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I just hope that at some point this is released as a full on mod...you have done such amazing work with Italy, Hardradi!
This was definately one of my favorite AARs, I hope it can eventually be brought back to life 
Thanks mate. Working on a conversion to FTM. Trying to do a bit every weekend so it might be a while.
This was definately one of my favorite AARs, I hope it can eventually be brought back to life
Its back.
Operation Icosium and the re-conquest of Ethiopia
Recap: After the Italian victory in Ethiopia in May 1936, the large build-up of British forces on the Ethiopian-Sudanese Border unnerved the Italians. Marshal Balbo pitched a “grand plan” (dubbed the "Drin-Drin" Plan by Mussolini) for a war against the Allies to Mussolini and the Fascist Council. It was accepted and a multi-front war began between Italy and the Allies on the 11th May 1936. The aim was to steal key British and French territories in Africa (including the Suez) and then sue for peace. Mussolini had committed the ‘mad dog act’ so feared by British diplomats and politicians.
On the 2nd July 1936, Spain erupted into civil war. The Italian Fascist’s and the German Nazi’s both supported the Nationalist side. With fascist support the Nationalists appear to have the edge.
British opinion on the Italian conquests hardened towards the beginning of August 1936 and it no longer looked like peace was an option. It has become a battle to the death. Such a battle required a new approach to the war called Plan Carnera.
Europe
Recap: At the start of the war the Italian I and IV armies had easily pushed over the unprepared French forces along Little Maginot Line (in the Alps) and expanded into the Provence and Rhone regions. The front became static with the arrival of French armour divisions and the French forces then counterattacked and retook Marseille. With reinforcements from the II and VIII armies, the Italians have now retaken the initiative along the front. Marseille was recaptured on the 1st August. In accordance with Plan Carnera these forces have started the thrust west to form a front along the Rhone River to Lyon in the north.
Politics
In Rome, rumors were about the place of another meeting between Mussolini and the aging but prominent Italian nationalist Gabriele d'Annunzio. Speculation was rife about their private discussions. Many thought that d’Annunzio, being a native of Dalmatia, was pushing the agenda for Dalmatian irredentism, peace with the Anglo-French alliance and/or an anti-German stance.
MAIN:Italian claims on Yugoslavia; INSET: Mussolini and Gabriele d'Annunzio.
Rhone Front
19th August: The French Amiot 143 bombers continued to unleash their fury on the massed Italian divisions in Valence inflicting heinous casualties on the Italian soldiers. Despite the bombings the Italian troops stubbornly continued to advance against the French forces holding out around Bourgoin-Jallieu and Vienne on the Rhone. Although the French 25th Division had been reinforced by the French 4th Division, they too had been subjected to intensive bombings and as their forward positions were overwhelmed, their commanders ordered a general retreat to the western side of the Rhone.
Victory at Bourgoin-Jallieu.
Italian troops advancing on a French commune.
22nd August: Despite the superior results of the organised of French air force, their land forces were in disarray. After securing the bloody ground of Bourgoin-Jallieu, four Italian divisions now pressed on towards the largely undefended French city of Lyon. In an effort to surround and isolate the city, forces from the IV Army also attacked Bourg-en-Bresse to the east of Lyon.
Dual battles for Lyon and Bourg-en-Bresse begin.
Medical evacuation of injured Italian soldier.
Mediterranean Sea
19th August: The tail of the fleeing French fleet (see 18th August) now ran into the 1st Marine Squadron escorting the 1sh Marine Transport on Operation Icosium (see below). A long range battle now ensued and the French capitals were able to give a good account of themselves, their opening volley badly damaging the cruisers RM Asmara and Duca d’Aosta. Italian bombers soon joined the fray and were able to ‘hole’ the French cruiser Dusquesne.
Brief sea battle in the Gulf of Tunis.
As night closed in the Admiral Ghe lost sight of the French fleet and they managed to escape.
22nd August: The naval action in the Mediterranean continued. This time the British got the better of a flotilla of Italian destroyer who were escorting the Taranto-Rhodes convoy.
The Italian 21st Destroyer Flotilla is lost on the seas south of the Dodecanese.
New York Times article reporting on the action in the Mediterranean.
ASI
Recap: In North Africa, the Italian IX Army captured Tunis and is now heading west to Algiers. The X Army and the VI Army advanced east, first taking Cairo and then besieging the British in Alexandria. After a tough battle the British 7th Infantry Division and the Middle East Command were forced to surrender. The Italians were then forced on the defensive along the line of the Suez against a determined British and Iraqi attack. The line was breached in its entirety and the British were able to initially push on before their attack faulted. The depleted state of the VI and X armies meant that this front required new reinforcements - they would arrive from the south in accordance with Plan Carnera. de Stefanis’s 30th ‘Sabauda’ Division was the first division to be landed in the Eastern Desert of Egypt south of the front lines.
Suez Front
20th August: Following the defeat of the 27th ‘Sila’ Division, the British and their Iraqi allies had now established a continuous front on the western side of the Suez. With this, the Italians were powerless to stop the movement of a British carrier fleet from the Indian Ocean into the Mediterranean Sea zone. This fleet had often been sighted along the coast of the Horn of Africa and had always been a threat to the weak Italian fleets in this area.
MAIN: The hard fought Suez Front; BOTTOM INSET: Isma’iliya once again becomes a battleground.
21st August: With the forces from AOI a long way off from reaching the front line, Marshal Marinetti could only call up one solid division to continue the fight. This was the 2nd ‘Emanuele Filiberto’ Division. Once again Italian and Allied troops would do battle over Isma’iliya.
22nd August: The battered Iraqis holding positions in Isma’iliya soon lost their forward positions and then started to retreat after the began to by completely overrun by the fresh 2nd ‘Emanuele Filiberto’ Division. Once again the Italians had closed the Suez to the British.
As the campaign was tit-for-tat, a counterattack was immediately launched by the British to the north. It was the 42nd East Lancashire Division. Standing in its way was the 1st ‘Eugenio di Savoia’ Celere Division. It was this division that had single handedly defend the western side of the Suez while the Italians besieged Alexandria. Sorely handled during the defense, since then it had been recuperating and resting in Cairo and Alexandria. Now its tenderized troops found themselves back on the front line.
Victory(again) at Isma’iliya. British counterattack at El Mansura.
Algerian Front
Since his appointment as commander of the now combined Army Groups South & Tunisia, old Marshal de Bono had been intensely planning a combined amphibious and land operation for the capture of Algiers. As Algiers was lightly defended, this task had seemed a forgone conclusion several days ago. Then reports came in from the 6th Submarine Flotilla that a French mountain division had reinforced the vity garrison. This sudden change would require a new plan – Operation Icosium.
De Bono’s attacking force.
De Bono had three divisions available for the Operation. The 2nd Libyan Division which was currently on route to Algiers via the Atlas Mountains and to the west of the important city of Constantine. At Tunis was the 3rd Eritrean Division a mix of Eritreans and Ethiopians with questionable loyalty, hence there transferal to North Africa. Both of these divisions were considered to be of low quality. De Bon’s main weapon was the prestigious 3rd ‘Principe Amedeo’ Celere Division, consisting of bersglieiri, tankettes and cavalry. The 3rd Celere was located at the northeast corner of Algiers at the port of Annaba to the west of Tunisia.
Operation Icosium.
Operation Icosium called for the 1st Naval Squadron to accompany the transports which would move both the 3rd Eritrean Division and the 3rd ‘Principe Amedeo’ Celere Division by sea to the west of Algiers. These divisions would land on previously scouted beaches to the east and west of the city. The first stage would involve landing the 3rd Eritrean Division on the beaches to the east of the city. If not attacked, these troops would then move against the city and pin its defending forces with this attack. Following this maneuver the fleet would move west and land the 3rd ‘Principe Amedeo’ Division on the beaches to the west of the city.
By this time it was expected that the 2nd Libyan Division would have reached the outskirts of the city to the south and both of these divisions could then launch a combined attack against the French garrison guarding the city. Resistance against the beach landings was expected to be minimal.
Italian postcard commemorating the march of the 2nd Libyan Division to Constantine (Note this image has been modified for the purposes of this AAR).
20th August: On the morning of the 20th, the 1st Marine Squadron, its accompanying troop transports and landing craft were now in place to begin the first phase of the amphibious landings. At this time reports were received by Admiral Ghe that a British Carrier and its accompanying screens had been sighted of the coast of Spain to the northwest. As the landing operation had already begun, Major General Gambelli ordered a quickening of the pace. Terrified native troops were bundled into motorised landing craft (some of them fishing boats) and ferried onto the beaches in a chaotic manner.
Landing of the native troops east of Algiers and the beginning of the Battle of Dellys.
Glad to be on dry land, Gambelli’s native troops quickly fanned out and secured positions in the mountains overlooking the beaches. As expected, towards the early afternoon forward positions reported contact with the French mountaineers garrisoning Algiers.
21st August: Later that night before midnight phase 2 of the amphibious landing was about to begin. Italian frogmen who had gone ashore earlier failed to signal the go ahead from the beaches. Several small motorboats with berslegieri onboard were dispatched to find out what was going on. As they approached the shore their positions were lit up by onshore spotlights and then enemy machine gun fire. French troops had secured the landing zone.
The failed landing west of Algiers.
Now Tringali and the 2nd Libyan Division were in position (south east of Algiers) for the proposed assault on Algiers. Without its sister division which should have already landed west of Algiers its attack would be doomed to failure. Instead it was thought that a sudden attack on the western beaches might dislodge it defenders and allow for the landing that had been originally planned.
A full scale assault on the French troops in Tipaza now began. Within hours it was obvious that the French positions were to strong and that they would only be beaten after a long sustained attack. This news proved too much for the Italians and it was decided that this phase of the landing would be called off entirely. The threat of attack from a Royal Navy carrier fleet was the decider.
The 2nd Libyan Division attacks the weak French troops at Tipazza while the 3rd ‘Principe Amedeo’ Celere Division and its accompanying fleet return to Tunis.
AOI
Recap: In East Africa, the strong French 1st Army in Djibouti initially made good advances on the Eritrean capital of Asmara but they were eventually surrounded and annihilated by Italian forces. The Italians were also able to capture key British strategic locations in the Somaliland, northern Sudan and British East Africa, effectively trapping the British 3rd Army in the Sudan east of Ethiopia. Entrapment of the British 3rd Army and the colonial troops in the Sudan was the key objective of Marshal Balbo's "Drin-Drin" Plan. It meant that the Italians could also strike north and attack Egyptian Nile Delta from two directions. In the south, a relief effort attempted by the British 4th Infantry Division just north of Lake Victoria failed and the Italians have finally closed the pincer and trapped the British against the impenetrable water waste called The Sudd. The remaining British forces are slowly being compressed against the unforgiving marsh. Italian forces will now proceed to push into Tanganyika further to the south.
Uganda/South Sudan
19th August: After a brief skirmish with some elements of the 10th Indian Division, Italian divisions now safety occupied Jima, the western capital of Ethiopia. Once again the entire landmass of the former country was firmly under Italian control.
Italian troops reoccupy Jima and the entirety of ‘old’ Ethiopia.
Kenya/Tanganyika
22 August: Looking to the south, Graziani had hatched a plan for the seizure of the last major British port on mainland East Africa, Dar es Salaam. Garrisoning Mombassa in occupied British Kenya was the 6th Blackshirts Division and a Zapte force. Now that Graziani new that the hostile British carrier fleet was in the Mediterranean (see above) it would be safe for the Red Sea fleet to transport and land these forces at Dar es Salaam. The Red Sea fleet had already made the journey around the Horn of Africa and was at port. According to reports from ‘Jacare’ Ciano and his 7th Destroyer Flotilla the British port was only lightly garrisoned.
The only unknown in the whole plan was the exact whereabouts of the British 4th Infantry Division which had retreated from Uganda into the heartland of Tanganyika.
Inland and west of Lake Victoria, the 29th Piemonte Division continued its advance into Tanganyika, its future goal Ndola.
Marshal Graziani’s plan to capture Dar es Salaam.
Recap: After the Italian victory in Ethiopia in May 1936, the large build-up of British forces on the Ethiopian-Sudanese Border unnerved the Italians. Marshal Balbo pitched a “grand plan” (dubbed the "Drin-Drin" Plan by Mussolini) for a war against the Allies to Mussolini and the Fascist Council. It was accepted and a multi-front war began between Italy and the Allies on the 11th May 1936. The aim was to steal key British and French territories in Africa (including the Suez) and then sue for peace. Mussolini had committed the ‘mad dog act’ so feared by British diplomats and politicians.
On the 2nd July 1936, Spain erupted into civil war. The Italian Fascist’s and the German Nazi’s both supported the Nationalist side. With fascist support the Nationalists appear to have the edge.
British opinion on the Italian conquests hardened towards the beginning of August 1936 and it no longer looked like peace was an option. It has become a battle to the death. Such a battle required a new approach to the war called Plan Carnera.
Europe
Recap: At the start of the war the Italian I and IV armies had easily pushed over the unprepared French forces along Little Maginot Line (in the Alps) and expanded into the Provence and Rhone regions. The front became static with the arrival of French armour divisions and the French forces then counterattacked and retook Marseille. With reinforcements from the II and VIII armies, the Italians have now retaken the initiative along the front. Marseille was recaptured on the 1st August. In accordance with Plan Carnera these forces have started the thrust west to form a front along the Rhone River to Lyon in the north.
Politics
In Rome, rumors were about the place of another meeting between Mussolini and the aging but prominent Italian nationalist Gabriele d'Annunzio. Speculation was rife about their private discussions. Many thought that d’Annunzio, being a native of Dalmatia, was pushing the agenda for Dalmatian irredentism, peace with the Anglo-French alliance and/or an anti-German stance.
MAIN:Italian claims on Yugoslavia; INSET: Mussolini and Gabriele d'Annunzio.
Rhone Front
19th August: The French Amiot 143 bombers continued to unleash their fury on the massed Italian divisions in Valence inflicting heinous casualties on the Italian soldiers. Despite the bombings the Italian troops stubbornly continued to advance against the French forces holding out around Bourgoin-Jallieu and Vienne on the Rhone. Although the French 25th Division had been reinforced by the French 4th Division, they too had been subjected to intensive bombings and as their forward positions were overwhelmed, their commanders ordered a general retreat to the western side of the Rhone.
Victory at Bourgoin-Jallieu.
Italian troops advancing on a French commune.
22nd August: Despite the superior results of the organised of French air force, their land forces were in disarray. After securing the bloody ground of Bourgoin-Jallieu, four Italian divisions now pressed on towards the largely undefended French city of Lyon. In an effort to surround and isolate the city, forces from the IV Army also attacked Bourg-en-Bresse to the east of Lyon.
Dual battles for Lyon and Bourg-en-Bresse begin.
Medical evacuation of injured Italian soldier.
Mediterranean Sea
19th August: The tail of the fleeing French fleet (see 18th August) now ran into the 1st Marine Squadron escorting the 1sh Marine Transport on Operation Icosium (see below). A long range battle now ensued and the French capitals were able to give a good account of themselves, their opening volley badly damaging the cruisers RM Asmara and Duca d’Aosta. Italian bombers soon joined the fray and were able to ‘hole’ the French cruiser Dusquesne.
Brief sea battle in the Gulf of Tunis.
As night closed in the Admiral Ghe lost sight of the French fleet and they managed to escape.
22nd August: The naval action in the Mediterranean continued. This time the British got the better of a flotilla of Italian destroyer who were escorting the Taranto-Rhodes convoy.
The Italian 21st Destroyer Flotilla is lost on the seas south of the Dodecanese.
New York Times article reporting on the action in the Mediterranean.
ASI
Recap: In North Africa, the Italian IX Army captured Tunis and is now heading west to Algiers. The X Army and the VI Army advanced east, first taking Cairo and then besieging the British in Alexandria. After a tough battle the British 7th Infantry Division and the Middle East Command were forced to surrender. The Italians were then forced on the defensive along the line of the Suez against a determined British and Iraqi attack. The line was breached in its entirety and the British were able to initially push on before their attack faulted. The depleted state of the VI and X armies meant that this front required new reinforcements - they would arrive from the south in accordance with Plan Carnera. de Stefanis’s 30th ‘Sabauda’ Division was the first division to be landed in the Eastern Desert of Egypt south of the front lines.
Suez Front
20th August: Following the defeat of the 27th ‘Sila’ Division, the British and their Iraqi allies had now established a continuous front on the western side of the Suez. With this, the Italians were powerless to stop the movement of a British carrier fleet from the Indian Ocean into the Mediterranean Sea zone. This fleet had often been sighted along the coast of the Horn of Africa and had always been a threat to the weak Italian fleets in this area.
MAIN: The hard fought Suez Front; BOTTOM INSET: Isma’iliya once again becomes a battleground.
21st August: With the forces from AOI a long way off from reaching the front line, Marshal Marinetti could only call up one solid division to continue the fight. This was the 2nd ‘Emanuele Filiberto’ Division. Once again Italian and Allied troops would do battle over Isma’iliya.
22nd August: The battered Iraqis holding positions in Isma’iliya soon lost their forward positions and then started to retreat after the began to by completely overrun by the fresh 2nd ‘Emanuele Filiberto’ Division. Once again the Italians had closed the Suez to the British.
As the campaign was tit-for-tat, a counterattack was immediately launched by the British to the north. It was the 42nd East Lancashire Division. Standing in its way was the 1st ‘Eugenio di Savoia’ Celere Division. It was this division that had single handedly defend the western side of the Suez while the Italians besieged Alexandria. Sorely handled during the defense, since then it had been recuperating and resting in Cairo and Alexandria. Now its tenderized troops found themselves back on the front line.
Victory(again) at Isma’iliya. British counterattack at El Mansura.
Algerian Front
Since his appointment as commander of the now combined Army Groups South & Tunisia, old Marshal de Bono had been intensely planning a combined amphibious and land operation for the capture of Algiers. As Algiers was lightly defended, this task had seemed a forgone conclusion several days ago. Then reports came in from the 6th Submarine Flotilla that a French mountain division had reinforced the vity garrison. This sudden change would require a new plan – Operation Icosium.
De Bono’s attacking force.
De Bono had three divisions available for the Operation. The 2nd Libyan Division which was currently on route to Algiers via the Atlas Mountains and to the west of the important city of Constantine. At Tunis was the 3rd Eritrean Division a mix of Eritreans and Ethiopians with questionable loyalty, hence there transferal to North Africa. Both of these divisions were considered to be of low quality. De Bon’s main weapon was the prestigious 3rd ‘Principe Amedeo’ Celere Division, consisting of bersglieiri, tankettes and cavalry. The 3rd Celere was located at the northeast corner of Algiers at the port of Annaba to the west of Tunisia.
Operation Icosium.
Operation Icosium called for the 1st Naval Squadron to accompany the transports which would move both the 3rd Eritrean Division and the 3rd ‘Principe Amedeo’ Celere Division by sea to the west of Algiers. These divisions would land on previously scouted beaches to the east and west of the city. The first stage would involve landing the 3rd Eritrean Division on the beaches to the east of the city. If not attacked, these troops would then move against the city and pin its defending forces with this attack. Following this maneuver the fleet would move west and land the 3rd ‘Principe Amedeo’ Division on the beaches to the west of the city.
By this time it was expected that the 2nd Libyan Division would have reached the outskirts of the city to the south and both of these divisions could then launch a combined attack against the French garrison guarding the city. Resistance against the beach landings was expected to be minimal.
Italian postcard commemorating the march of the 2nd Libyan Division to Constantine (Note this image has been modified for the purposes of this AAR).
20th August: On the morning of the 20th, the 1st Marine Squadron, its accompanying troop transports and landing craft were now in place to begin the first phase of the amphibious landings. At this time reports were received by Admiral Ghe that a British Carrier and its accompanying screens had been sighted of the coast of Spain to the northwest. As the landing operation had already begun, Major General Gambelli ordered a quickening of the pace. Terrified native troops were bundled into motorised landing craft (some of them fishing boats) and ferried onto the beaches in a chaotic manner.
Landing of the native troops east of Algiers and the beginning of the Battle of Dellys.
Glad to be on dry land, Gambelli’s native troops quickly fanned out and secured positions in the mountains overlooking the beaches. As expected, towards the early afternoon forward positions reported contact with the French mountaineers garrisoning Algiers.
21st August: Later that night before midnight phase 2 of the amphibious landing was about to begin. Italian frogmen who had gone ashore earlier failed to signal the go ahead from the beaches. Several small motorboats with berslegieri onboard were dispatched to find out what was going on. As they approached the shore their positions were lit up by onshore spotlights and then enemy machine gun fire. French troops had secured the landing zone.
The failed landing west of Algiers.
Now Tringali and the 2nd Libyan Division were in position (south east of Algiers) for the proposed assault on Algiers. Without its sister division which should have already landed west of Algiers its attack would be doomed to failure. Instead it was thought that a sudden attack on the western beaches might dislodge it defenders and allow for the landing that had been originally planned.
A full scale assault on the French troops in Tipaza now began. Within hours it was obvious that the French positions were to strong and that they would only be beaten after a long sustained attack. This news proved too much for the Italians and it was decided that this phase of the landing would be called off entirely. The threat of attack from a Royal Navy carrier fleet was the decider.
The 2nd Libyan Division attacks the weak French troops at Tipazza while the 3rd ‘Principe Amedeo’ Celere Division and its accompanying fleet return to Tunis.
AOI
Recap: In East Africa, the strong French 1st Army in Djibouti initially made good advances on the Eritrean capital of Asmara but they were eventually surrounded and annihilated by Italian forces. The Italians were also able to capture key British strategic locations in the Somaliland, northern Sudan and British East Africa, effectively trapping the British 3rd Army in the Sudan east of Ethiopia. Entrapment of the British 3rd Army and the colonial troops in the Sudan was the key objective of Marshal Balbo's "Drin-Drin" Plan. It meant that the Italians could also strike north and attack Egyptian Nile Delta from two directions. In the south, a relief effort attempted by the British 4th Infantry Division just north of Lake Victoria failed and the Italians have finally closed the pincer and trapped the British against the impenetrable water waste called The Sudd. The remaining British forces are slowly being compressed against the unforgiving marsh. Italian forces will now proceed to push into Tanganyika further to the south.
Uganda/South Sudan
19th August: After a brief skirmish with some elements of the 10th Indian Division, Italian divisions now safety occupied Jima, the western capital of Ethiopia. Once again the entire landmass of the former country was firmly under Italian control.
Italian troops reoccupy Jima and the entirety of ‘old’ Ethiopia.
Kenya/Tanganyika
22 August: Looking to the south, Graziani had hatched a plan for the seizure of the last major British port on mainland East Africa, Dar es Salaam. Garrisoning Mombassa in occupied British Kenya was the 6th Blackshirts Division and a Zapte force. Now that Graziani new that the hostile British carrier fleet was in the Mediterranean (see above) it would be safe for the Red Sea fleet to transport and land these forces at Dar es Salaam. The Red Sea fleet had already made the journey around the Horn of Africa and was at port. According to reports from ‘Jacare’ Ciano and his 7th Destroyer Flotilla the British port was only lightly garrisoned.
The only unknown in the whole plan was the exact whereabouts of the British 4th Infantry Division which had retreated from Uganda into the heartland of Tanganyika.
Inland and west of Lake Victoria, the 29th Piemonte Division continued its advance into Tanganyika, its future goal Ndola.
Marshal Graziani’s plan to capture Dar es Salaam.
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It is alive!!
Cheers fella's.
I worry about how much I have bitten off with this AAR.
Thanks frag, welcome to the AAR.
Ok, the engines on the CV-33's are warmed up again. Its time to continue my conquest of Africa.
Pyrrhic victory at Skerks Channel and capture of Dar es Salaam
Recap: After the Italian victory in Ethiopia in May 1936, the large build-up of British forces on the Ethiopian-Sudanese Border unnerved the Italian leadership. Marshal Balbo pitched a “grand plan” (dubbed the "Drin-Drin" Plan by Mussolini) for a war against the Allies. Mussolini and the Fascist Council accepted the plan and a multi-front war began between Italy and the Allies on the 11th May 1936. The aim was to steal key British and French territories in Africa (including the Suez) and then sue for peace. Mussolini had committed the ‘mad dog’ act so feared by British diplomats and politicians.
On the 2nd July 1936, Spain erupted into civil war. The Italian Fascist’s and the German Nazi’s both supported the Nationalist side. With fascist support the Nationalists appear to have the edge.
British opinion on the Italian conquests hardened towards the beginning of August 1936 and it no longer looked like peace would be an option. It has become a battle to the death. Such a battle required a new approach to the war called Plan Carnera.
Europe
Recap: At the start of the war the Italian I and IV armies had easily pushed over the unprepared French forces along Little Maginot Line (in the Alps) and expanded into the Provence and Rhone regions. The front became static with the arrival of French armour divisions and the French forces then counterattacked and retook Marseille. With reinforcements from the II and VIII armies, the Italians have now retaken the initiative along the front. Marseille was recaptured on the 1st August. In accordance with Plan Carnera these forces have started the thrust west to form a front along the Rhone River to Lyon in the north.
Rhone Front
23rd August: Three days earlier massed Italian divisions under heavy bombing from French air assets had defeated and taken the ground at Bourgoin-Jallieu. On the 22nd Major General Gandin had lead four Divisions north across the Rhone against the poorly defended Lyon (marked green in the image below). Left behind to defend Bourgoin-Jallieu were two Italian divisions, the 6th ‘Cuneo’ and the 22nd ‘Cacciatori delle Alpini’.
Pouring out of the morning mists from the west and attempting to seize the Rhone crossings came two fresh French divisions. Now the second battle of Bourgoin-Jallieu bgegan. This time the Italians would defend the ground. It was immediately apparent to the French commander, Koeltz, that this attack was a serious miscalculation. The two defending Italian divisions under Negro easily held the crossings. Koeltz called a halt to the attack before nightfall.
Victorious defense of Bourgoin-Jallieu
24th August: The drive to clear French forces east of the Rhone continued. An additional attack was now launched in conjunction with the assault on Lyon. This time four Italian Divisions attacked Bourg-en-Bresse to the east of Lyon and on the eastern bank of the Rhone. Here the French 70th Division was dug in while the French 1st Armour Division was on the move to the north away from the front line.
26th August: Despite heavy bombing attacks by the French air force against the attacking Italian forces, the outnumbered French defenders at Bourg-en-Bresse retreated after taking heavy losses.
The clearing of the eastern bank of the Rhone River continues at Bourg-en-Bresse.
30th August: At St Claude at northern end of the front, the dug in 4th Alpine and the 18th ‘Messina’ Divisions now came under attack from the dreaded French 1st Armour Division. Despite their advantageous position, this would be a tough battle as the French Division was equipped with light R40 tanks, the heavier FCM40 models and supported by mortised infantry.
The French 1st Amour leaps back into the fray with an attack on St Claude.
French Renault R-40 light tank.
Mediterranean Sea
23rd August: The 2nd Marine Squadron had the job of patrolling the North African coast when the failed Operation Icosium (assault on Algiers) was being carried out. At Skerks Channel she ran into a very large RN fleet under Admiral Cunningham. With the Italian fleet outnumbered the 1st Marine Squadron at Annaba (west of Tunis) steamed out and joined the battle and evened up the odds.
First phase of the battle of Skerks Channel
Initially, the 2nd Marine Squadron, led by the RM Caio Duilio was under heavy fire and appeared to be lost. To make matters worse British CAG’s suddenly swarmed them and holed the cruisers RM Bolzano and Libia. Italian ships returned fire with their AA guns but they were ineffectual.
AA defenses of the RM Caio Duilio.
The tide turned when the 2nd Marine squadron hit the British fleet in the flank and the heavy guns of the Italian capitals, in particular the RM Andrea Doria and Pola, tore through the British screens. British sailors were in the water everywhere. It was a horrible scene, some were screaming from burns, some were praying, others were dead.
British destroyer going down.
The RM Andrea Doria and RM Pola take the honours.
Despite these victories the 2nd Marine Squadron was badly mauled and the Rear Admiral Cavagnari attempted to withdraw to port. Now another Italian fleet appeared to the rear of the British. This was the 3rd Marine Squadron under Rear Admiral Iachino and lead by the RM Giulio Ceasre. At the same time two wings of Italian CANT Z.506 flying boats began to swoop the fleet unleashing their payload under a hail of AA fire. Several of them were downed in the action and they inflicted some damage on the British ships but nothing decisive. Part of the British fleet bolted north and out of the trap leaving five British cruisers to fend for themselves. Deserted by the comrades they turned on the Italian 3rd Squadron and dashed right passed its flank as they unleashed an unholy bombardment on the closest Italian cruiser. This was the RM Raimondo Montecuccolio, after receiving four direct hits she disappeared under the waves after a massive explosion ripped her into several pieces.
The RM Raimondo Montecuccolio explodes violently.
A Pyrrhic victory at Skerks Channel.
Downed Italian flying boat – CANTZ.506
ASI
Recap: In North Africa, the Italian IX Army captured Tunis and is now heading west to Algiers. The X Army and the VI Army advanced east, first taking Cairo and then besieging the British in Alexandria. After a tough battle the British 7th Infantry Division and the Middle East Command were forced to surrender. The Italians were then forced on the defensive along the line of the Suez against a determined British and Iraqi attack. The line was breached in its entirety and the British were able to initially push on before their attack faulted. The depleted state of the VI and X armies meant that this front required new reinforcements - they would arrive from the south in accordance with Plan Carnera. de Stefanis’s 30th ‘Sabauda’ Division was the first division to be landed in the Eastern Desert of Egypt south of the front lines. The battle hardened men of the Sabauda Division was about to join the fray.
Suez Front
23rd August: After sweeping aside the weakened 2nd Iraqi Division at Isma’iliya the 2nd ‘Emanuele Filiberto’ Division now found itself fighting another Iraqi Davison. This time it was the 4th Iraqi Division attacking south from Port Said before the Italians had time to dig in.
As the battered 1st ‘Eugenio di Savoia’ Celere Division (highlighted in yellow below) began to yield to the British counterattack at El Mansura and it was time for action. If the British could not be stopped they might break out of their beachhead on the western side of the Suez and drive the Italians back. The 1st Blackshirts Division which had been holding a defensive position in the Nile Delta now attacked across the Nile and against the British positions at Bur Sa’id in an attempt to relieve the pressure.
MAIN: Another battle for Isma’iliya begins; INSET: the 1st Blackshirts Division begins a dangerous assault against the British at Bur Sa’id
27th August: The battle at Isma’iliya still raged but now it was time for the first of the Italian reinforcements from AOI to join battle with the Allied forces at the Suez. With the addition of de Stefanis’s 30th ‘Sabauda’ Division, Italian resolve stiffened even further.
MAIN: de Stefanis’s 30th ‘Sabauda’ Division joins in the defence of Isma’iliya; INSET: the initial stages of the 1st Blackshirts Division assault against the British at Bur Sa’id is a success.
29th August: At the Damietta Distributary of the Nile, the militia of the 1st Blackshirts had successfully established a beachhead on the eastern side and had caught the busy forces of the British at Port Said off guard. The British East Lanchashire Divisions attack on 1st ‘Eugenio di Savoia’ Celere Division at El Mansura now halted as they were forced to defend to the west.
Allied defeats at el Mansura and Isma'iliy.
30th August: The 4th Iraqi Division facing odds of 1:2 in the battle at Isma’iliya now found itself briefly encircled as the 1st Blackshirts Division penetrated right through to its position south of Port Said and cut them off from the port town. The Iraqis had no option but to break off the attack on Isma’iliya and re-establish contact with its allied divisions in the port.
Algerian Front
Since his appointment as commander of the now combined Army Groups South & Tunisia, old Marshal de Bono had been intensely planning a combined amphibious and land operation for the capture of Algiers. When it was found that Algiers was not as lightly defended as first thought a new plan, Operation Icosium, was put in place. The plan was wrecked when the elite 3rd ‘Principe Amedeo’ Division failed in its landing on the western beaches leaving the colonial troops stranded deep in French Algeria to fend for themselves.
23rd August: After the failed Italian landings to the west, the French 65th Mountain Division (veterans from the early days of the Alpine Front) continued to outmaneuver the 3rd Eritrean Division in the highlands to the east of the city. It soon became obvious that the weak Eritrean Division would not be able to hold its position in the mountains to the east of Algiers.
24th August: After the failed amphibious landing at Tipaza by the 3rd ‘Principe Amedeo’ Division, Tipaza was no longer deemed important by Major General Trigali. The 2nd Lybian Division was pulled back from its attack on the region in expectation of an attack by the French forces in Algiers.
LEFT:Trigali pulls out of the battle for Tipaza; RIGHT: French 31st Mountain Division launches its attack on Tringali's 2nd Libyan Division at Bou Saada.
26th August: Soon after, as expected by Major General Trigali, the French 31st Mountain Division (also veterans from the Alpine Front) attacked the position of the 2nd Libyan Division at Bou Saada.
Battles lost by the Italian colonial troops at Dellys and Dou Saada.
29th August: After taking heavy losses the Eritrean colonial troops fled from the high ground to the east of the city. With the defeat of the Eritreans on his right flank Major General Tringali immediately ordered a retreat east in order to counter the threat of encirclement.
Marshal de Bono plan had failed. He had now completely lost the initiative in Algeria and General Varcellino’s IXth Army was now on the run.
AOI
Recap: In East Africa, the strong French 1st Army in Djibouti initially made good advances on the Eritrean capital of Asmara but the French forces were eventually surrounded and annihilated by the Italians. The Italians were also able to capture key British strategic locations in the Somaliland, northern Sudan and British East Africa, effectively trapping the British 3rd Army in the Sudan east of Ethiopia. Entrapment of the British 3rd Army and the colonial troops in the Sudan was the key objective of Marshal Balbo's "Drin-Drin" Plan. It meant that the Italians could also strike north and attack Egyptian Nile Delta from two directions. In the south, a relief effort attempted by the British 4th Infantry Division just north of Lake Victoria failed and the Italians have finally closed the pincer and trapped the British against the impenetrable water waste called The Sudd. The remaining British forces are slowly being compressed against the unforgiving marsh as the Italian forces position themselves for the final blow.
Italian forces will now also proceed to push into Tanganyika further to the south around the western shores of Lake Victoria in an effort to seize the mineral rich Copperbelt in South Central Africa. Marshal Graziani has also ordered a daring seaborne invasion of the last mainland British port in East Africa - Dar es Salaam.
Uganda/South Sudan
28 August: With western Ethiopian capital of Jima now in their hands the Italians had finally surrounded the remnants of the British 3rd Army and their various colonial forces at Juba on the Nile. Italians forces had massed around the region and now a combined force of just under 50,000 troops launched an all-out assault to break the stubborn British. Information gleaned from deserters from the British side, indicated that the British had well over 50,000 men trapped at Juba on the White Nile.
Nasi’s 1st Libyan Division leads the assault on Juba.
Kenya/Tanganyika
23rd August: The Red Sea Squadron now appeared on the horizon off the port of Dar es Salaam and began shelling the pathetic coastal defenses. The police barracks was also shelled before the landing was launched. The seas had been vigorous patrolled by Count ’Jacare’ Ciano’s destroyer fleet – no British ships were nearby. The men of the 6th Blackshirts Division were shuttled ashore and did not meet any resistance.
The last major British port on mainland east Africa was now in Italian hands – with it came the British supply dump.
Soldiers of the 6th Blackshirts Division setting up camp and relaxing before the surprise arrival of the British 4th Infantry Division.
As the Blackshirts settled in for a quiet time, they were startled to learn from local informants that the British 4th Infantry Division was making a rapid approach on the port city on the ‘roads’ to the west.
MAIN:The capture of Dar es Salaam and the beginning of the battle for the crucial port city. INSET: British supply dump is captured.
Before it could be trapped by a British fleet, the last of the Italian troops, a colonial police brigade, were also disembarked at the port. As the Red Sea Fleet slipped from the harbor and headed north its sailors could hear the opening exchanges of the divisional artillery – the battle for Dar es Salaam had begun.
Recap: After the Italian victory in Ethiopia in May 1936, the large build-up of British forces on the Ethiopian-Sudanese Border unnerved the Italian leadership. Marshal Balbo pitched a “grand plan” (dubbed the "Drin-Drin" Plan by Mussolini) for a war against the Allies. Mussolini and the Fascist Council accepted the plan and a multi-front war began between Italy and the Allies on the 11th May 1936. The aim was to steal key British and French territories in Africa (including the Suez) and then sue for peace. Mussolini had committed the ‘mad dog’ act so feared by British diplomats and politicians.
On the 2nd July 1936, Spain erupted into civil war. The Italian Fascist’s and the German Nazi’s both supported the Nationalist side. With fascist support the Nationalists appear to have the edge.
British opinion on the Italian conquests hardened towards the beginning of August 1936 and it no longer looked like peace would be an option. It has become a battle to the death. Such a battle required a new approach to the war called Plan Carnera.
Europe
Recap: At the start of the war the Italian I and IV armies had easily pushed over the unprepared French forces along Little Maginot Line (in the Alps) and expanded into the Provence and Rhone regions. The front became static with the arrival of French armour divisions and the French forces then counterattacked and retook Marseille. With reinforcements from the II and VIII armies, the Italians have now retaken the initiative along the front. Marseille was recaptured on the 1st August. In accordance with Plan Carnera these forces have started the thrust west to form a front along the Rhone River to Lyon in the north.
Rhone Front
23rd August: Three days earlier massed Italian divisions under heavy bombing from French air assets had defeated and taken the ground at Bourgoin-Jallieu. On the 22nd Major General Gandin had lead four Divisions north across the Rhone against the poorly defended Lyon (marked green in the image below). Left behind to defend Bourgoin-Jallieu were two Italian divisions, the 6th ‘Cuneo’ and the 22nd ‘Cacciatori delle Alpini’.
Pouring out of the morning mists from the west and attempting to seize the Rhone crossings came two fresh French divisions. Now the second battle of Bourgoin-Jallieu bgegan. This time the Italians would defend the ground. It was immediately apparent to the French commander, Koeltz, that this attack was a serious miscalculation. The two defending Italian divisions under Negro easily held the crossings. Koeltz called a halt to the attack before nightfall.
Victorious defense of Bourgoin-Jallieu
24th August: The drive to clear French forces east of the Rhone continued. An additional attack was now launched in conjunction with the assault on Lyon. This time four Italian Divisions attacked Bourg-en-Bresse to the east of Lyon and on the eastern bank of the Rhone. Here the French 70th Division was dug in while the French 1st Armour Division was on the move to the north away from the front line.
26th August: Despite heavy bombing attacks by the French air force against the attacking Italian forces, the outnumbered French defenders at Bourg-en-Bresse retreated after taking heavy losses.
The clearing of the eastern bank of the Rhone River continues at Bourg-en-Bresse.
30th August: At St Claude at northern end of the front, the dug in 4th Alpine and the 18th ‘Messina’ Divisions now came under attack from the dreaded French 1st Armour Division. Despite their advantageous position, this would be a tough battle as the French Division was equipped with light R40 tanks, the heavier FCM40 models and supported by mortised infantry.
The French 1st Amour leaps back into the fray with an attack on St Claude.
French Renault R-40 light tank.
Mediterranean Sea
23rd August: The 2nd Marine Squadron had the job of patrolling the North African coast when the failed Operation Icosium (assault on Algiers) was being carried out. At Skerks Channel she ran into a very large RN fleet under Admiral Cunningham. With the Italian fleet outnumbered the 1st Marine Squadron at Annaba (west of Tunis) steamed out and joined the battle and evened up the odds.
First phase of the battle of Skerks Channel
Initially, the 2nd Marine Squadron, led by the RM Caio Duilio was under heavy fire and appeared to be lost. To make matters worse British CAG’s suddenly swarmed them and holed the cruisers RM Bolzano and Libia. Italian ships returned fire with their AA guns but they were ineffectual.
AA defenses of the RM Caio Duilio.
The tide turned when the 2nd Marine squadron hit the British fleet in the flank and the heavy guns of the Italian capitals, in particular the RM Andrea Doria and Pola, tore through the British screens. British sailors were in the water everywhere. It was a horrible scene, some were screaming from burns, some were praying, others were dead.
British destroyer going down.
The RM Andrea Doria and RM Pola take the honours.
Despite these victories the 2nd Marine Squadron was badly mauled and the Rear Admiral Cavagnari attempted to withdraw to port. Now another Italian fleet appeared to the rear of the British. This was the 3rd Marine Squadron under Rear Admiral Iachino and lead by the RM Giulio Ceasre. At the same time two wings of Italian CANT Z.506 flying boats began to swoop the fleet unleashing their payload under a hail of AA fire. Several of them were downed in the action and they inflicted some damage on the British ships but nothing decisive. Part of the British fleet bolted north and out of the trap leaving five British cruisers to fend for themselves. Deserted by the comrades they turned on the Italian 3rd Squadron and dashed right passed its flank as they unleashed an unholy bombardment on the closest Italian cruiser. This was the RM Raimondo Montecuccolio, after receiving four direct hits she disappeared under the waves after a massive explosion ripped her into several pieces.
The RM Raimondo Montecuccolio explodes violently.
A Pyrrhic victory at Skerks Channel.
Downed Italian flying boat – CANTZ.506
ASI
Recap: In North Africa, the Italian IX Army captured Tunis and is now heading west to Algiers. The X Army and the VI Army advanced east, first taking Cairo and then besieging the British in Alexandria. After a tough battle the British 7th Infantry Division and the Middle East Command were forced to surrender. The Italians were then forced on the defensive along the line of the Suez against a determined British and Iraqi attack. The line was breached in its entirety and the British were able to initially push on before their attack faulted. The depleted state of the VI and X armies meant that this front required new reinforcements - they would arrive from the south in accordance with Plan Carnera. de Stefanis’s 30th ‘Sabauda’ Division was the first division to be landed in the Eastern Desert of Egypt south of the front lines. The battle hardened men of the Sabauda Division was about to join the fray.
Suez Front
23rd August: After sweeping aside the weakened 2nd Iraqi Division at Isma’iliya the 2nd ‘Emanuele Filiberto’ Division now found itself fighting another Iraqi Davison. This time it was the 4th Iraqi Division attacking south from Port Said before the Italians had time to dig in.
As the battered 1st ‘Eugenio di Savoia’ Celere Division (highlighted in yellow below) began to yield to the British counterattack at El Mansura and it was time for action. If the British could not be stopped they might break out of their beachhead on the western side of the Suez and drive the Italians back. The 1st Blackshirts Division which had been holding a defensive position in the Nile Delta now attacked across the Nile and against the British positions at Bur Sa’id in an attempt to relieve the pressure.
MAIN: Another battle for Isma’iliya begins; INSET: the 1st Blackshirts Division begins a dangerous assault against the British at Bur Sa’id
27th August: The battle at Isma’iliya still raged but now it was time for the first of the Italian reinforcements from AOI to join battle with the Allied forces at the Suez. With the addition of de Stefanis’s 30th ‘Sabauda’ Division, Italian resolve stiffened even further.
MAIN: de Stefanis’s 30th ‘Sabauda’ Division joins in the defence of Isma’iliya; INSET: the initial stages of the 1st Blackshirts Division assault against the British at Bur Sa’id is a success.
29th August: At the Damietta Distributary of the Nile, the militia of the 1st Blackshirts had successfully established a beachhead on the eastern side and had caught the busy forces of the British at Port Said off guard. The British East Lanchashire Divisions attack on 1st ‘Eugenio di Savoia’ Celere Division at El Mansura now halted as they were forced to defend to the west.
Allied defeats at el Mansura and Isma'iliy.
30th August: The 4th Iraqi Division facing odds of 1:2 in the battle at Isma’iliya now found itself briefly encircled as the 1st Blackshirts Division penetrated right through to its position south of Port Said and cut them off from the port town. The Iraqis had no option but to break off the attack on Isma’iliya and re-establish contact with its allied divisions in the port.
Algerian Front
Since his appointment as commander of the now combined Army Groups South & Tunisia, old Marshal de Bono had been intensely planning a combined amphibious and land operation for the capture of Algiers. When it was found that Algiers was not as lightly defended as first thought a new plan, Operation Icosium, was put in place. The plan was wrecked when the elite 3rd ‘Principe Amedeo’ Division failed in its landing on the western beaches leaving the colonial troops stranded deep in French Algeria to fend for themselves.
23rd August: After the failed Italian landings to the west, the French 65th Mountain Division (veterans from the early days of the Alpine Front) continued to outmaneuver the 3rd Eritrean Division in the highlands to the east of the city. It soon became obvious that the weak Eritrean Division would not be able to hold its position in the mountains to the east of Algiers.
24th August: After the failed amphibious landing at Tipaza by the 3rd ‘Principe Amedeo’ Division, Tipaza was no longer deemed important by Major General Trigali. The 2nd Lybian Division was pulled back from its attack on the region in expectation of an attack by the French forces in Algiers.
LEFT:Trigali pulls out of the battle for Tipaza; RIGHT: French 31st Mountain Division launches its attack on Tringali's 2nd Libyan Division at Bou Saada.
26th August: Soon after, as expected by Major General Trigali, the French 31st Mountain Division (also veterans from the Alpine Front) attacked the position of the 2nd Libyan Division at Bou Saada.
Battles lost by the Italian colonial troops at Dellys and Dou Saada.
29th August: After taking heavy losses the Eritrean colonial troops fled from the high ground to the east of the city. With the defeat of the Eritreans on his right flank Major General Tringali immediately ordered a retreat east in order to counter the threat of encirclement.
Marshal de Bono plan had failed. He had now completely lost the initiative in Algeria and General Varcellino’s IXth Army was now on the run.
AOI
Recap: In East Africa, the strong French 1st Army in Djibouti initially made good advances on the Eritrean capital of Asmara but the French forces were eventually surrounded and annihilated by the Italians. The Italians were also able to capture key British strategic locations in the Somaliland, northern Sudan and British East Africa, effectively trapping the British 3rd Army in the Sudan east of Ethiopia. Entrapment of the British 3rd Army and the colonial troops in the Sudan was the key objective of Marshal Balbo's "Drin-Drin" Plan. It meant that the Italians could also strike north and attack Egyptian Nile Delta from two directions. In the south, a relief effort attempted by the British 4th Infantry Division just north of Lake Victoria failed and the Italians have finally closed the pincer and trapped the British against the impenetrable water waste called The Sudd. The remaining British forces are slowly being compressed against the unforgiving marsh as the Italian forces position themselves for the final blow.
Italian forces will now also proceed to push into Tanganyika further to the south around the western shores of Lake Victoria in an effort to seize the mineral rich Copperbelt in South Central Africa. Marshal Graziani has also ordered a daring seaborne invasion of the last mainland British port in East Africa - Dar es Salaam.
Uganda/South Sudan
28 August: With western Ethiopian capital of Jima now in their hands the Italians had finally surrounded the remnants of the British 3rd Army and their various colonial forces at Juba on the Nile. Italians forces had massed around the region and now a combined force of just under 50,000 troops launched an all-out assault to break the stubborn British. Information gleaned from deserters from the British side, indicated that the British had well over 50,000 men trapped at Juba on the White Nile.
Nasi’s 1st Libyan Division leads the assault on Juba.
Kenya/Tanganyika
23rd August: The Red Sea Squadron now appeared on the horizon off the port of Dar es Salaam and began shelling the pathetic coastal defenses. The police barracks was also shelled before the landing was launched. The seas had been vigorous patrolled by Count ’Jacare’ Ciano’s destroyer fleet – no British ships were nearby. The men of the 6th Blackshirts Division were shuttled ashore and did not meet any resistance.
The last major British port on mainland east Africa was now in Italian hands – with it came the British supply dump.
Soldiers of the 6th Blackshirts Division setting up camp and relaxing before the surprise arrival of the British 4th Infantry Division.
As the Blackshirts settled in for a quiet time, they were startled to learn from local informants that the British 4th Infantry Division was making a rapid approach on the port city on the ‘roads’ to the west.
MAIN:The capture of Dar es Salaam and the beginning of the battle for the crucial port city. INSET: British supply dump is captured.
Before it could be trapped by a British fleet, the last of the Italian troops, a colonial police brigade, were also disembarked at the port. As the Red Sea Fleet slipped from the harbor and headed north its sailors could hear the opening exchanges of the divisional artillery – the battle for Dar es Salaam had begun.
I'm wondering how much time it takes you to play the game, edit the pictures and write the text, given the impressive attention to detail in the AAR? I guess that it's extremely time-consuming...
Reading this AAR makes me wonder how much I love wars that take place on several fronts. From the strategic viewpoint, you want to avoid them, but they are a real blast to play or read about - there is plenty of action then and the feeling that you never have enough resources to do everything you want is sweet.
Reading this AAR makes me wonder how much I love wars that take place on several fronts. From the strategic viewpoint, you want to avoid them, but they are a real blast to play or read about - there is plenty of action then and the feeling that you never have enough resources to do everything you want is sweet.
Wonderful attention to detail Hardradi. I've spent a good part of this evening catching up and reading from the beginning and have really enjoyed! And, as has been already mentioned by others, it's a little breath-taking that it's still only 1936.
Playing the game and editing the pictures is the easy part. Writing and re-writing is moderately time consuming. The hardest and most time consuming part is finding relevant and accurate pictures.
You end up lost on the internet somewhere, half drunk, with 30 odd instances of IE open. You learn a lot though and file away lots if images you will never use.I totally agree. Strategically its a huge mistake but its great fun over reaching yourself. You end up grasping for more and more. I also secretly wish that Yugoslavia or Austria would attack me just to push it even more.
Thanks for your feedback. I am glad you have enjoyed the ride so far. I should be able to get this moving again now that RL is back under control.
Have been reading this AAR over the last few days and have caught up to date. I really enjoy the depth and style of presentation. Looking forward to reading more.
Wait for them to attack you? Is Mussolini becoming patient all of a sudden?
Playing the game and editing the pictures is the easy part. Writing and re-writing is moderately time consuming. The hardest and most time consuming part is finding relevant and accurate pictures.
Great update. It is true, the process of searching for unique and appropriate images can become a major process all it's own, but interesting and educational.