Kozmos
Jew Detective
Well at least he isnt called General Melchett.
The Sound of Drums - A British Hearts of Iron II AAR
- Thread starter Kan' Sharuminar
- Start date
Kan' Sharuminar
Fluffy
Melchett? Met him sometime during the last war. Nice chap, little eccentric, but had some interesting ideas about meeting the enemy en masse. Impressive 'tache, too.
27th September 1937 - 25th February 1938
The Japanese invasion of China continued at a staggering pace throughout the waning months of 1937, as Japan continued a slow push from the north. Committed to this front, the KMT were completely overwhelmed when Japan launched an amphibious invasion further down the coast, creating a 300-mile long beachhead on the 15th October with 9 infantry divisions. Covered by heavy air and naval support, they quickly secured the region from any counter-attack.
The Japanese invasion of the 15th October
The creation of such a front created chaos for the Chinese defenders, who were unable to hold back the offensive. The northern Japanese armies quickly moved to link up with their new comrades to the south, cutting off any KMT forces on the Shandong Peninsula. The new forces themselves quickly pushed inland, overrunning the Chinese defences. By the 21st December, they had control over a massive area of Chinas northern territories.
This expansion was not without incident. During the initial landings a U.S. gunboat, the U.S.S. Panay was attacked and destroyed by Japanese aircraft. It was claimed to be an accident, and the Japanese quickly paid indemnities, but the event did little to help the growing tensions between America and Japan.
Nor did events during the Nanjing Massacre. Already reports were spreading of Japanese atrocities as they took the city in mid-December, prompting international aid (Britain opened up fresh trade agreements with the Chinese). The U.S. were particularly shocked by the news that one of their diplomats - a Mr. Allison - had been struck by a Japanese soldier whilst in the American Embassy. Again the Japanese apologised for the mistake, but there was no doubt that, should they become an enemy of Britain, the Cabinet would not have to look far to find allies in the Pacific.
Five months into the Second Sino-Japanese War.
At home, British research and development was moving ahead at a phenomenal pace. After focusing for two years on the Royal Navy, it had been decided to start moving towards improving the land and airforce. This was in no small part to the continued aggressiveness of Italy and, to a growing extent, Germany. There was a real need to be able to counter their armies and plane reserves, and Britain had no chance in defeating them through manpower alone. British forces needed better equipment, better training, and better support in order to counter any threat posed by a potential enemy.
Research and Development easily proved capable of the task, particularly during January and February when no less than three new aircraft designs were revealed and declared ready for production. Fighters were given particular attention, from the long range Westland Whirlwind escorts to the short range Supermarine Spitfire defenders. All who witnessed the aircrafts in action were particularly pleased with what they saw, though it was clear that the Air Force would have its work cut out on deciding which aircraft to put into production, especially considering the year-old Hurricane interceptor. There was no way British Industries could reasonably fund all three designs.
Egyptian-Libyan Border
By the end of January, the British forces in Egypt were quickly approaching an even level with their Italian counterparts, who had not seen fit to increase their forces. Though pleased, General PrinceScamp quickly noted that none of the divisions had any brigades - most alarmingly in the area of artillery or armoured corps - attached to them. As ever, he was promised that the Cabinet would look into it.
But despite the increased push for land and air technology, it was the Royal Navy which once again took centre-stage during this period. Delighted with the reaction to the two Ark Royal carriers finished earlier in the year, the Admiralty happily attempted to gain a similar reaction to the commissioning of the King George V, the first battleship of her class. It was a resounding success - seeing a brand new ship with her 14 inch cannons was easily more inspiring to the average British citizen than any carrier, despite the Royal Navys policy towards them. And it had an effect on High Command as well - there would be a Third Fleet, all that was needed were support ships for the carriers and battleships, and they were already under construction.
The H.M.S. King George V
The 1937 expansion of the military, not to mention the increasingly militaristic attitude of the Cabinet, was apparently justified by the wars in the Far East as well as an increasingly belligerent Italy. In February 1938 there seemed to be a new threat to Europe, as Austria suddenly announced drastic changes to her government. Given the changes - particularly those involving the appointment of pro-Nazi politicians - it was clear that the Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg was under severe pressure from Germany. Warning signs had come from Germany before, but now it appeared that Hitler was wanting to push his luck on the world stage.
1938 would be a very interesting year
The Sound of Drums - A British Hearts of Iron AAR
Part Nine
Part Nine
27th September 1937 - 25th February 1938
The Japanese invasion of China continued at a staggering pace throughout the waning months of 1937, as Japan continued a slow push from the north. Committed to this front, the KMT were completely overwhelmed when Japan launched an amphibious invasion further down the coast, creating a 300-mile long beachhead on the 15th October with 9 infantry divisions. Covered by heavy air and naval support, they quickly secured the region from any counter-attack.
The Japanese invasion of the 15th October
The creation of such a front created chaos for the Chinese defenders, who were unable to hold back the offensive. The northern Japanese armies quickly moved to link up with their new comrades to the south, cutting off any KMT forces on the Shandong Peninsula. The new forces themselves quickly pushed inland, overrunning the Chinese defences. By the 21st December, they had control over a massive area of Chinas northern territories.
This expansion was not without incident. During the initial landings a U.S. gunboat, the U.S.S. Panay was attacked and destroyed by Japanese aircraft. It was claimed to be an accident, and the Japanese quickly paid indemnities, but the event did little to help the growing tensions between America and Japan.
Nor did events during the Nanjing Massacre. Already reports were spreading of Japanese atrocities as they took the city in mid-December, prompting international aid (Britain opened up fresh trade agreements with the Chinese). The U.S. were particularly shocked by the news that one of their diplomats - a Mr. Allison - had been struck by a Japanese soldier whilst in the American Embassy. Again the Japanese apologised for the mistake, but there was no doubt that, should they become an enemy of Britain, the Cabinet would not have to look far to find allies in the Pacific.
Five months into the Second Sino-Japanese War.
At home, British research and development was moving ahead at a phenomenal pace. After focusing for two years on the Royal Navy, it had been decided to start moving towards improving the land and airforce. This was in no small part to the continued aggressiveness of Italy and, to a growing extent, Germany. There was a real need to be able to counter their armies and plane reserves, and Britain had no chance in defeating them through manpower alone. British forces needed better equipment, better training, and better support in order to counter any threat posed by a potential enemy.
Research and Development easily proved capable of the task, particularly during January and February when no less than three new aircraft designs were revealed and declared ready for production. Fighters were given particular attention, from the long range Westland Whirlwind escorts to the short range Supermarine Spitfire defenders. All who witnessed the aircrafts in action were particularly pleased with what they saw, though it was clear that the Air Force would have its work cut out on deciding which aircraft to put into production, especially considering the year-old Hurricane interceptor. There was no way British Industries could reasonably fund all three designs.
Egyptian-Libyan Border
By the end of January, the British forces in Egypt were quickly approaching an even level with their Italian counterparts, who had not seen fit to increase their forces. Though pleased, General PrinceScamp quickly noted that none of the divisions had any brigades - most alarmingly in the area of artillery or armoured corps - attached to them. As ever, he was promised that the Cabinet would look into it.
But despite the increased push for land and air technology, it was the Royal Navy which once again took centre-stage during this period. Delighted with the reaction to the two Ark Royal carriers finished earlier in the year, the Admiralty happily attempted to gain a similar reaction to the commissioning of the King George V, the first battleship of her class. It was a resounding success - seeing a brand new ship with her 14 inch cannons was easily more inspiring to the average British citizen than any carrier, despite the Royal Navys policy towards them. And it had an effect on High Command as well - there would be a Third Fleet, all that was needed were support ships for the carriers and battleships, and they were already under construction.
The H.M.S. King George V
The 1937 expansion of the military, not to mention the increasingly militaristic attitude of the Cabinet, was apparently justified by the wars in the Far East as well as an increasingly belligerent Italy. In February 1938 there seemed to be a new threat to Europe, as Austria suddenly announced drastic changes to her government. Given the changes - particularly those involving the appointment of pro-Nazi politicians - it was clear that the Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg was under severe pressure from Germany. Warning signs had come from Germany before, but now it appeared that Hitler was wanting to push his luck on the world stage.
1938 would be a very interesting year
Kan' Sharuminar
Fluffy
Captain2
ಠ_ృ
oh psssh, it appears we're falling behind in our aims to have 2x the navy of any two hostile nations
Soviet Union+Japan= roughly 12 more ships than we have
Soviet Union+Japan= roughly 12 more ships than we have
SuperBeaverInc.
Groucho
Japan appears to be expanding quicker than we expected. The mountains in the south should provide the Chinese with a good area to halt the advance and wage guerrilla warfare. But they could certainly use any help we can offer them.
GeneralMatt
Emperor
It'll make it easier for me to keep a track of, I suppose, so done. I probably would have gone for Alexander myself
He was a good chap also, more of a gentleman though. Sort of like I think I would be in real life.
But for here I will stick with Monty. What rank is he? I know at the begging of original game he starts as a General, which is not historical as in '36 he was a Instructor at the college in Quetta and only in '37 did he make the Brigadier rank (not even a Major General!)
nodikus
It's Elementary...
I agree, the more resources we send to help the Chinese will be better for us in the long run.
Kozmos
Jew Detective
One thing that always ticked me off that there no special forces in HoI2. No SAS, SS, OSS. Nevermind. I renew my request for better CAGs.
GeneralMatt
Emperor
Do they have any sort of Airborne troops? They were fun to use the once chance I got to.
But I only had one division and one transport so they held out against mass militia for a while until the real troops showed up and then they got showed out..
But I only had one division and one transport so they held out against mass militia for a while until the real troops showed up and then they got showed out..
Kan' Sharuminar
Fluffy
Indeed. On the bright side however, their invasion seems to have halted since December - the frontline in the update screenie has effectively unchanged.
I reckon we can get you some of these Skuas by the end of the year.
Nope, though I will be developing them.
We have the planes to carry such hypothetical troops though
Kan' Sharuminar
Fluffy
Cabinet Decision Needed
We're going to need a decision from the Chiefs of Staff here: We can begin production of aircraft squadrons, but we need to make a choice between the Hawker Hurricane interceptor, or the Supermarine Spitfire fighter.
We're going to need a decision from the Chiefs of Staff here: We can begin production of aircraft squadrons, but we need to make a choice between the Hawker Hurricane interceptor, or the Supermarine Spitfire fighter.
SuperBeaverInc.
Groucho
Whats the range on each?
nodikus
It's Elementary...
Forgive my ignorance but what exactly is the difference between fighters and interceptors in this game?
sirtommygunn
Emperor
fighters = longer range but weaker
intercepters = shorter range but stronger
also intercepters cant do air superiority over sea
(i think this is how it is im not sure though)
intercepters = shorter range but stronger
also intercepters cant do air superiority over sea
(i think this is how it is im not sure though)
GeneralMatt
Emperor
If I may weigh in on the Fighter production.. How about aiming for a 3-1 superiority of Spitfires to Hurricanes? I don't know how much, or were, or if even we will be doing fighting, but the Spitfires, though they have a shorter range, do not really need that in the warzone's of Europe with plenty of bases. They would then be left for defence of the the Home Island with the Hurricanes doing naval and colonial duty with longer ranges to fly.
GeneralMatt
Emperor
sirtommygunn@
Though in this situation I am %99 sure that Hurricanes have a longer range..
Though in this situation I am %99 sure that Hurricanes have a longer range..
germanicus12
First Citizen of Rome
Dont think I have a say, but I would like to type a letter to whoever is Chief of Navy.
Dear Sir Darth Pugwash,
I would encourage you to push for Hawker Hurricanes, they could do untold damage to Italian naval superioty and move against Land aircraft once the naval threat is diminished and our carriers can move closer to land.
EDITED: Found who is Chief of Navy from a captain.
Dear Sir Darth Pugwash,
I would encourage you to push for Hawker Hurricanes, they could do untold damage to Italian naval superioty and move against Land aircraft once the naval threat is diminished and our carriers can move closer to land.
EDITED: Found who is Chief of Navy from a captain.
Captain2
ಠ_ృ
I'd recommend the spitfires, range is more important than raw strength
Kan' Sharuminar
Fluffy
I'll give you one better:
At the moment we simply don't have the industrial strength for that. At most we can produce just one squadron at a time, hence the discussion now for choosing one or the other.
They'll be needed for the defence of the Home Isles and Egypt. A full Air Force reorganisation will be done later this year.
Whichever fighters chosen will be under the jurisdiction of the Chief of the Air Force, Mr. e350tb as they will be primarily for defending/attacking ground or air resources.
The Chief of Navy only has a direct say on the Carrier Air Groups, though his opinions on the Hurricane/Spitfire debate will be given weight
Kozmos
Jew Detective
It seems that the Spitfire has superiors stats for the same period of construction. Dont know why you need our input on this. The choice seems quite obvious.
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