Panzer, MaaAARsch ! An (almost) historical AAR

misterbean said:

maybe you could fill me in on the in-game advantages of rocket arty vs. regular arty? after all, the katyusha (sorry if I massacred its name) was the Soviets' weapon of choice against large scale German attacks, while the Allies became really scared of the "Screaming Mimi". I don't see that in the game.

edit: I noticed earlier that you got Kesselring in proper command in 1939. how did you manage that? I know he's in there, but even changing the date to 1930.1.1, won't make him appear. (though I did change the "land" Kesselring) which file holds the Luftwaffe additions?

Click to expand...

For any questions towards history or OoB, I'm your guy but the about game-mechanic... euuuuhhhh ???!!!
Regarding game-mechanic, I'll advise you to ask guys like Robw963...

I grab the game as a RL simulation and use my historical & tactical kwowledge to know what I'm going to need or do.
Actually, the game is quite good (realistic) in a lot of aspects of the real terrestrial warfare
OoB told me I need 9 NbW-Abteilungen for 05.1940, so I built them : that's it.
For the same reason, I pay attention NOT to research some techs (like tanks) just to have the real models on the battlefield. PzIV H or Panthers in 1941 ? Come oooonnnn...


Concerning Kesselring as Land Commander, he's in the GER file.

157 = {
name = "Kesselring (L)"
country = GER
type = land
skill = 4
max_skill = 8
loyalty = 1.00
picture = L157
add_trait = Luftwaffe_Command
add_trait = Pour_le_Merite
add_trait = defensive_doctrine
add_trait = tank_buster
history = {
1939.1.1 = { rank = 1 }
1943.1.1 = { rank = 2 }
1943.1.1 = { rank = 3 }
1943.1.1 = { rank = 4 }
}
}

Click to expand...

In my game, I've modified the "entry" date for some officers.

Or... you can still try to add him manually on your game available leaders list (in the saved game, the part between constructions and OOB)

Reichskanzlei, Berlin - 1940, February the 17th - 1300
The Führer meets all newly appointed corps commanders, including GeneralLeutnant von Manstein, CO XXXVIII. AK.

- "Meine Herren, once again I want to congrat all of you : I feel confident you're going to do a great job as commanding officers.
Sie dürfen wegtretten...
- Sieg Heil !!!
- Hummm... GeneralLeutnant von Manstein !
- Zu Befehl, mein Führer.
- Would you please follow me into my office...
..............................................
- GeneralLeutnant : as you know, my personal adjudant, Oberst Schmundt, was at your headquarter two weeks ago and it appears you would have a plan for the french campaign. A decisive plan ! Like National-socialism, the new form of warfare must be revolutionnary, using paratroopers, tanks... and surprise !
- Indeed, mein Führer. The current plan of the OKH is far more too conservative to bring us a quick and decisive victory. Besides, after this incident at Mechelen, the Allies are waiting for us...

- You're right, GeneralLeutnant. I already had a hintch concerning an attack through the Ardennes and I'm glab to meet someone sharing this idea. Tell me more about your plan and let's see if we can combine it with my plans to use airborne units in the Nederlands and the belgian fortresses..."


OKM Hauptquartier, Berlin - 1940, February the 23rd - 0900
Meeting between GroßAdmiral Raeder, CinC Navy (OberBefehlsHaber der Marine) and KonterAdmiral Dönitz, Führer der U-Boote.

- " I told you it was a criminal idea, Admiral !!!
- I beg your pardon ?
- As ordered, the 6. U-Flottille has left Lisboa on February the 08th to resume convoy raiding off the coasts of Portugal and this, despite the fact that all repairs haven't been done and therefore it wasn't fully combat ready.
- And ?

- And on February the 21st, the 6. U-Flottille has been spotted and engaged by an Hunter-Killer Group of the Royal Navy. It's no longer reporting since !!! One experienced commander, 12 valuable crews and their boats are now at the bottom of the ocean just because you didn't want to wait a bit !!!
From now on, my u-boats will stay in port until I can say we can deploy them under the right conditions !!!
- But we have to keep the Allies under pressure, KonterAdmiral !
- Then use your precious surface raiders, Admiral. Do you now how many freighters we managed to sink in January-February, Admiral ?
- No.
- Only 39, Admiral, from which 23 through MY u-boats... and 11 escorts too !!!
The Allies are reorganizing themselves and they're forming well escorted convoys now : if we have to attack them, it must be thought and planned. I won't tolerate my crews being sacrified for nothing. Btw, the Führer shares my opinion too..."


ReichsFührung der SS, Berlin - 1940, March, the 2nd - 1030
Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler meets Gottlob Berger, his Chief of Staff.

- "Guten Morgen, Herr Reichsführer !
- You can say that, mein lieber Berger. Today is a wonderful day !
- ................................................................

- I've got the confirmation from the Führer himself : the Waffen-SS is now a reality. The bloodshed of our comrades has finally paid off.
- That's great, Herr Reichsführer, but I'm afraid it won't solve our problemes. It's going to take a while before the Heer will consider us as their equals. For most of the Wehrmacht officers, the SS-men are still merely sunday-soldiers...
- Our guys performed well in Poland though it's true that their casualties were quite high in comparison of the Heer.
- Herr Reichsführer, in modern warfare, courage alone isn't sufficient anymore : we need to learn proper fighting skills and doctrine of use. Acording to the reports of GeneralLeutnant Hausser, we'll soon start a new training programme for our men, as well as on the field as in our officer-schools like Bad Tölz or Posen-Treskau.
So far I know, we're going to need it, Herr Reichsführer. Things will soon be very hot on the western front...
- Indeed and I want our SS-men as spearhead, mein lieber Berger...
- Herr Reichsführer, I don't know how the Heer will use our units but it is obvious the OKH wants them : the Polizei-Division has just been ordered to leave Poland and to move west. It is part of the OKH Reserve now."


OKL Haupquartier, Berlin - 1939, March the 15th - 1030
Meeting between Reichsmarschall Göring, CinC Luftwaffe, and GeneralMajor Hans Jeschonnek, his Chief of Staff.

- "Any news of the last air raid against Essen ?


- Jawohl, Herr ReichsMarschall. As expected, the bristish heavy bombers have been driven back with extrem heavy casualties. The Brits sent roughly 250 bombers and we have at least 150 kills confirmed for the loss of 18 fighters on our side.

Milch's plan to intercept them of their way back is paying off apparently, Herr ReichsMarschall. But we're still looking after a way to improve our defense system.
- You'd better have to !!! It's the 4th air raid on Essen since the beginning of the year !!!
- Yes but each time, the Brits paid a murderous cost :
on January the 15th, they've sent 200 medium bombers and lost 135 of them for 8 fighters on our side. This air raid has been driven back.
On January the 26th, 300 heavy bombers. They lost 230 of them and we lost 14 fighters. Almost no damage on the city.
On February the 14th, 180 medium bombers. 100 shot down for 8 fighters. Raid aborted.
Counting the attack of yesterday, the Brits have lost over 600 aircrafts in the last 3 months. We, barely 50, and the damages in Essen are almost none...
And this, Herr ReichsMarschall, are the confirmed kills ! I'm quite sure their casualties are heavier than that but since we intercept part of their bombers over the North Sea, we can't recover all of their wrecks.
The best proof we're succeding is the fact that the air raids are more spaced in time and they have less aircrafts each time. This month, we haven't seen their medium bombers at all !
- So, you're telling me that the Brits can't sustain such an high rate of casualties anymore ?
- Exactly, Herr ReichsMarschall. We're making them bleed to death !
- Good news, General. Give me your reports : I'm going to see the Führer and Goebbels. No doubt that "Herr Doktor" will find out a way to improve the morale of the german people..."


OKW Hauptquartier Wünsdorf - 1940, March the 28th - 1100
The Führer meets all High-Command Officers (OKW, OKH, OKM, OKL) with their chiefs of staff.

- "Meine Herren. As you all know, Finland has been ignominiously attacked by the USSR. Although their defense forces our admiration, I'm afraid it's just a matter of time until they collapse.
Under the false pretext of helping the Finns, France and Britain are planning an intervention in the Great North and their troops are assembling in Brest : they intend to land in northern Norway and from there, they will be able to control the traffic of Swedish iron ore. As you know, when the Baltic Sea freezes in winter, all our iron ore has to transit through the norwegian port of Narvik.
The incident with the freighter 'Altmark' showed that the Norwegians aren't able to garanty the integrity of their territory and I'm sure it's just a matter of time before the Allies start to lay mine in the norwegian waters.
Meine Herren ! This is a matter of absolute security for the Great German Reich !!! We have to gain control over Norway before the Allies can land up there ! Admiral Raeder ?
- Danke, mein Führer...
Thanks to the cooperation of all 3 branchs of the Wehrmacht, we've set-up a plan in order to secure our vital iron ore supplies : we called it "Unternehmen Weserübung". The plan is to occupy as quickly as possible both Norway and Denmark.
For discretion purpose, we've kept the number of troops involved in this operation as low as possible. Surprise is VITAL !!!

As the invasion will largely be relying on the Kriegsmarine for its fulfillment, GeneralAdmiral Schniewind will lead and coordinate the whole operation. Heeres- and Luftwaffen commanders will regain autonomy once deployed in their respective zones.
Admiral Schniewind ?
- 6 divisions of the Heer, transported on Kriegmarine's ships, will simultaneously land in Oslo, Kristansand, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim and Narvik. The goal is to seize and secure these points as quickly as possible, in order not only to prevent the Allies of landing but also to secure the supply of our forces and to allow our air units to redeploy on norwegian airfields.
This part of the plan is called "Weserübung Nord".
In the same time, 3 other divisions and some misc. units of the Heer plus the full Luftlandekorps of the Luftwaffe will attack strategic points in Denmark, either through land, sea or air assault.
This is "Weserübung Süd".
D-Day will be April, the 9th - H-Hour, 0600.

"Weserübung Süd" should be the easy part : we have no accurate picture of the state of readiness of the danish military but its reduced size shouldn't be a major concern for our troops.
At H-Hour, 198. and 214. IDs, supported by the 11. Schützen-Brigade, one Brandenburger detachment and 3 armored trains will cross the danish border. Panzer-Abt. zbV 40 will wait to exploit any gap in the defender's positions. XXXI. Höhereskommando of General Kaupisch will coordinate land operations.
In the same time, the Luftlandekorps will launch a simultaneous air assault : the Sturm-Rgt on Fredrikshavn, the 22. Luftlande-Div. on Arhus and the 7. Fliger-Div. on the capital, Copenhagen.
170. ID will land near Copenhagen in order to help the 7. Flieger-Div.
The last Brandenburger detachment will land on Faaborg to prevent the withdrawal of danish units defending Sönderborg.

The LuftFlotte 5 of General Milch will provide air support until it can redeploy to Norway. If necessary, elements of the Luftflotten 1., 2. and 3. can be requested.
The "Schnellbootsflotte" will cover our transport ships but the Baltic Fleet, as well as the 3. U-Flottille will be patrolling the Kattegat Area and as such, they will be available for support too.

"Weserübung Nord" is far more risky and complicated. As you all know, the Royal Navy alone rules the waves and with the french navy on its side, the Kriegsmarine has no chance at all in a direct confrontation.
In the last months, our naval aviation intensified its operations in the Skaggerak and Kattegat Areas, while all our ships stayed in port. We damaged numerous ships and the consequences of that if that the Allies stopped sending ships in those areas. While risking men and boats if the enemy is staying home...?
Thanks to this kind of 'maskirovka', added to the fact that nobody really expects such "crazy" move, it is very likely that our different task-forces might reach the norwegian waters undetected. The problem was to coordinate our ships : once they will be detected, the Allies will strongly react.
Therefore, before the war, we've conducted some exercises so we now exactly know the amount of time we need to reach each destination.

Each task-force departure has been calculated so that they'll all be on station at 0400 on D-Day. it will leave enough time for some discreet reconnaissance in order to determinate the best landing point.
The most exposed landing groups, Stavanger-Bergen-Kristiansand, have AT BEST 15 hours to have their troops on land before some french or british ships arrive !!! Previous exercises showed us we need 11 hours to land a full division. Do the maths ! Our safety window will be closing in very fast !!!
In no way, I repeat IN NO WAY, should our landing troops be engaged into a fight while landing : better having dry feet a bit far away from the objective than being caught by some british battleship squadron !
As soon as the troops have landed, commanders of each task-force have been ordered to sail to the nearest port. It's just a matter of time before we can get effective control over both Kattegat and Skaggerak Areas and so we can bring reinforcements in Norway but until then, our troops over there will be on their own.
We're going to engage the totality of our naval assets but we can't dispute the sea supremacy of the Allies. Our naval aviation will be of a great help but if a shooting contest ever occurs, the Kriegsmarine would have had a short but exalting life...

However, we're going to do our best to cover the whole operation. 1. and 5. U-Flottillen will leave Bremerhaven on the 7th : they'll reach patrol zones where they'll be able to cover the western approaches. The "HochSeeFlotte" will do the same on the 9th.
Both "FliegerFührer", Nord- and OstSee, are on stand-by, ready to attack any sighted enemy ship. Any questions ?
- How long will it take to complete "Weserübung" ?
- mein Führer, it's hard to say. If we're lucky, everything could be over within a week.
If not...?
- I feel confident everything will be fine. Meine Herren, Sie dürfen wegtretten..."


ErsatzsArmee Hauptquartier, Leipzig - 1940, April the 2nd - 0830
Meeting between General Fromm, Befehlshaber der ErsatzsArmee and General von Oven, General Inspekteur der ErsatzsInfanterie.

- "Mein lieber von Oven, we've got a problem..."
- Which of ones, Herr General. I thought we only had problems.
- Men, mein lieber von Oven, simply men...
Mobilization waves 11 to 15 have been called and now, our "drawer" is fast empty.
- There might be a solution, Herr General.
- Which one ?

- What about recruiting foreigners ? There's plentiful of people of german origin abroad, not counting the citizens of the former Czechoslovakia, Poland...
Why not recruiting them ? Why not calling up for volunteers, regardless of their country ?
- Well... The Waffen-SS is already doing it. So why not us...
I'll have to check the legal aspect of all with the OKW that but yes, a good idea...


OKM Hauptquartier, Berlin - 1940, April the 4th - 0900
Meeting between GroßAdmiral Raeder, CinC Navy (OberBefehlsHaber der Marine) and KonterAdmiral Dönitz, Führer der U-Boote.

- "Are you in a better mood today, KonterAdmiral Dönitz ?
Because, I'm not !!!
- What happened, Admiral ?
- Not only we're on the verge of the most crucial operation of the Kriegsmarine, but since you've withdrew your U-boats, the Royal navy concentrated all its means to chase our raiders.

2 days ago, the HSK 1 'Orion', operating near Singapore has been intercepted by a british SAG and sunk. The british newspapers confirmed it and apparently it was the same Surface Action group which already sunk the HSK 2 'Atlantis'.
HSK 5 'Pinguin' just entered commission and I'm afraid I'll be forced to deploy her over there since we don't have any ships anymore in this part of the world. From all our HSKs, only the HSK 3 'Widder' remains...

And yesterday, another disaster : the Panzerschiff 'Admiral Graf Spee' met a combined british-french carrier task force. She survided the engagement badly damaged but was torpedoed and sunk by their aircraft just before she could reach the safety of Lisboa.
- I'm sorry for Kapitän Langsdorf but, Admiral, did you seriously expect he could have done something against the mighty allies navies ? He and his men died for nothing too...
Anyway... We just received the new boats for the 6. U-Flottille : it will take a month before I can deploy it but in the meantime, the 2. and 7. U-Flottillen are ready. I'll send them respectively off Portugal and in the Gulf of Biscay. It will keep the Allies busy while we launch "Weserübung"...

misterbean said:

fingers crossed that you will have fewer losses than the real Kriegsmarine.

Click to expand...

I hope so too...!
My strategy tending to "disgust" the Royal Navy of making reconnaissance in the Skaggerak and Kattegat Areas worked so far ; no enemy ships sighted for weeks now. May be the AI sees no interest in having its ships damaged for nothing.
Still, the critical moment will be April, the 7th and 8th... If my transports can by-pass Bergen without being detected, the hardest part will be done.
If not, Alaaaarm !!!

LoftenHenderson said:

really great!

Click to expand...

Thanks for your interest
I'll try to play "Weserübung" this week-end. Update will follow soon.

Hauptquartier der U-Bootswaffe, Bremerhaven - 1940, April the 8th - 0900
KonterAdmiral Dönitz, Führer der U-Boote (ComSub), on the phone with GeneralAdmiral Schniewind, CO 'Arbeitstab Scandinavien'.

- "Aaah, Dönitz... I was expecting your call. Any news from your u-boats ? Any enemy ships sighted ?
- So far, none. At least not in your area of operation.
But the 2. and 7. U-Flottillen are currently deploying in the Atlantic and they reported strong enemy presence.
- I'm sorry for your crews, mein lieber Dönitz, but right now, it's better the Allies are hunting them rather than my transports...

- They all know what's at stake. Last night, the 2. U-Flottille scored against a british convoy, sinking 2 freighters and one escort. That will keep the Brits busy for a while...
However, we received a report from the 1. U-Flottille : though fragmentary, the report indicates some enemy presence in Bergen. May be you should warn Schiffsgruppe 3 before it leaves the port...
- Thanks for the informations. As you know, all my ships are currently under EmCon (EMission CONtrol) to avoid detection.
Anyway, we've anticipated such situation. The 196. ID will have to land in Haugesund, south of Bergen, if necessary.
- Good luck, Admiral..."


Gefechtstab der 2. Gebirgsjäger-Division, Brekstad (SW of Trondheim) - 1940, April the 9th - 1600
General Feuerstein, CO 2. Geb.-Div, leading the operation against Trondheim.

- "Herr General. Either the Norwegians are blind... or stupid.
- What's going on ?

- Reconnaissance reported that they're leaving their positions around Trondheim and moving south. The town is left undefended ?!!!
- Well... Don't ask me why : let's just use this opportunity. Order to the division to move towards Trondheim. We are here to take the town, the sooner, the better."


Gefechtstab der 3. Gebirgsjäger-Division, Tenevold (North of Narvik) - 1940, April the 9th - 1700
General Dietl, CO 3. Geb.-Div, leading the operation against Narvik.

- "Kommodore Bonte was right when he choosed this place as landing point...
- Jawohl, Herr General. Though unconfortable, our situation would have been worse if we landed in Narvik or in Bognes, as originaly planned.
- Bognes was a trap ! One norwegian division was waiting for us on the coast and they received reinforcement of another division from Narvik as soon as our ships have been sighted.
- Yeap ! And now, their coastal defense ships are making a sortie. We almost got caught between hammer and anvil, Herr General !

- Das war knapp ! Anyhow, I feel confident Admiral Lütjens will monitor the situation. Our concern is to take Narvik, and we're going to do it !
- What about the norwegian division in our back, Herr General ?
- Gather all servicemen and establish a defense line. The terrain is harsh and if the Norwegians decide to attack, they'll have a hard time crushing our defenses.
In the meantime, move the entire division towards Narvik, quick !!! We must reach the town before the Norwegian understand what we're doing...
- Zu Befehl, Herr General !"


Hauptquartier 'Arbeitstab Scandinavien', Hamburg - 1940, April the 10th - 0600
GeneralAdmiral Schniewind, CO 'Weserübung, on the phone with GeneralOberst Keitel, Chief of the OKW.

- "Na, Schniewind ? How's the situation ?
- It is not ideal, Herr GeneralOberst, but our men are doing well. However, I'm afraid our intelligence reports bout the state of readiness of the danish military weren't up-to-date...
- ............................
- We expected everything but this kind of resistance, Herr GeneralOberst, and the danish troops were fully prepared and mobilized.
Our airborne assaults went well but the reception on the ground is terrific. If we can't manage to reinforce our paratroopers real quick, we're going to face extreme high casualties.
- What's the situation ?
Heavy fighting in Copenhagen, Arhus and Fredrikshavn. The landing of the 170. ID went well, thanks God, so now it can support the 7. Flieger-Division in its attack on Copenhagen.
Danish front lines have been crushed in Sönderborg in the late afternoon yesterday and now, the Panzer-Abt. 40 is rushing towards Arhus.
However, despite massive air support, there's a fierce resistance in Tönder : 214. ID and 11. Infanterie-brigade (mot) are still blocked.
- And in Norway ?

- I guess the Norwegians were waiting for us too but not that fast. They had taken good defensive measures but their state of readiness is quite low.
2. and 3. Gebirgs-Divisionen landed near their objectives and they're currently moving towards Trondheim and Narvik without meeting any resistance.
196. ID, as expected, found a norwegian garrison defending Bergen so the division landed in Haugesund, SW of the town. The situation in unclear but it seems that the norwegian troops are leaving their positions there...?
- And Stavanger ? Kristiansand ?
- Both towns have been found undefended, Herr GeneralOberst. The SchiffsGruppen 1 to 4 are currently heading to Stavanger to seek refuge in the fjord.
- Any concerns with the Allies Navies ?
- As expected, they reacted very fast : Schiffsgruppe 5 (Kristiansand) was about to leave its station after having brought the 163. ID ashore as it has been engaged by a small norwegian naval group around 1800 yesterday.
It could have been able to deal with them but a french naval group centered on the battleship 'Bretagne' joigned the fight. Later on, during the night, 2 british carrier groups arrived. Only the arrival of the Geschwader 'Deutschland-Admiral Hipper' "saved" the situation...
We managed to break contact at 0400 this morning.
- Casualties ?

- The light cruiser 'Nürnberg' has been sunk as well as the 4. and 6. T-Flottillen, plus the 10. Truppentransportsflottille. Heavy damages to all of our ships.
- And the enemy casualties ?
- One norwegian and one british destroyer squadrons, plus the british light cruiser 'Durban'.
Considering the disproportion of forces, it's a miracle we didn't lost more. All our ships are about to reach Wilhelmshaven right now and our naval aviation is conducting naval strikes against enemy forces. 2 other british light cruisers have been reported sunk...
- What about Oslo ?
- General Tittel acted very smartly : it was obvious the Norwegians knew, or guessed, that we wanted to land in Drammen, SW of Oslo. Once they spotted our ships, they sent troops by trains to Drammen. Seeing that, General Tittel stopped the landing and ordered SchiffsGruppe 6 to move directly to Oslo and to land the division there.
- And ?
- Since 0500 this morning, the Norwegian capital in in our hands, Herr GeneralOberst. The hardest part is behind us : our troops are all ashore and we already seized most of our objectives.
- Well done, Admiral ! I'll report that to the Führer !"


OKM Hauptquartier, Berlin - 1940, April the 12th - 0830
Meeting between GroßAdmiral Raeder, CinC Navy (OberBefehlsHaber der Marine) and KonterAdmiral Dönitz, Führer der U-Boote.

- "Guten morgen, Admiral.
- Moin-moin... I wanted to see you about your u-boats deployment, mein lieber Dönitz.
As you know, 'Weserübung' is quite a success. I just got a call from Schniewing : Feuerstein and his 2. Gebirgsjäger-Division has taken Trondheim this morning and Dietl is about to do the same with Narvik.
There some fightings around Bergen and Kristiansand but nothing serious. Apparently, we completely disrupted the norwegian chain of command with our sudden attack.
- And in Denmark ?
- Heavy fightings in Copenhagen, Arhus and Fredrikshavn but it won't last very long. The last defensive position in Tönder is about to collapse and I've heard the King of Denmark is about to sign the surrender of his troops.
- So, what's the probleme ?
- Always the same : the Royal Navy and up to a lesser extend, the french navy too...
Our troops in Norway need supplies and the Allies Navies are a threat to our convoys : we already lost 3 freighters.
The Kriegsmarine is not in position to strike but our naval aviation can ! The only condition is to detect the enemy ships...
- And therefore, you need my u-boats.
- Exactly, mein lieber Dönitz !

- Well, the 2. and 7. U-Flottillen are engaged in convoy raiding operations in the Atlantic. And I'm about to withdraw the 7. for R&R. Allies Navies are concentrating their means againt it. Once we've changed our codes, I'll send the 5. and 6. U-Flottillen over there to replace it but it leaves me with the 1. and 3. U-Flottillen available for patrol duty.
Both will operate in the Skaggerak and Kattegat Areas so they can spot enemy warships. Is that ok for you ?
- It will. Thanks for your help."


OKW Hauptquartier, Berlin - 1940, April the 13th - 2300
The Führer meets GeneralOberst Wilhelm Keitel, Chief of the OKW and General Alfred Jodl, Chief of the OKW General Staff.

- Any news, Keitel ?
- Jawohl, mein Führer. Fearing more casualties among the population and confronted to an hopeless military situation, King Christian X and the entire Danish government capitulated at approximately 2100 tonight. The 2 danish divisions retreating from Tönder surrendered to our 11. Infanterie-Brigade (mot).
- The King is quite reasonnable. There's no point for him to continue the fight.
- You're right, mein Führer. But he only capitulates in exchange for retaining political independence in domestic matters.

- Danes aren't warlike people, mein Führer. We certainly have more to obtain with a peaceful occupation.
- General Jodl is right, mein Führer. However, Danish Army chief General Prior doesn't share the decision of the King. He wants to continue the fight with his remaining troops.
- CRUSH THEM !!!
- Sure we will, mein Führer. It's just a matter of a week or so. But we need to disengage our airborne troops and the Brandenburger units if we want them fully reorganized for the western campaign which is about to begin...
- General Jodl... Can we do that ?
- It won't make things easy but, yes... we can do it.
- What about Norway, GeneralOberst Keitel ?
- Partly thanks to the numerous delaying actions of the norwegian army, the Royal family, the Parliament and the Cabinet Nygaardsvold managed to evade our forces. But the situation is hopeless for them, mein Führer.
Bergen and Narvik fell into our hands this afternoon and now, we have the control of all major cities and ports of the country.

There are rumors telling that King Haakon, Crown Prince Olav, and the Cabinet are about to leave the country to represent Norway in exile. It's done, mein Führer !
- 'Weserübung' completed in 5 days !!! Who would have thought of that...?
- Well... it's not totally over, mein Führer. Like general Jodl said, we still have to crush the last pocket of resistance in Denmark.
But yes, 'Weserübung' is a total success."


OKL Hauptquartier, Berlin - 1940, April the 28th - 1500
Reichsmarschall Göring, CinC Luftwaffe, meets General Hans Jeschonnek, Luftwaffen Chief of Staff.

- "Eine lange nacht, nicht wahr, General ?
- Yeap... a very long night, Herr ReichsMarschall. But a good one for the glory of the Luftwaffe.
Our air defense system is doing well and the Brits will have to think twice before launching such a raid once again...
Thanks to the progress we've made, we're now able to detect enemy bomber before they even reach the coasts of Friesland. That's exactly what happened to the bomber raid on April the 1st.
The 200 medium bombers sent by the Brits have been intercepted off our coasts : we shot down half of them and the rest was turned back.
- And yesterday ?
- Yesterday, Herr ReischMarschall, the Brits sent their heavy ones, 268 of them ; against Essen as usual. Needless to say, they aren't that easy to destroy.

However, they've been intercepted first over the North Sea, then once just before reaching their target. The third intercepting wave just got them over Essen and we managed to engage them once again over the Friesland coasts.
All together, we have 200 confirmed kills and very likely 40 more. The british bombing force has been almost anihilated, Herr ReichsMarschall !

- Excellent !!! How many fighters have we lost ?
- 12, Herr ReichsMarschall, and only minor damages have been reported in Essen."


OKW Hauptquartier Wünsdorf - 1940, April the 28th - 1700
Meeting between GeneralOberst Wilhelm Keitel, Chief of the OKW and General Alfred Jodl, Chief of the OKW General Staff.

- "Is this the final casualty reports for 'Weserübung', Jodl ?
- Jawohl, Herr GeneralOberst. We have won not only fast but at a very low cost too.

- Impressive ! The Führer was right once again : if we act fast, strongly and by achieving surprise, we'll always win.
Even the Kriegsmarine casualties are something we can live with... Amazing !
- It worked so far but in a few days, the real party is about to begin. And this time, the Allies are waiting for us, Herr GeneralOberst...

misterbean said:

great update! a testament to the benefits of tight planning.

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Thanks for pointing out my typo soooo discreetly...

Yeap. As the Germans like to say "Ordnung ist das halbe Leben (order is half of the life). Though not german, I like to have things well organized. Experience showed me that 'Weserübung' is a gamble and you'd better carefully plan what you're going to do. Either it's fast and without concerns or long and bloody (better said "steely" because of the amount of ships lost).
Good planification and some deception manoeuvers helped in this case. I've already completed 'Weserübung' that fast but never with such a low casualty rate.

GulMacet said:

Wow... seize the Benelux region next! Only problem I see is that you have to garrison all those conquests, binding troops which could be needed in France...

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You're right about the garrison but wrong because it's not a real concern.
First, besides the Luftlandekorps, none of the units engaged in 'Weserübung' are supposed to be used in the western campaign. So, I won't miss them.
Second, and that's the most important part, every offensive I launch consist of 3 elements :
the first echelon units, which purpose is to engage the battle,
then the second echelon units, which either exploit a breakthrough or reinforce mauled troops of the first echelon (depending if I choose "Soviet" or "NATO" doctrine).
At last come the "rearguard/security" troops, so that my offensive can keep its momentum without "security" concerns. These 3rd echelon troops are always either already on the field at the begining of an offensive or they're in the production queue and almost ready (which is the case here) : 7 coastal-defense brigades, 2 coastal-defense divisions plus some SS and other security troops are either on their way to Norway or very close to go.
Same goes for Denmark which is now administratively ruled by the MBfH Dänemark (former Weserübung 'Süd' HQ)
Next stop : Paris !!!

aasand said:

Thats the price of going historical. At least he didn't lose Blucher to some inferior, German made, coastalguns.

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I got lucky for some part. I'm quite happy with these low casualties but now, the naval OoB isn't historical anymore. Or may be I should consider scuttling some of my ships...

misterbean said:

whatever your OOb looks like, it would still be no match for the RN. If you really want to keep the RL sunk ships out of the game, transfer them to some Reserveflotte or something. turn them into floating coastal batteries. something to that effect would be my choice. After all, if the 7. Panzer-Division ends up surrounded and shattered, things still change. there is a limit to the amount of simulation one can hope for.

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Yeap... Reserveflotte...That was my first thought until I figured out that the Kriegsmarine, except its subs, has no more major role to play in the next 2 years (at best !). May be I'll try some 'Rheinübung' with the Bismarck-Prinz Eugen just to see what happens...
But you're right, casualties aren't important. Even at full power, the Kriegsmarine is no match for the RN.

KLorberau said:

Great update Nicegil. Hope your kriegsmarine survives the year! Seems your u-boat fleets have been decimated.....do you run them in pairs or what? I've found that running them as single flotillas works best for me. And then you have more wolf packs spreading terror on the seas!

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Like I said to misterbean (see above), the Kriegsmarine will be "resting" for the next 2 years (40-41). I intend to keep it as a threat rather than effectively using it. Mhmmm... I think I've already see that before...
Subs, on the other hand, will have a lot to do. Now that Norway has fallen, I changed my strategy with them. Still running in pairs but from offensive, they're going to defensive stance.
Decimated ? The word is a bit strong. I lost 5 flottillas in 8 months which is under my estimated (acceptable) casualty rate of 1 per month. Currently, I'm building 5 flottillas every trimester.

I like your three wave approach.....initial assault....followed by armor breakthrough....with 'occupation troops' following to garrison ports, air fields, etc. You must micromanage a lot to get them all falling into place at just the right time. It really sucks when one of your transport fleets gets cornered and sunk with say an entire Corps inboard (Ouch!).
Anyway looking forward to more action on this great AAR.

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I guess I've been too much influenced by my former job and I would kill to get my hands on the book of Georgii Isserson ("Fundamentals of the Deep Operation") !!!
Yeap. I micromanage every unit on the map : each unit and/or command structure has its own objective or purpose, according to my plan, and I try to stick on it. Better to have the opponent reacting to my moves rather than acting on his own. "Activité, activité, vitesse !!!" (Napoleon 1er)

Fall weiss and Weserübung were just appetizers... Now things are getting serious.
I'm finishing the next update with all OoBs for "Fall Gelb". Warning, picture heavy !!!

misterbean said:

TBH, the western campaign for me is the highlight of the German campaign. Barbarossa drags on a little too much for my taste. So, like Klorberau, I can hardly wait for the next installment.

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I tend to prefer 'Barbarossa' because the theater is bigger and I've got more room for manoeuvering my units. Furthermore, it's a real logistical challenge (in the south !).
The challenge of the western campaign is... speed ! The best I ever did was a french surrender on June the 23rd (one day more as RL) but usually I need to wait until July before it happens.
The Wehrmacht is ready, razorsharp, but who knows what's going to happen this time...?
Answer will come very soon...

Forster said:

Finally caught up. Great AAR. Would like to see more map plots, but I really can't complain about what you are doing. Better you than me, I think.

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Thanks for your interest and comments. That's the best way to improve the quality of an AAR.
Map plots... mhmmm... I'm not quite sure what kind of screenshots you're talking about : battle plans ? Evolution of a battle ? Deployment ?
Actually, the prime requisite to post some of them is... action. 'Fall weiss' was completed in 13 days only and 'Weserübung' in 5...
But I guess it will take longer to complete 'Fall Gelb' so I should have the opportunity to make more screenshots of the situation.

I don't think you should remove ships just because you did better than historically. After all, if win a major battle that IRL failed, are you going to go back and do it over. You are shooting for a historical campaign, following the original plans meets that requirement. Once the game is running, actual results are going to differ, just go on from there.

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That's why I intended to play historical up until 'Barbarossa'. Since I have no intend to lose against the 'godless Commies', History will very likely take a sharp turn. However, I'll still try to maintain a certain historical logic, mainly towards unit production and organization.

I kind of figured you were in intel, only they have that kind of love for detail. Oh, accountants tend to lean that way too. When you say SF, did you mean like the American SF and British SAS, or the Foreign Legion?

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Since I also studied accountancy and economics at the university, it explains all... :blink:
FYI, the Foreign Legion, though an elite troop without a doubt (I worked with them a lot) is NOT SF. But it has some SF groups in it, among the 6th Foreign Engineer Regiment and the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment.
For my humble part, I used to belong to the 2/13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment. 2/13 was a special combat divers (SEAL, french version) company, specialized in deep recon and intelligence gathering, stationned in Friedrichshafen, Germany.