Bdr.Mallette
Member
Europe Aflame 3.4(d) Century of Warfare
Bdr.Mallette (Allies) vs. Schmindrick (Axis)
I had another briefing but didn't post it because it had global strategies that may tip my opponent off too much, maybe, possibly. This AAR is roughly, in the end, about 7 turns behind, with the Sitz just beginning.
Beginning:
Germany is ready to expand.
Poland is Ripe as well as the Baltic states.
Rumania, Bulgaria, Spain, Italy, Hungary are on the fence and beginning to side with Berlin and the pressure coming from the Chancellor.
The Soviet Union is on the fence but has had conferences concerning Poland with Germany.
The United Kingdom, France and other Allies have been impotent in their attempts to appease Hitler.
France's Maginot line may be expanded at any time but this will affect the political climate severely.
Anyway you look at it, War is coming and it's gonna be a big one.
UK forces are mobilizing and positioning her fleets and armies accordingly.
The RAF is training and preparing airfields.
It's still relatively quiet but the air is thick with tension.
USA is still in isolationist mode but is aware of the approach of war, even possibly in the pacific.
Opening Turns:
The French build the Maginot Line to the sea.
Allies detect and are informed of German Aircraft carriers. They must have selected this T.O.
Upon the French building the Maginot Hungary joins the Axis, Bulgaria and Romania mobilize.
July 22nd, 1939
Germany invades Poland. Initial defences thrown back and severley punished by "BiltzKrieg".
Both the French and English governments stand by their agreements and declare war on Germany and Axis nations.
German airborne units land well behind the lines and are beat up on by the Polish Cavalry . The German 7th Fleiger Division loses a Regiment in unsupplied territory. A small victory.
The battle in Poland is a painful reality of what Germany has been up to.
The XI UK reserve moves to Gibraltar to shore up defences and to deploy from there.
The IX UK reserve moves to Port Sudan to finish off any Axis units there very quickly.
8th Army HQ moves to Alexandria and orders the Army of the Nile to take up defensive positions in Egypt.
8th Div stays in Haifa.
Russian forces enter Iran and begin a long slow trek to Tehran.
Russian troops amass along Finnish border.
Russian plan is to move troops quickly across to Kemi, secure the northern territories and then move south from there with a sea port for reinforcements. Secure Viipuri and move up to Helsinki from there. Keep allied aircraft out of the reach of German air units. Russia opts to invade the Baltic states and secure a buffer zone between Moscow and Berlin.
Aug 19th, 1939
Poland Collapses. Warsaw falls and all armies disband.
German units are seen re-organizing and re-grouping.
Western front along France very quiet.
The Baltic states are fighting very hard and giving the Russian units there a hard time.
Iran is slow but expected conquer soon.
The UK GHQ deploys the Royal Marines to Mombassa and splits the Army of the nile for defence in Egypt.
The newly arrived 'Free Poland' division is stationed in Dover.
Along the French border, the line has siginficantly been beefed up as well as the French marines have been stationed in Calais for EF maneouvres.
September 2nd, 1939 (turn 10)
Finland Declares war, Russia declares war against Finland.
Russian Cavalry and Mechanized units move quickly along road routes to first objectives in northern Finland. Petsamo is assaulted. Finnish units fight hard and Russian units suffer dearly and in some cases entire divisions are lost or disbanded.
Germans Invade Norway.
Kristiansand is assaulted and taken by an Army Divison, an engineering division and an airborne division.
Now, I was relatively happy to see this. I had made this mistake myself in my game as the Axis. He has to land in Oslo or the port nearby to have sufficient supply to conquer all of Norway. I am hoping he begins to use Kritiansand as his main landing point and drains his forces from there.
From here on I will deploy the Norwegian forces in the sole attempt to slow him down. Most of my units will be in tactical mode for support in the hills and mountains.
NO cavalry Brigade and 1st Inf brigade are positioned to the west of Oslo and east of Krist'd.
they are split and dug in and put in tactical mode.
1st and 2nd Norwegian Divs assigned the protection of Oslo and surrounding area.
4th Brigade of the 4th Div positioned in Lillihammer for protection of flanking manoeuvres or more airdrops.
5th Norwegian Div moved to Bergen for defense of Narvik as well as deployment for ground defense in the area if needed.
Stavanger is defended by 2 brigades and shore batteries.
The bridge joining Kristiansand and Stavanger is blown.
The UK land the 50th Div and the EF HQ in Bergen.
UK air units, 1 ground support unit and defiant air unit to Bergen's Airfield for support.
Prepare to take up offensive actions.
September 30th, 1939 (turn 14)
Axis units in Norway are still without a major supply source.
The units deploying from Kristiansand are slowly weakening and becoming cannon fodder even to my light forces attacking them. I really wish to destroy these units but so far have had minimal turn rate as well as units continually re-org'ing.
1st UK armoured Div. deployed from Stavanger to assault Kristiansand from the ground, try to finish off this invasion quickly. UK EME's repair the bridge and clear the way for the armour.
With the Norwegian forces in the east acting as an anvil, the UK forces will hammer through to the port.
Newly arrived Norwegian reserves take up support positions. During these turns, German naval losses were heavy.
From the onset, the western front has been very quiet. Now with Maginot in good health and growing stronger each day, the French Generals have moved their mobile and mechanized units along with their armour into the line istelf. So far, Germany has left light units to defend the line and a total of possibly a Corps level unit has arrived from Poland. Germany has about 2 Corps in Norway with Denmark being heavily occupied as well. I have seen movement around Yugoslavia and have seen at least 1 panzer corps there. If he intends to invade Yugoslavia with most of his armour and mech units, and is busy in Norway, I intend to invade Belgium and take it quickly.
This will hopefully give me a buffer zone to again slow his troops... using the defences along Belgium and Germany and then the Maginot as a second line of defence, this should buy me some time. I will use all my fast units with infantry to back them up and reinforce.
If:
--> He attacks Yugoslavia with substantial commitment still in Norway,
-->His major forces in Yugo are his armour and Mech, and seen not on a rail hex,
-->He has still forgotten about the western front, seemingly
-->and there is no surprises in the next few turns....
France will invade Belgium.
He may panic and I can catch a break somewhere. I know the Yugoslav units fight hard and a lot of trouble can come out of that region so this is really my main goal as well as create a buffer and defence line for France.
In Finland, Petsamo is captured and units proceeding along to Kemi.
In southern Finland, fighting is brutal. Heavy losses to the Russian forces with little ground gained.
This may take longer than anticipated.
October 21st, 1939 (turn 17)
Axis units invade Yugoslavia, most major Axis units involved. Panzer units and Mech units spotted in yugo. Norway still a hotbed of action and I may be able to re-take Oslo this week. Although Oslo has fallen and most Norwegian units have been disbanded, there are still some fighting on with the UK units. There is about 1.5 German Corps left unsupplied and I'd like to clean them up before they break through from Oslo.
All conditions are met for France to invade Belgium.
French units entering Belgium:
1 armoured corps, 1 Armoured Div, 2 Cavalry Divs, 3 Motorized Corps, 3 Lght Cavalry Corps, and a total of 3 Infantry Corps as support and reinforcements.
This should be a strong enough thrust in the initial phases to secure the desired territory. Air units have been moved up and Allied strategic bombers have attempted to destroy most german supply routes in the area.
Yugoslavia is still in allied control and with a lot of German units in the area, this should not last long.
Russians have broken through Viipuri and is currently driving a wedge boxing in the remaining Finnish armies. Helsinki won't be a bad drive after all. Kemi is in Allied control and the clean up of Finnish forces there has begun.
In Southern Finland;
Iran has fallen.
November 6th, 1939 (turn19)
French units have entered Belgium in wholesale manner and have pushed the Belgian forces back to the German div positions. Here, the French have forced back a few units but also have run into a few tough ones in the Ardennes. Mech and Armour have taken Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent and have infantry support as well. During this phase, the German player has activated the Option to invade the entire Low-lands so Holland has now entered the fray. Using the forces in Holland, they squeezed the Belgian forces out of the seaside hexes in the Hague and attacked them in Antwerp. Simultaneously, the French forces manning the Maginot line attacked the German forces in the Ardennes but suffered heavy losses. 2 French divisions were hit hard and were forced to disband, to reform later. French air power was brought to the forefront and sustained heavy losses as well but did hurt the German air force as well. British Strategic bombers hit the bridges in Holland and Belgium to try and slow any reinforcements. Bridge between Arnhem and Antwerp blown, Koblenz Bridge destroyed, all bridges from Arnhem to the rest of holland destroyed as well, finally, the Saarbrucken bridge was impressively destroyed. I have left the Frech Armour Corps in the rear for support when the Germans counter attack. As well, the French infantry has moved into support positions into the Maginot to help defend this line. Forces in the rear will deal with Air drops if any. 2 of the 4 Parachute units have been spotted elsewhere. 1 in Norway and 1 in Yugoslavia.
France has also shipped 3 Divisions off to Norway to help save the UK forces there. French Navy destroyed the German Aircraft carriers in the waters off Norway.
Russian forces made no attempt at a big push due to the Axis selecting the Attack Lowlands T.O. .This gives all my forces 70% shock penalties. 3 turns total I think.
The next weeks prior to the Sitz should be interesting.
Turn 19
Turn 20
As you can see, the French attack faired well in the beginning, but with the German shock bonus of 70%, 'BlitzKrieg' has changed war forever and the french found that out as well as the Poles. The Germans hit back hard and Belgium and Holland have fallen or will fall. The Maginot Line is all that protects Paris now from the Nazi Hordes plotting their next move. I withdrew the remaining mobile forces and rebuilt the Maginot with infantry and support units in tactical mode. It will be a full force defence, will he attack before the sitz though, I'm not sure.
Bdr.Mallette (Allies) vs. Schmindrick (Axis)
I had another briefing but didn't post it because it had global strategies that may tip my opponent off too much, maybe, possibly. This AAR is roughly, in the end, about 7 turns behind, with the Sitz just beginning.
Beginning:
Germany is ready to expand.
Poland is Ripe as well as the Baltic states.
Rumania, Bulgaria, Spain, Italy, Hungary are on the fence and beginning to side with Berlin and the pressure coming from the Chancellor.
The Soviet Union is on the fence but has had conferences concerning Poland with Germany.
The United Kingdom, France and other Allies have been impotent in their attempts to appease Hitler.
France's Maginot line may be expanded at any time but this will affect the political climate severely.
Anyway you look at it, War is coming and it's gonna be a big one.
UK forces are mobilizing and positioning her fleets and armies accordingly.
The RAF is training and preparing airfields.
It's still relatively quiet but the air is thick with tension.
USA is still in isolationist mode but is aware of the approach of war, even possibly in the pacific.
Opening Turns:
The French build the Maginot Line to the sea.
Allies detect and are informed of German Aircraft carriers. They must have selected this T.O.
Upon the French building the Maginot Hungary joins the Axis, Bulgaria and Romania mobilize.
July 22nd, 1939
Germany invades Poland. Initial defences thrown back and severley punished by "BiltzKrieg".
Both the French and English governments stand by their agreements and declare war on Germany and Axis nations.
German airborne units land well behind the lines and are beat up on by the Polish Cavalry . The German 7th Fleiger Division loses a Regiment in unsupplied territory. A small victory.
The battle in Poland is a painful reality of what Germany has been up to.
The XI UK reserve moves to Gibraltar to shore up defences and to deploy from there.
The IX UK reserve moves to Port Sudan to finish off any Axis units there very quickly.
8th Army HQ moves to Alexandria and orders the Army of the Nile to take up defensive positions in Egypt.
8th Div stays in Haifa.
Russian forces enter Iran and begin a long slow trek to Tehran.
Russian troops amass along Finnish border.
Russian plan is to move troops quickly across to Kemi, secure the northern territories and then move south from there with a sea port for reinforcements. Secure Viipuri and move up to Helsinki from there. Keep allied aircraft out of the reach of German air units. Russia opts to invade the Baltic states and secure a buffer zone between Moscow and Berlin.
Aug 19th, 1939
Poland Collapses. Warsaw falls and all armies disband.
German units are seen re-organizing and re-grouping.
Western front along France very quiet.
The Baltic states are fighting very hard and giving the Russian units there a hard time.
Iran is slow but expected conquer soon.
The UK GHQ deploys the Royal Marines to Mombassa and splits the Army of the nile for defence in Egypt.
The newly arrived 'Free Poland' division is stationed in Dover.
Along the French border, the line has siginficantly been beefed up as well as the French marines have been stationed in Calais for EF maneouvres.
September 2nd, 1939 (turn 10)
Finland Declares war, Russia declares war against Finland.
Russian Cavalry and Mechanized units move quickly along road routes to first objectives in northern Finland. Petsamo is assaulted. Finnish units fight hard and Russian units suffer dearly and in some cases entire divisions are lost or disbanded.
Germans Invade Norway.
Kristiansand is assaulted and taken by an Army Divison, an engineering division and an airborne division.
Now, I was relatively happy to see this. I had made this mistake myself in my game as the Axis. He has to land in Oslo or the port nearby to have sufficient supply to conquer all of Norway. I am hoping he begins to use Kritiansand as his main landing point and drains his forces from there.
From here on I will deploy the Norwegian forces in the sole attempt to slow him down. Most of my units will be in tactical mode for support in the hills and mountains.
NO cavalry Brigade and 1st Inf brigade are positioned to the west of Oslo and east of Krist'd.
they are split and dug in and put in tactical mode.
1st and 2nd Norwegian Divs assigned the protection of Oslo and surrounding area.
4th Brigade of the 4th Div positioned in Lillihammer for protection of flanking manoeuvres or more airdrops.
5th Norwegian Div moved to Bergen for defense of Narvik as well as deployment for ground defense in the area if needed.
Stavanger is defended by 2 brigades and shore batteries.
The bridge joining Kristiansand and Stavanger is blown.
The UK land the 50th Div and the EF HQ in Bergen.
UK air units, 1 ground support unit and defiant air unit to Bergen's Airfield for support.
Prepare to take up offensive actions.
September 30th, 1939 (turn 14)
Axis units in Norway are still without a major supply source.
The units deploying from Kristiansand are slowly weakening and becoming cannon fodder even to my light forces attacking them. I really wish to destroy these units but so far have had minimal turn rate as well as units continually re-org'ing.
1st UK armoured Div. deployed from Stavanger to assault Kristiansand from the ground, try to finish off this invasion quickly. UK EME's repair the bridge and clear the way for the armour.
With the Norwegian forces in the east acting as an anvil, the UK forces will hammer through to the port.
Newly arrived Norwegian reserves take up support positions. During these turns, German naval losses were heavy.
From the onset, the western front has been very quiet. Now with Maginot in good health and growing stronger each day, the French Generals have moved their mobile and mechanized units along with their armour into the line istelf. So far, Germany has left light units to defend the line and a total of possibly a Corps level unit has arrived from Poland. Germany has about 2 Corps in Norway with Denmark being heavily occupied as well. I have seen movement around Yugoslavia and have seen at least 1 panzer corps there. If he intends to invade Yugoslavia with most of his armour and mech units, and is busy in Norway, I intend to invade Belgium and take it quickly.
This will hopefully give me a buffer zone to again slow his troops... using the defences along Belgium and Germany and then the Maginot as a second line of defence, this should buy me some time. I will use all my fast units with infantry to back them up and reinforce.
If:
--> He attacks Yugoslavia with substantial commitment still in Norway,
-->His major forces in Yugo are his armour and Mech, and seen not on a rail hex,
-->He has still forgotten about the western front, seemingly
-->and there is no surprises in the next few turns....
France will invade Belgium.
He may panic and I can catch a break somewhere. I know the Yugoslav units fight hard and a lot of trouble can come out of that region so this is really my main goal as well as create a buffer and defence line for France.
In Finland, Petsamo is captured and units proceeding along to Kemi.
In southern Finland, fighting is brutal. Heavy losses to the Russian forces with little ground gained.
This may take longer than anticipated.
October 21st, 1939 (turn 17)
Axis units invade Yugoslavia, most major Axis units involved. Panzer units and Mech units spotted in yugo. Norway still a hotbed of action and I may be able to re-take Oslo this week. Although Oslo has fallen and most Norwegian units have been disbanded, there are still some fighting on with the UK units. There is about 1.5 German Corps left unsupplied and I'd like to clean them up before they break through from Oslo.
All conditions are met for France to invade Belgium.
French units entering Belgium:
1 armoured corps, 1 Armoured Div, 2 Cavalry Divs, 3 Motorized Corps, 3 Lght Cavalry Corps, and a total of 3 Infantry Corps as support and reinforcements.
This should be a strong enough thrust in the initial phases to secure the desired territory. Air units have been moved up and Allied strategic bombers have attempted to destroy most german supply routes in the area.
Yugoslavia is still in allied control and with a lot of German units in the area, this should not last long.
Russians have broken through Viipuri and is currently driving a wedge boxing in the remaining Finnish armies. Helsinki won't be a bad drive after all. Kemi is in Allied control and the clean up of Finnish forces there has begun.
In Southern Finland;
Iran has fallen.
November 6th, 1939 (turn19)
French units have entered Belgium in wholesale manner and have pushed the Belgian forces back to the German div positions. Here, the French have forced back a few units but also have run into a few tough ones in the Ardennes. Mech and Armour have taken Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent and have infantry support as well. During this phase, the German player has activated the Option to invade the entire Low-lands so Holland has now entered the fray. Using the forces in Holland, they squeezed the Belgian forces out of the seaside hexes in the Hague and attacked them in Antwerp. Simultaneously, the French forces manning the Maginot line attacked the German forces in the Ardennes but suffered heavy losses. 2 French divisions were hit hard and were forced to disband, to reform later. French air power was brought to the forefront and sustained heavy losses as well but did hurt the German air force as well. British Strategic bombers hit the bridges in Holland and Belgium to try and slow any reinforcements. Bridge between Arnhem and Antwerp blown, Koblenz Bridge destroyed, all bridges from Arnhem to the rest of holland destroyed as well, finally, the Saarbrucken bridge was impressively destroyed. I have left the Frech Armour Corps in the rear for support when the Germans counter attack. As well, the French infantry has moved into support positions into the Maginot to help defend this line. Forces in the rear will deal with Air drops if any. 2 of the 4 Parachute units have been spotted elsewhere. 1 in Norway and 1 in Yugoslavia.
France has also shipped 3 Divisions off to Norway to help save the UK forces there. French Navy destroyed the German Aircraft carriers in the waters off Norway.
Russian forces made no attempt at a big push due to the Axis selecting the Attack Lowlands T.O. .This gives all my forces 70% shock penalties. 3 turns total I think.
The next weeks prior to the Sitz should be interesting.
Turn 19
Turn 20
As you can see, the French attack faired well in the beginning, but with the German shock bonus of 70%, 'BlitzKrieg' has changed war forever and the french found that out as well as the Poles. The Germans hit back hard and Belgium and Holland have fallen or will fall. The Maginot Line is all that protects Paris now from the Nazi Hordes plotting their next move. I withdrew the remaining mobile forces and rebuilt the Maginot with infantry and support units in tactical mode. It will be a full force defence, will he attack before the sitz though, I'm not sure.