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OK, so China is done and things are going to schedule in Europe. I'm sure you still have time before anything bad happens in the Pacific but this is shaping up very nicely indeed. I hope you take care of those men you are sending to France!
Heh are they going to get up to full STR and ORG while on the trip to Marseilles?
When the best news of the last month is that the Baltic Republics have not yet succumbed to the Soviets, you know it's been a bleak one. Poland gone - that was to be expected. But the fall of China so quickly? That is going to have an impact in the Pacific. Does China contribute a lot to the Japanese IC/resource situation? If so, I'm fearing the fleets they'll put to sea, especially if there's going to be a lull until late 1941 before the Pacific War flares up again.
Oh, and:
<Shuffles on sensible shoes> Ouch.
I've not actually played Fascist Japan in HPP yet, so I'm not certain if they get a bonus or not akin to the British India bonus (+25% IC). If not, China's probably just a bogstandard puppet, meaning they'll help Japan's energy and rares, but most of their quite considerable IC will be going into making a land army to free up Japan's troops for other endeavours. I don't expect it to massively impact the size of the Japanese fleet I'm expecting to face, but we'll see.
Yeah, it's never pretty. Although it pains me to say it, I'm sure the Japanese will clean it up soon enough and it'll be a nice, smooth green from border to border.
Finally some real action
I haven't even shot at anyone yet! Well, not on the ground...
I've got plans for the men in France, I definitely won't let myself lose the army if there's anything I have to say about it. I don't have the IC to be wasting brigades like that, nor do I have the manpower to let myself get caught in battles of grinding offense. I'll be careful.
Definitely not. Due to my high morale rates org will be full by the time I get there, but it will take months to fully reinforce the Australian Expeditionary Army. HPP drastically slows your reinforcement rates, making already bloody battles harder to recover from.
Wow, this really makes me want to try HPP. Just one question, is it possible for the U.K to ever choose to declare war on the Soviet Union after they invade Poland?
Yes. The event shown in the last chapter has two options for the UK. The AI typically prefers to let the USSR invasion slide, but the event is coded to give a small chance for the UK to stand by the guarantee no matter who the attacker is. Makes the game more interesting not knowing for sure what the AI will do
As the UK, have you ever declared war on both countries? I'm about to come up to that point in my game and am wondering what choice I should make.Yes. The event shown in the last chapter has two options for the UK. The AI typically prefers to let the USSR invasion slide, but the event is coded to give a small chance for the UK to stand by the guarantee no matter who the attacker is. Makes the game more interesting not knowing for sure what the AI will do
Honestly, I've never played as the US or UK since the game first came out. Nothing past loading up as either of the two to check the AI. However, if the UK decides to back Poland when Stalin invades, the USSR AI has a good chance of backing down. I've seen it happen during a test game as Germany. So, if you as a player decide to back Poland and threaten the Soviet Union with war, the Soviet AI may also back down. Then again, it might not. Up to you to decide whether the risk is worth it. Not that it matters much, as Poland will usually fall to Germany and if Germany has the M-R Pact it will likely (but not always!) hand over Eastern Poland to the USSR.
If it doesn't back down you're in trouble. I've seen USSR vs. Allies & Japan simultaneously, and by the time Barbarossa should have come, Germany refused to invade, presumably due to the fact that, once I loaded up the USSR, I found they had no less than 2200 brigades in 1941, including an incredible 381 motorized and 186 med. armour brigades...USSR when given plenty of time to sit on its industry is a terrifying beast.
China's done already? Gods.
The MR pact went as normal, good. Sov puppeting the Baltics, not bad for them either, unless Ger declares on them too.
Man your work is cut out for ya.
The MR pact went as normal, good. Sov puppeting the Baltics, not bad for them either, unless Ger declares on them too.
Man your work is cut out for ya.
I don't think they are puppets. The post mentioned something about refusing demands.
China finished a lot earlier than I had hoped, I think Japan spent an extra half year at least preparing for it, thus why it went faster than usual. The Baltics, as mentioned, did not become puppets but refused the Soviet demands. This is usually followed by a declaration of war, in my HPP experience, but not 100% of the time.
My work may be cut out for me but I'm tired of not having a challenge!
Finished editing another session's worth of screenshots, I've set aside some time later tonight to paste everything together and type up a post, so expect something then!
Chapter 2.1 - The "Phony" War
Stalin did not take the defiance of the Baltic states lightly.
Lithuania was first to fall, followed by Latvia next and Estonia last.
The Autumn Baltic War was a bloody affair as the Soviets faced bitter resistance in the invasion. Grinding combat led to tens of thousands of Soviet casualties accrued over the course of a month and a half of bloody fighting. Thanks in part to the chaotic state of the Red Army following the Great Purge, the USSR would face grim reality in its inability to swiftly defeat such a small, unimportant series of countries. Nonetheless, defeated they were and the Balts were returned into Russia's sphere as memberstates of the USSR. Stalin was so incensed at the Balts that he instituted a harsh crackdown on the countries and, for them, the time of troubles was just beginning.
RAAF and British aircraft encountered stiff resistance over the Atlantic.
After the Fall of Poland, Germany began to realize the heavy toll that the RAF and Royal Navy was exacting on its coastline. Bombers based out of RAF bases and Lille had been terrorizing the Saar and Hannover regions, but now the tide was turning. The German Luftwaffe was a fearsome opponent, with a large number of planes and well-trained pilots. Dangerous engagements would erupt in what became known as the North Sea Campaign, a struggle between the Empire and the Reich for control of both countries' all important territorial waters. Unable to sortie out of Wilhelmshaven with a real chance of success, the Kriegsmarine was forced to lurk in the Baltic where it could not be easily struck. This did not, however, stop German u-boats from terrorizing the English Channel, nor her aircraft from hunting down British ships and engaging them.
German, British and Australian aircraft clash over the North Sea in one of the peak battles.
Australian forces performed adequately in the skies, but the war was rapidly taking its tolls. Nearly half of her Sunderland bombers had been shot down or damaged to the point of recall, nearly 150 planes lost in told over the initial 3 months of the war. Most of the crew were either lost in the atlantic or interned by Dutch patrols off the coast of Holland. The Netherlands was committed to neutrality and, like in the past Great War, would arrest any violating its territorial sovereignty and hope to survive this war unscathed. Australian Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires were far less touched, and had covered the bombers adequately so far. There were worries about Germany's ability to outpace the Allied forces in aircraft production as so far the number of planes shot down seemed roughly equal on each side. The British found themselves unable to safely venture into the North Sea, but the Germans were suffering the same. The Campaign was, thus far, as much of a stalemate as the silence of the Western Front.
The ANZAC Expeditionary Army had finished assembling in France at long last. The force numbered just over 100,000 at present, of which roughly 40% were New Zealand troops. Australian Command was prepared to defer to the British for overall strategic command for the time being, but they remembered the difficulties of working with the British in the Great War. Although the Maginot Line was lightly defended, the German defences - supposedly called the Siegfried Line - was not so weakly held. British High Command was still trying to convince the French to support a general assault into the Ruhr, Germany's industrial heartland, to try and stop the Reich before it could muster its full forces together. Australian Infantry was well-supported by heavy artillery and support units, while the New Zealand formations were lighter and more mobile, giving the Army a flexible force in wartime.
Australian Army production was continuing. Although the bulk of her military budget of late had gone into the Navy and Air Force, her Army was expanding through necessity. In late November an order was placed for a run of Vickers-designed light tanks, to be built in Australia herself. The intention was to slowly develop Australia's motorized cavalry into armoured cavalry, enabling her to field a force which could meet the armoured divisions of the Germans on a more equal footing. The retrained Australian cavalry had adapted to motorized warfare, but not to armoured warfare - it was hoped that Australia could modernize her military that far while still keeping up with her other extensive requirements.
News broke in Australia on December 2nd that former Prime Minister Joseph Lyons had died of a heart attack. Although he had not been a popular Prime Minister late in his career, his loss was mourned by the state. Eager to unite the country, the propaganda press rapidly used the chance to hail and glorify the Australian cause.
Increasingly, the Australians required fuel for convoys to Europe and for the navy, air force and newly motorized cavalry. The establishment after nearly half a year of ongoing negotiations had sealed a final contract to bring large quantities of crude out of the Persian Gulf and to refineries. This large supply would be sufficient to build up a large stockpile of fuel for future operations.
Australian soldiers on Parade in Reims, France.
Just before Christmas, large parades and training manoeuvres were executed across Northern France for much of the "Phony War." The name was given because, although the Allies and Germany were now at war, very little in the way of actual fighting occured. No major offensives were made and neither side was willing to commit the bulk of its air or sea forces this early into the war. British Command however wanted to test the German fighting capability, and so they sent the one force they knew had outperformed any other in the Great War - the ANZAC Expeditionaries.
On December 27th, in what would later be called the 'Christmas Offensive', the Australians launched a large-scale, probing offensive into the German Rhineland. The battle would be brief, but intense - the Australians were soon outnumbered as Germans launched counterattacks against the Maginot Line. With just two divisions of French infantry garrisoning the Maginot border, the Australians were bound to face extreme difficulties. The British objective was to capture the city of Pirmasens approximately fifteen miles to the north. British intelligence had underestimated the strength of German defences, and the Australians would only make it twelve miles into Germany before their offensive was blunted. Heavy artillery barrages traded sides, and the skies above the Rhineland turned into a battleground between the RAAF and the Luftwaffe. The offensive lasted just five days before the Australians deemed that further dedication to the assault would result in disaster. The 6th Panzer division would arrive to reinforce the region and, although the Australians had adequate anti-tank equipment, they lacked armour of their own. With the refusal of the French to commit forces of their own to an assault into Germany, the offensive was called off and the Australians staged a strategic withdrawal back across the Rhine. In just a day, ANZAC left few traces of their presence and disappeared like ghosts.
Although the Christmas Offensive was an operation doomed to failure, the Australians had once again proven their mettle against the Germans. The battle was a bloody reminder of why Britain's companions from down under were so feared twenty-one years prior; German infantry suffered huge casualties in their attempted counterattacks as the Australians dug in heavily, laid ambushes and fought bitterly and fearlessly against the enemy onslaught. The assault on Pirmasens itself was a fools' hope, and the Australians had proved unable to crack the defensive lines around it. Nonetheless, Australia found the Germans a less than intimidating opponent on foot, greater concerns were raised about encounters with the German armoured columns. The German tank crews and commanders seemed very skilled and the vehicles themselves were nimble and quick both on and off the roads. While no strategic objectives had been gained, the British made valuable gains in terms of evaluating German military potential.
In January, Australian morale had been bolstered by the daring raid, and across the border, reconaissance planes and radio listening posts indicated large movements of German troops. They had clearly been rattled by the Australian attack, and were planning some kind of operation to try and crack the French defensive line before the Allies advanced in more force. The French and British both believed the assault would come through Belgium, and Britain was hard at work debriefing the Australians in the hopes of gleaning some kind of key weakness in the German Army.
As February rolled on, however, the Australian newspapers were a buzz with sightings of an unidentified ship east of Brisbane. Taken from a sailboat by an amateur photographer, the picture was soon in every newspaper in the Empire, rumoured to be a Japanese ship dangerously close to Australia's own territorial waters. The Royal Australian Navy immediately denied that a Japanese warship could have snuck up on them unannounced.
The picture that had set the British media ablaze.
As panic began to spread through Australia, the government knew that they had to take some kind of action. There had been a great deal of fear that Japan, Italy and Hungary would join the declaration of war on Poland and turn this into yet another global war. Although this action had never manifested, the sighting of the unidentified ship near Brisbane had convinced the Australian public that the Japanese were planning a sneak attack. On February 17th, 1940, Admiral Colvin made an official statement regarding the mystery ship. She was the HMAS Vanguard, originally specified as a battleship, her plans were converted to a carrier early in 1939 as the Australian Navy felt that aerial force projection on the wide waters of the Pacific would serve them - and the Empire - better than yet one more set of British big guns.
In short, she wasn't Japan's carrier - she was Australia's, and she was ready for war.
Oct 1939-Mar 1940:
Australian Army Casualties:
1,352 Australian Army deaths
Australian Navy Casualties:
3 Australian merchants sunk
3 Australian frigates sunk
Australian Air Force Casualties:
157 Short Sunderlands lost
21 Hawker Nimrod lost
72 Hawker Hurricanes lost
9 Supermarine Spitfires lost
German Army Casualties:
1,467 German Army deaths
~Est 12 German tanks lost
German Navy Casualties:
22 Kriegsmarine merchants sunk
German Air Force Casualties:
~Est 100 Messerschmitt Bf109s lost
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I doubt the Germans are rattled... but all should be well for now so long as the French hold firm on the Maginot Line. Clearly assaulting the German positions is not a viable proposition, so what next for the ANZAC force? Await events and provide Gamelin with a strategic reserve?
The top secret carrier project was a nice surprise. Let's hope HMAS Vanguard proves her worth!
That was very much a phoney war in this update but I expect the real one's up next!
The top secret carrier project was a nice surprise. Let's hope HMAS Vanguard proves her worth!
That was very much a phoney war in this update but I expect the real one's up next!
I've got enough for two and nearly enough for a third, actually.
Yep, and they're getting a lot of tech thrown at them to boot. I decided that if I was going to invest in building large capital ships, I might as well go all the way and build something the Japanese won't sink 2 days after the war starts.
I doubt the Germans are rattled... but all should be well for now so long as the French hold firm on the Maginot Line. Clearly assaulting the German positions is not a viable proposition, so what next for the ANZAC force? Await events and provide Gamelin with a strategic reserve?
The top secret carrier project was a nice surprise. Let's hope HMAS Vanguard proves her worth!
That was very much a phoney war in this update but I expect the real one's up next!
I doubt very much they were rattled, but I was happy with the performance rates of the RAA in the brief skirmish. Although German leaders are higher skilled on average, my infantry seems better in most respects. The battle as always is going to come down to the enemy armour and what they do with them. An armoured thrust through Belgium could, in time, break into France if not countered with anti-tank.
As for the ANZAC formations, no, I'm not planning another assault across the Maginot, but I have something a little more devious in mind. If France can't even be bothered to assault when Germany is weak across the Siegfried Line, they certainly won't help me when Germany is strong.
Are the NZ forces really subordinated to yours?
As for the rest, well donein Europe, even though inconclusive. And the sneaky aircraft carrier? Australian military controls their information tightly.
Parade troops: pinned hats and capris pants revealing shapely ankles, so dashing!
As for the rest, well donein Europe, even though inconclusive. And the sneaky aircraft carrier? Australian military controls their information tightly.
Parade troops: pinned hats and capris pants revealing shapely ankles, so dashing!
At this time, I believe its roughly 27 garrison brigades, 6 anti-air brigades, 6 infantry brigades, 1 artillery brigade, 6 militia brigades. Nothing super substantial, but enough to hold off any surprise japanese attacks. I'm not expecting to be in threat for the first 6 months of the war at least, as it will take Japan time to get through the colonial holdings serving as my shield.
Are the NZ forces really subordinated to yours?
As for the rest, well donein Europe, even though inconclusive. And the sneaky aircraft carrier? Australian military controls their information tightly.
Parade troops: pinned hats and capris pants revealing shapely ankles, so dashing!
I gave the NZ troops to myself as expeditionaries to simulate ANZAC coordination, so yes, they're subordinated to my Army HQ for now.
Regarding the carrier, it was more that I forgot to mention an update earlier than true sneakiness of the Australian military, although I did intend for the conversion to carrier to be somewhat secretive. An oops on my part.
Sexy Aussie Dress Uniforms - you know it broski.