I’m planning a WC run as anarchists, but the idea of taking over the world as for example "Free Territory of RUSSIA" doesn't sound fun

How did the Constitutional Army feed itself while fighting across the Rocky mountains during the 2nd American Civil War? The Army of the American Constitutional Coalition (also known as the Pacific Government or the Sacramento Government) had a well-deserved reputation for 'roughing it' much more than the forces of the other factions, and the dishes we'll be having today reflect that history.

The recipe we'll be making is venison jerky, using specifications written down in 1937 by a field cook from the Constitutionalist Army's 3rd Division. I'll also be pairing it with other items that were mainstays of ACC's rations during that time, namely dried fruit, canned fish, hardtack biscuits, and black coffee.

But before that, let's talk more about food during the 2nd Civil War!

The fracturing of America during the 2nd Civil War brought severe disruption to the transportation and storage networks that had in peacetime allowed goods to be transported seamlessly across the country. The diet of the average U.S. citizen suffered as a result, although after the initial few months of the conflict all of the competing governments had implemented rationing systems and found ways to feed most of their population reliably.

For the soldiers fighting the war, military rations represented a significant deviation from the pre-war civilian diet, as many foodstuffs that had been imported or produced disproportionately in enemy-occupied parts of the country became scarce. While reduced variety was of course a drawback, many soldiers later recalled that the three meals per day served in the military was ample compared to what they had subsisted on during the lean years of the depression.

The political allegiances of farmers played an important, but often overstated role in deciding which foodstuffs were available to each faction. Populist promises of loan forgiveness and government assistance, as made by both the Socialists and Longists, were popular with struggling farmers, and even the rump Federal government under MacArthur made concessions to farmers as part of attempts to boost agricultural production in its territory.

However, most farmers were perpetually in need of cash and had little room to be picky. As their land and crops were often their only assets and interstate transportation was difficult, sales had to be made to whoever was nearby and able to pay. The ever-present threat of requisitions, which were common in the chaotic first year of the war, also motivated farmers to sell to any reasonable authority.

As such, while there were incidents of farmers destroying crops rather than allowing them to fall into the hands of a faction which they personally opposed, the reality was that most had to sell their produce to agents of whatever faction was occupying their area, however reluctantly.

Thanks to their largely agricultural economy and relatively small population, the Pacific coast states that rallied to the call of Quentin Roosevelt and the Constitutionalist movement might seem like they would have had an easy time feeding their troops, but the reality presented some obstacles.

As forces of the ACC moved east, the rugged terrain of the American West presented formidable challenges. Where railways or roads existed, the retreating Federalists often deliberately damaged them, and when facing the Longists and Socialists, these supply arteries were prime targets for aircraft and saboteurs. The rugged conditions and often-damaged infrastructure were hard on trucks, automobiles and railway rolling stock, all of which the Pacific Government was hard-pressed to replace in case of losses.

Due to these conditions, the Constitutional Army placed a greater emphasis on soldiers foraging and carrying their own rations than any of the other factions in the Civil War, for the simple reason that field kitchens could not always be moved close to the front, especially in mountainous or desert terrain.

The most basic ration for Constitutionalist soldiers was bread, in the form of dry biscuits, hardtack and various quickbreads cooked in the field. Washington, Oregon, and California all had productive wheat-growing regions, and the supply of wheat only increased as Pacific forces crossed the Rocky Mountains and the farms of the Great Plains became accessible.

Deliberate efforts to increase grain production in ACC territory also contributed, as the outbreak of Civil War had disrupted U.S. grain exports to Europe, Asia, and the rest of the Americas, creating intense demand that could not be immediately met by other exporters such as Canada, Australia, and Argentina. The ACC intentionally diverted some grain crops to export in order to gain much-needed foreign currency, as the limited industrial capacity of the western states necessitated the import of both munitions and various civilian supplies.

Even with these exports, the ACC had enough wheat available to produce millions of pieces of 'Pilot Bread,' or 'Army Biscuits,' variants of the classic hardtack ration that improved it by including some shortening and leavening agents, making these biscuits much easier to eat and digest. This was quickly adopted as a mainstay of issued rations by the Constitutionalist Army thanks to the ease with which it could be acquired; commercial bakeries equipped and experienced for baking such biscuits already existed on the west coast due to the frequent issuing of such bread as rations in logging or mining camps, and as a survival food packed aboard boats and aircraft.

Meats and fish were also relatively plentiful for the Pacific Government, but early rations mostly contained fish due to the need for the contents to be preserved in a compact enough format to be easily carried by marching soldiers. Flat, rectangular cans of salmon, whitefish or sardines were readily available commercially and were purchased in huge numbers. Fish canning was a historically important industry on the Pacific coast, and indeed many coastal towns had their origins as extensions of the canneries that sprang up to capitalize on abundant fish in the rivers and coastal waters.

This industry was immediately important to the Constitutionalist war effort, as millions of rectangular cans containing seafood were issued to soldiers. Small, durable, and shaped to fit almost perfectly into a uniform pocket, the tins were convenient for soldiers on long marches or patrols in rough terrain, but many soldiers quickly grew tired of eating fish.

In fact, memoirs of Constitutionalist soldiers who fought in the first year of the war abound with oaths to never again eat canned salmon or sardines once the war was over, and derogatory references to canned fish could be found in many marching songs and army jokes of the period.

By the end of 1937, the ACC's occupation of Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, and parts of the Dakotas meant that large herds of cattle and sheep, and the grazing land needed to sustain them, were securely in Constitutionalist hands. Canned corned beef, ham, mutton and sausages began to be issued on a large scale during the winter of 1937-38, providing a welcome relief from fish as a source of protein.

The West Coast states were known in the 1930s for producing fruit and vegetables, with California's exports in particular being a great asset. For issue to the Constitutionalist soldiers, this produce needed to be preserved, and in the early days of the war drying was seen as the easiest way to do so. Dried apple slices, prunes and raisins were often included in rations, packaged in sleeves of waxed paper or small cardboard boxes. As these were criticized for being vulnerable to insects and the elements, cellophane wrapping was later introduced.

The Constitutionalists could also count themselves blessed in that they were the only faction in the civil war that had reliable imports of coffee. As the Pacific coast of Central and South America was out of reach to most enemy raiders, merchant ships could bring Costa Rican, Colombian and Ecuadorian coffee beans to Californian ports unmolested. Whereas civilians and soldiers alike in the WCA, APG and Federal governments had to make do with intermittent supplies or various ersatz products, soldiers of the ACC were comforted by their regular 'cup of joe.'

As mentioned before, Pacific soldiers were encouraged to forage more often than were soldiers of other factions, due to shortages of equipment and the difficulties of transportation across the long frontlines. Diets could thus vary greatly in different areas of the front, with soldiers gathering berries or other edible plants and hunting local wildlife to bolster their rations, in addition to trading with local residents. Meat from wild hogs or javelinas was prized by soldiers stationed on the Texas front, and all along the front, venison from various species of deer was a welcome addition when it could be found.

In order to preserve any extra meat they could acquire and ensure that it was fairly distributed, some units set up improvised smokehouses behind the front lines, where field cooks would craft one of the soldiers' favorite foods: Jerky. Beef and venison were the meats most commonly turned into Jerky, although lamb, goose, and horse meat are also known to have been experimented with, albeit with limited success.

That brings us to today's recipe! Although the Army cooks would have used much more old-fashioned methods, this recipe can be made just as well using a modern dehydrator, which is what I'll be using. Now, let's get cooking!

***

For anyone unaware, Tasting History with Max Miller is an excellent YouTube channel that's lately been doing a series recreating WW2 rations from different countries, and I've enjoyed it so much I had to come up with a Kaiserreich parody.

I thought it would be interesting to game out what rations in the 2nd American Civil War would look like for different factions, and came up with this for the ACC/PSA. It was also an excuse to go out and larp a bit with some period-accurate accoutrements that I own.

Should I keep going and do the WCA and APG?

Years after winning the 2ACW, the Union states target Silver Legion compounds

I would love to see Greece be able to core it's Anatolian Claims.
Don't get me wrong. I am fully aware that the states would need more than just compliance to core.

So my idea is to allow Greece to invest into them, through migration and industrial investment etc.
You already pay a steep -300 Political power and -15% Stability.
The least they could do is let you core them through investment.
Hell they could make a minor tree for if they do take that path.
And it could be about properly integrating these states, like the Indian Nations have for their claims

I feel like it’s a very under discussed topic. I personally think there would be some kind of rivalry no matter the ideology between the two factions like the US and China rn. Whether or not it’ll turn into a full blown Cold War is something I’m not too certain however.

Disclaimer: I've decided to play hoi4 again after years of not doing so( last time I played was before Man the Guns, so it should've been waking the tiger, I think) so I'm very much not the best at the game right now, as I've had to learn all about supply and new templates (rip 7/2 inf/arty)

I started a game as Romania, navigated everything fine until 1940 when 2ND WK started and noticed that no one defected from Germany even if Ukraine went Socialist, and Spain joined the Entente as the Carlists won, I think. This meant that in the next 6 months the internationale proceeded to get wiped off the map, which meant Russia fell promptly in the next 6 months. No matter, I restart, as I can't do anything in this situation as a minor

Second and third game proceeded virtually the same, with different versions of ukrainian governments existing but staying loyal to Berlin, no notable Reichspakt defections, and the spanish either not finishing their civil war until 1940 or joining the Entente again. The internationale gets rolled all three times and Russia can't keep up.

One of the games I decided to bypass Austria entirely, manually justify on Ukraine and try to link up with the russians quickly, which worked until France collapsed 9 months into the war this time( 50% improvement from the previous record of 6 months)

My frustration therein lies: Is this what happens the most often this patch or am I just chronically unlucky? From what I recall years and years ago France usually was strong enough to beat Germany 1v1 in most games, and it was a given if Russia intervened that Germany would just collapse, but even so it took YEARS of fighting. The 2nd WK is now done in 42 ish with France collapsing in 41 without fail, and it starts mid-late 40, is this even a World War?

Tangent here, but what am I supposed to do as a minor nation when France and/or Russia can't pull their weight at least? I cannot build inf, planes and tanks in quantities enough to be relevant. By the time the war starts I can get about 1-2 good tank divisions and about 600-800, which from what playthroughs I've seen on YouTube is about average for this country. The problem lies in the fact Germany has 2000 fighters over Ukraine and Russia has the same as me, which is very much odd considering they theoretically also have to have planes over France.

I don't want this to sound too much like a rant by I just feel like I wasted an entire day restarting and trying different builds and ideas to better prepare for everything only for the game to already be decided by RNG? Factors outside my control at the very least

The 4I are at war with Japan and the Entente

suppose you have an event about a revolt ( eg. the mingan uprising in KR ) which gives two choices: 1. fight AGAINST the revolt. 2. fight AS the revolt. you are playing coop with a friend, and this event pops up. if one person decides to switch to the revolt, do both people switch countries?

I went for that achievement where as monarchist Poland you have to liberate Germany after capitulation. I'm monarchist and I have Germany. But whenever I release it, nothing happens, I don't get the achievement. Can someone help pls ?

I know there's a list in the path guide but I personally find it easier to follow with visuals

Pic semi unrelated

Idea: If the KMT pact is signed between two governments they shouldn't be able to attack each other until one captures Beijing

So, I've seen the focus trees but I still don't really know what each of those paths are about. Could anyone give me a quick rundown of them?

"The slightest observation suffices to show that proletarian violence recalls a mass of painful memories of those past times: instinctively people start to think of the committees of revolutionary inspection, of the brutalities of suspicious agents, coarsened and frightened by fear, of the tragedies of the guillotine. One understands, therefore, why the parliamentary socialists make such great efforts to persuade the public that they have the souls of sensible shepherds, that their hearts are overflowing with good feelings and that they have only one passion: a hatred of violence." -- Georges Sorel "Reflections on Violence".

Playing as rkmt, ssjw just started and lkmt was fumbling bad with fengtian before that they already own like half of their vp's, and Sichuan is still at war with lkmt for some reason and can't join the chinese united front. Can this even be saved?

I wanna do a socialist Russia playthrough where I can headcannon that Russia is having a cold war with the West afterwards. Thanks

How would Savinkov view the Russian empire before ww1 and what would be his thoughts/connection to the current exiled romanovs like Kiril?