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Bad news and good news. The bad news is that I had made a good start on the next update only for my computer to crash and wipe it. Wunderbar, ya? The good news is that I'm currently on the way from London to Strasbourg via train. Since I won't be able to use the internet over there without having to give my life savings to my phone network, I'll have nothing else to do on the journey other than write the next few updates. So hopefully I should be able to get ahead of myself update-wise when I get back Thursday night.
The Second Weltkrieg: Sicily
Immediately after the commencement of hostilities between the Internationale and the Mitteleuropa, Spain, on behalf of the Catholic League, issued its own declaration of war on the Internationale.
Though the members of the Catholic League unanimously supported the declaration of war against the Internationale, each member supported the war for different reasons. For the French Empire, this was a golden opportunity to reclaim the homeland and crush the Communards once and for all, but for Spain and Portugal this was an opportunity to continue the papal sanctioned crusade against syndicalism, and for the Italian Federation, in addition to being a religious conflict against the atheistic tendencies of syndicalism, this was also an opportunity to finally crush the upstart Socialist Republic of Italy and to regain Naples and Sicily.
The borders of France and the Catholic League at the outbreak of the Second Weltkrieg
Following the declaration of war, the French Imperial High Command received intelligence reports showing that all possible landing sites in southern France remained garrisoned and therefore unsuitable for a direct attempt at an amphibious invasion by the Imperial Army and Navy. As the Pyrenees would make any attack on the Commune from Spain especially bloody, an alternative plan was proposed.
The Italian Federation was much smaller than the Commune and faced the prospect of being overwhelmed should sufficient force be brought to bear against them - if this were to happen then SRI troops would be able to link up with the Commune and give the Internationale a serious chance of being able to win the war.
Therefore, the decision was made to send Imperial troops to crush the SRI, ending the two front war the Italian Federation was fighting, and allowing all force to be brought to bear against the Communards.
An amphibious assault was attempted at Palermo but the SRI defenders were too firmly entrenched to allow a quick landing.
With the possibility of the much larger Communard Mediterranean fleet arriving at any moment to menace the troop transports, the decision was made to abandon any attempt at an independent landing and instead to join forces with the Federation in a push south towards Naples.
During the failed invasion of Sicily, the Internationale grew to include the Union of Britain - where an emergency meeting of the Congress of the Trade Unions had voted to join the war against the “reactionary powers”. While Union troops would mainly be fighting in Northern France and the Low Countries, and therefore of no threat to the Catholic League, the participation of Britain in the war had triggered the entry of the Entente into the conflict as the remnants of the British Empire sensed an opportunity to regain the mother country.
Meanwhile, Imperial troops landed just south of Rome at the town of Anzio - where the Exodus of Catholics from the SRI a few years earlier had nearly caused a war.
The newly arrived seven divisions which made up the First Imperial Army launched an immediate attack on the SRI positions in Gaeta without waiting for their Italian allies.
The attack was a resounding success and, in less than a fortnight, the syndicalist border forts had been overrun and the region was firmly in the hands of Imperial troops who were now just a short distance from the SRI capital of Naples.
Imperial mechanised cavalry then began a race across the undefended interior of the SRI towards the eastern coast of the Italian peninsula in order to cut off and surround the four SRI divisions dug in around Pescara.
At the same time, the First Army launched an attack on Naples, catching the local militia by surprise and driving them and the government of the SRI out of the doomed city.
By the end of August, Naples was in Federation hands, thanks to the efforts of Imperial troops - who continued to race ahead of their allies - and Pescara had been completely surrounded. Field Marshal d’Esperey was confident that the syndicalists were on the run and gave the order for an all-out assault.
Two divisions were ordered north to aid the Federation in closing the Pescara pocket while the mechanised cavalry were to push south towards the provisional SRI capital of Taranto - a crucial port city which also contained one of the few operational military airfields left in SRI hands. Meanwhile the bulk of the First Army would push south towards the syndicalist troops defending Salerno.
While the assault on Salerno was a success, the mechanised cavalry had only managed to reach the outskirts of Taranto before being forced back by the defenders.
D’Esperey decided to postpone the capture of Taranto until the Federation air force had bombed the city and until sufficient forces had been assembled for the assault. Instead, the Field Marshal took his army south into Cosenza.
SRI resistance melted away before the Empire’s forces and soon Cosenza was in the hands of the Catholic League, leaving Taranto surrounded. The city had become another pocket.
D’Espery now felt ready to take the city and launched an assault with overwhelming force.
The city swiftly fell, and the Imperial army was able to drive the last syndicalist troops, other than those trapped in Pescara, off of the Italian peninsula. The SRI had now been reduced to nothing more than the island of Sicily.
However, an assault across the channel towards Sicily proved impossible to accomplish - despite several failed and costly attempts by the First Army.
However, these attacks forced the syndicalists to strip Palermo of its garrison - leaving the defence of the city to the local police whose readiness to die for the syndicalist cause was questionable.
When Federation spies reported this to D’Esperey, he sensed an opportunity. After the Field Marshal had communicated with Algiers, the Imperial Navy left port and managed to land a force of cavalry on an undefended stretch of coast near Palermo.
From there they managed to seize the city unopposed, convincing the SRI of the futility of continuing the war. Consequently, on October the 21st, 1939, the Socialist Republic of Italy formerly surrendered and was annexed by the Italian Federation. The Sicilian campaign had ended in victory.
However, while their involvement in Italy had been a resounding success for the French Empire, demonstrating that their doctrines of mobility and surprise could produce stunningly quick results, it had also tied up the Imperial Army in Italy.
This had allowed the Commune to push into northern Spain and Italy, and, more importantly, had tied up enough Communard troops in the south that the Germans had pushed well and truly into northern France, capturing Paris and offering the very real prospect that they might overrun the entirety of France - which would rule out any chance of a reclamation of the homeland by the French Empire.
Immediately after the commencement of hostilities between the Internationale and the Mitteleuropa, Spain, on behalf of the Catholic League, issued its own declaration of war on the Internationale.
Though the members of the Catholic League unanimously supported the declaration of war against the Internationale, each member supported the war for different reasons. For the French Empire, this was a golden opportunity to reclaim the homeland and crush the Communards once and for all, but for Spain and Portugal this was an opportunity to continue the papal sanctioned crusade against syndicalism, and for the Italian Federation, in addition to being a religious conflict against the atheistic tendencies of syndicalism, this was also an opportunity to finally crush the upstart Socialist Republic of Italy and to regain Naples and Sicily.
The borders of France and the Catholic League at the outbreak of the Second Weltkrieg
Following the declaration of war, the French Imperial High Command received intelligence reports showing that all possible landing sites in southern France remained garrisoned and therefore unsuitable for a direct attempt at an amphibious invasion by the Imperial Army and Navy. As the Pyrenees would make any attack on the Commune from Spain especially bloody, an alternative plan was proposed.
The Italian Federation was much smaller than the Commune and faced the prospect of being overwhelmed should sufficient force be brought to bear against them - if this were to happen then SRI troops would be able to link up with the Commune and give the Internationale a serious chance of being able to win the war.
Therefore, the decision was made to send Imperial troops to crush the SRI, ending the two front war the Italian Federation was fighting, and allowing all force to be brought to bear against the Communards.
An amphibious assault was attempted at Palermo but the SRI defenders were too firmly entrenched to allow a quick landing.
With the possibility of the much larger Communard Mediterranean fleet arriving at any moment to menace the troop transports, the decision was made to abandon any attempt at an independent landing and instead to join forces with the Federation in a push south towards Naples.
During the failed invasion of Sicily, the Internationale grew to include the Union of Britain - where an emergency meeting of the Congress of the Trade Unions had voted to join the war against the “reactionary powers”. While Union troops would mainly be fighting in Northern France and the Low Countries, and therefore of no threat to the Catholic League, the participation of Britain in the war had triggered the entry of the Entente into the conflict as the remnants of the British Empire sensed an opportunity to regain the mother country.
Meanwhile, Imperial troops landed just south of Rome at the town of Anzio - where the Exodus of Catholics from the SRI a few years earlier had nearly caused a war.
The newly arrived seven divisions which made up the First Imperial Army launched an immediate attack on the SRI positions in Gaeta without waiting for their Italian allies.
The attack was a resounding success and, in less than a fortnight, the syndicalist border forts had been overrun and the region was firmly in the hands of Imperial troops who were now just a short distance from the SRI capital of Naples.
Imperial mechanised cavalry then began a race across the undefended interior of the SRI towards the eastern coast of the Italian peninsula in order to cut off and surround the four SRI divisions dug in around Pescara.
At the same time, the First Army launched an attack on Naples, catching the local militia by surprise and driving them and the government of the SRI out of the doomed city.
By the end of August, Naples was in Federation hands, thanks to the efforts of Imperial troops - who continued to race ahead of their allies - and Pescara had been completely surrounded. Field Marshal d’Esperey was confident that the syndicalists were on the run and gave the order for an all-out assault.
Two divisions were ordered north to aid the Federation in closing the Pescara pocket while the mechanised cavalry were to push south towards the provisional SRI capital of Taranto - a crucial port city which also contained one of the few operational military airfields left in SRI hands. Meanwhile the bulk of the First Army would push south towards the syndicalist troops defending Salerno.
While the assault on Salerno was a success, the mechanised cavalry had only managed to reach the outskirts of Taranto before being forced back by the defenders.
D’Esperey decided to postpone the capture of Taranto until the Federation air force had bombed the city and until sufficient forces had been assembled for the assault. Instead, the Field Marshal took his army south into Cosenza.
SRI resistance melted away before the Empire’s forces and soon Cosenza was in the hands of the Catholic League, leaving Taranto surrounded. The city had become another pocket.
D’Espery now felt ready to take the city and launched an assault with overwhelming force.
The city swiftly fell, and the Imperial army was able to drive the last syndicalist troops, other than those trapped in Pescara, off of the Italian peninsula. The SRI had now been reduced to nothing more than the island of Sicily.
However, an assault across the channel towards Sicily proved impossible to accomplish - despite several failed and costly attempts by the First Army.
However, these attacks forced the syndicalists to strip Palermo of its garrison - leaving the defence of the city to the local police whose readiness to die for the syndicalist cause was questionable.
When Federation spies reported this to D’Esperey, he sensed an opportunity. After the Field Marshal had communicated with Algiers, the Imperial Navy left port and managed to land a force of cavalry on an undefended stretch of coast near Palermo.
From there they managed to seize the city unopposed, convincing the SRI of the futility of continuing the war. Consequently, on October the 21st, 1939, the Socialist Republic of Italy formerly surrendered and was annexed by the Italian Federation. The Sicilian campaign had ended in victory.
However, while their involvement in Italy had been a resounding success for the French Empire, demonstrating that their doctrines of mobility and surprise could produce stunningly quick results, it had also tied up the Imperial Army in Italy.
This had allowed the Commune to push into northern Spain and Italy, and, more importantly, had tied up enough Communard troops in the south that the Germans had pushed well and truly into northern France, capturing Paris and offering the very real prospect that they might overrun the entirety of France - which would rule out any chance of a reclamation of the homeland by the French Empire.
You should have left Italy for later, and grab as much of France as you can instead... Germans wouldn't be able to reach Syndie Italy...
I think I mentioned it in the update but all the french beaches were garrisoned - if I'd attacked the French navy would have come out of port and sunk my transports before I could get a foothold.
I'd hoped I could win in Italy before France fell as normally the Commune puts up a much stronger fight. As it is, things look very bad for the French Empire...
The next update will be called "The Dash for France".
good work in italy but you really should have found a way to take some of your land back. if the germans create the kingdom of france or what its called, then will you be able to win against the german power?
do you have any more forces left to be used?
do you have any more forces left to be used?
You're an eejit. Shoulda used Federation forces to progress in the south and kept French forces in reserve to strike in the north. 
Tut tut tut. You should all have more faith in the descendants of Napoleon. A Napoleon will rule in Paris yet!
A Napoleon will rule in Paris yet!
The only forces I have left are needed for garrisoning the beaches against the British. I have about ten divisions I can commit to Europe but that's about all. Fortunately, in the next update you'll see that the French have finally left a beach undefended.
In my experience the Federation are worse than useless. And, to be honest, if I'd fought with either the Italians or the Spanish in the north then the provinces conquered would have been under their control - and there was no event in the version of Kaiserreich I had back then which would have allowed me to retake France if all the provinces were conquered by Spain or Italy.
But yeah, it was a pretty bad mistake. Unfortunately, I played the war through several times and the Commune folded so fast that this kind of outcome happened regardless of what I did
The solution is simple: Graze Germany to the ground. Or you could just hope Germany gets the idea of letting you into their sphere of influence after the Commune is crushed.
They wouldn't let me assume military control. Spain was the leader of the alliance, not me
I'm not sure I have enough cows to Graze germany to the ground
But yeah, without giving away anything as regards to the outcome, the most likely scenarios are either the partitioning of France between the Catholic League and Germany or complete German conquest of France or Germany giving France back to the French Empire on condition of joining the Mitteleuropa. I'm always willing to make a custom event for my games if I think the in built events aren't plausible enough 
The alternate course I think this could have taken is that despite all expectations the Catholic League and Syndies made a Pact with the Devil. In the end all French can agree that the Germans must return Alsace-Lorraine. The Italians all want back the lands stolen by the Hapsburgs, perhaps Spain could be promised German colonial possessions. By putting off the conflict of ideology, both sides could revenge the defeats of the Weltkrieg.
I'll be surprised to see how you take Paris now.
I'll be surprised to see how you take Paris now.
Yeah, but how on earth could the French government-in-exile and the syndicalist government of France possible work together?
It's unlikely, but compromise is always an option.
The whole situation for Nat. France is a helluva tough one. The only real option is to attack the Commune when the Germans attack, and the only ones that could help you are the Carlists and the rest of the pact. And since the Commune always, ALWAYS gets defeated no matter what happens (Goddamn overpowered Germany), it's basically a race that Nat. France is inclined to lose under a human player, let alone A.I.
I was thinking about an event where if Nat. France was neutral (i.e not in the Entente), and certain events were in place (Jacobins/Anarchistes in control of the Commune, Democracy or Constitutional Monarchy in Nat. France) that they could unite peacefully, like the Socialist Republic of Italy can do with the Federation. It'd be unlikely as hell to happen of course, but still, anything to get France to win at least once. It's just not fun having the same scenario happen all the time, and its my main problem with Kaiserreich as a whole. :angry:
EDIT: Also, just because they're different government structures doesn't mean they can't work together to achieve mutual goals. Molotov-Ribbentrop pact anyone?
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