A musical global war AAR...

[Centuur]

Fleets in reserve are the French BB's at Marseilles, a Fleet in Liverpool and Force H in Gibraltar.

The USA put two Transports at sea, loaded with Nimitz and a AA Gun, and a SUB in the Hawaiian Islands.

Next comes the Strategic Bombardment Phase. The Commonwealth and France both decide it is time to give Germany notice that they can't attack Poland and get away with it. A Harrows bombs Hamburg and a LeO 451 does the same at Stuttgart. The Luftwaffe, being surprised, can't do anything about it. Sirens are hailling. Does Mr. Göring needs to explain something to the Führer?

And here is some filmmusic of the nine Oscars winning movie: Wuthering Heigts, with David Niven, Laurence Olivier, Geraldine Fitzgerald and Merle Oberon. In september 1939, cinema's in Paris were full with people watching this movie...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pz9OE5CT28

[Centuur]

Perhaps the French have more luck:

[Centuur]

No strategic places were hit. But the Führer was not amused and orders von Ribbentrop in: “you said the French and the British weren't going to go to war over Poland... Now they've bombed residential area's in Stuttgart and Hamburg...”

In the USSR the forces of Zhukov are withdrawn from the USSR – Manchurian border, since there seems to be no pressure made by the Japanese on the USSR. The Train leaves, but do to the distance and the fact that military traffic still isn't given priority in the USSR, it will take some months before will arrive at his final destination...

In China, both the Nationalists and the Communists decides to improve their positions:

Southern China

[Centuur]

Now, for this next type of music. Imagine to be in a cinema, (one of the few places where one could see movies regarding the war) where these kind of small things were shown just after the news (especially, when it was bad) to cheer up the British citizins. Sing along with Reginald Foort and his Möller Organ. Come on, all together now... [:D]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZMIxnVLp_Y

Northern China:

[Centuur]

To end the impulse, the Polish General Staff orders the Polish airforce to rebase into Latvia. Transport is standing ready for the pilots to travel to Great Britain, where brand new planes are waiting so they can fight another day and a squadron of Catalina's land in Pearl Harbor...

Meanwhile, the weather has been going worse and worse in a couple of days...

[Centuur]

Now, what to do next impulse by the Axis. Your advise is needed, while in Tokyo, Berlin and Rome the general staff meetings are indecisive, while storms are raging throughout the world...

While I'm waiting for your strategical advies, here is Bing Crosy: “As time goes by...” which is appropriate in this situation...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6TxoDoOmO4

[brian brian]

For the Germans? Enjoy their good luck of the bad French opening. I presume von Leeb is on the Western Front, monitoring the U-Boat weather reports from the North Atlantic carefully….he is already very lucky the French didn't notice his bunker tucked into the Reichswald somewhere….

For the Italians? Their job is to keep the BEF from growing too large….

The Japanese? Chengchow is probably the most key rail junction in all of China….

[Courtenay]

One thing I notice about the French set up: the northern most INF in the alps (against the Italians) is vulnerable to the Italians marching their MTN corps over the Alps, putting the INF out of supply. If the Italians then manage to ground strike the INF, its defense drops to two, and the Italians should easily kill it. This sort of nonsense makes an Italian offensive actually dangerous. There are two ways of stopping this: replace the corps with a white print unit (the white print MTN corps is best, if you have it), or putting a division in the hex south of the corps, so it can't be cut off. Of course, the French don't want to waste a division that way, but they don't want the Italians getting lose, either.

[Centuur]

The German general staff decides the weather is bad, however, it is time to act anyhow. Guderian: “Nicht Kleckern, sondern Klotzen”. They advise the Führer that they want to attack Belgium and Denmark. The first, because of the weather, since the French can't reach Brussels in force, so it's defense is going to be with the Belgiums themselves. The second because of the demands of the Kriegsmarine, who are afraid that British or French ships might enter the Baltic sea. So it is done, and both countries align to the CW...

Now, there are three versions of the Belgian national anthem. One in French, one in German and one in Dutch. Strange guys, those Belgians. Listen to the “Brabanconne”...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B442W-nIstw

[Centuur]

In the United States, policians and the population are slowly proceding towards war. One US entry chit is gained in the Ge/It pools...

The Belgian convoy points are set up in Belgian Congo, together with the TERR. The Danish sets up the fleet and 2 CP in Frederikshavn and 4 CP are put in Torshavn in the Faroes Islands.

Germany and Japan take land actions, and the Italians (still being neutral) take a combined.

Italy sails a cruiser with the division on board into the Western Med (4 box).

Germany moves in Poland to get rid of the Polish CAV and enters Belgium and Denmark. The Danish fleet is overrun and destroyed by their crews. The merchantmen escape to Great Britain and that makes it time for the Danish national anthem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSk9xzVGk6c

[Centuur]

After German movement, the situation look like this, while you can listen to the March of the Belgian Military School:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5thLm-fvqSo

[Centuur]

Italy moves the MECH nearer to the French border.

In China, this is the situation after movement and debarkation of Japanese units. The moving war has begun, putting units in and out of supply on both sides. However, no attacks will be made by the Japanese, due to the weather.

And here is: Guy Lombardo with the Nearness of You:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8uro2b9r3s

[Centuur]

Germany attacks the Belgians at Liege at a + 25 and a Polish CAV at +18. Needless to say that with these kind of odds, there weren't any German losses. Germany rebases airplanes into Belgium and von Bock provides the three best German units on the board with supplies (reorganising them).

This ends the third impulse of the game... The Germans pray to the weather gods that the weather improves, since they need it for next impulse.

In London, people are getting worried. Even with storms and without the Luftwaffe, the German Wehrmacht has made progress. Time to put the BEF on the ground in Antwerp?

[Centuur]

There are no declarations of war done by the Allies, and the USSR decides not to claim Bessarabia, since the air force is grounded due to the weather.

The USSR and US have to take combined actions, the Commonwealth, France and China all decide on land actions.

The US sails three convoy points and a SUB towards the Hawaiian Islands.
The USSR claims Eastern Poland, sending the Polish HQ and the division into the internment pool. This action hits the headlines in the New York Times and a US entry chit is removed, leaving 2 in the Ge/It pool and 1 in the Japanese pool.

Here's Harry James with Carnaval

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkfsmHnGMrY

[Centuur]

In China, the Chinese are still advancing, threathening to recapture cities. How will the Japanese react? Here is northern China:

[Centuur]

And southern China:

[Centuur]

The situation in Europe... Will the phoney war start? No attacks are planned by the Allies...

[Centuur]

The CW debarks a TERR into Gibraltar and one in Malta. In Egypt the CW withdraws 2 hexes from the Lybian border. The French debarks the 6-4 INF into Marseilles, ready to be railed towards the frontlines.

After rebasing some planes, the French general staff orders Bilotte to reorganise the reserves in Lille, just to make sure that a succesfull German attack on Brussels doesn't mean a total collapse of the frontline...

Next it comes... The weather report... A strange bug is suddenly appearing. When pressing the “shift” screen, to catch it, the game proceeds to the next phase...

Here is the British Grenadiers March...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIVSpY8xY9I

Let it be said that the die roll was a three. Together with the +2, this means effectively a five, giving rain in the arctic and the Northern Monsoon zone. All other weather zones have fair weather. There is much rejoicement in Berlin, Tokyo and Rome...

[Centuur]

With the storms passing, the Axis rejoice in the return of the sun. It's time to see if Brussels and Lods will stand against the German war machine this turn.

However, all eyes are fixed on Rome, not because of the Pope who called upon the world to return to peace, but upon the King who has got a visitor. Rumours are, that the Italians will join the Germans in the war against France. Here is “La ririrate”, also know as the “Marcia della regia marina”...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuRSQ5NKxuU

[Centuur]

The way the Italians have prepared the world for this moment is very good, since the Italian population in the US goes on the streets to celibrate this event. No US entry chit removed (roll was a 10). Viva Italia! Italy mobilizes and the reserves are called for active duty.

All three Axis Powers take a land action.

The Luftwaffe seeks revenge of the attacks on Hamburg, so a Squadron of Flying Boats attacks Hull. The Royal Air Force hasn't got FTR's near the area, so there is a chanche of 40% of losing a build point for the Commonwealth...