Venezuela - Trying to Make a Difference (Semi-interactive AAR)

[Battle bunny]

Hello everyone! I decided to change my playing style a bit and, for a change, try a country that is not in the centre of all the traffic, and in particular, isn't an Axis support nation (or meant to be). And I decided that I'd go for a South American nation - in particular, Venezuela. I always keep trading with them, syphoning all the oil I can off them, so why not be on the other side for a change? This is a HoI2 DD 1.3a patched AAR, on difficulty Normal/Weakling. And just so that this AAR would have a twist - you readers will have the opportunity to influence what I'll do every so often! Well, if there is enough interest, that is. Basically, that means I'll put up a vote regarding certain issues and then wait until enough votes have been acquired before deciding.

And now for the opening update.

---

"Here are the papers you wanted, President," the young man said to the aging Head of State of the Venezuelan Republic. "Thank you aide, you may go now," Eleazar López Contreras replied, before reaching for the bundle of papers that the aide had placed on the table.

The first paper contained a detailed description of his cabinet, and a graph of Venezuela's domestic policies, created by experts who compared these policies to those of other countries around the world. The President looked at the "Head of Intelligence" section and crossed out the name of the current Head of Intelligence, Floridavalho de Vasquez Linhares, replacing him with Diogenes Escalante. Linhares was one of the former ruler Juan Vicente Gómez's men - and Contreras didn't want to create the impression that the Republic he was trying to create was just another military dictatorship. Besides, Escalante's industrial development program would do wonders for the country in the long run - he wanted to continue the industrialisation of Maracaibo, Venezuela's main oil producing region. In addition, the main Venezuelan Oil company would also be given a contract to conduct research into machine tools, to further help industrial expansion.
The rest of the cabinet looked okay - Contreras was indeed proud of having eradicated the corruption that flourished under his precedessor's rule.

Contreras shuffled through the next few papers, and finally found the other thing he was looking for - a map of Venezuela's surroundings complete with the constitution of Venezuela's army. It was the army that interested him most, and here he had no real reason to be happy - although it was under his personal control, and so he could oversee it, making sure that no supplies or equipment will "disappear". The army itself wasn't very professional though - a mix of irregulars, cavalry soldiers and a group of regular infantry, with an anti-tank and an artillery attachment, and with all of the equipment being totally outdated.

Contreras considered how the country should be shaped. Although he had announced his intent to form a modern, democratic republic, he knew that in this unstable era of revolutions, he would have to make a difference to stay in charge. And this could only be achieved by expansion, which would need tighter state control and a more militaristic policy to execute... the country had a strong isolationistic policy and the hawks were outnumbered, though, and then there was the economy - an attempt to ensure a free market, which was not to Contreras' liking and didn't work particulary well, either. Yet it would take time to persuade the people that expansion and possibly war would be necessary for the future of Venezuela, and asserting state control over the economy would likewise take up many years...

---

So! Let's start with a vote then, shall we? How shall the country proceed with its domestic policies?

1. Interventionism - a sensible move that would make it easier to wage war, if needed, and to ensure peace by influencing nations that might not like war.
2. Hawk Lobby - Venezuela has poor manpower and reducing CNG wouldn't hurt either. With no +manpower ministers available, this move might be invaluable.
3. Something else - well, I think these would not be such good choices - Standing Army would surely help the Army's fighting capability but perhaps not enough to worth skipping one of the above two, Central Planning would take many years to get serious benefits out of and would get us little benefits right now while losing us the minor Free Market benefit we have and moving the Democracy slider either way wouldn't do anything just yet. Still, the option is here.

 

[unmerged(191057)]

Good ol' hawk eye says Hawk Lobby...

 

[Zhuge Liang]

Interesting choice for an AAR, I wonder how much you'll actually be able to do with Venezuela. I vote for Hawk Lobby, it appears to be the most immediately useful choice.

 

[Battle bunny]

2 votes for Hawk Lobby so far - voting isn't closed yet, though!

Well, that's part of the challenge: how much I can actually do. There are a couple of weak states nearby who can be gobbled up, then depending on the progress Mr. President might get a bit more ambitious...

 

[Ivir Baggins]

Hawk.

 

[unmerged(50292)]

Hawk of course, you need all the swinging dicks you can get your hands on. I am sure you're playing to create Greater Venezuela, right?
I think by playing Weakling the AI will be extremely passive only waiting for some action from your aggression so you probably can forgo defense.

 

[Battle bunny]

So, the decision has been made...

@Thundergate: Hmm, in most Paradox games it seems that the second least aggressive setting is the one that allows for the best gameplay... but maybe I'll up it a notch soon, if needed. Oh, and yes, an isolationistic, peaceful Venezuela wouldn't be too AAR worthy, now would it?

---
January 1, 1936

That afternoon, President López Contreras organised a meeting with all of his head ministers. Obviously, since it was the New Year - plans would have to be discussed regarding the following year.

"Good afternoon, everyone, and Happy New Year," Contreras began as he looked at the ministers sitting along the table. "A new year has come, and we need to discuss about the general state of the country. But before we begin, let me introduce you all to a new member of the cabinet, Diogenes Escalante. Welcome, Mr. Escalante."
After a few moments for the introduction, Contreras resumed: "First of all, let's talk about the industry. Mr. Urich?"
"Yes, Mr. President," Pedro Beauperthruy Urich, Minister of Armaments, responded. "Your appointment of Mr. Escalante was not well received by his precedessor, he's organising demonstrations and otherwise trying to cause trouble. We will need to divert our industry towards putting this down. This will be a matter of a week or two. Our industry is small, but will see expansion as the new factories are built in Maracaibo. We suffer from slight Metal and Rare Materials shortages, but we produce lots of surplus oil so this can be organised with a few trades. I would also suggest we trade for some more supplies so we wouldn't have to use our industry to produce any.
"Thank you, Mr. Urich," the President said. "I trust Mr. Gíl Borges will be able to arrange a few trades - he's good at coming to a compromise. Aside from the aforementioned dissent, there is no noteworthy security concern of note so we'll move on to Intelligence. Mr. Escalante?"
"We have little to no intelligence service to speak of; according to our reports there might be around 4 agents in our country, but we have no idea how or where they are operating."
"Alright. Mr. Angarita, report about the Army."
"It is as little as ever, President. A militia unit with light artillery attachment, an infantry unit with Great War equipment including an anti-tank brigade and a unit of cavalry. They are currently stationed in Caracas," the Chief of Staff, also Chief of Army, responded.
"Thank you. I think that should conclude our meeting, since we have little else to talk about. Except one... Mr. Escalante, please stay for a while after the meeting. And Mr. Gíl Borges, please arrange a trade for some more money. 5-6 units should suffice."
"Yes, President," the Foreign Minister replied and left, just like most other ministers, except the Head of Intelligence.
"Alright, Mr. Escalante," the President began. "I suppose I can trust you, right?" "But of course, Mr. President!" Escalante replied hurriedly. "Well," Contreras said. "I'll get to the point: I want you to expand our intelligence service. I asked the Foreign Minister to trade for some money, and this is the reason. I want you to establish a working spy ring in two of our neighboring countries, Colombia and Brazil."
"Sure, but what about the spies in our country?" Escalante asked, to which the response came quickly: "They are of no concern yet. We will ferret those spies out when the time comes. Besides, I have another request of you, which spies might well be able to do. I want the country to be ready for war whenever it comes. There is trouble in Europe, I hear, and it may be a matter of time till it reaches us. Encourage the hawks to voice their opinions, put up more recruitment posters, and such. That was all I wanted for now, Mr. Escalante. Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Mr. President," a slightly puzzled Head of Intelligence replied and left the office.

---

March 10, 1936

"So, you wanted to speak with me?" President López Contreras said. He was speaking with Armaments Minister Urich over the telephone, who said he wanted to talk about important matters. "Yes, Mr. President," Urich replied. "The USA, as you know, have fancied themselves the protector of all of America, but lately, they have used this status of theirs to start influencing us smaller states in ways they shouldn't. Their meddlings are starting to have a noticeable effect on our economy, and we are starting to lose whatever little control we have had over it. If this goes on like this, the free market will dominate Venezuela, and this wouldn't have very good consequences..."
"Actually, you're wrong there Mr. Urich." Contreras replied. And before the startled Pedro Urich could respond, the President carried on: "This step does lose our control over the economy, but a free market also has its benefits. I'm sure you know in what ways a free economy is superior over a centralised one, and in addition, this will help strengthen the image of the so-called Republic." Contreras trusted Urich; he knew that the Armaments Minister would not turn away from him as he continued: "Which will be very much needed when I will start looking for expansion opportunities - opportunities which may not be welcomed by the population, who are expecting us to establish peace, freedom and democracy..."

---

August 16, 1936:

"Good morning gentlemen," Eleazar López Contreras began. "I have called you all together to discuss about the tensions that have been present between our country and neighboring Colombia for more than a month now. Our Minister of Security can give details about the tangible effects of these tensions."
"Yes - there have been border issues, apparently Colombian soldiers have been seen inside our border, conducting training. The Colombian government denies all the accusations and presents similar accusations against us," Security Minister Ayala replied.
"And that is Colombian treachery, gentlemen," Contreras exclaimed. "They are envious of our oil and want a share, and are using their underhanded tricks to get it. Unfortunately, the way I see it, a war is inevitable. We will, therefore, need to prepare for an offensive operation if - or indeed, when - it comes. Mr. Angarita, could you please outline a possible course of action?"
"Yes, Mr. President, here it is:"

It is quite simple actually. I think that we will need to conquer the regions of Bogotá, Cúcuta and Barranquilla to make the Colombian government surrender. According to spy reports, Colombia has 3 divisions to call an army, so we are even there, and they are currently trying to construct an air force, which means this is unlikely to increase.
The plan is quite simple. First, we'll launch an assault on Cúcuta. The region is currently undefended. I think we should detach the anti-tank guns from our infantry, so that they could quickly seize the territory, and then, before the Colombians could amass enough force to evict them from there, they would be reinforced by the militia unit. The Colombians will then likely try to force these divisions out of Cúcuta, and while they are distracted, our cavalry unit would strike north at Barranquilla and then advance on to their capital, Bogotá. If done right, and supported by the divisions in Cúcuta, the Colombians won't know what hit them." With that, Mr. Angarita concluded his speech.
The plan was approved as there were no objections to it. And as it turned out, the war would come soon - Venezuela would declare war on Colombia on the very same night, citing "Colombia's blatant violations of Venezuela's sovereignty" as a casus belli. Contreras' plan was in motion...

(In other news:

Venezuelan Oil has finished development on basic Machine Tools on the 14th of May; they have been given another contract to conduct research into agrichemistry, to help Venezuela's manpower.)

 

[Zhuge Liang]

This should be an interesting conflict, both sides seem to be evenly matched. Let's hope the US doesn't start interfering where it isn't welcome.

 

[Battle bunny]

Oh yay, more readers!

@Zhuge Liang, DesertFox: The US problem should be alright for now. Reestablishing a NAP has good chances (although I haven't tried yet) and they'll need time to crawl out from under their rock.

---
Of course, many people were in uproar - some because they simply wished peace, a few, perhaps, because they saw through Contreras' excuses for expansionism. Yet again, the full industry of Venezuela had to be diverted to pleasing the people via production of more consumer goods, assuming them that everything they were doing was in the interest of the people.

As for the war itself...

The first assault began well. The two foot divisions were supported by the cavalry division - the latter staying under control of President-General Contreras, and the infantry division being commanded by Lt. General Elias Guiterrez, with the militia division commanded by Chief of Staff and Chief of Army Angarita, also serving as a Lt. General. The reports were promising - the Colombians didn't have advanced equipment either, and were apparently obsessed with air power, showed by their anti-aircraft equipment.

But, like any perfect-looking plan, this one would end up going down the gutter as well - the reason being that the information the spies gave were false! Colombia actually had 4 full divisions of soldiers, including one with artillery support. Guiterrez's infantry was quickly evicted out of Cúcuta, and with this, a war that should have been concluded in one or two months would last well into the following year.

What did help the Venezuelan army, though, was that the Colombians were also suffering from poor planning. Against the attempted capture of the northern territories, the army of Colombia responded by attempting an assault from the south. However, this was hampered by terrain - much of the southeastern Colombian territory was covered with jungle, which made fast operations impossible and allowed the Venezuelan military to react to every offensive. On the other hand, the Colombians were always able to defend Bogotá themselves - Contreras' cavalry was often so disorganised by the time they arrived to their destinations that the Colombian soldiers, staying in reserve, were able to send them riding back to the Maracaibo region.
Finally, Guiterrez's and Angarita's footsoldiers have managed to secure their hold over Cúcuta, after several more months of a war of maneuver, gaining a decisive advantage over Colombia. This forced the Colombian divisions to gather all of their forces to drive these Venezuelan divisions out of the province.

Which left the cavalry to wreak havoc in Bogotá and Barranquilla. While the Colombians were preoccupied with the southern offensive, the cavalry managed to force its way into Bogotá, and from there, north into Barranquilla, as seen above.

Realising that the Venezuelans were faster and their offensives better planned, and that they were in danger of being overrun or starved out, the Colombians agreed to sign an unconditional surrender on the 6th of February - resulting in the annexation of all the lands of Colombia. This definitely was a harsher treaty than expected - much harsher, and one that would result in strong partisan activity in the former Columbian realm for years to come. But President López Contreras was happy - Venezuela was on the rise, and no one would do anything about that. Question is - who would be next?

---

And indeed, that's the question of the poll. Who should be next? What course of action should Venezuela pursue?

1. Should they continue asserting their dominance over South America, striking south into Ecuador, and perhaps after that, Peru?
2. Or should Venezuela seek to establish the Republic in Central America, going on an island-hopping spree between the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba?

The voting's on.

 

[unmerged(191057)]

South American dominance, Because its cool and gives you IC

 

[Zhuge Liang]

Nice job winning the war and exploiting the Colombian incompetence. I vote that you continue to expand in South America, it'll be easier for you to expand without having to build up a navy and you want to secure Venezuela itself before expanding further afield.

 

[Ivir Baggins]

South America, then Central America. Also, give cores on Colombia & Ecuador, to symbolise Gran Venezuela.

 

[unmerged(50292)]

central america will need transport since US block panama canal. Vote to go south.

 

[Battle bunny]

Okay, looks like South American expansion won by a wide margin.

@Ivir Baggins - I will, eventually, but I want Venezuela to get strong enough first so that the country would have the power to back up the claim. (And I've never written a custom event anyways, so I'll have to learn that...)

Update coming hopefully today; tomorrow at the latest, though.

 

[Battle bunny]

Here's the update, then! Please forgive me for occasionally taking screenshots too late - it causes weird things like the war map already having a defeat message on it... just look the other way

---

February 6, 1937

Of course, after the war, Contreras didn't hesitate to call together his cabinet. To him, such meetings served as a good way to tell the loyalty of his ministers. It was one of the President's greatest fears; although the country itself was becoming increasingly hawkish, that didn't mean his warmongering would go unpunished - unless he could root out the disloyal. He was sure that Urich and Escalante was on his side - but he was afraid of Angarita. He held two positions in his cabinet, and especially dangerous ones; as Chief of Staff and Chief of Army, he might just be powerful enough to lead a coup if he had harbored such ambitions. And unfortunately, that seemed like a possibility. According to Escalante's reports Angarita had been involved in a few suspicious dealings (weapon smuggling and such) that might point to him trying to gain supporters. And now, with Colombian partisans wreaking havoc on Colombian transport he would have an even bigger supporter pool. ~Of course, Angarita might be loyal... but it's better to prepare for the worst,~ Contreras thought. As it was, Contreras and Angarita were locked in a status quo - Contreras didn't dare remove the minister, fearing that that move might force him to take drastic steps, and neither could Angarita do anything at this time.

Contreras (left) and Angarita (right)​

"Good day, gentlemen," President Contreras greeted the men sitting around the table. "It took a long time, but in the end, the war proved to be a complete success. Those Colombians won't bother us again. However, this raises a few issues. First of all, security issues. Mr. Ayala, could you give me a few details on partisan activity?"
"Yes, Mr. President. According to my investigations, in every Colombian province, approximately 15-20% of the population is actively involved in resistance movements through demonstrations, smuggling, and uprisings. This means that eventually, some partisans are likely to surface somewhere, especially if we don't repress the revolts efficiently. As it is, due to sabotage operations from the partisans, we have just enough transport capacity to cover the country's needs - if our armies are fully devoted to suppressing partisans. Also, these activities are widespread, and our army is not - which is again a problem, since we can't protect our industry while ensuring partisans won't dig in at the jungle regions, from where they'd be particularly hard to root out."
"Protect the industry first and foremost," Contreras replied. "If the partisans hide in the jungle, they might stay there for a while, but they can't hide forever. However, if they sabotage our factories, it's going to take a long time to reconstruct them - too long."
"Yes, President. That concludes my report."
"Alright," the President continued. "Mr. Gíl Borges, I trust you have talked to the foreign minister of the USA about the renewal of our non-aggression pact?"
"Yes, I have, President," the Foreign Minister of Venezuela answered." "And they seem to be willing to renew it. From what I've gathered, they don't see us as a threat to the internal community and seem to be willing to accept our conquest, although they aren't happy about it."
"Thank you. Mr. Urich, do you have anything to tell about the industry?"
"President, the capture of Colombian factories has improved our available industry by quite a bit - by almost 50%. Once the damage our armies have caused is fully repaired, we estimate that we'll be able to use this to the full extent. There are no resource problems and everything is in order. One factory is due to finish in Maracaibo soon."
"Thank you, Mr. Urich. Which reminds me - Mr. Angarita, I have two assignments for you. First - our research into census tabulating machines is soon complete, and I want to focus on theoretical military research now. Our trading partners, the French and the British are following a so-called "Grand Battle Plan" doctrine. I want you to gather the generals and develop a doctrine similar to those."
"Of course, Mr. President," Angarita responded. Contreras couldn't guess anything from his expressionless face, so he continued:
"That's not all. Due to security concerns, I want you to start development of an elite branch of infantry - a mountaineer division. I'm sure you have noticed that our army isn't well suited for fighting in such extreme terrain and often suffered because of that. Mountaineers would make fighting in the mountains much easier, and they would also perform better in other hazardous terrain - which, in the short term, would definitely help our partisan situation."
"Yes, Mr. President." Angarita replied again.
"That was all for today, I think. Thank you for coming." Thus, Contreras dismissed the participants - before quickly adding: "Oh yes. Mr. Urich and Mr. Escalante, I would like you two to stay for a moment."
After the other ministers left, Escalante immediately spoke up: "Mr. Contreras, I think this might have been a reckless move. You basically admitted that you want to expand more, and that's what Angarita wants."
"Oh, yes, but I'm afraid it was unavoidable." Contreras sighed. "After all, we need a bigger and better army, and we still need that man. Do watch him anyways, Mr. Escalante. If he is too bold, then we know that we must get rid of him and we'll have the reason to do so. There are other candidates for the positions he occupies."
"So, what's your next move, Mr. Contreras?" Urich asked, changing the topic. "Ecuador," came the reply. "Obviously - Ecuador is weak and capturing Quito will force them to surrender. We can accuse them of aiding partisans, just wait a while and let the drama on the border unfold. I want to secure my position in South America before anything else."
After another ten minutes - the conversation meanwhile turning to more personal matters between these three allies - Urich and Escalante also left the building, leaving Contreras alone in the room to rest. ~That was enough politics for a day...~

March 18, 1937

"...and it seems quite clear that the partisans are getting support from another country," Escalante concluded. It was another meeting - another stepping block for Contreras, too. "The equipment likely originates from Ecuador or Peru, who are upset about our expansion. They might be afraid of us becoming too powerful, President."
"Well then... find out if that is true, Mr. Ayala and Mr. Escalante. We will need to warn those countries that we will not stand for their meddling in our country, and they should stop immediately. Meanwhile, Mr. Angarita, order our troops to Bogotá. Let the army clean up the results of this mess."

May 1, 1937

It was inevitable - Ecuador has been called culprit in aiding partisans, and seeing as they haven't stopped Venezuela declared war on the little country. That was the official reason, anyway. The plan was simple enough - Venezuelan cavalry led by Lt. General Angarita would attempt to take Quito, while he would be given infantry support. Instead of Contreras, however, the militia corps would be led by a Mj. General named Toro Key, whose specialty lies in commanding elite units. This war would not be very dangerous and would prove good practice to the commander. (Later in the war, another Mj. General with similar traits, Fernandez Ortiz, would be given command of the same militia unit for similar purposes.) Quito's fall would cripple Ecuador and force them to surrender.
Of course, Quito lay in the treacherous Andes, which complicated matters ever so slightly. The first few attacks failed - the single infantry division defending Quito was enough to repel them, despite the Venezuelan army's massive numerical advantage (3 attackers for 1 defender). What probably saved the offensive was a simple move: don't let the defenders of Quito reorganise. Even as the attackers were repelled, each wave was followed by another, and eventually the defenders cracked, forced to withdraw.
Meanwhile, the single other Ecuadorian division attacked the province west of Bogotá: Medellín. Leaving the province unguarded was a simple decoy; a bait which Ecuador couldn't resist taking. They knew that Venezuela's industry is superior, and they attempted to take out part of it. And as it turned out, they would eventually reach Medellín. However, this was a mistake, as this meant only one division would have to march back to Quito and try to establish new defensive positions each time they were ejected - and this meant the cavalry was free to take the city, it was just a matter of time.
Ecuador was officially annexed on the 30th of July. Now only Peru was remaining from the countries Contreras wanted to conquer. He suspected this might be a harder fight - Peru won't crumble easily, their most important cities are deep in enemy territory, and the terrain is as bad as ever, with the high mountains of Andes mingling with the vast jungle. Peru would have to wait until at least one mountaineer division is ready to serve.

---

In other news:

War between Japan and Nationalist China broke out. The latter immediately gathered all the warlords to forge the Unified Front, an anti-Japanese alliance.

In April, our economy turned even more towards Free Market as a result of the USA's influence. We're one step away from extreme Free Market.

Lt. Gen. Angarita also gained the Mountaineer trait. It was just a matter of time, anyway...

 

[Zhuge Liang]

It's good to see Venezuela continuing to expand, as long as you can keep the US off your back there shouldn' be much that can stop you now.

 

[unmerged(50292)]

Hail Greater Venezuela!! Just watch the US and keep them happy!

 

[Battle bunny]

Okay, everyone, I've upped aggressiveness to Normal. Don't want to put it higher than that, I have tried it once in another game and it went totally ahistorical.
As for whether US will fight us or not... they can't afford to, fortunately. They're too isolationistic. The Head of State also gives "-0.4 peacetime belligerence each month", which should help.

And here's an update.

---

September 15, 1937

The USA were still trying to influence Venezuelan politics. Probably their attempt to diplomatically curb Venezuela's ambitions. The UK did attempt it, too - their meddling eventually did cause changes in the life of Venezuela, leading to a more and more open society. Ironically, with the partisan problems, these moves actually helped Venezuela prepare for further conquest, as the changes in society convinced many partisans to just stop trying to rebel and try to establish a life in Venezuela.

February 30, 1938

Due to Venezuela's counter-espionage efforts being redoubled lately, the country has been cleared of spies. Three agents from USA have also been found! This increased tensions between USA and Venezuela somewhat, but little else happened. Could this be the end of USA's involvement in Venezuelan politics?

March 7, 1938

Contreras, President of Venezuela, decided to call together his ministers one last time before declaring on Peru. A long time has passed since the war against Ecuador, a long time spent with espionage, intrigue, attempting to create a valid casus belli, and of course, military training, but the preparations were now complete.
"So, Mr. Escalante, what are our most up to date espionage reports?" Contreras asked his Head of Intelligence, to which he replied: "4 enemy divisions. This is still likely to be incorrect as the Peruvian counter-intelligence is making it hard for us to establish our agents in their country, but if we can't wait any longer, that's our best estimate. I'm worried this is larger, though."
"Very well. So, Mr. Angarita, please outline the plans for conducting this war."
"Alright." Angarita took a map of Western South America and unrolled it, placing it onto the table.

"As you can see, there is a division in Trujillo, but they should be swept aside easily. With our two mountaineer divisions, led by trained commando generals, we should be able to take Trujillo without difficulty. The problems come afterwards. I can think of several possible paths the Peruvian army could take. It is possible they will attempt to defend Lima with great forces, in which case our only hope might be to cross the jungle of Pucallpa, and attempt to take Cuzco and Arequipa, thus cornering their army into their capital. Meanwhile, we would likely be harrassed by the divisions in Lima. Certainly not a great scenario.
Alternatively, they might abandon Lima to make a last stand in Arequipa, Cuzco and perhaps even the jungle. In this case, they might spread themselves thin and we might be able to split their army and eliminate part of it. Or they might not, in which case... well, this certainly won't be easy."
"Thank you Mr. Angarita. Yes, that's true, it won't be easy. But many of our troops are veterans, and we have experienced generals. Hopefully with their knowledge they will be able to force a breakthrough whatever happens. That includes you, Mr. Angarita - your skills are invaluable in such a campaign."

And with that, the meeting was basically over. Soon it'd be time for the showdown against Peru. War was declared on the very same day.

As Angarita had predicted, Trujillo was taken without much trouble and soon enough, the Venezuelans started digging themselves in. However, they were alarmed as they discovered that the Peruvians fielded at least 5 divisions! This meant that the spy reports horribly underestimated the quantity of enemies, and there could be more forthcoming. Indeed, soon enough the sixth and seventh Peruvian divisions garrisoned the province of Pucallpa. Venezuela would be outnumbered 7 to 5 in this campaign. Óscar Benavides Larrea, Head of State of Peru and also Field Marshal, was certainly well-prepared. Question was, would superior Venezuelan tactics carry the day?

Plan number one was to try and take the Pucallpa jungle. This would be a long march, but might be the only way to win, via trying to envelop Lima - Lima itself being out, as it was defended by 4 divisions at the time, one of them a mountain division. Unfortunately, this was a plan that yielded poor results.

Although two divisions were evicted out of the province, the disorganised mountaineer divisions who were tasked to secure the province along with the cavalry were themselves chased out as soon as they arrived - they couldn't fight on any longer after they had crossed the river separating the province from Trujillo, even getting engaged by one more group of Peruvians before arrival.

What followed was a peace offer from Peru's government. Interestingly enough, it appeared that they were afraid enough of Venezuela that they would give up several provinces! And although many urged Contreras to accept the offer, he didn't. The provinces Peru offered didn't contain much industry, and they wouldn't accomplish his goal of breaking Peru's might once and for all. In addition, if they wanted to quit so early, maybe they wouldn't be that hard to crack after all!

As Venezuelan divisions reorganised from a failed attack on Lima (they had attempted it once again - there were only 3 divisions there this time, but even against those they proved no match) the report suddenly came that Iquitos has been taken! Clearly the Peruvians were attempting to encircle the Venezuelans, probably hoping that by taking Quito, the province north of Trujillo, they could catch the whole Venezuelan army. It proved to be a bad idea, though. The Peruvians had overextended, and Pucallpa was too lightly defended. Cavalry led by Angarita immediately were sent to attack the province, supported by the rest of the army. If Pucallpa would be taken, the divisions in Iquitos would be isolated and could be picked off!

And so it happened. Although Pucallpa jungle was only taken for a brief time, due to the bad Peruvian communication, the two divisions in Iquitos believed that they were isolated for good, so they surrendered! This meant that Venezuela actually had the advantage now, as during the autumn, another mountaineer division had finished its training, getting sent to the front immediately.

Of course, the war was not over yet. Venezuelan and Peruvian divisions were facing off against each other still, neither being able to achieve a breakthrough against the other. As a result of more than half a year of warfare, Venezuela has gotten the slight edge, but the war was still a stalemate. Would Venezuela break through eventually, or would Contreras be forced to accept an inferior peace?

 

[unmerged(50292)]

I'm confident Venezuelans can take on Lima! A few rounds of attack/support attack without actually advancing to Lima should do the trick. Advance only after the org level is near max.

 

[Zhuge Liang]

Now that you've weakened the Peruvians you should have a better chance of taking Lima. I agree with Thundergate's strategy, that's the best coourse of action.