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Lighthearter

The Ship's Magician
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May 15, 2009
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. . . And Death Shall Have His Day.


May, 1940

Thump. Thump. Thump. His soft footfalls seamed deafening in the practical silence that filled the air. However, John Dawson could faintly hear the crackling flames behind him. He turned his head, knowing what he would see but unable to prevent himself. He didn't let out a sob at the sight of the massive pillar of black smoke behind him. He was already past that stage.

Why did this happen? he asked himself. Better yet, how could it happen? The Germans hadn't played this hard in the Great War, twenty years prior. Why now?

"Bastards." he spat. "God damn them to Hell. All of them, for eternity."
He didn't sound angry, not even mildly perturbed. All the anger had boiled out, to be replaced with white-hot rage, so hot in fact that he no longer felt it eating at him. But it was there. For now horror and sorrow had taken precedence - disbelief had been banished before now. After all, Lucy was almost assuredly dead. How could he not believe anything if he had accepted that?

"I hear you." one of the other soldiers said. "This wasn't supposed to be how it went. First Poland - at least the Commies didn't take a slice of the damn place like we were afraid they would - then Denmark and Norway - now this. I bet you anything that those bastards across the Channel that we so mistakenly call our 'allies' are next. Anything at all."

"I agree." John spoke without hesitation. "They sit nice and safe and watch us collapse under the weight of the Nazi behemoth - I hope they get what's coming to them, and soon. Why, the Australians and Canadians helped us more then they did."

"True - very true, in fact." the other soldier said. "But now that prick in the United States - Roosevelt - can't just twiddle his thumbs and ignore Europe, can he? No. He has to take a stance, one way or another, and soon. But God save us if he sides with the Huns."

"Why would he? We've been his allies in the past. We have a common history."

"Who knows why Americans do anything? They're all arrogant bastards."

John couldn't disagree. He looked behind him once more at the burning, shattered remains of his beloved home city, then began to weep.

__

"Mein Fuhrer," the soldier said. "There it is."

Adolph Hitler turned, looking across the river to the massive tower that dominated the skyline of the city.

"At last. All through the Great War I dreamed of this moment. My victory is assured!"

The Fuhrer of Germany watched as the Iron Cross flew from Big Ben.

bigbengermany.png
 
Hello all! This is Cry Woe, Destruction, Ruin and Decay, The Worst is Death . . . , a mini-AAR of Blitzkrieg. It exists for the sole purpose of me getting ready to return to my currently halted AARs.

Oh, and as you might have already guessed, this isn't your average Fall Gelb.

Without further ado, comment! Enjoy my tale!:D

- Lighthearter
 
Man you make AARs like some people make cookies. By the dozen. :D

Though I gotta say... The United Kingdom and France are the two most powerful nations in the world in this time frame. The US isn't the global superpower or the global cop yet. Nor does it have any obligations towards the Allies at this time. So honestly I'm confused why two average guys would be whining that an unallied state known to have a tiny army and be generally isolationist didn't drop everything to come running.

No offense it just shows up alot and it bugs me.
 
I agree. I went back and forth a lot on that, but eventually settled with saying it because America did save France and Britain in the First World War and I was running out of ideas for what to say:D. They have the cultural history of WWI and the immediate postwar with them, and they haven't exactly had frosty relations since. Even in RL 1940 Churchill was convinced America was the key to the war. However, in this alternate history, by stint of one slight edit to Fall Gelb, everything changed.

However, you are right in your post - it was not the most realistic discussion to have. But CWDRADTWID is all about me getting ready to return to my existing, halted, AARs at full steam.

- Lighthearter

EDIT - This should have been in the 1st version of the post, but now that I've had my morning drink and stared into space for an hour, I'm actually awake. Mostly what I saw was immense frustration with the USA for their isolationist stance in the face of Nazi Germany - and these men have just about lost their country. They're lashing out BIG TIME.
 
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Man you make AARs like some people make cookies. By the dozen. :D

Though I gotta say... The United Kingdom and France are the two most powerful nations in the world in this time frame. The US isn't the global superpower or the global cop yet. Nor does it have any obligations towards the Allies at this time. So honestly I'm confused why two average guys would be whining that an unallied state known to have a tiny army and be generally isolationist didn't drop everything to come running.

No offense it just shows up alot and it bugs me.

I think you haven't seen the Total War center forums. I made 6 AARs in 3 months there in spring 2009.
 
EDIT - This should have been in the 1st version of the post, but now that I've had my morning drink and stared into space for an hour, I'm actually awake. Mostly what I saw was immense frustration with the USA for their isolationist stance in the face of Nazi Germany - and these men have just about lost their country. They're lashing out BIG TIME.

A good point and by all means keep the conservation in as it is. I'm just pointing out there is no reason for them to expect the US to come running to save the day. What business does a young nation like the US have meddling in the affairs of Europe? Hell, that's a view point I hear from Europeans... Today. I freely grant that two men who just lost their homes and nations wouldn't be in calm considering moods. Still why should Britain expect the US to come to it's rescue? What alliance do we have in 1939? What treaty? How often before hand have our nations come to blows and how often have we nearly done so?
 
What Came Before -

The Germans took us by surprise. We had been at war for almost ten months and yet no one could really understand what was happening. We all thought that this war would follow the course of the last one; hence all the French forts on the German border. But we were wrong. Oh so terribly wrong.

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The first German landings, May 2nd, 1940

Initially no one was quite sure what was happening. First there were the wild rumor that the Americans had come in with Hitler. No one thought much of that. What could America do to Britain? However, more information came in shortly afterward. It was the Huns. We had thought that they would batter against the Maginot Line in France, especially after Denmark and Norway getting invaded. The last thing we expected was for the soldiers of Germany to storm the beaches of Albion. It was . . . impossible was the word everyone used back then, but evidently it was possible since they pulled it off.

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The landings after one day

It was astounding how fast the Germans moved. They didn't stop to slug it out with us for every little village, but instead used their tanks to encircle us at every opportunity. I found out after the war that their commander was a guy named Heinz Guderian. Evidently he served in Poland as the commander of the German tank forces: his units seized Warsaw. His guys also took Denmark, but they'd been training for the invasion of Britain for months. He brought five divisions of Panzers, plus his headquarters staff. He was prepared to fight it out. Of course, there are other officers whose names will go down in British history.

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Three days into the invasion

General Erwin Rommel didn't serve in Poland. Well, unless you count running scattered partisan uprisings down with a division of cavalry "serving in Poland". But he was a bright cookie, no doubts there. They gave him two divisions of tanks to go with his horsemen before they tossed him at us. He did a lot of damage, not least was the stunning German victory at Liverpool.

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The German invasion gaining steam

There was also General Student, who led the six divisions of the German Marines to seize the beachhead and late invade Scotland. He was a capable man- the Germans issued his men obsolete equipment as their factories were tied up already.
But Lt. General Model will always be remembered as the man who destroyed London.
He was a fine tactician - outmaneuvered us at every turn after his two armored divisions split off from Guderian. However, no Breton will ever think of him as anything but the Butcher of London.

During the admittedly short battle for the city most of it was razed by Model's artillery - the Parliament Building went down, so did Buckingham Palace and the Globe Theater. Big Ben survived though. So the Nazis could fly their flags from it, I guess. I know that my house - with my wife still inside - was also taken out. Her death hit me hard.

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It occurred to me on the retreat from London: I might not have noticed it because of lack of sleep, but it was only the eighth of May. I had spent only six days fighting the Jerries. Six days in Hell. Six Days in Albion.


(Excerpts from Six Days in Albion - John Dawson in Fall Gelb.)
 
Whose heads rolled in the Royal Navy?!
 
Ciryandor - The Royal Navy never stood a chance. We never really met in battle, but I matched them carrier for carrier and could also bring the Bismarck and the Tirpitz to bear. However, I think that Admiral John Tovey has hell to pay:D

quaazi - He has the Commando trait. Why?:confused:

TRP - I'll take that as a complement. This is going to end after the Blitzkrieg though - as soon as game year 1941 hits I'm switching to the USA. I may provide a sequel about that later - hmmm . . . The Finest Hour . . . I like it . . . .;)

Update inbound - conclusion of the British campaign and the kickoff of the attack on France.

- Lighthearter
 
After the swift attacks of the first ten days, the Germans paused for a week to consolidate their positions. General Guderian initially held London, but quickly shifted his headquarters to Birmingham. Rommel held the west flank in Cardiff, Von Rundstent and his infantry the east in Sheffield. Lt. General Model occupied Birmingham initially, holding the centre, but would eventually trade places with Guderian.

frontlines.png


It wasn't long, however, before Rommel and Model moved to clear the Channel Coast. The two brilliant generals came up with a vicious plan that broke the British lines easily, leading to a stunning triumph.

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Guderian was sent to Scotland, where the fight still raged. Australian and British forces began mounting landings in Britain, but were all defeated by either Model or Rommel. This convinced the German High Command to remove all Allied bases within range of the UK to preserve security. Ireland seized British Northern Ireland with the full approval of the UK government.

inverness.png


As Scotland fell, the first of the Allied strongpoints to take was decided - not Iceland, but France. The French feared a strike though the Low Countries. The Germans had a better plan.

normandy.png


They would land at Normandy, France.
 
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Only four days after the Normandy Landings, the Germans had seized Paris and driven hard south, aiming perhaps for Vichy. Also, further landings were occurring near Dieppe. The Kriegsmarine engaged the French Navy in the English Channel, but the results were inconclusive. German reinforcements landed at the occupied port of Brest.

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The situation nine days later was incredibly grim for France. However, General Guderian's panzers had overextended themselves, and were forced to pull back. French forces began to launch ferocious counterattacks all across the line. It wasn't long before they returned to Paris itself.

counterattack.png


German forces quickly withdrew to the channel coast, Guderian meeting with General Von Rundstent to plan their strategy. A new wave of reinforcements poured in from Germany around this time, and the German plan made use of them. It was decided to form a line along the coast in order to preserve unit integrity, then push outward once things stabilized.

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It was a bold plan. Any flaw at all could result in the total destruction of the German force. However, Guderian was confident of success. He trusted his soldiers, who had served in Britain and in most cases Poland, and some Denmark and Norway, would maintain discipline and unit integrity in the face of the hostile attacks that were sure to come. However, with Paris liberated, the French commanders saw no pressing reason to batter the German positions with their exhausted and disorganized troops. Several of the linchpin divisions were British troops evacuated from England, and the French knew how fragile their morale was. Indeed, they knew perhaps better then the English commanders.

However, after two weeks of halfhearted Allied attacks, Guderian decided that the time had come to take the battle to the French. He ordered a general attack all along the line, with his panzers moving to hit enemy strongpoints from behind. Again, it was risky. However, even after the French landings in Dunkirk that seized much ground behind the German lines, it proved worth it.

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On September the twelfth, 1940, France surrendered, and Henri Petain created Vichy France out of the south of the country. The war in Europe was all but over.

Epilogue

Europe after the Blitzkrieg was a divided place. Mussolini's Italy had joined the Axis in the closing days of the Battle for France, and now had driven to the Suez Canal in Africa. The British had very little with which to oppose the Italians.

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Africa

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Europe

Soon Hitler would invade Belgium, and later begin attacking other European nations. For now, however, his focus turned to wooing new allies. Spain fell to his charms rather quickly, and Iraq came close to joining him. However, the most powerful allies he found lay not in Europe, but far away.

newallies.png


It wasn't long before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and brought the United States into the war. Hitler and Tojo cooperated on an invasion of the Netherlands, Germany receiving Europe, Japan Indonesia. The situation was very grim for the Allies, as Japanese troops were poised to strike Australia, Hawaii and India, with Italian forces occupying the Middle East and driving further south into Africa proper every day. Germany also was on the verge of attacking Iceland, which, if fallen, it would provide a road into North America. However, many suspected that his next move would be an invasion of the Soviet Union.


America

President Roosevelt sat behind his desk. He knew how grim things were. However, he also knew that in the end, democracy would triumph. It always did. However, Japan and Germany formed a league that terrified Roosevelt. The two had always been powerful; now they were wedded together and nigh unstoppable. True, US soldiers had landed in England, but now Roosevelt was under immense pressure to withdraw them. Not from the Joint Chiefs, of course. And not from the people of America. But from his most trusted adviser, a man who had served in many capacities for his nation in the past.

Roosevelt slowly shook his head. It wasn't a matter of Kevin Haulsee hating the British. He had spent fifteen years in Britain, even acquiring some minor titles that had earned him the nickname "Lord Haulsee" in American circles. He was concerned about America's ability to maintain those pockets. Roosevelt didn't agree with him. Not at all.

Doesn't matter. He thought firmly. Even if Hitler invades the rest of Europe, we still have our spirit. And Haulsee has an amazingly keen strategic mind. I would do well to listen to him.

In the end, we will return to Europe. In the end, we will prove victorious.

And it shall be our Finest Hour.


Fin
 
Nice set-up...

so Germany committed to a full Plan Z here and a gamble on the mechanization of the Army.