The Axis player must therefore always keep in mind his goal -to capture or isolate all cities, especially Sarajevo and Beograd. The way to do this is through daring, lightning-fast thrusts, uncharacteristic of the historical Italy, but possible nevertheless. The Axis player is faced with two different possible situations, depending on whether or not the Yugoslavs detect the invasion. The following analysis is based on the Yugoslavs not detecting the invasion; the alternative will be discussed later.

The Axis player must move as quickly as possible at the beginning of the game. There are a number of reasons for this. The Axis player needs to put as much pressure on the Yugoslav player as possible early in the game. Territorial gains will weaken the Yugoslav army and the geographical situation of the Yugoslav player, and will also insure an early activation of Bulgaria and Hungary. Moreover, the Italian player must utilize the one or two turns of good weather to the greatest extent possible.

The Axis player should take advantage of the geographical weakness of the Yugoslav player and attack in as many areas as possible. In practical terms, this means two major assaults and four minor ones. The key to success is the use of overruns.

Perhaps the most important attack is the one from Italy. The Italian army can supply itself all the way to Beograd and faces relatively open terrain until it reaches the Bosna and Drina rivers; it is thus a very important axis of advance. The initial goals of the Axis player are many.

Most important among them is the opening of the two routes from Trieste to Zagreb, to insure supply for later advances. This goal is compatible with the need to take as many cities as possible to prevent Yugoslav mobilization and insure activation of Bulgaria and Hungary on the second turn. It should be possible to take all the cities in Slovenia, as well as Karlovac, Zagreb, and Sisak. If Bihac can be taken, so much the better.

After the initial overruns and combats, a motorized force consisting of the armored division and the motorcycle regiments should push far down the ZagrebBeograd railway to insure that the Yugoslav player cannot set up an effective forward defense (for the same reason, it is a good idea to bomb this railway during the air phase). It is very important to capture the cities of Slovenia, because if even one point city remains uncaptured, all mobilized units will be able to appear on it.

This can create a nightmare in the mountains along the German border, even if the units are not in supply, by forcing the Axis player to either spend time and units removing the reinforcements or guarding against them. After the initial turn, the Axis player should prepare himself for a slow, grinding advance towards Beograd. The emphasis should be on attrition as much as possible, and not necessarily on gaining ground. Successful attrition in the early stages of the scenario will insure that the Yugoslav player will find himself hard-pressed to defend effectively later on. If possible, a subsidiary thrust towards Sarajevo should be made, if for no other reason than to siphon off Yugoslav forces.

The second major thrust for the Axis player comes from Albania. This thrust does not represent quite as great a threat to the Yugoslav player because Italian units cannot reach Beograd in supply and because terrain aids the defender so much. However, this thrust can cut the crucial Beograd- Sarajevo railway, and when the Bulgarians join in, can capture Nis. The Bulgarians themselves can actually reach Beograd, increasing the threat to the Yugoslav player.

Moreover, the southern front can also act as a gristmill on Yugoslav units. The initial goal of the Italian player should be penetration of the Prizren-Pec valley from Albania, with the overrunning or destruction of all units there. The eventual goal, of course, is the railway from Sarajevo to Krusevac, but it is likely that only the 5- 8 light armored division could actually reach it on the first turn (which it should).

A more lasting goal would be to penetrate the mountains east of Novi Pazar, which represent a rather formidable defensive barrier. A subsidiary thrust could also be made along the Pec-Uzice road, increasing the threat to the Beograd-Sarajevo railway. As in the north, air units should try to destroy railways. Later turns should see a gradual attack northward, to the limits of Italian supply (or beyond, if the Yugoslavs are also out of supply).

The Bulgarians, after taking Nis, should head for Beograd, since they are well poised to take the capital. The Axis player should also not forget that the southern front is not isolated from the northern front, and movement between the two is possible. One important transfer the Axis player should make on the first turn of the game is the transport of two construction units to Albania, where they can build airbases.

In addition to the two main thrusts, there are a number of minor thrusts, which have important considerations of their own, and serve as well to further string out the Yugoslav defenders. The first of these is the conquest of Macedonia, or at least southern Macedonia. Skoplje is vulnerable to the 5-8 mountain division on the first turn, unless the Yugoslav player completely neglects the Prizren valley, and a single cavalry regiment can capture the cities south of Skoplje in the first or second turn.

While Macedonia cannot be conquered in one turn, the Axis player should be able to insure that he will not have to spend any time fighting in a nonessential area.

The forces in Albania can probably also insure the conquest of Montenegro on the first turn, which will eliminate the mobilization reinforcements of that province. The conquest of Montenegro will also open up routes towards the interior and along the Adriatic. The exploitation of Yugoslavia's Adriatic frontier is the third minor campaign for the Axis player.

Any activity along the Adriatic will insure a response from the Yugoslav player lest he risk Sarajevo, and so a minor commitment here can draw off substantial forces. The first objective in the Adriatic is the capture of Split, which should be achievable in the first turn with the forces from Zara and a transported unit from Italy. As mentioned above, penetration of the Adriatic coast can also be made from the south, although since one cannot attack across karst hexsides it is not very difficult for the Yugoslav player to stop such penetration.

The last alternative open to the Axis player is a seaborne invasion of the Adriatic coast. The Italians possess an amphibious invasion capability, but cannot land directly on the coast. However, they can land on offshore islands, such as Mljet. Units participating in such an invasion could not move on the first turn, but only a few Yugoslav units in Bosnia - Hercegovina can move on the first turn, and those must defend Sarajevo as well. A landing in MIjet threatens both the ports of Ploce and Dubrovnik, and the capture of either would allow a more substantive thrust based on sea- supply.

Such an invasion is unlikely to have any strategically significant results, but does force a Yugoslav reaction and weakens his overall defenses even further.

The last minor advance that the Axis should make is the Hungarian invasion of the Backa. The Yugoslav player will probably not oppose the advance, because of the indefensible terrain and because Hungary cannot advance past the borders of the Backa. However, capture of the hexes along the Danube means that the Yugoslav player must occupy the Beograd- Vinkovci railway with units to insure rail movement and supply. The Hungarians will also have seized two important cities.

If all of these thrusts are even reasonably well-carried-out, this coordinated, from-all-sides offensive should really pose a problem for the Yugoslav player. The situation becomes considerably different, however, if Yugoslavia has detected Italian preparation for attack. This one die roll can create an entirely different game, because it essentially speeds up Yugoslav mobilization by one turn. Such an acceleration can render many of the speedy advances mentioned above difficult or impossible. None of the goals of the Axis player change, just the rate at which they can be achieved. Specific Axis moves in this case would depend upon what the Yugoslav player did with his free turn, and this would be impossible to predict.

It is likely, however, that the Yugoslav player will reinforce either the Prizren valley or the mountains to the north and northeast of it, to protect the all important BeogradSarajevo railway. In such a situation, the Axis player must put a great deal more energy into cracking the Yugoslav positions. Reinforcements from the north might be necessary, and it might be advisable to leave the conquest of Macedonia to the Bulgarians.

The Axis player might also discover that it will be impossible to capture on the first turn the ten cities necessary to automatically activate Hungarian and Bulgarian participation. In this instance, it might be worth the risk to attempt the roll on the beginning of the second turn even if participation is not automatic; the Bulgarian pressure can be that important.

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

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