Authors Note: Hey everyone. This is my 3rd attempt to bring my Code Geass Story to Life. Decided instead of doing a full backstory (i.e. character development/conversation, etc) I'd present the first few chapters like a history book, before I get to the cannon beginning of Code Geass.

Will be drawing VERY heavily on terms used by various European Dictatorships. Cause I think that the series proves that Democracy is just not a viable governmental system in the CG universe. The European Union while initially strong eventually falls (and not entirely sure just how democratic it was), while the Chinese Federation (more of a oligarchy than a true communist dictatorship) loses its status as a world power when it fragments.

(Excerpt from Chancellor Kruger's 6th annual Nuremberg Speech. European Calendar 228)

My People. Sons and Daughters of Europe. For many years, we have been a broken nation.

Shunned! Oppressed! And conquered by those we sought to placate!

5 years ago, I asked for time. And that time was granted by you.

YOU! The strength in my arm. The holder of my dreams

Our forefathers built a nation that was to serve as a shining beacon for all of mankind. A nation for freedom! Europe became that freedom!

The Great War changed our country. At first it weakened us! But in fact we were growing, Stronger!

In the time you have given me, I have rebuilt our nation! I have rebuilt our strength! AND I HAVE REBUILT OUR PRIDE!

Our enemies at home have been reeducated! We have given them new insights into our cause!

On this day, we stand united once more. ON THIS DAY, those driven to divide us will hear our VOICE!

On this day, we shall act as one, and we shall be ignored NO MORE!

Defenders of the European dream, NOW IS OUR TIME!

Though it has only been slightly more than half a decade since Chancellor Friedrich Krueger transformed the decadent European Union into the Gross Europa Reich, one must never forget that our nation's resurgence came about during perhaps the darkest time in European History.

Our gallant troops fighting in increasing desperation to keep the armies of the Britannia Empire from advancing deeper into the heartland of mother Europe.

Civilians being forced to experience the true horrors of the modern battlefield as Britannian planes continued to try and bomb us into submission, while those unfortunate to find themselves trapped behind enemy lines found themselves enslaved in the very lands that they had once called home.

Our political leaders hampering the war effort by hoarding men and material from the front lines just so they could feel more secure, while the more treacherous hid behind the Constitution while they did their utmost to cripple the war effort by either refusing to adopt harsher levels of rationing or leaking valuable Intel to the enemy.

However, in spite of these handicaps, our fighting men and women were able to slow down the Imperial advance from both Siberia and South Africa for 4 long years. And thanks to their countless sacrifices, they helped to ensure that the saviors of our great nation would have enough strength left to not only shatter the myth of Britannian superiority, but also helped to ensure that their would be no stab in the back from our former political leaders.

And thanks to the combined efforts of our loyal citizens and the diligence shown by the members of Chancellor Krueger's loyal security forces, these traitors to Mother Europe were acquainted with the type of justice that deserves to be meted out to the worse of criminals.

But as everybody knows, the victory over our foe was assure when a small group of patriotic officers, with the then Brigadier General Friedrich Krueger being the youngest member of this dedicated group having been promoted to that rank at the age of 24, concealed their plans to launch one last desperate offensive in the hopes that they could by additional time for the Eastern Front to stabilize. What no one could have dreamed was that this plan would start off the changes that would not only ensure the continued survival of Europe as a global superpower, but would also place into the spot light a leader with the same charisma and skill as the founder of the European Union. Napoleon Bonaparte.

But the purpose of this book is to not only highlight the Chancellor's rise to power, but also to offer a detailed summary on the course of the Great War, starting from the early years of the war to the Beijing Peace Accords. For every loyal citizen must know that the Holy Britannian Empire was, and remains our most determined enemy, and since no one else possesses the ability to prevent the world from becoming the sole dominion of the Lustful Emperor, it falls to our valiant soldiers and sailors to both protect our borders, but also promote the cause of freedom in those countries that have fallen under the Britannian Yoke.

...

To start off, lets take a moment to compare both the size, structure, and equipment that both the European and the Imperial Armed Forces possessed at the start of the Great War.

Before the outset of the Britannian Invasion, from a population that numbered slightly over 1 billion people, Europe's armed forces possessed 11 million men and women in uniform, with inactive reserves and domestic forces bringing the total to around 13.5 million.

Of this number, 69% (9 million) were members of the United European Army, whose 90 divisions were primarily tasked with the important job of defending the borders of the EU from any potential enemy. Though the numbers might seem impressive at first, it must be remembered that thanks to a list of prewar decisions made by the European congress, the land forces of Europe had been greatly weakened in their ability to protect the motherland. Though each division possessed a high degree of mobility, the army was structured around the traditional role of infantry combat, meaning that the majority of its officers were insufficiently trained for combating an enemy that chose to fight along the principles of mass armored formations. That wasn't to say that the army did not possess any capability of resisting our future enemies once we took to the field of battle. For although nearly 2/3's of our nation's 7000 tank force was spread in countless independent battalions to add a bit of back bone to the infantry, 5 divisions had been organized as dedicated tank formations, which bore the brunt of Europe's initial attempts to slow down the Britannian advance into the homeland.

Officially, the peace time strength for the European Army division stood at 16,000 men, 2000 vehicles, 80 pieces of artillery,20 anti tank guns, and 15 anti aircraft cannons. But in practice most European divisions averaged only around 80% of this total

The tank divisions, in addition to having over 1000 more vehicles to help keep their 250 tanks fully supplied, also possessed 2 full batteries of fully mechanized self propelled guns, bringing up the total number of armored fighting vehicles to around 270.

The European Navy on the other hand, while possessing a smaller manpower compliment when compared to the army (nearly 1.5 million men and women), was widely regarded to be the best weapon in our arsenal, and considering the strength of our fleets, their was some truth to this. With 12 air craft carriers, 26 cruisers, 80 destroyers, and 60 submarines stationed along our Atlantic coasts, it was easy to see why the Empire chose to launch their invasions in sea's where our naval forces were fare less potent. And unlike the army, the Navy has always been viewed as our primary defense against direct invasions from the New World. And to the pride of a greatly relived nation, that proved to be true during the Great War.

Of course, the navy had stationed squadrons along both the Pacific and African coasts, but these had been effectively written off by the European High Command due to the amount of time it would take to reinforce them with ships from the primary fleet. That wasn't to say that they weren't unflinching in their duty when the war broke, but the fact remained that those far squadrons could only die gloriously when confronted by a numerically superior enemy.

The European Air force, while possessing a large number of active duty pilots and a substantial number in the reserves, bringing the total to over 40,000, nevertheless suffered from a number of defects that contributed to the loss of air supremacy early in the war. Intense rivalry's in the industrial sector ensured that were multiple models fulfilling the same function, increasing not only the difficulties of supplying a highly technological force, but also ensuring that the rate of production was unacceptable low. Then of course there was the constant interference by the government on what should be the primary doctrine of the our 6000 plane air force. Some wanted to focus on a purely defensive air force, while others wanted it to possess a long range capability to attack our enemies homeland.

Both the Army and the Navy also complicated matters when they tried to force through their own opinions on how the EAF could support their efforts on the battlefield. The army wanted a force that was capable of not only achieving air superiority, but could also deliver accurate strikes on both the enemies armed forces, but also the logistics that supported their efforts in the field. The navy on the other hand wanted a force that was tailored for long range reconnaissance patrols, while also possessing an ability to deliver attacks on enemy shipping without the need for carrier aircraft.

Further complicating the effectiveness of our military was the fact that like the administrative body of the EU itself, their was no common language between the members of the armed forces, though the navy had largely escaped this problem due to the fact that the majority of its man power stemmed from the major countries of Germany and the British Isles, ensuring that both the officers and the men would only have to learn 1 more language in addition to their own.

The importance of certain nations was also reflected in the amount of military units Parliament deployed to each potential theater of war. The Western Theater, encompassing everything north of the straits of Gibraltar, and everything west of Poland, had at the outbreak of the Great War 32 Infantry Divisions, 3900 tanks, of which only 750 were concentrated in the 3 armored divisions, 2900 aircraft, and the all powerful North Atlantic Fleet. The African Continent on the other hand had been allotted 16 Infantry divisions, 1300 tanks, and 900 aircraft, most of which was spread thinly along the entirety of the coast, with only a small remnant being held back as a central reserve. And since Parlimanet had decided to keep 24 infantry divisions and 1 tank division as a general reserve, that left only 18 infantry and 800 tanks, of which 250 where concentrated in the 1 tank division, to cover the vast expanse of the Siberian territory.

The Britannian military on the other hand was both larger in number, and far more unified in its doctrine than the forces it faced during the onset of the Great War.

Due to the recent reforms put into place by the 98th Emperor, Charles Di Britannia, the Imperial Army possessed 18 million soldiers under arms, with an additional 12 million collaborators who have chosen to turn their backs on their proud history in order to be considered 2nd class citizens of the the Britannian Empire. And unlike our forces, whose methods hearken back to the days of positional warfare, the Imperial Army has always been tailored to go on the offensive, meaning that over half of their 16,000 tanks were concentrated in 53 armored divisions with 200 tanks apiece. And though their 120 infantry divisions possessed only slightly less mobility than our own divisions, the fact remained that they were motorized enough to help exploit whatever gains where made by their tank divisions.

A typical Britannian Infantry Division in the early stages of the war was also comparatively larger than its European counterpart (each one standing at about 19,000 men) though the amount of artillery it possessed was about equal to that of our own divisions. However, at this point of time it is important to note the different designs of Brittanian weaponry when compared to our own, as well as the methods in which they were used.

Due to being designed in a culture that praised the individual heroism of a regular solider, Britannian weaponry, whether it be rifles, tanks, or artillery, had all been designed to reflect the importance of the offensive, with little to no regard given to the merits of defense. This largely meant more powerful bullets, faster vehicles, and large artillery. The European method however reflected the defensive nature of our military's doctrine, and this was best exemplified in the design of our weapons. Faster firing machine guns, more heavily armored tanks, and longer ranged artillery ensured that on equal terms, our troops would always be able to halt any enemy advance. And even outnumbered, which our troops always were until the last few years of the conflict, our brave soldiers would nevertheless be able to inflict numerous causality on the Britannian foe before being forced to fall back in the face of their material superiority.

However, in addition to their greater material resources, the Britannian Army was also in the process of developing a weapon that would soon render all other forms of mechanized combat obsolete. And while it gained more publicity in its role during the invasion of Japan, it would be on the frozen plains of Western Russia that the Knightmare frame made its first combat performance.

The Royal Britannian Navy on the other hand, while certainly possessing a large and powerful array of ships, nevertheless suffered from a lack of prestige, and a large pool of experienced personnel. Since many of the Britannian aristocracy saw naval services as nothing more than a gloried version of transporting cargo, the majoirty of the officer corps consisted of ordinary citizens who had risen from the ranks, or members of the nobility whose only experience in naval matters was the odd racing competition along the Mississippi River or in the Chesapeake Bay.

That wasn't to say that the Imperial Naval forces were complete lacking when it came to competent naval officers. But thanks to the importance Britanian society attributed to personal status, few of these officers ever managed to command more than a flotilla of ships, which in part helped the ability of the small isolated squadrons of Siberia and Southern Africa to inflict far more damage than what should have been possible considering the large numerical advantage the Brits enjoyed in these far out theatres of war.

The quality and quantity of Britannian naval vessels at the start of the Great War must also be recognized, for without a sizeable modern fleet under its control, both to transport its forces and to serve as a deter to other nonaffiliated powers, it would have been near impossible for the Britanian War machine to support a mass maritime invasion, let alone launching one in the first place.

Unlike its naval forces, the Royal Britannian Air force was seen as a highly prestigious branch of the armed forces, and as such benefited from having not only a large supply of enthusiastic manpower, but also from having a far more streamlined aircraft industry that focused on producing limited types of one product instead of having multiple companies producing multiple versions of the same aircraft.

With 90,000 trained pilots, with slightly over 60% of them being active duty, and over 10,000 frontline aircraft, the RBA was structured to not support its force's on the battlefield, but also bring the horrors of war to the civilian population. The one area where their training was deficient was in the realm of home defense, but this was understandable since the Britannian homeland was far out of range for most conventional means.

While numerically superior to our forces, the Britannian's also possessed one distinct advantage over the European military that was to remain a constant irritant up until the closing days of the war.

Until Chancellor Krueger passed the Common Language Bill, the European military was burdened with the task of trying to coordinate men and women who possessed not only differences in language, but culture as well. This of course impacted unit cohesion, since it was not uncommon for officers to be the only person present who could speak the necessary languages in order to command their troops. And since it is a common trait for the common solider to target officers in the field, this placed tremendous stress on combat units in the field.

The Britannians possessed none of these language barriers. The Empire spoke one common language, possessed one culture, though there were some regional differences, and for the most part only allowed its citizens to serve as soldiers. The Honorary Britannian system had not yet been implemented, but Imperial forces did possess a substantial number of conquered subjects in their ranks, though these were largely regulated to non-combat positions. But as was common with Imperial policy, these traitors to their country were required to possess a firm grasp of English before they could be allowed to serve, and it was not unheard of to hear rumors of numbered troops being executed because they spoke in their mother tongue.

So at the onset of the Great War, the two Super Powers each possessed various strengths and weaknesses that would help to determine the course of the early stage of the conflict.

While European forces possessed great capability to defend its borders, doctrine and politics ensured that the largest and best formations where stationed to defend the countries deemed most valuable for the EU's survival, while those areas deemed less crucial where starved of all but the most basic of resources. It's weaponry was up to date, but slow to arrive to front line units as European manufactures preferred to make their own products instead of collaborating.

Imperial forces on the other hand, while not only larger than those possessed by Europe, were also supported by a well-managed industry sector, but also enjoyed a far more unified political structure that enjoyed none of the quarrelsome nature that was prevalent before Chancellor Krueger's ascension.

And as will be discussed in the next chapter, these factors would go a long way to ensure the success of the Britannian invasion during the opening phase of the war.

(This chapter has been approved by the Gross Europa Reich's Security Services.)

So...what you all think :)?

If you have questions, leave them in the reviews with your comments, and will do my best to answer them in the following chapter.