• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.

vector1

General
23 Badges
Mar 4, 2012
2.017
513
  • Crusader Kings II
  • Europa Universalis IV
  • For the Motherland
  • Hearts of Iron III
  • Hearts of Iron III: Their Finest Hour
  • Knights of Pen and Paper +1 Edition
  • Magicka
  • Semper Fi
  • Cities in Motion
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Field Marshal
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Expansion Pass
  • Cities: Skylines - Parklife
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Expansion Pass
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Death or Dishonor
  • Stellaris: Leviathans Story Pack
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Colonel
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Cadet
  • Hearts of Iron IV Sign-up
  • Stellaris
  • Cities: Skylines
  • War of the Roses
  • Victoria 2
  • Cities: Skylines - Parklife Pre-Order
Welcome to the next installment of the HPP MP AAR: Maximum Chaos!

First, our roster has been streamlined but we're always looking for players to fill minors!

Allies
UK: Ikar
USA: Karaya
France: Mars
Canada: Ssmith
India: Dualboxed

Comintern
USSR: Longstreet

Axis

Germany: Vector
Japan: Sheesh
Italy: Gunstick
Hungary: Lansiel
Romania: Dualboxed

The current game is on hiatus for awhile, but we've reached March 1939 and are on the brink of war... Join us 2pm CET Sundays if you're interesting in playing HPP!
 
01/01/1936 - 27/03/1939

Germany: As the player of GER, I have a handy overview of all the actions taken by the allies thanks to a sustained espionage effort in all the majors. We have amassed a substantial tank and motorized force, betting heavily that speed and concentration of force will carry the day instead of sending our brave infantry men to their doom against the Allied aggressors. We are also secretly developing the latest wonder weapons, a first in our series. Many test sites have been completed and will produce the rockets to level London so Germany can into space.
GER1.PNG

Germany will into space!

Our allies are also numerous, though nothing to rival the Imperialist Commonwealth, built on the back of an oppressive colonial empire. The Axis will have to see about liberating the members of this unholy alliance into a brighter future as an Axis member!
GER2.PNG


England: Our spies have noted a severe lack of naval build up, with nary a new battleship or carrier. This can only mean one thing, the BEF will be out in force, with numerous tank divisions as can be seen from our communication decryption. They have also built up radar and heavily committed to defending Malta and Gibraltar with radar and coastal forts built. Ikar is also an experienced player in our series, so I fully expect some crazy plays from him!
ENG1.PNG

A total of 10 tank divisions were detected in Dunkerque, but most amusingly with a non-uniform mishmash of troops. No one knows what doctrine has calvary regiments sent into battle alongside tanks, but apparently this is the British way!

France: A sustained effort to enlarge the French army has OKH worried, as spies indicate a total of 53 Infantry divisions and 10 Motorized poised on the Belgium border to menace the the innocent Belgiums into joining the dastardly Allies. With such threatening maneuvers carried out at the border, who knows if Belgium will petition for German protection!
FRA1.PNG


USA: We have noted with displeasure that the great depression that has wracked the economy has been slowly fading. USA has placed numerous ships into production, including a total of 6 carriers completed and 6 more awaiting commissioning. Such aggressive building does not jive with their previously avowed policy of neutrality, and is a matter of international concern amongst the peaceful Axis. Japan has been directed to counter their aggressive build up with the latest technology from the Imperial Japanese Navy shipyards, and proved to be a key member of the Tripartite alliance in containing the growing threat from USA.
USA1.PNG

CVs and Rocket test sites in production... NIEN! Only Germany will into space!

We will be back shortly with the next installment. Who knows how the winds of change will blow in 1939!

For the other members of our group, feel free to exercise your inner poet and pen your musings on the progress of your countries into our AAR!
 
Introduzione

Un'estate Italiana

1o6irr.jpg
1o6irr.jpg
1o6irr.jpg


Sezione I - Introduzione - Rise of Fascism
gennaio '36 - ?


We are the source. We are the origin of the very idea that has won over the hearts of the peoples of Europe. We are fascism.
Our goal is not to revive a once glorious empire. We will build a new, much stronger empire, an empire of the mind.
It will reach far beyond the borders of the former Roman Empire. It will be in the hearts and minds of people. An idea like ours cannot be killed.
Spreading the new idea is our destiny.

Even the self-righteous countries that have called themselves "Allies" and are conspiring against peace-loving fascism are not immune:
xlczcy.jpg

England's football team saluting to Hitler in Berlin, 1938, from BBC archive

A new power is rising, and soon there is more to come since the situation in Spain has reached a boiling point....stay tuned for Radio Fascismo, Stazione Milano.
 
Please tell me you didn't choose this title because Germany won Italy '90
No, not exclusively, actually I was checking if I remembered the title correctly, since I don't speak any real Italian when it occurred to me that it's not a particularly bad omen, after all the first 3 were Germany, Argentina and Italy. Both Germany and Italy beat England. USSR and USA got knocked out early.
But originally it was inspired by the song, and I found out about the puns later.
 
No, not exclusively, actually I was checking if I remembered the title correctly, since I don't speak any real Italian when it occurred to me that it's not a particularly bad omen, after all the first 3 were Germany, Argentina and Italy. Both Germany and Italy beat England. USSR and USA got knocked out early.
But originally it was inspired by the song, and I found out about the puns later.

And France didn't even qualify... Well then it's not a bad title at all!
 
27/03/1939 - 02/08/1939: Fall of France

In the last few months before war, OKO made great progress in completing the last of the divisions in preparation for the liberation of the west. The Heer contains the world's largest and most advanced mechanized force, with armor and motorised infantry organised into 4 Panzerarmees. The Luftwaffe has not been forgotten as well, with the upcoming order of a full 24 Jagdgeschwader of fighters slated for completion after the divisions have been completed.

After the last chapter, German Intelligence had reported on the state of the French and English preparation on the border, but avoided revealing key information that would bring the Heer to success. While the allies had poised strong motorised and leg infantry forces on the border facing Belgium to intimidate them into cooperation, the French had carelessly left the Maginot line undefended by regular infantry, with the critical province of Wissembourg manned by their Type C reserve division, composed entirely of old men and inexperienced kids guarding what they thought was a quiet front. But they thought wrong!

GER13.PNG

Just a few days before the diplomatic incident, divisions of the Kommando Spezialkräfte rush from dispersed positions on the Belgium border to pre-planned positions facing Wissembourg

Even the smallest incident can trigger the largest war in history. German diplomats offered a reasonable compromise to the Polish Government regarding the disposition of Danzig, a small step along the path of eventual diplomatic reunification with the Polish people in the growing and prosperous German sphere. However, emboldened by the inteference of the English diplomats who whispered false tales of friendship and alliance, the Poles decided that they would instead snub our offer and fired upon border units at Danzig. With such bold actions, Germany had no choice but to resort to military force to secure our positions, only for the Allies to jump in using the excuse of the border incident at Danzig and declare war on Germany!

GER14.PNG

We drew DOWs from everyone and his dog, but ignore Madagascar and look at the flags :D

With such precipitous actions from Poland, OKO decided that the only way to punish them would be a rapid advance into Warsaw to capture their government and hopefully force a peaceful settlement. Within 2 days, German troops had broken through the weakly held front-lines, and were fighting at the very doorsteps of the Royal Castle.

GER15.PNG


The advance in Belgium was swift and decisive. Upon their refusal to rightfully join the Axis to liberate the west from the influence of the Imperialist governments, OKO ordered troops to advance on Liege and Verviers to secure a river crossing for a flanking maneuver. 1. Panzerkorps was ordered to hold Liege till relieved by reinforcements from the troops operating in Poland, but 4 Panzer divisions would prove to be a tough force to dislodge.

GER16.PNG

Advancing French and English troops prove too slow for the lighting strike that captured Liege from the Belgiums.

Reeling from the loss of the preplanned positions, the English refused to give battle, and instead retreated to fortify the city of Antwerp, and decided to attempt a new flank, landing divisions in Denmark in a futile attempt to prevent their surrender. The ill-deployed troops would be sorely missed elsewhere, as will be seen in the coming month.

GER17.PNG


Within hours of the feint into Liege, Kommando Spezialkräfte ordered 12 regiments of Gebirgsjäger to launch a massive attack on Wissembourg. Supported by the latest assault guns, heavy tanks and stormtroopers, they made short work of the world's heaviest defense, led by the indubitable Von Manstein in a masterful breakthrough of their lines
GER18.PNG

2 unsupported type C divisions were no match for the Germans!

GER19.PNG

A breakthrough was achieved in a matter of hours as the infantry crumble before the heavy artillery bombardment, with minimal losses to the Germans.

In Netherlands, the advance was no less slow. The English had decided to abandon them, and did not send even a single division into Holland, choosing instead to focus on defending the next defensive line near Antwerp. Seeing the possibility of a large encirclement via Belgium crumble, OKO sent order to slow the operational tempo in Belgium till reinforcements railed in from Poland, and instead diverted 2 armies into the Maginot in hopes of enlarging the breakthrough.

GER3.PNG

A first attack on Schirmeck was rebuffed by massive reinforcements from the north, but were far too disorganized to inflicted major casualties on the advancing Germans as the sheer number of bodies outnumbered the ammunition the advancing divisions held, and called off the attack to resupply before advancing.

However, once resupplied, OKO ordered the advance to begin with a vengence, and easily broke through the unorganized defenders with the help of the most intensive Luftwaffe bombing ever witnessed in history! 3. Panzerarmee then began a rapid advance to flank the dug- in troops via the breach in the Maginot line. How the tables have turned! :D

GER20.PNG


However, the well dug in troops in Belgium proved harder to dislodge. A major attack on the province of Bastogne was called off after it was evident that mounting casualties would deplete the German menpower for no real advantage.

GER21.PNG


GER4.PNG


However, the English begun an orderly withdrawal running away as rapidly as possible once they realised the magnitude of the German breakthrough, and once again abandoning another ally. With such unseemly behavior, the Allies will soon be reduced to a single country as Germany liberates Europe from their oppression! Once the English withdrew, the French High command fled to London leaving the French troops in disarray and the chase is on!

GER22.PNG

German troops begun a full front advance along the entire line, causing the whole French army to crumble. A pincer movement aimed at trapping the remnants of the French army was launched and German Panzers approach Paris from the south.

GER23.PNG

Paris is surrounded and under heavy attack. The dug in defenders fustrate the advancing Panzers, but any destruction of the beautiful city will be upon French hands as they failed to surrender before that.

GER12.PNG

Victory is ours! After throwing everything and the kitchen sink at Paris, the weary defenders surrender after the Eiffel tower was brought low by German guns!

The session ended with total German victory in France, and once the treaty terms are signed, France will surrender!

Of important note in other areas, Italy has made great progress in Africa with the aid of 4. Panzerarmee forming the core of the African Axis forces. Suez has been closed, and the battle for the Med is soon to commence! The chaos meter is ticking up, as all eyes turn to the east and Asia, where the Japanese preparations have not gone unnoted. What comes next? Who will face the wrath of the German Panzers? All will be revealed soon!
 
Interesting. I was wondering how the Germans broke through so easily. Sometimes it is safest in MP to put 12 INF brigades (3 or 4 divisions) to guard the Maginot Line, because heavily stacked divisions (x2 INF x2 ART) can actually inflict a lot of damage on a fort with air support.
 

canada_flag_zps57b59d01.jpg


Chaos in North Africa
2nd August 1939

Welcome to the Canadian perspective on the first session of the war!

When Winston Churchill succeeded Stanley Baldwin as British prime minister in 1937 he wasted no time setting out plans to prepare the United Kingdom and the dominions for the inevitability of a war with Nazi Germany. The Canadian prime minister, Mackenzie King, duly agreed to Churchill's request that Canadian forces should take responsibility for the defence of Egypt and Suez in the event of a new European war. Accordingly, an army-sized Canadian Expeditionary Force was formed, consisting of a mix of infantry, motorised and light armoured divisions, and was deployed to North Africa in the spring of 1939 under the command of Field Marshal Henry Crerar.

It was here the Canadians encountered their first major problem - the Egyptian government of King Fuad strongly objected to having foreign forces stationed in Egypt and flatly refused to supply the Canadian divisions! Diplomatic efforts to resolve this difficulty were made at every possible level but the Egyptians could not be persuaded to compromise. Field Marshal Crerar did also try to alleviate the situation by putting Canadian units under direct British command... but due to bureaucratic failures on both sides this was only partially implemented! As a result, most Canadian divisions remained out of supply until hostilities commenced with Germany on 2nd June 1939.

canada_1_1_org_zpsfbd7f014.jpg

Two days into the war and Lt. General McNaughton's 1st Corps is in bad shape having been starved of supplies since March!
The Canadians could only hope the Axis powers were unaware of their logistical problems! At the outbreak of war Crerar's staff believed they would need from six to eight weeks to restore the Canadian Expeditionary Force to full combat readiness. However, British signals intelligence showed the Italians had massed large numbers of troops in North Africa, notably in Tobruk and Benghazi, including paratroopers and fighter cover, and there were already serious concerns that Italy would enter the war at an early date. An alert received from London in mid-June that the German 4. Panzerarmee had been shipped from Naples to Tobruk was especially alarming! With the Germans panzers in place Mussolini confounded Canadian hopes by striking against Egypt before the month was out!

canada_1_2_panzers_zpsc35b4bd2.jpg

German panzers identified in Naples at the outbreak of war shortly before they were shipped to Tobruk.
The Canadian plan for the defence of Egypt had envisaged a concentration of force in two fortified zones to protect the important naval base at Alexandria and the strategically vital Suez Canal from any Italian amphibious ambitions. It was always expected that Egypt would be invaded from Libya and it was hoped that the Italian advance could be stopped at the narrow choke-point around El Hammâm, west of Alexandria.

canada_1_3_plan_zps1e5cf39c.jpg

A map of the Canadian defence plan for Egypt and Suez - rendered obsolete by the panzer spearhead.
The unexpected presence of the German panzers in Libya did not change Field Marshal Crerar's view that the only possible chance, however improbable, of stopping the Germans and saving Egypt was to hold firm at El Hammâm with a defence-in-depth. Thus, aside from an infantry corps remaining in place to defend Port Said, his immediate response was to order all available units west with the intention of making every possible effort to hold the line.

Now, with divisions already in motion and intent on doing their duty, the Canadian government received urgent appeals from Allied capitals advising them to abandon Egypt, retreat to the Suez Canal and to save the Canadian army from destruction. An emergency session of the Canadian war cabinet considered the recommendations from London and Paris and the simple military reality that the Canadian Expeditionary Force could delay the Germans for a time but lacked the strength to stop them. It was not a difficult decision. Mackenzie King chose to save Canadian lives and gave the order for the army to withdraw.

However, with fast-moving Germans panzers already closing in on the front-line positions, Henry Crerar was faced with the difficult proposition of extricating the Canadian Expeditionary Force from the developing trap. He took the hard decision to order the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Canadian infantry divisions to fight a rear-guard action at El Hammâm to delay the panzers for as long as possible and cover the retreat of the rest of the army. For those brave men there was of course no realistic hope of escape!

canada_1_4_rearguard_zps58114b0f.jpg

Maj. General Russell's 3rd Canadian Infantry Division - one of the under-prepared units sacrificed at El Hammâm.
The Canadian Expeditionary Force completed the withdrawal to the east bank of the Suez Canal without suffering any further losses. Delaying actions were fought for a time along the west bank and at Port Said itself to allow as many units as possible to cross in good order and establish defensive positions. Subsequent attempts by the Axis to force the canal were met with concentrated artillery fire and repulsed easily. German panzers, fearsome on land, proved easy targets when attempting to cross water loaded on barges!

canada_1_6_canal_zpsb94db22c.jpg

Canadian artillery exacts retribution as Italian commanders attempt to force the canal with scant regard for the cost in German lives and equipment.
While these events were playing out on land the Royal Canadian Navy's transport fleet met with disaster! The working assumption had always been that the power of the British Royal Navy would ensure Canadian ships were able to operate in the Eastern Mediterranean with considerable freedom. This assumption proved to be ill-founded. When, finally, Vice Admiral Murray was compelled to evacuate the Mediterranean before the canal could be captured by Axis forces, his ships found themselves exposed to heavy and sustained attack from Italian submarines and naval bombers. Abandoned by the vaunted Royal Navy, he ordered his surviving ships to seek refuge at Lefkosia in Cyprus. That was Murray's last transmission and none of his ships ever reached safety!

canada_1_5_transports_zps70b255c3.jpg

The Royal Canadian Navy's ill-fated transport fleet sets out from Halifax with 4th Corps embarked for Port Said on the very day war is declared.
So there we have the story of the chaos in North Africa - but at least we've finally stopped the panzers in their tracks and we're still in the fight!
 
Last edited:
I was wondering about the fate of the Canadians transports. If I'm reading this correctly, all of them were sunk? I thought ITA only intercepted one or two, but I noted 8 TPs in the sunk ship list, and there's 8 TPs in your current fleet.

If so, Canada is in a even more precarious situation than I imagined, being unable to evacuate the middle east due to lack of TPs. Stand and fight to the last man!
 
That information was in the sunk ship list as you said (so hardly top secret) and I'm sure gunstickuncle had a good idea of the extent of his success anyway. To be fair, I'm not sure how useful that fleet would have been in the present situation even if it was still fully intact. Now that Suez is in Axis hands, to evacuate the Canadian army by way of Gibraltar would mean passing through Italian waters (probably suicidal) and doing so more than once because the army would have to be shipped out in phases... and if by some minor miracle that all worked the forces left behind would become increasingly vulnerable to annihilation as their strength was progressively reduced.

Now, if the Regia Marina had followed up on the capture of the canal by sending in ships, that would have been far more painful because something like 3-4 of the divisions retreating across the canal might have been cut off and destroyed!
 
Last edited:
I thought you might had have more ships for transporting troops since TPs tend to die easily, but are quite cheap. You still have a chance to evacuate via Iraq though.
 
03/08/1939 - 23/02/1940: FallLiberation of Denmark/Gibraltar/Middle East/Yugoslavia

The German liberators have certainly not forgotten to make their regular progress report on the state of the war! Due to technical issues, we only managed to progress 2 months in the session before last, but managed to crawl through 4 months the week after. Hence, this will be a report on both session!

After the climatic battle for Paris, the government fled to the United Kingdom, and a proxy government signed an armistice with Germany. Under the terms, Germany outright annexed her historical cores including the Alsace-Moselle region, a strip of territory up to the channel including most of the Ardennes and Nord-Pas-de-Calais, and various ports lining the coast. The rest of North France was to be managed under occupation, and the south left to the Vichy government to administer.

j6LKjDj.jpg

Defeated France

Gibraltar, aptly titled the Rock guarded the entrance to the Mediterranean. It allowed the free passage of English warfleets to harass the vulnerable coast of ITA, which though heavily garrisoned might prove difficult to defend against the Royal Navy and their marines. Operation Felix was immediately set in motion, and the veteran divisions freed up after the capture of France trained down to the south border of Occupied France to await the decision of Franco to join the war.

Intelligence reports showed troops concentrations on the tiny island, heavily dug in and fortified with the armor recently rescued from France. Undeterred, OKO ensured that the entire veteran fort busting army would be present to give the English a taste of Krupp steel. Once Franco decided to join the war, the English advanced out of their fortifications to capture Algeciras and Medina-Sidonia. It would prove to be a disastrous mistake as once the German tanks arrived in force, the English were easily pushed back into Gibraltar and subject to daily shelling.

XMCn5ts.jpg

German fortress buster divisions advance, pushing English back

Once the English High command realised the potential for losses, a transport fleet was immediately dispatched to rescue their valuable armor and infantry. However, anticipating this manoeuvre, the Kriegsmarine deployed the latest submarine wolfpacks to lie in wait, with stunning results. Alongside the support from Italian naval bombers, numerous flotillas were sunk and trapped the majority of the English troops on Gibraltar.

cD8l3mQ.png

German wolfpacks savage the Royal Navy transports and escorts

During the battle for France, England had landed an expeditionary force to help hold Denmark. It was a sizable force, composed of 12 infantry and two armor divisions, however the English had made a grave error in estimating the strength of the Luftwaffe. A hourly bombing and air superiority campaign was mounted, and the yet untested Marine-Sturm sent into battle against the dug-in troops. Even with the majority of RAF fighters rebased into Copenhagen, they were unable to deter the horrible losses from the German bombers, and the brave marines were able to fight their way into Copenhagen and force the surrender of the entire expeditionary army in a stunning victory as English transports were unable to get there in time (being at the bottom of the ocean).

vcRw2C2.jpg

Heavy bombing sapping strength of English Divisions, every last one was lost!

vBFg4W5.png

Victory crossing the straits

After these two battles, British Army losses were estimated at 10 armor divisions, 3 Gurkha divisions, and 18 Infantry divisions, a tremendous blow to a nation already reeling from the shock defeat in France. Germany intelligence intercepts report that this was a full quarter of the British Army, lost in the span of a few months along with more than half of their finest armor divisions. Defanged and helpless, the English were reported to be abandoning their colonial possessions in favor of cowering behind the Channel fearing a German landing on the back of the resounding victories.

VA96pyN.jpg

The British Army only have 9 armor divisions left, compared to the 19 at the start of the war. The majority of their forces are deployed along the coast anticipating Sealion the influx of German tourists :D

On the Med front, the RM managed to secure victories against the larger and stronger Royal Navy, and liberated the smaller countries in the middle east up to Persia, but that progress report will be left for Italy!

dL2m2Su.png

German marines easily forced a landing in Malta, further destroying another 2 light armor and 2 infantry divisions (the defeat is so ITA can capture Malta instead for supply reasons)

Overall, the Axis is in a strong position for the liberation of the Soviet Union. The Med is closed, North Africa and the Middle East have decided to join the Axis (voluntarily of course) and the Allies have lost a large portion of their forces especially the UK and Canada. While USA and SOV are busily building up their forces, Germany will remain vigilant for any signs of treachery from the Soviets. As the new German fighters come online, they're ready to unleash the battle of Britain on the weakened RAF once the latest BF109/110s have fully equipped the forward wings! Only time will tell if the English are able to hold out against the might of the German Luftwaffe. The Italians are also freed from defending their coastline heavily, and are able to begin reinforcing the French coast in preparations of visiting the white cliffs of Dover (as tourists of course)
 
Considering that my radar covers most of southern UK, I went back to take screens from my older saves and count the number of divisions present in each province. I'm 100% behind my numbers. In fact, total losses should include an additional 2 INF and 2 LARM divisions left to rot in Malta :)

The British army may have escaped France relatively unscathed, but it turns out Gibraltar and Copenhagen became their Dunkirk!

The closure of the Med is the really big deal. That releases the entire Italian army from garrison duty and allows for a far more aggressive strategy for the Axis. Germany provided Panzers not only to ensure a quick victory, but also in the case of a strong English presence threatening Rome, which had the entire Italian army and expeditionaries sitting on the coast just in case.
 

canada_flag_zps57b59d01.jpg


Operation Scapa
7th October 1939

The last update had us dug in on the east bank of the Suez Canal and halting the advance of the German panzers - here is the story of what followed!

In late July 1939 the Canadian press was full of patriotic news stories glorifying the courage and prowess of the Canadian armed forces in holding the "Suez Line". In reality, the Canadian Expeditionary Force was exchanging fevered communications with the government in Ottawa, which in turn was engaged in talks with London, aimed at extricating the Canadian army from what was seen as a completely untenable position.

With the fall of Suez and the withdrawal of British naval power from the Mediterranean there was now a realisation that the Italian Regia Marina had the freedom to land fresh forces in Palestine and cut off the Canadians from any possible line of retreat. It was against this expectation that Operation Scapa, the evacuation of the Canadian Expeditionary Force from North Africa, was conceived and executed.

canada_2_1_scapa_zpsseba9gws.jpg

Operation Scapa envisaged the retreat of the army through Palestine, Transjordan and Iraq, and an evacuation from Basra by the Royal Navy.
The two most critical elements for the success of Operation Scapa were to move quickly to pre-empt any move by the Italians and to hold the east bank of the canal for as long as possible by means of a rearguard defence by three infantry divisions. It was here, in the first hours of the operation, that disaster struck. Major General Farndale's 14th Infantry Division had been ordered to hold the canal at Bîr Gifgafa but instead retreated south. This single mistake allowed the Germans to get their armour across the canal within hours where Field Marshal Crerar had planned for a tenacious defence lasting for several days.

*Note: in the subsequent investigation set up by the Canadian government, Maj. General Farndale faced accusations that he had wilfully disregarded the order to hold the canal and had instead chosen to try to save himself and his division. He was, however, acquitted of this charge and the final report attributed the retreat of 14th Infantry Division to "woefully inadequate communications between C.E.F. headquarters and lower echelons of the command structure".

canada_2_2_retreat_zpszkjnrh2f.jpg

14th Canadian Infantry Division's fateful retreat from Bîr Gifgafa that allowed German panzers to cross the canal!
The situation rapidly deteriorated into a general rout. German armoured forces quickly secured full control of the canal and used their superior mobility to chase down the retreating Canadian units. Advancing swiftly along the Mediterranean coast the Germans swept through Palestine and Transjordan and succeeded in cutting off the retreat of the Canadian mobile forces evacuating through the deserts of Transjordan. At Dhiban the Canadians suffered their single worst defeat of the campaign as both of the light armoured divisions along with two motorised infantry divisions, all desperately short of supplies and ammunition, were encircled and destroyed by German armour.

canada_2_3_rout_zpsjgjo2tva.jpg

By 1st September some Canadian divisions are retreating into Iraq but many more have been lost - notably at Dhiban.
The Iraqi government very generously agreed to a Canadian request for the army to be allowed to retreat through Iraqi territory. This was of course a serious provocation to the Axis and it was hardly a surprise that Mussolini promptly ordered the invasion of Iraq. However, neutral Saudi Arabia fared no better as Italy followed up by seizing full control of the Arabian peninsula.

And so there we have the sad story of the end of the Canadian mission in North Africa!
 
Last edited:
The Denmark gamble by the UK was viable but I wonder how hard it will be sustain that exposed flank. Germany can just bomb the bases around the clock with a lot more bases in range. If Ikar adds his carriers into the fight, they'll be attacked too and any naval losses will affect things in the med and the Pacific. With the Italians going nuts in the eastern med, I'd rather give up on Denmark and shift forces towards the med. Italy has little chance in a naval fight if Britain focuses on them and the ground forces can be starved off supplies, enabling the UK to contain them on their side of the med.