Now it came to a point where "Normal" speed is faster than Very Fast. Which means that the game will from now on progress at an even slower snail's pace. Good thing the action is already going on. Bad thing Africa horrible infrastructure means it'll still be slow nevertheless until the European Theater is opened.
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Race for North Africa: Battle for the Atlas Mountains
Dawn of War song
The power armor enemies are surrounded. The battle for Bamako proves to be a short one, in part thanks to the fact the enemies, despite their technological advantage, were severely outnumbered, and in part thanks to the brilliance of Field Marshall Mannerheim and his Finnish soldiers, who, coupled with Air Marines, became a powerful force, as expected from an army that managed to hold Tripods in the far north of Scandinavia, against all odds, years ago. Meanwhile, foolishly the enemy continues to send unescorted strategic bombers to Britain.
The Finns may give the ultimate push to crush the enemy forces pocketed at the jungles of Bissao. In their courage in determination, they have proven to be as capable fighters in these harsh and hot environments as they were in the frozen winters of their homelands. Meanwhile, the U-boats continue to thin the alien cargo transports.
March 8th. The strategic redeployment of nearly a million of soldiers is completed through the wastes of Sahara. The plan procceeds to push through Morocco and cut off that visibly large amount of enemy forces holding Northwest Africa in a large pocket, possibly luring them to Casablanca or Mogador where the terrain would be far more favorable for the Baneblades to be tested and used against these forces.
A second attempt of breaking through Bissao begins. Hopefully the enemy could fall through sufficient force before the Finns could arrive. Being foreign forces, the Finns unfortunately can't be strategically redeployed, which means they're ultimately fated to lag compared to all other forces in the liberation for Africa and eventual advance into Europe and the Middle East unless the front lines become horribly bogged down.
And then, the worst came, when nobody expected. It was a perfect trap. The alien destroyers, incredibly modern and fast, with anti-submarine warfare equipment against which the not so advanced submarines of the UDMS-KKK couldn't hide. They couldn't outrun them either, and thus they made a desperate last stand.
The last survivor of the entire submarine flotilla managed to sink one of the destroyers and escape the pursuit of the other at one desperate last chance to survive. Let this dark time not overshadow the greater victories of the U-boat crews of the UDMS-KKK through more than five years of total war.
The disaster however and the damage were done. Never again small flotillas of submarines would be deployed.
Despite being refitted for the environmental conditions pertinent to Africa, it became clear that even when outnumbered, enemy infantry forces could be extremely difficult to flush out from jungles using exclusively tanks, for deploying other forces currently advancing would slow down the liberation efforts, and time was not a luxury the UDMS-KKK did have for this operation. Thus, air support had to be called, with tanks being used simply to forward coordinates for the fuel-air bombs to do their job.
But while the Battle of Monrovia procceeded, the Third assault on Bissao has begun, supported by the brave patriots of Finland and led by Mannerheim himself against General
Liberal, another of the inane alien leaders like Sheek and Cloaked Figure.
The enemies would witness the fact power armors are no match against legendary snipers and the Sisu of the Finnish soldiers. Victory seemed to be coming, this time, coupled with heavy air support.
Every enemy division fitted with power armors ending destroyed is an irreplaceable loss for the enemy, as will be all tripod divisions that shall perish after much determination, sacrifice and courage.
Eventually, despite their terrain advantages in the landscape of Monrovia, the infantry forces of the enemy began to be shoved aside by tanks with heavy air support, in parts also thanks to the versatile armored car brigades attached to them.
And thus Monrovia was secured. However, where West Africa had the situation strongly in favor of the UDMS-KKK, a far larger concentration of enemy forces lied in North Africa.
Another Dawn of War music
Battle for Atlas Mountains
The enemy foolishly sends a lone infantry division to attempt holding the Atlas Mountains. It is brushed aside quickly. But more forces could still come.
A through modernization of the medium tanks of the UDMS-KKK to the new class of Main Battle Tanks was about to begin. The Leman Russ would prove to be far more powerful and effective than the crappy clones of the T-34 project that were developed in a hurry as a stopgap due to the strategic demands of fighting against such an enemy. With Leman Russ and Blaneblades, the Foedus of Man finally might stand a chance in a direct battle against Tripods. Meanwhile, in face of the disastrous loss of the Reserve Fleet, the modernization of the Submarine fleets, which shall take much less time to be concluded than the development of entire surface naval technology from scratch, begins with the creation of the first "true" submarine, as a vessel designed to operate most of the time underwater rather than simply a boat capable of diving for relatively brief periods.
Due to a communications mistake, a HQ arrives way too early to Bouaria, only to discover what exactly was coming to attempt halting the advance through North Africa: Tripods and POPAMOLE, a both hated and feared combination. Fortunately, this mistake has proven crucial to trigger the immediate launch of infrastructure destruction missions by nearby tactical bombers to delay the enemy advance.
A new batch of medium tanks and baneblades is readied, but due to the concerns about the upcoming D-Day, they are shipped to Scapa Flow(safer transport route than straight through the channel), to support such major operation. Things seemed to be doing fine. The logistical strikes may be just enough to delay the enemy before
Tripods have arrived at Atlas Mountains. The greatest fear of the UDMS-KKK expeditionary forces: having to fight tripods in mountains, has been fulfilled. This would be the baptism of fire of the new Baneblades, their great stand, the first time the Super-Heavy tanks would be put in battle against an outnumbered but far more powerful enemy war machine.
Against all odds, the Baneblades have proved themselves to be equalizers in this brutal battle. Their massive guns had just the necessary firepower to cause severe damage against the once unstopabble Tripods. But even then it was a tough battle, yet, they have wiped out more than 50% of the tripods thanks to years of through research and refinement of tactics since the dreaded 1941, year of ITZ.
And thus, victory at last! This was the first time since the beginning of the conflict that the first offensive against defending tripods has been, against all odds, successful. The Baneblades have proven their worth, and truly justified their exhorbitant cost, maintenance and logistical requirements. Many wondered about replacing all current brigades used by the UDMS-KKK with Baneblades, but the idea was inviable and the benefits of it were ideal when they worked together with Main Battle Tanks rather than any other kind of division.
The significance of this victory was in no means small: it was a good sign of hope, a sign that total victory over Earth, no matter how bloody it shall be, no matter how distant it currently was, was not impossible, and that perhaps, one day, the Flag of Poland shall once again wave over Warsaw!
No matter the cost!
However, when the joy of such impressive first and relatively rapid victory against the once unstoppable war machines was over, it became clear that, the farther North they advanced, the more the quality of the enemy forces they'd fight would increase, as now, a far smaller number of soldiers would have to face, without any possible support of baneblades and only one armored division, another Tripod possibly seeking to meet the forces being slowly pocketed in northwest Africa.
Under the banners of the European and Kwanzanian white eagles, the Ultramarines made their brave offensive against the powerful tripods with heavy support attacks from the few that would stay in the Sahara to hold it while most others advanced. Artillery shells flying were so aplenty that this time, they were definitively going to fight in the shade, and against all odds, their utmost bravery and ubermensch spirit, in spite of them having both but no power armors(as if they could stand against the weapons of a Tripod), would begin to push the enemy away until they reached a point where victory was assured.
There was much celebration. Two consecutive victories against Tripods. This was the first time in the history of the War of the Worlds that such a thing ever happened. Thanks to the bravery of the Ultramarines, the most powerful enemy forces were driven back. This was much different from back when this same number of divisions wouldn't do a scratch against Tripods in Bulgaria, even attacking from multiple directions. To think that these once were the harbingers of doom and of a seemingly inevitable defeat, to think how close to ITZ humanity once has been, only made these two victories even more legendary. The advance on North Africa seemed secure, and apparently, they would be able to accomplish their objectives without having to forsake a push south and eastwards through the dead continent, even though several strategic redeployments happened to increase the focus of the push through North. Those soldiers were clearly the first alive human beings to step in Africa for a long time, yet many would not step away alive.
Another cluster of weak enemy forces in West Africa is in a very vulnerable position to be encircled and, like all aliens and their aberrations, exterminated and killed twice with fire.
There was one step left to isolate fully the large enemy formation at Northwest Africa. Defended by aliens in power armor, Mostaganem would prove to be a somewhat tough battle. But once again, the Ultramarines would prove their worth. And thus, by April 11th, the situation has improved a lot. Several enemy pockets were crushed, and against all odds, two incredible victories happened against the most powerful of all enemy ground forces.
A massive encirclement was being prepared, while sooner or later the mouth of the Mediterranean would be a very productive area for submarine attacks. The UDMS-KKK have emerged victorious in the battle for the Atlas Mountains, but could they manage to crush such a large and obviously tripod-fitted pocket without greater difficulties? Or would another meatgrinder like San Jose be repeated once again?
And most important of all: how many enemy forces could be heading towards Africa at this exact moment? The once dull and "easy" first stage of the Liberation of Africa and future airborne assault on Gibraltar was about to become a far more challenging and bloody affair. The Baneblades have succeeded at their trials by heat-ray fire, but there was only that far that they could go to help the entire AfrikaKKKorps.
The real Battle for Africa has begun.
