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1939 leadup to war
Hi all,
Here's the final "prewar" update:
Jan 1, 1939. Germany has opportunity to claim Memel & sign M-R pact. I pass on both. If you accept Memel, you pick up a little IC (I think 1), but it costs you:
I don't want the threat. Since I also plan on attacking Uncle Joe at some point, why do M-R and give him half of Poland that I'd just have to take back?
I also start building garrison units for my ports and coastline. They will be 1Garr1AT. This gives them tolerable defense both soft and hard. 5||10 will give me 50 short divisions to put in my Baltic, Denmark, Low Countries, Channel, Brest, and Biscay defensive corps, plus 4 more corps for any other coasts I happen to occupy (England, Norway, etc). I also start 3||4 builds of transports to add to the Kriegsmarine.
I add 1940 techs to the bottom of the research que.... especially Armor:
Note that I'm not researching light tank armor. I want to maximize their speed, so I sacrifice protection.
May 1: Danzig or War becomes available. I will wait until I'm ready...
I complete Radar research in July, and immediately start building 4||10 radar stations. I will put a lvl 1 station at each airfield, with level 10's in Konigsberg, Wilhelmshafen, and Vienna to give overall coverage.
My third group of Medium tanks complete in July (giving me 15 divisions). As I said in an earlier post, I had forgotten to allow for the gearing bonus. My last batch will complete in October.
Politics: Guangxi Clique is puppeted by Japan on 27 January. Yunnan joins the Axis July 27, Yugoslavia August 17, and Nationalist Spain on 30 October.
I mobilize on 11 October, since I plan on war starting before the end of December. I want to give at least 45 days for my units to reach full strength!
I also preposition 2 Panzerkorps and 1 Jaegerkorps along the Italian/French border. The Jaegers will kick in the door, then 1 Panzerkorps will turn due north to isolate the Maginot by meeting the northern pincer coming through Belgium, while the other Panzerkorps heads NW for Paris and the coast.
December 4, 1939:
I immediately adjust my political policies to maximize leadership and IC:
Status of forces at this point:
To compare:..... Jan1936.......Jan1937.......Jan1938.......Jan1939....Dec1939
Heer:
Infantry Divisions: 36................58...............86............. ..90.........90
Light Tank Divisions.3.................5...............8..... ............10.........10
Motorized Divisions..1.................5...............16... ............20.........20
Jaeger Divisions......0.................0...............1 0...............30..........30
Medium Tank Divs...0.................0................0....... ..........5...........20
Luftwaffe:
Interceptor Sqds.....3.................8...............14..... ...........19..........26
Tac Bomber Sqds....8.................9...............11...... ..........12..........12
Kriegsmarine:
Battlecruisers........2..................2......................................No change
Heavy Cruisers......2..................3
Light Cruisers........6.................6
Destroyer Sqdns....4.................5
Submarine Sqdns...2.................3
Transport Flotillas..0.................3...............3....................3.............12
Hi all,
Here's the final "prewar" update:
Jan 1, 1939. Germany has opportunity to claim Memel & sign M-R pact. I pass on both. If you accept Memel, you pick up a little IC (I think 1), but it costs you:
I don't want the threat. Since I also plan on attacking Uncle Joe at some point, why do M-R and give him half of Poland that I'd just have to take back?
I also start building garrison units for my ports and coastline. They will be 1Garr1AT. This gives them tolerable defense both soft and hard. 5||10 will give me 50 short divisions to put in my Baltic, Denmark, Low Countries, Channel, Brest, and Biscay defensive corps, plus 4 more corps for any other coasts I happen to occupy (England, Norway, etc). I also start 3||4 builds of transports to add to the Kriegsmarine.
I add 1940 techs to the bottom of the research que.... especially Armor:
Note that I'm not researching light tank armor. I want to maximize their speed, so I sacrifice protection.
May 1: Danzig or War becomes available. I will wait until I'm ready...
I complete Radar research in July, and immediately start building 4||10 radar stations. I will put a lvl 1 station at each airfield, with level 10's in Konigsberg, Wilhelmshafen, and Vienna to give overall coverage.
My third group of Medium tanks complete in July (giving me 15 divisions). As I said in an earlier post, I had forgotten to allow for the gearing bonus. My last batch will complete in October.
Politics: Guangxi Clique is puppeted by Japan on 27 January. Yunnan joins the Axis July 27, Yugoslavia August 17, and Nationalist Spain on 30 October.
I mobilize on 11 October, since I plan on war starting before the end of December. I want to give at least 45 days for my units to reach full strength!
I also preposition 2 Panzerkorps and 1 Jaegerkorps along the Italian/French border. The Jaegers will kick in the door, then 1 Panzerkorps will turn due north to isolate the Maginot by meeting the northern pincer coming through Belgium, while the other Panzerkorps heads NW for Paris and the coast.
December 4, 1939:
I immediately adjust my political policies to maximize leadership and IC:
Status of forces at this point:
To compare:..... Jan1936.......Jan1937.......Jan1938.......Jan1939....Dec1939
Heer:
Infantry Divisions: 36................58...............86............. ..90.........90
Light Tank Divisions.3.................5...............8..... ............10.........10
Motorized Divisions..1.................5...............16... ............20.........20
Jaeger Divisions......0.................0...............1 0...............30..........30
Medium Tank Divs...0.................0................0....... ..........5...........20
Luftwaffe:
Interceptor Sqds.....3.................8...............14..... ...........19..........26
Tac Bomber Sqds....8.................9...............11...... ..........12..........12
Kriegsmarine:
Battlecruisers........2..................2......................................No change
Heavy Cruisers......2..................3
Light Cruisers........6.................6
Destroyer Sqdns....4.................5
Submarine Sqdns...2.................3
Transport Flotillas..0.................3...............3....................3.............12
War!
Yes, per the majority of requestors, I will continue with this game at least up to Barbarossa (dang it... didn't want to show my lack of generalship to you readAAR's)
Yes, per the majority of requestors, I will continue with this game at least up to Barbarossa (dang it... didn't want to show my lack of generalship to you readAAR's)
Yes, per the majority of requestors, I will continue with this game at least up to Barbarossa (dang it... didn't want to show my lack of generalship to you readAAR's)
Great! And your generalship can't possibly be worse than mine.
Poland
Hi Enewald (and JDMS, and all you lurkAAR's, too),
Considering that I have the entire Heeresgruppe A (totalling 30 Infantry Divisions, 10 Jaeger Divisions, and 15 Panzer Divisions) on the Polish border.... I really don't think it's going to take long.
Well, I hope you know how to beat Poland.
Everyone can do that.
Hi Enewald (and JDMS, and all you lurkAAR's, too),
Considering that I have the entire Heeresgruppe A (totalling 30 Infantry Divisions, 10 Jaeger Divisions, and 15 Panzer Divisions) on the Polish border.... I really don't think it's going to take long.
Apologies
Sorry I haven't been able to post WW2 yet. RL I haven't had time to play the last few days. Tomorrow (Friday) I should be able to play at least a few hours, so look for WW2 1939-1940 to post tomorrow night.
Sorry I haven't been able to post WW2 yet. RL I haven't had time to play the last few days. Tomorrow (Friday) I should be able to play at least a few hours, so look for WW2 1939-1940 to post tomorrow night.
Poland, France, and other playmates
Hi All,
Quick note: I don't use automation or "AI" for anything. It's my game, I'm agonna play it.
First, those countries who have chosen to object to my Danzig request:
I insist that Luxemburg, Belgium, and Denmark join the party, too:
Denmark because I want my Baltic shoreline secure, Luxemburg and Belgium to go around the Maginot line. Netherlands I will leave for later.
My plan for Poland:
Denmark:
France:
This is a different strategy than I usually use in France. I usually just try and batter my way through the Ardennes (Belgium), then drive south to cut off the units in the Maginot. This time I'm doing the Ardennes and cutting up from the south. We'll see how it works.
The day the war starts, I send my lone wolf-pack (3 type II subs) to convoy raid in the Channel. I also set most of my interceptor units to intercept over Germany and Jutland sea, the rest to Superiority over northern France & Belgium. My Eastern Tacs (Luftflotte II & III) pound Warsaw while IV hits Infrastructure in Paris and V helps crack the Italian-French border.
Ok, that takes care of December 4! :rofl:
More results of my diabolical plan in the next post....
Hi All,
Quick note: I don't use automation or "AI" for anything. It's my game, I'm agonna play it.
First, those countries who have chosen to object to my Danzig request:
I insist that Luxemburg, Belgium, and Denmark join the party, too:
Denmark because I want my Baltic shoreline secure, Luxemburg and Belgium to go around the Maginot line. Netherlands I will leave for later.
My plan for Poland:
Denmark:
France:
This is a different strategy than I usually use in France. I usually just try and batter my way through the Ardennes (Belgium), then drive south to cut off the units in the Maginot. This time I'm doing the Ardennes and cutting up from the south. We'll see how it works.
The day the war starts, I send my lone wolf-pack (3 type II subs) to convoy raid in the Channel. I also set most of my interceptor units to intercept over Germany and Jutland sea, the rest to Superiority over northern France & Belgium. My Eastern Tacs (Luftflotte II & III) pound Warsaw while IV hits Infrastructure in Paris and V helps crack the Italian-French border.
Ok, that takes care of December 4! :rofl:
More results of my diabolical plan in the next post....
1939-40
Ok, my results from the plans outlined in the last post:
Note the date. War started on 4 December, Poland annexed 29 December. Not bad. Denmark lasted until 15 January (annexed). Luxemburg annexed December 14. Belgium and France would be much tougher, mainly because of terrain.
France: 8 December I defeat the border forts south of Switzerland and start a breakout. Terrain prevents it from being a true blitz, though. Retreating French troops have to be pounded out of position in each succeeding territory.
Tough terrain, but by 8 February:
My northern and southern pincers meet on 14 February:
From here it's just cleanup. France starts pulling troops out of the Maginot forts to stop the encirclement, and my troops attack from the East. Meanwhile, the Belgian forces (most of 5.Armee) takes Amsterdam and Dunkirk and turns south for Paris. Vichy fires on 17 April (took a while to crack that last Maginot forto ).
Lessons learned so far about 1.4:
More later....
Ok, my results from the plans outlined in the last post:
Note the date. War started on 4 December, Poland annexed 29 December. Not bad. Denmark lasted until 15 January (annexed). Luxemburg annexed December 14. Belgium and France would be much tougher, mainly because of terrain.
France: 8 December I defeat the border forts south of Switzerland and start a breakout. Terrain prevents it from being a true blitz, though. Retreating French troops have to be pounded out of position in each succeeding territory.
Tough terrain, but by 8 February:
My northern and southern pincers meet on 14 February:
From here it's just cleanup. France starts pulling troops out of the Maginot forts to stop the encirclement, and my troops attack from the East. Meanwhile, the Belgian forces (most of 5.Armee) takes Amsterdam and Dunkirk and turns south for Paris. Vichy fires on 17 April (took a while to crack that last Maginot fort
o ).Lessons learned so far about 1.4:
- Support brigades take much more damage than in previous patches. I had units unable to continue combat because their support brigades were at 0 strength while the line brigades were at 90%+. This may require a "rethink" on my division makeup.
- 1.4 "unfixed" the Channel Islands bridge deletion.
I have a big stack of Brits sitting out there, forcing me to keep a strong force in Cherbourg to keep them honest.
- My Poland and Denmark campaigns went fine. I now have Heeresgruppe A on the Russian border
- Belgium was tough simply because of terrain. My "New French Plan" (coming up from the south) seems to be a winner.
More later....
Wait, three offensives at the same time on three different fronts?
How does your supply network manage that?
But you don't have a Ardennes offensive whilst doing all that, right?
First Poland, then Belgium?
How does your supply network manage that?
But you don't have a Ardennes offensive whilst doing all that, right?
First Poland, then Belgium?
Multitasking
Hi Enewald,
Actually 4 fronts: Denmark, Poland, Belgium, Italy/France
The south of France was supplied by Italy until the linkup. There were a few "waiting for supplies/fuel" days, but overall not bad. Poland fell in less than 30 days, so no supply problems there. Denmark I only used 1 Panzerkorps, very limited supply draw. And Belgium front moved so slowly through the Ardennes that the supply trucks had no problem keeping up!
Wait, three offensives at the same time on three different fronts?
How does your supply network manage that?
But you don't have a Ardennes offensive whilst doing all that, right?
First Poland, then Belgium?
Hi Enewald,
Actually 4 fronts: Denmark, Poland, Belgium, Italy/France
The south of France was supplied by Italy until the linkup. There were a few "waiting for supplies/fuel" days, but overall not bad. Poland fell in less than 30 days, so no supply problems there. Denmark I only used 1 Panzerkorps, very limited supply draw. And Belgium front moved so slowly through the Ardennes that the supply trucks had no problem keeping up!
Addendum
Almost forgot to add:
Greece declared war on Italy (and Axis) in late December. Yugoslavia annexed them in March (with a little help from 2 German infantriekorps).
Almost forgot to add:
Greece declared war on Italy (and Axis) in late December. Yugoslavia annexed them in March (with a little help from 2 German infantriekorps).
So France is nearing surrender, and then you'll only have Britain to worry about. Until Barbarossa (sp?). Great work.
Not only Poland, but Stalin would also get the Baltic states for free. WIthout the M-R pact, you could easily grab those, too.
You could lure them out, cut them off and destroy pockets. Repeating this would put quite a strain on the British army.
True, I could do that. Annoying that I have to, though. A more evil way of taking care of them (insert Muh-ha-ha here) is to bomb the island infra to 0, and set bombers & subs to killing convoys in the channel. The units on the island just quietly melt away, since the AI won't withdraw them.
Update
Hi All,
I plan to wrap up this AAR next week. Mid-terms this week are taking all my play-time
Hi All,
I plan to wrap up this AAR next week. Mid-terms this week are taking all my play-time
Taps
Sorry for the delay. I haven't been playing HOI at all the last few weeks. Between increased job demands and HttT, I've just lost interest. Perhaps when the expansion comes out, I will resurrect this thread. Thanks for all your comments and questions, as it made writing this so much easier!
VL
Sorry for the delay. I haven't been playing HOI at all the last few weeks. Between increased job demands and HttT, I've just lost interest. Perhaps when the expansion comes out, I will resurrect this thread. Thanks for all your comments and questions, as it made writing this so much easier!
VL