Invasion Amerika - US player vs PO

[gwgardner]

I came across this scenario at Rugged Defense:

http://www.the-strategist.net/RD/scenar ... on-Amerika

A brief synopsis of the premise, which is very detailed in the documentation of the scenario:

Churchill died in '31. Roosevelt did not run in 1936. Both the UK and the US are firmly within the neutrality/pacifist camp, under Chamberlain and Joseph Kennedy.

Fascism then triumphs in Western Europe. Barbarossa has not occured, Spain joined the AXIS, Gibraltar was taken by Spain, Italy took Egypt, the USSR is distracted by war with Japan, Germany succeeds in invading the UK. Japan launches surprise attack on US. Germany intervenes in Brazil after a pro-NAZI coup, tensions rise over Monroe doctrine.

The AXIS invades the US, and the US is surrounded by potential enemies in the Western Hemisphere.

As far as I can tell by glancing at the formation tracks, the PO is enabled for both sides, although that is not directly stated in the documentation - it is implied. (I hope so, or this will be a very short AAR!)

[gwgardner]

The victory conditions are quite detailed, and for each category of draw/marginal/major there are sub-categories based upon player event selections. In each case, the scenario author has given a plausible explanation of consequences for both sides after the end of the scenario. Whether or not the Soviets come in on the side of the US (thereby distracting the AXIS in the US), and/or Japan invades the US are major factors. The AXIS does have a chance to obtain a decisive victory if both Washington DC and Denver are taken.

[gwgardner]

Here's an overview of the map, with the staging areas for the AXIS on the top-right and staging for possible Japanese entry on the left.

[John B.]

Good luck! Looks like an interesting scenario!

[gwgardner]

Thanks.

The overall map, showing that Canadian, Honduran, Panamanian, Haitian forces may also come in on the side of the US under certain conditions.

On the other hand, Mexico, Brazil, Columbia, Venezuela and others are either neutral or leaning AXIS. Mexico especially could become a factor.

[gwgardner]

The US is woefully unprepared for war. President Joseph Kennedy has had a Chamberlain moment, declaring after a meeting with Hitler in Sweden, after the tensions over Brazil, that he was convinced of Hitler's peaceful intentions.

There are nine infantry divisions, two light cavalry divisions, 1 marine division, and 4 amrored/mechanized battalions.

Note that there are 'civil defense' armories/committees/organizations across the nation, static cadres, with some arms stores, civil air patrol, fire brigades. I shouldn't have labeled them as battalions, because prior to war, they were very loosely organized if at all.

Then there is the National Guard, which will be available should the nation go to war.

The standing army is organized as Eastern and Western Defense Commands. Here's the east:

[gwgardner]

The West.

[gwgardner]

Much of the Atlantic Fleet has been detached and is now posted to the Pacific, due to the Japanese threat to the Philippines and Hawaii.

Most of the remnant of the Atlantic Fleet is currently in the Gulf.

[gwgardner]

here is the army air force.

[gwgardner]

The typical infantry division is made up of three infantry and one artillery battalion.

[gwgardner]

The designer did not comment on why he included the Civil Defense 'units.' Historically, there was a civil defense organization active in WW1 and at the beginning of WW2 according to wiki there were 10 million civilians in various civil defense activities.

It makes sense to me that if an enemy threat to any given locale took place, the local populace would mobilize in lots of different ways, perhaps even being armed from local armories.

I'm hoping that these civil defense units will at the very least give me some recon capability.

[gwgardner]

Turn 1

[gwgardner]

Fishermen off the coasts of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Boston, are the first to radio back to the mainland: 'German fleets seen heading in!' Civilians in both areas are quick to respond, even before the military, firing off rounds from guns broken out of local armories.

In fact, it was a combined task force of German and Italian ships that sailed past Halifax.

Will this bring Canada into the fray? Or will it be written off diplomatically as an 'unfortunate incident.'

In both Halifax and Boston, the enemy navy responded with bombardments of its own, doing great damage.

[gwgardner]

The Germans struck the US from the air as well as from the sea.

[gwgardner]

Only the 1st Inf Div was capable of action after the shock of the AXIS invasion. Half of the division was in reorg itself, along with the rest of the US armed forces.

Hopefully this will be a short-lived reorganization, as troops flock back to their units, get supplied, and ready to fight.

1st Div commander was ordered to fall back, but successfully argued that he could not abandon the half of his division that was incapable of even moving - that would shatter morale even more than the shock, and besides, the enemy could not be all that organized itself already. So 1st Div took up a defensive stance southwest of Boston, willing to take minimal losses only, while working furiously to get itself in fighting shape.

Turn 2

see screenshot. The airborne troops consolidated their position south and west of Philadelphia, supposedly to forestall any US effort to reinforce the Boston area, or New York. One division of the AXIS first wave struck north towards Concord. The rest pushed south and west.

New landings were made on Long Island and at the original Boston beachhead.

[gwgardner]

Seven days with German and Italian forces on American soil, and still most US forces are still organizing. The navy, with the exception of some destroyers on the West Coast, is still fitting out, mostly in Gulf ports.

Of the Air Force, a B-17 bomber squadron based in Chicago is finally ready for action, and a squadron of fighters in eastern NY state. So far the enemy has taken the one base south of Boston, but intelligence has not identified any enemy planes there, so now is the time to strike hard with whatever air force I have.

See the screenshot for currently available ground forces. Notably, elements of the NY Natl Guard are up to muster, one regiment each in Albany and New York City.

The 2nd Infantry Division is ready, but still far away in the Midwest. Closer to the action, most of the infantry and armored regiments attached to 6th Army, out of Washington DC are now ready to move.

Seems a viable plan is to bring 2nd Div across the mountains into reserve, pending any further enemy landings. Extract 1st Division from the immediate vicinity of Boston, to either shore up the defense of NY, and/or work in conjunction with 6th Army to break the back of the enemy paratroopers south and west of Philadelphia.

[Nicholas Bell]

I'm enjoying the AAR and your style. Looks like this is the TOAW version of the 3W boardgame "SS Amerika" from the '90s. Just curious, where did the Fallschirmjaeger deploy from? All the way from Iceland?

Thanks.

[700851McCall]

ORIGINAL: Nicholas Bell

I'm enjoying the AAR and your style. Looks like this is the TOAW version of the 3W boardgame "SS Amerika" from the '90s. Just curious, where did the Fallschirmjaeger deploy from? All the way from Iceland?

Thanks.

There was an SPI boardgame from the 1970s that was called 'Invasion: America'. This looks a lot like it might be based on that.

[gwgardner]

Perhaps the designer got some ideas from those games, but he said in the notes that it was a scenario he had been thinking of for a while (created in 2005).

In this alternate storyline, the Germans had taken control of both Iceland and Greenland, so I'm guessing those are the staging bases for the paradrops. Greenland is something like 650 miles off the coast of Canada, so it would have been a 1200 mile+ drop.

[gwgardner]

Turn 2 for the US

The Natl Guard regiment that just mustered in NY, along with the 6th Army regiments stationed there, were ordered to hit the Germans hard on Long Island, before the enemy main force arrived. The attacks succeeded.

Meanwhile the rest of the 6th Army forces available locally, moved north against the Fallschirmjaeger division, attacking the weakest flank of the German line west of Philadelphia and setting up a strong defense between Philly and Washington. The German glider troops fell back, but the attacking forces remained in place.

As did 1st Division, which still had elements struggling to reorganize. Could be a day late in pulling out for the 1st; it looks as if the Italians decide to move west, they can hit hard.

2nd Division was able to move two of its regiments by rail into Washington in reserve.

The currently available bomber force was rebased much closer to Washington - in Richmond - and placed on sea interdiction duties - perhaps not the best choice, but Washingtonians are in panic mode about further landings.