brian brian
Posts: 3191
Joined: 11/16/2005 Status: offline
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There is another situation where France should clearly surrender. That is when Germany is heading towards a Mediterranean strategy. If they pass on installing Vichy their first chance after taking Paris, this is a good possibility. 3 of the remaining French factory cities the Germans need for Incomplete Conquest of France are not simple hexes to take - Vichy, Lyon, and Toulouse. Obviously both sides will focus on Toulouse, but the French will likely not just give away the other factory cities. Let's say the Germans win the battle for Toulouse but the French are still holed up somewhere else, most likely Lyon. In that case the French should surrender right away as there is a good chance they don't hold any other coastal cities. And without a coastal city, their fleet probably can't trace to a valid Supply Source. Meanwhile there will likely be a raging naval war in the Mediterranean as the Axis attempt to reach Morocco and/or possibly invade Spain amphibiously. And then the combat capabilities of the French Fleet might be very important to the Allies and it could well be better to give up on tying down a few Axis ground forces in a few hold-out French cities. Without a valid supply path, naval units in port can't re-organize at the end of the turn, among a few other penalties. On the other hand, you can play the Allies a little more aggressively. A simple initial move is to rail a French factory (or two) to Bordeaux the impulse after the first German unit enters France. This doesn't make any difference for conquest, but can keep French production going during the post-Paris denouement of the battle for France, which can be a struggle for the Germans if bad weather sets in and France can last longer than either side expects. The BEF can also be used to hold Rouen in a similar manner, where they can enjoy a bit of air-cover from the UK, and of course the Defensive Shore Bombardment optional helps both ploys tremendously. With a coastal city in hand and a factory city, the French can keep fighting.
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