The Sound of Drums - A British Hearts of Iron II AAR

the channel ports of calais and dunkerque first, one the main body is safely away any rear gurad units that can disengage should race to the western ports of Le Harvre and Cherbourg.

Dunkerque falling to German hands should not be our signal to abandon hope at holding the mainland. If that is the case then we should go ahead and plan on an evacuation now, because with blitzkreig doing so well, the initial push of the Germans will probably take it. We need to focus on more western ports and hold those, as they will be better prepared to fight back due to a lull in the momentum of the Germans' initial attack.

Darth_Pugwash said:

Ha, sorry COH was a bit of a pet game for me for most of last year, played about 350 games of it online and wasn't badly ranked on the 2v2 ladder either.

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Yeah, like I'm gonna play you now

ComradeDavo said:

From which French port would you reccomend the evacuation? I fully plan for my men to hold the line, it's just i don't want to have to write letters to all their mothers should the Germans break through....and I have no desire to see myself as a POW either!

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swed14 said:

i believe we should make our evacuation point the Brittany Coast... the way it juts out into the Atlantic makes it a natural holding point, as we have only one front to defend there. Thoughts?

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Darth_Pugwash said:

My preference would be for Calais, but as long as we have an open and secure line of retreat on the northern coast of France then it doesn't really matter where it is.

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swed14 said:

Dunkerque falling to German hands should not be our signal to abandon hope at holding the mainland.

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I think some of the Cabinet are overlooking the port of Cherbourg. My plan is to shift our troops to protect Dunkirk and the western flank, but in the event of failure we fall back to the Palin Line and defend Paris, as well as fight to keep the road to Cherbourg open.

gentlemen, let us get back to the conduct of the war are men are fighting now, we have a backup plan, as chosen by our PM, lets do our best to make sure we dont have to use it eh what?

I say my plan did not work because the name was replaced

Crumpets would not have failed us

any news from the front?

8th May - 2nd June 1940

The Netherlands had fallen in less than a week. Though Rotterdam and Utrecht remained Dutch on the 8th, their fate was sealed. The formal surrender and capitulation of the Netherlands was not formally agreed until the end of May however, German High Command were more eager to see the campaign into Belgium begin immediately


The expected German plan of attack through Belgium.

On the 11th May, German troops captured the regions of Arlon, Bastogne and Antwerp. Brussels followed four days later, prompting fears among the Allied High Commands that Belgium would fall as easily as the Netherlands. There was further cause for alarm - following the fall of Rotterdam on the 13th, Ironman’s Intelligence Agents confirmed that the size of the German armies being utilised down the coast numbered over 30 divisions. It quickly became clear that Germany had sent this second army group to smash down the coast, cutting off the supply line from Britain!

The response was immediate. Any plans of encircling a German army that entered France were quickly forgotten, and the BEF marched west. Taking up positions along a Dunkirk-Lille-Valenciennes Axis, they prepared to defend the French left flank, trusting the remaining Allied forces could hold off the German attack coming through eastern Belgium. For one week following Brussels fall they did so, and with the help of the British airforce in France they combined French-Dutch and Belgian forces managed to hold back the German attacks.

The question of whether the German’s were genuinely thrown back by the stubborn Allied defenders or because they were taking some extra time to prepare for the main blow into Belgium and France has been subject to debate for many years. What is fact is that for the days between the 15th and 22nd of May the Allied ground, naval and air forces had cast aside the shock of the initial German attack and fought with all their strength against the Germans, not just in defence but in valiant counter-attacks across the frontline. However, what is also fact is that this brief show of resistance was ended on the 22nd as the entire German army began a fresh assault.


The fall of Belgium

On the 22nd the German First Army Group under Field Marshal List marched into Namur and immediately began advancing south towards Reims. British participation of events in eastern Belgium ended as the tactical and strategic bomber wings employed there suffered a massive defeat on the 23rd. These planes were recalled to an airbase in Paris (with the German advance now clearly underway, the Lille airbase was considered too dangerous to keep nine squadrons based there.) The fighter squadrons there were given new orders to now engage Luftwaffe planes in western Belgium.

Reims fell on the 26th May after multiple failed counter-attacks by Allied forces to repel the advancing enemy, however it was only as the Germans occupied the province did the Allies get an idea of how desperate France’s position was. Despite advancing through the heavily wooded and underdeveloped region of the Ardennes, Germany had smashed into France with around 30 army divisions. Included in this massive force were at least four panzer divisions, several motorised divisions as well as multiple armoured car and heavy tank brigades. Germany was now in a position to encircle the entire Allied western front, flank the Maginot Line or, most seriously, make a push for Paris itself.

The BEF was in no position to lend a hand as the Second Army Group under Field Marshal von Bock pushed its way down the coast, taking Ghent on the 29th May, facing them off against British forces in Dunkirk. They did not immediately attack however, and it soon became clear that this was not the massive force previously spotted at Rotterdam. Once again IronMan’s Intelligence services had proved its worth - it seemed that part of Bock’s forces were being fast-marched towards the opening in Reims, and part of it was sailing towards the English Channel.


HMS Repulse in action

With the bulk of Cleric’s ships patrolling the North Sea and in particular the Heligoland Bight, Admiral Raeder, head of the Kriegsmarine, clearly believed he had a chance at transporting several German divisions around the BEF’s lines and invade France at Calais or Dieppe. At worst the transport fleet would meet with one of Britain’s ASDIC destroyer fleets that patrolled the coast, and in such a case the two cruiser escorts would simply hold them off while the transports escaped back to a port in now-occupied Belgium.

Unfortunately for the Germans, and in particular the troops trapped in their transport craft, British Intelligence had discovered this plan well in advance. While the Grand Armada and Third Fleet were certainly engaged with German vessels south of Norway, the aging First Support Fleet was still available to the Royal Navy, and quite able to take on a transport fleet. On the 31st May the taskforce led by the HMS Repulse engaged the enemy, totally overwhelming the weak escorts and destroying two of the eight transport flotillas before they made it back to the relative safety of Rotterdam. Raeder’s plan had failed, and Bock’s Second Army was now seriously under strength.

The British position was not much better. Though in an excellent defensive position and, with the naval victory weakening their German opposition, quite able to repulse any potential German attack in the next few days, the possibility of being hit by German forces from the east was a sudden threat. List’s First Army Group had repulsed all French attempts at taking Reims, and were now beginning an advance towards Compiegne. A success there would not only threaten Paris, but the entire BEF and any hope of defending France.


The Battle of France, 2nd June 1940

Once again the BEF had a serious problem with no easy solution. To stand their ground would mean trusting that French forces could hold off the German attack at Compiegne or even close the gap at Reims, but to fall back to assist them would mean the definite loss of north-west France to Bock’s forces. In such a case all that would be achieved would be the creation of the Palin Line, the defensive plan proposed by Minister SuperBeaver two months before.

There was also the third option - to attack Bock’s army at Ghent and push into Belgium itself, though the consequences of this were unpredictable. The German’s could ignore it if they though Paris was within their grasp, or it could be the very distraction that French forces needed to repulse the invader. It could very well be that the BEF held the key to saving France, or that events had by now gone totally beyond their control…

Stupid Frenchies, they have what? 43 divisons capable of attacking 12 German ones.

Move the divisions in Amiens to Compiegne to help protect Paris then advance into Belgium with the rest of the BEF.

I feel we should put all our efforts into defending Paris and securing the route to Cherbourg, should we need to withdraw our forces.

in the event of a retreat, could we get our divisions out of Strasbourg and to the evac point?

A french counter attack on Rhiems would be across a river with two armies being open to German attack. Belgium is probably in no shape to fight. A attack through Ghent by our forces will be met with stiff resistance, and in truth I doubt we have the forces to push deep enough to be a creditable threat to the Germans. Also although on paper it looks like the odds are equal French troops are no match for the Germans, in both doctrine, and quality. I like the way French forces are deployed at the moment however, and if they attack Rheims while they are being attacked I think the line can be rebuilt. Wait a day or two to see what position were in, we still have time to fall back if need be.

I believe that advancing into belgium would simply leave the BEF overstreched and liable to be cut off from the French. I also don't think that we can afford to rely on the French actually taking proper advantage of such a movement.

I say we either wait a few days to see what developes or immediately begin pulling back to defend Paris. It all depends on whether or not the French can retake Rhiems.

(If Belgium surrenders what exactly would happen to the Belgian divisions? Would we end up fighting them by default or would they cease to exist?)

I propose a fourth option, let's land two or three divisions in Hamburg or Denmark which should be undefended, my *cough* experience *cough* sorry, my analysis, of the German movement over the year would most like have them divert a significant number of their divisions back home, which may at least buy us some time.
Just remember to expand the beachhead slightly as to not get encircled, though.
Edit: Besides, it would utilise our naval supremacy while avoiding our relative army weakness compared to the German's.

nodikus said:

(If Belgium surrenders what exactly would happen to the Belgian divisions? Would we end up fighting them by default or would they cease to exist?)

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I'm a bit unsure. The Dutch colonies are still fighting, but all but two of their divisions have disappeared from the western front. I doubt they were destroyed, and they're not being strategically deployed either, so I've no idea what's happened to them. Does anyone have more knowledge on what happens to units when the Dutch/Belgian capitulation event fires?

As it stands though, I don't think we have to worry about Belgian divisions turning on us. At best they carry on the fight, at worst they are removed from the map permanently.

I believe they are removed just like the French divisions, don't have the game installed, so maybe you can look into the event file and verify it?

toda said:

I propose a fourth option, let's land two or three divisions in Hamburg or Denmark which should be undefended, my *cough* experience *cough* sorry, my analysis, of the German movement over the year would most like have them divert a significant number of their divisions back home, which may at least buy us some time.
Just remember to expand the beachhead slightly as to not get encircled, though.
Edit: Besides, it would utilise our naval supremacy while avoiding our relative army weakness compared to the German's.

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I like this idea a lot. Do we have a couple of divisions we can spare? Can we get the troops to the German underbelly? Can we spear the ships to guard the transports and provide air cover for themselves?

Lets play to our strengths.

Kan' Sharuminar said:

I'm a bit unsure. The Dutch colonies are still fighting, but all but two of their divisions have disappeared from the western front. I doubt they were destroyed, and they're not being strategically deployed either, so I've no idea what's happened to them. Does anyone have more knowledge on what happens to units when the Dutch/Belgian capitulation event fires?

As it stands though, I don't think we have to worry about Belgian divisions turning on us. At best they carry on the fight, at worst they are removed from the map permanently.

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In regards to Belgian troops, if I'm not mistaken they have territory in Africa, meaning that they would lose the lands on the mainland, but the troops would not disappear.

But it's a not a normal situation, its an event I believe was mentioned, which could remove them.

IronMan2055 said:

But it's a not a normal situation, its an event I believe was mentioned, which could remove them.

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Belgian and Dutch capitulations? See my latest update for when they happened in my game

I actually took notice of the Japanese sinking of the Repulse in my current game, wonderfully fun.