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CHAPTER SIX: THE INVASION OF YUGOSLAVIA
German soldiers enthusiastically marching into Yugoslavia.
After the defeat of Denmark in early March 1940, preparations began for summer and autumn offensive operations against Yugoslavia, Romania, Sweden, and France. The operation Sweden would have to wait until the weather got warmer and the operation against France would have to wait until at least summer, but the operation against Yugoslavia was ready to be conducted now.
German soldiers enthusiastically marching into Yugoslavia.
Prior to the operation, orders went out for 25 Ju-89 strategic bombing wings. The British had been severely hurting German industry with their incessant bombings of eastern German cities and, in addition to building interceptors to shoot down these menaces, German popular opinion was in favor of giving the British a taste of their own medicine. Thus, on March 13th, the Germans bombed Lowestoft, UK overnight. The damage they inflicted was slight, but the bombing run was for propaganda reasons more than anything else.
More bad news on the diplomatic front came to Hitler's desk on March 16th when South Africa joined the Allies. This was not unexpected considering the fact that South Africa was a member of the British Commonwealth, but it was yet another opposing army that would have to be wiped off the map if the Germans were to emerge victorious.
Carrier pigeons were used to relay messages during the war.
On April 1st, war was declared on Yugoslavia. Several panzer divisions in addition to many thousand infantry soldiers were involved in the invasion. The panzers would attempt to cut Yugoslavia in half. Another several armored divisions would race towards Beograd, the Yugoslavian capital. Combined with superior infantry, this was expected to bring about the fall of Yugoslavia within a month.
The 8th Panzer Division reached Beograd by April 6th and immediately began to attempt to encircle the city, waiting for infantry reinforcements before beginning an assault on the city itself. Infantry were still close to a week away from Beograd, but significant progress was being made all across Yugoslavia.
The situation a week into the war.
Yugoslavia had joined the Allies shortly after the war began and on April 15th several French infantry divisions were noticed in Split. Nevertheless, these French divisions intended to reinforce the Yugoslavian line would never reach their goals as Split fell on April 17th to German infantry. Several hours later, in the late afternoon, Sarajevo fell into German hands.
Beograd held on for several days longer as the siege of Beograd began with around-the-clock air raids and street fighting within the city. It was a nasty sight. However, by April 21st, Yugoslavian resistance had collapsed within the city, costing several thousand dead on both sides. On April 22nd, Yugoslavia officially surrendered, ending the Yugoslavian Campaign of World War II for the German army.
Yugoslavia was now annexed into the Third Reich with the Germans now holding territory from the Baltics in the northeast to the Dutch border in the northwest to the border with Greece in the south. Germany had become infinitely more powerful and was becoming a greater force everyday. Not long from now, if things went as planned, the great power of the German military would be unleashed on the pitiful democracies to the west and the Bolsheviks to the east.
The extend of the Third Reich after the fall of Yugoslavia.
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Haha. I have actually had a couple uprisings thus far, both of them in Poland, but given that it is pretty much just a "whack-a-mole" I don't showcase it here as it's rather boring and irritating!
I think Slovakia is a member of the Axis. I will check the next time I fire up the game. I would prefer to just go in and annex Slovakia, but I don't think I can do that.
The game also gave them the choice to create an independent Croatia after the fall of Yugoslavia, but I said "NO!" This was primarily due to the fact that it blocked most of my access to the Mediterranean, which is not what I need at the moment.
I should note that I am pretty far ahead in the game as compared to my updates, hence I will have many updates today, most likely.
Yeah, Slovakia is in the Axis, I can tell by the map. The only way to get rid of them now would be to edit your save game. I'm assuming that you are actually at war with the Allies or am I wrong there? Just performing a holding action.
Yes, I am at war with the Allies, but Italy and Japan are not. I will call them to arms when I begin my assault against the West, but I won't until then because I don't want them taking over Italy before I have a chance to invade.
For now, France is afraid to invade Germany due to my coastal fortifications. Meanwhile, there is no way I am going to attack through the Maginot Line. War with the Benelux countries, as was true in real life, will have to be had before the invasion of France is conducted.
CHAPTER SEVEN: THE INVASION OF SWEDEN
After the defeat of Yugoslavia, preparations began for the next two expansionist wars of the Third Reich. The first would be the invasion of Sweden for its resources. The second would be the invasion of Romania for its oil. The invasion of Sweden was ready to began at any time, though the invasion of Romania would have to wait until German troops could arrive on the western border to begin the assault.
On April 28th, Greece mobilized its armed forces in response to the threat posed by Germany after the defeat of Yugoslavia. Greece was bordered by Italian Albania and German Yugoslavia, so they had plenty of reason to worry. However, there were no plans by the German High Command for taking Greece in 1940, so unless the Italians decided to go at it themselves, Greece would be safe for the time being.
On May 4th, 1940 the invasion of Sweden began with a formal declaration of war that morning. Immediately, troops from German Denmark began to cross the channel into Maimo. In addition, the 302nd and 304th Infantry Divisions landed in Karlshamn on the 6th while paratroopers were dropped Boras on the 8th, immediately beginning an assault on the port city of Goteborg, which they took within minimal casualties on the 9th.
On May 11th, the port city of Karlshkrona was seized by the 304th infantry division. The following day, the Battle of Maimo was won, allowing over 50,000 German infantry to pour into Sweden from Denmark.
However, tensions were raised on May 14th when an Allied assault on the German port at Wilhelmshaven began. The 14th Canadian Infantry division was the first division to arrive, but before long thousands of Allied troops poured onto the beaches, threatening to overwhelm the German coastal defenses there. In response, German reinforcements were sought as this quickly developed into one of the more epic battles of the war thus far.
Nevertheless, by May 17th Swedish resistance in southern Sweden was beginning to dissipate as thousands of Swedes were either captured or in an all-out retreat.
Unfortunately, the troops which had been based in Kiel were now participating in the invasion of Sweden and, in response, Canadian forces assaulted Kiel on May 20th, taking the port city without much of a fight. Immediately, German reinforcements were called in. This was further complicated by the developing situation in Wilhelmshaven, which by May 26th 15 Allied infantry divisions against only three German divisions. It seemed that the Allies were throwing everything they had into this assault. A German victory here would be huge and a loss here would mean that the very heartland of Germany was threatened.
By May 27th, the 5th Paratrooper Division captured the Swedish town of Karlstad. A day later, the 305th and 306th Infantry Divisions landed in Nynashamn and immediately began to invade the Swedish capital city of Stockholm. These two divisions would be supplied via Germany's transport aircraft until a port could be captured.
As the invasion fleet that landed the 305th, and 306th Infantry Divisions escaped southward, however, one of the transport flotilla's was sunk. Unfortunately, German destroyers did not manage to sink any of the Swedish ships involved in the sea battle and the Swedes got away unharmed.
By early June, the Canadian invasion of Kiel had been repelled and several thousand Canadian soldiers were captured and taken to POW camps. Meanwhile, the Swedish situation was quickly deteriorating with three divisions surrounding Stockholm.
Another engagement was had with the Swedish Navy on the 4th of June. This time, though the Swedes were repelled, the Kriegsmarine lost one destroyer flotilla while the Swedes escaped without having any sinks sank, though several Swedish ships were damaged. Nevertheless, the fact that the Kriegsmarine was, for the most part, being defeated by the Swedish naval forces was yet another indication of how behind German naval technology, tactics, and doctrines were at this time.
Finally, one the 15th of June, Stockholm was taken by German forces. Over 1,305 Swedes were killed in the fighting while the Germans lost slightly less than 500. The following day, on the 16th, Swedish resistance collapsed, but the Swedish government refused to surrender and escaped to exile in London.
Germany now had a foothold in Scandinavia which it could use to attack Norway and potentially Finland. German forces were massing on the Romanian border, ready to attack at the German High Command's whim. German forces were massed at the French and Benelux borders, ready for an attack into the West in the autumn. All was well for the Third Reich, or so it seemed, at least.
I have to announce the end of this AAR.
Two reasons:
1.) I found the Historical Plausibility Project mod and will start up an AAR with that. I have had a great experience with it so far.
2.) I am going to be out of town for the next nine weeks, so no HOI3 and no AARing!
I will start up another AAR with the HPP mod when I get back.
I just wanted to clarify and not leave you all hanging.
Two reasons:
1.) I found the Historical Plausibility Project mod and will start up an AAR with that. I have had a great experience with it so far.
2.) I am going to be out of town for the next nine weeks, so no HOI3 and no AARing!
I will start up another AAR with the HPP mod when I get back.
I just wanted to clarify and not leave you all hanging.
I have to announce the end of this AAR.
Two reasons:
1.) I found the Historical Plausibility Project mod and will start up an AAR with that. I have had a great experience with it so far.
2.) I am going to be out of town for the next nine weeks, so no HOI3 and no AARing!
I will start up another AAR with the HPP mod when I get back.
I just wanted to clarify and not leave you all hanging.
I eagerly anticipate your next AAR; enjoy whatever it is you're going to be doing while you're gone!
I have to announce the end of this AAR.
Two reasons:
1.) I found the Historical Plausibility Project mod and will start up an AAR with that. I have had a great experience with it so far.
2.) I am going to be out of town for the next nine weeks, so no HOI3 and no AARing!
I will start up another AAR with the HPP mod when I get back.
I just wanted to clarify and not leave you all hanging.
Awe poo