Canada - The liberators of Britain, Poland and Czechoslovakia.

[Hardin]

I decided to start a 1936 game playing as Canada - as I have never played them before.

I decided to focus all my early efforts into building up the industrial side of things as Canada doesn't exactly start as an industrial powerhouse.

As Canda doesn't have a huge population it really doesnt have the capacity to support a huge land based army so my long term goal was to really specialize my research into air power and use this to back up the allies when war started.

As a result of this all my initial research was focused upon developing my population, industry and air capabilities. I disbanded all units - apart from my six navy transports and I sent these to Liverpool in order to let the British supply them

Everything proceeded very smoothly - with pretty much all of my resources going into expanding industrial capacity right up to early/mid 1939.

This game featured a number of interesting twists - the first of which was that the Germans did not annex Austria as they usually do. I only mention this now as it becomes important later.

Anyway, by 1939 I had built up a decent Canadian economy and had started work on some reasonably advanced Close Air Support and Interceptors divisions.

When the war started I transferred 8 divisions of Close Air Support (CAS) and 4 divisions of Interceptors to Metz in northern France to wait for the inevitable German invasion.

My airforces successfully bloodied themselves during the German blitzkreig - completely destroying a number of the advancing German divisions - however the sheer size and scale of the German attack meant that the overall effect was negligible.

I chose to evacuate my units to North Africa (Alexandria) after the Italians joined the war and the French position looked doomed. Paris fell quickly with a puppet Vichy government established in the South.

My main focus was now North Africa. I had by now turned out further air divisions and used these to great effect against the Italian forces moving on Alexandria.

Strangely the British forces in North Africa were moving very slowly - failing to capitalise on the massive airpower advantage they enjoyed. I also noticed that there seemed to be a lot fewer British divisions in the region than normal.

Unfortunately, what I hadn't noticed because of my concentration on North Africa was that the Germans had successfully carried out Operation Sealion - invading the UK. By the time I spotted it the British Isles was completely in German hands. The British Empire had been robbed of its spirtual homeland!

The remaining British forces backed up by my air forces crushed the remaining Italian forces in Africa as well as the bulk of the Italian navy - sunk by several concentrated air strikes on the port of Taranto.

While the immediate tactical situation was looking good, strategically the situation with Britain's loss was dire. I decided to try and rectify the situation by building six infantry divisions to grab and hold a segment of the British Isles as a base for my airforces and for British forces looking to reclaim their country.

Unfortunately my mini-invasion didn't go to plan!

Because I had concentrated pretty much all of my research into air power my infantry was woeful - and not only that but apart from transports I had no navy to speak of. I launched my invasion attempt in early 1941 - attacking Portsmouth due to its combination of naval and air facilities.

I launched my attack on the single Romanian division defending the province - but the difficulties of an amphibious landing combined with sub-par infantry meant that the attack took far too long - allowing a combination of German air and sea power to disrupt the landings.

It was a complete disaster - with all six divisions and transport fleets lost in the process. The date was early 1941.

Chastened by this disaster, I decided to prepare properly for another attempt - but that meant time. I immediately initiated research into more advanced naval escorts - destroyers and light cruisers - as well as improved infantry and military doctrines. Once these were complete I could build a better invasion force - but this would take at least a year to prepare so my initail focus returned to the Mediterranean.

The Italian dcelaration of war on Greece in late 1940/early 1941 usually triggers two other events. A mass Axis declaration on Yugoslavia - which in turn encourages Bulgaria to join the Axis and invade Greece too.

Possibly because Germany had not (as it usually does) incorporated Austria into itself the Germans did not declare war on Yugolslavia when Italy attacked Greece. This in turn stopped the usual Bulgarian declaration on Greece and Yugoslavia.

This meant that when the Italians declared war on Greece they were pretty much on their own and my airforce was able to go to the Greeks aid - helping remove Albania from Italian hands.

With Austria blocking the German's access to Italy and Vichy France blocking it from the other side the Germans were only able to provide their own air support to the Italians - leaving them pretty much isolated in the Mediterranean.

This allowed the British to successfully invade and hold Sicily - but in their own weakened state they didn't have the necessary forces to invade Italy proper.

By now it was late 1941 and two major events occured. Firstly the Soviets decided to invade Germany (it's usually the other way round) and secondly the Japanese as expected attacked the US - dragging them into the war. The Germans freed from a serious Western threat by their capture of Britain were swiftly able to counter the Soviet invasion and indeed started making gains of their own.

By now (early '42) my new invasion forces was ready. 12 divisions of fine Canadian infantry escorted by 12 brand new destroyer and cruiser squadrons set out to Portsmouth and launched a new assault on the province - this time with much greater success.

As the Canadian infantry fended off German counterattacks on Portsmouth the airfields throbbed with life as 16 Close Air Support and 8 Interceptor divisions arrived to support the offensive. Within two months the UK had been liberated - assisted by a US invasion in Newcastle - catching the German garrision in a pincer movement.

By the end of this offensive Canadian forces had risen to 18 land divisions organised under three commands of six divisions each. The effect of this that Canadian manpower was severely stretched and it was only through the generous (and fortunate) war contribution of fine Canadian womanhood in industry that I was able to raise additional air divisions and reinforcements.

With the UK now secure and rapidly consolidating my attention turned to the Mediterranean once again.

My, by now experienced, infantry was keen for fresh action and after a substantial air bombardment quickly siezed the Italian island of Sardinia to use as a base for a major invasion of the Italian mainland.

Anzio, close to Rome was my chosen target, and the solitary Italian division guarding its beaches was no match for 18 battle hardened Canadian divisions. With the beach head gained my Canadian forces swiftly moved on Rome - capturing the vital airfields.

By now I had built the Canadian airforce into a formidable beast with 24 close air support divisions backed up by 8 interceptor divisions providing them with substantial air cover. By combining coordinated massed infantry assaults with air attacks on retreating and routed divisions I was able to wear down the substantial superior Italian forces slowly but surely - eventually isolating and destroying a large number of Italian divsions in the south.

In the North things were looking a little tougher however. The Germans had by now annexed Vichy France - finally giving them access - albeit limited to the north of Italy. Fortunately for me the narrow peninsula that is Italy meant that the remaining Italian armies and German reinforcements couldn't flank me and were being fed into the mincer that was my massed close air support.

After seeing action right from the initial German invasion of France my CAS divisions were now hardened veterans. I had organised these into 6 groups four CAS squadrons in each. These were then given air cover by 2 groups of interceptors each containing 4 interceptor squadrons.

The meatgrinder certainly had an effect with the Italians gradually running out of fresh reinforcements and the Germans - now locked in an increasing bitter struggle with the Soviets - contributing fewer and fewer forces.

This allowed me to push my 18 infantry divsions north, taking all of Italy by the end of 1943. I then created the puppet Italian Social Republic - as I did not have the manpower to garrison the country.

From Italy my armies invaded German controlled France.

It soon became clear that the Germans had been bled dry and their remaining forces in France were spread very thin. I subdivided my 18 divisions into 9 army groups with 2 divisions in each and proceeded to swiftly recapture most of the country - only halting along the Northern coast which had been garrisoned strongly by the Germans against a US/UK invasion.

However, even these strongpoint fell when I consolidated forces and focused my airpower upon them. By mid-1943 all of France was in Canadian hands and my forces had also made good headway into Southern German and the Low Countries. More German divisions and reinforcements were turned against me but all succumbed to the Canadian blitzkreig. My momentum was not halted until Berlin which was defended by 12 German divisions.

Berlin proved to be a tough nut to crack as I had to concentrate a number of my infantry groups - allowing the Germans to recapture some of my earlier gains elsewhere. Nevertheless the capital soon fell and I resumed my Eastern march.

The Germans at this stage in the war still held Soviet territories as far East as Moscow in the North and and Stalingrad in the South - but with the capture of their capital and industrial heartlands their forces began to collapse inwards. It was now a race to redraw the borders of Europe.

By early 1944 Canadian forces had reached as far as Brest Litovsk in what had been Eastern Poland and met up with Soviet forces in Eastern Hungary. The German position had shrunk to around 20 provinces in and around the Baltics and Leningrad. In the South only the Romanians still resist - but are ultimately doomed to fall to the Soviet juggernaut.

In my wake I have liberated Luxembourg, Czechoslovakia and Poland. I have also created the new state of the Federal Republic of Germany as a puppet. I have maintained and garrisioned France as Canadian territory and havent made up my mind yet if I want to give it back. (I may have to when the remaining German provinces are finally annexed by me or the Soviets).

As soon as the last German resistance is crushed I will probably move my battle hardened forces out to the Far East where the Japanese have been making good progress.

My manpower reserve has been as low as 25 and is sitting at 45 now. I may let it rise a little before taking any action vs Japan.

That's it for now!

[DirtyCommiePuke]

Is that an AAR over in one post?

[Hardin]

Pretty much...

I have got a history (albeit a short one) of producing one post wonders

[lifeless]

now if only we could have a screenshot of the canadian dominated europe

[Alexus]

Canada is a great fun nation to play.

And this was a fun AAR to read. Short, but it gave me all the important details.

[Hardin]

Wrote this at work.

Will get you one later

[Hardin]

Okay here is the screenie.

As you can see France, Holland, Belgium are still in Canadian control (mainly because I can work out how to give them their provinces back)

I have liberated Italy, Luxembourg, Federal Republic of Germany, Czechosolvakia and Poland.

My forces as you can see are on the right hand side of the map facing the remnants of the German armies that are now being pummelled by my Canadian air and land divisions.

As you can see my capture of Rome and Berlin has provided me with copious resources and because my manpower limits the size of my forces I am dedicating a lot of my current industrial capacity to money and supply generation.

[lifeless]

will you be invading the ussr also? if yes you will be im prime position after taking those german occupied ussr territory!

[anonymous4401]

Another One-Shot! That makes two for two for you, Hardin.

[Spitfire_Pilot]

Wow, thats almost as much as i conquered as Canada (Almost all of the western USSR) nice AAR, short and quick

[Hardin]

Following the liberation of Poland in early 1944 Canadian forces continued their relentless advance into the Baltic states.

The remaining German divisions - under-strength and under-supplied - were no match for the Canadian aerial assault and crumbled swiftly. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were soon liberated and joined the Allies as Canadian puppets - amid much jubilation amongst their citizenry.

Despite its dire state it was clear that the National Socialism advocated by Hitler had won advocates around the world when surprisingly Bulgaria entered the war at this late stage. This was a brave if somwhat foolhardy move as the Bulgarians were bordered by the Soviet puppets states of Romania and Eastern Hungary and by the allied Greeks in the South.

The surprise of this move allowed the Bulgarians to make some swift gains initially with the Greeks losing two of their broder provinces very rapidly. Two Canadian CAS groups consisting of 4 squadrons in each were hurriedley posted to Athens and swiftly halted the Bulgarian advance - completely devastating around 6 Bulgarian divisions and crippling more. Meanwhile the Romanians - backed by their Soviet masters - had invaded Bulgaria from the North and faced little opposition. Within 1 month Bulgaria had been forced to accept terms - joining the Comintern pact as a puppet state and humiliatingly ceding its two captured provinces back to Greece.

By May 1945 Canadian forces had reached Leningrad and assualted the last German stronghold in conjunction with Soviet forces. Upon its capture by the Soviets, Germany was annexed and France and the Low Countries were finally returned to their rightful owners.

This was a great relief for the Canadian military as its occupation garrisons in those countries could now be disbanded - boosting the countries manpower and providing the first opportunity to create new offensive forces in over a year.

With the annexation of Germany, Canada was left holding a scattering of other European provinces. With no further interest in European affairs the Canadians ceded 4 provinces in Western Hungary (including Budapest) to a grateful Czechoslovakia. In addition the provinces of Konigsberg and Suwalki were handed to an overjoyed Poland. The remaining Canadian controlled provinces in Western Russia were abandoned to be reclaimed by their rightful and original owners - the Soviet Union.

Canadian attention now turned to the Far East. The US despite its strong navy had not succeeded in halting Japanese expansion - while in Indochina the Japanese maintained a growing foothold in Hanoi and neighbouring provinces. Here they were faced by British Empire forces - however Britain was still recovering from its ravaging at German hands and was, to be honest, putting up a pitiful performance in its efforts to evict the Japanese from Indochina. Elsewhere in the Pacific the Japanese also held much of the former Dutch provinces and were also in full control of the Philipinnes much to the dismay of the American General MacArthur.

It was clear that Canadian intervention would be necessary to speed the end of war. Canadian forces in Europe were gathered in Talinn in preparation for embarkation to Asia.

By June 1944 the battle hardened veterans of the Royal Canadian Airforce had been relocated Singapore - poised to assist the liberation of Indonesia and Malyasia. 8 CAS groups comprising 4 squadrons each and a further 2 Interceptor groups, also comprising 4 squadrons each, were now in place. 12 Canadian infantry divisions were rounding the Cape enroute to Singapore in a convoy guarded by 8 light cruisers and 8 destroyers. A further six Canadian infantry divisions were waiting for shipment as soon a transportation could be arranged.

The pieces were almost ready. The outcome looked predestined - but would the Japanese fall as swiftly as the Germans had done?

[anonymous4401]

I don't know, why are you asking me these questions? You're the one playing the game!

[GeneralHannibal]

wow, you're that Belgian stalingrad writer. I remember reading that AAR when I wasn't even a member. To bad you didn't have screenshots.

[AOK. 11]

Yes indeed, periodic screenshots would have added much to this AAR. In any case, it was good while it lasted.

[lifeless]

woo! canadians saving the world..maybe you should put liberator of the phillippines and dutch east indies in your title also after all where else are you going to go with that army? then again it might be japan...

[Hardin]

Originally Posted by AOK. 11

Yes indeed, periodic screenshots would have added much to this AAR. In any case, it was good while it lasted.

There is a link to a screenie above and I would have added others but am not sure how to directly make these appear on the page. I know it's possible as can see other doing it in their AARs. I did use the 'Insert Image' button and added the picture URL but it just appeared as a link. I am using Image Shack to host the images so maybe that is causing a problem.

Here it is again for reference

Any advice?

[lifeless]

use the code for forums. whats with austria? shouldnt there be an event where you give the land back to france?