Poland Has Fallen, Overwhelmed by the Whiplash Speed of the Blitzkrieg
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April, 1940: Poland has fallen, overwhelmed by the whiplash speed of the blitzkrieg. Now it's Scandinavia's turn. Denmark will provide little challenge, but what of Norway ? Gone are the open plains of Silesia, replaced by densely forested mountains and frozen fjords. Will the blitzkrieg work in country where winter doesn't really end until the middle of May? For the first time, the Royal Navy will come into play - which will prove superior, the heavily-armored might of the British battlefleet, or the precision bombing of the Luftwaffe ? This will be the debut of the true air-sea-land campaign; can the Germans combine all three elements successfully ? And the battle must be quick - the invasion of France will allow no delays. We'll play the Operation Weseruebung scenario, which runs in three-day turns from the beginning of April to the middle of June and covers the full historical campaign. No variants will be used - both sides will have to play what they've been dealt. For those who are following along, we'll use the Quick Start invasion plan. It follows history, is easier than making up your own, and is pretty much the best plan anyway. (continued on page 26) April 2,1940: loaded with airplane fuel, three future Allied landing forces. Finally, artillery batteries, and a coastal BB Warspite, CL Arethusa and CV The Germans dispatch 2 AP's defense battery into sea zones Furious (with 2 Skua and 1 Swordfish (Transport ships) towards Narvik where the gasoline and artillery points) sail into the North Sea to carrying a coastal defense battery and will be very welcome to isolated, provide air support for the soon to be a battery of the 730th Artillery. The hard-fought German garrisons in embattered Norwegians. Norwegian Coast Guard catches the future turns. transport with the coastal battery off The Germans move 15 AP's into the Jutland; the other runs safely into the Now it's the British Navy's turn to Kattegat carrying three battalions of Norwegian Leads. move, and they must get the heavy the 69th Division, three artillery metal out to sea. Even without batteries, and 3 Supply Points. The April 3: hindsight it's pretty obvious what the Allied die-rolling woes continue, as The five remaining AP's and the five invasion objectives will be, so the the submarines in the Kattegat don't AO's (Tanker ships) make their runs British put together three heavy battle get a single hit. up the coast. An AP with a supply groups to hit the invaders: point and the AO Dollart with 6 ASP's (Air Supply Points) destined for • BB Rodney, BC Repulse, CA Invasion: Trondheim are caught - the rest make Sheffield, Now the fun begins. We'll cover this it through successfully. The remain- and 3 DD's into the Southern Norwe- group by group: der of the Kriegsmarine, broken up gian Sea to strike at Trondheim. into invasion groups, sail out into Koln Group lands at Frederickstaad. their pre-invasion Sea Zones. • BB Valiant, CA's Devonshire, The Bolarne battery sinks the TB Berwic and York into the Norwegian point, but the lone German battalion Narvik Group: Leads to hit Bergen or Stavanger. of the 69th division lands safely. CL Emden, 2 DD's & 1 TB in Central (The Germans detect them in the The only opposition is a Norwegian Norwegian Sea Leads, and a flight of Ju-88's artillery battery; the gunners put up Trondheim Group: damage Devonshire.) a good fight, reducing the German BC Gneisenau, CA Blucher, CL's battalion before retreating to Moss Karlsruhe & Konigsberg, and 1 TB in • The Renown (BC) group, already in after the Germans burn one of their Southern Norwegian Sea the Northern Norwegian Sea, will Quisling re-rolls. The Germans Bergen Group: target Narvik. capture the Frederickstaad PB Lutzow, 2 DD's, & 2 SB's in mobilization center, gaining Norwegian Leads CL's Penelope & Emile Berlin and 1 2 supply points. Kristiansand Group: French DD steam into the Central BC Scharnhorst, CA Hipper, GT Norwegian Sea to block any possible Scharnhorst Group runs the battery at Bremse, & 2 SB's in Kattegat additional German movement up the Kristiansand unscathed. A heavy Frederickstad Group: coast. Five AP's with 5 Supply Points assault of three battalions from the CL Koln & 1 TB in Kattegat and 1 DD escort sail into the 69th division, with air support from Shetlands, to provide supply for He-Ill's out of Denmark, hammers The British send the BC Renown the Norwegian 1/3 battalion. The and four DD's into the Northern Norwegians retreat to Kjevik, Norwegian Sea, and 1 DD into leaving the Germans to capture the the Norwegian Leads, to lay mines. Kristiansand battery, the mobilization center, and the Norwegian TB in April 4: the port. Northern Zone: Foul Central Zone: Fair Lutzow Group - The Bergen battery is Southern Zone: Cloudy caught completely by surprise, not even getting a chance to fire on the The hard-working Norwegian coast invaders. The attack by 3 battalions guard captures the AO Moonsund of the 163rd division originally goes with 6 ASP's in the Kattegat and an badly, but the second Quisling re-roll AP with a coastal battery in the routs the Norwegian 1/9 battalion. Norwegian Leads. The remaining The Germans capture the TB in ships of the Export and Tanker Bergen and advance after combat into Echelons slip through safely. The Ulven, capturing the trucks and result of mournful Allied detection mobilization center therein. die-rolling, this will be key later on in the game - the Germans have Gneisenau Group - The Agdenes managed to move four tankers battery damages CL Karlsruhe. The cruiser's cargo, a now depleted Oscarburg Group - The paratroopers Stavanger, and the airfields at battalion of the 163rd division, are destroyed on landing. Fornebu, Sola, and Vaernes with light captures the battery. Two more casualties in both ships and men. battalions of the 163rd assault Horten Group - This company of Now the drive north will begin. Trondheim, capturing the city along paratroops lands safely (the only ones with its trucks and mobilization to do so), capturing the Bolarne The Germans end the turn with +83 center. The fourth battalion captures coastal battery and Norwegian Victory Points. Vaernes airbase; the Norwegian ML Trygvasson. Fokkers stationed there escape to a April 5: frozen lake airbase at hex 3417. Once safely ashore, the Germans expand their lodgements. The three This is the turn in which the Allies Emden Group lands unopposed, battalions at Fornebu attack Oslo must respond, and with the three capturing Elvesgardsmoen and with air support from He-Ill's out of battle groups they have the muscle at Narvik, including the two Germany, driving the Norwegian sea to do it. They must run in and hit Norwegian CD's in the port. HKMG battalion out of the city to the German ships as they lie vulner- Taking the mobilization center at Kjeller - they barely miss capturing able in port, at the same time setting Elvesgardsmoen is particularly King Hakkon. The Oscarburg the stage for their own counter- important, as this gives the mountain battery surrenders. invasion landings. troops two valuable supply points to use in the lean weeks ahead. The Norwegians dutifully begin Unfortunately, the turn begins on a mobilization. The 1st, 4th, 5th and gloomy note for the Allies, as German Now for the air portion: 6th Brigades put a thin line together Ju-88's flying out of Denmark avoid a in the forests north and east of Oslo. hail of flak to damage BB Valiant in Sola Group - Allies detect them flying The 7th and 8th block the Setesdal the Norwegian Leads. While the over Jutland and intercept with two highway, while the 10th forms a solid Valiant staggers off to Scapa Flow for Skuas from CV Furious, but the Ju-88c defense around Voss and Kinsarvik. repairs, the British pull BB Warspite escorts fight them off. The parachute Far to the north the 16th Mountain away from escorting Furious, and company, however, is destroyed on Brigade begins to mobilize at together with CA's Berwick & York, landing. The Transport Assault Bardofuss, awaiting promised Allied run in to attack Bergen. The Bergen battalions land, capturing the airfield reinforcements. The only British battery damages Berwick, but the with the last Quisling re-roll. The response to all this is a Night Bomb- Royal Navy ships continue un- Norwegian TB in Stavanger escapes ing raid on Denmark by their heavy daunted, sinking the entire German to Flekkefjord. bombers. As a fitting ending to these Bergen Group - PB Lutzow, 2 DD's & 2 lamentable three days, all miss. SB's, although at heavy cost - Fornebu Group - All three battalions Berwick & York are both sunk. of the 69th division land safely, Overall, the invasion has gone very followed by two supply points. The well. The Germans have captured all BC Renown steams into Elvesgoeden, Norwegian Gladiators escape to an of their major objectives - the ports of sinking CL Emden. The four British Ice Field at 3817. Narvik, Trondheim, Bergen, Oslo and DD's move on Narvik, sinking 2 German DD's, 1 TB, and 2 AP's for Norwegian Leads, and Jutland the loss of two DD's of their own. sea zones with their short range. For the British, the bad news at sea continues. Stukas from Sola find BB The most powerful British battle The Germans enjoy more success Warspite sailing alone in the Norwe- group - BB Rodney, BC Repulse, on the ground.