Thursday, March 7, 2019

France 1942

The first challenge is to get all those American Divisions over to France.  I'm short of generals (you need Political Points to get more and my PPs have gone on dealing with mutineers).  I manage to free up two generals and create the US 1st Army which consists of Trained Divisions and the US 2nd Army which is composed of Regular Divisions ready to fight.  The remaining units are either fit for garrison only (as in they are just a few battalions) or are green.  The Green Divisions will come over last and go into training.  Shuffling them over is easy for the Generals who I can give garrison commands to.  The AI then moves their units to the garrison area.  That saves a lot of hassle, except for the US 3rd Army which I have to wait until I can get a commander for.

8 March and the Axis start an offensive in the Alps.  I assume they are doing this to pin my troops.

A German convoy appears in the Bay of Biscay and is promptly sunk.

16 March and the British fleet is observed engaging the German fleet in the eastern North Sea.  It seems to be building up to a decisive engagement.

21 March and British Malaya surrenders.

De Gaulle is ordered to prepare an attack.

Luxembourg sends us an expeditionary force of one Division.  This is very handy as it is powerful and immediately available to fight.

21 March and the British Raj has been pushed back to Bengal.  I haven't been paying much attention, but believe they lost a few troops trapped in Burma and then the north west coast of Malaya.  The Japanese are also fighting the British Raj in Kashmir.

Siam has taken Singapore, possibly without a fight.

The US Navy is being sunk in a big battle near Iwo Jima.

Back in Europe the British Navy is believed to be trying to help landings around Hamburg.

On 1 April de Gaulle is ordered to start his offensive.  He has nine divisions, but seems to only want to use one.  After watching this for a while, I give up and take over, micromanaging his attack.

The attempt to suppress the mutineers has failed.  Attempts to take further action are limited due to lack of Political Power.

By 6 April de Gaulle is getting on with his attack into the north Rhineland.

The English have landed near Hamburg.

De Gaulle's attack succeeds, as does an attack north of Strasbourg.  The focus is now on Strasbourg itself, but we will not make the mistake of endless attacks on the heavily fortified location.

We have out first naval battle with Japan and sink one of their subs in the east Indian Ocean.

25 April and the US 2nd Army is on its way to the front.

De Gaulle's attacks are going well.  The US 2nd Army crosses the Rhine south of Essen where the Belgians have been successful is fighting the Germans. It will take part in the attack on Essen.

The US 1st Army has started training (to get the up to regular status).

5 May and we make another attempt to put down the mutiny in the French army.

7 May and the US 2nd Army attacks.

The attack on Strasbourg has not been going well and is called off.

By 14 May the US 2nd Army attack seems to have run out of steam.

De Gaulle attacks north of Essen.

The US 2nd Army switches focus to Hessen and makes better progress (it is into a zone where the Allies have air superiority).

We send our fleet to help the British in the precarious landings around Hamburg.

The US 2nd Army is now heading for Frankfurt.

3 June and the mutiny is crushed.  Let's hope it stays that way.

8 June and we pull our fleet out of the North Sea after losing two destroyers.  The Axis still have a preponderance of bombers that they have committed to that area (rather than supporting their land armies).

The US 2nd Army starts its attack on Frankfurt.

9 June the Belgians start attacking Dortmund.

Mid June and German lines have been broken around Stuttgart and Dortmund.  That is good news, however checking the Pacific and I see that the British Raj has been overrun.

24 June Wilhelmshaven is captured.

28 June The British Raj capitulates.

29 June the US 2nd Army has taken Frankfurt.

5 July and Nuremberg is captured.  We will stage a mass rally to celebrate.

8 July Strasburg is recaptured and Hamburg is captured.

The US 1st Army has completed training and is dispatched to Bremen.

14 July and we launch an offensive in the Alps.

Kiel is captured.

Situation 18 July 1942
The AI has given all almost the gains in Germany to Belgium.


4 comments:

  1. Nice to see plucky Belgium doing so well!

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    Replies
    1. That might change if I ever get to peace settlement. But the game is giving them all the immediate benefits (factories, resources).

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  2. Who knew Belgium had plans for a 'Greater Belgium', by eastward expansion?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It lasted just long enough to be all lost at the peace conference.

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