Joel Billings wrote: Sun Jun 26, 2022 4:18 pm
Just a quick tease of the set up for the Drama on the Danube 44 scenario. This scenario includes all of Yugoslavia, so includes the difficult withdrawal of the German forces in Greece. A part of the Allied air force in Italy is available to support operations. Most of the forces in Yugoslavia are immobile (partisans) or static (Axis Allied garrison forces). But there are some of each that are mobile. The Bulgarians, while not yet officially at war with Germany, start to make things difficult for the German forces trying to secure the withdrawal from Greece. It's a crazy situation, and with Romania about to surrender, a very precarious one for the Germans. This was one of my favorite scenarios from WitE Drama on the Danube, and this is even better now that it includes all of Yugoslavia. Now please don't ask for any more information or I will get into more trouble. I just wanted to give you a sneak peak at some of what we're working on.
Danube pic.jpg
This looks great but better still this could be setup for a 41 Grand Campaign also.
I wrote a post some time asking about a Grand campaign with NO ANTI AXIS coup in Yugoslavia, which have the Yugoslavs sending 1 or more Armies into Russia.
In course of the discussing the idea @loki100 mentioned that its hard to do Ahistorical campaigns / scenarios because the start date is hard coded or something like that ( the post i wrote was some time back hard to remember exact wording )
but he is the thing the invasion of Russia can still start on the 22nd of June.
The Yugoslav coup too place in March, lets say it was crushed quickly or never took place so that gives the Yugoslavs more than enough time to mobilise 1 or more Armies for Russia.
I am no expert at designing campaigns / scenarios but
THE SCENARIO
As of April 6th 1941 the Yugoslavs had 33 divisions and smaller units divided into 3 Army Groups and 8 Armies with a mobilisation order announced.
There was also a General Headquarters
1 or 2 Armies could be sent to the Russian front after 22nd of June as reinforcements as part of Army Group Antonescu or a Yugoslav Army Group subordinate to the Yugoslav General Headquarters,
Or
The Yugoslav Armies could be deployed along side 11th Armee.
The Balkans Theatre box would remain with Yugoslav units as well as other AXIS units there, even if the Pro Axis forces crushed the coup the Germans would still have to maintain the same units there in both Greece and Yugoslavia to be certain.
This is also fair the the Russian player as this could be seen as a pro Axis Campaign.
Also like the Italians the Yugoslavs should withdraw sometime in 43 to prepare for a Ahistorical invasion or be sent to the Balkans Theatre Box.
This still gives the Axis player on or about 2 games years of Yugoslav Armies game play.
And its only fair on the Russian player I feel.
Of course there would need to be a bit of fine tuning buy 2 by 3 on the format but i believe it could be done.
This is not a original idea it came from a idea of me reading a magazine way back in another life and its stuck with me all through my WITE / WITE2 gaming days.
The magazine was called Battle Plan this is the cover way back in 1987, seems a life time ago.
- battlplan.jpg (189.27 KiB) Viewed 1550 times
It has in fact 6 Ahistorical Political alternatives for both sides for the Russian campaign.
- battle plan 2.jpg (243.36 KiB) Viewed 1550 times
In fact when I bought WITW I was going to put forward another AHistorical 1943 D Day campaign which is in the magazine with a full order of battle for both sides but as it turned out they created a 1943 D Day for WITW anyway.
Anyway for those gamers who read these kind of magazines this is a bit of nostalgia.
Still hoping to see The Yugoslav's line up on the AXIS side one day or even just as good a German invasion of the Balkans in April 1941 as a scenario, fingers crossed
