In 1940 the Japanese turns back a Chinese counter-offensive - at the same time, war simply explodes across Western Europe with the Blitzkrieg German invasion of France. The Germans learned from the stalemate of the Western Front, they invested in mobile armour, airborne troops, air power on the battlefield and their assault is irresistible. France falls, the British Army is evacuated from Dunkirk and Britain stands alone, awaiting invasion. Germany does not have the naval power to invade, the Royal Navy is still the strongest maritime force.