-
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.
Honestly, if they were to go that route, getting Brittany back from France would be the way to go.
1943 - Seismic Shifts, Part 3
A Cornered Animal - The National Guard Bares its Fangs
The spring of 1943 marked an all-time low for the French military. The seasoned, battle-hardened troops of the National Guard and Croix-de-Feu had lost battle after battle to the Estonians and the resurgent Democratic Entente, leading to democratic forces achieving the unthinkable by bursting across the French-Guelder border and occupying sovereign French territory. Now, even Paris itself was in danger as the Entente closed in from all sides. A furious Henri Laurent had excoriated his top military and political leaders, demanding results, and threatening dire consequences if they failed.
All of the French army's most senior leaders worked furiously to bolster morale, squeeze out more equipment production, and fortify the nation against democratic incursion. But in the end it was not the National Guard or the Croix-de-Feu that delivered much-needed momentum, but the expert spies of the CSAR.
The CSAR had embedded agents in the Estonian military as early as 1937, long before there were any signs of open hostility between the two nations. For years, they had worked their way into positions of influence, stationing themselves where they could gather critical intelligence to pass back to the fatherland. In the summer of 1943, they finally hit paydirt in assembling a complete guide to the Estonian military's encoding protocols, smuggling several copies of the document home to Paris.
Now, the National Guard could monitor all of Estonia's communications, anticipating their attacks with perfect accuracy. French soldiers were already fighting with the greatest ferocity they'd shown the entire war; they were cornered defending the heart of their nation, fueled by daily propaganda and a steady combat-enhancing drugs, and monitored by uncompromising Croix-de-Feu enforcers who enforced deadly consequences on anyone who showed cowardice in the face of the enemy. Now, the cornered dogs of the National Guard could see their enemies coming and respond accordingly.
Suddenly, the steady advance of the Estonian army came to a screeching halt. For months they had gained ground through the skillful use of target light tank strikes, but whenever they attempted to pierce into French territory, a concentration of S35 medium tanks and concentrated artillery thwarted their advances. Hundreds of Estonian tanks were reduced to flaming wrecks across the front across Picardie and Champagne. Hoping to circumvent the newly-strengthened French defensive line, Estonian troops deployed to Germany and Italy, engaging in a broad assault from every direction. But no matter what direction the Entente attacked from, the French held them at bay.
The most bitter struggle continued to take place in and around the French capital in Paris. Estonian, Finnish, and Italian forces had reached the outskirts of Henri Laurent's center of government in late spring; even then, before the breaking of the cipher, the most hardened of Laurent's fighters offered bitter, uncompromising resistance. Every effort to breach the city failed, and when Finnish divisions waged a brave attempt to flank and surround the city, the National Guard repelled them almost effortlessly. A planned paradrop into the city was thwarted by French air superiority, their vast air force aided by access to the flight plans of Estonian bomber groups.
Elsewhere, the French Navy continued to hold the English Channel in an iron grip. Plans had been drawn up for a naval invasion of the Breton peninsula, with the aim of recruiting Breton resistance fighters and opening up another front to further stretch the French lines. But the French surface fleet, supported by a swarm of supporting aircraft, crushed every Estonian attempt to breach the Channel. By late summer of 1943, all but one of Estonia's aircraft carriers -- including both of the newest Tietaja Raak-class carriers -- had been sunk. Only the aged EML Tarvet Harka, a design dating back to the 1930's, remained seaworthy.
Just a few months earlier, victory for the Entente had seemed inevitable. Now, the French resistance had found new life, and the entire advance into the French heartland was in jeopardy. Weeks turned into months, and the casualty count mounted for the Entente nations as they tried everything they could to gain the upper hand. Henri Laurent's ultimatum to his men appeared to have worked.
The war in France stretched on through the summer and into the fall, with the Entente fighting desperately to regain their ground. Elsewhere in the world, one final declaration of war was about to make one last drastic change to the face of the war.
- 7
Bit of a lighter content update -- we are setting the stage for one of the biggest twists in global politics that will be happening in early 1944, kicking off a new phases of the AAR and setting up a tense endgame!
- 1
That doesn't sound good...
Oh no! That's worse than I was expecting!
It sounds like Arabia is going to finally get around to attacking France. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out. In particular, where will the Estonian and Arabian forces meet, and how will they handle things? Will we move directly from WWII to WWIII, or will there be an armistice of some sort? And what's going to happen to Germany?
France breaking Estonia's cipher is certainly a setback, but at least it makes this war interesting.
I'm hoping this final declaration involves China finally waking up and seizing its place as world superpower.
I'm hoping this final declaration involves China finally waking up and seizing its place as world superpower.
- 1
Looking forward to what moves Arabia or China make in the future, whatever they do is bound to shake things up for this AAR and make this war even crazier. Part of me feels like France's resistance will only allow Arabia to get more gains the moment they decide to declare war on France.
That's a problem. The Estonian Enigma is cracked!
I wonder what will change in 1944? If it was obvious, it wouldn't be a twist in global politics. And I doubt it benefits Estonia. It leads to a tense endgame, after all.
I wonder what will change in 1944? If it was obvious, it wouldn't be a twist in global politics. And I doubt it benefits Estonia. It leads to a tense endgame, after all.
What a setback indeed, but hopefully Estonia can bounce back from this blunder and may the French make a mistake if they prove to be overconfident to their current situation.
Probably the communists finishing off what remains of the monarchists and then turning their attention to France and Estonia.
Yes, most of you are right on -- we will soon have to explore how the various nations loosely aligned against Fascism will fare when their causes all join and their borders meet -- some tense political maneuvering is certainly coming up soon.
Defintely no good with the encryption broken. But surely Estonia has understood what has happened by now?
No, Paris is still holding out -- apparently the French are very willing to fight to the last man for their capital city.
- 1
That's some very different French you got there.
Probably because of earlier partitions (kinda) and young independence. I assume living under fascist/nationalist gouvernment isn't easy either.
There is a theory that people who live comfortable and luxurious lives in their countries are less willing to defend their country in a case of war if anything they are more inclined to leave country if need be.
That's why wealthy irl French living in western Europe were known for surrendering (because of WW II mostly) and countries like Poland, Soviet Union etc. were fighting to the last soldier
- 1
Agree. France has chosen another radical ideology in my ARR. The communists seized power after gaining independance in 1913. Young nations prefer radical ideologies.
- 1