GBCPS - The 'Cliff's Notes' version

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Since the main thread of the Greater Baseball Co-Prosperity Sphere is about to move into a new era, I thought it might be nice to give a shorter synopsis version of the dynasty thus far, so people can catch up easily. I will probably continue to update this as we go, so that there will always be a "condensed" version for those without time for the whole enchilada.

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THE CAREYS & ROSENS

1934

John Carey, MD (born 1900) and his wife Martha (born 1902), live in Los Angeles with their baseball-loving son John Jr. (born 1926). John Sr. comes home on August 8, 1934 to reveal to his family the death of U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the hands of an assassin. Vice-President John N. Garner assumes the presidency.

Via a newsreel, the Careys later find out that the new President has decided to not follow his predecessor's New Deal plan, but is implementing his own 'Square Deal' (a direct plagiarism of a term coined by Theodore Roosevelt years earlier). The same newsreel details the growing threat in Germany from Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime.

Meanwhile, in New York, Hiram Rosen (born 1922) mourns as his Jewish baseball hero Hank Greenberg's Detroit Tigers lose the World Series. His father, Moishe Rosen (born 1893) mourns for the economy, which continues to struggle under the 'Square Deal.'

In Japan, Babe Ruth leads a team of all-stars on a tour of the island nation, and faces off with 17-year-old phenom Eiji Sawamura. Ruth blasts a gargantuan home run off the youngster, but Sawamura comes back to strike out Ruth later in the game.

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PATH TO WAR

1936
In Los Angeles, the Careys discuss the Presidential election - Garner is re-elected, defeating Alf Landon. Carey Sr. is convinced that the Depression will continue, though he admits he doesn't think Landon would have been able to turn things around either.

In New York, Hiram Rosen tries to convince his father of the faults of isolationism - one of the tenets of Garner's platform. His father scoffs, believing that Europe's problems are for Europeans to worry about, citing the fact his family left Europe to leave such concerns behind. Hiram is convinced that the U.S.A. can't hide from the world's problems.

1937
Garner cancels the WPA, and John Carey MD loses his job. The Careys are forced to relocate to San Francisco where John's friend is Chief of Staff at a hospital. In New York, Moishe Rosen, disgusted at the continuing Depression suggests moving his family to Austria because the Nazi Party is illegal there and the economy is improving.

1938
Moishe Rosen's hopes are crushed as the Anschluss occurs and Austria is annexed to the Third Reich. Europe continues to spiral towards the Second World War, despite - or because of - the Munich Agreement which gives Hitler Czechoslovakia.

1939
In September, Hitler's armies invade Poland, igniting World War II. In San Francisco, John Carey looks at his thirteen-year-old son and realizes that it's very possible his son may someday have to go to war, because isolationism can't last forever. In New York, Moishe Rosen dies after suffering a heart attack. His son Hiram finds out while pitching in a city league baseball game.

In Japan, we meet Lt. Hiro Watanabe (born 1917), a young Japanese pilot and promising baseball shortstop. Watanabe was educated in the United States and is a fan of all things American - especially the sport of baseball. As skilled as he is on the baseball diamond, Watanabe is also a top naval pilot and test flies the new Japanese fighter - the A6M Zero.

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THE SLIPPERY SLOPE

1939
President Garner asserts U.S. neutrality and signs into law an act prohibiting the United States from selling any war material to nations involved in the European war.
The Soviet Union invades Finland after dividing Poland with Germany, causing their expulsion from the League of Nations.

1940
Hitler and Mussolini sign an agreement to form an alliance against the British and French. The Russo-Finnish war ends on harsh terms for the Finns. Germany conquers Denmark and Norway, then attacks France through the Low Countries in May, with the French surrendering in June after the British Expeditionary Force is destroyed at Dunkirk.

Still feeling isolationist, the U.S. Congress fails to pass an act which would have expanded the tonnage of the U.S. Navy by 11%.

Ohio Senator John W. Bricker is nominated by the Republican Party as its candidate for the U.S. Presidency. Henry A. Wallace is the Democratic nominee as Garner decides not to run for another term. Garner later vetoes the Selective Service Act, which would have instituted the first peacetime draft in U.S. history.

After concentrating on radar and fighter bases, the German Luftwaffe commences nightly bombing raids of British cities.

Bricker is elected president on an isolationist platform. In a December address to the nation, lame duck President Garner citing the Nazi menace, proclaims that the United States must reverse its isolationist ways and become the "arsenal of Democracy" before the last remaining European democracy (Great Britain) falls to the Nazis.

1941
In New York, 19-year-old Hiram Rosen decides to drop out of NYU and enlist in the Royal canadian Air Force so he can fight the Nazis. He is denied entry into Canada and enlists in the U.S. Army Air Corps instead - and ends up posted in Hawaii where he is bitter at being so far from the German threat.

The Lend-Lease bill, which would "lend" the British surplus U.S. military equipment, fails to pass the U.S. Senate by a 47-44 vote.

President Bricker is inaugurated and pledges to keep the United States out of the war.

The Japanese begin planning an attack on the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

The German war machine continues to roll across Europe, conquering Greece, Yugoslavia and Crete and pushing back the British in North Africa before launching a surprise invasion of the Soviet Union in June.

Hideki Tojo becomes Prime Minister of Japan and authorizes an attack on the United States.

On December 7, the Japanese Navy's carrier-borne air forces - with Lt. Hiro Watanabe among the pilots in his Zero fighter - strikes the U.S. Pacific Fleet at its anchorage at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Lt. Hiram Rosen finds out how good the Japanese Zeros are, as his antiquated Buffalo fighter can not hope to keep up with the state-of-the-art Japanese fighter aircraft. The Pacific Fleet is completely wrecked (all three carriers, five battleships and seven cruisers sunk) by the Japanese, leaving the Pacific open to conquest by Japan while the U.S. scrambles to recover. Shortly thereafter, Germany and Italy also declare war on the USA. Isolationism is over.

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FRIENDS AND FOES

1942
As the German war machine continues to devastate Russia and, in North Africa, the British, the Japanese begin a systematic conquest of the south Pacific. In May an indecisive battle is fought in the Coral Sea between a small portion of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the USS Yorktown and USS Wasp, which had passed through the Panama Canal to give the U.S. Pacific Fleet some needed muscle.

After the Coral Sea battle, as part of their buildup towards a planned invasion of Hawaii, the Japanese fleet converges on Midway Island in early June.

Lt. Hiro Watanabe, attached to Captain Toda's fighter wing aboard the IJN Hiryu, takes part in the massive Battle of Midway. Watanabe downs a pair of TBD Devastators in the battle, which is won by the Japanese who sink both the Yorktown and Wasp, losing two of their own carriers. The difference is that the Japanese can afford the losses - the US Navy can not. The Japanese fleet successfully lands troops who occupy Midway Island after defeating the small Marine garrison. The next step is the invasion of Hawaii itself.

At Wheeler Field on Oahu, Lt. Hiram Rosen pilots his P-36 into battle against the Japanese invasion fleet which converges on Hawaii in August. He makes his first kill - a Val dive bomber - but is shot up (by Hiro Watanabe) and has to crash land his Hawk at Wheeler. Watanabe makes ace with three additional kills. The Japanese diversion works and the fleet which appeared to be headed for Oahu, instead lands forces on the big island of Hawaii. The Japanese have a foothold in the islands.

1943
Lt. Hiro Watanabe is shot down over Oahu escorting a flight of bombers from Hawaii as the Japanese continue to try to reduce the US garrison on Oahu.

With the US Army Air Corps down to a handful of serviceable fighters, Lt. Hiram Rosen is detailed to work at a makeshift POW camp (Camp Charlie) containing Japanese pilots. He meets Lt. Watanabe there and the two strike up a strange friendship. Both accomplished baseball players, they find common ground and a friendly game is arranged between the Americans and some of the Japanese prisoners.

Meanwhile, back in San Francisco, 17-year-old John Carey Jr. becomes a member of the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League.

During a game between the prisoners and their American captors on May 8, the Japanese launch the second stage of their "Eastern Operation" and conquer Oahu. Lts. Rosen and Watanabe find their roles reversed - Rosen is now the prisoner and is eventually shipped off to a POW camp in Japan. Watanabe is nearly demoted for "consorting with the enemy" by playing baseball with the Americans but Captain Toda realizes what a superb pilot he has and intervenes on Watanabe's behalf.

John Carey Sr, back in San Francisco, is pointedly asked to join the US Army - which he does, being given the rank of Major and a job in the Presidio.

As his eighteenth birthday nears, and fresh off his first (partial) season as a pro ballplayer, John Carey Jr joins the Navy.

At Camp Matsushima #2 in Tokyo, Lt. Hiram Rosen contemplates using baseball to improve the horrid conditions in the camp.


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PACIFIC HEAT

1944

John Carey, Jr. is assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Hornet where he helps serve one of the waist guns. The U.S. Navy has finally put a new fighter - the Hellcat - into service, closing the gap with the Japanese Zero. Unfortunately, the Japanese have a new aircraft of their own, the A7M Reppu (codenamed "Sam" by the U.S.) which is more than a match for the Hellcat.

A large carrier battle takes place off the coast of San Diego. In this battle, Lt. Hiro Watanabe downs seven Hellcat fighters, an unheard of tally for a single-day's combat. In a brutal battle, both sides loses three carriers, with Watanabe's Hiryu among the Japanese losses. On the U.S. side, the Hornet is lost, and John Carey Jr. spends several days at sea in a life vest before being rescued - largely through the efforts of Commander Skip Benson, whose daughter is engaged to young Carey.

In Europe, the German Army invades England after having redeployed troops from the Eastern Front following the Soviet Union's collapse in August 1943. By mid-May, the royal family has sought refuge in Canada and the UK officially surrenders to the Germans. The war in Europe is effectively at an end. The Germans manage to get their hands on many Royal Navy vessels after the Nazis warn the British that their civilian population will suffer reprisals should any Royal Navy vessels go to the Americans. Winston Churchill is later tried and convicted of war crimes due to the bombings of German cities, and is hanged.


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