Agree (at least in 1.3-4) it was an anti help, but Shanghai should be a great boost if the Japanese avoid the 1.3-4 trap of being cut off.
-
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.
Agree (at least in 1.3-4) it was an anti help, but Shanghai should be a great boost if the Japanese avoid the 1.3-4 trap of being cut off.
Slowly but surely the German Sud-Frankriech Army is making progress in Spain.
And I see that you have the German-Soviet border manned properly.
And I see that you have the German-Soviet border manned properly.
In Semper FI, the issue seemed to be fixed. But I found out when playing Japan, the level 10 port on Hainan Island was also a supply sink.
Yet again, a great update. It surely takes quite a lot of time to prepare those thourough reports.
Hopefully Rommel will break the Spanish morale rather soon, otherwise his army might need vital R&R while it's needed in Russia.
Any plans for Romania?
The Luftwaffe's CAS missions are really proving to be vital to the whole champaigning. They must've inflicted tens of thousands of casulties to the enemies while paving the way for the ground forces. Do you have plans to enlarge the air arm? What do you plan to build anyway?
Hopefully Rommel will break the Spanish morale rather soon, otherwise his army might need vital R&R while it's needed in Russia.
Any plans for Romania?
The Luftwaffe's CAS missions are really proving to be vital to the whole champaigning. They must've inflicted tens of thousands of casulties to the enemies while paving the way for the ground forces. Do you have plans to enlarge the air arm? What do you plan to build anyway?
Rank and File
A Clerk’s War
A Clerk’s War
Thursday 12th April to Monday 16th April 1940
Minister Göring’s controversial project, the development of a strategic bombing force, is still progressing well, with researchers reporting that they have overcome the difficulties of designing aircraft with large cargo holds (a development that will also assist in the design of bigger transport planes, able to carry not only more Fallschirmjägers but also more supplies if necessary) and that larger bombs have been successfully trialled. It won’t be long before we have our own Langstrecken-Großbombergeschwader to repay the British!! I hear, though, that the intention is not to use these against the British, but to send them deep into Russia to cripple their production.
The freed up research capacity has again been taken by the Kriegsmarine. With all the pressure on the Luftwaffe recently I thought that any new research would be into new interceptors or fighter tactics, but Minister Raeder has convinced the Cabinet that if he is to send a fleet into the Nordsee or the Bay of Biscay to challenge the Royal Navy he will need more light cruisers. Our existing designs are now outdated, and he argued strongly that if we are to incur this expense, we should build the most advanced ships possible. (In the document that was actually presented to the Cabinet, a copy of which I accidently read while it was on its way to secure destruction, he alluded to possible naval action in the Atlantic against “another great naval power” - surely he does not mean the USA? But if he meant the British he would have said so.) So now we have two groups working simultaneously on engines and main armament for a new generation of light cruiser.
Air Battle of Cherbourg
Speaking of pressure on the Luftwaffe, Klepke and his pilots have been punished even more by the RAF. The British Air Marshal Steele has sent hundreds of fighters to strafe our bases at Lorient and Cherbourg, and 1st Jagdfliegerkorps has been forced into combat at enormous odds. Although flying with skill and desperation, “Freki” and “Geri” are now down to a total of 133 aircraft. They have reduced Steele’s four groups to 357 fighters, but are in danger of being annihilated by attrition. At the same time, our troops in Spain were being attacked by waves of British carrier based aircraft, too many for our fighters to control. Christiansen’s 4th Fliegerkorps simply could not be everywhere at once. Luckily, with the collapse of resistance in Yugoslavia, two comparatively intact air units are free to be redeployed. Felmy’s 2nd Jagdfliegerkorps (“Richthofen” and “Schlageter” geschwader) has been taken from the Balkans Army and sent to Bayonne, attached to the Sud-Frankreich Army. The Österriech Army has lost Waber’s 6th Jagdfliegerkorps (“Udet” and “Pik As”), which is now based in Paris, under command of the Frankreich Army.
Air Battle of Lorient (note Dönitz and 2nd U-flotte patrolling for coastal shipping)
It did not take long for the newly arrived fighters to be in the thick of action. Just after midnight on Thursday night Waber and his men were in the air above Cherbourg, fending off yet another attack by Steele’s 11th, 12th, 13 and 211th RAF Fighter Groups. Far to the south-west, off the Mouth of the Loire, Felmy’s pilots were driving Marshal Tedder’s 8th Carrier Air Group back to their carrier fleet in the Bay of Biscay. First results seemed to show the Luftwaffe’s response to have been successful.
Air Battle of the Mouth of the Loire
Friday saw 2 new infantry divisions officially join the Wehrmacht. These were so called “Coastal Divisisons”, intended not for aggressive operations but for holding ports and significant population centres in occupied France. Both divisions consist of two infantry brigades, a rocket artillery regiment and an anti-air regiment (which can also give some protection against armoured attack). 78.Infanterie under General von Fritsch has been despatched to Bordeaux (II Armeekorps) , and 79.Infanterie has been sent to Rochelle (VII Armeekorps). The addition of two fresh units makes the job of General Gieb, commander of 1st Küste und Grenze Army, much easier.
Setting up a 15cm Nebelwerfer of 1st Rocket Artillery Brigade, 78.Infanterie Division. These fearsome weapons will help repel any invasion attempts in the west.
There was also a reorganisation of garrisons and troops in the Frankreich Army, the entity with responsibility for internal security in the occupied territory. 10.Infanterie has been railed to Paris, and 23.Infanterie is on its way to Nantes. 213th Sicherung Division has been posted to Metz, and 141st Reserve is to keep the peace around Strasbourg. It will be a long time before the ceded portion of Frankreich is secure from the threat of partisans and rebels.
In recognition of the need to keep control of large areas of Europe (including Yugoslavia and now parts of Spain), the Armaments Ministry has authorised the call up of two more coastal divisions and two more cavalry divisions. We need to free up combat units for next year.
Before dawn on Friday 13th, General Petersen led 2.Infanterie (mot) into Ejea de los Cabelleros. Both Petersen and his men are quite inexperienced, and the fighting in Spain will be a good test of this division and that of 14.Infanterie (mot), its fellow member of 1st Motorkorps. Several high ranking officers are watching the performance of this completely motorised (but unarmoured) Korps with great interest. There is a large body of thought that such units could be the key to a quick war in Russia, following quickly behind the Panzers to hold the flanks of any breakthrough. Of course 1st Motorkorps is still just the two divisions, but OKH is keen to see how they operate with a single tank destroyer and self-propelled artillery brigade between them. Can they swiftly crush opposition and advance? Or will they be stalled by dug-in defenders?
Battle of Ejea de los Caballeros
Even though there was a lot of administration of land forces and continuing ground combat, it was still the Luftwaffe that dominated the news. Major General Waber had 6th Jagdfliegerkorps fighting to regain control of the skies over the Channel, this time by bringing the RAF to battle over the port of Plymouth. In the view of many in OKW, it is essential that we prevent the RAF from having free access to the air over the route of our U-boats heading for the trade routes. Some in the Luftwaffe, however, are already questioning the cost. We are continually fighting over enemy bases, where their radar and base proximity make our task much harder. Such high level arguments are not an issue for Waber: he has his orders and will carry them out to the best of his ability.
Air Battle of Plymouth: 6AM 13th April. Note von Nordeck’s U-boats moving west: one reason we must control the skies above the Channel is to protect our submarines.
It wasn’t just the Channel: in Spain the FARE is far from beaten. Bayo Giraud ordered 1er Grupo Bombardeo and Grupo Táctico n.1 FARE to bomb Ott’s motorised infantry in Bilbao. It took several hours for Felmy to respond, with “Schlageter” and “Richthofen waiting to receive precious fuel and ammunition before they could take off. By the time our fighters arrived to drive off the Spanish bombers, 3.Infanterie (mot) had lost many men and vehicles.
Air Battle of Bilbao
Despite the ongoing trials of the Luftwaffe, General Rommel is driving his men forward. 20.Infanterie (mot) made quick work of the badly mauled 1 Brigada Blindata, now leaderless. General Curtze reported no losses in clearing the few armoured troops from the province, and there was only sporadic shooting, the Spanish obviously keen to pull back to regroup. 10 prisoners were taken.
Battle of Belorado
After the battle, abandoned vehicles (including broken down T-26 tanks) litter the battlefield, and prisoners help their wounded comrades
Two other victories were claimed early on Friday morning. After four days of intense fighting, 1st leichte Panzer pushed back de Lazama’s mountaineers in Miranda de Ebro. The Spanish infantry, with the support of the Autometralladoras, were no pushover for Keppler’s panzertruppen, and we lost 80 men and several tanks. Even though we inflicted 500 casualties on the enemy, Keppler has advised that they retreated in fairly good order, and he will need to pause before continuing the advance. Once again a river crossing has been successfully carried out, but at a cost.
In Tafalla, General Jodl had an even tougher job in evicting a combined mountain and regular infantry force, reinforced with a cavalry regiment. Although the battle for Tafalla lasted a day less than the struggle for Miranda de Ebro, 50.Infanterie and 14.Infanterie (mot) lost 113 men. The Spanish lost 738 men to ground fighting, but it was the Luftwaffe that broke their will to sight, killing hundreds of Spanish with accurate bombing. With the Ebro now behind him, Jodl also has been forced to halt, waiting for supply to catch up.
For the rest of the afternoon, there was no news from Spain, but 6th Jagdfliegerkorps was in action the whole time. From their Pairis base they continued to challenge the RAF, fighting two more deadly dogfights over Plymouth. Air Marshall Sholto-Douglas was not going to concede control of the airspace above a major naval base, and at times he had six fighter groups in the air. Our two geschwader performed well, but as is now becoming only too familiar, weight of numbers prevailed. By the end of the afternoon, “Udet” had lost 30 planes, while “Pik As” had lost 10. It is not clear how many planes were lost by the RAF. Although it is known that the overall strength of the six groups involved was reduced to 524, it is thought that some of these losses were from previous battles.
Air Battle of Plymouth: 6PM 13th April Although we are keeping our Channel air bases well supplied, the RAF is bleeding us dry of planes and pilots.
It will be some time before this Messerschmitt is able to take on the RAF again: it will most likely be cannibalised for parts
As usual I was trapped into working late on Friday night – not for me the early departure to the nearest bar for the start of a night of debauchery. (At least that is what I imagine many of my younger staff has in mind). So I was still at my desk when the last news from Spain came in. The first was that 3.Infanterie (mot) had shrugged off the effects of the bombing earlier that day and had left their forward camps on the outskirts of Bilbao and was attempting to cross the Ebro into Villarcayo. Preliminary reports from the advance guard were not promising: Cordón García and his men had repulsed the first attacks and General Ott was not confident of success. While not as wide as further along its course, the Ebro here is fast moving and our men were having difficulties manoeuvring their kleine Flußsacks in the turbulent water.
Crossing the Ebro into Villarcayo: this map shows the supply position of Ott’s division is relatively good, but he faces a tough battle to get his men across the river.
The second news item was that Curtze, who had ordered his men to proceed forward slowly while waiting for the supply convoys to catch up, had run into fresh opposition in Belorado. An infantry division under Herrera Linares had suddenly barred his line of advance. This was a shock to Curttze, who had believed the area to be free of enemy troops, but perhaps the storms that had grounded all reconnaissance aircraft were the problem. Or perhaps the Spanish knew uncharted paths through the forests. In any case, he did not feel that this additional hurdle represented any threat to the occupation of the province.
Second Battle of Belorado: the heavy thunderstorms grounded the light aircraft that usually warn our commanders of the presence of enemy formations.
It took some time, but finally OKH has accepted the fact that we just cannot support three Panzerkorps operating so far from home with supply being channelled down a narrow corridor of dirt roads. At any time one of the Panzerkorps was sitting doing nothing, waiting for supplies (or more usually, fuel). The use of our transport aircraft helped, but was in itself an expensive and disruptive process. General Rommel has accepted that his dream of a “panzer blitz” could not be carried out in the mud and mountains of Spain. 2nd Panzerkorps will immediately withdraw and board trains in Bayonne, heading for Beograd, where it will join Heeresgruppe Sud. Hopefully the road network in Yugoslavia will make it easier to supply. At the same time, 2nd Gebirgsjägerkorps has been entrained in Dänemark, and will move to Bayonne. Von Rundstedt is reportedly not happy at the final nail in the coffin of Unternehemem Polarlicht: but no-one in Berlin thinks that we could invade Norway now, not with the Luftwaffe straining to carry out its already existing duties. How could it also dominate the Ostsee and bomb the Norwegians into submission?
There was a huge pile of documents relating to this change in the Order of Battle. Most of them were the routine transport papers (locomotive and rolling stock requisitions to the various authorities, provisioning orders etc) but there was a small parcel of memos that revealed the arguments that had taken place before the decision was made. Rommel and several others had argued that it was too late to withdraw the panzers: that the invasion was already underway and that conditions would improve. They pointed out that while the Panzerkorps was moving out and the Gebirgers were on their way, the Sud-Frankreich Army would be operating a Korps short. At the same time, supply restrictions would be exacerbated by the huge demands of railing two Korps across Europe. The loss of tempo could encourage a Spanish counter-attack, or at least give the enemy time to recover. The counter argument was that we could no longer ignore the problem or hope it would go away. If we could not supply this concentration of troops so close to the border, how would manage deeper into the wilds of Spain? Better to bite the bullet and carry out the painful but necessary action now. 2nd Panzerkorps currently had no units in combat and no better opportunity was likely to arise. As for the Spanish taking advantage of this: surely OKH could expect that the skill and experience of the local commander would prevent such a possibility? (I can just see Rommel bridling at any suggestion that he is not up to the job!)
With their carriers secure, many kilometres at sea, the Royal Navy aircraft sweep in from the Bay of Biscay to hit our troops resting in Bilbao. Our fighters must be continually in the air to slow the damage.
Reading through all these papers took up most of the day, the only interruptions being a message every few hours of another British carrier plane raid on Spain. At least four carrier air groups were in action, meaning that the Bay of Biscay must be full of British task forces. How our U-boats are still able to carry out their task of crippling the British Merchant Marine I cannot imagine. It can only be a matter of time before a Flotte is spotted on the surface. Our Messerschmitts were flying continuously, only landing for the shortest time necessary to refuel and reload ammunition. By the end of the day “Richthofen” had lost 4 aircraft, but “Schlageter”, my brother’s geschwader, was down to 87 planes. I am glad that Ernst is still recuperating: at least I don’t have to worry about him. He is probably not happy about missing out though. Felmy’s report for 14thApril shows that 2nd Jagdfliegerkorps claimed 57 victims. A lot of pilots will be getting close to becoming “Aces”, and Ernst has always had that as a secret desire. He will just have to wait – his very brief post cards mention that he is still at least a month away from rejoining his unit as an active pilot.
After a day of fighting, the number of British planes is markedly reduced. Note 2nd Panzerkorps withdrawing as ordered.
Sunday 15th was a glorious spring day, and there was no way that I was going into work. Gisela happened to mention that her parents were planning a small picnic, and invited me to attend. When I mentioned this to a couple of friends they laughed and nudged each other, but I can’t see why. It was just a kind gesture on her part to extend an invitation for me to join a family event. It all went very well, although her father (a very gruff and powerful looking man who was a Gefreiter in the Great War) asked me many personal questions. But a lot of the time was spent with Gisela and her mother laughing and telling amusing stories of Gisela’s time in the Bund Deutscher Mädel. I enjoyed myself greatly, and got on very well with Gisela’s mother, who got quite teary when I told her how I had to look after my younger siblings after the loss of our parents (she had had a few wines by then I think). At the end of the day, Gisela walked me to the Bahnhof and, as she kissed me goodbye, told me I had done very well. I have no idea what she was talking about, but then I am a simple Army man, who has not had much exposure to social events.
Gisela and her fellow Mädchen: from what Gisela said this photo shows her group hopelessly lost while on a hiking trip.
While I was lying on the grass, drinking beer and listening to Gisela telling stories of the mischief she and the other girls got up to while supposed to be learning how to be good wives and mothers, thousands of garrison troops were heading east. 221st Sicherungs Division, a newly formed unit under General Hasse, was sent to Poznan, as part of Polen Sicherungkorps Kleffel. Our local administrators monitor local discontent closely, and some of the Polish industrial areas are hotbeds of insurrection. Two regiments of soldiers, even if equipped with Great War rifles, with an attached police unit, should make a potential partisan think twice.
Not a lot of pomp and ceremony for the departure of 221st Sicherung Division: the old uniforms and weapons look a bit odd, but will still be effective against lightly armed rebels.
A few air battles were the only events of note on Sunday: I didn’t miss much.
Early Monday morning, Petersen showed that the confidence placed in our motorised troops was well placed. In less than three full days 2.Infanterie (mot) has fought its way through Ejea de los Caballeros, in some of the bloodiest combat in the campaign so far. Stiffened by their Russian leader, Pavel Ivanovich Batov, the Spanish fought with quiet desperation. Batov, a veteran of years of fighting against Franco’s rebels, inspired his men to acts of selfless courage, but Petersen’s infantry, backed by Sperrle’s Ju 88s, wore them down. The road to Zaragosa is now open, but it cost Petersen 239 men. The general acknowledged the assistance given by the Luftwaffe, but made it clear in his report that full credit must be given to his men, particularly the crews of the Sturmpanzer IIs who used their self propelled guns to critical effect. The Spanish had nothing with which to counter the use of 15cm guns at close range. It would seem the Motorkorps experiment has been a success.
A Sturmpanzer II of 6th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment waiting for the order to commence fire
Hard on the heels of Petersen’s report was a message from General Curtze: another victory for our motorised infantry, this time in Belorado. A much less arduous task for 20.Infanterie (mot), with 3a Divisione breaking after suffering 451 casualties. Curtze lost only 77men, but the unexpected delay has cost him three full days. Any chance of racing to the River Duero and seizing a bridgehead may have been lost.
Losses of fighter pilots over the Channel have reached crisis point, and the Oberbefehlshaber has stepped in. By direct order, 1st Jagdfliegerkorps is to immediately rebase to Berlin to rest and recuperate. Scattered at small airbases around the capital, Klepke’s two geschwader can be brought back to full strength, without having to compete for supplies and replacements. “Freki” is near breaking point, with more than half its pilots dead or missing, and the Luftwaffe’s opinion is that the unit was close to useless without extended rest. 7th Jagdfliegerkorps (Major General Fisser) has been sent to Cherbourg to take over patrol responsibility for the Channel. This will give “Benelux” and “Ruoff” a chance to improve their skills.
As can be seen, there is a distinct lack of urgency among Klepke’s men as they work on a Messerschmitt. From the markings, this aircraft was intended for “Pik As”, probably as a reserve. However, 1st Jagdfliegerkorps’ need for replacements has over-ridden the original plan.
Christiansen and his pilots have also been given a break: they have left Bayonne and are also on their way to Berlin for R&R. I’ll bet my brother Ernst is livid: his unit has never been given a few weeks in Berlin to rest! But to be fair, 4th Jagdfliegerkorps lost nearly a quarter of its aircraft fighting the FARE, and its men, both pilots and ground crew, worked under atrocious conditions, with little fuel and few supplies. They deserve a rest.
Under the pleasant April sun, pilots and ground crew relax as they carry out repairs and maintenance of their aircraft.
The end of the day was signified by a short message from General Keitel in Argelès-Argost. He came under attack from a small number of armoured vehicles, but easily beat them off with no loss. An enemy vehicle was destroyed, and the Spanish withdrew as quickly as they had arrived.
The very short Battle of Argelès-Argost
The Italians in Libia claim they are trying to advance, but the British forces are too strong.
The Japanese, however, are driving for the coastal ports
Bombing Summary
RAF (Royal Navy Air Wing)
Bilbao: Harris with 11th and 12 Carrier Air Groups: 25, 36
Vitoria: Gore-Sutherland-Mitchell with 16th and 17th Carrier Air Groups: 44
Vitoria: Maltby with 5th CAG: 59
Bilbao: Ludlow-Hewitt with 4th CAG: 25, NIL
Estella: Tedder with 8th CAG: 13
Vitoria: Maltby with 5th, 16th and 17th CAG: 50
Bilbao: Harris with 11th and 13th CAG: 24
Bilbao: Gore-Sutherland- Mitchell with 11th, 13th, 16th and 17th CAG: 81
Bilbao: Harris with 11th, 13th, 16th and 17th CAG: 52, NIL
Bilbao: Maltby with 5th CAG: 12
Luftwaffe
Miranda de Ebro: Kesselring with 1st Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 56, 58, 194
Tafalla: Dörstling with 6th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 119, 231, 237, 177, 180
Miranda de Ebro: Kesselring with 1st Schlachtfliegerkorps, 1st Kampffliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B, 1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 238, 277, 217
Ejea de los Cabelleros: Sperrle with 1st Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 112, 199, 155, 129, 230, 123, 130, 282, 58
Belorado: Kesselring with 1st Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 63, 107, 198, 65, 156, 145
Villarcayo: Dörstling with 6th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 147, 253, 260, 136, 262, 216, 139, 336, 280
Belorado: Kesselring with 1st Schlachtfliegerkorps, 1st Kampffliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B, 1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 149, 262, 290
FARE
Bilbao: Bayo Giraud with 1er Grupo Bombardeo, Grupo Táctico n.1 FARE (2 x TAC): 134
Unterseebootsflotte Activity Report
South Azores Biscay Rise: 1 transport (UK): Bombay – Dover: Aßmann with 1st U-flotte
Western English Channel: 1 transport (UK): Dover – The Maldives: von Nordeck with II U-flotte
Cape Oregal: 1 transport (UK): Dover – Ed: Fricke with 3rd U-flotte
Coast of Porto: 1 transport (UK): Plymouth – South Georgia: Aßmann with 1st U-flotte
Cape Finisterre: 1 transport (UK): Dover – Socotra: Fricke with 3rd U-flotte
Cape Penas: 1 transport (UK): Plymouth – Acension Island: Dönitz with 2nd U-flotte
Breton Coast: 1 transport (UK): Plymouth – Accra: von Nordeck with II U-flotte
Eastern Azores: 1 transport (UK): Dover – Singapore: Aßmann with 1st U-flotte
Eastern Charcot Seamount: 2 transports (UK): Bombay – Dover: Fricke with 3rd U-flotte
Cape St Vincent: 1 transport (Spanish): Cádiz – Boston: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
Galician Bank: 1 transport (UK): Dover – Nicobar: Aßmannwith 1st U-flotte
Horseshoe Seamount: 1 transport (Spanish): Cádiz – Canary Islands: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
Unternehmen Stierkampf at the end of 16th April: the removal of 2nd Panzerkorps has left Rommel short of men, but he continues to attack. It could take two weeks for 2nd Gebirgsjägerkorps to arrive, but it will no doubt be rushed straight into the front line.
Last edited:
Another great update. These general updates keep us up to date on what is happening in all theatres.
It seems General Rommel does not listen to his logistics staff. I hear that they clearly told him that the infrastructure could not support the forces he wanted to use but he just complained that they were not doing their jobs with the required committment. Given his close connection to the Fuhrer, many chose to stay quiet, rather that push their beliefs, as professionalism demanded. While it is true that the new panzer divisions suite his aggressive style of combat, the terrain demanded mixed forces and the mountain troops were needed in the opening battles. Though late, there are plenty of hills and mountains ahead and their very light logistics demands will do much to improve the mobility of his army. Given his experiences in the mountains of Italy in the Great War, it is strange he did not demand them earlier. Let's hope that he learns these lessons.
It seems General Rommel does not listen to his logistics staff. I hear that they clearly told him that the infrastructure could not support the forces he wanted to use but he just complained that they were not doing their jobs with the required committment. Given his close connection to the Fuhrer, many chose to stay quiet, rather that push their beliefs, as professionalism demanded. While it is true that the new panzer divisions suite his aggressive style of combat, the terrain demanded mixed forces and the mountain troops were needed in the opening battles. Though late, there are plenty of hills and mountains ahead and their very light logistics demands will do much to improve the mobility of his army. Given his experiences in the mountains of Italy in the Great War, it is strange he did not demand them earlier. Let's hope that he learns these lessons.
I keep looking at all the divisions I have scattered along the coast and wondering how useful they would be elsewhere, but suspect as soon as I shift them the AI will see the opportunity.
The RAF fights with a big bonus in the defensive battle of Dover, if you want to avoid that the intercept range need to be reduced, I think to only neighbouring provinces, that is unless you want to attrition them.
The invasion of Spain seem to be going well, already large openings at the flanks can be exploited and soon the organization will be low in the Spanish formations as you move out of the river and mountain provinces.
The garrison ratio to the Soviets seem low but that might be Me always being nervous of open provinces.
Also adopting the 2.03b version is a major step forward, I'm severely impressed by your effort in all these conversions!
Now that you are in the new country of unit upgrades please upgrade Rommel, Guderian and Manstein's little tanks to real panzers
Remember I am assigning aircraft to Armies: it is the AI that keeps fighting, I'm not setting a range. Having said that, I hav enoticed that somehow I have AIr as "Attack" in stance: I don't remember doing that, maybe it is the default. I have changed it from about 20/4 from memory (I am about a week ahead).
Don't worry: there will be lot more troos heading east in the next few months: I have some spare in the Nordsee Army.
I have great hopes for 2.03b: we'll see how it goes. I will upgrade the light tankd, but it is a low priority at the moment. Light tank tech is still high, and I need all the IC have. I will try to do it before Barbarossa: that is when they are likely to come up against something deadly.
I read on HoI3wiki that fighter groups of 5 seem to be the best. Although you need like a skill 4-5 commander to offset the higher penalties, you still get lots of extra firepower and durability so that this will triumph over smaller air fleets, despite their nominally higher combat effectiveness. I gotta test that out today myself, I used 2 unit stacks with fighters in my own games but got more or less trounced by RAF when trying t get air supremacy over Britain! (I still sealioned and eventually bombed all airbases in south to rubble and patrolled with my remaining fighters the channel.
Probably a good idea. I will try to bump my 6 Jagdfliegerkorps from 2 to 3 geschwader and see how I go. But it will take a while: I have overextended on infra inprovements. (But I think the increase in tech will help me a lot in the future).
As will be seen, the Italians have a mind of their own.
Setting Qingdao as an objective was more to get the Japanese to concentrate. They were just doing piecemeal attacks along the line, not achieving much. And I would prefer them to hold the coast rahter than the interior, at least unitl they improve their supply situation.
I hope that 2.03b will help: it it supposed to imprtove invasions.
Slowly but surely the German Sud-Frankriech Army is making progress in Spain.
And I see that you have the German-Soviet border manned properly.
I get very worried about stripping Poland: it takes a long time to move a lot of troops from one side of Europe to another.
I hope not: I already have more fuel in Korea than in Japan.
It does take a long time: I generally play for about 3 hours and then spend about 3 days writing that up. (And the 3 hours is at lowest speed with every pause activated).
With the change in OOB I hope tospeed things up. As long as we take Gibraltar by Christmas we should be OK
The tentative plan is to hit Romania in mid-May. 2nd PzKorps should be there in 2 weeks but I want to let the supply situation recover.
Without the Luftwaffe I would be really struggling. I have had so many battles where I am at 20% success but after a few days of bombing I have improved to 50+%. I can't understand some of the posts (not so common now) that said that aircraft were useless.
Thanks shepherd352.
Yes, the General has become fixated on the success of the Panzers. It was hoped that once through the Pyrenees things would be better, but he has been forced to accept that the extra Pzkorps is just a drain on his supply lines. At the beginning of the campaign it was intended that the Gebirgers would be used in Norway (1st Gebirg was in Yugoslavia). Now that Nordlicht has been cancelled (or at least deferred indefinitely) the mountaineers are free to be redeployed.
Another excellent update- good job in Spain.
Why has Japan not created Mengkukuo?
Why has Japan not created Mengkukuo?
Another awesome update.
It seems that the RAF more or less won the battle over the Channel.
Oh and did our dear narrator understand the implications of a meeting with Gisela's parents ?
It seems that the RAF more or less won the battle over the Channel.
Oh and did our dear narrator understand the implications of a meeting with Gisela's parents ?
You know, having an airfleet of two squadrons is close to a suicide.
Make it four, or as large as possible.
Make it four, or as large as possible.
Rank and File
A Clerk’s War
A Clerk’s War
Tuesday 17th April to Sunday 22nd April
Our Embassy in Japan has told us that a new nation has been created: the state of Mengkukuo. It is led by Prince Demchugdomgrub, and its capital will be Kalgan. According to the Ambassador in Tokyo, it is purely a puppet sate, set up by Japan to keep the population more docile and less likely to revolt. While it has an army, our military attaché believes it consists of no more than a few thousand men attached to the General Staff. Privately, our diplomats do not see why Japan has taken this extraordinary action, as it has included large groups of Chinese within its boundaries.
The new nation: Mengkukuo
Its leader: Prince Demchugdomgrub, with two officers of the Mengjiang National Army. Unfortunately for our Japanese allies, the MNA is not able to field a single combat unit.
The battle of attrition between the Luftwaffe and the RAF continued both over the Channel and the neighbouring airbases. 7th Jagdfliegerkorps took its baptism of fire when it met several air carrier groups over the Channel. These were quickly reinforced with four fighter groups, and Fisser’s pilots were driven back to Cherbourg. The Royal Navy aircraft resumed their patrol of the sea lanes leading to the United Kingdom’s busiest ports, while the RAF followed our Messerschmitts. Losses were reasonable on the first day, with “Benelux” losing 11 aircraft and “Ruoff” losing just 5. British losses are unclear, but may have been as high as 25 planes.
The escalating cost of the air war has put increasing pressure onto the developers of the Luftwaffe’s next fighter design. Göring has apparently been ringing the research divisions on a daily basis, but has been told that these processes cannot be hurried. It would not help to pump in more money or resources: only time will see a successful completion of the program. The best estimate is that the new aircraft will become available in the first week of June.
It will not be a minute too soon. Fisser saw another five of his aircraft shot down the next day, purely in defence of his air base at Cherbourg. (Most of the pilots were saved). The attackers, 221 RAF Fighter Group, led by Air Marshall Sholto-Douglas, lost only four planes.
Unterhehmen Stierkampf is still being progressing even in the absence of 2nd Panzerkorps. General Blaskowitz and 29.Infanterie (mot) have entered the forests of Briviesca, chasing the Autometralladoras. A Spanish infantry unit has blocked the roads and paths through the heavily wooded region, and seems determined to hold up our motorised columns. Blaskowitz believes this is to allow their armour to escape and recover from the exhaustion which has left it virtually useless as a combat force, and is just as determined to break through.
Battle of Briviesca: as can be seen from this enhanced terrain map, we are safely through the mountains of northern Spain
With 2nd Panzerkorps no longer drawing supply from the railhead at Bayonne, there is more fuel and materiel for the other armour units. 1st Panzer Division has moved against General Miaja Menart in Soria. With the Ebro behind him, General Nehring must now face another natural obstacle: the River Duero. The Spanish are in a good position to prevent the river crossing, having just under 15,000 men in prepared positions. A few captured soldiers tell us morale is high on the Spanish side of the river and the units are fresh, so Nehring will find it hard to break through. The orders from General Rommel at the headquarters of the Sud-Frankreich Army are clear however: there is to be no let up. Unternehmen Stierkampf is not to be put on hold waiting for the arrival of 2nd Gebirgsjägerkorps. Nehring is an experienced officer, and knows that Rommel is quite likely to assume direct control if he believes that the commander at the front is not committed to the attack.
Battle of Soria
More news came from Japan. Mengkukuo has expanded. Several provinces of Xibei San Ma have been attached to the original territory. Again, we are advised by our diplomats that this has little effect other than to placate the population.
The expanded Mengkukuo
Ministers Schacht and Bayerlein are elated at the news that Bayonne air base has been doubled in size. The work crews have achieved wonders in completing the expansion in such a short time, and this should assist the repair and maintenance of our aircraft, even though the base is still overcrowded. There was some thought of continuing the work, but General Rommel insisted that by the time the next stage was finished, we should be able to use the airfields around Madrid. This has allowed Reichsmarschall Göring to successfully demand that more radar sites be built along the Channel to help our fighters in their war against the RAF. Crews have been sent to prepare sites at Cherbourg, Calais and Dieppe, and technical components are being manufactured (at some cost) ready for installation. With some luck the facilities should be ready for use by early September.
General Durruti Dumage’s attempts to block the advance of 29.Infanterie (mot) in Briviesca met with complete failure. Prisoners report that morale in 13/7a Infantry Division plummeted when it was realised that they were supposed to hold the lonely roads deep in the forest while the elite Autometralladoras made good their escape. Repeatedly Blaskowitz’ men found abandoned roadblocks made of piles of felled trees and rocks rolled across the roads and paths. Had they been held by resolute men it could have meant a long slow battle forward, with every bend revealing a new strongpoint. The thick vegetation would have nullified our air superiority and our Stukas would have been next to useless. As it was, our trucks rolled forward virtually with only occasional halts while the road was cleared of the makeshift obstacles, and the last of the Spanish left Briviesca sometime on Thursday 19th. Only 17 of our soldiers men were listed as killed or MIA, and although 13/7a lost just 72 men, it was a clear victory for 29.Infanterie (mot).
29.Infanterie (mot) on the road: with the increasing motorisation of the Wehrmacht we need every vehicle we can get and the French-made Renault is a welcome addition to our truck fleet. Behind it is a Henschel: our motorised divisions take whatever is available.
The 19th also saw a resurgence of activity from the FARE. The Inspekteur der Jagdflieger, Oberst Werner Junck, suspects an unparalleled degree of co-operation between the British and the Spanish. For days we have been subject to waves of carrier planes coming in from the Bay of Biscay. Now that the British have paused in their attacks, the Spanish have resumed their bombing of our troops. It seems unbelievable that our enemies could have achieved this level of co-ordination, but the result is that our overstretched Messerschmitt Staffeln must stay in combat continuously.
One reason for mounting fighter losses over the past few days: the Fairey Fulmar with its 8 wing mounted Browning machine guns. Although at a disadvantage with single seater fighters, they handle well and their long range allows them plenty of time over the battlefield.
The first sign that the FARE was back occurred over Soria. Dörstling’s Blitz geschwader, escorting “Storch” and “Reiher” on a routine bombing mission, radioed in that it was under attack from nearly 400 Spanish fighters. Once again, our individual aircraft were far superior to the Russian I-15s and I-16s, but with a four to one advantage, our fighters could not prevent some of the enemy from reaching the bomber formations. The Junkers 88s fought back as well as they could with their four MG 81s, but losses started to mount. As soon as the last bomb was dropped 6th Kampffliegerkorps raced for Bayonne. (Although out tactical bombers are based at Bordeaux, further up the coast, our fighter bases are closer to the front). Over Bayonne, four of our Messerschmitt geschwader rose to meet the Spanish, now reduced to three groups. The Spanish soon withdrew, but we suffered quite heavily. “Blitz” lost 10 fighters in its valiant attempt to protect its charges, but “Storch” and “Reiher” had 25 aircraft destroyed. Bogatsch’s fighters were virtually unscathed, but after the battle “Schlageter” was reduced to 83 planes.
Air Battle of Bayonne: using advanced photographic techniques, we have been able to map the infrastructure of Spain and southwest France. It is easy to see why our supply columns struggle to keep up with the demands of the frontline troops and the air and headquarters units in the rear.
A squadron of I-16 fighters over Soria: our Messerschmitts are struggling to hold back the FARE
Barely had the pilots landed, when they were rushed back into the air, as General von Manstein’s 3rd leichte Panzer was under attack. As they approached Longrono, several hundred Spanish bombers were identified. For once the Luftwaffe was superior in numbers, and 29 SB-2s were shot down. Again, our fighter losses were minimal, but they keep adding up.
On Friday 20th, the drive to Madrid continued, with de Angelis and 16.Infanterie (mot) pushing deep into Salas de los Infantes. The province is held by about 9,000 Spanish infantry, but de Angelis has evidence that the quality of the leadership is questionable. His prediction is that despite the advantages of prepared positions and fairly good defensive terrain, the Spanish will not last long against his experienced infantry, with his Aufklärungs Sdkfz 231 8 Rad Schwerer Panzerspähwagen leading the attack. The Spanish infantry have little in the way of anti-tank weaponry, and we have found that they soon pull back when faced with armour of any type.
Battle of Salas de los Infantes
Burgos, the capital of General Franco’s ill-fated rebellion, is within our grasp. The Pz IIs of Keppler’s 1st leichte are crossing the plains around the city, the only opposition being about 6,000 support troops attached to the headquarters of 1a Divisone Orgánica and Cabelleros. Keppler, like de Angelis, expects to complete this task quickly.
Battle of Burgos
As if to remind us why we patrol the English Channel, one of Fisser’s Oberst’s confirmed what had previously only been a rumour: the Royal Navy now has dedicated naval bomber squadrons. During an air battle in the Western English Channel, 7th Jagdfliegerkorps recorded enemy aircraft from 14th RAF Fighter Group, 3rd Carrier Air Group and 15th Royal Navy Coastal Naval Command. The new RN unit is equipped with Short Singapore flying boats. Although now nearly obsolescent, these aircraft could still pose a threat to the Kriegsmarine, and their long range (more than 1,000 kilometres) makes them a significant problem for our U-boats. They can carry several bombs, as well as their machine guns, but their ability to detect the submarines far at sea and call in their location will be the main danger.
An elderly but still dangerous Short Singapore, now a member of 15th RN Coastal Naval Command
My brother Heinz will be pleased: the design team at Böhmisch-Mährische-Machinenfabrik AG (well, this is what the press release says, but everyone knows it is the Czech company Cechomoravska Kolben-Danek under a new name) has come up with a new gun for our light tanks. Following this breakthrough, the Waffenamt has authorised an upgrade of all our light tank regiments. They will be issued with the PzKpfw.38(t)A, a tank manufactured completely in what was previously Czechoslavakia. Not as fast as the Pz II, but better armour and an extra crew man will make Heinz a happy man.
One of the new tanks for our leichte Panzer regiments: the changeover will start immediately
Göring has been successful at last, as the research funding has been allocated to the Luftwaffe’s training program. Better techniques for refuelling-rearming and better repair and maintenance procedures will act as a boost for our fighter performance. The only question is how long before this training is available to our ground crews.
The RAF continued the pressure on Saturday: Dortmund was attacked early in the morning, and synthetic rubber stockpiles were destroyed and several manufacturing plants damages. The recently added anti-air defences were neutralised and the bombers headed home, our fighters nowhere to be seen.
A flight of Handley-Page Hampden bombers flies low over one of the Reich’s key manufacturing plants, looking for targets, confident that no fighters or anti-air require them to maintain height.
Just as this report was arriving in Berlin, word was received from the Channel that Fisser had met a huge number of British aircraft. “Benelux” had only 75 fighters and “Ruoff” was down to 82 planes, yet they found themselves facing the 348 fighters of 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th RAF Fighter Groups, 95 aircraft of 15th Royal Navy Coastal Naval Command and 100 Fairey Fulmars and Albacores from a nearby carrier. With the pilots of 7th Jagdfliegerkorps fighting for their lives, Rommel radioed from Spain that carrier aircraft were again bombing his men in Belorado and Briviesca. Where was his fighter cover? Oberkommando der Luftwaffe had no answer: there were no planes available. The Inspekteur der Jagdflieger, Oberst Junck, must have had a difficult time.
Air Battle of the Channel Approaches: von Nordeck, the commander of II Unterseebootsflotte which is operating in the area , is increasingly nervous, and with good reason. Fisser’s pilots report seeing an aircraft carrier, two heavy cruisers, a light cruiser and two destroyer flotillas, in addition to the flying boats of 15th CNC.
Junck’s bad day was not over. 7th Jagdflieger fled back to Cherbourg, chased by three RAF Fighter Groups. While Göring was reportedly embarrassed at a clear Luftwaffe defeat, at least Fisser kept his losses to only 7 aircraft. It didn’t help matters that, as the news that our Messerchmitts were fleeing from the British was being digested, phones in the Reichsluftfahrtministerium were going berserk as every local commander in Dortmund Luftbau rang to announce that RAF Strategic Command had returned to add to the damage already inflicted to the industrial areas of the city.
The Luftwaffe’s “Dies horribilis” was completed when Fisser responded to a request from Commander von Nordeck. Aircraft were endangering his U-boats, but when “Benelux” and “Ruoff” flew to Bristol to drive off the patrolling aircraft, they were jumped by fresh RAF units. This time it was 395 fighters from 10th, 14th 207th and 212th Fighter Groups. 15th RN Coastal Naval Command and the 3rd Carrier Air Group, which had lured our fighters to combat, were just another 195 potential threats. Fisser was not so lucky this time: 14 planes were shot down.
Air Battle of Bristol
The capture of Burgos by 1st leichte Panzer Division was little consolation for those of us in Berlin reeling from the succession of disastrous reports from the various Jafüs. Yet General Keppler had much to be proud of, clearing the city without losing a man, and killing or capturing 181 of the 6,000 defenders.
(I had thought the day’s bad news for the Luftwaffe was complete, but I was wrong. At 10PM that night, Dortmund was again under bombardment. Probably guided by the fires lit during the daylight raids, Newall’s 2nd 3rd and 4th Strategic Bomber Groups were again able to carry out their mission without interference: the anti-aircraft towers were silent, their communications destroyed and many of the crew dead or injured. Although it was not made public, not a single fighter was sighted over Dortmund during the entire day. Even with it being kept out the newspapers, civilian morale will be affected as the word will spread.)
On Sunday morning, feeling a bit depressed by Saturday’s news, I found myself just sitting around, so I told myself I may as well waste my time at work as at home. As might be expected, there were changes in our fighter deployment. 5th Jagdfliegerkorps is already on its way to Amsterdam, joining Nordsee Army (Rommel must do with just one Jagdfliegerkorps of two geschwader). Generalleutnant Bogatsch has orders to intercept any bombers crossing the Nordsee: his men are to defend our cities at the borders. The radar station at Haarlem should help. I hope the citizens of Dortmund, waking up to scene of ruin and smouldering fires, get better protection. Only half the factories in the city are able to operate today.
The “Freya” radar station at Haarlem: peering out into the Nordsee for threats
There was also news from the Foreign Ministry, presumably a late night coded message from Tokyo. Japan has secured transit rights from Yunnan (what use will that be?) and, only slightly more important, Mengkukuo has joined the war against Nationalist China, Xibei San Ma and the Guangxi Clique. At least it is good news, if not particularly exciting.
Further good news came from the Wehrmacht. Our second Fallschirmjäger Division has been formed. In line with wartime efficiency, there was no Berlin parade for this unit, it has been despatched to Bayonne. It is not clear if it is to be used for an airdrop (on Madrid?) or if it is to obtain some combat experience on the ground. The Luftwaffe of course demanded that all the manufacturing capacity freed up be assigned to producing aircraft, but sufficient orders for just one geschwader of interceptors have been placed with Messerschmitt. The rest of the funds and production will be used to equip another garrison division, tentatively earmarked for Yugoslavia. We cannot leave Österreich Army on guard duty.
While there may not have been a grand parade for 2nd Fallschirmjäger Division, the new members of this elite unit could not be prouder
Things were looking quite bright, and my good mood was enhanced when I saw a brief telegram from General de Angelis: he has defeated Masquelet Lacaci in Salas de los Infantees. It sounded as though his prediction about the Spanish morale being in question has proved correct. With only 25 casualties, 16.Infanterie (mot) crushed the two Spanish divisions, who fled after losing 320 men. Supply is flowing freely, and de Angelis hopes to be on the move in less than two days. The Duero lies ahead of him, but his victory means that our forces are now more than halfway to Madrid.
By now I was quite ebullient, but then Luftwaffe reports of the morning’s activity started to arrive and I felt some concern: was this going to be a repeat of yesterday? The Haarlem radar unit warned of large numbers of aircraft gathering over Dover, and Bogatsch, a typically aggressive Luftwaffe commander, decided that attack was the best form of defence. He claimed that he believed that the RAF was planning a mass strategic bombing raid and that he could hit it while it was organising. Whatever his reasons, Ost 1 and 2 did find Newall’s bombers, but they also found four RAF Fighter Groups, the 10th, 207th, 211th and 212th. Bogatsch ordered his pilots to concentrate on the bombers, and the results showed that his men obeyed this order, at a heavy cost to themselves. 25 strategic bombers were destroyed, but 5th Jagdfliegerkorps lost 12 Messerschmitts. Low on ammunition, our fighters returned to base, rearmed and took on extra fuel, then immediately took off again, heading southeast. Our observers, backed by the radar sites at Bitburg and Dortmund, were tracking the bombers, and Bogatsch chased them to Dortmund. Further damage was sustained by the city, but at least the population had the benefit of seeing that the British did not get off scot-free, as our fighters sent bomber after bomber spiralling into the ground. Newall returned again, but this time Bogatsch was ready and the attack was called off. As his weary pilots no doubt celebrated at the local Amsterdam bars, Bogatsch filed his activity report: an estimated 54 enemy bombers as wellas several fighters eliminated, at a cost of 21 of his fighters. A good day’s work.
This Hampden crashed into a lake near Dortmund, allowing our scientists an opportunity to examine a British strategic bomber. Normally the crew manage to burn or otherwise destroy the vital technical equipment.
The news from Spain was just as uplifting. Bayo de Giraud and his SB-2 had been intercepted over Belorado and given a couple of lessons by 2nd Jagdfliegerkorps. Unfortunately Felmy does not have the luxury of a radar station close enough to the front to give him warning (the nearest is at Bayonne) so he did not arrive over Belorado in time to affect the result of the first raid (which killed 51 men of 16.Infanteire (mot) who were still making their way into Salas de los Infantes). He was ready for the second Spanish raid, however, and not a single bomb was dropped on our troops. For the loss of just 1 fighter, 20 of the Russian supplied bombers were destroyed in the air.
The last of the news for Sunday was a dusk attack launched by General Blaskowitz, westwards across the plains into Tardajos. He reported everything was going well, some fighting but steady progress. 29.Infanterie (mot) is at nearly full strength (9,997 men) and although he is facing an experienced General in Durruti Dumange, and is outnumbered (the Spanish have nearly 12,000 men), he anticipates a fairly routine advance.
Battle of Tardajos
I have to admit, I left the Reichskanzlei feeling a lot more positive than when signed in this morning.
Bombing Summary
Luftwaffe
Villarcayo: Kesselring with 1st Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 74, 76
Villarcayo: Kesselring with 1st Schlachtfliegerkorps and 6th Kampffliegerkorps(2 x Ju 87B, 1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 234, 264, 252, 216
Briviesca: Sperrle with 1st Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 158, 68
Soria: Dörstling with 6th Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 224, 125, 125, 285, 287, 242, 252
Soria: Kesselring with 1st Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 99, 102
Soria: Sperrle with 1st Kampffliegerkorps: (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 232, 303
Salas de los Infantes: Kesselring with 1st Schlachtfliegerkorps (2 x Ju 87B): 82, 115, 164, 69
Burgos: Sperrle with 1st Kampffliegerkorps (1 x Bf 109E, 2 x Ju 88): 94, 217
Soria: Dörstling with 1st and 6th Kampffliegerkorps (2 x Bf 109E, 4 x Ju 88): 118
FARE
Longrono: Comache Benitez: 1er and 20 Grupo Táctico (2 x TAC): 123, NIL
Belorado: Bayo Giraud with 1er Grup de Bombardeo, Grupo Táctico n.1 FARE (2 x TAC): 51, NIL
RAF (Royal Navy Air Arm)
Belorado: Denny with 7th CAG: NIL
Briviesca: Cunningham with 6th CAG: 34, NIL, 38
Unterseebootsflotte Activity Report
Eastern Biscay Plain: 1transport (UK): Dover – Tobruk: Dörstling with 2nd U-flotte
Southeast Porcupine Plain: 1 transport (UK): Dover – Kuching: Fricke with 3rd U-flotte
Cape St Vincent: 1 transport (Spanish): Cádiz – Boston: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
South Azores Fracture Zone: 1 transport (Spanish): Cádiz – Boston: Wolf with 4th U-flotte
Eastern Charcot Seamount: 1 transport (UK): Plymouth – Freetown: Fricke with 3rd U-flotte
Breton Coast: 1 transport (UK): Plymouth – Barbados: von Nordeck with II U-flotte
Libia at the end of Sunday 22nd April: despite our “advice” to advance east, the Regio Esercito continues to withdraw west
Spain: Unternehmen Stierkampf is progressing like clockwork, though the FARE and the carrier planes of the Royal Navy are a problem.
Last edited:
The Spanish are certainly being forced back- They have missed their chance to hold you back in France. Hopefully the British won't land in Bordeux right now!
Do you plan on a Nationalist Puppet? Without Franco a new leader will have to be found...
Do you plan on a Nationalist Puppet? Without Franco a new leader will have to be found...
Fighters and their pilots are too much to lose. Maybe research better techs?
Having always to reinforce them is very expensive on the long term, and it allows enemy to build more planes and focus their IC on other projects if they have enough success on the air.
Having always to reinforce them is very expensive on the long term, and it allows enemy to build more planes and focus their IC on other projects if they have enough success on the air.
Good read, it looks like things in Spain are finally easing up a bit. Too bad the Luftwaffe is having such a hard time. It makes the AAR a lot more exciting though. Can't wait for Barbarossa!
All the best!
All the best!
Thanks DesertFox1871: I think that the earlier updates were based on save games from before Patch 2.03c (I was using the original 2.03b). There was a change in 2.03c that made the creation of Mengkukuo possible. As you hav no doubt seen, it happened in the last update.
Another awesome update.
It seems that the RAF more or less won the battle over the Channel.
Oh and did our dear narrator understand the implications of a meeting with Gisela's parents ?
Thanks Karaiskandar. The Luftwaffe refuses to concede the Channel to the RAF, but it is getting hard. I am rotating fresh units through, to keep numbers up, waiting for my new aircraft techs to come through. I think I have four techs due in June. (And a few air doctrines later).
I can see that now, but when I started this a two geschwader Luftkorps seemed OK. It is only the past few months that have seen the RAF so aggressive. My suspsicion is that the recent improvements tothe AI are behind my problems. I have 14 interceptor geschwader, and am reluctant to merge the 7 Jagdkorps - I have a lot of ground to cover. Only one interceptor is on order, but I will add to that as fast as I can, to add an extra geschwader to each Jagdkorps. But the current priority is ground troops for Barbarossa.
I am keeping several divisions along the French coast, and the ports are all garrisoned. My subs in the Bay of Biscay haven't spotted any transports: I am more concerned that they may be reinforcing Gibraltar either through the Med or up the west coast of Africa.
I'm not keen on puppets: you do all the hard work and get little benefit. I would rather have the all the resources.
Yes, the efficiency of the RAF has been an unpleasant surprise for me. I am researching about Aero Engine 2, Small Fuel Tank 2, Single Engine Airframe 2, Single Engine Armament 2 (all due in early June), Fighter Ground Crew Training 4 and Interception Tactic 4 (both due in August). I will give priority to aircraft upgrades when the new techs become available. I would like to buidl more, but Barbarossa limits the IC available (and, as I have said previously, I think I may have overcommitted on infrastructure inthe east).
I see that the Italians seems to have a different definition for "offensive".
Il Duce has his mind elsewhere as you will discover in the next update.
Thanks BoemsiBoemsie (I had wondered if you were still reading). Spain should be OK unless the Brits intervene. The Luftwaffe will just have to toughen up! I can't help it in the short term.
Barbarossa is less than a year away, and my only other goal is Romania, so we are getting closer. On the other hand, I seem to be writing more and more, so it may take a while to get there. I just hope I can maintain interest.
Nice going across the board. I'd not be too concerned with the air war over the Channel. If there was some way of keeping your fighters from looking for a fight in London, that'd be enough already. You'll suffer some losses, but nothing decisive can be done by the Brits, except lowering your morale. Speaking of which, you'd better check in on your counterespinoage occasionally, I've found scores of enemy countries sending in spies to lower my national unity. Really annoying, because they can break you even if you're actually winning the war.
Do you have plans prepared for a Afrika Korps or a forced landing on Malta? Once Spain is subdued, the Italians will still not be able to hold their ground in Africa and it'd be a good idea to deprive the Brits of an advanced base right underneath the Italian boot.
The Japanese are acutally right in creating that puppet, it'll free up some troops for the war in the south. It's not like there'd be terribly important ressources in that area anyway.
btw, your flyboys must scare the living hell out of their enemies. In the week you posted there, they managed to inflict 2,398 casulties in Soria alone and a total of 4,483. Those guys are paving the way so smoothly, the boots on the ground hardly have to make a break.
Do you have plans prepared for a Afrika Korps or a forced landing on Malta? Once Spain is subdued, the Italians will still not be able to hold their ground in Africa and it'd be a good idea to deprive the Brits of an advanced base right underneath the Italian boot.
The Japanese are acutally right in creating that puppet, it'll free up some troops for the war in the south. It's not like there'd be terribly important ressources in that area anyway.
btw, your flyboys must scare the living hell out of their enemies. In the week you posted there, they managed to inflict 2,398 casulties in Soria alone and a total of 4,483. Those guys are paving the way so smoothly, the boots on the ground hardly have to make a break.
Thanks Baltasar.
I do check Intelligence pretty regularly (mainly I admit to make sure not too many Disrupt Research). I have 10 spies on counter-intelligence (and an Italian helping me!). From memory, there are five spies at the moment, none on disrupt NU. Most NU damage comes from strat bombing, but I am still at 90.318%.
With my fighters, they are all attached to various Armies, and the AI sets their actions. I have noticed that some were on Air: Attacking, so I have altered that to Air: Defensive, but I don't know how much impact that will have.
I have always had in the back of mind sending an Afrika Korps to show the Regia Esercito how to do it. (That was one reason for grabbing the Yugoslav ports.) I'll see how it goes. In the next update you will see that the Italians hav decided to take on Greece.
You may be right about Mengkukuo, though I don't remember many Japanese units ever being there. But it is nice that they can forget it.
As for the effectiveness of the bombers, ever since Poland I hav erealised they are the key for keeping my casualties low. After a couple of battles, the enemy divisions are at 70% strength. I hadn't actually totalled the damge, but it is very impressiuve, especially when you consider that I can only get a few air units to operated: Bordeaux (4) and Bayonne (2) are the only airfields in range.
The TACs are expensive, but they really pay for themselves: I can't understand why anyone would question building lots of them. And if you have a close airfield, CAS can carry our a lot of missions in a day, which can be deadly as well.
I going to guess that the Spanish campaign takes 4 months. Also, are you hitting your fuel reserves since you are motorizing much of the Wehrmacht?