Hallo
zusammen,
 
Europe's statesmen for the most part appear to be
more interested in opening their pockets for new planes, tanks and artillery
pieces. Submarines, cruisers, battleships are currently second and third
priorities in the powers' rearmament plans. Almost as if they all agreed on
renewing the Washington Treaty of 1922 which limited naval
rearmament...
 
BTW, should you be interested in learning more
about the history of the times the game covers, let me recommend Richard Overy's
"The Road to War". It's a very readable one-volume history that devotes a
chapter to every power featured in the game (other than Turkey, which wasn't
really considered a great power, albeit a significant regional player). I
personally find my enjoyment of a given (war)game rises when knowing a little
more about the topic it covers. The relevant chapters of Paul Kennedy's seminal
"Rise and Fall of the Great Powers" also makes for a good companion read to the
game, since it appraises the strengths and weaknesses of the great powers
(albeit Poland, not universally recognised as a great power, and Turkey, not
recognised as a great power by anyone at the time) sadly are left out of that
account.
 
I'm currently rereading Roman Debecki's "The
Foreign Policy of Poland 1919-1939". Has its biases as the author himself
belonged to the Polish diplomatic corps at the time, but I find it most
interesting to consider Poland's very ambitious foreign policy schemes. Gives
rise to interesting what-ifs...
 
I'm musing how one might rate the respective
leaders of the time were they diplomacy players. Mussolini would probably get an
F in my book. I think it was Paul Kennedy who described him as a "strategic
liability of the first order". Kinda the erratic and inept sucker you'd probably
finish off quickly in a Diplomacy tournament.
 
Poland's Jozef Beck (actually only the foreign
minister, but he was wholly in charge of foreign affairs - quite unusual an
arrangement) strikes me as being little better. Kinda your "chainsaw player" who
manages to get on everyone's nerves. Greedy (see Munich Crisis) and myopic.
Universally disliked by Europe's statesmen - never a good mark in a Dipper! I
guess an E is in order.
 
Chamberlain... Arguably too maligned by the general
public. He tends to get a friendly treatment from present-day historians.
Appeasement really was the only course Britain could follow and he wasn't the
naive and cowardly sucker his detractor made him out to be. His basic strategy
was pretty sound, making concessions as he swiftened Britain's pace of
rearmament and rallied the nation and commonwealth. But on diplomatic tactics
and implementation... Not so great. D.
 
Daladier... He operated under severe contraints and
showed considerable resolve in harnessing French strength for war and got the
Brits to finally make a continental commitment. C.
 
Stalin... Hm, he played Roosevelt masterfully. But
he gravely miscalculated with the German-Soviet Pact, displaying a dictator's
characteristic avarice. Didn't see the biggest and most obvious stab in historiy
coming. C
 
Hitler... A reckless gambler. But achieved
diplomatic stunning successes in the 30s. Good at charming or bullying people,
as required in a given diplomatic situation. Too easy diplomatic victories made
him however overconfident and that contributed to him miscalculating the
situation in September 1939, leading to the general war yet didn't (just yet)
want. Certainly a man of considerable ability, but such a diplo-style probably
is going to "outstay its welcome". Kinda scorched earth mentality brought to the
diplomatic arena. C.
 
Atatürk... Not only a great military leader, but
was able to reconcile with his erstwhile Greek foes and extricate territorial
concessions from France. Was a greatly respected figure in the diplomatic arena,
always a big plus. Got what he wanted on the Straits Question. I'll give him an
A, cuz I gotta give the top grade to somebody. :p
 
Well, excuse my rambling... What do you think of
those very tentative ratings of those leaders' diplomatic skill?
 
Anyway, the Spring 1937 Moves prelims are
due NLT 6PM CET on Saturday, 1 May.
 
Let's see what the new year holds for us
all!
 
Liebe Grüsse,
 
Charles
 
----------
PLAYERS:
    BRITAIN: Michael Thompson
<psychosis(at)sky.com>
    FRANCE: Joao Queiros
<jlqueiros3(at)hotmail.com>
    GERMANY: Ghostine, Jimmy
<Jimmy.Ghostine(at)vtmednet.org>
    ITALY & NAT. SPAIN: Dirk Knemeyer
dirk(at)knemeyer.com   
    POLAND: Kyle Overby-Lee
<tomjnkns.IL(at)gmail.com>
    SOVIET UNION & REP. SPAIN: Nigel
Phillips <nephilli99(at)hotmail.com>
    TURKEY: Repu Maoni
<wesaq(at)list.ru>

HEADLINES:
    o DAMAGED SUEZ SQUADRON LIMPS OUT TO
SEA; BRITISH HOME FLEET DOWNSIZED
    o FRENCH ARMEE D'AFRIQUE WINTERS
IN TUNIS
    o THROUGHOUT EUROPE CONSCRIPTS
RECEIVE BASIC TRAINING
    o ALL NAVIES SAVE TURKEY'S
COMPLAIN ABOUT INADEQUATE FUNDING

PRESS:
 
Pic of the Day: Soviet T26-towed artillery pieces
on parade
 
 

Quote of the Day: "The bravest are surely those who
have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet
notwithstanding, go out to meet it." -Thucydides
 
RETREATS:
 
Britain:
F Suez - Libyan Sea
 
France:
A Algiers - Tunisia
 
Italy:
A Piedmont - Milan
 
ADJUSTMENTS:
 
Britain:
Remove F English Channel
 
France:
Remove A Palestine
 
Germany:
Build A Hamburg
Build A
Munich
 
Italy:
Build A Rome
 
Poland:
Build A Gdynia
Build A
Cracow
 
Turkey:
Build A Ankara
Build F
Istanbul
 
USSR:
Build A Stalingrad
Build A
Moscow
Build A Leningrad
 
Nationalist_Spain:
Build A
Burgos
 
SUPPLY CENTER OWNERSHIP (Winter 1936):
    Britain(4-1=3): Edinburgh,
Liverpool, London, -Suez-.
    France(5-1=4): -Algiers-,
Beirut, Brest, Marseille, Paris.
   
Germany(3+2=5): +Austria+, Berlin, +Czechia+,Hamburg,
Munich.
    Italy(4+1=5): +Algiers+, Milan, Naples, Rome,
Tripoli.
    Poland(3+2=5): Cracow, Gdynia, +Lithuania+,
+Rumania+,Warsaw.
    Turkey(3+2=5): Ankara, +Bulgaria+,
Istanbul, Izmir, +Suez+.
    USSR(3+3=6): +Finland+,
+Latvia+, Leningrad, Moscow, +Persia+, Stalingrad.
    Nationalist Spain(1+1=2):
Burgos, +Madrid+.
    Republican Spain(1):
Valencia
    Neutrals(23-9=14): -Austria-, Belgium,
-Bulgaria-, Croatia (Yug.), -Czechia-, Denmark, Egypt, -Finland-, Greece,
Hungary, Iraq, -Latvia-, -Lithuania-, -Madrid-, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway,
-Persia-, Portugal,
    -Rumania-, Serbia
(Yug.), Sweden, Switzerland.

DEADLINE SCHEDULE: (all orders are due NLT 6PM
CET (GMT+1)...not local time)
    o Spring 1937 Moves: (1) 3
May

 
MAP: