The Last Crusade: An Allied AAR

Reserved.

August 8th 1943

BBC News

"This is BBC News broadcasting directly from London."

"We regret to inform that after a long and valiant struggle, our allies in the Soviet Union has surrendered. Earlier this morning, the Soviet foreign minister, Molotov, arrived at German-occupied Moscow to sign the peace terms. The so-called Treaty of Moscow comfirms German dominance over the European parts of the Soviet Union. The treaty also stipulates that what remains of the USSR has to supply Germany with resources, along with a yearly quota of labourers."

"The Prime Minister will address the nation with a speech later this evening at 8 o'clock."

Duke of Awesome said:

Hope is not lost, for you still own a bit of Norway!

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I'm planning to abandon that bit of Norway. AI UK decided to land there for a brief moment. It was a bad idea.

Hope is not lost, yup! We are outproducing the Germans, and given a few years, we will outnumber them too!

EuroLooney said:

Subscribed and looking forward to this save-the-world scenario! What's Germany's IC look like? Is the Axis sphere pretty much limited to Europe?

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Germany's base IC stands at nearly 400. The next update will dwelve more deeply into the ICs of respective sides. Also yeah, the Axis sphere is pretty much limited to Europe.

Gukpa said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgncJgSbbck&feature=my_liked_videos&list=LLNchGQ7QZfoStWRjfzBmKOQ

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I think Indy and I have something in common. Nazis. We hate those guys.

August 8th, 1943

A comparison between Allied and Axis industrial capacity

The fall of the Soviet Union didn't just ensure German hegemony on the continent, but it also gave Germany access to the vast resources and industries of Russia. Not to mention the countless millions of "guest" labourers who would now have to toil for their new German overlords.
These factors, along with Albert Speer's organised and ruthless exploitation of German-occupied territories, meant that the German industrial capacity soared frightenly high.




The Axis effective IC is equal to that of the USA. Yes, you read that right. The combined effective IC of the Axis matches that of the US.
A staggering 864 IC. A number that is expected to grow as Germany fully exploits her conquests in the East. You might be thinking "how the hell are we supposed to win this one?". In that case, I have to remind you that the US isn't fighting this war alone.



The combined industrial output of the US and the UK stands at 1106 IC. If we add the rest of the British Commonwealth into the count, we'd reach a effective IC of 1200-1250.

Not only are the Allies able to produce more than the Axis, but they are also able to do so much quicker and cheaper due to the free market slider. From a purely economical perspective, the Allies have a huge advantage. Victory is possible, but the road ahead of us is daunting. The next update will deal with the current military situation, along with the planned operations for 1943.

Gukpa said:

Last Crusade is a name of one of the Indiana Jones movies

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I know that! I watched Indiana Jones yesterday, and I thought the name was pretty cool.

BeardedHoplite said:

Ooh, can I ask for a save game? I really want to try something like this

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Sure, I'll get the save game up shortly.

August 8th, 1943

Strategic overview, Autumn 1943

The fall of the Soviet Union has put Germany in a excellent strategic position. She no longer has to worry about a two-front war. Where ever the Allied forces land, German forces can rapidly redeploy near the landing zones, and using overwhelming numbers, push the invaders back to the sea. Fortress Europe is unassailable. Any invasion of mainland Europe in 1944 or 1945 is out of the question.


Allied intelligence agents estimates that the Wehrmacht numbers around at 290 divisions. While this number is not completely accurate, we can be fairly sure that Germany outnumbers us at least 2-1 at the moment.

By Autumn 1943, the US Army is still in a phase of a major expansion, and lacks the numbers needed to fight a large scale campaign. By contrast, the UK has a more sizeable army. But land divisions alone won't be enough to win the war.


The combined airforces of the Allied nations dwarfs those of the Axis. The airforce is vital towards winning the war. With complete air superiority, American bombers can wreck havoc upon the enemies industries and armed forces. Production of fighter squadrons will continue until total supremacy in the air has been established.


The Royal Navy has suffered heavy losses in the war, but nevertheless remains the second largest navy in the world. Together with the USN, control of the seas has mostly been secured. But the German submarine threat still remains, and so does the Italian surface fleet. These threats must be dealt with.

We will only proceed with the invasion of mainland Europe when these conditions have been fulfilled:

• Be able to fight the Germany on equal terms. In order to accomplish this, the US Army has to field at least 200 divisions.
• Air superiority over Europe. Ensure free reign for our STRs, TACs and CAS.
• Destruction of hostile surface fleets.

Optimistic estimates suggest that we could fulfill these conditions by Summer 1946, so the preliminary date for D-Day is June 1946.

June 1946 is three years from now. Three years is a long time and the Allied nations can't just stand idle during all that time, lest the oppressed peoples of Europe start to lose hope. A invasion of mainland Europe is not possible at the moment. But invading islands such as Sardinia is well within Allied means. And it is exactly what the Allied Supreme Command intends to do.
Sardinia is a strategically vital island. Its capture would allow the Allies secure the airspace around the Mediterranean. Sardinia is a stepping stone, you could say. Its capture would be first crack in the seemingly invincible Fortress Europe.

August 28th, 1943

BBC News

"This is BBC News broadcasting directly from London."

"Yesterday evening, American marines supported by the Marine Nationale, seized the island of Sardinia. The Italian garrison surrendered promptly after a intensive shelling by the French ships. Allied forces suffered no casualties, save for a marine that broke his foot."

"The seizure of the island puts Allied aircraft well in range of Rome."

July 13th, 1940

BBC News

(Mood music. Yes, you must click this.)

"This is BBC News broadcasting directly from London."

"After three long days of negotiation and deliberation, Daladier, the French Prime Minister, just announced that France has rejected the armistice offered by Germany. I repeat, France has rejected the armistice. The French government instead vows to continue the war from Algeria."

"At this very moment, thousands of French soldiers and civilians are being evacuated to North Africa. The mood among these are one of sorrow. The battle has been lost, France has fallen. But France fights on. For by her side stands her loyal colonies and her trusted allies in the British Commonwealth. The French people grieve out of sorrow, but hope still remains in the hearts of the French, for they know that the war is far from lost!"

"Daladier has called upon the French people to resist the invader by whatever means possible. Civilians are to offer passive resistance, while those who are brave and strong enough are to join the Resistance. Daladier also called upon overseas Frenchmen to make their way to London or Algiers and join the now exiled French Army. One day, Daladier said, the French Army, with aid from her trusted allies, will return to liberate France. One day, the republican tri-color will once again flutter on the Parisian skyline."

"...for we are French, proud defenders of democracy! We will not surrender! France will fight on!"
- Édouard Daladier, rejecting the suggested armistice in his famous radio announcement July 13th, 1940​

Dr. Gonzo said:

Vive La France!

Looking good, I'll be watching the siege of Fortress Europe with interest, even if summer 1946 seems a scarily long way away and then you've got Iberia and the Russian steppe to deal with alone(!)

I predict either mushroom clouds or our boys not demobbing this side of 1950.

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The Manhattan Project is well underway, and the first atomic bombs should be ready by early 1945. I plan to stockpile the nukes and unleash them upon the fascist beast when the time is right.

I'm not planning to conduct any operations in Iberia or the Russian steppes anytime soon. I do however plan to invade Italy in late 1944 or 1945. The goal of such a operation would be to push pressure on the Axis, and to demonstrate that the Allied nations are still committed towards waging war.

I plan to seize Rome and secure a solid line in Italy. Then the troops (consisting mostly of unmotorised Commonwealth forces) will dig in. I expect to be outnumbered in this front, but that's the point of it. I want the Axis to commit a large number of troops to this front. It would leave them weak in Iberia and in France. Commonwealth forces would be outnumbered, but with naval and air support, I'm fairly sure they could hold the line. But I still don't know if this really is a good idea or not. I'd be pretty grateful if my fellow forumites could offer me advice on how to bring down Fortress Europe.