It's Barbarossa, Jim, but not as we know it...

It is April 1940 and on the morning of the 3rd, the entire 1st, 9th, and 12th German armies crossed the border into the Soviet Union. The border guards seem surprised, but welcomed the offer of a drink at the border cafe before the motorised columns ...

The war of the factories

It has been argued that since the end of the Napolenic Wars, although battles are still fought, victory came out of the factory. This was certainly true for World War 2; the factory output of both sides kept it going until the Axis collapsed in exhaustion.

https://live ...

**DER FÜHRER! / GEHEIM! / STRENG VERTROULICH!**
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From: General der Panzertruppe Helmuth Volkmann, Commanding General, 10th Army
To: Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH), Attn: Generaloberst Franz Halder
Date: 14 August 1939
Subject: Operational Status and Tactical Requirements, French ...

AAR: August 1939 - The Northern Pivot
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Location: German-Danish Border Crossing, Flensburg Sector
Date: August 25, 1939

My Dearest Elsa,

The brief summer calm we enjoyed after the rapid redeployment from the Belgian frontier has shattered. I write this letter from a forward command post ...

AAR: June 1939 - The Crucible of the Low Countries
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Location: Eastern Suburbs of Brussels, Belgium
Date: June 28, 1939

The strategic map of Europe had been violently redrawn overnight. What began as a localized policing operation in Poland had exploded into a general continental war ...

AAR: Autumn 1939 - The Halted Advance
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Location: Northern Outskirts of Wuhan, Hubei Province
Date: October 25, 1939

Dearest Mother,

The dust has finally settled enough for me to write, though it still coats my throat and eyes. We have done it! The great offensive to secure Wuhan has ...

Very different playing styles

I am focused on beating Chuck, so what makes my obsession quite fun is how different our playing styles are (although I note four factories in pre-war Britain; that would have been a challenge).

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55448308045_12048214fd_b.jpg ...

What a hullabaloo over nothing!

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55445950585_71d17f3907_b.jpg Lion, rooster, bear and fox play chess by David Bowman , on Flickr

The French clearly want the illegal Peace of Versailles to continue; the British are continuing their colonization efforts ...

AAR: February 1939 - The Anomaly from the Future
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Location: Bendlerblock, Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), Berlin
Date: February 24, 1939

The briefing room of the OKW was thick with cigarette smoke and palpable tension. February had brought fresh crisis; Hitler’s demands regarding the ...

One of my favourite times in GD1938

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55441408125_e2c93572d5_c.jpg newtech by David Bowman , on Flickr

To avoid the political point system being abused in this game, most of the tech is tied to the year it actually became available. While a bit unrealistic, it ...

AAR: November 1938 - Rivalry at the Front
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Location: Frontline Command Post, Central China Theater
Date: November 14, 1938

The operational map table at the joint command headquarters had become a battleground long before any shots were fired at the enemy. Tensions between the High Command ...

AAR: July 1938 - The Iron Prongs of Wuhan
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Location: Hubei Province, Northern Approaches to Wuhan
Date: July 22, 1938

The summer heat over the Yangtze river valley was stifling, but the advance of the Imperial forces offered no respite. The offensive entered a decisive phase as two ...

AAR: July 1938 - The Currency of Steel and Fear
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Location: Industrial Office, Stuttgart
Date: July 14, 1938

The plush leather chair in Heinrich’s office felt like a witness stand. Across his mahogany desk sat Hauptmann Werner of the Army Ordnance Office, flanked by two aides. Spread ...

AAR: June 1938 - Tehran's Diplomatic Corridor
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Location: Niavaran Palace Grounds, Tehran, Persia
Date: June 18, 1938

First Secretary Masao Takahashi adjusted his lapels as he stepped out into the dry, brilliant sunlight of the palace gardens, carrying the warm echoes of his audience with ...

I hope no once saw me getting this goose by David Bowman, on Flickr

AAR: May 1938 - Steel at the Gates
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Location: Outskirts of Tsinan, China
Date: May 14, 1938

My dearest Chiyo,

The dust of this endless northern plain seems to settle into everything—my clothes, my hair, and even the tea we boil over makeshift stoves. Yet, in the middle of this desolate ...

AAR: March 1938 - The Pincer Closes in the East
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https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55407888327_b36d41e3bf_b.jpg The East is Liberated for the Manchurian Emperor by David Bowman , on Flickr
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Location: Northern Jiangsu / Shandong Sector
Date: March 31, 1938

Major Kenji Sato wiped the ...

AAR: March 1938 - Shadows of the Rhineland
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https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55408801376_84125689e0_b.jpg Geman and French general share a drink in a future, peaceful Europe by David Bowman , on Flickr
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Location: Berlin / Kehl Border Outpost
Date: March 22, 1938

Oberleutnant Hans ...

<t> Germany saw a disturbing warmongering article in Pravda about their factory building. Germany reserves the right o build factories to give its Aryan population the dignity of work and to promote peace. As a sign of My Hitler's passion for peace, he has invited photographers to inspect his ...

<t> Germany was not expecting to get to the fall so quickly. Negotiations with Austria and Hungary, though fruitful, have a long way to go. The Germany economy is still small, and the army barely different to that of the start of the year. Germany of course seeks peace, inspired by our noble Angle ...