This AAR is my first attempt at an "official" AAR. It uses HoI3 3.05 + SF + FTM There is no official "Mod" except my tinkering with the OOB of several countries and some of the provinces. The background begins in 1923, but the game itself begins traditionally in January 1936 using the "Road to War" OOB (with the exception of my changes). Some of the political landscape of Africa is different. For the new "country", the African Union I used Liberia. I had initially thought about creating a new nation and simply had the various African nations allied to it, but that generated too much headache, so I co-opted the Liberians, used a new flag and created a new OOB and tech start and annexed the other members. The other nations leaders (Ethiopia, South Africa and Egypt) were added to Liberia and I created some new ones out of other historical figures that were out and about at the time.
I will update this AAR at least on a weekly basis as my free time is at a premium at the moment. Later on, updates might come faster, but no promises. I am playing the game as I write, so each update will pretty much be a "What happened to me this last week" kind of thing. I encourage comments and questions on the game, even tips on my strategy... although I've done a lot of playtests and have a good idea of what works and what doesn't. While I will be handicapping myself to make things interesting, I don't anticipate I will actually lose this game, but in creating this scenario I have found out that nothing is certain from one game to the next. I have had to make one or two arbitrary changes in the interests of balance, but I have at least TRIED to come up with plausible explanations for everything. I feel this game would make an excellent multi-player scenario. The AU is not significantly better than any of the major powers and would be a challenging addition to one of the three alliances or as a neutral party. I created AU for myself, but if it generates enough interest here, I may clean it up and package it as a mod for any interested parties.
Now.... to business This first update is all background, taking place before 1936 or right at game start:
Paris, 1922
At the behest of Empress Zewditu I of Ethiopia, her son, Ras Tafari Makonnen travels to Paris to meet with British officials for the possibility of the transfer of the British Punt Mandate to Ethiopia.
In the wake of the Tulsa and the Bloody Summer in America of a year ago, du Bois and other black leaders began preaching for a return to the African homeland. Tens of thousands of dissaffected Blacks with useful skills, trained in America came to Monrovia. Officials of the Liberian government were on the docks with offers of paying jobs and an opportunity to make a new home for themselves. More than a few of these new returning citizens were ex-military, who had fought for the United States in the Great War and had left the military or been forced to muster out when the fighting was over. These recruits and other immigrants arrived in Liberia and were funneled to places all over Africa where there was work to be had..... work provided by a company called African Development Projects. The ADP was building railroad infrastructure all over Africa for shipping men, equipment and resources. It also had a fair number of building development contracts. Much of the work was being done in Kenya and Ethiopia, but even French Algeria and the Portugese and Belgian colonies benefited from this new infrastructure. As many of the ADP's "projects" were in the interior of the continent, who had commissioned the projects and exactly what was being built was sometimes a mystery.
In the meantime, another organization was rising out of Kenya and Ethiopia. It was a political council on local African affairs called the African Union. This council advised on local politics and served as a liason between European business interests and local labor and tribal authorities. It had five founding members: The same five named individuals who were at the Paris meeting
Between 1923 and 1930, the ADP became rich and the AU became influential. The AU smoothed ruffled feathers and accomplished things once thought impossible, such as the negotiation of a Jewish state in Africa. In 1925, under a deal brokered by the AU and the British, the Jewish Territorialist Organization is granted land in Eretria to found a Jewish state, although the deal almost doesn't happen as there is considerable difference of opinion on the validity of a Jewish State outside of the Middle East. Jewish immigration from Ethiopia and abroad causes the Jewish community to grow, although not as quickly as expected. ITO chairman Israel Zangwill becomes first Prime minister of the new nation of Israel. He holds the position until his death in 1926. Out of this deal, Britain gained an allied port on the Horn of Africa, the ITO got it's Jewish homeland, and the AU acquired it's first directly administered territory, although British and Italian solders continued to be stationed there until the Great Depression.
1930
October 1929 was the start of the Great Depression, an economic collapse that flew around the world. By early in 1930, the ADP was in financial trouble when it's building contracts began to dry up and was absorbed by the African Union to repay the company's debts. However, it was also a period when the European powers were tightening belts and looking to shed weight from their own bottom lines. Some of their colonies in Africa began to look like they were more trouble than they were worth. The African Union had gained a reputation with the local population as an able administration office and useful bulwark against the preatory practices of Europe. Anti-colonialism in the native African population had found a rallying point. In addition, Ras Tafari, already having made himself king of Ethiopia was crowed Emperor with the death of Empress Zewditu I. He now had considerable power as Emperor of Ethiopia to assist the AU, as did Prime Minister Smuts of South Africa. Over the next five years, the AU shifted from being a local diplomatic office to being an administration body. Emphasis for security was shifted to local talent, and the AU began searching out dispossesed and disbanded units that fought in the Great War and offering them a home if they were to reconsititute or reactivate. Under the auspices of "security", the AU began to build a military industrial complex. By 1933, the regions of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania were under the direct control of the African Union. Although they still had their British garrisons, many of the garrison units were locals who held more respect and loyalty for the Union than with the British. In addition, the British were in the process of negotiating with the AU for transfer of several other territories, including Niger and Rhodesia. France was initially hesitant, but eventually began at least discussing the possibility of eventual home rule for it's territories. The hold-outs were Belgium and Portugal. Mussolini, as well had no inclination to negotiate Libya out of it's control and had designs on adding other territories to their list. While Portugal and Belgium were deemed too remote and not strong enough to pose any kind of long-term threat to the African Union, Italy was another matter. At the time, the Italians were politically isolated. It was unlikely that anyone would assist them in defeating the Union.... what many considered to be a back-yard third-rate power. However the Italian army was impressive, at least on paper. No one expected them to leave Libya without a fight and there was a very good possibility that Egypt could be invaded if Mussolini lost patience. In order to distract Italy and hamper any attack plans Mussolini may be cultivating, a covert operation is put in place to identify revolutionary leaders in Libya and to begin supplying them in their fight against the Italians. One of these, Sidi Omar al-Mukhtar is identified as a regional hero and has been very successful in hampering the Italians while maintaining only a small force of rebels in the desert. The AU begins secretly financing their cause. As a result of this support, Omars resistance movement gains momentum
1936
The AU holds a continental summit in the city of Agadez. The leadership of the AU was there, representing their nations. Various influential and respected leaders and activists from all over Africa were also invited to discuss the future of the Union. The European powers were invited to send representatives as well; Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal. Italy and Portugal snubbed the meeting, openly declaring that the AU was an illegal government and they had no intention of respecting an authority they didn't recognize, but the other nations sent representatives and responded with cautious optimism. Even Belgium made an appearance, although no one expected them to greet the possibility of them losing control of the Congo region with any enthusiasm. Britain re-iterated her plans for Niger and Rhodesia and expressed hope that their negotiations would continue. France finally made a promise to move toward an administrative transfer of her North African colonies and tentatively set 1940 as a deadline for complete autonomy. At the talks, WEB du Bois presented documented accounts of atrocities carried out by the Belgian authorities on the Congo natives, but the Belgian representatives at the summit talks were unapologetic and remained intractable, asking for deliberately unattainable payments for releasing the Congo to the administrative control of the Union. The European representatives were finally thanked for their efforts and shown out of the meeting hall. Afterwards, the discussion turned to possible action in the face of what they had all been shown. Smuts brought details of the Union "security" forces at his disposal and was already in the midst of making plans in case of aggressive action by Italy. Although Italy was the primary threat, he and King Faud felt certain that Egypt could be successfully defended while having forces left over to secure the Portugese colonies and the Congo from Belgium, assuming such actions did not widen the war and bring others in on the side of the European powers. Eventually, two things were decided in that meeting by a voice-vote of those present. First, that they would all meet the following month (February) and choose a permanent leader for the AU. This leader would preside over military and "continent-wide matters" for all territories in Africa. A Charter was drawn up, the text of which specifically stated that the AU claimed administrative jurisdiction over "All territorial domains within the bounds of the continent of Africa and Madigascar, excepting Sierra Leon and the Jewish Autonomous District known as Israel." All twenty members at the meeting signed the charter, including South Africa, Egypt and Abyssinia. The second decision vote was to make Ras Tafari, now Haile Selassie to be acting headr of the African Union until the next Summit meeting in February. Emperor Selassie's first order of business was to appoint Smuts as supreme commander of the AU "security forces". The emperor's first order given as acting ruler of the African continent was "General, mobilize the army immediately."
African Union territorial control after the Charter
I also hope you've set up Israel from some existing country. Because creating a new country has to be a hell of a job.
