Invasion

Despite an overwhelming ground force and a superior air force, the German player must take on a task that may exceed his available resources. The Germans must be able to stun the Allies and prevent the erosion of their initial successes. They must seize a minimum of eight ports by land, sea, or air and then hold on to them for fifteen turns while the Allies attempt to wrestle control of them. The path of the aggressor is fraught with peril.

0bjectives

The country should be divided into three major areas as stated earlier. All mainland ports south of the A weather line must be captured and held. They need not be taken on the first turn, but the sooner they are captured the better off the German player is. Some ports are absolutely vital and should be taken on the invasion or follow-up wave; these ports are Kristian sand, Stavanger, Bergen, Andalsnes, and Trondheim.

Failure to take one of these ports will give the Germans a tough time for the rest of the game. Failure to take two or three means the Germans should consider going home. The ports of Namsos and Haugesund can be attacked at a later stage if the other ports are firmly held by the Germans.

Trondheim is the single most important port south of the A weather line and the second most important port overall (Narvik is the first), for two reasons: 1) Trondheim controls all traffic north to Narvik, and 2) Trondheim is the perfect port for the Allies to seize and conduct operations in the south. With an airfield one hex away, it is a vital base for air operations, as air units can fly from there to support Narvik, and Ju 88s can range the entire country, suppressing Allied air operations, attacking the Royal Navy, and shuttling supplies and troops to the Narvik area.

Narvik and its immediately surrounding ports are the crucial area of operations for the Germans. Narvik and the six surrounding hexes hold the key to 100 victory points. While further south the Germans' goals are to invade and overrun the country, at Narvik their risk is to invade and survive. Offensive operations for the Germans occur very rarely, as the Norwegian forces here are usually as strong as or stronger than the invading Germans.

After Narvik, the only ports available to the Allies in this area are Harstad, Tromso, and Alta. Harstad is important because it is very close to Narvik, offering the Allies a good operational base and containing a mobilization center. The Germans should invade here in order to deny the port to the Allies. Tromso is left, the only other port offering any chance as a base for Allied offensive operations.

However, the port is difficult for the Germans to capture and hold against the strong Norwegian forces unless the German player is willing to send (and risk being sunk in transit) supplies and reinforcements in later turns. Simply stated, Tromso is not cost effective for the Germans to maintain as a captured port. Alta should be ignored by the Germans, as any Allied troops landing there face a cross-country marathon to get to the area of operations around Narvik.

The preceding outlines the objectives necessary for an effective campaign. There is always flexibility in targetting, but the major considerations set forth are rather inflexible. One of the keen parts of the game is the fact that the same plan can be tried fifty times and give fifty differing results.

Tactical Objectives

This section shall consider the nuts and bolts of the invasion and follow-up waves, starting with the available German forces and their use.

The German player has a naval transport capability of fifteen battalions for the invasion and fourteen battalions for the follow-up wave. There are strict rules to be followed on the invasion turn, but these rules are somewhat relaxed for the follow-up forces.

All operations north of the A weather line should be conducted with the alternate (strippeddown) 3rd Mountain Division. This provides six battalions of infantry that can be landed using only one naval transport point per battalion, thus saving vital transport points needed for the landings in the south. Landing the six battalions might go as follows: three at Narvik, one at Harstad, one at Bodo, and one at Mo.

This landing pattern will keep the Allies out of the immediately surrounding area. Landings should proceed by battalion rather than by regiment, in order to minimize the effects of a bad roll on the sunk in transit table. Also, the ports should be taken on the invasion wave, as this is when it is easiest to capture them. While this disperses the Germans, it denies the Allies important bases. The floatplanes (He 115s) can later land reinforcements at Mo and Bodo so that the mountain battalions there can move north to aid the Narvik defenders. The floatplanes can also carry reinforcements to Narvik itself, when flying a one-way mission. Due to stacking limitations, the best reinforcement to fly to Narvik is mountain artillery.

For the invasions south of the A weather line, the three regiments, broken down to battalions (see page 37, editor), of the 69th Infantry Division should be used. This is done in order to limit the number of divisions that are dispersed over the map. With three 9-4 regiments, the division provides nine 3-4 battalions, filling the transport ability of the invasion wave. A full regiment (broken down) should be sent to Trondheim, as the Norwegians will fight for this port if the Germans do not arrive there with sufficient strength.

After Trondheim, the Germans have six battalions remaining to take the southern objectives. A good attempt is to land two battalions at Bergen and one each at Stavanger, Kristiansand, Larvik, and Frederikstad. While sending two battalions each to Stavanger and Kristiansand may be tempting, the landings at Larvik and Frederikstad are important in order to capture the Oslo area. This area contains artillery stores (which should be captured quickly) and mobilization centers. The terrain favors quick operations, and the area, once captured, cuts the lines of communications between the Norwegian forces spread out across the south.

On the invasion, two or three battalions will probably be lost in transit. Whatever objectives are not captured due to the loss of these units can usually be gained by the follow-up wave, which is discussed later.

Luftwaffe

With the initial landings on the map, the German player can now let go with the second punch - the Luftwaffe. There are three types of missions for the Luftwaffe this turn: bombing enemy units, capturing airfields, and transport to captured airfields.

There are few air units that can bomb at full strength given the ranges to targets in Norway from the German airfields. Ju 88s can range over the southern half of Norway, but He 111s can only strike Kristiansand at full strength, and Me 110s must fly at extended range to reach any target.

Targets must be assigned carefully. With the importance of Trondheim, this should be the first target to which the bombers are assigned. The precise bombing missions can not be specified, as this will depend upon the success of the invading battalions in reaching their destinations.

After bombing missions should come air drop and air landing missions on airfields. While there is a fairly low chance of a successful air drop, they should be undertaken as even a single successful one increases the chances of taking an airfield. A mission against the airfield at Stavanger can illustrate this. One company of paratroopers will attempt an air drop, one He 111 will attempt an air landing, and six Ju 52s are transporting a battalion to land at the field if it is captured. The paratroopers go in first; if successful, the airfield is taken. If unsuccessful, the He 111 tries to land. If the He 111 crashes, then the six transports can turn back and return to German airfields without loss of the battalion or any transports. If the airfield is taken, the transports can land, disembark the battalion, and then return to Germany or Denmark.

Six transports were used in the previous example to allow the transports to carry their cargo and fly at extended range. Thus, the cargo and transport can return to base safely if their intended airfield is not captured. This should be done consistently, as the transports can reach only two airfields at normal range. While this decreases the number of units that can be transported, it saves aircraft.

Every air unit should be utilized each turn. Even the solitary dark blue Ju 52 can be used: break down one of the 3rd Mountain Division's artillery battalions into batteries, load one battery on Old Blue, and fly Old Blue to a captured port. On later turns, Old Blue can fly its battery to other ports where such a unit might be needed.

The Norwegian air unit should not be underestimated. It has the range to intercept parachute and air transports in the Kristiansand area. These air units can be protected from the Norwegian Gladiator by sending a Me 110 with them. While the Me 110 can not fly escort due to extended range, it can fly a bombing mission or even an air landing mission against the airfield (though it is not too wise to risk the Me 110s for air landings). If the Gladiator intercepts, the Me 110 can drop its bomb load and fight, with a good chance of stopping the Gladiator.

Follow-up Wave

After the invasion and air phase comes the patch-up portion of the German first turn. A lot of troops can be landed at little cost.

In the north, any troops or supplies now cost double transport points and risk a good chance of being lost in transit. While the area is vital, it may not be necessary to land any supply. The Germans there have no supply worries until turn 2. On this turn, however, a "captured" depot appears in Sweden and can be rushed into Narvik. While this can not supply offensive operations, it is sufficient for defense. With these factors in mind, it seems best to send supplies and units to the far north only if there are serious problems to counter. Otherwise, the transport points are needed elsewhere.

Trondheim and ports north should be considered next. If Trondheim is secure, Namsos should be considered as a landing site. The six 2-1-4 batteries can be transported at a cost of two battalions, thus transporting several units for little cost. While the batteries can not make opposed landings, they can land at unoccupied ports. Of course, many will be lost in transit if transported so far north.

The batteries can be used to secure unoccupied ports further south, with better chance of success. Andalsnes, Haugesund, Alesund, and Kristiansund are all prime targets. If a combat at an enemy occupied port has left it vacant (both sides lost in exchange, for example), then follow-up units can land there as well. Already captured ports can and should be reinforced.

In breaking down for the follow-up wave, forces should be selected to minimize scattering of divisions. Six batteries cost two points; landing the artillery regiment of the 69th costs four more. There are two battalions of mountain infantry left from the 3rd; so far eight points total have been used. The six remaining points can be used to transport the two regiments of the 181st Infantry Division, using battalions from a weak division so that the effects of its scattering are minimal. If one of the mountain batteries is flown in on Old Blue, then its place in the follow-up wave can be taken by a 2-6 panzer unit. This unit helps even the advantage the Norwegians initially have in combat/ motorized units.

Supply

Supplying the German Army should be accomplished mostly by air. Landing supplies diverts transport needed to ship ground units to Norway. With the Ju 52s, supply can be delivered more flexibly and at greater ranges than is practical with naval transport.

Utilization of supplies on hand is as important as the deliveries of new supplies. Oftentimes one depot can be positioned to supply several attacks. Using supplies recklessly may produce only short-term benefits and delay later operations.

Turn Two and Beyond

The problems of the initial landings and securing of objectives seems to fade in importance as the game continues. Once ashore, a successful German player must continue the flow of men and material to Norway, capture the mobilization centers to stem the flow of new Norwegian units, destroy as many enemy units as possible, and simultaneously keep the Luftwaffe secure on the ground and dominant in the air. It's a large task.

The staging and landing of reinforcements presents a problem. Due to stacking, it is best to have a division operate as a concentrated unit. Using naval transport and air units, it is possible to bring to Norway almost an entire division each turn. However, if the situation requires units to be landed at separated locations, it is best to transport elements of different divisions in a wave, taking care that the various units of each division do not become scattered. A unit can be lost in transit going to any port on the map. Thus, it is best to transport the vital divisional headquarters by air whenever possible so as to avoid even the slightest chance of its elimination at sea.

The long term use of the Luftwaffe is transport and striking at targets of opportunity. When the Stukas arrive, the Germans will be in an excellent position to clobber Allied units. The Ju 88s can fly from Trondheim and bomb Bardufoss airfield. The Me 109s should be staged to the north; while it takes time for them to get there, they effectively challenge the RAF once they arrive. The Me 110s are probably the best all-purpose air units the German player has available; they are good fighters and have respectable bombing factors. They should be kept in the south, supporting the major operations.

In all, the German player must be able to operate and respond to Allied actions quickly and with a maximum of force. Time and space are the real enemies of the German player's victory plans. He has to stretch to the limit and take chances, but he is given the forces with which to do it.

More Narvik: Rules and Tactics

The Allies
The Norwegian Army
The Germans