The key to winning the Plan Y scenario, for either side, is a mastery of geography. The reasons for this are fourfold. The first, as stated above, is that Yugoslav mobilization is predicated on geography. A second, more important consideration is that capture of the Yugoslav capital not Beograd itself, but the agglomeration of harried-looking bureaucrats and government papers that can flee from city to city along rail lines - is the sole measure of victory. If the Yugoslavs can maintain a capital they win; if not, victory goes to the Axis player.

What does this mean when playing the game? In order to win, the Axis player must capture the capital. The capital, starting off in Beograd, can be moved to any other Yugoslav city along a rail line.

The prime consideration for the Axis, then, is to capture or cut off any cities to which the capital could be moved. The Axis must isolate the capital, a natural enough prerequisite for capturing it. The main Axis advances will be from the northwest, the southeast, and the southwest. This means that if the Yugoslav player feels a need to move the capital from Beograd, he can effectively move it only north along the Beograd-Szeged railway or west along the Beograd- Sarajevo railway.

Of the two options, only the latter is usually very feasible. Such a move would dislocate the Axis advances, which would likely have been oriented in different directions, and place the capital in very good defensive terrain. Thus capturing or blocking this railway in order to prevent such an event becomes an important aim of the Axis player, who must never forget his ultimate goal.

The third reason players of this scenario must understand geography is simply the very important role geography can have on play. There are no steppes here, but rather an intricate network of mountains, rivers, valleys, and forests, the mastery of which is necessary for the successful conduct of operations. The terrain in Yugoslavia is well-suited for defensive operations mountains and/or rivers block most axes of advance. Moreover, the Yugoslav player has the advantage of interior lines, and using rail and administrative movement can shift forces from one area to meet threats stemming from another.

The element of geography potentially fatal to the Yugoslav player is the long hostile border. Theoretically, the only areas along his frontier free from possible attack are the seven hexes which make up the border with Greece. Omniscient players know, of course, not to fear attack from Romania or Germany, but even so the Yugoslav player is surrounded. There simply isn't enough army to go around, a situation often leading to defensive lines containing holes.

Actually, the situation is reminiscent to that in Burma during World War II, where the opposing armies enjoyed very good defensive terrain but were too small for the large areas they occupied. This led to an emphasis on the "indirect approach," where units infiltrated or outflanked in order to put enemy units out of supply.

Players of the Plan Y scenario will discover a similar situation, especially when facing a defender in a mountain hex in the winter - a tough nut to crack if supplied.

Supply is also the fourth way that geography impacts on the campaign. Supply rules state that Yugoslav units wishing to remain in supply must trace a supply line to a non-point city which itself is in rail contact with another nonpoint city. A look at the map reveals the importance of this rule. The cities of Maribor, Zagreb, and Ljubljana are likely to fall quickly to the Italian advance in the north, while in the south Skoplje will fall equally quickly. The Italians can also quickly capture Split (although counterattacks are feasible). The Yugoslav player cannot defend the cities of Subotica and Novi Sad against a determined Hungarian thrust without fatally weakening himself elsewhere, and Nis is very much threatened by a Bulgarian advance. Since Osijek is not on a rail line and therefore doesn't count for supply, the only two cities that can possibly remain linked for a long period of time are Beograd and Sarajevo - the same two cities crucial for moving the capital.

Plan Y? Because We Like It Italian Invasion of Yugoslavia 1939

Introduction
The Armies: Axis and Yugoslav
Victory
Axis Strategy
Yugoslav Strategy
Options