Holocaust Remembrance Day

83rd anniversary of the Invasion of Poland. The true start of Axis and Allies. Without a European war, Japan may never have attacked the Western powers. Without such an attack, Larry’s father never fought.

Without the war and his father’s inspiration, the game and forum would never have been created.

@CWO:

@Gargantua:

This was an awesome read - Thanks Marc.

Glad you liked it.  The story reminded me a bit of a 1942 British film I have on DVD: “Went the Day Well?”, a movie about Nazi paratroopers in British uniforms who infiltrate an unsuspecting village in England (with the help of a local traitor) for a secret mission, then put it under military occupation when their cover is blown.  It’s astonishingly frank and uncompromising in depicting the way war inflicts brutalities on innocent civilians and on the way these civilians respond with equal brutality to defend themselves.  The scene that always sticks in my mind is the one in which a sweet little old lady talks pleasantly to a German soldier until he’s lulled into carelessness, then throws a jarful of pepper into his eyes and kills him with a meat cleaver while he’s writing in agony.

It’s a great firm isn’t it Marc … and still very “fresh” fit its age.

@CWO:

A question: if the Allies had concentrated their efforts and resources on conquering the southern part of Europe, and had not invaded France, isn’t it possible that the Russians would have driven westward through Germany in 1945 and would have kept going through France (which Germany would still be occupying in this scenario) until they got to the English Channel?  In other words, doesn’t a scenario in which the Anglo-Americans end up controlling the southern and eastern parts of Europe create a situation in which the Soviets end up controlling the northern and western parts of Europe, with France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark and possibly Norway being switched from Nazi occupation to Soviet occupation?

You’ve raised a very good question.

In the scenario I outlined, one possible Allied objective would have been to reach the Baltic before the Red Army arrived. Had this been achieved, all of Europe west of this Anglo-American line would presumably have been protected from the Red terror. Whether that was achievable goal is difficult to say.

I’m in complete agreement with my fellow U-boat commander. Very nice, thanks for sharing.

Truly an anniversary worthy of being celebrated with a bang.

I looked through that earlier, it’s not too bad. Still need to find out the ratio of tanks and planes per country, and also how the numbers per nationality altered in the weeks that followed.

Morning Worsham.
Thanks for reposting this. I enjoyed the read.

I loved reading about the 89 year old RN vet, who was unable to go on an accredited visit to the commemorations, so jumped on a ferry while in town. As a precaution, the nursing home where he lived on the South coast called the police. He said he wants to go next year too.
He even bought Duty Free on the ferry!

He is called Bernard Jordan if you want to look him up.