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Sybot

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Feb 15, 2006
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An Empire Like No Other

Prologue:

It was a dark night in Rome. Having spent the past few hours drinking to celebrate the arrival of 1936 and invasion of Ethiopia, Mussolini lay on his bed, still woozy from the effects of one too many glasses of wine. As he drifted between the light of the world and the dark of the dream he heard a voice talking to him, urging him.

“You must unify the Americas under one leadership,” it said mystically.

Mussolini pondered this for a moment, then sat bolt upright.

“What a stupid idea,” he laughed groggily, “I have a better one!” He stumbled over to a table and grabbed a pen and started rapidly scrawling on a world map that happened to be lying around.

“I always wanted to recreate the Roman Empire,” he chuckled, “but that isn’t the only one I can emulate!”

The following morning, his assistants snuck into his room quietly. They didn’t want to wake him lest they be caught in a hangover-driven fury. They found this on his table:

ita0io4.jpg


Assuming that it was his strategy for the coming years, they took it with them and began to implement it…

To be continued…

Hello, and welcome to my second AAR, An Empire Like No Other. I guess its time for me to outline what my intentions are.

Its quite simple really; I intend to replace the British Empire with an Italian one. My primary targets for this AAR are British holdings in the Middle East, Africa and India as well as the Commonwealth countries, specifically those in Asia and the Mid-East. If things go really well I may go after Canada, British holdings in the Americas and Pacific or even the British Isles themselves. Also, if I have the time and resources I’ll help Germany deal with the Soviets.

The version is DD 1.2, settings are Normal/Aggressive.

So it begins! Well…tomorrow actually since its 11 PM here and I don’t want to start this while so tired. See you then!
 
Nice drawing! :p
 
Good luck!
 
Enclave said:
That drawing was made by drunk Mussolnin, will u be able to give a drawing, of nornmal condition Muollini :) ? I want to compare his talents. Mayby he shouldn't war UK, but he should make an art class :D ...
That later would be a much better idea. :rofl:
 
As much as I’d like Il Duce’s drunken ramblings to make the entirety of this AAR’s pics, I’d find it too hard to maintain the humour the whole way through so there will be one per update. An art class though...that might be a good idea for something later. Thanks! Comments in brackets are OOC.

An Empire Like No Other

Part One:

Mussolini’s notes on dealing with Ethiopia and the future of the navy were found amongst his plans.

ita1bw8.jpg


And so, Mussolini’s assistants began to implement his plans.

(Switching POV)

Hello, I am one of our great leader’s top aides, and I have been assigned to oversee the creation of a new Italian Empire. I will be your guide through the coming years.

First I should enlighten you on our plans for new technology.

ita2ad3.jpg


Although our great leader displayed his ‘disinterest’ in CVs, he mentioned nothing about CVLs, so we will use these to support our mighty battleships. We also wish to improve our aircraft, industrial output and manpower.

Now for our production.

ita3ai0.jpg


Factories will be used to boost our output and allow construction of far greater numbers of warships. In addition a mighty fleet will be built around the new Littorio-Class BB, with other ships coming later.

9 outdated and generally useless divisions in the homeland were disbanded, as they were unnecessary and will be replaced by the time war comes. Finally all Curatone-Class DDs (DD-1) were disbanded, with the intention to be replaced in future.

And now to the war in Ethiopia. Following Il Duce’s mighty strategy, will succeed by overwhelming the enemy with our sheer power.

ita4ty3.jpg


They don’t stand a chance!

On the 2nd, a deal was established with Germany to acquire metal and money. In return we supplied supplies. On the 5th the cowards cancel it. (What! Why do I always have this happen to me?) We go to Hungary to make up for the loss. Later we set up another deal with Germany, this one to stop our freefalling coal stockpiles.

Germany and Hungary then go on to cancel their deals again in short order. (FFS!!!! Why is this!!!) Over the next few weeks this continues in a back and forth manner.

ita5ow7.jpg


Our glorious forces achieve their first victories on January 11th. The pathetic Ethiopians can only run and hide. They attempt to sate us with a peace deal on the 15th, but we know that we can completely conquer them!

On the 19th our army begins the push on Addis Abba itself with the intention of winning the war once and for all. The defenders flee after just a couple of hours of fighting.

ita6hd2.jpg


The war will be over in early February at this rate.

For some reason, our spies in America decide that the 24th would be a good time to try and delay a tech team. They fail miserably and Il Duce spends the whole day ranting about how he can’t publicly reprimand them. Later that day additional defenders arrive in Addis Abba. However they are no match for Italian might and fall within a matter of hours.

On February 8th, we march triumphant into Addis Abba and Ethiopia formally surrenders.

ita7bu6.jpg


Our great leader personally flies out to congratulate the troops. The first step in his dream for a mighty Italian Empire is completed!

To be continued…

That’s a good a place as any stop. It’s really frustrating as I’m trying to deal with my negative income of energy and metal by trading with the other fascist nations around, but they keep cancelling within a few days. Is there something I’m missing? Luckily I captured a good amount from the Ethiopians, so I should be able to last until a more permanent trade deal can be put in place.

Next time, the long boring build-up years begin! See you there!
 
Ah, poor Ethiopia. They couldn't stand Ducilla's negation sign. :(
 
Good update Sybot! :)
 
AI tends to cancel trades if you take whole production of a country (Err, my english sucks). What I mean is: if one country produces let's say 11,4 energy, and you've made a trade agreement for example 1,4 supplies for their 11,4 energy, they will probably cancel it soon.
 
Update! I might make Ducezilla a recurring character…Anyway, you know when I said it would be boring for the next year, well it turns out I lied. Some interesting stuff will happen before 1936 is out. Once again, all comments in brackets are OOC.

An Empire Like No Other

Part Two:

After sifting through the piles of stuff we had retrieved from our leaders room following the party to celebrate our victory over Ethiopia, we came across this:

ita8kr3.jpg


It seemed to be a plan for something, yet we couldn’t quite see what Il Duce was up to. Closer inspection revealed it was something to do with Spain, which for some reason I don’t understand had the moniker SPR. Troops were transported to Sardinia just in case the Spaniards were planning something.

Meanwhile, in Ethiopia the HQ under Field Marshall Balbo and four divisions were prepped to return to the Mediterranean, leaving just enough to guard against enemy incursion. All militia in the region were disbanded, now that the need for them had passed.

Not much happened for a while after that. The only real highlight was Balbo being assigned to command an air squadron in Sardinia while he was still in Ethiopia. Oh what fun we had as he rushed between his two commitments like in a bad teen movie! Meanwhile the USA attempts to smear Japan and screws up, making them the laughingstock of the intelligence community and thankfully diverting attention from our recent lacklustre performance.

On March 29th our non-aggression pact with Spain expired. I noticed our great leader rubbing his hands with glee after hearing the news. I wonder what’s going on? A few days later we start some of our factories on upgrading some of the vastly outdated army to more modern standards.

To spice things up while nothing is happening we start infiltrating the UK with more spies. If our great leader wants to overthrow the British Empire, these could be very useful. Finally, on July 18th, something interesting happens.

ita9ll3.jpg


Il Duce predicted this! Not only are major events playing out in Spain, the newest faction has been assigned the moniker SPA, just like the picture predicted. We have a sage in our midst! The morning after this war begins, after our great leader had finally gotten over his hangover from the previous night, we told him and he practically jumped with joy. He immediately declared war on the original Spanish and told us to begin dispatching the troops from Sardinia.

The following day our attacks begin:

ita10ka1.jpg


Even as we attack, we also send aid to the new, and far better Spanish Nation known as the Nationalists. They are far more in line with our policies and will make a great ally. The landings go off without a hitch, and soon we on Spanish land. Soon after, we spot an opportunity.

ita11ye5.jpg


The two divisions supplied by the Soviets are close to being trapped thanks to the landings. We fully intend to finish this. Meanwhile it seems Franco’s army in Seville was crushed unfortunately, although the leader himself managed to escape. (First time I’ve seen that happen, the defeat that is, is it because of something new to DD?).

ita12cx2.jpg


July 30th rolls round and the trap is completed. Two down, many to go. The Soviets lodged a formal complaint about the destruction of their ‘peacekeeping force’ but we pretty much ignored it. Meanwhile more troops were being picked up from the homeland after it was discovered that ten divisions of Spanish troops were approaching our positions. They were quickly put to good use.

ita13qu9.jpg


A surprise assault on Seville on August 9th caught the enemy off guard and now our plan to split the south in half could begin. Once our forces had arrived in the Albacete region we began an assault on the heavily defended province of Jaen. After two days of hard fighting our superior technology won over their superior numbers and we began to move to complete the spilt.

On August 23rd they arrived, only to come under massive attack. Our troops valiantly did the best they could, but the enemy numbers were overwhelming and they forced to retreat despite support against the attackers. Despite this however, the southern encirclement is completed and four enemy divisions are trapped in Malaga on September 4th

ita14cy4.jpg


The following morning an attack is launched and the defenders surrender after just a few hours of fighting. Now the only significant pocket remaining is in Huelva, and plans are made to deal with it as quickly as possible. A probing attack, launched on the 8th, reveals that our numbers are insufficient and that I will have to wait for either more troops to arrive, or for the enemy to breakout.

After additional troops arrived in Jaen, blocking the enemy move there, a final assault was mounted on Huelva. The attack appeared to be going well, but several units decided to withdraw before the battle was over, ultimately resulting in defeat. Those unit commanders were reprimanded by bullets. The Regia Marina was rebased to Seville to support future attempts.

On the 26th another attempt was made, with our battleships providing fire support from offshore.

ita15mv9.jpg


The battle lasted just over a day, but in the end we won and the remaining Spanish divisions surrendered. On October 5th the Nationalists occupy Huelva. We now await the official annexation of the Republicans (I don’t have the option, so I’m assuming that the Nationalists will do it). Also the withdrawal of troops from the Iberian Peninsula begins.

On the 10th the annexation is completed, and we transfer most of the Peninsula back to Spain (read: edited the save file). Il Duce was happy with this turn of events and drunk the night away. Many people were wondering what point the whole campaign had, as the only thing really achieved was putting a friendly government in power in Spain. Many didn’t feel that the Italian lives lost were worth it.

Of course, I knew better.

ita16dh9.jpg


Can you guess what the plan was?

To be continued…

Techs completed in this part:

Mechanized Agriculture
Basic Machine Tools
Early CVL
Early Fighter
Battlefield Destruction Doctrine
Early Field Artillery

Techs started in this part:

Trench Warfare Doctrine
Battlefield Destruction Doctrine
Early Field Artillery
Agricultural Production
Rear Area Supply Dumps
Operational Destruction Doctrine

Yes, I know it was a lot of effort just to get one province, but it will make it a lot easier to get Gibraltar once the war starts and on top of that I ensured a Nationalist victory, so I may be able to ally them somewhere down the line.

See you next time!
 
In drunken scrawlings of Mussolini veritas!
 
Funny update! ;)
 
Thanks for all the comments. J

Sorry about this part. There are only two pictures because, well, nothing happened. Any pictures I could have taken would have been of me fiddling with sliders or Japan being boring, so that’s that.

A reminder that comments in brackets are OOC.

An Empire Like No Other

Part Three:


I think our leader was bored last night…

ita17ua0.jpg


If our prophetic leader’s predictions hold true, then I guess we will be in for a boring few years, and we should only dream of crushing our enemies until after that time has passed…maybe I’m reading too much into it?

Indeed, nothing really does happen for a while, the only highlight of the rest of October being the capture and execution of an American spy that was attempting to enter the country on the 30th. A few days later our own spy program in Britain pays off as we steal the blueprints for…Early Static AA…bah.

(OK WTF! I was looking for some of that had been used in Spain, but they’ve completely disappeared! In case you didn’t notice, I used 5 mountaineers and 3 infantry in the war in Spain. Now my military only has 3 mountaineers. Where the hell have they gone! I was sure I transferred those other two out of Spain! Now they are nowhere to be found!)

The rest of November passes without incident. On December 11th the British King is forced from his throne due to a relationship with an American. Guess it goes to show how truly decadent they are. We will take great pleasure in replacing their Empire. Our first factories are completed on the 14th, an excellent early Christmas present for Il Duce. You should have seen his eyes light up at the sight of row upon row of machines ready to churn out weapons.

New Year rolled around with its usual party. Afterwards, we found our great leaders notes declaring his intention that the army slouched a lot and so should be more upright. We interpreted this as a move to a more Standing Army. On January 15th we manage to steal another blueprint from the UK…Basic Cavalry Division. Sigh…can’t our spies do anything right…

The rest of January, February and March pass without incident. On April 4th Germany came to us offering a Pact to combat the threat of the Soviets. Il Duce was more than eager to sign it. Now we are working with the two other major fascist powers in the world towards a common goal, the complete destruction of communism!

In May we start production on a new breed of Interceptors to protect our airspace from those who would violate it. The ‘Reggiane Re.2000 Falco’ is the latest and greatest in aircraft technology, a marvel of Italian craftsmanship. All of us, our great leader especially, look forward to seeing it in combat.

On June 7th an incident at the Marco Polo Bridge causes an increase in tensions that ultimately leads to a declaration of war on the Chinese by Japan. A few days later the Chinese unite under a ‘United Front’ to fight. This could provide good entertainment for the coming months. Not much happens for the next couple of months; Japan pushes forward inexorably and China repeatedly transfers its industry to the interior.

In early September, our ambassador to Germany performs a diplomatic coup (no not that sort). He manages to trade our money for their supplies. However, that very money was being provided by Germany in the first place, in exchange for our supplies. Somehow he managed to acquire a similar amount of supplies, but with more money coming into us. He earned great praise from Il Duce for this achievement.

(I had been getting Money from Germany to fund my spies in the ratio 11.9 : 8.9 for Supplies : Money. Now I am bleeding supplies to fund my upgrades, so I traded the money back for 11.5 : 6.5. Very good deal for me, especially considering both are with the same country)

On September 18th Japan creates a puppet in Inner Mongolia. Meanwhile their troops seem to be having trouble. They have barely advanced in the past couple of months, despite two landings on the Chinese coast. Throughout October and November they fail to achieve anything, not even linking the landing and northern force.

On November 28th we start production on two series of the new D’Oro Class Destroyer to provide escort for our mighty BBs, which will be finished shortly. On December 4th the Japanese march into Nanjing and accidentally cause a massacre. The following day our first two Littori Class BBs are completed, the RM Littori and the RM Vittorio Veneto. The centrepieces of our mighty fleet.

So, it is once again New Year. What a long and boring year it has been. We were hoping to watch exciting developments in Asia, but Japan totally disappointed us. Even now they still haven’t linked their two main offensives. How useless.

ita18ax9.jpg


Anyway, I have now been invited to Il Duce’s New Year’s party as a reward for getting those Battleships completed. I’ll see you in the morning…I hope.

To be continued…

Techs completed in this part:

Trench Warfare Doctrine
Operational Destruction Doctrine
Rear Area Supply Dumps
Agricultural Production
Improved Machine Tools
Basic Encryption Devices
Basic Interceptor
Basic Field Artillery
Rocket Test and Research Facility
Improved Destroyer
Basic Tactical Bomber

Techs started in this part:

Improved Machine Tools
Basic Encryption Devices
Basic Interceptor
Rocket Test and Research Facility
Improved Destroyer
Basic Field Artillery
Basic Tactical Bomber
Basic Light Tank
Advanced Machine Tools
Strafing Doctrine
Super Heavy Battleship

Not much to comment on down here…the only thing that annoyed me was that I finished pretty much every 1937 tech that I wanted by April, leaving me stuck slogging through 1938 techs ahead of time. Still, there is so much that I actually want from 1938 that the sooner I started the better.

See you next time!