Monthly Archives: March 2020

World War Two Student Journals

World War 2 Activities Student Journal: Germany

World War 2 Activities

Germany, period 4, 1938

My country is on the brink of war, It’s obvious now, and It’s been obvious for many years. After France and Britain left us with next to nothing after the Great War, my country and people were left to fend for ourselves. But then a leader rose up. He promised us everything we could ever want. 

As the minister of foreign affairs, it’s my job to keep the peace between our allies and secure new alliances. I’ve already spoken with the president and foreign minister of Russia and they have agreed to an alliance that shall be made pubic next year (tomorrow). They shall offer us safety from the east and help us dominate other small countries. I don’t know if we will betray them or not though. I suppose that is up to the president to decide, but I think a permanent alliance would be most beneficial. 

Our attack plans for the next year are not set in stone, but I believe that taking over the Baltic Sea is our best course of action. In order to do this we must invade Denmark and Norway. Denmark should prove easy and nearly effortless yet Norway could pose a problem if Great Britain tries to intervene. Our navy is strong but I am unsure if we could defeat Britain’s navy. Perhaps we could. Only time will tell.

German Minister of foreign Affairs, 

Germany, period 4, 1939

The war has begun. Our army struck quickly and precisely and within no time at all Norway and Denmark had been claimed by the Axis. Sweden, being cut off from any others, quickly surrendered and joined the Axis as well. They supply us with lots of iron, just one of the many resources we need. 

A chunk of Poland fell to the Axis as well (P1). However, when the USSR tried to claim the other small chunk (P2) They were defeated. I told the president of the USSR that Germany and Romania, another of our allies, would take it for them as a sign of good will. That way they could focus their energies into supplying the nations of the Axis powers with resources. Perhaps we won’t betray them after all.

 In the coming year I am unsure of what to do next. I think the president would like for us to take Yugoslavia, something that could be easily managed by Austria and Bulgaria. However, I believe that taking the Netherlands would be the next best step, maybe even Belgium. We’re secretly allied with them and breaking this alliance may put the USSR into a state of unrest. 

For now we must keep them close. Perhaps it would be best to push downwards, help our Italian allies gain more territory in the mediterranean sea area. Doing so would close off the sea for the British and make it difficult for them to reinforce countries such as Egypt, Arabia, Iraq, Syria, etc. It will be smooth sailing, straight to Britain and France from there.

German Minister of foreign Affairs, 

Germany, period 4, 1940

My country still stands strong in this war and I could not be more proud. Our troops continue to expand our reaches from the Netherlands to Eastern Poland to the very tops of Sweden and Norway. 

This year we gained much territory, taking Yugoslavia and  the other half (P2) of Poland. We divided both countries with our allies, the USSR and Bulgaria as a show of good faith. Italy has also been making their advances in the south of Europe as well, claiming Greece and soon Albania for themselves. 

In the coming year Germany will push on the Netherlands and then Belgium as well. We have secret alliances with both countries yet as far as I’m concerned, they’re nothing but a means to delay their defeat. 

German Minister of foreign Affairs, 

Germany, period 4, 1941

Our military efforts have proved fruitful this year despite the loss of a major battle. 

The Netherlands fell to us easily. None of their so called “allies” even defended them. Afterwards, our troops pushed downwards into Belgium, but despite our strong military power we were defeated when Britain and France decided to intervene. They see just how important that tiny country is in this war and they refuse to let it go without a fight. We may have lost this battle, but I am proud to say we did significant damage to both the British and French armies. Good. Let them weaken themselves. It will be all the easier to take France when it has hardly any troops left.

German Minister of foreign Affairs, 

Germany, period 4, 1942

This year  put us farther ahead in the war than I could have hoped. After our defeat in Belgium last year, we needed to reinforce our borders and prepare to launch another attack. We waited patiently and struck the tiny country once more. Britain and France did their best to defend it like they had before, but they ultimately failed and not only Belgium, but F1 of France became ours. 

Finally! A way to attack France head on from Germany. I had been moving troops into Italy and instructing the President to wait for my order to attack southern France (F2) so that the French would have no choice but to reinforce F2 and leave F3 vulnerable. But this was so much better! Having a foothold in France will work wonders and hopefully secure our victory in this war.

With Belgium and Northern France under our control, my allies and I will finally be able to carry out this little strategy of mine and strike back at one of the countries that humiliated us so much after World War 1. Honestly, I wish we had done this much, much, sooner.

German Minister of foreign Affairs, 

Germany, period 4, 1943

Taking the rest of France is proving to be a trickier task than I anticipated. Britain had been shipping soldiers to defend France in a near constant and tedious routine. Not only that, but the United States had finally stepped up and decided to join the Allies in the war. This was definitely a problem. Had Japan, my loyal allies, not gotten too cocky and decided to attack them, we wouldn’t be having this issue. That is not the case, however, and now I must deal with the consequences of their actions. 

It is not matter though. I will continue to pull troops from anywhere I can, Prussia, Denmark, Austria, Poland, wherever I have troops to spare, and send them to italy or germany so that we may defend. While I scramble for soldiers it is no doubt that Britain and France will be doing the same. While they have America to fight for them, I have my allies in Romania, Bulgaria, and other various places. They send troops as quickly as they can at my command. Once Italy is done taking over the Mediterranean, they will begin shipping soldiers back and the Axis will have even more to spare. 

These next few years will decide the fate of the war, I can feel it. We shall see who will be standing victorious when the smoke of the battle clears.

German Minister of foreign Affairs, 

Germany, period 4, 1944

At long last France finally falls to the Axis! It took many battles, hundreds of soldiers were lost, but in the end we were victorious and claimed F2 and F3 of France for the Axis. However, I fear we may not be able to defend them for long. Few soldiers were left at the end of the fights and it will take time for reinforcements to arrive. I cannot let the allies take back what I have worked so hard to claim! I can’t! 

Italy must hurry and send back more soldiers from Libya or French North Africa. I need more soldiers as soon as possible and they may be my only hope. 

German Minister of foreign Affairs, 

Germany, period 4, 1945

It seems all of my fears and paranoia within this last year was all for naught. Britain and America made almost no attempts at taking back France. Perhaps they have deemed it a lost cause? 

They seem to be taking no chances with letting us attack Britain. When I moved the German navy into the Northern Sea Zone, they destroyed the German ships almost immediately. While infuriating I cannot help but be amused. They feared what we would do and took action. Smart. 

After our navy was destroyed there was little else we could do. The USSR were still steadfast allies of ours, and I felt that it would be pointless to break this alliance. Italy and Japan continued to work together in the Middle East, conquering countries together until there was nothing else left to conquer. However, America managed to take French North Africa from them just as a call for peace and an end to the war was issued. 

Many countries gathered, broken and battered from this long war. Even the people of my own country, the ones who were so eager to fight, seem like shells of what they once were. Peace was finally achieved and treaties were signed by nearly everyone in attendance. They were much fairer than in previous years. 

While this war was a bloody and seemingly pointless endeavor, I cannot deny that it had many benefits for my country as well as my allies. Hopefully we can all maintain a lasting peace now that the fighting is over with. 

But honestly? I don’t think there can ever be permanent peace. I suppose only time will tell. 

German Minister of foreign Affairs, 

World War One Student Journals

WWI Map Activity: Student Journal: Greece, Serbia, Montenegro

  • Serbia 4 1913-I have to give a speech about why I killed  Franz Ferdinand. I have to keep my territory and gain some. I’m going to honor my truce with Russia so I can have some help.
  • Greece 4 1913-I am neutral until 1917, so I just have to stay stuck in the middle for a few rounds
  • Montenegro 4 1913- i’m kind of just there, I just have to honor my alliances for the rest of the years.

  • Serbia 4 1914- I got attacked today and France and Montenegro helped me defend. I think I am going to ally with France next year and I need to mobilize more troops. Right now Montenegro is kind of defenseless so I  might move troops into there and protect them from Austria
  •  Greece 4 1914- Nothing has happened today really, but I found out that I have to go on a little battle with Serbia. I was going to have them take over me without a fight, but I have to fight back so that’s cool. I have no troops to mobilize, so I can’t do anything until 1917
  • Montenegro 4 1914- Because I defended Serbia today, I am very low on troops. I am going to try to convince the others to try to defend me because I could easily get taken over. I am also the country that France and Japan can drop off troops, so I do have a purpose.
  • Serbia 4 1915- I got attacked again and this time it was really damaging to me. The only people that could help were the leftover soldiers from France and Montenegro. I have no idea how I’m supposed to take over two areas of Austria-Hungary when I have no soldiers, and Russia can’t help me at all.
  • Greece 4 1915- Once again, nothing happened to me and I can’t do anything until 1917
  • Montenegro 4 1915- I am now down to 4 troops. I don’t know how I am going to get anyone else to defend me because they all have their own things to do. 
  • Serbia 4 1916- I lost Serbia, but maybe I can convince Italy to help me out and get it back.
  • Greece 4 1916- Still nothing happened but now I don’t know what to do because Serbia can’t fight if Serbia is no longer Serbia. I get to choose what side I want tomorrow and I know Bulgaria wants my land
  • Montenegro 4 1916- I got attacked today but somehow I’m still going strong with 3 soldiers. I moved my 3 troops to help Italy because I just wanted to feel involved. 
  • Serbia 4 1917- The Allies got Serbia back and their troops with the help of Greece, France, Great Britain and Italy. Tomorrow we are planning to attack A3 and maybe Bulgaria
  • Greece 4 1917– Greece signed with the Allies and helped take over Serbia. We are finally involved and I feel like this country will help take over some land like Bulgaria. 
  • Montenegro 4 1917- I still have 3 troops and I feel completely useless but that’s okay. I’m still standing and no one will mess with Montenegro. 
  • Serbia 4 1918- I lost Serbia again, and all of my troops. I failed my objectives but I tried. It was a good run and I feel like I stood strong throughout the whole simulation. 
  • Greece 4 1918- Greece lost all of their troops because I accidently left them in Serbia, and then they got taken over again. I was involved for one day, and then I was destroyed but that is okay because I feel like I at least helped for one day.
  • Montenegro 4 1918- Hey I completed all of my objectives and still had 3 troops left. Small but mighty is what I like to say.
World War One Student Journals

World War One Student Journal: Italy

Italy 3 1913

The Balkan Peninsula is a ticking time bomb and Europe could go up in flames. Austria-Hungary’s archduke has been killed by a Serbian Nationalist group. Unconfirmed reports show that Austria-Hungary, Serbia, Russia, and Germany and mobilizing. There are a lot of allies mixed between these countries and may involve quite a few of them sooner rather than later. Only time will tell if this means war or a tense peace. 

Italy 3 1914

War has been declared! Serbia was able to survive the attacks from Austria-Hungary with help from Montenegro. There has been a lot of movement between Russia, Austria-Hungary, Germany, and the Ottoman Empire. Some war has also broken out. I decided to sit this year out and plan to make a secret alliance with France and another secret alliance with Austria- Hungary, who I already have a defensive alliance with. Austria-Hungary is planning to use me in order to get to France. If they believe that I am on their side and I can convince them that I will help attack from the back side, I can switch up on them and help me true ally, France. I also plan on joining The Allies side. We shall see where the next year takes us and hopefully Italy still stands strong! 

Italy 3 1915

Serbia could only withstand only one attack, not 2. The Central Powers were too much for the little country of Serbia who had no allies close enough to send help. Russia looked to be the next target for the Central Powers. Russia has a lot of troops, but not at a strength that they need to be to keep the strong German and Austrian – Hungarian troops out of their territory. Great Britain proves to be the strongest of the navies and takes out the Austrain navy in the Meditarrainian Sea Zone. In attempts to take back Russia’s zone 3 from the Central Powers, Russia loses even more troops. Russia is completely taken over by Austria – Hungary and Germany by the end of 1915 and lets the Allies down big time. Also late 1915, Italy secretly joined The Allies. 

Italy 3 1916

Italy is a major location, both for the Central Powers and the Allies, settled between the borders of France and Austria-Hungary. The Allies can use Italy to get into Austria, and The Central Powers can use it to get deep into the heart of France. Late 1915, Italy secretly joined the Allies. Now with this land, plans are being made in order to successfully take over zones of Austria – Hungary and hopefully Germany. The Central Powers began to spread their troops in all of the zones of Russia that they have in control to better manage their numbers spread them evenly. The japanese navy helps the Allies and takes out Austrian – Hungarian navy in the Aegean Sea. In their first movements to try and take Austrian land, France and Great Britain are bringing troops south and into Northern Italy. Once they are all there, they begin to make a defence in their surrounding territories in case the Central powers plan to strike back right away. 1916 was a year full of strategy movements to prepare for a very big battle in the coming days. Everyone is double and triple counting to make sure all the troops needed are in their places and watching from all angles. All eyes are on the Allies to make their first war move for land. 

Italy 3 1917

The United States finally come to assist the Allies and get prepared to send their men into war. War!! Italy and France declare war on Austria – Hungary’s zone 2. Combined, they have 7,000 of their men and France uses his poisonous gas. Even with the higher number of troops, the forces of Austria – Hungary and Germany’s armies are too much. The Central Powers are able to keep their land. The United States has enough armies to help now and they come to Italy and France, ready to strike again. Great Britain uses the Allies navies and moves more of his troops south. Now with more troops, The Allies believe that they could have a 3-way attack plan. France and Italy go for Austria zone 2, Great Britain sends men through the Arden’s Forest into Germany’s zone 2, and Britain and U.S. troops move through Belgium into Germany Zone 1. Hopefully, the Allies are successful with the thinning numbers of the Central Powers. Still holding strong, the Central Powers can’t seem to lose and defeat The Allies in all of the battles. Hopefully in the coming, and final year, the Allies can take some land from the Central Powers.  

Italy 3 1918

The final year of this long war has finally came. The year was full of strategic movements, waiting for the opposing side to crumble under their own weight and make it easier for the other side to attack. The Allies can’t seem to find a way to win, even with their strong armies. The Central Powers have reigned victorious on all battle out west. The Allies keep sending in troops, hopefully to weaken the opposing side, but all efforts have failed, and the The Allies are losing troops faster than the Central Powers. The Allies tried one final effort to attack in 3 different regions. The United States, France, and Italy try attacking from the southern side into Austria. Great Britain sends troops into Germany through Arden’s Forest, and Great Britain and the United States send troops through Belgium, who sided with The Allies, into northern Germany. All efforts failed for The Allies, once again. This war has been more about strategic movements, than meaningless battles. When battles were fought, the Central Powers seemed to always have the upperhand, but The Allies were never really the ones to be attacked. They always went into Central Power territory. The Allies were able to keep all of their land, except Russia, which fell within the first 2 years of the war, due to a lack of a strong government. Without the use of Russia, The Allies found it very hard to attack from multiple sides. Even without Russia, The Allies were able to keep the land that was left from the Central Powers. The war has finally come to an end. 

World War Two Student Journals

Second World War Lesson Plan Student Journal: Poland & The Netherlands

Second World War Lesson Plan

Journal 1- Poland 1938

As of tomorrow WWII will have started. As the president of Poland I plan to lay low while making as many alliances as possible. We don’t want to aggravate any countries but we are surrounded by the two strongest countries. We plan to get Great Britain and France to help defend us as long as the Baltic Sea is open. We are allied with Great Britain and France but we need them to vow to defend the borders around Poland. We, as Poland, are to week to take on the countries on both sides. 

Journal 2- Poland 1939

P1 was attacked by the German army, they were to strong and we couldn’t defend ourselves. I made the executive decision to not move the 400 troops from P1 to P2. That decision seemed to pay off. Later on the USSR decided to attack P2 with 600 troops. After the battle came to a close we survived with a total of 111 troops. We tried to negotiate with the USSR but they denied the request to ally. We have received intel that Germany is planning on taking out P2 tomorrow. Nobody will be able to help us due to the fact that the Baltic Sea is closed. Our plan for the future is to see if Poland will survive and continue from there.

Journal 3- Poland 1940

Poland was defeated by Germany, they attacked P2 and won. We couldn’t get help because the Baltic Sea was closed by the Germans. France was going to come and help but as said before the Baltic sea was not passable. As of 1940 Poland has fallen to Germany.

Journal 4- Poland 1941

After the fall of our country we had no troops to move so we continued helping our allies. We gave advice to the Allies to try and keep them from vanishing off the face of the earth.

Journal 5- Poland 1942

After the fall of our country we had no troops to move so we continued helping our allies. We gave advice to the Allies to try and keep them from vanishing off the face of the earth.

Journal 6- Poland 1943

After the fall of our country we had no troops to move so we continued helping our allies. We gave advice to the Allies to try and keep them from vanishing off the face of the earth.

Journal 7- Poland 1944

After the fall of our country we had no troops to move so we continued helping our allies. We gave advice to the Allies to try and keep them from vanishing off the face of the earth.

Journal 8- Poland 1945

After the fall of our country we had no troops to move so we continued helping our allies. We gave advice to the Allies to try and keep them from vanishing off the face of the earth.

_________________________________________________________

Journal 1- Netherlands 1938

Our plan is to stay neutral as long as possible. We signed a secret alliance with Germany to try and keep them away from us. We are afraid that they will get power hungry and try and take us over. We are hoping that if they want to get to France they will take Belgium but then that will leave us stranded, surrounded by Germany.

Journal 2- Netherlands 1939

We still are trying to stay out of the war. Our armed forces aren’t strong enough to protect us from Germany. We have very few troops to defend with so we are trying to blend in and act as though we are not even there. 

Journal 3- Netherlands 1940

The Dutch East Indies were taken by the Japanese. We did nothing to defend it because there was nothing we could do. We continued to stay neutral to try and keep Germany away from us. All we have left is hope that we won’t get attacked by Germany.

Journal 4- Netherlands 1941

Today we got attacked by Germany, our plan for the future was to stay neutral until the final days and then join the allies. That plan was demolished with the war brought on by Germany. We joined the allies when Great Britain and France to tried to help us stay alive. We were suppose to surrender to Germany but we had the support behind us that we hoped would help us survive.

Journal 5- Netherlands 1942

After the fall of our country we had no troops to move so we continued helping our allies. We gave advice to the Allies to try and keep them from vanishing off the face of the earth.

Journal 6- Netherlands 1943

After the fall of our country we had no troops to move so we continued helping our allies. We gave advice to the Allies to try and keep them from vanishing off the face of the earth.

Journal 7- Netherlands 1944

After the fall of our country we had no troops to move so we continued helping our allies. We gave advice to the Allies to try and keep them from vanishing off the face of the earth.

Journal 8- Netherlands 1945

After the fall of our country we had no troops to move so we continued helping our allies. We gave advice to the Allies to try and keep them from vanishing off the face of the earth.

World War One Student Journals

World War I: Student Journal Ottoman Empire

Ottoman Empire 2 1913

There is a war brewing in the North West and there is speculation that an all out war will happen. With allies on my side the central powers and me are looking to regain the lands we lost if a war does break out. By mobilizing my troops I’m hoping my army will be able to keep up with the bigger countries.One plan I have is to make friends with Bulgaria until the last couple years and then hopefully take them over. I will also need to make the idea in Germany’s head that it is their idea to attack Russia, so that I can take the Crimea back from Russia. Hopefully with the help of the central powers I can use them to help me take back some of my lands. 

Ottoman Empire 2 1914

War has started to commence in all of Europe! I know Russia is planning to try to take over my lands. This is the war where we take back the lands that Russia has taken from us over the last 100 years! To know that the central powers have my back I asked Austria Hungary if they would kindly move some of their boats into the Black Sea. This would benefit them in the long run because we would be able to move troops to other countries if the Austrian hungarians needed help defending or fighting any other countries. With this deal under way they gave me an estimate of the boats getting to me by early 1915. With this knowledge I have to start planning out ways to regain everything back. Right now no war has commenced, but only time will tell if or when a war will start.

Ottoman Empire 2 1915

Early 1915: War has begun! Russia is on the move for the East side of my country and Great Britain has told the world that my country is attacking Christians. Sources have told me that Russia is bringing a large army, so I made the decision to move more of my troops over in hopes of winning! Now that war has begun I need to be careful with who I am going to trust. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer! 

Middle of 1915: The mood in my country has been low ever since we lost the Balkan countries in the war against them in 1813. In order to boost morale I have decided to take over Bulgaria when the chance becomes available. With the wars starting I hope I will have enough people to take them over when the chance presents itself to me. Germany has also decided to attack the Allied powers this year. They got information that a British boat is carrying weapons! Not wanting the british to become stronger they attacked and killed British and American passengers.

We also got news recently that we have won the battle in the East against Russia, but they aren’t finished. Intel has just reached us that they are using boats to reach the West side of my country. After that grueling battle I fear that I won’t be able to hold off their army. I’ll have to ask my allies if they could help me.

End of 1915: 

Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria have come to help me defeat Russia in the battle to retain control of the West side of my country! With this help we are bound to win. Russia may have a lot of people, but we all know that they aren’t very strong. 

The battle has finally finished and we have come out victorious! Russia is not very happy with the outcomes of all of the battles this year. They will not stop until they get what they want. This just means we will have to be prepared for whatever they throw at us.

Ottoman Empire 2 1916

It’s been 2 years since this war started, and I’m starting to wonder when it will be over. Germany is declaring war on Russia on their western front and they have requested my help! I gladly agreed because I want to get back the Crimea from Russia. While I sent my troops up there I also got a message that there are no Russian troops in the south of Russia. I’m hoping to help Germany take over all of Russia by pinching them from the bottom while Germany goes in from the side.

The plan has backfired! Many men were killed when we lost the war in the south. The only good outcome was that Germany was able to take over their western border with the help from me and the Austrians. Russia and the Allied powers are now extremely mad.

They are now attacking the North West border of my country and they are coming in at full speed. With this war just beginning I have left my east side vulnerable. I was just barely able to win the North West battle, but lost the eastern battle. Russia now has control over half of my country, the Allied powers were also able to take over Bulgaria. I have confidence that I will be able to regain back my lands soon!

Ottoman Empire 2 1917

The United States is not happy about the death of many American passengers on the Lusitania. They weren’t going to attack until they intercepted the letter that Germany sent to Mexico. They have started to mobilize their troops to help the Allied powers to attack Germany. 

Austria-Hungary has declared war on Italy, but they might not win that fight. I would have helped them, but there was no way for me to get there in time. This was a war they were not guaranteed to win, and they were not victorious. Great Britain has finally taken action against Germany and they were also unsuccessful. After all of these losses the Allies have had you would think that they would stop. 

Russia has decided to try to capture my western front with the help from Greece, Serbia and Romania. They had over 2,000 troops trying to attack me! With a small amount of help from Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary we were able to hold them back, but just barely. The war continues though, in the west Austria-hungary is trying to attack Italy again with the help from Germany. With hope to win on their second try Austria and Germany move in.

Reports have come in saying that the Russians have left my eastern front. This means I can try to reclaim my lost land! I am sending in troops while Russia is distracted by all the war that is going on to the north of me. With this successful infiltration I have regained my land back. This didn’t make the Allies very happy though. 

The British came and started a sea battle against the Austria-Hungarian boats. This is not good for the Central powers because if we lose then the Ottomans won’t be able to move troops to help defend the other Central powers. 

We did not win this battle. This has now turned the war into anyones win because now the Central powers can’t move anything unless we take back Bulgaria from the Allies.

Ottoman Empire 2 1918

The war has now been going on for 4 years. When will it ever end? The Central powers are wanting to make moves on the Balkan countries. We recently had a meeting to try to come up with a plan to take them over. Our plan is to make their troops go after Germany while my troops come in from the bottom. This strategy will only work if the countries send all of their troops to try to defend their land. 

The plan is for Germany to attack ROmania while I come in and attack the allied troops in Bulgaria. This strategy worked in my favor because I got to reclaim the land and because I now have a way to get to Germany if they ever need my help. By taking Bulgaria the moral in my country has boosted ever since we lost the battle in 1913.

The only downfall to our plan was that we knew the Allies would become extremely angry  and would most likely retaliate. They will probably come after me because having control of the dardanelles strait is important because they don’t have to use ships to cross the straight. With the British army coming we had to prepare what little men we had left. 

They have gained control over the straight and over the western side of my country. They killed what little men I had left in a grueling battle. With the war coming to an end Germany made a last minute effort to try and take over France.

World War One Simulation

World War 1: Student Journal Great Britain

Great Britain 2 1913

I am absolutely flabbergasted by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. As the president of Great Britain, I was enjoying conquering Africa and improving the welfare of my nation, but it seems that now, we have war in Europe to look forward to. It appears that Russia will come to the aid of Serbia, and due to our alliance, I am bound by honor to defend them. Who knows what other alliances are hidden in the recesses of Europe’s great nations? I fear that this will soon become a bloody battle. Nations will fall, lives will be lost…and for what? However, war seems inevitable. I pray that God will guide us in the trying days to come, so that Great Britain may be victorious with the fewest lives lost.

Great Britain 2 1914  

It is worse than I have thought– all of Europe is embroiled in war! In the span of a year, the peace we Europeans have known has collapsed. Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the heathens of the Ottoman Empire have all mobilised troops. I hear rumours that the Ottoman religious leaders have declared a Holy War on us and our allies! Obviously, such an affront to God’s grace can not stand. For us British, the war plaguing Europe has become personal. 

Current intelligence implies that Austria-Hungary has moved a large amount of troops to the Russian and Serbian borders, who are quite undefended in their present state. German troops are occupying parts of Belgium– although they certainly have the troops to spare, Belgium could easily be overwhelmed by the German army. We must defend them and their sovereignty at any cost. We shall move support troops in the country of Belgium as soon as we are able. 

However, we also have our Russian allies to worry about. We must secure the Dardanelles so necessary supplies can enter the Russia country. It doesn’t seem like that will be able to happen this year due to the sheer number of troops infecting the Ottoman territory. Therefore, myself and my senior advisors have devised a plan: we will trick the heathens into abandoning the strait by positioning Russian troops near the Russian-Ottoman border. Then, using troops from Greece and hopefully Bulgaria, moved using the British Navy and our Japanese allies’ ships, we will take the Strait and defend it with our lives. Meanwhile, I will move my ships from the Atlantic Ocean zone to the North Sea Zone, in case Germany decides they want to try their luck against the glorious British Navy. Every loyal British citizen knows what would happen to the degenerate Germans if they dared an attack against us, but for their peace of mind and my own, I feel as if this move is best. 

This year, we have persuaded Portugal to join the allies, but now, there isn’t any reason to have them move their troops. It does create a peace of mind in knowing that we don’t have to worry about them joining the Central Powers, but it is worrisome seeing their president discuss matters with the Central Powers often…all of the allies will be watching Portugal closely. Great Britain approached Italy with an alliance, but they refused, citing that they wanted to see which way the war would go before joining. Italy has been very helpful this year in giving us much needed advice, as has the United States of America. I pray they will become good allies in the future! Finally, Great Britain and Greece made a secret alliance. We have so much to worry about that I don’t particularly want to come to Greece’s aid, should they get attacked– at least, I don’t want the other countries to see me as a self-serving liar if Greece got wiped out while we were somewhere else. But it would not be ideal for Greece to be occupied. 

Great Britain has become the de-facto leader of our company of allies. The weight of the civilised world is on our shoulders; here, in Europe, and in Africa. I will update this journal with the results of our actions and movements in the months to come. 

Great Britain 2 1915

This has been the worst year for the Allies in the history of the world. Under my direction, we have lost two decisive battles. I feel like such a failure! My fellow leaders look to me for guidance, and I failed them with my tactical missteps! Although we, the Prime Ministers of Great Britain, made a stirring plea to ask for the world’s help in crushing the Ottoman genocide of the Armenians, no one came to our aid. Here is the address: 

We, the Prime Ministers of Great Britain, strongly denounce the Ottoman Empire because they are commiting genocide on the Armenian people. In 1914, the Ottoman religious authorities declared holy war on all Christian people, but on April 24th of this year, the government rounded up and executed hundreds of Armenian thinkers. Then, ordinary Armenians– no different than you and our families– have been evicted from their homes and forced to march through the deserts. We, the Prime Ministers of Great Britain, ask for the world’s aid in liberating the Armenians from their Ottoman oppressors. Now, in such times of struggle, it is more important than ever for us to unite against one common enemy: that is, the persecution and subjugation of different cultures. I propose a temporary truce between the Allies and the great nations of Austria-Hungary and Germany in order to focus on stopping this menace. Additionally, Great Britain requests aid in the form of troops, ships, and supplies of Italy, the United States, Romania, Japan, Belgium, and Bulgaria. By not taking action against the mass murder of people now, we are setting a dangerous precendent that will threaten our own ideals of freedom, justice, and the right to govern ourselves in the decades to come. If we do not stop this genocide in its tracks, any of our great nations can become both victim and perputrator. Join Great Britain in the fight for Freedom, for Armnenians and the World!

And although the Russian troops outnumbered the Ottomans 3 to 1, they were crushed. Not once, but twice! Germany has also declared war on France, and even though France managed to hold off the invaders, their troops are in dire straits. Belgium has also done the worst thing imaginable: they have let German troops march through their territory! We want to defend them and their neutrality, but how can this be seen as anything other than a declaration of German support? This is a frightful time to be a freedom-lover in Europe. Our plan is to take a majority of the troops from the British Isles and move them to France, along with having France pick up Portugal’s troops to have them augment their own. If we lose France, all is lost. 

Great Britain 2 1916

Not all is lost! This year, we have had a few fantastic victories! The morale in the Allies is high. We decided to go all out, no holds barred– we wanted a total victory of none at all. And, God be praised, we succeeded! Russia and I tried to make an alliance with the Ottomans this year, but they were having none of it, but any point of peace is no longer necessary. Russia has taken some of the Ottoman land which is very close to the Dardanelle Straits, and Serbia and Romania have destroyed Bulgaria and now occupy their land. The German and Austria-Hungary troops are spread thin and can hardly come to each other’s aid, and aid for the Ottomans is almost impossible at this point. The Germans did not take advantage of the few troops France had near their capital last year last year, and now it will be difficult for them to take it with British and Portugese troops assisting the French. I predict that by next year the Dardanelles will be ours, and that we will have driven the Germans out of Belgium. Soon, Russia will also be able to reclaim the land they lost from the Austrians and Germans. Victory is in sight!

Next year, we will continue our Allied onslaught and try for a decisive victory. God Bless the King!

Great Britain 2 1917

I feel as if I should get fired from my position as Prime Minister. This year has been an abject failure. The tenacity of these Central Powers is enough to make a person wish for death. I fear for the European mainland, but seeing as Great Britain is its own island…Europe could burn, but Great Britain will rise again. 

Italy today has fallen, Greece has no troops, we have lost our footholds in the Ottomans, and all hope seems lost. Our American brothers have joined the war, but they are almost a world away. France’s territory is almost completely undefended; the Germans could march right in! We are looking at defeat for the Allies, unless we manage something miraculous. Peace must happen soon. 

Great Britain 2 1918

Nevermind! The Allies are victorious– well, the British are, and that’s what matters. We captured the Darnadelles today, and it may be the happiest moment of my life! Russia is no longer a country– the Germans destroyed them, while the Allies were powerless to help them. But sometimes, that’s just how it goes in war. On the bright side, we regained our Italian territory that we lost, but on the downside, Serbia, Montenegro, and Romania were destroyed. However, the Central Powers and the Allies have agreed upon a peace, and the war is over. If the war were to continue, I believe that we would be able to wipe out the Germans and the Austrian-Hungarians, but the amount of lives lost would be devastating. Peace is truly the best option for Europe at the moment, so Europe can heal. But I fear these times ahead may prove to be even more trying than the war…

World War One Student Journals

WW1: Map Activity Student Journal

Great Britain 2 1914

Today, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. We aligned with Portugal and Greece. We moved all of our ships from the Atlantic Ocean Zone to the North Sea Zone. We moved troops from Mediteranenon to Agean Sea Zone.

Great Britain 2 1915

We, the Prime Ministers of Great Britain, strongly denounce the Ottoman Empire because they are commiting genocide on the Armenian people. In 1914, the Ottoman religious authorities declared holy war on all Christian people, but on April 24th of this year, the government rounded up and executed hundreds of Armenian thinkers. Then, ordinary Armenians– no different than you and our families– have been evicted from their homes and forced to march through the deserts. We, the Prime Ministers of Great Britain, ask for the world’s aid in liberating the Armenians from their Ottoman oppressors. Now, in such times of struggle, it is more important than ever for us to unite against one common enemy: that is, the persecution and subjugation of different cultures. I propose a temporary truce between the Allies and the great nations of Austria-Hungary and Germany in order to focus on stopping this menace. Additionally, Great Britain requests aid in the form of troops, ships, and supplies of Italy, the United States, Romania, Japan, Belgium, and Bulgaria. By not taking action against the mass murder of people now, we are setting a dangerous precendent that will threaten our own ideals of freedom, justice, and the right to govern ourselves in the decades to come. If we do not stop this genocide in its tracks, any of our great nations can become both victim and perputrator. Join Great Britain in the fight for Freedom, for Armnenians and the World!

The Italians have joined the Allies. Germany invaded France. Germany lost which hopefully keeps them from attacking again. Bulgaria mobilized. Romania and the Allies have joined together. Russia attempted to attack the ottoman empire but wasn’t successful.

Great Britain 2 1916

Today Romania joined the Allies. We moved Great Britain troops to F1. We felt that with Germany being so strong and so close to France that we should help set up a defence against Germany. The Ottoman Empire, Germany, Austria-Hungary attacked R3 of Russia. Central Powers defeated Russia. It appears that all of those countries are planning on pushing into Russia and trying to take over. Ottoman Empire attacked Russia in R4. Allied Powers were victorious! This is good for us because this helps Russia defend against attacks, if the Ottoman’s would’ve won, Russia could be getting attacked from two directions and two different forces would be hard to defend. Italy attacked Austria-Hungary, Central Powers defeated Italy which greatly weakened Italy. Italy was going to put pressure on Austria to hopefully surround Germany to make defeating them easier. Great Britain attacked Germany in G1, Germany defeated us too easily, it’s a reality check of how powerful Germany is. Our goal is to close in on Germany and Austria but spread out their troops so we can hopefully slowly pick them off. Romania and Serbia attacked Bulgaria. This opens up another route for Allied forces to run up into Germany and Austria

Great Britain 2 1917

The United States joined the Allies. Austria Hungary attacked Italy. With Italy defeating them this weakens Austria and forces and balances out Austria defeating them earlier. We are trying to spread their troops out thinner which makes attacking easier. Greece joined the Allies, this doesn’t do much for us other than giving us more troops to use, hopefully their troops can push up into Austria and take them out. We attacked Germany in G1 to attempt to take out Germany. Germany defended with poison gas, Germany defeated us. Losing these troops was bad, we need all the troops we can get and Germany having poison gas makes it that much harder to attack them and win. Russia attacked O1 and lost, Russia is very weak. Russia is struggling, their troops can’t seem to pull off a win, we worry that Austria or Germany will send their troops into Russia and take them out with ease. But hopefully with us and France right on the edge of Germany that they will be too scared to leave themselves vulnerable to attack Russia. France and the United States attacked Germany in G2. France and Germany both used poison gas but Germany was still victorious which again, makes us that much more hesitant to attack them simply because how do you attempt to attack someone when they are much stronger than you. Austria Hungary and Germany attacked I1. Central Powers were victorious. Italy has been cut off from France where our troops and Frances’ troops are at. We feel like we need to get France and Italy connected and push back the Austrians but we can’t leave ourselves open for Germany. The Ottoman Empire attacked O2, with the Ottomans defeating Russia again, things are looking too scary for Russia, they can’t defend themselves well and we can’t allow Germany or Austria to take them out. Serbia and Romania attacked Bulgaria. Allied Powers were victorious! With this win, all of the southern area is controlled by the Allied Powers, we need to use these areas to our advantage and attack Austria and Germany from multiple directions. We are trying to push in and help Russia from the attackers but I don’t think our help came soon enough. I think that since we have 1,400 of our troops and 2,500 of Frances troops, that we should move all of those troops into Belgium and then to G1 and start putting the pressure on Germany. The Central powers are too strong and are expanding too much, we should start attacking their weak spots where their troops are spread too thin. 

Great Britain 2 1918

We moved our navy to Sea Zone 1 just to have our navy close and at the ready. Austria Hungary attacked Serbia. Montenegro defended them. Allied Powers were victorious, this weakens Austria more and opens up a lane for our allies and France to attack. Germany attacked Romania with poison gas. The Russian troops attempted to defend, but Central Powers were too strong and defeated them which isn’t good for Russia. Russia is losing troops fast. The Ottoman Empire attacked Bulgaria and took back the south. Germany attacked Russia with poison gas, Germany came out on stop. Russia collapsed!! Russia is gone. Germany now has control of Russia, Germany can now spin around and focus on us and France which will be hard to defend. We also attacked Germany with army forces and poison gas to make a last second push into Germany but Germany was too strong.. We attacked the Ottoman Empire with poison gas, we took them out! Us and France attacked the Central Powers using poison gas. We took back our lost land but it didn’t help us defeat Germany all that much.

World War Two Student Journals

WWII Simulation Student Journal: Finland & China

WWII Simulation

Daily Journal #1

1938- China

Period 4

Starting off operation day was a bit slow but it also gave my group a lot of time to think about and plan our strategy and what we have to do during this whole simulation. Thinking about this simulation is a bit crazy because there are a lot more things that are included in this one that wasn’t involved in the World War I simulation. Everything is the same but now there in natural resources that are needed to increase your military ranking. 

1938- Finland

Operation day started today and it was a super slow day. Not only did we learn about the whole simulation and what the objective of it was but we also learned about all of the new stuff that was put in this simulation that wasn’t in the last one. The only new thing that was added to this simulation was that there are natural resources and if you collect them then you can increase your military rating which could help you when you are planning on attacking a country. 

Daily Journal #2 

1939- China

Period 4

Today China had to get natural resources like Oil, Iron Ore, Coal, and Rubber. We successfully got what we needed for all of our resources, but we were just needing to get rubber. Not only was it hard to find countries that had rubber around us but we also had to keep in mind that we can’t get rubber from any countries that weren’t allied with us or they could try and backstab us and try and take our land which wouldn’t be good. 

1939- Finland

Today Finland had a pretty slow day. There was really nothing that we could have done, except for making alliances and become friends with some of the other countries. To start off we wanted to talk to Russia to see if we could have an alliance with them so that we could help them attack countries and so that they could help us whenever we were getting attacked and needed some more troops to help fight. We also made a secret alliance with Germany so that they could also help us with anything at any given time. 

Daily Journal #3

1940- China

Period 4

Today has been a stressful day, not only have we been attacked once but we’ve been attacked twice. We were also attacked by the same country which sucks even more. At first Japan declared war on NC China, they had quite a few troops so we sent over just 500 so we wouldn’t lose all of our troops on one attack. We ended up losing that battle and the next round Japan decided to declare war on NW China. We didn’t bring any troops over because we already new what was going to happen and we were right in the beginning. We lost that land as well. 

1940- Finland

We’ve been pretty much chilling these past couple of days because there is nothing for us to do quite yet. Nobody is trying to attack us or steal any of our resources. We have gotten most of the resources that we need which include 1 oil, 1 iron ore and 1 coal. The U.S. has been super nice to us lately and we appreciate everything they are doing for us at the moment. Our goal for tomorrow is to try and finish up getting all of the resources that we need so we can have a better military and start attacking. 

Daily Journal #4 

1941- China

Period 4

In our simulation today it didn’t go so well. On Friday we got most of our country taken from us and today Japan yet again took NC China and SC China. When they were attacking NC China we wanted to try and win so we sent 1200 of our troops over there to fight. We needed up losing that land and all of our troops as well. When they attacked SC China they had 800 troops and we decided not to bring over nay of our troops. The only good thing that we got out of today was we finished getting all of our natural resources that we needed. Great Britain had given us 7 rubber. 

1941- Finland

Today in Finland was pretty laid back. All that had happened was Russia wanted to send about 50 of their troops to just hang out in Finland. They did that because they are allied with us and are just there for extra help if we ever get attacked. Russia was also very helpful today and gave us 1 rubber that we needed, so we officially have all of the natural resources that we are supposed to have in this simulation. 

Daily Journal #5 

1942- China

Period 4

Today we tried to successfully get some of our objectives but it didn’t go as planned. We tried taking back NW China. They had over 400 troops and we sent over 800 because we thought we were going to be okay, but we ender up getting destroyed and lost all of our troops because of that. Japan then attacked Tibet China and since we didn’t have any troops to fight we couldn’t do anything about it. We also ended up losing that part of China too and currently have no troops and Japan has all of China taken over. 

1942- Finland

There wasn’t really anything Finland could have done. We’re all around countries that we are allied with and we don’t want to start attacking countries when we have only a few hundred troops and not a good military rating. The USSR also decided to put 300 more troops into Finland just to hang out there just incase some country tries and attacks us and we need some extra military. 

Daily Journal #6 

1943- China

Period 4 

Today China didn’t have really anything to do, but we did get asked if we wanted to help Great Britain. When they asked us to help we couldn’t because we have lost all of our troops when Japan attacked us and killed all of our troops. We now don’t have to worry about losing anymore troops or being attacked because we lost all of our land and we’ve lost all of our troops. 

1943- Finland

Today we are still clear from being attacked and still have 400 troops in our area. We also got talked to about maybe joining the Axis powers, but we are still unsure if we want to make a big decision like that with only having a couple days left in this simulation. We also plan on staying out of the war but we are willing to help the USSR if they want to attack a country that have more troops. 

Daily Journal #7

1944- China

Period 4

During the simulation today we didn’t have really anything to do. Since we got all of our land taken from us and also all of our troops we can’t really do anything but listen to what the other countries are doing and what their planning on doing throughout the rest of the simulation. We also always get asked if we can help Great Britain when they want to attack a country but we can’t help because we have no troops. 

1944- Finland 

Today for Finland we didn’t do much. There isn’t really anything for us to do because we are still neutral and have to stay neutral. All of the countries that are allied wars don’t really have anything to do as well because they all don’t have enough troops to attack the bigger countries like Japan, Germany, and Italy. We all basically want to stay away from them because we all know that if we try attacking them then they will definitely beat us because they have more troops than us and have a really good military rating.  

Daily Journal #8

1945- China

Period 4

Today was the final day of the simulation and nothing really happened with China. Since Japan had taken in over like the third day we haven’t really been able to do anything other than talk with our alliance and see what they need help with, and we can talk to them about what they should or shouldn’t do. We have also met some of our objectives, but the ones that told us to try and get back the land that Japan had taken from us, but we tried and it didn’t really work out as planned. 

1945- Finland

Today was our final day of the simulation and for Finland we couldn’t really do anything or move any troops unless we wanted to attack a country. We could’ve attacked a country around us but our allies would be mad and probably try to attack us in return. We have though successfully completed all of our objectives. We mostly completed them the first couple of days since we started the simulation.