Don't Mention The War - Part 15

The extra impulse in January February was spent in sortieing the German and Vichy fleets.  The Kriegsmarine escorted the Swedish iron ore convoys while Vichy established supply lines to its African colonies.

The first pure naval turn for the Germans.

It also allowed the Vichy fleet to leave to harbour.

While the fleets were sailing the high seas the U-boats slid beneath the waves in search of enemy shipping.  They found very little with the exception of some convoys brightly back lit by the lights of Atlantic City, NJ which were dispatched, although not without some trouble.

Production

A new year brought in an increase in production.  It also brought new things to build in the force pool.  The transfer of resources to Italy was continued, maximising builds.

March/April 1942

One clear weather impulse does not a summer offensive initiate.

The Allies won the initiative, but decided to give it to the Axis.  The weather roll was fine everywhere.  So naturally the Germans chose a naval impulse.  The aim was to bring the Vichy squadrons home from Africa.  The U-boats did very little, but two heavy cruisers kept station in the North Sea.

In a day of infamy the US declared war on Vichy!

Two heavy cruisers escorting convoys of schoolchildren, expectant mothers and elderly citizens being evacuated to Metropolitan France were ambushed by seemingly friendly US ships in a blatant disregard for safety of navigation on the high ships. Valiant defence by the brave, but completely surprised and shocked peaceful Vichy seamen failed to stop the horrendous loss of innocent lives.  

The French heavy cruiser Tourville of the Duquesne class

in happier times

A more recent photo of the same ship

The British Imperialists sailed their Home Fleet into the North Sea which was being patrolled by two German pocket battleships.  The Graf Spee was sunk and the Deutschland damaged.

The Graf Spee losing buoyancy

In better news for the Axis, Japan seized Hong Kong and Singapore.  The US also occupied Gibraltar, but it is hard to know whose side they are on at times.  Intelligence reports that the US are intent on carving out an African Empire.  A predicted native uprising happened in the Congo, or Upper Volta or somewhere in the lost French African Empire.

The next impulse has returned the continent to mud despite the expectations by some of an extended turn of fine weather impulses.