Homecoming - A Dominion Of Canada Kaiserreich AAR
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This is Chapter 1 of my ongoing Kaiserreich AAR that I am hosting on the Paradox Forums. If you are interested in further following the journey of the Dominion of Canada please refer to this:
Homecoming - A Dominion Of Canada Kaiserreich AAR
Currently there are Chapters 1 & 2 out.
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Prologue:
Hello everyone!
I am a big fan of Kaiserreich, heavy roleplaying, and AARs, so I thought that I’d finally try out AAR writing myself after lurking in the forums for a while. I am particularly inspired by “Poles Apart - an Hoi4 Ahistory”, “The German Century (a Kaiserreich AAR)” and “Century of Redemption: A Restorationist Qing AAR (Kaiserreich)” and I’d like to take this moment to thank all the talented writers for keeping up this wonderful artform.
I want to also apologize in advance for any mistakes. English is my second language and while I’m confident about my skills I also do not have a lot of writing experience.
I will be playing the Dominion of Canada in Kaiserreich! It is one of my favorite campaigns in all of Hoi4 and I hope that I can tell a unique tale about the various military campaigns that we will engage in.
What is Kaiserreich?
According to the Kaiserreich Wiki:
“Kaiserreich depicts a world shaped by a German victory in the First World War and its far-reaching political and ideological consequences.”
Mods that I am using
- Kaiserreich (obviously)
- Modifier Icons
- Toolpack without the Errors
- Always color puppets
- MPU Update Lite
- MPU Update Lite - Preset Colors
- {AIGFX} Visible Railroads
- TWTEA - Map GFX
- Large Combat View
- All Kaiserreich Model Mods
- A self-made mod that limits army sizes for greater realism
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Chapter 1: A Somber Awakening - January 1936 to March 1936
Canada in 1936
All was well in Canada.
On the dawn of 1936 the people of the Dominion of Canada awoke to the remnants of a hegemon. Everyone knew that the British Empire was de facto dead and some even believed it to be forever lost. Yet no one dared to say it aloud.
Even after the tumultuous new years celebrations, the average Canadian citizen live in an atmosphere of uncertainty. The exiles were worried about the fate of the Empire, the Canadians did not want to fight another war (that was frankly foreign to them) and the average Quebecois despised the entire governmental structure of Canada anyway.
George V - “King Emperor” as he liked to style himself - did not care much anymore. He spent 71 years as a royal at this point and he didn’t see himself ever returning to being the head of the hegemon of Europe. The flight to Canada was arduous for his fragile health and considerably worsened in the last five years, which is why most of his tasks were already relegated to Prince Edward, the heir of the dying empire. His night was spent drinking and feasting with other British aristocrats (most of whom he didn’t care for much); after an hour of “madness”, as his memoirs dubbed this night, he already moved to his quarters and slept through the new year peacefully.
The Conservative Lion of Britain
Canada at the time was under the rule of the Liberal party of William Lyon Mackenzie King, which was de jure a minority party in parliament, but was de facto the Majority considering the alliance with the Progressive Party of Canada.
King was an odd character. Later journals revealed his belief in communication with the dead; he regularly held seances with the "lost souls" and was convinced of him being able to have conversations with his dead relatives, friends, and even historical figures. Despite his eccentric private life he was seen as the figure to unite Canadian politics in its darkest period. The shortcomings of the Conservative party in the 20’s (and the events of the British revolution, which marked a period of economic instability) made way for his rise to the top. Even though he was considered quite nervous and cautious, his name was deeply respected.
Mackenzie \"The Great Sphinx\" King
Uncertainty was felt by both the elites and the commoners, but hope was not dead. The citizens of the Dominion awoke to the tune of “God save the King” playing on the radio - a new year's tradition. And all across the nation, during those two minutes, everyone was hopeful. Young and old, Canadian and exile, coast to coast - everyone thought the same for a brief moment:
There is work to be done.
The Royal Canadian Army consisted of 45 divisions in January of 1936
The RCA was split into three army districts in 1936 - The Pacific District headed by Harold Rupert Alexander, the Atlantic District commanded by Bernard Law Montgomery and the Home Guard, led by Henry, Duke of Gloucester. The most pressing issues were the missing direction or doctrine of the army and a gun deficit of about 7 thousand.
The Royal Canadian Navy consisted of 66 vessels in January of 1936
January, 1936
Everyone in the aristocracy of Britain knew it was bound to happen, but no one expected it to happen so soon. On the night of the 19th January of 1936, King Emperor George V passed away. His last words apparently were “God damn you!”, directed at a nurse giving him a sedative shortly before his death, triggered by a severe bout of fever.
To the public, this news comes at a complete surprise.
The entire affair certainly didn’t help the already crestfallen population of Canada. The King's eldest son, Prince Edward, had a very unproblematic ascension to the throne, but this didn’t really ease the pain of the monarch's death. Even after the catastrophe of revolution on the Home Isles, George V managed to keep a fairly strong stability for the empire with his calm, conservative personality.
With the flag now at half mast and most celebrations being cancelled, the public eagerly awaited the reveal, of what role Edward VIII will play in Canadian politics.
About two weeks later, the next awful event hit the shores of Newfoundland. While the Liberal government was working on measures to relieve the people of Canada of the remnants of the Great Depression, the German markets experienced a crash that was dubbed worldwide “Black Monday”. While it was a painful setback, King assured Canada in a speech that the country will make it through the effects of the crash and that it was a perfect moment for unity. He proclaimed: “We will make it through this, just as we have the dark years prior!”.
March, 1936
8th March, 1936 - Other countries in the Entente sphere weren’t suffering all that much.
The period of chaos and mourning was officially ended by King Edward's coronation to the throne and his first radio address to the empire. In a now legendary speech titled “Homecoming” he pledged the empire to prepare for a great liberation war and to rapidly industrialise the nation of Canada by all means possible. He promised prosperity, honour and even hinted at a great relief of bureaucracy and economy to the Canadians, once the exiles were home again.
The speech itself - given at Ottawa - was said to be an electric event that filled the air with excitement and managed to unite the nation even better than King ever did. Loud thunderous claps were heard all throughout Ottawa and some even passed out, falling to the still snowy floors at Parliament Hill. The volatile energy of the Dominion of Canada never failed to impress not only its citizens, but also the other remnants of the Empire in Australia and South Africa.
A snapshot of the aftereffects of Edwards VIII “Homecoming Speech”, March 1936
A wondrous future awaited the citizens of Canada. At least that's what most thought. But no one knew that this future would also consist of a great, uphill battle for the destiny of the British Empire.
What everyone knew is that the young men of Canada were prepared to bring glory back to Europe.