Breakthroughs
The initial assaults I was dreading are over. Only three attacks were made that lasted any length of time. The most annoying was 3 Italian divisions attacking my 37 divisions. I’m aware of the stacking penalty but I believe my theory at the time was surely they won’t attack 37 divisions. I wish I was smarter to better understand the defensive stacking penalties. I do know that I have won battles that I would have otherwise lost if I didn’t stack.
A single armored division was sent to reinforce against the attacks from Eden. When it was being moved it reminded me that I have motorized brigades paired with my tanks as well. The brigades being upgraded now are paired with TDs. I forgot I had motorized brigades with my tanks. I certainly do not want to pull tanks off the frontline.
Some IC freed up due to upgrades finishing. I set the IC sliders to manual for now to increase supply production (I miss from HoI 2 how it would dump extra IC into supplies automatically) As I stated before I don’t have any manpower (not completely true I have 8 but I need 13 to reinforce) so it makes decisions easier. Several land forts are built across the border provinces along this blue dotted line:
Production of infrastructure will bring the Netherlands to 100% so hopefully supplies and reinforcements will move smoother. Radar stations are also being built near the German center.
June 18, 1943: I have failed! The Soviet Union has gone to war Germany. The Germans can’t possible have many (if any at all) divisions in the east to stop this invasion. The Soviets are going to walk into Germany unopposed destroying all my work to date.
This makes things more interesting. I want as many German provinces as possible. I want their IC, resources, manpower, and LS! My immediate goal is to reach Berlin before the Soviets; perhaps it’s time for another amphibious assault?
At the bare minimum I want to block off the Soviets from invading Italy. So all I have to do now is throw the Germans all the way back to Berlin and invade Italy all in about 2 to 3 weeks. Lucky for France, Germany is regarding the USSR as the bigger threat and is sending troops to bolster their eastern provinces.
On June 25 for whatever reason, Yugoslavia choses now to side with the Axis, most unwise. I still haven’t attacked the Germans yet. Germany is still moving troops to the east. Maybe if I wait a little more they will move the bulk of their army to east and slow down the Soviets giving me a chance to claim some land.
By July 1st I realize this waiting game is a balancing act. Germany continues to pull troops from the French boarder but the Soviets have already overrun Romania and are on the outskirts of Warsaw. Poland has helped my efforts somewhat. Polish rebels took some provinces back and are blocking the Soviet advance, making the reds go around them.
It took until July 19, 1943 but my national unity reaches 80% and I can enact heavy industry. It took 7 years of continuous rising to bring unity up that high. The Germans have stripped the border to the bone. The time has come to finally punch a hole in the German lines. They are weak and several provinces have even been left completely undefended. This will be a do or die attack across the entire front. In the north I am not worried. The troops there are among the finest in the world at this point. However in the south and center is more worrisome. The 4th Army is a garrisoning force and will be seeing action for the first time. If that wasn’t enough their commanders are all old guards. The 3rd Army is in the center of the line. They are well led and battle tested but they are spread thin.
The offensive commences but slowly and cautiously. The French divisions are ordered against undefended or lightly defended provinces. Won some easy victories and I can start doing the domino effect against other German provinces. In the east Bulgaria is turning red. Maybe I caught a break and the USSR is sending a large portion of its army south.
As July comes to a close the Axis forces are retreating across the entire western front. Any German units that counter attack a newly acquired province are attacked themselves in short order by advancing French units. If this wasn’t enough good news, the British have sent dozens of divisions to drive up and down the coast.
Quite frankly I’m shocked, on August 1st I take a look and the Red Army is being pushed back! Could mean many things but I think the most likely is the USSR AI was surprised when the Germans shifted forces over to the east. Only allocated enough units for what little they had on the border.
Elite soldiers of the Red Army? These...children couldn't defend a Turkish whorehouse, much less do anything worthwhile inside it! -Leonidovich Alekseyev
Greece joined the allies and is advancing into Bulgaria so I should get a clear picture of what the USSR has in the region.
Around August 5th the 2nd and 4th armored corps breakthrough the German lines that I have been trying to do since the beginning of the war. They are ordered to Berlin.
Finland fought valiantly but fell to the Soviet Union on August 12. The Reds begin to attack Norway.
The Germans continue to fall back and the Battle of Berlin is underway! In other news the Italians have largely abandoned the border. I need to be very careful at this point despite the recent victories. I have 0 manpower and need 60 to fully reinforce. Also the German AI could just as easily decide to come back to the western front in force. The main concern is the defeat of Germany. Italy will be no threat without them. I will still advance into Italy with the 5th Army since it is largely undefended. I am at a complete loss as of why Italy pulled its troops from the border.
I also need to take into account the Soviet Union. I’ve never had a game of HoI3 were Germany is gone, I don’t know if the USSR will go to war with Japan or the Allies.
French tanks role into Berlin on August 15 but German units appear to be massing for a counter attack.
Romania gives up the fight on August 19. My mechanized brigades are finished and can add their speed and firepower to the fight. They are currently on their way to Berlin
The units that took Berlin were ahead of the main advance and are waiting for the rest of the army to catch up. The 4th Army made it around Switzerland from the Maginot Line to the Italian Border. No sign of Italian troops. Where has Franco’s Italian Army gone?
A German counter attack near Berlin has shattered the 2nd Armored Corps. French reinforcements are already on their way to Berlin to reinforce it.
4th Armored Corps was isolated and was also shattered by a German counter attack. My own fault as I didn’t spread out my forces enough. Nevertheless the march continues, Germany is at 96% surrender.
September 7, 1943 Germany is annexed by France. The once mighty armies of Germany throw their arms down to the French and Russians. While this is a huge victory there is still work to do before I get a breather and decide what to do next. Deadly shards of Axis troops are still dotted throughout the old German Empire. Italy, Yugoslavia and Hungary still have armies and the bulk of the French army is in northern Europe. The Italian army appeared to be in Yugoslavia and is now on its way back to Italy.
I have mixed feelings about this victory. It was extremely satisfying to attack the Germans and drive them back but it only happened because the Soviet Union attacked them. Given that the USSR did attack I should be happy with the outcome. I read other accounts were once that happened the Soviets simply took all of Germany. I’m very surprised about the amount of land I got. I pretty much got all of Germany intact. I have Konigsberg for crying out loud. I thought I’d be lucky to just save Italy for myself.
Right after the German surrender on September 8th the French army was back to work.
Several divisions were assigned to attack the pockets of Axis resistance left in Germany. They aren’t a threat since they are surrounded but they are annoying and could slow the plans to fight the remaining Axis Powers. Once this is complete I can concentrate entirely on the Axis Powers left in Europe. I sent the air force back to France proper for protection from rebellions and to repair. Yugoslavia launches an amphibious assault against Sardine but it quickly stopped by the 1st Fleet. The Yugoslavian fleet was followed and attacked until it was destroyed.
By October 1st the French army is shifted to contain the advancing Axis’s forces in Southern Europe. The French Army’s units are a disorganized mess, as I struggle to return units to their corps. With Germany’s might folded into France 240 IC is available but again, no manpower to spend yet. Used the IC to bring all infrastructure on mainland Europe (under French control) to 100%. A fortification effort is underway along the new French/USSR border. There is still plenty of IC to spend and several air bases and radar stations are built along the border.
It is another race between France and the USSR to divide Europe. The USSR will be able to take most of Hungary for itself and more than likely Yugoslavia as well, but Italy has been sealed off and is safe from the advancing Red Army.
Hungary surrenders to the USSR on October 17 and is mostly under Soviet control.
The assault into Italy is going well and in Yugoslavia I’m taking what I can but most of it will go to the USSR.
November 2 Yugoslavia falls to the USSR and at the same time the Japanese have taken Sydney. The progress into Italy is slow but not difficult, I don’t expect any trouble from them.
Rome falls on November 30th as the 5th and 4th armies continue down into Italian Peninsula. The rest of the French Army is currently leaving Soviet territory as I wasn’t paying attention after Yugoslavia and my divisions still entered it.
December 23rd is VE Day. The Italians held on longer than I expected but it was more from terrain and infrastructure than their divisions. France is now master of much of Europe. The Soviet intervention may not have been desirable but given that it did happen and wasn’t preventable at this point in the game it turned out well. Most of Germany is now a part of France. LS is about 30, not bad considering what France starts out with.
The question now is where does France go from here? Long term there are only two enemies left worth fighting, Japan and the Soviet Union. Both would be a challenging fight. I was wrong earlier, Japan and the USSR are indeed at war. Japan is getting the better of them at the moment. The bulk of the Red Army appears to be on my borders however. I do not believe the USSR would attack the allies while still at war Japan.
What to do in the short term is much easier to figure out. The army needs to be reorganized and reinforced. When manpower is back up I can start to think about building more units for the first time since 1939. The border with the USSR will need to manned as well. Forts construction is proceeding along the length of the new border with the USSR.
This update is concluded. Thanks for reading and being patient
