Strategy and tactics 101.
The Russians made a doctrine specifically using this concept. Look up "deep battle".-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
The Russians made a doctrine specifically using this concept. Look up "deep battle".
Keep plugging Lazygun, you'll catch up eventually.
I sure will. A good read shall be finished.
This AAR is sure on his way to become one of epic scale.
Not only that. I had not played a game of hoi3 since it came out. Back then I was quite disappointed. Reading your AAR has made me give the game another try (the patches have helped in that regard, too). Now I am as addicted to hoi3 as I was to hoi2 back in the days.
Not sure if my cohabitant would thank you for that but i sure do.
(p49 now)
We're all glad you didn't know beforehand what you got yourself into by starting this AAR.
In the game I started using 1.4, I can't believe how difficult it is too get Vichy now. I had to take all of the cities except for Mulhouse and Marseilles before the event triggered. Considering what happened historically, that is way off the mark. Oh, I also had my spies working on national unity and had 3 TAC doing strat bombing to get France to surrender in Dec 39. :wacko:
Yes, France is notoriously though to crack in HOI3. I experienced the same but it lasting almost two years. I had to postpone Barbarossa because of it.
Now I don't feel so bad. At least Vichy happened in December 39 for me. I had 3 lt panzer corps, 2 panzer corps and 3 motorized corps. Now it is on to Nat Sp and Yug, then maybe I'll let Italy play.
Last edited:
I agree that there are still some tweaks to do and some balance issues to resolve for the next (?) patch. As it is now, Japan has it way too easy in Asia and the french don't crumble as they historically should after the first major breakthrough.
Rank and File
A Clerk’s War
A Clerk’s War
December 6th to December 8th 1939
The Luftwaffe has definitely scented victory. During the night no less than 1,600 bombers plus escort fighters left airbases across occupied France and headed for the front line. Bad weather notwithstanding, Göring is determined that at least some of the glory will come his way.
It does seem that the Allied armies are collapsing. Even General Thorne in Sancoins has had enough, after 5 days his men have abandoned Sancoins, allowing Blaskowitz and Brandt to surge forward. This was a large battle, with more than 65,000 men involved at its peak, and the victory is very significant. Thorne’s 9th and 38th Infantry and 5th Indian Division suffered 1,355 casualties, to our 768. More importantly, the Allied troops are fleeing as a disorganised rabble, while our four divisions will be ready to advance within a day or so. It seems unlikely that the French have the reserves to plug the hole in the line.
While there may not be enough fresh troops to block our advance that is not to say the French have simply given up. Barely an hour after Thorne pulled out, General Aymé attacked from Montlucon. As that province was already under attack from Model’s 5th Panzer Division, it is hard to see what Aymé hoped to achieve, but it did give General Ott, who was commanding the lead motorised divisions, a brief moment of concern. It was only brief, because as soon as reliable information came in from units under attack Ott realised that his two motorised divisions would only be inconvenienced rather than threatened. In fact, after interrogating some prisoners, Ott thinks the whole engagement may have been a mistake: that 1ère Division was so keen to escape Model’s tanks that they weren’t even aware that there were two full divisions in front of them.
Battle of Sancoins
At least Ott’s troops were dry. 13.Infanterie (mot) had to endure savage thunderstorms as they advanced into Vichy. The bad weather from the south had now reached much of the front line, making conditions very difficult for our men to move forward, even if the opposition was, as in this case, very weak. General Dronne’s 50th and 67th Infantry were in no condition to fight, and the attached armour unit was nearly non-existent. Köstring’s early reports are of half-hearted resistance by small pockets of men: the bulk of the French are in full retreat.
Battle of Vichy
It came a few week’s too late for the Battle of the English Channel, but the Kriegsmarine announced on the 7th that successful tests had been completed on the “Seetakt” radar system and it had been approved for installation in all capital ships. Operating on a longer wavelength than the FuMo 11 already in use on our smaller ships, with this new invention we can locate and identify enemy ships at a sufficient distance to allow us to decide whether to fight or make a discrete withdrawal. While more research in the area of electronic warfare is very popular in the Kriegsmarine, the Reichsmarschall pulled rank on Großadmiral Raeder and the available research slot has been granted to a work party whose objective is a complete new airframe for 4-engine bombers.
Minister Goebbels is not known for disclosing the inside workings of his department, and nor is my Minister, Fricke. Today was an exception, as a very short note announced to their ministerial colleagues that with France no longer a serious target of intelligence, no new agents will be sent to that country. We have 9 cells still operating, all busy sowing doubt in the competence of the government. There is no point in sending more as it is generally accepted that the government will have sued for peace by Christmas at the latest. Spies are needed elsewhere, and the USA has been moved to the highest priority.
Two victories on the 7th, though personally I think it is a bit much for General Ott to claim the Second Battle of Sancoins as a victory. His trucks would have barely halted for more than an hour or so, and losses of only 39 out of his 20,000 men are a good indicator of the level of intensity of the combat. The French lost 124 men before continuing to route south. The win in Montlucon was far more impressive, as Model’s IIIFs smashed through General Robert’s divisions. Model could make a case that he also won the battle of Sancoins , as Aymé’s men were already beaten by the time they reached Sancoins. With 926 French casualties and 516 men of 5th Panzer lost, Montlucon was clearly a more serious affair.
Someone has definitely changed priorities in the operations of our Jagdfliegerkorps. For months now our interceptors have been reserved for protection of the Reich, much to the displeasure of their fellow pilots in the bomber geschwader. There now seem to be at least a few instances where Me 109E staffeln are being sighted over the battlefield. The French 7th Groupe de Bombardement Tactique had the misfortune to be the target of one of these instances, and Christiansen’s aircraft soon had Pinsard’s planes weaving across the sky, desperate to avoid our fighters.
Air Battle of Bourganeouf
That is not to say that our bombers were not still in danger. Basset met Sperrle’s combined 1st and 6th Kampffliegerkorps as they bombed French positions in Vichy. In the course of the day there were three air battles, and although Sperrle’s bombing analysis shows very little impact until the last mission, an inspection of the aircraft availability rosters at nightfall showed that KG 29 “Reiher” could only muster 69 aircraft in working condition, and JG 12 “Donner” had lost 17 Messerschmitts.
Second Air Battle of Vichy (unfortunately clerical incompetence led to the loss of data from the Third Air Battle of Vichy: those responsible have been transferred to duties in a road construction gang in eastern Poland).
As he indicated, General Blaskowitz’s men did not need much time to regroup and reorganise after their successful capture of Sancoins. While General Ott took his 3.Infanterie (mot) (and the “glory” of the second Battle of Sancoins) to the east, Blaskowitz and his comrade-in-arms General Brandt were already embroiled in fighting to the south, in Souvigny. Although several thousand men short of their full complement, 29.Infanterie (mot) and 33.Infanterie were determined not to allow Thorne’s 38th Infantry Brigade time to catch its breath. Our two commanders work together very well and nobody expects the British to last long.
Battle of Souvigny
General Biess has taken Dijon, after finding it even more difficult than he had anticipated. The French parachute unit, 75th Infantry Brigade and the other combat unit, 60ème Division, fought doggedly, and General Garchery used his thousands of headquarters troops to plug the gaps. For a week 10.Infanterie (mot) has battered against the defensive lines, slowly pushing the French back. Finally the French could take no more and suddenly broke. Biess has gratefully claimed success, though with 893 dead it is expected that it could be a while before his division is ready to fight again. On the other hand, Garchery will not be able to halt his men for some time, and they left 996 men behind.
There was heavy fighting in Dijon, and the MG 34 showed itself to be a reliable and effective weapon
While it has been some time, General Ruoff has not forgotten how to write a victory report. “Vorwärts” division has quickly disposed of the Central Military District Division, punching a gaping hole in the French lines at Gentioux-Pigerolles. Only 161 men were lost, against 371 British. The sifgnificance of the win, however, is not just the capture of an important province. The CMD Division was one of the few fresh units left to the Allied commanders, and its defeat in only a few days spelled the end for France. If the best units available could not stop our advance more than temporarily, then the defenders had no hope.
The thunder and lightning did not affect General Köstring, though I am sure that his men did not appreciate the accompanying rain. The defenders of Vichy put up a fierce but brief resistance, and when it became apparent that they could not halt the advance of 13.Infanterie (mot), left their positions and headed south, ignoring the pleas of their officers. This is now becoming a constant theme in reports from the front. No longer are battles lasting weeks: most are over in a matter of days, as the Allied divisions, exhausted and demoralised, simply cannot take more than a few days of serious combat.
And there was to be no let up.
To the amazement of most of us here in the Kanzlei, General Biess informed General von Mackensen (2nd Panzerkorps) that he had moved into Épinac and had engaged a French Mountain and Infantry Division. 10.Infanterie (mot) had received only a few dozen replacements, and was still 900 men short, but that has not slowed Biess. He did, however, admit that his men were finding the mountain troops very tough to dislodge, and that he would be very appreciative should any other unit be free to assist him.
Battle of Épinac
As Biess’s men were moving into Épinac, General von Arnim gave the order to attack Bethouart’s 30th infantry in Autun. Von Armim is not likely to seek assistance, as his 75.Infanterie was fully rested while Bethouart’s men were barely able to organise a coherent defence line.
Battle of Autun
The most significant news, however, came at the end of the day. We have started the attack on Digoin. This is one of the last significant provinces held by the French – when this falls our analysts have assured us that the French will to fight will disintegrate. The hopes of millions are riding with General Herzog’s 36.Infanterie (mot) as they drive along the lightly wooded roads. There are about 18,000 French in the area, and nobody expects them to give up easily. The next few days will determine the outcome of Unternehmen Stahlknüppel.
Battle of Digoin
It was probably unfair to General Brand that his radio message from Gray came just after news of the attack on Digoin. 3rd Gebirgsjägers fought hard to beat Wilson’s 46th North Midland Division, and the pitifully small remnants of the Belgian 1ère Division de Cavellerie, but no-one was really interested. With the whole campaign on the verge of success, of what importance was one battle? Brand lost 319 of his mountain troops, while killing or capturing 314 of the enemy. But it just seemed inconsequential – all eyes and minds were on Digoin.
An indication of how much punishment the Belgian cavalry unit has taken over the past few weeks: a bombing report from Udet’s 3rd Schlachtfliegerkorps.
To focus attention even more on the outcome of that one battle, late that evening the political analysts delivered their report for 8th December. We now hold 47.4% of all French key provinces, and French National Unity has declined to just 48.4%. We are only 2.1% from victory!
Unterseebootsflotte activity report
South Rockall Bank: 1 transport (Danish): Copenhagen – Boston (Aßmann)
Western Channel Approach: 1 transport (UK): Plymouth – Boston (von Nordeck)
Western Hebridean Shelf: 1 transport (Norwegian): Bergen – Boston (Aßmann)
Coast of Galicia: 3 transports (UK): Plymouth – Colombo (Wolf)
South Rockall Bank: 1 transport (Norwegian): Bergen – Boston (Aßmann)
Eastern Akademik Kurchatov Fracture Zone: 1 transport (Fr): Bordeaux – Ed (Fricke)
Bombing summary
Luftwaffe: as can be seen, with the end in sight, we have increased the number of missions
Dijon: Udet with 3rd Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 141, 188, 209
Montlucon: Kesselring with 1st Schlachtfliegerkorps, 4th Kampffliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B, 2 x Ju 88): 150, 147, 293
Sancoins: Schwartzkopff with 2nd Kampffliegerkorps, 2nd Schlachtfliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88, 2 x Ju 87B): 116, 208, 263
Gray: Udet with 3rd Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 64, 21, 50
Dijon: Kesselring with 1st Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 65, 106, 146
Aubusson: Müller-Michiels with 5th Kampffliegerkorps (2 x Ju 88): 106, 97, 165, 81, 98
Montlucon: Schwartzkopff with 2nd Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 52
Vichy: Schwartzkopff with 2nd Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 34, 127
Montlucon: Dörstling with 6th Kampffliegerkorps and 2nd Schlachtfliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88, 2 x Ju 87B): 181
Gentioux-Pigerolles: Sperrle with 1st Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 213
Montlucon: Schwartzkopff with 2nd and 6th Kampffliegerkorps, 2nd Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Bf 109E, 4 x Ju 88, 2 x Ju 87B): 192
Aubusson: Schwartzkopff with 2nd Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 82
Lure: Udet with 2nd Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 90, 142, 164
Gray: Kesselring with 1st Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 77, 115, 105
Vichy: Sperrle with 1st Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 142
Dijon: Löhr with 2nd Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 110, 165
Gentioux-Pigerolles: Schwartzkopff with 2nd Kampffliegerkorps (2 x Ju 88): 116, 213
Vichy: Sperrle with 1st and 6th Kampffliegerkorps (2 x Bf 109E, 4 x Ju 88): 207
Vichy: Dörstling with 1st and 6th Kampffliegerkorps (2 x Bf 109E, 4 x Ju 88): 126
Our ground crews worked ceaselessly to ensure that the turn-around for the Stukas was as short as possible
Armée de l’Air
Bourganeouf: Pinsard with 1 x TAC: 62
Sancoins: Valin with 2 x TAC: 174
Unternehmen Stahlknüppel: with Digoin under attack, could this mean the end of French resistance?
You're welcome! but you really deserve such a readership!
Well thank you all (including the lurkers! - I was a long-time lurker).
Strategy and tactics 101.
You mean I wasn't the first to discover this? Damn those Russkies!
I sure will. A good read shall be finished.
This AAR is sure on his way to become one of epic scale.
Not only that. I had not played a game of hoi3 since it came out. Back then I was quite disappointed. Reading your AAR has made me give the game another try (the patches have helped in that regard, too). Now I am as addicted to hoi3 as I was to hoi2 back in the days.
Not sure if my cohabitant would thank you for that but i sure do.
(p49 now)
Glad to have helped: point out to your cohabitant that addiction to HOI3 is cheaper than most addictions.
We're all glad you didn't know beforehand what you got yourself into by starting this AAR.
I actually find it quite relaxing (usually). Every now and then I have a break, but I find myself drawn back to this game, wanting to know how it will end. Posting progress as I go does keep me honest!
Now I don't feel so bad. At least Vichy happened in December 38 for me. I had 3 lt panzer corps, 2 panzer corps and 3 motorized corps. Now it is on to Nat Sp and Yug, then maybe I'll let Italy play.
Stop trying to steal my thunder! MY French are just tougher than everyone else's! That's why it is taking so long.
I think the idea itself has been there long (as in centuries) before the Russians built a whole doctrine around it.
The end is in sight! Oh and your French are indeed the thoughest ombres I have ever seen.
Brits seem to make a larger commitment in 1.4 also. All I can say is ugh. Taking France is a slug fest now.
Looks like your days of kicking Frogs in the asses are almost over! Now its time to move onto challenging prey.
Now its time to move onto challenging prey.
I think its funny how the real Battel of France took far less time than it did to put together the AAR for it. Then again, even when I increase the battle rate by 5, reduce the attack delay by half, and increase the speed of units outside of battle I can only reach the Channel by a sickle cut in 10 days. Just goes to show you that combat in HOI3 is too slow.
Well, Land combat is, especially when the AI is manning it and not holding back units to speed up the advance.
Now air unit is a whole lot faster and bloodier than historically: Entire sets of squadrons end up being unable to run 2 missions a day for a week without losing every plane!
Now air unit is a whole lot faster and bloodier than historically: Entire sets of squadrons end up being unable to run 2 missions a day for a week without losing every plane!
Oh man, I think I spoiled myself reading this in one long go. I'm not used to waiting for updates!
congrats on the 100k views Uriah!
Great updates as usual, soon France will fall and then spain will quickly follow (I asume), though the bottleneck that Vichi France gives you can be quite a pain in the bum as shown clearly in General War's 1938 Republic Spain AAR. He used the small corridor against germany with great succes.
Can't wait for the next update
/Krogzar
Great updates as usual, soon France will fall and then spain will quickly follow (I asume), though the bottleneck that Vichi France gives you can be quite a pain in the bum as shown clearly in General War's 1938 Republic Spain AAR. He used the small corridor against germany with great succes.
Can't wait for the next update
/Krogzar
