The French Disconnection...A Strategic Command AAR (Pics Included)

[Straha]

Red army moved in in ´39, but "elections" and official annexations happened in ´40. SuperTed already told me that they will get "red" during the year.

Straha

[Ancient One]

Yes I know he said that it will happen in 1940, but I think the Red Army occupying the Baltic states in 1939 is the key event in practical terms, so it should be the one modeled. The Baltic states were for all intents and purposes part of the USSR long before the 'official' annexation in 1940, which was just a meaningless formality.

[Hubert Cater]

- The only compelling reason is that the Baltic states were not annexed until July 23, 1940.

Edit: Baltic States are considered as part of the Soviet sphere of influence (politically) in this game and if the Germans decide to declare war then it may automatically draw the USSR in prior to the official annexation in 1940

- As a game design decision there are no border changes involving Finland during the "Winter War", but Finland may declare war automatically on the USSR under the right conditions after the Axis and the USSR decide to tangle with each other

[ May 13, 2002, 12:58 AM: Message edited by: Hubert Cater ]

[Straha]

AO: In a sense, it was a formality, in another it wasn´t. While Germany quite openly acted bad-guy, Russia somehow managed to keep an at least somewhat better reputation despite Finland, Baltics, Eastern Poland and Bessarabia. Vital part of Soviet politics was camouflaging most of Stalin´s annexations as "voluntary" incorporations of states into the USSR. (They officially stuck to this "voluntary joining" story until the end of the Sovietunion.) And indeed: would Stalin have been less diligent in this regard, it might well have been that the Allies would have declared war on Russia, too (they were on the brink of doing this at times anyway).

Straha