Lightning Warfare

Lightning Warfare
Game	Empire Earth
Campaign	German Campaign
Preceding Scenario	The Somme
Following Scenario	Preparations for Invasion
Civilizations	Germany Great Britain France & the Benelux Poland Denmark & Norway Soviet Union

Description

Lighting Warfare (dt. Blitzkrieg) is the fifth scenario of the German Campaign in Empire Earth. The objective is to conquer France, Scandinavia, and Poland before Fall of 1940.

Briefing

Lightning Warfare: 1939-1940

German military planners have learned so much from the Spanish Civil War. They found that the key to conquering an enemy is to apply overwhelming force with maximum speed. Called the Blitzkrieg, it is now time for German forces to make full use of that lesson... and their first victim will be Poland.

Great Britain and France have each announced their intention to fight, but their forces are unproven. The English have repudiated their weak leader, Prime Minister Chamberlain. Perhaps his replacement, Churchill, is made of harder stuff. The French have full confidence in their fortifications. But they will soon understand their folly. The Luftwaffe is ready. The Panzers are ready. The Wehrmacht is ready. Where Germany failed in 1914, it will succeed in 1939.

Objectives

• When you are ready to fight each country, use the Alliance & Tributes screen to declare war on Poland, Norway & Denmark, and France & the Benelux in turn. To win, you must destroy the Capitol of each of these groups and replace it with a Town Center or Capitol of your own. You can win with only Town Centers, but Capitols will give you a greater reward.
• Do not let the Reichstag be destroyed or Germany will be forced to surrender.
• Europe must be seized with all speed. If victory is not achieved before Fall of 1940, an American-Russian alliance will make future expansion impossible, spelling Germany's defeat. Until then, the German-Russian Non-Aggression Pact of 1939 will prevent hostilities between those two nations. The Reichstag is able to keep you up-to-date on the passage of time.

Hints

• None of the key resources you need can be found in Germany. You will need to conquer one of your neighbors to find Gold, Iron or Stone.
• Trying to conquer Great Britain at this stage is likely to be waste of time. You'll also be prohibited from destroying the major British monuments such as Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London.
• You may not have time for any protracted conflicts. Conquest may be swifter if you build all the troops you can between attacks.
• The Kriegsmarine is saving its landing craft to prepare for an invasion of England. However, the straits between Denmark and Norway are shallow enough to allow passage by land forces.
• Select the Reichstag to get a report on the current date. Each season will be 20 minutes of time.
• Although you will get plunder from your fallen enemies, you will need to remember to gather resources on your own, as well.
• The FW190 is more effective against enemy aircraft than any of your other fighters.
• You might find it easiest if you follow the historical route of attacking Poland, Norway and then France.
• When attacking France, it will be far easier to skirt the Maginot Line to the north, rather than trying to punch through it.

History

The Treaty of Versailles had left a bad taste in the mouths of many Germans. Moreover, the reparations Germany had been forced to pay had caused massive inflation, making the German Mark essentially worthless. This, coupled with the worldwide depression of the 1930s, set the stage for the rise of Adolph Hitler and the Nazi party.

By 1936, Germany had recovered economically, rearmed herself, and reoccupied the Rhineland in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. That same year, Germany, Italy, and later Japan formed the "Axis" alliance. Both Germany and Italy also sent troops and materials to help General Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War. This campaign served as a testing ground for the German military and the "Blitzkrieg" style of warfare it had been developing.

Germany continued its expansion by annexing Austria, Czechoslovakia, and other regions and, by 1939, was preparing to invade Poland. To keep the Soviet Union from interfering, the German Soviet Non Aggression Pact was secretly signed and Poland divided between the two nations. Hitler had no intention of honoring the Pact in the long term, but it served his needs for the time being. With the Pact in hand, Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Two days later England and France declared war on Germany and the Second World War had begun.