Explorations in Strategy - Italy at War

[Baltasar]

From what I read, he's going to go after Iraq and Persia instead of conquering all of Africa right away. The resources there will prove very valuable for Mussolini

[Enewald]

And the legions march to Jerusalem once again.

[Sokraates]

Sokraates: I don't actually know either. This AAR, as it title suggests, still has a very exploratory nature.

Tut, tut. The AAR's title suggests an exploratory nature only in regard to strategy, not logistics. Then again, if you don't know strategy, you're not pro enough yet for logistics.

[Gladiator]

I tried the manual fix myself, but quit the game after watching the loading screen for about 2 hours... I then downloaded and copied the map cache files in one of the posts in the thread Gladiator provided above.

You probably have a RN with a gazillion transports. At least, that is what I had in my first campaign, as Germany in 1.2. In 1.3 the AI built loads of inf & arm divisions. I managed to assault the British Isles just weeks before their deployments began. I destroyed a few there. Then the rest became dormant in the production queue once I captured the islands, and the majority of the British IC.

I am currently at 1 Feb'38 in my game. There are several arguments going on in the Italian government circles. Mussolini and his henchmen are in an expansionist mood, wanting to conquer Romania ASAP. The professional army (AOI) is all for it, as well as the carrier arm of the Navy (got their first CVL on Jan. 3, '38) and the marines who want to test their new units. But the old guard offiicers and aristocracy are worried that this will worsen relations with GBR & FRA even more. The first armored division will arrive early March, the final reinforcements for the AOI (the 3rd inf. regiments) mid March. I suspect Mussolini will manage a DoW at the end of March - probably his last. Now if I can only figure out a way to "assasinate" him by a disgruntled Cavaglieri and replace the government with a pro-Allies one...

Yes, it needs some time, but on the first game load only.

Very interesting your game! Will you write an AAR about that?

[Myth]

Gladiator: Thank for the link! As for the British production, I did notice them having 159 brigades (this at the beginning of 1941), which is probably a bigger army than what I have.

anweRU: Well, the RN does have quite a few transports...As for your game, it seems like you may stretch yourself a bit thin, what with CVLs, marines, armor...

EvilFishtank: I've not thought that far ahead yet.

Baltasar: Hehe, others have suggested it. I've not yet said anything myself.

Enewald: Yep!

Sokraates: It's not as much either, as the game mechanics that I'm exploring. And strategy of course, of which logistics is its arbiter, but those I'm decently good at. More so strategy than logistics, however, but still.

Gladiator: I second his question. You gonna write an AAR? Or has this pushed out all HoI3 Italian AARs from the forum for the moment?

I'll try to have an update for tomorrow evening, guys! I may not manage though, between work and feeling ill. Just a heads up there.

[anweRU]

I second his question. You gonna write an AAR? Or has this pushed out all HoI3 Italian AARs from the forum for the moment?

Wrong time of year for AAR writing... As for my game, I discovered that I can't invade Romania without a DoW from GB in a couple of days, despite releasing Ethiopia as a puppet. I might have lowered my neutrality too much (to 39%).

Anyway, I will now wait for WW2 to start. I fixed the Anschluss event, so Germany could annex Austria despite inviting it into the Axis. I will need to wait a year or year and a half for Germany to start WW2, and see if I can fight a couple of wars without Allied or Comintern intervention. Then I might join Germany, or leave the Axis.

So what is the situation with the RN in the Med? How are you going to deal with them?

[womble]

anweRU: Well, the RN does have quite a few transports...As for your game, it seems like you may stretch yourself a bit thin, what with CVLs, marines, armor...

Having expected to be quite constrained in what I research, I've been pleasantly surprised at the lack of difficult choices in what to research as my Italy. Most of what I knew I wanted to concentrate on wasn't available for the first couple of years, so the leadership not (apparently fruitlessly) spent on diplomacy was enough to do a lot of basic research which seems to be making my subsequent research much more effective. I think having Yugoslavia and Romania incorporated into the empire by the end of '36 helped there, with having a smidge more leadership.

I think I finally have a lock on Suez. There are a couple of HQs, one either side of the Med entrance, and a fighting HQ in the middle province, and their battlecruiser squadron (with Hood and Repulse) spent a few days hanging about in "Nile Delta" failing to be located by my bombers and 3-battlehip main fleet... :-/

And Paris (the BB) is sitting off the coast of egypt having the bejazus bombed and shelled out of it by every passing Italian air wing or fleet. Out of supply, out of Organisation and almost out of strength, it just won't darn well sink.

[ColossusCrusher]

Like the Bismarck, in that it took an ungodly amount of excessive force to actually sink?

[Myth]

anweRU: Hehe, the academic year is always tough on AAR writers. As for what I plan to do, that'll be revealed in future updates.

womble: Heh, good stuff. Well, I'll see what happens with the Suez Canal in my game.

ColossusCrusher: Sounds like it.

No update tonight unfortunately. I actually slept half the day, and drank nearly three full liters of orange juice since the morning. I'll try to have something for tomorrow though.

[anweRU]

anweRU: Hehe, the academic year is always tough on AAR writers.

True, especially for those of us on the other side of the fence .

Looking forward to your next update.

[Emerjent]

I must agree with the general sentiment, the GB AI is not very good right now. I have always felt that the best part of playing Italy is the war in Egypt. Yet it is very hard to have fun when the Brits throw two divisions at you.

At any rate I am sorry to hear that you are sick. Hope you feel better!

[quetzilla]

Sleeping half the day is a real damper on getting anything done, let alone writing up AARs (from recent personal experience, ahem, I just woke up again at 5:50pm because my phone rang ).

[Myth]

anweRU: Pah, you professors just go get hammered at pubs with your PhD students! I know it happens!

Emerjent: Yeah I am feeling better now. I basically blitzed it with about 16-18 hours of sleep since waking up yesterday morning, and with about 2500% of my daily recommended intake of vitamin C, including three liters of orange juice.

quetzilla: Hehe. I tended to sleep, wake, sleep, wake, eat, sleep, wake, sleep, wake, eat, sleep, wake and then finally sleep the night.

I'll try to get that update done for tonight!

[womble]

womble: Heh, good stuff. Well, I'll see what happens with the Suez Canal in my game.

Re: locking Suez down, it appears that I spoke too soon. I found it uncrossable again for a few game hours last night, and now there seems to be a British task force dropping invasion forces on the Greek islands. Once the battle fleet is finished escorting my precious transports, with their nearly-as-precious divisions on them to where they need to be now that the Limeys and Frogs are chucked out of Abyssinia and Northern Africa, I'll use a spare infantry corps to once again deny the Allies any base in the med outside Malta or Gib.

Pesky bugged strait-code. They need to get that sorted out pronto. At the moment it seems like they've got it perpendicular: ships in the strait prevent armies crossing it, rather than armies at the strait preventing ships using it. Ought to be a really easy fix, almost as simple as the Channel Islands landbridge thing.

[Myth]

womble: It does sound a bit bugged. I've not yet had sufficient experience to be able to give any opinion myself.

No update tonight, unfortunately! Between class, some work and a nap I somehow lost time. I'll have an update for tomorrow evening though, absolutely promise.

[Myth]

The Year Italy Joined the World War
Part 14: Operation Vespasian II, December 8 – December 31, 1940

December passed by quickly and easily for the land forces dedicated to Vespasian. Virtually no battles were fought and Italian forces advanced everywhere, the British having pulled their forces back to protect Tel Aviv. The siege of Tel Aviv began during this last month of the war, and was the only point on the globe at which Italian forces were adjacent to their British enemies.

By the 8th of December, Geloso’s infantry had crossed the Suez Canal and were beginning their march to Tel Aviv, where there would take up positions outside the city for the purposes of investing it. Mussolini had explicitly ordered that Tel Aviv not be attacked. It would be besieged. Much like the British Salonika bridgehead during the First World War, Tel Aviv would essentially become a prison camp. While Salonika had kept unwitting captive, due to operational incapacity and strategic irrelevance, some half a million or so British troops, Tel Aviv would only so capture a couple tens of thousands at the very most. However, it was the fact that it was a port that caused Mussolini to wish to besiege it. He did not wish to unnecessarily risk the Regia Marina in a showdown battle with the Mediterranean Fleet; he had future plans in which Italian carrier fleets would play a significant part. The siege was to allow the carrier air arm of the Regia Marina, in coordination with whatever units of the Regia Aeronautica that had the range to reach Tel Aviv, to sink the Mediterranean Fleet.


Vespasian’s progress on December 8th.

The siege was, however, a slow affair. Italy did not have the sheer weight of planes to be able to frequently dare the dangerous skies above Tel Aviv, filled as those skies were with lead and steel. Thus, the only British naval losses inflicted consisted of sinking a single transport flotilla. On land, the progress of the troops was quick, even taking into consideration the complete lack of resistance. By the 21st, Bergonzoli had alone cut all roads into Tel Aviv, had driven up the coast of Palestine and was nearly at the border with Vichy Levant. The Transjordan area was soon to fall as well, and plans were being made to push all the way to the Iraqi border. The British were not going to even try to push out of Tel Aviv and cause whatever havoc they could.


Palestine and the Transjordan on the brink of falling.

In late December, the Royal Navy undertook a half-hearted attempt to escape from Tel Aviv. The carrier HMS Eagle, the light cruiser HMS Capetown and two destroyer flotillas sallied out, seemingly headed for Malta. Ghé’s entire fleet of big guns was waiting for any such attempt. In the fight, the Eagle kept out of harms way, but all other British ships were destroyed: the Capetown and both destroyer flotillas. In return, however, they had sunk an Italian destroyer squadron. Nevertheless, Mussolini felt confident that the Regia Marina was able to afford such losses, given that few such escape attempts were made and usually resulted in disproportionate British losses.


A British attempt at blockade running.

These events marked the conclusion of a very eventful year for Italy. In themselves barely noteworthy, they punctuated a year of great significance for both Italy and the war as a whole.

[Enewald]

Bah, where are all the local pro-british militias?

[Sokraates]

When I said the Italians are good at racing, I've never thought they would be this good.

I take from your description of the sea-battle that 1.) you don't show us all escape attempts and 2.) the escaping British are sent back to Tel Aviv.

Once you've annihilated the British Mediterranean fleet, could you please tell us, how many ships of which type you've sunk and lost in return?

[Gladiator]

It looks an easy walk to Bagdad and Kuwait city. And then? Sea Lion? Your Italy looks strong enough.

[EvilFishtank]

Haha total cakewalk. Which ever brit is in charge of the middle easy(err-east) should be taken out back and shot. Can't wait to see a sea-lion or some other daring campaign.