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German and Soviet Punishment and Probation Units of World War II

German and Soviet Punishment and Probation Units of World War II: Many European countries fighting in World War II often needed more soldiers than they could recruit through conventional means, such as conscription or calls for volunteers. Some of these countries tapped alternative sources of personnel that normally were not allowed to serve as combat soldiers: civilians who had been convicted of crimes, and soldiers who had been court-martialled for military offenses or were being punished for various infractions. The two major totalitarian powers in the war, Nazi Germany and the USSR, used these sources of soldiers to a great extent. They also had a third source to tap: German citizens in German concentration camps or inmates in the Soviet GULag.

Bulgarian Order of Battle by Carlos A. Pérez Melón

This is a Europa-rated order of battle for Bulgaria in World War II.

Analysis of Soviet Tank and Mechanized Corps, 1942-1945

This charts shows the total number of Soviet tank and mechanized corps in existence in 1942-1945, per month. It also shows how many of these corps were engaged in active operations each month. See the chart at Analysis of Soviet Tank and Mechanized Corps.

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Russian and Soviet Northern Ports

In 1914, the Russian Empire lost the use of most of its major ports soon after the outbreak of World War I. Russia had to turn to its backwater northern ports to import vitally needed weapons, materials, and supplies for its war effort. The empire embarked on an ambitious construction project to upgrade the existing ports and rail lines as well as building a brand new port and rail line there. However, the empire fell into revolution and after a civil war was replaced by the USSR. In 1941, history echoed when Germany invaded the Soviet Union, which quickly lost the use of most of its major ports. Once again, the northern ports became a major route for weapons, materials, and supplies to reach the USSR. Find out more about these ports in Russian and Soviet Northern Ports, 1915-1945.

High Tide of Empire

A Scenario for Wavell's War

• High Tide of Empire

High Tide of Empire is a Europa scenario for Wavell's War. It covers the brief Italian campaign in mid-1940 that seized British Somaliland from the small Allied garrison there. It represents the first and last campaign in World War II that Italy won without German assistance and thus in many ways marks the high tide of Mussolini’s “New Roman Empire”.

Grande Fantasia Imperiale

A Scenario for Wavell's War

• Part 1: Introduction
• Part 2: Scenario Rules
• Part 3: Orders of Battle
• Part 4: Final Notes

The Grande Fantasia Imperiale is a "historical-hypothetical" scenario exploring whether, with just a few reasonable changes in policy and preparations, Italy could have wrested north-eastern Africa and the Near East from Great Britain in 1940-41. Italy’s big chance came in the spring of 1940, with France defeated and Britain’s army abandoning its modern equipment in the Dunkirk evacuation. Since Britain had begun rearming for war late, British industry needed considerable time to replace these losses. Britain itself also faced a fight for survival, as the Luftwaffe soon attacked Britain in preparation for a German amphibious invasion of the country. Never again during the war would Britain be as weak.

The Carmel Plan

Adding the Carmel Plan to War in the Desert and Wavell's War

If the Germans had succeeded in defeating the British at El Alamein in 1942, the British might have been forced to withdraw from Egypt, Palestine, and nearby lands, leaving the 450,000 Jewish inhabitants of the British mandate of Palestine to their fates at the hands of the Nazis. The Carmel Plan was the Jewish plan to try to protect the Jews in Palestine from the Germans. This article, The Carmel Plan, covers the historical and geographical setting of the Carmel Plan and provides a set of house rules to add it to the Europa games, War in the Desert and Wavell's War.