Against all Odds: The British Empire in World War Two

[Miihkali]

Against all odds
black metal gods
fight to achieve our goal
-- Venom

[BritishImperial]

good update, apart from my tired eyes trying to see which line comes next. is it possible to space it a bit?

as for 'soccer' the word itself doesnt make me sick - we made it up as another word for football. its the fact that people everywhere think football is a game where the feet are barely used, instead a load of pussies in body armour run at each other, failing to replicate rugby.

the other thing i would point out if you are going for english authenticity is you used the word recess - not a word decent english people use

[trekaddict]

ColossusCrusher Agrees.

Miihkali

BritishImperial I actually wrote it with additional spacing in Open Office, but the forum wont let me space the lines, I'm sorry. Does anyone else have these problems?

Oh and what word would you use, old Bean?

[trekaddict]

First ReadAAR participation day!


Double post, but I wanted to make sure everyone reads this. While I have a clear plan for where I want this to go ( and juding by the actual game it is on a good way ) how to get there is a bit fuzzy. I have three ideas for the next chapter, and I need you to decide where to go.

a) back to London, where Eden will have his meeting with the PM ( Chamberlain Fans are advised to stay away )

b) Canada, i.e. it deals with the Iron Curtain


c) Germany, probably dealing with the German reasoning behind the push for the Alliance with the Soviets

[BritishImperial]

i would say germany, as its the only place we've not heard about yet.

as for nice british words, we'd tend to use 'break' or 'breaktime' for morning 'recess' (bleurghh) and just simply 'lunchtime' or 'lunchbreak' for the break which takes place during the time when everybody eats their lunch / goes behind the bikesheds / smokes. anyone oop north or dahn in lahndon, wherever, that uses different words is free to correct me - it might be gloucesterhirrrrre slang, who knows. hope that helps mate

[ColossusCrusher]

All three in a mega-chapter!

[trekaddict]

BritishImperial Thanks, it helps in fact. I will go and change it right now.

ColossusCrusher It would probably get too long and take me ages to write. I want to try and get out about a chapter a week.

[Enewald]

I say all too.
But first c.

[trekaddict]

I say all too.
But first c.

Okay, one more day for voting. I will begin to write said chapter this evening.

[El Pip]

C.!

A German focused updates with gaps between the paragraphs ideally.

[trekaddict]

C.!

A German focused updates with gaps between the paragraphs ideally.

Allright then. Germany it is.

[wilegfass]

I hate that it is sometimes called 'soccer'... football is football!

Anyways, nice update.
But didn't the rich farm owner fight for government?
Or the land owners of south?

I hate it when people call soccer football. Do something else like futbol, or European Football, or rest-of-the-world football. Than call our sports American Football. Especcially since I'm sure americans in the 30's were not playing soccer, and instead football or baseball.

as for 'soccer' the word itself doesnt make me sick - we made it up as another word for football. its the fact that people everywhere think football is a game where the feet are barely used, instead a load of pussies in body armour run at each other, failing to replicate rugby.

At least our pussies get paid more than yours

[trekaddict]

Well, we call it "American Football" ourselves.

[El Pip]

I hate it when people call soccer football. Do something else like futbol, or European Football, or rest-of-the-world football. Than call our sports American Football. Especcially since I'm sure americans in the 30's were not playing soccer, and instead football or baseball.

I believe the argument is that people were playing football in a recognisable form at least two centuries before anyone in the US decided to play 'Girls Rugby' (American football) that sport has the best claim to the name.

Edit; And that's just base on the first written records from the 1600s, undoubtedly it was played before that. The US version had to wait for suitably cheap and light body armour to be available.

[BritishImperial]

wow, we're still on this i'm sure ive said this before in this forum, but calling it 'european football' would make me cry because i think some countries like brazil and argentina are sort of into it too, even if we did create it. basically, all the sports america have are girly / twisted variants of ours (baseball = rounders, basketball = netball, american football = rugby, ice hockey = our hockey that girls play but on ice, the list goes on) and the yank versions are not played popularly anywhere else in the world, because they are crap.

[Enewald]

and the yank versions are not played popularly anywhere else in the world, because they are crap.

That's right.
And now this goes a bit too off topic...

[Hamath]

basketball = netball

and the yank versions are not played popularly anywhere else in the world, because they are crap.

I think Basketball is pretty succesfull, though...

[trekaddict]

Good news! a) Only three more exams, and b) the next update should go up this weekend.

[trekaddict]

Chapter 4

September 6

Reichskanzlei, Berlin


The Führer of Germany was not happy. “BRÜCKNER!*” he screamed, calling for his adjutant and pacing through his spacious Office. When Brückner came to do his masters bidding he said: “Ja, mein Führer?**” Hitler faced his Adjutant and said: “Tell, me, my dear Brückner, has von Ribbentrop already sent the papers I requested?” Brückner shuffeled through the stack of papers in his arms and said with a regretful voice: “No, mein Führer. It seems that the Foreign Ministry has not sent anything today.” “Brückner, you may go now, but get me von ribbentrop on the horn. That overgrown salesman promised me these reports today.” Brückner nodded, clapped his heels together and briskly marched out of the room. Hitler sat back down and cast a long look at the massive globe that had been custom made for this very Office, pondering as to hwo he wanted the World to look like in 50 years. He wa interrupted in his broodings when one of the many phones on his desk rang. “Mein Führer, Minister von Ribbentrop is now avaible.” A quick series of clicking sounds later Hitler heard another voice. “Yes, mein Führer?” “Von Ribbentrop, where are these reports from our Embassy in Moscow?” his voice might have been eerily calm, but von Ribbentrop knew fully well that Adolf Hitler was boilign underneath the surface and scrambeled to prevent one of the Führers famous Temper tantrums. “Mein Führer, I personally sent a signal to Moscow only minutes ago asking for the very same reports, and I expect word about their whereabouts any minute now.” Hitler acknowledged von Ribbentrops efforts and hung up, only to be disturbed again, this time by the roar of a flight of He-111 Bombers, showing off their skills for the population of the Reichs Capital. He raised from his chair and closed the Window himself, something he usually had Brückner or someone else do. The years that had passed since the national awakening in 1933 had been filled with hard work, and many, many dissapointments, the biggest of which was Röhms attempted coup d'etat. It was then, just after he had personally arrested Röhm and his cohorts that he ahd revealed his plan for Germany's return to greatness to a astonished General Staff, only to be dissapointed yet again. Germany needed more time to prepare they had said, the French and British were still too strong they had said, the Wehrmacht and the Kriegsmarine couldn't possibly be ready before 1942 they had said. He would show them. He had instructed von Ribbentrop to seek an alliance that would show the General Staff, that would show the insufferable British and their French lapdogs. An Alliance with Soviet Russia. When he had first thought of this ingenious move back in 1936 he had himself dismissed it originally, as Stalin would never have accepted it, nit with the obvious Differences between the countries. But now the OKW's objections over the original plan that had revolved around a mere non-agression pact and the division of Poland sometime in 1939 had led him to formulate a new plan. Given Stalins predictably unlikely acceptance Germany and the Soviet Union would bond against their common enemies, with the SU simply there to fill the Gaps in terms of German Manpower and numbers, with the Wehrmacht doing most of the actual fighting.

Suddenly the phone rang again, this time it was von Ribbentrop personally. “Mein Führer, we have just received a radio message from Moscow, it seems that Stalin is at least willing to talk about the... 'proposal'.” “Good good. Von Ribbentrop. Now all we have to do is to convince Stalin that this is in best interests. Meet me in the Reichschancellory in an hour, and bring the head of your Soviet Department with you.” While he waited for von Ribbentrop and his henchman to arrive the Führer went on with the daily work, some intersting some not, among them an order that told Göring once and for all that the Aircraft on the experimental KMS Graf Zeppelin, Germany's first Aircraft Carrier. Göring had been lobbying for the ships Air Group to be placed under the direct control of the Luftwaffe, as he could not stand anyone else beside him having control over even one aspect of military aviation in the third Reich. Hitler sighed. Göring, despite having been a somewhat successful fighter Pilot during the Great War was nothing more than a useful Idiot, to be discarded as soon as he was no longer useful. Hitler once stood up and paced up and down the length of his Office. No matter how much benefits an alliance with the Soviets would bring for the Reich, the ideologies were too different for it to hold indefinitely, quite the contrary in fact. He had already advised Halder to develop a contingency plan dubbed “Unternehmen Barbarossa”, in case the Soviets had some 'funny ideas' before it was their turn after Europe was in the Reich's hands. Militarily the biggest advantage was the simple fact that such an alliance would provide a massive manpower boost and lessen the likelihood of another round of Trench Warfare in France, something that he wanted to avoid at all costs. But it also had a serious economical advantage, as the Soviets could definitely be coaxed into favourable trade deals with Germany, trading resources in exchange for Industrial technologies and maybe even outdated German military hardware.

Still if he added things up he mainly wanted the Soviets to bolster his own numbers and as cheap cannonfodder, as he was sure that the Soviet Ground tactics hadn't much improved since the end of their Civil War. Their Planes were a joke, but he knew that Quantity had a Quality all of its own, and Göring's precious Me-109s would do the rest. If only now that damned von Ribbentrop would turn up and give him the Information he desired, so that he could finalize everything before the British or the French caught on. As if on cue the phone on his desk rang. It was his receptionist, informing that von Ribbentrop and the head of the Soviet Department in the foreign Ministry were waiting outside.



* He is a real person, he actually was Hitler's Adjutant during the early years.


[Game effects: The German AI will have an Aircraft Carrier by the time the war starts, but probably build no additional CV's. Nothing else that I am aware of.]


Also sorry for the shortness, but I had serious trouble with writing this withoput painting Hitler either too human or too evil. I also got sucked into “Mass Effect” which is an awesome game btw, but rest assured, the next update will be both longer and of better quality.

[Enewald]

Still a nice update.
So the usual blitzkriegs coming... not unusual.