We, the People -- A USA Interactive FTM AAR

[TankOfMidgets]

((Just as a heads up, I finished playing last night; I'll have an update for January 1-31 1942 up tonight! Spoiler alert: Some parts of our plans go really, really well... others, not so much.))

((Don't tell me, it's probably in my theater again... I'm going to guess that Norway worked out, but that the Italians caught our transport fleet off North Africa and wiped out the entire invasion force. Sound about right?))

[Avindian]

Briefing to Congress for February 1, 1942

((Henceforth, apart from the twice yearly States of the Union, I will be responding in the guise of the Presidential Chief of Staff, not as the President.))

Ladies and Gentlemen of Congress,

I have been instructed by President Willkie to brief Congress once a month on our war progress. I am pleased to answer any questions you may have at the end of my briefing; I will also attach a unit production and technical supplement to every briefing, for distribution to all Senators. I will remind you that what you are reading falls under the Espionage Act, and that the punishments for divulging this information are severe. We do not want our enemies knowing our plans or our losses.

At the beginning of January, funds were allocated to the production of new units. In particular, a new Marine Corps of five divisions ((3 MAR x 1 ENG)), substantially expanded transport capacity ((3 parallel transports on a near perpetual run)), four new battleships, two additional carriers, and screening elements for our naval forces have been prioritized. Our air force will receive a constant stream, including a wing of strategic bombers and two wings of interceptors as quickly as our factories can produce them. Per General Craig's orders, anti-aircraft brigades have already been distributed to some of our forces remaining in the United States awaiting transit to the United Kingdom.

The First Battle of Trondheim, although it did not go as well as it possibly could have, still showed a minimum of American casualties.



According to General MacArthur's new plan, the weakened 7th Army Corps was transferred to the First Army, which was not to reenter the fray for a brief period. The Second US Armored Corps was disbanded, with its component troops merged into the First US Armored Corps. SAG 'Nevada', which the Brits had graciously supplied during the disastrous events of December, was also transferred to Manila, where it would take on new fuel before its ultimate destination: Guam. At 1400 hrs on New Year's Day, SAG 'Montana' engaged Japanese forces at the Battle of Arakane Reef. The battle was inconclusive.

On January 4, 1942, American forces landed at Afjord and Brekstad. Units landed included US Special Forces and the Third US Army Corps. The 82nd Airborne Division did not participate in the assault, due to logistical problems in the United Kingdom. Elements of these forces engaged the German position at Trondheim while the remaining units encircled the Norwegian port.



Even though the opposition only consisted of six brigades, the brutal Norwegian winter and difficult terrain slowed down the American advance considerably. Meanwhile, in the Pacific, a second Battle of the Arakane Reef was more decisive; the battle was a strategic victory in that the Japanese forces had to flee, but Japanese CAGs inflicted some serious punishment on the American fleet.



On January 5th, Turkey announced its decision to mobilize their forces; as Turkey is as yet unaligned, it is unclear why they are doing so. January 7th marked the turning point in the European Theater; the 15th and 16th Infantry Division routed German forces at the Battle of Storen while the invasion of Gibraltar began minutes later.



A few hours later, additional landings were made in southern Norway, entirely unopposed by German forces.



The best news of the war thus far was received at 1800 hrs on January 8th; the Italian general had surrendered and Gibraltar was returned to the United Kingdom. Mr. Churchill has graciously allowed us to use the restored British port to stage further invasions of North Africa. Orders have already gone out to ship the Atlantic Southern Command directly to Gibraltar, which is much faster than sending them to the UK first.



Later that same day, American forces moved to seize the critical ports of Bergen and Stavanger; this would also allow us to use the airbase at Bergen to attack other parts of Norway and northern Germany. The Germans attempted to break the American stronghold at Afjord but were quickly repulsed.



On January 14, with Bergen and Stavanger secured, American aircraft were shipped to Bergen's air force base. Our tactical bombers carried ground attacks on Trondheim, attempting to break the stalemate there, while American fighters patrolled southern Norway. Our strategic bombers hammered Oslo, although German engineers repaired the damage depressingly fast.



We finally got some good news in the Pacific on January 15, as Nationalist China formally joined the Allied cause, giving us more detailed intelligence on Japanese forces in China; the briefing packet contains specifics for those interested.



The next day, SAG 'New York' sighted a single squadron of Italian submarines; the Italian commander ran as quickly as he could. I can just imagine the terrified look on his face as an entire American fleet popped up unexpectedly!



On January 18, American strategic bombers destroyed the German airfield at Fredrikshavn; they would later assist tactical bombers in Trondheim at attacking enemy ground troops. Our own submarines had no choice but to scurry away when they were engaged by two Japanese carriers on January 24; the damage is still undergoing repairs at the present time. A day later, a clash between SAGs 'Nevada' and 'Montana' inflicted our first Japanese victory of the month: the sinking of the cruiser Kako. Unfortunately, the Japanese responded quickly, sinking two American submarine squadrons and a British destroyer flotilla.





Some in the high command assure me that the Japanese task force would never have spotted our subs without the British destroyer; in fact, since the British did not coordinated with us on this matter, we should be glad that the subs did not sink the British destroyer themselves! Two more American destroyer divisions were lost a day later from those damnable Japanese CAGs, while Japanese ships finished off another destroyer division and the USS Marblehead. We must find a way to combat Japanese naval air power!



With the paperwork snafu finally cleared up, the 82nd Airborne Division landed in Afjord on January 29. The remainder of the Atlantic Northern Command waits in Bergen for further orders. They, as yet, lack the capability to make proper airdrops, but I am told that the newest cargo hold designs just completed will enable us to do this in the very near future. They have not yet attacked German positions at Trondheim, although an additional infantry division has on by executive order in an attempt to break the stalemate. This is the situation in Trondheim as of earlier this morning:



Bombing runs have been called off briefly to allow organization to recover; while German AA has done little damage at this point, there are morale concerns. Worse, without access to a port, American troops are running slow on supplies. Here is a more general snapshot of the European and Asian theaters.





It would seem that the infamous Russian winter has slowed operations; the Soviets are not appreciably farther into Poland as they were at the end of December. The Chinese are responding to the Japanese invasion, but the penetration is a little deeper now; I must confess that our earlier projections of the Japanese loss of Korea may have been too optimistic. Make no mistake, Senators, we have made considerable progress in our operations to take Norway and Gibraltar. Trondheim remains the sole black spot in Norway; with Gibraltar secured, we must only await the transport of the remaining American forces there to begin attacking the Italians in North Africa. That said, the Japanese navy is absolutely destroying our forces in the Pacific; I have cancelled all combat patrols until reinforcements arrive. Submarines remain active to attack Japanese commerce; we've had some success there, but not much.

I now await your questions, comments, and concerns as we prepare for a new month of action.

Techs completed: Carrier Task Force, Anti-Tank Barrel and Sights 3, Agriculture 7, Destroyer Engine 3, Small Fuel Tank 3, Strategic Bombardment Tactics 4, Cargo Hold 3
Units produced: 6 x AA brigades (deployed to New York), 3 x AA brigade (deployed to Norfolk), 2 x strategic bombers (deployed to Boston)
Units lost: 6 x destroyer squadrons, 2 x submarine squadrons, 1 x cruiser; 1 x destroyer squadron (British)
Units destroyed: 1 x cruiser (Japanese)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've updated the link for the 2/1/42 save on the original post.

General MacArthur, we need to do something about Trondheim. Whether it's expanding our supply lines, flying supplies in via transport, or even abandoning Trondheim for the moment, we will probably lose in the coming months without a change in strategy. This is through no fault of yours; I think we all underestimated the effects of the winter up north. Bombing has been somewhat effective -- I would estimate 50 casualties per run, for a total of approximately 500 German lives -- but we'll need something dramatically new. German divisions have been spotted near, but not in, Oslo -- perhaps our Paratroopers could be of use there? ((If somebody wants to check, I'm still not sure whether or not we can transport all four brigades yet with our current cargo hold tech)).

General Bradley, Buckler is not working as presently envisaged. We've lost no territory, but have lost considerable screening elements. I cannot figure out why Japanese CAGs are so effective and our own CAGs so... ineffective. One Japanese ship lost for dozens of American ships is not an acceptable trade off. ((Honestly, I think we might be best served by simply hiding until we get the elements to start island hopping.))

I await revised plans for Tinderbox and Buckler; we may be able to begin North African operations in February if transport is completed by then.

If Senators have any bills they wish to propose, please do so by Thursday at 10 PM CST (-6 GMT). If possible, I'd like the revised plans by then as well.

[TankOfMidgets]

Mr. Chief of Staff:

Judging from reports, the German reinforcements we expected to attack our siege lines around Trondheim have not materialized. Consequently, the units that we had previously designated as reserves can join the assault. Since withdrawing our forces from Trondheim would be impractical at this point, I intend to deploy our wing of transport planes to deliver supplies to our attacking forces until the port can be secured. ((Have all our divisions around Trondheim attack the city. By my tests, that should raise the odds to 74%. Also, move our transport planes to the Bergen airbase and have them deliver supplies from there.))

As for revised plans for Tinderbox, I will have updated plans on the President's desk as soon as possible. ((I'm assuming just landing in Italy would be too gamey at this point, even though we can reach it. Also, I think we're going to need an Indian Theater Commander at this rate of going, since the British AI is about to get sandwiched between Italy and Persia. ))

- General MacArthur

((Not as bad as I expected, actually. When you said "some things didn't go as planned," I figured we'd just lost half the army.

Also, Bob: do you want those Marines back now, or are you going to focus on winning the naval war before you start island hopping? I'd like to use them to clear a port in North Africa, but I can just land my troops like in Norway and secure one from land.))

[tyriet]

Resistance in Norway seems to be low for now. I am most pleased to see the success of our armed forces. The naval war has not been going so well, for the sake of the sailors, we should try to be more defensive on naval aspects.
I do not have any bills at the moment, but once our operation has been completed with success, i will try to see how my naval construction knowledge can contribute to a new Operation.

- Senator Franz Vormüller (Left Wing Radical - WA)

[Avindian]

Mr. Chief of Staff:

Judging from reports, the German reinforcements we expected to attack our siege lines around Trondheim have not materialized. Consequently, the units that we had previously designated as reserves can join the assault. Since withdrawing our forces from Trondheim would be impractical at this point, I intend to deploy our wing of transport planes to deliver supplies to our attacking forces until the port can be secured. ((Have all our divisions around Trondheim attack the city. By my tests, that should raise the odds to 74%. Also, move our transport planes to the Bergen airbase and have them deliver supplies from there.))

As for revised plans for Tinderbox, I will have updated plans on the President's desk as soon as possible. ((I'm assuming just landing in Italy would be too gamey at this point, even though we can reach it. Also, I think we're going to need an Indian Theater Commander at this rate of going, since the British AI is about to get sandwiched between Italy and Persia. ))

- General MacArthur

((Not as bad as I expected, actually. When you said "some things didn't go as planned," I figured we'd just lost half the army.

Also, Bob: do you want those Marines back now, or are you going to focus on winning the naval war before you start island hopping? I'd like to use them to clear a port in North Africa, but I can just land my troops like in Norway and secure one from land.))

((I have no qualms about landing directly in Italy, unless some of the other readers do, although if we're going to help the Brits in India, I'd like to see us open up the Suez Canal -- that's a mighty long walk.))

As a reminder to all players: apart from these initial landings, the war (the ground portion anyway) is supposed to be on AI control as much as possible. I'm going to clarify this in the OP, now that I think about it.

[Saithis]

"Suffice it to say Naval Planners are distressed at the loss of so many escort vessels in the Pacific, but we are working day and night to analyze current flaws in our approach to this war and how to counter the Japanese opponents who we have clearly underestimated. It is my hope that the Admirals take the advice of Naval Intelligence and the Naval Office seriously and maintain a more defensive posture in the Pacific until we have figured out a way to counter these effective Japanese aircraft."

~Admiral William H. Standley, Chief of Naval Staff

(( Doesn't Japan get a bonus to CAG Duty Efficiency and Port Strikes for the first 6 months of the war? That would explain the difference since quite a lot of tech has gone into making the carriers and their aircraft cutting edge. ))

[Avindian]

"Suffice it to say Naval Planners are distressed at the loss of so many escort vessels in the Pacific, but we are working day and night to analyze current flaws in our approach to this war and how to counter the Japanese opponents who we have clearly underestimated. It is my hope that the Admirals take the advice of Naval Intelligence and the Naval Office seriously and maintain a more defensive posture in the Pacific until we have figured out a way to counter these effective Japanese aircraft."

~Admiral William H. Standley, Chief of Naval Staff

(( Doesn't Japan get a bonus to CAG Duty Efficiency and Port Strikes for the first 6 months of the war? That would explain the difference since quite a lot of tech has gone into making the carriers and their aircraft cutting edge. ))

((I'm checking the code, and while Port Strikes looks right, I don't see anything about CAG efficiency; that would certainly make a lot of sense. I'm also not using leaders for the CAGs; should I be?))

[Saithis]

((I'm checking the code, and while Port Strikes looks right, I don't see anything about CAG efficiency; that would certainly make a lot of sense. I'm also not using leaders for the CAGs; should I be?))

((Er, yes, we really should be. Failing to ask for air generals for them was an oversight on my part, if you can merge the CAGs into units of 2 per fleet carrier and give them all leaders, especially ones with the naval strike or spotter bonus, then that'd improve our performance immediately. I'd swear they got CAG bonus from the effect but I could be mistaken.))

[Avindian]

((Er, yes, we really should be. Failing to ask for air generals for them was an oversight on my part, if you can merge the CAGs into units of 2 per fleet carrier and give them all leaders, especially ones with the naval strike or spotter bonus, then that'd improve our performance immediately. I'd swear they got CAG bonus from the effect but I could be mistaken.))

((I didn't even know it was possible to merge them. Now I really feel like a dolt ))

[son of liberty]

((Well, it certainly explains a lot. ))

[Avindian]

I'm about ready to play again; Tom sent me some interesting plans for February. If I don't hear from KILLER BOB with revisions to Buckler tonight, I'm going to give the Pacific Fleet the month off, apart from the subs. So, whether or not he sends anything, I'll play tonight for certain; not sure if I'll update or not, but I probably will.

[genbrad]

Standing by for further orders. A quick shift of forces to help out the Trondheim assault from Bergan is already on my books. Please appropriate the needed transport to accomplish this. Also a further bridgehead expansion is doable in the Bergan area.

General Stillwell Atlantic Northern C-in-C

[Avindian]

Monthly Briefing of Congress: February 1st - March 1st, 1942

Senators, Generals, and Admirals,

We have struck a great blow against the Axis in this month. It has not been without cost, but we are finally beginning to make our present felt in this conflict. It is not a pleasant feeling for Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, or Imperial Japan, I assure you.

Early February 1, General Stillwell, Commander of the Atlantic Northern Command, ordered an all-out assault on Trondheim. Supplies were transported by airplane from Bergen to Storen to restore the morale of our soldiers. In the Pacific, after new Generals were appointed to command our Carrier Air Groups, CTF 'Lexington' sunk Japanese shipping, enacting a measure of revenge for our losses to Japanese planes in February.



When Lexington and her sister ships attempted to return to Guam for repairs, however, they were struck by Japanese carriers.



Although American naval aircraft sank a destroyer flotilla, the ships of the task force have been ordered to remain in Guam until repairs are complete. By executive order, the naval base and coastal fortifications of Guam will be expanded to their maximum potential; this will be set to the highest possible priority.

On February 11, the commander of the German garrison in Trondheim surrendered, opening the way for American convoys to supply our forces in Norway. General Stillwell issued his orders later that same day for the eventual defeat of German occupation forces in Norway.



The Axis won its own victory on February 18, conquering the sovereign nation of Iraq. Their government was welcomed in London with open arms.



German ships began inflicting significant casualties on our supply line from Boston to Trondheim; the escorts were doubled from 5 to 10, but the attacks continued. Finally, CTF 'Yorktown' located the culprit: the German cruiser Leipzig. Leipzig survived the encounter, but took heavy damage. Attacks on American convoys in the region have since ceased; whether this is because Leipzig was the only raider or that other German forces have simply been told to leave American convoys alone is unclear.

On February 23, Admiral Halsey was named our first four-star Admiral; his command included SAG 'Texas' and the transports necessary to begin the next phase of American operations in the Atlantic theater: Operation 'Tinderbox.' In the meantime, on February 25, American forces in Norway suffered a slight setback at the Battle of Geilo.





To avenge the losses, the US Marine Corps struck at the key African naval base in Tripoli, which reminded some of the Marines' very first expeditions; engaging the Barbary Pirates. The Italian garrison surrendered almost without a fight.



The impact of the Norwegian air bases is already clear; American strategic bombers performed missions in Leipzig, Germany, severely damaging factories there.



For the first time, American armored forces struck a blow against the Nazi regime; the 2nd Armored Division, alongside the 20th Infantry Division, defeated German forces at Seljord, bringing our boys ever closer to Oslo.





To close out this briefing, here is a map of our progress in Norway. Director Donovan, liaising with Chinese intelligence, has also provided more information on their situation against the Japanese.





Techs gained: Anti-Aircraft Carriage and Sights 3, Battleship Crew Training 3, Supply Organization 4 ((I gave the slot to Education)), Mobile Warfare 2
Units built: 14 x AA brigades, 4 x ART brigades
Units lost: CL Memphis, 1 x submarine squadron (by Japan)
Units destroyed: CA Atago, CL Isuzu, and 2 x destroyer squadron (Japanese), 2 x Garrison Divisions (2 x GAR) (German)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Senators, we have something to vote on: our occupation policy towards the Italians. Our options are enumerated below.



We have two alternatives at this time: work with friendly Italian officials in the lands we capture, or turn matters over to the Army. We are likely to get more manpower from our captured territory if we rely on their civilian leaders to administer the region, but we can exploit resources more efficiently with army command (at the cost of more resentment). Please vote for either Collaboration or Military Government. Polls close on Tuesday at 10 PM (-6 GMT).

General MacArthur, would you like to delay further action in North Africa until we can transport the anti-aircraft equipment to Gibraltar, or would you prefer to continue as scheduled and leave the equipment in the United States? If Generals MacArthur or Bradley have any changes to their plans for March, please have them on my desk by Tuesday.

Let's get to work!

[tyriet]

Well, regarding its a colony of Italy, we should try to collaborate with the locals, as they most likely have a distrust for the Italians as well.
- Senator Franz Vormüller (LWR - WA)

[SovietAmerika]

I think we should choose the Military Government for Italy. It would offer a cool transition for full civilian rule after the war.

- Senator Elexis Sinclaire (R - MA)

[Saithis]

"I stand in favour of a Military Government. The country will be in chaos once we invade properly and the Italian colonies will likely seek their own independent rule, lest they suffer the ignobility of European colonialism once more. By placing control temporarily in the hands of the Army and reassuring the people that we are here for them via leaflets and poster campaigns, I'm sure dissent will be kept to a minimum. Once we have more firmly asserted ourselves, I am sure we can then set up a civilian government in a more organized and democratic method, as opposed to a hastily-constructed cabal of collaborationists."

~Senator Sarah Quentin O'Hanahan (D-OR)

[son of liberty]

I also support Military Government
Senator Newman

[Vrael_1492]

"I stand in favour of a Military Government. The country will be in chaos once we invade properly and the Italian colonies will likely seek their own independent rule, lest they suffer the ignobility of European colonialism once more. By placing control temporarily in the hands of the Army and reassuring the people that we are here for them via leaflets and poster campaigns, I'm sure dissent will be kept to a minimum. Once we have more firmly asserted ourselves, I am sure we can then set up a civilian government in a more organized and democratic method, as opposed to a hastily-constructed cabal of collaborationists."

~Senator Sarah Quentin O'Hanahan (D-OR)

I fully support Senator O'Hanahan's proposal of a transition, starting with a Military Government, and then gradually going over to a collaboration government.

[Novatheorem]

Mr. Chief of Staff,

I implore you to ask Mr. President that we continue working with the locals to establish a collaborative government, as we should not be incurring the wrath of the locals. They have had enough oppression from a years long subjugation under the tyrants of Italy. I suspect it may also allow our boys to focus on the task at hand rather than policing their communities. Show them that we are the true hand of democracy, and let us work together to find a solution.

-Senator Keon Monisset

[Avindian]

Poll:

Italian government
Collaboration: 2
Military: 4

Those of you seeking a transition at some point will simply need to introduce a bill stating such at the proper time.