Lightning Tourney Rd1 Sandeman vs SGT Rice UV2.1

[Lebatron]

Yes, I think you guys will like the higher hit points once your used to it.

As SGT Rice said flak in UV2.0+ rarely shoot a bomber down, yet it can still happen during critical hits, but instead throws off their aim. In my testing, I found that HB's at 4 LA missed a good amount of the time when one flak defends the area. A simple -3 or -4 to the roll can make the bomber miss. Once HB's hit 5LA that extra die really helps in securing the hit. Buying extra flak to get the support bonus or increasing them to 7AA helps to once again lower the odds of a hit. At 6LA and above HB's are just too likely to get their hit, as it should be. But the flak still does help prevent a double hit from one HB. I found you had to be in the 7-9 LA range to regularly get double hits when flak is present.

If you guys find flak needs a small boost it would be simple to fix. All I need to do is increase all starting flak values +1 higher than I have them at now. Same goes for Arty. If you find them to strong or to weak I can adjust LA by +-1.

[Sandeman]

Axis Fa'41

Germany advances north and south, taking an abandoned Leningrad and an undermanned Kharkov. The Finns join our cause in a pro-Axis coup, seeing our great success [8D] W.Europe is reinforced due to British harassment...

Eastern Front

[Sandeman]

And in the orient... Japan cuts the Burma road for good. Sinkiang's factory was bombed flat leaving China with 0 production and 0 supply. We hope the Chinese army enjoys the deserts of Yumen for a while [:D]

Turn sent to SGT Rice

[SGT Rice]

Allied Fall 41 - Screenie shows the overall situation in Europe at end of Allied turn (Britain is experiencing a severe outbreak of black lung disease from coal-fired power plants). Finnish coup allows Germany to push extra units into Leningrad to face the retreating Leningrad garrison, but in their enthusiasm for Lebensraum they forgot to leave anyone guarding the fort. The WA militia shipped directly from the evacuation of TLC. Murmansk convoys run for a second turn, delivering badly needed 25 resources in time for any winter attack opportunities that may present themselves.

Offscreen in the Atlantic, Churchill's nemesis is back; the repaired veteran sub flotilla sorties, finds an unprotected transport, and - you guessed it - promptly gets his gold star back with a single shot. Oy vey! Brits damage his mortal cousin; the Hunt for Gold October will continue. One other bit of welcome news at sea; the Scharnhorst/Gneisenau accepted the Russian HS's challenge; they got the kill but were damaged in the battle. Germany's on-map navy is down to 1 SS, 1 LS, 1 TRS.

[SGT Rice]

Allied Fall 41 (cont) - Zoomed in on the main crisis for the Allies; Germany presents a severe threat of a winter attack on Rostov, gateway to the Caucasus oilfields. Russia responds by massing everything that can move, minus the garrison for Moscow. Damaged Gorki factory is repaired and shipped to the Urals.

[SGT Rice]

Allied Fall 41 (final) - A quick look at the overall balance of forces (minus WA end-of-turn builds).

Japanese are deep into China with few supplies on the map (although they've got more than the Chinese!). Perhaps they intend to allow US DoW, attack Russia instead? 7 Japanese units in Manchuria have forced the Russians to heavily garrison the far east; a nice move regardless of Japanese intentions.

Turn sent to Sandeman.

[Sandeman]

Axis Win'42

The Wallies have amassed a formidable army, although lacking in any armour divisions. Germany asserts its intention to keep Kharkov by massing units there, while retaking TLC and Finland (due to a super-cheesy, entirely unrealistic amphibious attack from the north [:-]).

Japan wonders why the Wallies would reinforce India? Surely they don't think we have ambitions outside of China...

Turn sent to SGT Rice

[SGT Rice]

Allied Winter 42 - The valiant defenses of Moscow and Rostov end this season, as the sounds of Panzer engines revving over the horizon becomes unbearable for the gallant defenders. Factories are railed east and American trucks load up the vast militia armies for the ride back to Gorki and Stalingrad.

With the fall of Murmansk on the Karelian peninsula the convoy capacities are drastically reduced, but the Russians match the German force in Karelia with their own troops in Archangel, allowing a further 15 supplies to slide through under the protection of British FTRs and CAGs. Persia is occupied by the Russians from the north and the British from the south to establish an alternate lend lease route.

[SGT Rice]

Allied Winter 42 (final) - The saga of the Hunt for Gold October continues ... an elite/veteran British ASW team tracks the elusive U-boat squadron (following the trail of burning/sinking merchant ships) to the Cape of Good Hope. There they damage the unit yet again, earning a second gold star for the Royal Navy's destroyer units (any captain who can roll box cars when it matters deserves a gold star).

Turn sent to Sandeman.

[Sandeman]

Axis Spr'42

The Brits found our Gold Uboat once again, but only inflicted minor damage. The crew is happy for the R&R.

The Wehrmacht continues east, overrunning Kursk again and forcing the SU into a tough decision...where shall they defend? Adding to their misery, the Luftwaffe scored 6 or so hits against Russian factories and rail.

Turn sent to SGT Rice

[GKar]

Interesting AAR - and lots of stars on the water, or so it may seem. [:)]

Looks like Germany is in a good position against the Russians. Stalin is calling Churchill and Roosevelt for the second front already, I guess. [:D]

[SGT Rice]

Allied Spring 42 - The Russians continue to roll out the Red Carpet for their German guests; Stalingrad and Gorki are evacuated. Miraculously the 2nd Moscow factory was not on the Luftwaffe's strike list; the workers and their machine tools are evacuated to the Urals. This creates a temporary shortage of rolling stock in the region, so two lonely militia units are abandoned to their fate in Yaroslavl.

The Archangel run becomes untenable with a strong German army group moving forward from Leningrad to Vologda; the Russians withdraw and the British convoys do the same. A CV strike from the Norwegian Sea across Finland bags a German trannie off Leningrad. Churchill's personal spy team informs him that U-boats have been seen in Wilhelmshaven, with big silver stars on the conning towers that appear to have flecks of gold peeking through ...

[SGT Rice]

Allied Spring 42 (cont) - It was a good time to cease the Archangel run; the Luftwaffe flexes its muscle in Norway.

WA get 5 hits (1 rail, 4 resources) in air strikes; Bomber Command flexes its muscle in France.

US gearup takes effect boosting WA production to 57 ... "and there was great rejoicing at #10 Downing Street" (after all the joicing was done) [;)].

[SGT Rice]

Allied Spring 42 (final) - We haven't provided much detail on the Far East. Here's a screenie showing the major Japanese and Russian troop dispositions. Some of the 7 (!!!) Japanese carriers appear to be lurking in Shanghai and Tokyo harbors.

Turn sent to Sandeman.

[Sandeman]

Axis Sum'42

Moscow is now axis occupied, but the Germans call a halt in the east to reorganize and call more Luftwaffe strikes. E.France is reinforced by fighters, as 2 Flak units were not enough to prevent 4 damaged resources there last turn... even with 15 suppression HBs were getting hits easily.

Japan's economy needs a solution to the oil embargo soon...

Oh, and our veteran u-boat which has caused so much mischief over the past 3 years is no more...thanks to a super-merchant ship [:(]

[SGT Rice]

Allied Summer 42 - No significant changes in troop dispositions on any front. With fighters covering Eastern France, Bomber Command shortens it's missions to target factories and railyards in Western France; 5 hits.

I guess the only answer to Gold October was subterfuge; we got him with a Q-ship. It was such a secret mission I didn't even know we had one.

[SGT Rice]

Relative strengths at the beginning of Axis Fall 42 turn. The Japanese appear to be ready; 142 supplies, 7 carriers, etc., etc. ...

The penalty for a successful Battle of the Atlantic by the British; not enough transport sinkings to help US Readiness along. This gives Japan a couple of extra turns to prepare. Not that I'm complaining, it certainly makes sense from an historical point of view.

Turn sent to Sandeman.

[SGT Rice]

Might as well add the big picture ...

[GKar]

ORIGINAL: SGT Rice

I guess the only answer to Gold October was subterfuge; we got him with a Q-ship. It was such a secret mission I didn't even know we had one.

Heck, I didn't even know these things existed (on the Allied side)! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q-ship

Yours was more successful though, too bad it didn't get a star.

[Lebatron]

SGT Rice, you have not made mention of any US strat moves during 1942. Have you been using them? Just as a reminder the US gets 1 strat move per turn starting in 1942.