Holding the Storm at Bay: A French AAR

1936 Grand Campaign: France.
One of the military powers of the world at the time...staring down German troops from the Maginot Line. Fast forward to 1940, and the French troops are not smiling. Because they're dead. How to fix that?

FACING THE THREAT-1936
Back to 1936. First things first, get a research team on Advanced Construction. Next, get Maxime Weygand working on the next land doctrine right away; it takes him a couple years to get his desk sorted out. Have a research team on Armor and Artillery, and one on Aircraft. The last one can go anywhere; I assigned it Basic Mountain Division.

Still 1936, I move all my available troops to the borders with Germany and Italy, and the Low Countries as well. Some production is allocated to infantry divisions, and an interceptor squadron. The rest of my IC is dedicated to producing more IC. At this point, my troops are still smiling, and, with good reason, their wise ruler has foreseen many events.

LAYING OUT THE WELCOME MAT-1937
Finally, Adv Construction is finished, as well as most of my IC orders. I now start ten-fold series of Land Fortifications in Reims, Valenciennes, Lille, Dunkerque, Grenoble, and Nice. My smiling troops now have sandbags to smile over. They are also getting new partners, as intensive military buildup continues. Also, disillusioned with the United Kingdom's general unwillingness to contribute to my continental defenses, I leave the alliance. I start looking for allies, and find willing partners in the Balkans and Southern Europe.

EARNING THEIR KEEP: THE FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION-1938
Greece becomes the first ally of the wonderful Double Entente. Bulgaria follows next. I guess they just wanted a schoolyard bully, because, shortly after, they declared war on Yugoslavia. All they wanted was Stip and Skopje. They didn't even get that far. Yugoslavia turned around and attacked Bulgaria.

Obligated to help my ally, I debated where to insert my eight division strong French Foreign Legion. After much debate with my advisors (My right hand and the Word paper clip) we decided upon a simultaneous two-prong landing at Dubrovnik and Split. Rapid deployment and movement enabled the Foreign Legion to secure most of the victory points, as well as Sarajevo and Belgrade. The Yugoslavians decided now that this little cat in their backyard was growing claws. Too late. After another month, coupled with a Bulgarian counterattack, Yugoslavia became part of the new French Empire.

Meanwhile, on the home front, fortifications continued to be built, and new divisions joined the home defense. Germany started frowning at us, so we stuck our tongues out at them. For, we had already began countering their invasion plan that they had not even thought up yet.

THE PROPHETIC VISIONS ARE FULFILLED-1939
Military buildup continues along the extended Maginot Line, and in Southern France as well. Some new divisions go to my far-flung territories.
Slowly, I await the coming of the storm. Good thing I already dug my basement.

September 1, 1939. The German dogs set foot in Poland. Amazed at my foresight, my people have a new found trust in me. Attacking their work with a new fervor, most of the fortifications are finished by the end of 1939, and industrial efficiency is increased by 10 percent.

Relations have quickly degenerated with my allies, and France leaves in disgust. Turning back to our old friends, Great Britain, we kindly ask to join their alliance. Finally, my troops on the Maginot can do more than stare down the Germans, they can shoot down the Germans. My heavy AA preparation takes a heavy toll on the probing Luftwaffe.

THE FRUITS OF OUR LABOR-1940
Each province along the extended Maginot Line contains eight divisions, usually seven infantry and one armoured division, named as a garrison. The Strasbourg Garrison contains the Maginot Line HQ. The Grenoble Garrison is comprised entirely of mountain troops. The Northern Reserves, in Calais, commands six infantry divisions. The Central Reserves in Mulhouse, commands the same size of a force. The Southern Reserves, in Marseilles, commands seven infantry divisions. Pau, on the border with unfriendly Nationalist Spain, contains four mountain divisions. The Home Army, based in Paris, commands two Corps. I Corps, commanded by the illustrious de Gaulle, consists of twelve motorized divisions. II Corps, newly formed, contains four armored divisions, soon to be twelve.

Farther away from the homeland, the Morrocan Garrison, in Casablanca, contains four infantry divisions. The Algerian Garrison, in Algiers, commands five infantry divisions. The Tunisian Garrison, in Tunis, commands five infantry divisions. The West African Garrison, in Dakar, commands six infantry divisions. The Foreign Legion, in Yugoslavia, commands ten motorized infantry divisions. The Syrian Garrison, in Damascus, commands four infantry divisions. The Northern Indochina Garrison has four infantry divisions, similar to the Southern Indochina Garrison. The Indochina Reserves have three infantry divisions. Lastly, a garrison division defends Noumea.

Germany, in the first few months, concentrates its effort on Yugoslavia, breaking the scant defenses set up by my troops. The Foreign Legion is still, however, highly trained, and makes an orderly retreat to the port of Split, where they are spirited away to France, leaving Yugoslavia virtually undefended.

In May 1940, Germany declares war on the Low Countries. Having foreseen this also, His Excellency the Ruler of France moves the French Home Army into the Netherlands, and the Foreign Legion takes up positions in Belgium. After ferocious fighting, I Corps is pushed back from Leeuwarden to Amsterdam. II Corps loses its foothold in Arnhem, retreating to Eindhoven. The Foreign Legion holds fast at Liege, but, in danger of encirclement, withdraws to Namur. I Corps again retreats to Rotterdam, and II Corps to Antwerp.

August 1940 sees another offensive, this time the finishing blow to Belgium. I Corps is pushed back to Dunkerque, after a loss in Ghent. II Corps is surrounded in Antwerp, but, close air support harrasses the enemy forces. The Foreign Legion, pushed back to Valenciennes, regroups with I Corps. Together, they counterattack in Namur. They capture it just in time, as II Corps loses a battle in Antwerp. Now saved, the battered French Home Army and Foreign Legion retreat back across the border.

The victorious Wehrmacht expects now an easy road into France and victory, and run *smack* into my level ten fortifications all along the border. Uh-oh. Even bringing Italy in early December won't help.

Coming up next: DESERT RATS: TAKE TWO-1941

 

lol - nice - I expected some Monty Python one-liners in there ("I fart in your general direction."). Anyways, would love to see some screenshots of your extended Maginot Lines. Also, apart from surviving the Nazi onslaught, what are your other goals?

 

hmm...screenshots...i cannot do. some may have noticed my general lack of screenshots overall. Once i get technical things sorted out, maybe for future games. Even if overnight, i figured it all out, i didn't remember to take screenies in the heat of this non-graphical game.

I figure that this front will be static, until the inevitable Eastern War begins. Meanwhile, I have already whooped the Italians (I'm in 1942 already) in North Africa, seeing as how the German AI doesn't ever send help. I have started some naval buildup (My entire Channel fleet was sunk by U-boats), but France has some low-level research teams.

Once the Eastern War begins (it still hasn't started) my time will come. Germany is still busy with me, it hasn't started the war. The Soviets are in a war with Japan, with neither side clearly winning.

 

DESERT RATS: TAKE TWO-1941
1942-American troops enter Tunis. HA! Not in my house. My plan - come 1941, French troops enter Berlin. But...I may have to settle for Rome.

Well, the Italian intervention was not expected, but covered in my meticulous war plans. Obviously, my people were once again astounded at my foresight in building fortifications in Grenoble and Nice.

I easily could have struck hard at Italy, but I wasn't feeling too confident. My powers of prescience were decreasing as history continued to derail off-track. Instead, the newly reinforced French Foreign Legion took to the seas...at least until Tunisia.

The Tunisian Garrison was already hard at work trouncing the Italians, but were stretched too thin trying to defend against the numerous enemies. Solution: Double my available forces. The twelve division-strong FFL crashed down upon the Italians.

I guess the Italians liked the British better. Their advance bottle-necked into Alexandria, but, they probably moved all available forces to fight off my better troops. I watched in horror as the British troops advanced. How dare they! For God's sake, people wear longer shorts at the beach! Midway through 1941, they reconquered half of what they had lost. I tried to ask them politely to stop taking my future conquests, but Mr. Word Paper Clip returned with a tin hat and a pair of shorts. I gave him leave for the next six months to go and figure out how to put them on.

August 1941, and my small transport fleet is entirely sunk through a moment of negligence. I was in a heated discussion with the my advisors. They want to cave in to Conservative Demands. Well, I thought I should revise the policy a little, but in the end the Socialists gave a promising argument. Retiring to my comfortable chair with a headache, I forgot to use my time-stopping powers. My transports were sitting somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea. Now, they are sitting somewhere on the Mediterranean sea...floor.

My IC is pushed to the max creating a III Corps for the Home Army. I assign a daunting task to the FFL - reach Egypt before the British reach Libya. Field Marshal Juin was not up to the task: French troops kissed British troops not on the border, but in Bizerte. Oh well, I guess we couldn't be too angry: Italian troops kissed the seabed.

Back to Europe: German troops, now seeing the futility of their attempts, settle down and build fortifications of their own. To my panicked people, this looks like a replay of the Great War. I reassure them, showing them photos of Russian troops fighting it out with the Germans. I also show them a photoshopped picture of me hoisting the French Tri-color over the ravaged Reichstag.

The Italians attempt a landing in Algeria. My well-trained Garrison destroys them shortly after landing. They try another landing in Marseilles...the headquarters of my Southern Defenses. Two failed attempts, however, spook me clearly. Coastal Fortification orders spring up along my coastal territories, and soon divisions begin taking up positions along the coast as well.

To quote another Forum member...Two Words...and the world has gone to hell. Operation Sea Lion. Well, Operation Sea Lion gets eaten up by Operation Shark. The British have been building a large army, but not using it. Sitting in the Isles, waiting for...God knows what. The results? This (5?) amount of divisions lost by the Germans, and the Germans control Northern Ireland (the remnants of the attack force hit there instead, and they have the huge advantage of defending against amphibious assaults).

To prevent Operation Leopard Seal from occurring in France, the French Channel Fleet patrolled the Channel continuously. I don't know what exactly happened. Maybe the sails of my super-high technology ships broke off, maybe the wooden rudders broke off, but, ships were inexplicably dropping away. My advisors offered some insight. Subs, he said. Time to take action. I signed a bill prohibiting Subway and Togos from ever setting foot in France. Baguettes are now shaped in triangles. And I always thought bread floated in water.

Plans? Behind the Maginot Line (Coast to coast except where it borders Switzerland), my Home Army trained intensively for the next step of my campaign. Props to Winston Churchill, I am attacking the Soft Underbelly of Europe. Since my planned attack is in Yugoslavia, I guess it is the Bellybutton of Europe. Anyway, newly inducted French Marine Corps, with all of two divisions, made ready for their hour of glory.

 

Nice AAR love it/ lol

 

Excellent stuff!

 

THE GERMAN JUGGERNAUT - 1942
Greece, I must say, has a considerable capacity. They managed to hold their temper in check, as the Italians annexed Albania. When Bulgaria joined Italy, still, they deigned not to destroy the Axis. I think Germany's annexation of Yugoslavia started to push it. There must have been some pretty heated discussions in Athens that I was missing out on, because, in February 1942, Germany attacked Greece.

The world cheered on as Greek troops strapped on their sandals, and donned their togas, and rushed out with their hoplites. The stadium became abruptly silent as the German tanks rumbled into Greece. Outrageous! My people demanded support for the Greeks, so, for the moment, my plans to clean out Europe's bellybutton had to be postponed. The 18-division strong French Foreign Legion landed in Athens in March 1, 1942, after their transports made a harrowing journey through the Mediterranean Sea.

My three marine divisions struck at Tirana, where they were driven back with many casualties. Looks like the Italian troops actually fought this time. I Corps of the Foreign Legion (6 motorized infantry) quickly rushed to Salonika, to assist the Greek defenders there. II Corps (6 infantry) went to Edessa, and III Corps (6 Arm.) went on the offensive. III Corps quickly attacked the weaker Bulgarians, taking Varna. Moving across to attack Sofia, the French seemed to be poised to annex Bulgaria.

Poop! The Bulgarians took Varna back four hours before my tanks arrived in Sofia. To make matters worse, newly arrived German troops surrounded III Corps. I and II Corps quickly rushed to break the encirclement. I Corps began a ferocious 2-day battle, and, even with the timely arrival of II Corps, was extremely exhausted.

A minor German counterattack routed I Corps, and a larger one trapped it against the sea at Salonika. Transports came in, and spirited away both corps back to France. April 23, 1942, one year after the historic fall of Greece, III Corps surrendered in the face of at least fifteen German divisions. The Italians wasted no time. A week later, Athens fell.

With my troops back in safety, I had to reshuffle my entire war plans. If I could not even hold Greece, I would definitely not be able to invade Yugoslavia. I was also running short on competent generals. Maybe I should have brought General Petraeus along when I adventured back into the past.

In quite a quandary of what to do, I slowly mulled in my room, and Mr. Word Paper Clip once again saved the day. He bounced in, quite obviously hammered, and wrapped twelve times around a book: "The Battle of Verdun." OF COURSE!

Quite simply and quite desperately, my new plan was formed: destroy the German army piecemeal while we wait for Russia to enter the war. Although they had a much more powerful industry, I was sure that we would not take nearly as many losses.

The provinces of Belgium were perfect for encirclement. My first move, in mid-July: twenty four divisions of the Home Army rushed into Namur and Brussels, while the Foreign Legion secured Ghent. While German commanders fumbled to defend against what they were sure was the big push, the Valenciennes Garrison charged out of their fortifications and destroyed the six divisions trapped in Mons. Operation Kill German Troops 1 successful!

This success encouraged me to be a little more ambitious in planning Operation Kill German Troops 2. A month later, the Lille and Dunkerque Garrisons began diversionary attacks on Ghent. Meanwhile, my armies collected in Reims for the ambitious move. I Corps of the Home Army spearheaded the advance, taking Liege, and then Cologne, where they paused for consolidation.

We finally got to see the faces we had been smiling at across no-mans land. The expressions were somewhere between "I'm dead" and "I'm dying", as well as the occasional aggravating "I'm ALIVE." Ha. Not for long.

Troops in Strasbourg made supporting attack, while I Corps resumed its attack, capturing Saarbrucken. Now, German divisions were visibly massing in the area. Time to make a move. About seventeen German divisions were trapped in the Bastogne-Arlon-Luxembourg Pocket.

II Corps, in Cologne, fought backwards, into Bastogne, while I Corps of the FFL fought a rearguard action before withdrawing to Liege. I Corps of the Home Army abandoned the Saarbrucken to strike at Luxembourg. Finally, with support from all sides, the FFL attacked the seventeen divisions trapped in Arlon. Operation Kill German Troops 2 reported a success.

Late September, and Operation Kill Italian Troops 1 is about to be launched. I guess Britain finally wanted in. They land six, then four more divisions at the luckily undefended Amsterdam. However, instead of moving on Utrecht, or Rotterdam, they try some funny business to attack Leeuwarden. I guess it wasn't that funny, because they didn't like it, especially after the little infantry icon under the British flag faded away, replaced by a (is it my imagination?) smiling Pz. IV icon.

Operation KIT 1 is launched anyway. I Corps speeds into Genoa, and down to La Spezia, while II Corps diverges and heads to Milan. FFL defends Genoa against the six divisions trapped in Turin, with their backs to neutral Switzerland. The mountainous terrain makes for slow movement, allowing many Italian divisions to respond. Who cares? They don't shoot straight, anyway. The German ones are the ones to watch. Already German Stukas share the skies with my fighters. Panzer divisions appear in Venice and Trento. No need to hurry, after all, I'm not the surrounded one.

However, the Italians counterattack, retaking La Spezia. Let me repeat: the Italians won a battle. My troops must have driven their tanks into the sea, got out, swam to Marseille, hijacked the reserve tanks, and drove those into the sea as well. That's the only way I can see how Italy won. Now, things seem a little more urgent.

II Corps turns around and crushes the six divisions in Turin. The FFL, covering for the exhausted I Corps, makes another attempt at capturing La Spezia. They do win, move on to Bologna, Ferrara, and back to the safety of Milan. This thunder run does little more than disrupt the Axis, and I think take down a few garrison divisions. Once FFL reaches Milan, I and II Corps go back across the border, followed closely by FFL.

Not a moment too soon, because November 1942 sees the Italian border manned by German troops, as well as Italian troops. Quite frustrating how German troops still hold such a large advantage so late into the game. I knock on Weygand's door to see how the research is coming along. In slurred speech, I hear Bordeaux, Alsace, and Burgundy. Just as I start getting excited at this new plan of his, I realize he is talking about the fine quality of French wine. No thanks, I'm underage. At least now I know why German troops are so good: Germans don't make wine.

December 1942 sees something unexpected. No, Russia still does not enter the war. Instead, the unexpected U.S. joins the war. Great! All that IC now in Allied hands. Wait...look at all the military the U.S. has to offer! All of TWO divisions in Washington D.C., ONE in Sacramento, and SEVEN in Hawaii.

1943 New Year Celebration involves me hitting my head on the fine French wallpaper.

 

btw, thanks for all the nice comments

 

Of course that makes sense now, the french were drunk when the Germans attacked. lol

 

Great stuff! Love the commentary!

 

i haven't finished playing 1943 yet...but...i can tell you one thing.Russia REALLY doesn't like us. maybe they have a future reader as well, who can foresee the fall of 1989.

 

HALLELUJAH-1943

The United States. Wielding more industrial capacity than the rest of North America combined. A military as large as the Grand Army of Ecuador. An air force with the reach of my extended left arm. Best of all, and without sarcasm, a huge navy one and a half times the size of the outdated Royal Navy, and three times the size of my wooden navy.

Even in January, I start warming up to our new allies. You can't stay mad at someone long if they give you the naval power of Poseidon. Within a month or two, Allied transports freely roam the North and Baltic, and the last vestiges of the once proud Italian fleet are left smoldering in their anchorages, victim of carrier strike after carrier strike.

My consul to America returns with even better news. They finally have tanks. He gave an estimate, maybe another six months before any expeditionary forces arrive in France. Six months of waiting? Yeah right. Itching to do something, but without the available forces. I KNOW. Pick on the little kid. Italy.

Taking command of my British allies (they have all the transports), I begin extensive planning for Operation Poodle. Huskies are overrated. Poodle would be closely followed by Mudslide, and then, finally, Shingle ver. 2.0.

My Marine Corps, now commanding six divisions, conducts preliminary invasions of Sardinia and Athens. The landing at Athens was meant to be a practice run, and I would quickly pull out, but the remains of Greece, based in Crete, suddenly landed their five divisions. Unfortunately, I had not noticed, and I already withdrew my Marines. Bye Bye, Greek Army. Better luck next time?

Anyway, my American consul had underrated the industrial power of America. Early April, the Americans landed in Brest with five motorized infantry divisions. Too little too early. Best let the buildup continue. The invasion of Italy would commence next month, and no American troops would take part.

"Indomitable in retreat, invincible in advance." Churchill was a smart man. I had Montgomery command the British troops. Now there was a man the British should try to emulate. His pants revealed nothing above the ankle.

My Marine Corps cleared the way with a landing at Palermo, and quickly moved on to take the rest of Sicily. Montgomery and his First British Army, both III Corps and V Corps, each eight divisions strong, moved on to Reggio di Calabria.

The Marine Corps quickly loaded up and landed at Anzio. The French Foreign Legion landed right behind them. FFL I Corps quickly secured Perugia, while FFL II Corps secured Rome. The Marine Corps gave up Anzio, moving to Perugia. Supply continued through Port Rome. I Corps then moved on to Pescara. The British III Corps moved through Potenza to reach Foggia, and V Corps settled down in Potenza. Home Army II Corps landed at Reggio di Calabria. The Italians were now trapped in Taranto, and another group in Naples and Cassino.

II Corps of the Home Army struck at Taranto, eliminating the four divisions, while V Corps, in Potenza, struck Naples. Before the retreating Italian forces could fully reach Cassino, III Corps hit Cassino from Foggia. Seven days saw the end of resistance in Southern Italy. The final phase of this campaign involved FFL II Corps retaking Anzio from Rome. The Allied Corps now moved to the front line.

A renewed offensive slowly bogged down, after taking Florence and Rimini. The Germans had finally arrived. The front became static, at the historical location of the Gothic Line. I pulled Home Army II Corps back to Nice.

Now...Operation Cross My Fingers. This super risky plan could result in the destruction of more than thirty axis divisions, or twenty of my own. August 16, 1943, under the cover of night, the experience and battle-hardened Marine Corps attempted a landing at Venice. Supported only by the single experimental airborne division, the battle raged for almost two days, while Axis reinforcements mobilized.

However, II and III Corps of the Home Army exploded from Nice, taking Genoa. While the Marine Corps was barely holding on, III Corps, exhausted after a long and hard battle, was forced to move on to Milan. The river crossing took a heavy toll, and III Corps was forced to retreat. Things were looking bad for the Marine Corps. Although Venice was secure, there were only seven divisions. The Axis had over twenty divisions around it. Milan was a primary objective. II Corps was thrown at it, while III Corps made supporting attacks.

Finally, four days later, troops from France met the Marine Corps. Axis troops were surrounded in Turin, as well as a large group in Ferrara, Bologna, and La Spezia. I Corps of the Home Army easily took Turin, then moved to Milan, while II Corps took Ferrara. III Corps forced the Axis out of La Spezia, and the combined strenths of the British and the French took Bologna.

Finally, momentum was on the Allied side. Hitler must have been sweating like a pig, and scared to death, too, because, umm...he declared war on the Russians. Alright! Within a month German troops had advanced to the pre-Molotov pact border. A final push of 1943 placed Allied troops in Trento. Italy had been conquered. The Nice and Grenoble Garrison were moved to Trento and Venice, where a new defensive line was being created. The Southern Reserves followed.

An estimate of enemy ships in the Mediterranean: 0. To top things off, I was finally assured of ultimate victory. Like Churchill, I could finally sleep sound, because we received news of the utmost importance to our cause: Peru had declared war on Germany! And there was much rejoicing.

Next step: Liberating Belgium and the Netherlands, and then entering the Fatherland itself. If the Russians turn things around on their side, I might force a new offensive through Italy, maybe a landing in the Balkans, to secure as much territory as possible.

 

gosh, playing france gets boring. instead i hit f12 and type in dissent about seven times.

YAY! I had little party trying to suppress the French Revolution, Part 2. This AAR is closed, due to my lack of patience in my game.

 

lol, good show old chap, good show!

If you want something more exciting, start up a game as Romania!

 

Muahahhahah

 

wheres the shame ..............