Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Second German War
Omen Thanks, more free Poland incoming.
brycef Thanks, and I agree.
fenwayb Bit ... I've managed to avoid it in every game I've played.
Previously on "Last Tango" - Operation Free Poland succeeds!
Now to face Sauron again, and free some more Poland from Germany as I should have done the last time. Instead, I selfishly demanded Hannover for myself and then botched the war with too much fancy DoWing. Argentina rapidly approaches 1000 brigades, though with all this fighting, there are more than a few which have been reduced to mere hundreds of men. I ship some from Korea to the Ottoman Empire area. Diplomatically, France makes some efforts at the OE, which are easily rebuffed, but nobody really wants to take China from me. Combine this with my ease of taking China from Russia's SoI and it seems odd, almost as though the AI expects China to civilize and so figures it's not worth the effort. I dunno.
In February 1920 Modern Divisional Structure is discovered, adding +5 ATT now and 50% morale eventually. My Infamy is around 17, and needing only 3BB per state when I Free People, it's only my truce with the Germans which is holding me back. Well, that and letting my men rest. April 1920 sees Argentina hit a full 1000 brigades, that's 3 million men under arms, more or less. I have never recruited that many. Sure, I've hit 1000 on the possible brigades often enough, but I never really wanted to move all those units around. Given how much fun I'm having here, I really need to look to the last decade or two of the game more as a chance to enjoy whatever empire I've built than as a time to speed up the clock and figure out who I want to play next. November sees the last Fortress +1 discovery.
In August 1921 the truce expires and I check the map for the best province to demand from the NGF. Unfortunately, no German provinces share a border with Poland, which is too far south. Russia divides Germany and Poland. So I am stuck demanding something now, and connecting it up in my next Russian war. I choose Ostprussen, East Prussia, as a suitable province, not far from the current Polish state. It's a four province state, some with annoyingly advanced fortifications, and all of it very far from my troops in Belgium. The nominal warscore needed is on the high side at 49, but the only thing much lower, iirc, was Posen at mid 30s, but impossible to reach in peacetime (or a non-German war) since it would be landlocked.
I hope that 49 now means only 40ish once I take a few target provinces. I have nearly 1 million troops in Belgium, and another 150,000 aboard ship ready to land as the war begins. As you can see from this screenshot, I'm going to have an easier time of it fighting the war, but a harder time making this interesting.
So, Argentina scared Sauron off, there will be no UK in this war! If it means I can pick on anyone I want, this will have interesting implications for the rest of the game. Germany gives me a week to spread out and then mobilizes. Thanks, guys.
The NGF jumped from 18 brigades to 182, but it will be quite some time before the new troops amount to even a theoretical threat to any of my armies. Large Bavarian armies lead me to check, and she's added 46 brigades to my enemies. Still, I have fewer than 250 brigades to fight, no UK interference, and the vast majority of my opponent's armies are raw conscripts. Remember how I said you should always check your commanders? Well, that's always true. However, the reason I'm not that good isn't that I don't "get" the game, or that haven't played much, but because I cannot bring myself to spend a lot of time on details like that. Or, you know, bringing all my armies home when the war ends. Plus, who needs a general when the Colonel has gas?
In the far west there are two annoying factors. German forces are merely driven south, not surrounded, and Germany still has access through France. In mid-September I discover Heavy Armament, a serious upgrade to my artillery. Since I have many artillery in my armies, this should help (well, many if you include tanks)(and aeroplanes?). It also completes the full Army Tech Tree. I begin work on the last + Supply tech, Synthetic Polymers. It'll complete in July 1922, so probably won't help. The next day I win two battles, eliminating 80,000 Germans in two pockets.
Germany is already down to 154 brigades. I see half the Bavarian army in Koblenz, in the west, and move to surround them. Into October most of my wins are along the periphery of the fighting, and so the enemy escapes. The Bavarians moved north from Koblenz to Sieberg, where I wipe out 54,000.
Yes, the large boost in war spending has catapulted me into Rank #2! It won't last. The German Navy apparently chased me to Belgium, but my reinforcements have arrived unharmed and there was no navy battle.
The end of October brings a real surprise, Russia has DoWed the NGF. This is fun, but I worry that they want East Prussia as well, since I've made no effort to occupy my target province up until now. Kill the enemy, then occupy the country, that much I've learned.
No worries, Russia wants the rest of an oddly-named state (I don't even think that's a real word) she presumably shares with the NGF, and look, Sauron found someone the UK can beat! You have to give this much to the AI, knowing that it's much easier to kick a man when he's down. The end of October brings our first province, Bremen, but too many of the battle wins are still around the outside of pocketed Germany. November sees the annihilation of another 54,000 Bavarians, who are now thin on the ground down from 46 brigades to a mere 2. Wiesbaden sees the elmination of 24,000 troops from Bremen. Giessen the next day sees 40,000 Germans less.
On November 7 I spot the UK beating up German ships, and there is much rejoicing. Germany is down to 113 brigades. I took many screenshots of this war, every province capture, many battles, but it's not going to be exciting to run through it as though this was a contested war. Germany without real allies is just a really big Belgium. So I mopped up the Germans and spread out over nearly the whole country, and sped up the game clock. By the end of November, mousing over my unemployment Icon, I realized I had 150,000 out-of-work craftsmen in Santiago because I'd missed upgrading factories for some time. I wish we had an "expand every factory" button. Germany was below 70 brigades by December 1, and I had my +25 Battle score. The White Peace spam started December 5th, when Germany had 33 brigades. The only fly in the ointment was that the Rooskies had beaten me to some provinces in the state I am demanding.
By late January, the war was all over but the waiting. I tried to have aeroplanes in every occupying force.
On the 26th of January I added West Prussia to my wargoals. On the one hand, this puts my total required up to more than Hannover, I need 89 Warscore and at the moment I'm at 36. On the other, I have access to virtually all of Germany, so it's just a matter of waiting for the NGF to give me what I want. February sees a +50% Morale boost invention, but the fighting is done, and I'd already reduced my supply spending to 85%. By this point the only Germans are based in France. They make border raids now and then. I occupy Bavaria a little, and bits of Bremen, but I am not serious about it [this proves to be stupid for reasons having nothing to do with the war]. By mid-March the warscore is up to 40, and the peace offer is down to 75. By May, I'm at 42 of a needed 65, and Germany begins offering me East Prussia only. In June my warscore is up to 49/65. By mid-July I was up to 61/65. My supply limit was boosted 50% by the last tech, still a bit late. On July 25th the NGF sees the light.
Poland acquires two more states, and Argentina searches for a more compelling war to fight.
Here's the rankings
Vaya con Queso was looking for. We'll look for the 1000 points which will let us keep Rank #2!