Victory: Sailing on a Sea of Panzerkampfwagens - HOI2(DD) German AAR

[Daftpanzer]

Daftpanzer's Panzer Challenge

This thread is a fan dedication to Luckymoose's Empire: Like a Melody in my Head.

Lucky has shown that great justice of many time is possible without tanks. Naturally, this begs the question:

Is victory possible with nothing except tanks?

In this game I will limit myself to nothing but armour and HQ divs. Brigade attachments are OK, but no other land, air or sea units of any kind. If I want to go overseas I will need to sequester (I like that word) the fleets of my allies/puppets. Use of allied troops may be acceptable to take cities, due to the extreme penalties on tanks there. Allied troops should not fight on the front lines.

Note: Normal/Aggressive, DAIM mod installed.

Note#2: I personally am not German, but am English of Irish/Scottish decent. Real nazis are not cool ok kids kthx.

[Daftpanzer]

This world is like a cage
And I don't think its fair


On 1st January 1936, Hitler awakes with a new vision; he orders the entire Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine to be disbanded immediately. The building of ships like the Graf Spee is cancelled. The entire German armed forces are downsized to three light panzer divisions and a HQ.



Freed from the burden of supply, the German nation pours its efforts into a massive redevelopment of industry. Meanwhile Hitler appoints more economic-savvy ministers and there is a move towards central planning.



German technological efforts are naturally focused in the areas of industry, armour and mobile artillery.



By 1937, the Italians have barely conquered the Abyssinians, while the Republicans have triumphed in the Spanish Civil War. Meanwhile Germany is struck by endless Great War Marches, clearly organised by communist and western agents to cause dissent. The world laughs at the weakness of the fascism and nazism. For now...



Things begin to change. To combat dissent, the German economy is flooded with consumer goods and money. The Austrians then seek to join in our enlightenment. In accordance with our doctrine their army and airforce are immediately disbanded, except for their single HQ and armour divs. The peoples of the Sudetenland would soon joyfully join the Reich too.



Our friends the Japanese bring similar enlightenment to the troubled lands of China.



Construction begins of 'border patrol vehicles' to defend Germany from the hordes of traitors, liars and spies who encircle us on all sides.



At the end of 1938, the Rhineland is finally reoccupied in style.



Bohemia is liberated peacefully and Memel would soon follow. By 1939, after three years of rapid development, Germany has the largest industrial output in the world, outshining both the USA and USSR, with growing stockpiles of resources and currency. But our European neighbours grow jealous. We know they will never stop conspiring against us. German efforts are shifting towards building more and more peacekeeping vehicles.



Trouble looms in late 1939...

[Daftpanzer]

Come the dawn, the road will lead us
If you'll ride with me this night


The Polish continue to occupy and oppress rightful German lands. Enough is enough. With 'feints' to 'distract' the Polish on other fronts, German armoured police units begin the liberation of Danzig. And since we have no boats, they need to move on quickly to defend East Prussia. 14 panzer divisions (mostly mark III's) are soon making rapid progress against Polish infantry.



Meanwhile a similar number of divisions struggle to defend the fatherland from the hated French.



Japan inspires us with complete victory over the corrupt warlords of China.



With new reinforcements, our Panzers are carving up Poland, easily overrunning the numerically-superior defence. The spiteful Polish decide to invade Slovakia, but to no avail.



The encirclement at Lodz sees ten Polish divisions taken out of action. Surely the end is neigh.



But the Polish are tricksy. Model gets himself into a spot of trouble.



Then, much to our shame and dismay, the fatherland is violated by the vile French hordes, smashing our defences in Saarbrucken.



We need a quick victory over Poland, but it seems our panzers are unwilling to inflict civilian casualties, and so Warsaw holds out.



Panzer divisions are stripped out from the east to hold back the French. Meanwhile Poland is fighting back, and winter is setting in. Our disorganised and outnumbered forces have to retreat. Isolated panzer divisions are being picked off by swarms of allied aircraft. The Soviets also inform us they have cancelled their NAP with us, and along with it the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, it would seem...



Both sides settle down for the winter on the western front.



We face a few months of further humiliation. But we have plans...



Big plans.

[Daftpanzer]

Bound and flayed for the love of a mob
I can't stay, because I can't be stopped


It is spring 1940, and the ecstatic Polish have retaken most of their country, while France has successfully invaded southern Germany. The world is expecting our final collapse any day. And now some crazy planners in Germany want to attack Denmark and Norway! Hitler dismisses them, knowing that Scandinavia is not important, as everyone knows. Not to mention that we don't have any ships at all.



But German tactics and technology are pushing ahead.



Our industry has not been idle, either. The Polish are taken by surprise as our eastern strength is suddenly increased again. They fall back in confusion, and this time we are able to take Warsaw without a fight. Crowds line the streets to celebrate their entry into the Reich.



A muddy spring thaw then slows progress into eastern Poland...



But REINFORCEMENTS HAVE ARRIVED.



The weather in the west is good. Operation Vegencepanzer is GO. Thousands of tanks move in from all sides, braving the hazards of river crossing, allied aircraft, and the hilly terrain, not to mention the former German fortifications now used against us. It takes two determined armoured offensives before the hated Frenchmen are finally evicted from the fatherland.



Or not quite... They also terrorise Freiburg for a while. There is a war of manoeuvre as more French attacks are beaten back. All the while they are laughing at us, knowing we are at their mercy as our tanks cannot break through the mighty Maginot line.



So... Its a cliché, but it works...



Led by spearheads of new Panzer IV's and StuGs, the Belgians swiftly crumble, and it is our turn to blissfully enter deep into the nether regions of France.



Ten days later, German officers are partying in the seediest Paris clubs.



And the Polish have little fight left after Warsaw. With the demise of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, it would seem Germany is left to occupy all of Poland.



A few weeks later, the people of Holland joyously welcome their liberation and entry into the Great European Reich.



Late July and August see a quick invasion of Republican Spain, which happens too fast for the newsreel men to keep up. The Pyrenees are guarded by Republican troops but this proves no obstacle to around 20 German Panzerdivisions, experienced and flushed with victory. Madrid is quickly isolated, while our panzers push on to Gibraltar and screw up British plans in the Mediterranean.



Vichy troops eventually help take Madrid...



...and Spain is reborn again. A strong national government puts an end to collectivist atrocities there.



Germany now has friends. We are also working on relations with Italy and the Balkan states. With masses of German tanks securing the freedoms of the European peoples, the future is surely bright...



Q: Invade USSR now? Use Vichy fleet to invade Egypt? Do both? Wait until I can get Italy allied? Invade Italy? Invade Yugoslavia? Invade Turkey? Invade baltic states? Use Vichy fleet to attack the UK? Use Vichy fleet to invade Scandinavia? Get Japan allied and attack USSR before pearl harbour fires? Oh what to do

[Luckymoose]

I am truly honored! Now go invade the rest of Europe! Starting with Italy and Yugoslavia at the same time.

[Omega124]

Be bad*** and invade the USSR... in winter.

[Matt0088]

Tanks are awesome. I would know.

[taillesskangaru]

Tanks! Move faster! Before our enemies considers an actual attack!

[ZeletDude]

Awesome, I'll be reading!

[Toni1]

Logical cource of action would be to ally with both Italy and Japan especially considering you have no fleet of your own so you need Italy's fleet in addition to Vichy's to make any attempt to fight British and eventually US fleets. Japan will obviously divert some of the allied naval assests to pacific. Other potential allies would be Romania, Bulgaria and Finalnd. You should take out Denmark, Jugoslavia and Greece before invasion of USSR. Invading Turkey is also good choise as it would help you take out allied middle east holdings as well as invade africa from there. You could also try to ally with turkey and perhaps Portugal as you need all the allies you can get to fight Allied air forces and fleets. Oh and if you take out Denmark, Norway and Sweden you should probably release scandinavia.

[SuperBeaverInc.]

Originally Posted by Daftpanzer

I demand an army consisting of nothing but these

[Toni1]

Originally Posted by SuperBeaverInc.

I demand an army consisting of nothing but these

You mean these?

Landkreuzer P.1000 "Ratte"

Specifications
Weight 1000 tonnes
Length 35.00 m
Width 14.00 m
Height 11.00 m
Crew 20+, possibly as many as 41

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Armor 150 - 360 mm
Primary
armament 2x 280 mm 54.5 SK C/34
Secondary
armament 1x 128 mm KwK 44 L/55
8x 20 mm Flak38
2x 15 mm MG 151/15
Engine 8x Daimler-Benz MB501 20-cylinder marine diesel engines
or 2x MAN V12Z32/44 24-cylinder marine diesel engines
16,000 or 17,000 hp (13,000 kW)
Operational
range Approximately 120 miles (190 km)
Speed 40 km/h

Naa, way too small

[steviejay]

Trust the nazi's to think 'hey, you know what would be awesome? A battleship on land...'

[Oishi]

subscription post!

So far so good.

[Maniacal]

Until they try and test drive it

[Serutan]

Interesting - you didn't have to split Poland with the Russians...

[Toni1]

Originally Posted by Serutan

Interesting - you didn't have to split Poland with the Russians...

No winter war, baltic states free and romania keeps it's oil fields. Obviously that also means that USSR may backstab germany at any moment.

[LightFang]

Originally Posted by steviejay

Trust the nazi's to think 'hey, you know what would be awesome? A battleship on land...'

Not just them.

[Maniacal]

The first tanks were part of the British Navy, though I think the Germans were really the only ones actively trying to put a battleship on wheels.

[Jos Ballenbak]

How do you keep up with your oil supplies?