Before we begin, I feel it would be helpful to you guys if you knew what restrictions I was imposing on myself to reflect Baldwin’s opinions and views. More may be added in later posts (or removed!) as the global situation changes.
• No trade with the Soviets, and as little trade with the Americans as possible. Trade with Germany is encouraged.
• No influencing nations. Britain doesn’t need allies; the whole world hates the Communists and will join us in hemming them in.
• Minimal espionage will be carried out. It’s un-chivalrous and un-British.
• No putting troops into France to help defend. If she can’t protect herself, she deserves to fall!
January 1936 – Hitting the Ground Running
“A message for you, sir!”
“Who from, Davies?”
“Home Command, sir. It’s marked urgent. Courier came through with it just a minute ago.”
“I can see that. It’s dripping wet.”
“Yes sir, quite a blustery night.”
“And I was hoping for a quiet New Year’s.”
Some five minutes later, Commander Andrew Cunningham, Royal Navy, emerged from his office and informed the despatch rider that he could inform the communications staff to send his affirmation of the orders to Home Command. Cunningham himself started his car, and began the five minute journey from his Headquarters to the docks at Scapa Flow. Only twenty minutes later, as Scotland was waking up to January 1936, the H.M.S. Argus, with all crew aboard, set sail for Dover. The Home Fleet would follow, ten hours later, as soon as Admiral Chatfield returned from that morning’s cabinet meeting.
HMS Argus was the first ship on the move to Dover from Scapa Flow.
The ‘Naval Re-structuring 1936’ programme would take some time. Flotillas and squadrons from across the globe were all setting course for southern England. The Prime Minister had demanded naval superiority in changing times, and the Admiralty were determined to provide just that. For now, Cunningham was placed in command of what would soon be the entire arsenal of the Royal Navy. This force would then be divided up into fleets ready to fight a modern war. The days of Grand Fleets bearing all the naval power a nation could muster were passed. Such power could be placed on each ship, such destructive force that smaller fleets, more spread out and well balanced, would be required. However no start could be made until every battleship, seaplane, cruiser, destroyer, frigate, carrier and minelayer was assembled. The wait began.
It was not only the navy that was busy. The British Army began a flurry of operational decision making. However, all of this was concerned with keeping the British Army on the same course it had been set on for over a decade. Advances would be slow, methodical, and very well supported by artillery. They would follow what Lord Gort called a ‘Grand battle plan’. Gort’s appointment as Chief of Staff was largely down to his promise to make sure that, when his plans swung into action, the troops would move faster than the enemy. Indeed, the General claimed that he could speed up an advance by ten per cent in most cases.
Operational doctrine was decided by Lord Gort. He was supported by Cyril Deverell, Chief of the Army.
In order for the slow approach that the British were to favour to work, the infantry would need to outgun their opponents. As such, Cyril Deverell decided to focus on upgrading the quality and quantity of heavy firepower available to the infantry, and to continue doing so as long as he was able. This was widely regarded, by both his fellow generals and other members of the cabinet, as a good decision. Although Churchill called out for ‘fast-paced, manoeuvre warfare’ in the Commons, it was common knowledge that this approach could never break through heavy fortifications, like the French Maginot line.
The infantry would be well supplied with big guns under Deverell.
Despite the wonders that heavy artillery and powerful cannons could work, the General Staff were a little concerned of another trench war. It would not do to have the Great War repeating itself. For this reason, it was decided that infantry assaults should be well supported by heavily armoured tanks, to slog through enemy fortifications. Speed would not be in high demand, as the armour would only have to keep pace with infantry. These ‘infantry support tanks’ would be tasked with destroying fortifications and eliminating infantry. A high-penetration main gun would not be essential, therefore.
British armour would support the infantry in their advance.
These radical changes meant that the workers returning from Christmas breaks were met with many tough challenges, and in Singapore, these boiled over and caused a worker strike. The labourers had been tasked with renovating port facilities, in readiness for a fairly large fleet to be despatched to the Far East, but they felt that the wages given to them were not high enough to justify the long hours they worked. The governor of Singapore clearly felt so, too. A deal was quickly made and the strikers returned to work, very pleased with the government.
A major strike in Singapore was dealt with quickly, with both the unions and the government pleased with the result.
A little more un-nerving to Baldwin’s government was the news that the previously almost unheard of Social Liberal Party was gaining strength. Whether they were taking conservative votes or not was unknown, but Baldwin, always something of a political backstabber, organised a brief, but brutally effective campaign that removed a lot of support for the Social Liberals. Eden protested that this was very undemocratic, but Baldwin countered that Britain did not want a divided system of coalition government like the French, and were better off with the big parties staying big. In this, the Prime Minister was supported by all of the cabinet but Eden.
The Social Liberal Party was quietly side-lined in a discreet campaign by Baldwin.
By the 16th of January, the Admiralty had fully restructured its forces. Instead of resembling a navy of the Great War, with two large fleets and tiny stations around the colonies, the Royal Navy had become an efficiently divided, modern force. The main fleets would be concerned with destroying the Kriegsmarine, the Regia Marina, the Soviet Navy or the Imperial Japanese Navy in the event of any conflict, with the fourth given a low priority due to its distance from Britain. Submarine groups would raid in the Mediterranean and Pacific, whilst the three old escort carriers under British command would be heading anti-submarine fleets in the North Sea. Two task forces, headed by heavy cruisers, were also formed, ready to combat any smaller enemy powers that might emerge.
These two pictures show the British Naval Order of Battle, circa February 1936.
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Authors Note: Some of you are probably wondering whether this AAR will be funny or serious, and my answer is: BOTH! (Hah! Didn’t see that coming! OK, you might have) At the top level, the cabinet meetings will always be humorous and slightly surreal, but the decisions made will be performed lower down the chain of command, and they will be carried out with all seriousness. Aside from at the top, my narrative parts will never (at least not yet) focus on one person solely. They will jump around, sometimes returning to people, sometimes not.
Updates beyond this (while at peace) will cover a good deal more time. This was an introduction for me, and I had a lot to write about therefore.
The H.P.P. Experience Part I
This will be a feature of every history-book style update. As I tell you what happened, I’ll also tell you what it’s like to play, as a new experience.
Well, it was pretty easy to pick up in the end. There are no huge changes to the layout of the game, but all the new countries certainly made things very interesting. Having India, Malaya and Egypt etc. as puppets, not just my territory made things quite interesting. I wonder, for instance, how much of a contribution Egypt will make to repulsing the Italians if war breaks out. My brief confusion at the fonts used for the names of countries (the neutral country font in HPP is the allied country font in vanilla and vice versa) was just that, very brief. I’m pleased with the strategic effects added (+25% IC for controlling India!). The tech layout has changed a lot, but I like the layout and it isn’t very confusing as it’s only the positioning of the updates themselves (and the addition of new ones) that has changed. I realise that I am not explaining this well, so I will try and put up some screenshots of the technology screen next time.
My resource situation was much worse than in vanilla HoI. No more huge surpluses from convoys, but they still made a major contribution. Nevertheless, my economic situation is stable.
The military changes feel great. Clicking on a level 1 infantry brigade and seeing ‘Experimental infantry brigade’ is really great and I look forward to seeing that change to as close to ‘Invincible Terminator brigade’ as I can. The doctrine changes are very interesting, and certainly change the way you play. The new event I encountered (the worker strike) was interesting, too. Reading HecNev’s great Japanese HPP AAR gave me a rough idea of what to expect, but they are still very much a new challenge.
Overall, my first impressions are great. The mod has not left me confused or lost, and the new additions seem inventive and polished. I look forward to continuing!
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Replies to comments:
Rensslaer: Bang on. Although things will probably always be a little crazy up top, just how crazy (and in what ways) will depend on which maniac is in charge!
TheBromgrev: I’ll get right over there and tell those Frenchies to stop concessing right this minute! Damn French, them and their concessing…. Don’t worry, I’ll remember. Are you referring to the Shanghai concession?
Remember, forum vampires like me can only be sustained with your blood, and I can only get at that sweet, sweet blood if you subscribe! (Just kidding, I can extract it while you sleep!)