A window of opportunity 1905

(a little something I tried write some years ago as a WI - amended to fit this TL)

Ernst Röhm commander of the Bolivian Army
Röhm had left Germany following the death of Adolph Hitler in 1928 for a position with the Bolivian Army. His command of spanish and his Great War record as a tactical leader paved the way into the Bolivian Officers Corps.
Röhm had been spotted by Bolivian Minister of War General Hans Kundt who had also a Great War past with the Imperial German Army. Following the 1930 military coup Kundt had been sacked. With ongoing squabbles with Paraguay on the Gran Chaco area which erupted into war in 1932 Kundt was brought back into leading the Army against the Paraguayans. Handling command rather badly displying his mediocre leadership of the Great War in mainly using costly frontal assaults somebody in Government had by 1933 decided to bring Röhm back into Army business as a field commander.
Sacking Kundt Röhm began rebuilding the Bolivian Army during early 1934 during a truce in which he had been helped by the Italian Fascist Government (Mussolini) having much more urgent things to address regarding Yugoslavia due to which the Italian military mission to Paraguay was pulled out to serve the motherland.
Sensing an opportunity the French Government had provided the Bolivians with much needed fighteraircraft through a willing Chile, old but airworthy and in numbers, to counter the small supply of Italian CR30 and 32 fighters to Paraguay. Also a few light tanks had been forwarded but Röhm having prior to the war been surveying the Gran Chaco during the Oil craze asked for trucks instead which the French grudingly supplied and began looking for another recepient of their obsolete light tanks.
Röhm well knew from his surveying that water or rather the lack of it was crucial in the Gran Chaco hence he abolished almost all cavalry units to use the horses for logistics along the new trucks; troops had to stick to the leg mode.
Röhm also made good use of intelligence provided by the Bolivian transport pilots to build a picture of the Paraguayan defences and decided to use the transport/bombers aircraft along the new French fighters to strafe Paraguyan logistics convoys instead of trying to bomb Army positions leaving this to the artillery.
Unlike Kundt Röhm due to his tactical experiences relied heavily on the Bolivian Army Officers of which many were quite qualified to their job as well as on the NCOs which he had experienced in the Great War as the backbone of the German Army. Röhm expected his subordinates to do their job his way.
This different attitude and use of the Bolivian Army would make for the Bolivians believe in Röhm and willing to do the job.
With a slower tempo but eventual disruption of Paraguayan water, fuel and ammunition supply and slowly advancing with artillery support Röhm had been able to turn the scales of the war; stopping the Paraguay advance and then forcing them back.
By the turn of the year Röhm had the Bolivian Army on the Pitiantuta lake where the war had begun.
In early 1936 the Bolivian Army having received new stocks of ammunition and with better training of new units the experienced units led the assault on the Paraguayans whose benefactor Italy had been defeated by the French. Lacking ammunition the Paraguayans afraid of having Asuncion on the frontline had asked Argentina and Brazil for aid both diplomatically and military which by summer 1936 had seen a peace conference convene at Peru as both Argentina and Brazil had been quarelling for months as to who was to run the conference which Chile ruled out due to its less than covert aid to Bolivia ruled out.
Bolivia ended up with most of Gran Chaco Boreal as the Paraguayans by now just wanted an end to the war. The new border ran along the Bolivian advance of 1932 (blue dotted line) extended northeast to the Rio Paraguay bend. Both parties got part of Gran Chaco which as test drills began during 1937 showed no signs of oil. Which led to fall of the Bolivian Government and General Ernst Röhm to flee Bolivia only to return to Germany during 1938 where he was offered a civilian position with the German Military Mission to China as an advisor and quietly whisked away from any public interest.

1939
Italy begin drilling for oil in the hinterlands of the coast of Great Syrte Bay. There are some finds of traces of oil but no breakthrough. Prof. Desio however is sure he is right on track and as the numbers of Italian settlers are slowly rising Government is still interested in supporting the search for mineral oil. One element in coercing poor farmers to migrate to Libya was cheap land and tax-excemption for the first five years; as Italy was still suffering from the economic crisis following the Great War as was everybody more or less but more than most due to the fragile Italian economy something drastic had to be done. The hope was oil to pay the dues – if not found something seriously had to be done..
Italy had found a willing customer in the Sovietunion for warships and merchantmen as yard capacity was lacking and the Soviets needed to do something for the Navy in the Far East facing the Japanese so old ties from the Fascist days had been renewed and a sales treaty signed giving Italy much needed coal in return to fire the furnaces and homes of Italy.

China
Chiang Kai-Chek had for some years tolerated a Sovietunion presence in the Xinkiang Province in northwest China as the Japanese threat had occupied too many resources.
Feeling strenghtened by the Germans building up of his military forces as well as the industry in central China Chiang ordered troops into Xinkiang to expel the Soviets from the Province. Chiang had been sure that the small but steady supply of chinese built aircraft, tanks and artillery as well as ammunition had made his troops able to evict the Soviets even if it should lead to war.

Following the Chinese troops into Xinkiang was a German military advisor and former Bolivian Army General Ernst Röhm.
Rhöm felt quite at home in the desert Xinkiang reminding him of his time in Gran Chaco and advising the Chinese officers to treat the terrain in like manner; use trucks and horses as well as camels for logistics – aircraft for reconnaisance and mainly leg infantry and artillery for the land grab. It seemed work quite well though the Chinese still wanted to use cavalry for part of partrolling but then the Chinese had much larger numbers of everything with legs than Röhm had had in Gran Chaco. They was lacking motortransport but Röhm had so too in Gran Chaco and it didn't deter him.
Chiangs offensive did lead to war as some Soviet cavalry brigades supported by aircraft began operations in Xinkiang; with more troops drawn from the Central Asian Military District moving towards the Chinese border and Xinkiang.
Other Soviet troops from the Central Asian Military District was making way into the Badakhshan, the eastern tongue of Afghanistan linking it to China and Xinkiang.
The Soviet move into Badakhshan alerted the British and movement of troops from Rawalpindi into Swat Province was effected to block any possible Soviet advance into India.
War surely make for strange bedfellowes as the Soviets resisted the Chinese advance and retaking of its Province; the Japanese had been building its Armies in Manchuoko to an acceptable level to begin moving troops into position for an attack on the Soviet troops in the west and north of Machuoko which had occupied the areas since the 1938 war. The Soviets soo became aware of the Japanese movements and began taking precautions not wanting to initiate war to be able to blame the Japanese and its bourgeois supporters of the West.

Uncle Joe
Seeing enemies on all sides in the Far East Stalin intensified his purges of possible rebels/counterrevolutionaries as well as mobilizing even more national resources for war which demanded even more sacrifices such as deporting various state-enemies to fill the ranks for manual labour to ease the strain on mechanical devices.
Seeing enemies all over his place Stalin had also looked across the borders but without a friend in the west he had very little to do there. Finland would be a nice target but the Scandinavians had teamed up since 1905 and Finland had become part of the Nordic system. The military cooperation being part of it didn't look too promising.
Poland was another target as well but under the blanket allied to Japan; which had been a pain in the back literally in the Far East easily coming back year after year no matter how much the Red Army had defeated it. Poland had apparently reconciliating to some degree with Germany which was odd on the part of Germany that seemed a no go as well.
That made for the Balkans none of which had any special interest in going communist; the annoying part being France having negotiated the Little Entende including Romania which had to some degree passed the test during the Yugoslav Crisis and War. France had become quite activist having defeated Italy so it might not be the way though the oppressed masses of the area were only waiting for emancipation from their feudal and capitalist overlords.
Which left Turkey! And Bulgaria. Promise Bulgaria eastern Thrake and Istanbul and take the eastern shore for himself and the rest later. The Turk during the Great War offensive into Georgia hadn't gone well as hadn't its post the Great War intervention in that area. Kemals phoenix post the Greek invasion was something to respect. The problem in eastern Turkey would be the roads or rather lack of those so bad logistics unless things were done along the coast or just do it old-timey without motorization relying on numbers and laying railroad track and why not? Even the mere thought of his going south instead of west would have the British and French look to the Middle East and divert forces.
And what about the Americans – well his minions there were doing a good job and they had their own to battle. Though they were doing a very good job of telling the Americans that he was doing a good job in keeping the Japanese from invading China which they seemed to have an odd love for - which he simply just didn't understand but it was a great help and nobody really seemed to care about Xinkiang. Except the British.
And China – well he needed the Chinese Communists to make themselves felt. Government was really doing too well in the last war and he didn't need that. He had to help his minions in China but they also needed to help themselves. So using the patchwork of China to support a warlord against the Government in one area the Communists in another and Government on its own; all to stir up trouble. What more may you wish for! If whishes doesn't come true then lend fortune a helping hand.
Soon new tanks would be ready and then Japan would be done with.

Finland face communist agitation against government. Nordic countries support Finland and make a number of Jaktfalk model 1935 fighters used primerily as fighter trainers available for Finn use in effect almost doubling the Finn airforce fighter numbers.
Also the fall manouevres in Finland have some Danish Navy ships participating in the Gulf of Finland, Swedish troops moving by rail from Luleå across the border at Haparanda for Oulu to act as the enemy force and Norwegian submarines operating in Varanger Fiord in the Arctic.
The action is duly noted in Moscow confirming Stalin in his asessment of the Nordic cooperation.
The Nordic countries supplying the Baltic States with a number of the older Jaktfalk model fighter is however taken up by Soviet propagande accusing the Nordic countries of disturbing the peace of the Baltic area which only serves for a Royal presence at the final manouevres at Hangö simulating a landing of an invasion force of Danish and Swedish troops.
Less obvious is a meeting at Stockholm of the Nordic Primeministers discussing the recent events and agreeing to continue the cooperation on security matters. Besides Finland Norway see the most aggressive local communist agitation against the state.
The Norwegian Army handles communist service objectors by placing them in camps where they chop wood for winter fuel for the poor. The Norwegian communists are furious but decide not to protest this move too strongly as they don't want to alieneate themselves from the votes of the poor.

Have been writing an update for 1940 but then got some inspiration still pertaining to 1939:

France had propped up its allies in Eastern Europe during the Yugoslavian War of 1935 and in the years before it and especially so Yugoslavia but that country had been somewhat out of orbit since because of France itself defeating Italy during the war and then immersing itself in its southern neigbour Spains problems. The only light in the dark was that Italy didn't mind buying cheap agricultural produce from Yugoslavia and it still exported metals but as the mining companies were foreign owned little funds remained within Yugoslavia.
Due to the nature of Yugoslavia being a conglomerate of peoples having little love for each other and having a very large impoverished mainly rural population internal unrest wasn't uncommon which had led to the Yugoslavian War of 1935 by the assassination attempt on King Alexander 1 in Marseille 1934 and which in essence still persisted.
The Serbs still viewed themselves as the founders of the Kingdom, the Croatians loathed them and wanted basically to go their own way and as they being Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic even religion parted their ways. Throw into this Macedonians which also wanted out and whose state were wanted by both Bulgarians and Greeks and then Muslim/Serb/Croatian Bosnia-Herzegovina which was seen as the ultimate backwater not to forget Albanian Kosovo which unfortunately occupied Kosovo Polje which was hallowed ground to Serbs. And the newcomers the proletariat of peasants and workers – mainly peasants made for a volatile mix and thus the King Alexander had made himself a dictator by abolishing the constitution on 6. January 1929 making for all to loathe him; except the Serbs.
During the five years passed since the assassination attempt on King Alexander 1 in Marseille 1934 the King hadn't managed to make himself any more loved by any in Yugoslavia except the Serbs.
There had been rumblings in Croatia which had made some impact on the agricultural export to Italy and which made the King change his mind on visiting that province this year and anyway this year would be the 550 anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo Polje 1389 one of the most defining event to Serb nation and due to which the King had to go to that place in Kosovo by 28. June which date corresponding to the date of the battle in 1389 the 15. June.
Following the memorial day the King had decided to go to Skopje, Macedonia of all places but then security was deemed sufficient.
Nothing of interest happened at Kosovo Polje but the next evening as leaving Pristina a bomb exploded close to the car. Remnants of a man was found among the debris of the vehicle and the passengers of it including the King but identification wasn't possible. However the following day the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization IMRO declared it had rid the world of the oppressor.
This led to immediate investigation of known members of the IMRO and suitable repressive means in Macedonia though soon some Intelligence Officers began suspecting Communist infiltration of the IMRO.
As word leaked out of Yugoslavia Stalin would ask his own organizations of who would be involved in Yugoslavia as it as such wasn't an area of interest. A Yugoslavian named Tito was mentioned but Stalin himself declared that man a worker and a true Communist and in no way an intellectual and there would be no idea in wasting more time on him. Rumours of Tito being a Trotskyite had been rejected too. By the way the man should be sent back to Yugoslavia to assess the situation and explore the possible involvement of the Communist Party in the assassination which hadn't been ordered by Moscow.

1940
The Italians are still working in the Bay of Great Syrte prospecting for oil; the great breakthrough haven't surfaced yet but Desio is sure he is working in the right area.
At home Italy is still struggling with a very active Communist movement making for strikes in the industrial sector and agitation in the countryside.
Foreign policy is not much of Italy's activity except in the colonial area though since the defeat in the Yugoslav War Turkey have been pestering the Italian about the Dodekanese Islands which duly trigger Greek participation. With the two outside parties shouting at each other Italy have been able to maintain status quo though more often than not in the internal political debate the islands is viewed a money sink mainly because in view of the diplomatic conflict a rather large part of the Italian Navy is on station at Rhodes. The Greeks try getting British support though the British are unwilling as their major concern is being able to have the Turks close the Straits if needed – as viewed from Downing Street.

For some years the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have been eyeing the Sovietunion nervously. As long as Stalin have had his gaze on the Far East things have been remarkably calm but this year there had been a series of accusations from Moscow raining down on the Baltic States. The three small countries still have good relations with the Nordic countries but knows quite well that those will be of little help should Stalin decide against them too and Finland having had its share of Communist agitation the year before.
The 1939 delivery from the Nordic countries of older Jaktfalk fighter planes to the Baltic countries is also the issue this year as the Baltics are accused of Bourgiouse acting and aggressive stance against their neighbours meaning the Sovietunion!
With a sizeable German descended population some right wing German political parties begin advocating that Germany protect its Volksdeutsche in the East; the idea soon gather wind not less within the Armed Forces even if Von Hammerstein-Equord warns of possible implications he isn't definitely adverse to the scheme though to some extend he have to face a battle at home with his Communist convinced daughters.
German Navy ships visit the ports of Klaipeda, Lithuania, Riga, Latvia and Tallinn, Estonia to the joy of the locals. At last some major power is paying them attention.

Far East; Manchuria
Japan is ready to strike at the Sovietunion. During fall when temperatures in the desert have subsided below summers burn the Japanese are jumping off as the Soviets are still in the process of implementing the new T-34 tanks; a new kind of heavy tank to beef op Soviet Tank units to be able to steamroll the Japanese fascists.
Except the Japanese intially getting the upper hand though they had great trouble with the few units having received the T-34 as the 37mm AP shots seemed to bounce off them. It was only later that they found that even if bouncing off at times spalling of the inside of armourplating made for serious losses to Soviet tank crews.
The Japanese however managed to bag a Tank Brigade in the western desert and slowly wear it down mainly because the Brigade ran out of fuel and then surrendered. It was a heavy blow to the Soviets and Stalin would see to that the Far Eastern Military District would understand that Uncle Joe wasn't satisfied with its performance. Tukatjevski was the natural choice of removal and replaced with General Zhukov of the Stavka.
Intent on not losing his position or own life Zhukov began by ordering all units under attack to not retreat but stay in place defending. At the same time he pulled all Tank units out of the line to replace their tanks with the T-34s coming off the line or rather flatwaggons at Chita, Siberia. The Tank units were then assembled at Chita and given a crash course on their new rides and railed as far as possible up to the front line or even further east to the Amur River.
Even if casualties were horrendous in the western desert Uncle Joe were looking on rather pleased; the line held and a month later the Far Eastern Military District was ready for the assault.

As the Russians had played for time in the desert to the north just south of Amur River the Japanese had assaulted the Russian defences as was the case to the west of Vladivostok.
The Imperial Japanese Navy, IJN, had at the outbreak of hostilities shelled Vladivostok with a Battleship Division and bombed the airfields from its Carriers but the sudden arrival of Soviet Submarines sinking a light Cruiser and two Destroyers had sent the Navy out of the area. As it withdrew one Carrier was torpedoed and immobilized. Trying to locate the Soviet Submarine the IJN probably learned an important lesson regarding ASW employment – or not.
At the next planned IJN sortie to shell Vladivostok Japanese Submarines had been sent in advance to try neutralizing the Soviet ones and kept as an outer screen searching for Soviet Subs.
Even though Vladivostok got shelled a Soviet Submarine managed to sink a Japanese Battleship the Yamashiro prompting the withdrawal of the IJN from the immediate waters of Vladivostok.
It also lead to more Japanese work on ASW units to support the main ships and made for the IJN rethink the role of its Submarines that hadn't been of much value.
Further IJN attacks on Vladivostok would be flow from Carriers of land bases in Korea.

The Japanese Army soon realized that it lacked the punch to really knock the Soviets back north of the Amur and penetrate the defences of Vladivostok. Short of heavy artillery aircraft had to deliver with the enevitable friendly fire incidents occuring just as the IJN heavy guns were missed at Vladivostok. Forward Air Controllers hadn't as yet become a stable of the Japanese Army.

To the west Zhukov had gotten his tanks rolling. Previous experiences had made Zhukov building Mechanized Divisions to supplant the Tank heavy formations of Tukatjevski's.
Outrunning the infantry the Mechanized Divisions performed really well being able to sustain battle for a longer time. True logistics did show its ugly face as units were prone to running out of fuel or ammunition due to overextension of line of communications and as such a lot of Cavalry were used to try keep the link between mechanized units and marching infantry.
At least the Cavalry didn't run out of fuel as often as the mechanized units.

With November and lowered temperatures with occasional frost during night the Soviets were back in the Shiloka Mountains though this time it was a combined force and the Soviets were able to penetrate the Mountains and break into the Manchurian Plain.
There they moved up to the western bank of the Nonni River at Lungkiang only to stop due to logistics constraints even with the aid of the Northwest Railway leading back to Chita, Siberia.
Zhukovs Army had advanced 400 kilometers/250 miles and was spent. The Japanese drew a breath of relief and began fortifying the Nonni as the first snow would fall on the battlefield.

The Soviet advance in Manchuria didn't go unnoticed in Europe or America. It was in fact a severe shock. Suddenly the Japanese Ambassadors became the member of the local group of ambassadors to invite for talks to assess the situation in the Far East and the Sovietunion in particular.
There was even some British and French talk of propping up the Japanese with heavy artillery and better anti-tank guns much to the curiosity of the Germans.
Germany silently increased its military-industrial mission to China and made an update of its trade treaty with China mainly still in the armaments sector but also in other industrial areas such as chemistry and getting minerals and agricultural supply in return. Krupp would contract the Chinese Government to build an armaments factory at Chongquing removed nicely inland.
The US also silently supplied Chennault with whats wanted and viewed his presence to be in the right spot; a number of american nationals mainly pilots would journey to China but also industrialists. China also placed an order in the US for a new generation of warships to bring its Navy above the level of brown water a couple of cruisers.
Germany had its airline Lufthansa open new routes into eastern Europe at first the Baltics and Munhacevoj in Carpato-Ukraine easternmost part of Czechoslovakia. The Czechs really didn't need it but agreed having reassessed its situation. Even if not having a direct border with the Sovietunion in the current situation having somebody to back you up seemed a kind of welcome insurance.
Poland was very vocal of being able to defend its borders but did have some talks with the Germans mainly so von Hammerstein-Equord head of German General Staff though it had no intentions of entering any formal defensive measures. Poland was also building up its arms industry as it already sold 37mm Anti-Tank guns and Anti-Tank rifles to Japan.
France also did some work in Eastern Europe mainly so in Romania which had a long border with the Sovietunion and rather weak armed forces and flimsy economy though the oilfield of Ploesti north of the capitol of Bucuresti in the foothils of the Transsilvanian Alps served a steady income from mainly Germany which also bought a substantial amount of Romanian iron. Not Swedish quality but cheaper.
Hungary in the mittle of the area had few friends even the Italians had seen little purpose in propping it up since the Yugoslavian War of 1935 and had few means to do so even if it wanted and generally it didn't.

The Nordic countries are discussing the situation; it is decided to continue joint excercises in the Baltic but also into the Arctic Sea north of Norway and Finland.
The story of a Soviet Submarine sinking the Japanese Battleship Yamashiro makes for much discussion on operations in the Baltic and how to surveille that waterbody as well as the Danish and Danish/Swedish straits. Both Denmark and Norway argue that the previous main effort in the North Sea would be a time gone by. Instead a forward presence in the Baltic like the Bay of Botnia may be necessary though that will also take the Nordics closer to the Baltics which are strengthening links with Germany being slightly annoying to Denmark; however in the present state that have to be noted but considered not a threat to Denmark.
Norway along Finland see a possible threat in the approaches to Murmansk of a Soviet Naval build up which had been ongoing since 1933. This Northern Flotilla consists mainly of Destroyers and Submarines. The Submarines there as well in the Baltic makes it necessary to focus more on ASW means for the four Navies. These could well be lesser units with mainly underwater listening devices and deptcharges that wouldn't primarily be charged with surface combat except in the event of a surfacing Submarine.
Denmark being of the opinion that Fishery Inspection ships could well carry such underwater listening devices along deptcharges to supply their guns. It would be an inexpensive way of multi mission ships that is very appealing to the Danes and the Norwegians alike. The Finns is only about to field a few patrol boats/ships at Petsamo that may fill this role; the Finn Government ask the possibility of acquiring a number of Norwegian ships suitable to the task. Sweden with its arqipelago rocky coastline also see this approach feasiable though with other types of boats/ships as some of these waters are quite narrow and/or shallow.
Having reached decision on the issue the subject of using aircraft for Submarine hunting is discussed; aircraft have on occasion during manouevres been used to spot for submerged Submarines but it is agreed that such should be implemented in future excercises to get more experience on how to utilize aircraft at sea; perhaps reconnaisance planes already in use could be subjected to this role. Torpedo bombers had been acqired in all the nations either to outfit new units or for evaluation.
The appearance of the T-34 had been much unexpected and Bofors revealed a project of a recoilless anti-tank rifle to arm infantry squads with a light AT-weapon in addition to plans for a heavier anti-tank gun of 57mm to combat the new T-34. Experience from Manchouko have revealed that the 37mm guns as well as the Japanese 20mm antitank rifle type 97 which had just intered service in the nick of time in few numbers and already obsolete. There would definitely be a market for anti-tank guns in Japan and China.

Rhöm
Rhöm was in great mood; recalled to Germany for presenting an overview to the Army at Zossen-Wunsdorff of the Soviet – Chinese war in Sinkiang 1939 and if possible of the Soviet – Japanese War in Manchuria this year.
He was only still a colonel but even then General v. Rundstedt always wore his colonels uniform! Nothing to be ashamed off.
Walk proudly briskly into the Auditorium. How he enjoyed working on his presentation. He would even give a few hints of war in Gran Chaco as the areas had many similarities; not such as the German Army would encounter in Europe but to the East perhaps. The way things were developing, perhaps.

Tito
Tito had an unremarkable journey back to Yugoslavia; by way of several European cities he expected an unnoticed journey and entry.
Upon arriving in Belgrade he soon learned from contacts that the Serbs had cracked down hard on the Macedonians; even by local standards it had been ugly. However no link to the Communist Party had been detected which annoyed the Serbs but nothing to do about it.
As such Tito started rebuilding the Yugoslavian Communist Party to his liking.
The absence of a major fascist state in Europe made life somewhat difficult for the Communist Parties as the major opponent would then have to be the general Bourgoise Establishment; only Japan offered a fascist opponent at least in the view of the Sovietunion and thus automatically condemmed.
As Yugoslavia had little if anything to supply Japan at the time the Communist Parties turned to their favourite targets France and Britain which had begun supplying Japan with heavy artillery and tanks. Those weapons however were still in transit towards Japan so the obvious place for demonstrations was the dockyards where many a blockade would be set up by the local Communist Party and torn down by Police at times assisted by Military units.
By the end of the year still no heavy artillery or western tanks had reached Japan. It did however help Britain and France get rid of now obsolete and slow tanks inferiorly armed in the context of the T-34.
The only field in which Titos country could be targetted was the trade with Germany in cheap agricultural produce and minerals export. However even if the Socialdemocratic Party of Germany was viewed a Bourgouise adversary by Moscow to many Yugoslavians even his fellow Communists it had confronted the growing Nazi-party and brought Germany away from its old Imperial ways. The Yugoslavians themselves had defeated the Italian Fascists so what to fight?
For the time being Tito would keep a low profile and continue rebuilding his party for the eventual time of reckoning.

Thanks though just a few posts up is one of March 12 though I do understand with all the stuff to look through that all isn't remembered.