A musical global war AAR...

[Klydon]

If you got it, getting stuff into Malta would be a potentially good call as well in terms of multiple ground units (some white print) and also some aircraft. (Yeah, I know, the CW needs everything everywhere. hehe).

[Centuur]

Malta has the 3-1 Canadian GAR and a 2-4 RSA Territorial in it. The CW has a lot boots on the floor at the moment (HQ, INF, GAR and MIL pools are all empty) and is also slowly starting to build up the airforce (especially FTR's. The FTR3 are all in production or on the map and the FTR2 pool will be empty at the end of the year too, if there aren't any losses) at the moment. Some of those will be distributed across the globe starting next turn. From that moment on, the CW will have a larger FTR force than the Germans and the Italians, if they don't respond by building aircraft too.

Now, that sounds nice, but it isn't. The FTR's have to be distributed across the globe, to make sure the UK has got the following possibilities:

- Strat bomb the Paris-Lille-Brussels area with FTR cover using the Whitleys which are both in London or bomb Germany using the extended range of those planes. This will tie down at least 4 Axis FTR's. Goal is to start hurting German production (but than bomber commmand better start to hit something, since every time the die is against them...).

- Get at least a FTR2 into Egypt

- Get at least two FTR 3 in Gibraltar/Morocco

Slowly, NAV's and CVP will be build too in the next couple of turns.

The fast expanse of the Axis however, has meant that the important CW forces are at the wrong places at this moment. Gort and Alexander are in the UK, together with a white print INF. The London MIL (another white print) is in Casablanca. The Sidney MIL is in Egypt with Wavell and a lot of Indian forces and the Egyptian TERR. There hasn't been time to transport those units to Gibraltar until now. So, where I believe the Middle East is reasonably defended, I'm worried about Gibraltar (speaking from the CW points of view). It now has a TERR, a MOT and the Royal Engineers as garrison, and that isn't the defense needed. I think I'm going to make sure that two white prints are going to be in Gibraltar (and I even think one of them will be Alexander). It's about time those boots are going to earn their pay...

[Centuur]

July-August 1940, Allied Impulse number 2:

In the US, businesses with important trade with Japan have filed motions against the Embargo on strategic materials against the country. Together with the news that Soviet forces have entered Japanese controlled Manchuria, without a proper declaration of war, the US congress decides to put on hold the laws which should increase the sanctions against the Japanese. The Soviet DoW on Japan arrives 4 hours late at the Japanese government. The Japanese radio calls the Soviet assault a dishonorable attack. Japanese citizens in the US demand that the US decides to embargo the USSR too... 2 US entry chits lost in the Japan entry pools.

The USSR calls out the reserves. All are set up close to the Manchurian border.

Here is: Farewell to Slavianka. This song was made in 1912, but this is a recent made recording, which I've chosen because of the Propaganda posters which appear in the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7rzS0ysplQ

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

The CW and France continue the slowly reorganisation of the convoy lines. The Spanish fleet sails into the Western Med. Force H sails there too. The Home Fleet sials into the Bay of Biscay to blockade the German Fleet in Bordeaux. A Canadian MIL is loaded aboard the Spanish TRS, a 7-3 INF is loaded in Plymouth and sails into the Cape St. Vincent. The Queens load Alexander in the Bay of Biscay, an Idian MIL sails towards Egypt and 2 South African units are loaded in Cape Town. All those units are moved towards the Med, with the exception of the Canadian MIL, which wil go into the UK. The Spanish FTR rebases into Portugal (thus giving the CW a pilot) and a FTR3 and the Battle are rebased into Spain. Gort reorganises convoys in Plymouth.

In the Eastern Med, the French search for the Italian cruiser which supplies the Italian army on the Egyptian border. The die rolls fail to find eachother.

I don't expect South America to see much war in this game, but the music coming from this continent during the war is quite nice... So here is Ricardo Malerba - Corazon De Artista

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irtz1JlBtIA

The USSR rails and moves more units towards the Finnish border. The Finnish government is getting nervous and decides to mobilize it's army. USSR units enter Manchuria and the first Paradrop is done into the heartland of that country, near to the city of Tsjitsjihar, blocking the railroads. The Japanese general staff is shocked by such a bold move by the Soviets...

[Centuur]

In China, the Chinese communists decide to declare an attack on the city of Lanchow. If they don't do so, the Japanese will take the city of Sining, thus putting the Lanchow MIL out of action, since it is than out of supply... Better to try to retake Lanchow, than to spend the rest of the war doing nothing. The city is only defended by a MOT division. The Japanese decides to give the division ground support and they choose the assault table:

[Centuur]

Due to heavy opposition, the Chinese attack is stalled. The Nationalists try to improve the positions there are in. However, it is difficult to do more than make some minor improvements...

And here is the weather report for the next couple of impulses:

[Centuur]

July-August 1940, Axis impulse number 3

All Axis powers take land actions.

In China, the Japanese decide to ground strike the communist forces in Chengtu. An attack on those forces will follow later. The Japanese are in a rush, since the aggression by the Soviets will mean that forces will have to withdraw to Manchuria.

[Centuur]

The Japanese rail the MECH division and a GAR into the city of Harbin. The forces in Manchuria and Korea start moving towards the USSR positions.

It's time for a Japanese song: Here's: 北京覗眼鏡　　 服部富子　 sung by Tomiko Ha`tori in 1938.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hh6RbgTATY

In China, the city of Sining is taken by a Japaness CAV, which is in a hurry (no US entry chit gained). Chengtu is now the last Chicomm city on the map. The first Japanese troops arrive at the gates of the cities and start making preparation for an attack somewhere in this turn. Troop under the command of Umezu start moving aggressively toward the Chinese main force in the area of Changsha, hoping to destroy as many units as possible in the next couple of impulses. In other parts of China, some units move towards positions from which they can be redeployed towards Manchuria. The Chinese Lanchow MIL is being attacked.

[Centuur]

The Venice MIL is railed to the port of St. Malo, for garrison duties. In Spain, a Panzerdivision runs throught the capital of Berlin and leaves again. Barcelona is surrounded and Bilbao only has a small corridor towards the nothwest of Spain. In Spanish Morocco, Guderian moves aside of Franco. Sure, the city of Tangier is in the mountains, giving Franco's elite forces there double defense factors, however, the city will soon be surrounded by Axis forces. The 8-4 MOT is landed on top of Guderian in Morocco. An attack is declared on Barcelona. Von Bock throws in HQ support, the Luftwaffes Messerschmidts provide some ground support and the CW and Spanish navy throw in defensive shore bombardment, while the Italian navy sits by and does exactly... nothing!

[Centuur]

Well, that wasn't to bad, if you look at things from the German point of view. There were losses, but Barcelona is taken...

So, time for another German military march. Here is the “Alte Kamerade Marsch (Old Comrades March), composed in 1889 and it's still popular today.

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

Here is the situation in Spain/Morocco at the end of the impulse:

[Centuur]

Here is Manchuria:

[Centuur]

Northern China:

[Centuur]

Southern China:

[Centuur]

July-August 1940, Allied impulse number 4

The USSR and the US take combined actions, China and the CW choose land and France a naval impulse.

The USSR sailes the Baltic fleet, loaded with an INF division and the 6-1 GAR. Moscow says it's for training only. Troops are moving in Manchuria and a MECH arrives at the Finnish border too:

[Centuur]

Time for Leonid Utesov - By The Black Sea | "У Черного моря"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyKC0vfQxDo

Leonid Utesov was one of the USSR's jazz pioneers. Being confined to the USSR censorship, which only allowed for texts favourable to the Communist Party and the Soviet Union in itself, he still was able to slowly change music in the days of Stalin...

Here is Manchuria:

[Centuur]

In China, the only thing the Chinese can do is make some minor “improvements”. Things are bad, very bad. Stilwell is back to where he started, since a ground strike in it's current position will mean the loss of the factory city of Kweiyang to a fast moving Japanese division in two impulses time. It's therefore better to sit in that city and hope that this summer turn doesn't take long... On the other hand... That same division can take Kunming in only three impulses time and there is nothing the Chinese can do to stop this from happening. Things are looking really, really bad...

Northern China:

[Centuur]

Southern China:

[Centuur]

In the Eastern Med, the French fleet finds the Italian cruiserpicket which provides supply to the Axis units in Lybia. A short gun battle takes place, damaging the Montecuccoli. Of course, the Italian cruiser leaves the sea area immediately.

Here is Francisco Canaro & Charlo - Mentir en Amor Es Pecado

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc1E9dkUfYQ

The CW moves some units into Spain. Another INF arrives in Gibraltar:

[Centuur]

And here is the situation around Egypt:

[Centuur]

Finally, the weather report for the next couple of impulses.

Here is Jazz Gillum, with “I want you”...

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

[Centuur]

July-August 1940, Axis impulse number 5:

All Axis powers take land actions.

Japan rails the Nagoya MIL to Harbin. Units are moved in position to make two attacks on the Chinese, while other units are slowly withdrawing to the east, to rail them out of China into Manchuria, to counter the Soviets. Chengtu is attacked with the Japanese air force giving grond support. The Assault table is chosen by the Soviets: