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unmerged(262773)

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Feb 4, 2011
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  • Hearts of Iron III
  • Semper Fi
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THE SUN NEVER SETS ON THE BRITISH EMPIRE

Far-called, our navies melt away;
On dune and headland sinks the fire:
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,
Lest we forget -- lest we forget!
Rudyard Kipling, "Recessional," 1897

----
The British Empire had been a dominant player on the world stage for centuries. By 1922 the British Empire held sway over about 458 million people, one-quarter of the world's population at the time and covered more than 13 million square miles, almost a quarter of the Earth's total land area. As a result, its political, linguistic and cultural legacy is widespread. At the peak of its power, it was often said that, “the sun never sets on the british empire”. It was true, as British holdings and influence stretched from Canada to Australia to India to Africa. The Union Jack fluttered across the world.


The changing world order that the war had brought about, in particular the growth of the United States and Japan as naval powers, and the rise of independence movements in India and Ireland, caused a major reassessment of British imperial policy. Forced to choose between alignment with the United States or Japan, Britain opted not to renew its Japanese alliance and instead signed the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty, where Britain accepted naval parity with the United States. This decision was the source of much debate in Britain during the 1930s as militaristic governments took hold in Japan and Germany helped in part by the Great Depression, for it was feared that the Empire could not survive a simultaneous attack by both nations. Although the issue of the Empire's security was a serious concern in Britain, at the same time the Empire was vital to the British economy.


The year is now 1936. The British Empire is not what it once was. Emerging powers across the world threaten to swallow up anything or anyone who get in their way. Germany, Japan and Italy are aggressively building up their armed forces and are possibly planning for war!! Maybe? Who knows.
The time is now for the British Empire to call upon its peoples from all over, to re-build and re-organise, before itself too is swallowed up by the new world powers and then maybe it can establish itself once again as the greatest Empire the world has ever seen.


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My second AAR (After a problem loading up the saved game from my first AAR, I had to abandon it). Going to focus on rebuilding the British Empire to its former greatness (If I even survive at all) I will begin in 1936 but will keep Updates minimal until mid 1938, unless something major happens. Comments, however small, are welcome, least I know people are interested and will spurr me on. I'll hopefully get better as I go along, so Im sure it will gradually get more detailed and better as I go along.

Chapter I
1.1 - January to March 1936 - Sorting the Mess
1.2 - April to June 1936 - The Plan
1.3 - July to September 1936 - Britannia Rules the Waves
1.4 - October 1936 to October 1937 - As Time Goes By
1.5 - Urgent Message from High Command
1.6 - November 1937 to November 1938 - Tension Mounts
1.7 - November 1938 - The Autumn of Change
1.8 - 11th Hour of the 11th Day on the 11th Month, 1938 - The Armistice

Chapter II
2.1 - November 11th 1938 - One Minute Past Eleven
2.2 - November 14th 1938 - First Contact
2.3 - November 15th to 22nd – ?
2.4 - November 23rd to 30th – ?
 
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will follow :)
 
I am excited about this. I am working on a UK one from 36 as well at the moment and will definitely be following your progress. Have you decided on any specific areas you plan on focusing on such as Naval or Army and any regions? Will be following.
 
Chapter I

1.1 January to March 1936 – Sorting the Mess

Such a huge Empire is tough to control and Germanys current situation, changes were needed, nothing major in the Government structure, but the armed forces needed sorting, quick.

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Germanys First Move

Two changes were made in the government. Sir Cyrill Deverell was appointed Chief of the Army and Sir Hugh Dowding Chief of the Air Force. The rest of the government remained unchanged.​
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The Royal Navy was still the largest in the world but needed major upgrades. Ark Royal, newly built in Cammell Laird in Birkenhead has been launched and is now being fitted out ready for acceptance into the Fleet.​
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Ark Royal is Launched

With Forces scattered across the globe, it would take time to sort and decide a way ahead for the British Forces. In mid February, Ministers and Military leaders thrashed out a plan.
The Empire would be split into 9 Commands:​

Home Command
North Africa Command
East Africa Command
West Africa Command
Middle East Command
India Command
Far East Command
Caribbean/North America Command
Mediterranean Command – PROPOSED – Will be approved on finding suitable location. Gibraltar / Malta / Cyprus – Will be based out of Alexandria, North Africa for the time being.


Commands and Attachments

Home Command attaché
Aldershot Command
Eastern Command – East Anglia Area / Home Countries Area
Northern Command – Northern Area / West Riding Area
Scottish Command – Highland Area / Lowland Area
Southern Command – South West Area / South Midland Area
Western Command – Welsh Area / East Lancashire Area / East Lancashire Area
Gibraltar Corps – Will come under Med Command once established

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Gibraltar​


North Africa Command attaché
Malta Corps - Will come under Med Command once established
Bur Sa’id Corps – PLANNED
Khaij as Sallum Corps – PLANNED
Port Sudan Corps – PLANNED
Hurghada Corps – PLANNED
Gallabat Corps – PLANNED


East Africa Command attaché
Mombassa Corps
Uganda Corps – PLANNED
Sudan Corps – PLANNED


West Africa Command attaché
Lagos Corps – PLANNED
Accra Corps – PLANNED
Freetown Corps – PLANNED
Banjul Corps – PLANNED


Middle East Command attaché
Tel Aviv Corps
Aden Corps – PLANNED
Dubai Corps – PLANNED
Bahrain Corps – PLANNED
Al Kuwait Corps – PLANNED


India Command attaché
Calcutta Corps
Bangalore Corps
Bombay Corps
Karachi Corps
Colombo Corps
Delhi Corps


Far East Command attaché
Hong Kong Corps
Singapore Corps
Rangoon Corps
Mandalay Corps – PLANNED
Kuching Corps – PLANNED
Nauru Corps – PLANNED


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Divisions of the Navy and Army muster in Hong Kong
Caribbean/North America Command
Guyana Corps – PLANNED
Bermuda Corps – PLANNED
St Johns Corps – PLANNED





Along with the Garrisons throughout the world the Royal Navy will need to be organised and Re-Deployed, this is due to take place in Mid July once the plans for future Naval construction have been complete.
The only Commands without any Naval presence at this time is the Middle East and East Africa.​

Current Fleets

West Africa
HMS Leander & HMS Carlisle
+ 2 Destroyer Flotillas

Caribbean/North America
HMS Dragon, HMS Ajax
+ 2 Destroyer Flotillas

Far East
HMS Eagle (CVL)
HMS Capetown
+ 2 Sub Flotillas
+ 2 Destroyer Flotillas

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HMS Eagle off the coast of Hong Kong

India
HMS Norfolk (HC)
HMS Diomede, HMS Emerald, HMS Enterprise
+ 2 Destroyer Flotillas

North Africa
HMS Courageous, HMS Glorious (CV)
HMS Queen Elizabeth, HMS Barham, HMS Valiant, HMS Malaya, HMS Warspite, HMS Revenge (BB)
HMS Devonshire, HMS London, HMS Shropshire, HMS Sussex, HMS Exeter,
HMS York (HC)
HMS Coventry, HMS Delhi, HMS Despatch, HMS Curlew, HMS Durban,
HMS Arethusa
+ 2 Sub Flotillas
+ 6 Destroyer Flotillas

Home Command
HMS Furious (CV)
HMS Hermes, HMS Argus (CVL)
HMS Hood. HMS Renown, HMS Repulse (BC)
HMS Nelson, HMS Rodney, HMS Royal Sovereign, HMS Royal Oak,
HMS Resolution, HMS Ramillies (BB)
HMS Kent, HMS Suffolk, HMS Cumberland, HMS Effingham, HMS Frobisher, HMS Dorsetshire, HMS Hawkins, HMS Berwick, HMS Cornwall (HC)
+ 16 Light Cruisers
+ 5 Sub Flotillas
+ 11 Destroyer Flotillas


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HMS Hood, Pride of the Royal Navy
 
Sgt Jack - Thanks Dude, finally have my first follower of an AAR!

mpk2 - Thanks! Im looking forward creating an interesting AAR. Im looking to focus mainly on the Royal Navy (being in the Royal Navy Myself), and seen as the Empire is worldwide, im going to need a huge navy! Im going to focus on all Theatres, which is going to be difficult seen as im a newbee and its such a huge area to cover, but im patient so should be ok. I will follow your AAR if you send me the link to it.

BigBadBob - Jolly good, hope you enjoy it. Any input will be most welcome!

Led Zepp - Hope you enjoy this one. Its my first so it will be a steep learning curve! Haha
 
For me UK is one of the hardest major's to play as and win. Mainly because you need to keep your army, navy and air force up to date with limited leadership.
 
1.2 April to June 1936 – The Plan
The Government needed to ensure that all the Territories were covered with the minimum protection required. Some provinces have only 1 or 2 Divisions in certain areas, covering a huge amount of land. In most cases there is just a Corps HQ! Not nearly enough to ensure the security of the province/area. The main problem is manpower; it will need a lot to build up and maintain even the smallest of garrisons, in such a widespread Empire. Even though Great Britain has a vast Empire with millions of peoples, its armed forces recruitment levels are very low. The only way to increase this is obviously by going to war and right now Britain is ill equipped to do this, for the time being. Currently the Allies are in a sorry state, compromising of only 7 Nations, Britain and France being the only 2 with a sizeable force. The rest are possibly only useful for strategic purposes.​

Allied Army May 1936
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Britain with only 92 Infantry Divisions, most of which are part of the Home Command, is extremely low for such a large Empire. With no Army available for overseas deployment if needed, it is of utmost importance that it is able to field at least one sizeable Army by early 1938.​

Allied Navy May 1936​
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Still the largest Navy in the world, the Royal Navy packs a massive punch, but only in a maximum of 2 areas at once. It needs to be build up, while at the same time, streamlined into certain flotilla types for certain Commands. Convoy protection is vital as supplies to mainland Britain are its lifeblood.

Allied Air Force 1936​
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With only 2,200 Aircraft covering the entire British Empire, the Air Force needs heavy investment, 1,100 of these being Carrier Air Group Planes, which is about quarter of the minimum required. The French are in a similar state with only 3,300 Aircraft, over half of these being Tactical Bombers.​

During May 1936, 9 Planned Corps HQ’s were completed, 5 in North Africa and 4 in the Middle East. Currently there are no attached Divisions to these Corps and will need new commanders as soon as possible.

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5 New Corps in North Africa, with the Main Command based in Alexandria, Egypt

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North Africa and the Entrance to Suez

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2 of the 4 Corps in the Middle East, Command is based in Al Kuwait

By late May, Italy had overrun Ethiopia and annexed it into a new colony, naming it Africa Orientale Italiana or simply Italian East Africa. While most of the world seemed to be unmoved by this, it worried British Military leaders, who called for the strengthening of North and East Africa Command. It seemed Italy could become a major threat, so In early June, British Officials flew to Rome for talks with Benito Mussloini. The talks went well and hopefully will secure the future peace between Britain and Italy

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Ethiopia Gives In

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Italian East Africa

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Influence after the Rome Talks of June 1936

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II Duce


TOP SECRET​
Britains main problem is lack of manpower and low recruitment levels, as stated before, the only way to change this is by going to war and enacting Service by Requirement. Unfortunatley a full scale large war is out of the question right now as Britain would be annihilated, so the secret wing of the government has been planning False Flag operations which deceive the public in such a way that the operations appear as though they are being carried out by other entities. They have selected 4 possible countries to carry out these such operations.​

Liberia - The smallest country, but with no strategic value, would be a good choice for minimum casualties. Could possibly declare war and not even invade until recruitment and manpower are up, then simply send 3 infantry divisions into Monrovia.
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Saudi Arabia – Large Desert land with oil resources. Limited opposition. Could even be made into a puppet state once manpower levels are up.
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Persia – Same as Saudi, but huge. May reqire extra manpower and lack of infastructure could be a problem. Would also create a large front with the Soviet Union, which could be good or bad in the future.

Afghanistan – Very difficult terrain. Same as Persia, would create a front with Soviets, but lack of opposition could make this an average proposition.
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It is believed False Flag Ops are under way in a small capacity, but are waiting for final confirmation before sending further spys into these countries to increse their threat apperance.

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saudthreat.png
 
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Great! i love Navy dominated AAR's, especially British ones, as my late great-grandfather served in the Royal Navy during WW2, so im highly interested in it :)

And i love the amount of planning you are doing for each country you may possibly take over - i havn't seen that before :)

Anyway, good start :D
 
There's a swastika on the Mussolini photo that you didn't black out. As well, I would choose either Liberia or Saudi Arabia as the first country to be invaded.
 
daphne - Well for the first 3 years I didnt want to mess around with Research so I 'helped' it along its way! Then after this its upto me what I want to research. The AI is at the same stages as me also, so its still an evenly matched game. Im only going to do this with this AAR seen as its my Second (technically First as the last one screwd up)

Led Zepp - Im finding manpower to be a problem, I have just doubled the size of my navy (next update) and have men left over for a below average size army, then possibly zero for an air force, need those recruitment levels up!!

Sgt Jack - Well your Great-Grandad is a Legend! Im mainly going to focus on the navy but I will still be putting a large amount of effort into the Army and Air force, once I get some!! Cheers
 
soulking - damn good spot!!! i never even saw that, it will be removed this very minute!!! thanks
yes im thinking Liberia would be best, fairly easy, but no doubt ill get greedy and want the rest anyway
 
1.3 July to September 1936 – Britannia Rules the Waves

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In early July the entire British Fleet was re-called to Scapa Flow for a review by newly appointed Admiral Cunningham. This was the first time in history that the whole Royal Navy was in the same area at once. With no ships anywhere else in the world it was risky, but vital for Britain to asses her Naval strength. Amongst the 122 ships that had made the long voyages from all over the world was HMS Ark Royal, the 22,000 ton Carrier was the newest addition to the Fleet.
After 3 days of exercises the various ships were given new orders and began there transit to their new designated theatre. The majority of the fleet would be spread between the 5 smallest of the 9 theatres. West Indies Command (Formerly Caribbean Command was to get 2 Light Cruisers, 2 Sub Flotillas and 2 Destroyers. Middle East Command was given 4 Heavy Cruisers, 4 Light Cruisers, 4 Destroyers ad 4 Sub Flotillas. East Indies Command (Formerly India Command) would receive the same. West and East Africa would only receive 1 Heavy Cruiser, 1 Light Cruiser, 2 Destroyers and 2 Sub Flotillas.
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Entire Fleet at Scapa Flow​

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West Indies Command

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Middle East Commands 2 Small Fleets

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East Indies Command

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West Africa Commands Small Fleet

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East Africa Commands Small Fleet

The Aircraft Carriers, Battleships and Battle cruisers would remain in Home waters for the time being. The remaining Light Cruisers and Destroyers were sent to cover the Mediterranean and the Far East.
HMS Ark Royal was sent on a Global Deployment to show herself off. She would be accompanied by 3 Battleships and 3 Battle cruisers, the deployment, which will take in no fewer than 20 Countries has been set up to show the world that Britain still has the most powerful fleet in the world.​

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Royal Fleet off the Coast of Antigua

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HMS Ark Royal Visits the West Indies

At the end of July the Fleet Review was complete and the plans were announced about the future construction for the fleet. It was announced that 156 ships and submarines would be build within the next 2 years, doubling the size of the Royal Navy.​

Construction includes –
6 Aircraft Carriers
6 Battleships
6 Battle cruisers
19 Heavy Cruisers
9 Light Cruisers
65 Destroyers
32 Submarines
and 13 Transport Ships
At the present time there are 9 Heavy Cruisers without a name and the British Government are welcoming suggestions! (that’s you guys)!!!


A massive Recruitment campaign has now begun to enlist men into the Royal Navy, with promise of good pay and a chance to see the world. Who would be foolish enough to turn this opportunity down.​

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Britannia WILL rule the waves​

Also announced was the Completion of 10 Garrison Divisions the 100th through to the 109th Infantry Divisions, which will be deployed to North Africa and the Far East. We are at this time still awaiting the details on the expansion of the Army and Air Force.

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Ready for Deployment

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THE FIRST FEW OF MY UPDATES WILL INVOLVE LIMITED WRITING AND MORE PICTURES, DESCRIPTIONS ETC. THE WRITING WILL BECOME MORE DETAILED AS THE AAR GOES ON AND I BEGIN ENGAGING IN BATTLES AND THE SITUATION GETS MORE INTERESTING.
 
Wow, that is quite the ambitious building plan there. Are most of these ships new classes of ships or are they based off of old classes? Also whats the disposition of the army and RAF? Will you have the forces needed to assist the french? Interesting AAR.
 
Wow, that is quite the ambitious building plan there. Are most of these ships new classes of ships or are they based off of old classes? Also whats the disposition of the army and RAF? Will you have the forces needed to assist the french? Interesting AAR.

Yes, the ships are all new Classes of ship! I have dispersed the 'old' Navy ships the the 'hopefully less troublesome' areas of the world and the now ones will be attached to the Home Fleet, Med Fleet and the Far East Fleet.

I have a update out tomorrow with all the stats on the Forces, but at the minute my Army and Air Force are quite poor. I have begun building them up, but I used a lot of manpower on the Navy so will need to wait until the manpower pool tops up a bit!

What would you say was a good amount of stacked inteceptors to defend Britain? At the minute i have a basic, 2 Wings in about 8 of my Airbases across the UK. I know this is nowhere near enough, but am unsure about the best or recommended ammount!
 
In my previous UK games i normally try to have around 12-16 interceptors available in the SE part especially the dover and portsmouth areas. Of course this also depends on how quickly if at all France falls. I currently have a game were i stopped the germans cold at the river that runs through belgium and the UK has yet to fall under german air attacks as of the middle of 1942.
 
A very interesting and well written AAR. Keep them coming.

An observation that might help. You need to check the "prioritise for replacement and reinforcement" box on your units or they will not upgrade.

In my experience (which may not be relevent to the type of game you want to pursue), the RN is a powerful tool, but if you spread yourself too thinly you will not have sufficient strength to gain superiority.

Out of interest, what version and mods are you playing and what difficulty level are you using?

Good luck
 
1.4 October 1936 to October 1937 – As time goes by

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Europe in 1937

From October to January things were very quiet! New ships were still being constructed and the current fleet had dispersed to their new Commands. The Army was slowly growing with the addition of 12 Infantry Divisions and 8 Armour Divisions. The Air Force ordered 1800 Hawker Hurricanes, 600 Wellington Bombers, 1000 Halifax Bombers and 400 Spitfires to boost the Home Defence.
Europe was quite, apart from the Spanish Civil war, in which Republican Spain was dominating, the end wouldn’t be far away.
Germany was beginning to build a strong Armed Force, intelligence suggests that a large number of its Divisions are massing on the border with France, at this time there is no intel on the East of Germany and numbers in that area are unknown.


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New Flag of Germany

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Germanys Forces Building Up

Important events during 1936​

Mid February- Most of the Royal Navy’s new Heavy Cruisers, Light Cruisers and Submarines were nearing completion or completed and entering service.
- Plans to name each of the Destroyer Flotillas were announced (I know they are technically flotillas, but have decided to give each a ships name, as I dislike ‘ 7th Destroyer Flotilla’ etc)

25th February – Netherlands joins the Allies

10th March – Denmark joins the Allies

16th March – Belgium, Luxembourg and Ireland reject joining the Allies

19th March – Republican Spain defeat Nationalist Spain and annex them into their country, Spanish civil war is over.
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After the vicrory over Nationalist Spain, there were worries in Britain that an Invasion of Gibraltar would take place. The worry was soon to be eased

24th March – It appears the Rome Talks of 1936 have failed as Italy is drifting towards the Axis

23rd May – Luxembourg joins the Allies

1st July – 6 Battleships and 6 Battle cruisers are completed and begin fitting out and trials to join the Fleet. 6 more Battle cruisers are ordered.

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Composition of the Allied Forces Mid 1937

2nd July – Germany gains its first Ally as Japan joins the Axis

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Japan into Axis, seen as an aggresive move

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4th Destroyer Fleet encounter Admiral Nagumo off the coast of Japan. Nagumo was guest of honour onboard one of the Destroyers. Tea and Biscuits were served and Nagumo was most offended

18th July – 6 Aircraft Carriers are launched and begin Fitting out and Trials

15th August – 2 New Carrier Fleets are assembled and set sail for the Mediterranean, one will be stationed in Malta and the other in Alexandria.

23rd August – Republican Spain joins the Allies


15th September – Transit Rights were signed, allowing British Forces to be stationed in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa

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17th September – Plans to Scrap the 3 of the Royal Navy’s Escort Carriers are announced

23rd September – Plans were announced to rename North Africa Command, changing to Red Sea Command and create Mediterranean Command, which would be based in Malta.


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