South American Campaign

Transferred from Old SB Wiki by User:EZGoin. To be updated.

Preliminaries & Context

Although the South American Campaign is the second of [[New Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach|NSWE]]'s campaigns during WWII in terms of actual fighting it is the first in terms of planning and preparation - NSWE in fact started preparing months before the declaration of war.

New Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach's diplomatic ties with Japan grew stronger during the 1930s, with naval exercises between the two and several state visits. As a part of this, in several secret meetings and with several rounds of round-robin correspondence between Argentina, Germany, Japan and NSWE (Italy was also included, but without territorial interests beyond the Med and Africa, left the group before any detailed planning took place) the fate of the Atlantic and Pacific were decided. Japan's initial strike would cripple the Americans in the Pacific and, while Japan's forces swept the Australian, British and Dutch contingents aside, NSWE and Argentina, both lacking the long-range striking forces of the Japanese, would strike overland into Chile, secure the necessary airbases and from there a joint IJN \ NSWE mission would use long-range bombers to devastate the remaining major power in the South Pacific, Denton. Like many late-War IJN plans, it was complex and multi-faceted, many stages requiring a commitment of resources before the success of the prior stage could be realistically assessed.

By early 1938, NSWE "advisors" are in place in Argentina, bringing with them NSWE's first generation of tanks, ground support aircraft and artillery. Even in the initial stages, consultation with the Ejército Argentino leads to the heaviest of NSWE's tanks and artillery being shipped home, the mountainous terrain being frankly impassable for the heavier artillery pieces and the under-powered heavy tanks NSWE possessed at that point. NSWE's remaining equipment, 105mm guns, both towed and self-propelled, and the same medium tanks NSWE is to use in Africa, generally armed with the [[New Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach KwK 38 37/3mm|KwK 38]] squeeze-bore gun, are assessed as adequate to defeat the Chilean army.

Invasion

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Campaign Overview

Although discussed in general terms, and specific secret treaties signed, Japan did not reveal the planned date of their own strike on the Americans. As such, neither Argentinian nor New Saxon forces were ready to proceed with the invasion following Pearl Harbour. This proves to be a significant problem for New Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, already heavily committed to the North African campaign and attempting to replace losses incurred in the siege of Tobruk. As such, Argentinian forces were supplemented by minimal troops and equipment from NSWE, the bulk of the fighting resting on the shoulders of the Ejército Argentino. Slightly reinforced, the combined force invades Chile on the 18th December 1941, crossing the border near Balmaceda, thought to be the northernmost point to the south of any Chilean centres of resistance, the plan being to cut the Chile in two and drive north, eliminating any Chilean armed forces as and when they are encountered. This also provides an opportunity to build an airstrip in the valley suitable for the strategic bombers the NSWE and Japan will require.