Plan R4 - how to take Norway as the Allies
Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2020 6:53 am
This is how to conduct Plan R4, the British seizure of Norway in the winter of 1939-40, before Germany has a chance capture Norway through the scripted event.
I do not know whether this is a good move in the long run or not, but it is certainly fun to pull off!
For this Plan, you need one land unit to perform an amphibious assault, plus a naval force to prepare it. I recommend using all three British carriers which must be upgraded to Naval Weapons 1. It also helps to have a good number of battleships (4-6) to conduct shore bombardments, and enough other naval units to escort the carriers and landing ships. I suggest concentrating most of the British and French fleets in the North Sea to do this. For the actual landing, the obvious option is one of the BEF Corps units, though you could use any other Corps that you wished.
This operation must obviously be carried out before March 1940 when Germany will event-occupy Norway. There is some risk that you won't have the necessary clear weather, which will complicate the operation, but very likely you will have at least 1 turn where you can.
Norway's defences are very weak, but the attack you need to make is inconvenient. There is a Strength 1 Garrison in Oslo, and two Strength 3 Garrisons in two other ports, Bergen and Narvik.
Oslo is hard to approach because there is a land/sea hex (impassable until you take the land nearby), and THEN a harbour, all blocking you from assaulting it directly. So you cannot take it until turn 2.
The fact you can't take Oslo right away means you have to take care that you don't end up with a reinforced Garrison standing there, which might be a match for your Corps.
So what you need to do is:
- destroy the Garrison in Oslo
- ensure the other 2 Garrisons are not able to Operate there on the next German turn
- walk into Oslo and cause Norway to surrender
To attack Oslo, bomb it with Carriers. Make sure that they are set to Naval/Tactical and are upgraded with Naval Weapons. Still it will probably take several strikes to destroy the strength 1 garrison unit. Once you have hit it, keep bombing. You want to reduce Oslo's supply so that neither of the other Garrisons can operate in.
For added peace of mind, you can also bombard other locations to prevent operate moves being available. They start at Supply 5 - if they start the German turn at 4 or less then they become invalid for operate moves. For Bergen you can attack the town directly, a few hits from battleships should be enough. You cannot approach Narvik from the sea, but you can break the railway line at Mosjoen with your battleships.
Once this is done, land your Corps from long-range amphibious transports and take Drammen. By taking Drammen, you will have supply and be able to march into Oslo on turn 2. In the worst case scenario if your attempts to suppress the railways lines have failed for some reason, there might be a Strength 3 garrison there which you will have to take out with your Corps and carrier aviation.
You will of course also have to garrison Norway against a German counter-attack. The Germans are able to reach southern Norway with land-based air and paratroops based in Denmark. You want to have units in Oslo and Drammen to prevent Germany doing the same operation as you have just done, as well as the port at Kristiansund which is the obvious place for a landing. These troops would obviously subtract from what you have available to hold off a Sealion, or fight in the Middle East. Germany can launch a very determined counter-attack - they have at least 2 Paratroops, plus potentially amphibious units, and the whole Luftwaffe. If they do so likely that they will gain a foothold and you will need to send ground reinforcements as well as most of the RAF to hold them off.
I do not know whether this is a good move in the long run or not, but it is certainly fun to pull off!
For this Plan, you need one land unit to perform an amphibious assault, plus a naval force to prepare it. I recommend using all three British carriers which must be upgraded to Naval Weapons 1. It also helps to have a good number of battleships (4-6) to conduct shore bombardments, and enough other naval units to escort the carriers and landing ships. I suggest concentrating most of the British and French fleets in the North Sea to do this. For the actual landing, the obvious option is one of the BEF Corps units, though you could use any other Corps that you wished.
This operation must obviously be carried out before March 1940 when Germany will event-occupy Norway. There is some risk that you won't have the necessary clear weather, which will complicate the operation, but very likely you will have at least 1 turn where you can.
Norway's defences are very weak, but the attack you need to make is inconvenient. There is a Strength 1 Garrison in Oslo, and two Strength 3 Garrisons in two other ports, Bergen and Narvik.
Oslo is hard to approach because there is a land/sea hex (impassable until you take the land nearby), and THEN a harbour, all blocking you from assaulting it directly. So you cannot take it until turn 2.
The fact you can't take Oslo right away means you have to take care that you don't end up with a reinforced Garrison standing there, which might be a match for your Corps.
So what you need to do is:
- destroy the Garrison in Oslo
- ensure the other 2 Garrisons are not able to Operate there on the next German turn
- walk into Oslo and cause Norway to surrender
To attack Oslo, bomb it with Carriers. Make sure that they are set to Naval/Tactical and are upgraded with Naval Weapons. Still it will probably take several strikes to destroy the strength 1 garrison unit. Once you have hit it, keep bombing. You want to reduce Oslo's supply so that neither of the other Garrisons can operate in.
For added peace of mind, you can also bombard other locations to prevent operate moves being available. They start at Supply 5 - if they start the German turn at 4 or less then they become invalid for operate moves. For Bergen you can attack the town directly, a few hits from battleships should be enough. You cannot approach Narvik from the sea, but you can break the railway line at Mosjoen with your battleships.
Once this is done, land your Corps from long-range amphibious transports and take Drammen. By taking Drammen, you will have supply and be able to march into Oslo on turn 2. In the worst case scenario if your attempts to suppress the railways lines have failed for some reason, there might be a Strength 3 garrison there which you will have to take out with your Corps and carrier aviation.
You will of course also have to garrison Norway against a German counter-attack. The Germans are able to reach southern Norway with land-based air and paratroops based in Denmark. You want to have units in Oslo and Drammen to prevent Germany doing the same operation as you have just done, as well as the port at Kristiansund which is the obvious place for a landing. These troops would obviously subtract from what you have available to hold off a Sealion, or fight in the Middle East. Germany can launch a very determined counter-attack - they have at least 2 Paratroops, plus potentially amphibious units, and the whole Luftwaffe. If they do so likely that they will gain a foothold and you will need to send ground reinforcements as well as most of the RAF to hold them off.
