Sort of a partial AAR - An alternative title might be something along the lines of "With allies like the French who needs the Axis?"
Anyway, Playing as the US I had carefully husbanded my resources after Germany won in the West and was building up for the right moment to launch an invasion to conq, er, liberate, allied Europe while the Axis war machine was grinding its way east.
The Rising Sun hadn't joined the axis (i've yet to see it do so) but was making trouble in the Pacific. Nevertheless it was at least contained for the time being.
Germany had Spain, Italy, Hungary, Romania and Argentina in their camp (and managed to win over Guatemala thereafter taking Belize, right in the middle of my invasion. This meant an untimely diversion to the Central Americas to stop the bombing raids on Texas - but I'm getting ahead of myself) and was just starting to make progress through a large SU covering force.
After much intense diplomatic negotiation with the Portugese Government over the use of the Azores and their home territory as forward staging areas for phase 1 - the invasion of Spain (For some reason it seems to be much easier to get complete military control of a country than it is to gain military access ...
) they finally acceded and my invasion force was on its way.
In total - about 40 divisions - consisting mostly of reinforced mechanised formations, about a third armour and a smattering of Marine, Mountain and standard infantry divisions.
As I'd neglected to build up the merchantile marine somewhat (
) they had to go in five separate convoys - three to Portugal and the last two to the UK.
Making the long hop across the Atlantic were a couple of tactical bomber air armies (1200 aircraft) and a strategic bomber command of 500 B24J "Liberators" in support.
Arrayed against me were approximately 120 axis divisions in the west with another 180 or so engaged on the Russian Front - not terribly good odds on paper perhaps, but I had a plan!
(Later note: Such a pity it wouldn't survive contact with the French
).
My heavy formations struck outwards from Portugese territory in five columns - utterly blitzing the few Spanish defending units and routing their German counterparts.
Madrid fell within days and the whole of Spain was annexed shortly thereafter (ie: After I remembered the existence of the diplomacy screen.
).
It was only then that my heavy bombers set to work, dropping heavy payloads on the infrastructure around the Pyrenees (sp) to slow down the heavy German/Vichy counterattack heading south (about 80 divisions in all against my 24).
Setting the blocking forces up in heavily fortified positions (ie: they sat where they were and dug for a bit) the first few attacks were repulsed with heavy losses and only minor casualties to the defenders but, with a major attack brewing they wouldn't be able to continue indefinitely so were pulled back with followup heavy bombing of the vacated provinces.
It was then that the second phase kicked in. A third of the invasion force fell back across the Portugese border and continued all the way to the coast to embark on the waiting transports for the short hop to the UK and a rendevous with the second wave.
4 days (and a bit of recovered org) later a light Marine/Infantry force made a landing in France and secured the port of Lille (? - French geography isn't that good) to pave the way for the fast-moving armoured forces. Within another 3 days over 20 divisions had landed (this probably isn't too realistic but
) and were plowing through the French countryside in a frantic dash to reach the Med and cut off the Axis spearhead. A mixed skirmish force of Mountain and Infantry units struck East in a covering operation to interdict any reinforcements (and accidentally liberated Belgium into the bargain.
).
It took ~8 days to reach the port of Marseille and thence cut off almost a hundred enemy divisions. In the interim squadrons of hidden submarines sallied forth to set up a punishing blockade of the French/Spanish coastline and cut off any attempt at seaborne resupply.
The B24's again struck at the Axis nexus points to cripple the attempted breakout (ie: I wanted to wait a bit for their org to drop some before going on the offensive) and it was then that the fatal mistake came (although not realized as such at the time).
In the days following the invasion a few British supporting division followed up (I'd landed and started smashing things so I guess the Brits decided they wanted to break some French stuff too
) and one of them entered Paris (in the spirit of breaking more French stuff no doubt).
In an instant the Vichy government and its few ineffective formations was swept away as a resurgent French nation again stepped forth from under the Nazi shadow.
[ I must note here that I hadn't read the events file - hence didn't know that this would happen. In the defense of the Brits I probably would have done it myself and on purpose if I had read it. It was only through blind chance that I missed Paris in any case]
This seemed to be a godsend (and wasn't recognized as the disaster it truly was until a month and a half later) as suddenly, my tenuously held path cutting off the axis forces in Spain became a large highway. No more need to zealously guard every province.
Tactical air struck at the German assembly points - further straining their diminishing supplies. Tank-heavy maneuver groups followed up, routing army after army. I would only need to hold them for another month and they were surely finished (or Finnish
).
In another two weeks the magnitude of the liberation disaster became apparent.
Axis forces had hurled themselves again and again at the forces starving them of supplies only to be hurled back with heavy loss. There was the occasional victory but any gains were rapidly countered and cut-off in turn before the supply line could be re-established.
Now things were to change. Drastically.
Whether it was the lack of having any kind of force whatsoever or an excess of manpower or very little industrial capacity, I don't know (maybe someone could enlighten me?) but the French started rebuilding. To my delight at first, then concern, then utter dread the French built militia unit after militia unit after militia unit.
With a vitually non-existent offensive capability, pitiful organization (I think I saw an 18 once - never any higher) and no defense at all these things were churned out by the truckload and began spreading out.
Eventually they reached the provinces US covering forces were holding.
Complete and utter disaster!
Against a 12 division German attack my four divisions (which would previously have suffered perhaps 2% casualties in such an action) were almost instantly routed when the French division collapsed in a couple of seconds (read: hours).
Suffering maybe 1% casualties my still highly organized forces, now out of oil (maybe the French had something to do with that too - probably swiped it for cooking or something
) accompanied by the crippled French division weren't able to reach their destination ahead of the German breakout. Result? Reached the now-occupied province and instantly bounced (I'd slowed the timer down as much as possible to try and redirect my units but no dice) and retreated again.
The same happened again in another "covered" province and then in a third. The trap was in tatters and the Axis close to a breakout.
[It was at this point that I got a popup notice about an IJA attack on Wake and paused to simultaneously direct the defense of said island. Then I noticed the map. Axis forces on the Russian Front must have taken their target cities and won a bitter peace from the USSR because most of the map was grey and there were another 60-odd Wehrmacht divisions heading back West - Note to self: Turn the flippin political events popups back on
].
A half-dozen more engagements (almost all of my units/provinces were now "accompanied" by French militia) and the trap was broken. A couple of divisions had even been cut off and suffered near 50% casualties so, trying to save as much as possible they broke out and all forces scrambled for the English channel and evacuation.
So much for the "hammer".
The "anvil", (my forces in Spain) with little to be gained maintaining a foothold in that country, retreated back across the Portugese border before the full weight of the reinforced enemy could be brought to bear.
[This is probably a bit of an exploit and should result in a German DoW against Portugal if used too often so I won't].
Next step will probably be something along the lines of - Let the axis smash the French militia and flatten all French industry before invading again, not to delay the enemy's production but to delay my allies. lol.
