Maginot Line - What a Blunder!

[Kool Kat]

Gents: :cool:

I am playing my first Global Conflict (Gold) campaign game (1939 World at War) against a human opponent! I'm the Allies. It's March 1940, and my German opponent has sliced through the low countries... is on the outskirts of Paris... and has effectively out flanked my Maginot Line defenses!

Question - What were the French thinking when they invested all their resources and manpower into the Maginot Line? :confused:

I have 4 French armies defending the Maginot Line and Ardennes Mine.

Strategy options:

(1.) Do I keep these armies in their current defense positions and hold out as long as possible? These positions will shortly be surrounded by German forces.

or...

(2.) Do I abandon both the Maginot Line and Ardennes Mine... fall back and attempt to defend southern France?

Global Conflict vets - what do you think?

Also, what options do Allied players have when it comes to defending France? Seems to me that no matter what the Allied player does, France will fall?

BTW... I have a couple of weeks until I can make my next Allied turn... so any and all replies much appreciated!

[SeaMonkey]

Sure, France wiil fall! Been this way since 2002, SC1. Wouldn't it be nice if France could decide to build some extra ground forces instead of the Maginot? France always surrenders, getting kind of old after 11 years, but that is history, nothing you can do KK except delay and make it as costly as possible.

Every invasion has its slight variations, but normally put the Fr. Tanks in Paris, tech up and allow to entrench to maximum and waste the Fr military falling back to disallow the Germans access to tiles adjacent to the city.

[Strategiclayabout]

Hi Kool Kat ,

1) seems your best option given your situation with Germans already near Paris. French armies at entrenchment 8 can take some time to reduce even in low supply. However if you don't have anything to defend Paris you better get something there quickly .

2) not sure what you mean by southern France but Axis usually says yes to Vichy event. It often happens after the fall of Paris though sometimes capital moves to Bordeaux and you're allowed to surviove some more turns.

3) SeaMonkey strategy is indeed the standard one but there are also more interesting (and risky ones). Like heavy UK involvment (better get infantry tech 1 if you can), Benelux invasion, surprise attack on Rome, landings in the back of german froces...

One thing to know is when France surrenders all Allied units on Vichy territory will be "interned" and vanish (ouch !). All supply sources in occupied France will also become axis (including ports) pitting any Uk units there in big trouble.

You can read this short wiki page to know what happens then ^^ :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Fortune

Hope that will help .

[Kool Kat]

Sure, France will fall! Been this way since 2002, SC1. Wouldn't it be nice if France could decide to build some extra ground forces instead of the Maginot?

That would be a nice option for the Allies!

Unfortunately, the Maginot Line was built in several phases starting in 1930, and by 1939, the start year for the full campaign game, it was mostly complete.

So, as the Allied player, you don't get to influence that "blunder" since it had already taken place! :eek:

[Kool Kat]

Every invasion has its slight variations, but normally put the Fr. Tanks in Paris, tech up and allow to entrench to maximum and waste the Fr military falling back to disallow the Germans access to tiles adjacent to the city.

Yes! This is the strategy I adopted as the French.

However, I did see an opportunity to strike an advancing German infantry army... so I attacked out of Paris with the French tanks... and followed up the armor attack with an accompanying attack by the BEF to completely destroy the German unit! Unfortunately, I suffered over 50% armor casualties... and may lose Paris on the next turn! "C'est la vie!"