The Military Garrison in the British Isles was a German military administration located in the English city of Plymouth, which was de jure part of the Kingdom of England, and were a member of the Einheitspakt. Plymouth was seen by many as a symbol of the German domination of the British isles. Many in Plymouth wanted to rejoin England.
In the v.1.5.0. "The Ruin" update, the garrison was removed and integrated into the the United Kingdom of Great Britain, with its leaders becoming potential generals in the British army.
History
Before the war, Plymouth was part of the United Kingdom, as part of one of its main constituents, the Kingdom of England. After the war the royal family fled to Canada with the American relief force, and the British Empire (and with it, the United Kingdom) fell apart: the colonies either seceded or swore their loyalty to the Canadian government-in-exile, Northern Ireland was awarded to the Republic of Ireland for their help in supplying Operation Sea Lion, Scotland and Wales seceded as independent republics to avoid full German occupation, and England, now a rump state, was put under a collaborationist regime led by the reinstated King Edward VIII, who was forced to accept a German garrison in Plymouth, as an "insurance policy" of his loyalty.
The German's presence in Plymouth is no chance: while the Reich allowed the defeated enemy to maintain formal independence and a democratic government - mainly for fear of constant rebellions and guerrillas, which the overextended Wehrmacht can hardly afford - this didn't mean it trusted the collaborationist regime to actually keep the people in check. Thus, the Plymouth Governorate was born: far enough from London to let the English government breathe, but close enough to France to allow quick redeployment and reinforcing if needed, the Plymouth Military Garrison will ensure England's loyalty, or its full destruction.
In times of peace, the garrison mainly acts as a military police for the former Home Islands, conducting anti-resistance operations across England, Wales and Scotland, who are forced to open their borders with the threat of German retaliation. Should a full-scale rebellion occur, however, the garrison is always ready to fully mobilize and crush the uprising in its cradle: being already inside the British Isles, they can strike anywhere within a few hours with infantry, armor and air support, or they can at least resist and secure landing points for the main retaliation force as it arrives from the mainland.
Government
While England's fate was not kind in any way, Plymouth faced an even more humiliating fate: while formally part of the Kingdom of England, in truth London's government holds no authority there, as the province is de facto fully administered by the Germans, in the form of the Plymouth Military Garrison and its officers, with Generaloberst Franz Halder, commander of the garrison, acting as the highest military and civilian authority.
As such, the Garrison is not even a puppet or a Reichskommissariat, but an extension of the German Reich itself, a mere military jurisdiction under the authority of the Plymouth Garrison, in the person of its highest-in-rank officer, who receives his orders directly from Germania.
The state of the Governorate
While, in twenty years of peace, most of the Wehrmacht has descended into a state of mismanagement and decadence, Generaloberst Franz Halder has led the garrison with proverbial Prussian efficiency, and kept his forces in top shape thanks to a carefully executed political operation: exploiting his fame as the general who conquered Poland, he attracted recruits from the families of the old Prussian nobility. His reputation, combined with the lobbying power of the aforementioned families (who wouldn't like to see their sons killed because their rifles jammed) granted him the lobbying power to always get the best supplies for his men.
Things are, however, not looking bright: as the Fuhrer's health declines, the Reich looks on the brink of civil war among the various pretenders to Hitler's legacy. Halder has no intention of joining the fray, since killing fellow Germans is the most dishonourable thing in his eyes, but this doesn't mean he is safe. Rebel activities have spiraled in the last years, straining the garrison's forces, and with very little chance of reinforcements from Europe, Halder may have to face his greatest challenge ever: stranded with a small force in a foreign and hostile land, the old Prussian general will have to call on all the experience he has gained in his long and distinguished service, to ensure that he and his soldiers, who he considers as sons, don't get slaughtered to the last.
Trivia
- Prior to its removal in v.1.5.0 "The Ruin" update, the Plymouth Garrison originally controlled the entirety of the English counties of Cornwall and Devon, before being reduced in another update size to only the city of Plymouth and the Channel Islands.
