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Tommy4ever

Papa Bear
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Sep 13, 2008
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The Outbreak of War

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On January 16th 1936th the first of a series of worldwide military conflict that would later be known as ‘’The Second World War’’ began as the Anti-Communist Sino-Japanese Alliance declared war upon the Soviet Union. Their casus belli for the war was made up of a mixture of Japanese territorial claims on Northern Sakhalin, Chinese claims to Tanu Tuva and Outer Manchuria and of course the belief that a war with the Soviet Union was a righteous Crusade against all that is evil.

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At the outbreak of the war in Asia Europe was divided into three alliances and three very different ideologies: in the East lay the recently awoken soviet behemoth, across Europe the Fascist regimes of Germany, France, Italy, Hungary and Turkey sat eager for conquest whilst in the North-West of the continent the British Empire stood alongside her allies in the Low Countries as the sole defenders of European Democracy. For now however Europe was at peace at looked likely to remain so for a few years to come at the very least.

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Whilst the rest of the world was gearing up for war Africa seemed to be slowly adjusting to peace; during 1933, at the height of the Depression and following a lengthy war in the colonies, Britain granted independence to the Sudan, Uganda, Tanganyika, Zanzibar and Kenya whilst Rhodesia and Nyasaland had become a Dominion of the Empire in 1930. Shortly after gaining independence Tanganyika, allied with a large mercenary army waged war against Zanzibar, Uganda and Kenya between 1933 and 1935 to form the East African Union. Just a few months after this bloody conflict came to an end Italy (supported by the rest of the Axis) invaded Ethiopia but this is a relatively minor conflict in comparison with the wars that had ravaged Africa over the past few years.

So in 1936 four Great Alliances were poised for the war to end all wars in the greatest struggle of arms and ideology the earth has ever seen before or since …
 
Rule Britannia! I shall follow this, as I do with most UK AARs.
 
After the death of my Vicky AAR earlier today I still wanted to be writing something so I came up with this. :)

My 5 point plan:

1. Defeat Axis and create new order in Europe
2. Defeat Sino-Japanese and create new order in Asia
3. Defeat Comintern and kill every filthy Commie on earth :D
4. Defeat foolhardy colonists and reunited them with the motherland
5. Relax

So there you have it, I hope this turns out to be an enjoyable read and that the plan suceeds!
 
On board for the rollercoaster:D

but which way are the yanks leaning in this crazy world??

later, caff
 
A1. Defeat Axis and create new order in Europe
2. Defeat Sino-Japanese and create new order in Asia
3. Defeat Comintern and kill every filthy Commie on earth :D
4. Defeat foolhardy colonists and reunited them with the motherland
5. Relax

1. Pretty obvious.
2. It goes without saying.
3. Too subtle.
4. Former colonies too? :D
5. But not too much.
 
Looking forward to this. What be the state of the America's yonder across the pond ?
 
A modest set of objectives there, are you sure you shouldn't try and be a bit more ambitious? :D
 
A modest set of objectives there, are you sure you shouldn't try and be a bit more ambitious? :D

Are you suggesting that his Majesties forces are not up to the task?



( good god... I sound so...British...... :D )
 
I'm going to do either 1 or 2 prologue updates before getting stuck into the actual game.

Update in a few hours
 
Prologue Part 1 – Fascists on the March

In mid 1933, just a few months into Hitler’s reign in Germany, the Axis Alliance was formed in Berlin as a great meeting of all of Europe’s Fascist and Revisionist (those looking for a revision of the Treaty of Versailles) nations met together to discuss the formation of a Grand Alliance to stand in opposition to both Communism and the ‘Slave’ Treaty of Versailles. Although not all joined by the end of the conference one of the most powerful block of nations on earth had joined together to create the soon to become infamous Axis Alliance. The original members were: Germany, Italy, Hungary and Turkey.

However it was not until the following year that the Alliance secured its domination of all Europe. In 1934, after one of the closest run election contests in French history, Maurice Thorez’s Communist Party secured an incredible victory over an alliance of centrists and right-wing groups. On July 21st, the very day Thorez was supposed to secure power the ageing Marshal Petain secured control over the city of Paris, blocking Thorez from the assumption of power, Petain’s actions had not been part of a wide scale and organised coup so what followed was a brief period of chaos. The first major victory for Petain was when Grand Admiral Darlan chose to support him, with the Navy on his side the colonies soon followed as the Marshal’s coup gained serious legitimacy over the course of 24 hours. It was at this point that the Communists chose to act and in doing so caused their own downfall, a large force of hastily organised Communist militiamen chose to attack Petain’s army in Paris. At this point there was still significant confusion but when the French Army saw the Communists attack some of their own they almost unanimously stood up in support of Petain. Within a few days the Communists had been crushed across France, Thorez had been arrested and executed and Petain was left with control over the second largest Empire on earth. On July 30th (just 9 days after seizing Paris) Petain alongside many leading figures in the French military drafted a new constitution in the small town of Vichy in which a military state, with Petain as its leader, replaced the old French Democracy. The regime would be known around the world as Vichy France after the town in which it was born.

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Appalled at the new French leadership Great Britain ended her alliance with France and refused to recognise the regime, instead naming a Pro-Democracy government in exile as the true French Government. On August 1st the long standing Franco-British alliance came to an end and British intervention in France itself seemed highly likely as the British armed forces were put on full alert. Caught in a tricky situation Petain knew he needed allies if his regime was to survive and so on July 3rd he met with Adolf Hitler in the city of Metz.

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Hitler’s terms were pretty harsh on the French Marshal but Petain desperately needed the protection the Axis could bring and so on July 12th he agreed to the so called Metz protocol. The conditions of the Metz protocol were as follows: France must end its recognition of the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of San Germaine, France must accept German leadership in any alliance with France (despite the fact that France’s armed forces dwarfed Germany’s), France must support Germany in any German attempt to unite German speaking areas with their motherland, Germany must accept French rule over Alsace Lorraine, France must agree to fight alongside any Axis power on any foreign war, France will join the Axis and receive its protection.

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And so the Fascist march across Europe continued as another mighty nation fell into Hitler’s Grand Alliance, now the Axis turned its attention to another state in polarised between Left and Right, another one of Europe’s major players …
 
So odd that Hitler accepts to give up Alsace, but a great beginning.
 
Interesting start, not making things easy for yourself though.
 
@ Kurt_Steiner: By allying with France Hitler would double the military power of the Axis and remove the greatest opponent to his expansions elsewhere in Europe so it would be pretty likely

Can I ask the opinion of the readers on when Britain should enter the war?

Either directly after Anschluss or when the Germans attack Poland

I'll give you all until Friday to decide (I plan on playing the AAR over the weekend).

anyway update later today about East Asia
 
Prologue Part 2 – China 1912-1936

Following the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 Sun Yat-sen founded the Republic of China on January 1st 1912. His achievements were wondrous, not only did he destroy all military opposition to his rule within two years of taking power but he actually managed to establish the largest democracy the earth had every seen. In 1918 hundreds of millions of Chinese voted for Sun Yat-sen’s retention of power. Over this period China had become a military powerhouse and during the confusion caused by the Russian Civil War Sun Yat-sen was actually able to expand China’s borders as he invaded and annexed Mongolia (previously under Russian protection) and reinstated government control over Tibet. He won another election in 1923 but would when he died in 1925 China began swift a descent into chaos.

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After a contentious period where Chiang Kai-shek (leader of the Kuomintang’s Far Right-Wing) and Mao Zedong (leader of the Kuomintang’s Far Left-Wing) shared power China erupted into Civil War. For 5 years Mao’s re-branded Communists (given heavy support by the Soviet Union) fought Chiang Kai-shek’s regime which steadily became more and more authoritarian. In the end the Communists were crushed with Mao and a small band of high ranking Communists escaping into Tanu Tuva (so the Soviet Union could avoid the problems of accepting them into their own country). Yet despite his victory over Mao in 1930 it would take another 2 years for Chiang to reinstate the Chinese borders that were seen under Sun Yat-sen as the Generalissimo waged war against the warlords who had sprung up across the country during the war with the Communists. Although his armies had been decimated over 7 years of continuous warfare by mid 1932 Chiang was the undisputed ruler of all China.

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Over the course of the next 4 years Chiang strengthened his military and began to make noises about a war with Japan (the Japanese ruled Chinese lands in Dailan and Taiwan and the traditionally Chinese dominated Korea). Yet on October 25th 1935 the most dramatic diplomatic turnaround in history occurred when Japan and China signed the Treaty of Shanghai.

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Incredibly Japan agreed to hand over the territories of Dailan and Taiwan to the Republic of China. All the Japanese got in return was an alliance. However there was a secret clause in the Treaty that was not reveal to the rest of the world: within the next few months China and Japan would jointly invade the Soviet Union with ¾ of all conquered territory to be turned over to the Japanese Empire, China would also have to support Japan in any other wars of expansion over the course of the next 20 years.

On January 16th 1936 China and Japan declared war on the Soviet Union.
 
Blimey, the Sino-Japanese forces could be terrifyingly formidable. Or utterly useless, it depends on how the elements combine and if the two sides can bring themselves to work together.

Either way the Soviets will be terribly distracted which will certainly get Germany's attention...
 
British War Production Begins Anew

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In mid January 1936, following the outbreak of the war in Asia, the British Parliament approved the largest British military expansion since the Great war ended. Although the British Army received the smallest budget increase it was promised a very significant increase in numbers with another 120,000 infantrymen set to be recruited over the next 15 months.

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The Royal Navy received a massive cash injection as the construction of a whole new fleet was approved. Two of the most modern and well equipped Battleships on earth (The HMS George V and HMS Prince of Wales) were laid down alongside the Light Carrier HMS Unicorn. These larger vessels would be supported by 3 squadrons of the new Tribal Class destroyers. The fleet was due to be finished by the end of 1937 at which point a large Carrier fleet was due to be put into construction. This move was designed to appease the so called ‘modernists’ in the Royal Navy hierarchy who believed that the age of the Battleships was quickly coming to an end but the traditional men of the fleet still believed in that Britannia could continue to Rule the Waves with the greatest Battleship fleet on earth.

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Compared to the other two wings of the British military the RAF received little investment with another 300 Hawker Hurricane interceptors due to be produced. However this expansion was under funded and few expected them to be ready before the Summer of 1937.

The British government hoped that the heavy investment in shipbuilding and other industries would help invigorate the British economy and allow for further military expansions in line with the rest of the world which had already begun to vigorously rearm.
 
Could be quite interesting. There could be a colossal war between the Reds and the Sino-Japanese. That would free up axis forces to face down the UK.... could be tough sledding. It will come down to manpower in europe, and you're an island nation...
 
The King is Dead … Long Live The King

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On January 20th 1936 after 26 years on the throne King George V passed away. George V had led the Empire through some of its greatest triumphs and worst lows. When he came to the throne in 1910 Britain was undisputedly the most powerful nation on the earth, a superpower the like of which the world had not seen since the Fall of Rome. But after just 4 years as King the Great War broke out although Britain and her Allies emerged victorious the Empire had been badly debilitated and although at this time reaching its greatest extent (as the largest Empire there had ever been) it was no longer the behemoth George had inherited. During the interbellum years the Empire would go through much hardship with Ireland becoming a Dominion in 1922 after an extended conflict, later breaking free from the crown entirely, the loss of Sudan and the East African colonies in 1933 and most dangerously of all: the rise of Indian Nationalism. Meanwhile on the diplomatic front Britain would become isolated in the later years of George’s rule as the rise of Fascism engulfed Europe and separated Britain form her alliance with France, American Isolationism separated the Empire from its Anglo-Saxon ally, Communism made old friends in Russia new enemies and Japan’s new wave Imperialism left the Great War allies as rivals for dominance in Asia. Whilst all these events may depict George V as a poor ruler it must be remembered that things could have been much, much worse and he had done a more than capable job in managing a decline.

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The new King, Edward VIII, was seen as a modern Monarch and was extremely popular, not just in Britain but around the Empire and in the Dominions too. His friendship with Adolf Hitler, although considered distasteful by some, was seen by others as a way to preserve peace in Europe and help to fight Communism. Few at the time knew of the young King’s infatuation with the American divorcée Wallis Simpson and none knew of the consequences that this relationship would have, not just on Britain but on the entire world.