Andri: I don't think that the aliens need tech teams, I'm pretty sure that they automatically receive all techs, although I'm sure having leaders help. That sounds like a very interesting game, good luck.
Bafflegab: Well, I don't want to give anything away, but they don't do as bad as I thought they might.
理想的中国, Kurt_Steiner, & Enewald: About Finland... well you'll see
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Scandinavia: Operation Thermopylae
The first major Allied military operation in the war would be an attempt to rescue Norway, it was name Operation Thermopylae, after the ancient battle in which 300 Spartans (and 700 Thespians) had fought to the death to ensure the escape of the rest of the Greek army.
It was appropriately named, since the Allied plan was to 'Use whatever means possible to hold or slow the enemy advance at all costs'.
April 9th is the date that the first British landed in Scandinavia, it is also the date that Oslo was destroyed. Thankfully, these soldiers were no where near the city, instead, they were heading towards the front lines at Mi i Ran.
The British could not take the entire journey by sea for fear that the Alien navy would intercept them
The first priority of Allied generals was to determine the Alien's strength, which they had no idea of due to the extensive preparations the aliens had made to ensure that their true numbers would remain concealed.
To fix the gap in intelligence, a brave group of men volunteered to take part in a probing attack into the enemy's lines. The results... were disheartening.
As far as I could see, there were these... things. They were like something out of the movies, we called them 'walkers'. Not only were they scary and really powerfull, but there were more then I could count, see, imagine. I'm just lucky to be alive
- A British soldier at the Battle of Narvik.
The generals could no more comprehend this than the people on the ground could. There were many questions, how could such a huge army be supported? How did they get here? How did they remain organized? and many more questions were asked. Answers would come... eventually.
The next month would be spent wearily assembly more troops, reorganizing and reevaluating the strategy. The expected attack on Mo i Ran did no come, instead, the aliens went for a flanking maneuver. They pushed the Swedish out of Gallivare, undoubtedly setting up for a flanking attack on Mo i Ran.
Desperately, the British launch and attack on Gallivare. Surprisingly, at first it was successful.
The Allies catch the first aliens to arrive in the city by surprise, forcing them to retreat, but not for long.
Soon, more alien forces arrived, as well as securing nearby Umea, securing their flank. This forced the British to withdraw. However, this exchange was a great morale booster for the troops. It show that you
could fight them and that it
was possible to win.
Perhaps prompted by the recent battles and the apparent ineffectiveness of the Swedish army against the invaders, Sweden finally joined the UN, it was mere hours after the Battle of Gallivare.
This was soon followed by a complete takeover of the command of Sweden and Norway's forces by the central UN command, who deemed it necessary to coordinate attack more effectively.
Finland joined the UN a few days later, and for good reason.
Although the Finns had fought a very effective war, using the terrain and weather to their utmost advantage, they were still desperately outclassed. They just couldn't muster the force to make use of their courage and leadership.
The Eastern Front goes poorly, although it is not as bad as it could be.
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Next up, we'll see how the Royal Navy is faring, as well as how both the eastern and western fronts play out. Maybe we'll even see more from the diplomatic front. Be assured, many more nations will join the allies.