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kenneththegreat - I was gonna fix that, but then I decided I'm not gonna bother, mayhap it'll get more people to notice and comment, eh?

Lord E - thanks much, my friend.

stnylan - Thank you, I worked hard on that and was hoping it came out okay, your comments confirmed I hit what I was aiming for. Thanks much.

GeneralPaisley - AMEN!

El Pip - I can see you rational for that precaution!

BigBadWolf - Mayhap, mayhap... if he survives his little tour of Guiana, eh?



One and all, readAARs and lurkAARs: Gee, you guys really don't like Charles or anything, do you? <smirk> Never fear, de Gaulle will be out of the picture for awhile... mayhap forever, who knows? I did want to make a point though, I don't want anyone to think that I have something personally against the French, well that's not quite true, but suffice to say, I'm not gonna be bashing the French just for fun, only when they (as the AI) do something really stupid. Unfortunately, that just happens to have happened quite a bit so far in this AAR and in my game.

Okay, I'm done with that... next up, some number crunching posts (by popular demand) as soon as I finish putting them altogether. Stay tuned!
 
I really enjoy that. Can actually feel De Gaulle's anger in your writing. The problem with Charles is that he thinks too much of himself. A bit like Mourinho* for those of you who know what I mean. ;)
 
Hmm, Viva la France... I might expect that in a football stadium but in the President's office....

Nice update. Personaly I would have put ol' Charley boy in the Bight of Benin. One comes out where six men go in... A few more came out at this time, but that is one unhealthy climate. (No penecilin, remember) And I would never let scum like De Gaulle on Devil's Island, he might sit on the Captain's bench! :mad:

Feel the dislike of most of the AAR community, Charley!

I really enjoy that. Can actually feel De Gaulle's anger in your writing. The problem with Charles is that he thinks too much of himself. A bit like Mourinho* for those of you who know what I mean.

Ok, I wikid. Is this the football manager?

DW
 
Nicely done, Draco, in setting the French back on their proper path (cannon fodder for the Empire, that is).

Eagerly anticipating the 'number crunching' as you call it.

Vann
 
de Gaulle got off pretty likely considering the stupidity of some of the things he did (like trying to draw his pistol on Petain :rolleyes: ). He did get promoted, after all, even if he is commanding some worthless patch of jungle. At least the French government seems to know their place vis-a-vis Britain, for the moment anyways. Now bring on the numbers! :D
 
de Gaulle kicked out of France and Petain's coup de etat... you are a marvelous writer, i look forward to your number crunching :)
 
The problem with Charlie was he was like a French Mussolini without the cool hat :D
 
Draco Rexus said:
...“..Assemblée nationale*.”

..“..while I take issue with his animosity he is entitled to it, however, I will not stand for disobedience due to a case of over inflated personal ego..”..
while i will admit that i have no idea why De Gaulle was so anti-English (this includes anti-American), he was (as far as i know) the most egotistical of the French officers. that makes him comparable to Montgomery, MacArthur, and Mark Clark. i am not aware of a German or Soviet equivalent thereto... (probably, they were snagged by the "state police".)

that said, i do appreciate his loyalty to France! ! ! :)

excellent update! ! ! ! :cool:

oh, should that be Assemblée Nationale ;)
 
Actually, I took that line directly from a encyclopedia's text, and while I thought it looked wrong, I didn't tinker with in case the French actually have it that way... but why I would have no idea. :)


I'm trying to get the next post up, but work is becoming bothersome. They actually are expectin' me to get some work done within a reasonable amount of time versus when I get around to getting it done! Sheesh, you'd think they were payin' me or somethin'... oh, crap. They are payin' me! :eek:o

Well, when you take the King's coin, you do the King's bidding, so as soon as I get that work done (should be by the end of this morning if I'm lucky!) I'll get the first post up of my "number crunching" on some new tech for the Empire.
 
CHAPTER NINETEEN - PART ONE

PrewarLondon.jpg

London
December 9, 1937
Early evening


The pub was busy with the crowd of bureaucrats from the various institutions of the British Empire that were located throughout the neighborhood. The man who sat in a corner table smoking a cigar and scanning the afternoon edition of The Times thought without humor that in his own country, these same bureaucrats would be heading home for supper with their families. In England, however, they stopped off at the pub for a pint or two before heading home, which was another reason why he hated the assignment that he was on. The British as a people just didn’t have their priorities straight, which the recent resurgence notwithstanding, would cause their so-called “glorious” Empire to fall to whoever was strong enough or smart enough to inherit their mantle. Taking his cigar out of his mouth to exhale a cloud of smoke and turn to the next page of the paper, the man felt with all the certainty of an assured man that it would be his nation that assumed that mantle. What that would mean for his British “cousins” he did not care, and despite the feeling of some of his superiors, he could only hope that it happened within his lifetime and prove to be painful.

The man’s eyes never made it back to the paper for his contact, his man within the Empire that was giving him all sorts of wonderful information on the British military, came striding through the front door. He was a somewhat drab man, perfectly suited for his bureaucratic life, the cigar smoker thought to himself. In fact, he could be a mid-level civil servant in any Western nation’s government, with the only thing setting him apart being the somewhat haughty tone of his voice when he spoke to anyone he felt was below him. And that anyone was including the cigar smoker, a fact that irritated him to no end. As the bureaucrat slid into the seat across from the cigar smoker and placed his attaché case under the table, the cigar smoker growled, “You’re late.”

“Sorry, chum, but I had to take some extra precautions,” the bureaucrat replied as he signaled for an ale from one of the pub’s many waitresses. “It seems that MI-5 has discovered a leak and is attempting to plug it.”

Grunting with irritation the cigar smoker replied, “I don’t care what your MI-5 is up to, Billy-boy, I don’t want you late, that messes up things on my end and I don’t like messes, you understand?”

Shooting the cigar smoker a haughty look and speaking in the tone that he knew set the other man on edge, the Englishman retorted, “I have to be extremely circumspect, chum, this little job is extremely dangerous and I would like to walk out of it alive, it it’s all the same to you!”

Leaning forward aggressively while slapping his hand on the top of the table and ignoring the looks of the patrons closest to the pair, the cigar smoker growled around his cigar, “I don’t give a good goddamn what you want, Billy-boy. You are being paid, and paid handsomely, to deliver your information to me and if you can’t do that, you not only won’t be getting paid, I’ll come looking for what you have been paid, you hear?”

Softly jerking himself back out of the haze of cigar smoke, the Englishman seemingly wilted under the other man’s gaze. “Yes, I understand.”

Maintaining his gave upon the bureaucrat, the cigar smoker said coldly, “Good. I’m glad I’ve made myself clear. Now, what d’ya have for me today?”

“The last couple of months of troop musterings as well as and new armour design for the War Ministry, deployment of a new wing of fighters and two new aircraft designs for the Air Ministry,” the Englishman replied with meekness and no apparent concern that he was selling secrets on the defense of his country to a foreign agent.

Unable to hide a gleam of greed at the information he was about to take custody of, the cigar smoker leaned back and nudged an attaché case next to his left leg over to the bureaucrat. “Your usual payment is enclosed. You know how to reach me when you have more information.”

The man then stood up and picking up the attaché case the Englishman had originally put down, walked away from the table and then out the door. He never once looked back, his mind working hard on what information was in the case he was carrying, so he never saw the satisfied hunter’s look on the face of the Englishman as he watched the cigar smoker walk out the pub’s front door, nor did he notice the two men who followed him out.






The number crunching comes up soon...
 
Good for France. Almost anyone would be better than Trotsky. 'Course, many that wouldn't be are in power in other countries. I'm surprised with how little things changed in France. All other Communist states needed civil war and/or an occupying Communist army to force collectivization, killing thousands or even millions. The disruption alone would set the country back a couple decades at least. Would it even still be called the Third Republic? Not my AAR, so style it how you want, Draco.

As for my last post, I'm sorry the darker side of my sense of humor got out of hand. I post according to my current humor; if I'm being serious, it will be obvious. I was in a sarcastic mood, so I gave my view of France's (or maybe just De Gaulle's;)) view of the British. Allusion to Spartan practice free of charge.
 
You know behaviour like that on the part of a 'minder' is likely to get a contact discovered, or make him/it (do traitors deserve to be anything other than 'it'?) do something silly, desperate, and dangerous. Good to see a hint though that other powers are taking note of Britain's resurgence. 'cousins' though could mean many things, in particular it could mean either American or german. I'm guessing the former without excluding the latter.
 
StNylan, I think the gentleman with the cigar is already a vicitm of his own towering ego. The man who seems to be selling him secrets is most likely an MI5 agent himself, and it is quite possible the two men who are following him are to be the end of his little operation... Eagerly awaiting the numbers. DW
 
I read in amazement as Draco continues to do all in his power to avoid doing 'the numbers'. I think we should demand number based posts more, it seems to a great inspiration for him. :D

I would guess German on the basis I can't see why the Americans would care. Such a heavily isolationist nation wouldn't be bothered about issues, well of course they would to a degree but not to the extent of active spying.

On the other hand the cigar smoker seems fairly lax in operational procedures, which would indicate the inept hand of an American intelligence agency. The Yanks really aren't very good spies. ;) Also the dialogue and word choice seems very US.

On balance I think I go German, although his actions and other bits and bobs do make American a strong option. I do wonder who he'll work for, I'm sure we'll find out when he's nicked in the next post. :)
 
That is ... unexpected.

Im guessing hes a CIA man? After all, they refer to the British Intelligence Services as their "cousins". It wouldnt be that surprising if the yanks did try to bring the Empire down..Imperialism is their most hated thing next to fascism or communism.
 
Sorry for the tease, I just wanted to do the numbers crunch is a slightly different way and I needed to set it up the "right" way.

However, far be it from me to deprive my loyal readAARs (and my lurkAARs, too!), here come the numbers:
 
I am going for American, though I have to admit, motive unknown.
 
prussiablue said:
I am going for American, though I have to admit, motive unknown.
totally agree. the key is the word, "cousins"! i have never heard of the Germans referring to the English as "cousins"...(well, OK, at the Royal level. [which ended at the end of WW1.])

that said, it really does not make any sense for the USA to spy on the English, even in this context. IRL, even before the USA entered WW2 via the attack on Pearl Harbor, the English gave ALL of their RADAR technology to the USA, as well as their penicillin technology. and, probably, even more than that. ;)

superb update! ! ! ! :cool:
 
Sorry for the delay, I meant to post this last night, but my wife's PC (which I was using last night) crashed and my She-Dragon insisted I get it squared away before I "played" anymore. By the time I got it figured out, the wee hours of the morning had arrived.

In any event, here is the first batch of numbers ( :D ):
 
CHAPTER NINETEEN - PART TWO

Anonymous-Night-in-London--Tothill-.jpg

London
December 9, 1937
Late evening
A Private Flat


Under a cloudy haze of cigar smoke and looking over the documents scattered about the table in front of him and the sofa on which he sat, the man shook his head in disbelief and began reading over the information a second time.

On August 16 the British Army’s Home Army under the command of General Lord Gort welcomed the Highland Fusiliers to the massive Aldershot Army post. Attached to the new regiment was a full brigade of the British Army’s new combat engineers, to assist the Fusiliers in crossing rivers and other such barriers, as well as combat fixed fortifications. The same day had the Royal Highland Army’s General Harold R.L.G. Alexander receive the Duke of Albany’s Highlanders regiment in Edinburgh.

LordGort.jpg

General Lord Gort
Alex.jpg

General Alexander

The fourth of September had General Alexander mustering in the Queen’s Own Highlanders regiment, which had been especially trained for alpine fighting. Having such specialized regiments forming could only allude to the Empire anticipating some sort of warfare in mountainous terrain, and from the reports it was clear that the Imperial General Staff was intending for the Queen’s Highlanders to be used as a training cadre for further alpine regiments.

General Charles Willoughby Norrie finished his formation of the Imperial Armoured Army based near Birmingham and was able to report to the Imperial General Staff on November 16 that the Gloucester Hussars (taking the nickname of the 13th Hussars, The Green Dragoons), the Royal Hussars (keeping the nickname of the 17th Lancers, The Death or Glory Boys) , the Queen’s Dragoon Guards and the Imperial Light Horse regiments were at full compliment and in all intents and purposes ready for deployment anywhere within the Empire. While the creation of an entire army made up primarily of tanks was shocking enough, the fact that all four regiments had brigades of the British Army’s new “heavy” tank was enough to make many in military circles around the world sit up and take particular notice.

Lt.jpg

General Norrie

OfficersoftheI.jpg

Command Staff of the Imperial Armoured Army

a_13_cruiser_tank.jpg

The workhorse of the I.A.A.

The new heavy tank, developed by Leyland Industries in the beginning of August, was designed along the lines of the British Infantry tank. That concept, the Infantry tank, was developed by the British in the years following the end of the Great War, coming from the principle of separating tank functions into two areas - the Infantry tanks geared toward support infantry units in making breakthroughs in enemy lines of defense and Cruiser tanks which followed the traditions of the cavalry by charging through those breakthroughs and “cruising” through into the enemy rear cutting lines of supply. The origins of this train of thought were based upon the Great War division between British heavy tanks and the faster Whippet Medium Mark A and its successors the Medium Mark B and Medium Mark C.

Since the Infantry tanks were to work at the pace of the infantry, and since the infantry attack on foot, high speed was not a requirement and as such they were designed to carry heavier armour. The first Infantry tank, the Mark I "Matilda", was armed with a machine gun and 2 pounder anti-tank gun respectively.

The development, by Vickers-Armstrong Ltd, began in 1935, and resulted in small two-man vehicle with low hull and small cast turret in which was mounted the tank’s only wits only weapon, a Vickers 0.303 inch machine gun, Designed for quick delivery, the A11 (as it was designated at the time) used parts from many pre-existing vehicles: a Ford V8 engine, Fordson gearbox, steering mechanism similar to the one used in Vickers light tanks, and a suspension system adapted from the Mk IV Dragon artillery tractor that was based on the Six Ton Tank Model E.

Although the hull and turret were extremely well protected against current anti-tank weapons, the “feet” of the tank, the tracks and running gear, were dangerously exposed and much more vulnerable than on tanks being produced by other European nations.

General Hugh Elles, the then Master-General of the Ordnance, commented while watching the vehicle in trials, that at five meter long, two and a half meter wide, two meter tall and eleven tons, that it 'waddled like a duck', and thus the name of the popular cartoon duck 'Matilda' was naturally applied. The tank was truly like a duck out of water, traveling only 8 mph while on road and a little over 5 mph while off-road, and with a range of only 81 miles, it was not all that mcuh of a success.

The Infantry Tank Mk II (or Matilda II) was designed at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, as an improvement on the Mk I. The new Matilda weighed 27 metric tons, more than twice as much as the Matilda I, and carried a quick-firing 2-pounder anti-tank gun in a three-man turret. Following the tradition of the older Matilda, the Matilda II was heavily armoured; the armour thickness at the front reached 78 mm, more than most tanks being produced around the world. The weight of the armour, together with the overworked twin-engine power unit, which had been adapted from a civilian bus, along with a troublesome suspension system, severely limited the speed of the new Matilda, only being able to travel on or off road at an approximate speed of 7 mph. At the time, the developers thought this not to be a problem because the Matilda was still specifically designed to support the walking infantryman.

Following the change of High Command with the crowning of King Edward VIII, the entire separation of tasks thought process was determined to be flawed, and the Royal Arsenal was ordered, under the direction of the new High Command, to turn the Matilda II from an infantry support tank to a “heavy” tank to be used to support the British Army’s new armoured regiments. The new “heavy tanks”, designed with new engines and heavier main gun, and thus able to keep up with the faster “cruiser” tanks filling the armoured regiments, were to be used against enemy fortifications holding up their smaller cousins.

The newer Matilda, still nicknamed “Matilda II”, was refitted from the frame up. The tank now consisted of a four man crew (commander, gunner, loader, and driver) and was armed with two 7.92 mm machine guns and a 95 mm howitzer that had, through Army tests, found to be ideally suited for the new “heavy tank” doctrine. To move the Matilda II and its now 90 millimeters of armour plate, the power plant was upgraded two Leyland 250 hp V-8 gasoline engines which was able to propel the new 22 ft long, 12 ft wide, 12 ft tall and 55 ton behemoth to speeds of 20 mph. The Matilda II was an Infantry tank no longer, and truly a beast to be wary of on any future battlefields to which it was deployed.

matilda_23.jpg

The "new" Matilda II heavy tank






Next: More secrets of the Imperial Military discloused. :eek: