Report on a 1939–1945 game: de Gaulle, January 1946
Experimental changes to mod:
—All light, heavy, cruiser, and infantry tanks and mech infy (a unit I have not been able to make buildable but gave to France at game start) are “special” units that can stack with divisions just like artillery. I didn’t do anything to adjust their strengths, but the idea was to make them act more like support regiments attached to infantry bit also to armor. (Germany uses PzIIs and PzIIIs together very effectively.) This is not exactly realistic but no worse than having independent AT/AA/Arty regiments and a reduced number of infantry divisions.
—Major national total populations have been adjusted to reflect actual 1939 populations (metropole+possessions=total=2x(1939 population in millions)):
GR = 17+0=17
FR = 85+2=87
IT = 88+2=90 (also added Taranto)
BR = 96+9=105 (London = 40)
GE = 158+23=181
RU = 300 (portion on map)+0 (offmap)=300
—All non-German armored divisions removed at game start, because no one but the Germans concentrated their armor into divisions until the Russians and Americans figured it out.
—Added industry improvements for France and the UK. Added units at Sidi Barrani and Suez for the UK (to stop Italy) and in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
—Added hills and forest to the Black Forest, slowing a German attack there as much as possible and encouraging mobile attacks through Belgium and the Ardennes. Made Brussels, Metz, and Strasbourg walled towns + barracks to simulate the Maginot Line and Belgian fortifications.
Observations:
(1) Germany started early and occupied all of France by the end of 1941. It mostly attacked through the low countries, with Amsterdam and Brussels falling before Metz and Strasbourg but Paris falling well after both. After Brussels fell, the front line ran right along the French border from the Channel to Strasbourg. Of course France retreated successfully.
(2) Colonial France took Libya and took Rome by 1945. To do this, I gave myself 10000 of “American” gold to build up Libya’s supply capacity, but I invaded Italy with forces I had saved from the fall of France. After Rome, I gave myself a few extra divisions. Italy was passive and conquered by 1946 (except Rhodes).
(3) Germany never produced any PzVs. It never got farther east than Poland. Russia took Berlin by mid-1945 and continues to grind through Europe. It seems to have only T-28s.
(4) Britain had no desire or capacity for invasion, with only 6 air units by 1944 and no money. So I simulated a British D-Day with the IGE, teleporting a few divisions to Normandy in mid-1944 and adding to them as needed. These forces had broken out south of Caen by the end of 1945, as I landed French forces west of Marseille.
(5) Britain ignored two German destroyers hanging out in the Channel even though it had the firepower to erase them. I had to send my sub fleet around to kill them.
Conclusions:
—Germany’s behavior responds at least somewhat to map conditions.
—Either project research for all nations stalled around 1941, or no country is able to upgrade its units or build new ones.
—Russia is too strong at the beginning and Germany too weak. I don’t know what Germany needs, but it needs something to make it more aggressive in the east. IRL, Germany embarked on Barbarossa with only 20 panzer divisions and support, only 6 of them experienced and most of their equipment PzIIIs or older (even Pz (38t)s). It shouldn’t need massive numbers of PzIVs to reach Moscow and Stalingrad.
—The western Allies can’t function without American support. Without the US, this scenario is all “hang on and wait for Russia.” Totally accurate! This game could easily run another four years.
— National population doesn’t seem to matter for most countries. Greece still kicks ass even at half the population. Russia behaves correctly—slow and steady—if it isn’t eliminated early. But the main drawback of this mod so far is that Russia runs no risk of elimination by Germany whatsoever.