toward the Caucuses Oil Fields. The Oil Fields in the Caucuses were a Key War Target. The War in the Air was a Overwhelming Imperial Victory and the Soviet Airforce made Valiant Attacks despite being overwhelmed to stop their War Machine from being Bombed into submission. The War was by no means Easy for The Imperium.

In the Centre, Steiner, De Pell and Fromm's Combined Force had fully occupied Poland and began pushing into The Belarusian SSR by the end of April. In April Alone, 150,000 Soviet Soldiers had died and around 50,000 Imperial Soldiers had died.

### Union Entrance into the War

On the 1st of May, Kyuichi Tokuda formally declared War on the USSR. His Army of 6 Million Conscripts charged into Eastern Russia. However, The East was more fortified than the West and The Union Soldiers payed a heavy price for each bit of ground they took. At one Point, Soviet Forces crossed into China and Occupied UEAS Lands. Imperial Command was highly disappointed by the UEAS' performance in the War. Also on the 1st of May, Von Kleist, Olbricht and Wenck with new Imperial Storm Division Officer ,Commanding General Boesch, began the Siege of Leningrad which would last right until the end of the war.

The East would see some of the Bloodiest Fighting in the War. and around 1 Million UEAS Conscripts would die in Freezing Conditions against a Well Prepared Enemy. The Siege of Vladivostok was a tremendous defeat for Either Side as they both lost considerable amounts of Men. In the end, The UEAS would seize Vladivostok.

On the West, The Tide was firmly in Imperial Hands. On the 5th of July, The First Imperial Soldiers reached the Volga River. It took longer than expected due to the Soviet Scorched Earth Tactic. The Volga River Line was now Heavily Fortified. Especially in the South around Stalingrad protecting the Caucuses Oil Fields. Model's Southern Army reached The City of Stalingrad and prepared to attack. The Battle of Stalingrad was a complete slaughter on either side. The City was on the Opposite Side of the Volga River and Soviet Forces had to turn the City into a Fort itself. Model's Forces managed to capture the Bridges crossing the Volga and Soviet Troops had to land on the Bank. Artillery Barrages and Aerial Bombings by either side destroyed 90% of The City. Finally on The 21st September, Stalingrad would fall to the Imperium. By this point, 10 Million Russian Soldiers were now firmly guarding the Volga Line. But this Number was not enough. Around 5,000,000 Soviets were now dead.

### Drive to Moscow (November 1943)

On the 30th September, Stalin called for another 10 Million to Join the Fight. On the Same Day, Imperial Forces started a Grand Push across the Volga River. Leningrad was now fully encircled and would hold on until the Formal Surrender. On the 5th November, 5 Imperial Armoured Divisions crushed The Red Army in Smolensk and began a Drive to Moscow. On the 10th, The Salient around Moscow would be under attack by the Imperial Armoured Divisions. However, The Armoured Divisions were forced to halt because the Infantry needed to catch up costing valuable time.

General Olbricht's 6th Army and Wenck's 12th Army would leave the Siege of Leningrad and reroute to join Field Marshall Model's Forces on the 5th of November in order to support the Battle for Moscow.

However, by the 15th, The Imperial Armoured Divisions and several Mechanised Stormtrooper Divisions under Steiner would arrive and break the Salient. The Battle for Moscow would commence on the 19th of November.

### Final Months of Conflict (19th November to 28th December)

The Battle for Moscow was a hard fought battle and many Soviet Forces rushed to defend the city. As the Imperial Forces under Steiner charged into the first Soviet Defensive Belt out of 3 that had been built outside the city. The First Line protected Moscow's western approaches and The Imperial Forces were determined to completely overwhelm this line. Field Marshall Zhukov ordered a retreat from this line and instead manned the second line which was a Defensive Line directly behind the First Line but included fortifications within small towns and the local population were used to build and fight in these fortifications.

Imperial Forces would reach and overwhelm these defences by early December, on the 5th of December, Imperial Forces would reach the Gates of Moscow. Soviet Forces had set up numerous hold points leading up to the Western Bank of the Moskva River. But, The Soviets were not willing to surrender Western Moscow. They formed hastily prepared defensive positions out of debris, furniture and anything they could find to stop the Imperial Advance. On the 13th of December, Zhukov ordered Major General Govorov of the Soviet 5th Army to the North and the 49th Army under Lieutenant General Zakharkin to the South to encircle Moscow and destroy Steiner's Imperial 5th Army now firmly inside of Moscow.

However, Field Marshall Model realised this movement and ordered General Olbricht's 6th Army and General Walther Wenck's 12th Army who were holding the flanks of the Salient into Moscow to move all Armoured Elements they had, to charge the Soviet Forces attempting to Encircle. He then conducted a Pincer Movement from the North and South of the Soviet Push with his own 9th Army and placed half of them under the command of Colonel Willy Brandt who was then promoted to Major General. Brandt's Push was successful and the Soviet Forces were forced to withdraw from the attempted encirclement on the 20th of December, the same day the first Imperial Soldiers crossed the Moskva River after a week of relentless attacks on the Soviet Defenders and a hastily retreat across the river on the 19th. The 3 Armies had to work in complete cooperation and if one force failed then Steiner's 5th Army in Moscow would have been cut off and destroyed.

Finally on the 28th of December, the Imperial 3rd Storm Division broke the Soviet NKVD Division manning the defence of the Kremlin. After a bloody close quarters battle, The 3ISD managed to push into the upper floors of the Kremlin and reached Stalin's Office. There they stormed and killed his bodyguards and took Stalin to the rooftop of the Kremlin. The Imperial Soldiers lowered the Soviet Flag ,raised the Flag of The Imperium and shot Stalin under The Emperor's personal orders. Several hours after Stalin's death, Soviet Soldiers in Moscow began surrendering and The Imperial 5th Storm Division and accompanying Guardsmen captured the Red Army HQ and executed the 2 Generals and One Admiral Present : Gen. Malinovsky, Gen. Rokossovsky and Adm. Alafuzov. Field Marshall Zhukov was not there as he was on the field commanding an evacuation of Soviet Forces and Civilians to the Urals where the Provisional Government had fled to.

### Provisional Government and Surrender

By the 5th of January, Moscow had been evacuated of all Red Army Personnel. Andrey Vlasov had taken charge of a new Provisional Government. The Soviet Socialist Provisional Government saw the War as far from over. Over 10 Million Men were still fighting on either front and were ready to die for The Motherland. Leningrad was still under siege and holding out against Olbricht and Von Kleist's Forces. However, around 10 Million Soldiers had been killed in a Few Months of Fighting and The Imperium had captured vital war resources and supplies. The Provisional Government was faced with a crossroads, surrender and bear the peace deal or continue fighting and lose even more men. Vlasov and The Russian Non-Alligned Front saw the War as over and unnecessary and if they surrendered now they would keep a degree of sovereignty. Zhukov and The Remainder of the All-Union Communist Party wanted to fight until every inch of The USSR was under Imperian or UEAS Occupation and until every man, woman and child had died fighting the invaders. Eventually Vlasov won, Zhukov was declared an enemy of the state and the War was ended.

On the 10th of January 1944, Vlasov sent out an Official Surrender order to Soviet Troops and surrendered to the Imperium and Union. Vlasov signed away Soviet Control and due to The Treaty of Imperia, Russia was reduced to a small Border Buffer State between The Imperium and Union.

## Aftermath

With the fall of The USSR and establishment of The Russian Neutral Zone, Russia was transformed from a Communist Totalitarian State to an Autocratic Dictatorship. The Red Army was disbanded and humiliated. Millions of Men had died fighting for their homeland which had now been surrendered by a Neutral General with no Care for Communism. Zhukov and The Communists are the Last Bastions of The USSR in the RNZ and have been fighting Vlasov's Government at every turn. Lavrentiy Beria's Nazi Party , The Russian Aryan Front, formed believing Russia should be controlled by a Strong Russo-Germanic Race and reconquer their lost lands.

The Imperium and Union exited the War in Triumph as they were the first nations to successfully destroy and absorb the Russian State. The Victorious Imperial Army paraded in the Streets and the Men were praised as Imperial Heroes. Newly Promoted General, Willy Brandt was nicknamed '*The Hero of Moscow*' for his valiant effort in preventing an encirclement of Steiner's 5th Army which included all 3 Imperial Storm Divisions.

During the War, the Heroism of one Lieutenant Asafa Soyinka (21 Years old) from The Imperial African Territories at Stalingrad, gained fame within the Imperial Realm and was promoted to Lieutenant General by The Emperor for his actions leading over 300 Africans , 200 Imperians and 50 Italians out of Stalingrad after the failed Second Assault which resulted in over 10,000 Imperial Soldiers being cut off from the main Imperial force in the Stalingrad Outskirts.