Question, what mods are you using? I'm interested because they make the game look nicer.
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I am amazed at how tough Spain has become. SF has definitely made things interesting. Another great update, Uriah.
If the Guanxi doesn't finish their southern expedition soon they might find that they have no place to return to because the Japanese overrun the nationalists.
Rank and File
A Clerk’s War
A Clerk’s War
Wednesday June 27th to Saturday 30th June 1940
With June 30th approaching, we have had a reversion to the end of month panic that used to take place when we had regular Cabinet meetings. If you remember, for many years it was the task of the administrative staff to prepare updates for each Ministry, to allow the Cabinet to review progress across the Reich. Luckily this month’s exercise is not as extensive (there is a war on, you know) but the Führer has agreed to a request by Minister Goebbels to examine the situation regarding our research investment. Goebbels wants to know how our knowledge levels are improving: as he is in charge of the allocation of scientists and engineers he claims he needs to know how much the Reich has gained from our research projects. (Though everyone knows he is just looking for ways to increase his own knowledge base – he could have invented the saying “Knowledge is power”). So there is a frenzy of activity here in the Reichskanzlei as we attempt to put together a package for each Minister to submit.
It wasn’t research, though, that was on the agenda today. A new motorised division (60.Infanterie (mot)) has been equipped and is ready for deployment. It has been sent immediately to the border with Spain, to Bayonne, where its commander, General Freßner, has orders to await for the arrival of 3rd Panzerkorps, its parent unit.
This Einheits-Diesel found the road to Bayonne a bit difficult, but 60.Infanterie (mot) reached its new base intact. Note the identification marker on the truck, signifying it is from a Signals unit (see the chart below)
A new round of memos were issued by different Ministers about the use of the industrial capacity now released. I am becoming more impressed with the ability of Minister Bayerlein to get his way in Cabinet. Up against a group of powerful and ambitious men, he has been able to get the bulk of the factories and labour assigned to his infrastructure projects. Major road and rail improvements will commence across Romania, creating pathways to the Russian border. Construction crews are being assembled in Tâgu Neamt, Botosani, Doruhoi, Berchomet, Radauti, Visen de Sus, Aiud, Sibiu and Câmpulung. In addition, three “prepackaged” air bases are to be put together, ready for installation where required. The only concession to the Heer was to allow a new garrison division to be called up.
After 4 days of Stukas circling above, the élite soldiers of 1 Brigada Montaña have had enough. (I have seen a staffeln of Ju 87B bombers practicing and have no desire to ever be on the receiving end of an attack. It seems as though every plane is heading straight at you, and the air sirens must be the cheapest way to destroy morale ever invented: the sound sucks the courage out of you). Jodl’s two motorised divisions are currently rolling into Ayora, just 91 men short of the original attacking force. The Spanish, however, lost 506, though many of those were the ill-trained headquarters troops of 6th Army HQ.
Enough to break the will of the bravest soldier: a Stuka drops its single 250kg and two 50kg bombs at the bottom of its dive
Over Fabero, there was a very rare event for Spain: a dogfight between opposing fighter formations. Christiansen’s two geschwader met Castaneau’s 1er Grupo Caza FARE and Grupo n.1 Caza FARE and, although outnumbered 191 to 131, our Messerschmitt Bf 109Es outclassed the I.15s and I.16s of the Spanish. If only we could hurry up the production of the replacement Bf 109E aircraft, we could really teach the Spanish pilots a lesson.
Air Battle of Fabero
Late Wednesday more worrying news: advancing Republican forces have driven out our collaborators from Pont de Suert and are moving on La Pobla de Segur. With Rommel still ignoring the threat to his rear, OKH has intervened with some of the few troops in area under its direct control. Now that 60.Infanterie (mot) is in Bayonne (though still very weak as it waits for supplies and sets up its administration and logistics) 2nd Fallschirmjäger Division is not need to garrison the town and airbase, and so it has been ordered to move to St Jean-Pied-de-Port.
Spanish infantry move west, taking Pont de Suert, while our Fallschirmjägers leave Bayonne
Next day Haase and 7.Infanterie were on the march again, with the General confirming he has engaged 13/7a División Orgánica in A Gudiña. Capturing this province will further reduce the likelihood that the enemy forces trapped in Galica can escape. Although Durruti Dumange has 6,000 men, our information is that they are already suffering some shortages and should not prove too difficult to dislodge.
Battle of A Gudiña
Haase’s southern neighbour, General Model, is also acting to prevent any attempt to get supplies and reinforcements to the northwest of the country. The tanks of 5th Panzer Division are throwing up clouds of dust as they cross the dry plains of Fermoselle. Model warns that the fighting may be heavy, as the province has been identified as being defended by a unit we have not previously encountered, Brigada Mixta Montaña, led by Llano de la Encomienda. We have found the Spanish mountain troops to be among their best, and General Encomienda is well known to us, as he commanded the Republican Army of the North in the Civil War. In addition, the Spanish have their backs to the wall, that if they cannot hold their ground, they have only the adjoining province of Vitigudina to which they can retreat.
Battle of Fermoselle
Another win by 6th SS Freiwillingen Gebirgsjägers ended the day. The Battle for Sarria was tougher than General Behlendorff has expected, and he lost 101 men in the ground attack, but the way is now clear for von Bohm-Bezing to take 3.Infanterie straight across to La Coruña. With 284 dead, 1a División de Infanterie is withdrawing southwest, into Ourence.
I was flipping through some financial papers sent to Minister Frick in his role as Head of Intelligence when something odd struck me. Normally there is little in such papers that would interest me, just invoices, expense accounts etc. These were similar to many I have seen in the past: cancelled payments to agents in England: MI5 has become quite efficient. Then I realised what struck me as odd: the attached note giving the reason for the cancellation made it quite clear it was not British counter-intelligence that had caught this spy cell: it was the Irish! Eire is sending counter-intelligence operative to work in the United Kingdom! Sometimes I think the whole world is against us.
Speaking of papers of little interest, we still get a lot of trade related information from the Foreign Ministry. A couple of these provided a few laughs both from the professional diplomats and everyone else who read them. Businessmen from both the USA and Venezuela have approached our embassies in those countries and proposed trade deals where they would provide steel (Venezuela) and rare materials (USA) to the Reich. The price was immaterial – we have ample foreign currency – but the clause in the contract that caused such hilarity was the simple “Transport to be provided by the purchaser”. Where we would we find a captain and crew (let alone the owner of a ship) prepared to sail back and forth across the Atlantic, with the entire Royal Navy seeking revenge for their butchered convoys? Both offer were declined, and not too politely.
We are starting to see the results of the decision some months ago to call up some second-line units. 281st Sicherung Division has been sent to join the Frankreich Sicherungskorps, and this has allowed OKW to remove a combat division (Müller’s 10.Infanterie) from Frankreich and transfer it to Warszawa where it will join XIV Armeekorps, Army of Polen. Another garrison division has been put on notice and should be fully equipped in about 9 weeks.
Sicherung units must make do with what is available, and it seems that cooking equipment was in short supply when 281st Sicherungsdivision was being equipped.
But enough of administration. I could go on for hours about the piles of information that cross my desk, but the action is taking place in Spain. Nehring has sent his tanks into clear General Batov and 6/3a División Orgánica from La Roda. Although it must be acknowledged that some of the Spanish commanders (such as Batov) are performing miracles in keeping their units in the fight, it is becoming apparent that the loss of officers and experienced NCOs has reduced the ability of virtually every unit to take punishment. In fact, before I left work Rommel’s headquarters sent a communiqué confirming that 1st Panzer had simply rolled over Batov’s infantry, losing 14 men in the process. 2a División is retreating south, and the Spanish right flank is crumbling.
Battle of La Roda
Behlendorff’s struggle for Sarria was not over. Although he had already paid a heavy price to evict 1a División de Infanterie, his men had to now confront a new enemy as Cordón García with 2a División de Infanterie blocked his way. Things were not as bad as at first sight, however. While García had plenty of men (as many as 12,000 we believe), he was low on supplies, with the road to the warehouses of Madrid now cut off. (La Coruña must be virtually empty of supplies, and it seem s no convoys have made it to the port, as our Aufklärungabteilungs report many enemy units are foraging for food and fuel and appear low on ammunition). It was no surprise that within hours Sud-Frankreich Army updated the status of the battle to “Successfully Completed”. Preliminary casualty figures are 45 men of 6th SS Freiwilligen Gebirgsjäger Division against 70 men of 2a División.
Second Battle of Sarria
A sign of the desperation gripping the trapped forces is the attack on Ott’s 3.Infanterie (mot) by the isolated 11/6a División Orgánica. General Mena Roig has realised that unless a supply route south through La Fuente de San Estaban can be secured his soldiers will be forced to surrender, and is gambling everything on this almost suicidal assault.
Battle of La Fuente de San Esteban
During the night all communication with local administrations throughout La Pobla de Segur was lost, presumably because our political appointees are either dead, imprisoned or on the run. (I checked the railroad timetables: our Sturm-Marinekorps is in the vicinity of Paris. With the congestion on the tracks leading to the Spanish border, it will be some days before they arrive).
The Catalan expansion continues unchecked – and still no sight of OKH’s emergency intervention force
The rest of Saturday was only interrupted by bombing reports, which was a relief as it allowed me to spend some time looking at the “State of Knowledge” presentation. To help me appreciate the progress we have made, I dug out some previous reports, from the end of 1938 and the end of 1930 to compare to the mid-year 1940 figures. As an additional aid, I made up a small chart which I have attached below, which shows the impressive increases in knowledge, both practical and theoretical, which have been achieved.
A scientist hard at work: the success of the Wehrmacht depends on these men just as much as on its generals and soldiers.
It is not just advancement in the physical sciences that will bring us victory: our military studies researchers and thinkers are constantly developing new organisational structures and tools.
Bombing Summary
Luftwaffe
Ayora: Hoffmann von Waldau with 4th Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 16
La Roda: Hoffmann von Waldua with 4th Schlachtfliegferkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 81, 35
Madrid: Dörstling with 6th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 232, 271, 227
RAF/RN Fleet Air Arm
Lugo: Harris with 11th and 13th Carrier Air Groups: 34
Segovia: Gore-Sutherland-Mitchell with 16th and 17th CAG: 15
Segovia: Harris with 11th and 13th CAG: 18
Lugo: Collishaw with 12th CAG: 8
Alcanices: Ludlow-Hewitt with 4th CAG: 44
Alcobendas: Maltby with 5th CAG: 11
Segovia: Denny with 7th CAG: 52
Ávila: Ludlow-Hewitt with 4th and 6th CAG: 44
Lugo: Maltby with 5th CAG: 34
Alcanices: Gore-Sutherland-Mitchell with 16th and 17th CAG: 34
Ávila: Barrett with 14th and 15th CAG: 22, 29
Alcanices: Gore-Sutherland-Mitchell with 11th, 13th, 16th and 17th CAG: 24Segovia: Barrett with 14th and 15th CAG: 49
La Fuente de San Esteban: Gore-Sutherland-Mitchell with 11th, 13th, 16th and 17th CAG: 48
Combined Anglo-Spanish Missions
Segovia: Gore-Sutherland-Mitchell with 16th and 17th CAG, 1er and 20 Grupo Táctico: 61, 125
La Fuente de San Esteban: Gore-Sutherland-Mitchell with 11th, 13th, 16th and 17th CAG, 1er and 2o Grupo Táctico: 86
FARE
Segovia: Camacho Benítez with 1er and 2o Grupo Táctico: 82, 52, 97Alcobendas: Camacho Benítez with 1er and 2o Grupo Táctico: 66
Alcala de Henares: Camacho Benítez with 1er and 2o Grupo Táctico: 72, 22
Unterseebootsflotte Activity Report
Cape Finisterre: 1 transport (UK): Dover – Aden: Fricke with 3rd U-flotte
South Eastern Azores Fracture Zone: 1 transport (Spanish): Cádiz – Boston: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
Goban Spur: 1 transport (UK): Plymouth – Fongafale: Fricke with 3rd U-flotte
Cape St Vincent: 1 transport (Canadian): Halifax – Cádiz: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
Southern Azores: 1 transport (UK): Bombay – Dover: Aßmann with 1st U-flotte
Eastern Charcot Seamount: 1 transport (Australia): Geraldton – Dover: Fricke with 3rd U-flotte
Coast of Cádiz: 2 transports (UK): Portsmouth – Mauritius: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
Setubal Bay: 1 transport and 1 escort (UK): Singapore – Dover: Aßmann with 1st U-flotte
Western English Channel: 1 transport (UK): Dover – Chittagong: von Nordeck with II U-flotte
Gibraltar Approaches: 1 transport (UK): Dover – Tobruk: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
Coast of Porto: 1 transport and 1 escort(UK): Dover El Iskandarîya: Aßmann with 1st U-flotte
Other Axis Powers Military Situation Reports
China: having reached the Yellow River, our reports indicate some units are attempting to cross it in the face of heavy Kuomintang opposition
Indo-China: General Tsuda seems gripped by indecision, or perhaps he is unsure how his 10 garrison regiments will perform in combat against the Guangxi veterans.
Greece: our Italian allies have found enough supplies to launch one more attack into the mountainous areas of northern Greece. With their left flank now secure, they can concentrate on the push to Athina.
Libia: with strong forces holding Surt, our military attaché in Rome tells us that his information is that the Regio Esercito is sending a strong force south, hoping to loop around behind the British.
Unternehmen Stierkampf at end of 30th June 1940
Madrid is under pressure and a pocket of Spanish troops is trapped on the Portuguese border.
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Thanks Lord Mansy - but I do need to correct you. Marmite is a similar product, but is made from meat products (I think). Vegemite, however, is made from yeast extract - doesn't that sound yummy?
I think that Sud-Frankreich Army is giving me the finger. It is saying that if I persist in giving it too many objectives and too few troops, it will just commit suicide. The reinforcements will allow me to take all eastern objectives away from Rommel and give them to the new Army (tentatively the Army of Iberia).
Thanks BoemsiBoemie - I think you were one of the first posters, over a year ago. I hope my marines arrive in Spain beofre the Spanish arrive in France.
NERFGEN: see above re the gripping vegemite/marmite discussion.
I can see an infantry div and an armour brigade, but I think there may be another div in there somewhere.
As for the future, I think after Spain (it will end!) we will consolidate and prepare the OOB for 1941 and Russia. No Sea Lion: I can't afford the troops now. Even if the KM was in a fit state to guard the crossing (which it isn't) the time to move troops to the Channel, cross, conquer and get back to the East is too much.
What is going on down in Spain?! They are fighting quite a bit harder than usual I think, Semper Fi has deffinately stiffened their fighting abilities. The campaign is now the toughest test your Army has faced.
At least Romania went true to form and collapsed quickly. Your subs also seem to be racking up impressive results, perhaps the UK can be strangled slowly.
I also like to keep the LARM around for exploitation of gaps and routs.
On the subject of Vegimite...anyone who listened to Men At Work in the 80s has heard the name, but i have to admit, it must be an aquired taste.
I have attacked Spain in HOI2 but never before in HOI3. The troops are very tough, the terrain is nasty (mountains plus all those rivers crossing my line of advance) and supply means I can't overrun everything with armour. Lack of decent airbases at the front are a problem etc etc. I just hope that getting Gibraltar makes it all worhtwhile.
My subs seem impregnable (they are "defensive") and the UK must be bleeding. And I think I said beofre that I have no IC to upgrade the LARM in the foreseeable future, so we will see how they go in Russia.
I never realised how many people have heard of Vegemite.
Thanks Rommel7 - a man who has eaten Vegemite and lived to tell the tale.
Most of the names of units I just make up (other than the ones that are assigned by the game). I did start to name the individual regiments but found that life is just too short, and that I rarely mention units below division.
Let me get back with an edit: I am sure I gave the mods I use (with links) only a few weeks ago.
EDIT: From Post 1874
The counters are Hr.Cyber's Landicons for ICE (I think that is what it is called)
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...1#post11013151
In case you are interested, I also use filefool's Major Nations Immersion Pack
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...1#post10466608
And of course I use Modestus' Retextured Map mod
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...1#post10118644
Hope this helps.
As I always stress - none of these affect game play: they all alter graphics only. (Well, Major Natiosn also changes model names etc, but you get thepoint).
The Japanese commander in Saigon obviously thinks so.
gllaaaahll.. 'need fix of b&w picture' ...
Sorry for the delay - I did warn that I was playing Advanced Squad Leader all weekend. As expected, I did not win: to play ASL well you really have to play regularly. If you think HOI3 is complex, have a look at the ASL Rulebook.
Had I known that Spain was quite so tough I may have thought twice about invading. Well, not really - I like a challenge! SF may have beefed them up, but it definitely gave the RAF a boost.
I hope that the Japanese are now ready to move - their supply issues were the main impediment
PS I apologise for the lack of formatting in the "State of Knowledge" Table: I can't work out how to keep things in alignment and editing every damn line is too much trouble. I am sure you get the idea.
If anyone knows how to import a table, please let me know. There is probably an easy way to do it and I just haven't seen it.
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I hope it won't be too late though, the situation in Catalonia would give me nightmares.
The AI is pretty stupid/conservative when it has fewer units than the fronts width as seen in spain.
As more of a carnivore than a herbivore, I prefer the marmite, but both are quite nice. I used to have marmite and cheese sandwiches at school. Very nice.
Back to matters, Spain is starting to shape up nicely. Any plans to help the Italians in Greece. Just reading Antony Beevors book on Crete. Interesting stuff.
Another thing what are the Irish doing? Where are they on the pyramid? Axis? or Allies?
Your AAR has more than 200.000 views, Uriah. Good job! You are now an established and very successful writer.
Great update as usual
Spain can be a tough nut to crack if its army isn't destroyed early in the offensive. There are a few ways to ensure that this happens, including marine landings, paratrooper drops or a frontal assault by mountaineers followed by a dividing attack by tanks towards la Coruña and Barcelona to cut off 3/4 of the spanish army.
Of course the AI is not intelligent enough to implement any of these. It's good that they manage some pockets though.
I have a jar of marmite spread at home.. I use it on bread , and sometimes also to give some more taste to my soups or stews.
And I have read the ingredients on it and it sez yeast extract too. So i'm not so sure about the difference between the 2 spreads.
Spain can be a tough nut to crack if its army isn't destroyed early in the offensive. There are a few ways to ensure that this happens, including marine landings, paratrooper drops or a frontal assault by mountaineers followed by a dividing attack by tanks towards la Coruña and Barcelona to cut off 3/4 of the spanish army.
Of course the AI is not intelligent enough to implement any of these. It's good that they manage some pockets though.
I have a jar of marmite spread at home.. I use it on bread , and sometimes also to give some more taste to my soups or stews.
And I have read the ingredients on it and it sez yeast extract too. So i'm not so sure about the difference between the 2 spreads.
Been a while since I commented but I must say this is an AAR that is superb. Keep up the drive to Gibralter.
I don't quite understand why 10. ID was attached to XIV AK.. The unit was near Spain already and Iberische Armee obviously needs more boots on the ground and Stalin does not seem to be in any agressive mood right now.
Good thing the ministers agreed to improve the romanian infrastructure, it'll come in handy rather soon.
Do you plan to convert to 2.03c? It seems penalize armor and mechanized troops even more than 2.03b (good job, as if supply wasn't a problem in Russia already).
Good thing the ministers agreed to improve the romanian infrastructure, it'll come in handy rather soon.
Do you plan to convert to 2.03c? It seems penalize armor and mechanized troops even more than 2.03b (good job, as if supply wasn't a problem in Russia already).
Thanks all you guys for the congratulations. He is a beautiful, happy and healthy boy and I hope he will play HOI in the future as well, just like his dad. And yes, in this greying old place called Europe, every little increase in fresh manpower is welcome.
Best of luck. I'm sure he will have alot of fun, when you play HOI 8 with him.
BTW, my daughter is 8, and I keep wondering how I can slow down time.
One word: Promite. There can be only one! With tomato sauce and peanut-paste... omnomnomnom...
I also think they should have made iSnack 2.0 green.
I also think they should have made iSnack 2.0 green.
Rank and File
A Clerk’s War
A Clerk’s War
Sunday 1st to Thursday 5th July 1940
After all the running around finding documents about obscure research projects, I am sure all my staff appreciated a rest on Sunday just as much as did Gisela and I. Now that all is quiet in the east I have noticed that Berlin is much more relaxed, as if the war in Spain is just a minor altercation that will soon be over. There are not many who realise that everything that has happened so far is just a prelude to the main performance.
Monday I expected a desk groaning with documents to be reviewed and papers to be signed, but Sunday must have been fairly quiet. General Kreß von Kressenstein’s 30.Infanterie were involved in some sort of exchange with 1/1a División de Cabellaros in Albacete, but with typical efficiency he put the Spanish to flight in an hour or so, after they lost 9 cavalrymen. Just two of our men were killed.
Battle of Albacete: the presence of intermittent thunder-storms did not affect the speed of our victory
Although the Cabellaros lost few men, as always their horses suffered disproportionately.
General Haase also had a victory, though he lost 113 of his soldiers in A Gudiña. 7.Infanterie inflicted 256 casualties on 13/7a División Orgánica, which is retreating west, away from the desperate counterattacks in La Fuente de San Esteban that are intended to clear a path to the trapped units in Galicia.
The steady progress in the north-west of the country is unfortunately matched by the unrelenting advance of the Spanish in north-east Spain. At some time on Sunday Aguaviva was captured by the Republicans.
Loss of Aguaviva: we had hoped the rain would slow the Spanish advance but it appears to have stayed in the south
Finally, the Luftwaffe has again reported conflict with the RAF, over the Bristol Channel. Generalleutnant Klepke with “”Freki” and “Geri” took on three carrier air groups under Barrett. For once we were able to destroy some of the British carrier planes, but “Freki” is now below half strength. Maybe those Berliners who think that the fighting is all but over could think of our pilots who will not return. The lucky ones are on their way to English POW camps. The others faced their last moments either trapped in a burning, falling aircraft or floating out into the Irish Sea, slowly losing body heat to the chill waters.
Air Battle of Bristol Channel: 4AM 1st July
The Luftwaffe led off Monday’s news, with a battle over the Eastern English Channel. At 3AM Felmy located a single carrier air group (Collishaw’s 12th) and by 7AM both sides had reinforced the combatants. Klepke took over command of our 298 fighters, while Collishaw now had a total of 481 aircraft at his disposal. While the stormy weather reduced losses on both sides, once again we were saved by Collishaw’s inability to control so many units. We cannot rely on the lack of skill of the British air commanders forever: with every battle they grow in experience. The fighting continued sporadically all day, with a final dogfight over Channel Approaches that saw Klepke, although refusing to accept that his pilots had been defeated, admit that his losses exceeded the Briths by at least two to one.
Battle of the Eastern English Channel: 7AM 2nd July
As is becoming the norm now, we had barely begun to fight for Monforte when the Spanish abandoned the province. Rommel’s HQ had barely dashed off a memo that 5th Gebirgsjäger Division had been instructed to seize Monforte when an update came to say that Ascasa Abadía’s men were no longer present, presumably choking the roads to Verrin. Total losses in the few skirmishes that took place were 30 dead, of which 7 were Gebirgers. General Eppich can add another successfully completed assignment to his record.
General Jodl was fortunate with his timing. Thunderstorms have been sweeping in from the Mittelsee, but they had moved north from Almansa before 14.Infanterie (mot) crossed the provincial border. His job is tough enough without the added penalty of fighting in the torrential Spanish summer rains. The Spanish have more than 17,000 men in Alamansa, including a mountain brigade and a cavalry division. While Jodl is confident, these are not the dispirited and hungry soldiers of north-west Spain. As far as we can tell, even with the heavy fighting in Madrid, the Spanish logistical structure is still operating well in the south. The men facing 14.Infanterie (mot) are well supplied and armed, and are determined to halt our drive on Cartagena.
Battle of Almansa: the rain has caught up with the Spanish armour
Once again all the good news was counter-balanced by the report from our military governors that two more provinces are not responding to telephone or radio queries (and despatch riders sent to investigate have not returned). Rodellar and La Almonda have been officially declared to be no longer under our control.
Loss of Rodellar and La Almonda: the rain has caught up with the Spanish armour
I was very busy on Tuesday with administrative and personnel issues and it was only at the end of the day that I realised I had heard nothing all day about military operations. A quick stroll through the corridors and a few brief chats with the more talkative guards and ministerial staff and I found I had missed very little. A couple of air battles over the Channel and that was it. I did notice that “Schlageter” was involved and that it had lost 5 aircraft, but nothing else of importance. (I noticed that because I recently received a post-card from Ernst telling me he hoped to back in the air in a few days. The post card came from Paris, so I expect he will be well and truly rested).
With the storms fading from eastern Spain, Nehring had his panzers on the move again, into Munera. Up against Batov’s 6/3a División Orgánica, Sud-Frankreich HQ has intimated that it expects 1st Panzer Division to quickly wrap up any fighting. Rommel is now advising that his army is too stretched, and that he cannot afford to have units tied up in long battles: the need to have four full divisions for the assault on Madrid has weakened his whole position. Nehring did not let him down: after losing 96 men Batov was unable to prevent his men from pulling out, allowing 1st Panzer an easy win: just 13 men lost.
Battle of Munera
For once our radar sites have worked properly. Felmy has received an alert in sufficient time to get his fighters to ’s Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands to meet the British strategic bombers before they reached their target. Although Newall did get his bombers through to Dortmund in the end, his force was 9 aircraftshort of the 273 with which he started. As he left Dortmuind he was again met by our interceptors, now reinforced with Bogatsch’s “Ost 1” and “Ost 2”, both at full strength of 100 Me 109Es. By the end of the day, the three RAF Strategic Groups were reduced to just 208 bombers.
The RAF is not just operating over the Reich and over the Channel. Hoffmann von Waldau has been on the radio to Bayonne airbase, asking for fighter cover. He has been attacked by RAF Hurricanes and Spitfires over Munera, and has lost eight of his Stukas.
Cariñera is the latest province lost in north-east Spain. Logistic officers here in Berlin are muttering about Rommel’s apparent indifference to the looming threat to his rear, but Sud-Frankreich HQ simply refers queries to OKH. On a positive note we have heard that General Alpers has moved 3rd Marine-Sturm Division to within 105 km of the Spanish border.
Could we be close to stopping the Spanish expansion out of Catalonia?
All this was forgotten though, when Rommel reported not only victory in Almansa, but also the fall of Madrid. Normally Jodl’s win in Almansa would have dominated discussions, as he delivered a crushing blow to Burillo Sthole’s forces. 14.Infanterie (mot) lost a mere six men, while 227 of the 23, 211 Spanish were killed or captured. Our infantry, outnumbered more than two to one, have shattered any perception that the Spanish can rally and form a new line in the south.
Desperate to hold off 1st leichte Panzer and our three infantry divisions, Spanish irregulars defend an improvised roadblock in Madrid, surrounded by buildings ruined in the fighting.
But of course the news of Jodl’s skill and his men’s bravery was overshadowed by reports of Keppler’s capture of the enemy capital. After 11 days of fighting street by street, and suffering 2,482 dead or missing, our four divisions have driven out the British and their Spanish allies. The British fared better than us, losing 2,340 men, but they could no longer withstand the continuous ground attacks, the use of armour to blast a way into fortified building, the increasing bombing. The Spanish government has fled to Seville, but Keppler has seized all funds in the large banks and the State Treasury and has also located and secured large quantities of industrial materials. Nobody worked late on Wednesday, and the cafés and bars around Berlin were full of people celebrating the end of Spain. Well, nobody worked late except me. While we still have nearly 250,000 men fighting in Spain, I feel it is a little early to celebrate.
A banner still flies over a Madrid street: we were not stopped and the city will not be the “Tomb of Fascism”. Nevertheless, the war will continue.
The events of Thursday morning would seem to have proved me right. While many in the Reichskanzlei were gratefully sipping strong black coffee and nursing monumental hangovers, the Spanish took back Huesca and Tudela.
When will it end? The Spanish push to the border continues, even as Keppler’s men march into Madrid.
As if that were not enough indication that the Republican Army did not consider the war over, Sud-Frankreich Army submitted two battle reports during the day. The first, involving the victor of Madrid, General Keppler, was admittedly a minor affair. He has seen an opportunity to cross the Tagus, and grasped it with both hands. Fuenlabrada was being held by de Lazama’s Autoametralladoras-canone, an armour unit with a very poor reputation. Although 1st leichte Panzer had barely recovered from its exertions in the streets of Madrid, it was soon across the river. The Spanish armour lived up to its reputation, fleeing after a couple of vehicles were destroyed. Nine of the enemy were killed or captured, while Keppler lost two motorised infantrymen.
Battle of Fuenlabrada
Kreß von Kressenstein was not so lucky. Hellín is held by General Barcélo Jover, who has 17,000 soldiers backing him up. Although many of these are headquarters troops, the core of his defence is what our commanders consider to be the best Spanish unit encountered so far: 1 Brigada Montaña. 30.Infanterie has clear weather at the moment, and General Kreß von Kressenstein (and I am sure General Rommel!) is keen to conclude this battle as quickly as possible . It is unlikely Jover will co-operate.
All day there had been information trickling in from northern Frankreich about clashes over the Channel, but most of the results were inconclusive. At 2PM there was a major confrontation, as the unfortunate 2nd Jagdfliegerkorps met with no less than eight carrier air groups. The strain of continuous flying is affecting our pilots, but it is also reflected in the number of aircraft the Royal Navy can put into combat. After studying the debriefing reports, our analysts have announced that 4th CAG is down to 83 aircraft, 5th has been reduced to 66, 6th to 80 and 7th to 93. Unfortunately the other four groups are at full strength. (Not mentioned in the analysis was why Klepke’s 1st Jagdfliegerkorps did not assist – having checked the end-of-day aircraft availability report I can see why – “Freki” is down to just 36 fighters). So while our units are barely holding their own, the British are being slowly degraded – perhaps our submarine blockade is the cause.
Air Battle of Channel Approaches: 2PM Wednesday 5th July
How can the Royal Navy Air Arm defeat our fighters with aircraft such as these? All our aviation experts agree the Blackburn Roc is inferior to our Messerschmitts, yet they and the Fairey Fulmars still deal out heavy punishment every time we clash. Our analysts believe it may be a combination of being close to their carrier bases and the proximity of English radar that is behind our steady losses.
Bombing Summary
FARE
La Fuente de San Esteban: Camacho Benítez with 1er and 2o Grupo Táctico: 85, 44, 136, 132
Ponferrrada: Bayo Giraud with 1er Grupo de Bombardeo, Grupo Táctico n.1 FARE: 188, 138
Alcala de Henares: Camacho Benítez with 1er and 2o Grupo Táctico: 79, 1, 43
La Fuente de San Esteban: Bayo Giraud with 1er Grupo de Bombardeo, Grupo Táctico n.1 FARE: 49, 53, 39, 107, 27
Alcanices: Bayo Giraud with 1er Grupo de Bombardeo, Grupo Táctico n.1 FARE: 83, 72, 98, 48
Luftwaffe
Almansa: Löhr with 2nd Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 73, 178, 63, 79
Almansa: Löhr with 2nd and 4th Schlachtfliegerkorps (4 x Ju 87B): 226, 183[/B
]Munera: Hoffmann von Waldau with 4th Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 73, 70
Madrid: Dörstling with 6th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 245
Fermoselle: Kesselring with 1st Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 143
Combined Anglo-Spanish Missions
La Fuente de San Esteban: Collishaw with 12th CAG and 1er Grupo de Bombardeo, Grupo Táctico n.1 FARE: 92
RAF/RN Fleet Air Arm
Alcanices: Collishaw with 12th CAG: 19
Unterseebootsflotte Activity Report
Cape St Vincent: 2 transports (UK): Bombay – Dover: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
Western English Channel: 1 transport (UK): Portsmouth – Mombasa: von Nordeck with II U-flotte
Madeira: 2 transports (UK): Plymouth – Gibraltar: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
Western English Channel: 1 transport (UK): Dover – Nicobar Islands: von Nordeck with II U-flotte
Coast of Carvoeiro: 1 transport (UK): Portsmouth – Malta: Aßmann with 1st U-flotte
Western Charcot Seamount: 1 transport (UK): Plymouth – Gibraltar: Fricke with 3rd U-flotte
Eastern Charcot Seamount: 1 transport (UK): Plymouth – Ascension Island: Fricke with 3rd U-flotte
Breton Coast: 1 transport (UK): Plymouth – Gibraltar: von Nordeck with II U-flotte
South Azores Fracture Zone: 1 transport (Spanish): Cádiz – Boston: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
Eastern Charcot Seamount: 1 transport (UK): Plymouth – Ascension Island: Fricke with 3rd U-flotte
Horseshoe Seamount: 1 transport (Greek): Athina – Boston: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
Western Charcot Seamount: 4 transports (UK): Singapore – Dover: Fricke with 3rd U-flotte
Axis Military Situation Reports at end of 5th July 1940
Greece: The lack of a decent port is crippling the Italian offensive in Greece. Although the Italian High Command will not admit it openly, we are convinced that logistical issues restrict them to one serious conflict at a time.
Libia: Plenty of manoeuvring, but very little action
China: The Japanese supply network is performing much better, and some progress is being made. The abysmal condition of the Chinese road and rail network, however, means there must be long intervals between offensives to allow the units involved to replace ammunition and replace lost equipment.
IndoChina: Guangxi forces are squeezing the Japanese closer to Saigon. There are massive stockpiles of military supplies in the city, and numerous troops, but still there is no attempt to repel the invaders.
Unternehmen Stierkampf at end of 5th July 1940
Greece: The lack of a decent port is crippling the Italian offensive in Greece. Although the Italian High Command will not admit it openly, we are convinced that logistical issues restrict them to one serious conflict at a time.
Libia: Plenty of manoeuvring, but very little action
China: The Japanese supply network is performing much better, and some progress is being made. The abysmal condition of the Chinese road and rail network, however, means there must be long intervals between offensives to allow the units involved to replace ammunition and replace lost equipment.
IndoChina: Guangxi forces are squeezing the Japanese closer to Saigon. There are massive stockpiles of military supplies in the city, and numerous troops, but still there is no attempt to repel the invaders.
Unternehmen Stierkampf at end of 5th July 1940
It gets worse
Normally I don't like to look at the enemy, but as I don't control Japan, I'll have a peek.
Nationalists - 206 regiments
Guangxi - 86 regiments
Xibei San Ma - 35 regiments
It seems (as far as I can determine) to rank objectives in priority and ignore the lower ones. Probably because I put the axis of advance straight to Madrid, it concentrated on that. In the next update you will see it also starts to ignore Galicia.
I don't like to say it is necessarily stupid, it just does what it can with the units available. The fault was really mine, for giving it too much to do. The bad thing is that once it has decided it doesn't seem to ever review the decision.
In Australia you can buy ready made cheese and vegemite slices - ready to go. Can life get better? (It is only a matter of time before a mod comments on this thread).
The Italians are on their own in Greece. If they get beaten I'll take it, but I am not spending MP and supply to win them territory.
And the Irish have been in the Allies for ages - from memory Eire was the first to join.
The big question is: is that 2 people who have looked at it 100K times each? Or (more likely) 1000 who have looked 200 times?
Whatever the truth is, I am grateful for the people who have followed the saga and hope I can maintain their interest. And even more grateful for those who have offered encouragement and praise.
Great update as usual
Spain can be a tough nut to crack if its army isn't destroyed early in the offensive. There are a few ways to ensure that this happens, including marine landings, paratrooper drops or a frontal assault by mountaineers followed by a dividing attack by tanks towards la Coruña and Barcelona to cut off 3/4 of the spanish army.
Of course the AI is not intelligent enough to implement any of these. It's good that they manage some pockets though.
I have a jar of marmite spread at home.. I use it on bread , and sometimes also to give some more taste to my soups or stews.
And I have read the ingredients on it and it sez yeast extract too. So i'm not so sure about the difference between the 2 spreads.
I think the AI can perform better if more thought is given to the commands and OOB it is given. I have learned a fair bit with watching in France and Spain. A lot of the problems I woudl attribute to my play rather than the AI.
At the risk of stirring up an OT comment from a mod, there are extensive Wikipedia pages on both Marmite and Vegemite. (I am glad I didn't mention the different marmalades I have - rhubarb and ginger is a favourite).
Thanks blsteen: I may have to send Rommel a stern message from Berlin.
10.ID was based in Bruxelles, and was further than the Sturm-Marines (who were strat moving across France). I already have 3 x MAR, 2 x MOT and 1 x Pz Div on the way to Spain, and another Pz Div will be complete soon (19th July?) and will be deployed at Bayonne. That is probably all the strain I can put on the supply chain (though the French border infra will be upgraded in a few weeks).
I sent it to Poland because I don't want a last minute rush. When I railed half the Heer from Poland to France it caused some supply issues - strategic moves cost a lot of supply. So I want to start moving gradually.
Upgrading infra to the Russian border is painful, but I think it is worth it in the long run. As more and more of my units upgrade and/or use fuel, every bit of advantage will help.
And I have been using 2.03c since it came out - can't remember when but it was about the time I mentioned I "adjusted" the convoys because the earlier patch made the subs too deadly. Though I haven't noticed the RN doing anything to mine lately.
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Either this post was meant for another thread or it relates to a really old post on this one. Whatever, I am happy to congratulate BoemsiBoemsie again. (Though I understand his contribution was minimal).
With 3 daughters, I have no-one to whom I can bequeath my war-game collection: I tried to encourage them but there seems to be a biological block somewhere.
I have never even seen Promite - and I will not change a lifetime's devotion to Vegemite on a whim. As I have seen you eat biltong, date-expired Cheezels and worse, your recommedations regarding food and/or beverages are questionable at the best.