Inevitable Defeat - Slovakia '44

[TheButterflyComposer]

The purpose of the 1944 scenario is, as far as I can tell, to allow people to load up as Germany or Japan and turn things around so the Axis win the war. They can therefore prove they are amazing strategists who are much better than Hitler/Tojo, even though that is an incredibly low bar to clear. I'd like to believe this is the reason the scenario is so badly balanced, to make it easier for the target audience (axis fans) to win. But in reality it's probably just Swedish ineptitude.

Gah, it really is ineptitude if that's the case. The scenario should be, if the above is true, rock hard and borderline impossible without some luck and utterly flawless strategy and tactics or at least have the potential to be that on anything above easy. Because barring divine intervention from the player and random number gods, both of those factions are screwed by 1944. The fact that there are real axis fans out there is disturbing enough. That there are so many that they felt they needed to make this scenario and make it easy for them is perhaps even more so.

 

[Andre Massena]

And he was sent to be military attache to Brazil post-war, which doesn't sound like a prime posting!

That seems like some ridiculous pop-up from the 1944 scenario that would provide amusing content for a chapter in this AAR

 

[El Pip]

Gah, it really is ineptitude if that's the case.

Cynical commercial thinking might also explain it. I can't recall the exact numbers, but German AARs dominate to a ridiculous extent and so that is where Paradox put their efforts - making it a 'good' experience to play as Germany in any scenario.

That seems like some ridiculous pop-up from the 1944 scenario that would provide amusing content for a chapter in this AAR

There should be more options to permanently get rid of inept officers by sending them to terrible places. Of course you may generate an equally bad new one to replace them, but at least they'd be new.

 

[racebear75]

Cynical commercial thinking might also explain it. I can't recall the exact numbers, but German AARs dominate to a ridiculous extent and so that is where Paradox put their efforts - making it a 'good' experience to play as Germany in any scenario.


There should be more options to permanently get rid of inept officers by sending them to terrible places. Of course you may generate an equally bad new one to replace them, but at least they'd be new.

In my own games I used the skill 0 and 1-generals for my garrisons as well as having special garrison-corps for those bad Lt.Gen., which were often old guards as well.

 

[El Pip]

In my own games I used the skill 0 and 1-generals for my garrisons as well as having special garrison-corps for those bad Lt.Gen., which were often old guards as well.

Of course as Slovakia you only get 0 and 1 skill generals. But then you also don't have any garrisons, so it balances out I suppose.

And with that, back to Bratislava!

 

[El Pip]

9th October.

The Slovak cabinet are meeting bright and early on Monday morning, sort of. Well it's actually 10:30 and they've only just stared, but Tiso and Tuka strongly believe it would be dangerous for the country's leadership to burn the candle at both ends. And that's not just because Slovakia has run out of candles and lacks the knowledge, resources and technology to make any more.

"Kubela can you give us the general overview?" Tiso asked.

Kublea got up and reached for a selection of photographs.

"And we don't mean pictures of our generals from above." Tuka warned.

Kubela sat down looking disappointed.

"We want to know how the war is going and what is happening in the Race to Bratislava." Tiso clairifed.

Kubela got up and started to unroll a very large map.

"Firtz!" Tiso yelled.

"I'm sorry every Chief of Staff is allowed at least one Map of Many Things." Fritz explained.

"At least?!" Tuka yelled. Louder.

"Theoretically if the first one isn't terrible then he is allowed another, and so on until he does produce a terrible one."

Relieved that this would almost certainly be the only map from Kubela, Tiso left his hipflask in place.

The Slovak General Staff's Map of Many Things - October 1944 Edition.​

Tiso and Tuka took a moment to try and comprehend the map. Tiso liberally used his supply of liquid inspiration to try and help.

"So what is happening in Italy." Tuka decided to start with the easiest bit.

"The British have accepted the surrender of the Italian Social Republic, so all the Italian troops have changed side, but the rest of the Axis holds firm. This makes the actual front line a bit confused at present." Malar explained.

"Why did the British only liberate half of Italy?" Tiso asked.

"They didn't liberate any of Italy, the just made the Italian Social Republic a puppet state." Kubela said.

"But they now have a democratic" *spit* "government?" Tuka asked.

"Not really." Fritz handed over the latest intelligence briefing.

The new Italian Social Republic in all it's... Glory? It's a Totalitarian Constitutional Monarchy that holds elections, all under Not-King Eduardo Moroni, Mussolini's former minister for Agriculture. The PFR are the Partito Fascista Repubblicano (Republican Fascist Party), which was Mussolini's old party, hence why the entire government is Fascist. ​

Deciding that was a can of worms best left to fester, Tiso moved on.

"Down in the Balkans, any news from the French invasion?"

"The Foreign Legion is firmly encamped and staring at the Croatian Army." Kubela said.

"And the Croatian Army?" Tuka prompted.

"Is staring back."

"Not attacking?" Tuka ventured.

"No." Malar pointed at the latest intelligence map from the Independent State of Croatia

It could be the British carrier aircraft that are keeping the Croatians from attacking the encamped Foreign Legion. That's the generous interpretation anyway. The French have no real excuse for their inaction.​

"We think they are waiting for the 74th Unpronounceable Division of Bulgarians-wearing-German-hats to come down and do the job." Kubela explained.

"And the British invasion of Finland?" Tiso gestured at the top of the map."

"German Intelligence believes they were heading for the German industrial centre of Mannheim and got lost so ended up in the Finnish islands of Mariehamn by mistake." Baron von Killinger offered.

"So they invaded Copenhagen, forced the Oresund, fought through the narrows of the Baltic Sea, invaded a small pointless island, went back through the Baltics, de-liberated Copenhagen and did all that by accident?" Tuka screamed.

"Well how else do you explain it?" von Killinger growled.

Tuka's yowl died in his throat, how did he explain it? As his colleague grappled with the question, Tiso reached for his faithful friend and comforter, long ago having realised it was better not to enquire too deeply about such things.

--
Notes:
I thought this would be a quick one, then I loaded up as Italy. Edoardo Moroni to give him his correct name was Mussolini's Minister for Forest and Agriculture. Obviously he looks nothing like his Paradox picture and in the game files he is Foreign Minister, hence the error message under his name. Not a nice chap, he ended up in Argentina post-war fairly high up in Peron's government. Of the rest of those ministers three were already dead by the summer of 1944, not least Head of State Achille Starace, and two of the others are fictional, or at least didn't serve in the actual RSI government and don't show up on a quick google search.

The Western Allies are massively behind OTL schedule, no Dragoon landings in the South of France and no invasion of Greece will do that, they should have liberated Belgium and France by now, however they are at least ahead of the game in Italy. The Soviets meanwhile should be rampaging through the Baltics, occupied Romania and Hungary, forced Finland to surrender and be up to Warsaw and the Vistula.

It is hard to say who is doing worse, apart from Paradox obviously as they have done a terrible job on this scenario.

Map of the OTL European fronts for 1st October 1944 as a comparison - Linky

And I have no idea why, or even how, the British AI invaded a small island of Finland that contains a Lev1 port, no VPs and nothing of any interest, value or use.

 

[sebas379]

A map! And since its not even written in Hyroglyphs it is even readable! An amazing feat of Slovak engineering, it must be said.

With southern Italy under British occupation and traitorous Italian Social Republican fascists in the north, the British seem to have taken pole position in the Race to Bratislava. The Russians have been lapped and the only Americans I see are on Sardinia? Romania appears to be on the verge of collapse and that would knock the center out of any organised Axis defence in the Balkans. All of this would probably render the Slovak defensive lines anchored on the Roman Danubian Limes ineffective, after all.

Did you check who the British on that Baltic island are? With the Oresund still shut all I can come up with is a paradrop. That would be....interesting.

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

The new Italian Social Republic in all it's... Glory? It's a Totalitarian Constitutional Monarchy that holds elections, all under Not-King Eduardo Moroni, Mussolini's former minister for Agriculture. The PFR are the Partito Fascista Repubblicano (Republican Fascist Party), which was Mussolini's old party, hence why the entire government is Fascist.

So they invaded Copenhagen, forced the Oresund, fought through the narrows of the Baltic Sea, invaded a small pointless island, went back through the Baltics, de-liberated Copenhagen and did all that by accident?" Tuka screamed.

I think at this point we must break down and admit that British Intelligence is screwing with Slovakia and that the actual situation is completely different and possible OTL compatible. Since Slovakia is so incompetnant and inward facing, even when attacking, I think this sort of Orwellian mistrust of what is 'really' going on in Europe is fully justified. Entirely possible that Dahl and Fleming are taking turns seeing who can come up with the most ridiculous story the Slovakians will believe and then have their friend Lee post it to them. And they believed all of it, even with them both throwing darts at a board to come up with the new Italian-I mean half Italian government.

This is a much better scenario than Paradox delivered. It's a quest for the truth in a time of uncertainty, not a hopeless war against idiocy!

Well, it is also a war against idiocy but...

 

[Bullfilter]

The map was of relatively few things and very clear (if not some of the factors behind the positions so displayed). Had to check this was indeed the right AAR!

Speaking of which, given the slowness of Allied and Soviet progress ... is it now more accurately termed "Reasonably Likely Defeat"? Or even "Remote Possibility of Survival"?

And it has only just occurred to me now, but Tiso is a literal 'Whiskey Priest' in this AAR. With vices worse than simple alcoholism

 

[nuclearslurpee]

"And the British invasion of Finland?" Tiso gestured at the top of the map."

"German Intelligence believes they were heading for the German industrial centre of Mannheim and got lost so ended up in the Finnish islands of Mariehamn by mistake." Baron von Killinger offered.

Is Slovakia really so behind on the time that they've never heard of Mannerheim, whose name's similarity would be a far more plausible explanation for the British confusion? Survey says..."Tanks". Well, then.

 

[Andre Massena]

A bold experiment in government by the British. Let's see if it pays off for them.

Perhaps it is an elaborate practical joke, though, since the new "king" has the word moron in his name? It would have been even better if Il Duce became king.

 

[racebear75]

Of course as Slovakia you only get 0 and 1 skill generals. But then you also don't have any garrisons, so it balances out I suppose.

And with that, back to Bratislava!

OK, my advise doesn't fit for your Slovakia, but surely for the top-4 or 6 nations in terms of the army.

To the British invasion of the Aland-ilands: All tall-ship-fans already know it, the Erikson-shipping company was located there with the worlds biggest fleet of sailing cargo-ships in those days. Perhaps they just want to catch them and save them for the future.

 

[Galbatorix994]

Does this mean that the Axis powers are winning, or simply that they're losing in slow motion, like the rest of this AAR?

 

[El Pip]

A map! And since its not even written in Hyroglyphs it is even readable! An amazing feat of Slovak engineering, it must be said.

I did consider using a crazily heavy and curvy Slavic font, which is doubtless what the Slovak General Staff would have done, but I felt the wonders on that map were hard enough to understand without being illegible.

Did you check who the British on that Baltic island are? With the Oresund still shut all I can come up with is a paradrop. That would be....interesting.

The Baltic Island is entirely empty. It could have been a British paradrop, but there is no airbase so I don't know how they would have ever gotten off again. It is deeply mysterious, but alas I missed the actual invasion so it's possible we will never know.

I think at this point we must break down and admit that British Intelligence is screwing with Slovakia and that the actual situation is completely different and possible OTL compatible.

That is undoubtedly the only explanation that makes sense, if only it were true.

Speaking of which, given the slowness of Allied and Soviet progress ... is it now more accurately termed "Reasonably Likely Defeat"? Or even "Remote Possibility of Survival"?

Well the Italian front has utterly collapsed and, as mentioned by Sebas, Romania is on the brink so that will tear another hole in the Axis lines. The light in the tunnel is just the oncoming train. In Slovakia it is always the oncoming train. Because no-one else has any fuel to make a light.

And it has only just occurred to me now, but Tiso is a literal 'Whiskey Priest' in this AAR. With vices worse than simple alcoholism

If this were a different AAR there is something in that. Tiso did terrible things, or perhaps he failed to prevent terrible things happening, but he did mostly think he was doing good for Slovakians, who had been treated very badly by the Czechs. I wouldn't defend him for a second, but by his own standards ordinary (non-Jewish) Slovakians had the easiest war of anyone in Axis Europe. at least until the National Uprising.

Is Slovakia really so behind on the time that they've never heard of Mannerheim, whose name's similarity would be a far more plausible explanation for the British confusion? Survey says..."Tanks". Well, then.

Well Paradox haven't head of Mannerheim. He is not head of State (as he should be by now) nor is he Chief of Staff (which he was). He's not even Chief of the Army. It is therefore entirely believable that Slovakia haven't heard of him.

Also the Finnish Chief of Staff is Hugo Osterman (sacked for incompetence during the Winter War) who believes in the School of Mass Combat. Once again, an Axis CoS advocating trying to win a war of attrition with the Soviets despite a tiny population.

Perhaps it is an elaborate practical joke, though, since the new "king" has the word moron in his name? It would have been even better if Il Duce became king.

I am mildly surprise that Il Duce didn't become King. That would have been much more Paradox.

The British experiment may be a bold bid to outwit the default Surrender events, which are notoriously broken.

To the British invasion of the Aland-ilands: All tall-ship-fans already know it, the Erikson-shipping company was located there with the worlds biggest fleet of sailing cargo-ships in those days. Perhaps they just want to catch them and save them for the future.

That would be the only reason you would want to invade the place, I hope that was the British reasoning.

Does this mean that the Axis powers are winning, or simply that they're losing in slow motion, like the rest of this AAR?

Losing in slow motion. The slower-than-real time production is part of the whole experience, it serves as a metaphor for Slovakia's long drawn out collapse that takes much longer than it should. Like all great art, it works on many levels.

 

[Nathan Madien]

The Slovak General Staff's Map of Many Things - October 1944 Edition.

I don't get the British invasion of Finland. It shouldn't work. At all. The British can't get to Finland because the Germans control the passage to the Baltic Sea. That is how the game works.

Yet through some mysterious method, that little island off the coast of Finland has British people on it. Out of nowhere. They are just somehow there.

 

[VonMudra]

Could it be that the British have perfected some sort of aerially dropped soldier?

 

[markkur]

Are you sure you are not spreading your thin forces too wide?

 

[El Pip]

I don't get the British invasion of Finland. It shouldn't work. At all. The British can't get to Finland because the Germans control the passage to the Baltic Sea. That is how the game works.

It is a mystery.

Could it be that the British have perfected some sort of aerially dropped soldier?

If they used paratroopers then they mysteriously vanished after the invasion. There is no airbase on the island so they couldn't have been flown off. It's also way, way outside of range. But then does range apply to the AI when it does paradrops?

All I can think is that the British paradropped onto the island (using AI cheats on range) then the German/Finns launched an amphibious counter-invasion, destroyed the defending paras but then aborted the landing before they retook the province.

Are you sure you are not spreading your thin forces too wide?

If Slovakia concentrated all it's forces it would struggle to meaningfully reinforce a single province, let along make a difference to a front. Given it doesn't matter where they deploy, why not spread wide so at least the troops get to see something before the POW camp?

 

[markkur]

Given it doesn't matter where they deploy, why not spread wide so at least the troops get to see something before the POW camp?

I applaud this very sound strategy. I hope each division, has at least one camera?

 

[El Pip]

I applaud this very sound strategy. I hope each division, has at least one camera?

More likely to be a water colour set.. pencil and paper.. stylus and papyrus.. burnt stick and bit of flat rock.