France 1939 - Surviving the Blitzkrieg

#France #hoi4 #Disaster
In this built-in HoI4 Disaster Save as 1939 France, Our Army is poorly equipped, we have no manpower, we have no factories and we face Italy and Germany...
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Twitter: @Bitt3rSteel
Outro Music: Wild Pogo
I do not own any of the games, all rights are reserved by their respective companies. Paradox games: Copyright © 2016-2022 Paradox Interactive AB. www.paradoxplaza.com

[@Bitt3rSteel]

Aux armes, citoyens!

[@_Sterdam]

Formez! Les battalyons!

[@mirdav3648]

@@_Sterdam les bataillons

[@_Sterdam]

@@mirdav3648 alright then

[@mirdav3648]

@@_Sterdam cause only one bataillon for the French army is a lot of French And nobody is ready

[@jellyfish8574]

Vive la France

[@fluffycommander]

Starting in 1939 is like starting a disaster save from someone who fell asleep playing the game and did nothing.

[@Bitt3rSteel]

Very accurate

[@YetAnotherInv]

To be fair, that does describe real life France in '39 very well.

[@C.A._Old]

Oh Yeah ! ^^ +1 Fight For ! For Country ! - Charles De Gaulle . Plus Gangsta Paradise - De Gaulle

[@mattblack909]

💀💀💀💀

[@ITR933]

germany is pretty decent in the 1939 start date

[@bringbackamogus2370]

"Nothing is happening!" *Finland Fighting For its own damn liFe while Bitt3r is just chillin in the alps* 💀

[@6th_Army]

22:07

[@canthi109]

*Just like real life!*

[@alatamore]

If you call constantly getting hit with force attacks “chillin” sure…

[@bringbackamogus2370]

@@alatamore yeah your right...

[@C.A._Old]

Oh Yeah ! ^^ +1 Fight For ! For Country ! - Charles De Gaulle . Plus Gangsta Paradise - De Gaulle

[@MaskofPoesy]

lol. It sure took me a while to realize this was a 1939 start.

[@sircasscade6000]

A decent looking peace deal in Europe for once. That tiny sliver of Lithuania in Memel appears in every allied peace deal I've ever encountered and it really annoys me.

[@Kandall05161]

Still not as bad as the Independant Polish government in Zaolzie that used to pop up every other game, but close

[@hitomisalazar4073]

Or for me American Occitan.

[@Kandall05161]

@@hitomisalazar4073 My favorite version of this is when somebody else (usually Soviets, but I've seen the Brits do it too) puppet Occitania in just Savoy, so America just directly occupies the rest of southern france

[@sircasscade6000]

I have no idea how, but a year or so ago I ended up with a game where the allies had released Libya but was somehow a puppet of itself, "Libyan Libya" being a puppet of "Libyan Libya"

[@Adammarshall2341]

@@sircasscade6000 this is some good material for those "hoi 4 cursed pictures" videos

[@hydronpowers9014]

Germany: Danzig or war Poland: Neither Germany: You made me do it *Swarm from all sides* Poland: Arghh Germany: Alright Italy, what you need to do is hold France at the bottom while I attack from top through the lowlands Italy: Got you! Germany: *Blinks* France: *Occupied all of Italy with troops at their southern border* Germany: What the f-

[@guilhemraboud7808]

France: you though it is fun to invade others? how about i show you why historians call my army the best in History and invade your pitful alliance and alliés

[@Clan_AlbertheGrey]

Lol

[@SomeAsianGuy848]

so funny i forgor to laugh 💀

[@jaredjosephsongheng372]

Having Italy as an Ally was Germany's Greatest Mistake

[@sauronschosen8027]

@@jaredjosephsongheng372 Better no allie than Italy as ally

[@maximedemers3467]

France has the "Victors of the Great War" national spirit when you hold the line at the Alps. You ended up in a gruelling static war in the Alps for a while... something that did happen in said war. Makes me believe that your fortifications at the fallback line was less building and more reactivating those of the Great War.

[@alexschmidt443]

German: Blitzkriegs France: Blitrkriegs as well *You were not supposed to do that.*

[@russiasgreatestspinmachine4096]

"You dare use my own strategies against my allies, France??"

[@guilhemraboud7808]

"insert Uno reversd card même"

[@jaredjosephsongheng372]

Germany: *Wait that's Illegal*

[@Thebudgeismetal]

France: Foudre de guerre! Unless an actual french speaker has a better translation...

[@germainsimada7591]

@@Thebudgeismetal it Guerre éclaire. we change it to lightning war.

[@elbeto191291]

Fun fact: on a Bulgaria "Fate of the balkans" campaign I was playing I invited Italy into my Balkan faction. The Germans took Poland and the Low Countries, but they can't push France and are stuck. 1942 and they haven't invaded the Soviets

[@dinozocker_lp1465]

I had one run as sowjet union where I wanted to do the not a strp back achievement but i had so many troops at the german border that they didnt declare war. I justified on them in 1942 but i forgot about japan because they garanteed germany, i had troops in japan but i forgot about north saca...how over the island is called and didnt get it

[@youtuberobbedmeofmyname]

@@dinozocker_lp1465 sakhalin

[@temy4895]

You know a national anthem is good when it even sounds banging on a kazoo

[@WhoMadeThisBurger69]

pff thats what they intended when making it, actually supposed to be played on a vuvuzela

[@red-vg2ds]

as a Frenchman i find the instrumental in the marseillaise to be good but the lyrics to be shitty and not really representative of the modern shape of the state, but there is objectively worse

[@johnpauljones7411]

min?

[@PhonyCh]

​@@red-vg2dsmec c'est un chant militaire à la base

[@hatless_spider]

What even happened to have such a low factory count by 1939? Like was the build queue dockyards only?

[@Bitt3rSteel]

That's just 1939 France for ya

[@hatless_spider]

@@Bitt3rSteel oh I see, I thought this was a submitted disaster save! Well I guess it is, of a sort

[@user-pn7jz9vr2z]

@@hatless_spider Leon Blum be like: Ey yo, bitter, I am in quite a disaster here

[@theperson8487]

It always seems that in 1939 scenarios, Paradox just deleted loads of factories for each nation.

[@user-pn7jz9vr2z]

@@theperson8487 well ya know It's just the fact that we all do it the most optimal way for factories, which isn't really realistic

[@alphacentauri3069]

“What if we go on the offensive?” A very Ahistorical run then

[@franklinclinton4539]

The reason your videos are superior to any other HOI4 content creator, is that you play like you are fighting a war, while the others play like it's just a game.

[@Lucas.Blevins]

I like this perspective.

[@youtuberobbedmeofmyname]

holy cringe mate you did not just say that

[@fluffynator6222]

​@@youtuberobbedmeofmyname Huh?

[@mickethegoblin7167]

​@youtuberobbedmeofmyname what is your deal?

[@viclorenzo5016]

Subtitle time 0:56 "marginal" Maginot 2:15 "hold on to Saddam" 3:14 "I'll force Josh army maneuver speed" Alphonse Georges 3:20 "Army of friends" 3:46 "marginal" Maginot 3:54 "national" Maginot 4:11 "way going on" Weygand 6:31 "The beleaguered colonial can stay." 8:05 "Maybe I can go to LA, spits out Bologna." 11:04 "a massive organ damage" 12:02 "I don't have the maps research." 21:31 "machine" Maginot A lot less subtitle shenanigans than expected.

[@adenosine2electricboogaloo647]

organ failure

[@MasterChiefSamus]

France: Call an ambulance, call an ambulance! *pulls out naval invasions on Italy* But not for me!

[@jaredjosephsongheng372]

Germany: *Wait that's Illegal*

[@hubfuxer482]

Lowlands: We are free. Bitt3r: Not exactly free, more like under new management.

[@gianendratirtanegara9257]

Netherlands: "f word" you naz‽

[@darthtytherous2107]

I have a challenge idea: Play as Ireland, turn facist, take over Iceland, release them and then play as Iceland, then take over mainland Europe. Shouldn’t be too hard.

[@mattblack909]

Riiiggghhhhttt Wait,why ireland

[@lordbonney9779]

@@mattblack909 because they are close?

[@deadbeatorange890]

Hello everyone, I am the the Bitt3rSteel and today we are going to survive as france and conquer Italy. Ah, one encirclement...two encirclement...and finally capitulation! And to show that that wasn't a fluke, I shall do it Again.

[@Nobody-ge7pk]

Lpl

[@guilhemraboud7808]

" insert meme"

[@stillbrian9448]

The fact that you were stacking so many units on the mountains was propably the sole reason why you were taking same amounts of casualties as germans and also losing equipment, a lot of it

[@epicness5732]

Hey just so you know, if you don't have mp's it literally doesn't matter at all how big your garrison template is. Cuz the territories just draw however many divisions they need to reduce resistance automatically based on your occupation law. 6 of one half dozen of another sort of thing

[@symphonysystem4846]

if you do have MPs, is it better for the garrison divisions to be bigger or smaller?

[@epicness5732]

@@symphonysystem4846 Bigger. Because the amount of supplies used for support companies is flat for the whole division, and not based on each regiment. So if you have small divisions with mps, it will use more support equipment.

[@epicness5732]

The only garrison divisions you will ever need are a division of one single cavalry regiment, and a division with mps made of as many cavalry regiments as you can fit. Also, late game, and depending on the country you're playing, the same thing applies but with armored cars instead of cavalry.

[@princeofdaemons7344]

History: Phony War. This game France: *sharpens Baguette aggressively*

[@BobBob-zu2dt]

bro i sat waiting for germany to attack, only to see ive been on pause for like 15 MINUTES

[@anonymoususer5024]

The long brutal and attritional war in the Alps makes me remind the WW1 front where Italian and Austria-Hungarian forces fought in that miserable conditions and lot of casualties on both sides.

[@Bitt3rSteel]

When in doubt, start another battle for the Isonzo!

[@anonymoususer5024]

@@Bitt3rSteel And Cadorna will take over command

[@elduquecaradura1468]

On sky high, when I die, I'll be inmortal! Forever, I never, I won't return to... Blood Mountain, I am the: _SOLDIER OF HEAVEN!_

[@TheToadFan95]

"We've taken Anzio aswell, uhh," "Uh oh" "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAI'm about to get one of my boys encircled" Fucking killed me.

[@yaroslavboriskin68]

8:50 Probably the best part of the video

[@asddf9668]

switch the supply hub in Venice to motorized, delete your motorized divisions if you have to. the preexisting suply system is sufficient in the alps if you use them right. also consolidate your units, under supplied divisions take huge a debuff and if there're too many some wont even be able to fight in the battle.

[@Bitt3rSteel]

Problem is the never ending logistics bombing. It really cripples your ability to hokd

[@jeanbaptistebalago3804]

This version of the marseillaise is beautiful 8:49

[@IvanWongHongKong]

5:12 “it will be a glorious strike” said the French workers

[@harisplatis6804]

21:54 He was so hyped to announce how well the game was going it that goofy took over for a moment

[@spiderhouse9809]

this acualy feels stratiegic and tactical better than the steamroller would love more of these not just set plan and attack prepare and adapting is really fun and a very good change of pace

[@thefireisonfire]

It's a very scum way to do it, but if you do no garrisons as france your territories, you get a TON of manpower and guns. The colonies cannot rebel either (they max out a 40% resistance) you get something like 30k guns from it so it is very helpful for a run like this.

[@stevekelly2600]

i suck at this game but i absolutely love watching people that are good at it. great video!

[@sageluke]

Bro I'm new to the channel and I really love how u played majapahit empire, can u do Philippines next? Hehe

[@Bitt3rSteel]

I'll have a look!

[@toragic3432]

Why the Philippines? Its pretty boring to play the Philippines in hoi4

[@Ghost664]

love watching the videos, feels like you can almost win in any scenario/situation (and have seen you win in some insane ones). do you ever do any videos at either of the two harder difficulties? even if you dont win, its intresting to see how the outcome goes

[@derdummkopf5337]

Thank god for the French army -Winston Churchill 1933

[@harp0crat3s41]

gotta respect this guy for the hoi4 content

[@huseyinfurkankardiyen2104]

Noice video! So there is a Germany disaster save video in one of the Alex the Rambler's last videos, we really would to see your take on the save and many people agreed on this in the comments, you should check it out

[@Bitt3rSteel]

Oh, it's already been recorded...I hope you'll like it

[@buddermonger2000]

@@Bitt3rSteel WOO HOO!!

[@devanzummallen5677]

What was the sound being made half of that video? A kazoo? God I was dying of laughter when I was hearing that.

[@buddermonger2000]

That is a kazoo yes

[@yannparis7501]

9:00 As a French, you killed me XD...

[@fobb8590]

Epic Kazoo solo.

[@Meatful]

I love the idea, I’d like to see more videos like this. I.e. challenges that aren’t just achievements

[@Lucas.Blevins]

Agreed!

[@DaveWasHere112]

Beautifully played mate

[@aidanalvarez5486]

I’m sure Bokoen would be very happy to hear that you stopped Denmark from being invaded by the Germans in this game.

[@alatamore]

This is awesome. Great job twice!

[@Kira-zy2ro]

Its great to see the french make the axis "sauve qui peut" for a change 🤣

[@BobBob-zu2dt]

Just a tip, you can set occupation law per *STATE* so you could have had it super strict in the alps to help with local supply

[@Potatoes85858]

Is it just in my games the Italians don't join the war until after like Around Maginot?

[@Solens12]

keep up the good work man

[@revenanlone8974]

Just one idea. When you do Czech/Little Entente. You can have as Yugoslavia 40 mils in like 1938. Just rush puppet releasing focuses (every time go for more puppets) after you done france need to do "Invest to weak ally" after thet just reinstade the empire and voala you have 2 mils for puppet. (Its posible do thet solo but you need to console swap on France and Czech and manage they focuses. For bigger boost you can also do thet with puppets going full industry focuses.)

[@buddermonger2000]

Well you can't do that if going for achievements and well...1939 start lol

[@Midgeman]

Since the release of NSB ive been setting a line of 5 factories on Basic equpitement for the whole game, no matter what. Its a wonder how many more guns you can get from the 0.1 production difference

[@liquid6901]

3:30 Bitt3r's gonna hold on to our PP. I thought this was a family channel!

[@donbanan]

Toot toooot tooot toooot toooooot XDDDDDDD That trumpeting caught me by surprise.

[@arnau-kx6hl]

That trumpet at the beginning woke up my entire neighbourhood

[@boon1580]

u have to rush maintenance support in defensive war. they replenish ur gear everytime they retreat.

[@billbrydon3725]

You could also have thrown those troops you were using in North Africa into a landing on the north German coast, to further stretch them out. England might also have thrown armies in, too.

[@ObsidianHunter99]

I ended up getting insanely lucky during one of my French runs and Germany ended up having to deal with a democratic coup and a bunch of Frenchmen running around

[@rogofos]

in my 1936 game Germany just refused to help Italy it was really weird because when I took a German tile they had about 40 divisions rally to that single tile, they pushed 1 tile in back to Italy and immediately turned around and went back that weirdness only end when italy capitulated, then germans flooded into Venice

[@fristicuffs9847]

There just be a French focus to secure their borders and take land from and puppet low Landa and take the Rhine to better defend france and their should be a focus on the focus tree where you can get an offense buff to push germsny back to the Rhine but it gives you some debuffs after

[@SovietHighCommand]

every france player in hoi4: BIGGER MAGINOT LLIIIIIINNNEE!!!!

[@yeeterdeleter4101]

Very impressive kazooing man

[@SchmandlineCrew]

.... and the true winner is Memel :D Their own country after the war. Nice

[@faxer9778]

Love your content bro 🎉🎉

[@Bitt3rSteel]

Appreciate it!

[@antonino7245]

Nice video! Can you make a guide for France democratic before no step back please?

[@MrShigwell]

Great Video , would love to see a UK one next followed by USSR.

[@andreibucur8905]

a belgian saving the dutch madness

[@ValisVengeance]

Ik zie u graag "Scotty". ;) Dank u zeer!

[@thefbi3350]

The reason why the AI is able to do constant force attacks is because they have 1-2 division armies and it would be cheap too

[@Tdelliex]

those are only really for garrisons

[@RetiredRhetoricalWarhorse]

Okay, listen, that joke at around 9 minutes was funny for like three seconds :D.

[@glauberglousger6643]

Would this count as a disaster save? France and Italy, both have nice things, But, were literally useless in WW2 (Technically, both contributed the most to the war (sort of), also, France has the most victories, so...)

[@Tdelliex]

all of france's victories were from before ww2 tho, and as much as italy gets memed on they were a pretty useful distraction.

[@Kasumizawa.Miyu_RABBIT04]

Hey! Lithuania was on the map at the end!

[@theweirdclasher3955]

For the garrisons you can just hand everything over to the british

[@tomekkrysa6787]

after all, someone remembered about Poland!

[@DepressedBearsFan]

I think the Germans could spam force attack because the ai puts all their units into really small armies, and then it costs less command power

[@jasmadams]

"Slow the game way, way down" to three. Dying over here.

[@torpidlatev5258]

Epic kazoo anthem

[@bowserjrrules8162]

9:00 I'm half paying paying attention, mind ing my own business, then suddenly: kazoo.

[@soul0360]

Don't know if this has been patched by now. But in my recent game, I noticed, that to see how much enemy equipment my maintenance companies have captured. I had to hover over my own losses up top, instead of enemy losses. 23:04 FYI, I don't have all DLC.

[@eagleeye808]

Releasing Tunisia to buffer the Italians in Africa would be a good idea. It is the only land route into French Africa and the Italian navy would be in no shape to support a naval invasion after the capitulation of the mainland.

[@wispycactus364]

I did the thing where Germany doesn’t declare war on the small country’s once and I was super confused because I’m pretty new in the game and not the best and I declared it for me as a decent victory Edit: Germany did attack the Soviet Union tho.

[@yoanawramow8809]

My fav nation going stronk *Edit: Can you make a 1936 France guide

[@Potatoes85858]

Oh god, that minuscule Lithuania in Memel XD

[@mitchelreimer6934]

Don't blaspheme

[@salvatoreclaudiochiarenza5735]

You did something amazing, but maybe France is the only country that provides a decent 1939 start... Anyways, let me just say... chapeau!

[@PfcDupuis]

Thanks ! Have a good weekend Bitt3r!

[@Pax.Britannica]

Someone's watched Ferris Buellers day off recently.

[@ludiqzvqr7119]

Can you make a guide of the '' Nobody expects... '' achievement

[@ryanrg1545]

imagine playing hoi4 as germany and the person as france is bitt3rsteel

[@samuelchan2947]

Bitter can you do a army organization vid? It will be great:)

[@rubber924]

God the AI using force attack for 2 months continuously, I swear even in my games the AI cheats, if you aren't actively in some areas 2 AI will just kinda sit in a holding position and take years to finish off a war, like the UK and Italy in Somalia. I often see the AI have 0 man power but their units still have men in them even if I'm pounding them or they're just grinding into me

[@Usual_User]

My first game for france was actually successful defending (i build bunkers, had a little air, and had second defence (bunker) line

[@glauberglousger6643]

I also like Ships, Especially naval ships,

[@Wolfythereviewer]

Honestly invading Austria/Germany thru Italy is probably the most historically proven Strat vs Austria/Germany. France literally did it during the Coalition Wars when they murked the Bourbon monarch and all the monarchs of Europe got angy.

[@stephenlauret132]

Maintenance Companies only really works when you encircle units, so I have come to conclude. :)

[@gamesmateo5797]

1:05 bro go those hanibal strategies 💀

[@Toralen]

Looking at it today, France has less divisions in France proper than in this playthrough, so perhaps it is patched

[@Toralen]

The other issue is that I couldn't send troops over immediately after the initial naval invasion. They just wouldn't go - had to prepare a new invasion even though I had a port and that would take 70 days.

[@Toralen]

They wanted to go overland and not by sea, even though sea was green. RIP. I don;t know how to play this game lololol

[@notmyregularemail8434]

8:51 yes.

[@matheusdiastelo5373]

Ladies and gentleman he did

[@C.A._Old]

Oh Yeah ! ^^ +1 Fight For ! For Country ! - Charles De Gaulle . Plus Gangsta Paradise - De Gaulle

[@floppi3587]

8:58 bro the trumpet anthem 😂

[@whats_the_god_damn_point]

when italy becomes free italy

[@thesturgon3980]

That kazoo caught me so off-guard 🤣🤣🤣