Explorations in Strategy - Italy at War

[Baltasar]

With the Allies occupied with Germany, Il Duce could as well launch his own carefully planned operations against... let's say Yougoslavia. The Italian forces should be able to overrun that country with easy in little time and after that... the rest of the Balkans.

[Pier]

What do you have prepared on the French border?

And next to Gibraltar?

[Stuyvesant]

War it is! Serviceable showing by the Germans in Poland, but it will be their actions in the West that will determine what freedom of action you'll have. I expect France to be toast - especially if the Germans are already breaching the Maginot line - here's hoping that the Huns can also tie down the British.

Looking forward to your Mediterranean exploits!

[Kman211]

Hopefully with the fall of France, you will be clear to do as you please with most of Europe. Downfall of Poland was pretty much as expected. Looking forward to seeing the Western Front.

Oh, and in the 17th and 18th centuries, wasn't Poland in a commonwealth with Lithuania? Perhaps you meant the 1700 and 1800s? I don't think the Russians even began to see a speck of Polish land until maybe it started getting partitioned in the second half of the 18th century.

[Myth]

Baltasar: Perhaps...

Pier: I've got two armies (about 15 divisions together IIRC) next to France. Nothing next to Gibraltar at the moment, as the port isn't developed enough to support operations.

Stuyvesant: Yeah, Germany seems to be doing a swell job of distracting people from the true threat in Europe--me!

Kman211: It was a deliberately broad sweep of Polish history I chose, though yeah you're probably right that nothing really happened until the latter 1700s. As for the fall of France, we'll see how that goes.

[Beakmiester]

I can see il Duce sitting in his armchair, stroking his cat.....Baron Silas Greenback style

[BlitzMartinDK]

subscribed

[Maj. von Mauser]

The Poles put up a good resistance there.

[BlitzMartinDK]

I just caught up, so I have a few questions :
Have you been building some land-troops? and how many?
What is the state of your airforce, now, on the brink of total war?

..what about your laws?..saw some changes at 1.st jan. -36 : are they still the same?

[Myth]

Beakmiester: And twiddling with his fake mustache too!

BlitzMartinDK: Fantastic, welcome aboard!

Maj. von Mauser: Perhaps. I don't really know how well the AI usually does as this is the first time I've got to WW2 (I don't actually play much, especially now, master's course is pretty intense already). But the AI seemed fairly decent on both sides.

BlitzMartinDK: Nope, no troops in production. Not yet at any rate. The navy requires a major policy for expansion whereas the army is somewhat easier to deal with. The state of my air force is the same as on the 1st of January, except a bit more technologically advanced. I've been neglecting it a bit in favor of the navy, industry and the army, in that order. My laws are the same as they were upon my initial changes. I basically maxed them all out then.

I'll try to have an update for tomorrow evening, lads!

[mikerohan]

The Year of Preparation
Part 2: Operation Scipio 1, January 25 – January 31, 1938

By the end of the 25th, the Italian forces were firmly ashore both west and east of Granada. Roatta immediately ordered that Scattini and Bitossi advance, one toward Montellano and the other toward Ronda. Mancinelli and Giorgis were ordered to hold position, so as not to strain what little supply lines existed in Roatta’s beachhead. The hope was that Scattini and Bitossi would be able to achieve their objectives before the limited amount of supplies transferred ashore from the transports ran out and before the Nationalists stole those objectives away from Roatta.

I've just discovered this AAR, I'm enjoying it a lot and even better, I'm learning a lot! Keep up the good work

In retrospective, knowing what happened, Giorgis should have moved into Alcala la Real... oh well maybe next time

[Myth]

mikerohan: Welcome, glad you're enjoying it! As for moving Giorgis, it wouldn't have done any good. That beachhead quickly ran out of supplies, I couldn't even get the other province right next to Gibraltar. I'd not have gotten to Alcala la Real from there.

Update coming up!

[Myth]

The Year of Aggression
Part 4: War Comes to the Low Countries, June 10 – July 23, 1939

Mussolini was not content with acting in June. Europe was on fire but not yet a true conflagration. He continued to bide his time, slowly positioning his forces for his own war of aggression, as he watched the international situation deteriorate into general war. By the last week of July, he had judged the situation bad enough that he could move with impunity.

Though Germany had some limited success breaking through the Maginot Line, the Wehrmacht seemed wary of trying to launch an entire invasion of France through such a tenuous corridor. Though it offered the most direct way to Paris, it was also the most dangerous; a single defeat at the base of the penetration and Germany’s armed forces would find themselves in a hangman’s noose. Instead, Germany decided to enact the original conception of the Schlieffen Plan. They would push through Belgium and the Netherlands. The German general staff had decided that the Belgium frontier on its own was as tenuous a link between the bases in Germany and the driving spearheads. Before the invasion of Belgium could be attempted, the Netherlands would have to fall. Mussolini again missed the date the campaign started, noticing German progress only once the entire German-Dutch frontier had been violated and German spearheads were actually approaching Amsterdam, on the 1st of July.


The invasion of the Netherlands by the German armed forces.

By the 5th, the Germans had solidified their breakthrough into the Netherlands on a very wide front. Remnants of Dutch border formations were completely cut off from their communications and still in the process of falling back to previously prepared defensive positions, not realizing that they were actually hundreds of miles behind the front. The Dutch army was actively resisting only in Amsterdam and in the very north of the country, though this latter region seemed to be on the verge of being encircled by German marines. In this respect Mussolini was somewhat jealous of the Wehrmacht, for within its formations there were at least two divisions of trained marines. This merely served to goad Mussolini on his failure to create his own marine divisions yet, though on the other hand he knew that he had no real need of them just yet. The truly expeditionary aspect of his strategy would not come for some time still. Before Italy can send out expeditions across the oceans, it must secure its own base, by taking Gibraltar and the Suez Canal, operations for which marines would have little value above that of regular infantry.


The German invasion of the Netherlands four days later.

On the 16th of July, the Germans began their invasion of Belgium, from the north. The Netherlands had fallen, the Dutch government fleeing to Britain and to their colonies in Indonesia. The Germans began with a push in the very center of their now elongated front with Belgium, at Turnhout, as well as on the far eastern flank, at Eupen. It was immediately apparent, however, that the Belgian army was of a different quality than the Dutch army. Whereas the Dutch fell in less than three weeks, the Belgians were not simply resisting but counterattacking. The Germans themselves were on the defensive around Maastricht, where the Belgians were pushing back as hard as they could. Nevertheless, the issue was not in any real doubt. The Germans would win the frontier battles, if only through sheer weight of numbers.


The Germans beginning their push into Belgium.

Turnhout and Eupen fell to the Germans, but otherwise the German war machine suddenly stalled. The Belgians seemed to have stymied the German offensive southward. After their successes in Poland and their evisceration of the Dutch army, the Wehrmacht suddenly found itself unable to break through the Belgian line. They were facing a fully mobilized army, rather than the incomplete divisions of the Polish and Dutch armies. This made the difference between lightning victory and a slower campaign. Mussolini had no doubt that the Germans would overrun the Belgians anyway—it was a case of David versus the goliath and this David was too paltry to stun goliath for long—but he viewed the western front with satisfaction. The war in the west had become a high drama and bloody clash of arms.


The German army stalling, having achieved only minor inroads into Belgium.

On the 23rd, Mussolini received word of a different drama playing itself out to the east. There, the Soviet Union had assaulted the integrity of Finland. Again, Mussolini was unsure when the campaign had actually begun, but by the time he noticed it, considerable tracts of territory had fallen to the Soviets. Unlike German operations, where Mussolini could post observers to report back, the already so-called Summer War was a complete mystery to him. He knew not troop numbers, nor dispositions, nor lines of operation, except from what little the foreign ministry could make out. Mussolini was not displeased, however. It was another revisionist fire to occupy those powers which supported the status quo.


The Summer War by July 23rd.

By the last week of July, war in Europe had erupted beyond the immediate capabilities of the Allies to stop it. Poland had fallen in early June, but the West had still stood inviolable. By the 23rd, the cordon of troops and neutrals that protected the West had been penetrated, the Netherlands had fallen and Belgium was under violent assault. The Allies were directly engaged in attempting to protect their own security. Their capability to intervene in support of their worldwide interests was diminishing at a rapid pace. Mussolini was ready.

[Rensslaer]

Still waiting to see what you will try.

The Germans have significant trouble in East Prussia. I've actually seen the AI make an occasional successful breakout from up there, but they're limited because they don't have heavy units (armour), they are pretty well matched up against the Poles on that front, and they have supply issues until the Danzig Corridor is freed up and expanded enough to allow more than just convoy shipping.

Oops -- posted as you were posting. I'm surprised the Germans tried the Maginot Line at all. I don't think they ever did in my Portugal game.

So where are you going???

Rensslaer

[Jorath13]

*facepalm* The Summer War? Mein Gott, the AI needs some reworking. :P Now with the world beginning to erupt in flames, one wonders when the Italians and Il Duce will get into the war.

[The Balbinater]

The Balbinater is displeased!

just when we were letting the world know that it was Regno d'Italia that they had to be careful of, you let that upstart to the north go and steal all our thunder!!!

perhaps the duce needs to be replaced!!!

the people of italy clamor for WAR!

[Baltasar]

*facepalm* The Summer War? Mein Gott, the AI needs some reworking. :P Now with the world beginning to erupt in flames, one wonders when the Italians and Il Duce will get into the war.

Since the game is meant to be a-historical, that's actually a good thing. And from a Russian point of view, attacking during summer is a lot more sensible than fighting the snow as well as the Finns.

[BlitzMartinDK]

Since the game is meant to be a-historical, that's actually a good thing. And from a Russian point of view, attacking during summer is a lot more sensible than fighting the snow as well as the Finns.

Except then the Soviets won't learn to USE the winter against the Germans...

[billy bob]

Since the game is meant to be a-historical, that's actually a good thing. And from a Russian point of view, attacking during summer is a lot more sensible than fighting the snow as well as the Finns.

Screw that. I want history at least somewhat followed.

And good job myth. Making a LOT of progress.

[Maj. von Mauser]

I hate to criticise, but how the hell can you/Mussolini be unaware of all that is happening. This is 4 wars in a row that you have missed. You need to turn on pop-up notifier mate. It just kinda ruins the immersion to read about the most powerful and dynamic man in the world not even knowing when his own ally declares war on somebody!Ugh!

Well, now that the rant is over...

One must give kudos to the Belgian Army, they are doing what they did in The Great War, and this time they looks be holding Germany off for a bit!

I'm anxious to read about Italy's coming exploits!