Part 2 (June 2 1941 to July 14th)

June 2nd, 1941 German shipyards begin construction of several new warships for the navy. The largest is an aircraft carrier named the the Fuhrer Hitler. The ship is to be built almost exclusively from steel refined from Swedish iron. Several U-boats are planned as well. Other wartime materials are made en mass using the recently captured mineral deposits. June 4th, 1941 Fourth day of the Battle of the Far East. The Japanese air supremacy has hampered Soviet communication and supply lines since the battle began. The situation on the ground is more complex. The Soviets outnumber the Japanese by far, but the Japanese have better trained soldiers. The Kwantung Army bring the fascist numbers to about the Soviet numbers, but the Kwantung men are as equally trained as the Soviets. The Soviet armor greatly outnumber and outgun Japanese armor. The Battle rages along the Amur River as the Korean Puppet Army tries to push the Soviets out of Vladivostok. Urban warfare puts the Soviet tank advantage to null, and the Japanese steadily push the Soviets out of the "arm" of Russia leading south of the Amur River. Across the sea, northern Sakhalin is being bombarded by bombers from southern Sakhalin and Japan. The IJN blockades all major ports north from Sakhalin to the Kamkatchka peninsula. June 8th, 1941 Thousands of German contractors begin building more efficient ports in Tripoli, Cyrenaica, Algiers, Tunis, and Casablanca. Several outdated Italian battleships are scuttled for materials for the port upgrade. Other programs in North Africa include constructing synthetic oil plants in Cyrenaica and Algiers and building better railways that connect the major port cities along the shore. These programs are being run so that the Axis has a better hold on North Africa, and that the region will be useful in the future. For near-term uses, the ports will help the Axis easily transport troops and reduce supply lines while the synthetic oil plants will supply the army for invading Egypt. June 11th, 1941 Volunteer soldiers from the Republic of China arrive in Vladivostok, fighting against the Japanese. The Battle of the Far East breaks into many different battles, such as the Battle of Sakhalin, the Battle of Vladivostok, the Battle of the Amur, and the Battle of Mongolia. The last one started when Japanese artillery opened fire on a Soviet group attempting to retreat into Mongolia. The war escalates as both sides mobilize large armies to the battle sites. However, Japan is at an advantage because the troops can be moved to the battle at a fraction of the time it would take the Soviets.

June 15th, 1941

Hitler and other Axis leaders hold the Madrid Conference with Franco and Salazar, dictators/leaders of Spain and Portugal respectively. Hitler promised that if Portugal and/or Spain joined the Axis, Germany would grant the new members with financial and military support. The new members would have to comply to some strict regulations, such as an embargo on Allied goods, and a tax on certain materials to Germany. Portugal refuses, but Franco is interested in the financial support he would get. On June 15th, 1941, Spain joins the Axis powers.

June 18th, 1941

Negotiations between Spain (and the Axis) and Portugal break down and Portugal refuses to take out the demands of the Madrid Conference. The Germans begin moving two Panzer regiments and three infantry regiments to Spain from France. Spain declares war on Portugal and starts a skirmish in northern Portugal hours later. As Spanish soldiers fight minor skirmishes on the borders with Gibraltar and Portugal, it becomes apparent that World War Two has reached Iberia.

Meanwhile, in Finland, the Soviets use what troops are not headed for the Far East to once again attack Finland. Across the border, the Finnish army is recruiting volunteers and even raw conscripts and draftees. The country has been going into ruins as the two dominant powers of northern Europe take turns attacking it. Recently, however, Germany has been supplying the Finnish army with shipments of weapons in secret.

June 23rd, 1941

The Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryu approaches Vladivostok. The seventy two aircraft based on it take off in the early hours and begin bombing Vladivostok. The aircraft continue to bombard the city and regroup back to the carrier to refuel and restock on bombs. The Red Air force can do nothing against these attacks, as they have nothing but aging, obsolete biplanes. Hundreds of Soviets in the city perish as the Japanese destroy the city, but along with them die a few dozen puppet Korean soldiers.

June 30th

Operation Reconquista, Spanish (heavily assisted by Germany) invasion of Portugal. The attack is mostly a Blitzkrieg, with massive armor, air, and infantry attacks at once from all directions. German U-boats torpedo Portuguese merchant boats in waters everywhere from the Bay of Biscay to the Canaries, to the western Mediterranean. Over thirty merchant ships are sunk on one day. The Invasion of Portugal has begun.

July 4th, 1941

Two Soviet destroyers engage an aging but intimidation battleship. Both destroyers are damaged, one almost sunk, and the Japanese battleship has minor damage. This is the first naval engagement of the Far Eastern War. Meanwhile, in Finland, the Finnish army begins a plan to fall back to more easily defended territory around Lake Saimaa. The forested area around the lake would slow down Soviet armor and the extensive lakes and rivers would also slow down the enemy considerably.

July 10th, 1941

British soldiers begin arriving in Iberia. They bolster Portuguese troops and the garrison in Gibraltar. The Battle of Galicia takes place between mostly German and British troops, with only minor assistance by Spanish and Portuguese. The Germans begin pulling back as British carrier planes destroy panzers and Axis infantry. Galicia marks the beginning of the Allied offensive in Iberia.

July 12th, 1941

Vladivostok falls to Japanese and Korean troops. Thirty T-34s stationed around the city are captured as their crews desert in the face of the massive Japanese army. Half of the captured tanks are taken to the Home Islands to be examined and hopefully duplicated. The rest are left in the battle to fight for the Japanese. Meanwhile, in Iberia, Axis planes bomb Gibraltar. All but one of the Gibraltar macaques are killed. The Gibraltarians fear that if this last monkey dies, Gibraltar will fall. Operation Felix begins as Axis artillery bombard Gibralatar from the north and west. Italian battleships also attack merchant ships attempting to escape.

July 14th, 1941

Much of western Spain falls systematically to the Allies. An arm in the south that is besieging Gibraltar is one exception. Brutal urban combat in the suburbs and fringes of Madrid result in horrendous civilian casualties. Artillery stationed around Gibraltar fires for day upon day, but the British ensieged in the Rock don't surrender. The town is supplied with enough food an ammunition to keep the siege going for years. The same cannot be said for Madrid, which is suffering dearly after only a few days of combat. Neither the Germans or the British seem to care what they damage as the battle rages.