The British Empire.
Britain and its Empire, like most major world powers in this setting is different, however, unlike some it is still recognisable as the Britain which actually existed at the time. The guide below is a brief overview of Britain and the majority of its Imperial subjects, though some such as Canada will have their own separate info page.
Though the main year of divergence between our reality and the Weltkrieg universe is 1888, Britain remained relatively unchanged until the turn of the century.
Britain through the decades:
1900-1910:
- 1901: Queen Victoria dies. Edward VII becomes king.
- 1906: The Southern Cross expedition which departed in 1898 returns to Britain and reports of its failure Before the Royal Society and King Edward VII a man whose name remains attached to the failed expedition gives the report of the disaster. Ernest Shackleton details how the ships of the fleet had run aground in the McMurdo Sound and were stranded with need for aid. King Edward eventually does approve the aid request, sending "Enough to establish a permanent settlement and a flag." Thus establishing the new colony of McMurdo in the antarctic region.
- 1910: Edward VII dies. George V becomes king.
1911-1920:
- 1914: With no Great War to occupy the time of the British Government the Third Irish Home Rule Bill passes through the Commons.
- 1915: The ground word for the Dominion of Ireland begins to take place, with government and ministerial duties beginning to be transferred from Westminster.
- 1916: In Dublin an event labeled as the "Easter Rebellion" brought the realities of radical republicanism to the people of the city. And though the conspirators were captured, unlike in our world they were not tried in a military court as there was no war happening around them. This resulted in only life prison sentences for the guilty parties rather than execution.
- 1918: Though it took a few years to finalise the administrative details the Dominion of Ireland was officially declared in late 1918.
February 9th 1920: "Black Monday" A massacre of British soldiers in southern Belize by Mexican revolutionaries attempting to spread their revolution causes British troops to begin pouring into the Yucatan region of Central America to protect British holdings and citizens from further insurgent attacks. - March 9th: British Government officials leak information regarding "Black Monday", which until this point had remained highly classified, to the press who run wild with the story. British Army recruitment officers, especially in the North of Ireland where the massacred regiment originated, soars.
1921-1930:
- 1921: General Edmund Ironside is appointed as Yucatan theatre commander.
- 1921: The government or Ireland act passes in Parliament formally seperating the Dominion of Ireland in two with the newly created state of Northern Ireland remaining more closely run from Westminster than their Southern neighbours. Sectarian violence escalates in the region, especially in the border areas but dissipates after large numbers of British soldiers arrive in the area.
- 1925: After five years of bloodshed for little gains the British Government begins negotiations with its dominions to provide men and material to the Yucatan to help ease the burden on Britain. With promises of greater political freedom and other financial benefits the Dominions agreed.
- 1926: The first colonial units begin arriving in Belize and replacing British regulars who are rotated out gradually with only a few British, British regiments remaining to help ease the Colonials into their new home.
- 1927: General Ironside is removed from theatre command by the War Office for disputed reasons, the resulting drop in morale among the troops causes many offensives to stall.
- 1928: With the collapse of army morale many units were forced to just dig in for the Christmas and New year period of 1927-1928. This catastrophic mismanagement by the War Office led to the town of Merida in the Northern Yucatan to become cut off and encircled by Insurgent forces, with French Foreign Legion support.
- Merida: Though the town itself was strategically unimportant it was at the time home to Prince Albert and his soldiers. With a lack of theatre commander the War Office lacked the relevant communications to direct a rescue operation themselves, so it fell to the LRJG(Long Range Jungle Group) a unit formed from the remnants of Black Monday survivors to beg, borrow or steal what men and material they could and smash into Insurgent lines and save the Prince and his troops. The press would later give this operation the rather catchy title of "Miracle at Merida".
- 1930: On the advice of his doctors and family King George V abdicated the throne over growing health concerns. Edward VIII becomes King.
- 1930: When it becomes apparent that Edward will not, not marry American Divorcee Wallis Simpson the Conservative government attempts to force the Kings hand by threatening to resign. The King takes advice from long time supporter Winston Churchill and releases "his side of the story" to the public, who immediately fall in love with the romantic fairytale nature of a commoner like Simpson not only marrying royalty but also becoming Queen.
- Marriage scandal and the rise of Edward VIII: Despite the public's growing support for a Royal Marriage between Edward and Wallis the Cabinet resigns creating a dangerous power vacuum at the heart of the largest Empire the world has ever seen. Perhaps out of opportunism or out of genuine concern for the repercussions this vacuum could have, a new political party emerged. Though it had no official name the press dubbed it "The Kings Party" as its most prominent members were those who openly supported King Edwards Marriage. Again perhaps out of opportunism Edward called a General Election to try and solve the power vacuum, with The Kings Party winning a landslide majority across the entirety of Great Britain, taking 568 of the 615 available seats. And though many quite rightly pointed out that this new "Government" was really just a puppet for Edward to be an Absolute Monarch, the power vacuum crisis was avoided rather spectacularly.
1931-1936:
- 1931: With the crises of the previous year behind them, Edward and his new Government began to try and normalise life under the new order. With Edward's coronation and marriage coming in quick succession over the summer of 1931.
- 1932: With scandals coming out of the War Office regarding their treatment of General Ironside and the general disregard for colonial troops lives King Edward personally intervened and purged the Imperial General Staff (IGS) reinstating General Ironside, now Field Marshall. And made him Chief of the IGS, leaving him to fill important positions with those he believed would best suit the role and not just be Yes Men like the last CIGS.
The British armed forces:
Chief of the Imperial General Staff: Field Marshall Sir Edmund Ironside.
British Army: During the early years of the 20th Century the British Army and its Colonial counterparts could seldom be described as an effective fighting force. The victories of Rorke's Drift and the lessons learned from Isandlwana seemed all but a fleeting memory come the turn of the Century. To describe them as an inefficient, bloated and complacent garrison force would be putting their situation mildly in almost every way.
Yet whether the General Staff liked it or not the British Army would be thrust into conflict come the 1920s as the Mecican revolution spilled over into the Yucatan Insurgency. In but a single night the incompetent and bloated army command structure would be reshuffled and a new Chief of the Imperial General Staff would be required. In what the new Chief of Staff described as "Black Monday'', the massacre of the Royal Ulster Rifles in early 1920 saw 438 men killed in one night as the Insurgents launched surprise attacks on army garrisons around southern Belize. This event sent shockwaves through the Army establishment and through the public, moreso because this wasn't just some colonial garrison of locals but a regiment from the British Isles which had been all but destroyed and in the wake caused by this disaster the British army would modernise and mechanise within a decade. Borrowing much inspiration from their ally the German Empire and their colonies parallel attempts to do the same, most notably Canada.
Equipment:
Standard Issue Rifle:
- Turner-Enfield no. 1 mk. V (frontline service)
- Lee-Enfield no. 1 mk. 4 (colonial garrisons, until Turner-Enfield stockpiles grow)
Infantry submachine gun: - STEN mk. V
Infantry Squad Support Weapon: - Bren gun (frontline service)
- farquhar-hill automatic (colonial garrisons, until Bren stockpiles grow)
Infantry Machine Gun: - Vicker K
Infantry Pistol: - Browning hi-power
- Webley mk. VI
Infantry anti-mech: - no. 82 grenade (Gammon Bomb)
- PIAA (Projector Infantry Anti-Armour)
Infantry Flamethrower: - Flamethrower portable no. 2
British Power Armour:
- Achilles pattern mk. IV Infantry Combat Suit.
Pressurised: - Yes, but only to a certain extent. Chlorine and Mustard Gas etc. Not watertight.
Protection: - Armoured against most small arms up to 15-20mm machine guns and autocannon fire.
Armament options:
Hand-held:
- 1x 40mm Bofors cannon.
- 1x 30mm Aden cannon.
- 1x 84mm Rocket Launcher mk. III
- 1x Boys 20mm Anti-Armour rifle.
Shoulder mounted: - 2x 20mm Oerlikon autocannons. (One per shoulder.)
- 1x Flame Projector mk. 2.
- 4x Besa Machine Guns. (2 per shoulder.)
British Mechs: Royal Armoured Corps.
Light Mech (Bipedal): A.15 Cruiser Mech MK VI: Crusader Class - Light Mech.
Weight:
- 18 t.
Height: - 12 ft.
Armour: - 50mm all over.
Engine: - Nuffield Liberty Mark IV 27-litre V-12 Diesel-electric engine, 340 hp
Power to Weight Ratio: - 17hpt
Operational Range: - 150 miles (241km) on roads.
- 100 miles (160 km)) cross country.
Speed: - 25 mph (40 km/h) on roads.
- 15 mph (25 km/h) cross country
Crew: 1
Main Armament: - 4x 20mm Oerlikon FF. (Mounted in 2x twin mountings, one on each shoulder.)
(x550 rounds per gun)
Secondary Armament: - 2x 15mm Besa Machine Gun. (1 mounted under each Oerlikon twin mount.)
(x1500 rounds per gun)
Medium Mech (Bipedal): Mech, Cruiser, Comet I.
Weight:
- 32t
Height: - 15ft
Armour: - 76mm all around
Engine: - Rolls-Royce Meteor Mark III V12 Diesel-electric, 600 hp
Power to weight ratio: - 18hpt
Operational range: - 123miles (198km)
Speed: - 32mph (51kmh)
Crew: - One
Main Armament: - Ordnance Quick-Firing 17-Pounder
Secondary Armaments: - 2x 15mm Besa Machine Guns. Twin mount next to main gun.
Heavy Mech (quadrupedal): Mech, Infantry, Mk IV: Centurion Class - Heavy Mech.
Weight:
- 39t
Height: - 20ft
Armour: - 102mm (front)
- 65mm (side)
- 35mm (rear)
- 50mm (roof & legs)
Engine: - Bedford 12-cylinder, 4 stroke, water-cooled, horizontally opposed, L-head diesel-electric engine, 350 hp.
Power to weight ratio: - 9.1hpt
Operational range: - 56 miles (90km) (all terrains)
Speed: - 15mph (24kmh) (all terrains)
Crew: - 3 (Driver, Commander, Gunner)
Main Armament: - Ordnance Quick Firing 6-Pounder.
Secondary Armaments: - 3× 15mm Besa Machine Guns. 1 next to main armament. 2 in twin mount above Commander hatch.
Heavy Mech (Quadrupedal): Mech, Infantry, Mk VII: Imperial Class - Heavy Mech.
Weight:
- 41 t
Height: - 20ft
Armour: - 152mm (front)
- 95mm (side)
- 51mm(rear, roof and legs)
Engine: - Bedford 12-cylinder, 4 stroke, water-cooled, horizontally opposed, L-head diesel-electric engine, 650 hp.
Power to Weight ratio: - 8.5
Operational Range: - 56miles (90km)
Speed: - 15mph (24kmh)
Crew: - 3 (Driver, Commander, Gunner)
Main Armament: - Ordnance Quick-Firing 75mm
Secondary Armament: - 2x Besa Machine Guns. One next to the main gun. One above Commanders hatch.
(Please note that the Mech listed below is solely for the use of British Mech ace Morrigan and, unless good reason is given, is unavailable to PCs)Heavy Mech (Bipedal): Mech, Infantry, Mk I: Black Prince Class- Heavy Mech.
Weight:
- 40t
Height: - 20ft
Armour: - 130mm(Front)
- 85mm(Side)
- 50mm(rear)
Engine: - Experimental Rolls-Royce Meteor Mark V V12 Diesel-electric, 750hp
Power to weight ratio: - 10.5
Operational Range: - 75miles (124km)
Speed: - 25mph (40kmh)
Crew: - 1
Main Armaments: - 2× Modular weapon hardpoint.
Secondary Armaments: - 3× Modular Weapon hardpoint.
