It's quite different than other games though in the way the rules are written and the game is orchestrated, so it took me a few reads to get the gist of it. Anyone interested in the Norwegian campaign should read Johan Waage's account of the invasion in the north of the country, with the fighting around Narvik. It's based on eyewitness accounts but it reads more like a novel. Reminds me of Burlington, VT, where I first read it.
The invasion started off relatively well, but I was plagued by British destroyers and interceptors throughout. If I remember everything right, I lost 2/3 of my divisional HQs in transit to Norway over the course of the campaign.
It started with the Third Mountain Division. The very first die roll. The very first piece. I needed a 1-5. Instead, I was gifted a six, and with it General Dietl's eternal scorn for losing the Third Mountain Division HQ. I at least pounded the defenders there for my loss.
Only 2/3 of the rest of the division makes it ashore. Not to worry though, Narvik is secured and with the loss of my transports in the waters off the port, the sailors for a weak Naval regiment and assist in garrison duties. (The fact that this is even an option in the game made it a winner in my view).
Farther south. There are several landing operations. The 69th division lands at Kristiansand (the Norwegian port closest to Germany), and the 163rd division lands at Andalsnes, north of Bergen.
The Allied response is aggressive, and I now know not to concentrate my forces to 2 ports on the first turn (discounting Narvik). The interdiction squadrons keep me out of Kristiansand and make it impossible to resupply Narvik. Norwegian forces also maneuvered to block any advance out of Andalsnes - which was only possible since I didn't afford them a lot of supply for offensive operations - meaning the airfield at Kristiansand was my only lifeline to continue the invasion.
The Germans consolidate their foothold in Narvik, and throw out pickets to keep the Allies at bay. The captured Swedish supplies from across the Swedish border came in handy.
The going was rough for the first 5 turns, but thanks to the 69th Infantry, I managed to start pushing to Norwegians in the south back on Oslo. On April 20, the 69th pins a brigade of Norwegian infantry on its retreat back to Oslo, eliminating His Majesty's King's Guards and allowing the 181st German Infantry Division (newly arrived) to trap the 24th British Guards Brigade in Larvik. German Ju88s had previously destroyed the port so the British were unable to extract the brigade.
At Andalsnes, German transport ships run a gauntlet of destroyers and naval bombers to get much needed supplies to the 163rd Division. With their resupply, the 163rd breaks out of its beachhead at Andalsnes, eliminates an independent Norwegian brigade group, and moves south.
In the Narvik region, the noose begins to tighten around the German positions. A group of Allied forces land south of Narvik and newly mobilized Norwegian reserves to the north begin closing in.
With the invasion slogging on, I launched a pretty daring raid on Bergen that just barely paid off. 2 Fallschirmjaeger companies were landed in Bergen with supplies and supported by an air-fleet of Ju87s, wrestled control of the port, eliminating the British marines there.
I certainly won't be attempting that again. I only went through with it once the first jump from my Ju52s was successful (I needed a 1-2 on a 1d6).
That same day, the Germans secure a port free from interdiction north of Larvik and the 2nd, 3rd, and 8th Brigades of the Norwegian Army are entirely destroyed in isolated combats. A dark day for the Allies, but it costs the 163rd Division a good deal of its strength. Down to 25% of its paper strength, the 163rd holds the road to Andalsnes and threatens to cut off the 5th Norwegian Brigade. Luckily, over the course of the new few days, reinforcements are landed in Andalsnes, bolstering the 163rd Division's position.
Despite their inability to push West from Oslo, the Allies catch a break on May 1st. Andalsnes and the 163rd Division are lost. Bombers out of Trondheim strike the German position, and then the 5th Norwegian brigade, supported by the 148th British Brigade, overruns the Germans and advances to the coast, securing the German-held port.
On May 5th, the Germans cross over the rivers north of Oslo. Heavy bombers out of Hamburg blast the 15th British Brigade and Norwegian Group Dahl, allowing the 170th, 181st, and artillery from the 69th Division to make an advance. In Larvik, the rest of the 69h Division continues to besiege the 24th Guards.
The Germans begin a slow mop-up of the Oslo defenders. The 214th Infantry Division arrives for the Germans north of Larvik (but like so many other divisions, it's divisional HQ staff is lost in transit). The 11th Motorized Brigade's HQ is also lost in transit. (I will note my version of Europa IV has the 11th Mot Bdge's counters marked as mechanized units as opposed to motorized units, but I do know this was corrected in later versions).
In the Narvik region, I managed to forestall disaster for at least a week. British, French, Polish, and Norwegian forces were by now concentrated in the area. Not a good sign, especially with the 5th and 27th French mountain brigades leading the charge. The 27th leads an assault on the 3rd Mountain division position in the mountains south of Narvik. It's a bungled assault, costing the French dearly. They bring up the 5th in support the next week, and break through. At that point, I knew I'd lost Narvik.
The Poles north of the port town really brought the ratio into the Allied favor, and within another week, the rest of the 3rd Mountain division was lost. My favorite naval regiment in Harstad was lost shortly thereafter.
I traded Narvik for Oslo, and taking another major risk, landed the 2nd Mountain Division in Andalsnes. Some of the battalions got through, and thanks to the overwhelming air superiority that I commanded at this point, I managed to survive the landing and retain control of the port. Victory might just be possible!
Minus the Norwegian battalions strung out, and trapped along, the Bergen-Oslo road, the Allies concentrate their forces at Trondheim. Racing against the clock, a motley crew of German infantry, armor, trucks, and artillery sprint for victory.
Chipping away at the forces in their path, thanks to the robust units of the 214th Division and what remnants of the 69th remain, the Germans and their air support slide victory points in their favor. Without Narvik, I needed every other port in the south of the country and more elimination points in my favor. The Allied mistake: sending the Poles and the British south to support the defense of Trondheim (I wanted to make it realistic though, so I wasn't about to just sacrifice Trondheim without concerted Allied effort).
The way it ultimately shakes out? I eliminated a Polish battalion and forced the VP totals in my favor by one point on the very last turn, securing a marginal German victory. I probably would have lost had I been paired up against someone to take the Allied side, but I have fixation on the "what-if?" Needless to say, I won't be landing the 3rd Mtn Div at Narvik alone anymore. That just doesn't ever shake out well. Sorry Deitl.
Next up, let's see if I can win as the Germans at Bastogne again!
-- Dan
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