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It looks that the Aussie conquer is going quite well. I agree with your assessment of risk/benefits of capturing Melbourne vs going further east : it looks that the Aussies are not even close of mustering anything strong enough to push you to Perth again, so there is no big need of rushing things too much.
BTW you are only showing in game what RL Dönitz wanted and the Brits Admirals feared: a GB unable to use the empire resource pool would get in stockpiles problems fast. OFC that Dönitz did not advocated the conquer of Africa with Portuguese cavs , though
BTW you are only showing in game what RL Dönitz wanted and the Brits Admirals feared: a GB unable to use the empire resource pool would get in stockpiles problems fast. OFC that Dönitz did not advocated the conquer of Africa with Portuguese cavs , though
The victory over the 1st Australian Cavalary in Nutysland looked like a turning but now if you can take Melbourne you will have broken them.
Only the Australian Navy can stop you now.
Only the Australian Navy can stop you now.
About 10 days since feedback, so let me catch up here, before the next update...
That's mainly what I'm concerned about, myself. I can't see most of the subcontinent, from the sea, and so I have little way of knowing what they have there (just like I had little way of knowing what was in Australia). The difference is I have the impression they might actually have more forces in India than in Australia.
Thanks! Yes, I'd not had time to think about it before, but it sure changed things once I'd taken care of it. I'll see if I can figure out the size. I'd need to reload an old game, and don't have time just now.
Thanks! I love the naval dancing -- always chancy, but always exciting. My scouting shows that they have at least some units held back to protect their eastern cities -- I'm slightly impressed at the AI for that, though disappointed the forces aren't stronger. Starving out the units in the west would be hard -- I'd have to drive north, up through Alice Springs or something, and that's going to take alot of effort. Perhaps as much effort as simply taking the eastern cities first. I felt I had a chance at one time, but that was only because I didn't know how many units they had moving west.
Thanks! I don't know what I'd do with armored divisions right now. My perspective may change later, but for now I'm still of the opinion that light forces are realistic for me, and armor probably out of my reach. They take so long to build, anyway.
Yeah, I'd love to get my hands on Alexandria, but maybe I'm being greedy... I have just about everything else. Maybe it's a consolation prize to Italy!
The Naval AI is the most disappointing -- the land AI can't be expected to anticipate naval expeditions and landings (that's the whole point of such things), but the Australian Navy should really be patrolling more. I'm disappointed, but not quite ready to take over their navy and send them to go hunting.
The Condors have mostly served their purposes. I'm finding less and less naval transport to attack, now that the Red Sea has dried up.
Who dares? Portugal dares! You're right -- I'll have to make something of that.
I still can't tell what the Germans and British are doing. But I'm ready for something BIG to happen... We'll see.
Thanks, Hopolita, for that grand praise! And Welcome!
Oh, yes... I am Donitz' auxiliary! His cavalry, so to speak.
I'm hoping so! Guardedly optimistic. Even the Australian Navy may be powerless now -- I have so many units on the ground already that I could lose my navy and still overcome their land forces (I'm betting -- no overconfidence now, right?).
Thanks, everybody, for your comments! And for all who read. Anybody new out there? Any lurkers? I'd love to hear from you!
Another update later this week. I'm taking time off from "my job" to focus on "my business" later this week, so surely I'll have to take a break and do AARing. I'm really enjoying having this moving again, and at the pace it is.
Rensslaer
That's mainly what I'm concerned about, myself. I can't see most of the subcontinent, from the sea, and so I have little way of knowing what they have there (just like I had little way of knowing what was in Australia). The difference is I have the impression they might actually have more forces in India than in Australia.
It is very nice to see you writing another update.
Thanks! Yes, I'd not had time to think about it before, but it sure changed things once I'd taken care of it. I'll see if I can figure out the size. I'd need to reload an old game, and don't have time just now.
That was a nice display of what you can do when you have naval initiative ( even if not complete ) while trying to conquer a island : even if you are weaker , you can just drop troops in the back of wherever the enemy is and spread confusion
It would be extremely nice if your hunch that the Aussies threw all + the kitchen sink against your western disembark and that the eastern shore VPs are lighty defended ( that seems likely at this point ) is true ... even if you can't just drop units there, if you could pocket/ supply starve those western units, the only thing that you would need would be to walk east after erasing them
That said, congrats to another display of what fast movement and obsessive compulsive control of troops can do *lol*
Thanks! I love the naval dancing -- always chancy, but always exciting.
My scouting shows that they have at least some units held back to protect their eastern cities -- I'm slightly impressed at the AI for that, though disappointed the forces aren't stronger. Starving out the units in the west would be hard -- I'd have to drive north, up through Alice Springs or something, and that's going to take alot of effort. Perhaps as much effort as simply taking the eastern cities first. I felt I had a chance at one time, but that was only because I didn't know how many units they had moving west. Another fine update! It sounds like you had fun in the wide expanses of western Australia, which is always fun with quite a few flanking opportunities! It would be more fun if you had real armored divisions, though, but you've got to work with what you've got!
Thanks! I don't know what I'd do with armored divisions right now. My perspective may change later, but for now I'm still of the opinion that light forces are realistic for me, and armor probably out of my reach. They take so long to build, anyway.
Yeah, I'd love to get my hands on Alexandria, but maybe I'm being greedy... I have just about everything else. Maybe it's a consolation prize to Italy!
The Naval AI is the most disappointing -- the land AI can't be expected to anticipate naval expeditions and landings (that's the whole point of such things), but the Australian Navy should really be patrolling more. I'm disappointed, but not quite ready to take over their navy and send them to go hunting.
The Condors have mostly served their purposes. I'm finding less and less naval transport to attack, now that the Red Sea has dried up.
Who dares? Portugal dares!
You're right -- I'll have to make something of that.I still can't tell what the Germans and British are doing. But I'm ready for something BIG to happen... We'll see.
This AAR its awesome, congrats for the great job!
Thanks, Hopolita, for that grand praise! And Welcome!
It looks that the Aussie conquer is going quite well. I agree with your assessment of risk/benefits of capturing Melbourne vs going further east : it looks that the Aussies are not even close of mustering anything strong enough to push you to Perth again, so there is no big need of rushing things too much.
BTW you are only showing in game what RL Dönitz wanted and the Brits Admirals feared: a GB unable to use the empire resource pool would get in stockpiles problems fast. OFC that Dönitz did not advocated the conquer of Africa with Portuguese cavs , though
Oh, yes... I am Donitz' auxiliary!
His cavalry, so to speak.I'm hoping so! Guardedly optimistic. Even the Australian Navy may be powerless now -- I have so many units on the ground already that I could lose my navy and still overcome their land forces (I'm betting -- no overconfidence now, right?).
Thanks, everybody, for your comments! And for all who read. Anybody new out there? Any lurkers? I'd love to hear from you!
Another update later this week. I'm taking time off from "my job" to focus on "my business" later this week, so surely I'll have to take a break and do AARing. I'm really enjoying having this moving again, and at the pace it is.
Rensslaer
Been lurking around this thread for a while.
I have this page saved on my work computer and have been sadly checking it every few weeks hoping for another update. So happy we get to see this story continue!
Amazing progress for only 1942...makes me want to go back and play a smaller nation to see what's possible!
I have this page saved on my work computer and have been sadly checking it every few weeks hoping for another update. So happy we get to see this story continue!
Amazing progress for only 1942...makes me want to go back and play a smaller nation to see what's possible!
Welcome, Stinnes! I seem to recall you "de-lurked" in another of my AARs similarly (maybe Siam??), so considering you've posted in the Forum only 3 times, I take that as the highest compliment!
Glad you're interested enough to book mark it! Thanks for saying hello! If you do go back and play, I'd love to hear how it goes (either here or in an AAR).____________
The 2nd Cavalry successfully landed at Melbourne late on the 14th. NRP Mira stood watch not far offshore. However, during the night, most of the Australian ships that were in the harbor managed to escape unharmed – maximum cover for our troops provided maximum cover to their ships as well.
At once, the primary task became expanding Portuguese control of a perimeter around Melbourne, including across the straits in Tasmania. The fleet picked up troops from what had been the Adelaide Pocket, and began spreading them around as the 2nd Cavalry made way southwest, in order to make connection with allied supply lines (to supplement the supply that would soon be coming through the harbor at Melbourne).
Being honest with myself, from everything I’d seen, it certainly seemed the Australian campaign would soon be over. Not that we’re done – surely not. Lots more to come, and to see. But then what?
I could ramp up for an invasion of India, of course… And that certainly seemed logical. But something was missing. Some challenge… Some realism… Despite my success, I was frustrated by a nagging lack of something that would make this game more interesting. I finally realized (again – I realized this many times, but so long as I had wars to fight, I wouldn’t let it nag at me) that I was deeply troubled that nothing was going on between Britain and Germany. It was Sitzkrieg, and their soldiers were getting bedsores! Why on Earth??!! With my level of frustration, my game was more or less over unless this unrealistic situation was resolved. I had already paused the game for probably a full calendar year due to frustration. Should I let it proceed unresolved? So I decided it was worth loading up as Britain to see what was going on.
What I found was a totally dysfunctional economic setup. Remember, this was still v1.2, and the AI was probably nowhere near as advanced as you would find in the current versions. You’ve seen bad AI results (especially in the naval war) that allowed us to get away with murder. But still, this was criminally negligent!
The British were staring across the Channel at the German juggernaut, and had lost almost all of her overseas possessions, other than India. Yet their build queue showed priority on submarines (maybe as the cheapest naval units to defend the home islands?) and bombers and fighters, plus a heavy cruiser. They should have been building (-I- would have been building!) masses of garrisons and militia, like Portugal had. Or even full-fledged infantry units (might as well – they had the techs – we didn’t). Instead of building protective units at home, for some reason the British High Command was busy trying to reinforce its far-flung and mostly useless divisions, all across the wide world! With that stockpile of Fuel, they could be building Motorised units! It would take longer, but… They didn’t seem to fully appreciate their precarious situation.
On inspection, I found that between Germany and Portugal, we had effectively destroyed the British Merchant Marine. They had only 27 convoy units, and more than 90% of their scheduled convoys had no transports to move material. That 196 IC devoted to reinforcements should have been partially diverted to building new merchants, but no… Instead, they were allowing their troops to starve, without supply convoys, and then funding the replacement of those starving troops with their ample manpower!
Then I wondered what the Germans were doing… Were the British “at ease in Zion” because they had nothing to fear? What had so preoccupied the Germans that they were not taking advantage of this invitation from the Brits??
Granted, Germany was staring across the Polish border at the Soviet Army. But is that what was keeping them from moving against Britain?
A look at the English Channel answered that. They had a lot of units in France and Belgium, too. But not in advance positions, ready to attack. They appeared to be in defensive positions.
Hmm… It was almost as if the German AI had decided to hunker down and await invasion – from east or west. Maybe they figured Portugal would pick up all the scraps of the world not on continental Europe! Did I dare look at the German situation?? Did Portugal dare to critique the Germans?? We dared.
I found the same sort of rot I’d found in Britain. Here was the vaunted Prussian bureaucracy, wasting 53 IC on OVER-reinforcement! Their production IC was more respectable, but their Upgrades were languishing, unfunded, while they built new ships for the German Kriegsmarine! Could these guys even fight? Why spend all that time researching without taking advantage of what you’d discovered??!!
Aaaarghhh!!! … What to do? What to do? I didn’t want to “cheat” – but would it be cheating to tweak the game to create a “realistic” outcome?? Or did I want my game to go to waste – all my risking and chancing and audacity in motion – because the AI was asleep on the job?
I couldn’t, of course, take charge of either country without letting the same AI run Portugal into the ground as it had the Germans and British. But there were some things I could do…
I assigned the construction of a bunch of naval transports, as I found that the Germans really didn’t have enough capacity to sustain a long-term effort against the British. An oversight which any self-respecting Gestapo officer would have taken care of, the HARD way!
I did find a German fleet with 160 capacity for transport, and I began loading up units to move. I found another with 480 capacity, and did the same (I don’t remember now whether I loaded these guys up, or if maybe they were already loaded – can you imagine the AI loading dozens of divisions on transports, and then going to sleep and forgetting about them??!!).
I couldn’t see these efforts through to conclusion – as near-managed as my Portugal campaign had been, to date, I daren’t let the AI run my country for even just a week or two, while I took necessary action elsewhere.
I would have to put in place some orders which couldn’t be reasonably countermanded… And hope the AI saw reason!
Ooh! And I found paratroops and air transport! I set them to relocate to nearby Britain. Perhaps if they didn’t see use, I could re-load as Germany later and trigger the missions.
I did one last investigation – Japan – and discovered that, though they seemed to be building more rationally, they had no money, so couldn’t very well have much latitude in terms of what they were planning.
I decided to request (as Japan) deficit trading with Portugal, and then as Portugal accepted the “impossible” offer. They could pay us back later – the changeup of the action, if it happened, would be worth it!
So now… Would my “master plan” to revitalize the war work? Or would the dunderheaded AI find a way to screw up a sure thing? Find out, next time, on Imperio Novo!
Would have expected the Germans to prioritse the eastern campaign rather than build up for a naval and air campaign against Britain as a prelude to invasion. I am surpised you didn't insert a bunch of merchant convoys and troop builds to come in ahead of the current units.
I think the biggest change would be the USA coming into the war on the allies side. That would give you all the headaches- challenges - you could wish for.
I think the biggest change would be the USA coming into the war on the allies side. That would give you all the headaches- challenges - you could wish for.
In this version I think the AI prioritises CG, supplies, reinforcements, production then at last upgrades.
Which is not normally a problem, but is bad if the IC varies a lot as they then get a huge production going which means when they are low on IC they don't upgrade.
Anyway, if you played a bit with the UK could you see why they had so large a reinforcement need? they should never get into that position unless they have no MP.
Which is not normally a problem, but is bad if the IC varies a lot as they then get a huge production going which means when they are low on IC they don't upgrade.
Anyway, if you played a bit with the UK could you see why they had so large a reinforcement need? they should never get into that position unless they have no MP.
Just so you know, I'm putting my money on the 'AI screws up your attempts to steer it to war' option.
Make no mistake, I hope you have jolted the AI out of its rut, but I won't believe it until I actually see it happen.
Make no mistake, I hope you have jolted the AI out of its rut, but I won't believe it until I actually see it happen.
Every time I've contemplated running Germany in WW II it's been my opinion that you have to clear your back before going into the USSR, as the USSR (we know from hindsight, anyway) is going to be more than a handful, and more than a 1-year effort. Once you're busy in the USSR anyone can come up from behind and wallop you without you being able to anticipate or secure in defense. Btw, I think I did add more than just those transports. I don't remember the whole plan.
Good to know! Thanks
Just so you know, I'm putting my money on the 'AI screws up your attempts to steer it to war' option.
Make no mistake, I hope you have jolted the AI out of its rut, but I won't believe it until I actually see it happen.
:rofl: Well... It's good to have your confidence... Even if it's not in me!
To be honest, I was right with you on that confidence issue. You wouldn't have gotten any money off me! I have the next update all but ready, so posting tonight or tomorrow probably. Then you'll get to see whether the AI pulled through!
Thanks, everybody, for your readership and especially for your comments! Anyone else out there before I go on with the next update?
Rensslaer
*decloaks* This has been pretty entertaining and rather impressive - makes me tempted to try out HoI3 again
Império Novo
Aristedes Caldeira gripped the control yoke with concern as he stared out at the landscape before him. Chita was at relatively high altitude, but Canberra sat behind a range of hills, and suddenly it was there, before them. A sort of a white patch, amidst all the green surrounding.
“Keep an eye out for fighters,” Ari announced over the intercom. “Surely, they know we’re coming.” He scanned the plain below, finally locating the airfield that was their target. He could see little dots accelerating along the runway, far below them, and for just a moment a flash of hope suggested that maybe they had caught the defenders by surprise. But the fact that some defending fighters were not off the ground yet did not signify that no fighters were already in the air to threaten them.
“Manny, you have your target?” Ari checked.
“I see it, Captain. Straight and level over. I have the estimates on wind, so I’ll let you know when I release.” Manoel didn’t have to tell anyone when the bombs were released. The plane would lurch, and surge higher, from the loss of weight. But he was a thorough and redundant sort – exactly the kind of guy you wanted in a responsible position on an aircrew.
They were leading their flight of FW-200 Condors. They were the ones assigned to crater the runways at Canberra’s main military airfield. Ari scanned the nearby sky, as did Paolo, next to him.
Portuguese forces were closing in on Canberra from the east, and from the south. Australian forces were, presumably, rushing from the north. It was the Condors’ job to neutralize the defenses of Canberra, as they could. The airfield was one such target. Most of the others – the soldiers – they had little hope of touching. But installations and fortifications would be targeted on this and later runs.
But they were nervous. Never before had they so much certainty of enemy fighter opposition. Over Europe, he knew British and German crews were constantly under attack by enemy fighters. But they also had more guns on their planes, and friendly fighter escorts to at least distract, if not dissuade the enemy.
Portugal’s Condors had no fighter cover. Her country’s only fighters were tasked with defending the homeland, should another Royal Navy fleet appear off her shores.
But the chances of that, Ari reflected, had been reduced by the landing, finally, of German troops on the shores of Scotland. So long as the British were busy on their home islands, there was little likelihood of them reaching out to strike distant Portugal.
The tension was broken – and heightened – by the hissing crackle of a radio transmission from one of the other planes. “Kittyhawks! Five and six o’clock!” Ari unconsciously looked over his shoulder to the right, as if he could see them, but only Aaran, the navigator, was there, his feet visible, standing in his gunnery position.
These were the American-built P-40s, very like the ones being used by the Flying Tigers against the Japanese in China. Swift and deadly, they could spell death for Ari’s entire flight if they didn’t do everything by the book. Ari toggled the radio to broadcast to his flight, not just the internal intercom. “Close in the formation. Help each other out.”
“Twelve o’clock, too!” Aaran shouted over the intercom as his gun began to chatter.
Ari’s eyes went wide and snapped to focus ahead of them, just in time to see small black shapes resolve into larger black shapes, darting toward them. The onrushing planes’ wing roots were flashing with fire, and he pushed Chita’s nose down to avoid what seemed like a likely collision. For good measure, he ducked too, as absurd as that was. One plane zipped barely overhead, and another flew by on the right, having targeted the Condor beside them in formation.
Slowly, Ari became aware of Paolo in distress. The roar of the plane’s engines covered whatever expressions of pain he made, but his face was frozen in a grimace as he strained against his harness, holding his leg with both hands. He writhed, in obvious agony.
“Aaran,” Ari called. “When you can pull away, Paolo needs your help!” Aaran Carvalho was the crewman with the most extensive medical training, though it was little beyond first aid. Despite his sitting beside Paolo in the cockpit, his own harness and the bulk of the throttle complex separated him physically from his good friend, so he couldn’t check on him himself. “Sound off – anyone else hurt?” The rest of his crew answered okay.
While trying to keep track of the resolving battle outside, Ari kept glancing over at his friend, praying, and willing him to hold on. He couldn’t see the wound. There was a vague impression of blood on the metal around his feet, but shadow kept it hidden.
Guns from the dorsal turret began firing – bursts, then a constant tattoo for a few seconds. An excited shouting on the radio indicated that one of the other Condors had been taken by a Kittyhawk. “We’re on fire! Bailing out!” Normally Ari could count on Paolo to keep his eye out on the starboard side of the aircraft, but now he was at a loss. He fought to see behind him out the port windows, but the only two planes he could see where still there.
“Vitor’s plane is going down, Captain,” reported gunner Afonso Esteves, from the back. “They’re hitting the silk.” After a few moments of silence, Afonso’s gun could be heard again, its staccato reports sounding suddenly frantic.
Chita suddenly shuddered under the impact of .50 caliber shells. Debris flew around the cockpit, briefly. A pilot’s sense brought Ari to try to look out the starboard windscreen at his engines, and he could see a lick of flame, though he couldn’t see the engine.
“Number three engine is on fire, Captain,” Aaran reported.
“Need you down here, Aaran!” Ari cried, but then immediately changed his mind. “Sorry, belay that… Stay where you are – I need your eyes on the engines.” Ari was frazzled – too much going on at once. He needed his partner, Paolo, to do half of his job, and he wasn’t able. He pressed the button to activate the engine’s fire extinguisher. “What did that do?” he asked.
“Er… It put a damper on the fire, but it’s still aflame.” Then Aaran added, “We’re dropping out of formation, Captain.”
“Can’t hold it,” Ari explained. He feathered Number 3, so it wouldn’t be causing drag. One charge left in the extinguisher, Ari thought, and if it didn’t work… He had another idea. Over the radio to the rest of the formation, he ordered, “Luis, we’re not going to make it to the target. You’re in command. Pray for us!” His friend acknowledged receipt of command.
Thus freed, Ari put the large plane into a steep, curving dive. “Afonso, tell me if any of those fighters chase after us!” This was risky – a lone, damaged plane would draw the attention of fighters, who could pick them off as a cheetah preyed on injured game. An ironic, and unfortunate, analogy for their own ”Chita.” Their only hope lay in the fighters believing they were already finished, since their engine was on fire.
“Captain, our bombs?” asked Manoel, from below.
“Get rid of them,” Ari ordered. He had the presence of mind, or sensitivity to add, “Sinto muito” – mumbled, but loud enough to be audible over the intercom. And he was sorry – those bombs needed a target. But not as much as they needed to get home.
“Sim senhor.” That familiar lurch indicated that the plane had just shed 1,250 kilograms.
“No attention yet, Cap!” Afonso was his eyes and ears to the rear. This was so insanely frustrating! Having to gather a mental picture of what was going on around him – and even to his own plane! – through the descriptions of others. The relationship he had long held, for years, with his copilot – his right hand man, literally – was nearly psychic. Without that…..
The increased airspeed from their dive might force enough air through the damaged engine to put out the fire, or mostly so. “Aaran, any change?”
“The fire is burning strongly, Cap’n – fed by fuel.”
Ari groaned. That was one of those things Paolo would have taken care of – HAD taken care of, on more than one occasion when they’d been damaged. The problem was, he couldn’t shut off fuel to just that engine – he’d have to shut it off to both engines on the starboard wing – at least, temporarily – because one flowed through the system of the other… No choice – he did it. The plane slewed slowly, as all of its thrust began to transfer to the left wing only. The right wing dropped, unsupported by proper lift, and Ari had to counterbalance with pressure on the yoke as he quickly fiddled with the trimming wheels.
This was not sustainable – Chita would never make it back on just two engines. He had to act quickly. He feathered Number 4, as it was spooling down, now, motivated only by the wind, not by hundreds of horsepower from the BMW engines. Ari glanced over, again, at Paolo, who was sweating and fatigued, and distressingly pale, but who seemed to be handling the pain better and coming more to himself. Still in no shape to be helping with this, he thought. Now what?
“How’s the fire, Aaran?”
“With the airspeed and the lack of fuel, it’s dying.”
Ari sighed with tension. Got to get this right! He pressed the control button for the fire extinguisher on Number 3 again, and…. “Aaran?”
“Ahh… It’s good! I think… Yes, the fire seems to have gone out!”
“All right,” Ari acknowledged. “Keep an eye on it for a minute or two. Next comes the dangerous part…. Turning the fuel back on.” They’d never reach Melbourne without three engines, Ari calculated. Not at the rate they were losing altitude. He was sweating, now, too. If the fuel came back on again, flowing through the third engine toward the fourth, it could re-ignite the fire. If that happened, then they wouldn’t be flying home – they’d be bailing out over unfamiliar territory. Portuguese-controlled, so far as that went, but they were as likely to meet hostile farmers or settlers as friendly troops. This land was enormous, and Portugal only had so many men on the ground, here.
After a while, as the FW 200 trekked intrepidly toward home, Aaran’s voice came over the intercom again. “The smoke has lessened, and I haven’t seen flame for four full minutes.”
This was the moment. They were frighteningly close to the terrain below, now, though they still had altitude to bail out, if need be. “I’m going to try it. Watch it like a hawk!” With a final sigh, Ari flipped the switches for the fuel masters. He mouthed a fervent prayer to God, with the intercession of Santa Maria, and as many saints as he could think of. He pressed the starter button for the outboard engine, and felt the plane rattle as the engine turned over again.
“Number four is engaged again,” the navigator reported… “And I don’t see any flame! Smoke is a little heavier now – probably fuel hitting hot surfaces – but it’s not catching.”
Ari let out the breath he’d been saving. Thanks be to God! He almost forgot to un-feather the Number 4 prop. He missed Paolo’s intimate understanding of what needed to be done, and the instant action he faithfully took. “Afonso, keep an eye on those starboard engines for me,” he instructed. “Aaran, come take a look at Paolo – he’s hurt bad, I think.”
Soon, the navigator was by his side, wrestling with the copilot’s seat to move it backward so he could get access. He undid his harness, and then Paolo screamed in pain when Aaran dragged him bodily, like a rag doll, from his seat and onto the small space on the floor behind the pilots’ seats. After a preliminary inspection, Aaran said, for both Ari’s and Paolo’s benefit, “This is a ticket home, Lieutenant! The tibia is shattered – your lower leg bone. But you’ll live. I’m going to have to put a tourniquet on to stop the bleeding.”
Inwardly, Ari cringed. The chances of Paolo keeping the leg, with a shattered tibia and a tourniquet cutting off blood to the leg were…. It was like cutting off fuel to the Number 4 engine. It would wither, and die. Probable amputation. But it couldn’t be helped. Ari took comfort in the thought that Paolo was probably in too much pain to realize this. Aaran gave him a painkiller from his kit, and liberally sprinkled sulfa powder over the visible wound. Then he set to tightening the cord that would probably kill his friend’s leg.
“Any fighters following, Afonso?”
“We’re safe, Cap’n – they’ve given us up for dead.”
Ari breathed a sigh of relief. “We played dead, and they bought it. It means we live!” A ragged cheer echoed over the intercom. “Everyone still with me?” The sound-off came back clear. Just Paolo… Poor Paolo. But at least he would recover. And go home!
And Chita would live too. Her wing was broken, in a way, but it would heal. And she would fly again.
That was Ari’s victory for today. Their bombs hadn’t contributed to the war effort, but he had fought off death, for Chita and her crew. And he was as proud of that as for all the ships they’d killed during this long, awful war.
They limped back toward Melbourne, and safety.
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For any who have already read the fiction scene just posted a few hours ago with Chita, I've added a couple of paragraphs at the beginning to reflect news from the wider war -- to put their mission in context. Everything I changed is above the picture of the Australian fighter plane, and the information contained therein is a preview of the next update.
I HAD meant to post that update yesterday, but as I was finishing up that update for posting, I realized I had a perfect opportunity to give an update on the Condor crew. So I took an extra day to prepare that.
The historybook update I'd planned will go up tomorrow, probably.
Rensslaer
I HAD meant to post that update yesterday, but as I was finishing up that update for posting, I realized I had a perfect opportunity to give an update on the Condor crew. So I took an extra day to prepare that.
The historybook update I'd planned will go up tomorrow, probably.
Rensslaer
While events might or might not be crystallizing in Europe, around the other side of the world, Portugal busied itself mopping up in the East Indies. Gradually, she had been seizing the mostly undefended provinces left after the capture of most Allied divisions throughout the region.
Portugal had conquered most of Timor, most of Borneo, and much of Celebes. A British division was trapped on an isthmus in the Celebes, and the Portuguese were waiting them out, ready to attack when they were weak. They had also cornered a Dutch headquarters brigade on Borneo, and expected they would surrender by the end of February, 1943.
Portugal, a key member of the Axis, but nevertheless not on the “need to know” list for major German operations, was informed through diplomatic channels late on the night of 21 February that the Germans were launching an amphibious invasion of Scotland at that very hour. Many hearts skipped a beat at this surprising news.
A force of infantry and Panzer IVs were being landed at Aberdeen and the surrounding coastlines. The grand battleships Bismarck and Tirpitz were waiting to bombard any ships that tried to escape the harbor. What Portugal would do with such firepower! But, alas, our battlecruiser Lisboa was still more than a year from her maiden cruise.
It was hard not to be distracted by the more significant invasion in Britain. But Portugal was busy mounting another rather significant invasion of her own.
It was obvious, on the morning of the 24th, that Australia had not a lot of military defenses still deployed in the eastern cities – they had obviously been expecting their navy could protect them – because when the 3rd Infantry attacked the outskirts of Canberra, at 0400 GMT, they discovered no divisions, or even brigades, had been deployed to defend the capital.
Meanwhile, in the interior of Western Australia, the 3rd Cavalry was harrying the Australian 1st Armored Cavalry at Zanthus – the Australians were in no shape to stand long.
They withdrew to the north on the 25th – the Portuguese taking more casualties (they were fighting tanks, after all), but keeping the ground. Australian infantry had been pushing west to the north of there, but now that division was becoming increasingly exposed, and liable to be cut off if pincers could be connected between Zanthus and Darwin.
The 18th and 27th Portuguese Infantry divisions, under Gen. Malheiro, were holding the 23rd Australians at Plumridge – pinning them, so they couldn’t retreat to cover their supply lines. Air support was aiding the Axis army. Already, the foremost Australians in the west were pulling back, due to relevant concerns.
By the 8th of March, the Australian 23rd was hard pressed by the 18th Portuguese Infantry, closing in from the south. They were holding the gates open for the 1st Armored Cavalry, but there was some question of whether they could last. Other Portuguese divisions were in the area – the 3rd Cavalry to the west was resting after their supreme, if successful, ordeal. The 26th Garrison Division was moving as fast as they could (which wasn’t very fast) to join the battle and throw their weight in.
Backtracking in time a bit… It was judged that an early assault upon Canberra, no matter how lightly defended, would be premature. The enemy were not strong – not by any stretch – but were dug in and commanded by experienced leaders (the best Australia had to offer, in fact). Other considerations were weighed, as well. Would it be best to take the capital, or to capture senior government officials and generals? Would it, perhaps, be best to capture other key territories before Canberra, to avoid the risk of a “premature peace” that would leave Australia not entirely defeated?
Portuguese infantry held back, briefly, waiting for two infantry divisions to arrive from the Melbourne area. Surely there were Australian troops rushing from the north to defend against this new thrust – best also to be prepared for any contingency.
Airpower was helping to soften up targets within the Canberra perimeter, but for the first time they encountered threats from the Royal Australian Air Force, which heretofore had lacked the combat range to pester the Portuguese. Without fighter cover of their own – the Portuguese Bf-109s being tasked with defense of Lisbon – the Focke Wulf 200s and Junkers 86 bombers took substantial casualties, when faced off against the Australian P-40 Kittyhawks.
At sea, as well, the incredible luck of the Portuguese Navy ran out, as yet another daring amphibious assault just north of Brisbane was, this time, met by a spirited attack by Australian heavy cruisers and destroyers.
The heavy cruiser NRP Mira, along with several destroyers, sacrificed themselves to protect the troop transports. HMAS Australia was heavily engaged, and would surely have been sunk had HMAS Canberra not come to her aid. In order to keep the Australia from being sunk, all the Australian warships concentrated upon the Portuguese.
Once Mira had sunk, they turned their attention back to the transports, and sunk several that had already disgorged their troops. Those that were still involved in landing operations were saved only because the light cruiser NRP Matosinhos arrived, just in time, and was able to fend off the persistent attackers. HMAS Australia limped back to port, critically wounded.
The landing of the 24th Division at Maryborough was completed by late on the evening of the 3rd, and they immediately determined to make good the losses required to put them ashore by marching upon Brisbane. By the 10th, they had arrived at the outskirts, and were threatening the lightly defended city.
To the south, the divisions which had hurried north for action at Canberra worked to surround the Australian capital.
On the 11th, Portugal launched its coordinated attack upon Canberra, and on the 13th they surrendered. The Australian Prime Minister and his cabinet escaped by air to nearby Sydney.
Despite Portuguese air and naval losses, the writing was obviously on the wall in Australia. It was only the matter of a few days before she would be forced to capitulate. Attention quickly focused back upon events in Europe.
By 1 March, the German invaders in Scotland had successfully constructed a front across the Grampian Mountain region, and were resisting British counterattacks even as more troops landed from offshore. But on the 11th the British were able to slip an infantry division around the stretched perimeter of the German foothold, and began to turn their flank.
Fortunately for the Germans, they continued to land more troops, day by day, and a division of Panzer IIIs was able to pin the British division, so that it did not constitute an immediate threat to the success of the invasion. This key struggle continued.
Portugal had conquered most of Timor, most of Borneo, and much of Celebes. A British division was trapped on an isthmus in the Celebes, and the Portuguese were waiting them out, ready to attack when they were weak. They had also cornered a Dutch headquarters brigade on Borneo, and expected they would surrender by the end of February, 1943.
Portugal, a key member of the Axis, but nevertheless not on the “need to know” list for major German operations, was informed through diplomatic channels late on the night of 21 February that the Germans were launching an amphibious invasion of Scotland at that very hour. Many hearts skipped a beat at this surprising news.
A force of infantry and Panzer IVs were being landed at Aberdeen and the surrounding coastlines. The grand battleships Bismarck and Tirpitz were waiting to bombard any ships that tried to escape the harbor. What Portugal would do with such firepower! But, alas, our battlecruiser Lisboa was still more than a year from her maiden cruise.
It was hard not to be distracted by the more significant invasion in Britain. But Portugal was busy mounting another rather significant invasion of her own.
It was obvious, on the morning of the 24th, that Australia had not a lot of military defenses still deployed in the eastern cities – they had obviously been expecting their navy could protect them – because when the 3rd Infantry attacked the outskirts of Canberra, at 0400 GMT, they discovered no divisions, or even brigades, had been deployed to defend the capital.
Meanwhile, in the interior of Western Australia, the 3rd Cavalry was harrying the Australian 1st Armored Cavalry at Zanthus – the Australians were in no shape to stand long.
They withdrew to the north on the 25th – the Portuguese taking more casualties (they were fighting tanks, after all), but keeping the ground. Australian infantry had been pushing west to the north of there, but now that division was becoming increasingly exposed, and liable to be cut off if pincers could be connected between Zanthus and Darwin.
The 18th and 27th Portuguese Infantry divisions, under Gen. Malheiro, were holding the 23rd Australians at Plumridge – pinning them, so they couldn’t retreat to cover their supply lines. Air support was aiding the Axis army. Already, the foremost Australians in the west were pulling back, due to relevant concerns.
By the 8th of March, the Australian 23rd was hard pressed by the 18th Portuguese Infantry, closing in from the south. They were holding the gates open for the 1st Armored Cavalry, but there was some question of whether they could last. Other Portuguese divisions were in the area – the 3rd Cavalry to the west was resting after their supreme, if successful, ordeal. The 26th Garrison Division was moving as fast as they could (which wasn’t very fast) to join the battle and throw their weight in.
Backtracking in time a bit… It was judged that an early assault upon Canberra, no matter how lightly defended, would be premature. The enemy were not strong – not by any stretch – but were dug in and commanded by experienced leaders (the best Australia had to offer, in fact). Other considerations were weighed, as well. Would it be best to take the capital, or to capture senior government officials and generals? Would it, perhaps, be best to capture other key territories before Canberra, to avoid the risk of a “premature peace” that would leave Australia not entirely defeated?
Portuguese infantry held back, briefly, waiting for two infantry divisions to arrive from the Melbourne area. Surely there were Australian troops rushing from the north to defend against this new thrust – best also to be prepared for any contingency.
Airpower was helping to soften up targets within the Canberra perimeter, but for the first time they encountered threats from the Royal Australian Air Force, which heretofore had lacked the combat range to pester the Portuguese. Without fighter cover of their own – the Portuguese Bf-109s being tasked with defense of Lisbon – the Focke Wulf 200s and Junkers 86 bombers took substantial casualties, when faced off against the Australian P-40 Kittyhawks.
At sea, as well, the incredible luck of the Portuguese Navy ran out, as yet another daring amphibious assault just north of Brisbane was, this time, met by a spirited attack by Australian heavy cruisers and destroyers.
The heavy cruiser NRP Mira, along with several destroyers, sacrificed themselves to protect the troop transports. HMAS Australia was heavily engaged, and would surely have been sunk had HMAS Canberra not come to her aid. In order to keep the Australia from being sunk, all the Australian warships concentrated upon the Portuguese.
Once Mira had sunk, they turned their attention back to the transports, and sunk several that had already disgorged their troops. Those that were still involved in landing operations were saved only because the light cruiser NRP Matosinhos arrived, just in time, and was able to fend off the persistent attackers. HMAS Australia limped back to port, critically wounded.
The landing of the 24th Division at Maryborough was completed by late on the evening of the 3rd, and they immediately determined to make good the losses required to put them ashore by marching upon Brisbane. By the 10th, they had arrived at the outskirts, and were threatening the lightly defended city.
To the south, the divisions which had hurried north for action at Canberra worked to surround the Australian capital.
On the 11th, Portugal launched its coordinated attack upon Canberra, and on the 13th they surrendered. The Australian Prime Minister and his cabinet escaped by air to nearby Sydney.
Despite Portuguese air and naval losses, the writing was obviously on the wall in Australia. It was only the matter of a few days before she would be forced to capitulate. Attention quickly focused back upon events in Europe.
By 1 March, the German invaders in Scotland had successfully constructed a front across the Grampian Mountain region, and were resisting British counterattacks even as more troops landed from offshore. But on the 11th the British were able to slip an infantry division around the stretched perimeter of the German foothold, and began to turn their flank.
Fortunately for the Germans, they continued to land more troops, day by day, and a division of Panzer IIIs was able to pin the British division, so that it did not constitute an immediate threat to the success of the invasion. This key struggle continued.
Shame about your cruiser, but part of the price paid for your coastal hopping. Is it just Sydney to wrap up Australia? You're also making good progress in the East Indies, Celebes and Papua New Guinea.
Surprise, surprise the Germans actually landed in Scotland.
Surprise, surprise the Germans actually landed in Scotland.
I am here lurking as always!
Great to hear, thanks!
Thanks! Welcome, Fryslan! I am really in love with HOI 3 -- incredible game, in terms of being fun to play, as well as what it can do.
Its good to see that "Chita" is still around
Well done as always
Thanks! Chita has definitely served a necessary purpose -- hard on the airmen though, with no escort. I can't even imagine.
I'm really surprised I haven't lost more than just that. As of mid-March 1943, both Brisbane and Sydney remain, though Brisbane is surrounded by that time, and I've got a half-dozen divisions near Sydney.
I was pleasantly relieved to see German troops in Scotland, finally. Each time I've teased YOU GUYS with the possibility of German invasion, the game was teasing ME, and I was getting quite tired of seeing the Germans having the capability, but no gumption!
Yes, well... I may actually be in a position to do that relatively soon.Welcome, Jagdpnzr!
Thanks again, everybody! I really appreciate your readership, and especially your comments! I hope to have another update this week. Just got to find time to do it.
Rensslaer
I have just one word to describe the fiction update: "amazing". IMHO you are naturally gifted for this!
Your gameplay is engaging too, very nice update (a shame you ended up losing NRP Mira).
Your gameplay is engaging too, very nice update (a shame you ended up losing NRP Mira).