Europe Aflame Solo Run

[Sarsfield]

I might do a narrative rather than a map based one for this as I’m still mucking around with the screen shot uploads
I think most TOAW grognards can visualise things by this stage - we'll see..
Anyway the narrative so far:Europe Aflame Solo Run
 
12 July 1935: Anglo-German Naval Pact allows Germany to build Aircraft Carriers of limited capacity. Italy follows suit.

3 September 1938: Winston Churchill becomes 1st Lord of the Admiralty

9 November 1938: The Führer grants the SS the right to have its own Airforce & Paras.

15 March 1939: Germany occupies Bohemia & Moravia & declares Slovakia a Protectorate

1 April 1939: Abwher break British Admiralty codes & discover plans by the Royal Navy to seize Narvik by coup de main in the event of War

10 May 1939: Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister - he instructs his staff to prepare for War with Germany within six months!

5 June 1939: On it’s National Day Denmark declares that only Danes are welcome in Denmark as full time residents & that the National borders should be those of 1849. In effect laying claim to all of Schleswig-Holstein incl. that within the borders of the Reich.

6 June 1939: Adolf Hitler condemns Denmark's actions as 'a Hostile Act’ and breaks off diplomatic relations. German residents in Denmark are asked to leave and their is property seized - some violence ensues. Norway offers diplomatic support to Denmark but no military assistance.

22 June 1939: The German Foreign Minister Von Ribbentrop flies to Moscow to discuss the growing International Crises. He signs a Pact with Molotov & Stalin - ‘the Nazi - Soviet Pact’ - that recognises Germany’s right of self defense in regards to Denmark & Norway. In return the Soviet Union is given a Free Hand to deal with Finland. Both countries undertake to respect the Neutrality of Sweden and the Baltic States.

22 July 1939: Hitler orders the commencement of ‘Operation Weserübung’ to seize Denmark & Norway citing threats to National Security that are impossible to ignore

- German ground forces cross the border into Denmark, Luftwaffe bomb Danish airfields. Danish Government appeals to the League of Nations.


24 July 1939: In Moscow the Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov announces that given the failure of the Finnish Government to engage in meaningful negotiations on the future alignment of their mutual border in Karelia that the Soviet Union has decided to advance and secure more reasonable defensive positions.

Stalin personally appeals by hot line to Helsinki not to offer any meaningful resistance.

The Finns call up their Reserves and the Soviets attack in strength on the central Front of the Mannerheim Line. Finns suffer heavy casualties but the Russians fail to break through. Soviet warships are spotted off Petsamo in the far north.

29 July: Britain & France break off diplomatic relations with the Third Reich & warn Berlin that any further aggression in Scandinavia could lead to War.

Copenhagen is captured by German Panzer units & the Luftwaffe start to re deploy on Danish airbases.

Soviets smash through Mannerheim Line and take Viipuri cutting of Finnish units. Helsinki suffers its 1st air attacks. Petsamo is cut off from the rest of Finland.


6 August: German glider borne troops land on Norwegian soil & throw a loose cordon about Kristiansand. German amphibious landings are daily expected. German Paras are dropped at Lillehammer and secure it thus cutting off Oslo from reinforcements from the North. German fleet moves into the Skagerrak & bombards Kristiansand.

Russian advance in Karelia slows but Finnish II Corps is now fully cut off
- Petsamo is attacked by Air & Sea.

Britain ready to Declare War but the French Cabinet is divided as to the best course of action to take and advise London to show restraint.

RAF bombers are moved to bases in northern Scotland.

Norwegian Navy sorties from Oslo but is almost annihilated in a naval engagement with the Kriegsmarine in the Skagerrak

12 August: Germans bombard Kristiansand by land and sea. Finnish II corps fails to breakout of encirclement.

Finnish Reserves are mobilised to meet attack.

19 August: Germans attack Kristiansand by Land, sea and air & capture it. German land forces are put ashore and advance on Oslo.

The Royal Navy is put on a war footing and the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow is put on 24hours notice to sail for Northern waters.

26 August: Germans attack outside Oslo by Land, sea and air but after heavy fighting the city is held by the Norwegians

Russians advance further into Karelia

Churchill decides to take unilateral action & orders the 51st Highland Division to occupy Narvik.

Hope that is easy enough to follow and I can add more visuals as I go along..

[Sarsfield]

Excellent it worked!!! [&o]

[Sarsfield]

2 September: Germans attack Oslo City but fail to capture it

Russians send more reinforcements to Karelia

9 September Germans capture Oslo after Hitler orders an all out attack.

Norwegians launch desperate counter attacks which fail to retake the city.

Finnish II corps is overrun and capitulates to the Soviets. Stalin offers terms to bring the conflict to an end.

[secadegas]

Are you using the latest Europe Aflame updated and optimised for TOAW4 version (EA TOAW IV upgrade 1.3.1)?

[Sarsfield]

I'm using the version that came with TOAW IV as far as I know

- it has sea interdiction in it anyway.

How can I find out 4 sure?

[Hellen_slith]

From drop down menus, do

View--->Scenario briefing

I'm pretty sure is where to see version of scene.

[Sarsfield]

3.1 for TOAW III it says

Thanks - I will do an update as I'm not too far into it

On 2nd thoughts I will do the update after I do this one through as its only a solitaire for speculative purposes.

[Sarsfield]

The Fall of Oslo

Note air support from Graf Spee aircraft carrier that came in handy

- next port of call - Narvik!

[Sarsfield]

16 September German naval expedition incl. Graf Spree sails from Copenhagen for Bergen, the RAF strafes some of the transports but no real damage done. War looks imminent.

Germans launch an assault on Bergen & capture it.


Finland agrees to an Armistice with Russia. All Finnish forces are to withdraw minimum of 25km from the old border, Lake Ladoga to be fully in Soviet hands. Peace Treaty to follow.

[Sarsfield]

23 September Churchill dispatches the 50th Division to Trondheim to help the remaining Norwegian Forces to hold it - Home Fleet takes station off Narvik to frustrate a German naval landing.

The Finns start to withdraw to the Armistice line demanded by Stalin.

[Sarsfield]

30 September: Germans move north to secure Bergen and prepare for operations to take Narvik.

Scattered Norwegian resistance continues but is declining rapidly.

[Sarsfield]

1 October: Hitler in a coup de main seizes the port of Danzig & demands right of Free Passage to the Reich across Polish territory.

At a special Party Rally that evening in Berlin he states that he had to act to restore order in the City and protect German citizens lives and property

- ‘as a soldier of the Weltkrieg I do not want a War with the Nations of Europe’.

[Sarsfield]

1 October: British 50th Division leaves Trondheim and moves north heading for Narvik to reinforce the Garrison there, blowing all the bridges behind them.

[golden delicious]

ORIGINAL: Sarsfield_slith

1 October: British 50th Division leaves Trondheim and moves north heading for Narvik to reinforce the Garrison there, blowing all the bridges behind them.

I had the impression sea supply roads don't work in TOAW IV- was I mistaken? If not, where are the British divisions in Norway getting their supply trace from?

[Sarsfield]

Yes the sea supply works fine with the 51st Div in Narvik now at a healthy 105%

The war goes on ....

21 October: German armoured reconnaissance units approach Trondheim, Brandenburg elite units are dropped to secure beachheads to the north east of the city. German infantry are making their way north overland to reinforce them.


50th British Div. fortifies Narvik airbase as RAF Fleet Air Arm planes start to arrive - they are ordered to attack on sight any German convoys heading north of Bergen.


FAA launch an attack on a German convoy north of Bergen and a number of ships are badly damaged. Convoy returns to Bergen.

In Berlin Hitler realises that a full scale War with Britain is now unavoidable but feels that he must not be seen as the aggressor.

He orders the Navy to escort & support the landings at Trondheim and for the assault troops to take the city.

[Sarsfield]

All set for the combined arms attack on Trondheim

[Sarsfield]

Soviet-Finnish Armistice line takes shape.

Peace Conference agreed to take place in the New Year in Stockholm under Swedish auspices

Diplomatic sources indicate that Stalin will demand a sizeable reduction in the size of the Finnish armed forces and a huge War Indemnity from Helsinki for causing the War in the 1st place.

[golden delicious]

ORIGINAL: Sarsfield_slith

In Berlin Hitler realises that a full scale War with Britain is now unavoidable but feels that he must not be seen as the aggressor.

I don't think Hitler had too much of a problem with this. Having (in your history here) more or less arbitrarily invaded Denmark and Norway (not to mention Danzig) it's a bit late anyway to win hearts and minds, and in any case I would expect Britain to make a declaration of war before setting about sinking German warships in the Norwegian Sea.

[Sarsfield]

Well in history he did arbitrarily decide to invade Poland so it's certainly not outlandish to suggest he could have done the same to Denmark & Norway - which is exactly what he did do some months later anyway...

Undeclared wars are nothing new in history BTW

[golden delicious]

ORIGINAL: Sarsfield_slith

Well in history he did arbitrarily decide to invade Poland so it's certainly not outlandish to suggest he could have done the same to Denmark & Norway - which is exactly what he did do some months later anyway...

Absolutely- so why's he shy over war with Britain, when they're already fighting in the Norwegian Sea?

Undeclared wars are nothing new in history BTW

Certainly: however I think Britain in this period would not be shy about declaring war. It's not like they can write off the sinkings by the Fleet Air Arm as "air pirates".