-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Europe: October – December 1939
Axis Expansion
During the last days of the war against Poland, Germany began to drum up support from the Balkan nations. Hungary and Slovakia had both singed military alliances with German in the first half of 1939, and in the second half, as the Third Reich flaunted its military prowess, Romania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia all accepted German terms of agreement after lengthy, and often discussions that took place between German diplomats and the Balkan state’s respective Foreign Ministers. All three nations bowed down to pressure, and singed military agreements with Berlin, effectively amalgamating them into the German sphere of influence. By the end of the German-Polish War, the Axis stretched over much of Eastern and Central Europe, and Berlin commanded a number of benevolent puppet states. The main reason Hitler had pushed for the Balkan nations to join the Axis was to curb the threat of Communism, but more importantly, in Romania’s case, to secure lucrative oil fields to power the massive German war machine.
Only one notable country was missing from the Axis Alliance – Italy. Mussolini, the obliging Fascist ally of Hitler, had refused to engage in hostilities so early, as he believed that Italy was in no position to fight a sustained war. However, on the 28th October, after witnessing the swift collapse of Poland, the rapid growth of the Axis, and the apparent weak state of the British army, Mussolini finally agreed to officially join Germany in war against Britain and the Commonwealth.
Italy was able to overrun British possessions in North Africa, as Britain, quite surprisingly, had not adequately garrisoned its African colonies and protectorates. Italian troops, facing little resistance were able to reach the Suez Canal by mid December, and Cairo fell on Christmas day to a relatively small Italian force of only three infantry divisions. On the 29th of December, British resistance in North Africa had collapsed, and Italian forces from Abyssinia and North Africa met up at Aswan on the Nile, joining the entire Nile River Valley from South Abyssinia to Alexandria under Italian control. This was a great and moral boosting triumph for the Italian army, which had been against war with Britain. Mussolini was happy to secure such a grand victory, comparable to Hitler’s invasion of Poland. Mussolini’s fear that Italy was unprepared for war against Britain now appeared unfounded, as British colonial troops in the thousands retreated from the superior number of Italians.
On the same days as Italian troops met up on the Nile in Upper (Southern) Egypt, Italian forces crossed the Suez and attacked the British Mandate of Palestine, but in Britain’s first victory of the war in North Africa, the Italian force was pushed back to Egypt. However, this was only a minor defeat, and Mussolini’s forces were the most powerful in the Mediterranean. The Italians regrouped in Egypt, in preparation of another offensive against Palestine that would presumably begin sometime in mid January.
Italian Offensive in North Africa
The German-Danish War
On October 25th, two weeks after the fall of Poland, the Danish Foreign Minister in Copenhagen was delivered an urgent memorandum from the German Ambassador, declaring a state of war between the two nations. The King quickly fled the capital, fleeing to Norway, then to Britain, where he established a government-in-exile. The Danish Army courageously fought an invincible foe, but it was unable to hold back, or even pause, the German onslaught. By the 6th November, German troops had entered Copenhagen, and another nation had fallen to the Nazi Warlord, Adolf Hitler.
The Greater German Reich now spread from Jutland in the West and Lublin in the East. Under Hitler’s rule, Germany had doubled her size, and as the year of 1940 beckoned, Germany stood on the threshold of being the most powerful country in Europe. Germany now commanded a population of around 100 million, the most advanced industrial base, and the most powerful and well equipped army in all of Europe.
The Greater German Reich, end of 1939
The position of France
Since the beginning of the war in September, France had effectively remained completely neutral during the conflict. Paris had managed carefully not to favour either side in the war, and diplomatically, ties were kept open and congenial with London and Berlin. When Italy had joined Germany in late October, the Axis Frontier stretched along the entire Western border, and left France completely bounded by the Axis on one side. This news was greeted quite cautiously in Paris, and Britain began to loose hope of France joining the war in her side, as it was presumable that Premier Sanvea would want to avoid a war with the enlarged Axis. However, France still did not flinch, and Sanvea ensured his people that the Fifth Republic would follow a strict path of neutrality unless provoked.
Both Britain and Germany went to great lengths to ensure that they did not accidentally provoke France. In fact, when German fighter planes had accidentally entered French air space over Alsace-Lorraine, in November, Hitler personally telephoned Premier Sanvea and apologised, and Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop continually and profusely apologised to Henri de Briyande, the French Ambassador in Berlin, for three weeks after the incident.
By the end of 1939, it was still completely unknown which side France would enter in the war, but one thing was for certain: France would join the war, as the Republic’s military was being built up and armoured at an unprecedented rate. War was looming for France, and both British and German diplomats were clambering to ensure that it was not against their respective nations.
"I assure you my dear fellow, France will go to war, but with whom, I am not at liberty to say."
- Field Marshall Gamelin, 1 December 1939, when discussing the possiblity of war with an adjutant.
Axis Expansion
During the last days of the war against Poland, Germany began to drum up support from the Balkan nations. Hungary and Slovakia had both singed military alliances with German in the first half of 1939, and in the second half, as the Third Reich flaunted its military prowess, Romania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia all accepted German terms of agreement after lengthy, and often discussions that took place between German diplomats and the Balkan state’s respective Foreign Ministers. All three nations bowed down to pressure, and singed military agreements with Berlin, effectively amalgamating them into the German sphere of influence. By the end of the German-Polish War, the Axis stretched over much of Eastern and Central Europe, and Berlin commanded a number of benevolent puppet states. The main reason Hitler had pushed for the Balkan nations to join the Axis was to curb the threat of Communism, but more importantly, in Romania’s case, to secure lucrative oil fields to power the massive German war machine.
Only one notable country was missing from the Axis Alliance – Italy. Mussolini, the obliging Fascist ally of Hitler, had refused to engage in hostilities so early, as he believed that Italy was in no position to fight a sustained war. However, on the 28th October, after witnessing the swift collapse of Poland, the rapid growth of the Axis, and the apparent weak state of the British army, Mussolini finally agreed to officially join Germany in war against Britain and the Commonwealth.
Italy was able to overrun British possessions in North Africa, as Britain, quite surprisingly, had not adequately garrisoned its African colonies and protectorates. Italian troops, facing little resistance were able to reach the Suez Canal by mid December, and Cairo fell on Christmas day to a relatively small Italian force of only three infantry divisions. On the 29th of December, British resistance in North Africa had collapsed, and Italian forces from Abyssinia and North Africa met up at Aswan on the Nile, joining the entire Nile River Valley from South Abyssinia to Alexandria under Italian control. This was a great and moral boosting triumph for the Italian army, which had been against war with Britain. Mussolini was happy to secure such a grand victory, comparable to Hitler’s invasion of Poland. Mussolini’s fear that Italy was unprepared for war against Britain now appeared unfounded, as British colonial troops in the thousands retreated from the superior number of Italians.
On the same days as Italian troops met up on the Nile in Upper (Southern) Egypt, Italian forces crossed the Suez and attacked the British Mandate of Palestine, but in Britain’s first victory of the war in North Africa, the Italian force was pushed back to Egypt. However, this was only a minor defeat, and Mussolini’s forces were the most powerful in the Mediterranean. The Italians regrouped in Egypt, in preparation of another offensive against Palestine that would presumably begin sometime in mid January.
Italian Offensive in North Africa
The German-Danish War
On October 25th, two weeks after the fall of Poland, the Danish Foreign Minister in Copenhagen was delivered an urgent memorandum from the German Ambassador, declaring a state of war between the two nations. The King quickly fled the capital, fleeing to Norway, then to Britain, where he established a government-in-exile. The Danish Army courageously fought an invincible foe, but it was unable to hold back, or even pause, the German onslaught. By the 6th November, German troops had entered Copenhagen, and another nation had fallen to the Nazi Warlord, Adolf Hitler.
The Greater German Reich now spread from Jutland in the West and Lublin in the East. Under Hitler’s rule, Germany had doubled her size, and as the year of 1940 beckoned, Germany stood on the threshold of being the most powerful country in Europe. Germany now commanded a population of around 100 million, the most advanced industrial base, and the most powerful and well equipped army in all of Europe.
The Greater German Reich, end of 1939
The position of France
Since the beginning of the war in September, France had effectively remained completely neutral during the conflict. Paris had managed carefully not to favour either side in the war, and diplomatically, ties were kept open and congenial with London and Berlin. When Italy had joined Germany in late October, the Axis Frontier stretched along the entire Western border, and left France completely bounded by the Axis on one side. This news was greeted quite cautiously in Paris, and Britain began to loose hope of France joining the war in her side, as it was presumable that Premier Sanvea would want to avoid a war with the enlarged Axis. However, France still did not flinch, and Sanvea ensured his people that the Fifth Republic would follow a strict path of neutrality unless provoked.
Both Britain and Germany went to great lengths to ensure that they did not accidentally provoke France. In fact, when German fighter planes had accidentally entered French air space over Alsace-Lorraine, in November, Hitler personally telephoned Premier Sanvea and apologised, and Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop continually and profusely apologised to Henri de Briyande, the French Ambassador in Berlin, for three weeks after the incident.
By the end of 1939, it was still completely unknown which side France would enter in the war, but one thing was for certain: France would join the war, as the Republic’s military was being built up and armoured at an unprecedented rate. War was looming for France, and both British and German diplomats were clambering to ensure that it was not against their respective nations.
"I assure you my dear fellow, France will go to war, but with whom, I am not at liberty to say."
- Field Marshall Gamelin, 1 December 1939, when discussing the possiblity of war with an adjutant.
Ehhh, cliffhanger bad! 
Great update, btw. Can't wait to see which side you come in on.
Great update, btw. Can't wait to see which side you come in on.
At this rate, byt the time France decides, the war will be over! Italians in Cairo, Germans in Copenhagen, etc!
Europe –January & February 1940
As the new year and decade dawned over Europe, an uncanny peace had drifted over the continent. Hostilities in Europe were at an end: Poland had been liquidated, France, Belgium and the Netherlands were all neutral, and Britain kept to the British Isles. Apart from Italian expansion in British East Africa, the war was nothing more than a standoff, whereby both sides were completely unwilling to give an inch. It can be said that Hitler did not want war with Britain, and he even offered, in return for peace, the German guarantee of the British Empire. Hitler could not understand why Britain would risk everything for Poland – a country that no longer even existed. Britain was stubborn however, and would not let Germany make a mockery of her power.
The British Crisis: February 1940
Prime Minister Chamberlain, shaken by the sheer audacity and arrogance of Hitler invading the remainder of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, had finally taken a stand over Poland. His government guaranteed the independence of Poland, and when Germany threatened this guarantee, Britain, without an ally on the continent, declared war on Germany, knowing all to well that the British military was powerless to stop it. However, Chamberlain had undertaken such a bold plan because he was convinced France would join Britain in a war against their former common enemy. Additionally, Chamberlain was confident that Britain would be able to hold out on their “Fortress Island” with the protection of the Royal Navy.
However, by February 1940, his “Iron Will” to stop the aggression of Germany began to fade away. Even though the majority of the British people had favoured war with Germany, Chamberlain was beginning to feel that he had chosen the wrong line of action. France had managed to stay completely neutral, and the British government was fast losing hope of Premier Sanvea going to war against Germany. Furthermore, Italy (which Britain had thought would not join the war) had joined with Hitler, and had served the British in Africa a terrible defeat. The USSR, which Chamberlain, even with his disdain for the Communists, hoped would help overthrow their ideological enemies in Berlin – but this was not likely since the signing of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact in August 1939.
The war at this stage appeared hopeless, and Chamberlain’s will began to falter, and the broken and distraught politician began to talk of Peace with Germany. Though a number of the British public also now desired peace, the general population were as resilient as ever, and they did not want peace with Germany until the warmonger Adolf Hitler had been overthrown. Large demonstrations took place in London calling for the “Overthrow of the German Tyrant,” and “Chamberlain must go.” Only a small group of protestors cheered Chamberlain for his peace overtures. The protests became more violent, and the crisis came to a head when the Parliament met in a special session to discuss the continuation of war on 5 February. Outside Westminster, thousands of people gathered calling for the continuation of war, and the ouster of the frail Chamberlain. After a session lasting 23 hours, the Members of Parliament emerged the following day, and it was announced to the people that the war would continue, and that the iron-fisted Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, was the new Prime Minister. Churchill stated on that day in an inspiring speech that he felt his whole long life had been preparing him for this challenge. It was Churchill’s passionate and committed leadership that had developed the British will to fight on against Hitler in 1940, when any rational analysis of their plight would of counselled surrender. But Churchill was not a rational politician. He was romantic and emotional, with a devotion to democracy and the British Empire to sustain his unshakable belief in Britain’s ultimate triumph, however black and fearful the future might seem.
Japan enters the Axis
On February 22nd 1940, von Ribbentrop, the German Foreign Minister, met with Yosuke Matsuoka, the Japanese Foreign Minister, at the Maijo Palace in Tokyo. The purpose of the visit was purely business, and von Ribbentrop wasted not time at all. Less than two hours after arriving in Japan, von Ribbentrop had singed, along with his Japanese counterpart, the official military alliance of the Axis. From that day, the Axis of Europe, the most powerful military pact in the West would be joined with the powerful Japanese Empire, the masters of the Far East. The Axis, now international, combined three of the world’s military powers – Germany, Japan, and Italy, along with several other nations in the most powerful alliance the world had ever seen.
Operation Sea Lion
Soon after the fall of Poland, Hitler had unenthusiastically been planning, with his Generals, the invasion of the British Isles. The plan would involve over a million ground troops, over 1000 planes, and countless transport ships. However, by the end of February 1940, Operation Sea Lion had been completely abandoned, as the German Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine were not strong enough to sustain a land invasion. Instead, Hitler turned his sights toward what he really wanted, the great prize which would make him the greatest German conqueror – the East. “Germany’s future is in the East…”
As the new year and decade dawned over Europe, an uncanny peace had drifted over the continent. Hostilities in Europe were at an end: Poland had been liquidated, France, Belgium and the Netherlands were all neutral, and Britain kept to the British Isles. Apart from Italian expansion in British East Africa, the war was nothing more than a standoff, whereby both sides were completely unwilling to give an inch. It can be said that Hitler did not want war with Britain, and he even offered, in return for peace, the German guarantee of the British Empire. Hitler could not understand why Britain would risk everything for Poland – a country that no longer even existed. Britain was stubborn however, and would not let Germany make a mockery of her power.
The British Crisis: February 1940
Prime Minister Chamberlain, shaken by the sheer audacity and arrogance of Hitler invading the remainder of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, had finally taken a stand over Poland. His government guaranteed the independence of Poland, and when Germany threatened this guarantee, Britain, without an ally on the continent, declared war on Germany, knowing all to well that the British military was powerless to stop it. However, Chamberlain had undertaken such a bold plan because he was convinced France would join Britain in a war against their former common enemy. Additionally, Chamberlain was confident that Britain would be able to hold out on their “Fortress Island” with the protection of the Royal Navy.
However, by February 1940, his “Iron Will” to stop the aggression of Germany began to fade away. Even though the majority of the British people had favoured war with Germany, Chamberlain was beginning to feel that he had chosen the wrong line of action. France had managed to stay completely neutral, and the British government was fast losing hope of Premier Sanvea going to war against Germany. Furthermore, Italy (which Britain had thought would not join the war) had joined with Hitler, and had served the British in Africa a terrible defeat. The USSR, which Chamberlain, even with his disdain for the Communists, hoped would help overthrow their ideological enemies in Berlin – but this was not likely since the signing of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact in August 1939.
The war at this stage appeared hopeless, and Chamberlain’s will began to falter, and the broken and distraught politician began to talk of Peace with Germany. Though a number of the British public also now desired peace, the general population were as resilient as ever, and they did not want peace with Germany until the warmonger Adolf Hitler had been overthrown. Large demonstrations took place in London calling for the “Overthrow of the German Tyrant,” and “Chamberlain must go.” Only a small group of protestors cheered Chamberlain for his peace overtures. The protests became more violent, and the crisis came to a head when the Parliament met in a special session to discuss the continuation of war on 5 February. Outside Westminster, thousands of people gathered calling for the continuation of war, and the ouster of the frail Chamberlain. After a session lasting 23 hours, the Members of Parliament emerged the following day, and it was announced to the people that the war would continue, and that the iron-fisted Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, was the new Prime Minister. Churchill stated on that day in an inspiring speech that he felt his whole long life had been preparing him for this challenge. It was Churchill’s passionate and committed leadership that had developed the British will to fight on against Hitler in 1940, when any rational analysis of their plight would of counselled surrender. But Churchill was not a rational politician. He was romantic and emotional, with a devotion to democracy and the British Empire to sustain his unshakable belief in Britain’s ultimate triumph, however black and fearful the future might seem.
Japan enters the Axis
On February 22nd 1940, von Ribbentrop, the German Foreign Minister, met with Yosuke Matsuoka, the Japanese Foreign Minister, at the Maijo Palace in Tokyo. The purpose of the visit was purely business, and von Ribbentrop wasted not time at all. Less than two hours after arriving in Japan, von Ribbentrop had singed, along with his Japanese counterpart, the official military alliance of the Axis. From that day, the Axis of Europe, the most powerful military pact in the West would be joined with the powerful Japanese Empire, the masters of the Far East. The Axis, now international, combined three of the world’s military powers – Germany, Japan, and Italy, along with several other nations in the most powerful alliance the world had ever seen.
Operation Sea Lion
Soon after the fall of Poland, Hitler had unenthusiastically been planning, with his Generals, the invasion of the British Isles. The plan would involve over a million ground troops, over 1000 planes, and countless transport ships. However, by the end of February 1940, Operation Sea Lion had been completely abandoned, as the German Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine were not strong enough to sustain a land invasion. Instead, Hitler turned his sights toward what he really wanted, the great prize which would make him the greatest German conqueror – the East. “Germany’s future is in the East…”
Looks like France is going to wait to see who wins - the most sensible course of action.
This is a really interesting situation. But tell the truth, Lord British, aren't you getting bored just sitting there and watching the action? Aren't you anxious to declare war and get your hands dirty?
Thanks everyone
I am getting rather anxious, watching war being raged all around me. I can't wait to get my hands dirty, and to be honest, France will be at war very soon...
I will post the next update shortly.
Originally posted by CapnBiff
This is a really interesting situation. But tell the truth, Lord British, aren't you getting bored just sitting there and watching the action? Aren't you anxious to declare war and get your hands dirty?
I am getting rather anxious, watching war being raged all around me. I can't wait to get my hands dirty, and to be honest, France will be at war very soon...
I will post the next update shortly.
Just stab them in the back when they go to war with the USSR Or maybe a surprise invasion of the UK? Oh the possibilities!
Or maybe a surprise invasion of the UK? Oh the possibilities!
Originally posted by cthulhu
Just stab them in the back when they go to war with the USSR
I have thought through and analysed a number of possibilities, and have decided on one. It will become apparant very soon
Operation Barbarossa
May 1940
“The war against Russia will be such that it cannot be conducted in a knightly fashion. This struggle is one of ideology and will have to be conducted with unprecedented, unmerciful and unrelenting harshness. All officers will have to rid themselves of obsolete ideologies. I know that the necessity for such a means of waging war is beyond the comprehension of my generals but…I insist absolutely that my orders be executed without contradiction. Germans soldiers guilty of breaking international law will be excused. Russia has not participated in the Hague Convention and therefore has no rights under it.” –Adolf Hitler
In the early hours of 16 May 1940, a frantic radio message was received by the Soviet High Command in Moscow. Troops along the Soviet Union’s western border were reporting: ‘We are being fired on. What do we do?” Germany had launched the invasion of the vast USSR, and the two largest armies in Europe were about to confront each other in savage combat.
As early as December 1939, Adolf Hitler had told his generals his plan for Operation Barbarossa, which was ‘to crush Soviet Russia in a rapid campaign.” With the failure of the invasion of Britain, he told them, Germany would instead look east to the vast spaces beyond the Soviet border. Not only would victory over the Soviet Union secure further Lebensraum – living space – for the expansionist Volksreich, it would also provide Germany military machine with almost unlimited resources. Following the capture of the industrial Don Valley and the oilfields of the Caucasus in the south, Germany would soon be ready to launch a new offensive against Britain.
Barbarossa was not universally supported by the German army command. Many generals pointed out the danger of fighting on two fronts, which would occur if Britain launched an offensive, or if France joined the war on the British side. Hitler, however maintained the blitzkrieg in Russia would produce a victory within three months at most. The Soviet Army, Hitler was convinced, would be incapable of resisting superior German military might.
The offensive was on an enormous scale. Over three-quarters of the German Army poured over the Soviet Frontier in a lightening offensive which caught the defenders by surprise. The Soviet Army, though larger than the German, was woefully disorganised and communications between divisions were poor. Even the initial order to fire back at the invaders had, reportedly, taken over four hours to reach the frontline. Mobility was also a problem, especially in the face of highly mobilised German armour.
Even so, the Red Army troops were hardy and courageous. Their devotion to Mother Russia had all the force of a deep emotional attachment, and death was a small price to pay for preserving her. Without any clear strategy, though, the Russians simply threw everything they had at the invading Nazis. Reports described tank brigades queuing up to go into battle, only to be wiped out within a few hours. By contrast, the German blitzkrieg seemed unstoppable. Within less than two weeks, the German Army had overrun all of Russian Poland, much of the Baltic region, and the major cities of Leningrad and Kiev were in direct danger of falling to the Axis. Minsk, the capital of Byelorussia fell on 28 May, and German troops headed towards Moscow.
On the morning of 1st July, the Soviet People turned on their radios to here a sombre Stalin as he addressed the nation. It was the first time he had done so in over three years. Stalin told his people : ‘Our country has entered into a life and death struggle with its most wicked enemy.’ The situation was desperate, he admitted, and demanded the complete mobilisation of every available resource that could be used against the enemy. This was to be a patriotic war of liberation.
Paris, 7.00 AM 16th May
Premier Sanvea was enjoying his breakfast on the grand balcony of his residence, the ostentatious Palace of the Republic on the northern bank of the Seine. It was a peaceful and sunny spring morning, and a gentle breeze blew across the tree-lined avenues of Paris, as the spring blossoms enriched the air with their sweet fragrance. The butler brought Sanvea the first morning paper, and the headline read, “Germany invades Soviet Russia”. Just then as Sanvea was reading the headline, Field Marshall Gamelin appeared in full military attire at the doorway of the courtyard. He bounded in, with a folder in his had, but when he noticed the paper, he slowed down, and strolled silently over to Sanvea. He gazed vaguely at the sailboats on the bobbing calmly on the Seine. Without looking away from the River, and with a small, yet pronounced grin appearing on his face, he stood next to the Premier.
“The Seine looks radiant this morning.” He began.
“Yes, Field Marshall, radiant indeed. Now then, anything important to tell me then.” Sanvea grinned back, and placed the newspaper on the table in plain view of Gamelin. He then pointed to a sub-heading at the bottom of the front page.
“Look at the news I found on the front-page! Alese Boulgene will be starring in an American film this summer. Now, that caught me by surprise. She doesn’t even speak English.” Sanvea accentuated his sarcastic tone.
“Premier, forgive me. I didn’t bother waking you so early in the morning to tell you this news [referring to German invasion of Soviet Union]. We knew it was going to happen any day now.”
“Yes I know Field Marshall.” Sanvea’s grin quickly faded, and his eyes narrowed as he looked up at Gamelin. “But I need to know everything Hitler does, the minute he does it, understand?”
“Yes, Premier.”
“You may leave now. I will need to see you later however. I will be calling an emergency cabinet meeting in a few hours.”
“Yes, of course Premier.”
With that, Gamelin placed the folder marked “Operation Barbarossa” on the table and left.
Sanvea looked upon the folder with an air of triumph.
“Just what I expected.”
May 1940
“The war against Russia will be such that it cannot be conducted in a knightly fashion. This struggle is one of ideology and will have to be conducted with unprecedented, unmerciful and unrelenting harshness. All officers will have to rid themselves of obsolete ideologies. I know that the necessity for such a means of waging war is beyond the comprehension of my generals but…I insist absolutely that my orders be executed without contradiction. Germans soldiers guilty of breaking international law will be excused. Russia has not participated in the Hague Convention and therefore has no rights under it.” –Adolf Hitler
In the early hours of 16 May 1940, a frantic radio message was received by the Soviet High Command in Moscow. Troops along the Soviet Union’s western border were reporting: ‘We are being fired on. What do we do?” Germany had launched the invasion of the vast USSR, and the two largest armies in Europe were about to confront each other in savage combat.
As early as December 1939, Adolf Hitler had told his generals his plan for Operation Barbarossa, which was ‘to crush Soviet Russia in a rapid campaign.” With the failure of the invasion of Britain, he told them, Germany would instead look east to the vast spaces beyond the Soviet border. Not only would victory over the Soviet Union secure further Lebensraum – living space – for the expansionist Volksreich, it would also provide Germany military machine with almost unlimited resources. Following the capture of the industrial Don Valley and the oilfields of the Caucasus in the south, Germany would soon be ready to launch a new offensive against Britain.
Barbarossa was not universally supported by the German army command. Many generals pointed out the danger of fighting on two fronts, which would occur if Britain launched an offensive, or if France joined the war on the British side. Hitler, however maintained the blitzkrieg in Russia would produce a victory within three months at most. The Soviet Army, Hitler was convinced, would be incapable of resisting superior German military might.
The offensive was on an enormous scale. Over three-quarters of the German Army poured over the Soviet Frontier in a lightening offensive which caught the defenders by surprise. The Soviet Army, though larger than the German, was woefully disorganised and communications between divisions were poor. Even the initial order to fire back at the invaders had, reportedly, taken over four hours to reach the frontline. Mobility was also a problem, especially in the face of highly mobilised German armour.
Even so, the Red Army troops were hardy and courageous. Their devotion to Mother Russia had all the force of a deep emotional attachment, and death was a small price to pay for preserving her. Without any clear strategy, though, the Russians simply threw everything they had at the invading Nazis. Reports described tank brigades queuing up to go into battle, only to be wiped out within a few hours. By contrast, the German blitzkrieg seemed unstoppable. Within less than two weeks, the German Army had overrun all of Russian Poland, much of the Baltic region, and the major cities of Leningrad and Kiev were in direct danger of falling to the Axis. Minsk, the capital of Byelorussia fell on 28 May, and German troops headed towards Moscow.
On the morning of 1st July, the Soviet People turned on their radios to here a sombre Stalin as he addressed the nation. It was the first time he had done so in over three years. Stalin told his people : ‘Our country has entered into a life and death struggle with its most wicked enemy.’ The situation was desperate, he admitted, and demanded the complete mobilisation of every available resource that could be used against the enemy. This was to be a patriotic war of liberation.
Paris, 7.00 AM 16th May
Premier Sanvea was enjoying his breakfast on the grand balcony of his residence, the ostentatious Palace of the Republic on the northern bank of the Seine. It was a peaceful and sunny spring morning, and a gentle breeze blew across the tree-lined avenues of Paris, as the spring blossoms enriched the air with their sweet fragrance. The butler brought Sanvea the first morning paper, and the headline read, “Germany invades Soviet Russia”. Just then as Sanvea was reading the headline, Field Marshall Gamelin appeared in full military attire at the doorway of the courtyard. He bounded in, with a folder in his had, but when he noticed the paper, he slowed down, and strolled silently over to Sanvea. He gazed vaguely at the sailboats on the bobbing calmly on the Seine. Without looking away from the River, and with a small, yet pronounced grin appearing on his face, he stood next to the Premier.
“The Seine looks radiant this morning.” He began.
“Yes, Field Marshall, radiant indeed. Now then, anything important to tell me then.” Sanvea grinned back, and placed the newspaper on the table in plain view of Gamelin. He then pointed to a sub-heading at the bottom of the front page.
“Look at the news I found on the front-page! Alese Boulgene will be starring in an American film this summer. Now, that caught me by surprise. She doesn’t even speak English.” Sanvea accentuated his sarcastic tone.
“Premier, forgive me. I didn’t bother waking you so early in the morning to tell you this news [referring to German invasion of Soviet Union]. We knew it was going to happen any day now.”
“Yes I know Field Marshall.” Sanvea’s grin quickly faded, and his eyes narrowed as he looked up at Gamelin. “But I need to know everything Hitler does, the minute he does it, understand?”
“Yes, Premier.”
“You may leave now. I will need to see you later however. I will be calling an emergency cabinet meeting in a few hours.”
“Yes, of course Premier.”
With that, Gamelin placed the folder marked “Operation Barbarossa” on the table and left.
Sanvea looked upon the folder with an air of triumph.
“Just what I expected.”
Great update Lord British. I can tell war for France isn't far off now.
I can't wait for more
I can't wait for more
Great job, LB. Very fun AAR. I was a bit confused, though. I thouht you said the Soviets had gone with the Unholy Alliance option in the MR-Pact and so I hadn't expected the sudden Russo-German war. Other than that, though, no compaints. Keep it up!
Very fun AAR. I was a bit confused, though. I thouht you said the Soviets had gone with the Unholy Alliance option in the MR-Pact and so I hadn't expected the sudden Russo-German war. Other than that, though, no compaints. Keep it up!