Stjeand (Axis) vs Nirosi (Allies) Stjeand may look

[Nirosi]

Allied turn of December 22nd, 1939

U-boats are getting more aggressive and more serious in their hunting. Escort priorities are changed. No jokes were heard at the War Office about the German U-boats this time.

Enraged on learning that there was no such think as the 1st Cavalry Corps despite the existence of the 2nd to the 5th Cavalry Corps, in an impulsive decision Stalin ordered the formation of the said 1st Cavalry Corps. When general Patov mentioned that we could simply rename the 5th Cavalry Corps into the 1st Cavalry Corps, Stalin lost its nerves and ordered General Patov exiled to Siberia. The next morning, regretting its impulsive decision, he called the NKVD and changed the sentence to execution.

[Nirosi]

Allied turn of January 5th, 1940

Despite a massive escort effort on the convoy attacked by the U-boats, they still managed to inflict serious losses at no cost for them.

[Nirosi]

War will definitively be good for the ship building industry.

[Nirosi]

Allied turn of January 19th, 1940

Overall calm over all the theatres. Modest loses of merchant marines in the Atlantic, but also modest loses by two U-boat flotillas.

[Nirosi]

Allied turn of February 2nd, 1940

Nothing worth reporting except the delivery of the latest generation of Spitfires to fighter units based in London. Other squadrons will receive them in the following weeks. A follow-up generation is also not too far away. The RAF expect to be able to fight on equal terms, at least, technological speaking, with the Luftwaffe by April or May.

[Nirosi]

Allied turn of February 16th, 1940

Mostly calm everywhere despite some modest action by U-boat in the Atlantic. However, a Royal Navy force set sail and is now patrolling the Northern Norwegian Sea.

[Nirosi]

Allied turn of March 1st, 1940

The Admiralty reported terrible loses in the last two weeks with about 700 000 tons of merchant shipping lost and close to 20 escort ships of all type. Two of the three U-boat Flotilla are also believed to have suffered loses, one lightly but another one quite severely.

[Nirosi]

French soldiers in the Maginot line, leaving for a routine patrol.

[Nirosi]

Allied turn of March 15th, 1940

Small skirmishes at sea with minor loses both for U-boats and the British merchant marine. Everything else is calm but tensions are mounting and the German build-up in Denmark is a clear indication of something about to happen. A British fleet is naively trying to hide both from the German and Norwegian authorities inside remote fjords in Northern Norway.

[Nirosi]

Allied turn of March 30th, 1940

Moderate loses in the Atlantic and not much else to report warfare wise.

In a strange incident, a junior representative of the German embassy in Switzerland approached an employee of the British embassy in Bern and muttered something about a possible deal to limit submarine warfare in the Atlantic. However, it is believed that nothing official is behind this incident.

[Nirosi]

Allied turn of April 12th, 1940

Minor loses for both sides in the Atlantic. Quiet elsewhere but not for long probably.

[Nirosi]

Allied turn of April 26th, 1940

Modest merchant loses in the Atlantic but another 10 escorts crafts or so were also lost prompting the Admiralty to ask for an increase in escort production. The war at sea, will be a long one.

French agents in Germany managed to get a hold of parts of the German plans for the Spring offensive (which despite good weather did not start yet). Although not quite sure if the plans were genuine, the French government ordered the XLIVe Fortress Corps to take position in Luxembourg preventively. In an attempt to appease the population, the French government guaranteed Luxembourg’s independence despite the occupation and promised not to mingle into internal affairs. Nonetheless, the Dutch and Belgium government protested formally and vehemently the invasion. Scouts form the corps that advanced into France mentioned having noticed quite impressive tanks of models yet unknown just across the river in Germany proper.

The BEF is now fully deployed in France. Originally the deployment was supposed to be behind the Somme. However, a superstitious rumor among the troops started to spread that the ghosts of the Somme will force all British soldiers to surrender. To maintain morale, it was therefore agreed, much to the French amusement, to instead deploy before the Somme instead, while the French will occupy the other bank. Overall, three British corps were deployed. A Canadian Corps is also protecting the extreme flank, at Dunkirk, of the first French line.

Both the French and British factories are trying to develop and produce in a rush a second and third generation of fighter respectively before hostilities escalate. In both cases the answer from officials is “sometimes in May”. Luckily, a big chunk of British and French infantry units, but not all, have received some improved artillery pieces.

[Nirosi]

Allied turn of May 10th, 1940

Taking advantage of the fact that Belgium was too outraged toward the Allies to join them after the Luxemburgate of last month, Germany invaded the Netherlands to bypass the French Corps well entrenched now in between Germany and Belgium. In the next few days, the 2ème Bureau assumes that German troops will invade Belgium from the North, not having to bother pushing first the French corps now in the easy to defend, from their side anyway, Luxembourg.

Nonetheless, despite that the Germans will probably reach the French border very soon, the 2ème Bureau believe the hole situation pushed back German plans by about two weeks since they decided to play it safe instead. This might allow French and UK fighter wings to get their new more advanced planes in time, as well as some better artillery for some 2nd line French Corps.

Radio intercepts seems to indicate relatively high armored loses on the German side during the push toward Amsterdam. The RAF also had some severe loses in its bomber wings after a misinterpretation of the permitted operational sectors.

In other news, the British Fleet at sea near the Norwegian coast since March sailed back for home and should be there soon. London is worried that the Germans might have been waiting exactly for that to take Norway (it will be known in the next few days). However, German parachutist have been spotted in Stuttgart, not Denmark as it was first believed. It might be possible that due to bad weather, the invasion of Norway that seemed imminent in March might have been postponed. It is also possible that it was never planned either.

At sea, in the Atlantic, both U-boats and merchants suffered moderate loses.

[Nirosi]

Allied turn of May 24th, 1940

German panzers entered Belgium and reached Brussel in a matter of days, pushing aside any opposition. Strangely, German troops did not advanced deeper into the country and avoided contact with Allied troops.

After much debate, the French High Command decided to keep the corps holding Luxemburg in place. The position is precarious, but well defended and it is believed it might delay the German army enough to be worth it. Further West, the Canadian army requested the permission to withdraw to a secondary line closer to the Somme, but the request was denied.

U-boats keep putting pressure in the Atlantic and loses are mounting. However, the U-boats are themselves not immune to Allied countermeasures.

[Nirosi]

The Belgian King addressing his people.

[Nirosi]

Allied turn of June 7th, 1940

The German army reached the French borders and made very modest advance into France. A probing attack on Lille was also easily repulsed. After much debate, it was decided once more to keep occupying Luxemburg.

The air battles over the battlefields shared equally by French and British fighters were rough for the Allies but sustainable. This can only improve now with the latest top-of-the-line Spitfires just out of the factories and reaching all fighter squadrons in England.

The battle of the Atlantic was rough for the British fleet in the last few days with heavy loses.

[Nirosi]

Allied turn of June 21st, 1940

German tanks and infantry pushed deeper into France. Lille was captured after five days of furious fighting, strangely of frontal assaults by only two enemy corps at once each time. Loses are high for France on the ground but still manageable for now. In the air, Germany, France and UK all suffered more or less equally, meaning German fighters are dominating the skies, but not for free!

The XLIV Fortress Corps was finally pulled back from Luxembourg. Holding the small country served no purpose anymore and the corps would be more useful in France proper where the front line still holds for now. After the withdrawal, Paris sent its apologies and regrets to Luxembourg for the temporary occupation. Canadian troops, almost isolated in Dunkirk, evacuated to London before it would be too late.

[Nirosi]

Allied turn of July 5th, 1940

The German army achieved a clear breakthrough in France heading straight through the corridor that lies more or less in between the Somme to the West and the Seine to the East of Paris. For now, German troops did not try to cross the Seine and did not attempt to cross the Somme, preferring to outflank it. Only a small probing attack, that severely bloodied the nose of the attackers, was attempted on the British on the III Corps.

However, to avoid been encircled, the BEF had to retreat behind the Seine West of Paris and leave the defense of Rouyn to the French. London is considering evacuating its whole contingent very soon as it seems the situation of the French Army can only deteriorate. The French Army suffered quite heavy loses with two corps been either annihilated or dispersed for quite a while, having to be reformed in the back. German loses were not light but still very acceptable in view of the results achieved.

In the air, after handling itself correctly in the first weeks, the French air force suffered huge loses, been now pushed to its limits. German and British loses in the air were moderate, almost light, and certainly acceptable.
In the United Kingdom, the first phase of the mobilisation is now complete, and the government is confident that the homeland can now already be protected properly against a German invasion attempt, baring the repatriation of at least 2/3 of the BEF. And such an attempt could probably not occur until late August at best.

London is confident enough to send about a fourth of its fighter groups to protect Malta amid rumors of war in Rome. It is expected that such a show of force might force Italy to think twice about it before making a hazardous decision in the near future.

In the Atlantic, German submarines exchanged loses with the British merchant navy, which is usually not to their advantage.

[Nirosi]

French fighter squadron in a makeshift base South-West of Paris

[Nirosi]

Allied turn of July 19th, 1940

German Panzers breached the Seine East of Paris. France suffered serious loses. The breach can obviously not be sealed, and the French army is at risk of not only be cut in two, but also encircled in two separate pockets. Once Paris is taken (which most people think it is only a matter of time, except the most patriotic ones), or even before, German panzers can easily push South toward Vichy and Lyon, or maybe even drive West toward St-Nazaire. German paratroopers have even been spotted deep inside France, probably ready to jump and help to capture whatever target OKW picked; maybe even the ports needed to keep an escape route for the BEF.

The British government decided therefore to order an evacuation of BEF in two phases. First, they will retreat toward designated ports that they will defend, and second, they will embark back to the United Kingdom, except for the III Corps ordered to sail to Egypt, as the rumor of war in Rome only grew stronger. Needless to say that the French government if furious.

Strangely, despite the fact that the Luftwaffe dominated the skies in the last two weeks, it was nowhere to be seen recently and did not contest the air to French bombers. However, French bombers are not numerous enough to make the difference and British bombers were allowed to operate only in the sector of the BEF.

In a desperate move to slow down the German war machine, the French High Command ordered French troops to advance and try to squeeze the enemy troops as best as possible in a small corridor to impede their movement toward Paris. But any experienced general observing the situation can realise that the French troops will only be severely pushed back and probably only moderately slow down the enemy.