Civilization V: The Swedish Saga, part 5 (1951 A.D. to 1975 A.D.)

The life atomic

I'm the third to reach the Atomic Era (after Russia and Greece), breaking my three-era streak for being first. I still have the lead in overall technologies, though. And judging by the forces Greece is "invading" with, their armies are pretty technologically poor. I've started construction on the Stockholm (Manhattan) Project, which will let me build nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, I turn my tech path toward Radar to replace my hilariously outdated biplanes with up-to-date fighters and bombers to seize control of the air.

March, 1952 A.D.: NDU infantry take heavy losses at the Greek city of Elis, and the generals order a fallback to Norse soil. Operation Firestorm is a failure, but work has already begun on Operation Brightstar.

At sea, Norse submarines continue to blockade Mytilene, and the forces at Graz (Operation Justicar) are holding hold strong.

I could win this fight, but the losses I would take are unacceptable. You may recall that the infantry I've upgraded from my unique Caroleans retain their unique unit bonuses. If they die, however, any new infantry I build to replace them will not have those bonuses. The crippling of my artillery by Greek bombers simply didn't leave me with enough traction to make Firestorm a viable strategy. At this point, I'm counting on atomic weapons to turn the tide.

July, 1952 A.D.: Incredulous Norse National Guard at Kaupang are shocked to see knights with lances approaching their city. After a moment of stunned indecisiveness, they elect to shoot all of the invaders before they even reach the gas station on the outskirts of town. Shortly after, Greece approaches the NDU with a peace treaty that involves the ceding of nearly all of their cities. The Norsemen send back a shield of a Greek knight that has been riddled with bullet holes, and a note saying, “Please, do continue to overestimate your chances of winning this war.”

Greece is attacking me with an army half-comprised of late Renaissance era units, who are crumbling beneath my fully-modernized forces.

Back on the foreign front, Norse fighter pilots shoot down Greek bombers over the Tunsberg Fields and seize air superiority.