Following OTL pretty much to now.PM Daladier gave orders to General Gamelin for proceeding acccording to the military plans. PM immediately telephoned Belgian PM. However, Belgian PM still resists French deployment until Germans fire first.
Darn, they’re goners now.Germans invade the Netherlands. Belgium is still neutral and resisting French entry into its soil. General Olry stopped his march towards Luxemburg.
Damn Fascist stab in the back.Grave news arrived in the evening, Italians are preparing to declare war on France and Britain. Lots of troop movements along the Italian border are observed.
Not sure if it’s worth it.1st Army Group of Gamelin began to march towards Belgium.
Dangerous - a thin border force here can be fatal.Italians launched offensives across the border. 3rd Army is heavily outnumbered.
So much for that bold offensive plan!Our defenses along the Tunisian borders are being overwhelmed.
Again, much eerie familiarity here.French Army decided to withdraw from the Netherlands as German thrust in the Ardennes region carries the risk of threatening French rear.
This could get nasty - even if you can hold, that’s troops you need in the north.Situation in the Italian front is somewhat stabilized. Italians are about to break our positions at two locations but reinforcements from 6th and 8th Armies have already arrived.
Belgium lost to the hun but not for want of French valour and élan. Now you are fighting on home soil remember men of France, not one step back (oops wrong front )!
The Battle of Belgium is over.
It is now time to reap the whirlwind of Versailles. It does not look good - those equipment losses are ugly and the Luftwaffe can overwhelm the French airforce given half a chance.
"Où est la masse de manoeuvre?"
I've just now read this from the beginning, and now that I've come to this moment, I'm excited to see what happens! While the German invasion definitely was no cake walk, here's hoping that they can be stopped at the border of France.
Comments up to 16 March 1940 (can’t keep pace with the update speed) Following OTL pretty much to now.
Darn, they’re goners now.
Damn Fascist stab in the back.
Not sure if it’s worth it.
Dangerous - a thin border force here can be fatal.
So much for that bold offensive plan!
Again, much eerie familiarity here.
This could get nasty - even if you can hold, that’s troops you need in the north.
Will progressively catch up with the rest. Don’t feel you need to respond to these points in detail. I was just grabbing snippets as I went as they struck me as interesting. Good job with this.
Their situation looks perilous: a question, do you rely on the AI for detailed divisional placing, or do you micro each division, or some divisions, yourself?7th Army in Tunisia is under heavy pressure. General Juin decided to form a newer defensive line in the north.
More parallel to OTL. Oh for an extended Maginot Line!April 1, 1940
Alarming news reached to Paris. Our frontlines in Belgium are crumbling. General Gamelin informed PM Daladier that they may have to retreat from Belgium to form a new defensive line on France.
Damn - that may have torn it.General de Gaulle's 1st Mechanized Army is defeated and is in full retreat towards Sedan.
Best to do it now than suffer being cut off and pocketed.Germans entered Kortrjik. Rear of French-Belgian forces in Brussels is in danger. General Gamelin ordered a general retreat towards France to prevent encirclement.
Alas. There may be a slight pause in tempo, but the Germans will keep squeezing once they are organised. They will take higher casualties in the offence without encirclements, but that may not be enough to save the day in the end. For the battle, if not the war.Leopold III announced Belgian capitulation. Battle of Belgium ends. Battle of France begins.
Necessary, but shows how difficult things are getting.Desperate for more reinforcements, The HQ decided to deploy three more undertrained divisions to the field.
Sad but necessary. Hope the Italian Navy doesn’t intercept them on the way back.Paris ordered 7th Army in Tunisia to withdraw to mainland France. Italians outnumber 7th Army greatly and putting any meaningful resistance is deemed futile by the HQ.
These developments are not good.
Things are getting a little tight. Do you think it might have been prudent to relocate the 7th army earlier? I hope Paris will be defended with the same vigour that Lille's garrison is displaying. A repreat of the Franco-Prusssian war is unthinkable! Never say die!
OK, all caught up again. It remains a wild ride! Some thoughts along the way (matching the diary style you are using, which is pretty much the way I do my AARs as well ):
Their situation looks perilous: a question, do you rely on the AI for detailed divisional placing, or do you micro each division, or some divisions, yourself?
More parallel to OTL. Oh for an extended Maginot Line!
Damn - that may have torn it.
Best to do it now than suffer being cut off and pocketed.
Alas. There may be a slight pause in tempo, but the Germans will keep squeezing once they are organised. They will take higher casualties in the offence without encirclements, but that may not be enough to save the day in the end. For the battle, if not the war.
Necessary, but shows how difficult things are getting.
Sad but necessary. Hope the Italian Navy doesn’t intercept them on the way back.
With China falling and France in peril, the evil tide is rising around the world. Vive le France!
Thanks, that's really helpful! I'm far more familiar with HOI3 than 4, but am gradually learning it. That is very practical advice, especially when playing a larger power where micro-managing can be laborious (and make it too hard for the poor AI, which usually needs all the help it can get in most games).I give command of pure infantry armies to AI ( other than minor touches here and there). For defensive battles, i use "fallback line" instead of "front line". "Front line" casues lots of exhaustive unintended attacks if you are constantly being pushed back. So, i use "fall back" line in the main sector against Germans but "front line" in the Maginot Line or Italian Front where things are more balanced.
As for motorized-mechanized-armor divisions, i group them in seperate "mechanized army" formations and directly control them. I use them to create breakthroughs, to launch counter-offensives, to fill the gaps in the front and to reinforce critical defensive positions.
The grim news just keeps on coming.
It would be nice if the British Empire would stop commiting troops to pushing on an open door in North Africa and send a couple of corps to save the main front of the war!
Ah, the bold plans for counter-offensives in Benelux and Africa are burning to ashes, along with the rest of the Government files in Paris. Looks like plans for Free France and the fate of the French Fleet are now the big question. If the rivers and flank of the Maginot Line cannot be held, then all is lost.