[Mohoender]

In Europe, NATO has concentrated more troops in Western Poland and the progression of Shanghai Pact units slows down and it is only by early February that advanced elements cross the Polish frontier into Eastern Germany. However, it doesn’t stop and as they move into Brandenburg and Sachsen, a number of former East-german soldiers join them and Moscow organize the “Karl Marx Korps”, a grand name for a unit that is roughly the size of a brigade.

On May 27, it has become clear that, without aid, forces in the Balkans will be defeated and NATO sends a a small coprs composed of a few US division that lands at Split. Meanwhile, a convoy, accompanied by insufficient covering force, is making the run to the port of Thessaloniki with badly needed ammunitions and equipments when it is intercepted by fleet elements of the Turkish Navy. In the ensuing night action, the Turks inflicts substantial losses to NATO warships and capture about two third of the slow transports, sinking the others andescaping unharmed. Two days later, NATO retaliates with air strikes on Turkish naval bases and, on June 1, Turkey declares war against NATO while Padania, in compliance with its treaty obligations, follow suit on June 2. Immediately, Padanian airmobile, alpine, and armored units cross the mountain passes into Austrian Tyrolia where scattered elements of the Austrian Army resist briefly before being overwhelmed. By mid-month, Padanian mechanized forces are debouching into southern Germany, advanced elements are attacking German territorial troops in the suburbs of Munich and, on June 22, units in Austria briefly link with the Red Army. Other units are rapidly pushing south and within days the Napoli Republic is reduced to the sole Sicily with most of its ships captured at Taranto.

Meanwhile, the Turkish army achieves victory over Armenia and pushes West into Greek Macedonia, also sinking most remaining Greek ships in the following month. As a result, before Padania begins feeling the logistical pinch, the Balkan Front threaten to collapse while, further West, the French are stuck on the Alpine range. Moreover, Ankara, altough still not allied to the Shanghai Pact, starts to send supplies to Iran, Syria and USSR, opening the Bosphorus to Soviet ships, military and civilians alike.

Some reports even signal the growing presence of Turkish soldiers in the Middle East where the Egyptian government facing massive internal unrest orders military units to repress it. However, it evolves in an unexpected manner when the army sides with the protesters and, on May 1, Hosni Mubarak falls to a military coup. Then, the commitee of generals orders Egyptian units in Iraq to join with Iran and Syria, declares war on Israel, closes the Suez Canal and attacks through the Sinai desert, dramatically changing the military balance over the region. Now outnumbered, the coalition forces fall back and take up fortified defensive positions to hold their ground. Meanwhile, Israel is forced to divert part of its forces from its other front to face this new threat. Hopefully for them, the sudden revolution has resulted in several officer’s defections among Egyptian Armed Forces and military efficiency is no longer as high as it was.

In Asia, the TASC treaty is seen as a last provocation and all Asian Shanghai Pact members enter the war on February 25. Then, the Chinese military surpass the expectations of most analysts in its ability to mobilize its forces and several Chinese divisions are seen fighting in Korea as soon as March 1. Pressure also quickly builds up on the British forces defending Hong Kong and after a week of very harsh urban warfare, these troops are evacuated. During this first stage ofthe war in Asia, the South Korean and Taiwanese fleets sustain some really heavy losses and when Hong Kong is left to the Chinese, fear of an invasion of Taiwan grows. However, the US NAVY and the JMSDF assemble a most impressive naval force and, in a series of bitter engagements, destroy the opposing forces: surviving ships of the Chinese bluewater navy remain in anchor while the Soviet Pacific Fleet loses almost eighty percent of its surface vessels.

Now, ANZUS becomes involved and reinforcements are brought to South Korea where they start their own push toward the 38th parrallel, crossing it within weeks and bringing fighting to Pyongyang. Meanwhile, the allied naval forces have enough strength to provide more than ample cover to organize a major landing in Hong Kong. It’s involving troops from Philippines, Taiwan, UK and US which start a push toward central China. Vietnam seizing the oportunity also sends an army into Yunnan and Guangxi facing heavy fighting in southern China. All enjoy rapid initial success, and tank columns roar deep into southern and central China. While the allied continued to make impressive gains up to late May, their losses mounted and the tempo of advance goes down. By late June, large bodies of Chinese citizen’s militia are now operating behind the allied front lines, attacking installations and destroying supply convoy. Moreover, despite several attempts, the Allied fail to disrupt the military industry located in the north and more equipments are coming out every day. As a result, when the main Chinese and Soviet conventional forces counter-attack, large pockets of allied troops are formed. The Vietnamese experiences the most important losses but allied units, while able to fight their way out of the pockets, are losing much in the process. The front is shattered and troop that were on the offensive a few days before begin major withdrawals all along the front line as mobile elements of the Chinese Army rush into victorious pursuit.
In July, the Vietnamese have fallen back behind their borders and Shanghai Pact units have crossed the 38th parallel again. As a result, with Pact and Padanian units obviously preparing a combine offensive from Austria while closing on Berlin, Allied High Command is to decide upon the limited use of nuclear weapons. On August 15, the use of tactical nuclear weapons is accepted with the exception of France and Belgium which both leave NATO signing a separte peace with the Shanghai Pact, Padania, Turkey and Iran. Two days later, they are pulling out from the various fronts and their withdrawal is achieved when, on september 15, the first tactical nukes are used in the Far East. These nuclear strikes over the fields are carried out on a failrly massive scale and Pact mechanized columns are vaporized, caught in the open on the roads. Chinese population and industrial centers, however, are spared but this facts doesn’t prevent widespread panic. Then, as the roads are choked with refugees fleeing from all cities, the communication and transportation system, already stretched to the near breaking point, disintegrates. Moreover, the Chinese response has met with little success as allied forward units were dispersed and prepared. The handful of Chinese bombers attempting to conduct low-level penetration raids are all intercepted and destroyed. The ICBM bases have been destroyed by air strikes conducted with B-2 bombers and, within a week, the Chinese riposte is spent. Taiwan, however, is devastated by several SRBM carrying nuclear warheads while a few IRBM attacks on Japan and Philippines population centers are effective nonetheless. Whatever, China begins a rapid slide into anarchy and civil disorder. A month later, a number of local officers assume the title of Warlords and establish independent states, refusing to obey further orders from the central government at Beijing. The government itself is overthrown on October 8 and, one after the other, the warlords capitulate and begin restoring internal order. Manchuria alone remains faithfull to the Shanghai Pact, still participating in the war and sustaining a second wave of nukes that destroys much of its industrial capability. Once more, general chaos in Manchuria is avoided when Soviet troops move in to secure what is left of Urban and Industrial complexes. Nevertheless, these forces are seldom welcomed and they face a high level of popolar hostility.

In Europe, the nukes are used sparingly at first but the forward elements of both armies are hit hard. By late october, the Soviet forces that had entered Germany are engaged in a general withdrawal, practicing a careful scorched earth policy as they fall back. In the Balkan, NATO forces had also begun an offensive but this comes to a brutal stop when Greece collapses in late November and turns into a collection of city states. Simultaneously, the Bosniak-Croat alliance also begins to break up but US divisions are pushing forward and the one-sided use of nukes save the situation. Then, Serbian forces are in turn on the verge of being destroyed when the arrival of Russian reserves stops the allied columns before they reach Beograd’s suburb.

Meanwhile, as summer turns to fall, Padania is facing major air stikes and an overall naval offensive by NATO. In an attempt to conquer the all of Italy, Portuguese, Spanish and U.S. troops, reinforced by remnants of the Napoli Republic Army, land in Calabria and Campania, starting to push North. In a hury, Padanian forces, pulling out of Austria and Southern Germany, establish strong defensive position on the Alpine passes and rush south, finally stopping the invaders to the south of l’Aquila in the Abruzzo. At sea, a NATO task force faces a combined fleet of Padanian and Turkish vessels soon strengthen by Arab Ships (Algeria, Egypt, Libya and Syria). Fighting last for two days until NATO breafly opens the sealanes to Croatian harbours and destroys most opposing vessels. Suddenly, while NATO ships are engaged in pursuit against the last Padanian and Turkish ships, the Soviet Black Sea Fleet shows up. NATO’s fleet has been dispersed and now suffers a defeat matching that it inflicted on Padania over the past hours. On the outcome, the Meditteranean Sea is now definitely closed to standard allied shipping while the troops operating in southern Italy are quickly withdrawn.

In the Middle-East, the exchange initially carried out by Israel brakes the stalemate when Amman, Beyrouth, Damascus, Teheran, Karaj and Mashad are destroyed. The Coalition forces immediately leave their position and push forward again, meeting with general success but their offensive ends when the Soviets respond. Tupolev bombers launch a number of cruise missiles that hit Doha, Kuwait City and Tel-Aviv as well as the Ghawar and Safaniya oil fields of Saudi Arabia. After that, the use of nukes in the region cease entirely and the forces left turn back to the attrition war they had conducted for months. This might be explained by the fact that the other oil fields were already burning and both sides might have attempted to preserve what was left but, whatever, this is the first region where the conflict slowly enters a frozen postures in which nor peace nor war is clearly defined. Moreover, the Saudi Royal family is assassinated and the Saudi’s political situation evolved into a Civil war opposing the former Kingdom of Hejaz, backed by SANG units, to the tribes that have returned to the desert. As a result, chaos spreads to most of the Arabian Peninsula with Oman and UAE, escaping it, maintaining peace and establishing an alliance with France.

Africa’s slide into chaos acelerates with most war turning to Ethnic conflicts while modern weapons are mostly being replaced with matchets and spears again. Most of the surviving states understand that they won’t survive very long on their own and almost all side with one side or the other. As Ghana is in turn overwhelmed by Ethnic violences, Benin and Togo merge into the Republic of Dahomey which first move is to sign a treaty to become part of the recently created Franco-Belgian Union (FBU). Almost immediately, French military units that, prior to the war, had been located to Abidjan are now sent to the new republic where they help maintain order. Then, five more countries (Cameroon, Djibouti, Gabon, Senegal and Tunisia) join the FBU bringing to the new political entity a number of raw materials that improve its viability. It, however, doesn’t mean that these areas escape entirely from the general insurgency but insteed it implies that they get enough support to keep them under control. On the African East Coast, Kenya and Zanzibar are the sole political entity to survive with Kenya opening its refinery to US troops in exchange for a permanent garrison and Zanzibar establishing an independent Popular Republic. To the south, South Africa, asserts its control over Botswana and pacify Namibia as it increases the strength of its military, expends its navy and establishes a number of trade agreements with Chile, FBU and MERCOSUR. It, then, engages its forces in various border conflicts with its neighbors going to the extrimity of launching three nuclear bombs on Angola, Mozambique and Namibia. When it comes to internal matters , Apartheid is maintained but coloured people are granted more freedom as the government of Pretoria realizes that it needs greater reliable support.