4th of April 1940 - Flanders, Kingdom of Belgium
The front on the 4th of April 1940. German Panzertruppen have captured the city of Eindhoven in the Netherlands. Luxembourg has fallen and German forces have entered the former "Ostkantonen".
Directly after the declaration of war the 15ième Armée and the newly formed 25ième Armée (under command of General Weygand) crossed the Belgian border. An agreement was struck between the French and Belgian governments, in which the French promised to defend Flanders in return for a settlement over the disputed city of Brussels. The French Army took positions behind the Albert-channel and the Scheldt river. Currently, no German forces have attempted to cross these positions. This is because the majority of the German Army is either in the Ardennes, where the majority of German Panzerarmees are deployed, or in the Netherlands. French forces have retreated the thinly defended Ostkantonen and have redeployed on the Karl Marx-line.
7th of April 1940 - London, England, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Following a failed attempt by Chamberlain to appeal "to common sense and to search for a mutual agreement between the British and German people" and a lost vote of confidence, Winston Spencer Churchill (aged 65) was appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Churchill gave a speech in the Commons, stating that
"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat".
In the Kingdom of the Netherlands, however, things weren't good too great for the Allies. After only three days of warfare, the Dutch Army completely collapsed under German pressure and the German Army captured Amsterdam on the 6th of April. On the 7th, a devastating bombardment was launched on the government seat at Den Haag and the city of Rotterdam, killing 10,000 Dutch civilians. The Dutch Royal Family barely managed to cross the Channel, and is now in exile in the United Kingdom.
11th of April 1940 - Antwerp, Kingdom of Belgium
After almost a week of almost no activity on the front, apart from a failed French offensive at Luxembourg, the German Panzertruppen at Eindhoven now moved on to the city of Antwerp. A cornerstone for the defense of Belgium, Antwerp was turned into a gigantic fortress.
The combined forces of the Belgian and French Army numbered 17 divisions in the area, counting over 500,000 men. However, the German attacking force was more than twice as big: counting 35 divisions. However, the efforts of the French workers had paid off: all frontline forces were now equipped with the most modern equipment, making them a match for the German forces. Alot of German divisions still use old, pre-war equipment that became outdated several years ago. An area where this is felt the most are the Panzer divisions: while the Germans have deployed over 30 of them in the border area, only 5 of them are using the new Panzer III tanks. Most other divisions still use the old Panzer I or II's, with some divisions even using an extremely outdated prototype NbFz PzKpfw VI.
Unfortunately, our forces were deeply demoralized thanks to the long winter months of the
"Drôle de guerre". Despite our technological superiority, the Germans were able to quickly cross the River Scheldt and bypass Fortress Antwerp. The fortress itself, however, wasn't so easily subdued. During the battle, reinforcements from the neighbouring provinces of Ghent and Namur came to support the defenders, breaking through the German ring of siege and delivering food, ammunitions and supplies. Attempts to airlift supplies were also taken, but after 25 days of tenacious resistance the Fortress collapsed. The Belgian Army surrendered, but our forces managed to make it back to the front lines at Namur, Mons and Ghent. The Battle of Antwerp had been a very costly battle for us. Brussels was captured two days later.
"Status report.", requested Léon Blum. Marcel Cachin pulled out another huge map, grabbed some bright pink, orange and blue markers and started drawing on the map.
"Currently everything is going to plan: even though Antwerp has been captured, this wasn't a vital point for our defense. The real danger lies here:", as he drew a large pink circle around a Belgian city called Ghent.
"This region, and preferably the city as well, are vital for Plan Arc-en-Ciel to succeed. The situation here is looking slightly bleak at the moment: 20 German divisions, mostly well equipped infantry divisions, have begun engaging our forces in the area. The forces we have in the area are well equipped, but few, because we had sent the majority off to defend Antwerp. We are holding, but German strength in the area is only increasing, while ours in declining. I suggest to temporarily bring our mechanized reserves under Northern HQ and using our tanks as "Fire brigades". Also, all reinforcements should be allocated to the area and every single available division in the country should be sent to the front. If we fail to hold, the Germans will have our northern flank wide open to quickly race to Paris and even further. We cannot afford to lose Ghent: the fate of France is at stake here.". Blum looked at Cachin, staring deeply into the man's eyes.
"Are you absolutely sure, Marcel?". Marcel replied, a determined look on his face:
"Yes, Léon. It's our only hope.". Blum nodded. He stood up and left the room. Today the fate of France has been decided.