Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land

[Red Prince]

BUMP (my apologies for the lack of new screenshots of units -- I'm putting a lot of time into checking the Player's Manual at the moment)

-Aaron

[warspite1]

Please see below the write-up for one of the Norwegian Army Counters. Would be grateful to any Nordic WIFers if they have anything to add here in addition to the usual grammar and punctuation checks.

[2678 Norwegian Mountain]
.P The 1st Mountain Corps is one of three Norwegian army units available in
World In Flames. The Mountain Corps counter represents the Norwegian Army in
September 1939, prior to a call for Mobilisation.
.P In reality, the Norwegians did not use the Corps system as such; indeed, at
the outbreak of the Second World War the Norwegians did not use a divisional
organisation as it existed in most armies around the world either. Instead,
Norway was divided into six military districts, and each district was
responsible for fielding a "division" in time of war. The six Military districts
had their individual headquarters based in the following locations:
.B
.B 1st Division (Halden)
.B 2nd Division (Oslo)
.B 3rd Division (Kristiansand)
.B 4th Division (Bergen)
.B 5th Division (Trondheim)
.B 6th Division (Harstad)
.B
.P Each division was made up of a brigade that consisted of two or three
infantry regiments. An artillery unit was attached to each division at either
battalion or regiment strength, while in some divisions a cavalry regiment was
also attached. The units for each division are given below:
.B
.B 1st Division - 1st, 2nd and 3rd Infantry Regiments (IR); 1st Dragoon Regiment
(DR); 1st Artillery Regiment (AR).
.B 2nd Division - 4th, 5th and 6th IR; 1st Guards Battalion; 2nd DR and 2nd AR.
.B 3rd Division - 7th and 8th IR; 1st Mountain Artillery Battalion
.B 4th Division - 9th and 10th IR; 2nd Mountain Artillery Battalion
.B 5th Division - 11th, 12th and 13th IR; 3rd AR; 3rd DR
.B 6th Division - 14th, 15th and 16th IR; 3rd Mountain Artillery Battalion
.B
.P The army was essentially infantry only, with no tanks and few motor vehicles.
It was believed that the mountainous nature of the country made mechanisation
less important should the country be attacked. Unfortunately, whilst this view
has some merit, the Norwegians also fielded few, if any, anti-tank or
anti-aircraft (AA) weapons. In World In Flames, this unit is given "mountain"
status which allows benefits when fighting in such terrain. Whilst the Norwegian
Army was generally ill-prepared when war came to them in April 1940, this
mountain rating reflects the fact that Norwegian reservists were trained to
fight in mountain terrain.
.P The Norwegian Army employed the use of trained reservists to fill its ranks
and therefore only on mobilisation of the army would individual battalions and
brigades reach full strength.
.P Only the 6th Division, based at Harstad in the north of the country, was
anywhere near fully mobilised in April 1940. This partial mobilisation had been
ordered in response to the Soviet Union's invasion of Finland in October 1940.
.P At the head of the army in September 1939 was Commanding General Kristian
Laake; a man who was sadly to prove ill-equipped for the role. He controlled the
army through a general staff, known as Hærens OverKommando (HOK).
.P This write-up looks at the background to Norway entering the War on the 9th
April 1940. For other stories please see:
.B Norwegian land campaign (see the Oslo Militia Counter)
.B Overview of the German invasion (see Harald Haarfagre)
.B Battle for Oslo (see Tordenskjold)
.B Battle for Narvik (see Eidsvold)
.P Norway had managed to maintain a neutral position during World War I and she
hoped things would remain that way. Therefore when, on the 3rd September 1939,
the British and French declared war on Germany (in response to the latter's
invasion of Poland), the Norwegian Government announced they would remain
neutral.
.P Unfortunately for the Norwegians, by April 1940, their country was the
subject of great interest from both the Germans and the Allies. The Norwegian
port of Narvik was used to get Swedish iron ore shipped to Germany during winter
months. The normal route from the Swedish port of Lulea, through the Gulf of
Bothnia, was frozen over for part of the year and shipment via Norway was the
only practical route. Thus for the Allies, stopping the Germans from using
Narvik was tempting. However, the Allies feared that the small Norwegian navy
would be unable to maintain the integrity of Norwegian territorial waters; thus
allowing German shipping to use those waters without fear of attack from the
Allies.
.P Accordingly, a number of plans were explored over the winter of 1939/40 that
ranged from the mining of the Norwegian leads through to the sending of troops
to Narvik. Ultimately however, the Allies were beaten to the post by the
Germans.
.P Hitler began to look seriously at Norway from early 1940, and for largely the
same reasons as the Allies. In addition, the Kriegsmarine viewed the extended
Norwegian coastline to be a perfect base from which Kriegsmarine U-boats and
surface ships could threaten to break-out into the Atlantic.
.P In great secrecy, Hitler ordered the drawing up of plans for the invasion of
both Norway and Denmark in early 1940 - Operation Weserübung. Weserübung Nord,
as the Norwegian part of the operation was known, involved landings by German
troops against six main targets: Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen, Narvik, Kristiansand
and Egersund. In addition, the plan called for the key airfields at Sola
(Stavanger) and Fornebu (Oslo) to be seized by paratroopers.
.P Although the Germans did not achieve the complete surprise they had counted
on, the Norwegians failed to use prior warnings of the invasion to good effect.
Crucially, no general mobilisation of the army was called for until the Germans
had actually landed; severely hampering Norwegian efforts to counter-attack what
were intially weak, and lightly armed German forces.
.P Only at Oslo did the Norwegians inflict any serious reverse on the attackers.
But having failed to stop the Germans from landing at any of the invasion sites,
the Norwegian plan was to try and delay German attempts to conquer the rest of
the country as long as possible. This would give the British and French time to
come to the rescue in sufficient strength to ultimately throw the German invader
back into the sea; however the Norwegians were to be sorely disappointed....

[Extraneous]

[2678 Norwegian Mountain]
.P The 1st Mountain Corps is one of three Norwegian army units available in
World In Flames. The Mountain Corps counter represents the Norwegian Army in
September 1939, prior to a call for Mobilisation.
.P In reality, the Norwegians did not use the Corps system as such; indeed, at
the outbreak of the Second World War the Norwegians did not use a divisional
organisation as it existed in most armies around the world either. Instead,
Norway was divided into six military districts, and each district was
responsible for fielding a "division" in time of war. The six Military districts
had their individual headquarters based in the following locations:
.B
.B 1st Division (Halden)
.B 2nd Division (Oslo)
.B 3rd Division (Kristiansand)
.B 4th Division (Bergen)
.B 5th Division (Trondheim)
.B 6th Division (Harstad)
.B
.P Each division was made up of a brigade that consisted of two or three
infantry regiments. An artillery unit was attached to each division at either
battalion or regiment strength, while in some divisions a cavalry regiment was
also attached. The units for each division are given below:
.B
.B 1st Division - 1st, 2nd and 3rd Infantry Regiments (IR); 1st Dragoon Regiment
(DR); 1st Artillery Regiment (AR).
.B 2nd Division - 4th, 5th and 6th IR; 1st Guards Battalion; 2nd DR and 2nd AR.
.B 3rd Division - 7th and 8th IR; 1st Mountain Artillery Battalion
.B 4th Division - 9th and 10th IR; 2nd Mountain Artillery Battalion
.B 5th Division - 11th, 12th and 13th IR; 3rd AR; 3rd DR
.B 6th Division - 14th, 15th and 16th IR; 3rd Mountain Artillery Battalion
.B
.P The army was essentially infantry only, with no tanks and few motor vehicles.
It was believed that the mountainous nature of the country made mechanisation
less important should the country be attacked. Unfortunately, whilst this view
has some merit, the Norwegians also fielded few, if any, anti-tank or
anti-aircraft (AA) weapons. In World In Flames, this unit is given "mountain"
status that allows benefits when fighting in such terrain. Whilst the Norwegian
Army was generally ill prepared when war came to them in April 1940, this
mountain rating reflects the fact that Norwegian reservists were trained to
fight in mountain terrain.
.P The Norwegian Army employed the use of trained reservists to fill its ranks
and therefore only on mobilisation of the army would individual battalions and
brigades reach full strength.
.P Only the 6th Division, based at Harstad in the north of the country, was
anywhere near fully mobilised in April 1940. This partial mobilisation had been
ordered in response to the Soviet Union's invasion of Finland in October 1940.
.P At the head of the army in September 1939 was Commanding General Kristian
Laake; a man who was sadly to prove ill-equipped for the role. He controlled the
army through a general staff, known as Hærens OverKommando (HOK).
.P This write-up looks at the background to Norway entering the War on the 9th
April 1940. For other stories please see:
.B Norwegian land campaign (see the Oslo Militia Counter)
.B Overview of the German invasion (see Harald Haarfagre)
.B Battle for Oslo (see Tordenskjold)
.B Battle for Narvik (see Eidsvold)
.P Norway had managed to maintain a neutral position during World War I and she
hoped things would remain that way. Therefore when, on the 3rd September 1939,
the British and French declared war on Germany (in response to the latter's
invasion of Poland), the Norwegian Government announced they would remain
neutral.
.P Unfortunately for the Norwegians, by April 1940, their country was the
subject of great interest from both the Germans and the Allies. The Norwegian
port of Narvik was used to get Swedish iron ore shipped to Germany during winter
months. The normal route from the Swedish port of Lulea, through the Gulf of
Bothnia, was frozen over for part of the year and shipment via Norway was the
only practical route. Thus for the Allies, stopping the Germans from using
Narvik was tempting. However, the Allies feared that the small Norwegian navy
would be unable to maintain the integrity of Norwegian territorial waters; thus
allowing German shipping to use those waters without fear of attack from the
Allies.
.P Accordingly, a number of plans were explored over the winter of 1939/40 that
ranged from the mining of the Norwegian leads through to the sending of troops
to Narvik. Ultimately however,
the Germans beat the Allies to the post.

.P Hitler began to look seriously at Norway from early 1940, and for largely the
same reasons as the Allies. In addition, the Kriegsmarine viewed the extended
Norwegian coastline to be a perfect base from which Kriegsmarine U-boats and
surface ships could threaten to breakout into the Atlantic.
.P In great secrecy, Hitler ordered the drawing up of plans for the invasion of
both Norway and Denmark in early 1940 - Operation Weserübung. Weserübung Nord,
as the Norwegian part of the operation was known, involved landings by German
troops against six main targets: Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen, Narvik, Kristiansand
and Egersund. In addition, the plan called for the key airfields at Sola
(Stavanger) and Fornebu (Oslo) to be seized by paratroopers.
.P Although the Germans did not achieve the complete surprise they had counted
on, the Norwegians failed to use prior warnings of the invasion to good effect.
Crucially, no general mobilisation of the army was called for until the Germans
had actually landed; severely hampering Norwegian efforts to counter-attack what
were intially weak, and lightly armed German forces.
.P Only at Oslo did the Norwegians inflict any serious reverse on the attackers.
But having failed to stop the Germans from landing at any of the invasion sites,
the Norwegian plan was to try and delay German attempts to conquer the rest of
the country as long as possible. This would give the British and French time to
come to the rescue in sufficient strength to ultimately throw the German invader
back into the sea; however the Norwegians were to be sorely disappointed....

[michaelbaldur]

just looked though the write up for the BB Unebi (4373)

The nine main guns would have been fitted in three twin turrets and would have been supported

those Japanese are really ship builders if they can fit 9 guns into three twin turrets [:D]

[Red Prince]

Hi all. Been a while, I know. A few days ago Jimm started sending me some more write-ups for a few of the Italian units that remain. I think I've got 5 new ones (trouble with my email is preventing me from picking up the most recent one, but I'll have it soon). I hope to post a screenshot or two of these units be tomorrow at the latest.

-Aaron

[Extraneous]

ORIGINAL: michaelbaldur

just looked though the write up for the BB Unebi (4373)

The nine main guns would have been fitted in three twin turrets and would have been supported

those Japanese are really ship builders if they can fit 9 guns into three twin turrets [:D]

warspite1 Post #1689 – 4373 Unebi - by Robert Jenkins



It’s Murphy’s fault not Patrice or mine. Maybe it was an over and under type of mount.

Mziln Post #43 MWIF naval counter descriptions

Froonp Post #46 MWIF naval counter descriptions

[Red Prince]

Here are the Italian land units that I promised, prepared by Jimm. They are all fairly substantial, so I'll post them individually, in order to preserve image quality.

Post 1 of 5

[Red Prince]

Post 2 of 5

[Red Prince]

Post 3 of 5

[Red Prince]

Post 4 of 5

[Red Prince]

Post 5 of 5

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: Red Prince

Post 5 of 5

Which spelling is correct: Amedeo or Amendeo?

[fogg]

Principe Amedeo, Duca d'Aosta

[fogg]

ORIGINAL: Red Prince

Post 2 of 5

Nizza is the italian name of Nice, city that belongs to France from 1860.
By the way it is the city in which was born Giuseppe Garibaldi. He never forgave Vittorio Emanuele II (former king of Piedmont and later king of Italy) for having exchanged the city of Nice and the Savoy (treaty of Plombieres) with the permission of France (Emperor Napoleon III) to the unification of Italy .

[Blind Sniper]

Exactly it was:
Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta (P.A.D.A.), not just Principe Amedeo and without point.

[Red Prince]

ORIGINAL: fogg

Principe Amedeo, Duca d'Aosta

I'll double-check this, and add a line explaining the typo (as Jimm did for the 'Mizza' CAV).
-----
Edit: Corrected.

[Red Prince]

Here's the latest from Jimm:

[Extraneous]

ORIGINAL: Red Prince

Post 4 of 5

It doesn't represent the “Corpo d'Armata di Roma” (Army Corps of Rome)?

[Extraneous]

ORIGINAL: Red Prince

Here's the latest from Jimm:

The role of the forces defending Rome was not quite so passive. The nucleus of this body of troops had begun to form on 20 July to protect the government against a possible Fascist reaction to Mussolini's imminent overthrow. Since 29 July the troops had been alerted to act against the possibility of a German stroke against the capital. Under the immediate command of Roatta, chief of the Army General Staff, the force consisted of three corps.

The Corpo d'Armata di Roma, controlling the Sassari Division, carabinieri, and service and school troops, was within Rome and had as its task the internal defense of the city against SS agents and other special German troops stationed there.

The XVII Corps had small detachments of the 220th and 221st Coastal Divisions distributed along the coast from Tarquinia to the Volturno River--a distance of 125 miles--and the Piacenza Division interspersed among units of the German 2d Parachute Division.

General Carboni's Motorized Corps controlled the Ariete Armored and Piave Motorized Divisions north of Rome, the Centauro Armored Division east of the capital, and the Granatieri Division south of the city.

[paulderynck]

The 5-4 Roma Motorized Corps unit arrives in the WiF game in 1939. The actual Corpo d'Armata di Roma, from the narrative cited, appears to be an ad hoc formation that came into existence in 1943.

From this I'd conclude that the WiF unit is not based on the real life Corpo d'Armata di Roma.