After Action Reporter

With war over it’s time to look at the world and review our position before deciding “what next?” One of the first tasks is to reorganize the military, which was heavily battered about during the war. After adjusting we end up with three armored corps and about eight infantry corps (in addition to our police and colonial forces). We’ve lost a number of divisions, but overall, I think we’re in good shape.

But hang on, what are the Soviets up to?….

December 1950

The Soviet Union is rapidly taking the Axis powers in Eastern Europe! Bulgaria and Romania fall quickly, and Yugoslavia is soon under Soviet control as well.

January – December 1951

Within weeks of conquering Yugoslavia, Soviet troops are starting to nip at Italy’s provinces. I can’t help but sense a wonderful opportunity here! With the Soviet Union helping out a quick war to take some of Italy’s territory seems eminently doable!

We declare war January 30. We have to declare war on Germany, Poland (an ally of Germany?!) and bits of South America and Asia. No fear! We can win this!

Our plan is simple. Rush helter-skelter to Rome and grab as much land as we can before the Soviets break Italy over their knee.

Perhaps inspired by our derring-do, the Brits invite us to join the Allies a few days later. We accept! But this doesn’t seem to automatically involve them rushing to our aid. Probably for the best right now, I think we can do fine on our own.

Within two weeks we’ve captured most of North West Italy and we’re rushing down to Rome as fast as our little legs, and wheel, and tracks, can carry us. However, I think the Soviets will beat us.

I would have provided some battle details but there’s very little to tell. The Italian forces are severely depleted and the only German resistance is a HQ unit. Has Italy been struck by a plague recently? Have all the troops gone hippy 10-and-a-bit years early? Who can say, but I’m not complaining!

Realising we’re unlikely to beat the Soviets to Rome I hatch a cunning plan. Take Italy from the bottom up! On 11 February we invade West Sicily.

By late February, Italy is close to conquered.

And on March 12, the inevitable happens. Italy surrenders to the Soviet union! But don’t worry, dear reader, we get a chunk of our very own to keep.

We hold the industrial areas of Northern Italy as well as Sicily. It’s a good haul, I just wish I’d thought of it sooner! The Soviet Union holds central Italy, and Northern Italy is held by Siankang, the Soviet allies! How strange!

With war over, it’s time to asses our position: We’re still at war with Germany and Japan and chunks of Asia and South America, we have 128 industrial capacity (due to being at war), 8.1 leadership. Overall, a good position.

By the end of the year Germany is reduced to two useless rural provinces in Poland (good work Soviet Union) and an island in the Baltic. There’s ongoing conflict in the rest of the world, but as far as Europe is concerned, WW2 is over!

At this juncture I think we’ll call it a day for this AAR. It’s conceivable that I could spend a few years moving troops to Asia and invading Japan or something crazy but I think this is a nice point at which to call the game done and Spain, victorious over the enemies of the Socialist Republic!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this little tale.