I don't actually have Ny idea...I just provided the seed idea.
geeze, you get us all fired up then leave us floundering ??
Guess I'll have to start it off ....
1934 -- Hitler comes to power.
May 1938 -- the secret von Ribbentrop / Molotov Pact is signed.
July 1938 -- Germany annexes the Sudatenland.
August 1938 -- German panzers drive into Poland. The plucky Polish Air Force puts up a good fight against the Luftwaffe but is outnumbered. The Polish Army is overwhelmed by surprise, superior numbers and lack of organisation & leadership.
Chamberlain debates in the League of Nations but does nothing except gets a worthless piece of paper with Hitler's signature to be a good boy. Chamberlain is deposed & Churchill becomes PM of Britain -- in accordance with their treaty with Poland, Churchill declares war on Germany.
In accordance with the von Ribbentrop / Molotov Pact, Russia starts licence-production of tanks for the German war effort -- a few T-28 & T-35 super-heavy multi-turreted tanks, with crews, are supplied to the Panzer Divisions.
Trouble in Eritrea caused by tribal uprising against the Italian Governor leads to a crack-down with the Italian Army basically invading its own colony. German East Africa is sucked in to the escalating violence.
The Duetches Afrika Corps is set up & trained, ready to be deployed in case the African situation gets out of hand as expected -- Il Duce is clamouring for a new "Roman-Africa Empire".
October 1938 -- Russian troops enter Poland under a League of Nations agreement to oversee the withdrawal of German troops. They remain there throughout the Western war as a "barrier to further German aggression".
November 1938 -- Germany annexes Alsace and digs-in for the winter. French & Belgian governments ask Britain to send troops in case of invasion -- the RAF & BEF are dispatched leaving Britain largely undefended..
Japan, long Britain's ally & trade-partner, is keen to have a market for the large supply of materials from its Manchurian colonies. Unfortunately, their military equipment is mostly deemed inferior to British equipment especially their Tanks. Japanese aircraft are deemed to be roughly equal but lacking armour.
An agreement is signed for Japan to supply selected types of aircraft to bolster the RAF. Japanese military leaders insist on providing the pilots too -- this escalates into a full-blown diplomatic declaration by Japan to join Britain in war with Germany. This quashes any grumbles Britain may have on Japan's annexing of most of the Asian seaboard as far south as British interests in Singapore for their minerals.
Nov '38 - Jan '39 -- forces are built up in western Germany. Japan ships aircraft & pilots to Britain.
Feb '39 -- German troops move west, invading northern France & southern Belgium. French, Belgian & British troops fight a holding action but are driven back almost to the coast. The Russian T-28 & T-35 heavy-tanks prove a handicap in the initial battles, being too slow to keep up.
March '39 -- Egypt is threatened by the troubles in Eritrea & German East Africa -- the British Colonial Army is reinforced by regular British troops causing the DAK to be sent from Germany.
The FBB (French/Belgian/British) gain small victories, pushing the German forces back. French Char B.1 tanks do their bit taking a heavy toll of the light German tanks, halting the enemy in a line roughly north/south across France & Belgium.
Southern France declares itself a Neutral Independency under the Vichy regrime and doesn't take part in the war. Vichy government asks both Northern France & Germany to help patrol their parts of the border to stop renegades from crossing to the north -- France refuses.
April '39 -- The land war bogs down with both sides preparing for a long fight. The Russian T-28 & T-35 heavy-tanks now come into their own as mobile blockhouses spread across the Front.
Guderian is sent to command the DAK in Africa while Rommel inspects German interests in Tunisia.
Hitler orders the Luftwaffe to bomb Paris - but Goering convinces him that the central area (with its art treasures etc) is too valuable and to attack London's dockland instead as that's where the British troops & equipment for their war effort is shipping from. These early-morning German bombing raids, cause the RAF to accede to Japanese aircraft & pilots being engaged in action over London as the RAF's own squadrons head for service with the FBB.
JAF Mitsubishi Zeros & RAF Hurricanes down approximately half of the first wave of German He-111s on April 13th "Black Friday" -- the higher Fw-200s escape with few losses as the Spitfires are too busy with the German fighter escort. The Zeros wear RAF camouflage with black/white under-sides - the Japanese "meatball" has a blue surround with thin yellow outline to match the RAF roundel. Due to their lack of sufficient armour, many more Japanese pilots than expected are wounded.
Several He-111s are shot down by Ms-406s & D.250s over France awaiting their return & about two dozen Me-109s crash in western France due to running out of fuel - their pilots are rounded up & interned in England ... but three make it back across the front to German lines.
These bombing-raids continue to be stepped up with Goering demanding that the Raf-Jaf be wiped from the skies, commencing the Battle of Britain. In several early fighter vs fighter battles, few Zeros are lost to German Me-109s as they are more manoeuvrable & the pilots equally as experienced in combat. This leads to the JAF being largely equipped with the few Spitfires while new RAF pilots get the Zeros until they gain some experience. Like the Hurricane, the Zero's wide undercarriage means less landing accidents, initially a major problem in Spitfire units.
Bristol Blenheims make bombing attacks on German truck convoys supplying their forces -- many are shot down by the efficient German AA units making way for more JAF units to enter battle on the Continent -- these consist of "Lily" & "Nell" light-bombers.
