1974. German fans scream as the referee blows the final whistle. The West German players jump into a heap, celebrating their 2-1 World Cup victory over the Netherlands. However, in the stadium, a 15 year-old boy stares down in anger. He will avenge this. ACTIVATE TIME MACHINE! 1936. The Hague. In the middle of Queen Wilhelmina's office, a large door appears, and out steps me. It's time to take control. First step: The Dutch army is nowhere near the level of their soccer team. Much of this year is spent upgrading and filling out division rosters. Royal Shell begins to increase our industrial capabilities. Soon, the six divisions in the Netherlands are full strength, two each under three lieutenant generals. Three more divisions in Java are grouped in a single corps, under another lieutenant general. Second step: Preparing. Here we go. Similar to the French AAR earlier, I plan on staving off the German onslaught. However, I found a problem. Belgium shared half of my border. I politely asked our good friends to build fortifications along their lines, but they looked at me funkily and expressed their agreement. A month later, I begin to see one foxhole appear. Then again, it might have been a rain puddle. Now I have to change my fortification plan. No more maintaining the borders, I just want straight out SURVIVAL. Fortifications spring up in Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Eindhoven. More divisions are called up, and by 1939, level 6 fortifications are manned by four divisions each. By fateful May 1940, I should be able to survive. I would post screens, if I knew how to take screens in HoI.
Hello SOAR21, great story, please keep it comming. In the meantime those Dutch soldiers and YOU in their level 6 fortresses have to watch in agony as I (Wehrmachtsoldier) with my arm around a beautifull Dutch lass hips, keep strolling up and down the streets of Amsterdam. Regards Kruska
September 1, 1939. War! Germany, after annexing Austria, does not touch Czechoslovakia, and the world believed the Allied confrontation had stopped Hitler. Instead, Hitler moves on straight to the next part of the plan. Poland. Within a month, Poland has fallen. France and the British, as well as me in the orange, struggle to scrape up something of an army. Besides a manpower problem, my men are led by quite incompetent leaders. They would have to gain experience in the field. After all, a championship team, could be very different from a team of champions. Although relations with Germany are fairly good, I have the prescience of the future, so I start massive mobilization. I send a squadron of 6 ships to defend Indonesia, and I leave 5 ships at home. I plan to build a battleship later. I have a squadron of six submarine divisions, as well as twelve transport flotillas, essential for my evacuation plan should my defense plan fail. I plan to have nine divisions guard each of the three key provinces, but each one only has eight right now. Come May 3, 1940, all the divisions are completed. However, Amsterdam only has level 9 fortifications, but the last level will be completed May 10, after the declaration of war. No matter, 9 is hard to overcome as well. The Germans declare war. They sweep into Belgium, and quickly into France. My borders are defenseless, because I choose instead to defend the interior. Inexplicably, the Germans take only Groningen and Arnhem. They continue into France, but they have to leave a sizable garrison to guard my borders. Still, France seems on the verge of falling. And the British seem to be of no help, like always. So it falls on me now. Using the troops in Eindhoven to support the attack, I launch a major attack from Utrecht into Arnhem. The Germans are thrown off by sheer number, and are routed after a short battle. Yet, my troops withdraw back into Utrecht. The Germans return with a larger force, but the same attack once again forces them back. My leaders are slowly gaining experience. In this way, I continue to plague the German rear. My efforts pay off, and France begins a counterattack, quickly moving back into Belgium. Just as I believe that an early victory is at hand, they are stopped just short of Essen. They are pushed back into Belgium, once again exposing the important city of Rotterdam for capture. Germans take advantage of this, and, from Antwerp, move seven divisions to my city. The French take Antwerp, closing the gap. My first attack from Amsterdam and Eindhoven goes nowhere. Now I have to regain my organization, and bring in reinforcements. In the weeks of waiting, the French and Germans have a long, brutal campaign to control Antwerp. The seesaw battle keeps German supply lines open intermittently, but, more importantly, allows them to bring in reinforcements. The next time I attack, I am stunned to find 15 divisions holed up in Rotterdam.
