France: Operational Hail Mary (AAR) (HOI3: TFH) (No Mods)

[Mortal Phoenix]

It is March 1st of 1943, and Persia and Iraq are fighting the Russians in the Middle East. Not much to say on this front.

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In Asia, my troops are continuing to gain ground. Asia is so large that it will take some time to travel to Moscow. Still, we are doing our best.

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On March 5th of 1943, Yugoslavia joins the Allies! With them joining, they add 235,000 troops to our Alliance. They have the 5th largest army in our alliance, behind Romania.

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Not much has passed in either April or May of 1943. Russia is losing ground in the Middle East to Persia, Britain, Nepal, Bhutan, and Iraq. If Russia had troops over here, he would easily be able to crush this force, but he only has troops guarding near Turkey. My forces are spreading out all along the far eastern front so I can capture as much land as possible; it will help with supply. Afghanistan won't be joining the Allies until August of 1943, but when they do join, that will be another nation that will put pressure on Russia. If Russia doesn't pull troops off its European front, we will simply out flank them in the Middle East and the Far East.

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Just want to clear something up. I'm not influencing Finland, because it seems that Finland won't join an Alliance unless the Winter War has already happened.

 

[Mortal Phoenix]

I'm going to combine both June and July, as it is simply moving troops. From June to July, I moved my troops further into Russian land in the far east, and my allies pushed further into the middle east. I lost 2 units in the far east. I built my first nuclear reactor. It is looking like we will have a bomb in 1944. Once the bomb gets built, we are dropping it over Moscow, and then we should be able to win this war. The Soviet's national unity is 60.1%. Their surrender progress is 34.20% Dropping two nukes should finish them off. Russia is bringing more troops to the far east.

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August + September. Russia is bringing too many troops to the Asian front for me to handle, and the supply issue isn't helping either. Afghanistan joining will help bring more troops to the Middle Eastern front. I need the nuke to help me in this war against the Soviets.

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It is October of 1943. The Asian campaign has been deemed a failure by the higher ups. We have been ordered to consolidate our forces mostly near the starting positions. Although much land has been gained from Jan 1942 to October 1943, we can't hold it. Sinkiang, Tannu Tuva, and Monalia refuse to join the war against the Soviet Union; Partisans have halted supplies going to our front lines; Russia has sent over 430K units to the Asian front to fight my 364K units; there is now 302k Russian troops in the Middle East fighting against 198K of my allied troops; Afghanistan refuses to join our alliance and provide us their 36K units to help us in the Middle East. We are to create a thin defensive line in Asia, and send the rest of troops to the Middle East to bolster their defenses. In the West, we attempted to launch an attempt to relieve pressure on both fronts, but it had no successful in that regard. At the very least, 50K Soviet units have been captured, but the Soviets still have nearly 1,400,00 troops on the European front. We are to stabilize the lines in the Middle East. Our goal isn't to push into the Middle East, but simply to hold it. Our goal is to hold until we get our nukes and drop it on Moscow. It is believed that two nukes is all we need to end this war.

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It is November of 1943. We have made some gains in Europe. We have decided that because of the number of allies we have, and the size of our armies, to put trust in our allies that they will hold the line. We have shifted our troops and worked with the British to open up a line in the Russian forces near the Crimea. Forces in Asia are still be moved back, it will likely take months before they are in the Middle East. We might be able to help them out in the Middle East this way, we will see what happens going forward.

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It is December of 1943, and we are breaking through into the Caucasus mountains. My allies are rushing through this hole in their defences. I'm holding the line in the European front, along with a few of my allies units. We will see what Russia does against such a threat. For a while now I've been trying to get Turkey in my alliance, so taking the mountains will certainly help them in their decision to support us in the war.

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[Alex Kernel]

I'm going to combine both June and July, as it is simply moving troops. From June to July, I moved my troops further into Russian land in the far east, and my allies pushed further into the middle east. I lost 2 units in the far east. I built my first nuclear reactor. It is looking like we will have a bomb in 1944. Once the bomb gets built, we are dropping it over Moscow, and then we should be able to win this war. The Soviet's national unity is 60.1%. Their surrender progress is 34.20% Dropping two nukes should finish them off. Russia is bringing more troops to the far east.

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August + September. Russia is bringing too many troops to the Asian front for me to handle, and the supply issue isn't helping either. Afghanistan joining will help bring more troops to the Middle Eastern front. I need the nuke to help me in this war against the Soviets.

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It is October of 1943. The Asian campaign has been deemed a failure by the higher ups. We have been ordered to consolidate our forces mostly near the starting positions. Although much land has been gained from Jan 1942 to October 1943, we can't hold it. Sinkiang, Tannu Tuva, and Monalia refuse to join the war against the Soviet Union; Partisans have halted supplies going to our front lines; Russia has sent over 430K units to the Asian front to fight my 364K units; there is now 302k Russian troops in the Middle East fighting against 198K of my allied troops; Afghanistan refuses to join our alliance and provide us their 36K units to help us in the Middle East. We are to create a thin defensive line in Asia, and send the rest of troops to the Middle East to bolster their defenses. In the West, we attempted to launch an attempt to relieve pressure on both fronts, but it had no successful in that regard. At the very least, 50K Soviet units have been captured, but the Soviets still have nearly 1,400,00 troops on the European front. We are to stabilize the lines in the Middle East. Our goal isn't to push into the Middle East, but simply to hold it. Our goal is to hold until we get our nukes and drop it on Moscow. It is believed that two nukes is all we need to end this war.

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It is November of 1943. We have made some gains in Europe. We have decided that because of the number of allies we have, and the size of our armies, to put trust in our allies that they will hold the line. We have shifted our troops and worked with the British to open up a line in the Russian forces near the Crimea. Forces in Asia are still be moved back, it will likely take months before they are in the Middle East. We might be able to help them out in the Middle East this way, we will see what happens going forward.

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It is December of 1943, and we are breaking through into the Caucasus mountains. My allies are rushing through this hole in their defences. I'm holding the line in the European front, along with a few of my allies units. We will see what Russia does against such a threat. For a while now I've been trying to get Turkey in my alliance, so taking the mountains will certainly help them in their decision to support us in the war.

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That is wild. You're doing a cool thing here.

Wow, the Romanians are doing quite a job! Are French troops at the Polish-Romanian frontline with the USSR (outside Crimea)? The Soviet Union should be fairly strong nonetheless.

Pay attention to the supply throughput in Siberia. Going with armoured units through those therritories won't be a good idea.

Long Live France!

 

[Mortal Phoenix]

That is wild. You're doing a cool thing here.

Wow, the Romanians are doing quite a job! Are French troops at the Polish-Romanian frontline with the USSR (outside Crimea)? The Soviet Union should be fairly strong nonetheless.

Pay attention to the supply throughput in Siberia. Going with armoured units through those therritories won't be a good idea.

Long Live France!

There are a bunch of different nations along the Soviet Union border: British, French, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia.

Edit: There were no armored units in Siberia.

 

[Mortal Phoenix]

On December 31st of 1943, and we can now start working on building nuclear bomb. On Jan 22nd of 1944, we will then build 0.1 nukes once per month, so it will take 10 months until we get 1 nuke! My allies are gaining land in the mountains, but it appears that the Soviets are slowing our advance there.

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On Jan 18th of 1943, Yunnan joins the Allies. Although they can't help, because Nationalist China is blocking from Asia from entering into the Asian front, but at least they can't join the Comintern.

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It is Feb 16th of 1944. Our advance in the mountains has stalled due to supply issue (Once we got passed Crimea, we suffered supply issues. Not 100% sure on the details of what is causing the supply issues). However, we are producing 0.20 nukes per month, and in May we will producing 0.30 nukes per month. it is believed that by October of 1944, we will have two nukes to drop onto Moscow, winning the war.

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It is March of 18th of 1944. I lost both my units in the mountains, and at least 351,000 allied units will be surrounded and crushed. This is a huge blow to us, as the supply system was just that terrible. We made great gains, but we couldn't maintain it. This has convinced us that only the use of the nuke can help us. All offensive attacks have been called off, and a defense war of stabilizing the front has been called. My units in the Asian front are currently in Korea, and by April we can ship them over to the Middle East to stabilizing the front.

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It is April 17th of 1944, and the Russians are closing the noose around the pocket. There might be a way to save the pocket, but it is risky. I'm going to attempt to grab the ports, and then push south. Although nukes will help, they will only help if I have captured enough of their important cities. 6 months until 2 nukes are developed.

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[Mortal Phoenix]

It is May 6th, and we have increased production on nukes. We can now produce 0.30 nukes per month. By June we shall have our first nuke! Although our allies lost some troops in the pocket, we were able to save most of them, preventing a total collapse of this front.

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On May 10th of 1944, Xibei San joins the Allies. With that, we cut off another Ally that could've joined the Soviets. We now have another ally in Asia to protect this front.

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On June 10th of 1944, I have stabilized most of the European front, but Russia is pushing up north. Once I'm able to pull my forces out of the Mountain range, I will move some up north to stabilize the line, and I will use the rest of my forces to stabilize the Middle East. After that, I'm waiting until October of 1944 when I get 2 nukes.

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It is July 16th of 1944, and I've pulled forces off the European front and sent them to the Middle East to reinforce it as the Soviet Force is in the middle of overwhelming my allies there. Russia's forces in the far east are still pushing, but British troops are also taking land in the far east. Russia's national unity is currently 49.3%, and their surrender process is 37.10%. I currently have captured 18.3% of their important cities. In one year from July of 1943, the national unity has dropped 10.80%. I predict that by October of 1944, their national unity will be down to 46.6%.

It is September 7th, 1944. I have rushed production of units to help with the frontlines. I'm so close to having two nukes. I'm currently 0.1 away from having two nukes, but I won't get it until october 1st, which is why I rushed production so I can get my aircraft in position to nuke the capital of Russia: Moscow! Persia is losing land to the Soviets, but I have just got all my units that I can spare to defend the line. We just need to hold out for a month, and then we win!

I also produced 10 super heavy tanks to break through the Russian heavy tanks. It is all over, they won't be able to handle my might.

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It is October 1st, 1944. At 8am, October 1st, 1944, two strategic bombers squadrons flew from an airbase in Gumbinnen in East Prussia. Cochet and Vullemin each commanded 4 planes. They were on a secret mission from their airbase in East Prussia to Moscow, the capital of Russia itself. They were to a deliver a birthday present to Stalin in the form of a bomb. A nuclear bomb. They reached their target at 1pm that day, and delivered their payload. Two nukes hit Moscow and killed everyone there, including Stalin himself.

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With the destruction of Moscow, and the death of their leader, Stalin; Maksim Litvinov (Foreign minister), and Mikhail Kalinin (Head of State), signed a treaty with France and the Allies to surrender to the might of their weapons. A radio report was sent out informing all Russian troops to stand down, the war was over. In all, 2,096,000 Russian troops, the largest army in the world at the time, threw down their arms. The war was over. Peace came to France and the Allies a day later, on October 2nd, 1944.

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Well, that's the end of the AAR. I hope you enjoyed it!

 

[Bullfilter]

We have shifted our troops and worked with the British to open up a line in the Russian forces near the Crimea.

A classic of history repeating itself!

Well, that's the end of the AAR. I hope you enjoyed it!

I did, thanks for posting. Without the NU lowering and then the nukes, it looked like the Soviets may not have been easily defeated. They fought back well at the end. well done!

 

[Mortal Phoenix]

A classic of history repeating itself!

I did, thanks for posting. Without the NU lowering and then the nukes, it looked like the Soviets may not have been easily defeated. They fought back well at the end. well done!

I agree.

 

[Mortal Phoenix]

I was planning on doing an AAR of Germany vs the World. On paper that sounds like a fun AAR, but playing through it is such a slog. It isn't hard per se, but playing on the slowest speed is the best way to handle the combat.

 

[Wraith11B]

Congrats on the victory!

 

[Mortal Phoenix]

Congrats on the victory!

Thank you!

 

[nuclearslurpee]

Congrats on the victory! Perhaps a bit gamey to win by nuking Russia, but we cannot complain about being ahistorical given that in OTL a country was effectively* nuked into submission. In any case, well fought from an initially compromised position as France!

I was planning on doing an AAR of Germany vs the World. On paper that sounds like a fun AAR, but playing through it is such a slog. It isn't hard per se, but playing on the slowest speed is the best way to handle the combat.

While of course you should do whatever you like, this being the secret to any successful AAR, Germany AARs are perhaps a bit overdone, so if you're not committed I for one would voice support for a more original premise.

 

[Mortal Phoenix]

Congrats on the victory! Perhaps a bit gamey to win by nuking Russia, but we cannot complain about being ahistorical given that in OTL a country was effectively* nuked into submission. In any case, well fought from an initially compromised position as France!


While of course you should do whatever you like, this being the secret to any successful AAR, Germany AARs are perhaps a bit overdone, so if you're not committed I for one would voice support for a more original premise.

To be fair with the the AAR of France, I was playing it when I had one week paid vacation, and I was near the end of my paid vacation. I think it was Saturday night or Friday night I finished, and I had to be at work Sunday. Also, I agree it is gamey, but I was starting to lose my patience. Maybe if I had a patreon account in which all I did was HOI3 AARs, then I would be more willing to do it. XD

So, I agree that playing as Germany is unoriginal, which is why I was thinking that Germany declaring war on every nation on Jan 1st of 1937 would be interesting. It is based on a mod for HOI4 in which Germany is at war on Jan 1st of 1937. I just felt like giving everyone a heads up incase people were wondering about anymore AAR.

Another idea I had was playing as Czechoslovakia and opposing to give the Sudetenland to Germany. However, if I were to win it (which would only involve defeating Germany and any other Axis members that enter the fight), that's when I would post it. It would be more of a guide of how to do it.

 

[Alex Kernel]

Congratulations @Mortal Phoenix on your victory!

I liked a lot your very concise style on reporting an AAR, making the enterprise much easier for the author and the reading a pleasure.

It would have been interesting to continue the war without the nukes. France would have had a hard time winning, especially given the low MP. What was the Soviet MP before the Nuke day? And what was the monthly Manpower increase for France and what for USSR?

 

[Mortal Phoenix]

Congratulations @Mortal Phoenix on your victory!

I liked a lot your very concise style on reporting an AAR, making the enterprise much easier for the author and the reading a pleasure.

It would have been interesting to continue the war without the nukes. France would have had a hard time winning, especially given the low MP. What was the Soviet MP before the Nuke day? And what was the monthly Manpower increase for France and what for USSR?

I believe I still have the save files for around then. Thanks for enjoying the very concise style.

Edit: France has a manpower growth of 40.5 per month. Soviet Union has a manpower growth of 55.9 per month. The Soviet Union has a total manpower of 2176 before I nuked them. The Soviet Union's Leadership is 22.08. France's Leadership is 29.89. After the Soviet Union falls, France's manpower is 57.8 per month, and its leadership is 32.12 per month.

 

[Mortal Phoenix]

Given that I still have the save files, I can continue before I nuked the Soviet Union as France.

 

[Mortal Phoenix]

Back by popular demand!

In the official timeline of "Operation: Hail Mary," the Allies defeated the Soviet Union by dropping two nukes onto Moscow, ending the war on October 2nd, 1944. However, this is an alternative history to "Operation: Hail Mary". What if France didn't drop nukes onto Moscow? In this non-canon universe, we will attempt to answer that question. Currently the team of one is hard at work playing the game. However, as fans have been patiently waiting for an update, this post has been created as a stopgap until new material is released. Here is an overview of the situation.

No Axis exist. Only the Soviet Union is part of the Comintern. The Allies are made up of a number of nations across different continents.

The Allied nations are: France, United Kingdom, Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia, Netherlands, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Iraq (puppet), Persia, Nepel (puppet), Bhutan (puppet), Mongolia (puppet), Tannu Tuva (puppet), Xibei San Ma, Manchukuo (puppet), Ethiopia (puppet), Yunnan, Oman (puppet), Yemen (puppet), Norway, and Luxemburg. However, although there are many nations that make up the Allies, not all Allied nations are involved in the war with the Soviet Union: Xibei San Ma (at war, no troops fighting), Manchukuo (at war, no troops fighting), Ethiopia (at war, no troops fighting), Oman (at war, no troops fighting), Yemen (at war, no troops fighting), Norway (at war, no troops fighting), Mongolia (not at war, unable to join war), Tannu Tuva (not at war, unable to join war), and Luxemburg (at war, still considered Government-in-Exile since they liberated themselves).

In short, the total number of nations and troops that are actively involved in the war is smaller than it would appear.

At the point the nukes were launched against the Soviet Union, it was October 1st, 1944. Here is the situation on the frontlines.

Soviet Union: 197k (Middle East), 561k (Far East), 1318k (Eastern Front), 17k (Northern front)

vs.

France: 199k (Far East), 167k (Middle East) (19k British EF), 623k (Eastern front)

United Kingdom: 95k (Eastern Front), 18k (Middle East), 91k (Far East)

Poland: 302k (Eastern Front) -96.8 manpower. Army should be 370k.

Romania: 289k (Eastern Front) (9k British EF)

Yugoslavia: 228k (Eastern Front)

Netherlands: 35k (Eastern front)

Belgium: 82K (Eastern Front) -13.2 manpower. Should be 101K.

Bulgaria: 62k (Eastern Front)

Czechoslovakia: 46k (Eastern Front)

Iraq: 45k (Middle East) 28k (British EF)

Persia: 25k (Middle East), 9k (British EF)

Nepel: 9k (Middle East)

Bhutan: 26k (Middle East)

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As you can see, some nations have smaller armies because they lack manpower. Also, in some cases, the British have Expeditionary Forces sent to Allied nations to help support their war effect. This is not including HQs, since they have no combat units.

Total Military Sizes:

Allies 2342K vs Soviets 1931K

This is the strength of each armies when broken down across each front:

Allies 1762k (Eastern Front) vs Soviets 1225k (Eastern Front)

Allies 290K (Middle East) vs Soviets 185k (Middle East)

Allies 290k (Far East) vs Soviets 521k (Far East) (I'm not including Asian nations that aren't at war or don't have troops on the border of the Soviet Union)

Finally, we must look at Strategic Effects. The Soviet Union has 833 brigades. This is important because having more than 800 brigades grants the nation "Great Army," which increases their leadership by +0.15 and their Org Regan Rate by +15. Keep in mind that because the Soviet Union is not at war with Germany, Winter War isn't in effect and they are unable to trigger any of their events. Last but not least, the Soviet Union has more than 75 aircraft, which grants them, "Great Air Force," which gives them +0.15 leadership and Org Regain rate +15%.

I hope everyone is ready for the next update! There will be heart pounding action. Twists and Turns. And romance! Turn in next time for, "Alt-History: Continuation of Allies vs Soviet Union".

 

[Alex Kernel]

It is very nice of you to continue the war without the nukes. I can barely wait to see how the AAR develops.
How could you calculate the involved MP on each side and on each frontline?

In your calculations one should factor in that the allied fighting forces of different nations do not coordinate. Additionally, many if them benefit from way fewer doctrines, their armament might not be up to date, and their officer corps is less experienced than the Soviet one.

The USSR also benefits from defending on its own core provinces (only the Soviets and the Nazis get a bonus for home defense). So, the USSR with its high Manpower growth rate and MP reserve certainly will be a serious challenge.

In theory, France possibly could break the Eastern frontline with her next tier if Tanks. You could need a 6-12 months of pause in offensive operations to gather a much needed MP buffer, because an offensive is expensive in terms if Manpower.

I wish you good luck!

 

[Mortal Phoenix]

It is very nice of you to continue the war without the nukes. I can barely wait to see how the AAR develops.
How could you calculate the involved MP on each side and on each frontline?

In your calculations one should factor in that the allied fighting forces of different nations do not coordinate. Additionally, many if them benefit from way fewer doctrines, their armament might not be up to date, and their officer corps is less experienced than the Soviet one.

The USSR also benefits from defending on its own core provinces (only the Soviets and the Nazis get a bonus for home defense). So, the USSR with its high Manpower growth rate and MP reserve certainly will be a serious challenge.

In theory, France possibly could break the Eastern frontline with her next tier if Tanks. You could need a 6-12 months of pause in offensive operations to gather a much needed MP buffer, because an offensive is expensive in terms if Manpower.

I wish you good luck!

"How could I calculate the involved MP on each side and on each frontline?" I used the cheat code Tag and then switched to each nation. It is more for flavor for the readers, since my RADAR system allowed me to see where the Soviets had units anyway, and you could get a feel of it when playing the game.

"In your calculations one should factor in that the allied fighting forces of different nations do not coordinate." The AI does, and you the player have to pay close attention to where Allied troops are attacking and need support. When you work with it, it turns out better that expected.

"Additionally, many if them benefit from way fewer doctrines, their armament might not be up to date, and their officer corps is less experienced than the Soviet one."

Allied nations have 140% officer ratio, while Soviets have around 108%, and the French are doing the heavy lifting. In addition, the Soviets are trying to influence nations like Turkey on their side, because I'm trying to influence Turkey. This ties up 2 of their leadership. Their leadership remains low after the purge, so it is around 22 leadership. My Allies put their troops on the border of the Soviet Union, and I leave one unit on each of those provinces. This acts as a warning system as I won't know if we lost a province until it is too late. Our Allied troops are dug-in for 10 days behind the river. Because of stacking penalties, there is only so many units the Soviets could use to attack a single province. With careful play, it isn't as bad as you would think.

The rest of your questions, I will leave to the AAR to respond to that.

 

[Mortal Phoenix]

October 1st, 1944

In this Alt-History, instead of using nukes, I will attempt to win without them. Currently, the Soviet Union has a National Unity of 45.527%, and I need to capture 74 VP in order to defeat the Soviet Union. The best shot of winning without using nukes is to capture Leningrad, Moscow, and Stalingrad, along with a few VP points that are here or there on the map. My spies are still lowering national unity, but the Soviets are losing National Unity anyway because of my Allies who are doing strategic bombing runs on them and doing convoy runs on the Soviet Union. I have 10 brigades of Super Heavy tanks to help push into the Soviet Union. I do have a small air force of 39, but the Soviets have an air force of 79.

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It is November 1st, 1944. In the Middle Eastern Front, 43,000 Soviet Infantry have been cut off and surrounded. The Soviets had pushed us back to the point that Persia was on the verge of collapsing, but we fought our way back.

In the European Front, with my Super Heavies, I have created a bulge in the line. They act like a mobile fortress that the Soviets struggle to repel. I currently am building another 10 of them. In the south, where you see the blue, I have the troops to defeat the Soviets there, but the supply isn't good. I'm currently building up the port to help support this area.

At this point, I'm trying anything to see what works.

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On November 15th of 1944, we capture the port of Murmansk, it is near Finland. We used infantry and marine divisions. Our goal is to push south and see what they can do.

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It is December 1st, 1944. The Soviets, with heavy use of their air force, have forced my Super heavies back. However, it took months of heavy fighting for that to happen. In the Blue area in the South, the Soviets are pulling forces off that front, but with the unreliability of the supply system, I'm going to halt any advances until the port gets expanded in April of 1945. In the Far Northern part of the Soviet Union, where I captured that port, my troops are slowly moving down. In the Middle East, my troops are advancing both toward the Mountains near Turkey and the Desert in the east. In both sectors of the Middle East front, the Soviet Union lack troops to defend against my units.


I haven't made in clear, but for a long time now, I've been building up a RADAR in East Prussia so I can gain intel of Soviet movement. Since I have around 200 manpower, I might use it to build up a small army, capture Leningrad, then push south to link up with the rest of my army.

My total army size, excluding Cav for guard duty, is 985,000 strong. The Total army strength of the Soviets is 2,029,000 strong.

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