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And the Eastern Med:

Japan takes a land action. It ground strikes the Chinese forces at Kweijang with two bombers, escorted with a FTR. The Chinese FTR scrambles. An air battle gets underway:

In the following bomb run, Stillwell gets disorganised. Japan decides to rail the Manchurian MIL into Manchuria and moves units into position to attack Kweiyang. The Japanese general staff, knowing that they can affort losses and knowing that if they don't attack now, bad weather will make attacking Kweiyang difficult (no supply), decide to gamble. A bomber is thrown in for ground support:

The Japanese generals see that the high morale of the troops means the Chinese are obliterated. The Chinese formations seem to surrender en masse... Worse, the fact that US soldiers and General Stilwell are taken prisoner invokes a shock in the United States, especially when the Japanese decide to put them to trial as war criminals, since they were seen to have been fighting in US uniforms against Japanese soldiers, without a US declaration of War being issued on the Japanese Imperium. A complaint is taken to the US ambassador, demanding excuses from the US within a week. After a firm refusal out of Washington and an uproar in Congressm the Japanese, Stilwell and his fellow Americans taken in China are tried, found guilty and beheaded. One US entry chit gained...

So here is Yao Li: Mei Gui Mei Gui Wo Ai Ni

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17xfVgCboi4

Here is the situation in China...

And here is Manchuria:

After this turn, there are 7 chits in the Ge/It entry pool, 5 in the Japan entry pool, 1 in the Ge/It tension pool and 2 in the Japan tension pool. Fortunately, the number in the Japan pools is low, because otherwise... One thing is for sure: Japan now has to prepare for the war in the Pacific, since it can be expected that the US will be ready to DoW Japan somewhere end of 1941...

In anticipation of that: here is:
Glenn Miller and the Army Air Force Band - Over There
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSlEtqxYYoI


How high do you think that US entry is at this moment (knowing that the US chose to relocate the fleet to Pearl last turn...). What are your expectations on US entry. When will the US join? Give me an estimation, so I can prepare Japan for war in time...

Well, Japan has just taken the last Chinese factory city, right? So China will be conquered this turn?

I figure war comes in Nov/Dec 1941.

As far as the European situation goes, it's looking really bad for the Allies. The Germans can mop up Malta while rebasing their forces to prepare for a 1941 Barbarossa, and probably still send in a few troops & planes to help the Italians finish the job in Egypt (and move on to the Middle East, natch).

Would it be possible to see a picture of the USSR troop placement in the West?

Of course. I won't continue the game until Sunday in the afternoon, so feel free to give advice:

Here is the Finnish-USSR border. Zhukov is still there because of the Borderlands claim. He's the last one to leave the area. I think I move him to Novgorod, still counting for garrison but out of harms way for the moment...

The Polish-Rumanian border. The MECH is just arriving from the Finnish border (was used to put pressure on Germany to give up the Borderlands without a fight. The units in Minsk just arrived as reinforcements this turn.

And the Persian - Iraq border. USSR is going to take out Iraq, now that the French can get their oil from the US (since I expect a battle around Suez and don't want to end up with an Iraq aligned to the Axis cause).

The attack on Iraq was planned for Nov/Dec, but it just got moved up in the priority list...

And the neutrality pact. The USSR got more build points than Germany has at the moment, because of the large number of build points being send by Germany to Italy (which is going to build an airforce for use in the USSR...).

ORIGINAL: Centuur

Of course. I won't continue the game until Sunday in the afternoon, so feel free to give advice:

Here is the Finnish-USSR border. Zhukov is still there because of the Borderlands claim. He's the last one to leave the area. I think I move him to Novgorod, still counting for garrison but out of harms way for the moment...

I think you should use Zhukov to rail a couple of cavalry to use in Karelia to screen the Finnish units from cutting the Murmansk railroad. At first they can defend in a couple of swamp hexes so that they do not get killed to easily during the summer.

With Finland already aligned you have the advantage of knowing where they plan to attack.

In principle, I agree on this advice. I've only got to check where those CAV are at the moment. I think I've got quite some CAV in Manchuria at the moment...

September/October 1940, Allied impulse number 2

Suddenly, the USSR realizes that it is running out of time! With Gibraltar taken by the Axis and the Chinese knocked out of the war, it is just a matter of time, before the Germans will DoW them. And that with a war in the East going on. So, it's time to force things in Iraq. The USSR isn't exactly prepared yet (it would have liked to have another INF in the area, capable of attacking the Iraqi's, but you can't have everything...

So: all rise for the Iraqi national anthem, Mitwawa (my homeland), which was adopted in 1934 and reinstated after Saddam Hussein was taken down from power:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBaI26chcFw

In the US, the anti communist lobby reacts furious to this behaviour of Stalin. The US senators are forced to condemn this action in public. One US entry chit removed. Italy aligns Iraq. Since defense of a city gives a -1 modifier, the Iraqi CAV is set up in Baghdad.

The CW and France take naval actions, China and the USSR take land actions and the USA takes a combined action.

The US sails two old BB's out of the Atlantic towards the Pacific. The Lexington enter Pearl Harbor. Slowly, the build up in the Pacific starts...

The CW and France repair the convoy lines, sails a fleet into the Cape St Vincent and the Eastern Med. The first to be able to evacuate the units out of Spain (and put them into Spanish Morocco instead). Gort is put unto a TRS and sailed into the sea area too. The Italians succesfully intercepts the moving TRS and they therefore stop in the Cape St. Vincent. The second fleet to try to put the Italian forces in Lybia out of supply. The old French BB's sail out of the Med. The French fleet will be used for convoy escort duty for the remainder of the war. The Italians decide to intercept the French vessels. Since interception again succeeds, the French ships stop in the Eastern Med. A CW cruiser fleet gets intercepted in the Eastern Med too...

The CW wants to eliminate the Italian cruiser in the Eastern Med. The Italians decline include the SUB's. They roll an 8, and the allies a 1. The Banda Nere sees the combined French-CW Fleet coming right at them. The ship sinks the the bottom of the Med...
There is no next round, because the Italians don't get the SUB's involved in the next round.

The Italian army in Lybia is out of supply...

Next, the CW tries to initiate combat in the Italian Coast. Both sides fail to find the enemy.

Here's: I Had The Craziest Dream, playde by Harry James with Helen Forrest singing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smmTbHdeX48

In the Cape St. Vincent, the CW decides not to initiate combat, since they don't want to put the precious loaded TRS in danger. Of course, the Italian High Command decides otherwise. They initiate combat. Apparently, nobody on board of the Allied Fleet spot the Gabbiano's flying low to attack the fleet:

In an heroic act, the Swordfish start from the Eagle, hoping to catch the Italians. The Italians decide not to spend any surprise points during air to air combat, since the Swordfish are starting too late and the attacking Gabbiano's strike the flight deck of the Eagle:

Apparently, all English ships were sailing with the AA gun crews not at their post (Italy spends two surprise points to reduce the AA fire to nothing). Another big mistake from the English Admiral. Next, the Italians spend 6 surprise points to increase their damage. They leave three to choose the target in the next round and the Gabbiano's attack the loaded TRS!

Gort sinks to the bottom of Cape St. Vincent...

The CW, decide to abort the sea area. Churchill is madder than hell and the unfortunate admiral gets fired...

Now, lets listen to: The Sheik of Araby, played by Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oXOIT62ico

Meanwhile, the USSR air force ground strikes the Iraqi CAV: