I started a ’39 game as the UK. I moved most of the fleet out from Port almost as soon as hostilities began in an attempt to bottle up the German fleet.
A little too late, the German fleet were out, but that meant I caught most of it at sea and sent it to the bottom. Then I had an idea. Invade Germany, before Poland falls.
I sent three of the four transports in Alexandria to India to transfer three Indian Divisions to North Africa, and sent the Armoured Division in North Africa ‘back to blighty’. I took control of the military forces of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada, redirecting troops despatched to North Africa, and South African forces to East Africa all to keep an eye on the Italians.
Once the Armoured Division from North Africa was in the UK it was combined with 12 other divisions for an invasion of Northern Germany. That didn’t work as I didn’t really have the amphibious landing doctrines and technologies, so re-boarded the ships and thought up plan B. Denmark gave me military access and so the army landed at Aarhus and swept South into Kiel. Set up a convoy to supply, transports brought in more troops and while part of the army pressed East into Lubeck and Rostock, other divisions held the line of the Elbe against desperate counterattacks. Spitfires and hurricanes couldn’t achieve air superiority, but caused enough losses to the Luftwaffe to take the heart off the ground drive.
At that point as the advance closed on Berlin . . . Poland was annexed.
So, I started again.
Same thing happened at sea, brought over the armoured division, gained military access through Denmark. Took Kiel, Lubeck, Rostock, was driving toward Berlin with armour, motorized and infantry, but the Germans got there first with several Slovak divisions. Attack on city doomed to failure. Poland not yet beaten
Next time: Also take control of French, involve some French troops in the invasion. Move a fast column of armour and motorised into Berlin and follow up with infantry, don’t limit advance on Berlin to infantry speed.
This gamble might not end the war in game terms, but in historical terms, imagine if Anglo-French troops had occupied part of Northern Germany including Berlin before the fall of Poland. The end of Hitler’s political ambitions I suspect.
And if opportunist Italy should choose to turn on Germany and attempt to occupy Austria rather than join with Germany and attempt to take Egypt and Sudan ?
A little too late, the German fleet were out, but that meant I caught most of it at sea and sent it to the bottom. Then I had an idea. Invade Germany, before Poland falls.
I sent three of the four transports in Alexandria to India to transfer three Indian Divisions to North Africa, and sent the Armoured Division in North Africa ‘back to blighty’. I took control of the military forces of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada, redirecting troops despatched to North Africa, and South African forces to East Africa all to keep an eye on the Italians.
Once the Armoured Division from North Africa was in the UK it was combined with 12 other divisions for an invasion of Northern Germany. That didn’t work as I didn’t really have the amphibious landing doctrines and technologies, so re-boarded the ships and thought up plan B. Denmark gave me military access and so the army landed at Aarhus and swept South into Kiel. Set up a convoy to supply, transports brought in more troops and while part of the army pressed East into Lubeck and Rostock, other divisions held the line of the Elbe against desperate counterattacks. Spitfires and hurricanes couldn’t achieve air superiority, but caused enough losses to the Luftwaffe to take the heart off the ground drive.
At that point as the advance closed on Berlin . . . Poland was annexed.
So, I started again.
Same thing happened at sea, brought over the armoured division, gained military access through Denmark. Took Kiel, Lubeck, Rostock, was driving toward Berlin with armour, motorized and infantry, but the Germans got there first with several Slovak divisions. Attack on city doomed to failure. Poland not yet beaten
Next time: Also take control of French, involve some French troops in the invasion. Move a fast column of armour and motorised into Berlin and follow up with infantry, don’t limit advance on Berlin to infantry speed.
This gamble might not end the war in game terms, but in historical terms, imagine if Anglo-French troops had occupied part of Northern Germany including Berlin before the fall of Poland. The end of Hitler’s political ambitions I suspect.
And if opportunist Italy should choose to turn on Germany and attempt to occupy Austria rather than join with Germany and attempt to take Egypt and Sudan ?
