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Part VIII: July 1936

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The Republicans have, for some reason, four tactical bombers. :( We can't do much against them at this point, but as soon as we get the Italian interceptors and they will have enough organisation, I will hunt them down.

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Our blitz attack on Madrid is stalled by the appearance of one tank division in Segovia. I will not abort the attack yet, as a battle against one single division is acceptable if we would get Segovia and Madrid for it.

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Then the Italians finally send the Corpo Truppe Volontaire. With the support of the now formed Northen Action Forces, the cavalry in Bilbao is quickly defeated and retreats to Pamplona. At the same time, or three divisions in the east capture Barcelona and the NAF are ordered to turn on Segovia and support the attack against the Republican tanks there.

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In the meantime we have reorganized navy and air force according to our plans and are now starting the first of three transports to reinforce Franco in Cadiz with additional infantry. The Morocco Corps is first.

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Then, something unexpected happens. The Republicans move five additional infantry divisions to Segovia. Even with the support of the NAF this would be a long and costly battle, so I just abort my ambitions on Madrid and retreat the units from battle. This will, however, not spare the Republicans from the destruction of two divisions in the Bilbao-Pamplona-Pocket, our infantry corps arrives in Soria just in time to prevent the escape of another Republican division in Pamplona.

As soon as the troops have reorganized from their unsuccessful attack on Segovia, I will order the NAF to seize Oviedo, Vigo and Leon, which will cost the Republicans four points of IC, three points of MP and a lot of resources.
 
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Well that sucks, but it seems as if your plan is going along very well! Also, are you using a 20+ inch screen?

I have a 22 inch monitor with a resolution of 1680 x 1050.
 
I have a 22 inch monitor with a resolution of 1680 x 1050.

I see, cause your screenshots show much more than my 15 inch monitor :D

And, in the last screen, I see that you have two divisions bordering Tarragona which is undefended; are you going to capture them?
 
Part IX: July – August 1936

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We continue the execution of our plans with unstoppable verve. As the battle in Pamplona, where the two Republican divisions are sitting in their deathtrap, becomes more tricky due to our low organisation, I order the Nationalist Central Command (one HQ and one light armor) to Soria so that they can support the encirclement. Soon we will attack Pamplona from all possible directions and destroy the first divisions in this game; I think that the Italians have not managed to encircle something in Abyssinia yet, as the Ethiopians staunchly repel any attacks on their capital. The Ethiopians even managed to seize some Italian provinces in the beginning, after all. :D At the same time our eastern forces met in Barcelona, are merged, and ordered to seize Tarragona and Castellon de la Plana. We are already about to fulfill some objectives from Stage II and make good progress. The NAF in Leon and the 1st Infantry Corps in Santander will seize Vigo and Oviedo, I ordered the support of the additional corps to speed things up, so that the NAF can seize Salamanca more quickly.

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Against the pooled forces of eleven divisions the Republicans can't do much, the battle will last a bit longer, but eventually they will surrender. Tarragona is also captured now, however it will take some time before I can use the airport, as my air force has still alarming low organisation.

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Oh, Germany is also still there, I'm glad that I just didn't press this away. The UK has disrupted the production of one PR of infantry -- too bad that they didn't sabotage my interceptors, as they still lack some IC to be actually produced. But this and several failed attempts of smear campaigns (they give a two percent dissent hit, which would be worse than a partisan revolt!) have convinced me that the next cash infusion will be used to increase my intelligence level.

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Then, the Republicans do something odd. In a stupid show of heroism they somehow manage to place a 1926 artillery-brigaded infantry division in Vigo for protection -- I have no idea how they get their, but they must have ferried the division by transport ships to this province. Oviedo has already been captured, and the NAF were already marching into the province when the enemy infantry arrived in Vigo. This is in principle a jackpot, as I technically encircled a modern, brigaded Republican infantry division. I don't even have to call reinforcements to deal with them, as the enemy's organisation is, as a rare exception, as low as mine. I just order, after some time, my Navy to Cape Finisterre to make any evacuation attempt futile.

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The last division from the Balearic Islands arrives in Ceuta. Franco can now start trolling the Republicans. I have set some waypoints for him through Granada and Albacete, but I will deviate from the route if the opportunity arises to annoy the Republicans even more. Should he indeed reach Albacete undisturbed, we would have created already such a big pocket that I could count it as the conclusion of Stage III (should some units be trapped in Almeria, Murcia and Alicante).

Reaching Albacete would probably unify my pockets, as I plan to capture Valencia with my corps that is currently occupying Tarragona. The 3rd Infantry Corps in Zaragoza will then be moved to Teruel, and the infantry corps in Bilbao will in turn move to Zaragoza, creating a stable and coherent front. In the north east, there is a small mistake I have already corrected: Because Leon borders Segovia, I can't move the NAF and the 1st Infantry Corps both to Salamanca, but will leave instead one corps in Leon so that the enemies in Segovia don't conceive any stupid ideas ...

This concludes Stage I.
 
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OK, the patch has simplified the manpower issue.

Thanks,

You're welcome. :)

Good AAR so far

awesome AAR, keep this going please! I really like that you reasoning those choices you made.

Thank you. :eek:o

I see, cause your screenshots show much more than my 15 inch monitor :D

I would actually be interested to know if the picture sizes are breaking this thread for some people with lower-inch monitors, as the pictures are resized to something for a 19-inch monitor.


And, in the last screen, I see that you have two divisions bordering Tarragona which is undefended; are you going to capture them?

Question answered. ;) It was of course an opportunity to good to pass.
 
I would actually be interested to know if the picture sizes are breaking this thread for some people with lower-inch monitors, as the pictures are resized to something for a 19-inch monitor.
Question answered. ;) It was of course an opportunity to good to pass.

Actually no, it fits nicely; just enough room for it to not have me scroll the thread horizontally to see the screens.

And obviously; it would have been a tactical mistake to not take it. :D
 
A question though: how do you group your German units? I'm still quite puzzled by the unit - HQ possibilites... The AI seems to like to spread out it's units a lot more where I would think a corps of one HQ plus 3-4 divisions would be quite powerful... is there a faq or the such for this?
 
I like it :)

Thanks. I also noticed that my AAR is now mentioned on the DH Facebook page as well, and that some people already "like it" :D -- as I don't have facebook, I also wish to express my gratitude for their support at this place. :)

A question though: how do you group your German units? I'm still quite puzzled by the unit - HQ possibilites... The AI seems to like to spread out it's units a lot more where I would think a corps of one HQ plus 3-4 divisions would be quite powerful... is there a faq or the such for this?

As Germany I usually group six divisions into one corps, as it corresponds with the leader command limits (Field Marshal 12 max. and Field Marshal + HQ 24 max.) and thus allows a great flexibility during offensives. And on the defense it is almost always (except for a Phoney War with France) sufficient to place just a six-division corps into a province to halt any enemy attacks, too. I have even optimized my production queue by producing 12 PRs of infantry (which equals two infantry corps) and 6 PRs of armor (which equals one armor corps) to support my organization habits. But this is definitely not a law of nature, I will split my forces temporarily into smaller corps if it will benefit me in some way.

The question regarding HQs is an interesting one, and I have no general approach to it. When playing Germany I prefer to sever my HQs from the other units, so that every HQ forms a seperate corps. I think that this is extremely helpful, especially for large armies, as you can retreat the HQs from battle if necessary, shift them around from one part of the front to another very quick, and, when executing encirclements, the utilisation of the HQ speed always proves to be devastating for the enemy, because the HQ can grab the final undefended province that is necessary to close the pocket before any hostile forces can show up. The HQ is then usually attacked and defeated, but this gives enough time to move the actual forces into the province in order to stabilize the pocket and start the destruction of the encircled units. Besides, I'm a strict purist, I don't like to mix different unit types into one corps; although this is merely a question of taste. As Nationalist Spain, for example, I have found it to be more practical to merge the HQ with my only light armor division, as I don't have the luxury to leave my only tanks without constant HQ support.
 
I'm not good at writing lengthy introductions, so let's just say: It is time for a Germany '36 AAR.

*snip*
2. This will be a Gameplay AAR. As English is not my mother tongue, it would be simply too exhausting to include sophisticated and entertaining history book texts in every update. I also write this AAR, because no one else has written a Germany '36 AAR yet, and as far as I can see from the forums, not even one viable Germany strategy has been posted at all. Therefore, I will show and explain all essential gameplay actions, my plans and, of course, my overall strategy. As I do not consider myself a professional expert, I welcome any comments and suggestions on it. In fact, I will be very happy if the swarm intelligence of the forum convinces me to alter my strategy at some point. ;)

*snip*

The Swarm Intelligence of the forum? LOL Yes, embrace the Swarm!
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- Sword
 
Part X: August 1936

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Our army corps arrives in Teruel and is immediatly ordered to support the attack on Castellon de la Plana, to break the resistance of a single Republican infantry division there. A quick occupation of the province is necessary, because the Republicans are already moving divisions to the east and I really want to seize Valencia in time before they arrive.

In Germany we finish our research of 1925 Troopships, and Blohm & Voss will now research Improved Naval Invasion, so that if we initiate small-scale amphibious assaults later at some point, we won't be lagging behind too much in this area.

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The situation becomes even more critical when five additional divisions show up in Guadalajara and even more Republicans start moving eastwards. Due to the abysmal organization of my units, even a 6:1 battle against the Republicans takes some days. I therefore use my likewise still disorganized Air Force to support the assault on Castellon de la Plana, although it's some sort of gambling, as the Republicans have an Anti-Air brigade there. In the south, Franco seizes fortified Granada without resistance.

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In the meantime the Republicans also tried to attack Cadiz, our most important port, but I repelled their attempts by ordering Franco to attack the Republican corps in Sevilla -- he succeeds, but we won't waste our time by occupying Sevilla but instead turn on the next Republican corps in Almeria, before Franco will resume his route to Albacete.

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Then a minor disaster happens. From where did the Republicans get four interceptor wings? I didn't check the Republican air corps that was approaching Castellon de la Plata, as I thought that it would consist of the tactical bombers I discovered before. But this is ridiculous. Weren't the Nationalists the ones who bombarded Guernica, after all? I guess that Republican Spain build some Air Force before the outbreak of the Civil War, I can't believe that this is the work of the Soviet supplies. The Republicans have, as far as I can say from direct battles, four interceptors and four tactical bombers, while I have two tactical bombers, one CAS and two interceptors, which gives them nearly uncontested air superiority, especially if you take my disastrous organization into consideration. My bombers are quickly defeated by the Republicans, as are my interceptors and are forced to retreat back to the Balearic Islands. I think that now there is no point in using my Air Force any longer for the time being. I can't compete with the Republicans in this area.

The continuing lack of organization starts to annoy me. I'm contemplating to send additional supplies and oil to Nationalist Spain, in order to put at least some of my units in offensive mode to improve supply efficiency. Although the overall progress is not harmed, I would like to end the Civil War as quickly as possible in order to get a free one percent dissent reduction for Germany when I still have some dissent to burn.

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We are, however, nobody's fool and will therefore punish the Republicans otherwise. The Republican fleet, that, according to our spies, consists of nine ships, is stationed in Valencia. We will block the Catalan Sea with our own navy to destroy these ships as soon as Valencia is captured and the Republicans are forced out of the port.
 
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Part XI: August – September 1936

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The Republicans in Castella de la Plata are despite all setbacks eventually defeated and retreat to Valencia. You will see that the unit movements shown in this picture become obsolete very soon, but apart from that I wish to make some side notes about things I noticed: I received for some reason five additional infantry divisions (the 7th and 8th Infantry corps), and later I will receive even more of them. These are obviously units that were produced and deployed by the Nationalist Spain AI. It would be really nice to have some sort of information or pop-up if units of an ally you control militarily are deployed. My fleet also splits for some unknown reasons in irregular intervals, I guess that the military AI of Nationalist Spain is not fully disabled and therefore occasionally splits my navy without my consent. And it's really hard to understand why I can't see all adjacent provinces that are bordering the provinces controlled by the Nationalists, but only all adjacent provinces that are controlled by Nationalist Spain and have military units in them.

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One day later the moment occurs that I have not longed for: A massive amount of Republican divisions is now moving to Valencia to prevent the capture of the province. I'm not amused, but in order to prevent a long and costly battle in Valencia, I order my forces in Soria, Zaragoza and Teruel to attack Guadalajara. Especially the corps in Teruel was actually designated to support the assault on Valencia, but now I'm forced to reinforce the attack with the newly deployed divisions in Lerida. The main purpose of the attack on Guadalajara is to delay any reinforcements that are marching towards Valencia, and although I would be glad if I win the battle and capture Guadalajara, it is not something I would fight for indefinitely. As soon as Valencia is captured, I will abort the delay attack on Guadalajara should the battle still go on. Considering the amount of Republican Spain's forces in Guadalajara, Segovia and possibly Madrid, it would be more devastating for the enemy to try an encirclement from two sides, starting in Valencia in the east and Salamanca in the west, converging in Tarancon and Toledo respectively, especially as this could become an excellent opportunity when supported by the SAF under Franco's command.

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I have assigned the five new infantry divisions different missions: The 7th Infantry corps, consisting of three infantry divisions, is moved to Zaragoza and takes part in the attack on Guadalajara, which immediatly turns the progress of the battle in our favor. The 8th Infantry Corps in Lerida will join our forces in Tarragona that are marching to Valencia, later reinfoced by one additional new deployed infantry division. In the south, the enemy in Almeria is almost defeated, after our victory there we will continue our route to Albacete while punishing the Republican forces in Jaen, that unfortunately decided to step in our way.

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The Republicans apparently start panicking, they fear that they will lose Guadalajara and are therefore now even moving units from Segovia to the east. We will prevent this by an additional delay attack on Segovia. I actually wouldn't be surprised if our two delay attacks result in the capture of these provinces, although we didn't actually intended to conquer them right now.

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We capture Castellon de la Plana and finally attack Valencia. Our fleet is waiting patiently in the Catalan Sea for the Republican navy, which gives me an idea: While I can't shoot Republicans with my air force anymore, I can at least use my navy for shore bombardment to speed things a little bit up.
 
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Part XII: September 1936

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I must admit that I have never used Shore Bombardment before. And it shows: Nothing actually happens after I ordered the mission. After some investigation I find out that you can only use capital ships for such missions -- and we have no capital ships. Therefore, I abort the mission and instead order Naval Interdiction, which is more successful -- we engage a small Republican fleet that tried to escape from the port in Valencia and destroy one light cruiser.

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Nevertheless, the lack of naval support can't stop our forces. The battle of Valencia is won by us after a week or so and we march into the province. I then decided how to proceed with my two delay battles in Guadalajara and Segovia that were originally only initiated to give the attack on Valencia more time -- I abort the attack on Segovia for now, as the odds in Segovia are not strongly in our favor, while I decide to continue the attack on Guadalajara, where the enemy is almost defeated. This, of course, leads to the abandonment of a Madrid-Segovia-Guadalajara pocket, I think that we will try only a small encirclement of Madrid.

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As soon as our troops enter Valencia, we order the units to support the assault on Guadalajara. Until now we avoided any major battle, but as we are about to enter Stage III of Operation Gisela, we can't longer avoid a direct confrontation with the Republicans. Still, the battle of Guadalajara does fit into our plans of an economical warfare; our overall losses are virtually non-existent, as we outnumber the enemy heavily, have (finally) equal or even superior organisation and the province offers no natural defenses.

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The ten divisions in Guadalajara are defeated in the end. As we aborted our delay attack on Segovia, the Republicans will succeed in moving one militia division to Guadalajara, but this lone division will also be defeated within hours. The bulk of the Republican army retreats to the capital of Madrid, while in the south Franco pushes on Albacete, that is guarded by one Republican tank division.

As a side note, I can't notice any major bombardments by the Republican's tactical bombers anymore. I think that they rebased a little bit too much, which has considerably lowered their organization. Or perhaps they have simply run out of fuel. :D

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With the capture of Valencia the Republican fleet was, as predicted, forced out of port. Unfortunately one of our perpetual vices -- low organization -- makes the expected scuttling of the Republican fleet impossible. In fact, our organization is so low that the Republicans defeat us and succeed in escaping; however they can't manage to sink even one of our ships. We retreat our navy humiliated to Cadiz -- our fortune certainly does not lie in the skies or the seas. The land units in Valencia have reorganized and are now supporting the battle of Albacete.

With the two major cities of Valencia and Tarragona in our hands, the unification of the northern pocket with the Corunna pocket (that lasted for a very long time due to the damaged infrastructure there), the defeat of Republican forces in Guadalajara and the southern advance soon to be completed with the unification of the northern and southern pocket, we are -- for now -- on the winning side.

This concludes Stage II.
 
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U do know if you download the patch the save games wont work anymore?

Well, there's never a guarantee that saves will be compatible with newer versions, and I usually abandon any games I was playing on a patch release, even when the saves were compatible with a newer version. I just hope that the next patch won't make it incompatible, but even in this case I plan to continue the game, at least if the next patch brings no radical and fundamental changes to the gameplay.