The Allies At War USA (Matt), UK (Joe), France (Mike) vs The World Version: Patch 1.4 Modifications: None Difficulty: Normal Objective: Prevent the Axis from taking France. Defeat the Axis. The World on February 4th, 1940 is a violent place. The Germans Annexed Austria and Czechoslovakia while forming an Alliance with the Italians and Japanese. The Italians successfully conquered Ethiopia and Albania while Japan took over the Chinese Warlords. Asia is a place of bloody battles. The Guangxi Clique Warlord has become a puppet of Japan while Yunnan has outright joined the Axis. Communist China joined the Commitern before being conquered, bringing the Japanese into conflict with the Russians. The indepandant war is Epic in scale, from Sinkiang in the West to the East Coast of Russia in the East. It is hard to tell who is winning the war though the Japanese have advanced into Russia. Russia had been engaged in war with Finland too, but has returned to Status Quo on that front and - as best as our spies can tell - are now marching Armies to the East to deal with Japan. Europe is not much different. Expansionist Germany devoured Poland with its military might, invoking war against the Allies who had been joined by the ever powerful USA a few years before. Allied forces managed to move into Belgium and secure most of its territory, though the Germans made an error in not attacking US forces - which took several months to fully mobilize due to a manpower shortage. Italy soon joined the war by declaring war on Greece - a member of the Allied Forces - though there has been no movement on that front. American Troops stationed in Egypt are moving into Eastern Libya, while French forces in Tunisia are moving into Western Libya. The first parachute drop of the war, involving the US 82nd Airborne Division, successfully captured the port of Benghazi in Libya. British Forces in East Africa have slowly started to move into Somalia and Ethiopia. British Forces in India - few as they are - prepare for the enivitable invasion by the Yunnan, Guangxi Clique, and Japanese - the Japanese can not be out of the war vs. the Allies for long, after all. With the initial onslaught defeated, Allied Supreme Command are starting to make plans for a large scale counterattack. French forces are already moving into Norther Italy, and Italian Libya will soon be subjugated. American Commanders are pushing for an Invasion of Italy, wanting to eliminate the Italians and gain a new border - and avenue of attack - on Germany through Austria. Opening such a front will force German Troops from Western Europe to deal with the new threat. British High Command is pushing for a direct assault on the Germans, ignoring the Italians. So many plans, so little time. One thing is agreed upon however - a Summer Offensive into Occupied Holland. The plan is high-risk but also high-reward. Its very possible that such a push could open the doors to Germany, or just cost the Allies several hundred lives. The Plan is quite simply and has been broken down into 3 Phases. (USA Troops = Dark Blue, French Troops = Light Blue, UK Troops = Red) Phase 1: Attack the province of Namur, freeing up two complete Armies on the border by shortening the front in Belgium. These troops will then form part of Phase 2. Phase 2: The second part of the attack is the most crucial and could present an opportunity to push deep into German (an attack of opportunity). American Paratroopers, in the initial part of the Phase, are to parachute behind German Lines and secure the city of Eindhoven. Depending on resistance and enemies behind lines, it will be possible for the paratroopers to move on foot towards Arnhem. British forces will be attack Eastwards from the Coast, along the river that is currently forming the front line with German Troops in Holland. They will link up with the American Troopers as American Troops (freed from Phase 1) push northwards in from Belgium. The goal of Phase 2 is to push back to the original Dutch Border, using the rivers in the area as an added line of defense against a German Counter Attack. Phase 3: If Phase 2 is at all successful, a US Marine Invasion of Amersfoort (next to Amsterdam) will help cut off German troops in and around Amsterdam, allowing Allied Forces to avid a direct assault on said troops. The success of this 3-Phase Attack could go a long way to ending the war in Europe before Christmas.
Just as an afterthought, this is my planned (and crudely drawn) follow up offensive, in which part of my troops will swing south and meet up with french and US troops advancing near Luxemberg, cutting off a large amount of Germans. Destroying those German forces will make it a lot easier for my tanks to drive on to Berlin.
As they say, the best made plans are the first to fall. We went after Italy - an attack of Opportunity presented itself. American Airborne troops landed unopposed in Taranto. The following months saw a dozen more Airborne landings in Italy as territory see-sawed back and forth as Germans moved into Italy. Ports were lost. Ports were taken. Sicily fell to the 82nd and 101st Airborne, who then landed in Napoli. This would prove decisive, as American Troops from recently liberated Libya moved in, along with British troops from Eastern Africa (who had taken Italian East Africa and Ethiopia). Fighting in Italy was brutal, but this would only be a taste of things to come. British forces moved up the East Coast from Napoli towards Rome, avoiding the mountains of Central Italy. French forces moved in from the Italo-French border, aided greatly by the Americans and with some of their own surprise landings. Of note, the 82nd Airborne helped retake the port of La Spezia, aiding cut off French troops after a vicious German Counterattack. American Airborne troops also seized the port of Venezia, moved inland to free trapped French troops and marched towards Milano after they were cut off again, aiding in the final attack as French forces pushed in from the West to free Milano. An American Force landing in Venezia, recapturing it, followed by an Airborne attack on Bologna saw the Annexation of Italy...by the USA! Due to German forces in Italy, this caused some odd pockets of resistance that remained as part of the USA even after 'Puppeting' Italy. Germans had a strong presence in North-Eastern Italy where the most epic struggle occurred. Panzer Divisions poured in from Austria and there were several battles in the narrow front of over 100K soldiers fighting it out. The most epic of these battles occured after the recapture (again) of Venezia, as British and American forces pushed up against a 120K force of German Soldiers in Vicenza. The battle was epic and the tide finally turned with the arrival of General Patton, leading a 2 Motorized/2 Light Armored Division (jumping the attack from 62 to 75%). The End Result: (British Statistics) A truly epic battle. At this time, Yugoslavia and Romania joined the Allies, causing the Germans to pull masses of troops out of Italy to deal with this new threat. This can be seen here: Note the dark-blue American provinces, the light blue French, and the Green Italian. Yugoslavia can be seen as a slightly purple color on the far right. American troops are continuing their push north, led by General Patton, and a US Carrier Group (and British Ships) can be seen in the Gulf of Venice. The Situation in France and the Lowlands has remained relatively the same, with the French now attacking along the Maignot line (Swiss area) against weakened German Lines. It is also now October 1940, the planned 3-Phase-Attack never having occurred during the summer.
Adding my part into the topic. As German occupied lands in Italy were retaken by the Allies, and subsequint wars with Yugoslavia, Romania, and Greece, Germany was in a constant need for fresh troops. It was discovered that a large portion of the German army, along the opposing side of the Maginot Line, had moved to places unknown. A very small number of divisons were left in place. The French, never ones to fail in the initiative, jumped on the opertunity to create havoc on the Axis powers, and releave pressure from the threatend Italian Front. Progression into the heart of the Third Reich was a slow moving affair. French units simply dislike withdrawing from an attack, and as a result some units were decimated with over 90% casualties, seriously hindering future attacks east by French forces. By the end of January the Wurttenburg Offensive had linked up with French and English troops fighting in Italy (US troops were further east along this front). In another attempt by Germany to counter the threat posed by the giant bulge in the lines, it was soon noticed that large portions of the lines in Belgium and The Netherlands were unoccupied, waiting for liberation. Uk forces began a push north and east, liberating both countries. A Amphibious Assault force was put together and landed near Wilhelmshaven just as quickly, catching the German army by surprise.
Since our last update, things have changed rather dramatically in the world. I will post screenshots later. It is now early 1942 and Europe is a collage of different colors. After prolonged battle with the Germans, which saw Generals Patton and Hodges leading the charge into the Balkans (and the destruction of the Germany Army there) Germany finally surrendered. For reasons unknown, this caused Austria and Czechoslovakia to regain their independence. However, Slovakia (which had been liberated by Germany after the annexation of Czechoslovakia) remained in the hands of the USA, which had pushed up through a sliver of Germany along the Hungarian border and into Slovakia. A few unclaimed provinces in Germany also came into US hands, while the rest of the country was split between British and French possession. Poland was also liberated, the Axis ceased to exist (Hungary dropped out of the alliance, though was never at war with the Allies). Yugoslavia, during the war, went from the Allies then to the Axis, then have Croatia formed in the middle of it, only to then be liberated and rejoin the Allies, while Croatia was annexed by the United States. It resembles modern-day India/Pakistan, just with a reverse in size disproportion. Albania, previously a USA puppet annexed by Germany, also gained its independence somehow, while Greece and Yugoslavia regained lost territories. Of note, Rommel and a Panzer Division were the last Germans in Greece, holed up in some mountains before being destroyed by American Dive Bombers. At some point around this time, Japan finally declared War on the Allies. Their gains in Russia by this point had been pushed back and they are clearly on the decline. Guangxi Clique troops have poured over the border into unguarded French Indochina. The American Navy suffered an embarrassing Naval Loss in its first engagement with Japanese ships, but has since turned the tide and captured several Japanese Islands, as far West as Iwo Jima. The USA has very limited forces in the region (3 Marines, 4 Infantry Divisions) as most of their Army is poised on the Hungarian Border (in Yugoslavia/Croatia and Slovakia). Things are looking good for the Allies, who are now starting to prepare for the invasion of Russia.
Russia should be a pushover, but I think we might be wrong...however, with most of Europe and the USA under our control we should be able to beat them. After Japan is destroyed, we will be able to attack Russia from multiple sides, French and US troops (In my plan) will attack through Poland and teh Baltic states, and I am going to build a large amphibious force to land in and around Leningrad. Although, after Russia, I think our game will certainly be over.
I don't think a Naval Invasion makes much sense, given your supply problems doing so in Germany. I think we should do as the Germans - Army Group North, Army Group Center, Army Group South - dividing based on our borders. I am thinking we should go to war against Poland though - we'll have major supply issues moving through Poland to get to Russia (well, you and Mike will, i do control the Memel Region). Based on our borders, Mike would hit southern Russia, I would move through the North, and you'd take the center. Russia doesn't seem to have many troops against us right now but once they deal with Japan, things will start to look interesting.
I'm with Joe on this one. I think splitting up may be the best course of action. And to a limited extent a necessity due to a lack of solid intelligence. A small force could possibly push north from India, just east of the boarder with Afghanistan. This force could probably consist of the entirety of the British troops in India. 9 French Divisions (about 80-90.000 troops) are earmarked for French Indo-China with the first four in transit, currently in the Indian Ocean, and with orders to subdue Yunnan and the Guanxi Clique.. In Poland, France alone has nearly 750,000 troops, separated into three armies. A good estimate would be between 70-75 divisions. Another 250,000 (or more) troops are waiting for orders near the Czech-Austrian boarder. I feel that UK forces should cover the Memel region, stretching south as far as practical. French Forces can cover the remaining stretch of boarder to Romania. I think we should use this as a test of the improvement of AI awareness and action along active fronts with US and French forces supporting a Romanian attack in the south. A UK invasion near Leningrad should coincide with a French sea-borne invasion in the Baltic. Large numbers of US troops in Europe will then be free for transfer to the Pacific, and an invasion of Japan should be launched as soon as possible. The US needs to conquer Japan before Russia stations troops and marches down through the northern islands of Japan. Russia must not be allowed to annex Japan! As Japan surrenders Russia will in all likelihood begin transferring troops back to the west. This is when a combined American and French (UK too if Joe has troops available) attack on Russia from the east occurs. In this way there will be 5 separate fronts for the communist hordes to try and counter. Any attempts and countering a single front will result in weakening resistance along the others, as occurred with Germany.
We stopped playing as me and Joe switched to the ICE mod...and we haven't heard from Mike since (we hear the Failbox has claimed him).
IIRC alot. China was split in half along a north/south boarder, with France annexing the west half, the US the east. Japan and Korea were occupied by the US as well. Poland was kicked out of the Allies and Annexed by the UK. Germany was split into a north south with France controlling the South, UK the North. US annexed Slovakia and maybe Hungry and Romania(those last two I'm not 100% on). Supplies issues prevented attacks into Russia from China, so I think we were transporting troops back to Europe when Semper Fi came out. Then the game kinda died. I haven't gotten on a lot lately for various reasons but Musso might still have a saved game to pull screenshots off of.
Yeah, that about sums it up. I'll see if I do though, though not sure. Not sure if Semper Fi is comptabile with vanilla games either. If you ever come back online Mike we'll try getting that mod working for you and start up a new game! Me and Joe have a US/UK and an Ita/Germ game going on right now (in addition to my solo effort).