The Sound of Drums - A British Hearts of Iron II AAR

With all due respect, even our mighty navy cannot hold in Asia. I do not like these Japanese barbarians personally, but we must hope that we defeat the Fascist menace in Europe. Once that is finished, we may then deal with Japan.

There's no way we'll be able to liberate Europe anytime soon, so I fear we'll have to fight the Germans and the Japanese at the same time.

Well currently, Thailand does harbour close links with Japan. However, an invasion of Siam would be undesirable. Yet, we cannot forget the fact that, if Thailand is to throw its lot with Japan, the front in the Far East will be widen, especially near vunerable Malaya. While the chances of Siam joining Japan are slim, it cannot be ruled out as a possibility. We should be prepare to fight back if Siam becomes the enemy. Giving potential enemies the benefit of the doubt is unwise.

The situation in Libya is wonderful. But we cannot forget about the Far East. Until hostilities start, we need to bring new troops to its defense. Call in Australia!, Call in New Zealand, to lend a hand in the defence of their own lands as well as the Commonwealth.

aronnax said:

Real life response

Spoiler :

Thailand isn't in the Axis yet? My god the game is going slow. Mind putting up a save?

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I'll be posting one soon

aronnax said:

Alright then, still reinforcement of Burma is still crucial. The area where the Japanese control is hilly and will provide plentiful fortification for them. Perhaps sending some Mountaineer Units will prove useful to our forces in both an offensive and defensive position.

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ArneHD said:

I would recommend a combination of Mountaineers and Marines in Siam, the terrain is very difficult for ordinary infantry, and then in some quantity; Japan is likely to send a ton of reinforcements to Siam.

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A good point that I would have missed. We'll begin training Mountaineers soon then, Marine divisions will take a little longer, as we're still developing training programmes and equipment for them.

aronnax said:

However, Libya should first be prioritised. I agree with opening a second front in Africa with the idle divisions in the homeland. But I am afraid that dropping troops behind enemy lines will cut them from supply. Tanks won't work without oil, soldiers won't fight without food.

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Our supply situation should be no problem. If we can get supplies to Egypt without problem, we should be able to create a new one to Triploli in the event of landings. In terms of weakening supply lines, we are causing far greater damage to the Italians than they are us!

sheep21 said:

However one condition I would put on it is having Bengazi already under attack, so as to draw off Italian troops.

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Such a landing in Tripoli will need around a month to plan and prepare before execution. I'm sure PrinceScamp can confirm Bengazi will be either under threat of attack, or captured by that point.

sheep21 said:

When it comes to the Far East, I dont believe in antagonising the Japanese more than needed. Having Siam onside will do us no good and only worsen our already poor relations with Japan. Remember, the whole point of reinforcing Burma and the Far East is to show the Japanese we are willing to defend ourselves, moves against Siam would undoubtbly be seen as agressive actions. And with low troop numbers in India, the Far East Fleet weak and the RAF in Asia next to non existent, we really are not in a position to antagonise Japan.

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I quite agree. We must hold off a war with Japan until at least 1942. If we are lucky their war with China will give us such time.

carmen510 said:

With all due respect, even our mighty navy cannot hold in Asia. I do not like these Japanese barbarians personally, but we must hope that we defeat the Fascist menace in Europe. Once that is finished, we may then deal with Japan.

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potatokiosk said:

There's no way we'll be able to liberate Europe anytime soon, so I fear we'll have to fight the Germans and the Japanese at the same time.

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Let us focus on what is happening, rather than what may. Germany and Italy are the threats we must face now while Japan, however aggressive, remains at peace with us. We will prepare for a war in the Far East, but we will act as if the Axis alliance are our only enemy to fight against.

*cough*8 days*cough*

*cleans sand from fingernails*

PrinceScamp said:

*cleans sand from fingernails*

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*Makes glass from sand
*Start profitable glassmaking business
*Ends war with 120,000 cups with goodwill messages on them.

*Makes celebratory round of mohetoes to fill cups*
*Misguidedly attempts to make 120,000 servings*
*Faces serious charges when RN discover entire Rum and Lime stockpiles missing*
*RN on brink of collaps without Rum. With the lash already denied them this leaves only...*

Gin and tonic?

Come on Kan, I want to see us flying jets before the war is done!

e350tb said:

Come on Kan, I want to see us flying jets before the war is done!

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Oh the imagination of youth *pat pat*

sheep21 said:

*cough*8 days*cough*

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Quite right. I have been dreadfully ill this past week, and didn't make the Tuesday update I hoped for. Look for the next update next Monday.

GinandTonic said:

*RN on brink of collaps without Rum. With the lash already denied them this leaves only...*

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Kan' Sharuminar said:

Quite right. I have been dreadfully ill this past week, and didn't make the Tuesday update I hoped for. Look for the next update next Monday.

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Oooh.. Sorry about that... Get well soon dear Prime Minister.

*sends Kan some nice Canadian Snow*

get well soon old boy!

i think we should invade ireland if we already havent.


private hossam reporting for duty!

*Gives Prime Minister a 21 gun salute in hopes of scaring the illness out of him*

Get well soon.

Kan' Sharuminar said:

Quite right. I have been dreadfully ill this past week, and didn't make the Tuesday update I hoped for. Look for the next update next Monday.

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Get well soon, I've run out of AARs by you to read.

aronnax said:

Oooh.. Sorry about that... Get well soon dear Prime Minister.

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sheep21 said:

get well soon old boy!

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germanicus12 said:

Get well soon.

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Oh I was feeling better by the time I wrote that post, but thank you all the same. Annoyingly I passed the illness over to my girlfriend, so spent most of the weekend looking after her.

Back on course now. Gaming portions done, just need to write it up. I'll also try to get the first Mid-Year report done tomorrow, with the save-file that Subi and Arronax want so badly.

hossam said:

i think we should invade ireland if we already havent.

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We won't, but it would be nice to do it just to stop them moaning about our control over northern Ireland.

hossam said:

private hossam reporting for duty!

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Sounds like you want into the 1st CFC Division, so off you march.

Karmic Knight said:

Get well soon, I've run out of AARs by you to read.

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The Sound of Drums - A British Hearts of Iron AAR​

Part Thirty-Nine​

23rd-30th June 1940


The fall of Tobruk to PrinceScamp’s forces was a glorious victory for the British war effort, but it came with the loss of initiative. Virtually all British forces in Africa had taken part in the battle, and it had taken its toll on the troops. Reluctantly, PrinceScamp informed the Cabinet that his army would require at least a week, preferably two, to be at proper fighting efficiency. In that time he would be able to reinforce and reorganise his forces at Tobruk, but so too could the Italians.

In London, the news came at a time when discussions regarding the evacuated BEF had begun. 18 divisions now awaited redeployment in an Empire where every region seemed crucial to the war effort. The debate was mostly fruitless, though there was a common consensus that a second African front could be opened from Malta, and that the Australian divisions that had seen action in France should be transported home, along with some reinforcements to India. The Japanese takeover of French Indo-China had rattled the Cabinet.

In fact, the issue of the smaller powers and French colonies - most of which under the Vichy sphere - quickly took priority as Cabinet members argued over their future. Even the possibility of open war with Vichy was mentioned, though the notion of declaring war on former allies so soon was considered too vulgar to take the matter seriously.


The country of Siam

Siam was a different matter. Boxed in between both British and Japanese territories, it held a position of supreme strategic importance. If either power were to influence Siam to their alliance it would give them a crucial forward base to launch attacks from. There was one crucial problem for Britain - Siam was under the control of a fascist government, hardly the ideal partner to have while fighting Germany and Italy in Europe. To deliberate the matter a while longer, Prime Minister Kan’ told Foreign Minister Peck to halt his preparations to travel to Siam. It was a good, if lucky, decision.

Completely unknown to British intelligence, Hitler had been holding talks in Berlin for with the leaders and ambassadors of, among others, Japan and Italy. With France having surrendered just 3 days previously, Germany held a position of high regard and its Fuhrer used this to forge the ‘Tripartite Pact.’ It was essentially a very open recognition of each others spheres of influence and that each power would provide aid to one another. It also officially created the ‘Axis Powers,’ though the German-Italian partnership had long been named that in Britain.


The signing of the pact

The strengthening of relations between Germany, Italy and Japan had a profound effect on many of the smaller powers. On the same day as the Pact was signed, Siam entered an alliance with Japan and surrendered government powers to it. Britain had avoided international embarrassment by delaying its ambassadors, but the situation in the Far East was continuing to shift in Japan’s favour.

In Europe a similar situation arose with Romania. Formally close with Britain and France, it suddenly found itself alone on the 27th June as the Soviet Union pressed its claims for the region of Bessarabia. With the Allies unwilling to help, Romania had little choice but to accept Stalin’s demands or be forced into war. The following day Prime Minister Tatarescu announced Romania’s entry into the Axis, and declared war upon Britain and its allies.

There was very little the Allied Powers could do in response. Victory at Tobruk could hardly compare to the German domination of France, and Hitler’s willingness to aid Romania where Britain could not was widely applauded around the world. Six months into 1940 and the British Empire was rapidly becoming isolated, both militaristically and politically…