Global 1940 2nd Edition Map Analysis

SECTION 0: INTRODUCTION

As I’ve mentioned in a couple of other threads, I’ve been working on an analysis of the Global 1940 second edition map.  The purpose of this exercise was to compile a structured list of the various national blocks depicted on the map, and to indicate whether the jurisdictional status of each territory shown on the map is accurate or not for the game’s June 1940 starting date.

The list is given in numbered sections.  There are between two and four sections for each national block.  For each national block, the first section (lettered A) is a plain inventory of the territories shown on the map.  The remaining sections (lettered B, or B to C, or B to D) give notes on the status of some of the territories from the A section.  Only the A-list territories whose status requires comment are included in the sections that follow the A list.

Actual map territory names are indicated with an asterisk. Block subgroups are written in capital letters; supplied country or region names are given in square brackets.  Indentations are used to show multiples territories which are part of a larger jurisdiction.

In each cluster of names, the order is alphabetical.  Multi-territory jurisdictions are listed separately from (and ahead of) single-territory jurisdictions.

SECTION 1A:
UNITED STATES BLOCK: G40/2 Map Inventory

HOMELAND TERRITORIES OF THE UNITED STATES

• Central United States
• Eastern United States
• Western United States

TERRITORIES UNDER AMERICAN JURISDICTION

[Alaska]

• Alaska

• Aleutian Islands

• Guam

• Hawaiian Islands

• Johnston Island

• Line Islands

• Midway

• Philippines

• Wake Island

TERRITORIES OCCUPIED BY THE UNITED STATES

• Greenland

WARTIME ALLIES OF THE UNITED STATES

[Mexico]

• Mexico

• Southeast Mexico

• Central America

• West Indies

SECTION 1B:
UNITED STATES BLOCK: Selective Notes

TERRITORIES UNDER AMERICAN JURISDICTION

[Alaska]

• Alaska

• Aleutian Islands
  Alaska (which includes the Aleutian Islands) was a US territory at the time of WWII.  Japan occupied two islands of the Aleutian chain (Attu and Kiska) in June 1942.

• Guam
  Guam, the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands, was a US possession at the time of WWII.  It was occupied by Japan in December 1941.

• Hawaiian Islands
  The Hawaiian Islands were a US territory at the time of WWII.  The Japanese attack there in December 1941 led to the US entry into the war.

• Philippines
  The Philippines, which were under Spanish rule in the 19th century, came under US control following the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War.  They were invaded by Japan in December 1941 and fully occupied by May 1942.

• Wake Island
  Wake was a US possession at the time of WWII.  It was occupied by Japan in December 1941.

TERRITORIES OCCUPIED BY THE UNITED STATES

Disputable map situation:

• Greenland
  Greenland, a Danish possession, was occupied by the US in April 1941 as a preemptive measure against a possible German occupation.  The American roundel on the G40/2 map is premature for the June 1940 starting date of the game.

WARTIME ALLIES OF THE UNITED STATES

Disputable map situation:
[Mexico]

• Mexico
• Southeast Mexico
  Mexico was a sovereign state at the time of WWII.  It declared war on the Axis powers in May 1942.  The American roundel on the G40/2 map is premature for the June 1940 starting date of the game, but arguably valid for a US ally once the US declares war.

Disputable map situation:

• Central America
  At the time of WWII, Central America was a region consisting mostly of sovereign states (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama), all of which joined the Allied side soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  It also included two foreign-controlled regions: British Honduras, and the US-controlled Panama Canal Zone.  The American roundel on the G40/2 map is premature for the June 1940 starting date of the game, but arguably valid for a US ally once the US declares war.

Disputable map situation:

• West Indies
  At the time of WWII, the West Indies was a region comprising several sovereign states (Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic), all of which joined the Allied side soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  It also included several foreign-held territories: American ones like Puerto Rico; British ones like Jamaica, the Bahamas, Trinidad, Tobago and some of the Lesser Antilles (including Barbados); French ones like Martinique and Guadeloupe; and Dutch ones like St. Martin.  The American roundel on the G40/2 map is premature for the June 1940 starting date of the game, but arguably valid for a US ally once the US declares war.

SECTION 2A:
UNITED KINGDOM BLOCK: G40/2 Map Inventory

HOMELAND TERRITORIES OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

• Scotland
• United Kingdom

TERRITORIES UNDER BRITISH JURISDICTION

[India]

• India
• West India

[Burma]

• Burma

• Shan State

• Borneo

• British Guiana

• British Somaliland

• Ceylon

• Cyprus

• Fiji

• Gibraltar

• Gilbert Islands

• Gold Coast

• Kenya

• Kwangtung

• Malaya

• Malta

• Nigeria

• Rhodesia

• Samoa

• Tanganyika Territory

• Trans-Jordan

TERRITORIES OCCUPIED BY THE UNITED KINGDOM

• Iceland

BELGIAN TERRITORIES ADMINISTERED FROM LONDON

• Belgian Congo

WARTIME ALLIES OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

[Egypt]

• Alexandria
• Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
• Egypt

BRITISH COMMONWEALTH DOMINIONS

[South Africa]

• Union of South Africa

• South West Africa

• Newfoundland / Labrador

SECTION 2B:
UNITED KINGDOM BLOCK: Selective Notes (part 1)

TERRITORIES UNDER BRITISH JURISDICTION

[Burma]

• Burma
• Shan State
  Burma was administered as a province of British India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony, independent of the Indian administration.  Burma was invaded by Japan in January 1942 and large parts of it were occupied.  Japan allowed Siam (Thailand) to occupy part of Shan State.

Disputable map situation:

• Borneo
  The island of Borneo appears on the G40/2 map as a single British territory, but in actual fact only the northwestern third of the island was under British control at the time of WWII.  This northwestern area corresponds to Sarawak, Brunei, British North Borneo and Labuan.  The majority of the island was part of the Dutch East Indies.  The island was invaded by Japan and fully occupied by March 1942.

• British Somaliland
  British Somaliland was invaded by Italy in August 1940 and occupied.  It was recaptured by Britain in March 1941.

• Gilbert Islands
  The Gilbert Islands (along with the Ellice Islands, which are not shown on the G40/2 map) were British possessions at the time of WWII.  The Gilberts were occupied by Japan in December 1941.  Japan intended to occupy the Ellice Islands, but did not carry out this plan; US troops arrived there in October 1942.

Disputable map situation:

• Kwangtung
  The G40/2 map depicts Kwangtung as being a British territory containing the victory city of Hong Kong.  In reality, Kwangtung was a Chinese province at the time of WWII; Hong Kong was a small British-controlled enclave on its coast, as was Portuguese-controlled Macao.  Japan invaded and occupied Hong Kong in December 1941.  The G40/2 map presumably depicts all of Kwangtung as a British territory in order to provide more practical play space than would be possible if Britain’s possessions in the area were limited to Hong Kong itself.

• Malaya
  Malaya was a British-controlled collection of states (including the strategic island of Singapore, which is not shown on the G40/2 map) at the time of WWII.  It was invaded by Japan in December 1941and fully occupied by February 1942.  Japan allowed Siam (Thailand) to take possession of four Malay states.

Disputable map situation:

• Samoa
  Samoa is shown on the G40/2 map as being a British possession, but at the time of WWII Samoa actually consisted of a US-administered eastern island group (today known as American Samoa) and a New Zealand-administered western island group (comprising most of the land mass in the Samoan Islands).  This western group, originally known as German Samoa, was placed under New Zealand trusteeship at the end of WWI by the League of Nations.

SECTION 2C:
UNITED KINGDOM BLOCK: Selective Notes (part 2)

TERRITORIES OCCUPIED BY THE UNITED KINGDOM

• Iceland
  Iceland, which at the time of WWII was an independent country with links to Denmark, was occupied by Britain in May 1940 (and subsequently by the United States in July 1941) as a preemptive measure against a possible German occupation. The British roundel on the G40/2 map is justifiable for the June 1940 starting date of the game.

BELGIAN TERRITORIES ADMINISTERED FROM LONDON

Disputable map situation:

• Belgian Congo
  On the G40/2 map, the Belgian Congo bears the designation “Administered from London,” presumably in reference to the fact that this colonial territory was controlled by the London-based Belgian government-in-exile which was established when Belgium was occupied by Germany.  This map convention is inconsistent with the fact that the Dutch colonial territories shown on the G40/2 map bear Dutch roundels, even though the Dutch had similarly established a London-based government-in-exile when the Netherlands were occupied by Germany.

WARTIME ALLIES OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

Disputable map situation:
[Egypt]

• Alexandria
• Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
• Egypt
  Egypt is shown on the G40/2 map as being a British possession, though technically it had been independent since 1936.  British troops occupied the Suez Canal zone only, but by treaty they could re-occupy the rest of the country in time of war. The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan was actually a condominium between Egypt and the United Kingdom.  In February 1942, Britain intervened with troops and tanks at the Aberdeen Palace to weaken the influence of the pro-Axis elements around King Farouk and force him to replace the government.

BRITISH COMMONWEALTH DOMINIONS

Disputable map situation:
[South Africa]

• Union of South Africa

• South West Africa
  The Union of South Africa is shown on the G40/2 map as being a British possession, but at the time of WWII it was actually a self-governing Commonwealth Dominion.  South West Africa had been administered by the Union of South Africa since 1931. In principle the Union of South Africa should have its own distinct G40/2 map roundel, since this is also the case with Canada (individually) and Australia and New Zealand (jointly as ANZAC).

• Newfoundland / Labrador
  Newfoundland (which includes Labrador) is shown on the G40/2 map as being a British possession, which is technically correct for the period of WWII.  Newfoundland had in principle been offered the status of a self-governing Commonwealth Dominion under the 1931 Statute of Westminster (which similarly applied to Canada, Eire, the Union of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand), but at its own request, Newfoundland placed itself under direct rule from London in 1934.  It became a Canadian province in 1949.

SECTION 3A:
CANADA BLOCK: G40/2 Map Inventory

HOMELAND TERRITORIES OF CANADA

• Alberta / Saskatchewan / Manitoba
• New Brunswick / Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Quebec
• Western Canada
  (G40/2 map errata: roundel should be Canadian, not British)

SECTION 3B:
CANADA BLOCK: Selective Notes

Canada had been offered the status of a self-governing Commonwealth Dominion under the 1931 Statute of Westminster (which similarly applied to Newfoundland, Eire, the Union of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand).  Canada has its own distinct roundel on the G40/2 map, but under the Global 1940 OOB rules it is not an independent player power and its income is collected by the United Kingdom.  In this inventory, Canada is therefore listed in its own section, which is placed after the Section 2 entries for South Africa (which has no distinct roundel and does not have the status of a player power) but before the Section 4 entries for Australia and New Zealand (which do have a distinct joint roundel and do have the status of a collective player power).  Eire is listed in Section 12 owing to its neutral status.

SECTION 4A:
ANZAC BLOCK: G40/2 Map Inventory

HOMELAND TERRITORIES OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

[Australia]

• New South Wales
• Northern Territory
• Queensland
• South Australia
• Western Australia
• Victoria

[New Zealand]

• New Zealand

TERRITORIES UNDER ANZAC JURISDICTION

• New Britain
• New Guinea
• Solomon Islands

SECTION 4B:
ANZAC BLOCK: Selective Notes

HOMELAND TERRITORIES OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

Disputable map situation:
Australia and New Zealand are two separate countries, both of which were offered the status of self-governing Commonwealth Dominions under the 1931 Statute of Westminster, but under the Global 1940 OOB rules they are treated as a collective entity (ANZAC) which functions as a player power.

TERRITORIES UNDER ANZAC JURISDICTION

Disputable map situation:

• New Britain
  New Britain (the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago) is shown on the G40/2 map as being an ANZAC possession, but it was actually administer by Australia at the time of WWII.  It formed part of the Territory of New Guinea, whose status is described in more detail in the next entry.

Disputable map situation:

• New Guinea
  The eastern half of the island of New Guinea is depicted on the G40/2 map as a single territory called “New Guinea” which carries an ANZAC roundel.  At the time of WWII, the eastern half of the island of New Guinea (known collectively as the Territories of Papua and New Guinea) was actually administered by Australia and consisted of two distinct regions.  The southeastern region of the island, originally the British-controlled Territory of Papua, was transferred to Australian jurisdiction in 1906.  The Territory of New Guinea, which comprised the northeastern region of the island of New Guinea as well as the Bismarck Archipelago, had originally been known as German New Guinea; it was placed under an Australian mandate at the end of WWI by the League of Nations.  Japan invaded the Territory of New Guinea in January 1942 and soon occupied the northeastern region of the island as well as the Bismarck Archipelago (including New Britain).  Japan invaded and occupied the western half of the island of New Guinea (Dutch New Guinea) in March 1942, as will be discussed in Section 8.  Japan failed to achieve its objective of conquering the Territory of Papua.

Disputable map situation:

• Solomon Islands
  The Solomon Islands are shown on the G40/2 map as being an ANZAC possession, but they were actually a British territory at the time of WWII.  Although the Japanese occupied most of the Solomons in the first half of 1942, their control of the region started to be challenged in August 1942 with the American landings at Guadalcanal.

SECTION 5A:
SOVIET UNION BLOCK: G40/2 Map Inventory

HOMELAND TERRITORIES OF THE SOVIET UNION

• Amur
• Archangel
• Belarus
• Bryansk
• Buryatia
• Caucasus
• Evenkiyskiy
• Karelia
• Kazakhstan
• Nenetsia
• Novgorod
• Novosibirsk
• Rostov
• Russia
• Sakha
• Samara
• Siberia
• Smolensk
• Soviet Far East
• Tambov
• Timguska
• Turkmenistan
• Ukraine
• Urals
• Volgograd
• Vologda
• Western Ukraine
• Yakut S.S.R.
• Yenisey

TERRITORIES OCCUPIED BY THE SOVIET UNION

• Baltic States
• Bessarabia
• Eastern Poland
• Vyborg

SECTION 5B:
SOVIET UNION BLOCK: Selective Notes

TERRITORIES OCCUPIED BY THE SOVIET UNION

Disputable map situation:

• Baltic States
  The Baltic States (comprising Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) were annexed by the USSR between September 1939 and August 1940, the latter date being two months after the June 1940 starting date of the game.

• Bessarabia
  Bessarabia, which had previously been a part of Romania, was annexed by the USSR in June 1940.  Romania joined the Axis in July 1940 and eventually participated in the Axis war against the Soviet Union which started in June 1941, reappropriating Bessarabia in the process.

• Eastern Poland
  The eastern part of Poland was invaded by the USSR in September 1939 and occupied.

• Vyborg
  The area labeled “Vyborg” on the G40/2 map corresponds more or less to the Karelian Isthmus.  It was originally part of Finland, but it was annexed by the USSR in March 1940 following the Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940.  Finland, fighting as an Axis co-belligerent, reappropriated it in June 1941 when Germany invaded the Soviet Union.

SECTION 6A:
FRANCE BLOCK: G40/2 Map Inventory

HOMELAND TERRITORIES OF FRANCE

• France
• Normandy / Bordeaux
• Southern France

TERRITORIES UNDER FRENCH JURISDICTION

• Algeria
• French Central Africa
• French Equatorial Africa
• French Guiana
• French Indo-China
• French Madagascar
• French West Africa
• Morocco
• New Hebrides
• Syria
• Tunisia

SECTION 6B:
FRANCE BLOCK: Selective Notes (part 1)

The Global 1940 OOB rules do not depict the historical establishment of either the Vichy regime or of the Free French forces after France’s surrender in late June 1940.  Instead, the rules depict an alternate-history scenario in which France continues to fight on the Allied side as a single entity, though in a role which is extremely marginal due to the rule restrictions under which it operates.

Historically, the part of France which is identified on the game map simply as “France” was invaded by Germany in May 1940.  The capitulation of France in June 1940 resulted in the German occupation of this area and of the area identified on the game map as “Normandy / Bordeaux.”  The area identified on the game map as “Southern France” became a so-called “unoccupied zone” in June 1940; this zone was administered by the Vichy regime, whose capital was located there.  The Vichy-controlled zone was occupied by Germany and Italy in November 1942, following the Operation Torch landings by the Allies in North Africa.  France’s homeland territories were liberated between June and August 1944 following the Overlord landings in Normandy and the Anvil-Dragoon landings in southern France.

Historically, most of the territories of the French colonial empire initially came under Vichy control, but some of them joined the Free French side immediately; others joined the Free French later or were captured by the Allies and handed over to Free French control.  With the liberation of France in the summer of 1944, all French territories still nominally under Vichy control came under the jurisdiction of the new provisional French government.

It should be noted that at the time of WWII the New Hebrides were a colonial territory jointly administered by France and Britain as an Anglo-French Condominium.

SECTION 6C:
FRANCE BLOCK: Selective Notes (part 2)

The historical status changes of France’s G40/2 map territories were as follows:

HOMELAND TERRITORIES OF FRANCE

• France
  Occupied by Germany, June 1940; liberated in the summer of 1944.

• Normandy / Bordeaux
  Occupied by Germany, June 1940; liberated in the summer of 1944.

• Southern France
  Became the Vichy-controlled “Unoccupied Zone” in June 1940; occupied by Germany and Italy in November 1942; liberated in the summer of 1944.

TERRITORIES UNDER FRENCH JURISDICTION

• Algeria
  Became Vichy-controlled in June 1940; occupied by the Allies and the Free French in November 1942.

• French Central Africa
  Became Vichy-controlled in June 1940.

• French Equatorial Africa
  Joined the Free French in June 1940 (except for Gabon); the Gabon region was eventually seized by the Free French in November 1940.

• French Guiana
  Became Vichy-controlled in June 1940; joined the Free French in 1943.

• French Indo-China
  Became Vichy-controlled in June 1940; invaded by Japan in September 1940 but remained under nominal Vichy control.  As a result of the Franco-Thai War of October 1940 to May 1941, Vichy ceded a number of FIC provinces to Siam (Thailand).  In March 1945, Japan took complete control of FIC.

• French Madagascar
  Became Vichy-controlled in June 1940; invaded and occupied by Britain in September 1942; transferred to the Free French in January 1943.

• French West Africa
  Became Vichy-controlled in June 1940.

• Morocco
  Became Vichy-controlled in June 1940; occupied by the Allies and the Free French in November 1942.

Disputable map situation:

• New Hebrides
  Joined the Free French in June 1940.  The New Hebrides were a colonial territory jointly administered by France and Britain as an Anglo-French Condominium

• Syria
  Became Vichy-controlled in June 1940; occupied by the Allies and the Free French in July 1941.

• Tunisia
  Became Vichy-controlled in June 1940; occupied by the Allies and the Free French in May 1943.

SECTION 7A:
CHINA BLOCK: G40/2 Map Inventory

HOMELAND TERRITORIES OF CHINA

• Anhwe
• Chahar
• Hopei
• Hunan
• Jehol
• Kansu
• Kiangsi
• Kiangsu
• Kwangsi
• Kweichow
• Manchuria
• Shantung
• Shensi
• Sikang
• Suiyuyan
• Szechwan
• Tsinghai
• Yunnan

SECTION 7B:
CHINA BLOCK: Selective Notes (part 1)

China, the only nation on the G40/2 map which starts the game with its homeland territory under partial occupation by an enemy power, is depicted using map conventions which give a misleading impression of the Chinese territories that were controlled by Japan in June 1940.

Like many of the world’s land and sea areas, China does not have the same size and shape on the G40/2 map as it does in reality.  The country is only about half as wide on the game map as it ought to be relative to its height, with most of the compression taking place in China’s western half.  Because of these size and shape distortions, the orange borders which show the provinces already occupied by Japan at the June 1940 starting date of the game approximate only vaguely the actual Japanese lines of control which existed at that moment of WWII.  The western salients of the Japanese lines appear much too shallow, the curved gap between them appears much too wide, and the names of the provinces inside and outside these orange borders do not reflect with complete accuracy the areas which Japan actually controlled.  For example Anhwe (also known as Anhwei and Anhui) is shown on the game map as being held by China, whereas most of it was actually occupied by Japan.

A further misrepresentation is the fact that the G40/2 map depicts all the Chinese coastal provinces (except Kwangtung) as being fully under Japanese control.  In reality, Japan comprehensively occupied China’s coastal provinces only as far south as Chekiang (which is not depicted separately on the game map, the closest map equivalent being Kiangsu).  South of Chekiang, Japan only took control of the Chinese coast’s port cities and of their surrounding areas, with the aim of cutting off China from supply by sea without having to occupy the entire coastline.

The G40/2 map labels 18 territories with Chinese roundels.  The Global 1940 OOB rules state that all these territories are considered Chinese for purposes of original ownership, even if they start the game under Japanese occupation (as denoted by the map’s orange borders).  The Chinese island of Hainan, however, violates this convention: it bears a Japanese roundel, despite the fact that it was a Chinese territory and that it was not occupied by Japan until February 1939.  This inconsistency is probably intended to justify the rule restriction which prevents Chinese units from being loaded onto naval transports because, in principle, Chinese forces are allowed to enter any territory marked with a Chinese roundel.

It should be noted that the dot shown in Szechwan at the terminus of the Burma Road corresponds approximately to Chungking, the wartime capital of the Republic of China.

It should be noted that the game map territory of Shensi corresponds roughly to an area which, from the mid-1930s onward, was under the control of the Chinese Communist Party rather than under the control of the Republic of China.  Shaanxi Province was the location of the Chinese Communist Party’s northernmost political council in 1934, and was the destination of the Long March of 1934-1935.  It served as the CCP’s power base and training centre during the Second World War.  The city of Yan’an (Yenan in older sources), located in central Shaanxi, was from 1937 onward the seat of the communist government of what became known as the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border region.

SECTION 7C:
CHINA BLOCK: Selective Notes (part 2)

HOMELAND TERRITORIES OF CHINA

• Jehol
  Jehol, a de jure province of the Republic of China, was invaded by Japan in January 1933 and annexed to the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo.

• Kiangsi
  The region depicted on the game map as Kiangsi corresponds roughly to an area of China whose port cities were occupied by Japan in 1938 and 1939.

• Kiangsu
  The region depicted on the game map as Kiangsu corresponds roughly to an area of China which was occupied by Japan in 1937 and 1938.

• Kwangsi
  The region depicted on the game map as Kwangsi corresponds roughly to an area of China whose port cities were occupied by Japan in 1938 and 1939.

• Manchuria
  Manchuria, an area over which China, Russia and Japan had exerted varying degrees of influence since the mid-19th century, was invaded by Japan in September 1931 and transformed into the puppet state of Manchukuo.

• Shantung
  The region depicted on the game map as Shantung corresponds roughly to an area of China which was occupied by Japan in 1937 and 1938.

• Shensi
  Power base of the Chinese Communist Party during WWII.

• Szechwan
  Location of Chungking, the wartime capital of the Republic of China.

SECTION 8A:
NETHERLANDS BLOCK: G40/2 Map Inventory

TERRITORIES UNDER DUTCH JURISDICTION

[Dutch East Indies]

• Celebes

• Dutch New Guinea

• Java

• Sumatra

• Suriname

SECTION 8B:
NETHERLANDS BLOCK: Selective Notes

Japan invaded the Dutch East Indies in December 1941 and occupied them completely by March 1942.  The Netherlands are not a player power under the Global 1940 OOB rules, but the Dutch colonial territories of the Dutch East Indies and Suriname carry a distinct roundel.  During the Japanese campaign to conquer the Dutch East Indies and Malaysia, the American, British, Dutch and Australian forces which tried to halt the Japanese advance in this region operated briefly under a joint command structure called ABDACOM.