-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
That's a spot of dashed bad luck just when the clouds seemed to be clearing. Well, more than a spot.
I'd suggest priority one is holding the Gort Line, all other tasks are secondary. If France falls we're for it, no question.
After that, I'd suggest that retreat from Italy is strategically inadvisable, for military, economic, and political reasons.
Sweden on the other hand may have to be abandoned, along with Norway. If the bosche wants to throw everything he's got at us (which he may do), and the Swedes don't want to cooperate, then we may find ourselves in over our heads. If we can't retake Malmo soon then we may be left without a viable defensive line in the South, the only options being to try and hold the Swedish ore fields and Narvik out of spite, or retreat from Scandinavia all together.
Either way, the September is a month of misery.
I'd suggest priority one is holding the Gort Line, all other tasks are secondary. If France falls we're for it, no question.
After that, I'd suggest that retreat from Italy is strategically inadvisable, for military, economic, and political reasons.
Sweden on the other hand may have to be abandoned, along with Norway. If the bosche wants to throw everything he's got at us (which he may do), and the Swedes don't want to cooperate, then we may find ourselves in over our heads. If we can't retake Malmo soon then we may be left without a viable defensive line in the South, the only options being to try and hold the Swedish ore fields and Narvik out of spite, or retreat from Scandinavia all together.
Either way, the September is a month of misery.
@MacGowan Ah, crap you are about to be screwed in the North, Italy seems to be collapsing on its own again (no real surprise there), France might be doomed if the you don't do anything and in the Middle East you are genuinely fucked if the Soviets invade Turkey. But, at least it isn't any worse for you, I think you need to change this AAR to Londons Daekest Hour as it seems as if when you do one successful thing the Germans go ahead and do a few more attempts, and yikes I would hate if the Kreigsmarine was a rival to your fleet and used submarines since the U-boot almost starved the home islands in WW1 and could very well be used against you in WW2, the Red Navy is unimportant and all of your fleet efforts need to be transferred over to the pacific where Japan seems to be eyeing up your possessions for material resources and they actually have a naval force unlike the Germans and the Russians, and the Japanese currently most likely have more ships than you do in the region and if they attack you may very well surrender the Pacific to the Japanese.
About France the Germans may well break the maginot line and force you on a fighting retreat to the Channel and there may not be an evacuation at Dunkirk after all in TTL.
About France the Germans may well break the maginot line and force you on a fighting retreat to the Channel and there may not be an evacuation at Dunkirk after all in TTL.
MID WEEK Q&A
I think we initiated it right on time. The French are relentless as always, and they've made the retreat easy for us. I reckon they'll fall back behind the Ironside line in 2, 3 weeks.
I'm a lot more optimistic now that Channel Force linked up with the Mediterranean fleet. With our naval bombers in the area, we're finally seeing a change for the better.
The entire Italian army was dismantled for fear of fascist loyalists splintering off and creating a guerrilla force. -which is what happened to the Italian navy. Because of our firm handling of the Italian army, it is non-existent as of now. BUT, the Allied Italian government is hard at work creating divisions that we deem fit and trustworthy to be placed at the front. Hopefully we'll have 2 Italian divisions by 1941.
Not to mention our own nation.
To be honest I feel the AAWWII timeline has been rather good to the French. They will be known as the fighting tigers who broke Italy within a month, and If France is to fall, they'll have given the Huns a good run for their money.
Thank you! I'm glad so many of you guys read and post regularly, and that we're getting closer to 1941. I would love to make it to 1945/6. And to wrap up the story in a nice bow. Thinking about opening up a .com site with other writings, and maybe using this as world building for a novel. blablabla.
Sometimes I go 'Man, we got this, this is way too easy.' Then in other sessions my heart rate's through the roof and I'm barely blinking. 'Wait, we're at war with the Russians!?'
That is very possible for France.
Looks like the Germans aren't going to go quietly into that good night.
Yes, the Gort line takes priority number 1. Sedan will have to be reinforced. we've always counter-attacked into Mons, and Arlon to soften up the brunt of the spear. We should have enough Anti-Air to cover the line, in fact the Luftwaffe has stopped bombing our frontline because we're so well defended on the ground. I might be looking into bombing runs myself on the attacking forces.
Yes, Operation Ascension should give us a renewed fighting chance. The French are fighting well. And it's rather important that we can be seen, both by the global audience, but also our citizens, as an alliance that has the ability and will to knock down the enemy, and liberate its people.
Ah, Operation Carpathia. No para, no marines. We would need to land 10+ and we don't have near that number.
I'm wondering how many divisions Germany can spare for Scandinavia. 5? Malmø could be closed down if we're lucky, but most likely not. Swedish cooperation is also necessary. I'm thinking about sending a division from Bruges to Norway to battle the problem there.
If Sedan falls we could still be able to salvage the situation. The French are moving in, and could be able to slow them down while we recoup. But Germany's will must be broken this year!
Not to mention it would look horrible for the Allies to loose Italy. But, yes, the French Alps are a good retreat point.
Our first major victory against the Nazis was wiping fascist Italy off the face of the earth. I think we could divert a small force we to Norway, and we could perhaps slow down the Germans that way. Not Amphibious assaults will be attempted on Denmark this year.
I have high hopes for the tactical retreat of Italy. France scares the crap out of me though. We have all our 'money' riding on her survival. I don't believe the Soviets would bother opening up a massive front with their army still licking their wounds over the Winter war. BUT, if they were to invade Turkey, now would indeed be the time to do it.
Yes, god knows why Germany abandoned the U-boat tactic. Especially seeing how well the Soviets picked it up..
I'm working on it. Hopefully soon we'll have a good, strong escort fleet to which we can keep the supply line losses to a minimum with. And yes, Japan is a very real, and very imminent threat which we would have to deal with sooner than later. I'm hoping by 1941 that we can re mobilise a strong Pacific fleet to patrol those oceans (along with a stronger army presence in Burma, as well as Oceania)
The Maginot line seem to be standing rather strong. No attack has been attempted, and the French always keep a few reserves around.
Operation Dynamo was beefed up a year ago, and we now sport 2 auxiliary fleets in Dover and Dunkirk with the transport capabilities of a total 30 divisions per trip. Our retreat capabilities might be the only thing I'm confident in at this point
That and the Canadians.
Last edited:
The problem I see in Scandinavia is that if Malmo can't be held, the German is given a wide front on which to expand his attack. If the Hun reaches Gothenburg then we would have a front of 5 provinces to hold, a hard task even if the Swedes were up to scratch. From there on the situation only gets worse, we cannot afford to defend the length of the Swedish-Norwegian border. I'm not sure transferring a single division will achieve much on its own, though it may be worthwhile with other measures. Really I think the situation rests on getting the Swedes to play cricket and then massing strength to at least limit the German beachhead to Malmo.
What is the Swedish Navy like? Do they have transport capability? We could get the Germans surrounded if they ALL moved out of Malmö. Malmö has a beach on the Baltic. If we can get 1 or 2 divs there, we get the Germans surrounded and the possible second could take Copenhagen, and shut off the Baltic.
Such a plan came to mind, but all depends on the state of the Swedish navy, as you say. They would be required to singlehandedly risk attack by both Russian and German fleets whilst the operation was carried out. Though in such a situation, we might even extend the attack to Copenhagen should it be left unoccupied.
Imagine the coup Churchill could present to parliament by telling them that we had not only stopped the German attack on Sweden and captured a German division, but also begun to liberate Danish territory and opened the Baltic to our shipping!
The state of the German Baltics and Northseafleat is really bad. Those navies were devestated by the battles with the Royal Navy. The Soviet Baltic navy isn't too strong, but could pose a serious danger for such an operation
For new readers:
- Norway still stands
- France still stands
- Soviet union is at war with the Allies
- Italy has surrendered
- Norway still stands
- France still stands
- Soviet union is at war with the Allies
- Italy has surrendered
11 - 18 September '40 - The battle of Sedan
"The battle will be remembered in reverence. Perhaps not in the same vein as Trafalgar. I suspect it will be uttered in the same breath as Verdun, Somme, and other French names we know of all too well."
- General Gort, September, 1940 -
(London)
I remember in the darkest hours of the Great War, how close we truly came to surrender. We don't speak about it. Some things are better left hidden away in the dark. But Russia tore herself apart, Germany too. The only reason the working class did not come for our heads was because we won the war before they ever could.
Yesterday the invasion through the Ardennes was successfully stopped. Yet again the Gort line held and yet again we payed for it in the lives of brave, young men who could have been something grand in life. Now they're just dead. The world has no patience left for the meat grinder, and we have fought our last great battle on the western front.
Yesterday the invasion through the Ardennes was successfully stopped. Yet again the Gort line held and yet again we payed for it in the lives of brave, young men who could have been something grand in life. Now they're just dead. The world has no patience left for the meat grinder, and we have fought our last great battle on the western front.
THE BATTLE OF SEDAN:
for the last 14 days the German army has been throwing everything at Sedan and the nearby areas. SIS labeled it Operation Schach. The grand German offensive on 3 fronts to thin out the Allied defence. An act no doubt caused by sheer desperation in order to secure a real tactical win. Our boys took one hell of a beating, chap. And for a good moment it seemed like the line would indeed break. Reinforcements from Longwy and Arlon this week was one of the deciding factors that secured us the win.
GENERAL MONTGOMERY COUNTER-ATTACKS MONS:
"You were here when it mattered, chaps! Britain owes you a home and a bed, France her daughters!"
- General Montgomery, September, 1940 -
As Alan brooke and Alexander had done before him, Montgomery launched a desperate assault on Mons in order to cut off the German reinforcements. His boys were tired and worn down, but the assault caused enough damage that the Germans eventually had to call off the Battle of Sedan. The losses are horrific. I believe we are looking at 200 000 men on both sides. That's 100 000 allied men, we reckon the casualties account for around 50 000 of that. bloody hell! This is totally unacceptable, and a continued defence is unbearable. Not to mention that if the Germans manage to attack again within the next 2 weeks we simply won't have the ability to give them a proper fight.
VICTORIA CROSS WILL BE AWARDED TO RICHARD ANNAND:
One of the chaps who will be awarded the Victorian cross for bravery shown in this horrific battle is this young chap.
on the 9th–10th September 1940, when the platoon under his command was on the West side of the Meuse river, astride a blown bridge. During the night a strong attack was beaten off, but about 11 a.m. the enemy again launched a violent attack and pushed forward a bridging party into the sunken bottom of the river. Second Lieutenant Annand attacked this party, but when ammunition ran out he went forward himself over open ground, with total disregard for enemy mortar and machine-gun fire. Reaching the top of the bridge, he drove out the party below, inflicting over twenty casualties with hand grenades. Having been wounded he rejoined his platoon, had his wound dressed, and then carried on in command.
Richard Annand's platoon sergeant said later 'Mr Annand came to me at platoon headquarters and asked for a box of grenades as they could hear Jerry trying to repair the bridge. Off he went and he sure must have given them a lovely time because it wasn't a great while before he was back for more.'
During the evening another attack was launched and again Second Lieutenant Annand went forward with hand grenades and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. When the order to withdraw was received, he withdrew his platoon, but learning on the way back that his batman was wounded and had been left behind, he returned at once to the former position and brought him back in a wheelbarrow, before losing consciousness as the result of wounds.
Talk about a proper British gentleman. And we need heroes, for Britain might be weaker than she looks...
BRITISH STRIKE AND RIOT:
"My daddy was a miner
And I'm a miner's son
And I'll stick with the union
Till every battle's won
Which side are you on, boys?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on, boys?
Which side are you on?"
THE DEFENSIVE LINES OF ITALY:
Eventually they will have to fall back, and then we'll have their backs. It's the Western front all over again. regardless, this week was a fairly calm one for the British and the Commonwealth, with few loses, and a successful retreat.
CANADIAN MOTORISED INFANTRY SENT TO NORWAY:
THE SWEDISH SITUATION:
Aw, this one is a proper nightmare for the Swedes. They've tried to be on good terms with the Germans for the last 40 years, and the Russian problem is one that they would rather stay far away from. Now that Germany has invaded them, what are they to do? Could they surrender, join a rotten alliance with the Axis? would that save them from the Russian iron fist? What about the British now entering their land? Would an alliance with Germany force the British to wage a terrible war on them before being expelled into the North sea? The Swedish King was rather clear; He wished for a peaceful solution with Hitler, even if the mad bastard invaded him. His government however has taken a strong dislike to invaders, so the King has stepped down, and now they are more inclined to side with the British forces. BUT, the big problem is the Russians. The Swedes do not want to risk a war with the Communists. Hence, they've been delaying any formal declaration of war, or joining of alliances, and they are biding their time while the government scrambles to figure out just what the hell to do. It's a shame that we've already put our planes into motion...
A COUNTER-ATTACK INTO SWEDEN:
With the 1st Canadian inf. div. showing up in Fredrikstad. And Oslo, and Kristiansand command retreating back from Gothenburg, the table has been set for our daring counter-attack. Operation Mustache will see General Auchinleck move into Linköping and then down to Malmö where the enemy has yet to reinforce. All this while General Carton de Wiart will wait for the order to launch an attack into Gothenburg in order to retake the city. The fact that Malmö is not reinforced is baffling to Auchinleck, Gort, Ironside, and Churchill. Perhaps the Germans believed it would be a walk in the park. Perhaps they are trying to throw up a smoke screen as part of Operation Schach. Regardless, we have a real chance of cutting the German division off. Auchingleck, who is now in charge of the whole Norwegian campaign will move in and block Malmø off, successfully destroying the German invasion of Sweden.
AIR BATTLES OVER THE BALTIC SEA:
THE IRON FALCON, GERMANY'S ELITE ACE:
THE RED WOLVES:
The Red Wolves are still busy sinking our merchant ships off the coast of Plymouth. With our new escorts however, we have managed to minimise the damage as much as possible. 3 ships were sunk this week, but several attacks were repelled. It's not perfect at all, old boy, but we are doing everything we can do to rectify this unfortunate position. To finally secure our supply lines, and give the Russians something to think about.
Next week, and all through September will be the pinnacle of this terrible war. France will pull back behind the Ironside line. Germany might attack Sedan again, and if they do, we will not be able to hold. General Auchinleck will be en route for Malmö in order to shut down the Swedish campaign, and again secure Scandinavia for the Allied cause.
Next week anything can happen.
But England endures.
Next week, and all through September will be the pinnacle of this terrible war. France will pull back behind the Ironside line. Germany might attack Sedan again, and if they do, we will not be able to hold. General Auchinleck will be en route for Malmö in order to shut down the Swedish campaign, and again secure Scandinavia for the Allied cause.
Next week anything can happen.
But England endures.
Last edited:
- 3
- 1
Well.... it seems we can save scandinavia, and possibly take Copenhagen. Victory in the North will calm down things quite a lot. As for those miners, and others who have been working overtime, give 'em some time off during the winter.
.png){kind=avatar}
- 2
- 1
Good news about Sedan, hopefully the Malmo operation comes off okay. Interesting that German strength in Italy is so low compared to ours. With 8 divisions against 27, surely we must be able to do better? Perhaps the very mountains we sought to exploit confounded our attacks? Might we benefit from a vigorous counterattack (if only for limited attritional aims) once the enemy is lured onto the Po floodplain?
Looks as though we may be in luck on the whole.
Looks as though we may be in luck on the whole.
In this world, is there also any chance for Operation Tannenbaum? Or Rupprecht's Plan?
People tend to forget how there was tiny little distance from war against Swiss Confederacy in 1940. Whole nation was fully prepared for glorious last stand.
People tend to forget how there was tiny little distance from war against Swiss Confederacy in 1940. Whole nation was fully prepared for glorious last stand.
A German invasion of Switzerland would be mad. The terrain is very hard to fight in and Switzerland is armed to the teeth. Operation Tannenbaum was only considered once france was beaten
It is the song of only helping the Fascists, who will be far worse to the workers than any Capitalist government! Now is not the time for rivalries! The future of democracy itself is at stake, and both Socialists and Capitalists want that!
Bah, without Communism, democracy is impossible. This government may flaunt the clothes of democracy, but under that lies it's true colours, those of fascism!
- 1
Better fascism forced to masquerade as democracy than fascism that is unafraid to show itself truly. The revolution must wait until the Reich lies broken and defeated.
I am forced to reluctantly agree; for now we must form the popular front against fascism. But that ends the moment British troops turn on the people of Britain and France!