-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Only have so much time at the moment, with RL, work and other AARs, but thanks for the support (it’s nice to have some demand drive) and I will try to get another out as soon as I can manage it. 
Come April, I will have a bit more time and I hope to get my other HOI3 AAR finished in the quite near future.
*PS: it is TT’s turn for update now, next two weeks have been played but it will take a while to edit the pics and write up.
Come April, I will have a bit more time and I hope to get my other HOI3 AAR finished in the quite near future.*PS: it is TT’s turn for update now, next two weeks have been played but it will take a while to edit the pics and write up.
Last edited:
- 1
Chapter 100: The Sound of Gunfire (16 to 25 November 1940)
Chapter 100: The Sound of Gunfire (16 to 25 November 1940)
Foreword
In order to get episodes out a little more frequently while I’m still working on my other AARs and RL is at peak, I will shorten the in-game reporting period and scope of chapters for a while. And maybe making them a little shorter (well, for this AAR) will make them more easily digestible. This centenary chapter appropriately focuses on the heat of battle. A battle that likely has years to go and currently hangs in the balance.
Recap
Paris has fallen, though a wounded France fights on, the Government operating out of Bordeaux. The stalemate on the Eastern Front continues, but the dark cloud of a revived Axis assault in the new year, following the likely fall of France sometime by or before the winter of 1940-41, looms over the Comintern comrades-in-arms. The Far East remains a disaster area for the Soviets and the Asian Comintern countries and it is not clear whether the Japanese advance has been slowed or halted yet.
The US inches slowly towards more direct support of the Allies but remains far away from joining the war themselves. It is now clear Chamberlain’s British Government will not come to the aid of the French, though they appear to control the seas and much of North Africa. How the likely fall of France will affect this balance, especially in the Mediterranean, remains uncertain.
Turkey faces renewed pressure on the Yeniçeri Line, which is becoming increasingly hard and costly to repel. Axis air power is, as feared, taking a heavy toll on their troops, who lack serious air defences and have no fighter air support. While France’s long fight may be coming to an end, they do seem to have forestalled the Germans taking full advantage of Hitler’s ‘Destiny Factor’ in the east. But even with that threat soon to be abated, the impact of a likely transfer of seasoned German panzer divisions, crack generals and more airpower to the Eastern Front has the Turkish General staff worried – and justifiably so.
And in Switzerland, the impulsive ‘Sonny’ Ceylan plays with matches as he sits atop the figurative powder keg. Cennet is in the hands of the Tattaglias and is being used as bait to bring Sonny to the negotiating table. But what kind of discussion will it be? The scene is set for another tense period as we once again Talk Turkey.
16 Nov 40
While the Yeniçeri Line remains reasonably quiet, back in Istanbul yet another Axis agent, this one from Manchukuo, is apprehended and ‘neutralised’. This time, he was caught trying to infiltrate the office of Tom Rosencrantz at the Şanli Ülkü. Maybe the new propaganda sheet has hit a nerve with the Axis? Surely all they would find there is abundant and glorious Truth!
17 Nov 40
Another spy, this time from the UK’s puppet, Iraq, is discovered. Upon interrogation, he indicates that he had been sent to make contact with a ‘well-placed source’ in Ankara. He does not know the name of the source and was to have been contacted by an agent not known to him using a specific pass-phrase. As Kaya’s internal security advisors were debating whether it might be possible to ‘turn’ this Iraqi agent in an attempt to reveal this potential ‘mole’, Darth Kelebek, temporarily returned from Europe and lurking in the S.I.T.H. 'dungeon', decided to try to extract more information from the captured spy. Unfortunately, this effort resulted in the captive being ‘permanently neutralised’. Not killed, just rendered insensible and of no further use as a possible double agent. The others in the room could not understand what happened to the man, but the Iraqi was given a brief personal glimpse, for his eyes only, of another of Kelebek’s ‘true faces’. It rendered him permanently insensible.
A short glimpse of Kelebek was too much for the sanity of the poor Iraqi prisoner.
18 Nov 40
The new US Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, announces a US trade embargo on Germany.
In Ankara, Perse receives a short letter from her former boss, BJ Guildenstern. He has ended up in sunny Hawaii, still living off his ill-gotten gains from his lucrative - if often alarming and ultimately soul-destroying (well, if he’d had any soul to speak of) time in Turkey.
BJ Guildenstern in ‘relaxed tropical attire’. He has been enjoying Hawaii and the islands of the South Pacific.
He also sends a postcard.
"Hey babe, there’s fun in the sun – wish you were here!"
Tempting though this may be (or not), Persephonee knows where her true duty lies. She puts the letter and postcard in her desk drawer and moves onto the next item of business. This is what must be done to help win the war!
“Yes Mustapha, let’s go with this. Have it translated into Turkish and run off 20,000!”
19 Nov 40
A complete new front-line infantry division is welcomed into the Turkish Army. It is placed in Lublinje to start to reconstitute the reserve formations that had earlier been sent north-east (first to try to create a force for an attack on Hungary, then to hold the line against a series of major Axis attacks there). With the Corps HQs all currently ‘full’, for now this unit will report to the Supreme Command (ie theatre) HQ.
In exciting news for the Air Force, the production capacity freed up will contribute to another new fighter wing. The latest model Soviet interceptor – the LaGG-3 – is now available for license purchase. With the Polykarpov I-16s already ordered and being produced, this would eventually bring Turkish fighter strength up to three wings (all of different models): maybe enough to one day start contesting the Axis TAC (the Italians and Hungarians) that currently ranges freely over the Yeniçeri Line.
Third Battle of Ada Commences
At 1pm on 19 November, the SS-Verfügungstruppe Division launches another attack, this time on the well-worn battleground of Ada. They are joined by the Hungarian 7th Division. Neither the SS-Verf Div or the defending Turkish 10 Inf Div are fully recovered from previous exertions. The troops engaged at this time did not know this would become the most costly, hard-fought and one of the longest battles fought by Turkey in any of its wars since 1937. It will rival the great battles of the Greek War in its complexity and fluctuating fortunes. The rest of this chapter will largely tell the story of the battle.
Just an hour after the battle commences, the German 17th Div chimes in from Novi Sad, sitting in reserve for now as it attempts to reinforce the Axis attack.
Cordell Hull is proving to be an active Secretary of State: he now declares an embargo on Italy, citing their part in their back-stabbing war of aggression on France.
And by 10pm, Inönü receives word at 1st Army HQ in Kraljeva that yet another German infantry division – the well-known 23rd – has also joined the enemy reserve for the attack on Ada. He responds by ordering the veteran 15 Inf Div to move from theatre reserve in Beograd to Ruma, from where they can be ordered to Ada if necessary.
During the day, three Hungarian air raids on Timisoara in Romania kill 299 Comintern troops. In Ada, the Italians start bombing in the afternoon, with one raid killing 131 Turkish troops.
20 Nov 40
Early that morning, Inönü puts a request in to the Soviets: he asks them to disregard Kikinda (now well secured) as a defensive objective and replaces it by setting an objective to rally to Ada instead. It may not produce any result (they had not sent any troops to Kikinda), but there are quite a few Soviet units in the vicinity. Perhaps they might do something useful. And at 1pm, concerned about the strength and persistence of the Axis attack and threat of their reserve units reinforcing, Inönü orders Gürler to reinforce Ada.
The air raids on Timisoara do not resume today, but the Italians establish a pattern of one morning and one afternoon air raid on Ada each day. 225 Turkish troops are killed on the 20th.
21 Nov 40
An advance in delay doctrine is warmly welcomed by Turkey’s supporting arms. Research effort is now thrown into improving tactical command structures.
The battle in Ada rages on. By the evening, the enemy’s 17th Div has reinforced, though the effects of their assault are skilfully countered by Alankup’s use of an elastic defence. He hopes to buy time for his own reinforcements to arrive, as 10 Inf Div tires (as does the SS-Verf Div).
Italian air raids kill another 220 Turkish defenders in Ada.
22 Nov 40
As Inönü awaits the latest battle summary from Ada, his French liaison officer reports that his compatriots have slowly given ground, but the front has not yet collapsed.
On this map, the blue line was the position at the beginning of the month, arrows advances to 15 November, with the Axis markers showing provinces gained by them in the last week.
At 7pm, word is received that 6 Inf Div has arrived in Ada from Kikinda. They now go into reserve [and have a 0.50% reinforcement chance]. The fight continues as the initial units from both sides continue to lose organisation. Italian air raids killed 174 Turkish defenders in Ada.
23 Nov 40
Early in the morning, 15 Inf Div arrives in Ruma and is sent straight on to Ada. It will take them another four days to arrive. The battle may be over by then, but they are likely to be needed to relieve exhausted comrades to hold the province if the battle is won, or maybe counter-attack (hopefully) exhausted Axis defenders if it is lost.
Later that morning, a comprehensive situational report (SITREP) is given at 1st Army HQ. Axis air raids continue, some forces on both sides are approaching breaking point, while others are also tiring. Both sides have a division in reserve, and while the Axis have one division more committed to the battle, the Turkish reserve division is fresher.
As expected, by 2pm the SS-Verf Div has retreated, but the enemy’s 23rd Div reinforces to take their place. Both Turkish defenders continue to tire and 6 Inf Div have not yet reinforced. Italian air raids killed 309 Turkish defenders in Ada.
An officer from the Turkish 6 Inf Div instructs his soldiers on the Maxim machine gun, as they prepare to reinforce the battle in Ada, 23 November 1940.
24 Nov 40
Good news is received with Inönü’s breakfast SITREP: 6 Inf Div reinforced at 2am, so now both sides in Ada have three divisions on the front line. And at 4am, the Hungarian 7th Div fled the field. This is tempered by a report that 10 Inf Div will soon need to withdraw itself, while the Italian Air Force continues its bombing campaign.
By late that night, 10 Inf Div have had enough. They are ordered to retreat to Kikinda to recover, before they break and are forced to rout indiscriminately.
Italian air raids killed 277 Turkish defenders in Ada.
25 Nov 40
The Third Battle for Ada is reaching its crescendo. At 8am, the exhausted German 17th division retreats. This leaves Busch ‘The Nemesis’ with his 23rd Div in charge of the battle for the Axis. But again he is left with too little to prevail, it would seem. Meanwhile, 9 Inf Div is also nearing complete exhaustion.
The battle is almost won by 8pm, but 9 Inf Div is about to break. They are ordered south to Ruma, to reinforce and reorganise, their job well done. At 10pm the Axis attack finally ends, with victory to Turkey! Italian air raids killed 290 more Turkish defenders in Ada that day, before the battle was won.
The casualties on both sides have been very heavy, especially on the attackers. But as always, the lighter Turkish losses in ground combat are offset (indeed surpassed) by heavy casualties from air raids, which total 1,626 over the six days of the battle. When added in, the death toll on both sides was relatively even. Of note, it seems the Soviets have attacked Novi Sad (to the west of Ada), which may have helped to break up the enemy attack and should lead to the retaking of that province. A rousing ‘Huzzah!’ for Comintern cooperation. Cumbersome it may often be, but a lot better than that between France and Britain.
15 Inf Div is due to arrive in Ada on the morning of the 27th to reinforce the defence, while the two retired divisions will recuperate in and reinforce the defences of Kikinda and Ruma. The following morning’s edition of the Şanli Ülkü carries the President’s words of victory, encouragement and resolute determination.
Switzerland
Dear readers may recall we last saw Sonny Ceylan as he headed out of the Ambassador’s Residence in a rage, driving north to Seglingen, just over the Rhine. Even though Cennet warned it was a trap. Carlo Rizzi, the Tattaglia’s Capo in Zurich, said he wanted to discuss a truce at the Über den Rhein Gasthof.
As Sonny drives north, fuming with rage over Rizzi’s brazen ploy, he thinks how he might handle things. What he really wants to do is burst in, blast Rizzi and any henchmen with him down, rescue Cennet and then set all S.I.T.H. resources in Western Europe to destroying the remaining leadership of the Tattaglia crime family. It’s what they deserve, the sonsabitches and pezzonovante, one and all!
As he approaches the toll point at the bridge over the Rhine, on the way to the meeting place at Seglingen, he tries to marshal his thinking a little better. If he attempts to take them down by himself, he’d likely get killed. No, he would swallow his anger – for now anyway – and see what Rizzi had to say. He could cook Rizzi’s goose later. I'll park some distance off and case the joint first, he thinks to himself. Perhaps find a phone booth and call for some reinforcements, just in case. Yes, that would be the smarter approach. It’s what Pa would do. Patience. Control. Then cold revenge later, once the enemy’s guard is down.
Sonny arrives at the toll-booth over the Rhine at Seglingen. This time, he will not go in guns blasting. He will try to learn the path of patience.
Coming Up: We will see if there are any follow-up attacks on the Yeniçeri Line. The next chapter will also contain the monthly round-up of the world’s battle zones, especially the situation in France, which still fights an increasingly desperate rear-guard action. Will they still be fighting by month’s end? How will Vito Ceylan deal with the death of his son and the underground war with the Tattaglias? Can he safely recover Cennet – he hopes the Tattaglia’s do not realise she is in fact a S.I.T.H. ‘asset’, not just a young Turkish lady learning the finer elements of Western deportment and education in neutral Switzerland. Once again, however, he will remonstrate with the Swiss authorities and complain about how their supposedly peaceful streets seem to be a free-fire zone for Mafia hoodlums against innocent Turkish diplomats. At least the Turks have been doing their killing of pissant Mafiosa in Italy or Turkey itself! Though he doesn’t mention that out loud!
Foreword
In order to get episodes out a little more frequently while I’m still working on my other AARs and RL is at peak, I will shorten the in-game reporting period and scope of chapters for a while. And maybe making them a little shorter (well, for this AAR) will make them more easily digestible. This centenary chapter appropriately focuses on the heat of battle. A battle that likely has years to go and currently hangs in the balance.
Recap
Paris has fallen, though a wounded France fights on, the Government operating out of Bordeaux. The stalemate on the Eastern Front continues, but the dark cloud of a revived Axis assault in the new year, following the likely fall of France sometime by or before the winter of 1940-41, looms over the Comintern comrades-in-arms. The Far East remains a disaster area for the Soviets and the Asian Comintern countries and it is not clear whether the Japanese advance has been slowed or halted yet.
The US inches slowly towards more direct support of the Allies but remains far away from joining the war themselves. It is now clear Chamberlain’s British Government will not come to the aid of the French, though they appear to control the seas and much of North Africa. How the likely fall of France will affect this balance, especially in the Mediterranean, remains uncertain.
Turkey faces renewed pressure on the Yeniçeri Line, which is becoming increasingly hard and costly to repel. Axis air power is, as feared, taking a heavy toll on their troops, who lack serious air defences and have no fighter air support. While France’s long fight may be coming to an end, they do seem to have forestalled the Germans taking full advantage of Hitler’s ‘Destiny Factor’ in the east. But even with that threat soon to be abated, the impact of a likely transfer of seasoned German panzer divisions, crack generals and more airpower to the Eastern Front has the Turkish General staff worried – and justifiably so.
And in Switzerland, the impulsive ‘Sonny’ Ceylan plays with matches as he sits atop the figurative powder keg. Cennet is in the hands of the Tattaglias and is being used as bait to bring Sonny to the negotiating table. But what kind of discussion will it be? The scene is set for another tense period as we once again Talk Turkey.
16 Nov 40
While the Yeniçeri Line remains reasonably quiet, back in Istanbul yet another Axis agent, this one from Manchukuo, is apprehended and ‘neutralised’. This time, he was caught trying to infiltrate the office of Tom Rosencrantz at the Şanli Ülkü. Maybe the new propaganda sheet has hit a nerve with the Axis? Surely all they would find there is abundant and glorious Truth!
17 Nov 40
Another spy, this time from the UK’s puppet, Iraq, is discovered. Upon interrogation, he indicates that he had been sent to make contact with a ‘well-placed source’ in Ankara. He does not know the name of the source and was to have been contacted by an agent not known to him using a specific pass-phrase. As Kaya’s internal security advisors were debating whether it might be possible to ‘turn’ this Iraqi agent in an attempt to reveal this potential ‘mole’, Darth Kelebek, temporarily returned from Europe and lurking in the S.I.T.H. 'dungeon', decided to try to extract more information from the captured spy. Unfortunately, this effort resulted in the captive being ‘permanently neutralised’. Not killed, just rendered insensible and of no further use as a possible double agent. The others in the room could not understand what happened to the man, but the Iraqi was given a brief personal glimpse, for his eyes only, of another of Kelebek’s ‘true faces’. It rendered him permanently insensible.
A short glimpse of Kelebek was too much for the sanity of the poor Iraqi prisoner.
18 Nov 40
The new US Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, announces a US trade embargo on Germany.
In Ankara, Perse receives a short letter from her former boss, BJ Guildenstern. He has ended up in sunny Hawaii, still living off his ill-gotten gains from his lucrative - if often alarming and ultimately soul-destroying (well, if he’d had any soul to speak of) time in Turkey.
BJ Guildenstern in ‘relaxed tropical attire’. He has been enjoying Hawaii and the islands of the South Pacific.
He also sends a postcard.
"Hey babe, there’s fun in the sun – wish you were here!"
Tempting though this may be (or not), Persephonee knows where her true duty lies. She puts the letter and postcard in her desk drawer and moves onto the next item of business. This is what must be done to help win the war!
“Yes Mustapha, let’s go with this. Have it translated into Turkish and run off 20,000!”
19 Nov 40
A complete new front-line infantry division is welcomed into the Turkish Army. It is placed in Lublinje to start to reconstitute the reserve formations that had earlier been sent north-east (first to try to create a force for an attack on Hungary, then to hold the line against a series of major Axis attacks there). With the Corps HQs all currently ‘full’, for now this unit will report to the Supreme Command (ie theatre) HQ.
In exciting news for the Air Force, the production capacity freed up will contribute to another new fighter wing. The latest model Soviet interceptor – the LaGG-3 – is now available for license purchase. With the Polykarpov I-16s already ordered and being produced, this would eventually bring Turkish fighter strength up to three wings (all of different models): maybe enough to one day start contesting the Axis TAC (the Italians and Hungarians) that currently ranges freely over the Yeniçeri Line.
Third Battle of Ada Commences
At 1pm on 19 November, the SS-Verfügungstruppe Division launches another attack, this time on the well-worn battleground of Ada. They are joined by the Hungarian 7th Division. Neither the SS-Verf Div or the defending Turkish 10 Inf Div are fully recovered from previous exertions. The troops engaged at this time did not know this would become the most costly, hard-fought and one of the longest battles fought by Turkey in any of its wars since 1937. It will rival the great battles of the Greek War in its complexity and fluctuating fortunes. The rest of this chapter will largely tell the story of the battle.
Just an hour after the battle commences, the German 17th Div chimes in from Novi Sad, sitting in reserve for now as it attempts to reinforce the Axis attack.
Cordell Hull is proving to be an active Secretary of State: he now declares an embargo on Italy, citing their part in their back-stabbing war of aggression on France.
And by 10pm, Inönü receives word at 1st Army HQ in Kraljeva that yet another German infantry division – the well-known 23rd – has also joined the enemy reserve for the attack on Ada. He responds by ordering the veteran 15 Inf Div to move from theatre reserve in Beograd to Ruma, from where they can be ordered to Ada if necessary.
During the day, three Hungarian air raids on Timisoara in Romania kill 299 Comintern troops. In Ada, the Italians start bombing in the afternoon, with one raid killing 131 Turkish troops.
20 Nov 40
Early that morning, Inönü puts a request in to the Soviets: he asks them to disregard Kikinda (now well secured) as a defensive objective and replaces it by setting an objective to rally to Ada instead. It may not produce any result (they had not sent any troops to Kikinda), but there are quite a few Soviet units in the vicinity. Perhaps they might do something useful. And at 1pm, concerned about the strength and persistence of the Axis attack and threat of their reserve units reinforcing, Inönü orders Gürler to reinforce Ada.
The air raids on Timisoara do not resume today, but the Italians establish a pattern of one morning and one afternoon air raid on Ada each day. 225 Turkish troops are killed on the 20th.
21 Nov 40
An advance in delay doctrine is warmly welcomed by Turkey’s supporting arms. Research effort is now thrown into improving tactical command structures.
The battle in Ada rages on. By the evening, the enemy’s 17th Div has reinforced, though the effects of their assault are skilfully countered by Alankup’s use of an elastic defence. He hopes to buy time for his own reinforcements to arrive, as 10 Inf Div tires (as does the SS-Verf Div).
Italian air raids kill another 220 Turkish defenders in Ada.
22 Nov 40
As Inönü awaits the latest battle summary from Ada, his French liaison officer reports that his compatriots have slowly given ground, but the front has not yet collapsed.
On this map, the blue line was the position at the beginning of the month, arrows advances to 15 November, with the Axis markers showing provinces gained by them in the last week.
At 7pm, word is received that 6 Inf Div has arrived in Ada from Kikinda. They now go into reserve [and have a 0.50% reinforcement chance]. The fight continues as the initial units from both sides continue to lose organisation. Italian air raids killed 174 Turkish defenders in Ada.
23 Nov 40
Early in the morning, 15 Inf Div arrives in Ruma and is sent straight on to Ada. It will take them another four days to arrive. The battle may be over by then, but they are likely to be needed to relieve exhausted comrades to hold the province if the battle is won, or maybe counter-attack (hopefully) exhausted Axis defenders if it is lost.
Later that morning, a comprehensive situational report (SITREP) is given at 1st Army HQ. Axis air raids continue, some forces on both sides are approaching breaking point, while others are also tiring. Both sides have a division in reserve, and while the Axis have one division more committed to the battle, the Turkish reserve division is fresher.
As expected, by 2pm the SS-Verf Div has retreated, but the enemy’s 23rd Div reinforces to take their place. Both Turkish defenders continue to tire and 6 Inf Div have not yet reinforced. Italian air raids killed 309 Turkish defenders in Ada.
An officer from the Turkish 6 Inf Div instructs his soldiers on the Maxim machine gun, as they prepare to reinforce the battle in Ada, 23 November 1940.
24 Nov 40
Good news is received with Inönü’s breakfast SITREP: 6 Inf Div reinforced at 2am, so now both sides in Ada have three divisions on the front line. And at 4am, the Hungarian 7th Div fled the field. This is tempered by a report that 10 Inf Div will soon need to withdraw itself, while the Italian Air Force continues its bombing campaign.
By late that night, 10 Inf Div have had enough. They are ordered to retreat to Kikinda to recover, before they break and are forced to rout indiscriminately.
Italian air raids killed 277 Turkish defenders in Ada.
25 Nov 40
The Third Battle for Ada is reaching its crescendo. At 8am, the exhausted German 17th division retreats. This leaves Busch ‘The Nemesis’ with his 23rd Div in charge of the battle for the Axis. But again he is left with too little to prevail, it would seem. Meanwhile, 9 Inf Div is also nearing complete exhaustion.
The battle is almost won by 8pm, but 9 Inf Div is about to break. They are ordered south to Ruma, to reinforce and reorganise, their job well done. At 10pm the Axis attack finally ends, with victory to Turkey! Italian air raids killed 290 more Turkish defenders in Ada that day, before the battle was won.
The casualties on both sides have been very heavy, especially on the attackers. But as always, the lighter Turkish losses in ground combat are offset (indeed surpassed) by heavy casualties from air raids, which total 1,626 over the six days of the battle. When added in, the death toll on both sides was relatively even. Of note, it seems the Soviets have attacked Novi Sad (to the west of Ada), which may have helped to break up the enemy attack and should lead to the retaking of that province. A rousing ‘Huzzah!’ for Comintern cooperation. Cumbersome it may often be, but a lot better than that between France and Britain.
15 Inf Div is due to arrive in Ada on the morning of the 27th to reinforce the defence, while the two retired divisions will recuperate in and reinforce the defences of Kikinda and Ruma. The following morning’s edition of the Şanli Ülkü carries the President’s words of victory, encouragement and resolute determination.
Switzerland
Dear readers may recall we last saw Sonny Ceylan as he headed out of the Ambassador’s Residence in a rage, driving north to Seglingen, just over the Rhine. Even though Cennet warned it was a trap. Carlo Rizzi, the Tattaglia’s Capo in Zurich, said he wanted to discuss a truce at the Über den Rhein Gasthof.
As Sonny drives north, fuming with rage over Rizzi’s brazen ploy, he thinks how he might handle things. What he really wants to do is burst in, blast Rizzi and any henchmen with him down, rescue Cennet and then set all S.I.T.H. resources in Western Europe to destroying the remaining leadership of the Tattaglia crime family. It’s what they deserve, the sonsabitches and pezzonovante, one and all!
As he approaches the toll point at the bridge over the Rhine, on the way to the meeting place at Seglingen, he tries to marshal his thinking a little better. If he attempts to take them down by himself, he’d likely get killed. No, he would swallow his anger – for now anyway – and see what Rizzi had to say. He could cook Rizzi’s goose later. I'll park some distance off and case the joint first, he thinks to himself. Perhaps find a phone booth and call for some reinforcements, just in case. Yes, that would be the smarter approach. It’s what Pa would do. Patience. Control. Then cold revenge later, once the enemy’s guard is down.
Sonny arrives at the toll-booth over the Rhine at Seglingen. This time, he will not go in guns blasting. He will try to learn the path of patience.
There is a wireless on and Sonny can faintly hear a soccer game being described. He drives up to the tollbooth, grabs a banknote from his pocket and hands it to the toll-collector. The car in front of Sonny's seems to be having a problem moving; he sounds his horn.
“Sonofabitch! Come on! Come on!”
The toll-collector "drops" Sonny's change and bends to pick it up, sliding the booth's door shut.
Hey, Sonny thinks to himself as he returns his attention to the bridge, why is it taking so long for this boom-gate to be raised? Who are these goombahs in front? Perhaps I should investigate!
He turns his head at a series of clicking sounds off to the side ...
(1.55)
It's an ambush! D'ya think they got him?
A minute or two later, the chasing Turkish car from the Embassy catches up – too late. As Cennet had warned, it was just a trap: it turns out the Tattaglia’s never had any intention of talking. They just wanted Sonny dead – revenge for Bruno Tattaglia and a chance to end the damaging war.
A little while later, back at the Residence, a sombre First Counsellor Tom Heygan drinks a large Scotch. Ambassador ‘Vito’ Ceylan, now able to walk slowly by himself, enters.
“Give me a drop...” he says to Tom. After having a sip, he hands it back.
“My wife is crying upstairs. I hear cars coming to the house. Consiglieri of mine, I think you should tell your Ambassador what everyone seems to know...”
“Ah, I didn't tell Mrs Ceylan anything. I was about to come up and wake you just now and tell you...”
“But you needed a drink first.”
“Yup...”
“Well, now you've had your drink.”
“They shot Sonny on the Bridge over the Rhine at Seglingen,” says Tom, his voice subdued and breaking. “He's dead.”
Vito exhales slowly, bows his head, shaken and looking weakened. “I want all inquiries made. I want no acts of vengeance. I want you to arrange a meeting, with Philip Tattaglia, on condition of Cennet being released unharmed. This war stops now.”
This is too much. Vito Ceylan, albeit still not fully recovered, resumes control of S.I.T.H. operations in Western Europe.
He must see Cennet released and bury Sonny. The rest – well, that dish will be served cold …
“Oh, and cable back to Ankara: I want Darth Kelebek sent back here. We have some work to do.”
“Sonofabitch! Come on! Come on!”
The toll-collector "drops" Sonny's change and bends to pick it up, sliding the booth's door shut.
Hey, Sonny thinks to himself as he returns his attention to the bridge, why is it taking so long for this boom-gate to be raised? Who are these goombahs in front? Perhaps I should investigate!
He turns his head at a series of clicking sounds off to the side ...
It's an ambush! D'ya think they got him?
A minute or two later, the chasing Turkish car from the Embassy catches up – too late. As Cennet had warned, it was just a trap: it turns out the Tattaglia’s never had any intention of talking. They just wanted Sonny dead – revenge for Bruno Tattaglia and a chance to end the damaging war.
---xxx---
A little while later, back at the Residence, a sombre First Counsellor Tom Heygan drinks a large Scotch. Ambassador ‘Vito’ Ceylan, now able to walk slowly by himself, enters.
“Give me a drop...” he says to Tom. After having a sip, he hands it back.
“My wife is crying upstairs. I hear cars coming to the house. Consiglieri of mine, I think you should tell your Ambassador what everyone seems to know...”
“Ah, I didn't tell Mrs Ceylan anything. I was about to come up and wake you just now and tell you...”
“But you needed a drink first.”
“Yup...”
“Well, now you've had your drink.”
“They shot Sonny on the Bridge over the Rhine at Seglingen,” says Tom, his voice subdued and breaking. “He's dead.”
Vito exhales slowly, bows his head, shaken and looking weakened. “I want all inquiries made. I want no acts of vengeance. I want you to arrange a meeting, with Philip Tattaglia, on condition of Cennet being released unharmed. This war stops now.”
This is too much. Vito Ceylan, albeit still not fully recovered, resumes control of S.I.T.H. operations in Western Europe.
He must see Cennet released and bury Sonny. The rest – well, that dish will be served cold …
“Oh, and cable back to Ankara: I want Darth Kelebek sent back here. We have some work to do.”
Coming Up: We will see if there are any follow-up attacks on the Yeniçeri Line. The next chapter will also contain the monthly round-up of the world’s battle zones, especially the situation in France, which still fights an increasingly desperate rear-guard action. Will they still be fighting by month’s end? How will Vito Ceylan deal with the death of his son and the underground war with the Tattaglias? Can he safely recover Cennet – he hopes the Tattaglia’s do not realise she is in fact a S.I.T.H. ‘asset’, not just a young Turkish lady learning the finer elements of Western deportment and education in neutral Switzerland. Once again, however, he will remonstrate with the Swiss authorities and complain about how their supposedly peaceful streets seem to be a free-fire zone for Mafia hoodlums against innocent Turkish diplomats. At least the Turks have been doing their killing of pissant Mafiosa in Italy or Turkey itself! Though he doesn’t mention that out loud!
Last edited:
- 1
Hellava a pinko-defense.
I'm curious, regarding the number of Turk-divisions that have an A/T brigade? Now to see where those panzers go, when then roll east. Hopefully you don't get all of them facing your own glorious-forces.
I'm curious, regarding the number of Turk-divisions that have an A/T brigade? Now to see where those panzers go, when then roll east. Hopefully you don't get all of them facing your own glorious-forces.
- 1
Yet another biting critique of Western centrist may from Kelebek there. This time, your own Hollywood versions of horror thrown back in your face!
Also K is back, which is good. I like this character, though can see the obvious problems it presents for a story like this. We can assume in this absence it was for the most part on holiday, with maybe a side trip to England to remind Chamberlain to 'think on the devil' and that he better enjoy those twenty four years he bought.
I'll be honest, I fully enjoyed watching Sonny get blasted in the Godfather because he was such an obnoxious imbecile that I think everyone was begging for him to avoid karma Houdini status and get murdered at some point. Then the filmmakers turn it around on us and give him a death scene so horrible, with him rendered so helpless as they turn him into chunks, that you do feel a little bit sorry for him. Not much, but it's there.
And since you're calling K back in, I expect the Swiss are going to kick us all out after the entire Mob is reduced to a red puddle in Geneva. All I can say now is that the mob and the Italians are now committed fully to fighting turkey. If we ever get into Italy now, we will wreak terrible vengeance upon them. And they know that.
- 1
Now read through and including Chapter 26 (the brief Romanian war). I remain very impressed by the level of thought or detail. The longer Greek war was easy to follow.
Rather interestingly in the last few chapters I think I can discern a somewhat greater confidence in your writings.
Rather interestingly in the last few chapters I think I can discern a somewhat greater confidence in your writings.
- 1
I have to say myself and many within the Red Army and Intelligence services are quite impressed by the stout Turkish defence in Ada. Holding back the Axis, let alone inflicting such heavy casualties, facing a marginally more numerous enemy, not to mention the constant and one-sided bombardment, was unlikely to say the least. The masterful rotation of troops in and out of the battle has been taken up as an example in the Soviet Union's Military Academies...
I continue to be equally impressed by just how long the French are delaying their inevitable end as a European nation.
I am thrilled about the Turkish LaGG-3's that have entered production, as these interceptors are actually somewhat competitive with current German designs. The prospect of three hundred Turkish interceptors is indeed cause for some enthusiasm. No one will be able to accuse Turkey of not trying to protect it's airspace. Let's hope that these will be able to make bombing Turkish troops a much costlier proposition for the Axis Air Forces...
The affair on the Rhine Bridge is slightly unnerving, although I believe cooler heads will now prevail. We cannot let this kind of behaviour slip, and we need Turkish intelligence to look very powerful on this one. Some of my discretionary GRU resources can be sent your way, if needed, to resolve this affair. We could provide for a couple of agents, any Soviet-made weapons short of full size military vehicles. (civilian vehicles can be provided for) An aeroplane, with a crew that doesn't ask questions, to drop operatives up to 500km into enemy territory... I can make that happen, and more, you just have to ask.
SkitalecS3
I continue to be equally impressed by just how long the French are delaying their inevitable end as a European nation.
I am thrilled about the Turkish LaGG-3's that have entered production, as these interceptors are actually somewhat competitive with current German designs. The prospect of three hundred Turkish interceptors is indeed cause for some enthusiasm. No one will be able to accuse Turkey of not trying to protect it's airspace. Let's hope that these will be able to make bombing Turkish troops a much costlier proposition for the Axis Air Forces...
The affair on the Rhine Bridge is slightly unnerving, although I believe cooler heads will now prevail. We cannot let this kind of behaviour slip, and we need Turkish intelligence to look very powerful on this one. Some of my discretionary GRU resources can be sent your way, if needed, to resolve this affair. We could provide for a couple of agents, any Soviet-made weapons short of full size military vehicles. (civilian vehicles can be provided for) An aeroplane, with a crew that doesn't ask questions, to drop operatives up to 500km into enemy territory... I can make that happen, and more, you just have to ask.
SkitalecS3
- 1
While I salute France I fear once it falls the whole balance of power will shift unless the Allies REALLY start doing something. Those German units in France will hit Turkey or the USSR like a ton of bricks once they are rested and reformed.
- 1
In doing the other AARs and wanting to get this 100th chapter out, I neglected to reply to some previous comments after Ch99 (I confused myself by responding to some but not others at the time). So I will go back to those first (ie the unanswered ones).
Post Chapter 99
1. Right on all counts - as you will have seen from the next chapter! And those reinforcements should be very useful.
2. Indeed. I think it may be slackers and foreign saboteurs who cause buildings to collapse. Not shoddy and negligent building practices. And at least we can control the media to ensure only the Truth is told about such non-existent mishaps!
3. The Turkish position is a little more nuanced in this case - they have more to gain in and around the Med by an active Britain and the survival of France. And they put a lot of diplomatic efforts (plus cigars and whisky) into building the relationship with Churchill. And Perse is very fond of him too ...
4. To be fair, the poor TAC pilots were very active earlier, during the wars of expansion and on the Dodecanese, but are not up to scratch yet for combat against the Axis (in numbers, equipment, training or fighter support). But we hope their day will come as a little more attention is now swung into building the pitifully weak Turkish Air Force.
5. Those Romanian troops in the Far East will just get soaked up into the greater conflict there, without making much difference I suspect. We needed them earlier, when Hungary was still vulnerable. Still not sure if equilibrium has been achieved out East. Japan is still at peace with the Allies and the US is of course still neutral, so until both those things change, Japan can devote all their efforts against the Soviets, alas. At least you have great industrial potential and manpower reserves. Revenge will I'm sure be had in due course.
6. Your guess was right about Sonny. Even though at the end he realised he needed to be more patient and to think things through, this realisation came too late for him. By that stage, he'd already been out-thought and played for the hothead he was.
2. Thanks - I did enjoy working out how to adapt that bit. And in this case, the Turks are up against guys who've been doing this stuff for hundreds of years, on their own turf now. Vito needs all the help (natural or otherwise) he can get!
Post Chapter 100
And yes, I'm hoping the Soviets attract the bulk of those Panzers, but must expect a fair share on our front. Given the difficulty we've had holding the north of the line in recent weeks where we have concentrated almost all our 'extra' units, those panzers, generals and aircraft released from the West have the Turkish commanders concerned. Those forts at the rear may be needed after all. But at least by the time they shift east, it will be full winter and the 'Destiny' event for Germany will be done. So I think this early intervention to try to save France has come out as about a draw for us. At least we have the Soviets in and on a full war footing a year early and we've all been bleeding the Wehrmacht for quite a while now.
After his R&R of Mt Etna, murdering Mafia types and scaring spies into incoherent meat-bags, he is ready for a bit more work. But Vito Ceylan is a firm supervisor and a respected figure, even by Kelebek. His recipes are very carefully worked out, ingredients prepared meticulously and then the dish always takes a long time to cook. And those served it are always surprised by what they taste - whether it is hot, or cold.
In that vein, I'd appreciate your views on Ch 27 (the Ogel side-story, a mixture of original fiction with a little Goodfellas referencing) and others after that. At that relatively early stage, my commenting readership was not as broad as it eventually became. I'm always happy to receive and respond to comments on 'historical' chapters.
2. Yes, poor France, I so want them to survive, not just for gameplay purposes in this war, for Turkey's sake, but also because I like seeing that happen, and it would have been the French AI achieving it. But their prospects at this point are now very dim (I've played ahead another five days and you will get the full round-up for the West soon, so I won't pre-empt anything re whether they are still standing at that point or not).
3. Yes, that inf div finished production so I thought I'd check out the Soviet catalogue and saw these! It was too great a temptation, especially after the heavy pasting we've been taking from the air. Remember, previous panning was relying on fixed air defences on the fortified lines and the General Staff always knew they'd take a hammering from the air if they ventured forward as currently structured. But that was a risk taken knowingly. Part of the reason for trying to get the Soviets in early was so they might also start to build their own aircraft sooner. Without substantial participation by them in the air war, nothing we can build can hope to stand against the Luftwaffe, especially once France falls. Though the Brits do at least seem to be doing some strategic bombing of the Reich.
4. Yes, the Rhine Bridge affair was, given Sonny's nature, pretty much inevitable. Happy for the NKVD and GRU to concentrate on the major Axis powers (which Turkey doesn't have the capacity to tackle in espionage at this point). Our wet ops people will deal with those more at our level: one family of the Sicilian Mob!
All: thanks once again for your comments and support, they are so important to motivate and inspire! As I've said before, in a few weeks I anticipate I'll be able to again speed up the report rate a little, but until then will try to keep things ticking along regularly. There may also be a little 'Centenary Chapter surprise' soon, so keep an eye out for that.
(I confused myself by responding to some but not others at the time). So I will go back to those first (ie the unanswered ones). Post Chapter 99
Comrade SkitalecS3, some answers to your points below:
1. Right on all counts - as you will have seen from the next chapter! And those reinforcements should be very useful.
2. Indeed. I think it may be slackers and foreign saboteurs who cause buildings to collapse. Not shoddy and negligent building practices. And at least we can control the media to ensure only the Truth is told about such non-existent mishaps!
3. The Turkish position is a little more nuanced in this case - they have more to gain in and around the Med by an active Britain and the survival of France. And they put a lot of diplomatic efforts (plus cigars and whisky) into building the relationship with Churchill. And Perse is very fond of him too ...
4. To be fair, the poor TAC pilots were very active earlier, during the wars of expansion and on the Dodecanese, but are not up to scratch yet for combat against the Axis (in numbers, equipment, training or fighter support). But we hope their day will come as a little more attention is now swung into building the pitifully weak Turkish Air Force.
5. Those Romanian troops in the Far East will just get soaked up into the greater conflict there, without making much difference I suspect. We needed them earlier, when Hungary was still vulnerable. Still not sure if equilibrium has been achieved out East. Japan is still at peace with the Allies and the US is of course still neutral, so until both those things change, Japan can devote all their efforts against the Soviets, alas. At least you have great industrial potential and manpower reserves. Revenge will I'm sure be had in due course.
6. Your guess was right about Sonny. Even though at the end he realised he needed to be more patient and to think things through, this realisation came too late for him. By that stage, he'd already been out-thought and played for the hothead he was.
Right about France, but they still remained in the fight a week later, at least. The Soviets have sent a few divisions east and it's too much to track what they may have been building out there in the interim (a quicker and more efficient way of building strength there, imho, but that's up to the AI Stalin).
1. From their POV, that may well be the case. But from Paris (now Bordeaux) and Ankara? The view is different! And we would both have been very grateful. For a while, anyway.
2. Thanks - I did enjoy working out how to adapt that bit. And in this case, the Turks are up against guys who've been doing this stuff for hundreds of years, on their own turf now. Vito needs all the help (natural or otherwise) he can get!
There you go, request fulfilled!need.... new..... episodessss.....
Post Chapter 100
I will run a check later on the AT bde distribution. They are mainly in the light/support brigades and Corps HQs. The 'standard' line inf divs are all 3 x INF + 1 ART. We are now looking to slowly build up to Superior Firepower to one day get to the 5 x Bde div structure (and to help alleviate the problem of not enough generals for div and corps HQs). As that nears, my intention would be to redistribute AT bdes to augment all the line divs and commence building more to round out the rest. But it will take time, and the hammer blow will fall before then. Modern TDs are being assigned as a standard part of all tank/mech divs (eg 1 Cav Div already has one).Hellava a pinko-defense.
I'm curious, regarding the number of Turk-divisions that have an A/T brigade? Now to see where those panzers go, when then roll east. Hopefully you don't get all of them facing your own glorious-forces.
And yes, I'm hoping the Soviets attract the bulk of those Panzers, but must expect a fair share on our front. Given the difficulty we've had holding the north of the line in recent weeks where we have concentrated almost all our 'extra' units, those panzers, generals and aircraft released from the West have the Turkish commanders concerned. Those forts at the rear may be needed after all. But at least by the time they shift east, it will be full winter and the 'Destiny' event for Germany will be done. So I think this early intervention to try to save France has come out as about a draw for us. At least we have the Soviets in and on a full war footing a year early and we've all been bleeding the Wehrmacht for quite a while now.
Kelebek has his place to play, even if it is not always completely controllable or beneficial for the leadership. And I must tread that fine line of his demonic horror factor in an otherwise 'straight' historical/real game universe. Dear readers will judge whether this fine line is negotiated carefully/credibly enough!
After his R&R of Mt Etna, murdering Mafia types and scaring spies into incoherent meat-bags, he is ready for a bit more work. But Vito Ceylan is a firm supervisor and a respected figure, even by Kelebek. His recipes are very carefully worked out, ingredients prepared meticulously and then the dish always takes a long time to cook. And those served it are always surprised by what they taste - whether it is hot, or cold. Thank you so much for the dedicated effort! Yes, this was my first AAR and, as I went on, I got into the gig more fully. Both from developing this story and broadening my reading of other great AARs on this forum.
In that vein, I'd appreciate your views on Ch 27 (the Ogel side-story, a mixture of original fiction with a little Goodfellas referencing) and others after that. At that relatively early stage, my commenting readership was not as broad as it eventually became. I'm always happy to receive and respond to comments on 'historical' chapters.
1. Yes, Ada was a desperate battle. The tactics used there relied on anticipating future developments and timings and getting reserve or reinforcing units to move at the right time. It normally works, but not always (ie if they attack you where you're trying to reinforce from, for example). The ground was better in Ada too than in the ultimately failed defences of Senta and Sannicolau Mare. I'd actually used this tactics in France in 1940 (the subject of my other current HOI3 AAR, but couldn't illustrate it there because I was simply using save points to reconstruct events rather than being able to illustrate the flow of battle, making the defence against the Germans there look easier and less eventful than it actually was at the time). The game before that, similar things were done in a desperate defence against the Germans before the gates of Moscow, except the battle spanned about a four-province front and the casualties on both sides were enormous!
2. Yes, poor France, I so want them to survive, not just for gameplay purposes in this war, for Turkey's sake, but also because I like seeing that happen, and it would have been the French AI achieving it. But their prospects at this point are now very dim (I've played ahead another five days and you will get the full round-up for the West soon, so I won't pre-empt anything re whether they are still standing at that point or not).
3. Yes, that inf div finished production so I thought I'd check out the Soviet catalogue and saw these! It was too great a temptation, especially after the heavy pasting we've been taking from the air. Remember, previous panning was relying on fixed air defences on the fortified lines and the General Staff always knew they'd take a hammering from the air if they ventured forward as currently structured. But that was a risk taken knowingly. Part of the reason for trying to get the Soviets in early was so they might also start to build their own aircraft sooner. Without substantial participation by them in the air war, nothing we can build can hope to stand against the Luftwaffe, especially once France falls. Though the Brits do at least seem to be doing some strategic bombing of the Reich.
4. Yes, the Rhine Bridge affair was, given Sonny's nature, pretty much inevitable. Happy for the NKVD and GRU to concentrate on the major Axis powers (which Turkey doesn't have the capacity to tackle in espionage at this point). Our wet ops people will deal with those more at our level: one family of the Sicilian Mob!
Yes, Inonu and the rest of his generals have long shared this concern, which is now becoming more immediate. It will be interesting to see what the Germans do next, where they throw their weight (perhaps in the spring of 1941) and whether Turkey and its Comintern comrades can withstand it. I'm not at all sure how that will go: hopes, but no expectations!
All: thanks once again for your comments and support, they are so important to motivate and inspire! As I've said before, in a few weeks I anticipate I'll be able to again speed up the report rate a little, but until then will try to keep things ticking along regularly. There may also be a little 'Centenary Chapter surprise' soon, so keep an eye out for that.
- 1
great episode! The şanlı Ada savunması was a thriller. the fascist swine will get repelled and their snout buried into corpses, ash and excrement like this every time they try to break our mighty lines! !!!!
also great to hear finally we'll have some modern aircraft contesting the skies and protecting our troops. as Atatürk once said, "İstikbal, göklerdedir"
the more france delays the germans the more preparation and extra units we can have on the front. that is good.
if i am not making things up there was a lost army (maybe undead army?) in greek mythology that wanders the world (or underworld?) because it was lost and it would wander the world forever. i wonder if the romanian troops going to far east are those guys
also great to hear finally we'll have some modern aircraft contesting the skies and protecting our troops. as Atatürk once said, "İstikbal, göklerdedir"
the more france delays the germans the more preparation and extra units we can have on the front. that is good.
if i am not making things up there was a lost army (maybe undead army?) in greek mythology that wanders the world (or underworld?) because it was lost and it would wander the world forever. i wonder if the romanian troops going to far east are those guys
- 1
Thank you! I’d love to have some decent air cover and the Father Turk was of course a great aviation proponent.great episode! The şanlı Ada savunması was a thriller. the fascist swine will get repelled and their snout buried into corpses, ash and excrement like this every time they try to break our mighty lines! !!!!
also great to hear finally we'll have some modern aircraft contesting the skies and protecting our troops. as Atatürk once said, "İstikbal, göklerdedir"
the more france delays the germans the more preparation and extra units we can have on the front. that is good.
if i am not making things up there was a lost army (maybe undead army?) in greek mythology that wanders the world (or underworld?) because it was lost and it would wander the world forever. i wonder if the romanian troops going to far east are those guys
Yes, I think Tolkien must also have been thinking along the same lines as that with his ‘Army of the Dead’! Mind you, the soldiers in those Romanian units have been putting up with endless trains and trucks and bad food, while there comrades fight the Axis on the Romanian border on the Eastern Front: they had better not complain too much
. But a bit is OK - it’s a soldier’s principal pastime!- 1
Not impressed at all at the cowardly r3sponse from Chamberlain. Surely the Brits could relieve the pressure on France by a continental attack into occupied Europe? I note I’m catching up. Just 15 chapters to go lolChapter 85: The Times - A View of the West (16 to 31 July 1940)
Editor’s Note: This AAR has always sought to present more than just the narrow view of the war from Turkey’s perspective. Instead, it seeks to tell the story of what has now become the Second Great War on a more global basis, though still with an emphasis on Turkey’s place in alternate history and its broader perspective of the conflict. For this period – both because it can be done logically and to assist with the chapter length and flow – there will be a Western (Allies, the neutral US and rest of the world) and a separate Eastern episode.
Both can be considered reports on events during the last fortnight to the Turkish leadership, with the added benefit of the monthly Allied-Comintern Consultation Committee reports of positions as they stand as at midnight on 31 July. “The Times” newspaper evoked here in the chapter title could be inspired by the New York Times, The Times (of London) or the in-game Istanbul Times, which retains its Atatürk-inspired, more Western-leaning world view and interests. Or, more likely, something of all three!
I won’t necessarily take this approach permanently. Readers may have noticed I prefer to vary editorial policy and chapter format based on in-game events, story arcs and the amount of content I have to hand. Also, while some things have (and will) remain constant, I hope a bit of variation in style and approach can help to keep things interesting and stop it getting too formulaic. I hope you enjoy these twin chapters as we follow the Glorious Union – and its cast of often inglorious characters – as it navigates its path to glory through a cruel Global War than remains a long way from its peak. Or is that its nadir?
1. Prelude – the Peregrinations of Luca Brasi
After leaving ‘Vito’ Ceylan in Zurich on 1 July, Luca made his way by rail through Italy to the tip of the ‘Italian boot’, the port of Reggio di Calabria, where he arrives on 8 July. By now, he has changed into cheap clothes and attempts to keep as low a profile as he can. Although it has been many years since his early days in Sicily, he is not exactly an unobtrusive man and was once well known in the region.
The next day, he takes a ferry across to Messina. Once there, he settles into a cheap boarding house and awaits the evening and his planned rendezvous with his secret (and as yet unknown to him) contact. That night find’s him in a seedy bar near the waterfront. Though as heavily armed as ever, he cannot help but feel on edge. Any number of people or organisations could recognise and seek to kill him: Whether the Tattaglia’s, some other Mafia vendetta from the old days or the Italian secret police, the OVGA (Organizzazione per la Vigilanza e la Repressione dell'Antifascismo, Italian for “Organization for Vigilance and Repression of Anti-Fascism”. [It just rolls trippingly of the tongue, no? It doesn’t even sound zippy in Italian, for God’s sake! Who says lyricism is dead in the Fascist Europe of 1940
Arturo Bocchini, (b. 12 February 1880) is Chief of Police under the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini. Since 1926, Bocchini has headed both the regular police (Polizia di Stato) and the secret political police (OVRA). [What is it about these Fascist secret police types? He looks like he could walk onto the set of an Indiana Jones movie, to have his face melted at the end by the Ark of the Covenant!]
A middle-aged woman, wearing a worn and patched dress and with hair just beginning to go grey at the temples, casually sits down next to Luca. He is about to tell her to move on, when she says quietly to him in a husky voice: “Hey big guy, is that gun in your pocket loaded?”
Luca shuts his mouth and looks more closely. This woman has just uttered the coded password that identifies her as his contact. The voice is vaguely familiar. And there is something about her accent …
As he does look more closely, he realises the woman is not middle-aged at all, but younger. Then it clicks: the make-up, padding and other elements of the disguise are excellent, but Luca – not always the sharpest pencil in the case, mind you – finally realises it is of course the now very grown-up Cennet. Who – having made her bones in spectacular style in Istanbul last month - is now clearly a S.I.T.H. agent-at-large. [I’m sure many readers of this chronicle had already suspected the identity of his mystery contact, well before poor old Luca did. And he was able to observe her first hand!]
Cennet passes Luca his new instructions. They are to travel next, as father and daughter, to Sardinia.
The two S.I.T.H. agents stay in Messina for a few days and carefully establish their cover – they even manage to see a few of the sights
They find passage on a small tramp steamer headed for the Sardinian port of Cagliari. It is a tense crossing, and the crew is constantly on the lookout for Allied naval forces or aircraft. The sailors say the French Navy has been particularly active recently, having sunk a few Italian cruisers in the area, earlier in the month.
But the trip is made without incident. They alight in Cagliari a day later, on 13 July. There, Luca is told a meeting has been set up with Bruno Tattaglia, Philip’s son and a renowned hard man. He is in Sardinia for some ‘fraternal discussions’ with the head of the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta. Sardinia is considered ‘neutral ground’, with no major indigenous Mafia presence. This would be a good place for the faux ‘parlay’ Brasi is meant to have with the Tattaglias, to try to discover what they may be up to.
The afternoon of 14 July sees Luca in a small bar in downtown Cagliari. It is not yet open, so he is alone. No longer travelling incognito for this meeting, he sits outside the bar in his best suit, smoking one of his ubiquitous cigars.
Luca pauses for a smoke before the meeting with Bruno Tattaglia in Cagliari. It's not like he thinks a few cigars are going to be the death of him!
Soon, two men arrive. One gestures to Luca to follow and they walk into the building together, each sizing the other up. Luca follows down a hallway to the bar.
“Luca, I'm Bruno Tattaglia,” the better dressed of the two says. His goon moves back into the corner of the bar. Luca and Bruno shake hands and then each take a seat at the bar.
Bruno Tattaglia. Not known for a love of flower-arranging.
“I know,” says Luca in his gravelly voice.
“Su bequero Scotch? Pre-war...” offers Tattaglia.
“Io no bib” (I don't drink), replies Luca.
The conversation continues in Italian.
“You want to talk to the Tattaglia family...right? I think you and I can do business. My father needs strong men like you. I heard you are not happy with that Turkish puttana Inönü. Want to join us?”
“What's in it for me?”
“500,000 lire - to start with.”
“Not bad.”
Tattaglia offers his hand to Luca. “Agreed?”
Luca doesn't shake. He takes out a cigar, which Bruno lights for him. “Grazie,” says Luca.
He leans forward and puts his hand on the bar, and clears his throat to make a reply to Bruno’s offer …
---xxx---
Later that night, Cennet waits at their assigned rendezvous, but hangs back some distance in the shadows, to observe. If Luca has been taken and tortured by the Tattaglia’s, the meeting may be compromised. She waits … and waits. After she has waited over an hour after the assigned time, she concludes that something must have gone wrong.
Her orders are clear: she must change to another identity and see if she can – with great care – find out what may have happened to Luca. Then, whether she has learned anything more or not, she must make her way off the island and back to Rome, where the S.I.T.H. maintains a safe house. There, Darth Kelebek will contact her and she will find out what her next orders are.
The next boat on which she can arrange passage out of Cagliari and back to Rome departs on 18 July. Having discovered nothing further about Luca’s fate, she heads off, fearing the worst but hoping for the best and not knowing if they will ever find out what has befallen the legendary enforcer. To Cennet, Luca has always seemed larger-than-life and indestructible. But recent years have shown her no-one is indestructible. Even her brilliant (but now very dead) fiancée Vinnie. She hardens her heart as she looks back over the stern of the small fishing boat she has managed to get a ride on. She hopes it will be less likely to attract hostile attention.
As Cagliari is about to slip over the horizon, she turns to head into the boat’s cabin, but pauses and turns back after she hears a distant booming. It looks like a heavy air raid is hitting the town. And is that the smoke of a large approaching fleet visible way to the south? That seems a little unusual … Cagliari had been untouched by the war so far. What is happening there?
2. General News and Developments
18 Jul 40
News Report: Chicago, US. Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected almost unanimously at the Democratic National Convention to run for an unprecedented third term as President of the United States. Henry A. Wallace of Iowa was selected as Roosevelt's running mate. Roosevelt's most formidable challengers were his former campaign manager James Farley and his Vice President, John Nance Garner. Both had sought the nomination for the presidency and soundly lost to Roosevelt who would be "drafted" at the convention. Henry Wallace was Roosevelt's preferred choice for the Vice-Presidency.
Left: Franklin Delano Roosevelt (b. January 30, 1882), first elected in 1932 and has been US President for two terms, since 1933.
Right: Henry Agard Wallace (b. October 7, 1888) has been the US Secretary of Agriculture since 1933.
19 Jul 40
News Report: Berlin, Germany. Hitler makes a speech to the Reichstag reviewing the course of the war and then warns, “Mr Chamberlain [it was Churchill in OTL], or perhaps others, for once believe me when I predict a great empire will be destroyed, an empire that it was never my intention to destroy or even to harm. I do realise that this struggle, if it continues, can end only with the complete annihilation of one or the other of the two adversaries. Mr Chamberlain may believe this will be Germany. I know that it will be Britain.” Hitler then appeals “once more to reason and common sense”, saying, “I can see no reason why this war must go on.” He says if Chamberlain brushes aside this appeal, “I shall have relieved my conscience in regard to the things to come.” These are bold words, given he has not yet been able to defeat France and is now fighting a bloody war on two fronts. But it is of course propaganda for domestic consumption, designed to complement his ‘German Destiny’ declaration.
20 Jul 40
News Report: London, UK. The British government bans the buying and selling of new cars.
28 Jul 40
News Report: Berghof, Germany. President Jozef Tiso, Prime Minister Vojtech Tuka and Hlinka Guard leader Alexander Mach of the Slovak Republic meet with Hitler at the Berghof. Hitler demands that “Slovakia should adhere loyally and unequivocally to the German cause in her domestic politics.” [This news snippet from OTL is dedicated to @El Pip, with the most humble and deferential respect and felicitations. Brought to you by the Bratislava Hip Flask Company.]
31 Jul 40 - Naval Report
The Danish Navy (which did not surrender when its homeland was conquered by the Germans) reports the loss of its heavy cruiser the HDMS Peder Skram, sunk by the fearsome German battleship Tirpitz, along with a military transport ship it was escorting.
The Herluf Trolle class was a class of coastal defence ships of the Royal Danish Navy. The class comprised Herluf Trolle, Olfert Fischer and Peder Skram. The Turkish Admiralty does not possess specific details of the HDMS Peder Skram’s statistics, other than its commissioning date (1908), but the lead ship of the class was built in 1899. It displaced 3,494 tons and had a main armament of two 24 cm (9.4 in) guns and a secondary armament of four 15 cm (5.9 in) guns. The Peder Skram was sunk by the German battleship Tirpitz in July 1940.
Tirpitz is the second of two Bismarck-class battleships built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine (navy) during Second Great War. This nightmare-on-water was named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy). The ship was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven in November 1936 and her hull was launched two and a half years later. [In OTL work was completed in February 1941, but clearly in this ATL the Germans were quicker to see it fully commissioned].
Like her sister ship Bismarck, Tirpitz is armed with a main battery of eight 38-centimetre (15 in) guns in four twin turrets. After a series of modifications, at 42,900 tons (standard load) she is 2,000 tons heavier than Bismarck, making her the heaviest battleship ever built by a European navy. The poor old Peder Skram would have likely lasted their encounter for only seconds.
3. France, the Mediterranean and Africa
The second half of July 1940 has seen some bitter fighting along the Western Front, especially in two sectors. In the first week, all the gains of the previous Allied offensive that retook Dunkerque, Hazebrouck and three provinces in the Low Countries were completely rolled back by the Germans. The lines there are back to where they started at the beginning of the month. We have no detailed reports of the fighting, but can see from the monthly report how dispositions now sit. We can deduce that at least two German medium panzer divisions must have led the counter-attack and now sit on the front line in Dunkerque and Hazebrouck. It appears most of the Allied units involved (a mix of French, Dutch and British units under Dutch command) may have escaped and the Allied line there is well held. There were no further advances after the salient was snuffed out a week or so ago.
In the centre, the news is equally grim. German armoured divisions have pushed up to the Marne River along a four-province front stretching from Soissons in the west to St. Dizier in the east over the last two weeks. It remains to be seen whether the French can now hold what should be a strong river-line defensive position. The Germans look to have achieved this advance – not blitzkrieg by any means, more a grinding broad-front offensive – through a line of single, unsupported panzer divisions! The same can be said of the taking of Charme, a further south-east from St. Dizier. It seems the German’s belief in their national destiny has inspired a renewed will to win in the west. No doubt French Army Chief General Gamelin can only reflect (in some horror) what would have befallen France had the majority of the German Army not been drawn east two months ago by the declaration of the Great Liberation War!
On a brighter (though still marginal) note, French North African forces have launched a surprise raid on the Italian port of Cagliari in Sardinia! [Note: I didn’t see the exact date on which this happened, but for story purposes have assumed it occurred just after Luca Brasi’s fateful meeting there with Bruno Tattaglia.] It was the pre-landing preparations of the French Air Force and approaching invasion fleet that Cennet saw in the distance as she made it off the island in that fishing boat on 18 July. This will muddy the waters even further for Turkish efforts to discover what has happened there to its legendary S.I.T.H. operative. The French have not offered any information on his fate since occupying the city – not that Ögel would expect them to, given the fraught relationship between the French and Turkish intelligence agencies!
Turkey understands that French forces landed a few days later and have now secured the port and its surrounding province. Only one division and a corps HQ has landed and the French have provided no further information on their future intentions there. As at 31 July, they hold in place: no further French reinforcements have landed, nor is there any sign of Italian resistance on the island or of an effort to land troops in the north to counter the move. Which could be subject to air and sea interdiction and would draw forces from their other stretched fronts. We hope they try!
In southern France, no ground has been yielded by either side, though French strength has built along the front. As before, the Turkish Cabinet hopes this will not be to the detriment of the main front to the north. But it is French President Giraud’s business and the French are hardly going to listen to Turkish advice. Despite the relief provided by the Turkish-inspired eastern front and their shared battle against the Axis, the vicious spy wars and recent cession of Hatay by France to Turkey have not contributed to a warm working relationship. Businesslike at the strategic level and competitive at the micro level is the best that can be hoped for.
A closer look at Ethiopia shows how the country must have fallen to a joint Allied operation. What French forces were present would have been based in the French territories of Obock (which has a port) and Djibouti. Most of the Allied forces present are actually British, but must have operated from French territory, thus ceding the conquered territory to France until the puppet regime surrendered. Sporadic fighting continues around the region.
The British monthly ACCC report indicates most of their army remains deployed at home in the UK. With France still in the fight and Germany heavily engaged in the east and not even able (apparently) to invade Norway – which remains untouched – there is surely no imminent threat to the British homeland. But whether his heart is hard or simply absent, Chamberlain seems unwilling to provide the support the French so desperately need on the Western Front. Their next elections are due on 14 November this year. Unless something happens on the floor of the Parliament in the meantime, that will be next opportunity for a possible change of government.
Nor has Chamberlain apparently sent any more British forces to Egypt. Instead, they rely now on an Iraqi infantry corps which has almost made it to the desert battlefront. Despite this seeming British disinterest, they have made further progress and are now near to reclaiming the last Egyptian provinces still in Italian hands. If the hard-pressed Fascists are unable to divert any more forces to this front and the Iraqi troops fully engage, their whole position in North Africa now looks under severe threat. Way to the west, there has again been no movement on the French-Tunisian and Italian-Libyan border. RADM Cebesoy has been ordered to the Gulf of Bomba – but this time more to raid Axis convoys than to specifically keep an eye (or Mk1 Eyeball) on the land battle, which seems to be well in hand now.
4. Air War in the West
Finally, Turkish Air Force Chief Ali Örlungat is given the opportunity to present a report to the Cabinet. Since the early Turkish Wars of Expansion, he has not had much to talk about, except for the brief but very successful air campaign that supported the conquest of the Dodecanese Islands in June. That success and some additional lend-lease industrial capacity at least prompted the placement of an order for a wing of license-built Soviet Polykarpov I-16 interceptors, due for delivery in January 1941. The existing Turkish Air Force (a wing of Curtiss Hawk 3 biplane interceptors and a wing of Blenheim TAC bombers) still undergoes repair and refit in Irakleio, Crete, in preparation for a possible landing on Italian-occupied Rodi/Rhodes. Örlungat has a large map pinned to the Cabinet map-wall, which he uses to explain his report.
“The latest monthly reports from the French and British liaison officers in the ACCC have allowed us to piece together a reasonably accurate snapshot of current air strengths and recent engagements on the Western Front,” Örlungat starts. “The white number in the occupied air bases – identified in national colours on the map – is the total number of wings of all types based there. We don’t have details on the types and proportions present. In and around the Western Front, you can see that the British have a total of 18 wings, the French 10 and the Germans 23.”
"In the last week, there were reports of three bombing runs and three air battles over German-occupied Lille; plus one bombing and one air battle in each of the French provinces of Arras and St. Die. There was another air battle over the German airbase in occupied Metz. We have no more details of the results of the air battles or operational status of any of these units. But we do know the main types of aircraft currently engaged in the skies over France. Apart from those mainstays shown on the map, a wing of Curtiss P-40B Warhawk multi-role fighters in French colours has been spotted, while some German Me Bf-109G multi-role fighters have also been engaged by the allies. No German tactical bombers have been spotted in the West: ground attack all seems to be provided by the dreaded ‘Stuka’ CAS dive-bombers.”
“I will report later on what we have discovered on the Eastern Front.” With that, Örlungat finishes. His Cabinet colleagues are quite impressed: this is by far the most accurate and comprehensive report Örlungat has ever provided them of non-Turkish air power during the entire length of the war since it started in Poland the year before.
5. Giraud Addresses the French People
With the situation in mainland France steadily eroding and French surrender progress creeping up to 29.1%, the French leader Henri-Honoré Giraud feels motivated to make a speech to try to rally the nation. Let us first remind ourselves of his unique position of power in the new French Government, which has now been in office since 4 May 1940.
Henri-Honoré Giraud – wartime leader of France and a man of many parts.
Somewhat implausibly in light of recent French history – but no doubt driven by the desperate challenge France now faces – he has secured the offices of both President (Head of State) and Prime Minister (Head of Government), then adding to his position as Commander in Chief by taking the operational appointment of Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. He is considered a conservative (ie paternal autocrat), stiff-necked old general, though the French no doubt hope he will be a man for his times. Though the war – and his self-perceived need to step into so many breaches at once – has (not surprisingly) made him weary. The lack of direct support from any substantial British expeditionary forces in France itself will have added to the enormous burden he now bears upon his shoulders. He is by all accounts very disappointed in the lethargic and luke-warm support Chamberlain has offered, though no-one expected any different and it seems there is nothing he can do about it.
Not all is gloomy, but on the all-important Western Front, his concerns mount inexorably, day by day. By holding the three most crucial positions of leadership for the prosecution of the French war effort, Giraud must accept not just the accolades of success and – against the odds when he took over – continued French resistance to the Bosch. The very survival of France is also now almost completely on his head alone. If he fails, so too does the nation and perhaps civilisation itself in the face of both Fascist aggression and - in his eyes – the potentially only slightly less catastrophic victory of Communism. But one enemy at a time, for now!
“To the brave men and women of France! We stand today with our backs to the wall, but our fronts turned towards an evil and depraved enemy. Be assured, we must fight to the last drop of blood and the last centime of treasure. For the only alternative to victory is annihilation and the extinguishment of all French freedom and culture.”
“We can be happy with some small victories – the liberation of Ethiopia from the Italian Fascists with the help of our British allies and the stopping of Mussolini’s perfidious and dastardly knife in the back. He will continue to find us an implacable enemy and regret the day he threw his lot in with the murderous Hitler and his despicable Nazi cohorts. His designs on the Suez Canal have also been thwarted and his previous gains are being rolled back in Egypt. And most recently, the news of the gallant French landings on Sardinia have shown him France can reach into his back yard and steal his chickens, even as the mighty French Rooster crows loudly in his hen-house!”
“But we face the fight of our generation here on our sacred French soil. Le Boche press us hard, though our brave army fights for every centimetre of our soil. Yet we must redouble our efforts! We must bleed our monstrous opponent to death, as we did a generation ago in the First Great War, where the help of allies from around the world ultimately saw tyranny defeated. The fight will again be bitter, but we must win it. As I have said, the alternative is too unbearable to live with. We must be prepared to lay down our lives resisting it.”
“All I can now offer you, my brave French compatriots, is the prospect of blood, toil, sweat and tears. But we will emerge once again from this vale of tears to sunlit fields, free from Nazi tyranny, to a land of peace and plenty. Forward, to victory! Vive la France!”
As an aside, Lord El Pip has reported, after one of his whiskey-soaked cigar-smoking sessions with Churchill in London, that it was Winston who provided Giraud the “blood, toil, sweat and tears” line for his speech. Said Churchill: “I would have used this myself some day, had I been given the opportunity to lead the British nation in these dark times. Perhaps one day I shall. But until then, I would provide what little aid I can to our gallant French allies – as Chamberlain gives them little enough himself. If the Battle of France is lost, the Battle of Britain will surely follow.”Thanks to roverS3 aka agent SkitalecS3 for pointing out and allowing me to correct a couple of French language errors. It’s all BJ Guildenstern’s fault
With France’s fate in the balance, Giraud must trust in his troops, hope for material assistance from his allies, look to the continued diversion by his Comintern co-belligerents and put his faith in God. How he will fare in his quest to save France remains uncertain: the enterprise rests on a knife’s edge.
Coming Up: That is the view from the West. It is the classic ‘mixed bag’: things are going best at the less important periphery, but worst where it really matters – in northern France. The future is uncertain. French (and vicariously, Turkish) hopes are kept barely flickering by the fact that Hitler has not allocated enough troops to the French front to finish them off quickly. If he took a more defensive stance in the east and had retained a few more divisions to finish the job in the west, the story may be different. And it could still turn for the worse. The next report will describe events from an eastern and Comintern perspective over the same period. It should be released shortly – as soon as the Turkish Propaganda Department’s staff can churn out the next edition of the Path to Glory. They seem to be having problems getting BJ Guildenstern to get it to the printer. What is happening there
- 1
Ah, this is a question I have rhetorically posed to the computer AI many a time since then ... but it never seems to listen! All they need to do is just supplement the existing French line to help them stave off the German attack now we’ve opened the second front for them. But no, that would be too effective!
I applaud your dedication in ploughing through to approach the ATL 'present'! It really is greatly appreciated.
The update rate has slowed down in the last few months, so it is not so much of a 'stern chase' now. - 1
Talking Turkey – Summary of Book Two: The Path to Glory (Chapters 39-76)
Talking Turkey – Summary of Book Two: The Path to Glory (Chapters 39-76)
As with the Summary of Book One: The New Balkan War (Chapters 1-38), this summary of the second book is designed with a couple of things in mind:
Otherwise, if looking through a summary means you might get into the AAR and bring yourself up to date quickly rather than not reading it at all, then please read on!
1. Between the 'Expansion Wars' - January to March 1938
Chapter 39. Following the conclusion of the New Balkan War, the Turkish Cabinet met on 10 January 1938 to consider the future path of the nation: they concluded that the Path would be to Glory, but that important choices had to be made to get there. And further expansion remained a priority. See this chapter for a more detailed review of the advice received and options eliminated as unfeasible, unduly risky or not cost-effective. The main options considered were either Hungary or Persia (Iran). As Hungary was already an Axis member and German intervention (then or later) was considered likely and its implications catastrophic, Iran was selected (Case Green from earlier considerations). Word spreads about the new ‘Mystery Play’ to be presented in Ankara soon by impresario Max Bialysock. BJ Guildenstern and Persephonee Fotheringay-Phipps get heavily involved in its promotion – with unforeseen consequences!
Persia’s NU is assessed at 74.9%. This means 6/7 of the available VPs would need to be seized to force a surrender: all bar Bandar e ‘Abbas in the south would need to be taken. Logistics, terrain and time are assessed as the biggest enemies: even without Romanian reinforcement and attacking on a narrow front, the battle-hardened Turkish Army, if massed in sufficient numbers, should easily outnumber and outperform the Persians.
Chapter 40. The rest of January 1938 was taken up with the massive redeployment of most of the Turkish Army to near the border with Iran for Operation Chaldiran. This would prove a lengthy process. Command structures and leadership appointments were also reviewed. In the tech realm, research and officer training were given the highest priority. President Atatürk – now suffering increasingly from terminal cirrhosis of the liver – made one of his last major public appearances at a grand victory parade in Ankara on 16 January. Japan began to diplomatically influence Turkey away from the Comintern and towards the Axis. Little was it realised that this would be the beginning of a remarkably persistent and serious campaign of influence, which would have both inconvenient and at times disastrous consequences. Max Bialystock casts for the lead actor in his ‘Mystery Play’ – and 'LSD' (Lorenzo St. DuBois) is discovered! The Sino-Japanese war continues to go the way of the aggressor, while the Turkish Army orders its first (very primitive) tank brigade. Luca Brasi has disappeared.
Chapter 41. February 1938 brings bad weather conditions and extensive mud throughout the proposed Chaldiran area of operations, delaying the commencement of the offensive, which relies on speed to overcome Iranian resistance. The preparation for the play progresses, with the director arriving from Broadway. Meanwhile, an elaborate and fraudulent plot by producer Bialystock and his accountant and now business partner – Leon Bloom – grows apace. Not realising this, BJ embezzles government funds to back the project, intending to repay them (less his expected profit) before anyone notices. A minor revolt in Croatia seems to be taking an inordinate amount of time for the local Turkish cavalry brigade commander to put down. The Sino-Japanese War looks to be reaching its endpoint as Japan seizes yet more Chinese cities. Persephonee continues to float ideas for a new name for the Greater Turkish Republic, to be proclaimed after the anticipated victory over Iran.
Chapter 42. The first half of March 1938 sees Bialystock’s play attracting great interest in advance of its premiere. Their many (unsuspecting and heavily oversubscribed) investors and the great and powerful of Turkey will be attending. Little do they know it is intended to be a terrible disaster and a write-off showing no profit, at which point Bialystock and Bloom will pocket all the investors’ money and make a rapid exit, stage right! The slow and (frankly) almost certainly insane commander of the Turkish 2nd Cavalry Brigade in Croatia receives an unexpected guest – an itinerant circus performer (!?) for lunch. You will need to read that chapter to find out what happens. The end result however is that the attack then goes in remarkably swiftly! Japanese influence infuriates the Interior (Security) Minister Kaya, to the detriment of his health. And on 9 March, Germany annexes Austria, bring them a shared border with Greater Turkey. A day later, Italy joins the Axis. And on 12 March, the ‘Mystery Play’ premieres in Ankara: you will have to tune in to the chapter to see how it goes and what the ramifications will be!
Chapter 43. Bialystock and Bloom deal with the consequences of Opening Night. There is violence, gunplay and an appearance by the Polis! Oblivious to these developments, BJ and Perse are at work, presenting possible new names for the Turkish state. BJ is soon brought back to earth as news spreads of scandalous goings-on in connection with the play. There will be an audit of the Propaganda Department’s finances at the end of April – the matter of the missing money will need to be rectified by then. But how? On 24 March, Nationalist China surrenders to Japan and cedes them a swathe of coastal territory. Luca Brasi turns up in Prague, to report on threatening developments there concerning German claims on the Sudetenland. The landmark first fort of the Calistar Line is complete in Istanbul. This will be the last line of defence in case of a massive Axis attack and the loss of the Balkans. Mud still prevents the commencement of the attack on Iran. And there are prison scenes and postcards following the fall-out from the failed play fraud.
2. War with Persia (Iran) – April to June 1938
Chapter 44. With muddy conditions predicted to last for some time yet, the decision is made that, with winter now over, the invasion of Iran should proceed regardless. The command chain is reorganised for the operation, with units selected for specific purposes (including the establishment of a second MTN division). BJ sweats out his financial predicament, while a court date (9 April) is set for Bialystock. The case proceeds poorly for Max – but a surprise appearance is made! BJ manages to cobble enough funds from a surprisingly large court-ordered refund and his personal savings to return the cash to the Departmental funds before the end of the month, hoping that is the end of it. And he will still accrue money from the play’s unexpected success, so might even end up turning a profit! The search for a new national name goes on – none of the suggestions so far have made the grade. The invasion of Iran commences on 18 April. Rapid advances are made, with no enemy units even being sighted by 30 April! Where are they? Are they mobilising in depth for a staunch defence later, or are they just badly led by cowards?
The situation on the Persian front as at 2300 on 30 Apr 38.
Chapter 45. Tech espionage in France is ramped up in the hope of stealing a breakthrough. The audit of the Propaganda Department is conducted – still worried, BJ consults Leo Bloom for some slippery ‘defensive’ accounting advice, just in case his tracks aren’t as well covered as he thought. The campaign in Iran presses on, using two axes of advance: the main towards Tehran, another heading south towards the Gulf. In the north, 2nd Corps units occupy Tabriz [1 VP] on 6 May then sets up a defensive perimeter. The first sighting of an enemy unit is made by 1 Cav Div on 6 May. By 26 May it has pressed forward to occupy Dezful just north of the key Ahvaz oilfields [and VP location] having encountered no opposition. In the centre, the main body presses forward, the advance guard 3 Cav Div meeting and probing their first enemy unit at Ardabil on 9 May. The probe is called off the next day. Another probe on Ardabil, this time by 2 Mtn Div, is made on 14 May, but with similar results: there is no hope of victory in an unsupported attack. It will be bypassed for now. The main body of 1stt Corps advances on Tehran. A short battle is won by flanking forces to the south at Abhar on 25 May, and they are ordered to keep moving south to occupy enemy VP locations in depth.
Campaign summary as at 30 May 38.
In other developments, the Secret Intelligence Technical Headquarters (S.I.T.H.), the ‘black' or 'wet' ops section of Turkey’s foreign intelligence apparatus, is introduced for the first time. The German pressure and tension in Czechoslovakia continues to mount throughout May. And BJ and his boss (Propaganda Chief Karaduman) are summoned to a meeting with their Minister, Calistar. Apparently, the audit report has been finalised. BJ is glad of the advice he sought earlier from Leo Bloom ... because Darth Kelebek is present and will ‘remove’ any guilty party!
Chapter 46. 1st Corps’ reinforced advance guard heads south to Esfahan [1 VP] while the rest of the Corps approaches the capital of Tehran [2 VP]. On the diplomatic front, alignment is nearing the point at which the Comintern could be joined – but the Axis again intervenes to influence Turkey away from its objective. On 4 June, the attack on Tehran is launched by 1, 3, 5 and 7 Inf Divs, opposed by a single Persian infantry division. They are dug in, so some serious fighting is required. But the fight is won in less than two days and Persian casualties are very heavy. [127 Turkish, 761 Persian troops killed]. In the south, 1 Cav Div takes Ahvaz (with its VP and massive oil and energy resources) on 11 June. Tehran is occupied on 14 June. Persian surrender progress is now at over 76%.
Campaign summary as at 30 May 38.
A Cabinet meeting in Ankara on 16 June considers the new structure of the expanded Turkish dominions after the final planned war of expansion is completed in Iran. They will adopt a Soviet-style federated system, where Turkey (like Russia) reigns supreme, with the Turkish Cabinet also running the new entity. It is described as a kind of non-democratic ‘paternal state socialism with Turkish characteristics’. See the chapter for details of how all the areas will be designated, with 18 Republics (including Turkey) forming the whole. BJ presents the proposed new name for this supra-national government: the Union of Glorious National Republics. It is accepted: the long search for a new (and final) name for the expanded Turkish state has finally been resolved.
Chapter 47. 17 June finds, 1 Cav Div battles through mud – but not enemy units - in the south, aiming for the VP objective of Busheshr, on the Persian Gulf. 1st Corps now concentrates on it drive to Esfahan: with Busheshr, its capture should end Persian resistance. An eight hour battle ensues in Kashan, with Turkey victorious [40 Turk, 210 Persian casualties]. Wehib Pasha’s 1 Cav Div occupies Busheshr unopposed on 29 June, bringing Persian surrender progress to 95.4%: Esfahan must still be capture – and 1st Corps is closing in on it from two different directions, but again they are hampered by terrain and weather. 30 June finds them still short of their final objective.
Campaign Summary as at 30 Jun 38.
3. The Gathering Storm – July 1938 to August 1939
Chapter 48. France and Turkey agree to settle the issue of the ‘Sanjak of Alexandretta’ (a.k.a. Hatay, Iskenderun) on 3 July via an electoral process. Which Turkey manipulates via military intervention to ensure a favourable outcome. In Persia, Operation Chaldiran is in its final stages. A nine hour battle on 2 July results in 3 Inf and 3 Cav Divs defeating the Persian 1st Div [17 Turk, 276 Persian casualties]. On 5 July MAJGEN Toüdemür’s 3 Cav Div march into Esfahan, ending the war. Victory in Persia Day is celebrated on 6 July, when Persia is formally annexed.
Other than a small garrison, the army is sent back to Istanbul, awaiting further orders. In a landmark speech, Atatürk describes this day as a ‘new dawn for Turkey and a ray of hope for the world’ and, with Prime Minister and heir designate Ismet Inönü, announces the formation of the Union of Glorious National Republics (the UGNR or Glorious Union).
In big news, despite Axis and Allied influence campaigns, Turkey draws close enough to the Soviet Union to be able to license build medium tanks (T-28s). This will bring a serious increase to Turkish armoured power. Licenses for two brigades are bought, to be built consecutively.
Chapter 49. In August 1938, German-engineered tensions over the Sudetenland situation continue to build. Recent Axis influence means Turkey can no longer purchase licenses from the Soviets – a good thing a second tank license was ‘stacked’ when the first was bought. A massive victory parade is held in Ankara on 24 August, though Atatürk is too unwell to preside over the main event: Inönü takes the salute. The corps organisation of the Turkish Army is amended again, this time to match its task of manning the Calistar Line. ‘Vito’ Ceylan is announced as Turkey’s new Ambassador to Rome – taking Luca Brasi with him as ‘1st Secretary Cultural Affairs’, under a cover identity. We can infer their roles will not be purely diplomatic! Edward Beneš, President of Czechoslovakia, finds himself isolated, with some sympathy but no meaningful security guarantees due to UK (Chamberlain’s) influence.
Chapter 50. BJ suggests the distribution of a hit movie of derring-do (with a Turkish translation) to help boost civilian morale. The Czech situation continues to fester during early September, with British pressure on them to concede and on France not to make any binding security guarantee. On 9 September, the Munich Agreement is announced: “it is peace for our time”, according to Chamberlain. The Czechs are forced to concede and Germany occupies the Sudetenland fortifications. Fortification of the Iskandar Line, designed to complement the Calistar Line by defending the natural choke points of (LS, IC and resource-rich) southern Greece, is commenced.
Chapter 51. Maps for the proposed new Glorious National Republics in the Balkans and Persia are published (see the chapter for details of how these are set out – note they are political/narrative constructs and have no in-game effect or representation). The Turkish Army continues to take delivery of new brigades, many of them specialist in nature (including AT and a few AA to complement the ARTY already being added). These will be important in countering the expected German panzer threat should war come in the Balkans. Winston Churchill continues to make foreboding speeches – and Turkey (again, narrative only) continues to try to influence him favourably. Praise, whisky and cigars are the preferred currency for this! With the Calistar Line now heavily garrisoned, additional forces start to be allocated to the Iskandar Line in southern Greece. The idea is that it would divert Axis attention and cause them additional attrition if it can be held strongly enough, maintaining an additional jumping off point for an eventual counter-attack once the tide turns against Germany.
Chapter 52. Things remain relatively quiet over the winter, as November and December pass without the habitual international crises of the last year. Atatürk has defied doctors’ expectations and has survived for months longer than had been expected. In the Soviet Union, Stalin’s Great Purge appears to have come to an end, but the effects on their military have been dire. This is a worry for Turkey, who are relying on them for their future security. The Army and the defensive lines continue to build. Alignment to the Comintern has been stalled as regular Axis interventions keep the distance from joining above 100 (when we need to get it to 50 and it had been much closer just a few months previously).
Chapter 53. It is January 1939. A feature on Poland, its preparations for war and the redoubtable Marshal Rydz-Śmigły is provided. Atatürk comes under the care of a renowned liver specialist and undergoes experimental treatment for his medical condition, but increasingly hands most duties over to PM Inönü. BJ and Perse have their hands full with publicity for the launch of the Glorious Union. Hitler ramps up the intimidation of the Poles. With more new generals available, HQ 1st Army is created, with Inönü taking over as its commander, while Cakmak is promoted to command 1st Corps. This means Turkey now has all commands filled from corps to theatre HQs, to take advantage of the accrued benefits at each level. Atatürk arrives in Ankara to take part in the impending Foundation Day ceremonies for the Glorious Union, with heavy security arrangements put in place.
Chapter 54. Foundation Day for the Glorious Union arrives – 28 January 1939. Publicity, ceremony, parades and speeches all feature prominently. Inönü is sworn in as Milli Şef (National Chief) of the Union of Glorious National Republics. But Interior Minister Kaya, ‘Capo’ Luca Brasi and Darth Kelebek are concerned about unspecified security threats (justifiably, as it turns out). While not discounting them, Inönü will not be put off by these threats to see Turkey cowed on its day of glory. Guards are doubled, but as it transpires, they have been looking in the wrong direction. For details, read the dramatic section in this chapter on the Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi Plot, which sought to ambush the inaugural Council of Premiers Meeting of the new UNGR. There is even a film clip of the attack! This attack had far-reaching implications and marks the beginning of the events which came to be known as the Great Conspiracy.
Chapter 55. A special report is presented to Cabinet on the rise of modern Japan, in the context of their continuing interference in Turkish internal affairs. 29 January sees a range of important diplomatic meetings with visiting VIPs held following the Foundation Day celebrations. A special visitor has arrived from Britain: the influential backbench MP and ‘voice in the wilderness’ against Nazi aggression, Winston Churchill, has been persuaded to attend. So too does the US Secretary of State (and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) George C. Marshall and Soviet Foreign Minister Maksim Litvinov. Germany just sends their ambassador – who is offended by the state-sponsored satire of Hitler still doing the rounds in Turkey. Italy sends Count Ciano as Mussolini’s representative - he charms without offering substance. Meanwhile, Kaya continues to investigate the 28 January plot. A new operative, Volkan ‘Vinnie’ Mancini (Inönü’s ‘illegitimate nephew’), becomes the Milli Şef’s new personal security advisor. Vinnie has a ‘history’ with conspirator and fugitive ex-Premier of Albania, Josip ‘Joey’ Zasa. BJ and Perse keep busy churning out more propaganda in support of the new Glorious Union and the alignment towards the Comintern. And the shadowy and hard to photograph Soviet GRU operative SkitalecS3 puts in a non-appearance.
Josip ‘Joey’ Zasa is showing unusual boldness for a comparatively low-level operator. He must have some powerful backers pulling the strings and giving him assistance.
Chapter 56. Joey Zasa turns up in his ‘compound’ in Albania, determined to keep up his tacit rebellion against the central authority of Ankara. A major new infrastructure project is undertaken to improve transport links to the south, from Ankara. Premier Osvaldo Altobello visits Atatürk in Istanbul and they discuss Turkey’s proposed takeover over of the Italian Vatican-owned Società Generale Immobiliare. There is an initial report on the crashed seaplane used for the January 28 plot: any physical evidence will take some time to analyse. A bothersome partisan rebellion in the former Yugoslavia takes some time to quell. In Rome, dark and shadowy forces muster to frustrate Turkish plans to finalise the Immobiliare acquisition, with the Pope’s ill health being cited as an excuse. Vinnie, at a S.I.T.H. meeting, decides to take advantage of Inönü’s absence on a tour to Iran to plan a bit of freelancing in Albania. Kaya and Darth Kelebek decide to support him – he wishes to run this operation in person.
Volkan ‘Vinnie’ Mancini, the illegitimate son of Inönü’s brother, has become his new Personal Security Advisor. Vinnie is an up-and-coming S.I.T.H. member.
Chapter 57. Don Licio Lucchesi, who seems to be behind Turkey’s troubles with the Immobiliare deal, bides his time in Rome while his plans mature, as the old Pope Pius XI (a backer of the deal) dies of natural causes. Luca Brasi is given a special clandestine mission by Vito Ceylan. Inönü tours Iran, while the rebellion in Yugoslavia drags on – 2 Mtn Div had to be summoned to put paid to it. Joey Zasa is getting more brazen – he sponsors and attends a street festival in his Albanian home town of Tirane. It seems quite a crowd is in attendance (to see what happens, you’ll need to read the chapter). Vinnie returns to Ankara to meet his uncle to explain his recent ‘vacation’ to Albania. More useful evidence is found from the crash site – pointing to direct Japanese involvement! Perhaps not surprising given their prolonged campaign of political interference in Turkish politics. Germany is also implicated, while Luca Brasi uncovers links between the Italian government and the Sicilian Mafia in the provision of the seaplane for the January 28 Plot. This means the Axis as a whole seems to be involved in league with Mafia figures in this Great Conspiracy against Turkey, its leaders and its commercial interests. A new Pope is elected in Rome – but his views and approach to dealing with Turkey may put him in danger. On 26 March, Hitler engineers the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia, annexing the Czech state and leaving Slovakia nominally independent as a ‘puppet’.
Chapter 58. April fool’s Day 1939 sees Darth Kelebek trusting his instincts in Atatürk’s Istanbul palace: he senses ‘a disturbance in the force’! In doing so, he discovers a foul plot within the continuing Great Conspiracy and takes a ride to ‘deliver some baklava’. Virgil ‘The Turk’ Sollozzo, a suspected Mafia kingpin based in Istanbul, is suspected of being behind it. But who is behind him?
Virgil 'The Turk' Sollozzo.
The death of Atatürk on 2 April after his long battle with illness sees Turkey and its Glorious Union in mourning. And Inönü elevated to the pinnacle of power as President of Turkey, with Celal Bayar replacing him as Prime Minister - but not as Milli Şef of the Glorious Union, which title Inönü retains.
Intelligence Head Ögel’s espionage operation in France finally comes up with some very useful findings – stolen doctrine on conducting mechanised offensives. In an ominous sign, France mobilises – but at least they are actively preparing for the inevitable. As the month progresses, more headway is made in the conspiracy investigation, including both tracing links back through Mafia personalities and investigation of suspicious seaplane movements in nearby non-Turkish ports. It confirms the depth and seriousness of the plotting, though not all the details. For that, Inönü calls on his nephew to perform a service for him …
Chapter 59. BJ Guildenstern is tasked with providing some propaganda to support the Comintern alignment campaign, which is being derailed by Japanese information operations. One of his Turkish staffers comes up with a well-meaning attempt to ‘make Marx popular’! In Podgorica (capital of the Montenegro Glorious National Republic), Vinnie has a meeting with Don Osvaldo Altobello, Premier of Montenegro, who brings an interesting guest for him to meet. The new defensive Iskandar Line takes shape in southern Greece. In Rome, Vito Ceylan takes advice from a Sicilian Mafia insider, Don Lionele Thommasino on a range of matters, from the Great Conspiracy to the Immobiliare deal, the Vatican Bank and the new Pope, with whom Ceylan has an audience. The main points and players in the Great Conspiracy are at last coming into focus – but what to do about it? An attempt to retaliate against rampant Japanese interference with a Turkish espionage campaign in Japan gets off to a bad start. Altobello mentions to an old Sicilian contact that he ‘has a stone in his shoe’ and wants some help removing it. Inönü contemplates a state tour of the Balkans – including
Premier Osvaldo Altobello and ‘Mosca of Montelepre’. Altobello requires some assistance with his footwear.
Chapter 60. June 1939 sees financial scandal brewing in Rome over the Vatican Bank, and the new Pope is not as easy to fool or as quick to tolerate murky dealings and corruption as his predecessor. This puts him in personal danger. The brief espionage expedition in Japan comes to a disastrous end, a whole network of ten agents liquidated in a matter of days. This will cripple the ‘traditional’ arm of the foreign intelligence service for the foreseeable future, bring the ‘wet ops’ agents of S.I.T.H. into greater prominence. Turkey receives its first license-built medium armoured brigade, ordered before Japanese interference sent Comintern alignment almost all the wat back to where it began! Vinnie reports to Inönü on his recent trip – and the news is sobering, the danger clear and present. Germany steps up pressure on Poland over Danzig and ‘the Corridor’, while Poland continues to resist the intimidation. They have the example of Czechoslovakia to consider, plus security guarantees from the Allies and what they believe to be a strong army.
Inönü’s tour of the Balkans sees him in Sarajevo on the 25th anniversary of the assassination or Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand, which sparked the Great War! There are rumours of assassination plots – surely this is tempting fate too much, but Inönü will not be cowed. The Cession of Hatay is enforced on 29 June. That evening, Inönü and his party take in a night at the theatre, for a special performance of the hit satirical musical “Springtime for Hitler”. What could possibly go wrong? Well, you will need to read the chapter to find out! The same goes for momentous – and bloody – events in Rome and the Vatican that all happen while the performance in Sarajevo plays itself out.
Altobello enjoys some baklava at the theatre in Sarajevo.
Chapter 61. Following a peak in events surrounding the Great Conspiracy in June, things quieten down. But this does not mean every loose end has been resolved – which includes Sollozzo, about whom more will be heard in the future. Both sides have wounds and the focus is on recovery – while geostrategic events in Europe begin to overshadow all else. Cennet, Vinnie’s lover and ward of the President, decides to join the S.I.T.H. herself – she is determined to become a fierce warrior for the Motherland. Turkey’s production focus is heavily (though not exclusively) on infrastructure of different types for now, especially the two fortified lines being constructed for the defence of the Motherland. Another inconvenient nationalist uprising in former Yugoslavia runs riot before it can be contained. In the UK, Oswald Mosely, boss of the British Union of fascist, is up to his old rabble-rousing tricks.
Mosley is at it again: Fascist running dog, demagogue and black-skivvy-wearing teapot-imitator!
Japanese influence now sees Turkey considerably more closely aligned to the Axis as the Comintern! This prompts some to question the previous decision and re-examine a possible switch to alignment with the Axis, which Cabinet will consider at a forthcoming meeting. Perse brings out her now-famous easel to pitch some new (well, Soviet rip-off) propaganda to emphasise the role of the peasantry and agricultural production to fuel Turkey’s journey along the Path to Glory.
Turkey is now more closely aligned to the Axis (distance 178.53) than to the Comintern!
Chapter 62. Europe slips closer towards war in August, as Turkey builds its defences. The renamed International Immobiliare Group, now Turkish-owned, opens its new corporate HQ in Zurich. On 6 August, the world is shocked by the announcement of the Nazi-Soviet Pact.
Two days later, Germany mobilises – actually later than France and Poland, who have been mobilised for some time already. That same day – 10 August – the Turkish Cabinet meets to consider its future factional direction. After a surprisingly robust debate, the decision is made to ‘stay the course’ with the Comintern and maintain opposition to the Fascists, rejecting Axis attempts to persuade and cajole. Comprehensive reporting is received from Turkey’s Embassy in Rome: it is clear the Italians believe Hitler is intent on war with Poland – and wants it to be limited, rather than general. The Soviets appear happy enough for the Western capitalists (in which they include Germany) to fight each other to a standstill while they remain out of it. It seems like wise counsel …. The month ends with tension between Germany and Poland over the former’s demands on the ‘Polish Corridor’ reaching fever pitch.
4. The Second Great War Begins – September 1939 – May 1940
Chapter 63. In Turkey, the new Ankara-Adana railway is completed on 31 August. Last minute shuttle diplomacy between the UK and Germany continues to forestall war, but it is hopeless. Germany conducts a false flag operation to contrive a casus belli, with war declared and Poland invaded on 1 September. France and Britain in turn declare war on Germany and Slovakia joins its master in declaring war on Poland. For now, the conflict is restricted to those five countries.
The Franco-German border remains quiet, although Belgium has now mobilised, while remaining neutral. But the early days of fighting show that Germany’s declaration of a ‘Blitzkrieg’ on the Poles is no idle threat, with large inroads being made.
Poland: situation as at midnight 6 September 1939.
Chapter 64. The Turkish Cabinet meets to consider the implications of the opening days of Germany’s war on Poland. Foremost is a need to increase Turkey’s woefully low manpower reserves – more men must be found for military service from the expanded Glorious Union. Otherwise, infrastructure preparations and unit construction continue to gear Turkey up for the anticipated conflict, though that may still be months or even years away. The focus remains on defence and an anticipated surrender of most of the Balkans in the event of a concerted Axis attack. The Germans press on towards Warsaw, defeating and in some cases encircling large numbers of Polish units, but they fight on bravely. But without active allied support and left isolated by the Nazi-Soviet Pact, their cause looks increasingly doomed. Australia joins the Allies on 11 September. Italy begins mobilising on 13 September, but remains out of the war. In better news, all this bellicose aggression from Germany has had an amazing effect on Turkey’s alignment: the distance from the Comintern has plummeted by around 70 from about 220 before the war and after the peak of the Japanese propaganda campaign to only 150 by 13 September. After two weeks of war, Germany has made deep inroads into Poland, but their surrender progress is still only about 20%. Though this will change rapidly if Warsaw falls.
Chapter 65. Poland fights on, but the third week of the war sees things go from grim to desperate. In the US, Charles Lindbergh makes a nationwide radio broadcast in favour of American isolationism. He will hammer at this theme repeatedly in coming months. New Zealand joins the Allies on 14 September. In Poland, the ‘Corridor’ is lost and units in the north exposed to being cut off. Danzig itself finally falls on 18 September and German panzers are spotted on the outskirts of Warsaw for the first time. While by 20 September Polish troops desperately try to extract themselves from envelopment in the ‘Torun-Grudziadz Pocket’, (north-west of Warsaw) there seems to be no solid defensive line for them to retreat to. The key VP city of Lodz fights on valiantly but is now surrounded. In southern Poland, the situation is a little better, with the soon-to-be-legendary ‘Mazowiecka’ Cavalry Division defying an attack by the 9th Pz Div in the Battle of Turka.
Poland: situation as at midnight 13 September 1939.
Chapter 66. On 21 September, the Poles are still trying to rescue their troops from encirclement from what has now become the ‘Grudziadz-Brodnica Pocket’. Meanwhile, Warsaw itself was not yet under attack. The beleaguered garrison in Lodz finally surrenders on the night of 22 September. In the south, the cavalry still resists the 9th Pz Div – they continue their gallant defence of Turka until 24 September, when they are finally forced to retreat. This inspires BJ Guildenstern to produce some excellent propaganda to inspire the common Turk against the Nazi menace. All thought of history, Polish Winged Hussars and so on are forgotten!
“Turks for Turka! Join the National Republican Guard Today!”
The Battle for Warsaw begins on 26 September, with only a single German inf div (the 61st) attacking, with the 11th Pz Div attempting to reinforce, against two entrenched Polish divisions (one mountain and one infantry). For now, they can hold out. Two days later resistance in Warsaw continues strongly, but more German troops are gradually marching to reinforce the fight. By 1 October, the city is completely surrounded and three German divisions are in the fight for Warsaw against a single weakening infantry division. The end is near. By 6pm that night, after a month of war, Warsaw falls and Poland is conquered.
Final Polish dispositions as at 6pm on 1 October 1939, after the fall of Warsaw.
The next day, the Germans enforce their conquest and the secret protocol of the Nazi-Soviet Pact is enforced: the Soviets occupy and absorb eastern Poland. Poland’s initial agony is over – now begins its torture. These events bring Turkish alignment to less than 100 distant from the Comintern.
Chapter 67. Germany declares war on and invades Denmark on 3 November. Unlike in OTL, Denmark puts up a dogged fight, throughout the month.
A review of the Turkish Army is conducted to apply lessons learned from observing the Polish campaign and to set unit production priorities, including for the Air Force (so far neglected). Alignment to the Comintern has improved so much Soviet licenses can again be bought and Turkey goes shopping for tanks and aircraft. There is also a reorganisation of unit structures and orders placed to fill gaps (see the chapter for details). A new Corps HQ (3rd Corps) is raised to command the growing number of formations now deployed in Greece. All three Corps HQ are reinforced with a standard mix of MIL, AT and AA brigades to bolster their defensive strength, effectively as light support divisions (the concept was field tested in the Yugoslavian War). Mechanised forces are gradually being developed, with licensed medium armour and (newly licensed and ordered) MOT units. Later in the month, some excellent SU-85 TDs are licensed from the Soviets as well, to augment the developing mechanised formations.
French (and Allied) counter-espionage efforts begin to tell in Paris: our network there is being eroded and is consuming Turkey’s small reserve of spies. Turkish manpower is boosted by a (mod) +40 MP ‘National Republican Guard’ event, nominally triggered by the the commencement of war in Europe, the defeat of our Polish friends and Germany’s continued aggression against its neighbours. By 31 October, Copenhagen still holds out, though the end is near.
Chapter 68. Plans for the Army Reorganisation and deployments for the Calistar and Iskandar Lines are finalised and put into motion. Darth Kelebek is given captured spies to interrogate: they reportedly give ‘good sport’!
Darth Kelebek: “Do they give good sport?” Once again, the attempted photograph of Kelebek comes out strangely distorted, as of some twisted monster’s visage. Curiously, it never occurs to people that it may be their eyes that are malfunctioning, not the camera!
General Yamut (who is also the Army Chief) is given command of the new 3rd Corps. There is an attempt (not a Turkish one) to kill Hitler. By 17 November, the brave Danes are finally defeated in Copenhagen and surrender formally the next day.
The Iskandar Line fortifications are strengthened and radio technology is finally introduced in the Turkish Army! Tensions rise between the Soviet Union and Finland over Karelia and other border disputes during the month, culminating in a Soviet declaration of war on 30 November. The Winter war has begun – a chance for Turkey to see how its potential ally performs on the battlefield.
Chapter 69. A review is done of manpower sources, industrial capacity and resources across the Glorious Union. It will be used to determine what the key centres are and what should be protected, if possible (see chapter for details). But basically, other than the great Turkish cities of Istanbul and Ankara, the other three key cities are Beograd, Sofiya and Athina. The loss of any would have a significant impact on Turkey’s productive strength. The massive oilfields of Ahvaz (on the Persian Gulf) also stand out. It is concluded that Turkish force levels are not yet strong enough to defend forward by themselves, even in combination with the ‘puppeted’ Romanians. Turkish alignment is again closing in on the Comintern joining threshold of 50 distance: by early December it was just under 70, after recovering from a recent period of German diplomatic influence. By year’s end, Cennet has finished her initial S.I.T.H. training and is sent to Paris for some ‘on-the-job’ experience. The Soviets accept a license request for a new BTR-7 medium tank brigade – an improvement on the T-28 models already ordered.
Initial exchanges in the Winter War have favoured the Finns, with some Soviet border provinces being taken by them! It seems the Soviets were neither well prepared nor strong, despite the fact they are the ones who attacked. Sobering news. By the end of the month, fighting rages in four different sectors in the Winter War: the Finns remain in occupation of Soviet territory, but the Red Army is beginning to apply itself.
Chapter 70. Alignment rapidly shifts the final distance required: as soon as the threshold of 50 was reached on 2 January 1940, Stalin sent the invitation to join the Comintern. It was accepted straight away. The Brave New World (in its original literary meaning) had arrived!
Turkey continues to lose spies in France and cannot now fill the gaps, even with elevated espionage training levels. On 6 January, Romania mobilises its armed forces – a useful development: they will be ready should war come suddenly. As January 1940 wears on, the Soviets start to recoup earlier losses and advance into Finnish territory on the Karelian Isthmus. By midnight on 31 January, on the main southern front, the Red Army has made large gains in Karelia and seem close to breaking through.
Chapter 71. A summary is provided of major surface ship losses since the start of the war (so far, German and British). The spy wars – at home and abroad – continue unabated. The ground war in Finland turns decisively to the advantage of the Soviets in the south: they have made a general breakout from Karelia and are now intent on forcing the Finns to the surrender table, where their war goal is to enforce the territorial demands that triggered the war in the first place.
Chapter 72. BJ Guildenstern finds some excellent advertising from his old home – he years for some of that Custom Ground Coffee (you will need to see the advert in the chapter to see what he means). US Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles makes a well-publicised and (from confidential reporting) revealing tour though Europe during March 1940. Crete continues to prove unruly, with another uprising there. By mid-March, the Soviets are racing towards Helsinki in the south and to the Finns’ Baltic Coast. Germany declares war on Norway on 18 March, but it is not followed up with an invasion. Helsinki falls to the Red Army on 20 March, but the Finns fight on. It seems more of their VP cities must be taken to force them to give up. More (useful) French blueprints are stolen on 23 March – some recompense for the elevated espionage costs encountered of late. Another slight increase is made to spy training after another is captured in Paris, but there are other important demands on Turkish leadership points (research and officer training). A large espionage effort cannot be sustained. The German light cruiser KMS Karlsruhe is sunk by the British. Finland has now been largely occupied: only a few key centres remain.
Chapter 73. The Finns are finally defeated and brought to the surrender table on 1 April: Karelia and other concessions are given to the Soviets.
Cennet (‘Connie’) Kavgaci, Inönü’s former ward, is (following Turkey’s joining of the Comintern) now undergoing training with the NKVD. Germany declares war on Luxemburg on 2 April and has conquered it by 5 April. Another useful set of French blueprints is stolen (this time cavalry light artillery). The Netherlands is invaded on 12 April, bringing them into the Allies. Mid-month, the second T-28 armoured brigade is delivered. By 21 Apr, the spy war in France continues to get more difficult. At sea, during April the Germans lose the KMS Admiral Scheer (CA) and Emden (CL). The Franco-German border remains quiet and Belgium is still neutral. The Germans have made large inroads into the Netherlands and most of the country has been over-run by 30 April.
Chapter 74. The Turks compare their basic military units to those of the combatants in Western Europe, to see how they compare – and therefore what Turkey may face in future conflict with the Wehrmacht. Germany occupies the last Dutch province in Europe on 5 May and immediately declares war on Belgium. The Dutch relocate their capital to Palembang in the Dutch East Indies. In Turkey, the first suggestions are made about the possibility of coming to France’s aid to help keep them in the war – specifically by inciting the Soviets to join in, thus creating the dreaded second front for the Germans. On 7 May the long-deflected needs of the Turkish Air Force are finally recognised, with freed industrial capacity being used to start construction of the first new air unit to be constructed in Turkey: a Soviet licensed Polykarpov I-16 monoplane interceptor wing! By mid-month, a large proportion of the French spy ring in Paris has been rounded up and liquidated. The losses cannot be replaced. The remainder try to hide and no new assignments to France are made. This looks like the end of the road for stolen plans out of France. On 15 May, Finland mobilises again – perhaps they fear another attack by the Soviets? In the West, the Germans have taken Belgium’s main border fortifications and have crashed through from Holland to outflank Antwerp and Brussels to their west.
Chapter 74A. A dossier of information and assessments is provided to Cabinet to support the discussion late on 15 May on whether and (if so) how and when Turkey should intervene in the European War. Diplomatic angles are discussed (Soviet and Axis likely actions and reactions) and military considerations, including whether to defend further forward or back, are canvassed. Industrial impacts (ie sacrificing an extra year of military preparation against the benefits of an early Soviet entry and an increased possibility of keeping France in the war) are also considered. The concept of the Yeniҫeri Line (from the Romanian border to the Adriatic coast, going north of Beograd) is first proposed. See the chapter for more detailed information.
Chapter 76. A New French leadership confronts the Nazi menace – with General Henri-Honoré Giraud elected (somewhat surprisingly in OTL terms) as both President and Prime Minister of France, leading an Action Franҫaise dominated government. The rest of the month (16-31 May) sees Turkish forces moving into their Yeniҫeri Line positions in the centre of the former Yugoslavia, linking up with the Romanians on their right. The Germans make further inroads in Belgium and seize the tip of the Maginot Line (Wissembourg) on 18 May. Charles Lindbergh continues his isolationist broadcasts in the US. Leadership is diverted from spy training to diplomacy, virtually conceding defeat in the spy war there. British Fascist and general troublemaker Oswald Mosley is arrested on 23 May. Time seems to be running out in the West, with the Cabinet concerned the a tipping point will be reached before the Soviets enact their plans to annex the Baltic States and are in adequate (if not ideal) position for Turkey to induce them into an attack on Germany. Brussels is taken on 30 May and King Leopold of Belgium sues for peace, a unilateral decision done without Allied consultation, leaving a large gap in the Allied front. At the same time the Germans are breaking through from their breach in the north-east of the Maginot Line. That evening, the Soviets issue their ultimatum and annex the Baltic States.
Then straight after, word comes through that the Italians have ‘stabbed France in the back’, declaring war on them.
On 31 May Belgium surrenders, leaving a large gap in the French line. It is now or never if any intervention to preserve France is to be launched. Even though the Soviets have just enforced their Baltic annexation, the units in that area are all still at the old borders. This will be a hindrance if war is declared now, but it cannot be put off any longer. The Yeniҫeri Line is occupied, France is beset by the Axis in the north and south, Belgium has surrendered and the British have not provided any Expeditionary Force to assist them. Final approaches are made to the Stalin to seek his support for an intervention: Turkey will toss the match that lights the second bonfire in Europe. The immediate results will be known the following day – 1 June 1940.
Yeniçeri Line, 31 May 1940.
As with the Summary of Book One: The New Balkan War (Chapters 1-38), this summary of the second book is designed with a couple of things in mind:
- First, new or potential readers who are discouraged from starting to read the AAR because of its length.
- Second, dedicated readers who also read many other AARs and for whom some of the events here are now ‘distant history’, you can look here to recount key aspects and/or use it as a chapter reference guide if you want to look up some past event.
WARNING, SPOILERS AHEAD!
Otherwise, if looking through a summary means you might get into the AAR and bring yourself up to date quickly rather than not reading it at all, then please read on!
---xxx---
1. Between the 'Expansion Wars' - January to March 1938
Chapter 39. Following the conclusion of the New Balkan War, the Turkish Cabinet met on 10 January 1938 to consider the future path of the nation: they concluded that the Path would be to Glory, but that important choices had to be made to get there. And further expansion remained a priority. See this chapter for a more detailed review of the advice received and options eliminated as unfeasible, unduly risky or not cost-effective. The main options considered were either Hungary or Persia (Iran). As Hungary was already an Axis member and German intervention (then or later) was considered likely and its implications catastrophic, Iran was selected (Case Green from earlier considerations). Word spreads about the new ‘Mystery Play’ to be presented in Ankara soon by impresario Max Bialysock. BJ Guildenstern and Persephonee Fotheringay-Phipps get heavily involved in its promotion – with unforeseen consequences!
Persia’s NU is assessed at 74.9%. This means 6/7 of the available VPs would need to be seized to force a surrender: all bar Bandar e ‘Abbas in the south would need to be taken. Logistics, terrain and time are assessed as the biggest enemies: even without Romanian reinforcement and attacking on a narrow front, the battle-hardened Turkish Army, if massed in sufficient numbers, should easily outnumber and outperform the Persians.
Chapter 40. The rest of January 1938 was taken up with the massive redeployment of most of the Turkish Army to near the border with Iran for Operation Chaldiran. This would prove a lengthy process. Command structures and leadership appointments were also reviewed. In the tech realm, research and officer training were given the highest priority. President Atatürk – now suffering increasingly from terminal cirrhosis of the liver – made one of his last major public appearances at a grand victory parade in Ankara on 16 January. Japan began to diplomatically influence Turkey away from the Comintern and towards the Axis. Little was it realised that this would be the beginning of a remarkably persistent and serious campaign of influence, which would have both inconvenient and at times disastrous consequences. Max Bialystock casts for the lead actor in his ‘Mystery Play’ – and 'LSD' (Lorenzo St. DuBois) is discovered! The Sino-Japanese war continues to go the way of the aggressor, while the Turkish Army orders its first (very primitive) tank brigade. Luca Brasi has disappeared.
Chapter 41. February 1938 brings bad weather conditions and extensive mud throughout the proposed Chaldiran area of operations, delaying the commencement of the offensive, which relies on speed to overcome Iranian resistance. The preparation for the play progresses, with the director arriving from Broadway. Meanwhile, an elaborate and fraudulent plot by producer Bialystock and his accountant and now business partner – Leon Bloom – grows apace. Not realising this, BJ embezzles government funds to back the project, intending to repay them (less his expected profit) before anyone notices. A minor revolt in Croatia seems to be taking an inordinate amount of time for the local Turkish cavalry brigade commander to put down. The Sino-Japanese War looks to be reaching its endpoint as Japan seizes yet more Chinese cities. Persephonee continues to float ideas for a new name for the Greater Turkish Republic, to be proclaimed after the anticipated victory over Iran.
Chapter 42. The first half of March 1938 sees Bialystock’s play attracting great interest in advance of its premiere. Their many (unsuspecting and heavily oversubscribed) investors and the great and powerful of Turkey will be attending. Little do they know it is intended to be a terrible disaster and a write-off showing no profit, at which point Bialystock and Bloom will pocket all the investors’ money and make a rapid exit, stage right! The slow and (frankly) almost certainly insane commander of the Turkish 2nd Cavalry Brigade in Croatia receives an unexpected guest – an itinerant circus performer (!?) for lunch. You will need to read that chapter to find out what happens. The end result however is that the attack then goes in remarkably swiftly! Japanese influence infuriates the Interior (Security) Minister Kaya, to the detriment of his health. And on 9 March, Germany annexes Austria, bring them a shared border with Greater Turkey. A day later, Italy joins the Axis. And on 12 March, the ‘Mystery Play’ premieres in Ankara: you will have to tune in to the chapter to see how it goes and what the ramifications will be!
Chapter 43. Bialystock and Bloom deal with the consequences of Opening Night. There is violence, gunplay and an appearance by the Polis! Oblivious to these developments, BJ and Perse are at work, presenting possible new names for the Turkish state. BJ is soon brought back to earth as news spreads of scandalous goings-on in connection with the play. There will be an audit of the Propaganda Department’s finances at the end of April – the matter of the missing money will need to be rectified by then. But how? On 24 March, Nationalist China surrenders to Japan and cedes them a swathe of coastal territory. Luca Brasi turns up in Prague, to report on threatening developments there concerning German claims on the Sudetenland. The landmark first fort of the Calistar Line is complete in Istanbul. This will be the last line of defence in case of a massive Axis attack and the loss of the Balkans. Mud still prevents the commencement of the attack on Iran. And there are prison scenes and postcards following the fall-out from the failed play fraud.
2. War with Persia (Iran) – April to June 1938
Chapter 44. With muddy conditions predicted to last for some time yet, the decision is made that, with winter now over, the invasion of Iran should proceed regardless. The command chain is reorganised for the operation, with units selected for specific purposes (including the establishment of a second MTN division). BJ sweats out his financial predicament, while a court date (9 April) is set for Bialystock. The case proceeds poorly for Max – but a surprise appearance is made! BJ manages to cobble enough funds from a surprisingly large court-ordered refund and his personal savings to return the cash to the Departmental funds before the end of the month, hoping that is the end of it. And he will still accrue money from the play’s unexpected success, so might even end up turning a profit! The search for a new national name goes on – none of the suggestions so far have made the grade. The invasion of Iran commences on 18 April. Rapid advances are made, with no enemy units even being sighted by 30 April! Where are they? Are they mobilising in depth for a staunch defence later, or are they just badly led by cowards?
The situation on the Persian front as at 2300 on 30 Apr 38.
Chapter 45. Tech espionage in France is ramped up in the hope of stealing a breakthrough. The audit of the Propaganda Department is conducted – still worried, BJ consults Leo Bloom for some slippery ‘defensive’ accounting advice, just in case his tracks aren’t as well covered as he thought. The campaign in Iran presses on, using two axes of advance: the main towards Tehran, another heading south towards the Gulf. In the north, 2nd Corps units occupy Tabriz [1 VP] on 6 May then sets up a defensive perimeter. The first sighting of an enemy unit is made by 1 Cav Div on 6 May. By 26 May it has pressed forward to occupy Dezful just north of the key Ahvaz oilfields [and VP location] having encountered no opposition. In the centre, the main body presses forward, the advance guard 3 Cav Div meeting and probing their first enemy unit at Ardabil on 9 May. The probe is called off the next day. Another probe on Ardabil, this time by 2 Mtn Div, is made on 14 May, but with similar results: there is no hope of victory in an unsupported attack. It will be bypassed for now. The main body of 1stt Corps advances on Tehran. A short battle is won by flanking forces to the south at Abhar on 25 May, and they are ordered to keep moving south to occupy enemy VP locations in depth.
Campaign summary as at 30 May 38.
In other developments, the Secret Intelligence Technical Headquarters (S.I.T.H.), the ‘black' or 'wet' ops section of Turkey’s foreign intelligence apparatus, is introduced for the first time. The German pressure and tension in Czechoslovakia continues to mount throughout May. And BJ and his boss (Propaganda Chief Karaduman) are summoned to a meeting with their Minister, Calistar. Apparently, the audit report has been finalised. BJ is glad of the advice he sought earlier from Leo Bloom ... because Darth Kelebek is present and will ‘remove’ any guilty party!
Chapter 46. 1st Corps’ reinforced advance guard heads south to Esfahan [1 VP] while the rest of the Corps approaches the capital of Tehran [2 VP]. On the diplomatic front, alignment is nearing the point at which the Comintern could be joined – but the Axis again intervenes to influence Turkey away from its objective. On 4 June, the attack on Tehran is launched by 1, 3, 5 and 7 Inf Divs, opposed by a single Persian infantry division. They are dug in, so some serious fighting is required. But the fight is won in less than two days and Persian casualties are very heavy. [127 Turkish, 761 Persian troops killed]. In the south, 1 Cav Div takes Ahvaz (with its VP and massive oil and energy resources) on 11 June. Tehran is occupied on 14 June. Persian surrender progress is now at over 76%.
Campaign summary as at 30 May 38.
Chapter 47. 17 June finds, 1 Cav Div battles through mud – but not enemy units - in the south, aiming for the VP objective of Busheshr, on the Persian Gulf. 1st Corps now concentrates on it drive to Esfahan: with Busheshr, its capture should end Persian resistance. An eight hour battle ensues in Kashan, with Turkey victorious [40 Turk, 210 Persian casualties]. Wehib Pasha’s 1 Cav Div occupies Busheshr unopposed on 29 June, bringing Persian surrender progress to 95.4%: Esfahan must still be capture – and 1st Corps is closing in on it from two different directions, but again they are hampered by terrain and weather. 30 June finds them still short of their final objective.
Campaign Summary as at 30 Jun 38.
3. The Gathering Storm – July 1938 to August 1939
Chapter 48. France and Turkey agree to settle the issue of the ‘Sanjak of Alexandretta’ (a.k.a. Hatay, Iskenderun) on 3 July via an electoral process. Which Turkey manipulates via military intervention to ensure a favourable outcome. In Persia, Operation Chaldiran is in its final stages. A nine hour battle on 2 July results in 3 Inf and 3 Cav Divs defeating the Persian 1st Div [17 Turk, 276 Persian casualties]. On 5 July MAJGEN Toüdemür’s 3 Cav Div march into Esfahan, ending the war. Victory in Persia Day is celebrated on 6 July, when Persia is formally annexed.
Other than a small garrison, the army is sent back to Istanbul, awaiting further orders. In a landmark speech, Atatürk describes this day as a ‘new dawn for Turkey and a ray of hope for the world’ and, with Prime Minister and heir designate Ismet Inönü, announces the formation of the Union of Glorious National Republics (the UGNR or Glorious Union).
In big news, despite Axis and Allied influence campaigns, Turkey draws close enough to the Soviet Union to be able to license build medium tanks (T-28s). This will bring a serious increase to Turkish armoured power. Licenses for two brigades are bought, to be built consecutively.
Chapter 49. In August 1938, German-engineered tensions over the Sudetenland situation continue to build. Recent Axis influence means Turkey can no longer purchase licenses from the Soviets – a good thing a second tank license was ‘stacked’ when the first was bought. A massive victory parade is held in Ankara on 24 August, though Atatürk is too unwell to preside over the main event: Inönü takes the salute. The corps organisation of the Turkish Army is amended again, this time to match its task of manning the Calistar Line. ‘Vito’ Ceylan is announced as Turkey’s new Ambassador to Rome – taking Luca Brasi with him as ‘1st Secretary Cultural Affairs’, under a cover identity. We can infer their roles will not be purely diplomatic! Edward Beneš, President of Czechoslovakia, finds himself isolated, with some sympathy but no meaningful security guarantees due to UK (Chamberlain’s) influence.
Chapter 50. BJ suggests the distribution of a hit movie of derring-do (with a Turkish translation) to help boost civilian morale. The Czech situation continues to fester during early September, with British pressure on them to concede and on France not to make any binding security guarantee. On 9 September, the Munich Agreement is announced: “it is peace for our time”, according to Chamberlain. The Czechs are forced to concede and Germany occupies the Sudetenland fortifications. Fortification of the Iskandar Line, designed to complement the Calistar Line by defending the natural choke points of (LS, IC and resource-rich) southern Greece, is commenced.
Chapter 51. Maps for the proposed new Glorious National Republics in the Balkans and Persia are published (see the chapter for details of how these are set out – note they are political/narrative constructs and have no in-game effect or representation). The Turkish Army continues to take delivery of new brigades, many of them specialist in nature (including AT and a few AA to complement the ARTY already being added). These will be important in countering the expected German panzer threat should war come in the Balkans. Winston Churchill continues to make foreboding speeches – and Turkey (again, narrative only) continues to try to influence him favourably. Praise, whisky and cigars are the preferred currency for this! With the Calistar Line now heavily garrisoned, additional forces start to be allocated to the Iskandar Line in southern Greece. The idea is that it would divert Axis attention and cause them additional attrition if it can be held strongly enough, maintaining an additional jumping off point for an eventual counter-attack once the tide turns against Germany.
Chapter 52. Things remain relatively quiet over the winter, as November and December pass without the habitual international crises of the last year. Atatürk has defied doctors’ expectations and has survived for months longer than had been expected. In the Soviet Union, Stalin’s Great Purge appears to have come to an end, but the effects on their military have been dire. This is a worry for Turkey, who are relying on them for their future security. The Army and the defensive lines continue to build. Alignment to the Comintern has been stalled as regular Axis interventions keep the distance from joining above 100 (when we need to get it to 50 and it had been much closer just a few months previously).
Chapter 53. It is January 1939. A feature on Poland, its preparations for war and the redoubtable Marshal Rydz-Śmigły is provided. Atatürk comes under the care of a renowned liver specialist and undergoes experimental treatment for his medical condition, but increasingly hands most duties over to PM Inönü. BJ and Perse have their hands full with publicity for the launch of the Glorious Union. Hitler ramps up the intimidation of the Poles. With more new generals available, HQ 1st Army is created, with Inönü taking over as its commander, while Cakmak is promoted to command 1st Corps. This means Turkey now has all commands filled from corps to theatre HQs, to take advantage of the accrued benefits at each level. Atatürk arrives in Ankara to take part in the impending Foundation Day ceremonies for the Glorious Union, with heavy security arrangements put in place.
Chapter 54. Foundation Day for the Glorious Union arrives – 28 January 1939. Publicity, ceremony, parades and speeches all feature prominently. Inönü is sworn in as Milli Şef (National Chief) of the Union of Glorious National Republics. But Interior Minister Kaya, ‘Capo’ Luca Brasi and Darth Kelebek are concerned about unspecified security threats (justifiably, as it turns out). While not discounting them, Inönü will not be put off by these threats to see Turkey cowed on its day of glory. Guards are doubled, but as it transpires, they have been looking in the wrong direction. For details, read the dramatic section in this chapter on the Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi Plot, which sought to ambush the inaugural Council of Premiers Meeting of the new UNGR. There is even a film clip of the attack! This attack had far-reaching implications and marks the beginning of the events which came to be known as the Great Conspiracy.
Chapter 55. A special report is presented to Cabinet on the rise of modern Japan, in the context of their continuing interference in Turkish internal affairs. 29 January sees a range of important diplomatic meetings with visiting VIPs held following the Foundation Day celebrations. A special visitor has arrived from Britain: the influential backbench MP and ‘voice in the wilderness’ against Nazi aggression, Winston Churchill, has been persuaded to attend. So too does the US Secretary of State (and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) George C. Marshall and Soviet Foreign Minister Maksim Litvinov. Germany just sends their ambassador – who is offended by the state-sponsored satire of Hitler still doing the rounds in Turkey. Italy sends Count Ciano as Mussolini’s representative - he charms without offering substance. Meanwhile, Kaya continues to investigate the 28 January plot. A new operative, Volkan ‘Vinnie’ Mancini (Inönü’s ‘illegitimate nephew’), becomes the Milli Şef’s new personal security advisor. Vinnie has a ‘history’ with conspirator and fugitive ex-Premier of Albania, Josip ‘Joey’ Zasa. BJ and Perse keep busy churning out more propaganda in support of the new Glorious Union and the alignment towards the Comintern. And the shadowy and hard to photograph Soviet GRU operative SkitalecS3 puts in a non-appearance.
Josip ‘Joey’ Zasa is showing unusual boldness for a comparatively low-level operator. He must have some powerful backers pulling the strings and giving him assistance.
Chapter 56. Joey Zasa turns up in his ‘compound’ in Albania, determined to keep up his tacit rebellion against the central authority of Ankara. A major new infrastructure project is undertaken to improve transport links to the south, from Ankara. Premier Osvaldo Altobello visits Atatürk in Istanbul and they discuss Turkey’s proposed takeover over of the Italian Vatican-owned Società Generale Immobiliare. There is an initial report on the crashed seaplane used for the January 28 plot: any physical evidence will take some time to analyse. A bothersome partisan rebellion in the former Yugoslavia takes some time to quell. In Rome, dark and shadowy forces muster to frustrate Turkish plans to finalise the Immobiliare acquisition, with the Pope’s ill health being cited as an excuse. Vinnie, at a S.I.T.H. meeting, decides to take advantage of Inönü’s absence on a tour to Iran to plan a bit of freelancing in Albania. Kaya and Darth Kelebek decide to support him – he wishes to run this operation in person.
Volkan ‘Vinnie’ Mancini, the illegitimate son of Inönü’s brother, has become his new Personal Security Advisor. Vinnie is an up-and-coming S.I.T.H. member.
Chapter 57. Don Licio Lucchesi, who seems to be behind Turkey’s troubles with the Immobiliare deal, bides his time in Rome while his plans mature, as the old Pope Pius XI (a backer of the deal) dies of natural causes. Luca Brasi is given a special clandestine mission by Vito Ceylan. Inönü tours Iran, while the rebellion in Yugoslavia drags on – 2 Mtn Div had to be summoned to put paid to it. Joey Zasa is getting more brazen – he sponsors and attends a street festival in his Albanian home town of Tirane. It seems quite a crowd is in attendance (to see what happens, you’ll need to read the chapter). Vinnie returns to Ankara to meet his uncle to explain his recent ‘vacation’ to Albania. More useful evidence is found from the crash site – pointing to direct Japanese involvement! Perhaps not surprising given their prolonged campaign of political interference in Turkish politics. Germany is also implicated, while Luca Brasi uncovers links between the Italian government and the Sicilian Mafia in the provision of the seaplane for the January 28 Plot. This means the Axis as a whole seems to be involved in league with Mafia figures in this Great Conspiracy against Turkey, its leaders and its commercial interests. A new Pope is elected in Rome – but his views and approach to dealing with Turkey may put him in danger. On 26 March, Hitler engineers the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia, annexing the Czech state and leaving Slovakia nominally independent as a ‘puppet’.
Chapter 58. April fool’s Day 1939 sees Darth Kelebek trusting his instincts in Atatürk’s Istanbul palace: he senses ‘a disturbance in the force’! In doing so, he discovers a foul plot within the continuing Great Conspiracy and takes a ride to ‘deliver some baklava’. Virgil ‘The Turk’ Sollozzo, a suspected Mafia kingpin based in Istanbul, is suspected of being behind it. But who is behind him?
Virgil 'The Turk' Sollozzo.
The death of Atatürk on 2 April after his long battle with illness sees Turkey and its Glorious Union in mourning. And Inönü elevated to the pinnacle of power as President of Turkey, with Celal Bayar replacing him as Prime Minister - but not as Milli Şef of the Glorious Union, which title Inönü retains.
Intelligence Head Ögel’s espionage operation in France finally comes up with some very useful findings – stolen doctrine on conducting mechanised offensives. In an ominous sign, France mobilises – but at least they are actively preparing for the inevitable. As the month progresses, more headway is made in the conspiracy investigation, including both tracing links back through Mafia personalities and investigation of suspicious seaplane movements in nearby non-Turkish ports. It confirms the depth and seriousness of the plotting, though not all the details. For that, Inönü calls on his nephew to perform a service for him …
Chapter 59. BJ Guildenstern is tasked with providing some propaganda to support the Comintern alignment campaign, which is being derailed by Japanese information operations. One of his Turkish staffers comes up with a well-meaning attempt to ‘make Marx popular’! In Podgorica (capital of the Montenegro Glorious National Republic), Vinnie has a meeting with Don Osvaldo Altobello, Premier of Montenegro, who brings an interesting guest for him to meet. The new defensive Iskandar Line takes shape in southern Greece. In Rome, Vito Ceylan takes advice from a Sicilian Mafia insider, Don Lionele Thommasino on a range of matters, from the Great Conspiracy to the Immobiliare deal, the Vatican Bank and the new Pope, with whom Ceylan has an audience. The main points and players in the Great Conspiracy are at last coming into focus – but what to do about it? An attempt to retaliate against rampant Japanese interference with a Turkish espionage campaign in Japan gets off to a bad start. Altobello mentions to an old Sicilian contact that he ‘has a stone in his shoe’ and wants some help removing it. Inönü contemplates a state tour of the Balkans – including
Premier Osvaldo Altobello and ‘Mosca of Montelepre’. Altobello requires some assistance with his footwear.
Chapter 60. June 1939 sees financial scandal brewing in Rome over the Vatican Bank, and the new Pope is not as easy to fool or as quick to tolerate murky dealings and corruption as his predecessor. This puts him in personal danger. The brief espionage expedition in Japan comes to a disastrous end, a whole network of ten agents liquidated in a matter of days. This will cripple the ‘traditional’ arm of the foreign intelligence service for the foreseeable future, bring the ‘wet ops’ agents of S.I.T.H. into greater prominence. Turkey receives its first license-built medium armoured brigade, ordered before Japanese interference sent Comintern alignment almost all the wat back to where it began! Vinnie reports to Inönü on his recent trip – and the news is sobering, the danger clear and present. Germany steps up pressure on Poland over Danzig and ‘the Corridor’, while Poland continues to resist the intimidation. They have the example of Czechoslovakia to consider, plus security guarantees from the Allies and what they believe to be a strong army.
Inönü’s tour of the Balkans sees him in Sarajevo on the 25th anniversary of the assassination or Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand, which sparked the Great War! There are rumours of assassination plots – surely this is tempting fate too much, but Inönü will not be cowed. The Cession of Hatay is enforced on 29 June. That evening, Inönü and his party take in a night at the theatre, for a special performance of the hit satirical musical “Springtime for Hitler”. What could possibly go wrong? Well, you will need to read the chapter to find out! The same goes for momentous – and bloody – events in Rome and the Vatican that all happen while the performance in Sarajevo plays itself out.
Altobello enjoys some baklava at the theatre in Sarajevo.
Chapter 61. Following a peak in events surrounding the Great Conspiracy in June, things quieten down. But this does not mean every loose end has been resolved – which includes Sollozzo, about whom more will be heard in the future. Both sides have wounds and the focus is on recovery – while geostrategic events in Europe begin to overshadow all else. Cennet, Vinnie’s lover and ward of the President, decides to join the S.I.T.H. herself – she is determined to become a fierce warrior for the Motherland. Turkey’s production focus is heavily (though not exclusively) on infrastructure of different types for now, especially the two fortified lines being constructed for the defence of the Motherland. Another inconvenient nationalist uprising in former Yugoslavia runs riot before it can be contained. In the UK, Oswald Mosely, boss of the British Union of fascist, is up to his old rabble-rousing tricks.
Mosley is at it again: Fascist running dog, demagogue and black-skivvy-wearing teapot-imitator!
Japanese influence now sees Turkey considerably more closely aligned to the Axis as the Comintern! This prompts some to question the previous decision and re-examine a possible switch to alignment with the Axis, which Cabinet will consider at a forthcoming meeting. Perse brings out her now-famous easel to pitch some new (well, Soviet rip-off) propaganda to emphasise the role of the peasantry and agricultural production to fuel Turkey’s journey along the Path to Glory.
Turkey is now more closely aligned to the Axis (distance 178.53) than to the Comintern!
Chapter 62. Europe slips closer towards war in August, as Turkey builds its defences. The renamed International Immobiliare Group, now Turkish-owned, opens its new corporate HQ in Zurich. On 6 August, the world is shocked by the announcement of the Nazi-Soviet Pact.
Two days later, Germany mobilises – actually later than France and Poland, who have been mobilised for some time already. That same day – 10 August – the Turkish Cabinet meets to consider its future factional direction. After a surprisingly robust debate, the decision is made to ‘stay the course’ with the Comintern and maintain opposition to the Fascists, rejecting Axis attempts to persuade and cajole. Comprehensive reporting is received from Turkey’s Embassy in Rome: it is clear the Italians believe Hitler is intent on war with Poland – and wants it to be limited, rather than general. The Soviets appear happy enough for the Western capitalists (in which they include Germany) to fight each other to a standstill while they remain out of it. It seems like wise counsel …. The month ends with tension between Germany and Poland over the former’s demands on the ‘Polish Corridor’ reaching fever pitch.
4. The Second Great War Begins – September 1939 – May 1940
Chapter 63. In Turkey, the new Ankara-Adana railway is completed on 31 August. Last minute shuttle diplomacy between the UK and Germany continues to forestall war, but it is hopeless. Germany conducts a false flag operation to contrive a casus belli, with war declared and Poland invaded on 1 September. France and Britain in turn declare war on Germany and Slovakia joins its master in declaring war on Poland. For now, the conflict is restricted to those five countries.
The Franco-German border remains quiet, although Belgium has now mobilised, while remaining neutral. But the early days of fighting show that Germany’s declaration of a ‘Blitzkrieg’ on the Poles is no idle threat, with large inroads being made.
Poland: situation as at midnight 6 September 1939.
Chapter 64. The Turkish Cabinet meets to consider the implications of the opening days of Germany’s war on Poland. Foremost is a need to increase Turkey’s woefully low manpower reserves – more men must be found for military service from the expanded Glorious Union. Otherwise, infrastructure preparations and unit construction continue to gear Turkey up for the anticipated conflict, though that may still be months or even years away. The focus remains on defence and an anticipated surrender of most of the Balkans in the event of a concerted Axis attack. The Germans press on towards Warsaw, defeating and in some cases encircling large numbers of Polish units, but they fight on bravely. But without active allied support and left isolated by the Nazi-Soviet Pact, their cause looks increasingly doomed. Australia joins the Allies on 11 September. Italy begins mobilising on 13 September, but remains out of the war. In better news, all this bellicose aggression from Germany has had an amazing effect on Turkey’s alignment: the distance from the Comintern has plummeted by around 70 from about 220 before the war and after the peak of the Japanese propaganda campaign to only 150 by 13 September. After two weeks of war, Germany has made deep inroads into Poland, but their surrender progress is still only about 20%. Though this will change rapidly if Warsaw falls.
Chapter 65. Poland fights on, but the third week of the war sees things go from grim to desperate. In the US, Charles Lindbergh makes a nationwide radio broadcast in favour of American isolationism. He will hammer at this theme repeatedly in coming months. New Zealand joins the Allies on 14 September. In Poland, the ‘Corridor’ is lost and units in the north exposed to being cut off. Danzig itself finally falls on 18 September and German panzers are spotted on the outskirts of Warsaw for the first time. While by 20 September Polish troops desperately try to extract themselves from envelopment in the ‘Torun-Grudziadz Pocket’, (north-west of Warsaw) there seems to be no solid defensive line for them to retreat to. The key VP city of Lodz fights on valiantly but is now surrounded. In southern Poland, the situation is a little better, with the soon-to-be-legendary ‘Mazowiecka’ Cavalry Division defying an attack by the 9th Pz Div in the Battle of Turka.
Poland: situation as at midnight 13 September 1939.
Chapter 66. On 21 September, the Poles are still trying to rescue their troops from encirclement from what has now become the ‘Grudziadz-Brodnica Pocket’. Meanwhile, Warsaw itself was not yet under attack. The beleaguered garrison in Lodz finally surrenders on the night of 22 September. In the south, the cavalry still resists the 9th Pz Div – they continue their gallant defence of Turka until 24 September, when they are finally forced to retreat. This inspires BJ Guildenstern to produce some excellent propaganda to inspire the common Turk against the Nazi menace. All thought of history, Polish Winged Hussars and so on are forgotten!
“Turks for Turka! Join the National Republican Guard Today!”
The Battle for Warsaw begins on 26 September, with only a single German inf div (the 61st) attacking, with the 11th Pz Div attempting to reinforce, against two entrenched Polish divisions (one mountain and one infantry). For now, they can hold out. Two days later resistance in Warsaw continues strongly, but more German troops are gradually marching to reinforce the fight. By 1 October, the city is completely surrounded and three German divisions are in the fight for Warsaw against a single weakening infantry division. The end is near. By 6pm that night, after a month of war, Warsaw falls and Poland is conquered.
Final Polish dispositions as at 6pm on 1 October 1939, after the fall of Warsaw.
The next day, the Germans enforce their conquest and the secret protocol of the Nazi-Soviet Pact is enforced: the Soviets occupy and absorb eastern Poland. Poland’s initial agony is over – now begins its torture. These events bring Turkish alignment to less than 100 distant from the Comintern.
Chapter 67. Germany declares war on and invades Denmark on 3 November. Unlike in OTL, Denmark puts up a dogged fight, throughout the month.
A review of the Turkish Army is conducted to apply lessons learned from observing the Polish campaign and to set unit production priorities, including for the Air Force (so far neglected). Alignment to the Comintern has improved so much Soviet licenses can again be bought and Turkey goes shopping for tanks and aircraft. There is also a reorganisation of unit structures and orders placed to fill gaps (see the chapter for details). A new Corps HQ (3rd Corps) is raised to command the growing number of formations now deployed in Greece. All three Corps HQ are reinforced with a standard mix of MIL, AT and AA brigades to bolster their defensive strength, effectively as light support divisions (the concept was field tested in the Yugoslavian War). Mechanised forces are gradually being developed, with licensed medium armour and (newly licensed and ordered) MOT units. Later in the month, some excellent SU-85 TDs are licensed from the Soviets as well, to augment the developing mechanised formations.
French (and Allied) counter-espionage efforts begin to tell in Paris: our network there is being eroded and is consuming Turkey’s small reserve of spies. Turkish manpower is boosted by a (mod) +40 MP ‘National Republican Guard’ event, nominally triggered by the the commencement of war in Europe, the defeat of our Polish friends and Germany’s continued aggression against its neighbours. By 31 October, Copenhagen still holds out, though the end is near.
Chapter 68. Plans for the Army Reorganisation and deployments for the Calistar and Iskandar Lines are finalised and put into motion. Darth Kelebek is given captured spies to interrogate: they reportedly give ‘good sport’!
Darth Kelebek: “Do they give good sport?” Once again, the attempted photograph of Kelebek comes out strangely distorted, as of some twisted monster’s visage. Curiously, it never occurs to people that it may be their eyes that are malfunctioning, not the camera!
General Yamut (who is also the Army Chief) is given command of the new 3rd Corps. There is an attempt (not a Turkish one) to kill Hitler. By 17 November, the brave Danes are finally defeated in Copenhagen and surrender formally the next day.
The Iskandar Line fortifications are strengthened and radio technology is finally introduced in the Turkish Army! Tensions rise between the Soviet Union and Finland over Karelia and other border disputes during the month, culminating in a Soviet declaration of war on 30 November. The Winter war has begun – a chance for Turkey to see how its potential ally performs on the battlefield.
Chapter 69. A review is done of manpower sources, industrial capacity and resources across the Glorious Union. It will be used to determine what the key centres are and what should be protected, if possible (see chapter for details). But basically, other than the great Turkish cities of Istanbul and Ankara, the other three key cities are Beograd, Sofiya and Athina. The loss of any would have a significant impact on Turkey’s productive strength. The massive oilfields of Ahvaz (on the Persian Gulf) also stand out. It is concluded that Turkish force levels are not yet strong enough to defend forward by themselves, even in combination with the ‘puppeted’ Romanians. Turkish alignment is again closing in on the Comintern joining threshold of 50 distance: by early December it was just under 70, after recovering from a recent period of German diplomatic influence. By year’s end, Cennet has finished her initial S.I.T.H. training and is sent to Paris for some ‘on-the-job’ experience. The Soviets accept a license request for a new BTR-7 medium tank brigade – an improvement on the T-28 models already ordered.
Initial exchanges in the Winter War have favoured the Finns, with some Soviet border provinces being taken by them! It seems the Soviets were neither well prepared nor strong, despite the fact they are the ones who attacked. Sobering news. By the end of the month, fighting rages in four different sectors in the Winter War: the Finns remain in occupation of Soviet territory, but the Red Army is beginning to apply itself.
Chapter 70. Alignment rapidly shifts the final distance required: as soon as the threshold of 50 was reached on 2 January 1940, Stalin sent the invitation to join the Comintern. It was accepted straight away. The Brave New World (in its original literary meaning) had arrived!
Turkey continues to lose spies in France and cannot now fill the gaps, even with elevated espionage training levels. On 6 January, Romania mobilises its armed forces – a useful development: they will be ready should war come suddenly. As January 1940 wears on, the Soviets start to recoup earlier losses and advance into Finnish territory on the Karelian Isthmus. By midnight on 31 January, on the main southern front, the Red Army has made large gains in Karelia and seem close to breaking through.
Chapter 71. A summary is provided of major surface ship losses since the start of the war (so far, German and British). The spy wars – at home and abroad – continue unabated. The ground war in Finland turns decisively to the advantage of the Soviets in the south: they have made a general breakout from Karelia and are now intent on forcing the Finns to the surrender table, where their war goal is to enforce the territorial demands that triggered the war in the first place.
Chapter 72. BJ Guildenstern finds some excellent advertising from his old home – he years for some of that Custom Ground Coffee (you will need to see the advert in the chapter to see what he means). US Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles makes a well-publicised and (from confidential reporting) revealing tour though Europe during March 1940. Crete continues to prove unruly, with another uprising there. By mid-March, the Soviets are racing towards Helsinki in the south and to the Finns’ Baltic Coast. Germany declares war on Norway on 18 March, but it is not followed up with an invasion. Helsinki falls to the Red Army on 20 March, but the Finns fight on. It seems more of their VP cities must be taken to force them to give up. More (useful) French blueprints are stolen on 23 March – some recompense for the elevated espionage costs encountered of late. Another slight increase is made to spy training after another is captured in Paris, but there are other important demands on Turkish leadership points (research and officer training). A large espionage effort cannot be sustained. The German light cruiser KMS Karlsruhe is sunk by the British. Finland has now been largely occupied: only a few key centres remain.
Chapter 73. The Finns are finally defeated and brought to the surrender table on 1 April: Karelia and other concessions are given to the Soviets.
Cennet (‘Connie’) Kavgaci, Inönü’s former ward, is (following Turkey’s joining of the Comintern) now undergoing training with the NKVD. Germany declares war on Luxemburg on 2 April and has conquered it by 5 April. Another useful set of French blueprints is stolen (this time cavalry light artillery). The Netherlands is invaded on 12 April, bringing them into the Allies. Mid-month, the second T-28 armoured brigade is delivered. By 21 Apr, the spy war in France continues to get more difficult. At sea, during April the Germans lose the KMS Admiral Scheer (CA) and Emden (CL). The Franco-German border remains quiet and Belgium is still neutral. The Germans have made large inroads into the Netherlands and most of the country has been over-run by 30 April.
Chapter 74. The Turks compare their basic military units to those of the combatants in Western Europe, to see how they compare – and therefore what Turkey may face in future conflict with the Wehrmacht. Germany occupies the last Dutch province in Europe on 5 May and immediately declares war on Belgium. The Dutch relocate their capital to Palembang in the Dutch East Indies. In Turkey, the first suggestions are made about the possibility of coming to France’s aid to help keep them in the war – specifically by inciting the Soviets to join in, thus creating the dreaded second front for the Germans. On 7 May the long-deflected needs of the Turkish Air Force are finally recognised, with freed industrial capacity being used to start construction of the first new air unit to be constructed in Turkey: a Soviet licensed Polykarpov I-16 monoplane interceptor wing! By mid-month, a large proportion of the French spy ring in Paris has been rounded up and liquidated. The losses cannot be replaced. The remainder try to hide and no new assignments to France are made. This looks like the end of the road for stolen plans out of France. On 15 May, Finland mobilises again – perhaps they fear another attack by the Soviets? In the West, the Germans have taken Belgium’s main border fortifications and have crashed through from Holland to outflank Antwerp and Brussels to their west.
Chapter 74A. A dossier of information and assessments is provided to Cabinet to support the discussion late on 15 May on whether and (if so) how and when Turkey should intervene in the European War. Diplomatic angles are discussed (Soviet and Axis likely actions and reactions) and military considerations, including whether to defend further forward or back, are canvassed. Industrial impacts (ie sacrificing an extra year of military preparation against the benefits of an early Soviet entry and an increased possibility of keeping France in the war) are also considered. The concept of the Yeniҫeri Line (from the Romanian border to the Adriatic coast, going north of Beograd) is first proposed. See the chapter for more detailed information.
Chapter 75. The Special War Cabinet Meeting of 15 May considered and decided Turkey’s next steps. The various Cabinet members speak to their specialities. The conclusion is that if Turkey declares war on Germany, the Axis will respond with declarations on Turkey and the Soviets will consider their non-aggression pact voided due to the declaration of war on their Comintern ally (ie Turkey). The Japanese would likely also attack the Soviets – a drawback, but that will be Stalin’s concern. A few variables aside (such as the Soviets annexing the Baltic States so they can then redeploy to the border with Germany, and France still being strong enough to have a chance of survival by the time an attack is made in the east), plans are made to establish a forward defensive line as soon as possible, and trigger a war if/when the above conditions permit it. See the chapter for the arguments, pro and cons, and risks (especially re Axis armour and air power, if the safety of the Calistar and Iskandar Lines is sacrificed by doing so). The final decision and its timing is up to the President. Orders are issued for the Turkish Army to deploy forward and then await developments - with a good degree of anxiety and anticipation.Chapter 76. A New French leadership confronts the Nazi menace – with General Henri-Honoré Giraud elected (somewhat surprisingly in OTL terms) as both President and Prime Minister of France, leading an Action Franҫaise dominated government. The rest of the month (16-31 May) sees Turkish forces moving into their Yeniҫeri Line positions in the centre of the former Yugoslavia, linking up with the Romanians on their right. The Germans make further inroads in Belgium and seize the tip of the Maginot Line (Wissembourg) on 18 May. Charles Lindbergh continues his isolationist broadcasts in the US. Leadership is diverted from spy training to diplomacy, virtually conceding defeat in the spy war there. British Fascist and general troublemaker Oswald Mosley is arrested on 23 May. Time seems to be running out in the West, with the Cabinet concerned the a tipping point will be reached before the Soviets enact their plans to annex the Baltic States and are in adequate (if not ideal) position for Turkey to induce them into an attack on Germany. Brussels is taken on 30 May and King Leopold of Belgium sues for peace, a unilateral decision done without Allied consultation, leaving a large gap in the Allied front. At the same time the Germans are breaking through from their breach in the north-east of the Maginot Line. That evening, the Soviets issue their ultimatum and annex the Baltic States.
Then straight after, word comes through that the Italians have ‘stabbed France in the back’, declaring war on them.
On 31 May Belgium surrenders, leaving a large gap in the French line. It is now or never if any intervention to preserve France is to be launched. Even though the Soviets have just enforced their Baltic annexation, the units in that area are all still at the old borders. This will be a hindrance if war is declared now, but it cannot be put off any longer. The Yeniҫeri Line is occupied, France is beset by the Axis in the north and south, Belgium has surrendered and the British have not provided any Expeditionary Force to assist them. Final approaches are made to the Stalin to seek his support for an intervention: Turkey will toss the match that lights the second bonfire in Europe. The immediate results will be known the following day – 1 June 1940.
Yeniçeri Line, 31 May 1940.
- 2
- 1
I know and believe you me I am just as gripped as when I started reading.Sadly my reading of actual books has taken a bit of a back seat these last few months-oopsAh, this is a question I have rhetorically posed to the computer AI many a time since then ... but it never seems to listen! All they need to do is just supplement the existing French line to help them stave off the German attack now we’ve opened the second front for them. But no, that would be too effective!
I applaud your dedication in ploughing through to approach the ATL 'present'! It really is greatly appreciated.
- 1
Caught up on Chapter 100, some terrible, horrific scenes in there. Are you sure it is legal to show the LaGG-3 without first warning the audience? *Shudder* Normally I'd pity the poor pilots who have to fly that deathtrap, but as they are in the service of an evil regime they arguably deserve what is coming to them.
Sonny's arc reaches it's bloody conclusion and no-body is surprised, even Sonny knew it was a trap but went ahead anyway. At what point is Ankara going to admit they are rubbish at this spy business and deploy their leadership resources elsewhere? If nothing else I look forward to a scene in the Turkish cabinet where this latest string of setbacks is discussed, I feel there will be domestic opportunities in these foreign disasters.
Sonny's arc reaches it's bloody conclusion and no-body is surprised, even Sonny knew it was a trap but went ahead anyway. At what point is Ankara going to admit they are rubbish at this spy business and deploy their leadership resources elsewhere? If nothing else I look forward to a scene in the Turkish cabinet where this latest string of setbacks is discussed, I feel there will be domestic opportunities in these foreign disasters.
- 1
Indeed, so has mine. All these gifts people (my loved ones) have bought me, not being read at their wonted rate!I know and believe you me I am just as gripped as when I started reading.Sadly my reading of actual books has taken a bit of a back seat these last few months-oops
Well, I retire in about three weeks, so maybe that will improve a bit! - 1
1. Re LaGG-3s: granted, but the rest of the airforce is in Hawk 3s and (when they arrive) Polykarpov I-16s!
There’s always someone worse off than you! When they do use them, we hope it will be against worn-out Italian and Hungarian TAC, for short periods.2. Sonny - inevitable. And I stopped any serious LS spending on espionage some time back. It’s just the SITH guys left, duking it out with a single Sicilian crime family - should be a roughly even match!
Narrative purposes only now, except for keeping a strong domestic security apparatus going. Not that many people are going to be after our technology! The LS is mainly in research and officer training now.
Last edited:
- 1
Happy retirement my friend. Does this mean you’ll have even more time to write?Indeed, so has mine. All these gifts people (my loved ones) have bought me, not being read at their wonted rate!
- 1
Yup, you bet!Happy retirement my friend. Does this mean you’ll have even more time to write?
- 1