Chapter Five - Hit Somebody!
There has been no land combat involving Canada in more than three years of playing, and some in the crowd can be heard shouting "Hit Somebody!" What else can a farmboy from Canada do?
Germany had DoWed and conquered Denmark in a cartological mixup - which nobody wanted to tell Hitler about, they've been on YouTube - as a response to the mobilization of The Netherlands. Finally sorting out their maps, Germany declared war on the Dutch on April 19, 1940 (another limited war), but for some reason Nazi forces then entered Holland.
Progress, of course, is swift, what with Germany having declared Blitkrieg and all. In fact, apparently the effects are so great that the Germans invade using Garrison troops, as we can see in the right-hand shot in Amsterdam.
Not too much movement in three days, but looking at this confused mess, for the moment I am convinced that I made the right decision to stay out of the Battle of France. We build our eighth transport ship, and can carry 320 weight, quite a considerable force. On May 8, convinced that all their other wars are going well, the Germans add Norway to the menu, another Limited war. The map of Holland looks remarkably similar to the last one nearly a month ago. The Garrison troops are still inching their way forward. Here's the problem:
Canada is legally permitted fight against any country on earth, so long as it's Germany. I take my three deadly DD flotillas away from raiding in the eastern mid-Atlantic and send them on patrol and intercept any German invasion forces which might try for Norway. I don't see the Germans walking there. At the end of May we make our first advance in Artillery Barrel and Ammo. Arguably we're wasting effort on ART research when it's so easy to license the stuff, but time will tell.
Meanwhile, Holland is dead (though no capitulation yet) and Belgium is coughing up blood.
On the third of June, 1940, tired of waiting for a chance to fight someone else, we load up two-thirds of our army and send them to the pas de Calais. The USSR, fearing the Canadian horde, annexes the Baltic States while it still has the chance. They need not have feared!
Our troops had only reached the banks of Newfoundland, and are sent off on another mission. The Italians decide "It's Our Time". They could not be more correct.
We drop the troops temporarily in Malta, for ease of access to Sicily. Mostly because I'm hoping Malta can handle supply for a little while while we see what's up. Spotting only a single Garrison division in Siracusa, a port, we decide on the direct approach, codename: Dieppe!
Why? Well, because I have very low regard for Garrison troops for one. Granted, this is based on my Italy experience where my Gs were bulldozed by the Soviets. Not really a fair proving ground. Also, since then I have seen what Rensslaer has done with them, so I should have know better. Finally, because I'm not that good, notice that my transports are all alone.
All you really have to check is the top combat bar, which being mostly green is bad. Oops. Plus, our navy is under attack!
You call that a Navy? Come on, where's the Brits when you need them. Or the French for that matter. Note to self, when sending naked transports, just drop guys off, don't amphibiously land non-marines into a battle. Needless to say I grabbed my guys and put them back on the transports and gave the traditional order: "Run away!"
I don't seem to have a screenshot of the aftermath of the navy battle, but I'm pretty sure I started off with more boats than that. Fortunately, I brought another division which was not involved in the invasion. So, having demonstrated the wrong way for the benefit of you, dear reader, I'll now do this the less wrong way.
The reason I did this, pretty much all of this, is just my playstyle. I just cannot bring myself to take the time needed to maximize my military power and effectiveness. It's like playing chess and always being set at a 5-minute game pace. That and having played only two (unfinished) games of HoI3 in 2011 results in sloppy play and some foolish errors. Meh. I'll get better! I'm hoping the warts-and-all AAR style will pay off, despite the witch-like quantity of warts. Still, I promised you land combat, and delivered land combat! We hit somebody!
My bold move has drawn the Italian fleet into an engagement which they probably regret almost as much as I do. My ships appear to be at the top of the firing list. Hey, didn't I used to have more ships than that?
What would I do differently, you ask, having thrown away six of my eight transports? Well, screening my transports would have been a good idea. I kept the DDs and transports separate largely from bad experiences in HoI2, I think, where I remember America not having the ability to reach Europe by sea. In any event, defending Norway was all well and good, but having my expensive boats back would be better. I'm lucky I still have the two. I'd probably also spread the transports over two or three fleets. I still feel safe sailing the Atlantic alone, it's not an Allied pond, but it's a big place and I can't see too many losses coming from using it. Also, I'd remember that my troops come with 30 days of supplies on hand. So land them at Gela, as the Allies did historically, then advance overland against the garrison. I do need a port. I do not need a port on day one.
My wedding anniversary has been made into a widely-commemorated Day of Battle. Canada has invaded Europe. I call that win-win.
There has been no land combat involving Canada in more than three years of playing, and some in the crowd can be heard shouting "Hit Somebody!" What else can a farmboy from Canada do?
Germany had DoWed and conquered Denmark in a cartological mixup - which nobody wanted to tell Hitler about, they've been on YouTube - as a response to the mobilization of The Netherlands. Finally sorting out their maps, Germany declared war on the Dutch on April 19, 1940 (another limited war), but for some reason Nazi forces then entered Holland.
Progress, of course, is swift, what with Germany having declared Blitkrieg and all. In fact, apparently the effects are so great that the Germans invade using Garrison troops, as we can see in the right-hand shot in Amsterdam.
Not too much movement in three days, but looking at this confused mess, for the moment I am convinced that I made the right decision to stay out of the Battle of France. We build our eighth transport ship, and can carry 320 weight, quite a considerable force. On May 8, convinced that all their other wars are going well, the Germans add Norway to the menu, another Limited war. The map of Holland looks remarkably similar to the last one nearly a month ago. The Garrison troops are still inching their way forward. Here's the problem:
Canada is legally permitted fight against any country on earth, so long as it's Germany. I take my three deadly DD flotillas away from raiding in the eastern mid-Atlantic and send them on patrol and intercept any German invasion forces which might try for Norway. I don't see the Germans walking there. At the end of May we make our first advance in Artillery Barrel and Ammo. Arguably we're wasting effort on ART research when it's so easy to license the stuff, but time will tell.
Meanwhile, Holland is dead (though no capitulation yet) and Belgium is coughing up blood.
On the third of June, 1940, tired of waiting for a chance to fight someone else, we load up two-thirds of our army and send them to the pas de Calais. The USSR, fearing the Canadian horde, annexes the Baltic States while it still has the chance. They need not have feared!
Our troops had only reached the banks of Newfoundland, and are sent off on another mission. The Italians decide "It's Our Time". They could not be more correct.
We drop the troops temporarily in Malta, for ease of access to Sicily. Mostly because I'm hoping Malta can handle supply for a little while while we see what's up. Spotting only a single Garrison division in Siracusa, a port, we decide on the direct approach, codename: Dieppe!
Why? Well, because I have very low regard for Garrison troops for one. Granted, this is based on my Italy experience where my Gs were bulldozed by the Soviets. Not really a fair proving ground. Also, since then I have seen what Rensslaer has done with them, so I should have know better. Finally, because I'm not that good, notice that my transports are all alone.
All you really have to check is the top combat bar, which being mostly green is bad. Oops. Plus, our navy is under attack!
You call that a Navy? Come on, where's the Brits when you need them. Or the French for that matter. Note to self, when sending naked transports, just drop guys off, don't amphibiously land non-marines into a battle. Needless to say I grabbed my guys and put them back on the transports and gave the traditional order: "Run away!"
I don't seem to have a screenshot of the aftermath of the navy battle, but I'm pretty sure I started off with more boats than that. Fortunately, I brought another division which was not involved in the invasion. So, having demonstrated the wrong way for the benefit of you, dear reader, I'll now do this the less wrong way.
The reason I did this, pretty much all of this, is just my playstyle. I just cannot bring myself to take the time needed to maximize my military power and effectiveness. It's like playing chess and always being set at a 5-minute game pace. That and having played only two (unfinished) games of HoI3 in 2011 results in sloppy play and some foolish errors. Meh. I'll get better! I'm hoping the warts-and-all AAR style will pay off, despite the witch-like quantity of warts. Still, I promised you land combat, and delivered land combat! We hit somebody!
My bold move has drawn the Italian fleet into an engagement which they probably regret almost as much as I do. My ships appear to be at the top of the firing list. Hey, didn't I used to have more ships than that?
What would I do differently, you ask, having thrown away six of my eight transports? Well, screening my transports would have been a good idea. I kept the DDs and transports separate largely from bad experiences in HoI2, I think, where I remember America not having the ability to reach Europe by sea. In any event, defending Norway was all well and good, but having my expensive boats back would be better. I'm lucky I still have the two. I'd probably also spread the transports over two or three fleets. I still feel safe sailing the Atlantic alone, it's not an Allied pond, but it's a big place and I can't see too many losses coming from using it. Also, I'd remember that my troops come with 30 days of supplies on hand. So land them at Gela, as the Allies did historically, then advance overland against the garrison. I do need a port. I do not need a port on day one.
My wedding anniversary has been made into a widely-commemorated Day of Battle. Canada has invaded Europe. I call that win-win.