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Nice going, the naval engagements are really tense! Hopefully the Royal Navy or Marine National will step in and help, but that's probably too much to hope for.
And regarding the Dutch militia, unless HPP changed it they don't have MIL I think, my money is on an uprising.
 
And regarding the Dutch militia, unless HPP changed it they don't have MIL I think, my money is on an uprising.

I think it works that way in vanilla as well, no? "Black" rebels pop out only in annexed unsuppressed lands, but when the land is occupied and unsuppressed, rebels of the given state are bound to pop out.
 
Yes, I concur with that being a Dutch uprising. It could distract the Germans but I doubt it's going to have much impact as that western front looks very firmly stalemated at the moment. I think you could have some interesting naval engagements since the Kriegsmarine and the Swedish navy are quite nicely matched. At least you didn't lose that division!
 
But the symbol says it's a division. I thought uprisings were only brigade strengths?

"Sudden" uprisings have always been carried out by triangular MIL, as far as I can recall. HPP doesn't have resistance bases implemented yet, but you would be right; underground bases create only one brigade.
 
Detailed responses (and possibly an update) tomorrow, but I forgot to mention this:

The current date, in-game, is January 1941. So France is doing fairly well I think.

Depends on how many Axis forces are engaged in the staring contest with your Swedes. That might be the force which would've been needed to knock out the French. You should prepare your defenses vis a vis the Russians already.
 
Did Germany forget to DOW Luxemburg?

So far as I can tell, yes.

You may not be completely satisfied, but it is a good update. The naval battle was a real close call. You never know, that doomed Dutch division make just break the Western Front as the AI hunts it down potentially weakening the frontline. To think, how the historians would call the Dutch the real power behind the defeat of the German military during the war when the title should really go to your Sweden mowing down the enemy left and right!

It would have been funny, but it didn't turn out that way unfortunately.


Nice going, the naval engagements are really tense! Hopefully the Royal Navy or Marine National will step in and help, but that's probably too much to hope for.
And regarding the Dutch militia, unless HPP changed it they don't have MIL I think, my money is on an uprising.

I think the RN and MN would probably step in if they could. But with me in control of Malmö and the Germans in Copenhagen, the Baltic is sealed up. I can't get anymore than the Atlantic Squadron (that was already on the opposite side of the strait) into the Atlantic, and the Germans can't get any more ships in than the three I fought this chapter.


I think it works that way in vanilla as well, no? "Black" rebels pop out only in annexed unsuppressed lands, but when the land is occupied and unsuppressed, rebels of the given state are bound to pop out.

Huh...learn something new every day.

Yes, I concur with that being a Dutch uprising. It could distract the Germans but I doubt it's going to have much impact as that western front looks very firmly stalemated at the moment. I think you could have some interesting naval engagements since the Kriegsmarine and the Swedish navy are quite nicely matched. At least you didn't lose that division!

I'm very glad I didn't lose that Div. Every one counts at this point.

Depends on how many Axis forces are engaged in the staring contest with your Swedes. That might be the force which would've been needed to knock out the French. You should prepare your defenses vis a vis the Russians already.

On the subject of how many Axis guys are wasting time in Scandinavia...I sent the Atlantic Squadron on a little scouting trip into the Danish islands. Result?

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Yeah, they are sending a bit much aren't they? :p

As for the Russkies, since I'm the Allies I don't think I need to worry about them sans a nightmare World War III scenario. I do have forces on the Finnish border if needed though.

It is lucky that you can keep holding Malmö, never let the Germans get into Sweden!

That's the goal ;)
 
Yeah, this is what I dread... AI Hitler (or RL Hitler for that matter) going batshit over trying to cross that damn strait at Malmö.

...as usual with that kind of scenario. Hence my earlier remark that it'd be too easy to join Allies versus Axis.
 
...as usual with that kind of scenario. Hence my earlier remark that it'd be too easy to join Allies versus Axis.
And he is toast if the Germans gets across ... lets see if the Germans can find out how to invade Norway or it also cancels that operation as they can move there over Malmö :wacko:
 
They do seem a little fascinated with you, don't they.

I counted the divisions...presuming each has 12k men (a full four brigades) the Germans+allies have something like 180 thousand men in Denmark, a bit more further south. I get the feeling they've probably got like one division in each province on the Soviet border...good thing (for them) the Russkies are rather preoccupied with Japan at the moment.

That being said, presuming a dozen or so 10k troop losses, they've lost nearly that many troops. I wouldn't want to live in Malmö or Copenhagen in this timeline, that's for sure.

Yeah, this is what I dread... AI Hitler (or RL Hitler for that matter) going batshit over trying to cross that damn strait at Malmö.

Yep, though that doesn't mean they aren't still beating the stuffing out of France (more on that in the update).

...as usual with that kind of scenario. Hence my earlier remark that it'd be too easy to join Allies versus Axis.

Easier at first maybe, but it won't stay that way if the end of the next update is any indication.

And he is toast if the Germans gets across ... lets see if the Germans can find out how to invade Norway or it also cancels that operation as they can move there over Malmö :wacko:

To be fair, I'd be toast if anyone got into Sweden-proper. What with my lack of troops and all.


@everyone: Update got delayed, but presuming nothing comes up to delay it further, I'll post today.
 
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Warriors of the North said:
Chapter 5.5: The Fall of the Belgian Line

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The situation on the Western Front fluctuated as days and months went by. Brussels, captured by the Germans, was retaken by the combined Allied armies. It would soon fall again however, the city changing hands multiple times. It was every bit as much of a focus for the German war machine as Malmö had become. Pictures coming out of the city showed devastation...even though neither side deliberately tried to destroy the city, changing hands so many times had left the Belgian capital a ruin, burnt out hulks of both Allied and Axis tanks scattered around the city.

In Libya however, the situation was a polar opposite of the Western Front.

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The Italians were being pushed back by Allied forces from both flanks, steadily losing their colonial possession. This was likely a side-effect of the vast majority of the Italian army being used to bolster the Germans and Slovakians in France, as opposed to holding their own territory. Because of this, within a couple months of this map being taken (January 1941) the Italians had been pushed back to just a small enclave around Benghazi.

Further north, the Luftwaffe was finally bringing in true bombers.

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The Swedish Air Force quickly scrambled to deal with the bombers, but the damage was already done. The limited numbers prevented the Luftwaffe from killing many men or from damaging the extensive fortifications of the area, but the damage to morale was far more serious. A few strafing runs by BF-109's were one thing, true bombers were an entirely different one. If it weren't for the sight of P-36's driving the bombers away, the damage could have bee much more severe.

As it was, the Air Force kept morale high as they prevented any more bombing raids, for at least a little while.

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Providing further support was the new commander of Swedish defenses in Malmö. Major General Gyllenkrok was the single best defensive tactician in Sweden at the time, so it was only natural he took over command of the defenses in the city. Setting up better defenses, the Swedes started to do more and more damage to the Germans, who would often only attack for a day or two at a time as opposed to the formerly week long battles. The strain was beginning to show on them more than the defenders, especially with the Atlantic Squadrons two cruisers sailing up and down the Danish Islands.

That being said, for all the good news coming out of Sweden, bad news came from the Western Front.

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The Axis offensive had finally forced the Belgian government to flee to London. What was left of their shattered army continued to fight on in France, but this would have further reaching consequences than the loss of Belgian territory. With the collapse of the Belgian Line, the Germans were able to push through the retreating Allied armies, and finally into France herself. The breakthrough was relatively minor at the time, but the situation was precarious...if the Allies could not put together a valid frontline in France, Paris would be at risk, in addition to the industrial heartland of France.

Joint Allied Command (JAC) sent requests to Sweden to do something to alleviate the pressure on France, as the Swedes were the only nation able to hit Germany in its relatively lightly defended Baltic coast. A daring plan was put together, as two of the new Strategic Reserve Divisions were loaded onto transports.

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Knowing that they lacked the forces to invade Germany herself (even if all but the garrisons defending the ports were stripped from Sweden, the army would still be too small), the target of this operation was the Danish island of Bornholm. Two German Cruisers, Nurnberg and Emden were docked in the island's port, so taking the city would force them out. Thus, under cover of the heavy guns of the main Swedish battlefleet, the troops set out.

However, while Bornholm was lightly defended by only one German garrison division, the defenders had the advantage of the Swedish troops being untrained in amphibious assaults. The battle was a stalemate, and likely would have been a waste of time...if the German's had not sortied a ship to try and break the invasion.

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The Gustav V (top) sinker of KMS Schlesien (bottom)

The only battleship in the Baltic, KMS Schlesien attempted to break the Swedish blockade along with a sortie by the cruisers trapped in Bornholm. This time, however, the Germans would not find lightly guarded transports. The guns of the Swedish Battlefleet were in the area, and lead by the newest of the Sverige-class, HMS Gustav V, they bore down on the smaller German force. The two flagships, Gustav V and Schlesien fired on the other as soon as they were in range.

While they were evenly matched in caliber of guns (Four 11 inch on the German battleship, Four 11.1 inch on the Swedish cruiser), the Gustav V was a much newer ship, and had the support of her older classmates. Within an hour, a shell from the Gustav plunged into an ammo magazine on the German battleship, blowing the vessel in two. With only the damaged light cruisers left, the German fleet quickly retreated. So to did the Swedes, realizing they would need dedicated marines to crack Bornholm's defenses.

Unfortunately, this brave assault did little to relieve the pressure on the French.

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For not even a month after the fall of the Belgian Line, German forces were within miles of Paris. The Allied Armies reformed along a new defensive line, stretching from the coast to the little remaining Belgian territory currently under British control. However, it was still up in the air if these new fortifications would be able to stop a determined German offensive...or if the critically weakened Maginot could hold.


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That's what I meant. The Germans finally managed to break through Belgium!

Also, I realize that is actually the Sverige, but I like the image. :p
 
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well, if Paris falls be sure the Germans will come to your door with all their might... at least you force them to spend a lot of MP in the West
 
The first consequence of the Swedish entry into the war has occurred, the Italians have been defeated in north Africa. The divisions they needed there had been send to Sweden.
 
Germany has finally made some progress but looking at the size of those Allied stacks along the French front I'm still not convinced they have the strength to finish the job any time soon. So Sweden is certainly making a vital contribution and it will get interesting for the defenders around Malmö in the event France does fall.
 
Germany has finally made some progress but looking at the size of those Allied stacks along the French front I'm still not convinced they have the strength to finish the job any time soon. So Sweden is certainly making a vital contribution and it will get interesting for the defenders around Malmö in the event France does fall.

IF the AI manages to get it's act together and at the very least sends in the Luftwaffe. Sweden will run out of bodies far more quickly than Germany could run out of ammunition.