A musical global war AAR...

[Centuur]

It's a disaster for the French. In two rounds of air-to-air combat, the French lose the total l'Armee de l'Air. Losses on the German side are high too...

And now the land attacks. The first one done is the one on Chengchow. The Chinese choose the assault table, hoping for a very low roll, so that perhaps units may survive:

[Centuur]

Here, there is no retreat path possible for the Chinese, so all units are lost in Chengchow. The Japanese forces behave themselves in Chengchow, so no US entry chit is drawn. Next, the Japanese get rid of that pesky Chinese partisan in an automatic win...

Than comes France... First, the attack goes down on Metz...
Now, the French will lose the hex anyway and since they don't want to give the Germans a breakthrough result (the 6-6 MECH is among the attacking units) they choose the Assault table.

[Centuur]

Finally, the attack in Belgium. I have better odds, using the Blitzkrieg table here, so I choose that one:

[Centuur]

It's a total victory for Germany this impulse. The French MTN gets shattered and the other units are destroyed.

The German tanks move through the gap in the frontline and exploit the breakthrough. Sure, lines are thin now, but the French are into a lot of trouble, especially if the Germans can move first next turn...

The Italians move a LND bomber into Algeria and the Japanese rebase a FTR. Turn ends and Von Bock hosts a new years party in his headquarters, while the party of Gamelin in Paris is cancelled...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx-VEuq16C4

This is probably the worst version I've ever heard of this song. It's Al Jolson. Let's see if I can get a better one end of next year...

[Klydon]

Well executed attack by the Germans who could not have asked for much more in terms of how successful the attack went. Not only did the French lose both combats, but the French air force being wrecked in the process was worth the 109 loss the Germans suffered.

French production will be way down this turn and the Allies need to be going first next turn very badly to give the French a chance to shore up their lines. Even with that, the lines are going to be quite weak. On the odd chance that the Germans move first and the weather is ok, the French HQ's are in serious trouble along with France in general being on the ropes.

[Centuur]

French production isn't hurt at all, since there was a land attack in France and there are now in supply Axis units in France proper, rising the production multiplier from 0,5 to 1... France has got the same number of build points as last turn.

[Centuur]

No partisans appear. The Germans draw 2 markers for the neutrality pact (and are again putting one in the defensive and one in the offensive tray. The USSR draws a marker and puts it in the defensive tray.

At this moment, there are 6 points in both German trays and the USSR has got 4 points in the defensive. The reason Germany is putting some markers in the defensive tray is twofold. First, to keep the option of a Sitzkrieg open. Second, to be able to put more units towards the West in early turns (there aren't that much units on the board for garrison duty at the border in 1940).

Next is US entry. A chit is put in the German/Italy entry pool. The US doesn't choose any entry options this turn. Why? Who knows... There are now 3 entry chits in the Ger/It entry pool, 1 in the Ge/It tension pool and 1 in the Japan entry pool.

And here is the Bob Crosby Orchestra with Teddy Grace: “Over The Rainbow”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnVNH4UwaIY

[Centuur]

In the stay at sea phase, the UK decides to leave the Home Fleet in the North Sea. The TRS return to England with the units on them. The French fleet stays at sea in the Western Med, since France lacks the oil to reorganise the fleet if they return to base.

And here is the destroyed pool of the N/D 1939 turn:

[Centuur]

Germany breaks down a INF into a MOT and an INF division.

Germany produces 18 build points. 5 are send to Italy and two to the USSR. 4 oil are saved, Germany doesn't scrap any destroyed units.
The Germans build: FTR2, FTR3, 2 Militia and a Pilot. Again, all builds are in line with the strategic plan...

Italy produces 2 buildpoints and gets 5 from Germany, 1 oil is saved. They build the HQ and the “long range” FTR2.

Japan produces 11 build points and sends 1 to the US. 2 oil are saved. The Zuikaku is put next to the shipyards to be finished and the Junyo gets started. The Mil pool is emptied.

China produces 5 build points. China doesn't scrap any destroyed units. China builds the 8Rte elite INF and rebuilds the garrison.

CW produces 13 build points and saves 5 oil. A Pilot, 4 convoy points, an INF and a Militia are build.

France produces 5 build points and save 1 oil. France scraps the FTR (they don't expect to rebuild the plane). France builds a MIL and an INF.

US produces 10 build points and get 1 from Japan. 1 oil is saved. 2 BB's and a CV are repaired and the Amph is started. The 2 remaining build points go to the building of the Phillipine TERR.

USSR produces 6 build points and gets 2 from Germany. 1 oil is saved. The USSR builds the PARA and an INF.

This time, the band starts playing the Italian national hymn, because they have conquered Tunesia.

Tunesia? I wonder if that country got a national anthemn in 1939. Yes, here is “Salam el Bey”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ncmRcJawBQ

It's the start of the new year, and that means that you can again scrap units which have become obsolete. The USSR, France and China don't scrap any units. The CW scraps a Hurrican and the Wellesley bomber and the US straps a obsolete P-35 and the 4-5 MOT and a 5-6 MECH. They have better ones available. Germany scraps a Do 17 M and a Ju-86. The Italians send the BA-GS to the scrapyard and the Japanese do the same with the KI-21-I bomber. They decide not to scrap the other NAV2, since this might be a usefull plane do to the low build costs it has.

Here are the reinforcements of the turn.

[Centuur]

Apart from this, France puts two pilots in two obsolete FTR's out of the reserve pool and moves the carrier plane to the reserve pool. Things look very, very weak in France with only the Marseilles MIL and the MTN as reinforcements.
Germany still leaves the obsolete planes on the map, since they still don't have better planes for the pilots.

The trade agreements are unchanged. And here it is, initiative:

[Centuur]

The Axis decide to move first. Next is the weather report. A 4 is rolled, bringing snow to the arctic, storm in the North Temperate, rain in the South Monsoon and fine weather in the Med, North Monsoon and the South temperate zones. Not that good weather for a German offensive...

[Centuur]

The first impulse of the new year starts with the alignment of Hungary by Germany. This is done because the Hungarian units are needed for garrison duty in Poland and since Hungary now has a border with the USSR, to prevent Soviet aggression against the Hungarians (unlikely to happen, but it is possible).

So here is the Hungarian national anthem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N3gfzk-5bw

Japan decides to align Thailand at this point too. It has to align the country sometimes, so why not at this moment? Don't forget that if the CW breaks down an Indian INF, they can invade Bangkok in the surprise impulse and that is prevented this way. Papers in the US are more interested in the NHL during this stage of the war, since the financial chaos by at the New York Americans and the recent transfer of their star player is considered more important than the war (how nice it is that there are so many papers made on the WW II years, even on things which aren't important at all).
So there are still 3 chits in the entry Ge/It pool, 1 in the Japan entry pool and 1 in the Ge/It tension pool.

I say Thailand at this point and not Siam. While Siam is used on the map (since the decision was made to use the name the country had in september 1939), the regime in the country changed the name and the national anthem of the country on december 1st. 1939 in Thailand. So historically speaking, we should get MWIF to change the name of the country on the map during the 1939 end of turn phase...

So here is the national anthem of Thailand:

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

Japan takes a combined, Italy a naval and Germany a land action.

The Japanese again load two TRS with the MIL in Japan to send them to China. They are disembarked to in the ports this turn. Apart from this, there remains only one movement point this turn and that is used to move the CAV towards the desert hexes...

The Italian TRS load the DAK and the INF and sail with a cruiser escort in the 2 box. The Flying boat and the BB with cruiser escorts sail into the 4 box of the Western Med. Another cruiser goes into the Italian Coast on convoy escort duty. Another cruiser sails into the Eastern Med. The Italian SUB's again leave port for the Eastern Med too. Interception attemps by the French all fail to find the Italians.

The Italians decide to see if they can harm the French convoys in the Eastern Med. They find the enemy (rolls 2) and the French merchantmen are surprised (rolls 10). Three French convoy points are destroyed. After this defeat, the French escorts decide it is not worth to stay and fight...

In the Western Med, the French try to get a fight started. The Italians find the French (rolls are a 5 and a 4 respectively). They elect to evade the French BB's and aim for the three French convoys instead. Those are send to the bottom of the Med. Next round, both side fail to find eachother.

The Afrika Korps disembarks in Oran...

Two Hungarian units are railed into Poland and an elite INF railed from Poland to the Western Front.

Now, if weather had been fine this turn on the French-Belgium border, France would have faced the almost complete destruction of it's army there. However, storms are raging and this makes the one attack the Germans will still be making a lot less effective. Why not wait for to attack? Well, it's winter and the turn is probably going to be a short one. Also, if the Germans stay organised (or are halved disorganised) than Paris is doomed to fall shortly (perhaps even this turn). If the hex containg Georges is emptied, this also means that the remaining French units at the border with Belgium are out of supply, if they are removed from the map. So, even with the odds here, it is worth a try. And if Georges throw in HQ support, he isn't going to move towards Paris this turn...

[Centuur]

Now Georges had been packing up at the castle he's in (and secret files are being destroyed) when he comes under attack. Not wanting to stay at the castle, he decides that he can survive the +6 attack unharmed by the Germans, who choose the Blitzkrieg table, since they want to clear the hex with as less losses as possible...

[Centuur]

No losses for both sides and the hex becomes German. Georges see that moral of his soldiers is very low, since they ran from the enemy's Panzers.The German general staff is quite pleased with the way this attack went. The Stuka's and a Me 109 is rebased towards Paris and next impulse, the Axis will be able to get three hexes on the city. Von Bock reorganises three units to make sure the movement of units into France doesn't get blocked...

And since France seems to be on the verge of collapsing, here is Georges Boulanger with “Avant de Mourir”. A very sad, but beautiful piece of music...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edmxadIa8K0

[Centuur]

J/F 1940, impulse 3

The USSR decides that, now the Chinese Communists are in a good position and weather is fine in the Med, it is time to liberate the Persians from the imperialist and kapitalist influences. They declare war...

Here is the Imperial Iranian national anthem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vbRQjCSwv0

The anti communist lobby in the United States reacts. Meetings are held and the President has to make a formal complaint with the Soviet ambassador. One US entry removed. There are now 2 chits in the Ge/It entry pool, one in the Ge/It tension pool and one in the Japan entry pool. Persia is aligned to Italy.

With the USSR air force present in the area, there is only one place the Persian CAV can be put in, and that is Teheran. If put in another place on the map, ground strikes will probably immobilise the unit and that makes it possible for the USSR to walk into an undefended Teheran in two impulses time.

[Centuur]

France and China takes land, the CW takes a naval and the USSR and the US take combined actions.

The US puts a division on board of a cruiser and sails it to Iceland.

In London, Chamberlain was forced to resign and a National Government consisting of all major parties was established under Churchill. In his first speach as Prime Minister, he stated: "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat". He than sends a message to Gort, ordering him to leave Antwerp, since the city is now behind enemy lines and of no importance to the CW anymore...
The CW moves TRS into the North sea and takes the BEF on board. A Canadian GAR is transported to Casablanca and the Sydney MIL arrives in the Red Sea. Some minor adjustments are made in the convoy pipelines. The Italians decline to initiate combat in the Med.

Here is a recording from Hank Snow, out of 1936: Prisoned Cowboy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnHa-XGV ... 9C&index=3

Chinese Generals keep sending units into Japanese controlled territory, to force the Japanese to deal with those units, before they can retake Japanese held cities. The goals here is to prevent the Japanese to move towards the Communists...

[Centuur]

In Persia, the TB-3 ground strikes the surprised Persian CAV in Teheran, disorganising it (since I can't use the plane in ground support, I use it here instead). Rolls were a 2 and a 8. Since there isn't any sign of a German attack towards the USSR, Zhukov rails to the Finnish borderlands. In Persia. Teheran is attacked by the Siberians, aided by the USSR bomber fleet...

[Centuur]

The attack is a complete disaster for the USSR, but the cavalry division will enter Teheran next impulse, so here is the Soviet Cavalry March: Polyuska Polye

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuKWdjzhnr0

[Centuur]

In France, Daladier resigned as Prime minister and was succeeded by Reynaud during a debate at a divided Parliament session. Some politicians even asked for the start of peace talks with the Germans! However, Reynaud refused to do so, still believing that the Germans would be defeated at the gates of Paris. He even appointed Daladier as the new defence minister. The French third republic, being robbed of young politicians during WW I and plagued by corruption was however unable to form a National government in which all major parties were represented. French politics became messier and messier...
Chief of Staff Gamelin was becoming more and more worried about the fact that there weren't any messages coming from the frontlines in Belgium anymore. Where was Georges? What did happen after the last report which he received which stated that Georges did engage the enemy? Where was the front at this moment? Bilotte reports fighting behind the Maginot line, but where is the enemy which attacked Georges. Suddenly, a telegram reports enemy armoured troops 60 kilometers north of Paris. And there is nothing between the enemy and Paris, except for the Mountain troops. He makes an appointed with President Lebrun, to advise him to move the Government south, towards Bordeaux. In the meantime, trains arive from Marseilles in Paris, carrying the MIL from the city. General Juin in the Alps is surprised when he receives orders to march to the west, leaving garrisons in Lyons and the Toulon/Marseilles area.

[Centuur]

Next, the weather report... A 10 is rolled, making it an 11. This results in blizzards in the Arctic, North Temperate and the Med, rain in the North Monsoon and South Temperate and stroms in the South Monsoon zone. In this weather, an attack on Paris is very, very unlikely to happen...