For new readers:
- The German war was a disaster from the start
- Japan in response never joined the Axis
- With France still in the picture the Allies would eventually go to war with the Soviet Union
- Italy and Germany surrendered. Mussolini and Hitler both died
- The war with the Soviets rages on
28 May - 4 June '41 - The long march east
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?"
- Matthew 16:26 -
(London)
Europe is in chaos, old boy. The Balkan nations aren't sure which side to trust, and Germany is a powder keg waiting to explode. The Soviet Union is gearing up for the tempest, and France is seeping into every corner of the continent. It is the 4th of June and we have been at war for 92 weeks
FRENCH LANDING IN ALBANIA:
In what was an opportunity to try out French amphibious capabilities, 8 divisions left from Taranto, Italy, and landed on the beaches of Tirana, Albania to begin operations. The training drill was a success and will help both us and the French in future invasions. May it be Vladivostok, Tokyo, or Crimea.
OPERATION COLOMBE/DOVE:
The French are massivly reinforcing Norway and Sweden and have been looking for a way to get a footing in Finland. One way is to land in Leningrad, or the Ahvenanmaa/Aaland islands. We could push our navy fleet in to the Baltic sea and secure the waters. But the Soviet airforce is unrivaled and we could not possibly guarantee that the bombers would not hit the French transport ships. Not to mention that the islands have now been reinforced by Soviet armoured divisions, making an invasion quiet unlikely. It is for this that
Operation Dove/Colombe has been rejected... For now.
SOVIET BOMBING RUN ACROSS NORWAY AND SWEDEN:
In fact the Red airforce is so powerful that it is currently wrecking havoc all across Norway and Sweden. Bombing Allied divisions left and right. We have our anti aircraft equipment there, but our equipment and ammunition doesn't fit the French, nor the Canadians. So... Well we can basically only use it for British troops.
RAF REORGANISES IN RESPONSE:
The RAF has not been very active as of late. With the German collapse, and the Soviets in the north, our bomber wings and fighter commands have not seen much action. This week Portal And Dowding re-organised the RAF fighters into 5 smaller commands. 2 will cover the British Sector in Germany as we push east. and 3 will cover Scandinavia. Now, none of these commands alone will be enough to break the massive Russian airpower, but by doing this we hope do mitigate the casualties and effects on the ground. The French have vowed to back us up where they can.
FRENCH RETREAT FROM ENONTEKIO:
Speaking of the French. General de Hauteclocque might have defended Tromso last week, but the Russians have put immense pressure on Enontekio and squeezed them out. In response General de Hauteclocque has ordered some of his divisions to move east to take the province back. British high command on the other hand have been adamant about the whole situation. "Tromso is lost....Fall back to Narvik...Hold the river..."
But the French aren't listening.
In fact Field Marshal Weygand... The nation's saviour that is Weygand landed a few days ago in Narvik to take command of the entire Allied command in the North. That means Auchinleck too. Churchill is not happy about this, but it looks as if Weygand will put his new operations draft on the table come next week and the Brits better follow it to the letter.
CANADA TOWARDS THE EAST:
As Germany and Axis occupied territory dissolved into chaos, it was clear that a fast push east was needed in order to control the dissent rising. The Canadians stepped up with their superior light and fast motorised divisions. They've made good time too, and we're pushing into Poland as we speak.
Here's the interesting bit. The Soviets aren't making a push west. They're sitting pretty as they say. No one knows why. Control claims it might be a similar tactic as the one we used against the Germans when they invaded the Lowlands.
I don't like this one bit, chap. Not one bit.
THE BATTLE OF BRATISLAVA:
Slovenia technically surrendered with the Germans, but on 30th May, Australian, Indian, and French Divisions were met by still loyal fascist soldiers in Bratislava. The battle was short lived and within a few hours the capital was secured.
GREEK/ALBANIAN DIPLOMATIC SITUATION:
1st June, Greek soldiers are caught in Albanian territory spying on the border installations. This is a rather bad situation for Greece, who should be watching their bloody border with Bulgaria instead, as there's little doubt in my mind that the Russians will steam roll towards the Mediterranean when they reach the border.
the Albanians are rather angry, and understandably so. The mistrust from Greek side is rather unfounded, and we, as their allies are of course backing them up.
The German threat is mostly gone. The Russians are our only enemy now. Or... There is another. The threat in the east. The Japanese Empire's moving through China and has now surrounded Hong Kong. The Americans have initiated their oil embargo and we are not trading with them either, so hopefully the Japanese army will slowly grind to a halt. but they must be getting rather desperate. and the Dutch east Indies is a tempting target due to their oil storage. One thing is sure: we must keep an eye out, and be vigilant.
THE FALLEN OF THE WAR WITH NAZI GERMANY:
No other empire can match the British. Or even come close. During the days of Queen Victoria we span the globe. We still do. But after the Great War things took a turn for the worse, and. This war is between ideologies. Fascism, Communism, Democracy, Imperialism. the British Empire is dying, and hopefully it can be re-born as the great British Democracy. Where men can be what they fight to be.
I'm rambling, chap. Too much Scotch. But we lost a lot of good men. More than I care to count. The Great battles of Sedan and Mons will go down as the defence of the century. For free men, for the french and the Brits, for Europe as a whole. And it is our duty now to make sure it did not happen in vein. That Europe is free. Free from the empires that drag them down in the mud every 30 years.
To England, and To Europe.
That's with our intelligence at 39% accuracy.
