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I agree with Kurt, better to carry some extra dissent and let the cabinet soldier on.
 


12-19 October '39 - The last voyage of the Reserve Fleet


"...gentlemen in England now-a-bed Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us.."

- William Shakespeare, 1599 -


Funeral.jpg

(Funeral parade for the Reserve Fleet)

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Good afternoon, chap, glad to see you again. Sorry I didn't have time to greet you at the funeral service but these days are just so hectic. The last two weeks have been bloody, so many young men have died, with no grounds being made. Once more into the meat-grinder. Pardon my crudeness. The date is October 19th, and the war has last for 1 month and 3 weeks. So, I guess the first order of business should be to look at the aftermath of the Ambush at Kattegat. Then we should talk about the Air Battle of Heligoland Bight, oh, I see I caught your attention. The world's biggest air battle, cost us a small fortune in fuel, and men...

October 12th:
Kattegatx.jpg
Right, so Northern Patrol finally catches up with the last two ships of The Reserve fleet - Carlisle, and Curlew - and set sail to rendezvous with Home fleet. Looks like the total tally is 2600 men dead and 200 captured by the Germans. Also, as you no doubt know, Admiral John Tovey goes down with the HMS Argus.

October 13th:
Kattegat2x.jpg
Northern patrol meets up with Home Fleet. Both set sail for Norwich, England. Home fleet is escorting them. The public back home are shocked and angry.

October 14th:
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The Reserve fleet finally arrives in Norwich, we hush it up well enough, no need for the British people to see their heroes battered and bruised. The two ships will be repaired and merged into the Northern Patrol when the time comes.

October 17th:
Funeral2.jpg
Funeral this Sunday: The funeral and parade was made for the 2600 men who lost their lives, for Vice-Admiral John Tovey, and for the people, to let them deal with the grief and troubles of being at war, again. Oh, and also, Captain Claud Hampton of HMS Carlisle looks to be nominated for a Victoria Cross. Leading the HMS Curlew, and thus indirectly the HMS Carlisle through the massacre by launching a direct attack on the enemy. A move that cost the captain his life. After holding out against the enemy bombardment, the surviving two ships made a daring escape trough the front line. The tactic was Claud Hampton's brainchild and saved the lives of the men on board, The two ships pushed through the attacking force and moved south towards the Northern Patrol causing the enemy to break off their pursuit. An artillery shell damaged the bridge and mortally wounded Hampton in the process, yet he captained the ship through for 2 hours before succumbing to his wounds.
VictoriaCross.jpg


October 18:
Yesterday: We've been dreading this. Debates in the House of Commons. Fortunately the government won confidence, and the hearts and minds of the Honourable gentlemen. In fact, and quit bizarrely, Churchill came out of this the winner. Chamberlain was under the most fire and Churchill defended him and even received some praise from former PM David Lloyd George for predicting the war.
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Chamberlain: "We do not set ourselves up as being infallible, as being above receiving help from others who are willing to help. Let us then before these trials come upon us put all our strength into the work of preparing for them, and we shall thus steadily increase our strength until we ourselves are able to deliver our blows where and when we will."
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Churchill: "Let me say that I am not advocating controversy. We have stood it for the last 10 days, and if I have broken out, it is not because I mean to seek a quarrel with Honorable Gentlemen. On the contrary, I say, let pre-war feuds die; let personal quarrels be forgotten, and let us keep our hatreds for the common enemy. Let party interest be ignored, let all our energies be harnessed, let the whole ability and forces of the nation be hurled into the struggle, and let all the strong horses be pulling on the collar."
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David Lloyd George: "Is there anyone in this House who will say that he is satisfied with the speed and efficiency of the preparations in any respect for air, for Army, yea, for Navy? Everybody is disappointed. Everybody knows that whatever was done was done half-heartedly, ineffectively, without drive and unintelligently. For three or four years I thought to myself that the facts with regard to Germany were exaggerated by the First Lord of Admiralty, because the then Prime Minister—not this Prime Minister—said that they were not true. The First Lord of Admiralty was right."
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"We did not take any measures that would guarantee success. This mission, was made dependent upon this half-prepared, half-baked force, without any combination at all between the Airforce and the Navy. The right Honorable Gentleman spoke about the gallantry of our men, and we are all equally proud of them. It thrills us to read the stories. All the more shame that we should have made fools of them."
propaganda2xx.jpg
"The nation is prepared for every sacrifice so long as it has leadership, so long as the Government show clearly what they are aiming at and so long as the nation is confident that those who are leading it are doing their best."


So, chap. We are still in charge of this government, but it was not the solid victory we were hoping for. Chamberlain's job is hanging in a thin thread right now, I fear another mistake will send the whole deck of cards tumbling down.


PRODUCTION:
production.jpg
We have done some changes in the production lines. There are several brigades we need to make ready to be deployed to the BEF in order to bolster our defences against the coming tide. The Anti-air and Radar were put on hold until November. We've also heavily cut down on factory output and are currently putting a lion share into upgrading our troops. Jerry has a state of the art war machine and we need both our Norway campaign force and our BEF to be in tip top shape when the blow comes. Also we have decided to stockpile some more oil, cancelling our deal with USSR.

MOVEMENT:
The BEF is of course first priority and always scrutinised to updates. In fact many things have changed these last 2 weeks and our operation is looking a bit different than last time. After the Ambush At Kattegat, the War Cabinet decided to take more decisive and direct control. Egypt, Australia, And New Zealand were given direct military orders of utmost importance. Italy seems to be mobilising and we wish to cover these borders. Egypt was ordered west with her 3 inf. and as soon as China fleet is done in India it will be ordered to set sail for Australia. There it will pick up Australian and New Zealand divisions, 12 in all, for deployment in North Africa and France. Canadian troops are also on route for France.
So! have a look at the new and improved Operation Bernard:​
o-Bernard.jpg
OPERATION BERNARD
-Corps IV (Gen. Gort) will orchestrate the operation and cover Dunkirk in case of evacuation. 1 British, 7 British Raj Div.
-Corps V/Commonwealth Force (Commander Brooke-Popham) oversees the Commonwealth Force in Lille. 3 Canadian, 4 British Raj, 2 Australian div. Also, he is in charge of The Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force that will be providing close air-support.
-Corps II (Gen. Brooke) will cover Hirson with 9 British div.
-Corps I (Gen. Dill) will cover Fulda. 9 British div.
-Corps III (Gen. Adam) reinforced with British units from Alexandria will cover Lorgwy and the Ardenne. 9 div.
All in all 44 div. 10 wings. with additional 5 as reinforcement.

Also we have drawn up the evacuation plans in case the Huns were in fact to break through the tough French defence. Operation Dynamo:​
o-Dynamo.jpg
OPERATION DYNAMO
The Royal Auxiliary fleet, escorted by Portsmouth Command and Channel Force, will ferry 2 corps at the same time. Cutting the evacuation down to 3 round-trips for all 44 div. 3 evacuation alternatives have been chosen, ranked from best to worst scenario.

A Evacuation route - Dunkirk to Dover
B Evacuation route - Cherbourg to Portsmouth
C Evacuation route - Brest to Plymouth

Russia-Finland.jpg
Are you ready for another headache? Stalin has decided to shake his fist at every neighbour he has. Most of the smaller nations like Estonia, and Latvia, now also Finland, are under claim. What claims you ask? Well as far as we can see some are military access, others are territorial dispute, like in the case of Finland. The nation is of course rejecting their claim. Another puzzle for our Foreign Minister Halifax to solve.


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Here's some news that turns my stomach. 5 British submarines were sunk at Kattegat this week. 250 men lost. god damn it! They were on a Convoy raid in North Jutland. How they ended up all the way down in Kiel is beyond me. We are trying to keep a low profile on this disaster. No one needs another funeral parade or debate in the House of Commons. The German fleet has been well off the last 10 days, no words from Hitler and his propaganda machine, but no doubt it will come next week. Our job then will be to do a full reassessment of the Royal Navy, someone will have to go as a result of this disaster, and my eyes are on Admiral Pound.



Ok, I guess it's time to speak about what was to be the greatest aerial fight in the history of man.

The Air Battle of Heligoland Bight
Heligoland.jpg



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Air General Tedder's wing was on a routine mission off the coast of Groningen. they were only there to cover our ships engaged in the blockade. What he spot was something different: 3 tactical bombers on route to Britain. He engages them and keeps them occupied while we scramble 3 fighter wings and send them his way.​
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they meet up and Air General Bowhill takes command of the battle. This turns into several fierce dogfights so we scramble even more. We can only send our bombers to provide some additional support. but my god, man what a fight it was!​
scramble2.jpg
We lose 58 fighter planes but shoot down 101 nazi bombers. Luftwaffe was on route to Britain, our fighters no doub stopped them. Dowding and Newall believes they will be back. Controll brings us a formation plan from Sholto Douglas called the "Big Wing", Dowding and Newall aren't too enthusiastic about it. The War Cabinet forces it through with certain modifications.​
BigWing.jpg

The Heligoland Wall is about to be erected. Massive amounts of fuel is administered to the operation. The job goes to Air Marshall Brooke-Popham of the British Raj. 15 wings are in Helioland Bay, take that in my friend. 1500 planes are engaged in this operation. Dienekes once said that the Persians had enough arrows to blot out the sun. Well if that was the case, the Lord let the bay lay in perpetual darkness this week as rain and storm fell down.​
HeligolandWall.jpg


The Germans walk straight into our trap​

The biggest air battle in the history of mankind is about to commence. A wall of metal wings, guns, and angry British pilots ready to avenge the ambush at Kattegat crash down on the Germans.
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We shot down 72 fighters, unfortunately our bombers are picked off with ease and we take a toll of 54 bombers, including 17 heavy bombers. All in all this week we took down 173 german planes... Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Jerry!

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Nomination for a Victoria Cross is to go to James Brindley Nicolson for courage in the face of the enemy. Nicolson's Hawker Hurricane was fired on by a Messerschmitt Bf 110, injuring the pilot in one eye and one foot. His engine was also damaged and the petrol tank set alight. As he struggled to leave the blazing machine he saw another Messerschmitt, and managing to get back into the bucket seat, pressed the firing button and continued firing until the enemy plane dived away to destruction. Not until then did he bail out into the ocean, MIA all yesterday, then we got word he had been picked up by a Dutch fishing boat. Tough kid, he's in a hospital in the Netherlands for the time being.

As clever of an idea as it was, the Heligoland Wall is to be no more, the fuel alone was a nightmare, and the death toll is too high. we might not do so "well" if they return in clear weather. Dowding has suggested falling back to Britain and scramble the fighters when necessary, if it is over British soil we will have the AA guns at our backs, and there should be a lot of them ready by 1940. We have decided to pull the fighters back to UK and maintain air supremacy there. all Tacs and Strats are to be grounded in Lille. That seems to be it for this week. Oh, before I forget. I'm a bit of sentimentalist, so I'd like to send with you the poem I gave the members of the War Cabinet today. What comfort can we find, but in our dear Kipling.


“Have you news of my boy Jack?”
Not this tide.
“When d’you think that he’ll come back?”
Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

“Has any one else had word of him?”
Not this tide.
For what is sunk will hardly swim,
Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

“Oh, dear, what comfort can I find?”
None this tide,
Nor any tide,
Except he did not shame his kind —
Not even with that wind blowing, and that tide.

Then hold your head up all the more,
This tide,
And every tide;
Because he was the son you bore,
And gave to that wind blowing and that tide!



Tuck your family in tonight and know they sleep comfortably because of our young men guarding the wall.
England Expects.
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It seems that the war hasn't started too nicely for the Empire...
 
Seems like tough times are ahead, although logistic wise nothing real horrible has happened. The blow against the old reserve fleet did not cause a dent in the power of the royal navy, only in morale. RAF managed to stop several bombing raids on the UK, so that's considered a win, while i build up my AA defence.

currently the main campaign goals for 1939 and 1940 are these.

1) keep France in the game. With France we might have something that looks more like WWI, with a static line going from the Maginot line all the way to Dunkirk (yes, i am aware that this is what they were hoping for IRL too, which backfired horribly against them. but hush! :p)

2) keep Norway in the game. (yes aware of this being the IRL plan too! but hopefully with a little more power in our punch, we can succeed here too) this way we'll cut off any coastal line looming over us.

If both are to fail, then 1940 will be the darkest year of the war, a war that we KNOW we should be able to win by weathering the storm. The UK took a lot of damage during the war but it is ultimately the Soviets who will get the worst deal, and when the US finally enters they war, we should be able to take a deep breath of relief.
 
it would be pretty awesome to see Germany actually defeated by France and Britain...alone.

of course, IRL, in 1939, they saw no other option than repeat Great War, indeed :D
 
it would be pretty awesome to see Germany actually defeated by France and Britain...alone.

Yes! or at least a repeat of WWI where we can hold Germany at bay until the US and USSR can come help.

A couple of things I could use you guys help on though.

1.) Any commander I should look into to help in Operation Bernard or Operation Wilfred?
2.) What can we do to make Operation Bernard and/or Operation Wilfred better?
3.) Currently Britain is constructing a lot of ships, the Royal Navy is its strongest arm, should it perhaps cancel a lot of great ships (that will be ready in '41,'42) and perhaps spam to build a better RAF?
 
Yes! or at least a repeat of WWI where we can hold Germany at bay until the US and USSR can come help.

A couple of things I could use you guys help on though.

1.) Any commander I should look into to help in Operation Bernard or Operation Wilfred?
2.) What can we do to make Operation Bernard and/or Operation Wilfred better?
3.) Currently Britain is constructing a lot of ships, the Royal Navy is its strongest arm, should it perhaps cancel a lot of great ships (that will be ready in '41,'42) and perhaps spam to build a better RAF?

I say:

1) Defensive (even the Old Guards), Trickster, Commando (for any Mountaineer or Marine units)
2) Try diversions like landings behind enemy lines, if you can spare some divisions. You can also try to create mobile defense: if Wehrmacht will break your lines, use tanks and motorized divisions in reserve to encircle them and destroy. Tricky and risky, but possible.
3) Cancel it all with exception of Carriers. Interceptors as much as tanks are much more important than battleships and cruisers.
 


19-26 October '39 - Luftwaffe starts bombing Britain and France

"Fight on and fly on to the last drop of blood and the last drop of fuel, to the last beat of the heart."

- Manfred von Richthofen, date unknown -


London.jpg
Look in the streets, chap, what do you see? Scared men and women, every one of them readying for a war that has gotten too close for comfort. The home department has been preparing this city for the blackouts, and in a knick of time it was. With the relentless Luftwaffe attacks we've been subject to we should be grateful this city is in pitch black darkness when the sun goes down.


AIRFORCE:
portsmouth.jpg
The Royal Air Force has been in constant fights with the Huns these last two weeks. Luftwaffe has tried to claim air superiority and also been bombing our army in Portsmouth, which, if you ask me, is the daftest thing they can do. Focusing mostly on a military target in a heavily AA defended area, surrounded by the RAF - The same wings we pulled back after the Air Battle of Heligoland Bight. We are running thin though, the men are overworked and as a result our organisation level is critically low all across the boarder. The same wings are engaging in ferocious battles with as many as 6 enemy fighter wings from the Luftwaffe - and by a miracle, still repelling them. They are, and I will be careful not to overestimate here, the god sent guardians of the British empire.​
RAFX.jpg

FRANCE:
france.jpg
We've been attempting to lend a hand to the French after Germany started their bombing campaign on the areas adjacent to the Maginot line. The truth is that we are overstretched even if we focus on our island alone. to counter this we have decided to make use of our allied forces: The Royal Iraqi Air Force and The Egyptian Army Air Force were both stationed in France this week. They've proved their tenacity. Even thought their equipment is outdated they have fared well against the enemy, and are keeping the bombers around the Maginot line occupied on what is likely to be on a weekly basis. Both nations, however are dealing with some inner conflict and we might run into some issues with that in the long haul. For now, however, this will have to do.​
RIAF.jpg

COMMONWEALTH:
IraqX.jpg
Egyptian soldiers were two weeks ago given orders to march west. This week it was Iraq's turn, as we sent their 4 inf. div. army towards the same region we did the Egyptians. Alexandria is right now the hub of all major troop movements and the logistical transportation centre of the war. British Militia, New Zealand, and Australian div. will be assigned destinations there in the months to come, not to mentioned the large amount of Indian soldiers who have passed through there already. Speaking of which, the majority of the Indian army landed in Toulon, France this week. Now they will start the long trek to Lille, a journey that will take them about a month and a half. The time table of Operation Bernard will be pretty tight, chap. If the Germans are to launch their major attack early next summer, that gives us about 6 months to gather our armies from all over the world, ship them here, train them, get them into position. All this within half a year. But, If we do that though, the French will have the ability to divert even more units to strengthen their defences further.


NAVY:
Navy.jpg
So the Royal Navy, thankfully, has had a rather quiet week. We did do some re-organisation by sending Humber Force, and that newly constructed destroyer from Glasgow, south to Dover in order to merge with, and split Admiral Bruce Fraser's Auxiliary fleet into two smaller, more efficient fleets. The job of commanding the second fleet went to Admiral Dreyer, good fellow. By running two smaller fleets we should be able to do a more controlled evacuation if the time comes.


PRODUCTION:
Xmasx.jpg
We can talk about redeploying soldiers from this and that corner of the world, but let's not forget that we are also establishing a brand new armour division back here at home. This week we were mostly focusing on updating and shipping out newer equipment to our boys already on the ground. After the relentless Luftwaffe attacks the War Cabinet decided to raise the whole production line into high gear again. This means our AA's should be constructed in mid-November. The full re-outfitting of HMS Valiant and the establishing of our 2nd armour division, mid-December. Here, have a look at the upper half of our production line.
production.jpg
Jolly oh, chap, that wasn't so bad? Every week Jerry gives us we grow stronger. The German people might look invincible, but there's inner turmoil in the Third Reich. The Nazis might have wooed the nation with their conquest of Poland, but the Fatherland remembers all too well the lesson France thought it 20 years ago. We believe if we can hand out a proper bloody nose on the west front, its people will have to wake up from a national dream and realise it has become the same prideful nightmare they know the end of.
I heard you and your wife sent the children up north? Good! London is no place for them to stay now. Me and the missus have done the same thing. Have a look at this:
propaganda.jpg
We are launching a poster campaign next week to discourage families who want to foolishly bring their children back to the cities. The bombings will get worse, my friend, and we will have to suffer through them. But there is light at the tunnel, and together we will reach it. As they say, Stay calm and carry on.

I will see you next week, take care and remember,
England Expects.

end.jpg


 
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love to see someone who cares about healthy amounts of flavour in story :p

btw. i just tried to play Vanilla game as a France to see if it's actually possible to repeat Great War in 1940.
it is, with military control of all the Allies possible and sent to western front (180 divisions in spring 1940). 5 lvl forts all from Dunkirk to Maginot Line helps much. German AI will furiously repeat attacks to bleed you dry and to manage breakthrough, so it's necessary to have divisions in reserve.
 
love to see someone who cares about healthy amounts of flavour in story :p

Thank you! :) Black Tsar AAR looks pretty good, I'll be sure to give it a thorough read :)

btw. i just tried to play Vanilla game as a France to see if it's actually possible to repeat Great War in 1940.
it is, with military control of all the Allies possible and sent to western front (180 divisions in spring 1940). 5 lvl forts all from Dunkirk to Maginot Line helps much.

Oh, interesting. There are several issues/rules though.
1.) France (and in turn US and USSR) cannot be MC by me. I consider it a bit too gamey. When the day comes and the US enter the war I'll have to deal with how to plan a amphibious assault, but that's years away (maybe a second Human player to help me if people still like the AAR). France too has her own agenda and she will have to defend her Maginot line to the best of her abilities.

2.) The Allies need troops in North Africa and Norway. Norway will need about 8-10 div, and Africa will have 6 mil, 20 inf (IIRC) deployed to their campaign.

3.) I don't think France is building forts from the Ardenne to Dunkirk. But I might be mistaken, I should probably boot up the save as France and see just what the hell she's up to o_O

4.) Reserves might be a problem. There might be a problem backing up an army corps with reserves, if the army corps is as small as 5-6 div as a result of using reserves.

German AI will furiously repeat attacks to bleed you dry and to manage breakthrough, so it's necessary to have divisions in reserve.

5.) Casualties. Britain lost twice as many soldiers during WWI as in WWII. The question is how much is too much? This War Cabinet has better grasp on the possible paths of this war. Would Britain be willing to give up France knowing the Russian front will most likely open up 41-42, If the price of keeping France in the war is 1 million british soldiers?

3) Cancel it all with exception of Carriers. Interceptors as much as tanks are much more important than battleships and cruisers.

All non-Carrier ships have been placed bottom of the production-list (not being worked on). When the AA spam is finished two weeks from now I can start working on Upgrades and Interceptors. :)
 
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2.) The Allies need troops in North Africa and Norway. Norway will need about 8-10 div, and Africa will have 6 mil, 20 inf (IIRC) deployed to their campaign.

everywhere there you can use only ANZAC, south african, egyptian, canadian etc. divisions, later even divisions from british raj.
but Italy's event to join Axis won't fire with Germans unable to conquer inch of French territory. it was a year already and Mussolini still had no balls to declare war. so you actually don't need divisions in africa, but every single division in France counts.
 
The RAF needs beefing up ASAP!
 
you can use only ANZAC, south african
South Africa is neutral in this timeline.

Italy's event to join Axis won't fire with Germans unable to conquer inch of French territory.
Oh, very Interesting, and historically sound. ANZAC will be brought to France, that's our reserve situation fixed too!

Be careful, from experience, Norway might not be able to supply all your troops.
Roger. Taking and holding a major port (or several) in North Norway is paramount for the success of Operation Wilfred. Also a strong Navy support to back up with shore bombardment of the enemy, naval bombers to support any naval engagement, and Fighters. which might be our biggest problem, We are so short on good fighters.

The RAF needs beefing up ASAP!
Yes, agreed. The AA should be ready within a few weeks. Freeing up a lot of IC to be split between RAF and Upgrades.

As previously stated though, this is not going to be a game where I throw 1 million men into the meat grinder like in German AAR: The war has begun. (a AAR i love :p). Also to consider is that Hitler's grasp on Germany was total with the conquering of France. IRL and in this Timeline, the German people are scared shitless of another Great War. If they can't take France and we annihilate a few large armies, Hitler's control of Germany would hang in a thin thread.
 
I'll watch this. Are you going to make longer updates during the "phony war" and winter, as most operations are halted due to weather?
 
I'll watch this. Are you going to make longer updates during the "phony war" and winter, as most operations are halted due to weather?
I'll try to make the updates the same "length" every week. There's so much to write about that's not combat engagement. A portfolio on The Kingdom of Italy, Empire of Japan. Discussing homefront issues, political problems, production and logistical matters. Also The winter war is about to begin. I don't think i'll be short on material to write about.
 


26 October - 2 November '39 - Commonwealth in France

"Cry God for Harry, England, and Saint George!"

- William Shakespeare, 1599 -


EnglandExpectsX.jpg


London.jpg
Oh, good afternoon, dear friend, glad to see you again. Getting a bit chilly out there, isn't it? We're moving ever closer to Christmas and in the process buying us more time to ramp up before Jerry's grand spring offensive. Let's have a look at the current state of the war.


ARMY:
BernardX.jpg
General Ironside and Churchill seem very pleased with the way Operation Bernard is shaping up, Nore Command landed in Dunkirk this week with 3 Canadian Div (including 1 motorised). Young men from India also marching from Toulon, France to meet up in Lille for service in BEF Corps V (Commonwealth Corps). Also we have the new British motorised div. almost ready. Leslie Hore-Belisha tells us it should be operational December 14, Another 2 days to get it to France, and a couple of weeks to get them dug in and at full strength.​


AFRICA:
Oh, interesting strategic conundrum here. At the meeting Churchill told us we could pull more troops out of Africa as he does not believe Mussolini has the possibility to launch an attack yet, nor will he as long as France and Britain remain strong. France controls West Africa and the Mediterranean. Britain East Africa and Iraq. Even with maximal forces in Africa, an invasion from Italy would be strategic suicide. I've taken the privilege of drawing up a quick sketch of the problems Italy would have to face.​
ItalyXX.jpg
The Chiefs of Staff are currently trying to figure out how many units we can deploy in Africa in order to help General Alexander out - newly appointed to lead the troops there. For now it seems that he will have to do with 6 mil. 2 Egyptian inf. and 3. Iraqi inf. 1 Indian Cavalry.
RedeploymentX.jpg
They are working on re-deploying the militia with minimal support forces in the area. Their sole job would be to occupy Italian forces long enough for British and French reinforcement to arrive. That is, if a war was to break out with Mussolini. Next week i'll get you a portfolio on the Kingdom of Italy and what we can expect.


OPERATION BERNARD:
This friday Belgium officially declared neutrality in the war. We will see how long that helps them when the Huns come riding down the hill to torch their villages. All intelligence reports indicate that Germany has 3 choices, 2 of them we consider to be out right suicidal.
MaginotLineX.jpg
1: Frontal assault on the Maginot line: Currently there are 40 French divisions stationed there, that's half a million men. Half a million strong, ready, trained soldiers of the French Republic. Most of them bunkered up in state of the art fortresses, supported by massive Anti-Air defences. If Germany dare to attack head-on, they will find themselves marching straight into their own abyss.
Switzx.jpg
2: Through Switzerland or North-west Italy. Both areas are notorious for their rough and rugged terrain. Marching 1 million German soldiers that way, even without opposition would be a difficult task at best. If they have to fight their way through? Impossible.
schlieffenplanX.jpg
3: A rework of the Schlieffen Plan. Look, we both know our history, the Lowlands are the best and only way for Germany to advance quickly and with enough power to pack a punch. Belgium, Luxembourg are vital for Jerry to flank the French with. That's why they will run into our best boys when they do. Operation Bernard is growing bigger every week. Halifax has some issues with it however. during the Great war we lost, you and I, approximately 1 million men to the sword. That's not counting the other 1 million men who were horribly injured. Look away if you must, but we in these high places must discuss these things, ask ourselves these difficult moral questions: Can the British Empire handle another Great War? I submit to you that we cannot. Chamberlain, and Halifax seem to agree, Churchill in his ever famous stubbornness would hear nothing of it.


ASIA:
Asia.jpg
The war in Europe has been brutal for the Polish, our estimate is 440 000 dead or missing. Even with the Ambush at Kattegat, and the Air Battle of Heligoland Bight, The French and British have gotten off lighter than most. China and Japan are the two nations that have taken by far the most casualties in war these last years. Thousands upon thousands of soldiers have died. China is bleeding men profoundly. 250 000 these last 2 months alone. Although she is not officially our ally, like the fascist Japan is not our enemy, between you and me, a war is brewing. Sides will have to be taken and I fear it will soon involve the whole world.


RAF:
RAF.jpg
The brave men of the Royal Air Force, as the week before, saw the most action these last 7 days. In order to take the pressure off our 4 fighter wings still recuperating from weeks of heavy fighting, we launched a massive night-run bombing campaign. Essen was chosen due to its heavy Industrial Capacity and the lack of AA in that province. Of course their airstrips proved to be in full working order and every German fighter was scrambled. not to mention the rubbish flight path that left us exposed to AA.... Enemy takes nothing in damage, we loose 40 bombers in the process. At this point we are just bleeding men, the Industrial Capacity we use on reinforcement alone is through the roof, 38 IC was the highest measured this week.
Dover.jpg
Luftwaffe seems to think this is a good time to launch more raids. Dover is immediately hit with minor to no damages, army in Portsmouth bombed again. Same result, and we take down 14 german bombers. A few days later Sholto-Douglas' Big Wing tactic is put into place.
dowding.jpg
Group 10, 11, 12, and 13 have all been stationed in Dover under the same command, Air Chief Marshal Dowding. This should make us able to meet the enemy with enough force, granted it is in the south. North Britain lies rather vulnerable for the time being.
paris.jpg
For the first time this war Germany bombed armies in Paris. Only a small number, rather trivial really, however this is awful moral wise as you can imagine. We have re-deployed 2 more tactical bombers to Lille, 1 from Tel Aviv, and the other all the way from Singapore. I believe we should be able to amass a grand scale bombing force within next week.


NAVY:
Australia.jpg
China station will arrive in France next week ferrying the last of the Indian divisions (and a British militia bound for the UK to serve as homeland defence). Then she will set sail for Australia in order to pick up 12 Australian and New Zealand div. to be brought back to Toulon, France for Operation Bernard.
NorthernSea.jpg
Nore Command landed in Dover after ferrying the Canadian army to France. It will over the next weeks be re-organised with the Auxiliary Fleets, and Rosyth Command. Creating a stronger Nore Command (one without transporters) to patrol the Jutland sea. Thus relieving Northern Patrol to be rebased in Scapa Flow where it will start patrolling the Northern sea. The Auxiliary Fleets will be made larger, and the Rosyth Command will seize to exist.

Well I guess that is it for today, chap. Our defences seem to be up to pair with what Control and SIS reports that Britain would require. Chamberlain is a bit worried though. The public is the big question. Now that the government hangs in a thin line and the general public is still war weary from 25 years ago, we can not meet the Huns with full force. Not until every British man and woman knows that this Germany will not rest until Britannia is left in cinders.

Now be on your way, and remember your umbrella.
Until next time,
England Expects.

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I must say that I'm really enjoying this AAR. The detail of each update is great and the quality of writing is superb. :) It injects a sense of pride in being British. :p

Well done. Carry on as you are, sir! ;)
 
Great AAR, I love the pictures!
Keep it up!
 
Can't wait for Canadian soldiers to assist you in defeating the Huns.

... if Denmark is invaded and capitulates to the Germans, can we have it after the war's over? Pretty please for our loyalty?