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Post by simon darkshade on Apr 20, 2023 15:55:48 GMT
The only one alive (other than Foch now) is Petain, who is in the previous scene as the Deputy Prime Minister. However, his power base and motivation has been pulled out from beneath him with the direct offer of the type of British support Eden outlined. Petain is in France, not Spain, and will be staying there. It is likely that the French government will shift from Bordeaux to Britanny in due course, just to make sure, but the capacity of British airpower is quite interesting, as we can see from looking at this map:  The majority of British tactical airpower has a combat radius of ~300 miles from Britain. That gives an arc from La Rochelle through Bourges to Troyes-Verdun-Sedan and up through Belgium. The light bombers, medium bombers and Mosquitoes can go further than that. Once the Panzer divisions are hunted down, the German Army in France is a nicely equipped infantry force. |
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Post by simon darkshade on Apr 20, 2023 16:04:36 GMT
This is from earlier and the locations were as of the Armistice, rather than 16th June-22nd June. I'll have to do a bit more research to narrow them down, but
Location of Panzer Divisions:
1st Panzer: Belfort
2nd Panzer: Central France
3rd Panzer: Western France
4th Panzer: Grenoble
6th Panzer: Encirclement near Maginot Line
8th Panzer: Western France
9th Panzer: Lyon
10th Panzer: Western France
A few might get out of range, but anything within the arc from the Atlantic through to Belgium can be fixed and visited.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Apr 20, 2023 16:11:23 GMT
This is from earlier and the locations were as of the Armistice, rather than 16th June-22nd June. I'll have to do a bit more research to narrow them down, but Location of Panzer Divisions: 1st Panzer: Belfort 2nd Panzer: Central France 3rd Panzer: Western France 4th Panzer: Grenoble 6th Panzer: Encirclement near Maginot Line 8th Panzer: Western France 9th Panzer: Lyon 10th Panzer: Western France A few might get out of range, but anything within the arc from the Atlantic through to Belgium can be fixed and visited. Doubt them pulling back to Germany to be closer to German based fighters is going to help them. |
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Post by simon darkshade on Apr 20, 2023 16:22:55 GMT
I don’t think that they can quite do that, as the Luftwaffe doesn’t have a huge reserve fighter force at home, but is strung out in France.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Apr 20, 2023 16:23:47 GMT
I don’t think that they can quite do that, as the Luftwaffe doesn’t have a huge reserve fighter force at home, but is strung out in France. So if the DE RAF can hammer them in France, the Germans have not much left to defend Germany itself. |
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Post by simon darkshade on Apr 20, 2023 16:43:24 GMT
Panzer Group Guderian had 1, 2, 6 and 8 Panzer Divisions. They are all out of fighter bomber range and on the advance. They are still within bomber range.
3rd Panzer Division is at Beaune on 16/6. 4th would be somewhere near there.
9th Panzer location is vague, so any information is welcome.
10th Panzer is definitely on the chopping block for this chapter.
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Post by simon darkshade on Apr 20, 2023 16:44:51 GMT
I don’t think that they can quite do that, as the Luftwaffe doesn’t have a huge reserve fighter force at home, but is strung out in France. So if the DE RAF can hammer them in France, the Germans have not much left to defend Germany itself. Yes. We know what the Luftwaffe lost in the @ Battle of France and what it deployed for the BoB a month later. That didn’t include a huge home defence force. |
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Apr 20, 2023 16:47:21 GMT
9th Panzer location is vague, so any information is welcome. I assume you check Wiki ore if not, she could be in transit mode as she was in OTL heading to Vienna in July 1940. |
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Post by simon darkshade on Apr 20, 2023 16:56:43 GMT
That was a first port of call in research. They were in France and ended at Lyon on the 22nd.
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Apr 20, 2023 17:12:54 GMT
This is from earlier and the locations were as of the Armistice, rather than 16th June-22nd June. I'll have to do a bit more research to narrow them down, but Location of Panzer Divisions: 1st Panzer: Belfort 2nd Panzer: Central France 3rd Panzer: Western France 4th Panzer: Grenoble 6th Panzer: Encirclement near Maginot Line 8th Panzer: Western France 9th Panzer: Lyon 10th Panzer: Western France A few might get out of range, but anything within the arc from the Atlantic through to Belgium can be fixed and visited. Doubt them pulling back to Germany to be closer to German based fighters is going to help them.
Well if they did that and its unlikely that Hitler would be happy with such a suggestion that would mean giving up France and probably much of Belgium as well, which would simply enable the British and a regrouped French army to organise for an invasion of the Reich - while tactical air power would be able to move much closer. Even ignoring the losses they would take withdrawing.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Apr 20, 2023 17:14:29 GMT
regrouped French army to organise for an invasion of the Reich I assume the French Army is severely depleted unless DE Britain can supply them. |
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Post by simon darkshade on Apr 20, 2023 17:25:09 GMT
Quite badly depleted, although the units in the Maginot Line are close to untouched. There is a lot of manpower in the field that is broken but not destroyed; with leadership, arms, some rest and regrouping, we’d be surprised at their size and capacity.
Keep your eyes on July 14th…
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Post by simon darkshade on Apr 21, 2023 15:44:43 GMT
A little bit from the last instalment:
Lieutenant More is the actor Kenneth More, who was in the RN in @. Commodore Shepherd is the character he played in Sink the Bismarck. Their use is a little Easter egg.
The general plan, which has changed as information comes to hand, but is now starting to come together is:
- Deploy the BEF/BLA to France under cover of the RAF and build up for a counter offensive
- Liberate Norway after the Home Fleet hammers German airbases and completes the rout of the KM. This is a job for ~1 corps plus Royal Marines, Commandos, dwarves and the airborne divisions*
- Reinforce Egypt by air with a small but powerful force
- GF comes to the Mediterranean and removes Italian offensive capacity
- Meanwhile, after Berlin, BC is put to work on the Ruhr and any important nodes for the German Army in France
Once the British Army starts to build up in Britanny and the Cotentin/Normandy, the Germans will have to pivot towards them, relieving the pressure on the French. With control of the sea and air, there is the possibility of getting a strong convoy to Bordeaux if this holds.
So, the question comes:
What does the German High Command do? How do they move to counter this enemy?
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Apr 21, 2023 17:12:37 GMT
Are they the best in mountain warfare. |
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Post by simon darkshade on Apr 22, 2023 3:58:10 GMT
Not exactly, but they are hardy and well experienced. The reference to dwarven troops refers to those operating in an analogous manner to Imperial Service Troops from the princely states of India.
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