The Wars in China and Bavaria are over - the War of the World is about to begin
Yes, everybody was so worried about empires and planes that they failed to notice the impending alien invasion
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Yes, everybody was so worried about empires and planes that they failed to notice the impending alien invasion
The precursors to a greater war are in place.
And it sure sounds like we've got an X-COM side story happening, too.
And it sure sounds like we've got an X-COM side story happening, too.
Chapter 4: Mutual Aggression (Oct 1938 – Aug 1939)
As 1938 came to a close, Livonia was expecting war to come soon. The Norwegian buildup along the border was concerning, even with recent reinforcements, so a series of forts were planned along each border in order to hold them. Most concerning was Stockholm, which shared a wide border with the heart of Norvegija – the forts here would come first.
One month later, the North German Union attempted to expand again, when they demanded the annexation (or partition) of Pomeranija. However, the Allies’ buildup had made them more confident, and after the fall of Bavaria they were unwilling to give the Fascists any more leeway. Aquitaine and Livonia announced full protection of Pomeranija’s sovereignty, although the country itself did not join the Allies’ alliance, wanting to avoid another front line in their territory.
The Union responded by backing down, but at this point both sides were already making plans to invade the other. The plans of both countries were months out (Livonia still needed to deploy another wave of soldiers and finish their northern forts, while the Fascists hoped to delay long enough for Bavarian industry to recover).
In Livonia, military research and development was in full swing – new submachine guns entered production in June, and designs for very advanced fighter planes were nearing completion.
Oil synthesis in Livonia was beginning to produce on a large scale, although the majority of it was still imported. In addition, large amounts of steel were being taken from Kuyavia to fuel the massive military production, as well as the continued growth of the navy.
In July, Norvegija formally joined the Fascist Order, despite not actually being a fascist country themselves. It was now clear that very soon, the Allies would be forced into the choice of concession or war, and it was quite clear which of the two they would choose.
Over the next month, German spies learned that the Allies were planning to invade by the end of the year - something which was also made fairly obvious by the sudden buildup of Livonia’s freshly-recruited soldiers on the border. Despite the weakness of Bavaria, the Union agreed that an attack now would be optimal – Livonia’s forts in Norvegija were not yet completed, and Aquitaine’s northern army was in the middle of being reorganized.
Therefore, German soldiers crossed the border of Aquitaine on August 3rd of 1939, joined by the English. There was no more delay – Europe was now once again in a state of massive warfare.
At the outbreak of the war, the largest army among the combatants belonged to Aquitaine, who had been conscripting infantry to dig in around the country, while also fielding a huge number of tanks. However, the Aquitanean army wasn’t properly positioned at the outbreak of war – part of the reason for the Germans’ timing.
England’s army was around equal in size to Aquitaine’s, although the majority of it hadn’t yet been deployed – therefore, English soldiers could be sent to any weak fronts, such as Norvegija, as long as they did not lose control of the seas.
Military Industry was massive within all the fascist countries after years of expansion, while the Allies had developed theirs more recently. Livonia’s military-industrial complex was quite large, but decentralized, with many factories being devoted to various different types of material (including a significant amount dedicated to warplane production) Aquitaine had a steady wartime industry, a large amount of which was dedicated to tank production.
Meanwhile, The North German Union was already devoting most of their resources towards the army, with a large emphasis on artillery. Despite the already impressive size of their army, current production rates meant there was still much room for growth. Italy’s large military industry was split between infantry equipment, armor (a staple of the Fascist Italian army), and warplanes. England’s industry was very similar in composition, but larger in scale.
When the war started, several fronts were opened immediately. In Europe, the main fighting would begin on the border between Aquitaine and the NGU, as well as between them and Kuyavia. Bavaria did not join the war, as the country was still in poor shape, but they did allow the other Fascist soldiers military access through their borders.
Once again, Livonia would fight in Africa as well, along practically the same front line that the infamously terrible fighting against England had taken place on during the Great War. However, Italy’s colony was flanked on both sides, and they did not have a large army presence in the continent – though Ethiopia did have large numbers of poorly-equipped soldiers.
A minor front opened in Asia as well against Italy’s decently defended colony, but given that it was flanked on two sides by Livonia and Japan (which joined the war immediately in hopes of annexing Indochina), there was little chance of success for Italy here.
The Livonian Air Force started the war by covering a few key positions: The majority of close-range bombers were sent to Stockholm, which was the most immediately threatened piece of land.
The few longer-range tactical bombers which were ready for action were focused in Finland. Several fighters and naval bombers also patrolled the Baltic Sea, which was crucial for the country to maintain complete control of. Finally, several fighters and a smaller detachment of bombers were sent to Kuyavia to support the German front.
Livonia had also produced just under 80 very long range Strategic Bombers, which were unleashed over both the Benelux region and England. In theory, they flew at a high enough altitude to survive without fighter support, but it was uncertain how successful they would be.
(Note: flight actions were queued before unpausing, which is why there are no enemy planes visible yet.)
The German push took Aquitaine by surprise, allowing them to pass many of the border defenses with the support of heavy artillery and bombers. However, Aquitaine’s army quickly deployed along the new front line, slowing down the advance soon after.
On the border of Kuyavia, the war started without any major offensives – both sides were very well defended, and neither side was confident a push could even succeed. The NGU wanted to focus most of their army on Aquitaine, while Livonia hoped to delay an advance until air superiority could be secured.
Both the Germans and Danish initially attacked along their border, but neither was able to make any meaningful progress – both sides were once again heavily fortified.
There was even fighting along the tiny Italian border with Al-Turkis – a push by Italy was planned to secure a wider front and ideally push into the Balkans, and initially weak defenses by the Turks did allow the Italians to advance at first.
The two fronts by Finland were fairly quiet in the first few weeks of the war, but Stockholm was a different story: The Livonian Army knew that this important region could fall quickly, so an offensive was launched immediately, supported by the bulk of LAF bombers. While progress was made towards the edges of the front line, the Norwegian army was far too large compared to Livonian divisions.
The first weeks of war were generally slow – the only offensive with any real force behind it had managed to push into Aquitaine, but with reinforcements pouring in, the future of that front was uncertain. Meanwhile, the battles for both air and sea had hardly even started yet – but soon that would change. This war wasn’t going to be quick, but there were still ambitious plans brewing on both sides, with promises of great progress in the near future.
As 1938 came to a close, Livonia was expecting war to come soon. The Norwegian buildup along the border was concerning, even with recent reinforcements, so a series of forts were planned along each border in order to hold them. Most concerning was Stockholm, which shared a wide border with the heart of Norvegija – the forts here would come first.
One month later, the North German Union attempted to expand again, when they demanded the annexation (or partition) of Pomeranija. However, the Allies’ buildup had made them more confident, and after the fall of Bavaria they were unwilling to give the Fascists any more leeway. Aquitaine and Livonia announced full protection of Pomeranija’s sovereignty, although the country itself did not join the Allies’ alliance, wanting to avoid another front line in their territory.
The Union responded by backing down, but at this point both sides were already making plans to invade the other. The plans of both countries were months out (Livonia still needed to deploy another wave of soldiers and finish their northern forts, while the Fascists hoped to delay long enough for Bavarian industry to recover).
In Livonia, military research and development was in full swing – new submachine guns entered production in June, and designs for very advanced fighter planes were nearing completion.
Oil synthesis in Livonia was beginning to produce on a large scale, although the majority of it was still imported. In addition, large amounts of steel were being taken from Kuyavia to fuel the massive military production, as well as the continued growth of the navy.
In July, Norvegija formally joined the Fascist Order, despite not actually being a fascist country themselves. It was now clear that very soon, the Allies would be forced into the choice of concession or war, and it was quite clear which of the two they would choose.
Over the next month, German spies learned that the Allies were planning to invade by the end of the year - something which was also made fairly obvious by the sudden buildup of Livonia’s freshly-recruited soldiers on the border. Despite the weakness of Bavaria, the Union agreed that an attack now would be optimal – Livonia’s forts in Norvegija were not yet completed, and Aquitaine’s northern army was in the middle of being reorganized.
Therefore, German soldiers crossed the border of Aquitaine on August 3rd of 1939, joined by the English. There was no more delay – Europe was now once again in a state of massive warfare.
At the outbreak of the war, the largest army among the combatants belonged to Aquitaine, who had been conscripting infantry to dig in around the country, while also fielding a huge number of tanks. However, the Aquitanean army wasn’t properly positioned at the outbreak of war – part of the reason for the Germans’ timing.
England’s army was around equal in size to Aquitaine’s, although the majority of it hadn’t yet been deployed – therefore, English soldiers could be sent to any weak fronts, such as Norvegija, as long as they did not lose control of the seas.
Military Industry was massive within all the fascist countries after years of expansion, while the Allies had developed theirs more recently. Livonia’s military-industrial complex was quite large, but decentralized, with many factories being devoted to various different types of material (including a significant amount dedicated to warplane production) Aquitaine had a steady wartime industry, a large amount of which was dedicated to tank production.
Meanwhile, The North German Union was already devoting most of their resources towards the army, with a large emphasis on artillery. Despite the already impressive size of their army, current production rates meant there was still much room for growth. Italy’s large military industry was split between infantry equipment, armor (a staple of the Fascist Italian army), and warplanes. England’s industry was very similar in composition, but larger in scale.
When the war started, several fronts were opened immediately. In Europe, the main fighting would begin on the border between Aquitaine and the NGU, as well as between them and Kuyavia. Bavaria did not join the war, as the country was still in poor shape, but they did allow the other Fascist soldiers military access through their borders.
Once again, Livonia would fight in Africa as well, along practically the same front line that the infamously terrible fighting against England had taken place on during the Great War. However, Italy’s colony was flanked on both sides, and they did not have a large army presence in the continent – though Ethiopia did have large numbers of poorly-equipped soldiers.
A minor front opened in Asia as well against Italy’s decently defended colony, but given that it was flanked on two sides by Livonia and Japan (which joined the war immediately in hopes of annexing Indochina), there was little chance of success for Italy here.
The Livonian Air Force started the war by covering a few key positions: The majority of close-range bombers were sent to Stockholm, which was the most immediately threatened piece of land.
The few longer-range tactical bombers which were ready for action were focused in Finland. Several fighters and naval bombers also patrolled the Baltic Sea, which was crucial for the country to maintain complete control of. Finally, several fighters and a smaller detachment of bombers were sent to Kuyavia to support the German front.
Livonia had also produced just under 80 very long range Strategic Bombers, which were unleashed over both the Benelux region and England. In theory, they flew at a high enough altitude to survive without fighter support, but it was uncertain how successful they would be.
(Note: flight actions were queued before unpausing, which is why there are no enemy planes visible yet.)
The German push took Aquitaine by surprise, allowing them to pass many of the border defenses with the support of heavy artillery and bombers. However, Aquitaine’s army quickly deployed along the new front line, slowing down the advance soon after.
On the border of Kuyavia, the war started without any major offensives – both sides were very well defended, and neither side was confident a push could even succeed. The NGU wanted to focus most of their army on Aquitaine, while Livonia hoped to delay an advance until air superiority could be secured.
Both the Germans and Danish initially attacked along their border, but neither was able to make any meaningful progress – both sides were once again heavily fortified.
There was even fighting along the tiny Italian border with Al-Turkis – a push by Italy was planned to secure a wider front and ideally push into the Balkans, and initially weak defenses by the Turks did allow the Italians to advance at first.
The two fronts by Finland were fairly quiet in the first few weeks of the war, but Stockholm was a different story: The Livonian Army knew that this important region could fall quickly, so an offensive was launched immediately, supported by the bulk of LAF bombers. While progress was made towards the edges of the front line, the Norwegian army was far too large compared to Livonian divisions.
The first weeks of war were generally slow – the only offensive with any real force behind it had managed to push into Aquitaine, but with reinforcements pouring in, the future of that front was uncertain. Meanwhile, the battles for both air and sea had hardly even started yet – but soon that would change. This war wasn’t going to be quick, but there were still ambitious plans brewing on both sides, with promises of great progress in the near future.
Sorry about the delay; busy week.
Heh, if anything it could resemble Xenonauts (similar, but takes place during the cold war). But I don't think I'll extend the AAR that far
The precursors to a greater war are in place.
And it sure sounds like we've got an X-COM side story happening, too.
Heh, if anything it could resemble Xenonauts (similar, but takes place during the cold war). But I don't think I'll extend the AAR that far
It is looking more and more than the "loss" of Norvegija will prove to be one of Livonia's great strategic/diplomatic blunders in the century previous to this.
For so much build-up the initial steps are surprisingly restrained. It is almost as if events transpired to make everyone go to war a year early.
For so much build-up the initial steps are surprisingly restrained. It is almost as if events transpired to make everyone go to war a year early.
True on both the first and last points. As for the initial steps bit, partially true although the last chapter did only cover roughly 2 weeks into the start of the war.
Chapter 5: The First Major Engagements (August 1939)
When the war began, the Baltic Navy was first tasked with taking complete control of the Baltic Sea itself – a more difficult task than would normally have been anticipated since Norvegija was now an enemy. Control of the North Atlantic was important as well, but for now it took second priority.
However, the military of Aquitaine had prepared an ambitious plan for this war – a naval invasion of England’s southwest peninsula. The idea was to quickly seize both coasts and form a defensive line across the narrow front line that would create, until further offensives could be planned. In late August, the plan was put into motion.
The invasion also baited out England’s navy, which engaged Aquitaine near the coast of London. Both navies were actually nearly equal in size, but there were several factors affecting the balance of power between the two navies.
As the soldiers of Aquitaine landed, several airplanes stationed elsewhere in England were directed towards the English Channel to both bombard the invading soldiers and support England’s navy in the battle. The number of English planes proved to be overwhelming – Aquitaine’s air force was smaller in comparison, and many of their planes were already tied up trying to defend against the German advance.
From the beginning, the battle went in England’s favor. While both sides had aircraft carriers, England had more – and support from land-based fighters gave them clear control of the skies. As the carrier-based dive bombers of England attacked, the majority of Aquitaine’s older destroyers were lost, with England taking few casualties of their own.
Meanwhile in the west, the landing forces of Aquitaine were suddenly attacked by several English armored divisions with aerial support. Consequently, the initiative of the landing forces to even cut off the peninsula was lost, and even defending the port they already held would be costly. Additionally, reports from the navy raised concerns that the marines could end up trapped in England with no naval supplies or reinforcements. Therefore, the marines decided to retreat, ending the short-lived but ambitious offensive by Aquitaine.
As the battle for the Channel continued, Aquitaine soon lost almost all of their destroyers, although they did manage to destroy nearly 20 of England’s. However, the loss of destroyers now left Aquitaine’s fleet without any serious torpedo armaments.
Soon, Aquitaine’s cruisers were sinking to the heavy guns of England’s fleet, while inflicting only minor casualties.
The battle turned into a retreat – in the process, Aquitaine lost all of their light cruisers, while several of their capital ships were severely damaged by English torpedoes. The remaining ships managed to retreat from the battle, but they still would need to travel through a body of water patrolled by hostile aircraft to make it home. During the battle, England had lost many of their destroyers and a fair amount of cruisers as well, but the majority of their fleet remained in good condition.
By this point, the Germans had pushed a decent amount into Aquitaine, including the two closest friendly ports that the navy of Aquitaine could have retreated to. While the new waves of defenders were slowing down the advance, their general disorganization in the first month of the war allowed the Germans to continue pushing into the country.
In response, the Livonian Army along the border of Kuyavia were ordered to attack and advance on the fortified German border, in order to relieve pressure from Aquitaine and allow their army in the west a chance to regroup. This would certainly be costly, but there was also a higher chance of breaching the line than there had been at the start of the month – several German divisions had been sent to support the West after seeing no attack, and the LAF outnumbered enemy planes a good amount in the east.
Meanwhile, the Stockholm Offensive by Livonia had failed completely – even the weak parts of Norvegija’s defensive army had been reinforced fairly quickly, forcing the attack to be called off. Just one week later, the Norwegians would begin an offensive of their own.
As the navy of Aquitaine retreated, several Livonian warplanes were quickly sent over to help defend the fleet against English bombers. The English Navy gave chase, hoping to take out Aquitaine’s larger ships, but in the ensuing engagements they lost several ships of their own while only managing to sink one of Aquitaine’s battleships, as well as one heavy cruiser and a submarine. The remainder of Aquitaine’s navy would manage to make it back to safety without any more engagements.
Meanwhile, minor fighting had been taking place in the Italian colonies. In Africa, forces of Livona and Aquitaine battled to take the west coast, where they seriously outnumbered the Fascists, while another Livonian force pushes east towards Ethiopia. Overall though, the size of the fighting was miniscule compared to that of the Great War – Italy hadn’t expected to defend Africa, and Livonia hadn’t expected to lose it, so neither size had a very large army stationed there. In Indochina, Japan and Livonia began to squeeze the Italian front line, soon cutting their territory in two.
On August 22nd, the first major strategic bombing raid of the war was launched on Holland, where a German factory was destroyed while several other buildings were damaged. The enemy’s air presence in the area was unable to respond in time, so Livonia lost no bombers. Ultimately, the effect of this raid was psychological more than strategic, although the reported civilian casualties would only increase the German public’s support for the war.
A bombing raid shortly after was attempted over England, but was halted due to the huge English warplane presence in the area following Aquitaine’s offensive.
As the first month of the war went on, its severity continued to escalate. The strength of England’s navy (along with support from their air force) had taken Aquitaine by surprise and done serious damage to their navy, though England had taken losses as well. Both Livonia and Aquitaine had called off two failed offensives, while fighting was now in progress across both borders with Germany. Still, it had only been weeks since the onset of the war, and there would be many more to come.
When the war began, the Baltic Navy was first tasked with taking complete control of the Baltic Sea itself – a more difficult task than would normally have been anticipated since Norvegija was now an enemy. Control of the North Atlantic was important as well, but for now it took second priority.
However, the military of Aquitaine had prepared an ambitious plan for this war – a naval invasion of England’s southwest peninsula. The idea was to quickly seize both coasts and form a defensive line across the narrow front line that would create, until further offensives could be planned. In late August, the plan was put into motion.
The invasion also baited out England’s navy, which engaged Aquitaine near the coast of London. Both navies were actually nearly equal in size, but there were several factors affecting the balance of power between the two navies.
As the soldiers of Aquitaine landed, several airplanes stationed elsewhere in England were directed towards the English Channel to both bombard the invading soldiers and support England’s navy in the battle. The number of English planes proved to be overwhelming – Aquitaine’s air force was smaller in comparison, and many of their planes were already tied up trying to defend against the German advance.
From the beginning, the battle went in England’s favor. While both sides had aircraft carriers, England had more – and support from land-based fighters gave them clear control of the skies. As the carrier-based dive bombers of England attacked, the majority of Aquitaine’s older destroyers were lost, with England taking few casualties of their own.
Meanwhile in the west, the landing forces of Aquitaine were suddenly attacked by several English armored divisions with aerial support. Consequently, the initiative of the landing forces to even cut off the peninsula was lost, and even defending the port they already held would be costly. Additionally, reports from the navy raised concerns that the marines could end up trapped in England with no naval supplies or reinforcements. Therefore, the marines decided to retreat, ending the short-lived but ambitious offensive by Aquitaine.
As the battle for the Channel continued, Aquitaine soon lost almost all of their destroyers, although they did manage to destroy nearly 20 of England’s. However, the loss of destroyers now left Aquitaine’s fleet without any serious torpedo armaments.
Soon, Aquitaine’s cruisers were sinking to the heavy guns of England’s fleet, while inflicting only minor casualties.
The battle turned into a retreat – in the process, Aquitaine lost all of their light cruisers, while several of their capital ships were severely damaged by English torpedoes. The remaining ships managed to retreat from the battle, but they still would need to travel through a body of water patrolled by hostile aircraft to make it home. During the battle, England had lost many of their destroyers and a fair amount of cruisers as well, but the majority of their fleet remained in good condition.
By this point, the Germans had pushed a decent amount into Aquitaine, including the two closest friendly ports that the navy of Aquitaine could have retreated to. While the new waves of defenders were slowing down the advance, their general disorganization in the first month of the war allowed the Germans to continue pushing into the country.
In response, the Livonian Army along the border of Kuyavia were ordered to attack and advance on the fortified German border, in order to relieve pressure from Aquitaine and allow their army in the west a chance to regroup. This would certainly be costly, but there was also a higher chance of breaching the line than there had been at the start of the month – several German divisions had been sent to support the West after seeing no attack, and the LAF outnumbered enemy planes a good amount in the east.
Meanwhile, the Stockholm Offensive by Livonia had failed completely – even the weak parts of Norvegija’s defensive army had been reinforced fairly quickly, forcing the attack to be called off. Just one week later, the Norwegians would begin an offensive of their own.
As the navy of Aquitaine retreated, several Livonian warplanes were quickly sent over to help defend the fleet against English bombers. The English Navy gave chase, hoping to take out Aquitaine’s larger ships, but in the ensuing engagements they lost several ships of their own while only managing to sink one of Aquitaine’s battleships, as well as one heavy cruiser and a submarine. The remainder of Aquitaine’s navy would manage to make it back to safety without any more engagements.
Meanwhile, minor fighting had been taking place in the Italian colonies. In Africa, forces of Livona and Aquitaine battled to take the west coast, where they seriously outnumbered the Fascists, while another Livonian force pushes east towards Ethiopia. Overall though, the size of the fighting was miniscule compared to that of the Great War – Italy hadn’t expected to defend Africa, and Livonia hadn’t expected to lose it, so neither size had a very large army stationed there. In Indochina, Japan and Livonia began to squeeze the Italian front line, soon cutting their territory in two.
On August 22nd, the first major strategic bombing raid of the war was launched on Holland, where a German factory was destroyed while several other buildings were damaged. The enemy’s air presence in the area was unable to respond in time, so Livonia lost no bombers. Ultimately, the effect of this raid was psychological more than strategic, although the reported civilian casualties would only increase the German public’s support for the war.
A bombing raid shortly after was attempted over England, but was halted due to the huge English warplane presence in the area following Aquitaine’s offensive.
As the first month of the war went on, its severity continued to escalate. The strength of England’s navy (along with support from their air force) had taken Aquitaine by surprise and done serious damage to their navy, though England had taken losses as well. Both Livonia and Aquitaine had called off two failed offensives, while fighting was now in progress across both borders with Germany. Still, it had only been weeks since the onset of the war, and there would be many more to come.
The initial moves appears to be playing out generally in teh favour of the fascists ... but there is a long way to go yet.
So far not so good, but long-term production may make a difference. As may the Finland front?
In any case, diplomacy may be the order of the day. Material support would surely help, and maybe you could even get some more allies.
In any case, diplomacy may be the order of the day. Material support would surely help, and maybe you could even get some more allies.
Chapter 6: Desperate Escalation (Late Aug – Mid September 1939)
The Livonian offensive through Kuyavia was proving large enough to displace the undermanned Germans. Despite the strength of their defenses, their front line was being slowly pushed back as the LAF’s close air support bombed entrenched enemy positions.
The bulk of the Fascists’ warplanes were still in the west as the offensive kicked off – both as part of the English operation which had brought them victory over Aquitaine’s navy, and as part of the continued German advance in the west.
The army of Aquitaine was putting up a solid defense in the north, now outnumbering the Germans after waves of reinforcements and ending their advance. At this rate, it would be feasible to launch a counterattack into the Benelux within weeks.
The offensive in the east successfully managed to destroy the entire line of initial German border defenses. While the advance hadn’t gone very far in terms of distance, it had successfully overcome the main obstacle.
Livonia started to encounter heavier German resistance around two weeks after their attacks began though – casualties were mounting, and current attacks were generally unsuccessful, causing huge Livonian casualties in the process. Still, the attacks went on – it was imperative to the Allies that pressure be applied on both fronts as Aquitaine prepared for their offensive.
By this point, three weeks into the war, Livonia by itself had taken almost as many casualties in this one offensive as the North German Union had taken on both fronts. Fighting in Stockholm had also produced losses for both factions, but at the moment those made up only a small fraction of total losses for both sides.
However, this was almost immediately changed, when the Norwegians launched a huge attack on Stockholm. After the failed advance at the start of the war, Livonia’s Stockholm Army had been in poor shape – poor enough that they managed to lose against the massive Norwegian counterattack despite heavy fortifications of the city and control of the skies.
The majority of the army was pushed back to the northern coast of the city, while Norwegian soldiers quickly moved to seize the airbase and dock in the south. Reinforcements from Aquitaine had been en route to support another offensive, but soon the port was captured, stranding the entire Stockholm Army in the northern half of the city and eventually forcing the entire surviving army to surrender.
The loss of Stockholm was a huge blow – with it, the chances of a quick victory over Norvegija disintegrated. The fall of Stockholm was a huge boost to Norwegian morale – the democratic-leaning country’s internal opposition to the war quickly faded away as the continued news of victory spread through propaganda. In Livonia, the response was grim – Klavess now had to assure the Livonian people over the radio that Norvegija was an unimportant enemy, and that it would be the defeat of the North German Union that would ultimately decide the war.
However, just as Aquitaine began their counterattack in the north, dire news came from the south. Just as many of their military staff had feared when relocating armies to the north, Genoa decided on August 27th to join the war.
Despite their bitter rivalry with Italy in the past, Genoa had a tradition of opportunism. The small country could easily become devastated by any soldiers who entered its borders, but with the news of Fascist victories and the advance into Aquitaine, the government of Genoa decided that now would be the perfect moment to seek revenge on Aquitaine for their reactionary invasion of Genoa in 1932.
This had the possibility to be a disaster for the Allies. The mountainous terrain along the border would slow down the attackers and give Aquitaine’s smaller garrison a chance to hold, but in the long term this was a serious problem – now, Aquitaine would have to fight on two different fronts, killing their hopes of a counterattack into the Benelux. In addition, while the army of Genoa wasn’t very threatening on its own, their entry also gave Italy’s massive army a much more convenient path to attack the country.
Immediately, many of the reserves in the north were instead sent to Genoa, as well as the majority of Aquitaine’s garrison along the Isbani border. Just as the border with the North German Union had been, Aquitaine’s border with Genoa was well-fortified. In the initial days, the Genoese were unable to break through, although they did not put in a large effort to try in the first place. Italian soldiers weren’t allowed into the country’s borders until after the declaration had been made, meaning an initial surprise attack was too risky to even be attempted.
Still, this now meant Aquitaine’s army had to be split between the two fronts, hurting their ability to fight against the Germans. While Livonia’s offensive in the east was distracting them, it was going nowhere at this point, so now that the possibility of a counterattack in the west had ended, the offensive finally stopped.
An attack was attempted against Norvegija following the loss of Stockholm, but both remaining fronts against them were horrible for fighting in. The west was very small in size and well entrenched by both sides, while the regions in the east near Karenia were in no shape to support a large invasion force. For both sides, these fronts heavily favored defense, so ultimately that was what both sides would end up doing.
Danija’s borders were in the same position – their border against the Germans was very tough to crack, and the only way Norvegija could invade the country was over hostile seas.
Meanwhile, a renewed attack by the North German Union and England in September brought panic to the allies as Aquitaine’s defense was weakened. There was a great fear within Livonia that a dual-pronged attack could cause Aquitaine to fall, leaving them and Al-Turkis isolated in Europe.
Desperate to gain some sort of advantage in what had thus far been a war of mainly losses, Livonia’s army in the North German Union was reduced in size and ordered to simply hold the line, while the other divisions (combined with a new wave of recruits) were moved into the south. The plan was for a surprise invasion of Bavaria.
Bavaria’s new Fascist government was still quite weak – their standing army was very small in size, as was their industry. Already, their exports were only sent to the enemy, and if given enough time, the Livonians believed it was certain that Bavaria would join the war.
Instead, a surprise attack could sweep through the southeast of the country, capturing many of its valuable mines in the process and forcing Germany and Italy to redeploy soldiers to deal with the threat. The Allied armies in the east, including Livonia’s satellite states, Al-Turkis, and Karenia, were actually quite large in size – but the front lines were so small that the enemy had been able to put up a heavy defense. Opening up the front in Bavaria would create a far wider front line, based mostly in a country which had little capacity to defend itself.
On September 14th, Bavaria was thrust into the war. Immediately, the Allied armies rushed forward to secure as much land as possible before the Italians and Germans had time to regroup. Additionally, the previously-neutral Czechia was called into the war on the Allied side, with big promises of territory in exchange for their support.
Meanwhile, Livonia’s air production was increased. While close air support was the staple of LAF doctrine, increasing emphasis was being put on mid-range tactical bombers, which could fulfill both tactical and strategic bombing roles. Their longer range also meant that they could be sent deeper into enemy territory. The new model of Livonian fighter planes were also upgraded with much better engines after experience from the war, although the majority of Livonian fighter planes currently in the sky were still the older 1935 model.
In the colonies, new developments came in September as well – in Africa, the Italians and English held the west coast from both sides, while in the east Livonia’s army reached all the way up to Ethiopia, hoping to quickly cause the protectorate state to capitulate.
In Asia, the Italian colonies had been split into three different zones – the coast of Indochina, the small encircled army near Burma, and the Bengal Delta. The final of these would be the most difficult to invade – only a very narrow piece of land connected the two, and terrain wasn’t well suited for supplies. Instead, the Japanese offered the Indian state Kanyakubja control over the territory if they joined the war. As the state lacked almost all access to the ocean, they were quick to accept.
It was now mid-September, and the war was moving much faster than it had in August. Stockholm and much of northeastern Aquitaine had fallen to the enemy, prompting a surprise invasion of Bavaria which would completely transform the eastern front and escalate the war into a massive conflict. The number of soldiers fighting across all of the front lines was already quite large, but after the invasion of Bavaria it would more than double in size.
The Livonian offensive through Kuyavia was proving large enough to displace the undermanned Germans. Despite the strength of their defenses, their front line was being slowly pushed back as the LAF’s close air support bombed entrenched enemy positions.
The bulk of the Fascists’ warplanes were still in the west as the offensive kicked off – both as part of the English operation which had brought them victory over Aquitaine’s navy, and as part of the continued German advance in the west.
The army of Aquitaine was putting up a solid defense in the north, now outnumbering the Germans after waves of reinforcements and ending their advance. At this rate, it would be feasible to launch a counterattack into the Benelux within weeks.
The offensive in the east successfully managed to destroy the entire line of initial German border defenses. While the advance hadn’t gone very far in terms of distance, it had successfully overcome the main obstacle.
Livonia started to encounter heavier German resistance around two weeks after their attacks began though – casualties were mounting, and current attacks were generally unsuccessful, causing huge Livonian casualties in the process. Still, the attacks went on – it was imperative to the Allies that pressure be applied on both fronts as Aquitaine prepared for their offensive.
By this point, three weeks into the war, Livonia by itself had taken almost as many casualties in this one offensive as the North German Union had taken on both fronts. Fighting in Stockholm had also produced losses for both factions, but at the moment those made up only a small fraction of total losses for both sides.
However, this was almost immediately changed, when the Norwegians launched a huge attack on Stockholm. After the failed advance at the start of the war, Livonia’s Stockholm Army had been in poor shape – poor enough that they managed to lose against the massive Norwegian counterattack despite heavy fortifications of the city and control of the skies.
The majority of the army was pushed back to the northern coast of the city, while Norwegian soldiers quickly moved to seize the airbase and dock in the south. Reinforcements from Aquitaine had been en route to support another offensive, but soon the port was captured, stranding the entire Stockholm Army in the northern half of the city and eventually forcing the entire surviving army to surrender.
The loss of Stockholm was a huge blow – with it, the chances of a quick victory over Norvegija disintegrated. The fall of Stockholm was a huge boost to Norwegian morale – the democratic-leaning country’s internal opposition to the war quickly faded away as the continued news of victory spread through propaganda. In Livonia, the response was grim – Klavess now had to assure the Livonian people over the radio that Norvegija was an unimportant enemy, and that it would be the defeat of the North German Union that would ultimately decide the war.
However, just as Aquitaine began their counterattack in the north, dire news came from the south. Just as many of their military staff had feared when relocating armies to the north, Genoa decided on August 27th to join the war.
Despite their bitter rivalry with Italy in the past, Genoa had a tradition of opportunism. The small country could easily become devastated by any soldiers who entered its borders, but with the news of Fascist victories and the advance into Aquitaine, the government of Genoa decided that now would be the perfect moment to seek revenge on Aquitaine for their reactionary invasion of Genoa in 1932.
This had the possibility to be a disaster for the Allies. The mountainous terrain along the border would slow down the attackers and give Aquitaine’s smaller garrison a chance to hold, but in the long term this was a serious problem – now, Aquitaine would have to fight on two different fronts, killing their hopes of a counterattack into the Benelux. In addition, while the army of Genoa wasn’t very threatening on its own, their entry also gave Italy’s massive army a much more convenient path to attack the country.
Immediately, many of the reserves in the north were instead sent to Genoa, as well as the majority of Aquitaine’s garrison along the Isbani border. Just as the border with the North German Union had been, Aquitaine’s border with Genoa was well-fortified. In the initial days, the Genoese were unable to break through, although they did not put in a large effort to try in the first place. Italian soldiers weren’t allowed into the country’s borders until after the declaration had been made, meaning an initial surprise attack was too risky to even be attempted.
Still, this now meant Aquitaine’s army had to be split between the two fronts, hurting their ability to fight against the Germans. While Livonia’s offensive in the east was distracting them, it was going nowhere at this point, so now that the possibility of a counterattack in the west had ended, the offensive finally stopped.
An attack was attempted against Norvegija following the loss of Stockholm, but both remaining fronts against them were horrible for fighting in. The west was very small in size and well entrenched by both sides, while the regions in the east near Karenia were in no shape to support a large invasion force. For both sides, these fronts heavily favored defense, so ultimately that was what both sides would end up doing.
Danija’s borders were in the same position – their border against the Germans was very tough to crack, and the only way Norvegija could invade the country was over hostile seas.
Meanwhile, a renewed attack by the North German Union and England in September brought panic to the allies as Aquitaine’s defense was weakened. There was a great fear within Livonia that a dual-pronged attack could cause Aquitaine to fall, leaving them and Al-Turkis isolated in Europe.
Desperate to gain some sort of advantage in what had thus far been a war of mainly losses, Livonia’s army in the North German Union was reduced in size and ordered to simply hold the line, while the other divisions (combined with a new wave of recruits) were moved into the south. The plan was for a surprise invasion of Bavaria.
Bavaria’s new Fascist government was still quite weak – their standing army was very small in size, as was their industry. Already, their exports were only sent to the enemy, and if given enough time, the Livonians believed it was certain that Bavaria would join the war.
Instead, a surprise attack could sweep through the southeast of the country, capturing many of its valuable mines in the process and forcing Germany and Italy to redeploy soldiers to deal with the threat. The Allied armies in the east, including Livonia’s satellite states, Al-Turkis, and Karenia, were actually quite large in size – but the front lines were so small that the enemy had been able to put up a heavy defense. Opening up the front in Bavaria would create a far wider front line, based mostly in a country which had little capacity to defend itself.
On September 14th, Bavaria was thrust into the war. Immediately, the Allied armies rushed forward to secure as much land as possible before the Italians and Germans had time to regroup. Additionally, the previously-neutral Czechia was called into the war on the Allied side, with big promises of territory in exchange for their support.
Meanwhile, Livonia’s air production was increased. While close air support was the staple of LAF doctrine, increasing emphasis was being put on mid-range tactical bombers, which could fulfill both tactical and strategic bombing roles. Their longer range also meant that they could be sent deeper into enemy territory. The new model of Livonian fighter planes were also upgraded with much better engines after experience from the war, although the majority of Livonian fighter planes currently in the sky were still the older 1935 model.
In the colonies, new developments came in September as well – in Africa, the Italians and English held the west coast from both sides, while in the east Livonia’s army reached all the way up to Ethiopia, hoping to quickly cause the protectorate state to capitulate.
In Asia, the Italian colonies had been split into three different zones – the coast of Indochina, the small encircled army near Burma, and the Bengal Delta. The final of these would be the most difficult to invade – only a very narrow piece of land connected the two, and terrain wasn’t well suited for supplies. Instead, the Japanese offered the Indian state Kanyakubja control over the territory if they joined the war. As the state lacked almost all access to the ocean, they were quick to accept.
It was now mid-September, and the war was moving much faster than it had in August. Stockholm and much of northeastern Aquitaine had fallen to the enemy, prompting a surprise invasion of Bavaria which would completely transform the eastern front and escalate the war into a massive conflict. The number of soldiers fighting across all of the front lines was already quite large, but after the invasion of Bavaria it would more than double in size.
I think this rather nicely demonstrates how wars can escalate.
I think it is safe to say that - as far as Livonia is concerned - the "phony" phase is well and truly a distant memory.
I think it is safe to say that - as far as Livonia is concerned - the "phony" phase is well and truly a distant memory.
Heh, indeed it is.
The war is getting hot! And Genoa is in the thick of it! Brilliant!
Typical xD
Chapter 7: The Contest for Europe (September - November 1939)
It was now the 28th of September, almost three weeks since Bavaria was forced into the war. The Livonian offensive into the country was fairly unopposed at first, allowing land all across the border to be seized. However, the pace of advance wasn’t as fast as the country had hoped – the primarily infantry-based forces were slow to advance over the difficult terrain, and now the first Italian and German soldiers were approaching the front.
The front with Genoa had remained mostly static ever since their entry into the war – Aquitaine’s defenses remained strong, and with Italy being forced to relocate their soldiers to the east, they wouldn’t be able to launch an offensive through Genoa.
Meanwhile, Livonia’s Baltic Navy was sent out beyond the Danish Strait to block enemy trade. The most important target was southern Norway, where the majority of supplies and trade travelled through, but covering the region would also cut off the majority of German overseas trade as well.
The admiralty wasn’t yet willing to send the navy any farther – English air superiority in the region could easily devastate Livonia’s fleet as it had Aquitaine’s, and right now the most important targets were Norvegija and the NGU – besides, it would be a bad move to risk a major battle while the navy of Aquitaine was still being repaired on the west coast.
Ever since their navy had been damaged by England, the western Mediterranean Sea had fallen under Italian control. The navy of Al-Turkis cautiously patrolled the East Mediterranean, but avoided combat with the superior Italian fleet. This meant that any operations into the Mediterranean by the Allies were limited, as well as trade – although access to the Black Sea was still possible via the Suez Canal.
Over the month of September, Livonian casualties were twice as many as they had been in August (including the entirety of the Stockholm Army), while Aquitanean casualties soared in September. On the Fascist side, the North German Union’s losses doubled, while casualties of its allies also rose across the board – especially Norvegija, which took several losses between the assault on Stockholm and fighting in Finland.
As October rolled around, all three of the major Fascist countries were forced to send huge detachments of their armies to defend the new Bavarian front. Livonia’s advance had been slow but steady against the foreign defenders, but more and more soldiers were flooding in. The majority of the action was now taking place along the narrow eastern borders of Bavaria – the front line against Al-Turkis was defended by mostly Italian forces, while German soldiers extended their original defensive line all the way to Czechia.
While the progress of the Livonian advance had been underwhelming, the invasion of Bavaria ended up doing exactly what the allies wanted – pulling the pressure away from Aquitaine. The German forces invading their north were severely thinned out, once again providing Aquitaine the chance to launch a counterattack.
As October went on, Livonia continued advancing in the south, putting huge pressure on the “Bavarian Corridor” – the narrow region mainly between Czechia and Al-Turkis were huge numbers of Fascist troops held out. In response, many enemy warplanes – including some that had been active over Aquitane’s north, were sent to cover the area. Livonian warplanes also covered nearly the entire front, but the sudden arrival of this many enemy fighters would seriously limit Livonia’s offensive capability – especially given the enemy’s visibility over the region compared to Livonia.
Meanwhile, the Baltic Navy had been active west of Denmark, sinking several German and Norwegian convoys. The navy’s aircraft carriers were excellent for this role, granting excellent visibility of the enemy convoys while generally concealing the exact position of Livonian warships.
However, in a raid on October 28th, the carrier’s warplanes were suddenly ambushed by an English land-based squadron, supported by German bombers. In the ensuing battle, 10 of Livonia’s carrier planes were lost to the far more powerful English land-based fighters, while two German bombers fell to anti-air fire from Livonian cruisers. Five Norwegian convoy ships were still destroyed in the raid, but the sudden presence of enemy air forces forced the Baltic Navy to halt raids.
Within days, enemy warplanes based in both German and Norwegian airbases covered the region. The English warplanes previously patrolling the Channel had been sent east to weaken the Baltic Navy, supported by German bombers. In response, some Livonian fighters were sent to the area, but only in small numbers – LAF fighters were still needed on the Bavarian front.
The Baltic Navy couldn’t operate in the area under these conditions, but the admiralty didn’t want to retreat back into the Baltic Sea – very little could be accomplished there. Instead, the navy was maneuvered around the northern coast of Scotland to link up with Aquitaine’s navy, which was now once again in fighting condition. Ideally, Aquitaine’s smaller fleet could bait England’s navy into engaging, after which the Baltic Navy would attack.
Two weeks into November, and the Allies were slowly advancing. Aquitaine’s push in the north was going well – much of the occupied territory was being retaken, while in Bavaria, the Corridor was narrowed severely. Aquitaine held the border against Genoa, managing to actually advance slightly in the south.
However, the aggressiveness of the Allies came at a cost. In Livonia, the sudden surge in fighting was causing shortages in both infantry equipment and manpower. The latter was dealt with quickly, when Livonia passed a conscription bill; until now, the country’s huge population and heavy nationalistic zeal had been enough to fill the ranks of the army (which even at this point wasn’t incredibly large), but now that the casualties were skyrocketing, conscription was necessary to fill the armies.
Unfortunately, the equipment shortages couldn’t be solved so quickly – if Livonia was to maintain its ability to fight, the army would need to scale down its offensive. Aquitaine was also running into shortages – especially in heavy equipment like artillery and tanks. The Fascist countries were all still well-supplied, thanks to years of military production giving them large stockpiles to draw from.
On November 14th, the English Navy was spotted in full for the first time since the Battle of the English Channel. Ever since that battle, only smaller squadrons had been spotted – mostly patrols and escorts around the area. This changed after the Baltic Navy arrived in Aquitaine; the navy of Aquitaine was authorized to begin raiding operations against English convoys going to and from the Mediterranean, which passed through the area near Aquitaine’s western shore. After learning of the raids on their ships, the English Navy was sent to deal with Aquitaine’s remaining fleet, unaware that the Baltic Navy was waiting in the ocean to the west.
As England’s ships sailed towards the navy of Aquitaine, they retreated south. When England gave chase, they were intercepted by the arrival of the Baltic Navy from the west, which England decided to engage. The battle was huge in scale, but England’s navy had suffered in the previous battle, while Livonia’s naval production over the past few years had been immense.
Almost none of Aquitaine’s ships participated in the battle, but the entirety of the Baltic Navy was there. England outnumbered Livonia in aircraft carriers and heavy ships, but was severely lacking in smaller ships. It had been expected by the Livonian Admiralty that the outdated cruisers of the Baltic Navy would take huge losses, but thanks to Aquitaine’s efforts in August, they were less threatened than they otherwise would have been.
However, in the ensuing Battle of Biscay, the experienced and generally state-of-the-art English warships dealt huge damage, despite being outnumbered. Ultimately, Livonia lost 35 destroyers (only 4 managed to escape), 32 light cruisers, 11 heavy cruisers, and one Battleship. The battle left the Baltic Navy seriously lacking in small ships, and proved the inferiority of Livonia’s old cruisers.
However, England’s losses were crippling. All of their few remaining light ships were sunk, along with 15 heavy cruisers and a whopping 12 Battleships. The destruction of England’s powerful battleships was possible due to sacrifices of many Livonian destroyers, as well as the cannons on the new Livonian battleships. The aircraft carriers of both sides were limited in effectiveness, as both spent most of the battle fighting for air supremacy – although several heavy ships on both sides were damaged by the carrier-based torpedo bombers.
Soon, winter would fall on Europe, and the consequences of two massive, slow moving fronts would only be amplified on both sides. The invasion of Bavaria had helped Aquitaine to reverse its losses in the north, while Livonia was coming dangerously close to encircling a massive pocket of men in the Bavarian Corridor. Also important was the Battle of Biscay, which had dealt serious losses to the navies of both Livonia and England, but with almost all of the English Navy destroyed, the Allies had won their first major victory of the war.
It was now the 28th of September, almost three weeks since Bavaria was forced into the war. The Livonian offensive into the country was fairly unopposed at first, allowing land all across the border to be seized. However, the pace of advance wasn’t as fast as the country had hoped – the primarily infantry-based forces were slow to advance over the difficult terrain, and now the first Italian and German soldiers were approaching the front.
The front with Genoa had remained mostly static ever since their entry into the war – Aquitaine’s defenses remained strong, and with Italy being forced to relocate their soldiers to the east, they wouldn’t be able to launch an offensive through Genoa.
Meanwhile, Livonia’s Baltic Navy was sent out beyond the Danish Strait to block enemy trade. The most important target was southern Norway, where the majority of supplies and trade travelled through, but covering the region would also cut off the majority of German overseas trade as well.
The admiralty wasn’t yet willing to send the navy any farther – English air superiority in the region could easily devastate Livonia’s fleet as it had Aquitaine’s, and right now the most important targets were Norvegija and the NGU – besides, it would be a bad move to risk a major battle while the navy of Aquitaine was still being repaired on the west coast.
Ever since their navy had been damaged by England, the western Mediterranean Sea had fallen under Italian control. The navy of Al-Turkis cautiously patrolled the East Mediterranean, but avoided combat with the superior Italian fleet. This meant that any operations into the Mediterranean by the Allies were limited, as well as trade – although access to the Black Sea was still possible via the Suez Canal.
Over the month of September, Livonian casualties were twice as many as they had been in August (including the entirety of the Stockholm Army), while Aquitanean casualties soared in September. On the Fascist side, the North German Union’s losses doubled, while casualties of its allies also rose across the board – especially Norvegija, which took several losses between the assault on Stockholm and fighting in Finland.
As October rolled around, all three of the major Fascist countries were forced to send huge detachments of their armies to defend the new Bavarian front. Livonia’s advance had been slow but steady against the foreign defenders, but more and more soldiers were flooding in. The majority of the action was now taking place along the narrow eastern borders of Bavaria – the front line against Al-Turkis was defended by mostly Italian forces, while German soldiers extended their original defensive line all the way to Czechia.
While the progress of the Livonian advance had been underwhelming, the invasion of Bavaria ended up doing exactly what the allies wanted – pulling the pressure away from Aquitaine. The German forces invading their north were severely thinned out, once again providing Aquitaine the chance to launch a counterattack.
As October went on, Livonia continued advancing in the south, putting huge pressure on the “Bavarian Corridor” – the narrow region mainly between Czechia and Al-Turkis were huge numbers of Fascist troops held out. In response, many enemy warplanes – including some that had been active over Aquitane’s north, were sent to cover the area. Livonian warplanes also covered nearly the entire front, but the sudden arrival of this many enemy fighters would seriously limit Livonia’s offensive capability – especially given the enemy’s visibility over the region compared to Livonia.
Meanwhile, the Baltic Navy had been active west of Denmark, sinking several German and Norwegian convoys. The navy’s aircraft carriers were excellent for this role, granting excellent visibility of the enemy convoys while generally concealing the exact position of Livonian warships.
However, in a raid on October 28th, the carrier’s warplanes were suddenly ambushed by an English land-based squadron, supported by German bombers. In the ensuing battle, 10 of Livonia’s carrier planes were lost to the far more powerful English land-based fighters, while two German bombers fell to anti-air fire from Livonian cruisers. Five Norwegian convoy ships were still destroyed in the raid, but the sudden presence of enemy air forces forced the Baltic Navy to halt raids.
Within days, enemy warplanes based in both German and Norwegian airbases covered the region. The English warplanes previously patrolling the Channel had been sent east to weaken the Baltic Navy, supported by German bombers. In response, some Livonian fighters were sent to the area, but only in small numbers – LAF fighters were still needed on the Bavarian front.
The Baltic Navy couldn’t operate in the area under these conditions, but the admiralty didn’t want to retreat back into the Baltic Sea – very little could be accomplished there. Instead, the navy was maneuvered around the northern coast of Scotland to link up with Aquitaine’s navy, which was now once again in fighting condition. Ideally, Aquitaine’s smaller fleet could bait England’s navy into engaging, after which the Baltic Navy would attack.
Two weeks into November, and the Allies were slowly advancing. Aquitaine’s push in the north was going well – much of the occupied territory was being retaken, while in Bavaria, the Corridor was narrowed severely. Aquitaine held the border against Genoa, managing to actually advance slightly in the south.
However, the aggressiveness of the Allies came at a cost. In Livonia, the sudden surge in fighting was causing shortages in both infantry equipment and manpower. The latter was dealt with quickly, when Livonia passed a conscription bill; until now, the country’s huge population and heavy nationalistic zeal had been enough to fill the ranks of the army (which even at this point wasn’t incredibly large), but now that the casualties were skyrocketing, conscription was necessary to fill the armies.
Unfortunately, the equipment shortages couldn’t be solved so quickly – if Livonia was to maintain its ability to fight, the army would need to scale down its offensive. Aquitaine was also running into shortages – especially in heavy equipment like artillery and tanks. The Fascist countries were all still well-supplied, thanks to years of military production giving them large stockpiles to draw from.
On November 14th, the English Navy was spotted in full for the first time since the Battle of the English Channel. Ever since that battle, only smaller squadrons had been spotted – mostly patrols and escorts around the area. This changed after the Baltic Navy arrived in Aquitaine; the navy of Aquitaine was authorized to begin raiding operations against English convoys going to and from the Mediterranean, which passed through the area near Aquitaine’s western shore. After learning of the raids on their ships, the English Navy was sent to deal with Aquitaine’s remaining fleet, unaware that the Baltic Navy was waiting in the ocean to the west.
As England’s ships sailed towards the navy of Aquitaine, they retreated south. When England gave chase, they were intercepted by the arrival of the Baltic Navy from the west, which England decided to engage. The battle was huge in scale, but England’s navy had suffered in the previous battle, while Livonia’s naval production over the past few years had been immense.
Almost none of Aquitaine’s ships participated in the battle, but the entirety of the Baltic Navy was there. England outnumbered Livonia in aircraft carriers and heavy ships, but was severely lacking in smaller ships. It had been expected by the Livonian Admiralty that the outdated cruisers of the Baltic Navy would take huge losses, but thanks to Aquitaine’s efforts in August, they were less threatened than they otherwise would have been.
However, in the ensuing Battle of Biscay, the experienced and generally state-of-the-art English warships dealt huge damage, despite being outnumbered. Ultimately, Livonia lost 35 destroyers (only 4 managed to escape), 32 light cruisers, 11 heavy cruisers, and one Battleship. The battle left the Baltic Navy seriously lacking in small ships, and proved the inferiority of Livonia’s old cruisers.
However, England’s losses were crippling. All of their few remaining light ships were sunk, along with 15 heavy cruisers and a whopping 12 Battleships. The destruction of England’s powerful battleships was possible due to sacrifices of many Livonian destroyers, as well as the cannons on the new Livonian battleships. The aircraft carriers of both sides were limited in effectiveness, as both spent most of the battle fighting for air supremacy – although several heavy ships on both sides were damaged by the carrier-based torpedo bombers.
Soon, winter would fall on Europe, and the consequences of two massive, slow moving fronts would only be amplified on both sides. The invasion of Bavaria had helped Aquitaine to reverse its losses in the north, while Livonia was coming dangerously close to encircling a massive pocket of men in the Bavarian Corridor. Also important was the Battle of Biscay, which had dealt serious losses to the navies of both Livonia and England, but with almost all of the English Navy destroyed, the Allies had won their first major victory of the war.
Oh my goodness what a battle. Not quite sure if it counts as a pyrrhic victory, but certainly a costly one. But possibly glorious as well.
The war ... the war sounds like things are proceeding in a generally more positive, if still incredibly tense, direction.
The war ... the war sounds like things are proceeding in a generally more positive, if still incredibly tense, direction.
(All figures from Wikipedia) For comparison, at the Battle of Jutland (where the British and Germans combined for 44 BB, 14 BC, 8 AC, 6 B, 37 LC, and 139 DD), total ship losses were 25. 4 BC, 3 AC, 1 B, 4 LC, 13 DD. 0 BB lost.
Can you imagine what the (digital) people of Brittany would have thought while watching this battle?
Can you imagine what the (digital) people of Brittany would have thought while watching this battle?
Ha! Yeah, this is essentially a situation where rather than deescalating with something like the Washington Naval Treaty, both countries have been (slowly) building up since around the 1920s, and much more quickly starting in the mid 30's.
Naval battles are so cool.
Chapter 8: Deadliest Winter (November 1939 – January 1940)
As the advance into Bavaria continued, the Allies came dangerously close to pinching off the Corridor, potentially stranding hundreds of thousands of Fascist soldiers. However, there were still some serious obstacles: the enemy presence in the Corridor was immense, they still held air superiority over the region, and Livonian supplies were beginning to fall short. The attack across the eastern front had been confined to the south, but continued offensives could lead to more serious supply issues in the future.
Meanwhile, Aquitaine was in the thick of fighting, with mixed results. Their advance in the north was coming very near to the peacetime border, and they had actually managed to advance into Genoa after the Italian soldiers were shifted to Bavaria. However, the Fascists were advancing slightly through the borders of Bavaria, and the English and Italians launched a naval invasion into Catalonia in late November.
Meanwhile on the eastern front of the North German Union, the Allies noticed German numbers depleting on the generally static front and being sent elsewhere. Seeing an opportunity, another offensive was ordered to push farther into the county, potentially taking out a good chunk of their industry in the process.
The naval invasion of Catalonia was successful, and soon an entire army of English soldiers were stationed in the area. The offensives of Aquitaine left few reserves to deal with the problem, and with constant fighting across their entire eastern border, opening yet another front put the country in great danger.
The Baltic Navy was in very poor shape. The fleet had only lost one battleship in the Battle of Biscay, but all of them were damaged to varying levels of severity. Even the two aircraft carriers had taken some damage in the fighting from enemy planes, but they were still in good condition when compared to most of the fleet.
Returning the navy home to the Baltic Sea would be difficult, but that would be necessary soon. The landing of English soldiers in Catalonia had placed the Aquitanean port holding Livonia’s navy in range of enemy bombers. However, travelling through the North Sea would be very risky. For now, the Baltic Navy was sent to the mid-sized port in Iceland, where the most critically damaged ships would be repaired before the final journey to Liivimaa.
The Baltic Navy was now dangerously short of screening vessels – and even the cruisers that had survived the battle were proven to be insufficient. At home, the dockyards were immediately shifted to focus on building a new batch of Destroyers, and heavy priority was also given to the development of modern cruisers.
It was now December and winter had fallen upon Europe, but that didn’t stop either side from attacking. This month, the Fascists began a unified push into Aquitaine, which was struggling. Equipment shortages were seriously hampering many of the country’s divisions, and the Catalonian invasion didn’t help the strategic situation.
The Livonian advance into Northern Germany saw only limited success at first – the army in the north simply wasn’t large enough to push into the country now that their size had been cut to support the Bavarian front. Rather than give up, the army ordered recruiters to bring as many soldiers onto the battlefield as possible, despite their lack of training.
In Bavaria, the narrow entrance to the corridor was absolutely filled with enemy soldiers, including several English and Italian tank divisions. After trying and failing to attack the region several times, the Allies instead worked on attacking deeper into the corridor, hoping to at the least put more pressure on the armies, and possibly encircle a smaller part of the Fascist forces.
The fascists were very well entrenched, but their greatest issue in the Corridor was supply. Huge convoys of supply trucks were sent through Bavaria on the narrow roadways, but it was now winter and travelling through the mountainous and generally poorly-developed region of Bavaria was difficult. Fascist air superiority kept the convoys from taking serious losses to LAF planes, but they were constantly harassed by fighters.
Desperate to make some sort of gains, the Livonian army also attacked north of the Corridor, into the treacherous Carpathian Mountains. Ultimately, this attack was unsuccessful and only added to Livonian casualties.
By December 18th, casualties had soared, and mainly for the allies. Total allied losses were now just under 1.2 Million; the largest losses were in Aquitaine, which had been part of the heaviest fighting over the last few months, while Livonian casualties had raised quite a lot since attacking Bavaria. The country’s satellites were also taking big losses – Karenian soldiers filled the Bavarian front line, and a serious of attacks both by and against Danija had brought their own losses up to almost 50,000.
Fascists losses increased as well, but at a more steady pace. The majority of the fighting was still being done by the North German Union, but Genoa had taken serious casualties between the failed attack on Aquitaine and its subsequent counteroffensive.
Aside from their support in Bavaria, Karenian casualties were also coming from the front with Norvegija, where they pushed along the widest front line available to try and make some progress against the country. The attacks started out fairly successful, although by this point Norvegija was reinforced by several superior English divisions.
The air battle over Bavaria was still ongoing, but Fascist visibility over the region made bombing operations too risky – instead, the majority of LAF bombers were sent to the north against the Germans. However, the Livonian fighters over the region, including a few dozen of the brand new design, were doing serious damage against enemy fighters. Despite poor visibility, the LAF managed to down more planes than it lost.
(Statistics in above screenshot were recorded over a series of days - not the entire battle)
After being bolstered by the wave of recruits, the Livonian advance into the NGU was uncharacteristically fast for this war – in just under two weeks, Allied armies managed to advance all the way to the eastern edge of Holstein, trapping a few German and English divisions along the coast (where they would soon surrender, since the Baltic Sea was impossible for Fascist ships to traverse.)
The sudden rise in Livonian strength had surprised the Germans – they were still mostly focused on the offensive into Aquitaine, and it had cost them. By January, the northern half of the front line had advanced quite a decent way, although Fascist resistance increased as the Allies went deeper into enemy territory.
The winter of 1936 had been deadly – two massive fronts were filled with soldiers, fighting constantly as they pushed and defended various parts of their fronts. Progress was being made very slowly in the east, although at a great cost to Livonia and its satellites. In the west, Aquitaine was in trouble as their supplies and men dwindled while trying to defend the western front entirely by themselves, in addition to the new threat in Catalonia. The Allies hoped that Livonia’s sudden progress in the East would leave Aquitaine room to breathe, but the Fascists knew that knocking out Aquitaine would be a decisive victory.
As the advance into Bavaria continued, the Allies came dangerously close to pinching off the Corridor, potentially stranding hundreds of thousands of Fascist soldiers. However, there were still some serious obstacles: the enemy presence in the Corridor was immense, they still held air superiority over the region, and Livonian supplies were beginning to fall short. The attack across the eastern front had been confined to the south, but continued offensives could lead to more serious supply issues in the future.
Meanwhile, Aquitaine was in the thick of fighting, with mixed results. Their advance in the north was coming very near to the peacetime border, and they had actually managed to advance into Genoa after the Italian soldiers were shifted to Bavaria. However, the Fascists were advancing slightly through the borders of Bavaria, and the English and Italians launched a naval invasion into Catalonia in late November.
Meanwhile on the eastern front of the North German Union, the Allies noticed German numbers depleting on the generally static front and being sent elsewhere. Seeing an opportunity, another offensive was ordered to push farther into the county, potentially taking out a good chunk of their industry in the process.
The naval invasion of Catalonia was successful, and soon an entire army of English soldiers were stationed in the area. The offensives of Aquitaine left few reserves to deal with the problem, and with constant fighting across their entire eastern border, opening yet another front put the country in great danger.
The Baltic Navy was in very poor shape. The fleet had only lost one battleship in the Battle of Biscay, but all of them were damaged to varying levels of severity. Even the two aircraft carriers had taken some damage in the fighting from enemy planes, but they were still in good condition when compared to most of the fleet.
Returning the navy home to the Baltic Sea would be difficult, but that would be necessary soon. The landing of English soldiers in Catalonia had placed the Aquitanean port holding Livonia’s navy in range of enemy bombers. However, travelling through the North Sea would be very risky. For now, the Baltic Navy was sent to the mid-sized port in Iceland, where the most critically damaged ships would be repaired before the final journey to Liivimaa.
The Baltic Navy was now dangerously short of screening vessels – and even the cruisers that had survived the battle were proven to be insufficient. At home, the dockyards were immediately shifted to focus on building a new batch of Destroyers, and heavy priority was also given to the development of modern cruisers.
It was now December and winter had fallen upon Europe, but that didn’t stop either side from attacking. This month, the Fascists began a unified push into Aquitaine, which was struggling. Equipment shortages were seriously hampering many of the country’s divisions, and the Catalonian invasion didn’t help the strategic situation.
The Livonian advance into Northern Germany saw only limited success at first – the army in the north simply wasn’t large enough to push into the country now that their size had been cut to support the Bavarian front. Rather than give up, the army ordered recruiters to bring as many soldiers onto the battlefield as possible, despite their lack of training.
In Bavaria, the narrow entrance to the corridor was absolutely filled with enemy soldiers, including several English and Italian tank divisions. After trying and failing to attack the region several times, the Allies instead worked on attacking deeper into the corridor, hoping to at the least put more pressure on the armies, and possibly encircle a smaller part of the Fascist forces.
The fascists were very well entrenched, but their greatest issue in the Corridor was supply. Huge convoys of supply trucks were sent through Bavaria on the narrow roadways, but it was now winter and travelling through the mountainous and generally poorly-developed region of Bavaria was difficult. Fascist air superiority kept the convoys from taking serious losses to LAF planes, but they were constantly harassed by fighters.
Desperate to make some sort of gains, the Livonian army also attacked north of the Corridor, into the treacherous Carpathian Mountains. Ultimately, this attack was unsuccessful and only added to Livonian casualties.
By December 18th, casualties had soared, and mainly for the allies. Total allied losses were now just under 1.2 Million; the largest losses were in Aquitaine, which had been part of the heaviest fighting over the last few months, while Livonian casualties had raised quite a lot since attacking Bavaria. The country’s satellites were also taking big losses – Karenian soldiers filled the Bavarian front line, and a serious of attacks both by and against Danija had brought their own losses up to almost 50,000.
Fascists losses increased as well, but at a more steady pace. The majority of the fighting was still being done by the North German Union, but Genoa had taken serious casualties between the failed attack on Aquitaine and its subsequent counteroffensive.
Aside from their support in Bavaria, Karenian casualties were also coming from the front with Norvegija, where they pushed along the widest front line available to try and make some progress against the country. The attacks started out fairly successful, although by this point Norvegija was reinforced by several superior English divisions.
The air battle over Bavaria was still ongoing, but Fascist visibility over the region made bombing operations too risky – instead, the majority of LAF bombers were sent to the north against the Germans. However, the Livonian fighters over the region, including a few dozen of the brand new design, were doing serious damage against enemy fighters. Despite poor visibility, the LAF managed to down more planes than it lost.
(Statistics in above screenshot were recorded over a series of days - not the entire battle)
After being bolstered by the wave of recruits, the Livonian advance into the NGU was uncharacteristically fast for this war – in just under two weeks, Allied armies managed to advance all the way to the eastern edge of Holstein, trapping a few German and English divisions along the coast (where they would soon surrender, since the Baltic Sea was impossible for Fascist ships to traverse.)
The sudden rise in Livonian strength had surprised the Germans – they were still mostly focused on the offensive into Aquitaine, and it had cost them. By January, the northern half of the front line had advanced quite a decent way, although Fascist resistance increased as the Allies went deeper into enemy territory.
The winter of 1936 had been deadly – two massive fronts were filled with soldiers, fighting constantly as they pushed and defended various parts of their fronts. Progress was being made very slowly in the east, although at a great cost to Livonia and its satellites. In the west, Aquitaine was in trouble as their supplies and men dwindled while trying to defend the western front entirely by themselves, in addition to the new threat in Catalonia. The Allies hoped that Livonia’s sudden progress in the East would leave Aquitaine room to breathe, but the Fascists knew that knocking out Aquitaine would be a decisive victory.
The war remains very finely poised ... and I cannot but help think there are more people who could yet enter which could tip the balance.