Daedwartin: I have kept the pictures as small as possible. Does that help?
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Chapter 40: The War Heats Up.
It takes Germany only 19 days to take out Poland, which is pretty fast for the AI, so it seems we have our work cut out for us. That also includes at sea, where we sink 3 German transports and 3 escorts in 2 days time. Unfortunately, in that same time frame, we lose 3 transports ourselves.
The good thing is that we can do something about that, while Germany can’t. In addition to these ships, I also sank the Leipzig, a light cruiser out on its own, earlier. Like I said before, I really hope that they do something about the AI’s inability to come up with a naval strategy that actually makes sense.
This is the third German submarine I engaged in the past week. Getting the submarine menace under control will take time and effort, but Germany is in no position to engage in this kind of attrition war against the Royal Navy.
I have started building a transport plane. Most of our upgrades are done now, but with research constantly being done, you will have at least some IC in this slider at all times. Speaking of upgrades, remember that ships can only upgrade in port. So whenever you finish an important tech in this regard, like onboard radar or ASW, you can rebase them in batches, so that some are being upgraded while others keep working.
Germany conquers Denmark on 19 October. Denmark is an interesting strategic location. Control of the strait means control of the Baltic, and a strong play can be made here as the UK. With control of the strait, you could send a strong landing party into the Baltic, where they can land only a handful of provinces away from Berlin. Or you could break out of Denmark and take the German ports of Wilhelmshaven, Kiel, Hamburg and Emden, thereby forcing the German navy out, where they could be met with devestating naval superiority. Just because I prefer to play defensively with the UK, that doesn’t mean that it’s the only viable strategy. Keep in mind, though, that Germany will fight you tooth and nail, and they do have their Territorial Pride, which will give them a 10% bonus in battles to defend their home turf. In other words, if you do plan on an invasion of Germany, stay where your transport ships can pull your troops out at a moment’s notice.
On that same day, South Africa joins the Allies, uniting the Commonwealth against fascism.
More importantly, though, is this. Underground resistance cells are deployed in provinces occupied by your enemy, and they can be very handy under the right circumstances. I will explain in full detail when we deploy these in Poland later.
France has not read the script very well. Germany has managed to break through the Maginot Line without needing to invade Belgium or Luxemburg. As you can see, they have a lot of troops in the area. If you see this happen, it means that France is lost. I have never known them to regain possession of the Line on their own, because Germany is now sitting inside level-10 bunkers, has better generals and more men. If you have troops to spare, you might make a difference, but that is only a temporary fix.
Does this mean that you’re completely helpless to intervene? Not really. My Strategic Bombers can reach this far inland to wreck the local infrastructure, provided you can back them up with plenty of fighters. As you can see, Germany has a 2 province corridor through which to send troops and supplies. If you can reduce the infra in these 2 provinces to 0, the ones sitting on the wrong side of the Maginot Line can be destroyed by the French troops.
I give it my best shot, but my interceptors have had to be rebased to French airports and that reduces Organisation to the point where the Luftwaffe can beat me back with ease.
After that, my Strats are a fast snack for them, and I have to call it off. It’s unfortunate, but France will fall a lot sooner in my game than they were supposed to. I did reduce the infrastructure to 4 and 5 in these 2 provinces, but it’s not enough to stop the German tidal wave. France is a goner, and I decide not to intervene any further, since my tanks and motorised troops are still months away.
November. I send a squadron to Gibraltar. From here, they will be able to guard against Italian adventures regarding the Rock, and they will be in a good position to patrol the coastline of Portugal against German subs.
The RAF is eager for a rematch against the Luftwaffe. This squadron has been trying to bomb my destroyer squadrons in the past couple of days, so I send Fighter Command out in force. Time to remind them why it is called the “English” Channel.
In the past month, I have lost a dozen or more transports, and my own squadrons have been unable to find the culprits. This might mean that Germany has researched better Submarine Hulls, which allows them to hide better. Or I might just have been unlucky. This will sometimes be frustrating, but if you stick with it, eventually you will find them, fight them and send them into the mouth of your bombers.
I have started building a paratroop division consisting of 3 para brigades. Now I add a marine division to the queu.
However it all works out, in the end the war will be won or lost on the ground. As the UK, I can hold off any attempted invasion of Britain indefinitely, but unless I can win battles in Europe, I will not be able to win the war. So it is important to keep those land doctrines up-to-date. It is November, and we are researching 1940 techs, so we are still on course.
Here is why I value Multiroles as the UK, while I hardly ever use them as Germany. They can offer some aireal artillery to the destroyers hunting subs, or ward off German bombers where the Interceptors would be able to reach them.
This is all the same battle. Note that the loss mentioned in the message only refers to losses suffered in the naval battle. For ships sunk by the bombers, you have to visit the Ledger. Or, in other words, hopefully bye bye mister Dönitz.
On the 8th of December, the world goes crazy. Germany is halfway done with France, the Soviets annex the Baltic States and Italy joins the war.
Next time: Battle in the Med. Battle in Africa. See you then!