Session Six
A huge naval battle develops in the Tyrrhenian Sea, but it is the beginning of the end for the Italian Navy (as the AI just doesn't know when to give up).Yugoslavia claims Bulgaria. WTF?
The invasion of Sardinia is progressing well, although it was risky moving troops from North Africa there, they eventually made it through the raging seas.
The extension of the Alpine Forts is now complete. Possibly just in time as the Italians were starting to wear down the defending forces (that luckily include a lot of Commonwealth divisions as well as French).
The extension of the Maginot Line now commences.
Naval losses for the French have been 24 destroyers, 2 light cruisers, 4 heavy cruisers and 21 submarines. The loss of Axis naval power however has been just about absolute.
The Italians keep on attacking in the alps.
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact is signed. Oh dear.
24 March and the bad news keeps coming with the surrender of China to Japan.
The extension of the Maginot line is complete and focus now switches to unifying the Government with the catch cry of "defensive stratagems" (it must sound better in French).
Germany issues an ultimatum to Poland over Danzig. Poland refuses.
Germany declares war on Belgium. However the Belgians, with a much smaller frontier than Germany's other victims, is prepared, and quickly backed up by Allied forces.
Hungary starts to justify war goals against us. Another WTF moment.
Zog submits to Italy.
7 April 1939 and Germany declares war on Poland.
3 May 1939 Poland surrenders (they just weren't ready and had a very long border to protect).
22 May 1939 The USSR occupies eastern Poland.
27 May 1939 Romania cedes Bessarabia to the USSR.
The method to Hungarian madness is revealed as they demand southern Slovakia from Germany and Germany agrees.
Germany and Italy announce closer ties.
The UK invade Sicily.
In July 1939 Germany states an interest in Scandinavia and invade Denmark and declare war on Norway. Fresh naval battles erupt in the Eastern North Sea. Denmark is overrun, but Norway is protected (three French divisions arrive, but it is more likely the loss of Axis shipping that stops any invasion).
Iceland takes control after the fall of Denmark.
The UK conquer Sicily and start to fight into the toe of Italy. The Italians have been slow to reinforce this front, being still stuck in the Alps. So far they have lost a million men...
10 August 1939 and Finland accepts Soviet Demands.
We start Army Reform (which will cancel our overly defensive spirit and start to give us options).
8 September and Yugoslavia declares war on Bulgaria.
Very interesting! I have access HofI-IV, given me by my son-in-law a year or so ago. I've not been able to make much of it though. I've tried the tutorial as Italy, but made a mess of their programme (i think), though I did reinforce the war in Abyssinia, which I THINK was going well, but not too sure about that. Very steep learning curve, and I find it hard to devote the necessary time.
ReplyDeleteI don't often play computer games, and tend to be a bit 'Old School' about it anyhow. I liked Panzer general II when I had an operating system that supported it, and Steel Panthers: World at War, too. Surprisingly, I find the antedeluvian Talonsoft 'Europe in Flames' works very well under Win10. That game system plays very much like the Command Decision dame systems, though on a hex-grid array. and a strength point system.
Having said that, I haven't even looked at it for months!
I like how it tells a story, just a shame I haven't yet been able to get a screen captures to make the blog post a bit more informative. I'm actually using a different computer for it. Apart from the interface challenge you mention, we were also having lag problems (Bruce is on the east coast, I'm west), but in switching to have my machine host things are moving much faster.
DeleteI used to play face to face boardgames and some miniatures with Bruce and being able to play online continues the gaming friendship so in that sense HoI works well, plus it is at a level that can not be done with miniatures or really well with a boardgame at the level of detail it has.
But it does take time and the interface is definitely a pain especially if you have lag problems, plus the AI is a bit suspect.