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The top half of Albania is owned by the USSR, while the southern half is independent and free.
Nice work. I especially liked the monthly update showing planned progress in Africa. I continue to have some slight optimism you can walk all the way through the Dark Continent with your divisions. Wish you had some cavalry down there to ride faster, but as long as most enemy divisions are in Europe, at least your infantry can walk steadily!
Why Norway and Sweden this year?
-- Beppo
Why Norway and Sweden this year?
-- Beppo
As far as I remember, cavalry is not so good in Africa.
Light armored is better.
Light armored is better.
Cav speed is lower in desert areas. Tanks have better speed in deserts than Cav's.
In jungle, the marines are the fastest troops.
Thank you for the detailed update. It looks as if invading Africa was the right decision. Without South Africa the continent is nearly defenseless, or at least troops are on their way which would have otherwise ended up in Europe. In any case it is a win for you.
Regarding the return of control of divisions to their owners I would like to know whether that hampers the performance of the AI (yes, a contradiction in term, I know). Will the different AIs still work together as one (usual screwup), do what they please (bis screwup) or try to work together as best as they can (humongous screwup). I guess only time will tell, since Johan probably won't answer.
Regarding the return of control of divisions to their owners I would like to know whether that hampers the performance of the AI (yes, a contradiction in term, I know). Will the different AIs still work together as one (usual screwup), do what they please (bis screwup) or try to work together as best as they can (humongous screwup). I guess only time will tell, since Johan probably won't answer.
Some great air battles in those last updates.
I'm excited to see what spring brings.
I'm excited to see what spring brings.
Tirane is owned by the USSR. But there are two Albanian provinces; I'm assuming the second province is still Albania.
Nathan Madien - Neutrality would appear to be over rated
Austria Hungary - Japan is not short of land commanders in any way. Good commanders are plentiful and are almost all deployed already and there are still a lot left with no traits.
UncleAlias, harezmi, Panzer6, serutan - Tirana is indeed Soviet owned and Albania holds Vlore which has zero factories.
Beppo, alan_le_cowboy, cosminus - Given the different bad terrain in Africa I would guess that Marines are probably the best overall troops. Armour is good in the north though.
Sokraates - The situation in North africa and the Middle East had become one of attrition between my troops and mostly South African and Ethiopian divisions, so removing those two was an obvious move given where the enemy was recruiting its troops. Africa is also a long term goal as it is not easy to take it all, so I chose to attack it earlier than I probably should have.
A lot of the time Countries reclaim their forces they head straight back home so it pretty much is very bad for the AI. Why they do it I have no real clue other to say it seems to happen more when lines are static, which is just a personal observation.
EnglandWarrior - I wouldn't expect it to turn yellow very quickly
Velko - Hopefully more will be coming. If I can break the Allied lines in Europe the annexations will be coming thick and fast.
Maj. von Mauser - The Air War never seems to end. I think I have the Allies under control and another Country shows up with even more planes. Spring will be exciting for sure and not very predictable at all.
Time for some much needed ground combat. Update to follow ...
Austria Hungary - Japan is not short of land commanders in any way. Good commanders are plentiful and are almost all deployed already and there are still a lot left with no traits.
UncleAlias, harezmi, Panzer6, serutan - Tirana is indeed Soviet owned and Albania holds Vlore which has zero factories.
Beppo, alan_le_cowboy, cosminus - Given the different bad terrain in Africa I would guess that Marines are probably the best overall troops. Armour is good in the north though.
Sokraates - The situation in North africa and the Middle East had become one of attrition between my troops and mostly South African and Ethiopian divisions, so removing those two was an obvious move given where the enemy was recruiting its troops. Africa is also a long term goal as it is not easy to take it all, so I chose to attack it earlier than I probably should have.
A lot of the time Countries reclaim their forces they head straight back home so it pretty much is very bad for the AI. Why they do it I have no real clue other to say it seems to happen more when lines are static, which is just a personal observation.
EnglandWarrior - I wouldn't expect it to turn yellow very quickly
Velko - Hopefully more will be coming. If I can break the Allied lines in Europe the annexations will be coming thick and fast.
Maj. von Mauser - The Air War never seems to end. I think I have the Allies under control and another Country shows up with even more planes. Spring will be exciting for sure and not very predictable at all.
Time for some much needed ground combat. Update to follow ...
Operation Influx
25
25
0000 April 2nd 1949.
Diplomatic Offices. Tokyo, Japan.
Mamoru looked up in response to a knock on his door. "There is an Ambassador here to see you Minister Mamoru." his assistant informed him.
"Which one?"
"Norwegian sir."
"Send him in please." Mamoru ordered as he re-arranged the paperwork on his desk to cover any State secrets.
"Good morning Minister Mamoru." the Norwegian Ambassador said as he entered.
"Good morning Ambassador, please take a seat."
"That will not be necessary I won't be here long enough to enjoy some tea."
"I see. Would you care to explain why you are in such a hurry today?"
"Which one?"
"Norwegian sir."
"Send him in please." Mamoru ordered as he re-arranged the paperwork on his desk to cover any State secrets.
"Good morning Minister Mamoru." the Norwegian Ambassador said as he entered.
"Good morning Ambassador, please take a seat."
"That will not be necessary I won't be here long enough to enjoy some tea."
"I see. Would you care to explain why you are in such a hurry today?"
"My Government has decided to join your little War on the Allied side. Something about owing a debt apparently."
"Their loyalty is commendable I suppose even if it means they lose a War. I will inform His Majesty of your Country's decision."
"Thank you Minister Mamoru." replied the Ambassador as he turned and left the office.
"Their loyalty is commendable I suppose even if it means they lose a War. I will inform His Majesty of your Country's decision."
"Thank you Minister Mamoru." replied the Ambassador as he turned and left the office.
1100 April 2nd 1949.
Central Asia Army Headquarters. Sevastopol, Soviet Union.
The snow was beginning to melt in some places close to the front line and Hata knew that the Spring offensive would begin soon. Where and when was still open to debate but some things remained constant as another air battle began over the Baltic Sea.
Obata would lead the dogfight as his Tactical bomber wing was drawn into battle by Tanaka's interception of a British Strategic bomber wing over the Central Baltic Sea. Unfortunately for the British bombers Fukui joined in an hour later and by 1300 hours two of the Strategic bomber squadrons were in very bad condition. By 1400 hours those two squadrons had been destroyed and the remaining two were taking heavy casualties. The bombers tried to withdraw at 1500 hours, but to no avail, as they too were shot down. Tanaka would require some time to repair his organisational losses but actual combat losses were minor.
The first two Allied divisions to march into Stanislawow were Spanish Mountaineers. Shimoyama was there to greet them and ensured that they were also the first two divisions to die.
The Spring offensive began in earnest at 0300 hours on April 3rd much to Hata's surprise.
The Spring offensive began in earnest at 0300 hours on April 3rd much to Hata's surprise.
Field Marshall Guisan clearly had no wish to wait for the snow to melt in Grodno as he ordered fourteen divisions, including a large number of Mountaineers and some Armour, to attack General Dohihara's defences in the province. Dohihara held all of the defensive cards being dug in at night in a frozen forest but Guisan was employing an enveloping assault.
Hata had a few problems to consider. Dohihara probably could not hold as dawn was approaching and he was badly outnumbered by superior forces. The biggest concern for the Field Marshall was the presence of all of his tanks to the south west in Bialystok. Losing Grondo could see them isolated and possibly destroyed as a result. He would act quickly to attempt to solve both problems.
Hata had a few problems to consider. Dohihara probably could not hold as dawn was approaching and he was badly outnumbered by superior forces. The biggest concern for the Field Marshall was the presence of all of his tanks to the south west in Bialystok. Losing Grondo could see them isolated and possibly destroyed as a result. He would act quickly to attempt to solve both problems.
He immediately ordered Hoshinato and Okada to support the defence of Grodno which would allow them to transit into the province a lot quicker. They would arrive at 1800 hours the following day after only 38 hours of travel. As soon as the tanks were moving Hata ordered Dohihara to withdraw towards Wilno to prevent heavy casualties. He was confident that his tanks could reach Grodno ahead of the enemy because of the snow and he could make further decisions once they arrived and probably came under attack themselves.
Nakajima was quickly informed of the massed Allied troops now moving forwards having left their trenches and he began to attack the largest group in Alytus, which contained the Armour and most of the Mountaineer divisions.
Hoshinato and Okada arrived on time in Grodno and found themselves under attack by fourteen divisions by 1900 hours on April 4th. A large number of Mountaineers were still present amongst Guisan's force and their Winter expertise could win the battle. Hata chose to allow his Armour to fight for a while as the battle had begun at night which favoured his defending forces. By 0400 hours on April 5th the odds had moved very slightly towards Hoshinato as Nakajima arrived over Alytus at dawn. Hata did not order a withdraw just yet but he would if the battle began to take a turn for the worse.
By 1600 hours, with dusk approaching, the odds had turned very much in Hoshinato's favour as the Allied attackers suffered heavy losses as they attempted to attack through the snow. The combination of defensive terrain, weather and air support had all contributed to the successful defence but one factor could well have been more decisive. Hoshinato and Okada possessed six of most experienced ground divisions in the entire Imperial Japanese Army and they had suffered very few losses during the day. Okada's corps only sustained 1,300 total losses and a lot of those would not be fatalities.
0400 April 5th 1949.
Africa Army Headquarters. Abadan, Persia.
Canadian Naval bombers had been conducting convoy attacks against Japanese Merchant ships along the Persian Gulf for almost a week and Higashikuni's request for air support had been granted by Minister Jun.
Four Interceptor squadrons were withdrawn from their patrols in the Pacific leaving only two to cover a vast area which was rarely travelled by enemy shipping. Mj. General Umazu was placed in command of the newly formed Interceptor wing as it rebased to Abadan. The Canadian bombers would halt their attacks as if they knew he was there but Higashikuni would still be able to utilise this new wing in North Africa.
On the morning of April 6th a double invasion occured along the coast of the Middle East. At least four Italian divisions had been landed in Tel Aviv and Haifa which would see Itabana ordered back north to deal with this new threat. The lack of any Allied invasion in this area for months had seen the defences stripped to increase the forces available to advance west and there were precious few divisions at Higashikuni's disposal to kick the Italians out of North Africa.
To Higashikuni's amazement the Italian troops were withdrawn by 0600 hours on April 7th. Lt. General Higuchi began the march to reclaim the lost territory. Why the Italians had abandoned the landing zones was a question that no one in the Imperial Japanese High Command could find a good answer to.
0400 April 7th 1949.
Central Asia Army Headquarters. Sevastopol, Soviet Union.
The attacks in the north of the Western Front would not stop as it became increasingly clear that the Allies were the ones on the offensive as Spring arrived. Hata shelved any plans of his own and switched to a defensive stance as more and more Allied troops materialised along the front lines.
Another attack against Grodno would fail but the snow had now melted to be replaced by heavy mud as rain soaked the rapidly thawing snow covered ground. Hata would have to await developments as he had no intention of attacking until the weather improved, if he could.
The Allies had been mustering more and more forces in the north and they began their own attack at 0900 hours on April 7th. General Nishio had no chance of holding Jelgava against overwhelming odds even with air support. Hata ordered him to withdraw to Riga where the river could assist his defence. Reconnaisance reports to the south showed an increasing number of Allied troops heading north east and they were free to move with Japanese Dive bombers tied up attacking troops moving around the front line.
Obata was ordered to halt his Naval patrols and begin to support the north of Hata's line by bombing the advancing Allied troops in Mazirbe. West German Infantry and Mountaineers were spearheading this new attack axis and the number of enemy divisions was clearly much larger than had been thought. Hata would have to stop them with the forces already under his command as he already knew no more troops were available.
Henri Guisan leading an offensive is not something you see everyday. He is obviously lacking the expertise.
Good fun update. The Italians are evidently still being guided by Il Duce's masterful strategic vision, the Canadian Naval Bombers must have some form of improved radar, the Norwegians are belligerent, and the Allied Spring Offensive has begun!
Keep up the good work!
-- Beppo
Keep up the good work!
-- Beppo
Good to see that the snowballs have been exchanged for bullets (and mudballs, I guess).
HoI2-Europe without combat was odd. At least you've kept the tanks rolling.
HoI2-Europe without combat was odd. At least you've kept the tanks rolling.
Norway knows that they are going to fight Japan sooner or later. Might as well pick sooner.
Perhaps the Italians suddenly remembered what happened the last time they fought in this area.
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Norway will soon be suffering. That'll learn them.
Any chance of more divisions becoming available for the European theatre?
Any chance of more divisions becoming available for the European theatre?