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pun is "cinas", but that's a very out of fashion word and nowadays one would say kelime esprisi (literally "word joke"). Now this is 40s so out of fashion is probably ok and there's no need for "operasyon berbat kelime esprisi" which is too long anyway. Now, if we're going old fashioned anyway, we can use a word that's more or less the same age as "cinas". Furthermore, using some creative freedom, if we say "malicious pun" instead of "terrible pun" and use the word contemporary of "cinas" we arrive at, drumroll, "suicinas". Not only it resembles suicide in English, it also resembles suikast (assassination) in Turkish. It's a double pun about terrible puns. I feel like an artist
In WWI, many theaters could go in drastically different directions, perhaps totally changing the course of the war. The two factions were also much more balanced and each side had a decent chance of 'winning' (aka surviving largely intact), since both France and Germany were near total collapse before the war's end.
Nice! The Seven Years War never happened, so the divergence is in the mid-eighteenth century. The French monarchy never falls, no United Germany, Poland-Lithuania remains a thing but in the new Comintern equivalent left faction. Plus the Spanish Empire and also the Qi Empire, but I’m thinking with an impending 3-cornered civil war pending to break it up. Probably also down scale it per what I’m told has been done in HPP.
The colonies all as they were then, but now as independent states, as puppets of their former colonial masters; non-colonised indigenous countries formed on near-modern technical parity. Ottoman Empire now Turkey + satellite puppet states, in the Left faction, but there will be an event chain I think which sees the chance of either the leftist European puppets or the conservative (monarchist absolutist, there France and Austria aligned) countries perhaps breaking away. Russia imperial but neutral.
Main blocs based on UK/Prussia v France, Austria and Spain (with others), plus respective post colonial puppets. A mainly finished unification of Germany event chain relying a lot on politics and opinion, stages of which can trigger Austrian intervention. Will do something for Italy as well.
OTL US divided into three French, two British and one Spanish aligned post-colonial puppets, plus a group of smaller Native American countries. Australia an independent indigenous confederation of Nations, using HOI3 urban distributions but every province/city renamed with indigenous names. Same for New Zealand (Aotearoa) Etc etc.
pun is "cinas", but that's a very out of fashion word and nowadays one would say kelime esprisi (literally "word joke"). Now this is 40s so out of fashion is probably ok and there's no need for "operasyon berbat kelime esprisi" which is too long anyway. Now, if we're going old fashioned anyway, we can use a word that's more or less the same age as "cinas". Furthermore, using some creative freedom, if we say "malicious pun" instead of "terrible pun" and use the word contemporary of "cinas" we arrive at, drumroll, "suicinas". Not only it resembles suicide in English, it also resembles suikast (assassination) in Turkish. It's a double pun about terrible puns. I feel like an artist
A wise perspective. Many have remarked that a power which did not participate would have "won" the war, but fewer remark that avoiding the war at all was an insurmountable challenge for many nations. The problem of actually avoiding a war is interminable in the best of circumstances.
As much as people deride the Cold War nuclear buildup and M.A.D., we have not had a world war since 1945 and I think that says something. Something better discussed in other threads, but something nevertheless.
It's been a bit since the last chapter, with the other AAR rotation and RL taking a bit of time lately, but I already have the images for the next chapter edited and will soon start writing it up, for a pre-Christmas publication. In the interim, some responses to the last few comments:
pun is "cinas", but that's a very out of fashion word and nowadays one would say kelime esprisi (literally "word joke"). Now this is 40s so out of fashion is probably ok and there's no need for "operasyon berbat kelime esprisi" which is too long anyway. Now, if we're going old fashioned anyway, we can use a word that's more or less the same age as "cinas". Furthermore, using some creative freedom, if we say "malicious pun" instead of "terrible pun" and use the word contemporary of "cinas" we arrive at, drumroll, "suicinas". Not only it resembles suicide in English, it also resembles suikast (assassination) in Turkish. It's a double pun about terrible puns. I feel like an artist
Though there's always the occasional exception that proves the rule. Spain did pretty badly out of remaining neutral in WW1 (not that either side would really have wanted them anyway, in all likelihood. Their government floundered, things went belly-up, they got blamed for the American Flu outbreak of 1918-21 and then it all descended into the civil war and Franco less than 20 years later.
A wise perspective. Many have remarked that a power which did not participate would have "won" the war, but fewer remark that avoiding the war at all was an insurmountable challenge for many nations. The problem of actually avoiding a war is interminable in the best of circumstances.
As much as people deride the Cold War nuclear buildup and M.A.D., we have not had a world war since 1945 and I think that says something. Something better discussed in other threads, but something nevertheless.
Wargames are the only places for launching 'good' wars if you can help it. Though if someone strikes you, one has to respond. Europe lasted about a hundred years between Napoleon and WW1. Let's hope we can last as long until the next one, at least!
Suicinas Operasyonu would be the correct use in grammatical sense, when quoting as non-translated name in another language text.
As turkish is an agglutinative language, -u is the accusative form of non-possessive relation on direct object (the actual suffix is -ı/-i, but conformed to the vowel harmony). It still gives similar meaning for english preposition of defining the relationship - belonging; this makes it as if ~ operation of suicinas (of english, ~von in german, ~de in french, di in italian), even though english terminology does not employ the preposition in this specific context, Operation X does not mean the operation belongs to X, but it is an operation named as X.
X Operasyonu, despite the structure, also does not mean the operation belongs to X, but it is an operation named as X.
It is gold, and still not sure about how it ended up from malicious (tr. ~kötücül, şirret, şeytanca, bedbah, kem) to assassination (tr. suikast); the artistry of @diskoerekto has to be truly acknowledged
It gets a bit complicated when a more generalist example is considered:
[1] O, operasyonuyönetti. - He/She/It led the operation.
Above example, the operation is led by that person. The -u suffix gives the meaning of the object that is acted upon - the/that/this operation that is led. [turkish does not have gender distinction for pronouns, determiners, nouns, names, verbs, etc.
He/She/It = O; His/Her/Its = Onun; Him/Her/It = Ona; His/Hers/Its = Onunki; etc.]
(turkish does not have articles, neither indefinite nor definite)
[2] O, operasyon yönetti. - He/She/It led an operation.
This example does not have the accusative -u(-ı/i/u/ü), thus the meaning changes; as it is now the person led any operation ~ akin to noun with indefinite article, so, nominative case.
(Edit 23.05.2022 - addition) Both cases [1] and [2] indicate the operation is not possessed by any subject.
[3] O, Suicinas Operasyonunuyönetti. - He/She/It led the Suicinas Operation.
In this example, the object is defined with specific name;
(Edit 23.05.2022 - correction)
the first -u can be seen as the example [1], in which the object is that operation (the operation named as suicinas - Suicinas Operasyonu), and;
now also the object Suicinas Operation can be interpreted as definite and belonging to someone, indicating the possessive accusative case of the object;
so He/She/It led the Suicinas Operation (of)/(that belongs to) someone
or He/She/It led (someone's) Suicinas Operation;
in that case, the second -(n)u is for the name of the object group (the operation named as suicinas - Suicinas Operasyonu), as the example [1], with the additional consonant to complement vowel harmony, but also to point to the answer of the question what does he/she/it lead?, so accusative case on the object.
This has another detail considering possessive suffixes for second and third persons, which overlaps the -(n) in the example [3]. The complete list would be as such: Benim operasyonum. - Myoperation. | Bizim operasyonumuz. - Ouroperation. Senin operayonun. - Youroperation. | Sizin operasyonunuz. - Youroperation. Onun operasyonu. - His/Her/Itsoperation. | Onların operasyonu(operasyonları). - Theiroperation.
[4] <Suicinas Operasyonunuyönetti.> is grammatically correct, however, it only losses the definite meaning for whose operation it is, if it is your (-unu) or his/her/its (-unu).
One more level of detail for the above example:
[5] O, Suicinas Operasyonunuyönetti. - He/She/It led the Suicinas Operation.
= Suicinas Operasyonunuyönetti. - He/She/It led the Suicinas Operation.
In the final example, the subject in the turkish sentence is omitted, yet it has the same meaning. This is a result of turkish verbs being capable of assuming the subject also.
When the subject is discarded in english, the meaning is lost, left vague for determining who does the action: He/She/It led =/= led, because verb does not distinguish person in conjugation or normal usage (exception is for distinguishing singular and plural). Verbs in turkish are conjugated including the persons, a process similar to german, french, etc. Edit: Corrected examples [3] and [5].
Edit 23.05.2022: Corrected typographical mistake.
Correction on example [3]. More corrections may follow with further analysis on the case.
One may think there is no need to give that many details; the author disagrees, as this AAR is worth the effort.
Suicinas Operasyonu would be the correct use in grammatical sense, when quoting as non-translated name in another language text.
As turkish is an agglutinative language, -u is the accusative form of non-possessive relation on direct object (the actual suffix is -ı/-i, but conformed to the vowel harmony). It still gives similar meaning for english preposition of defining the relationship - belonging; this makes it as if ~ operation of suicinas (of english, ~von in german, ~de in french, di in italian), even though english terminology does not employ the preposition in this specific context, Operation X does not mean the operation belongs to X, but it is an operation named as X.
X Operasyonu, despite the structure, also does not mean the operation belongs to X, but it is an operation named as X.
It is gold, and still not sure about how it ended up from malicious (tr. ~kötücül, şirret, şeytanca, bedbah, kem) to assassination (tr. suikast); the artistry of @diskoerekto has to be truly acknowledged
It gets a bit complicated when a more generalist example is considered:
[1] O, operasyonuyönetti. - He/She/It led the operation.
Above example, the operation is led by that person. The -u suffix gives the meaning of the object that is acted upon - the operation that is led. [turkish does not have gender distinction for pronouns, determiners, nouns, names, verbs, etc.
He/She/It = O; His/Her/Its = Onun; Him/Her/It = Ona; His/Hers/Its = Onunki; etc.]
(turkish does not have articles, neither indefinite nor definite)
[2] O, operasyon yönetti. - He/She/It led an operation.
This example does not have the accusative -u(-ı/i/u/ü), thus the meaning changes; as it is now the person led any operation ~ akin to noun with indefinite article, so, nominative case.
[3] O, Suicinas Operasyonunuyönetti. - He/She/It led an operation.
In this example, the object is defined with specific name; the first -u is for the name of the object group (the operation named as suicinas); the second -(n)u is because the action is undertaken by the subject in third person, with the additional consonant to compliment vowel harmony, indicating the possessive accusative case of the object.
This has another detail considering possessive suffixes for second person, which overlaps the -(n) in the example [3]. The complete list would be as such: Benim operasyonum. - My operation. | Bizim operasyonumuz. - Our operation. Senin operayonun. - Your operation. | Sizin operasyonunuz. - Your operation. Onun operasyonu. - H/H/I operation. | Onların operasyonu(operasyonları). - Their operation.
[4] <Suicinas Operasyonunuyönetti.> is grammatically correct, however, it only losses the definite meaning for whose operation it is, if it is your (-unu) or his/her/its (-unu).
One more level of detail for the above example:
[5] O, Suicinas Operasyonunuyönetti. - He/She/It led an operation.
= Suicinas Operasyonunuyönetti. - He/She/It led an operation.
In the final example, the subject in the turkish sentence is omitted, yet it has the same meaning. This is a result of turkish verbs being capable of assuming the subject also.
When the subject is discarded in english, the meaning is lost, left vague for determining who does the action: He/She/It led =/= led, because verb does not distinguish person in conjugation or normal usage (exception is for distinguishing singular and plural). Verbs in turkish are conjugated including the persons, a process similar to german, french, etc.
But for the rest, especially when one goes levels beyond upper-intermediate, then it gets a bit more trickier, just as for any language. Then comes the hyper-details of the deepest grammar structures. Sino-tibetan, afro-asiatic have comparatively more interesting details than the indo-european family. But for the altaic sprachbund, compound verbs can be given as a quick example, and they break the norms of reality for all, even the native speakers
Suicinas Operasyonu would be the correct use in grammatical sense, when quoting as non-translated name in another language text.
As turkish is an agglutinative language, -u is the accusative form of non-possessive relation on direct object (the actual suffix is -ı/-i, but conformed to the vowel harmony). It still gives similar meaning for english preposition of defining the relationship - belonging; this makes it as if ~ operation of suicinas (of english, ~von in german, ~de in french, di in italian), even though english terminology does not employ the preposition in this specific context, Operation X does not mean the operation belongs to X, but it is an operation named as X.
X Operasyonu, despite the structure, also does not mean the operation belongs to X, but it is an operation named as X.
It is gold, and still not sure about how it ended up from malicious (tr. ~kötücül, şirret, şeytanca, bedbah, kem) to assassination (tr. suikast); the artistry of @diskoerekto has to be truly acknowledged
It gets a bit complicated when a more generalist example is considered:
[1] O, operasyonuyönetti. - He/She/It led the operation.
Above example, the operation is led by that person. The -u suffix gives the meaning of the object that is acted upon - the operation that is led. [turkish does not have gender distinction for pronouns, determiners, nouns, names, verbs, etc.
He/She/It = O; His/Her/Its = Onun; Him/Her/It = Ona; His/Hers/Its = Onunki; etc.]
(turkish does not have articles, neither indefinite nor definite)
[2] O, operasyon yönetti. - He/She/It led an operation.
This example does not have the accusative -u(-ı/i/u/ü), thus the meaning changes; as it is now the person led any operation ~ akin to noun with indefinite article, so, nominative case.
[3] O, Suicinas Operasyonunuyönetti. - He/She/It led the Suicinas Operation.
In this example, the object is defined with specific name; the first -u is for the name of the object group (the operation named as suicinas); the second -(n)u is because the action is undertaken by the subject in third person, with the additional consonant to compliment vowel harmony, indicating the possessive accusative case of the object.
This has another detail considering possessive suffixes for second person, which overlaps the -(n) in the example [3]. The complete list would be as such: Benim operasyonum. - My operation. | Bizim operasyonumuz. - Our operation. Senin operayonun. - Your operation. | Sizin operasyonunuz. - Your operation. Onun operasyonu. - H/H/I operation. | Onların operasyonu(operasyonları). - Their operation.
[4] <Suicinas Operasyonunuyönetti.> is grammatically correct, however, it only losses the definite meaning for whose operation it is, if it is your (-unu) or his/her/its (-unu).
One more level of detail for the above example:
[5] O, Suicinas Operasyonunuyönetti. - He/She/It led the Suicinas Operation.
= Suicinas Operasyonunuyönetti. - He/She/It led the Suicinas Operation.
In the final example, the subject in the turkish sentence is omitted, yet it has the same meaning. This is a result of turkish verbs being capable of assuming the subject also.
When the subject is discarded in english, the meaning is lost, left vague for determining who does the action: He/She/It led =/= led, because verb does not distinguish person in conjugation or normal usage (exception is for distinguishing singular and plural). Verbs in turkish are conjugated including the persons, a process similar to german, french, etc. Edit: Corrected examples [3] and [5].
Reinforcements? Not just a few new trainees, but more an entire Army Language Group of them. Vur ha! So Suicinas Operasyonu is now the leading candidate?
Also: the Artist Still Known as @diskoerekto receives the Erdal Öz literature prize for his original work. I picked that one, of the literature prizes offered by Professor Google, because i can then refer to him as the Wizard of Öz! Allowing a triple wordplay, as Oz is also a slang abbreviation used by Australians for Australia. I thought that would be fitting, under the circumstances.
But for the rest, especially when one goes levels beyond upper-intermediate, then it gets a bit more trickier, just as for any language. Then comes the hyper-details of the deepest grammar structures. Sino-tibetan, afro-asiatic have comparatively more interesting details than the indo-european family. But for the altaic sprachbund, compound verbs can be given as a quick example, and they break the norms of reality for all, even the native speakers
While Operasyon Suicinas is acceptable it sounds a bit like the translated title of a Hollywood movie. It would've been Suicinas Operasyonu if it was today, but that also would be anachronistic so it's Suicinas Harekatı
Suicinas Operasyonu would be the correct use in grammatical sense, when quoting as non-translated name in another language text.
As turkish is an agglutinative language, -u is the accusative form of non-possessive relation on direct object (the actual suffix is -ı/-i, but conformed to the vowel harmony). It still gives similar meaning for english preposition of defining the relationship - belonging; this makes it as if ~ operation of suicinas (of english, ~von in german, ~de in french, di in italian), even though english terminology does not employ the preposition in this specific context, Operation X does not mean the operation belongs to X, but it is an operation named as X.
X Operasyonu, despite the structure, also does not mean the operation belongs to X, but it is an operation named as X.
Sir, excellent knowledge of Turkish language! I mean there aren't many Turks who commands Turkish grammar like this. So even if you were Turkish it's great and I'm guessing you're not so excellent job!
It is gold, and still not sure about how it ended up from malicious (tr. ~kötücül, şirret, şeytanca, bedbah, kem) to assassination (tr. suikast); the artistry of @diskoerekto has to be truly acknowledged
Since it's only a decade or two after the language revolution, usage of old words and forms from Arabic and Persian are still in use around the 1940s. Suikast is still in use today but the mechanics that created suikast (and suizan "malicious belief, prejudice", suistimal "malfeasence", suiniyet "malicious intent", suihazm "indigestion") was still alive back then. The story of suikast between the other sui- words is more interesting. Back in 19th century, in the days of Abdulhamid II it wasn't appropriate to talk about an assassination with the proper word for it reasons being a mixture of political correctness and police state oppression. So instead of the proper word for an assassination, this creation was made. Suikast, just like suiniyet, means malicious intent but is actually used as the word for assassination even today.
But for the rest, especially when one goes levels beyond upper-intermediate, then it gets a bit more trickier, just as for any language. Then comes the hyper-details of the deepest grammar structures. Sino-tibetan, afro-asiatic have comparatively more interesting details than the indo-european family. But for the altaic sprachbund, compound verbs can be given as a quick example, and they break the norms of reality for all, even the native speakers
As a native speaker I might be looking at this skewed, but my understanding of languages say Turkish is difficult to begin but easier to learn more once you get the logic behind it. There are a lot of rules, especially with regards to suffixes, but once you learn them there are very few exceptions to those rules. For a Turkish speaker, memorizing irregular verbs or German artikels is too difficult because we don't really have an equivalent list of arbitrary things to memorize but just tools and toolkits to learn.
Also: the Artist Still Known as @diskoerekto receives the Erdal Öz literature prize for his original work. I picked that one, of the literature prizes offered by Professor Google, because i can then refer to him as the Wizard of Öz! Allowing a triple wordplay, as Oz is also a slang abbreviation used by Australians for Australia. I thought that would be fitting, under the circumstances.
Still have no clue on HoI, and have absolute zero (0 Pa) interest for it; yet this AAR has been one of the great funs while reading as a lurker, now feels as way long ago. Kudos.
Glad to finally be able to comment at one point.
Doctor title would be a stretch. Not yet, hopefully soon. Not for linguistics, though.
Cheers!
Ah yes, in the context of 40s, Suicinas Harekatı would be more suitable. It is still in use, though.
Sir, excellent knowledge of Turkish language! I mean there aren't many Turks who commands Turkish grammar like this. So even if you were Turkish it's great and I'm guessing you're not so excellent job!
Hesitated to reply at first, whether via pm or direct on the thread. Have bad memories on the net from 90s. What the heck, let there be trust.
Sıkıntı yok aga, angara bebesiyiz sonuçta.
[For all: Sincere apologies for leaving the above sentence without translation, but it is written to reply diskoerekto;
as in the form of arriving reinforcements, saluting, then standing at attention, in front of diskoerekto Paşa
in a very colloquial and respectful way]
Suikast is still in use today but the mechanics that created suikast (and suizan "malicious belief, prejudice", suistimal "malfeasence", suiniyet "malicious intent", suihazm "indigestion") was still alive back then.
Very good etymological process, yes, true artisanship
Wow, completely forgotten the ones for indigestion suihazm and prejudice suizan. Sincerely grateful. Time to hit the books for these to find references.
Anyway;
Concurring with the final iteration by diskoerekto: Suicinas Harekatı it is!
I came across hardly any Turkish guys in this forums, and none with even a percentage of the English prose of you! This has been a fun revelation! Stick around as a commentAAR as well, this is a great AAR.
Der Führer ist Tödt and Germany has surrendered – to Turkey! But Hitler predeceased Mussolini, who still clings to power in Italy as Turkish forces run riot through Italy. And Vichy France still exists, even as de Gaulle has claimed the rest of metropolitan France following his return to a Paris liberated by the Resistance. The job in Europe is not yet done.
In L.A., confidential plots swirl ever more violently in the wake of Perse’s passing through there in April. Where it will end, nobody knows.
---xxx---
9 May 44
In the mid-morning, Turkish Air Force wings shuffled to new forward air bases, to better support current and future operations. The short-range 1 Tank Avci Grubu 9 (1 x Hawk III INT, 2 x IL-2 CAS) was installed in Genova by 11am, after staging through Milan. By midday they were bombing the Italian armoured division trapped in Siena.
Concurrently, 1 Bombardiman Grubu (2 x La-5 M/r, 2 x Yak-4 TAC, 1 x B-26 TAC) pushed up to Venice from Trieste.
At 5pm, Köldecan’s 17 Inf Div (IS-2 equipped) encountered an exhausted Italian mountain division and a couple of HQs in Vercelli (just north-east of Turin) and launched a reckless assault. The Italians withdrew after a brief fire-fight (Turkey 25/12,995; Italy 23/11,055 killed).
The attack to wipe out the surrounded 134a Divisione in Siena began at 7pm that evening, with 4 Inf Div joining in two hours later.
By 7am the next morning the enemy were completely encircled and in increasing trouble after 3 Mot Div arrived in Montepulciano, but their resistance continued. This also reopened the supply lines to 1 Mot Div, which was still encamped on the outskirts of Rome.
3 Cav Div secured Novara, half-way between Turin and Milan, at 8pm but needed some time for post-attack reorganisation.
Air Damage Report. Two Turkish raids on Siena killed 131 Italian troops.
OTL Event: Eastern Front. The Soviet 4th Ukrainian Front captured Sevastopol.
---xxx---
10 May 44
The fully operational ships of Üngen’s 1st Navy (TCG Yavuz, 2 x DD, 3 x TP) arrived in Split at 8am without incident, to pick up three more divisions (the new 4 Mot Div, 47 and 217 SDs) to take back to Izmir.
On the southern Italian front, 1 Mtn Div arrived in Arezzo at 9am and kept pushing down the spine of the peninsula towards Terni via Perugia. That afternoon, 7 Inf Div made it into Piombino (on the Tyrrhenian coast) and joined the attack on Siena from the west.
Another skirmish in Vercelli from 1-4pm saw MAJGEN Seven’s 17 Inf Div launch a blitzing attack supported by 14 Inf Div to defeat more unsupplied Italian stragglers (Turkey 5/23,989; Italy 64/5,594 killed) as the drive towards Turin – and the border with Vichy France – continued.
As the battle for Siena continued that afternoon, 2 Armd Div began an attack on Civitavecchia that would succeed by 3am the following morning.
---xxx---
Los Angeles
Meanwhile, Exley continues to investigate the robbery and multiple homicide at the Midnite Owl coffee shop, where White’s former partner Dick Stensland was one of the victims. The three African-American felons Exley arrested for the crime later (again, perhaps rather conveniently) escaped from police custody and have just been killed in a shootout with police. Those suspects will clearly be making no more statements!
But although the Midnite Owl case appeared solved, both Exley and White investigate further but separately, each for their own reasons.
Having gotten nowhere with Pierce Patchett, owner of the high-class call-girl setup at the Fleur-de-Lis Club, Bud White decides to call on Lynn Bracken at her swanky home in Los Feliz – a modern-looking triplex.
As Bud heads over, she is watching a film on a projector - This Gun For Hire with Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake, projected on a wall in front of which Lynn Bracken stands with an older man – a client.
Lynn's long, blonde hair hangs down over one eye. She looks more like Veronica Lake than Veronica Lake! The film flashes over them as they kiss. A phone rings – she takes the call and starts to usher her client out.
“I don't understand, doll, we just got started.”
“I'm sorry, but I'll make it up to you. I promise.”
“Gosh, kitten, I don't know...”
As he begins to mash up against her, he hears a rough voice from below. Bud White is standing at the bottom of the stairs.
“Hit the road, gramps.”
The man strikes a pose, but relents ungraciously: “Alright. This time I'll go, but next time…”
Bud flashes his badge. “L.A.P.D., shitbird. Get the fuck out of here or I'll call your wife to come get you.”
Sputtering, the man exchanges a look with Lynn then hurries away, giving Bud a wide berth.
“I’ve been expecting you,” says Lynn. “Pierce called.”
After some small talk, Bud gets to his questions. “Have you ever heard of Dick Stensland?”
“No I haven't. Do you know why Pierce is humouring you?”
“Yeah I know. Patchett's running whores and judging by his address, probably something bigger on the side. He doesn't want any attention.”
“That's right. Our motives are selfish, so we're cooperating.” After a short pause, she continues: “I remember you from the liquor store. You have a thing for helping women, don't you? You're different, Officer White. You're the first man in five years who didn't tell me I look like Veronica Lake inside of a minute.”
“You look better than Veronica Lake. Now, Pierce Patchett. He had you cut to look like Veronica Lake?”
“No. I'm really a brunette, but the rest is me. And that's all the news that's fit to print. It was nice meeting you, Officer.”
As he heads out the door, Bud turns around and blurts out: “Look. I want to see you again.”
“Are you asking me for a date or an appointment?”
Bud is suddenly unsure: “I don't know.”
“If it's a date I think you'd better tell me your first name, because I … “
“Forget I asked. It was a mistake.”
Lynn watches thoughtfully after Bud as he walks away. He opens his car door like he's going to tear it off. He gives a last glance back at Lynn and as he gets in the car.
---xxx---
11 May 44
A temporary manpower surplus that morning allowed a new unit to be constructed for the first time in a while. A new wing of German jet aircraft was tempting, but for now the Turkish Air Force had achieved air superiority. So instead a flotilla of the latest assault ships would be licensed from the compliant DDR.
The fast-moving 2 Armd Div occupied Civitavecchia at 3pm, but had another 47 hours of post-attack reorganisation to complete before it could push on to become part of an attack on Rome itself. 1 Mot Div would wait until more support was available before they tried again against the Italian capital.
But more assistance was on the way, with MAJGEN Ayguc’s 3 Mot Div in Viterbo by 5pm and pushing on south-west towards Civitavecchia. The fighting in Siena continued, while 1 YAG resumed air raids that day after a break to gather supplies on the 10th.
The rest of the Turkish Navy continued to undergo repairs in Izmir that night as the 1st Navy docked with the follow-on troops for the planned mission – to invade Lebanon and Syria as part of the foreshadowed attack on Vichy France.
Meanwhile, the Adana garrison had almost reached Antakya on the Syrian border, where they would pick up their fourth brigade the following evening.
Back in Italy, the Adriatic port of Ancona was taken without a fight just before midnight, with 97 SD ‘Shev’ ordered to sweep down the coast all the way to Pescara if possible. Siena still resisted, but only just [98% progress].
Air Damage Report. Four Turkish raids only killed 90 Italian troops in Siena that day.
OTL Event: France. Allied forces raided airfields and coastal installations in northern France, hitting Calais particularly hard as part of the deception plan to make the Germans think the landings would be made there. [Comment: The liberation of France in this ATL was far less painful for the local populace – and the Allies – than is was to prove in OTL.]
---xxx---
12 May 44
Early that morning, news came of victory at Siena in what would likely be one of the last significant battles in Italy. The remaining Italian 6,880 troops of 134a Divisione became POWs.
7 Inf Div immediately started down the coast towards Rome, while 171 SD paralleled that move via Viterbo.
In the north, 3 Cav Div took Turin unopposed that afternoon. It may not have advanced the Italian surrender equation, but it was still a significant landmark as Italian resistance melted away and the road to the Vichy border lay open.
The Adana garrison was unified in Antakya at 6pm, with its organisation still below 50% as their post-conversion re-training continued.
The day ended with Siena being occupied and the wave of slower-moving infantry divisions advancing towards the front line north of Rome. While in northern Italy, MAJGEN Diskoerekto’s 3 Mtn Div attacked some unsupplied Italian counterparts in the mountains of Aosta, where he would prevail by 9am the next morning.
Air Damage Report. The last Turkish raid on Siena killed 46.
OTL Event: Italy. 19-year old Indian Sepoy Kamal Ram earned the Victoria Cross for his actions during his battalion's assault on the Gustav Line in Italy. Ram wiped out a German machine-gun post single-handedly, induced a second one to surrender and then assisted a companion in destroying a third. [Comment: in the ATL, resistance in Italy is thankfully far less trying.]
---xxx---
13 May 44
The busy air base in Split was expanded to Level 9 facilities, with seven Turkish and one Romanian wing currently based there. An increase in leadership from recent conquests in Italy plus a decrease in espionage training was fed into diplomacy (to ensure future license purchases) and officer training (officer staffing now at 115%).
Later that morning, 3 Mot Div arrived in Civitavecchia and were ready to attack, so no more time was lost: the Battle of Rome started. And the Italian commander skilfully countered Kanatli’s blitz attack, ensuring it would not be a push-over. 4 AG established an air superiority patrol over the city to lure out any Reggia Aeronautica opposition and pave the way for Turkish supporting air raids.
The Italians soon responded, with a dogfight over Rome from midday followed up by a heavy Turkish raid from 4pm by 1 BG.
At 6pm, 2 Armd Div finished its reorganisation and moved to join in the attack on Rome.
That night, at 8pm acting CAPT Metin Sadik was in San Remo, conducting a border patrol to scout ahead to Vichy-held Nice, where they discovered only a single collaborationist brigade was stationed.
I’ve decided that the fate of our ‘everyman hero’ will be decided by the RNG God. Every time 15 Inf Div is in combat and takes casualties, at the end of the battle I will roll the percentage die to see if he succumbs, using casualties/starting strength for the formula. So even I don’t know if he will make it through to the end and will be in just as much suspense as the readership. Hopefully, from here future casualties should be light, but you never know what the fickleness of fate may have in store. Hopefully he won’t be the last Turk killed in the last battle of Great War Two!
Air Damage Report. The first raid on Rome that night killed just the 41 Italian defenders. The mission would continue into the next day.
OTL Events: The Atlantic, Crimea and Italy. A U.S. destroyer escort sank the former German U-boat U-1224, which had been given to the Japanese Navy and renamed RO-501. It was the first of two times a Japanese ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean during the war. The Germans completed their withdrawal from the Crimea, having evacuated more than 150,000 men by air and sea over several weeks. And near Cassino, Italy, British Captain Richard Wakeford killed a number of the enemy and took 20 prisoners while armed with only a revolver. The following day he organised and led a force to attack a hill despite taking wounds to his face, arms and legs. Wakeford would be awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions.
---xxx---
14-15 May 44
Overcrowding over Rome was hampering the effectiveness of the bombing [80% stacking penalty, including the three INT wings providing additional escort, with only 18 casualties caused in the next overnight raid]. Since no more Italian fighters had intervened, 4 AG was switched to an intercept mission to lessen the numbers. There were still two La-5 escort wings with 1 BG and 4 AG could respond quickly if required. This improved things significantly, with the following daylight raid causing 75 ground casualties.
At 1pm, 1 Mtn Div pulled into Terni and was ordered through four mountain provinces to Monto Cassino, below Rome on the Tyrrhenian coast. That evening, 2 Armd Div still waited to reinforce the attack on Rome. The Government of the DDR advised that Germany was mobilising on the evening of 15 May and would ‘soon be able to field a strong army’. For once such an assurance from a defeated enemy carried a degree of plausibility. And the ground attacks by 1 BG on Rome were picking up their effectiveness (155 killed in the latest raid).
A day later, 2 Armd Div had still not reinforced, but the Italian garrison in Rome was slowly being worn down as Kanatli’s blitz tactics now found an advantage.
Air Damage Report. Turkish raids killed 248 Italian troops on 14 May and another 417 on the 15th.
OTL Events: France. On 14 May Vichy radio reported that French cardinals had appealed to the Roman Catholic clergy in Britain and the United States to use their influence to ensure that the French civilian population as well as towns, works of art and churches would be spared from Allied bombing as much as possible. In Algiers, French Vice-Admiral Edmond Derrien was sentenced to life in prison on 15 May for handing over units of the French Fleet to the Germans in December 1942, after the Allied landing in North Africa.
---xxx---
16-17 May 44
The battle for Rome continued through 16 May and until 8pm on the 17th, when the last Italian troops retreated – but no battle report of casualties was received.
And during the 16th, the last hurrah of the Reggia Aeronautica saw a single TAC wing start to bomb the 1 Mot Div in Civita Castellana. The F4F Wildcats of 3 AG responded, limiting the casualties caused – especially on the raid that finished at midnight as they degraded the enemy bomber formation, even as their comrades continued to strike Rome.
At midnight on 17 May, four Turkish divisions hit the back-pedalling 4a Divisione Aplini in Briancon on the Vichy border, declaring victory at 11am (Turkey 51/47,968; Italy 211/8,886 killed). This would be the last battle of the war against Italy: Rome was occupied that night.
Air Damage Report. Six more raids on Rome over 16-17 May killed another 488 Italian soldiers, making a total of 1,194 since the night of the 13th. The two Italian raids on Civita Castellana killed a total of 60 Turkish troops.
---xxx---
18-20 May 44
The Fascist regime would surrender at midnight from their brief new capital in Naples. Italy was annexed into the UGNR. And in another pleasant surprise, the vagaries of the peace settlement saw Libya ceded to Turkey, despite having been fully occupied by Britain! But the UK were granted Sardinia and a small part of French territory that had been occupied by Italy back in 1940. The US was granted Rhodes as a Mediterranean base.
The Axis really only existed in the East now, led by Japan. By 19 May, Turkish manpower reserves had finally risen to a small surplus. By the end of the month, it would hold 6,000 soldiers with hardly any replacements needed, while the acquisition of Italy boosted monthly recruiting to a little over 31,000 men.
The extra leadership resources were sunk into a tenth research project, to improve education further.
And the march to the Vichy border, including from units in central Italy, began. The latter would almost certainly not be needed to defeat the weak Vichy forces in southern France, but a follow-on operation to strike Spain was anticipated, for which overwhelming force would be wanted.
That afternoon, 1 AG, 1 BG and 2 AG were all pushed forward to bases in Milan and Genova.
In Sicily, by the end of the day a new air base was established in Palermo and eight wings were present there after ‘reserve-hopping’ across from their Adriatic bases during the day.
Naturally, the Istanbul Times led the next day with the big news, including some initial details of the new administration Turkey began to assemble in occupied Italy.
Some excess IC and manpower was invested in a new vanity project on 20 May with two wings of jet-powered Arado Ar-234B Blitz TAC ordered on license from the DDR.
---xxx---
Los Angeles
At the L.A.P.D. HQ, Ed Exley is being presented a commendation for his work on ‘solving’ the Midnite Owl murder case. He accepts a handshake from CAPT Dudley Smith.
“Your father would've been proud.”
Exley uses the surrounding babble to have a private chat with Dudley.
“There are loose ends out there, Dudley. I …”
“There always are. But there are also three men and three guns. Matched forensically. A few loose ends don't matter.”
“Something's wrong. I feel it inside. Doesn't that sound crazy?”
Dudley puts an arm around Exley's shoulder and smiles as more bulbs flash from the press gallery.
“Breaking a big case sticks you in a whirlwind. A little self-doubt? It's natural. Just keep it inside.”
Exley considers his medal. It is an appealing concept. And yet …
---xxx---
21-28 May 44
Two more garrison brigades finished their conversion to mountain units in Kalamata on 23 May and took troop trains to Split, where another mountain division would be formed.
On 24 May the Riyad Militia Division attacked the Saudi rebels in Umm Lajj on the Red Sea Coast. There was no resistance offered and the province was re-occupied on 27 May.
The Turkish 2nd Navy was largely repaired and reorganised by 1am on 25 May and rejoined the 1st Navy in Izmir.
With enough units in place for an attack on Vichy France, at 5am on 26 May the old Blenheims of 12 BG were sent to the Gulf of Tunis on a scouting mission from Palermo, to see if they could pick up any Vichy dispositions in Tunis: none were spotted.
More IC became available on 27 May, with two ultra-modern Addams-class DD flotillas ordered from the US on license, three convoys set into production to allow future resource and supply lines to be maintained by sea, plus three more TP flotillas to boost Turkish naval transport and landing capacity.
Even after all these recent new projects, a small manpower surplus would be held by the end of the month.
---xxx---
Los Angeles
Bud has been watching Lynn Bracken's apartment; coloured lights play on the windows; shadows pass. Finally the front door opens: there's ‘Veronica Lake’, all sparkles and spangles, kissing another distinguished gentleman goodnight. Bud watches the man into a waiting limo. As it pulls away he gets out and knocks on the door.
“I wondered when you might ring the bell again, Officer White.”
“It's Bud.” Bud looks at Lynn a moment, then down at his own feet. Embarrassed. She smiles.
“You should see yourself. You look like you're ten years old.”
Bud looks back up. Lynn's smile fades as she studies his face. She's not going to ask questions. Lynn looks at him a moment more, then runs a hand through the blonde hair covering one eye.
“If you'd called first, I wouldn't look this ridiculous.”
They kiss, but he draws back a little.
“You're wondering if Patchett told me to be receptive.”
Bud doesn't answer, but thinks yes.
“It doesn't matter. I like you, Bud. I really do.” She kisses him. Softly, drawing it out. Not a job. She wants to make love to him. And Bud stops thinking.
“It doesn't matter. I like you, Bud. I really do.”
After they have made love, he confides in her.
“There's something wrong with the Midnite Owl. That prick Exley got the wrong guys. But they made him a hero and whoever killed my partner is still out there.”
Frustrated, Bud pokes at his own chest.
“In here I know it. But I can't prove it. I'm not a detective. I'm not smart enough. I'm just the guy they bring in to scare the other guy shitless.” He looks away, embarrassed to have shown so much of himself. Lynn reaches over, turns his face back to her.
“You found Patchett. You found me. You're smart enough. Be a detective if that's what you want.”
“That simple, huh?”
Lynn nods. “That simple.”
---xxx---
29 May 44
Everything was in place by the evening of 29 May for a declaration of the now friendless Vichy regime. Vichy joined the Axis and was only at war with the Comintern – the Allies (ie Britain and France) were not involved. The Turkish objective was conquest and 14 divisions were soon rolling over the Vichy border.
As the navy set out from Izmir with the full marine landing force, the Adana Garrison Division marched over the Syrian border, both aiming for Beirut.
Within an hour, six Turkish divisions were attacking a single Vichy brigade in Nice at odds of 20-1. It was no surprise when resistance lasted just four hours.
2 BG conducted a ‘bombing recon’ of Tunis, finding no ships, planes or troops there at 10pm that night. They executed a port strike and headed back to Palermo.
Air Damage Report. Simultaneously, the Turkish air force had raided Nice, where at that time the Vichy troops were still resisting, killing 180 Vichy soldiers on the ground in the last bombing mission of the month.
---xxx---
30 May 44
An analysis of Vichy victory objectives on the afternoon of 30 May showed the biggest single targets were in Tunis, Alger, Beirut and Casablanca. Those in southern France were more dispersed, with a few more in Africa and the Middle East.
In the Pacific, another attempt was made to energise the US, with objectives suggested for Midway Is, Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya in the hope of encouraging some invasions.
The Turkish-American combined marine expeditionary force began landing in Soûr at 7pm, finding Beirut itself to be garrisoned. The Vichy French were sending a division south to try to contest the landing.
---xxx---
Los Angeles
With both Exley and White continuing to dig into the Midnite Owl affair separately, Exley learns of Bud’s interest and follows him. He’s outside Lynn’s house and presses up to the glass of a side window.
White sits on a footstool massaging a pair of women's feet. Exley takes a long, curious look. This isn't the Bud White he’s used to. A pair of woman's hands take Bud, the arms covered in glitter and satin.
Lynn Bracken leans forward to kiss her policeman. It may have been a long day, but she's every inch Veronica Lake. Only the hair's not over her eye. They stand, kiss again. Lynn's gown spills down around her ankles. Bud scoops her into his arms and the two of them disappear into a bedroom.
Maybe White's not so dumb after all, thinks Ed to himself. And it’s a connection with the Fleur-de-Lis again. Run by that guy Pierce Patchett. Time to talk to him, I reckon.
Exley does so the next morning, but doesn’t get very far. Pierce Patchett, in a silk robe, smiles unflappably at Ed.
“I believe the Midnite Owl's your area of expertise, Mr. Exley. I saw you on television getting your medal.”
Ed looks a bit sour and says nothing.
“I'll tell you what I told Officer White when he asked me about Susan's Leffert’s death there.”
“Bud White’s been here?” Patchett ignores the question.
“For the last time. I may suborn women into illicit activities, but they're handsomely compensated, I treat them well and make sure the men they deal with show them every due respect.”
“Is the Veronica Lake look-alike one of your whores?”
“A vulgar term, but yes.”
“What's her name?”
“Lynn Bracken.”
“Why do men and women usually see each other?”
“Anything else you want to add before I talk to her?”
“No.”
“Not good enough."
Patchett is unfazed. “Then try talking to my lawyer. Good evening, Lieutenant.”
---xxx---
31 May 44
The Comintern forces got ashore to Soûr first on the night of 31 May, quickly brushing off an ineffective Vichy attack. The 1st Turkish Mar Div was sent to secure Damascus, while the rest of the 1st Marine Corps launched a strong attack on Beirut, with naval gunfire support.
The big surprise at the end of the month came from the Beck puppet government in the DDR. They still had an old Nazi plan, Case Anton, on their books: and now it was executed on behalf of the Comintern! All provinces in southern France bar those physically occupied by Vichy units now came under German occupation.
But considerable work would need to be done to force non-metropolitan Vichy France to the surrender table. But with Libya now under Turkish rule and plenty of spare divisions ready for uplift and landings in North Africa, it should not take too long to subdue the vichyssoise-sippers.
---xxx---
Theatre Summaries
The ‘New Europe’ was substantially shaping up by the end of May 1944. Turkish casualties had been light during the limited fighting in Italy that month and the rebuilding of air and naval units had been able to resume as a small manpower surplus was maintained.
The situation in Southern France was now even easier for the Turkish attackers after the German-engineered Case Anton takeover.
The Soviet redeployment to theFar East, supported by Romanian formations, was now well under way following the German surrender on 8 May.
On the Eastern Front, steady progress had been made in May as the Soviets slowly closed in on the key regional centre of Irkutsk.
In Asia, the Allies had made a little net progress in eastern India and held their lines in South East Asia.
There had been no change to the front lines in Australia or New Zealand.
---xxx---
Naval Report
France had lost another light cruiser (the Emile Bertin) and DD flotilla to Japan, with Australia also losing another DD flotilla. No other navies recorded losses, while any remaining Italian ships had been scuttled on their surrender.
---xxx---
Coming Up:The Turkish Supreme HQ predicted the war with Vichy should be completely resolved in June, with current operations and a series of ‘SMELT’ naval landings in North Africa forcing a surrender. This would allow a build up against Spain to be started.
In L.A., the plot gets thicker by the day. What will Exley find when he confronts Lynn Bracken? How will White react if he finds Exley is interrogating her? Who had been trying to cut off those loose threads, at the Midnite Owl and afterwards? Who is playing who?
Excellent stuff. The British probably won't keep sardinia for long, France has been cut in half by German cunning (as we long desired) and rhe US are now just off rhe coast in Rhodes, meaning they can easily give us support both in terms of air power, ships and eventually missiles.
Now it looks like this is how things will go:
Turkey - Italy, probably the new south France government when it splits from Germany, most of North Africa, Syria, Romania, the balkans, Austria, Slovakia (maybe with the Czechs as well) and whatever else we can get from the british post war (main aim is Egypt but Malta and Cyprus would be good too). Maybe Spain too, if it comes to it.
UK - has secured the low countries, and Northern France. Got sardinia but probably can't keep it. Not gone too well for them, recently.
US - now have an excuse to stay on and interfere between us and Stalin with their new base in Rhodes. Honestly, whilst it complicates matters, it's good news for us.
Soviets - Poland, Germany, Denmark, the baltic states, various bits of Eastern Europe and borders with Turkey to be negotiated post war...and a very, very strong position overall in Europe. So long as rhey can keep Turkey happy, the comintern basically has a stranglehold on everyone.
All in all, stage is set for UK decline and decolonisation, us to ease into the gaps left by them, and the US and USSR to wage a cold war with Turkey as a middle man in the Med.
The day ended with Siena being occupied and the wave of slower-moving infantry divisions advancing towards the front line north of Rome. While in northern Italy, MAJGEN Diskoerekto’s 3 Mtn Div attacked some unsupplied Italian counterparts in the mountains of Aosta, where he would prevail by 9am the next morning.
I’ve decided that the fate of our ‘everyman hero’ will be decided by the RNG God. Every time 15 Inf Div is in combat and takes casualties, at the end of the battle I will roll the percentage die to see if he succumbs, using casualties/starting strength for the formula. So even I don’t know if he will make it through to the end and will be in just as much suspense as the readership. Hopefully, from here future casualties should be light, but you never know what the fickleness of fate may have in store. Hopefully he won’t be the last Turk killed in the last battle of Great War Two!
The Fascist regime would surrender at midnight from their brief new capital in Naples. Italy was annexed into the UGNR. And in another pleasant surprise, the vagaries of the peace settlement saw Libya ceded to Turkey, despite having been fully occupied by Britain! But the UK were granted Sardinia and a small pact of French territory that had been occupied by Italy back in 1940. The US was granted Rhodes as a Mediterranean base.
And a few Alpine towns for the entirety of Libya? That's a steal! Libya was one of the last pieces of the Ottoman Empire that was lost, so it's gained after only like 3 decades or so. A young Atatürk lost the sight of an eye trying to resist against the Italians in Libya. So sentimental value as well.
Some excess IC and manpower was invested in a new vanity project on 20 May with two wings of jet-powered Arado Ar-234B Blitz TAC ordered on license from the DDR.
The big surprise at the end of the month came from the Beck puppet government in the DDR. They still had an old Nazi plan, Case Anton, on their books: and now it was executed on behalf of the Comintern! All provinces in southern France bar those physically occupied by Vichy units now came under German occupation.
ehh??? Not our puppet Germany, it seems? But is there another Germany still alive and kicking? A government in exile in Japan or something came back to Vichy France for a final showdown?
Great episode! Fridays are always good but this made mine doubly so!
Vichy joined the Axis and was only at war with the Comintern – the Allies (ie Britain and France) were not involved. The Turkish objective was conquest and 14 divisions were soon rolling over the Vichy border.
In the Pacific, another attempt was made to energise the US, with objectives suggested for Midway Is, Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya in the hope of encouraging some invasions.
The big surprise at the end of the month came from the Beck puppet government in the DDR. They still had an old Nazi plan, Case Anton, on their books: and now it was executed on behalf of the Comintern!
Excellent stuff. The British probably won't keep sardinia for long, France has been cut in half by German cunning (as we long desired) and rhe US are now just off rhe coast in Rhodes, meaning they can easily give us support both in terms of air power, ships and eventually missiles.
Yes,it went well. All those German agents left in Vichy clearly didn’t care who was pulling the strings now in Berlin! They were always good at ‘just following orders’! And having that US presence is reassuring - for now at least. Though if we ever came to blows with them, we’d probably have to plaster it with V2s and invade if we could.
Turkey - Italy, probably the new south France government when it splits from Germany, most of North Africa, Syria, Romania, the balkans, Austria, Slovakia (maybe with the Czechs as well) and whatever else we can get from the british post war (main aim is Egypt but Malta and Cyprus would be good too). Maybe Spain too, if it comes to it.
UK - has secured the low countries, and Northern France. Got sardinia but probably can't keep it. Not gone too well for them, recently.
US - now have an excuse to stay on and interfere between us and Stalin with their new base in Rhodes. Honestly, whilst it complicates matters, it's good news for us.
Soviets - Poland, Germany, Denmark, the baltic states, various bits of Eastern Europe and borders with Turkey to be negotiated post war...and a very, very strong position overall in Europe. So long as rhey can keep Turkey happy, the comintern basically has a stranglehold on everyone.
We definitely want Spain as, like Britain, we want to seal off the Med given that’s the centre (and key vulnerability) of our burgeoning empire now. Which, indeed, means we’d really like to seal off the Suez as well. Given how things have gone now, maybe Germany won’t be as obviously in the Soviet column as we had been thinking, though … and intriguing thought for the new post-war order …
All in all, stage is set for UK decline and decolonisation, us to ease into the gaps left by them, and the US and USSR to wage a cold war with Turkey as a middle man in the Med.
This looks a plausible outcome. And maybe with Japan like the British on the periphery on the Axis side of things. Definitely secondary, but still a pain for the Soviets for some time yet.
Yes, though unless the 15th gets involved in any heavy battles in Spain, he should be fine. And yes, thanks for picking up the typo in his name: fixed.
Yet another anomalous surprise that worked in Turkey’s favour! Libya in-game really should have gone to the British, for now anyway, given it was something they actually fought for.
And a few Alpine towns for the entirety of Libya? That's a steal! Libya was one of the last pieces of the Ottoman Empire that was lost, so it's gained after only like 3 decades or so. A young Atatürk lost the sight of an eye trying to resist against the Italians in Libya. So sentimental value as well.
I stopped short of rocket interceptors, but these looked juicy and my TAC so far has been underperforming. The Me-262s look tempting as well, though I do have a fair bit of older m/r fighters for now. The Phantom was a trusty mr fighter bomber that could pack a punch In its day!
ehh??? Not our puppet Germany, it seems? But is there another Germany still alive and kicking? A government in exile in Japan or something came back to Vichy France for a final showdown?
Yes, our puppets but it seems still with a few old strings attached! The Case Anton conditions clearly didn’t anticipate Vichy outlasting Germany as a neutral, who were by then a puppet of Turkey. Really, Case Anton should have been blocked, but heh … what I don’t know from here is where (if anywhere) southern France goes next, other than as territory occupied by Germany. If Turkey conquers Vichy, will it then ‘do a Libya’ and revert to Turkey?
No, I think they must be inhibited from building in southern France. And Anton was designed to ensure the Germans could step in to defend a weakened Vichy in France itself from Allied invasion, which the Anton event assumes has arisen from them joining the Axis due to an Allied DoW. Not a Comintern one after Germany has already been defeated!
Thanks. Of course, the dialogue and plot are heavily derived/quoted from the screenplay, but whittled down to my key characters and adapted to the TT narrative, which will become increasingly apparent later.
Yet another anomalous surprise that worked in Turkey’s favour! Libya in-game really should have gone to the British, for now anyway, given it was something they actually fought for.
and nowadays is actually the 110th anniversary of that war, so this history youtube channel that I enjoy a lot has put a few hours a video about it, what a coincidence!
I stopped short of rocket interceptors, but these looked juicy and my TAC so far has been underperforming. The Me-262s look tempting as well, though I do have a fair bit of older m/r fighters for now. The Phantom was a trusty mr fighter bomber that could pack a punch In its day!
F4 being a beast with some longevity and adaptability, even though created as a naval interceptor we've been using them primarily as TAC (ehhh strike/attack aircraft like an Aardvark I think the closest match in HoI is a TAC) for quite some time (maybe even since we ever got them). MR fighter bomber is also a good way to describe them. Being designed for carrier deck means an extra decade or five more lifetime modernized with new avionics, we're still using them!
Thanks. Of course, the dialogue and plot are heavily derived/quoted from the screenplay, but whittled down to my key characters and adapted to the TT narrative, which will become increasingly apparent later.
Hmm. I suppose if Germany stays with us, and we have southern France and Italy and Spain, then we have a chance of maybe forming a proper third bloc (a paternalistic EU much more biased, or rather balanced, towards the whole Med region, the balkans and Turkey) led by Turkey. The US would support that. Stalin wouldn't, but this could naturally evolve and expand once he dies (in the 50s onwards). And it would smooth britian's ruffled feathers about a new empire stealing their stuff if in exchange we keep the Soviets actually on the Eastern border of Germany rather than right across the Channel...
I've got to say, a few mechanized formations to go galavanting across North Africa would have been awesome. Bit annoying that there wasn't a "closing" parameter on the Case Anton, but maybe they could be said to have "seen the writing on the wall" for it.
