Despite war raging across and beyond the entirety of Europe, this passive observer cannot help to feel that the most brutal and desperate fighting of all is occurring in the Spanish Civil War. On August 6 Falangist artillery bombarded Madrid, while on September 5th they seized the city of Llanes. Despite these initial shows of military might it all proved a ruse; the Nationalists decided to set off for France leaving their Republican adversaries to claim Madrid unopposed. Perhaps they wanted to participate in the autumn wine auctions?
Meanwhile, on November 5 35,000 Republican supporters were massacred near Leon, ostensibly as retribution for their taking Madrid.
Looking to the Far East, Japan is leveraging its modernization and mechanization program to extend beyond their diminutive size and terrorize it's neighbours - and enemies from afar. Consider:
- On August 26, during their invasion of Shanghai, they attack the car carrying the British ambassador and risk awakening the Lion
- During the audacious Battle of Pingxingguan on September 25, despite being defeated by the Communist Chinese National Revolutionary Army, the Japanese continued pressing forward and, by October 3, were advancing on Nanking. It was defeated on December 13. There, it is rumoured that a brutal series of civilian crimes were committed with an estimated 200,000 to 350,000 casualties. In correspondence back to his relatives, German businessman John Rabe tells stories of creating a "safe zone" from human biological testing by Japanese scientists, taking advantage of German-Japanese alliances to procure this unusual status. In this way he is able to provide safe harbour for Chinese women and children who he says are being raped by Japanese soldiers. Needless to say this incident exposes the ugliest sides of warfare
- On November 9 Shanghai falls to Japan
How is little Japan able to inflict such setbacks on impenetrable China? Might they be unstoppable?
I'm sorry to share we had our second mis-order: a player who submitted orders post-prelims had an invalid DP order, using a Dip Standard designation for a territory that is different in 1936. The territories are materially different in location and surrounding borders than Standard so this was a very cut-and-dried decision to ignore it as invalid. I will email this player privately to let them know the error. Please use this as a reminder to get in prelims and be careful about your territory designations!
There are two retreats (all neutral units are disbanded) and plenty of builds this year, as you will see below. Upcoming deadlines are at the end of this note.

***
PLAYERS
 Britain - sunchung / Sun Chung / sun.chung(at)gmail.com
 France - DrSwordopolis / Nick Powell / nick.s.powell(at)gmail.com
 Germany - charlesf / Charles Feaux de la Croix / charlesf(at)web.de
 Italy (and Nationalist Spain) - raistlin / David Gould / davidchegould(at)bigpond.com
 Poland - smileyrob / Robert Stein / smileyrob68(at)gmail.com
 Turkey - Wladimir7 / Wladimir Mysonski / wmysonski(at)gmail.com
 USSR (and Republican Spain) - Nitsch / Karsten Nitsch / karsten.nitsch(at)gmx.de

***
HEADLINES
 Royal Navy scatter Kriegsmarine in Denmark, raises the Union Jack
 French Foreign Legion triumphs in Morocco as Marsailles burns
 German victory in the Netherlands some solace in the face of Danish loss
 Il Duce smug as Italy deals setbacks to Republicanism across the western Med
 Upstart Poles continue to flourish as Rumania the latest to assimilate
 Ataturk completes conquest of Greece, accelerates maneuvers in the Middle East
 Rumours of additional purges intensify as Soviet military machine blunders again
 Republican ecstasy at conquest of Madrid short-lived as Italians plunder their Valencian home Nationalists call off assault of Madrid, head north toward France

Now, for some player press:

***
British Press:
British Petroleum Announces "We'll Go Anywhere to Clean up this Oil!"Reuters (London) - British Petroleum has enlisted the British Royal Navy to aid in the oil giant's efforts to clean up the oil spill that has been dominating the headlines. "We are sooo sorry about spilling that oil.  BP is committed to cleaning up after itself, so we're going to clean up oil everywhere, even outside of the Gulf of Mexico and go into other 'gulfs' to make sure the world's ocean is rid of all oil spills." said Marty McSlick, BP's spokesperson. After sitting through it's "time-out", BP has decided to come out with renewed rigor to take charge of the clean-up efforts.  Exhausting all remaining boats for skimming the oil, BP contracted the British Royal Navy and asked them to start cleaning up oil wherever it can be found. "We've been told by reliable local sources that the Germans have been gushing out oil left and right in Denmark.  Ever since they set up camp here, it's been nothing but Deutsche Oil this Deutsche Oil that.  We'll get that cleaned up in a jiffy.  Not Jiffy Lube of course," said Rear Admiral Mr. Clean, referring to Jiffy Lube, the American Car Oil changing company. "I've been given this stupid broom, mop, and sponge and told to go to every nook and cranny to clean up this German oil." noted a weary British sailor.  Pointing at the scraggly coastline in Denmark as well as Skaggerak.  "I don't know *when* I'll be able to get back home..." In other news, the British government noted happily that the oil clean up gives all of the dejected English football fans something to do after England's abysmal showing in the World Cup.  "I hope the Germans stop to celebrate long enough to stop spilling this damn oil.  An oil can isn't something you should be holding while you're celebrating a Klose goal.  You'll end up spilling the oil everywhere!" exclaimed Hans Hansen, a Danish dock worker, watching with envy as the Danish team failed to make it out of group play.***
French Press:
Casablanca (Associated Press) - FOREIGN LEGION JOINS REGULAR FRENCH FORCES!

They said that the troops of the French Foreign Legion formerly stationed in Beirut would never see another French army in their lifetime, but they were wrong! After being evicted from the Lebanon by expansionist neo-Ottoman forces and traversing south through disputed Palestine, the Foreign Legion troops arrived in the Suez Canal Zone and caused a minor diplomatic incident which appears to have been smoothed over. British government representatives have stated that, while the Canal is jointly owned by both France and the United Kingdom, the arrival of the French army was entirely "unpermitted, unexpected and untolerated." French figures have said that it was all a big misunderstanding, and ruffled feathers now appear to be smoothed over as a joint Anglo-French fleet has spirited the army around the African cape and into (formerly) neutral Morocco, where they are joining Franco-Algerian troops in a continuing French bid to dominate western North Africa. The troops are expected to engage Italian forces in the continuing guerrilla war being engaged in Africa to determine the new borders of France's and Italy's African possessions. With France's vacation of the Orient, the Near East now appears to be under the sole dominion of the ungodly Muslim forces of the Second Ottoman Empire and their imperial challengers, the equally ungodly Communist forces of the Soviet Union.
***
Orders:

Britain: F Egypt(sc) - SuezF Atlantic Ocean Convoys A Suez - MoroccoF Helgoland Bight - DenmarkF North Sea Supports F Helgoland Bight - DenmarkF Norwegian Sea - NorwayF Skaggerak Supports F Helgoland Bight - Denmark
France: A Algiers Supports A Suez - Morocco (*Cut*)A Belgium Supports F Helgoland Bight - Netherlands (*Void*)A Marseille - Piedmont (*Dislodged*)A Suez - MoroccoF South-Western Approaches Supports A Suez - Morocco
Germany: A Austria Supports A SwitzerlandF Denmark - Helgoland Bight (*Dislodged*)F Hamburg - NetherlandsA Munich Supports A AustriaA Rhineland Supports F Hamburg - NetherlandsF Baltic Sea - Hamburg
Italy: A Croatia - Slovenia (*Bounce*)A Piedmont - MarseilleA Rome - Slovenia (*Bounce*)A Southern Algeria - Algiers (*Fails*)F Western Mediterranean - Valencia
Poland: A Cracow - RumaniaA Hungary HoldF Latvia - EstoniaA Lithuania - LatviaA Transylvania Supports A Cracow - RumaniaF Gulf of Danzig Supports F Sweden
Turkey: A Alexandretta - KurdistanA Ankara Supports A Alexandretta - KurdistanA Thrace Supports F Aegean Sea - GreeceF Aegean Sea - GreeceF Eastern Mediterranean Hold
USSR: A Finland Supports F Gulf of Bothnia - SwedenA Kurdistan - Eastern AnatoliaA Leningrad - MoscowA Stalingrad - IranF Gulf of Bothnia - Sweden (*Fails*)
Nationalist_Spain: A Burgos - Navarra
Republican_Spain: A Valencia - Madrid
Greece: F Greece Hold (*Dislodged*)
Iraq: A Iraq Supports A Alexandretta - Kurdistan
Morocco: A Morocco Hold (*Dislodged*)
Netherlands: F Netherlands Hold (*Dislodged*)
Portugal: F Portugal Supports A Valencia - Madrid
Rumania: A Rumania Hold (*Dislodged*)
Sweden: F Sweden Supports F Norwegian Sea - Norway (*Cut*)
Switzerland: A Switzerland Supports A Piedmont - Marseille
Retreats:German F Denmark can retreat to Baltic Sea or disbandFrench A Marseilles can retreat to Burgundy or Gascony or Catalonia or disband
***
Winter 1936 Builds:

Britain:
Build
France:Build?

Germany:
Build?

Italy:
Build
Build
Poland:
Build
Build

Turkey:
Build

***

Ownership of supply centers

Britain:   Denmark, Edinburgh, Egypt, Liverpool, London, Norway, Suez.
France:    Algiers, Belgium, Brest, Morocco, Paris.
Germany:   Austria, Berlin, Czechia, Hamburg, Munich, Netherlands.
Italy:     Croatia, Marsailles, Milan, Naples, Rome, Tripoli, Valencia.
Poland:    Cracow, Gdynia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Rumania, Serbia, Warsaw.
Turkey:    Ankara, Beirut, Bulgaria, Greece, Istanbul, Izmir.
USSR:      Finland, Iran, Leningrad, Moscow, Stalingrad.
Nationalist_Spain: Burgos.
Republican_Spain: Madrid.

Britain:    7 Supply centers,  6 Units:  Builds   1 units.
France:     5 Supply centers,  5 Units:  Builds   0 units.
Germany:    6 Supply centers,  6 Units:  Builds   0 units.
Italy:      7 Supply centers,  5 Units:  Builds   2 units.
Poland:     8 Supply centers,  6 Units:  Builds   2 units.
Turkey:     6 Supply centers,  5 Units:  Builds   1 units.
USSR:       5 Supply centers,  5 Units:  Builds   0 units.
Nationalist_Spain:  1 Supply center,   1 Unit:   Builds   0 units.
Republican_Spain:  1 Supply center,   1 Unit:   Builds   0 units.

***
Upcoming Deadlines (all orders are due at 5 PM EST, GMT -5)
 Winter 1937 Retreats/Adjustments, Thursday July 8
 Spring 1938 Prelims, Friday July 9
 Spring 1938 Orders, Thursday July 15
 Summer 1938 Retreats, Friday July 16 Fall 1938 Prelims, Friday July 16 Fall 1938 Orders, Tuesday July 20
***
GM Notes: I wonder if DP variants would benefit from knowing how *many* total DPs are spent on each neutral, but not what the orders are or by whom. Simply seeing the volume of spend tells an interesting story that might serve as useful intel for players trying to grope what is going on. Just an idle thought.