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22 Aug 1938

The Soviets have made peace. We hope it is a lasting one this time. The Soviets showed no love for Poland, attacking viciously. They did a huge amount of damage, and surely helped the Germans. This is truly the "Bloodlands".

22 Aug 1938

The Italians have lost all of Libya, and are on their last legs in Ethiopia. Tripoli was bombarded by the capital ships of the Royal Navy, and raided by the RAF, which led to the assault represented here :

22 Aug 1938

The Regia Marina has been bombarding up and down the Riviera. With the freeing of the capital ships from the bombardment duty at Tripoli the Admirality worried that the Italians would flee. The RN decided to attempt to fix fleet elements of the RM in place for a big battle with our fleets in the Mediterranean. The smaller forces of the RN and French fleets took up blockading positions and then attacked the strong foe. The Italians were put on notice that they must expect relentless attacks, and probably will try to breakthrough.

22 August 1938

China is up against a tough, persistent opponent, but we are fighting well.

22 Aug 1938

Staff Appreciation

Poland - The Soviets will no longer be attacking, and the germans are going to have to bear down on the Poles at some point.

France - The BEF is arriving in France. They will help with defense of the rear areas till they are in full strength.

At Sea - The big battle in the Med is the news, of course, but some new naval assets are about to join the fleet.

United States - Building the economy and researching technology for a possible war. We hope for a new factory soon.

China - It felt good to attack. It will feel wonderful to have tanks of our own.

19 September 1938

Staff appreciation

Poland - is conquered. The Germans finished Warsaw off, but the Soviets played a large part. It was a splendid defense.

France - The Luftwaffe is doing real damage, and the combination of air, artillery and assault is wearing down the frontline troops. The BEF continues to build up units.

China - We sniped at the Japanese. Japan has an armor heavy force in China, surely expensive.

At Sea - The Regia Marina is done for. In a month of battles between Genoa and Marseilles the Royal Navy and the French Fleet destroyed the brave, out-numbered Italians. The RM did not play a "fleet in being", rather they supported their troops with shore bombardment till the end. The months battles included combat between battle lines, submarine vs. submarines, and cruiser and destroyer actions. Not since the Nile and Trafalgar has such naval battle been seen.

October, 1938.

The Russian and German people shake hands across the Polish nation, and have agreed upon a Molotov-Ribbentrop Treaty. Each nation has taken back some land which was wrongly stripped away from it.

While Russia does not necessarily condone the method that hostilities commenced, we no longer feel the buffer state of Poland is necessary. The terms of the treaty can be found in the following map:




However, Russia continues to decry the shameful instigation of world war by the British in their cowardly attack on the unarmed Italian troop transports. Though we have long maintained good relations with the Allies, it appears they have learned nothing from the events of history less than two decades ago.

We have also stretched our influence over Turkey, allowing our Black Sea fleet access to the Mediterranean (I think). This has long been a desired addition to the socialist republics of our soviet union. We are happy to report the peaceful transfer of power.

Situation Report : October 1938.

Europe : The French and British continue to give and take losses. The BEF is becoming more of a presence on the continent, and the RAF component is increasingly active although their targets are Italian at this time. The RN is more than holding its own against the KM in the North Sea and Skagerrak. The RN aircraft carriers are proving valiant warriors in the battle against U-boats. Poland has been partitioned in a great crime. The Red Army bombed and bombarded Warsaw far more than the Germans killing untold numbers of civilians. Evidently the Polish homeland was nothing but a "buffer state" to the brutal Soviets. The "Red" Army takes on another meaning as they join a Nazi feast dripping in gore.

The Med : The Royal Navy bombards Sardinia as anti-submarine teams head out into the South Atlantic seeking U-boats. In Ethiopia the Italian presence is shrinking as the 2nd Army joins XX Corps in the attack. We can afford to take our time here and want minimal casualties.

The United States : The USA is in the very early stages of building their armed forces. In the interests of maintaining neutrality many submarines have returned to their ports.

China : The conflict here has become somewhat lower in intensity. China now has two (very weak) armored units, but more are on the way. China would be happy to discuss peace if Japan is weary of war.

Situation Report : 14 November 1938

Europe : The Germans completely destroyed the forces in what was the center hex of the Maginot Line. This includes 20 AFV formations reduced to scrap. Heavy artillery and air preparation led to the victorious assault. French and British troops withdrew to more defensible lines. The German strength is concerning. Some ASW activity in the Atlantic as the RN spreads a net to find raiders.

The Med : Sardinia is captured. The Royal Navy and French Navy moved to the Riviera where they bombarded troops facing Marseilles.

The United States : The USA struggles to maintain peace as the Germans entered a state of war with America by declaring war on Denmark. American shipping in the Atlantic has been sunk. The State Department issued a note to the effect that Germany must accept peace soonest or the USA will wage war on Germany now. Relations between the USA and the Reich are on a thin edge.

China : Much more activity, many more casualties as the intensity picks back up.

ORIGINAL: cpdeyoung
The United States : The USA struggles to maintain peace as the Germans entered a state of war with America by declaring war on Denmark. American shipping in the Atlantic has been sunk. The State Department issued a note to the effect that Germany must accept peace soonest or the USA will wage war on Germany now. Relations between the USA and the Reich are on a thin edge.

/"OOC" Aside:
Very cool that we have a historical event happening early, with the Germans sinking American shipping before official DoW.

12 December 1938

Germany has completed the capture of Denmark with the fall of Copenhagen.

The French prepare for the onslaught of the well equipped Germans. The Italians are on the move also. The British are helping the French every way they can.

The Royal Navy has a massive ASW structure in the Atlantic. The Germans lost 11 SS3 to ASW efforts. The RN has large numbers of subs and destroyers at sea, along with a very potent carrier force.

The Chinese continue to plant stiffening armored units into their defensive formations.

(I saw the new game is ready for me but I might not be able to get to it until tomorrow. Huge deadline approaching for me that might slow down my response time for the next 10-12 days. Christmas break should see much quicker turn-around. Sorry!)

9 January 1939

Quiet days on the front, expect for a Swiss surprise. Another year of war begins.

I got a strange warning, telling me that the game version last used was version 225, while I am using 221. I didn't find any problems playing my turn, so hopefully it was nothing. Chuck, let us know if anything seems fishy.

Also, defending my PhD thesis in a couple of days, so don't expect to hear from me again until the middle of the week. At that point, I can return to 24-hour turnarounds

I think that is a pretty common warning, and should not be a problem according to Ernie.

I hope the defense of your paper goes well. Best of luck, although luck won't have much to do with it at this stage I expect.

Chuck

6 February 1939

Here is the current position of France.

6 February 1939

The undersea war :

Interesting about the uboats. I already can't remember, is Norway under Allied control now?

Edit: Disregard, I remember they are not.

6 March 1939

Here are the U-boat results for March. Tough on U-boat men.

That's brutal. Do submarines have a realistic chance of doing harm in this mod, or are they (as it seems) pretty easy to stop?