A musical global war AAR...

[Centuur]

However, Bomber Command misses the important factories. Instead, the historical center of the city is flattened, giving more ammunition for the German propaganda machine, accusing the British of war crimes against innocent French citizens...

[Centuur]

Here is music, made in occupied Belgium in 1943. Here is "Ridicule Swing!" by Gene Dersin & Les Voix du Rythme.

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

The CW disembarks an Indian GAR into Alexandria. The Belgian Congo TERR arrives in India. The London MIL and a division arrive in Casablanca. An INF is railed into Beirut. In the UK the MECH and Gort arrive in Plymouth, for transportation.

The USSR rails a GAR into Leningrad, a MECH moves and the airforce rebases towards the Finnish border. A USSR INF arrives in Persia..

In China, the nationalist army starts to withdraw to the mountains. The Communist CAV enters Chengtu. The other Chicomms take up positions around Lanchow, to prevent it's capture by the Japanese. The Kunming warlord enters Indo China, to prevent the Japanese from moving along the railline towards Kunming.

Here is China at the end of the impulse:

[Centuur]

And here is the weather report. The roll is a “2”. And here is more wartime music out of occupied France this time. Here's Tohama & l'Orchestra de Ludo Langlois with: Tu m'apprendras.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ10PfrNKj8

[Centuur]

May-June 1940, Axis impulse number 5:

All Axis powers take land actions.

In southern France, more and more units enter the Pyrenees. It's slowly getting crowded at the Spanish border.
In Morocco, the Italians railmove HQ Graziani into Morocco and the German INF there enters Rabat. Other Italian and German units take up positions there too. Badoglio and the Milan MIL disembark in Oran and an Italian division disembarks into Rabat too...

Here is an Italian Marching song: Inno Battaglione San Marco - Marina Militare

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN2M-6aGJDc

[Centuur]

In China, the weather prevents the Japanese from making any attacks and therefore, progress is slow in the mud. The city of Tianshui is captured by the Japanese (no US entry chit gained), and more units advance towards the west. The mountains north of Chungking are empty of Chinese units, except for the lonely Chungking warlord. In French Indo China, the MAR in Hanoi moves towards the Kunming Warlord, the only unit blocking the advance into Southern China. Things aren't looking good for the Chinese at all. The military situation is slowly becoming a nightmare for the Chinese generals, now that the Chicomm army up north has been slaughtered...

Jazz music in Japan caused quite an uproar in the traditional conservative society. This went as far as the fact that in Osake, this music was forbidden by the Municipal government at the end of the 1920's and the dance halls in that city were forced to close. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese banned all Jazz and Swing music, being “enemy music”...

Here is a recording of a song by a Japanese jazz musician named Ryoichi Hattori called Oiwake

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJB5vziPmLA

[Centuur]

May-June 1940, Allied impulse number 7:

Lets look at the situation. Things are very, very bad in China. The weather roll gives a 90% chance for good weather in the next couple of impulses. That means the Japanese will run their MAR division across the mountains, because it can than go either to Chungking, or to Chengtu (which is occupied with the Chicomm GAR). The Chinese need to move the western front, however, if they move into the mountains, they will get disorganised in the rain. Chiang is immobilised due to the weather. Kunming is threathened too...

Now, the Chinese need to move to prevent the capture of Kunming by the Japanese. That railroad needs to be blocked. If not, than next impulse the Japanese is going to move the MAR onto the railroad and can race to the city the impulse after this. That risk is to large to take, since Kunming is probably going to be the place the Chinese will have to come back from...

That leaves only a 20% chance to end the turn and that's too little.

So China takes a land action, all other Allied major powers take combined actions.

In the naval action, the CW moves the Queens into Casablanca, strengthening the garrison there. This is one port the Axis will have to fight for.

There is one CW Home country in the CW that did already have his own national anthem which was played immediately after “God save the King” during the World war on all official business. That country was South Africa. So here is “Die Stem van Suid-Africa”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9dq7VqV-Os

Bomber Command again flies two bombers to Lille. With no German air cover, they hope the Hampden and the Harrow will do a better job than the Whitley's did. The AA guns aim at the aircraft on their bombing run:

[Centuur]

“FLAK abteilung: Feuer!”...

[Centuur]

The crews of the Harrows drop their bombs too early due to the effective fire of the 88 mm. Flak guns...

[Centuur]

And again Bomber Command has missed the important factories. Again rural area's are flattened and again German propaganda claims that the British only want to kill innocent French citizens. Even in Parliament, questions are asked. Air Chief Marshal Sir Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt is forced to resign...

So, time for another piece of German Propaganda:

Here's Charley and his Orchestra, with Stardust...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEPDtTVgN1g

[Centuur]

In China, things are bad, real bad. Due to the weather, the Chinese can only marginally improve the situation...

[Centuur]

The USSR railmoves an ARM to Zhukov while other units move slowly towards the Finnish border. The complete USSR airforce is moving into position. Mannerheim is getting worried. What are the Soviets up to?

[Centuur]

Turn doesn't end (roll 8). And here is the weather report for the next couple of impulses:

[Centuur]

May-June 1940, Axis impulse number 9:

Well, it wouldn't surprise anyone, I expect, if I announce that all Axis powers again take land actions. There is now a 30% chance that the turn will end...

Let's start with the “March of the Volunteers”, which would become the official Chinese national anthem after the Communist party won the civil war. This is the 1935 version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6icFnCSF2yA

The Japanese rail an ART gun into the city of Nanchang. After that, the Japanese generals look at the map and orders are send out to almost every unit in the theater to move aggresively towards the Chinese positions. Orders are to gain as much ground as possible. The city of Ichang is being attacked by the forces let by HQ Umezu. The General himself leads the attack, his ceremonial sword in hand in the frontlines: “Banzai”. Chiang decides, since he will be next if there is a next impulse and for the Chinese the turn desperately needs to end so there won't be any Chinese movement, to throw in HQ support. The assault table is chosen:

[Centuur]

The shock of seeing Umezu going down in the frontlines, wounded, causes a temporary disruption of the command structure. The city falls into Japanese hands, making things even more difficult for the Chinese. Japanese FTR's are rebased in better attack positions. The Japanese general staff is amazed at how the situation in China developes. And that in less than two months! It's incredible, since both in the south as in the north major cities are within range of Japanese units.

So here is: 《軍歌》日本陸軍 Nippon Rikugun, another Japanese army march:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y84epmz1HuI

In Tokyo, the Soviet Ambassador is recalled to Moscow, while in that latter city, Stalin orders the Japanese Embassy to inform the Imperial government that Japan has to stop attacking Chinese positions, or else... Here is north China:

[Centuur]

And South China:

[Centuur]

Germany rails an ART gun into the city of Bayonne, an Italian MOT rails into Bordeaux. The positions on the Spanish-French borders are being strengthened again and in Morocco Italian/German forces move towards the border with Spanish Morocco in strenght too.

[Centuur]

Franco is furious with the behaviour of the German and Italian army. Germany replies: “give us the right to move our units towards Gibraltar and you don't have to go to war”. The CW, hearing of these negotiations immediately send the foreign secretary, The Viscount of Halifax to Madrid to give the Spanish Caudillo the following clear message: the moment the German army moves into Spain with Spanish consent, there will be a declaration of war made upon the Spanish nation. However, if Spain decides to fight the Germans, the CW will give all aid it can to the Spanish defence. Franco's answer to both parties is clear. I'm neutral and I don't want to have to do anything with the war. Spain mobilizes it's forces. Here's the Spanish Force Pool. Note that the BB's won't be available, since they were sunk during the Spanish civil war (you can rebuild them, if you want) and the MIL and the MECH are going to arrive the turn after Spain get's DoW'ed:

[Centuur]

The turn doesn't end... (roll: 6).

Now, here it is... The major decision to be made by the allies. If they all pass and the turn doesn't end (60% change that the turn does end). Chungking and Lanchow will fall and Kweijang will get a Japanese unit adjacent to the city. If they elect to let the Chinese move, the Chinese can prevent the capture of Lanchow, but not of Chungking. Things are bad, very very bad.

So should the allies all pass, or should China be able to move the communists (and that means that all allies should choose actions, since for Chicomm units to move, the USSR needs to take a combined and the Chinese should take a land action) reducing the chance of turn ending to 40%?

By the way: the weather for next impulse has an 80% of being fine in temperate and 40% of being fine in the north monsoon zone. So for Chungking and Lanchow that's not a good thing too...

Let's take a vote here: I say the allies should all pass and start praying to the Gods for that 60% chance and if that doesn't happen for the 20% chance for bad weather...

And while you are thinking on what to do: Here is Denny Dennis and the Roy Fox Orchestra: “It's a sin to tell a lie”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuhUZ0m1uVE

[Klydon]

Do the nationalist Chinese have a unit coming in or a unit they can build and get into Chunking coming up?

I think you have to go for the pass.

If you don't get the turn to end and the Japanese get Chunking and Lanchow as much as I don't like the Chinese surrendering, that may have to be in play given how deep Japanese units are in China. The huge issue with this however is it frees up the Japanese army to lend a hand against Russia if the Euro-Axis decide on Russia after Gibraltar. If the Euro-Axis are not going to do Russia (and they don't really have to make that decision just yet), then the Russians may well have to roll the dice to start getting units in Manchuria to both defend itself and also put the real threat of pressure on Japan.

Always enjoy reading this AAR. Great job.

[Centuur]

Yes. The Chungking MIL is in the force pools and will be build. A Chicomm GAR and Stilwell are also arriving as reinforcements.