BGForums

This is my first AAR ever. Also english is not my mother language, so be kind, please.

Playing Spain in Campaign World 2020 in Crisis. Military difficulty very hard, no debt, approval effects low. Everything else default.

Other rules:
- No Alliances
- No nukes
- Beginning of hostilities in January 2021 (one year preparation time)
- I will control air and naval forces, as well as special forces and land units deployed along the borders from countries i am not at war with. The bulk of the land forces army will be "handed" to the AI (*sigh*). Lets see if together we can conquer the world

How did i come to this somehow curious rules? Well, in the games i played before the last patch, i took control of all military myself, with good success and almost no casualties, but... i realize that it would take real months time to conquer the world at this pace. So i decided to try this time something new and let the AI manage the bulk of the fight using the hotspot system.

ARMY UNITS BEFORE OPENING HOSTILITIES
All units are avalaible from the beginnig of the campaign, through some i had to buy by trade. The main rule is simplification: not many units, and only two types of units given to the AI:

Infantry: FRES infantry, with good urban combat values and overall good values:


Front Artillery: RN-94 120mm Mortar, fast and with good range front artillery. Also cheap:


So, no heavy artillery or long range ones. This is a big backdraw, but i don't think the AI could manage them. Lets hope this front artillery get good use

There will be also a number of engineers to speed up building, they will not take part in the war operations, and a small contingent of special forces+chopters for fast assault operations.

The Air force will exclusively consist of F-35C Lightning (i love this one ):

_________________
SR2020: Successfull AI naval invasion - USA vs Cuba, USAAR - No unit or man lost - GC - WC done, SpainAAR-WC hotspotting with the military AI?, MongoliAAR

The Naval forces will consist in destroyers, frigates and submarines:







Also, the LPD-17 San Antonio from USA, with its 9000 t cargo capacity and amphibious assault design will be build to transport the troops abroad. This is specially important, because hostilities will be opened against Algeria, mainly for its rich oil reserves, what will make necessary an amphibious assault.

Using these units the total Army force from Spain at January 2001 is as follow:

Land Units: 28 Engineers
9 Special Forces
48 Artillery RN-94
173 FRES Infantry

Air Forces: 12 F-35 Lightning
6 Transport Helicopters

Naval Forces: 6 Destroyers
37 Frigates
18 Submarines
2 LPD-17


After deploying forces at the border to Portugal and France, 140 Infantry and Artillery Units are left for the first war operation:

MISSION: ALGERIAS OIL FIELDS ARE SPANISH

Let the war begin !

_________________
SR2020: Successfull AI naval invasion - USA vs Cuba, USAAR - No unit or man lost - GC - WC done, SpainAAR-WC hotspotting with the military AI?, MongoliAAR

On January 2021 war is declared and the first amphibious assault does begin. It will be supported by 6 special operations squadrons, naval bombardments and air superiority through the F-35s.

The beachhead is secured on 10th January, continous transport from troops from mainland to the new zone is ongoing before too many algerian forces appear to close the breach.



Until now all operations are under my control, still to early to let the military AI play.

It seems the surprise has been total. Algeria never expected an attack on this part of the coast. With the new reinforcements shipped in, a 7 engineer stack is ordered to repair the damaged sea pier and to build a barrack facility, so that wounded units don't need to be transported back to Spain to repair.

The beachhead 5 days later:


Some combats have taken place on the border to morocco to the west, it seems algeria is allied with them and algerian forces come using this route. I place some units to hold the border, while waiting for the repairs to be done, as well as the supply levels to increase.

_________________
SR2020: Successfull AI naval invasion - USA vs Cuba, USAAR - No unit or man lost - GC - WC done, SpainAAR-WC hotspotting with the military AI?, MongoliAAR

These are the casualties after 5 days of combat. Still everything under my direct control.


The beachhead is secured, half of the naval forces of algeria are sunk and i don't think they can push us back. The next weeks i will expand along the main roads towards the nice oil fields in the south, as well as pressing east towards the capital.

This is the situation 30 days after the landing:


Heavy combats took place around the oil fields and i lost two transport helicopters while fighting the algerian air forces. Those have taken serious damage and i guess half of their air forces are destroyed.
To the east you can see the main bulk of my land forces nearing the algerian capital. The barracks are also build. I think it is time to let the military AI do the main assault to the capital that will begin inmmediately.

These are the casualties so far, before the capital assault:


So lets see how the AI manage this

_________________
SR2020: Successfull AI naval invasion - USA vs Cuba, USAAR - No unit or man lost - GC - WC done, SpainAAR-WC hotspotting with the military AI?, MongoliAAR

To my surprise no one has declared war on me yet, despite that they all have 80-100% CB against me now. This is the first time that this happens to me, may be is the new patch, or may be i just got lucky in my first AAR .

At 10th February i handed the military assault operations to the AI. Three hotspots are defined for the 120 land units. I will support the attack with the destroyers and the air force. This is the situation near the capital at start:




One day later the military AI has taken their new freedom with entusiasm and is hammering the defenders after surrounding them in a "blitz" type action:




Three days later Algeria sends all their remaining air forces to attack the invaders. Hefty combats take place, casualties mount on both sides:

_________________
SR2020: Successfull AI naval invasion - USA vs Cuba, USAAR - No unit or man lost - GC - WC done, SpainAAR-WC hotspotting with the military AI?, MongoliAAR

Five days after the beginning of the attack, the capital falls !


The casualties numbers:



As you can see it costed 14 units and 22000 casualties to the spanish forces and almost 100 units and 45000 casualties to the algerian forces. The civil casualties were around 300k.

Now that the capital is lost, will Algeria surrender or will the fight continue?

They decided to continue the fight and moved the capital towards the east, to the city of Constantine:


So be it. Phase two of the invasion begins

_________________
SR2020: Successfull AI naval invasion - USA vs Cuba, USAAR - No unit or man lost - GC - WC done, SpainAAR-WC hotspotting with the military AI?, MongoliAAR

Our forces advance towards east, stopping a small contraoffensive launched by the algerian army. On 27th february we are again near the new capital.


The offensive begins inmediately, this time only poor garrisons batallions try to hold the spanish expeditionary forces. They have no chance.

On 28th february the new capital is taken.


As you can see conquering capitals is very profitable

Will Algeria surrender now or will the fight continue?
No, they surrender on the next day.

_________________
SR2020: Successfull AI naval invasion - USA vs Cuba, USAAR - No unit or man lost - GC - WC done, SpainAAR-WC hotspotting with the military AI?, MongoliAAR

The Mission is accomplish. Algeria doesn't exist anymore. These are the total casualties of the first war of the new epoch. These heroes will be remembered.



All people rejoice with the new Spain :



Surprisenly enough no one declared war on me yet. We are again at peace. This is good, i will use this opportunity to build up the economy considering the new 30 mill people, as well as the rich oil ressources. Also the military will continue to grow in units and expenses, so we must prepare the finances to support future wars. The Algerian campaign has been very succesfull and profitable, over 50b dollars has been taken from the former goverment.

In the next weeks we will scrap all algerian units we got after the surrender and will begin the construction of many oil fields as well as production sites.

If some other country declares war now, then the next objective will be clear. If not, we must take a choice. This are the best options:
a) Declare war on Portugal
b) Declare war on Morocco
c) Declare war on Tunisia

Any of these options would let me one border less to defend for the future. I have no preferences, so i will let you tell me what you would do.
All this considering no one declares war from self (BC is still very high to everyone against me). Jealousy is a common sin, and our neighbours don't see with good eyes the new Spain

_________________
SR2020: Successfull AI naval invasion - USA vs Cuba, USAAR - No unit or man lost - GC - WC done, SpainAAR-WC hotspotting with the military AI?, MongoliAAR

Take Portugal, they are close to your home and if they declare on you while you are in the south campaigning, it will be bad news.

While i was improving my economy, i took a look at how was the situation globally in the world. There were many wars going on:
- Israel vs Syria
- South Corea vs North Corea and China
- China vs almost all neighbours
- Rusia vs North Corea and China
- Pakistan vs Iran
- Iran vs many neighbours
- Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia vs Brasil
- Serbia vs Bulgaria (!)

More or less the normal situation of this scenario. It is evident less countries have join the very far wars, the last patch has highly reduced the amount of countries with no common border that declare war to each other. Though there still some (phillipines vs myanmar, for example).
Lets hope this time some of these wars end with one winner.

As you can see all countries are really motivated to declare war on me, so i was meditating why no one had done it yet, when my red phone ringed...



The Red Phone. It was the Head of the State. His Majesty King Juan Carlos I. He wanted to see me at once....

As i could see he was really angry.


"So, how can you explain this?" he said
"Explain what? your Majesty....
"Explain, why you are not expanding the light of our Kingdom to the our in the dark living neighbours. Their people deserve to be under my rule. Every day that passes without giving them the hope of our Empire is sad and hurts my mind" enlighted me His Majesty
"I know, your Majesty, i am also suffering seeing them lost in the dark. By now, some of them should have asked in their primitive way (declaring war, you know) to join us... But...Nothing has happened, i don't..."
"Enough ! You should take actions inmediately to ensure the expansion of our Kingdom. I order you to crucify all diplomatic delegates from Portugal in Madrid. AT ONCE!"
"Crucify, your Majesty??... But...yes... welll... would it not be better we would let them choose the way to make their sacrifice for the rest of their landsmen?"
"Good. Let them choose. But execute the orders today. We can no longer wait..."
"As you wish, your Majesty,...

And so begins the war with Portugal.

(Errr... welll, i know this situation is not easy to understand in a game like SR2020, so i will try to explain for those of you that can't follow what really happened.... I had forgotten one spy that i sent to Lisboa early on. That spy (codename: Xbwalker ) was caught and war was declared:

MISSION: SPAIN IS ALL, LET THEM JOIN US

Portugal has declared war. This time enough forces are present to allow the military AI do the work from the beginning. 110 Units are on the border and another 40 are send to the war zone. I define five hotspots, two in the north, three in the middle-south as the first phase of the attack.





I continue to control air forces and navy. The AI gets again the land units in the combat zone "handed". Let the war begin !

_________________
SR2020: Successfull AI naval invasion - USA vs Cuba, USAAR - No unit or man lost - GC - WC done, SpainAAR-WC hotspotting with the military AI?, MongoliAAR

So many units in that small front ensures heavy combats. After day one of the offensive, the AI has managed to cut the south front in two, getting many portuguese units surrounded.



In the middle and north fronts the advance is much slower:

_________________
SR2020: Successfull AI naval invasion - USA vs Cuba, USAAR - No unit or man lost - GC - WC done, SpainAAR-WC hotspotting with the military AI?, MongoliAAR

Second day: all hotspots are under heavy attack by our forces





These are the casualties after two days of combats: 45 portuguese units have been killed and none at our side, 31k portuguese casualties vs 4k from Spain. The AI is doing fairly well so far.

_________________
SR2020: Successfull AI naval invasion - USA vs Cuba, USAAR - No unit or man lost - GC - WC done, SpainAAR-WC hotspotting with the military AI?, MongoliAAR

Third war day. The hotspots in the north are taken, new hotspots arround the capital Lisboa are defined.



In the south combats still persist arround two of the hotspots, but they can't hold much longer. As soon as those are taken all forces will be send towards the capital and new hotspots south of Lisboa will be defined.

_________________
SR2020: Successfull AI naval invasion - USA vs Cuba, USAAR - No unit or man lost - GC - WC done, SpainAAR-WC hotspotting with the military AI?, MongoliAAR

Fourth day. The assault of Lisboa has begun.



The AI has done it fairly well so far, but the hardest combats are just to begin. These are the casualties to date:

_________________
SR2020: Successfull AI naval invasion - USA vs Cuba, USAAR - No unit or man lost - GC - WC done, SpainAAR-WC hotspotting with the military AI?, MongoliAAR