EDIT:
Japan will come to a halt when the Soviet armoured divisions arrive at the front. But that Battle of Malmo is a clear example why the HOI AI still needs a lot more work. You'd realistically expect a couple of probing attacks, not full on assaults. The germans havent even tried paradropping around it, or an amphibious assault?
I don't think Germany even has paratroops at this point. Nor have they tried an amphibious assault. The AI rather disappoints me honestly, though to be fair I
am playing an older version of the game.
Interesting note: I played for three or so months (June-September '41). My manpower went down by one point in that time...the Germans?
300. At this point, if I just let the Allies and Germans beat each other up for another year or so I can just walk into Germany. I'm not sure if I should be depressed by that or not. I'm half-tempted to tag switch and open up the Maginot or something, just to keep things interesting. I
won't, but it certainly is tempting.
Then again, I didn't check British/French MP numbers, so they could be even worse off for all I know. All I know, is with Germany at 1200 and falling at the rate it is, my 480-ish manpower suddenly looks better doesn't it?
Warriors of the North said:
Chapter 6: The War Continues
With the offensive into Bornholm a failure, the Swedish military resigned themselves to defending Malmö and bombing the Germans occupying Denmark. The small size of the Swedish Air Force continued to cause problems, though two more bomber groups were under construction to reinforce the fledgling bomber corps. These would not be finished until November 1941 however, so the Air Force made do with what it had, if only to keep the Germans from getting complacent.
It seemed to be having some effect too, as the German offensives into Malmö were getting weaker and weaker every day, the battle rarely lasting more than a few hours, as opposed to the week long battles earlier in the Siege. If only civilians were left in the city they would have been happy about this, but they had all been evacuated months ago when it became apparent Germany was serious about taking the city.
Battle's such as this were becoming more and more common. Instead of massive firefights were thousands of Swedes and Germans lost their lives, it was now reduced to under a hundred Swedes at a time, and maybe one thousand Germans. The only assumption Swedish command could make was that the German Army was tied up in France, and running out of able-bodied men it could throw at Sweden. This was a relief to be sure, but only if the Allies could continue to hold fast in France.
News from the former Embassy in Czechoslovakia was also interesting, perhaps more so for the Czechoslovak volunteers than for the Swedes themselves. Prague had risen up in revolt, while the German and Slovakian forces were occupied in France. The revolt didn't come to anything, but it was a further sign that Hitler may have overstretched his nation. The German Armies failure to take Malmö or Paris had to be hurting on the home front, if revolts could take place in the heart of the nation.
However, it would be foolish to think the Germans were beaten.
Swedish convoys had been left alone for the most part during the war, as the limited Kreigsmarine focused on British shipping. However, with the repeated failures to break into Sweden, the Germans had decided to lift that restriction. The convoy took shelter in Britain, but the damage was done. It was not a good sign either, that the Germans retained enough force to still attack convoys carrying desperately needed coal from America.
As Sweden scrambled to reinforce their convoys, news came from the East.
The Soviets were flexing their muscles in the face of a weakened Germany. This was generally seen as pointless blustering by Moscow however. The Soviets were just as hard-pressed as the Nazi's were, with their Far Eastern front struggling against the Japanese. Neither of the European Superpowers were in good shape at the moment to be honest.
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I'm definitely leaning towards an amphibious invasion now. It would at least spice things up.