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I have only two divisions left in Vichy France, a panzer division with more than a week left to leave and a infantry division with an attached engineer brigade with about a month left to march out. Evidently the troops are pulling the vehicles with ropes, even though I have had transports air dropping them fuel. 
It is Oct 10th, 1939 and I have decided to wait no longer and am invading the UK.
As far as I can determine from air strikes, since there doesn't seem to be a recon air mission that I can find, I am up against the following; Army HQ in Plymouth, two HQ units one of which is a Corps HQ in Maidstone and a Corps HQ in Dover along with a Infantry division with 3 brigades. There are 8 wings of some type of fighters and two wings of bombers in Dover as well. I am invading with the following.
Taunton - 2 Infantry divisions (3 Inf, AT, Art and 3 Inf, AT)
Weymouth - Infantry division (3 Inf, AT, Art)
Bournemouth - 2 Infantry divisions (3 Inf, AT, Art and 3 Inf, Eng)
Portsmouth - 3 Airborne divisions (5 Para each)
Brighton - 2 Airborne divisions (5 Para each)
Dover - 3 Airborne divisions (5 Para each)
Southend - 2 Marine divisions and a reinforced HQ division (3 Mar and 3 Mar and HQ, 2 Mar, Art, Eng)
Ipswitch - 3 Marine divisions (3 Mar and 3 Mar and 3 Mar, Eng)
Only Dover seems to have coastal defenses. I could not assault Maidstone with the Ipswitch forces, so I guess it is not adjacent to the sea? I have 3 surface action groups to support the landings along with 3 U-Boat wolf packs (12) and am bringing all my fighters, bombers and stukas in France in support. I have 4 more Airborne divisions in reserve and after the landings will put them on London and Maidstone if they are not needed elsewhere. I have another 10 Inf divisions and the 2nd Panzer Korps (5 divisons) for a follow on wave. I plan on the panzers waiting on either Dover or Portsmouth to be captured to rebase to that port and roll them ashore.
As I understand the stacking penalties, in all the provinces with the exceptions of Portsmouth and Dover, my forces are less than the frontage. The airborne assaults on Portsmouth and Dover are over the frontage, but within the normal stacking as only one division is over the frontage. My lack of transports meant that I could not land more troops at once. I thought about pulling in the two outer provinces of Ipswitch and Taunton, but decided not to because Taunton cuts off everything near Plymouth once I take it and Ipswitch as I could not invade Maidstone.
What do you think of the plan? I did take note of suggestions here and moved the transports to the adjacent sea zones and will disembark the troops manually for the landings.
It is Oct 10th, 1939 and I have decided to wait no longer and am invading the UK.As far as I can determine from air strikes, since there doesn't seem to be a recon air mission that I can find, I am up against the following; Army HQ in Plymouth, two HQ units one of which is a Corps HQ in Maidstone and a Corps HQ in Dover along with a Infantry division with 3 brigades. There are 8 wings of some type of fighters and two wings of bombers in Dover as well. I am invading with the following.
Taunton - 2 Infantry divisions (3 Inf, AT, Art and 3 Inf, AT)
Weymouth - Infantry division (3 Inf, AT, Art)
Bournemouth - 2 Infantry divisions (3 Inf, AT, Art and 3 Inf, Eng)
Portsmouth - 3 Airborne divisions (5 Para each)
Brighton - 2 Airborne divisions (5 Para each)
Dover - 3 Airborne divisions (5 Para each)
Southend - 2 Marine divisions and a reinforced HQ division (3 Mar and 3 Mar and HQ, 2 Mar, Art, Eng)
Ipswitch - 3 Marine divisions (3 Mar and 3 Mar and 3 Mar, Eng)
Only Dover seems to have coastal defenses. I could not assault Maidstone with the Ipswitch forces, so I guess it is not adjacent to the sea? I have 3 surface action groups to support the landings along with 3 U-Boat wolf packs (12) and am bringing all my fighters, bombers and stukas in France in support. I have 4 more Airborne divisions in reserve and after the landings will put them on London and Maidstone if they are not needed elsewhere. I have another 10 Inf divisions and the 2nd Panzer Korps (5 divisons) for a follow on wave. I plan on the panzers waiting on either Dover or Portsmouth to be captured to rebase to that port and roll them ashore.
As I understand the stacking penalties, in all the provinces with the exceptions of Portsmouth and Dover, my forces are less than the frontage. The airborne assaults on Portsmouth and Dover are over the frontage, but within the normal stacking as only one division is over the frontage. My lack of transports meant that I could not land more troops at once. I thought about pulling in the two outer provinces of Ipswitch and Taunton, but decided not to because Taunton cuts off everything near Plymouth once I take it and Ipswitch as I could not invade Maidstone.
What do you think of the plan? I did take note of suggestions here and moved the transports to the adjacent sea zones and will disembark the troops manually for the landings.
You have the frontage figured correctly... on a typical 10-frontage attack you can use three five-width units, correct.
That adds up to something around 18 divisions plus a reinforced HQ, which is about 50% more than I used to take the UK while playing Hungary. That should be more than sufficient, particularly if you can cut across the island and break it into pockets, which you can then deal with individually.
TY Blue Emu
Well, I wasn't sure what else was in England and Scotland, so I moved over the 3rd Panzer Korps when Dover hung on for 4 days delaying the arrival of the 2nd Panzer Korps. By midnight the first day, I had all the provinces but Dover. I had also dropped a 5 brigade airborne division on the two corps HQ in Maidstone and three 5 brigade airborne divisions on London. The marines in Southend also attacked London, leaving the marine HQ to guard the rear. I took the two marine divisions (3 Bde ea) in a pincer around Norwich to capture the airbase there. The two infantry divisions in Taunton attacked toward Plymouth. While I had Portsmouth, I couldn't bring in the 2nd Panzer Korps as there were furious air and sea battles in the Eastern and Western Channel and in the Channel Approach. From Brest, KMS Bismark, KMS Prince Eugen, KMS Lutzow, 5 DD and 4 U-Boats ran into 4 carriers, an escort carrier, CL and DD's out of the Atlantic. With fighter support overhead vs the CAG, the big guns sank 2 CVs, the escort carrier, a CL and all but one of the DDs. From Dunkerque, KMS Sharnhorst, KMS Gneisenau, 2 CA, 7 DDs finished off the carriers. Sharnhorst and company, along with KMS Tirpitz and 2 SHBB and DDs also sank some cruisers and a single CV out of Portsmouth and drove off 3 BBs with escorts out of Dover. So four days into Sealion, I have London and an infantry line stretching west, the port of Plymouth, a major counter-counter attack in Cambridge and some armor on its way to Birmingham. Since I'm also at war with Ireland, I plan on taking out the rest of the UK, move to N. Ireland and then run down the Emerald Isle.
Since the Eastern Front has been quiet so far and the 1st Mountain Korps doesn't have anything to do in the French Alps, I have moved them the Yugoslav border. Italy has started mobilizing and moved troops into Slovakia to the Hungarian border and in reinforcing in Yugoslavia. Since I can't declare war on Vichy France to get my Med port, I was thinking of getting it from Yugoslavia. I have moved the 1st Panzer Korps down into Balkian Italy along with five infantry divisons. I will have the 1st Mountain attack into the mountains at the north end of Yugoslavia and the infantry and panzers are attacking out of Italy towards the plains. Will the troops in Italy have to wait until Italy declares war to be able to attack? If so, then those troops will have to wait for Italy to move as I don't want to do a Call to Arms until Gen Rommel can get the 3rd Panzer Korps back for his 10. Panzer Armee to form the nucleus of the Afrika Korps that Italy is going to need. I was thinking of creating a new Theater for all of Africa and the Middle East called the Afrika Korps; that way they can focus on oil and rare materials in Africa, while the Eastern Front Theater focuses on Russia.
Well, I wasn't sure what else was in England and Scotland, so I moved over the 3rd Panzer Korps when Dover hung on for 4 days delaying the arrival of the 2nd Panzer Korps. By midnight the first day, I had all the provinces but Dover. I had also dropped a 5 brigade airborne division on the two corps HQ in Maidstone and three 5 brigade airborne divisions on London. The marines in Southend also attacked London, leaving the marine HQ to guard the rear. I took the two marine divisions (3 Bde ea) in a pincer around Norwich to capture the airbase there. The two infantry divisions in Taunton attacked toward Plymouth. While I had Portsmouth, I couldn't bring in the 2nd Panzer Korps as there were furious air and sea battles in the Eastern and Western Channel and in the Channel Approach. From Brest, KMS Bismark, KMS Prince Eugen, KMS Lutzow, 5 DD and 4 U-Boats ran into 4 carriers, an escort carrier, CL and DD's out of the Atlantic. With fighter support overhead vs the CAG, the big guns sank 2 CVs, the escort carrier, a CL and all but one of the DDs. From Dunkerque, KMS Sharnhorst, KMS Gneisenau, 2 CA, 7 DDs finished off the carriers. Sharnhorst and company, along with KMS Tirpitz and 2 SHBB and DDs also sank some cruisers and a single CV out of Portsmouth and drove off 3 BBs with escorts out of Dover. So four days into Sealion, I have London and an infantry line stretching west, the port of Plymouth, a major counter-counter attack in Cambridge and some armor on its way to Birmingham. Since I'm also at war with Ireland, I plan on taking out the rest of the UK, move to N. Ireland and then run down the Emerald Isle.
Since the Eastern Front has been quiet so far and the 1st Mountain Korps doesn't have anything to do in the French Alps, I have moved them the Yugoslav border. Italy has started mobilizing and moved troops into Slovakia to the Hungarian border and in reinforcing in Yugoslavia. Since I can't declare war on Vichy France to get my Med port, I was thinking of getting it from Yugoslavia. I have moved the 1st Panzer Korps down into Balkian Italy along with five infantry divisons. I will have the 1st Mountain attack into the mountains at the north end of Yugoslavia and the infantry and panzers are attacking out of Italy towards the plains. Will the troops in Italy have to wait until Italy declares war to be able to attack? If so, then those troops will have to wait for Italy to move as I don't want to do a Call to Arms until Gen Rommel can get the 3rd Panzer Korps back for his 10. Panzer Armee to form the nucleus of the Afrika Korps that Italy is going to need. I was thinking of creating a new Theater for all of Africa and the Middle East called the Afrika Korps; that way they can focus on oil and rare materials in Africa, while the Eastern Front Theater focuses on Russia.
Most likely, Italy is moving those troops prior to attacking Greece. You should be free to attack YUG at that point. Run an armored force down along the Hungarian border, and then turn in to take Zagreb, and advance SW from there to the coast. That avoids the slowdown with the mountains, and at least gives you some shore provinces on the Med in case you can't reach the existing ports.
Keep heading S or SE until you get past the Italian enclave, and either take Split (an Italian core; you might want to let Italy take it - if you call them to arms - because they'll get 100% output from it) or go all the way to the other port. By that point, the Yugoslavians shouldn't be able to stop you (your run along the HUN border should cut off about 1/3 of their army along the former Austrian border), and a couple of divisions should be sufficient to keep the supply line clear. If not, you've got those coastal provinces to build a port, and if you start pre-building one immediately, you can drop it in place as soon as it's completed, then expand it from there. Note that you can pre-build and place a L1 port (build it from the tab below your Naval production button), but can only increase it further via the province window.
Keep heading S or SE until you get past the Italian enclave, and either take Split (an Italian core; you might want to let Italy take it - if you call them to arms - because they'll get 100% output from it) or go all the way to the other port. By that point, the Yugoslavians shouldn't be able to stop you (your run along the HUN border should cut off about 1/3 of their army along the former Austrian border), and a couple of divisions should be sufficient to keep the supply line clear. If not, you've got those coastal provinces to build a port, and if you start pre-building one immediately, you can drop it in place as soon as it's completed, then expand it from there. Note that you can pre-build and place a L1 port (build it from the tab below your Naval production button), but can only increase it further via the province window.
To get around the mountains in Yugoslavia, I should attack Hungary as well as Yugoslavia and move the main attack along their borders?
So pre-building a port to drop on a coastal province is like Operation Mulberry from D-Day? And then you can improve it to a real port?
Well I'll be horn-swaggled!
I thought on a 10 frontage attack you were restricted to 2 five-width units or 3 four-width unites and so on.
In other words, I thought the restriction was frontage = 10, not frontage > 10.
Sometimes I really fail at reading for comprehension.
I'm glad you're back to educate me.
Glad to help.
The rule of thumb is that you can always add another Division unless you already EXCEED (not just equal) the frontage.
The rule of thumb is that you can always add another Division unless you already EXCEED (not just equal) the frontage.
I wouldn't attack Hungary just to broaden your front against Yugoslavia... only attack them if it's part of your operational plan. They are usually a willing ally.
A pre-built Port can be dropped on any non-port province as a Mulberry, correct... but improving it to a large port cannot be done with pre-builds, only with in-province expansion.
No need to go into Hungary, but there is a row of plains on the YUG side of their border which you can use to make a rapid advance. I think one of them is a HUN core, which could slow HUN's entry into the Axis if you annex YUG before HUN joins, otherwise it's not an issue. You can use a couple of divisions to engage the YUG units in the mountains and hills, but the main thrust should bypass them, then turn toward the coast to cut them off. I like the port named name "Split", because that's exactly what I do to the country at that point or just above it.
"Mullberry". That's a good description of the port. Pre-build it, drop it, and you have a Level 1 port available in a matter of days, as soon as it "repairs" from its initial "0" status. Of course, turning it into a more serious port will take time, but at least you can deploy a couple of ships (TPs and Subs, for example) and begin naval ops on a limited scale.
Ok, then Mulberries work like I thought. Thank you.
I know I can declare limited war against someone and the rest of the axis will not join in. I can issue a Call to Arms and the rest of the axis is supposed to join the war against everyone. Is there a way for me to tell Italy, hey lets attack Yugoslavia without getting Italy to attack the UK?
I was planning on those plains, but forgot, until the 1st Panzer Korps was in place, that Italy is not at war with Yugoslavia right now, so I can not attack those plains directly from Italy until Italy declares war on Yugoslavia, correct? Once I occupy a province in Yugoslavia, I can then move troops from Italy into that province if Italy has not declared war yet, correct? I don't want to open a second front if I don't have to, but having the troops to get my part of Yugoslavia with a port if Italy declares is perfect. I'm most of the way through England, with a single partisan brigade coming out of Scotland so far. I am re-concentrating the airborne and marines for getting Dublin, once I have conquered enough of England and Scotland, so that I can transport troops into a port instead of wading/driving ashore. When I'm down to mopping up in the UK, then I will invade Yugoslavia.
Gibraltar seems to be a single province, so a combined airborne marine landing of three 5 brigade divisions each seems to be the way to land the maximum amount of troops. I was slow on building CAGs, but Graf Zeppelin should have 2 CAGs shortly with another carrier with 2 CAGs on the way. I don't think anything but bombers can reach Gibraltar from occupied France, right? I would like to fire the diplomat who agreed to Vichy France, I sure didn't get the chance to decline, because I had the port of Marseilles and that would have made taking Gilbraltar much easier I think.
I was referring to the row of plains provinces that run from the corner of Austria/Yugoslavia/Hungary down along the Hungarian/Yugoslavian border, not the plains along the lower Yugoslavian/Italian border (two of those are "backup" objectives, however, in case you don't capture an established port). You can't attack from the Italian provinces unless Italy is in the war, and if you do so, Italy would get the provinces because the attacking units would be supplied from Italian territory. You are correct that if you do seize a province in Yugoslavia, those units in Italian territory could then advance into the captured province and continue from there.
You can call an individual ally to arms, but not for only one war. It's "all or nothing". I'd consider taking what I want/need from YUG, and then calling an ally to arms, so you don't have to deal with the Revolt Risk. Italy and Hungary both have claims on parts of the country, so either (or both) could be called into action and benefit from it. Italy would then be forced to fight the British and French fleets in the Med, which is probably not what you want in this particular case.
Note that calling Italy into the war IMMEDIATELY can work, as the UK doesn't have time to mobilize or reinforce its troops in North Africa. While the Italian fleet tends to take a pounding, the unprepared UK gets driven back in North Africa, and I've occasionally seen Italy take Alexandria and the Suez that way. Once France and the UK are mobilized, bringing in an unprepared Italy while the French fleet still exists is a bad idea.
You can call an individual ally to arms, but not for only one war. It's "all or nothing". I'd consider taking what I want/need from YUG, and then calling an ally to arms, so you don't have to deal with the Revolt Risk. Italy and Hungary both have claims on parts of the country, so either (or both) could be called into action and benefit from it. Italy would then be forced to fight the British and French fleets in the Med, which is probably not what you want in this particular case.
Note that calling Italy into the war IMMEDIATELY can work, as the UK doesn't have time to mobilize or reinforce its troops in North Africa. While the Italian fleet tends to take a pounding, the unprepared UK gets driven back in North Africa, and I've occasionally seen Italy take Alexandria and the Suez that way. Once France and the UK are mobilized, bringing in an unprepared Italy while the French fleet still exists is a bad idea.
Thank you, I found the provinces you were talking about and there is only one hill province before the plains. So the leg infantry will attack the hills and the 1st Mountain will attack the mountain provinces to fix those forces in place. The panzers will follow through the hills to break into the plains. I didn't know that if Italy is supplying the troops, then Italy gets the province if I attack from Italy, so I won't call them into war yet. I'll probably let them declare on their own as they have started mobilizing. I'm invading Ireland now with 1st Marine and elements of 1st Airborne. I only have 3 in game weeks until the last infantry division (3 Inf, Art, Eng) walks out of Vichy France. I guess they've been hitting every winery and brothel along the way. If that allows me to declare war on them, then I can get the med port I want from Marseilles. Since Vichy France also controls Casablanca in N. Africa and it is a short hop from that airport to Gibraltar, then that will be the 1st Marines next target after Ireland and that little island above Scapa Flow. For some reason, the UK has an infantry division and like 5 HQ units on that little island. It has to go, before the invasion of Vichy France.
Why does Germany own southern Greenland and Iceland? I had convoys going there, right between Ireland and the UK which is why they kept being sunk. Is there a way to change a convoy route as I couldn't figure it out. There were no troops there and now they just consist of supply dumps. I think I should base a few infantry divisions there to protect the sub bases for prosecuting a war vs Canada since they joined the Allies. It will also help if the US still decides to do lend lease aid to Russia as Iceland would be right across the US to Russia Atlantic supply lines. I will have to trust Japan to take out any Pacific supply lines.
If that allows me to declare war on them, then I can get the med port I want from Marseilles. Since Vichy France also controls Casablanca in N. Africa and it is a short hop from that airport to Gibraltar, then that will be the 1st Marines next target after Ireland and that little island above Scapa Flow. For some reason, the UK has an infantry division and like 5 HQ units on that little island. It has to go, before the invasion of Vichy France. Why does Germany own southern Greenland and Iceland? I had convoys going there, right between Ireland and the UK which is why they kept being sunk. Is there a way to change a convoy route as I couldn't figure it out. There were no troops there and now they just consist of supply dumps. I think I should base a few infantry divisions there to protect the sub bases for prosecuting a war vs Canada since they joined the Allies. It will also help if the US still decides to do lend lease aid to Russia as Iceland would be right across the US to Russia Atlantic supply lines. I will have to trust Japan to take out any Pacific supply lines.
I just caught this. As a gamer dad with a gamer son, I find this awesome.
Ah, now that makes sense, thank you. Is there a way to change the convoy route as when it started it was Brest to Greenland which ran right between Ireland and England so convoys were being sunk continuously please? How do I find where a convoy was sunk please? Is there a log of events and where do I find that please?
I played Axis and Allies a lot and got the computer version as well. It is easier to play than laying out the pieces.
Jacob won't play Axis and Allies, but since he said I find it easy, try Hearts of Iron III as it is Axis and Allies on steroids. When I was in the Army, many eons ago, I liked playing table top war games, but then the guy that owned them was transferred, so I haven't really played since. We have a small home, so leaving a war game up for a few days is contraindicated for a happy wife, so finding this computer version is awesome. I did instant research and instant production at the start of this game, so I could play around with the tech tree and unit build without having to wait all that time. It was instructive, but I know in this game I have it much easier as Germany than normal. This lets me make all kinds of mistakes and learn from them without getting discouraged. And since I found that those two cheats are universal, all the other countries benefited too. Which is probably why I have ran into 5 CVs and 1 CVL for the UK so far. Does the UK have that many in 1938 in a regular game?
Your story sounds remarkably familiar. My wife and I were still children when we were married, I blame the looser morals of the middle 1900's South. I had an entire bedroom devoted to table top games from SPI in the 70's.
I've never had to contend with that number of carriers when invading Norway, so no.
I've never had to contend with that number of carriers when invading Norway, so no.
Your story sounds remarkably familiar. My wife and I were still children when we were married, I blame the looser morals of the middle 1900's South. I had an entire bedroom devoted to table top games from SPI in the 70's.
I've never had to contend with that number of carriers when invading Norway, so no.
I remember those days when it was just me and I could lay out what I wanted.
On the CVs, I thought that might be the case. Oh well, this game was for learning how things work anyways.
I just found that little, mostly red in my case, HQ icon on the unit cards. Since most of them are red, I'm out of contact of HQ for most of my units. Sigh, another sweeping OOB reorg coming up.