Lebensraum - a GD 1938 game

[ernieschwitz]

We´ve begun our GD 1938 game, which i have dubbed "Lebensraum". As Hitler would put it "We need breathing room"... and so the quest for world domination has begun.

The sides are:

Germany, Italy, Japan : Ernieschwitz
USSR : Kraftwerk
France, Britain : RufusTFirefly
USA, China : Bombur

[ernieschwitz]

Germany, 1938, January 10th.

The might of Germany is at a display here in the first month of the game. The Reichführer manages to convince the Danes that joining into an alliance with Germany is the way forward in the world. At the same time German troops march peacefully into Austria and claims it as part of Germany. The anschluss works without a hinge.

The Abwehr is also at its finest as it convinces the authoritation regime of Lithuania to join the cause of Germany. An attempt at toppling a southern american regime, fails however, but nobody seems to notice, so it is not spoken of in anything but whispers... who knew the führer had ambitions of south american conquest.

[ernieschwitz]

Italy, 1938, January 10th.

Italian foreign office diplomats brag about their ability too to convince foreign countries to join them. They put enough pressure on Albania to make it join the Italian Empire.

Two small intelligence operations aimed at gaining valuable oil reserves fail, and the Duce has the chief of intelligence replaced by someone more competent.

[ernieschwitz]

Japan, 1938, January 10th.

The empire of the rising sun finds itself at war with the chinese. Two quick airstrikes against enemy bases in Hangchow and Tsingtao meet with great success. In both cases 3/4 of the enemy planes where shot down, and little resistance was met. Having seen how well things went, the leadership of the army, decides to launch an all out assault against Hangchow, which is a stalemate. However, with the arrival of new troops from mainland Japan, enough forces can be moved from elsewhere to liberate the City, from its oppressors.

In the northern part of China, south of Beijing, two infantry actions are reported, both with great success for the Japanese. These attacks where made first with air power, then artillery bombardment, and finally infantry assaults. The shattered chinese units had no idea what hit them.

[RufusTFirefly]

France, Britain, Jan 1938

[Krafty]

In western europe, they re-organize army! In soviet russia. Army re-organizes you!

[lion_of_judah]

AAR pictures please!

[ernieschwitz]

Febuary, 1938, no AAR pictures, but... a bit of news. I was able to get a hold of a news paper from Germany... here it is.

[ernieschwitz]

Just like in the previous AAR (anschluss or bust) i will present some units, while waiting for turns. In this case I would like to present the Axis Fighters (non-naval fighters that is) at the start of the game. Consider it a break, or an intermezzo.

Here they are:

[Krafty]

Little leaks out of the soviet union.

However a flight of british gladiators, wildly off course, just happened to snap these pictures of Russian army units overrunning border guards of the Persian army.

After dodging some small caliber anti aircraft fire, they returned with their pictures, not at all astonished to find that the USSR had declared war on its neighbor Persia.

[Krafty]

Traitorous Latvians, fleeing freedom and equality in the soviet union, have brought detailed descriptions of the newly formed 10th, and 11th mechanized corps.

From now on parades will only be held in national territory. Those responsible have been shot.

[ernieschwitz]

March, 1938

"Mein Führer" began the german foreign minister von Ribbentrop

"... I... I have good news"

Ribbentrop proceeded to tell the good news. "There has been a coup in Persia".

"Oh?" Replied the Führer. He couldn´t recall he had ordered a coup there...

"Yes, the British seem to have initiated a coup, and ... and... Abwehr seized the moment and helped certain nationalist inclined groups to rebel, and take the goverment by counter coup! Mein Führer, we now have Persian Oil at our disposal"

"Good, Good!" Exclaimed the Führer. "Do you have other news?"

"Yes..." Replied von Ribbentrop. "The Italians felt inspired by our coup in Persia, to topple a shortlived british government in Saudi Arabia!"

"This is excellent news!" Exclaimed the Führer.

"I have a bit of bad news too..." began Ribbentrop "Norway has signed a pact with Great Britain and the Swedish Iron ore is now under their control...."

"This is not unexpected" muttered the Führer, still with a gleam in his eyes, that told Ribbentrop that the Führers mind was on the Oil of the middle east...

"... and Rumania has fallen to a Soviet Coup..."

"WHAT?!" Exclaimed the Führer, suddenly in a state of rage. This was not going to be one of those good days, Ribbentrop thought.

[ernieschwitz]

German diplomats have convinced the Yugoslav and Hungarian regimes to join the Axis cause.

In Abyssinia the Italian expeditionary force is set to recieve supplies from Arabia, and now pose a threat in the area.

In China, Japanese forces overrun Tsingtao. A landing force is pulled back after failing to take the city of Hainan...

Japanese airforces report a great number of air victories.

[ernieschwitz]

The Führer found himself looking at the situation table.

"Initiate plan Schwartz!" he said

And with those words, he turned away from the table and left the Situation Room. His Generals very much nervous, for what those words meant.

[RufusTFirefly]

ORIGINAL: ernieschwitz

The Führer found himself looking at the situation table.

"Initiate plan Schwartz!" he said

And with those words, he turned away from the table and left the Situation Room. His Generals very much nervous, for what those words meant.

So what is "plan Schwartz"?

It really deserves this name, as it is the darkest day in Europe! Plan Schartz is a general German attack against Poland, Belgium, France and Britain. Battles are fought in mid and western Europe, at North Sea and in Mid East. So far Italy is not involved and all is quiet in the south of Europe.

The map shows the situation just after the breakout of war in mid Europe. Germany had occupied Denmark and Finland. Austria and Tchecoslovakia had already become a German protectorate. After the DoW against Poland German forces have attacked along the Baltic Sea coast. The most important Polish cities have been taken. SU wants to benefit from this and has attacked Poland too. Only some provinces are left of Poland after the first wave of the enemie´s attacks.

At western front Belgium and Luxembourg have been attacked. Half of Belgium is already overrun. Now Belgium and French forces form a defence line. The Maginot Line has not been attacked.

[RufusTFirefly]

Plan Schwartz, part 2

Britain is involved in the fighting right from the beginning. A transport fleet on its way from Oslo to Trondheim has been attacked by German subs. All vessels and loaded troops, including the newly established HQ for Trondheim, were lost. British navy has send out subs and ships immediately. They discovered several sub groups at North Sea. First attacks by fighters and bombers failed. British navy prepares for severe naval battles.

As Finland has joined the Axis, the British ally Norway is threatened from north and south.

Ireland has joined the Axis, sitting in the backyard of the British islands. A French surface group has already launched an attack on the harbour of Dublin. Several transports have been sunk. North Ireland Air Force attacked Dublin military air port successfully.

[RufusTFirefly]

Plan Schwartz, part 3

After diplomatic attempts had failed to invite Arabia and Persia to the alliance of Britain and France, both nations signed treaties with enemies of Britain. Persia got under control of Germany, while Arabia joined a coalition with Italy.

Concerned by this development British forces of Egypt-Syrian army have already been set on march towards the border of Perisa. At the same time the Indian Colonial Army moved westwards. British subs blocked the way out of the gulf of Persia.

When Britain received the German DoW an immediate attack was ordered. British forces cut off the route between the Persian oil fields in the north and the ports in the south. German gunboats trying to leave the gulf were forced to retreat when running into the British blockade. A small British fleet attack the Persian ports and sank lots of transport vessels while few managed to escape. But they are trapped just like the gunboats.

Meanwhile first air attacks against the German forces at the oil fields have started.

[ernieschwitz]

1938, april 4th.

Plan Schwartz was going just as the Führer had envisioned. Krakow and Danzig had fallen easily in Poland, and the Polish Airforce had been destroyed, mostly anyway. This had not been possible had it not been for von Ribbentrop and his secret trips to the Soviet Union. Here, in Moscow, he had bargained a great deal for Germany:

Germany would gain territory in Rumania for territory in Persia. Stalin for reasons of his own wanted this miserable hot country, and the Führer was a practical man. There was no way Germany could defend the interests of Persia, and its oil, from the western colonialists... but Rumania however, was both nearer Germany and had more oil.

The Führer could hardly believe his luck when the Soviets suggested that they partition Poland as well. Speed however was of the essence to the Soviets, and The Führer was not one to let a chance pass by. As fate would have it, another chance presented itself, at the same time. Syncronisity they say is not something to ignore.

Submarines patrolling the coast of Norway were reporting cargoships heading for Norway, with British troops. It would be far easier to sink these ships than fighting the troops they had with them once they landed.

So the order was given: for Plan Schwartz.

The troops on the Belgian border began shelling the city of Brussels, while the Uboats did their dirty work at sea. The reports coming in were very promising. A Panzer Korps was sent towards Antwerp once Brussels had been overrun, and Luxembourg was invaded as well.

Yes, things were looking good. The Generals would learn to have to trust The Führer from now on. His instincts on when to strike were clearly superior to theirs.

[ernieschwitz]

1938, May 2nd.

The British had begun hunting for subs. They had some luck with it too, and reports were coming in from Persia that the forces there barely were able to hold the British at bay. Never mind thought the Führer, that corner of the world is irrelevant at the moment. At that moment a dispatch arrived saying that the Rumanian oilfields at Ploesti were in the hands of the Bulgarian allies, that had joined the Axis a month ago.

A few days later a dispatch arrived telling that all major cities of Rumania now were under the control of the Axis. Time to keep our part of the bargain with the Soviets thought the Führer. Already there had been a miscue, as Soviet troops had taken Lvov, but the Soviet Commander had offered the city for the Germans. German officers luckily followed their orders to the letter, and refused to take the city.

Poznan was another matter, it was taken by The Czechoslovakian forces who were under Axis command. Good thought the Führer, we need to keep the Czechs happy. Troops from Poznan were fleeing towards Warsaw, but the noose was tightening, and soon Warsaw too would be captured.

In the West things were going well too. The defenders of Antwerp, who had stopped the German attempt to take it last month, had been overpowered, and Antwerp taken. With that the last piece of Belgium now was German. France was next, the Führer knew.

The situation was good:

[ernieschwitz]

1938, May 2nd.

Meanwhile Franco had paid a visit to the Italian Captiol, Roma, and here met with Il Duce. There they had been forging an alliance.

The announcer on Italian and Spanish Radio both underlined the fact that this alliance was for defence of their common interests only, and that in these unsure times fascists had to stay loyal to each other.

With the signature on the treaty of Roma, the Italian fleet, and its many submarines were free to operate outside of the mediterranian too.