The Afrikaan Illuminati Part XIV - A Hearts of Iron 3 AAR.

There's a perception, on the outside, that die Broederbond is a group of like-minded individuals working together for a common goal. While that is largely true it is in part misleading. The truth is that the members of our organization are constantly battling each other over strategy and policy. Each one of the 'brothers' is out to gain more power and influence than the others. It is of little surprise that the heads of industry and powerful banking groups wish we would focus on the economic policy of the nation: that our investments focus on infrastructure and industry. On the other hand we have military generals and arms dealers pushing for a never ending expansion of South African borders, they thirst for military conflict. Finding a balance between these philosophies can be difficult. The only things that truly unite us are our wealth, power, Afrikaans heritage and a mutual hatred if the British.

It is this disdain of the United Kingdom that has bought us to our current predicament.

You will no doubt recall we recently captured six protectorates from the United Kingdom and one from Belgium. Operation Manifest Destiny was largely a success, the only downfall being that a lack of defensive preparation allowed the Belgians to launch a counter invasion on the African mainland. The government launched an official inquiry into what happened and have as a result increased investment in the Gryshemde.

Oswald Pirow in Nazi Germany.

Armament minister and Gryshemde leader Oswald Pirow was sent on a diplomatic mission to Nazi Germany to secure production licenses for Transport planes and Paratrooper brigades. The biggest problem with the Belgian assault was the difficulty we faced ferrying troops from Kenya to the Congo. It is planned in the future that these paratroopers will be able to act as emergency responders if such an invasion were ever to reoccur. 

As well as boosting the Gryshemde we have taken action to protect our Northern border with the establishment of 'The Congo Line'. 150k men now form a defensive wall holding every single province along our northern border stretching from the Atlantic to the Indian ocean. 

 

The Congo Line

The face of Africa has changed so much in such a small number of years that we are constantly being forced to reevaluate our long term strategy. After the Germans conquered France they set up a puppet government (Vichy France) to rule over the French colonies in Africa, Asia and South America. Backed by Vichy forces French West Africa began hoovering up British colonies on the west coast of Africa. While we were busy repelling the Belgians from South Africa French West Africa conquered Sierra Leone, Gold Coast and Gambia. We were at least able to send the 1st Corps to aid them in the defeat of Nigeria and capture a few provinces for ourselves. This was a problem, as French West Africa had just stolen our next move from under our noses.

How Africa looks today.

The establishment of Vichy France has forced us towards a war with the Axis. With the exception of Liberia and a couple of Spanish colonies the bulk of land left in Africa belongs to Axis powers Italy and Vichy France. The most troubling thing however is that the United States have landed in Tunisia and are taking the war to both Vichy France and Italy. Should the USA manage to capture the city of Tunis the whole of West Africa would fall under Allied control, which would be a disater for our great nation.

There is two schools of thought dividing die Broederbond. The extreme nationalists suggest we join forces with Germany, Japan, Italy and Vichy France. That we aid the Nazis in their war with the USA and finish off our mutual enemies together. The more conservative members of our group, such as D.F. Malan (owner of Die Burger) beleive we should switch our alligiences towards the Allies and use them to help us to defeat the Axis and gain full control over Africa.

It was said that our disdain of the United Kingdom that bought about our current predicament.You see with the British finally evicted from Africa we have lost the enemy that united us in the first place. Now die Broederbond must decide who to hate next.

The Afrikaan Illuminati Part XIII - A Hearts of Iron 3 AAR.

An estimated 40,000 brave men were killed defending the shores of South Africa from the terror of Belgian colonization. Those brave souls who lost their lives shall be remembered forever in the hearts and minds of Afrikaaners everywhere. Today, Prime Minister Johannes van Rensburg has launched an official enquiry to investigate what went wrong during the 3rd Boer War which resulted in so many South Africans needlessly losing their lives.

South Africa mourns for her losses.

"Casualties, while they did occur, were kept to a minimum during the offensive expansion period." The Prime Minister explained  "Problems however began to occur after victory over the Kenyans had been confirmed. We must now look into who is responsible for the lack of oversight which led to the Belgian invasion and the deaths of over 40,000 good honest men; including the entire 2nd Corps."

Some sections of the Government point the finger at Gryshemde Commander and Armament Minister Oswald Pirow. They argue that the Gryshemde should have deployed forces to Cabinda and Boma earlier to prevent the Belgian invasion from ever occurring. Leaving these key port cities open allowed the Belgians easy access.

Armament Minister Oswald Pirow

"The responsibility does not fall on me" argued Oswald Pirow "I have long requested that the Gryshemde be reinforced. We have limited men at our disposal and my requests for more troops fell on deaf ears."

There are others who blame Chief of the Army C. de Weenburg du Toit. It was he who ignored calls to reinforce the Gryshemde and devised the entire strategy for the 3rd Boer War. While the expansion and absorption of Bechuanaland, Nyasaland, Kenya, the Congo and Tanganyika as well as both North and South Rhodesia into South Africa was a success the Chief of the Army had failed to plan a post-war defensive strategy.

The news that the Belgians had landed in Cabinda was a huge blow as the entire military (bar the Gryshemde) were busy stationed in Kenya on the other side of the continent. By the time that forces based in the East had arrived the Belgians had captured a huge swathe of territory reclaiming most of the Congo and parts of Angola.

There is no doubt that C. de Weenburg du Toit must take the blame for the disastrous "Battle of Cabinda". Under the Chief of the Army's guidance the 2nd Corps boarded a ship in Angola and began an aquatic invasion of the Belgian occupied province of Cabinda. The plan was simply to cut Belgian supply lines and surround the forces in Boma. The 2nd Corps landed successfully in Cabinda but found themselves surrounded and easily defeated by the superior Belgians. The entire 2nd Corps was lost in the biggest defeat ever suffered by South African forces.

Smuts returns from exile in Guinea

It was at this point the government made the controversial decision to bring Jan Smuts back from exile to replace du Toit as Chief of the Army. This proved to be a crucial decision and under the guidance of Smuts the South African military was eventually able to surround the Belgians and force their 108,000 troops from the continent. While Jan Smuts will take most of the credit for such a resounding victory, were his predecessor had failed we cannot under estimate the effect Adolf Hitler had on the battle when the Nazis conquered the Belgian homeland. 

The Afrikaan Illuminati Part XII - A South Africa HOI3 AAR

The Fuhrer is in constant contact with die Broederbond.

Herr Hitler has been on the phone again. The German chancellor is requesting that the mighty South Africa join his League of Fascist nations, the Axis. It's certainly a tempting offer.

The rise of Nationalism here in South Africa is not a phenomenon unique to our great nation. All over the world countries are turning to Fascistic movements. Not just the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party in Europe but the tentacles of Nationalism are spreading to the four corners of the globe. Internationally Fascism is winning the ideological debate. Some times by force through aggressive expansion. 

While die Broederbond debate whether to ally with the Fuhrer we take a look at the current position the Axis find themselves in.

GERMANY

Germany herself has caused quite a stir in Europe after conquering many of its neighbors. The armies of Europe look powerless to resist the might of the German Reich. Austria was the first to fall, followed swiftly by Czechoslovakia and Poland. The biggest test of the German military was vs France who despite their best efforts also fell to the mighty German army.

The fall of France to the Nazis is significant for two reasons. Firstly Adolf Hitler helped to establish Vichy France in the North of Africa in the area known locally as Algeria. This helps to cement Axis powers in the North of Africa. Secondly, as leaders of the Allies the fall of France sends shock waves around the world. Leadership of the Allied forces now falls to the United States.

ITALY

While moves in Europe have been rare the Kingdom of Italy have not been shy about expanding their domain here in Africa. After annexing and eventually puppeting the Empire of Ethiopia Benito Mussolini turned his attention to Northern Africa. First the Italians nipped over the Mediterranean to conquer the nation of Libya and are now making moves on Egypt.

Has Mussolini bitten off more than he can chew? 

The good news is that should the Italians conquer the Egyptians this would give them control of the Suez canal and a direct route from Tripoli in Libya to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. The bad news is that the American navy just dropped off the marines to liberate Libya and paratroopers have landed in Ethiopia.

JAPAN
 

Emperor Hirohito has been the busiest boy over in the Far East. His battles with the Chinese warlords has been both bloody and brutal.  The Empire of Japan (and her puppets Manchukuo and Eastern Habei Council) continue their assault on the Chinese mainland and have already defeated Shadong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Communist China, Nationalist China, Xibei San Ma and are now taking the fight to Guangxi Clique. 

The Imperial Japanese Navy has also begun an invasion of allied member the Philippines. It won't be long and till the Far East stretches all the way to the Middle East.

ARGENTINA

Although not actually an Axis member the South American country of Argentina is ruled by the fascist dictatorship and iron fist of Agustín P. Justo. They too have aggressively expanded their borders. After hoovering up tiny Uruguay and Chile Argentina made moves on Paraguay and Bolivia. All of which, along with the Falkland Islands, are now part of Argentina.

The Brazilian-Argentinian war continues to rage and should Agustín P. Justo defeat their biggest rivals it seems nobody in South America will stand in their way.

Thanks to the Monroe Doctrine all nations in the Americas have their independence guaranteed by the United States, who along with the United Kingdom have declared war on Argentina. There has been very little response though with neither nation launching any sort of attack.

At this moment in time it appears that the Axis has the upper hand around the world. Yet we are torn on whether to become official Axis members. We have great relations with all the members (including Hungary) yet if we are to achieve our long term aim of conquering the entire African Continent then we are going to have to come to blows with the Kingdom of Italy at some point.

The Afrikaans Illuminati Part XI - A Hearts of Iron III AAR

December 24th 1938 is a date that will live long in the history of South Africa. Tales of the bold and courageous move made by PM Johannes van Rensburg and the Ossewabrandwag will echo though time for centuries. It was on this day that South Africa commenced “Operation Manifest Destiny” and declared open war on their former masters the United Kingdom and kicked off the “Third Boer War”. 

 

Die Broederbond planning their military strategy

Buoyed by our recent successes in the Portuguese-South African war we set our sights high: The plan was to conquer half the African continent in a matter of days and finally rid the continent of British interference once and for all.

It all started when Foriegn Minister Gert Cronje was commissioned to issue a declaration of war on the nation of Belgium. It brings me great pleasure to imagine King Leopold III's face on Christmas morning when he awoke to the news that the Belgian Congo had been annexed into South Africa. By seizing the cities of Boma and Leopoldville just two divisions of South African Infantry had captured the entire colony in a single day.

The SA Infantry Brigades stationed on the border with Belgian Congo

As expected the United Kingdom honoured their guarantee of Belgian independence and declared war on South Africa within hours. Aside from the massive land grab and resource gains this was our intention. To get the UK to start the war with us.

Kings Leopold III and Edward VIII were caught with their Christmas pants down.

Imagine the surprise on the face of Edward VIII as he discovered six of his protectorates (North and South Rhodesia, Bechunaland, Nygaasland, Tanganyika and British Kenya) were under attack by South African farmers while his best generals were tucking into their Christmas dinners.

The South African Citizen Force - Farms with Arms in full effect

While Bechuanaland and the Rhodesia's fell with ease the remaining protectorates proved more difficult. Hampered by difficult terrain, and in some cases bad weather the South African Active Citizen Forces struggled to capture key cities in Tanganyika and Nygassland. Funny, the terrain was a bigger obstacle than any military opposition they could muster and within a month all but Kenya had been annexed into New South Africa.

The Kenyans however proved far more difficult to defeat. After the Italian annexation of Ethiopia and the aggressive behaviour of its allies (Italian Somalia and Eritrea) Robert Brooke-Popham and the Kenyan government had invested quite heavily in its defence in anticipation of a potential Italian invasion which never came. The professional Infantry Brigades of the South African army launched an amphibious assault on the Port of Mombasa and gradually forced the Kenyan army into a surrender.

The army gets a heroes return from the front lines.

The whole "Operation Manifest Destiny" was supposed to last mere days, two weeks tops. In the end it took our military a whole FIVE months to capture these seven protectorates. The geography and infrastructure of the continent proved to be the biggest stumbling block we faced and this proved to be a massive oversight on the side of Chief of the Army C. de Weenburg du Toit.

It was during the victory parade in Cape Town that Seymour Jacklin, Minister for Intelligence, handed us this shocking memo: The Belgians had landed here in Africa, in the province of Cabinda and were making advancements into our territory.

 This time is was us with our pants down.

The Afrikaans Illuminati Part X - A Hearts of Iron III AAR

August 1938

GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES "ARMS FOR FARMS" PROGRAM 

 Used military rifles are now to be handed out to farmers.

Thanks to recent advancements the South African militray are now equipped with superior weapons to those used in the recent Portuguese-South Africa war. The Prime Minister Johan van Rensburg has decreed that the previous batch of rifles will be handed out to land owners across the country. 

"Its constantly in the back of our mind" van Rensburg explained "At any point we could be the victims of an invasion by European powers. It makes sense to enable our people to defend themselves - with guns. We cannot afford to be unprepared for such an event." 

What this transcribes to is the creation of 15 additional reserve milita divisions around the country, mainly in rural areas and along the borders with North and South Rhodesia, Bechuanaland, Tanganyaki and the Belgian Congo. Many of those covered by the program are either veterans from the 2nd Boer war or their direct decendants. 

"Afrikaans land owners were the hardest hit by the collapse of the agriculural sector. Those brave men did not fight against British Imperialism to be left behind like that. We must to more to help the hardworking farmers of this great nation." 

"In South Africa, under my government, we look after those who risked their lives for this country." van Rensburg explained to the gathered media. 

 "A lot of focus has gone in to the technological development and industrialization of South Africa. That's somethign we all support. But with our population swelling we need to look again at food production to ensure that every citizen of South Africa is well fed." 

 

The Afrikaans Illuminati Part IX - A Hearts of Iron III AAR

ASSIMILATION IS TOP PRIORITY FOR OSSEWABRANDWAG

Prime Minister J van Rensburg outlines the 1938 plans.

With the Peace Treaty of Rome signed, and the war over, Prime Minister Johannes van Rensburg turns his attention from International affairs back to domestic policy. His number one priority will be the successful integration of the former Portuguese Colonies into South Africa.

"The war with Portugal was a resounding success." The Prime Minister explained. "We have freed millions of people from colonial rule in Angola and Mozambique. Their suffering at the hands of the tyrannical Antonio Salazar is over. Now our focus must be on rebuilding those nations and integrating their people into South Africa."

How things look after the Portuguese-South African War.

It is understood by Die Burger reporters that Angola and Mozambique will be allowed to elect their own representatives in the Union Building and will be treated as 'States' of South Africa — much like the Cape Colony, Orange Free State or Namibia. Whilst federal laws issued by Ossewabrandwag must be enforced the 'states' are largely free to govern themselves.

Many of those living in the new states of Angola and Mozambique are of Portuguese or native ancestry and do not speak Afrikaans. This will prove as a stumbling block for people living in those areas as Afrikaans in the official language of the nation.

"The Afrikaanse Taal en Kultuurvereniging (Afrikaans Language and Culture Association) has been tasked with the hugely important role of reeducating those who are unable to speak the language and ensuring that the ideas and values of Afrikaans culture are spread to the new states."

Moulding the future of Afrikaaner children is most important.

Van Rensburg has announced that the government plans to rewrite the national curriculum focusing on the Afrikaans struggle for Indepence and the evils of the European colonists, particularly the British, who first settled here. More attention will also be paid to physical education ensuring that the next generation of citizens will be well-prepared for military service.

Children between the ages of 11 and 15 will be required to join "die Voortrekkers" a scout like group where its members enjoy activities such as camping and cooking alongside their youthful compatriots. It is hoped that such a move will encourage integration between Afrikaans children of different social status and non-natives from the new states of Angola and Mozambique.

 A Voortrekkers scout group

Plans for the nations acquired in Western Africa are radically different. The islands of Cape Verde will serve as a top of the range Military and Naval base. Troops may be stationed here to defend the African continent from invasion from European powers. The nation of Guinea however will be transformed into a penal colony.

"National Unity is at the highest it has ever been while dissent has fallen to record lows: largely thanks to the introduction of the Gryshemde in key areas around the country. The move to industrialize South African economy is paying dividends, with four new factories opening in Johannesburg providing employment opportunities for low skilled workers in the area." explained the Prime Minister.

"Also, with the exception of crude oil, South African stockpiles of natural resources continues to grow. The absorption of mineral rich Angola into South Africa plays a large part in this. The government has also invested in Coal to Fuel conversion averting a potentially disastrous future fuel shortage."

The Afrikaans Illuminati Part VIII - A Hearts of Iron III AAR

VICTORY FOR SOUTH AFRICA
 

The people of Cape Town gather outside the Town Hall to hear the news.

Prime Minister Johannes van Rensburg has announced that the war between South Africa and Portugal has officially ended. "The Treaty of Rome" was signed at a secret peace summit, mediated by Benito Moussolini, in the Italian Capital. The Kingdom of Italy has positive relations with both sides of the conflict and were able to provide a neutral setting for talks to occur.

After negoiating through the night PM Johannes van Rensburg and his Portuguese counterpart António de Oliveira Salazar finally reached an agreement acceptable by both parties. South Africa would retain control over both Portuguese East and West Africa as well as Guinea and the Cape Verde Islands. In return Ossewabrandwag agreed to return the islands of Sao Tome and Principe to the Portuguese government.

 Antonio Salazar, flanked by advisors, signs the "Treaty of Rome"

"This is a historic day for South Africa" beamed Foriegn Secretary Gert Cronje. "Today we have shown the powers in Europe that we are not to be messed with. That the South African military can hold its own with anyone. And that the liberation of these nations demonstrates that the Age of African colonization is coming to an end."

The war between South Africa and Portugal had reached a stalemate long ago. By capturing Portuguese Guinea the South African Military had made it impossible for troops or supplies to reach Portuguese African colonies from continental Europe. Ossewabrandwag had considered a naval invasion of mainland Portugal but deemed the move as frivolous and unnecessary.

The return of peace to the shores of South Africa also brings about an end to the controversial "Three Year Draft Policy" enacted during the Portuguese-South African War. Chief of the Army C. de Weenburg du Toit has revealed that the nation will now return to a volunteer force.

VICTORY FOR SOUTH AFRICA

Prime Minister Johannes van Rensburg has announced that the war between South Africa and Portugal has officially ended. "The Treaty of Rome" was signed at a secret peace summit, mediated by Benito Moussolini, in the Italian Capital. The Kingdom of Italy has positive relations with both sides of the conflict and were able to provide a neutral setting for talks to occur.

After negoiating through the night PM Johannes van Rensburg and his Portuguese counterpart António de Oliveira Salazar finally reached an agreement acceptable by both parties. South Africa would retain control over both Portuguese East and West Africa as well as Guinea and the Cape Verde Islands. In return Ossewabrandwag agreed to return the islands of Sao Tome and Principe to the Portuguese government.

Antonia Salazar, flanked by advisors, signs the "Treaty of Rome"

"This is a historic day for South Africa" beamed Foriegn Secretary Gert Cronje. "Today we have shown the powers in Europe that we are not to be messed with. That the South African military can hold its own with anyone. And that the liberation of these nations demonstrates that the Age of African colonization is coming to an end."

The war between South Africa and Portugal had reached a stalemate long ago. By capturing Portuguese Guinea the South African Military had made it impossible for troops or supplies to reach Portuguese African colonies from continental Europe. Ossewabrandwag had considered a naval invasion of mainland Portugal but deemed the move as frivolous and unnecessary.

The return of peace to the shores of South Africa also brings about an end to the controversial "Three Year Draft Policy" enacted during the Portuguese-South African War. Chief of the Army C. de Weenburg du Toit has revealed that the nation will now return to a volunteer force.