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Then it is better to get out ASAP, given that all of this mess is exclusively the fault of the British AI
Anyway, the expected bad news from Britain ( in spite of your success against the German fleets ) and indecisive ( in spite of victorious ) first blood between you and the japanese. India also seems to be going OK ( in spite of letting Nepal fall ) and the lack of news about the US means that nothing momentous happened between Japan and them. So, at this moment the only doubt is how many time the ANZAC troops can hold the (H)Adrian
line ... good defensive ground, but you are quite overwhelmed numberwise...
I'll get into what the other Commonwealthers have been up to in more detail once the Battle of Britain has settled down, but suffice to say I'm quite frustrated at Canada. They've failed to build an army or navy and their air force is just chilling out in America.
Then it is better to get out ASAP, given that all of this mess is exclusively the fault of the British AI
Anyway, the expected bad news from Britain ( in spite of your success against the German fleets ) and indecisive ( in spite of victorious ) first blood between you and the japanese. India also seems to be going OK ( in spite of letting Nepal fall ) and the lack of news about the US means that nothing momentous happened between Japan and them. So, at this moment the only doubt is how many time the ANZAC troops can hold the (H)Adrian
Probably true. We'll see how it goes...
Nothing momentous happened between Japan or the US, no. Both seem to have a shortage of amphibious troops at the moment (US hasn't even researched Marines!)
Ahh I love this AAR. You strike a nice balance where just enough happens in each update that I don't feel like its going at snails pace but at the same time there is enough information and methodical plotting that the tension keeps building with no clear or obvious resolution in sight. You are a talented writer to be sure.
Another nice update
Any thoughts on where you might continue the fight from if the British Isles do fall? Will you return to Africa, concentrate instead on the Japanese or strike back somewhere entirely different?
Any thoughts on where you might continue the fight from if the British Isles do fall? Will you return to Africa, concentrate instead on the Japanese or strike back somewhere entirely different?
Indeed. =\
That time will likely be soon!
Thank you very much, I try to keep you all in suspense as best as I can.
Another nice update
Any thoughts on where you might continue the fight from if the British Isles do fall? Will you return to Africa, concentrate instead on the Japanese or strike back somewhere entirely different?
Thankee! All will become clear soon, but the non-Euro zone most desperately in need of troops is definitely Asia. Africa is doing fine.
Chapter 3.8 - Operation Robin
ANZAC troops advance up the Chao Phraya River, driving the Japanese back with limited difficulty.
The Japanese were astonished. Not only did the Australians and their New Zealand counterparts blunt their offensive, but they were rapidly driving the Japanese back into the north, defying all expectations the East Asian Empire had of them. The Australians fought well both in close quarters and in open field battles across farm and fallow field. Heavy artillery battered Japanese positions which were rapidly stormed by Australian infantrymen armed with the deadly Owen Gun. Many Japanese units were thrust back in surprise, some stood their ground and fought to the death, but with no fortifications they were easily annihilated. Casualties were appalling, almost 9 Japanese soldiers died for every ANZAC life lost in the opening offensive.
Despite coming under heavy naval gunfire and fighting against an opponent whose ability to operate in rough terrain was legendary, the Germans were pushing hard and making progress.
The situation on the Adrian Line was not so good. Germany was throwing everything it had into the fray and supporting counter-attacks from the central line were not stopping the inevitable. The British were assisting the Australians in constant shelling of the coastline, but this alone was not enough. As long as the Luftwaffe ruled the skies, she was making more and more daily progress by frustrating shelling attempts by coastal vessels and strafing Allied defensive lines. A number of frontline Generals predicted that the Adrian Line would fall and that the longer they held it, the more likely it was that the Germans would attack them from behind via the sea. Eventually, the Chief of the Army, Horace William Strutt, stepped in and relieved Field Marshall Sir Cyril Bingham-White of command after the aged officer's only forthcoming ideas were bold counterattacks. His immediate subordinate, General Cann, was tasked with saving as many Allied soldiers as possible and escaping Britain.
Almost 23,000 Japanese troops had been caught east of the ANZAC column and was cut off from their main supply lines. They attempted a breakthrough but their troops were already hungry and low on ammunition. The attack was doomed to failure and hundreds died.
Morshead was having a better time and had recently overseen a partial encirclement headed by Major General Inglis. The Japanese troops were low on food and supplies and cut off from the bulk of their force along the Burmse border. The Japanese division begged General Yamashita for reinforcements, but these reinforcements never came. Several attempts were made to break through the ANZAC column, but the firepower of Australian machine guns, artillery and tanks was simply too much for the frontal assault to handle. They were thrust back with heavy casualties, almost 600 dead for just over 80 Australian casualties. Yamashita was displeased by this turn of events, but he instructed his men to hold their ground and promised them that relief would eventually come.
Operation Robin comes into effect - ANZAC troops abandon Newcastle during the night and fall back towards Glasgow and Stranraer, the planned evacuation zones.
The Germans watching over Newcastle were stunned when dawn came and they found the city's fortified environs empty. Using utmost secrecy and false information, the Allied forces had slipped out virtually overnight, leaving Tyneside to be occupied freely. Guderian received news of the retreat at 9am and was understandably furious. He ordered an immediate push of all his forces, demanding that they bypass the city of Newcastle and aim to try and swing around to surround what Allied forces might still be caught around Carlisle. It was a futile gesture, but one that put increasing pressure on Australia's evacuation plans. The bright side for Guderian was that this evacuation started on the 15th, the last day of Hitler's ultimatum to break Britain's back. Although Hitler reminded him he had demanded Britain's annexation within a week,
Allied intelligence in the Balkans had become poor during this chaos, but news finally broke worldwide that Italian troops had marched into Belgrade and captured most of the Yugoslavian government. With little fight remaining, a ceasefire was called and Yugoslavia surrendered herself to Germany, unable to resist any longer. Some army units refused the orders to stand down and moved south into Greece, where fighting continued. It was, however, growing increasingly futile to hope for victory in Southeastern Europe.
Not every theatre, however, needed to meet with complete disaster. On March 21st, a unified command under the directive of General Cann was agreed. The first group, or the 'Commonwealth' Command, consisted of one squadron of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet, including the battleships HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Royal Sovereign. A number of converted merchant ships and ocean liners as well as formal troop ships were placed at the command's disposal, enabling the evacuation of tens of thousands of men simultaneously from Britain. Commonwealth Command would be responsible for the bulk of escort and interception operations, engaging the German Navy where necessary and ensuring all Allied forces made it out of Britain safely. On the land, over 50,000 British soldiers from various bedraggled units agreed to fall under Cann's command.
The second group, or 'Expeditionary Command', consisted of all the various groups of continental volunteers who had escaped the war efforts so far. Although small units of French and Belgian volunteers had made it this far north, the bulk of the force consisted of the Danish and Dutch. The Dutch Navy was impressive for her size, consisting of numerous modern cruisers and destroyers. More importantly, she brought with her numerous transport vessels that would enable the evacuation of tens of thousands of additional men and their equipment. The Danish brought squadrons of submarines, mostly older models from the Great War, but also more modern interwar units capable of sustained long-range operation against the Germans. These would be invaluable for scouting and interception of German raiders. In the sky, both brought small but functional airforces, while on the ground Denmark still had nearly 30,000 volunteer soldiers in fighting shape. Getting these men off of Britain was deemed to be of the highest priority.
The Allied Army Group known as 'Atlantica' made its desperate retreat towards the evacuation zones.
This unified force struggled to both hold the Germans back and escape simultaneously. Allied air forces threw everything they had to keep the skies clear and to harass advancing Germans, while engineers desperately repaired bombed train lines and roads to try and keep ahead of the Hun. Guderian spurred his men onwards, but the Australians already had an impressive lead...
Now the Japanese were pinned down and forced into retreat by advancing Australians.
Japan continued to suffer in the jungles of Southeast Asia. Here, inadequate equipment and supplies were the bane of her war efforts. Although the new Sino-Japanese Co-Prosperity Pact had a tremendous positive impact on Japan's warmaking capacity, she was stretched thin across her vast territories and needed years of build-up before she had a hope of holding back both America and Britain in one war. Now, her soldiers on the ground were paying for it as hundreds more died in a vast battle for control of the jungle.
ANZAC troops nearly make it to their evacuation points.
The tension was growing as the Germans raced after ANZAC, snapping at their heels. Despite the best efforts of Guderian to slow them down, no significant units had been captured or lost in the otherwise orderly retreat through Scotland. Much of this was credited with the excellent delaying actions, sabotage and repair efforts of the British Army, as well as the aggressive determination of the Allied Generals to succeed no matter the cost.
In Asia, ANZAC finally began to suffer a problem they had no immediate answer for. Japan ruled the skies and their bombers were getting better every day. The Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu served as an effective bomber escort that could adeptly knock out ground-based anti-air. This allowed the bombers to fly low and carpet entire areas with explosives, killing dozens of ANZACs with each pass. The assault on the trapped Japanese was beginning to stall due to the bombings and Morshead was worried that they might be forced to retreat before the Japanese were defeated for good.
Surviving forces flee from their evacuation zones under heavy guard in the air and on the sea.
The Adrian Lines were nothing more than a memory, and on the 1st of April, the last British troops to be evacuated were on boats and crossing the waters to Northern Ireland. This last safe haven of British fighting strength would be the springboard from which Australia could either counterattack, or retreat to safer waters. German troops were confident in their seemingly inevitable success, and allowed the ANZAC and most of the Allied troops to slip away unscathed. The largest unit left behind was 500 New Zealanders caught north of Glasgow and unable to make it to the city's ports. They would attempt a retreat towards Aberdeen but were eventually caught and captured. Their war was over.
Bombings and Japanese reinforcements had become too much. ANZAC forces retreat from their attempted encirclement as fresh supplies are routed to the Japanese.
Yamashita's promised reinforcements had not come quickly, but they did come. Finally, on the 3rd of April, ANZAC troops retreated back towards the sea. The Japanese were jubilant and once again confident in what the Army called their 'inevitable victory'. As the Australians made their way downstream, towards the fortress of Bangkok, they were left to contemplate just how great a foe Japan would be. They were about to find out for real...
General Yamashita's proposed reinforcements had arrived in Siam and now the Japanese were securing all Thai towns before making their way towards Bangkok, where a grand counteroffensive was planned.
Large regions of Siam had been recaptured and garrisoned with military rulers following the surrender of the Thai government. The Japanese military government was unimpressed by their ally's quick compliance to European demands, and insisted that Thailand be retaken by force. Yamashita was already drawing up plans to retake the city of Bangkok, but that would be easier said than done. ANZAC were dogged defenders and the Indian Army had proven its worth in constant months of combat along the Chinese border. Progress had been minimal, and even Yamashita doubted his ability to break the Australian stronghold and assault Malaysia itself.
The 6th New Zealand Division, 10,497 strong, arrives in Singapore for her Asian Deployment.
New Zealand had raised a large and impressive military force for her size, fielding her sixth division of men and dispatching them to Singapore. Although the front lines desperately needed new troops, Japanese submarines and carriers were on the prowl and sailing straight to Phet Buri was deemed unfeasible, even with a Royal Navy escort. Major General Barrowclough and his men were given two days of shore leave in Singapore and then immediately ordered to redeploy north by train. Making their way to Phet Buri, they would replace the veteran garrison already in place and enable them to join the defence of Bangkok, where every spare hand was currently needed.
America had been active and already drawing up plans for the liberation of Europe, yet they did not consult Britain nor her allies in this endeavour. So then, it was not surprising that when they secretly contacted the French government and spoke to them of their plans to use North Africa as a staging area to invade and free France and Britain, the Toulouse government was understandably afraid. Unconvinced that the Americans could beat Hitler's seemingly invincible Reich, the French turned coat and told Hitler of America's plans. Hitler was incensed and promised France protection and greater freedom if she would join hands with Germany in the creation of a Greater European Reich. Left with the prospect of inevitable invasion from either direction, Gamelin chose Hitler. France was now formally at war with Britain and America.
ANZAC was finally able to breathe easy as they defended the shores of Northern Ireland from the Hun.
Ireland welcomed the ANZAC forces with wide arms, but the Ulstermen knew that if their Republican brothers would not give way, then all of Eire would fall as one. ANZAC too realized this and desperately sought the aid of the Irish. Hitler was seen as very likely to invade through the Irish Republic. Already attempts to cross from Scotland into Northern Ireland had backfired wildly, leaving hundreds of German soldiers dead for just four Australian and one New Zealand life lost. The pressure from the Luftwaffe was increasing and Belfast alone could not feed so many men. Tens of thousands of men from Allied and British commands were being evacuated to Newfoundland, leaving the ANZAC as the rearguard.
On April 17th, the Republic of Ireland finally gave a definite answer to the Allies' plea for permission to occupy and defend Irish ports: No. The refusal to aid their own neighbours and brothers was seen as highly controversial by many Irishmen, who accused the government of lacking moral fibre or backbone. Without any way of securing their flanks, the Australians were forced to continue patrolling the choppy waters of Britain in search of German ships and to send men to the safety of Canada as quickly as possible.
April 20th, at Moray Firth, the Australian fleet found who it was looking for.
The weather around Moray Firth was poor, and the Australians had just left Scapa Flow to make for Northern Ireland in the hopes of escorting the last transports home later that week. It was not believed that any German ships beyond uboats were operating in the area, but the assumption was dead wrong. An enormous fleet of German ships appeared on the horizon and the first warning of their presence was the firing of Schleswig-Holstein's guns. Canberra was hit and set ablaze and the two fleets found themselves caught in a mighty battle...
March 10th-April 21st
Royal Australian Army:
297 casualties
482 soldiers captured
4x Vickers MkV Light Tanks lost
Royal Australian Navy:
1 Merchant Ship sunk
Royal Australian Air Force:
13x Supermarine Spitfires fighters lost
10x Hawker Hurricane fighters lost
17x Short Sunderland patrol bombers lost
32x Fairey Battle dive bombers lost
German Wehrmacht:
254 casualties
2x Light Tanks lost
1x Medium Tank lost
German Luftwaffe:
19x Junkers Ju87 dive bombers lost
13x Messerschmitt Bf109 fighters lost
German Kriegsmarine:
3 Merchant Ship sunks
Imperial Japanese Army:
1,391 casualties
Imperial Japanese Army Air Force:
2x Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu Heavy Fighters
1x Kawasaki Ki-48 Sokei Light Bomber
Royal Australian Army:
297 casualties
482 soldiers captured
4x Vickers MkV Light Tanks lost
Royal Australian Navy:
1 Merchant Ship sunk
Royal Australian Air Force:
13x Supermarine Spitfires fighters lost
10x Hawker Hurricane fighters lost
17x Short Sunderland patrol bombers lost
32x Fairey Battle dive bombers lost
German Wehrmacht:
254 casualties
2x Light Tanks lost
1x Medium Tank lost
German Luftwaffe:
19x Junkers Ju87 dive bombers lost
13x Messerschmitt Bf109 fighters lost
German Kriegsmarine:
3 Merchant Ship sunks
Imperial Japanese Army:
1,391 casualties
Imperial Japanese Army Air Force:
2x Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu Heavy Fighters
1x Kawasaki Ki-48 Sokei Light Bomber
superb stuff, liked the way you mixed at the start the seemingly effortless victories in the Far East with disaster in the UK ... and then even that victory was denied you due to Japanese airpower. It all seems very tense stuff, and no idea just what the Americans are up to. Still as long as the Germans don't invade Ireland, you should be able to hold Belfast and that is some use in the longer term.
Ouch, that naval battle will hurt you immensely. Losing ships is BAAAD for a medium-sized country and one CV is not a superpower in HPP, especially during the early years. I also see that the weather was bad and bad weather hurts aircraft more than ships...
This AAR just keeps getting better.
Are the nighttime and poor weather modifiers strong enough to allow some of your ships to escape Saithis?
Are the nighttime and poor weather modifiers strong enough to allow some of your ships to escape Saithis?
why send the evacuees all the way to Newfoundland? wouldn't Iceland be a lot closer?
Saithis already mentioned his evac plan , in spite of being quite brief about it: he intends to move his troops to Newfoundland to march them to the Canadian Pacific coast and transport them home or wherever they will be needed in the pacific theatre at the time. Given that the Suez and the Med will definitely be not safe after the RN goes with the fishes and even manoeuvring in the Atlantic will be risky, I think his plan is the least bad he could bring up, given he will not try to re-invade Europe for a while.
So, the Adrian line didn't exactly held a lot of time ... anyway, time enough to get your troops out to Ulster ( too bad about the Kiwi cav, though ). Anyway, this set is a bunch of cobbled bad news or promises of it ( the collapse of the Adrian line, the fall of Yugoslavia, the back and forth in SE Asia and last , but no least, that naval battle where HMAS Canberra is already bleeding out in that pic ) ... even the AI seems to be seeing that the Allies fight in Europe is doomed in the short runs, with Toulouse going to the Axis side ( so, you might need to divert some troops to Africa after all, I guess ... ) and the Irish refusal to give you transit rights.
I'm pretty much expecting that the next set will be about the world after GB and the aftermath of your brush with the Kriegsmarine ...
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yes, I know she did. it was just...hopping back and forth between Northern Ireland and Iceland goes REALLY fast. you can then transport everyone to Canada at your leisure.
D'oh! Not a cliff-hanger! Also sad to see the Adrian Line crack so quickly and to see the Japanese at least holding steady in SE Asia. Looking forward to the next update, as usual!
Defeat after defeat is the name of the game right now, indeed. I'm glad you enjoyed it and its quite tense to play as well, especially since I can't see the Americans because they're not in the Allies. Belfast is in no immediate danger of falling, but it is having one key problem I haven't raised yet: it's almost devoid of supplies due to being fed by the nonexistent UK supply pile.
It's not good, no. I didn't expect to run into an aggressively moving German fleet just because the German AI had been, for the most part, staying back. Still, I can get over it. It's most important that Vanguard survives, everything else can be compensated for. The weather definitely hurts me more, though.
I'd go for it if my neutrality wasn't still 80. I can't declare war on Ireland myself and the UK will never do it.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Nighttime and poor weather actually favours the German fleet more than mine, but if my fleet makes the decision to withdraw then it will be easier for them since the Germans will have a harder time retreating.
Iceland would be closer, and I thought of sending them there, but there's a problem in that Iceland is currently held by the US due to event and I have no military access with the USA. This is something I need to fix.
Since it's a full-on evac I may end up just shipping them from Newfoundland directly to Australia as it will be faster and I won't need the Euro ships anymore. The Adrian Line held out longer than I thought it would, but it was inevitably going to break when the Germans were still winning after the port garrisons got shifted onto the front line. At that point I knew it was time to retreat before the Germans landed behind me. The AI is doing very well in Europe and with France and all of its navy and army in the Axis, things just got significantly harder. Most of the French Military defected, and there was no British attack on the French Navy this time. Hitler is very close to creating his ideal Fortress Europe!
Cliff-hangers are the norm for my wartime updates, though! Don't worry, this will be resolved quite quickly.
Japan is only holding because of sheer numbers. I'm about to have the Imperial Expeditionary Force return home, after all, so things may be changing.
Oh gods.
CV in choppy waters running into battleships. Best of luck, looks like you need it!
CV in choppy waters running into battleships. Best of luck, looks like you need it!
And a fairly old CV at that - haven't played HOI in ages, so I don't know what the speed is of HMAS Vanguard, but its historical counterparts weren't exactly speedy. And if the heavy cruiser is in firing range of the battle wagons (and, as I just realized, everything else in the German fleet with guns), I can't help but fear that Vanguard might be in for a pummeling next.
Tense stuff with the crumbling of Britain and the overcrowded beachhead in Ulster, as well as the resurgent Japanese. Hope you can evacuate everyone and start kicking the Japanese around for real soon.
I remember an older Soviet game I had where I put to sea my very first CV (because swimming in IC) and it ended up supporting my push through Norway (Norway occupation went historical).
Everything was going fine until the Germans showed up one fine stormy evening with like every gun-bearing monster they had afloat and both he CV and the escort didn't make it out. So best luck to Australia.