For new readers:
- Norway still stands
- France still stands
- Soviet union is at war with the Allies
- Italy has surrendered
- Germany is invading Sweden
9 - 16 October '40 - The battle of Malmö
"To those who can hear me, I say — do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed — the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people."
- Charlie Chaplin, in the Mad Dictator, October, 1940 -
(London)
Poor Neville. I wonder what the last thoughts on the war was before he passed away. May God have mercy on his soul. The walls are slowly crumbling, chap. On both sides of the war. Hitler and his men must be fearing for their lives, and we? We are fearing for the state of the empire. Another week of meaningless trench war. Another week of pushing back the barbaric Huns. The French have had enough of it, and I'm surprised the British workers haven't rallied together and gotten out their torches and pitch forks. Perhaps they soon will. But I'm rambling on, old boy. Have a seat, today we take back Sweden.
RAF BATTLE OVER GOTHENBURG:
With Dowding's boys now stationed in Oslo, we have enjoyed delivering air support to our troops on the ground in Sweden. This week was no different as Luftwaffe tried to attack, but were firmly rejected by the superior fighting force of the RAF. 67 German bombers shot down. And with that the Luftwaffe offensive has been blunted. It's now imperative that we launch our own.
RAF BOMBER GROUP REBASED IN OSLO:
October 13th, Air Marshal Coningham was ordered to deploy his bombing group to Oslo, in order to give the Germans a proper licking. Unfortunately, with the hastening of that order a more dangerous route was chosen. It backfired and the bombing group was intercepted off the coast of Denmark. 26 of our bombers were lost. A crummy loss due to incompetent on our behalf. Coningham and his boys are, however, currently in Oslo, and we presume it will take them no more than 2 weeks for them to get prepared for bombing runs on Malmo, Copenhagen, and Jonkoping. Which brings us to the next point of business
Due to German reinforcement last week there was a clear point where we seemed to be loosing the Battle of Malmo. Even General Auchinleck himself had to retreat his division after suffering defeat. Thankfully, at the 11th hour, the Swedish soldiers showed up, led by General Thornell, the Swedish supreme commander. With great tenacity they took over the battle relieving our tired boys. They were then able to do some much needed re-organising, and then come back into the fight. The Germans were eventually overmatched by a united front of Swedes, Norwegians, Canadians, and Brits. Finally the world is coming together to expel this fascist threat!
STORM DELAYING MOVEMENT:
As winter is approaching, the climate in Swedish is turning quit harsh. The latter part of the battle of Malmo was fought in a pesky storm. One that is currently ongoing. We are slowly making our way into securing Malmo, with the Germans retreating back into Copenhagen. But all of this is taking some time, and Carton de Wiart is concerned of possible counter-attacks. The Swedes took a fair bit of losses in the battles, and they will not be able to gather reinforcements as fast as we are. Hopefully all will be well, and we can initiate
Hammerfall.
Auchinleck's proposed pinching operation has been approved. The German forces in Jonkoping will not be engaged as we attempt to reach Malmo first, where the majority of the army will be stationed as we wait for the German counter-attack from Copenhagen. As soon as we reach Malmo however, the annihilation of the 2 German divisions at Jonkoping will commence. Avenging the
21e corps d'armée we lost at Pola. with 1 Norwegian division attacking from the West, 1 Canadian division coming down from the North, 1 Swedish infantry division attacking from Linkoping, and Auchinlek attacking from the East. As soon as
Operation Hammerfall is accomplished, they will all move South to reinforce Malmo.
THE WESTERN FRONT:
Allies wounded/captured/killed: 93 000
Axis wounded/captured/killed: 88 000
The western front barely ever moves. A few towns taken here and there, then we take them back the next week. If you could even call them towns anymore at this point. Hollow, craters. Smoke, and dust. Still they come. Exhausted. Having seen so many of their brothers die. Still they attack the Gort line in massive numbers. The losses we suffered this week was unbearable. The French have had enough, and the smaller nations like Norway are requesting to leave France to go and fight back in Sweden. Churchill is biting his tongue though. During the meeting with the war cabinet it was again discussed and settled: The winter. We hold France until the ground freezes, and everything turns white. Then the assassination of Hitler must commence. A coup. An acceptable peace agreement.
FRENCH GOVERNMENT UNSTABLE:
When France first entered this war, sentiments were at an all time low. The French have gone through numerous governments and quelled its share of riots over the last 20 years. Their soldiers have fought with valour and glory, but the French people are tired of war. This week they again took to the streets in a peaceful, but threatening protest march demanding that the current government led by Édouard Daladier step down. That more decisive leaders step up, and an end to the war be found. It seems that France is reaching her breaking point this time. Daladier is out in tough weather, and most likely he will have to give the people what they want. Which is rather bad news for us, considering the fact that we're in a bloody war right now. New leaders mean new ideas, new generals, new plans. We cannot afford to loose all that we've worked for. But if the French government does not step down, I fear revolution looms over her nation.
The beaches at Ancona in Italy were finally secured and are now guarded by a small group from North Africa. The Germans now have no other option but to attack the Ironside line head on if they are to have any success on the Italian front. Our men there are enjoying the weeks of rest and I have little doubt in my mind that when night creeps on they thank God they're not on the Western front. The situation in Italy seems less than optimal, but stabile. Food is again flowing through the nation. Rebuilding has commenced in the areas far away from the front, and the political situation, though tense, seems controllable, at least while the French government still stands.
NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN PASSES AWAY:
On the 14th October, after a a month of battling illness, the former prime minister Neville Chamberlain passed away. He was surrounded by his family and friends, and the doctor said it was with dignity. His legacy is one that will be discussed by historians for ages, and I fear it may not be in a positive light. But the chap was a good chap. I believe he did the best he could with what he had. Perhaps it was a mistake to appease Germany. Of course it was a mistake. But it's hard to see what better path to take.
He was my friend, and now he is dead. The clocks will chime this sunday for old Chamberlain. The first prime minister of the second great war.
May he rest in peace.