ORIGINAL: Jeffrey H.
The USA declares war on Russia. Then tells Russia to do whatever it wants to. So, the USA and England plan a land war in Asia and or Eastern Europe.
I think Germany was right to sound the alarm against the English construction of so many tank factories.
I think you got that backwards. The US declares war on Japan, following its alliance obligations with Japan, the Soviet Union then declares war on the US. The US tells the Soviet Union, that a peace could be arranged for, if they want it..
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Stalin is rattling his saber, claiming that his buddy Hitler was right with his blather about our preparations. Are the Soviets comfortable with their fascist allies? Has the totalitarian side of the Soviet state taken over completely?
This peace is wearing on us. Each nation seems to be on edge. The war in the Far East has expanded with the United States declaring war on Japan. If a general war begins we may be campaigning in a conflict that spans the whole world. This will strain our Empire's resources in ways that have never been tested.
The Poles are deeply nervous, as are all the pro-western nations of Eastern Europe. The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg are all watching their borders in anxiety.
I have met with members of the Commonwealth Chiefs of Staff, and four American officers joined us. All got along well, and we initiated some structures for planning. With America at war we were limited in what we could discuss, but I felt they were friendly. They did not come hat in hand, and shared little about the future conduct of the war in Asia, despite our curiosity.
ORIGINAL: Jeffrey H.
The USA declares war on Russia. Then tells Russia to do whatever it wants to. So, the USA and England plan a land war in Asia and or Eastern Europe.
I think Germany was right to sound the alarm against the English construction of so many tank factories.
I think you got that backwards. The US declares war on Japan, following its alliance obligations with Japan, the Soviet Union then declares war on the US. The US tells the Soviet Union, that a peace could be arranged for, if they want it..
I think I got it forwards, in Soviet Russia, forwards is not backwards.
History began July 4th, 1776. Anything before that was a mistake.
Stalin is rattling his saber, claiming that his buddy Hitler was right with his blather about our preparations. Are the Soviets comfortable with their fascist allies? Has the totalitarian side of the Soviet state taken over completely?
This peace is wearing on us. Each nation seems to be on edge. The war in the Far East has expanded with the United States declaring war on Japan. If a general war begins we may be campaigning in a conflict that spans the whole world. This will strain our Empire's resources in ways that have never been tested.
The Poles are deeply nervous, as are all the pro-western nations of Eastern Europe. The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg are all watching their borders in anxiety.
I have met with members of the Commonwealth Chiefs of Staff, and four American officers joined us. All got along well, and we initiated some structures for planning. With America at war we were limited in what we could discuss, but I felt they were friendly. They did not come hat in hand, and shared little about the future conduct of the war in Asia, despite our curiosity.
Alan Brooke
24 July 1939
Nation states have no friends, only common enemies.
The USA declares war on Russia and meets with the English, planning their roles in the coming war. Did I miss something here ?
History began July 4th, 1776. Anything before that was a mistake.
You should see the tanks massed on the German border. France has been producing Char b out the butt. And yet I have never done a single thing to provoke anyone. My production has all been in RESPONSE to England. England even threatened peaceful Italy.
After the Soviet diplomatic move in Norway the government came to me and asked what the working together of the Axis and the Soviets would mean. I replied it would be a long, terrible war. They asked me if it could be avoided, and I replied I did not think so, and certainly not avoided with any honor left. At this point we brought in the Admiralty, and we explored the naval situation. Highest priority was placed on the transport fleet in Kiel. I asked if it could be destroyed, and found a major naval effort would be required. This will surely result in the deaths of many sailors, but the RN did not hesitate and said they would do their duty. The French said they would draw first blood across the Maginot Line, and did so. No one wanted to attack Italy on the chance they might remain neutral, nor was war declared against Japan. I do not have a lot of hope for diplomacy, but the government did offer peace to the Soviets, who may think about it.
The world is now at war, and the historians of the future will have much bickering over the "causes" and "origins" of this war.
For my part, to the degree my thoughts played in the discussions, I thought the choice to go to war was the proper one. I do not think we could have avoided it, and I wanted those transports at the bottom of the sea. The threat to the home isles could not be tolerated.
Britain and France show their true colors and viciously attack a peaceful Germany. All the rhetoric about wanting peace and not being aggressive were as we suspected, a lie, to appease their people. And the US seems cut from the same cloth, after the surprise attack on Germany the US offers an alliance with the jackals.
As we anticipated many brave sailors went to watery graves off the German ports. The Germans chose not to fight a general engagement or it could have been many more. The RN had to abandon the close blockade, and they tell us there are U-Boat wolf packs at sea. The Soviets accepted our peace offer, and the French have offered them one.
We have built a new shipyard which will allow the RN to rebuild, and build up for the coming campaigns. I have moved my "chess pieces" about the board, but I want the Germans to commit themselves before I take a major initiative. The Americans seem to be having a time with the Japanese, and the Chinese certainly are.
The Germans have taken the Netherlands in a quick campaign. By the time we reacted they were in the suburbs of Amsterdam. We aided the Royal Navy in evacuating the whole Dutch Military and naval forces. Amsterdam is an open city and we expect the Germans to promptly occupy it. We attacked some German troops on the Dutch coast.
Logistically this was a confusing month for us with troops sailing every which way. We finally built an aircraft factory and I am sure the RAF has a program of production planned. The French saw little action, with some artillery ranging in their guns on live targets. The Royal Navy sank a wolf pack, but of only seven old subs. The RN is worried about the newer subs.
I am very uncomfortable about the Far East where the French tell us the Chinese are being hurt badly. The Japanese are tougher than we might have realized. The American experience adds more evidence.
Our forces continue a low intensity war with Germany. We fire artillery and make air strikes, but no ground fighting yet.
At sea, the Royal Navy engaged two wolf packs, eliminating one of old u-boats.
We know the Germans are very strong with modern panzers aplenty. We expect Belgium to take a hard blow this month. There does not seem to be clues as to what is going on in Eastern Europe.
Everyone took another month off from the war. I know this is not quite true, but the intensity remains low. Looking at the dispositions we know we estimate the Germans will bull ahead through the Ardennes, perhaps taking on the French forts directly. We expect trouble from Italy too.
The Soviets are active in recon, and their intentions, and capabilities are unknown. The staff is awash with suggestions for production, but we simply do not have the resources for building everything we need. I am currently deploying four field armies, each of which is matched, possibly opposed, by an entire nation.
The Royal Navy, the RAF, and the French all saw combat this month and caused the enemy some losses, but the storm is yet to break. Perhaps this is a Christmas pause before campaigning next year.
The Germans hit Belgium, and Luxembourg, like a ton of bricks. We had no chance to intervene in Belgium, there was not even a chance to pull the Belgian merchant fleet out of Antwerp. Perhaps we should have placed more diplomatic pressure on Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg to join in joint defense planning with the French staff and ours. This would have allowed us to advance our MLR. Water over the dam now.
The French punched back, hitting the German forces in Luxembourg, which withdrew. The French did not advance into the Duchy as French positions are long established. I directed the RAF to attack Antwerp, and they did so to some effect, and without significant loss. Our forces then moved to confront the Germans at the border.
The Royal Navy attacked a small wolf pack, destroying it, but U-Boats caused losses to HX convoys.
The Soviets are still German allies, and the RN reports their subs are doing recon on our positions. I have not forgotten them, nor have I forgotten the Japanese. With the USA embroiled in a vicious war with the Japanese, and China under tremendous pressure, the French and our Empire must be on high alert.
At some point we expect Eastern Europe to blow up, and then the geopolitical landscape may change.
The Royal Navy says that an attempt to push a supply convoy up the Channel resulted in major losses. They found one wolf pack northwest of Ireland and destroyed it, but found no others.
The French pushed the Germans back from Luxembourg, but again they held their good defensive positions and did not occupy the Duchy. Both the French and our forces attacked Antwerp, and it is now occupied by British troops. We also attacked the Germans in Brussels but could not push them out. It will be very interesting to see how the Germans fare against the British divisions in Antwerp, if they attack this turn. Their panzers have not yet shown their hand in battle, other than in defense.
Afghanistan chose to side with us, after diplomatic activity. The India command is moving some forces there to observe the border with the Soviets. Red subs continue to gather intelligence and we suspect they are passing data to the Germans. Italy remains quiet.
We are deeply unhappy with the Japanese advances. They are across the border from us at the Burma road now. China is battered, and Japan is quite powerful. The United States is certainly a factor for them, and they may not attack us soon. We have no idea of their relations with the Germans, or the Soviets for that matter.
An eventful month as major combat occurred in the Belgian cockpit. The Germans focused on Antwerp and caused heavy casualties with massive artillery and air strikes, followed by a panzer assault. They assaulted, and we held, with our armoured components slugging it out with the panzers. We then counterattacked at Brussels again, reducing some of the artillery there. The RAF played a big role, and their airstrikes were followed by a tank attack. We are pleased with our tank performance and have shipped new forces to Antwerp. The infantry took the heavy hits, and the French have gallantly joined us in Belgium, and have begun to dig in at Antwerp.
The Royal Navy destroyed two wolf packs last month, and losses are running in our favor. We do not know what the naval production of the Germans is so we can not accurately evaluate this threat. The RN has visited Italian positions and we find the Italians to be strong on the French borders, and in Italy. They seem to have abandoned North Africa
The Japanese have begun to move west across the top of India. This requires a big response from us, and we are moving troops to the border. The Chinese and Americans are fighting valiantly but Japan my have ambitions that lead them into war with us.
Denmark was taken so quickly we never had a chance to intervene. The Germans showed their amphibious capabilities in a way that made me glad we attacked the troopships when we did. Far away another event occurred that I regard as a negative when Fascists took over the government of Greece. The Italians are significantly strong, and Italy is as entrenched as England just now. They have a balanced force including armor. Everywhere on the map nations have large military forces. The world is a scary place.
The French armour attacked the Germans in the forests before Lille and did well, although the terrain was not ideal for armoured combat. We are in the stage where every destroyed panzer is important.
The French and British forces in Antwerp held their ground well and caused the enemy significant losses. The RAF made two "Big Wing" strikes, doing heavy damage, and without heavy losses. The Luftwaffe hesitates to defend against the sky darkening RAF squadrons. Impressive numbers of Hurricanes and Spitfires fly with the bombers. Our armour forces attacked along the Belgian coast and again at Brussels. New tank forces are joining the BEF and the panzer troops are taking serious losses. Fighting in the Cockpit has resulted in a trash dealers dream of burned out PzIIID hulks. Our tankers have good equipment and morale and experience are building as the panzers burn.
We are addressing the Japanese advances north of India with new forces, but we do not want trouble there. The Indian Army is preparing infrastructure for the defense of the Jewel. The Chinese are having a very hard time of it and we do not want to be surprised by these experienced Japanese troops. The experience level of the Japanese is a big concern. Our troops are trained but have not seen combat, and the Japanese have been fighting a big war for years. We must prepare to take a heavy first blow, resist, and counter with strong attacks. We are not ready to do this yet.
The Royal Navy in European waters did not find any enemy naval forces and the U-Boats seem to have pulled in their horns this month.
The Germans paused for reorganization, but we did not. The big wing attack on Brussels met German defenders and the RAF held its own. Our armoured attack on Brussels hurt the Germans, but did not succeed in pushing them out. They have the 50mm gunned PzIIIJ now, and we have the Crusader III with a 57mm gun. Our Matildas and Churchills fight hard, and our tankers prefer them to the panzers. Our pilots say the Spitfire V is very close to the BF190F that the German is deploying. These battles in Belgium continue to draw forces in from both sides. The BEF has been reinforced, and the French have supplied new infantry.
Our reinforcement of the north of India continues apace. We do not see Japanese troops there yet, but the Chinese have been driven back. We want to be prepared if war comes this way.
Tanks everywhere in the Belgian cockpit this month, and we finally pushed the Germans out of Brussels, but we were too exhausted to occupy the city. Much of Belgium is recovered, although we know the Germans will occupy it again.
We continue to adjust the lines for the protection of Imperial assets in the north of India. The Japanese are making rapid advances but the Chinese still hold out.
