Can Cuba take any formable decisions? Also, must say, this timeline is horrid, worse then TNO almost.
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It's a fresh air to see shenanigans performed with baseline game. And nicely reported at that. Best of luck with your Cuban capers.
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Truly something to quake in fear of! It only required relieving Cuba of all its tractors, turning them into something better...
It's interesting to see the AI invested research and industry into better equipment. I was most surprised by Haiti and the Dominican Republic's resistance, but naval invasions are never easy.
What does the world look like with Britain defeated?
Sheet metal doesn't stop bullets?
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Cuba is looking mightier every day, shame about Jamaca though but oh well, Mexico has plenty of land.
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I wanted to let you know, I've nominated you for AAR of the Week! I've really enjoyed this work and hope you'll accept this praise.
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I said it on the AAR of the Week thread but I want to thank you here as well! You were the first to reply to my thread and your comments throughout have very much been both encouraging and hilarious.
I promise I'll get to vanquishing Mexico as soon as I get this report to my boss lmao
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I'm glad to be both encouraging and hilarious since this AAR is a lot of good fun! Thanks for the excellent work, and I'll try to maintain my high standards of commenting.
Sounds like a plan to me! I look forward to seeing your strategy against a bigger power, but I'm sure Cuba can do it.
== Part VII: Awakening the Mexican Giant (Jan. 1944 to Feb. 1945) ==
= The State of the World in January 1944 =
To our north, the Free American Empire has taken over the territory of the former United States, and exists in a Cold War-esque situation with Canada – the Axis is at war with the remaining former dominions of the United Kingdom, but the FRE isn't in a hot war with its northern neighbor. It is instead preoccupied with the war against the USSR, as well as a looming war justification by the Empire of Japan.
Speaking of the USSR, the German Reich has made it most of the way through the Soviet Union and controls most of the British Isles except for the North under Italian administration, and a small enclave taken up by a puppet administration. Most of Scandinavia has been untouched, but Norway and the Jutland Peninsula are under puppet states as well. Romania has been cucked out of most of its territory, as is tradition.
AI Japan is predictably getting its shit kicked in by China, having ceded its territories in North China and even having lost a bunch of former French Indochina.
AI Japan continues its marathon to machine gun itself in the foot by declaring war on the American East Indies despite the fact that it controls most of Borneo and the actual rubber-producing parts of the East Indies. This is because it had a war justification against the Dutch East Indies that never expired. This is despite the fact that the Americans, the Italians and the Germans had volunteer forces fighting in Asia alongside their Japanese allies.
Our manpower situation is...rather fucked. At 15.9% out of 17% mobilization we have just over 700,000 total manpower available. We have 462,000 in the army, plus just over 110,000 in reserve. We predict that we will need – at the very least – 200,000 reserve manpower to take Mexico, which means we will need to take even more arduous conscription laws to make this work.
We do have available for demobilization (read: cannibalization) the 6,000 men in the Civil Defense Militia as well as the 90,000 or so men in the reserve army. They are currently being trained up in order to be able to bolster the First or Second Armies if necessary.
= Operation Sapphire: the Invasion of Yucatan =
On May 1st 1944, we clear our justification for war with Mexico. In the early hours of the morning, we cross the rubicon.
Our Order of Battle for our committed forces are as follows:
- The First Army, comprising 14 infantry division under Gen. Fidel defending the fortifications in the North of Festung Guatemala (147,000 men)
- The Second Army, comprising two 40-width Cubanopanzer divisions and 10 infantry divisions under Gen. Pimental preparing for a pseudo-mechanized thrust into the Plains in the Southern Yucatan (140,000 men). Four of these divisions are held in reserve in case the Mexicans are able to push us back in a counter-attack.
- The Marine Corps, comprising three Marine divisions and five support infantry divisions preparing for a diversionary amphibious attack into the Northern Yucatan. They will draw divisions away from the Southern Front and ideally permit the thrust into the plains (80,000 men)
for a total of 367,000 men committed to the initial stage.
The Mexicans on the other hand, have upwards of 440,000 men in up to 41 divisions. These numbers do not bode well. In addition, they have 43 factories compared to our 32 factories.
First blood is drawn in the North as the 80,000 men of the Marine Corps assault the port in the Northern Yucatan. The battle appears to be going well..
We also launch a supporting assault in the South, committing the eight non-reserve divisions of the Second Army. Early reports indicate that the cubanopanzer can be pierced by enemy small arms, but the Cuban Bureau of Ordinance insists that the reports must be delusional and should be taken to the infirmary.
In a stunning turn of events, the Northern amphibious assault falters. Although the Southern thrust is able to take the plains province in the Southern Yucatan, the Mexicans launch a counterattack of unmatched ferocity. Our gallant men are just able to hang on by using the Mountainous terrain and the fortifications that we had set up.
The Ministry of Truth wastes no time in running a truth campaign against Mexico in attempt to drum up crucial war support for the inevitable future austerity measures.
Stunning news from abroad! The USSR has finally collapsed without crucial lend-lease from the US and intelligence from the British after three long and grueling years of war. We send our ideological allies in Berlin a terse congratulatory telegram – we would send a fruit basket, but they're all being used in the construction of our tank armor.
In the short two months since the outbreak of war, we have lost a staggering 16,000 men. We have dealt that and more to the Mexican army, which has hemorrhaged 146,000 men in the same span of time, mostly in mass assaults against the waiting trenches of Festung Guatemala.
A second amphibious assault into the Northern Yucatan fails as well, despite an attempted pinning attack from the South. This is extremely concerning, as I have never once failed to take that Northern port, let alone twice.
After the two failures of the northern flanking maneuver, I decide to take an alternative approach and strike at Eastern Yucatan instead. This requires some precision maneuvering and the sacrifice of thousands of Cuban lives to pin the five Mexican divisions stationed to the South of the strike area, but because of the abundance of ports in the area and thin defenses stationed in Eastern Yucatan, the operation appears to be going better than initially projected.
The third time truly is the charm – although thousands of brave Cubans laid down their lives to claim this sliver of land, we are able to gain a foothold in the Eastern Yucatan and land half of the Marine corps at the port just north of Festung Guatemala. Although this isn't exactly the enclave that I wanted and it won't do a lot of draw Mexican troops away from the Southern Front, it's better than nothing.
In light-hearted domestic news, our totally independent and free ally of Costa Potente has finally succeeded in raising their first division, which has been placed on the southernmost end of our territory. This is a good step toward them becoming an almost equal partner in the war effort.
= Reckless Assaults =
Emboldened by the mounting losses amongst the Mexican Army, we make a perhaps rash decision to attempt to carry the Yucatan campaign to a swift and happy conclusion – using five divisions of the Marine Corps and seven divisions of the First Army (constantly being rotated out) we launch an assault in an attempt to encircle and destroy at least some divisions in the Northeastern tip of the Yucatan. This is a delicate dance, however – the Marine Corps has a single tile on which to operate, and they cannot be exhausted like the divisions on the Southern Front. If I let the divisions de-org too much, they will shatter when the Mexican counterattack arrives, and we will lose thousands of men when the divisions surrender. We do not want a repeat of the Spanish Fiasco.
The initial attack falters, but due to our prudent preparations the Marine Corps is able to stave off the inevitable counteroffensive. You can also see that due to the success of the amphibious invasion, two of the four divisions of the Second Army that had been held in reserve have been moved to the front line, and are busy defending against the tenacious Mexican assault. You can also see that four divisions from the reserve army have been inducted into the First Army in order to permit this reckless offensive.
Once the Mexican counteroffensive stalls, we launch a counter-counter-attack, again delicately balancing the divisions of the Marine Corps in order to prevent total collapse. In addition, we bring up the two cubanopanzer divisions from the Second Army in order to give the attack a little more oomph..
and it does the trick! We manage to encircle two divisions on the Northeastern tip of Yucatan, our first catch of the day.
With the Mexican divisions sufficiently de-orged due to lack of supply, we liquidate the pocket and free up the Marine Corps for an additional amphibious strike.
In world news, the Japanese AI has once again shit the bed and lost Tokyo, but resistance continues in the other parts of Japan.
Although Mexico started the war with just over 30,000 reserve manpower, and despite the massive losses they have sustained, they have actually been able to increase their reserve manpower through the use of conscription laws. We consider this to be somewhat less than ideal. They have also expanded their army by two divisions despite the recent liquidation of the pocket.
The fourth time is also the charm as it turns out! The Marines are able to launch a – successful this time – assault against the port in Northern Yucatan and draw some troops away from the Southern Front, as well as cut off most of the Mexican troops from an invaluable supply depot.
As the Mexicans launch a counterattack against the battered and encircled Marine Corps, we launch a diversionary attack to take some pressure off..
..which to our shock and the Mexicans' horror actually breaks through the lines and manages to encircle a massive portion of the troops on their Southern Front. The First Army rushes to complete the encirclement and seal the fate of what we are designating as the Mexican Southern Army. Those 16 divisions represents nearly half of all Mexican fielded manpower, and the successful liquidation of this pocket would be a major blow to their defensive efforts.
They attempt a breakout but the divisions of the Second Army hold steadfast and the First Army rushes to keep pressure off our infantry..
..and completes the encirclement! Celebrations are held across Greater Cuba and each soldier in the Southern Front is afforded a double-ration of the finest Hispaniolan rum.
We then consider the Dunkirk Offensive of 1940 – the German army was forced to pause their rush to the sea in order to consolidate their forces, and thereby lost a major opportunity to fully shatter the British Expeditionary Forces. We do not plan to fall victim to that same, and are willing to expend significant blood and treasure to complete the defeat of Army Group South. Immediately the Marine Corps are mobilized to rush into the mountains, as elements of the Second Army are activated to pin the remaining 13 divisions for as long as possible.
It's an uphill (literally!) battle as the AI deftly uses the retreat mechanic to slither away (I've never seen them do that!) but our valiant troops give chase and hold them again at the next province while we stretch our lines as thinly as they will go in order to cut them off in a race to the sea.
Success! Although some Mexican divisions are able to slip away, a single division of the Marine Corps is able take the province and pin the remainder of Army Group South in another pocket, giving the cubanopanzer divisions just enough time to rush in and prevent the break-out attempt. The destruction of the Mexican Army seems close at hand.
This herculean effort has cost us dearly, with losses mounting to just under 70,000 men – more than any other war has cost us thus far. However, the Mexicans are much worse for wear, having lost 445,000 men so far in the fighting (and we haven't even liquidated either pocket yet!) This is truly a glorious day for Greater Cuba.
We have enjoyed unprecedented success in the Cubano-Mexican War, having managed to encircle twenty-seven divisions with the first year. Full disclosure – I have attempted this scenario before on other save games, and I have never had this kind of success. I'm used to the Yucatan Campaign being a year-long slog just to take a few tiles after bleeding the Mexicans white first. I've never captured this much clay so quickly – it seems that our troops on the front read your kind and encouraging words and were inspired by them. At present, only three divisions currently stand between the frontline and Mexico City. We will have to take most of Mexico before we are able to capitulate them, but it appears a much more viable task than it did seven months ago.
= The State of the World in January 1944 =
To our north, the Free American Empire has taken over the territory of the former United States, and exists in a Cold War-esque situation with Canada – the Axis is at war with the remaining former dominions of the United Kingdom, but the FRE isn't in a hot war with its northern neighbor. It is instead preoccupied with the war against the USSR, as well as a looming war justification by the Empire of Japan.
Speaking of the USSR, the German Reich has made it most of the way through the Soviet Union and controls most of the British Isles except for the North under Italian administration, and a small enclave taken up by a puppet administration. Most of Scandinavia has been untouched, but Norway and the Jutland Peninsula are under puppet states as well. Romania has been cucked out of most of its territory, as is tradition.
AI Japan is predictably getting its shit kicked in by China, having ceded its territories in North China and even having lost a bunch of former French Indochina.
AI Japan continues its marathon to machine gun itself in the foot by declaring war on the American East Indies despite the fact that it controls most of Borneo and the actual rubber-producing parts of the East Indies. This is because it had a war justification against the Dutch East Indies that never expired. This is despite the fact that the Americans, the Italians and the Germans had volunteer forces fighting in Asia alongside their Japanese allies.
Our manpower situation is...rather fucked. At 15.9% out of 17% mobilization we have just over 700,000 total manpower available. We have 462,000 in the army, plus just over 110,000 in reserve. We predict that we will need – at the very least – 200,000 reserve manpower to take Mexico, which means we will need to take even more arduous conscription laws to make this work.
We do have available for demobilization (read: cannibalization) the 6,000 men in the Civil Defense Militia as well as the 90,000 or so men in the reserve army. They are currently being trained up in order to be able to bolster the First or Second Armies if necessary.
= Operation Sapphire: the Invasion of Yucatan =
On May 1st 1944, we clear our justification for war with Mexico. In the early hours of the morning, we cross the rubicon.
Our Order of Battle for our committed forces are as follows:
- The First Army, comprising 14 infantry division under Gen. Fidel defending the fortifications in the North of Festung Guatemala (147,000 men)
- The Second Army, comprising two 40-width Cubanopanzer divisions and 10 infantry divisions under Gen. Pimental preparing for a pseudo-mechanized thrust into the Plains in the Southern Yucatan (140,000 men). Four of these divisions are held in reserve in case the Mexicans are able to push us back in a counter-attack.
- The Marine Corps, comprising three Marine divisions and five support infantry divisions preparing for a diversionary amphibious attack into the Northern Yucatan. They will draw divisions away from the Southern Front and ideally permit the thrust into the plains (80,000 men)
for a total of 367,000 men committed to the initial stage.
First blood is drawn in the North as the 80,000 men of the Marine Corps assault the port in the Northern Yucatan. The battle appears to be going well..
We also launch a supporting assault in the South, committing the eight non-reserve divisions of the Second Army. Early reports indicate that the cubanopanzer can be pierced by enemy small arms, but the Cuban Bureau of Ordinance insists that the reports must be delusional and should be taken to the infirmary.
In a stunning turn of events, the Northern amphibious assault falters. Although the Southern thrust is able to take the plains province in the Southern Yucatan, the Mexicans launch a counterattack of unmatched ferocity. Our gallant men are just able to hang on by using the Mountainous terrain and the fortifications that we had set up.
The Ministry of Truth wastes no time in running a truth campaign against Mexico in attempt to drum up crucial war support for the inevitable future austerity measures.
Stunning news from abroad! The USSR has finally collapsed without crucial lend-lease from the US and intelligence from the British after three long and grueling years of war. We send our ideological allies in Berlin a terse congratulatory telegram – we would send a fruit basket, but they're all being used in the construction of our tank armor.
In the short two months since the outbreak of war, we have lost a staggering 16,000 men. We have dealt that and more to the Mexican army, which has hemorrhaged 146,000 men in the same span of time, mostly in mass assaults against the waiting trenches of Festung Guatemala.
A second amphibious assault into the Northern Yucatan fails as well, despite an attempted pinning attack from the South. This is extremely concerning, as I have never once failed to take that Northern port, let alone twice.
After the two failures of the northern flanking maneuver, I decide to take an alternative approach and strike at Eastern Yucatan instead. This requires some precision maneuvering and the sacrifice of thousands of Cuban lives to pin the five Mexican divisions stationed to the South of the strike area, but because of the abundance of ports in the area and thin defenses stationed in Eastern Yucatan, the operation appears to be going better than initially projected.
The third time truly is the charm – although thousands of brave Cubans laid down their lives to claim this sliver of land, we are able to gain a foothold in the Eastern Yucatan and land half of the Marine corps at the port just north of Festung Guatemala. Although this isn't exactly the enclave that I wanted and it won't do a lot of draw Mexican troops away from the Southern Front, it's better than nothing.
In light-hearted domestic news, our totally independent and free ally of Costa Potente has finally succeeded in raising their first division, which has been placed on the southernmost end of our territory. This is a good step toward them becoming an almost equal partner in the war effort.
= Reckless Assaults =
Emboldened by the mounting losses amongst the Mexican Army, we make a perhaps rash decision to attempt to carry the Yucatan campaign to a swift and happy conclusion – using five divisions of the Marine Corps and seven divisions of the First Army (constantly being rotated out) we launch an assault in an attempt to encircle and destroy at least some divisions in the Northeastern tip of the Yucatan. This is a delicate dance, however – the Marine Corps has a single tile on which to operate, and they cannot be exhausted like the divisions on the Southern Front. If I let the divisions de-org too much, they will shatter when the Mexican counterattack arrives, and we will lose thousands of men when the divisions surrender. We do not want a repeat of the Spanish Fiasco.
The initial attack falters, but due to our prudent preparations the Marine Corps is able to stave off the inevitable counteroffensive. You can also see that due to the success of the amphibious invasion, two of the four divisions of the Second Army that had been held in reserve have been moved to the front line, and are busy defending against the tenacious Mexican assault. You can also see that four divisions from the reserve army have been inducted into the First Army in order to permit this reckless offensive.
Once the Mexican counteroffensive stalls, we launch a counter-counter-attack, again delicately balancing the divisions of the Marine Corps in order to prevent total collapse. In addition, we bring up the two cubanopanzer divisions from the Second Army in order to give the attack a little more oomph..
and it does the trick! We manage to encircle two divisions on the Northeastern tip of Yucatan, our first catch of the day.
With the Mexican divisions sufficiently de-orged due to lack of supply, we liquidate the pocket and free up the Marine Corps for an additional amphibious strike.
In world news, the Japanese AI has once again shit the bed and lost Tokyo, but resistance continues in the other parts of Japan.
Although Mexico started the war with just over 30,000 reserve manpower, and despite the massive losses they have sustained, they have actually been able to increase their reserve manpower through the use of conscription laws. We consider this to be somewhat less than ideal. They have also expanded their army by two divisions despite the recent liquidation of the pocket.
The fourth time is also the charm as it turns out! The Marines are able to launch a – successful this time – assault against the port in Northern Yucatan and draw some troops away from the Southern Front, as well as cut off most of the Mexican troops from an invaluable supply depot.
As the Mexicans launch a counterattack against the battered and encircled Marine Corps, we launch a diversionary attack to take some pressure off..
..which to our shock and the Mexicans' horror actually breaks through the lines and manages to encircle a massive portion of the troops on their Southern Front. The First Army rushes to complete the encirclement and seal the fate of what we are designating as the Mexican Southern Army. Those 16 divisions represents nearly half of all Mexican fielded manpower, and the successful liquidation of this pocket would be a major blow to their defensive efforts.
They attempt a breakout but the divisions of the Second Army hold steadfast and the First Army rushes to keep pressure off our infantry..
..and completes the encirclement! Celebrations are held across Greater Cuba and each soldier in the Southern Front is afforded a double-ration of the finest Hispaniolan rum.
It's an uphill (literally!) battle as the AI deftly uses the retreat mechanic to slither away (I've never seen them do that!) but our valiant troops give chase and hold them again at the next province while we stretch our lines as thinly as they will go in order to cut them off in a race to the sea.
Success! Although some Mexican divisions are able to slip away, a single division of the Marine Corps is able take the province and pin the remainder of Army Group South in another pocket, giving the cubanopanzer divisions just enough time to rush in and prevent the break-out attempt. The destruction of the Mexican Army seems close at hand.
This herculean effort has cost us dearly, with losses mounting to just under 70,000 men – more than any other war has cost us thus far. However, the Mexicans are much worse for wear, having lost 445,000 men so far in the fighting (and we haven't even liquidated either pocket yet!) This is truly a glorious day for Greater Cuba.
We have enjoyed unprecedented success in the Cubano-Mexican War, having managed to encircle twenty-seven divisions with the first year. Full disclosure – I have attempted this scenario before on other save games, and I have never had this kind of success. I'm used to the Yucatan Campaign being a year-long slog just to take a few tiles after bleeding the Mexicans white first. I've never captured this much clay so quickly – it seems that our troops on the front read your kind and encouraging words and were inspired by them. At present, only three divisions currently stand between the frontline and Mexico City. We will have to take most of Mexico before we are able to capitulate them, but it appears a much more viable task than it did seven months ago.
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Well this is quite the world! Sponsoring that revolt really paid off though!
That seems about par for the course with Japan. In HOI3 they usually win in China and never fight a Pacific War, while here they have decided to lose at both.
Wow, I didn't realize quite how powerful the Mexican army would be! This is about as close to two equals as I imagine you can get in HOI4.
Well that would explain things
A glorious day for the alliance, and one that will surely be remembered.
A nice beginning, and it looks like some momentum will build up now.
It's too bad the US can just go directly to Japan and skip most of the islands. Maybe someday Paradox will find a way to balance the Pacific.
That should be very helpful. I imagine the next one is Mexico City?
Wow, that is absolutely devastating! Very nicely done fighting this war, and I was quite surprised the Yucatan proved the decisive area of this war! I really liked the combination marine-armor advance which gave a lot of flexibility to the attack.
This was a really great update, and it looks like you'll be mopping up assuming there are no more surprises!
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== Part VIII: The Mexican Campaign Continues + Updates (Feb. 1945 to Mar. 1945) ==
= The state of the Armed Forces =
I feel that I should elucidate somewhat on the state of the Cuban Armed Forces that have so valiantly been fighting this war.
There is of course first and foremost the Army, which comprises currently of 48 divisions. Of these, six are within the Civil Defense Militia for total of 6,000 men. These are not expected to do any heavy fighting at all. There are in addition four full-strength divisions in the reserve army, comprising an additional 40,000 or so men. These are available to be demobilized should the manpower reserve available to us run out. The remaining 38 divisions are comprise the 18 divisions under the Second Army – a purely infantry army – in addition to the First Army of two cubanopanzer divisions and 10 infantry divisions, plus the Marine Corps of three Marine and five infantry divisions. 20,000 men are additionally tied up in garrison duties.
There is in addition to that the Navy, which has sat mostly dormant throughout the war. The surface element – centered currently on one cruiser and four accompanying destroyers – provide invaluable naval support for the amphibious attacks in the Gulf. In addition, nine submarines presently sit in the relative safety of the port of Santo Domingo. I had previously sent them on a convoy-raiding mission in the Caribbean Sea where they were promptly intercepted and one submarine was sunk by Mexico's relatively stronger surface forces.
Our fledgling but valiant air force consists of three 100-fighter wings – including the First Air Wing under "Handsome" flying the most modern fighters and the most dangerous missions – supporting a wing of 50 tactical bombers. They are currently fighters of pre-war design but being upgraded to more modern bombers as we speak.
As we now expect to be on the offensive for the remainder of the Cubano-Mexican war, we replace our Chief of Army with the aggressive Gen. Batista, who will institute a more forward-thinking doctrine. Our reserves of equipment (aside from support equipment) are good, with enough small arms for 1,400,000 men still in stockpile (most of which are obsolete bolt-actions, but that's okay). Compliance is highest in Hispaniola, whereas most of Central America is stable but not very compliant.
Our army is based around the standard 21-width infantry division of three brigades of three battalions each, plus a field infantry element. The Cubanopanzer divisions are full-strength 40-width divisions filled with Cavalry to offset some of the fuel costs and keep supply issues under control. They could in theory be equipped with motorized equipment, but the Cuban Bureau of Ordinance insists that tanks are never really designed to go faster than 6 kph, and they're the experts in the matter. (I don't have access to the tank designer as I am on Vanilla Vanilla and am using Great War Tanks)
= Liquidating the Pockets =
With the troops in place, we begin liquidating the pockets, shattering a total of 27 front-line Mexican divisions in the greatest encirclement since Northern Yucatan. Our infantry attack with unmatched skill and despite the gallant defense of the Mexican men they are not able to hold back the tide of the war.
They are supported in this endeavor by the Air Force, which mobilizes all available fighters to maintain air superiority over the region. Although they have a significant close air support presence, their lack of fighters means that we are able to control the air above Yucatan.
The destruction of the pockets takes a heavy toll on the Mexican Army – over 300,000 men captured or killed in the span of only a few days.
We seize the opportunity and immediately rush into the mountainous terrain around their capital. We had never expected to get so far so quickly, but fortune favors the bold, and the alacrity with which we conducted the mixed amphibious and land-borne attacks have given us a major advantage in this war. They have thus far only been able to summon three divisions for the defense of the Capital.
On February 12th 1945 jubilation ripples through the Co-Prosperity Sphere as Mexico City finally is taken from the rebels and is under Cuban jurisdiction. We also manage to snag another division at the port to its south, capturing another 10,000 or so men.
We had actually feared the process of having to pierce the so-called Mexican Hindenburg Line, a range of Mountains extending down from the North and encompassing most of the area around Mexico City. Given in the defensibility of the terrain, a dozen divisions would have been more than capable of stalling our offensive for months if not years. It was only the arrogance of the Mexican high command the skill of Gen. Pimental's cubanopanzer corps that allowed us to crush their divisions before they were able to retreat into the safety of the mountains.
In local news, our factories have finally begun production on the Cuban StG-45, a modern rifle with select-fire capability, a pistol grip, and an intermediate cartridge. Truly a marvel of Cuban engineering.
The final stage of the war begins with what naval attaché Adm. Kurita describes as a "General Attack", with dozens of our divisions under the First and Second Armies slamming into the remainder of the Mexican Army. With only seven divisions available across a six-province front, the fall of the Mexico appears close at hand...
A final view of the Greater Central America Co-Prosperity Sphere at the beginning of March 1945. We have nearly quadrupled our land area and almost tripled the population under Cuban Rule.
= The state of the Armed Forces =
I feel that I should elucidate somewhat on the state of the Cuban Armed Forces that have so valiantly been fighting this war.
There is of course first and foremost the Army, which comprises currently of 48 divisions. Of these, six are within the Civil Defense Militia for total of 6,000 men. These are not expected to do any heavy fighting at all. There are in addition four full-strength divisions in the reserve army, comprising an additional 40,000 or so men. These are available to be demobilized should the manpower reserve available to us run out. The remaining 38 divisions are comprise the 18 divisions under the Second Army – a purely infantry army – in addition to the First Army of two cubanopanzer divisions and 10 infantry divisions, plus the Marine Corps of three Marine and five infantry divisions. 20,000 men are additionally tied up in garrison duties.
There is in addition to that the Navy, which has sat mostly dormant throughout the war. The surface element – centered currently on one cruiser and four accompanying destroyers – provide invaluable naval support for the amphibious attacks in the Gulf. In addition, nine submarines presently sit in the relative safety of the port of Santo Domingo. I had previously sent them on a convoy-raiding mission in the Caribbean Sea where they were promptly intercepted and one submarine was sunk by Mexico's relatively stronger surface forces.
Our fledgling but valiant air force consists of three 100-fighter wings – including the First Air Wing under "Handsome" flying the most modern fighters and the most dangerous missions – supporting a wing of 50 tactical bombers. They are currently fighters of pre-war design but being upgraded to more modern bombers as we speak.
As we now expect to be on the offensive for the remainder of the Cubano-Mexican war, we replace our Chief of Army with the aggressive Gen. Batista, who will institute a more forward-thinking doctrine. Our reserves of equipment (aside from support equipment) are good, with enough small arms for 1,400,000 men still in stockpile (most of which are obsolete bolt-actions, but that's okay). Compliance is highest in Hispaniola, whereas most of Central America is stable but not very compliant.
Our army is based around the standard 21-width infantry division of three brigades of three battalions each, plus a field infantry element. The Cubanopanzer divisions are full-strength 40-width divisions filled with Cavalry to offset some of the fuel costs and keep supply issues under control. They could in theory be equipped with motorized equipment, but the Cuban Bureau of Ordinance insists that tanks are never really designed to go faster than 6 kph, and they're the experts in the matter. (I don't have access to the tank designer as I am on Vanilla Vanilla and am using Great War Tanks)
= Liquidating the Pockets =
With the troops in place, we begin liquidating the pockets, shattering a total of 27 front-line Mexican divisions in the greatest encirclement since Northern Yucatan. Our infantry attack with unmatched skill and despite the gallant defense of the Mexican men they are not able to hold back the tide of the war.
They are supported in this endeavor by the Air Force, which mobilizes all available fighters to maintain air superiority over the region. Although they have a significant close air support presence, their lack of fighters means that we are able to control the air above Yucatan.
The destruction of the pockets takes a heavy toll on the Mexican Army – over 300,000 men captured or killed in the span of only a few days.
We seize the opportunity and immediately rush into the mountainous terrain around their capital. We had never expected to get so far so quickly, but fortune favors the bold, and the alacrity with which we conducted the mixed amphibious and land-borne attacks have given us a major advantage in this war. They have thus far only been able to summon three divisions for the defense of the Capital.
On February 12th 1945 jubilation ripples through the Co-Prosperity Sphere as Mexico City finally is taken from the rebels and is under Cuban jurisdiction. We also manage to snag another division at the port to its south, capturing another 10,000 or so men.
We had actually feared the process of having to pierce the so-called Mexican Hindenburg Line, a range of Mountains extending down from the North and encompassing most of the area around Mexico City. Given in the defensibility of the terrain, a dozen divisions would have been more than capable of stalling our offensive for months if not years. It was only the arrogance of the Mexican high command the skill of Gen. Pimental's cubanopanzer corps that allowed us to crush their divisions before they were able to retreat into the safety of the mountains.
In local news, our factories have finally begun production on the Cuban StG-45, a modern rifle with select-fire capability, a pistol grip, and an intermediate cartridge. Truly a marvel of Cuban engineering.
The final stage of the war begins with what naval attaché Adm. Kurita describes as a "General Attack", with dozens of our divisions under the First and Second Armies slamming into the remainder of the Mexican Army. With only seven divisions available across a six-province front, the fall of the Mexico appears close at hand...
A final view of the Greater Central America Co-Prosperity Sphere at the beginning of March 1945. We have nearly quadrupled our land area and almost tripled the population under Cuban Rule.
Yeah, I frankly still haven't gotten over how quickly the Mexican Army faltered. Usually at this stage I'm still slogging my way through the Yucatan but maybe there was a recent minor update that tweaked how the AI shuffles its troops. Or maybe that Northern Yucatan strategy (of which I had been hitherto unaware) is just that much better.
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I didn't even think about the Mexican navy. Are they mainly cruisers and destroyers? Also, does HOI4 make the distinction between heavy and light cruisers like HOI3 did?
Very nice to see the air force has grown quite a bit!
I've always liked adding cavalry as a cheap mobile force, and it works really nicely with your tanks being quite slow. Have you found the Great War Tanks to be worth the investment? It seems like giving your mobile forces some extra strength is their biggest benefit.
Nice to see Cuba leading the world!
Yeah, the base game has a research tree very similar to that of HoI3, with 1922, 1936, 1940, and 1944 models for each kind of ship. With Man the Guns you get a whole ship designer that lets you put on various kinds of modules on basic ship hulls but I don't have that DLC.
300 fighters (mostly of the 1936 fighter I model so not really all that useful) is obviously not enough to challenge any of the major powers but it's been more than enough to keep the Mexican Air Force's close air support from interfering with our troops.
no
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== Part IX: Mopping Up and the Southern Strike (March 1945 to Dec. 1945) ==
= The Coup de Grace =
The Cubano-Mexican War draws toward its conclusion. Although much of the landmass of Mexico remains under nominal Mexican control, their army is so shattered and our own forces so poised to complete the advance that the war is more or less a foregone conclusion. The war has done a number on the manpower available to the enemy and their reserves of equipment are also indubitably diminished.
You can see the precipitous fall that Mexican manpower has taken – even on Service by Requirement they have but four thousand men left available, and although they have two dozen naval craft and three hundred aircraft, such will not be enough to stop our inexorable advance.
After a few scant days of preparations the full force of the Second Army under Gen. Pimental slams into the inadequately prepared and underarmed men of the Mexican Army. Although they are still capable of mustering enough firepower to pierce our cubanopanzers, our Bureau of Ordinance continues to insist that there is nothing wrong with the armor and that the enlisted men are simply operating them poor. Nonetheless, despite the dogged defense by the enemy our numbers and firepower are simply overwhelming.
The armor column advanced toward the forests in the North-west of Mexico, while the infantry divisions hold the line. Despite an initial localized counterattack by the Mexicans, a rapid response our own First Army puts an immediate end to that endeavor. In response, we re-direct our tanks from the initial spearhead and send them toward the plains to the north. We will seek to complete the victory by encircling another chunk of the Mexican Army right on the coast. This will open up our avenue of attack toward the wartime capital, Juarez.
Success! The armor divisions continue to pay for themselves as they close the pocket just quickly enough. Although the infantry divisions take some time to arrive, the cubanopanzers hold the line just long enough and the encirclement of another six divisions is complete. We will seek to hold them there for the remainder of the war. I'm not sure how exactly the mechanics of the manpower pool work in a case like this, but the hope is that it will return to the to-be-created client state we will set up to administer most of the region.
With army detachment Mike-3 trapped in the pocket and contained by a token force from the First Army, the rest of the aforementioned Field Army is freed to march straight toward the capital. With the remaining five divisions of the Mexican Army held up preventing the advance of the Second Army, it is but a stroll through some vaguely mountainous terrain.
As elements of the victorious First Army marches into Juarez, we consider our options. Because we have far undershot the manpower budget for the Mexican Campaign, we decide to go for our "stretch goal". To the south of our totally independent client state of Costa Potente sits the decadent democratic power of Colombia. Although we will likely be challenged by its mountainous terrain (and I've never actually succeeded in this invasion even in practice games) we feel that with the backing of our newfound allies we will be able to bring them to their knees.
= Administering the Co-Prosperity Sphere =
On June 19th 1945 the Mexican State lays down its arms and declares its unconditional surrender. We take for our direct administration the Yucatan Peninsula, as well as the Caribbean-facing parts of Southern Mexico. We also take Mexico City for its industrial strength, but leave the Mexican Junta with just enough territory and population to be a useful ally. You can see that the territory now under our direct administration has almost doubled, and the area under our control has increased nearly eight-fold since the start of this adventure.
Of course, joining our prestigious club should come with the commensurate reward. We immediately begin construction on rail infrastructure in the region to bring civilization to new holdings, and return much of the arms that we seized to our puppet government (obviously we keep the most modern guns for our own use).
You may have seen earlier that our available manpower had dropped rapidly. This is mostly due to the manpower draw of administering our new territory. To offset this somewhat, we order the Mexican Junta to make available to us their most loyal and dedicated citizens to assist in rooting out those minor pockets of resistance.
In international news, AI Japan continues to shit the bed.
= The Southern Strike =
As the Ministry of Truth continues to prepare our people for war, we take a look at our next conquest. The years of democracy have crippled the Colombian Armed Forces, with only twelve divisions available to them. Although their naval strength is concerning, we expect to have nearly total air supremacy against their ill-equipped air force. On our side, the Sphere is more united than ever – with internal compliance at an all-time high, there are over 100,000 loyal subjects ready to serve in our Army. Compliance is so good that in times of peace we can even rely on just the local police force to keep order. Resistance is so high in Haiti because I forgot to swap over to a Military Governorship for most of the Mexican Campaign.
You can see here the topography of Colombia: the plains and forests of La Libertad facing us, the capital deep in the mountains of Cundinamarca, and the ill-supplied plains and forests of Facebook in the interior. We intend to fight a decisive land action on or near the coast to prevent them from reinforcing their mountain strongholds. Once the Colombian troops entrench themselves and conduct a pocket defense in the mountains around Bogota, they will be nearly impossible to dislodge, even with massive frontal assaults and concentrated bombing raids. We will need to find a different means of achieving a quick and decisive victory before they are able to bleed us dry. You can see that the Mexican manpower has somewhat ameliorated our blood situation somewhat, but we still cannot afford costly human wave tactics. Our armor is likely to only be of any real use in the Northern Plains, but the Marine Corps and First Army are already slated to land there. Perhaps we can use the forests of La Libertad as a sort of Colombian Ardennes, but doing so would only result in us slamming into the mountains, which wouldn't do us much good. Furthermore, the ability of our cubanopanzer corps – as motivated and trained as they are – to pierce through ten divisions of dug-in infantry divisions is..doubtful to put it generously. We will need a different strategy.
= The Coup de Grace =
The Cubano-Mexican War draws toward its conclusion. Although much of the landmass of Mexico remains under nominal Mexican control, their army is so shattered and our own forces so poised to complete the advance that the war is more or less a foregone conclusion. The war has done a number on the manpower available to the enemy and their reserves of equipment are also indubitably diminished.
You can see the precipitous fall that Mexican manpower has taken – even on Service by Requirement they have but four thousand men left available, and although they have two dozen naval craft and three hundred aircraft, such will not be enough to stop our inexorable advance.
After a few scant days of preparations the full force of the Second Army under Gen. Pimental slams into the inadequately prepared and underarmed men of the Mexican Army. Although they are still capable of mustering enough firepower to pierce our cubanopanzers, our Bureau of Ordinance continues to insist that there is nothing wrong with the armor and that the enlisted men are simply operating them poor. Nonetheless, despite the dogged defense by the enemy our numbers and firepower are simply overwhelming.
The armor column advanced toward the forests in the North-west of Mexico, while the infantry divisions hold the line. Despite an initial localized counterattack by the Mexicans, a rapid response our own First Army puts an immediate end to that endeavor. In response, we re-direct our tanks from the initial spearhead and send them toward the plains to the north. We will seek to complete the victory by encircling another chunk of the Mexican Army right on the coast. This will open up our avenue of attack toward the wartime capital, Juarez.
Success! The armor divisions continue to pay for themselves as they close the pocket just quickly enough. Although the infantry divisions take some time to arrive, the cubanopanzers hold the line just long enough and the encirclement of another six divisions is complete. We will seek to hold them there for the remainder of the war. I'm not sure how exactly the mechanics of the manpower pool work in a case like this, but the hope is that it will return to the to-be-created client state we will set up to administer most of the region.
With army detachment Mike-3 trapped in the pocket and contained by a token force from the First Army, the rest of the aforementioned Field Army is freed to march straight toward the capital. With the remaining five divisions of the Mexican Army held up preventing the advance of the Second Army, it is but a stroll through some vaguely mountainous terrain.
As elements of the victorious First Army marches into Juarez, we consider our options. Because we have far undershot the manpower budget for the Mexican Campaign, we decide to go for our "stretch goal". To the south of our totally independent client state of Costa Potente sits the decadent democratic power of Colombia. Although we will likely be challenged by its mountainous terrain (and I've never actually succeeded in this invasion even in practice games) we feel that with the backing of our newfound allies we will be able to bring them to their knees.
= Administering the Co-Prosperity Sphere =
On June 19th 1945 the Mexican State lays down its arms and declares its unconditional surrender. We take for our direct administration the Yucatan Peninsula, as well as the Caribbean-facing parts of Southern Mexico. We also take Mexico City for its industrial strength, but leave the Mexican Junta with just enough territory and population to be a useful ally. You can see that the territory now under our direct administration has almost doubled, and the area under our control has increased nearly eight-fold since the start of this adventure.
Of course, joining our prestigious club should come with the commensurate reward. We immediately begin construction on rail infrastructure in the region to bring civilization to new holdings, and return much of the arms that we seized to our puppet government (obviously we keep the most modern guns for our own use).
You may have seen earlier that our available manpower had dropped rapidly. This is mostly due to the manpower draw of administering our new territory. To offset this somewhat, we order the Mexican Junta to make available to us their most loyal and dedicated citizens to assist in rooting out those minor pockets of resistance.
In international news, AI Japan continues to shit the bed.
= The Southern Strike =
As the Ministry of Truth continues to prepare our people for war, we take a look at our next conquest. The years of democracy have crippled the Colombian Armed Forces, with only twelve divisions available to them. Although their naval strength is concerning, we expect to have nearly total air supremacy against their ill-equipped air force. On our side, the Sphere is more united than ever – with internal compliance at an all-time high, there are over 100,000 loyal subjects ready to serve in our Army. Compliance is so good that in times of peace we can even rely on just the local police force to keep order. Resistance is so high in Haiti because I forgot to swap over to a Military Governorship for most of the Mexican Campaign.
You can see here the topography of Colombia: the plains and forests of La Libertad facing us, the capital deep in the mountains of Cundinamarca, and the ill-supplied plains and forests of Facebook in the interior. We intend to fight a decisive land action on or near the coast to prevent them from reinforcing their mountain strongholds. Once the Colombian troops entrench themselves and conduct a pocket defense in the mountains around Bogota, they will be nearly impossible to dislodge, even with massive frontal assaults and concentrated bombing raids. We will need to find a different means of achieving a quick and decisive victory before they are able to bleed us dry. You can see that the Mexican manpower has somewhat ameliorated our blood situation somewhat, but we still cannot afford costly human wave tactics. Our armor is likely to only be of any real use in the Northern Plains, but the Marine Corps and First Army are already slated to land there. Perhaps we can use the forests of La Libertad as a sort of Colombian Ardennes, but doing so would only result in us slamming into the mountains, which wouldn't do us much good. Furthermore, the ability of our cubanopanzer corps – as motivated and trained as they are – to pierce through ten divisions of dug-in infantry divisions is..doubtful to put it generously. We will need a different strategy.
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Nice to see Mexico all wrapped up, and the plan for Colombia looks good to me. I'll be curious to see if the AI can give you trouble with so few divisions. I suppose their main strength is the narrow front, rough terrain, and possibly navy. Glad to see this AAR will keep going though, the sphere must be bigger!
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Things seem to be going well. Columbia will be a nice place to add to the sphere. Glory to Cuba, the world's only true superpower!
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== Part X: The Colombian Campaign (Dec. 1945 to Mar. 1946) ==
= Planning for Operation Ruby =
Given the geographical challenges associated with the mountainous terrain of Colombia, we will need to decisively break the Colombian Army before we advance into Fortress Bogota. To this end, we will attempt to withdraw our Second Army into the rear of the Southern part of Panama before landing elements of the First Army into their rear to cut them off and shatter the main body of the Colombian Army. Simultaneously, we will land elements of the Marine Corps into the North in order to push down and attempt to encircle them to the south.
In order to accomplish this, we will of course need to draw our equal and totally independent ally of Costa Potente into the war as we have graciously given them control over Panamanian clay.
The matchup favors us, even without the assistance of the Mexican Junta – Colombia have only 221,000 men-at-arms. As long as we are able to overcome the major force multiplier represented by their terrain advantage we should be able to overwhelm them.
First contact is made as we expected, as elements of their field army under Gen. Ruiz-Tagle slam into the experienced Second Army under our own Gen. Pimental. Once again the thin armor on our cubanopanzers proves unable to stop small arms fire...
Just as the war heats up, we find ourselves in a problem – with us knocking at the doorstop, Ecuador has joined the battle by forming the South American Entente. Although they represent a small fighting force, their ability to theoretically host a government-in-exile and potentially call in additional elements of South America represents a major risk. We will need to nip this in the bud.
Here you can see the set-up for this decisive maneuver – the Second Army feigns a retreat to draw the Colombian Army into the narrow isthmus, while elements of the First Army land up north to distract their rearguard.
Then, as the Marine Corps makes a landing in the rear from the South, a division from the Second Army leaps forward to conduct a pinning attack on the six divisions that chased them into the isthmus.
And thus we are able to encircle half a dozen divisions, leaving the path toward Bogota as open as it'll ever be.
Even with the entry of Ecuador into the war, the casualty ratios are clearly in our favor.
The next few days consist of an all-out disorganized assault as every division rushes to be the first to step foot into the capital. A pocket is made and a single division encircled but it hardly matters as the Bogota falls simultaneously.
We elect to carve up Colombia a little, awarding the northern most regions of Colombia to our oldest ally the Costa Ricans, and establishing a puppet regime in the southern parts. Presumably most of their manpower is now being expended on garrisons. This new southern regime now lacks dockyards or naval ports, which were all concentrated in the north. Additionally, as Colombia was the only major nation in the South American Entente, it appears that Ecuador was forced into an automatic white peace.
We also funnel back some of their own arms to them (keeping the most modern arms for ourselves obviously) so they may be able to rebuild their armed forces and contribute to our struggle to unite Central America.
We will need their assistance as well – for almost as soon as the Colombian War ends, we start justifying a war against Venezuela. Compared to Colombia, we expect a much, much bloodier war. You can see that just on their borders with Costa Potente and Colombia they have close to 30 divisions, plus presumably more on their coasts. Unlike the decadent Colombians, the Venezuelans are fellow fascists (that have refused to accept our generous offer to be a part of the Co-Prosperity Sphere) which means they are much more able to recruit their populations. We also expect them to have a decent-sized navy.
With war looming and the defensive lines under-prepared, we are even forced to draw manpower from the Mexican Junta in order to shore up the trenches in Colombia – although the mountainous terrain will work this time to our advantage, we can't afford to give up too much ground lest we be unable to recover it.
= Planning for Operation Ruby =
Given the geographical challenges associated with the mountainous terrain of Colombia, we will need to decisively break the Colombian Army before we advance into Fortress Bogota. To this end, we will attempt to withdraw our Second Army into the rear of the Southern part of Panama before landing elements of the First Army into their rear to cut them off and shatter the main body of the Colombian Army. Simultaneously, we will land elements of the Marine Corps into the North in order to push down and attempt to encircle them to the south.
In order to accomplish this, we will of course need to draw our equal and totally independent ally of Costa Potente into the war as we have graciously given them control over Panamanian clay.
The matchup favors us, even without the assistance of the Mexican Junta – Colombia have only 221,000 men-at-arms. As long as we are able to overcome the major force multiplier represented by their terrain advantage we should be able to overwhelm them.
First contact is made as we expected, as elements of their field army under Gen. Ruiz-Tagle slam into the experienced Second Army under our own Gen. Pimental. Once again the thin armor on our cubanopanzers proves unable to stop small arms fire...
Just as the war heats up, we find ourselves in a problem – with us knocking at the doorstop, Ecuador has joined the battle by forming the South American Entente. Although they represent a small fighting force, their ability to theoretically host a government-in-exile and potentially call in additional elements of South America represents a major risk. We will need to nip this in the bud.
Here you can see the set-up for this decisive maneuver – the Second Army feigns a retreat to draw the Colombian Army into the narrow isthmus, while elements of the First Army land up north to distract their rearguard.
Then, as the Marine Corps makes a landing in the rear from the South, a division from the Second Army leaps forward to conduct a pinning attack on the six divisions that chased them into the isthmus.
And thus we are able to encircle half a dozen divisions, leaving the path toward Bogota as open as it'll ever be.
Even with the entry of Ecuador into the war, the casualty ratios are clearly in our favor.
The next few days consist of an all-out disorganized assault as every division rushes to be the first to step foot into the capital. A pocket is made and a single division encircled but it hardly matters as the Bogota falls simultaneously.
We elect to carve up Colombia a little, awarding the northern most regions of Colombia to our oldest ally the Costa Ricans, and establishing a puppet regime in the southern parts. Presumably most of their manpower is now being expended on garrisons. This new southern regime now lacks dockyards or naval ports, which were all concentrated in the north. Additionally, as Colombia was the only major nation in the South American Entente, it appears that Ecuador was forced into an automatic white peace.
We also funnel back some of their own arms to them (keeping the most modern arms for ourselves obviously) so they may be able to rebuild their armed forces and contribute to our struggle to unite Central America.
We will need their assistance as well – for almost as soon as the Colombian War ends, we start justifying a war against Venezuela. Compared to Colombia, we expect a much, much bloodier war. You can see that just on their borders with Costa Potente and Colombia they have close to 30 divisions, plus presumably more on their coasts. Unlike the decadent Colombians, the Venezuelans are fellow fascists (that have refused to accept our generous offer to be a part of the Co-Prosperity Sphere) which means they are much more able to recruit their populations. We also expect them to have a decent-sized navy.
With war looming and the defensive lines under-prepared, we are even forced to draw manpower from the Mexican Junta in order to shore up the trenches in Colombia – although the mountainous terrain will work this time to our advantage, we can't afford to give up too much ground lest we be unable to recover it.
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Too bad you didn't have time to beeline for Ecuador - I don't know how much you need to involve them, but if they had been dragged in enough (loss of a single province should certainly have been enough) then you could have gotten them as puppets as well.
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The United American nations grow in power in strength, standing up to the imperialist pigs of the old world, and ushering in an age of *ahem* peace and prosperity for all in America.
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