Battlefield Europe 2.0 - Sealion 44 with no fuel

[McGuba]

Finally Scapa Flow in Hungarian hands! What a joyful day for Hungary's Admiral Horthy! No one can ever ridicule Hungary again for being a kingdom without a king and for being led by an Admiral with no navy or even a single sea port. This will put an end to years of mocking and will be regarded as a victory almost as great as beating the English national football team on its home soil by scoring 6 goals!

[Duedman]

I have to admit that this was not planned lol
By that point Scapa Flow had lost its importance. But the unit had endured Attacks and was down to 1 Hitpoint. It just had to go ashore.
Survived another air attack at Scapa Flow. Brave guys

[Duedman]

October 1944 - Tunis retaken! Enemy landing in Southern France! Situation in Italy critical! Partisans everywhere! New Superwundervergeltungsfighter availabe

Scotland

Progress is slow but steady. Latest variants of the FW-190 equal the best Allied planes and ease the pressure.

Turn 81 Scotland.jpg (496.15 KiB) Viewed 4274 times

New Superfighter
Me262 Jet Fighters are now ready for service. If Germany can get those in numbers, the Air War could be won decisively.
Sadly, they are insanely expensive.

Turn 81 Me262.jpg (256.42 KiB) Viewed 4274 times

Normandy

Bloody combat all around. Even AAs are forced to level their guns.
Weak enemy formations were left standing so enemy heavy armor was blocked from intervening.

Turn 81 Normandy.jpg (579.35 KiB) Viewed 4274 times

[Duedman]

Italy

Through a series of blunders the superior German force was severely weakened.
Losses so far were the Elephant TD, 2 divisions of PanzerIV/G, an Artillery Regiment and several Infantry formations.
Progress was minimal.

Turn 81 italy.jpg (515.49 KiB) Viewed 4272 times

Southern France

Another Allied landing occured. After the unnecessary losses of Panzers in Southern Italy, High Command suddenly lacked mobile reserves.
There was just one German infantry division in Northern Italy.
To make matters worse, High Command had left many German forces in the former Soviet territories as garrison troops. The sudden withdrawal of finnish troops had contributed to this.
These troops were also not outfitted yet with latest small arms and antitank weapons.
Still every available unit was scrambled to Italy.
Just to realize that the single railroad connection from the east was infested with partisans.

Turn 81 Marseille.jpg (656.57 KiB) Viewed 4272 times

Turn 81 partisans.jpg (691.35 KiB) Viewed 4272 times

[Duedman]

Maikop

After the City of Tblisi in Georgia stopped responding, High Command suspected Partisan activity.
Garrison troops were brought in from their vacations. Knispels division had to disembark to clear the rails loosing valuable time.
Terrain was unfavorable for the units present but fortunately the Partisans were not well equipped. Also the Infantry units guarding Baku and Astrakhan were set in motion just to be sure.

Turn 81 Knispel Maikop.jpg (649.13 KiB) Viewed 4270 times

Tunisia

Inexperienced enemy infantry units were routed.
The Recon unit was able to secure Tunis!
Maybe an attack on Sicily from the south could be launched later on.

Turn 81 Tunis.jpg (524.67 KiB) Viewed 4270 times

Rommel

British forces in Arabia ceased to exist. The last oilfields fell in German hands.
The Desert Fox was racing his Panzerdivision towards Baku.

Turn 81 Rommel.jpg (535.52 KiB) Viewed 4270 times

[Duedman]

Rommel had trained his division for speed and nothing but speed.

Turn 81 Rommelstats.jpg (100.11 KiB) Viewed 4269 times

(Sorry for the bad Paintjob. I couldnt get both hero bonusses on the same Screenshot)

[Duedman]

November 1944 - First Jetfigther operational! American Landingforces push towards Lyon! Explosions in Maikop Oilfied!


Scotland / Norway

Air Battle is in full swing again. Inexperienced pilots got shot down even in latest FW-190s.
A veteran BF109 could be outfitted with the new Me262 Jetfighters. With weather permitting, they surely would wreak havoc among enemy air soon.
With Baku Oilfields finally online, German industrial capacity was peaking. Also, the development of the experimental V1 and V2 cruisemissiles was cancelled (in other words: Scenario awards onetime prestige for dropping them on London but numbers are limited)

Turn 84 Me262 Scotland.jpg (531.52 KiB) Viewed 4260 times

Normandy

With enemy armor ever increasing, a unit of Panthers was brought in to bolster the defenses.

Turn 84 Normandy.jpg (596.63 KiB) Viewed 4260 times

[Duedman]

Southern France

Americans push towards Lyon in force.
Defenders are weak but terrain is very favorable. High Command hopes to stall them and whittle them down.

Turn 84 Southern France.jpg (683.66 KiB) Viewed 4259 times

Northern Italy

The right wing of the Invasion force pushed into Italy but had lost some steam already.

Turn 84 Northern Italy.jpg (663.03 KiB) Viewed 4259 times

Southern Italy

The bottleneck was still congested.
The enemy 155mm "Long Tom" Howitzer was able to execute counter battery fire.

Turn 84 Southern Italy.jpg (479.65 KiB) Viewed 4259 times

[Duedman]

Maikop

With Knispels Division receiving orders to return to Germany at all costs, they helped clear the northern partisans.
That and a colossal blunder of the local commander let to the Partisans capturing the oilfield and blowing it up again.
The responsible General was court martialed and shot.

Turn 84 Maikop lost.jpg (661.43 KiB) Viewed 4258 times

Tunisia

High Command began to realize, that North Africa was in Axis hands again. This "New Africa Korps" that was intended to be nothing more than a blocking force, had done the whole thing.
Now it was hoped, that this might cut the supply of the forces in France and Italy and a sneak landing in Sicily might be possible.

Turn 84 Tunisia.jpg (533.42 KiB) Viewed 4258 times

Egypt

The Light Brigade still riding!

Turn 84 Light Brigade.jpg (632.63 KiB) Viewed 4258 times

[PeteMitchell]

Was this the end yet?

[Duedman]

Hello again! I always wanted to finish this so I will try now.

Short recap:
The Soviet Union is defeated.
The oilfields in the Caucasus and Irak are in Axis hands.
Tunisia is almost back under German control.
The fight to retake Southern Italy & Sicily is still bogged down. Significant forces have been lost with little to no progress.
Allied forces landed in Southern France but are contained.
They also landed with huge forces in Normandy but are contained as well.
New Fighter models promise to shift the air war in favor of the Axis.

Goals
Military Intelligence reports the USA beeing less than a year away from a super weapon that would end the war.
The British Isles, Italy and North Africa have to be captured to rob the Yankees of a staging platform. This will German Scientists give enough time to catch up and create a balance of superweapon power.
For that, the German High Seas Fleet sacrificed itself to achieve a landing in Scotland.

Due to the surprising new threat posed by the US, the Scotland invasion was not planned well. The Forces that made it are insufficient to conquer the rest of the island.
Frantic efforts to get more troops there are beeing undertaken.
Had High Command waited for the superior fighters, the Fleet might have survived and would be still around to suppport ground operations.
But we will never know.

December 1944 - Airborne Landing in Sicily! Tunisia back in the Reich! Edinburgh taken! Southern France under control


Sicily
The Fallschimjägerdivision that fought from El Alamein to Bagdad dropped in Sicily.
A Panzer IVG from the Tunisia detachment is already close to disembarking to support.
Transport was possible due to bad weather prohibiting air attacks. Also, the tank division was no longer needed in Tunisia (so it was thought)
It is hoped, that the attack from 2 sides will also help to finally defeat the Allied presence on the Italian mainland.

86 Sicily drop.jpg (270.97 KiB) Viewed 3078 times

Morocco
The Recon unit ran into enemy armor and was destroyed.
This strong presence surprised High Command and it debates sending the PZIVG back.

86 Recon down.jpg (214.06 KiB) Viewed 3078 times

Britain
Army Group Scotland was able to take Edinburgh. Still, time is running out.
In Berlin, Knispels Division arrived from the East to undergo refits. It is planned to get them to England somehow.
Rommels Division made it to Baku awaiting rail transport.

86 GB.jpg (361.2 KiB) Viewed 3078 times

[Duedman]

Normandy
Allied forces on the brink of defeat

86 Normandy.jpg (420.83 KiB) Viewed 3077 times

Southern France
Things also going well for the Axis

86 Southern France.jpg (423.39 KiB) Viewed 3077 times

[Duedman]

February 1945 - Air war close to beeing won. Normandy still not cleared. Defensive preparations in North Africa.

England

Onboard footage from a Me262 shows how the mighty Mustangs, bane of the Luftwaffe, get shredded by the Jetfighters.

89 England Me262.jpg (387.41 KiB) Viewed 3075 times

Normandy

Reports of the defeat of the invasion were premature. Still, the situation is under control.

89 Normandy.jpg (353.16 KiB) Viewed 3075 times

Sicily & Tunisia

It was decided to land the Panzer division in Sicily. It will be secured very soon.
Forces in Tunisia should suffice to halt Allied advances. Also, with the air war finally going in German favor, bomber forces could be assigned should the need arise.

89 Italy + North Africa.jpg (238.15 KiB) Viewed 3075 times

[Duedman]

April 1945 - Economy thriving. Air war - return to sender. Groundpresence in England increasing

England

With the Oil finally coming online, the Air raids stopped and without the burden of the war in the East, German economy is booming.
The new HE 177A Strategic Bombers prove to be very valuable. Not only do they put the enemy in total disarray (i.e. suppressing) but they also seem to score more direct hits than dedicated ground attack aircraft (Rudel beeing the exception).

Troop presence in England is ever increasing. Infantry is flown in at maximum rate. Shipping is slow due to minefields but Knispel and his entourage will disembark soon.
Even Rommel made it to a French channel port by now.

93 England.jpg (407.14 KiB) Viewed 3070 times

Southern France

Operation Dragoon has been annihilated.
Fallschirmjägers on their way to England.

93 Fallies Southern France.jpg (423.04 KiB) Viewed 3070 times

Sicily & North Africa

Sicily was secured. Allied forces in Southern Italy are in a pincer.
In Tunisia the US Armor tried to sneak into Tunis but was intercepted. Still, their tanks are formidable. This was not over yet.

93 Sicily + NA.jpg (247.46 KiB) Viewed 3070 times

[faos333]

impressive Me 262 performance!

[Duedman]

impressive Me 262 performance!

Yes thanks. And finally.
The Mustang has some suppression and is partly surrounded. But still a very good feeling to be able to actually decisively WIN the air war.

[Duedman]

May 1945 - The British wish they could take back their troops in Normandy! Clean up in Italy. Amored dance in Tunisia.

England

What began as a desperate attempt by the Wehrmacht looks promising.
Even Rommels Panzer Division is about to make landfall.
The skys belong to the Luftwaffe.

95 England.jpg (430.88 KiB) Viewed 3038 times

Normandy

Still many capable allied formations in Normandy.
But with no air support, no room to maneuvre and huge German artillery advantage these forces cant do much.
What would Allied High Command give to have those forces in England now?

95 Normandy.jpg (430.97 KiB) Viewed 3037 times

Italy

Finally the bottleneck is opened up

95 Italy.jpg (325.79 KiB) Viewed 3038 times

[Duedman]

Tunisia

German forces take quite some losses but manage to keep the US troops at bay so far.
Unfortunately, after the loss of the Recon High Command planned to lay an ambush at Kasserine pass.
And yet again this did not play out well.
Strong US armor bypassed the blocked via the coastal road forcing German forces to scramble backwards.
That in turn led to unfavorable combat encounters.
In hindsight a tighter defence parameter around Tunis would have been much better.

95 Tunisia.jpg (319.47 KiB) Viewed 3036 times

[faos333]

impressive Me 262 performance!

Yes thanks. And finally.
The Mustang has some suppression and is partly surrounded. But still a very good feeling to be able to actually decisively WIN the air war.

Yes indeed especially considering how many units they have

[Duedman]

June 1945 - England about to break! Allied forces in Italy wiped out! Tunisia still neck on neck!

England

Rommel is disembarking. The defenders are getting pummeled. High Command is still unsure if it will be enough.

97 ENgland.jpg (452.66 KiB) Viewed 3033 times

Tunisia

The Flak hast been lost. But one enemy armored division was also destroyed. With unsufficient firepower to beat the other one in open combat, It is debated to let them enter Tunis.

97 Tunisia.jpg (259.84 KiB) Viewed 3031 times