Armistice at Aachen

[James G]

Nov 21, 2020 18:59:27 GMT stevep said:

  James G ,

  Of course one result might be that some of the five will concede while others, by choice or simply because they can't be contacted in time end up fighting on.

  Steve

Good idea there and one which I followed. One of the Five are giving the middle finger to Moscow. But... there are others now copying what has been done.

[James G]

Seven

While waiting for an answer from the governments he is in Aachen representing, Acting SACEUR is informed that the French are now taking part in a ceasefire too. This is an independent one, not co-ordinated with the European Five, but it is an end to French forces actively fighting the Soviets for the time being. When and where any armistice talks between the French and WarPac are going to happen, the information he receives didn’t specify that. However, it happens today while he is here at the Soviet field headquarters. The Americans, the Brits & others are still undertaking war operations and are once more screaming ‘betrayal’. Those countries, his nation’s former allies, show no sign of giving in, he is told… yet neither did the French a few hours ago either.

Spirits lifted, Acting SACEUR believes that the chance of his country ending up a nuclear wasteland are now seriously reduced. The feared French threat of them deciding to make attacks on the Soviets in West Germany using nukes is gone now that politics had seemingly won the day. Of course, he would have preferred that French conventional forces – alongside those of his nation and a NATO which hadn’t fallen apart – would have beaten the Soviets back across the Inner-German Border. That isn’t to be though. Maybe Paris might throw his nation under the proverbial bus in diplomatic discussions to save themselves… but that is better that their Pluton missiles destroying Soviet tank columns going over the Rhine. This news comes from Bruges where he is still in contact with but not where his government (and those of Belgium and Luxembourg) are anymore. Still not told their new location for while they make their decision on the Soviet armistice terms, Acting SACEUR remains waiting on them to do that. He considers more about the French stopping fighting when it comes to that final condition of the terms for an armistice. There will be no need to fight the French as former allies and that country is dropping out of the war, it will fatally damage the ability of the Americans and British to carry on as well. Things are still bad but not as terrible as they were a few hours ago.

Twenty-five minutes short of the extended Soviet deadline, he is told that a decision has been made by his European masters. The Danes aren’t on board but his West Germany and the three nations in the Low Countries are: they were the European Four now it seems. Regardless of that refusal from the Danes, good news comes from the politicians that would allow all the killing to finish. They are willing to accept the terms presented for an armistice to be agreed at Aachen. On all but the last point, that of forcing former allies off their soil, there is acceptance. With regard to them ‘defending their sovereignty’, as C-in-C West put it for WarPac forces, the politicians present a counter-offer. They will only do so after ninety-six hours, not the forty-eight as the Soviets want. It is explained that this extra time will give former allies time to consider the reality of fighting on unsupported and therefore allow them to see sense and withdraw. Acting SACEUR is instructed to put this to C-in-C West with the hope that his own political masters will be flexible in their understanding.

He takes a moment before he leaves his parked helicopter where the radio is. There are East German and Soviet soldiers here on West German soil and across a large chunk of his nation. They, and the KGB & Stasi who’ve followed them, have committed all sorts of unimaginable terrors upon the West German people as well as those within neighbouring countries too. There will be horrors to come under occupation for those identified as enemies of what surely will be a new order. His country will be likely stripped of true democracy and have to suffer under a dictatorship bent to the will of Moscow. There will no longer be membership of the European Economic Community and instead a subservient role under COMECON. Demands for war reparations will come and there will be demilitarisation so that West Germany will not be able to defend itself again. A grey cloud will descend upon West Germany and Western Europe as a whole where freedom will be curtailed.

But…

…that is a price willing to paid for not dying in nuclear fire and bringing the complete end of the lives of tens of, maybe hundreds of, millions of people. The war is lost and this will be the price of peace. He is willing to see it happen and the politicians agree. Better red than dead.

Acting SACEUR goes back to that command track to do as he must and sign the armistice imposed by the Soviet victors of this short conflict.

[stevep]

   James G ,

   That assumes that:

a) The Soviets will accept the modified condition - which they will if they have any sense although how long that point will take to pass up to Moscow, be accepted and then passed back down could be a point as I doubt the local military commander has enough authority to accept a change in terms.

b)  That the rump NATO will also decide to admit defeat.  The US, Britain and Canada, as well as Denmark and presumably Norway are still fighting and don't know what Italy, Greece and Turkey will do although they might also be willing to jump ship.  I suspect the western powers will make a ceasefire although that could depend on Soviet demands and how things go in the next few days. 

  Also an issue is what terms France gets offered and whether they find they can accept them.  I suspect Moscow would be more generous as they have won a big victory with the conquest of W Germany and the Low Countries that they can now loot and with NATO splintered.   The EEC/EU is also dead.  The rump western powers will have to increase military spending drastically to secure their own defences in this more perilous position.  Also western influence and prestige will take a hit so the Soviets could be encouraged to stir up more trouble and some powers might think Moscow is a more powerful ally [master] than Washington.

  Its also going to be interesting what China's reaction will be.  Its still relatively weak at this period so is likely to be vulnerable but I suspect it would get closer to the rump western alliance, which could pose some awkward issues for nations such as S Korea [depending on which way N Korea goes] Japan and probably most of all Taiwan.

  One problem the Soviets might have is that their military and assorted other staff will see how wealthy the occupied areas area.  Plus for all Soviet propaganda about the fascist west they will find out how free people in the region were and while many might think that was a sign of weakness others will question the autocracy of the Soviet system and the privileges of the elite.  Not saying it will bring the empire down but there is likely to be negative as well as positive results for the empire.

  There is also going to be a mass exodus from the Soviet occupied area or even those parts of the four not [yet] formally occupied by the Red Army.  What happens to them could be a big issue.

  Steve

[gillan1220]

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[James G]

Nov 22, 2020 18:52:58 GMT stevep said:

   James G ,

   That assumes that:

a) The Soviets will accept the modified condition - which they will if they have any sense although how long that point will take to pass up to Moscow, be accepted and then passed back down could be a point as I doubt the local military commander has enough authority to accept a change in terms.

b)  That the rump NATO will also decide to admit defeat.  The US, Britain and Canada, as well as Denmark and presumably Norway are still fighting and don't know what Italy, Greece and Turkey will do although they might also be willing to jump ship.  I suspect the western powers will make a ceasefire although that could depend on Soviet demands and how things go in the next few days. 

  Also an issue is what terms France gets offered and whether they find they can accept them.  I suspect Moscow would be more generous as they have won a big victory with the conquest of W Germany and the Low Countries that they can now loot and with NATO splintered.   The EEC/EU is also dead.  The rump western powers will have to increase military spending drastically to secure their own defences in this more perilous position.  Also western influence and prestige will take a hit so the Soviets could be encouraged to stir up more trouble and some powers might think Moscow is a more powerful ally [master] than Washington.

  Its also going to be interesting what China's reaction will be.  Its still relatively weak at this period so is likely to be vulnerable but I suspect it would get closer to the rump western alliance, which could pose some awkward issues for nations such as S Korea [depending on which way N Korea goes] Japan and probably most of all Taiwan.

  One problem the Soviets might have is that their military and assorted other staff will see how wealthy the occupied areas area.  Plus for all Soviet propaganda about the fascist west they will find out how free people in the region were and while many might think that was a sign of weakness others will question the autocracy of the Soviet system and the privileges of the elite.  Not saying it will bring the empire down but there is likely to be negative as well as positive results for the empire.

  There is also going to be a mass exodus from the Soviet occupied area or even those parts of the four not [yet] formally occupied by the Red Army.  What happens to them could be a big issue.

  Steve

There is a KGB man at Aachen though and he is making the real decisions.
Knocking out several countries will be enough though, even if it doesn't end the war. The Danes are about to flip-flop while the Norwegians, UK/US/Can and Southern Euros (I haven't specified which) are still fighting. They cannot do so in Germany though, not without the West Geramsn and the French either. It is just impossible.
France will likely get a far better deal with no occupation and none of the disarmament stuff imposed on the others.
Not sure about the rest of the world. I left all that unknown including pretty much what the war is about. There has been looting, desertion and all sorts of chaos among victorious troops including the supposed elite ones. Stories would likely come back home in time though.
The best thing for so many, those who haven't already fled, will be to run. Even hardcore communists and anti-war people will be for it under a Moscow-controlled West Germany: independent thinkers, natural rebels will be higher on the 'shoot them' list than any of the usual suspects.

[James G]

Nov 23, 2020 7:07:12 GMT gillan1220 said:

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[James G]

Eight

Acting SACEUR had been told at the beginning that there would be no negotiation to be had at Aachen. That statement from C-IN-C West, the Soviet Army general who’d led WarPac forces to a fantastic victory on the battlefield of Western Europe, was something soon shown to be incorrect though when there was an extension given for the time for the governments at Bruges to give an answer. He’d witnessed himself the senior KGB man here at the Soviet field headquarters (by the looks of him anyway: there had been no introductions made) take C-in-C West aside and then permission was hastily given. Following that, now that there was an attempt by his political masters to modify the WarPac terms with regard to that last point about having to fight former allies if they didn’t leave sovereign soil. Acting SACEUR had been told that the European Four must do so within forty-eight hours. Their reply, for him to put to the Soviets, was that they wanted to see that timescale lengthened to ninety-six hours. He presented that while telling him that the Armistice at Aachen would be agreed if that could be done. His opponent on the battlefield, now the man who he was negotiating with, shook his head but didn’t say anything. He left the command track and went to where Acting SACEUR knew that that same KGB officer was. There was a brief wait, just short of ten minutes, and when C-in-C West returned, he said that ninety-six hours was not an agreeable figure. Seventy-two was a number which was though.

Back to the radio he went with Acting SACEUR once more in contact with politicians far away and now somewhere he wasn’t sure of. They made his wait far longer that the Soviet general did. When they did get back to him, he was told that this timescale was acceptable. It was regretful and one which they hoped wouldn’t have to come to pass, but he was to acknowledge their agreement.

Moreover, Acting SACEUR was told that he was back to representing the European Five again now. The Danes were back in. What had happened there, he wasn’t told. He was to tell the Soviets that there were five countries once more who were all agreeing to end their participation in the war and accept the armistice terms. Denmark was once more with Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany in giving in. It was madness! He didn’t like this at all. Acting SACEUR worried over how C-in-C West and his own political masters would react to one country changing its mind twice in quick succession. What if others, even his own West Germany, did so as well? Would his signature on the documents they had ready to make this all official mean anything in a few hours or days? There was nothing he could do though. He was here to complete this armistice and, as per his instructions before departing for Aachen, convince the Soviets that this was truly an end to it all. He puffed himself up, put on his bravest face and went to see it all through.

His counterpart knew all about the Danish about-face. C-in-C West wasn’t coy in letting Acting SACEUR know that he knew this when informed. How he had this knowledge he didn’t let on about that though. Once more, the commander of WarPac forces which had crushed NATO in Western Europe, was showing off his superiority. To be magnanimous in victory clearly wasn’t something they taught at the Frunze Military Academy. He showed no outward concern that the Danes, or anyone else, might once more change their mind. The Kingdom of Denmark was to be a signatory of this armistice agreement like the rest of the European Five who’d taken the first step in ending this conflict starting earlier today. The Danes were beaten and everyone knew it… perhaps it had just taken them some time, some soul-searching or maybe even a violent internal dispute for them to accept that. Whatever the reason, they were leaving this war too.

It was 2130 local time on May 7th 1986 when the armistice was signed. The agreement was written in both Russian and German though with hasty extra translations done in Belgian, Danish, Dutch & Luxembourgish too for both Acting SACEUR and C-in-C West to put pen to paper on at the former’s request. There was a Soviet media team present though they were military people, not civilians. With a video-camera, microphone and a standard camera, images were recorded for history… and propaganda. The signing wasn’t the end of things, not by a long shot. Acting SACEUR was departing from Aachen but leaving staff officers behind to, in his opponent’s words, ‘help co-ordinate matters’ from within the WarPac headquarters. He didn’t envy them at all but that was their duty to stay. Back to friendly lines he soon himself set off, with company in tow himself: a trio of enemy officers coming to his headquarters with radio equipment. His helicopter departed from Aachen forty minutes after the signing ceremony.

He’d never make it back to where he came from.

[gillan1220]

Nov 23, 2020 19:34:59 GMT James G said:

Nov 23, 2020 7:07:12 GMT gillan1220 said:

Subscribed

Thanks but this story is soon to end!
Check out Forcon's newest WW3 story, a modern day one: alternate-timelines.proboards.com/thread/3514/operation-righteous-sword-europes-desert 

Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for The War of 2024 to be continued.

[James G]

Nov 24, 2020 3:32:48 GMT gillan1220 said:

Nov 23, 2020 19:34:59 GMT James G said:

Thanks but this story is soon to end!
Check out Forcon's newest WW3 story, a modern day one: alternate-timelines.proboards.com/thread/3514/operation-righteous-sword-europes-desert 

Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for The War of 2024 to be continued.

I have no idea about that.


Anyway, look away now (from the update below) if full-on nuclear warfare isn't your cup of tea.

[James G]

Nine

Seventeen minutes after departing from Aachen, both West German helicopters were shot down. They were on the edge of WarPac-controlled territory inside Belgium and heading towards the deep interior of the country where Acting SACEUR had earlier left his mobile headquarters. Firing from above and some distance away, a French pilot flying a Mirage F1C light fighter, in the service of the Armée de l'Air, made the attack using a pair of R550 Magic air-to-air missiles. He didn’t see his targets but didn’t need to. Acquired on radar with the identification saying that they were using NATO transponders, the pilot believed that they were Soviet helicopters doing what had been seen throughout the war in making use of stolen IFF codes to escape attack. They were enemy aircraft, he believed, and his two kills of hostile helicopters coming towards friendly lines was justified according to his rules of engagement. Onwards he flew afterwards, celebrating his third & fourth kills of the war as he sought to make himself an ace further east tonight.

Acting SACEUR was in the lead helicopter. The UH-1D was struck in the rear fuselage despite last-minute evasive manoeuvres. He was killed in the warhead blast, long before the wreckage would hit the ground near a party of East German motor rifle troops close to the Belgian village of Liers. The second helicopter, the one carrying those WarPac staff back to Acting SACEUR’s headquarters, took less immediate damage though needed to land urgently due to the missile impact. A crash occurred though despite the pilot’s best efforts and there was a resulting fiery explosion. The wreckage landed inside Liers itself, killing a trio of female civilians who’d only in the past few hours survived the unwanted attention of the occupiers. One of the Luftwaffe aircrew managed to crawl away from this second wreck, just about alive. He was the only survivor of twelve aboard the two downed aircraft.

The French Armed Forces – Armée de l'Air included – were supposed to be taking part in a ceasefire arranged with the Soviets a few hours ago leading to armistice talks of their own. Well… that was a lie, one told to foes and former friends alike. In secret co-operation with the American President and the Prime Ministers of Britain & Canada, the French President had played a little game of pretence. Nothing formal had been agreed with the enemy when it came to a cessation of hostilities. There had been false communications between France and its allies giving the impression of a sudden, irreversible split in similar fashion to what had so very recently happened with the European Five. The trick brought NATO (it still existed as far as these countries and others were concerned) a few hours of grace. That all came to a sudden end just ahead of 2000 hours local time. The Americans, the British and others had been slowing down their underway operations to help with the lie while the French had made out they were going to just roll over and play dead while Moscow gobbled up West Europe and put the victorious Soviet Army on their border. That wasn’t happening, not while France could still fight.

Strength was gathered, especially air power, and a fierce counterattack was made. A small part of this involved that French fighter (along with the pilot’s wingman) flying near Liege tonight. There were hundreds of jets in the sky, shooting down anything that was flying and deemed hostile. Only an accident it was that Acting SACEUR was killed. It was nothing more than thet. What wasn’t an accident was the sudden furry of diplomatic threats unleashed against the European Five by the allies which they had just abandoned. The smaller four were given more stern warnings of what would come their way than the West Germans were. Still, those politicians who formed the surviving government of the Federal Republic were told like their Belgian, Danish, Dutch & Luxembourgish allies that if they chose to fight against NATO forces, then they would be attacked. If they were out of this war, such was the case. Their territory was what NATO was going to defend though. They could change their mind if they wish, and return to the fight, but they would be engaged if they stood in the way. There had been much discussion of the wording over these threats between the NATO leaders and there was still much anger in them at what had happened earlier in the day. Perhaps they could have phrased things better yet they did want to shock, to frighten in fact, former allies into returning to the war or standing aside.

The war continued. The armistice signed at Aachen had happened but West Germany, the Low Countries and Denmark remained battlefields. All night the NATO offensive went on, in the air especially. There were armoured counterattacks made too though with not as much strength behind them due to the Americans still in the midst of a contested REFORGER. The French Army manged to get a column of tanks to Liege though when aided by air power of their own and also the RAF too. As the following morning approached, NATO looked in a far better shape than they did the day before with the Soviets suddenly on the back foot. It wasn’t a fatal blow struck and there was still the possibility of them winning the war on the battlefield of Western Europe. WarPac still had much territory held and great strength. However, all that aside, World War Three went nuclear the next morning. On May 8th, due to further use of nuclear weapons at sea once more – that had occurred on the war’s first day – this war was no longer to be all about tanks, jets and riflemen. It was all about splitting atoms now.

In a wild escalation, nukes at sea suddenly became nukes over land. The use of tactical weapons turned to strategic weapons soon enough. Where first military formations were targeted, it wasn’t long until it was cities in the firing line. A nuclear holocaust it was, all with those who’d tried to stop that with their battlefield armistice failing to do anything about it. What had happened at Aachen was unimportant when so much of the world was on fire.


The End

[gillan1220]

Welp. World ends with a bang instead of a whimper. A dark ending.

[lordbyron]

This reminds me a little of Protect and Survive, James G...

[lordroel]

Nov 24, 2020 18:53:29 GMT James G said:

Nine

Seventeen minutes after departing from Aachen, both West German helicopters were shot down. They were on the edge of WarPac-controlled territory inside Belgium and heading towards the deep interior of the country where Acting SACEUR had earlier left his mobile headquarters. Firing from above and some distance away, a French pilot flying a Mirage F1C light fighter, in the service of the Armée de l'Air, made the attack using a pair of R550 Magic air-to-air missiles. He didn’t see his targets but didn’t need to. Acquired on radar with the identification saying that they were using NATO transponders, the pilot believed that they were Soviet helicopters doing what had been seen throughout the war in making use of stolen IFF codes to escape attack. They were enemy aircraft, he believed, and his two kills of hostile helicopters coming towards friendly lines was justified according to his rules of engagement. Onwards he flew afterwards, celebrating his third & fourth kills of the war as he sought to make himself an ace further east tonight.

Acting SACEUR was in the lead helicopter. The UH-1D was struck in the rear fuselage despite last-minute evasive manoeuvres. He was killed in the warhead blast, long before the wreckage would hit the ground near a party of East German motor rifle troops close to the Belgian village of Liers. The second helicopter, the one carrying those WarPac staff back to Acting SACEUR’s headquarters, took less immediate damage though needed to land urgently due to the missile impact. A crash occurred though despite the pilot’s best efforts and there was a resulting fiery explosion. The wreckage landed inside Liers itself, killing a trio of female civilians who’d only in the past few hours survived the unwanted attention of the occupiers. One of the Luftwaffe aircrew managed to crawl away from this second wreck, just about alive. He was the only survivor of twelve aboard the two downed aircraft.

The French Armed Forces – Armée de l'Air included – were supposed to be taking part in a ceasefire arranged with the Soviets a few hours ago leading to armistice talks of their own. Well… that was a lie, one told to foes and former friends alike. In secret co-operation with the American President and the Prime Ministers of Britain & Canada, the French President had played a little game of pretence. Nothing formal had been agreed with the enemy when it came to a cessation of hostilities. There had been false communications between France and its allies giving the impression of a sudden, irreversible split in similar fashion to what had so very recently happened with the European Five. The trick brought NATO (it still existed as far as these countries and others were concerned) a few hours of grace. That all came to a sudden end just ahead of 2000 hours local time. The Americans, the British and others had been slowing down their underway operations to help with the lie while the French had made out they were going to just roll over and play dead while Moscow gobbled up West Europe and put the victorious Soviet Army on their border. That wasn’t happening, not while France could still fight.

Strength was gathered, especially air power, and a fierce counterattack was made. A small part of this involved that French fighter (along with the pilot’s wingman) flying near Liege tonight. There were hundreds of jets in the sky, shooting down anything that was flying and deemed hostile. Only an accident it was that Acting SACEUR was killed. It was nothing more than thet. What wasn’t an accident was the sudden furry of diplomatic threats unleashed against the European Five by the allies which they had just abandoned. The smaller four were given more stern warnings of what would come their way than the West Germans were. Still, those politicians who formed the surviving government of the Federal Republic were told like their Belgian, Danish, Dutch & Luxembourgish allies that if they chose to fight against NATO forces, then they would be attacked. If they were out of this war, such was the case. Their territory was what NATO was going to defend though. They could change their mind if they wish, and return to the fight, but they would be engaged if they stood in the way. There had been much discussion of the wording over these threats between the NATO leaders and there was still much anger in them at what had happened earlier in the day. Perhaps they could have phrased things better yet they did want to shock, to frighten in fact, former allies into returning to the war or standing aside.

The war continued. The armistice signed at Aachen had happened but West Germany, the Low Countries and Denmark remained battlefields. All night the NATO offensive went on, in the air especially. There were armoured counterattacks made too though with not as much strength behind them due to the Americans still in the midst of a contested REFORGER. The French Army manged to get a column of tanks to Liege though when aided by air power of their own and also the RAF too. As the following morning approached, NATO looked in a far better shape than they did the day before with the Soviets suddenly on the back foot. It wasn’t a fatal blow struck and there was still the possibility of them winning the war on the battlefield of Western Europe. WarPac still had much territory held and great strength. However, all that aside, World War Three went nuclear the next morning. On May 8th, due to further use of nuclear weapons at sea once more – that had occurred on the war’s first day – this war was no longer to be all about tanks, jets and riflemen. It was all about splitting atoms now.

In a wild escalation, nukes at sea suddenly became nukes over land. The use of tactical weapons turned to strategic weapons soon enough. Where first military formations were targeted, it wasn’t long until it was cities in the firing line. A nuclear holocaust it was, all with those who’d tried to stop that with their battlefield armistice failing to do anything about it. What had happened at Aachen was unimportant when so much of the world was on fire.


The End

So a end, but a end not many people would want to live in.

[James G]

Nov 24, 2020 19:18:31 GMT gillan1220 said:

Welp. World ends with a bang instead of a whimper. A dark ending.

Lots of many bangs.
That was what I was going for, yes.

Nov 24, 2020 19:45:34 GMT lordbyron said:

This reminds me a little of Protect and Survive, James G...

Thank you: that was why I was going for.

Nov 24, 2020 19:47:09 GMT lordroel said:

So a end, but a end not many people would want to live in.

No one would want this. It what seeking an armistice was all trying to avoid... and it failed.

[lordroel]

Nov 25, 2020 17:39:30 GMT James G said:

No one would want this. It what seeking an armistice was all trying to avoid... and it failed.

Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not work.