How the War went: Cpuncher (Allies) vs Fafnir v1.07 Full Game

[Cpuncher]

With the surrendering of Spain, Allied forces trapped in NA were now saved! Japan tried a landing at Tunis, but this time it wouldn't help with anything. BTW, Japan DOW and took Greece several month ago.

Also Finland had joined Allies several months ago, by the full diplomatic effort of all the Allied countries. Now all Allied Diplo chits were on Sweden. I couldn't really spare the forces needed for an invasion of Sweden.

[Cpuncher]

Mar 26, 1943: German units pushed into Spain, and the Allied plan was to tie up enough German elite units there until after the summer, to save Russia.

[Cpuncher]

Japan pulled out of India while spent much effort to capture the various countries in East Africa! Well I knew the supply situation was very difficult for the Japs in India, but still, India was too important of an location to not to spend a significant amount of effort on.

[Elessar2]

This is one. weird. game.

An abortive invasion of the Japanese home islands?
Japanese carriers in the Med? Who are not the least bit concerned about said invasion?
Japanese armies in East Africa?
The Japanese abandoning their Indian invasion?
The British Army rampaging through central and western North Africa-after losing Egypt?

I'd like to know what you guys are smoking.

[Cpuncher]

ORIGINAL: Elessar2

This is one. weird. game.

An abortive invasion of the Japanese home islands?
Japanese carriers in the Med? Who are not the least bit concerned about said invasion?
Japanese armies in East Africa?
The Japanese abandoning their Indian invasion?
The British Army rampaging through central and western North Africa-after losing Egypt?

I'd like to know what you guys are smoking.

Well it's not as weird as you think.

The invasion of the Jap homeland was a miscalculated attempt. US did not have enough resources at the time to have any chance of success. It happens.

With the apparent superiority of the US Pacific fleet, Jap carriers had to escape to the Med where there was superb Axis land air protection, after they could no longer stay in the Indian Ocean. Their route to go back to their home waters were already cut. Jap homeland was perfectly safe without IJN support.

Jap effort in E Africa was more of a side show that didn't matter. Their abandoning of the Indian invasion was a bit of puzzle though. I guess he was concerned with IJN leaving Indian Ocean and the coming of US fleet, and his retreat route would be cut. So he chose to leave before it was too late.

The Axis simply did not have the resources to take care of central and western N Africa after taking Egypt. He had to swing them back toward Persia and the Russian southern oil fields.

For much of the game, everywhere on land that the Allies made gains were simply because the Axis did not have the resources to deal with it. On the other hand, the Allies had complete domination of the sea everywhere their ships can access.

[Cpuncher]

Apr 23, 1943: Axis pushed further into Spain. Everything looked gloomy for the Allies there. How long can they hold Spain?

Americans landed in Nantes, just to piss off the Axis.

Meanwhile, some IJN ships got bold.

[Cpuncher]

May 21, 1943: Allies invaded Afghanistan and took both cities in 1 turn, to open up the road to Persia, hoping her strat Bs could support the Russian south from there.

[Cpuncher]

Meanwhile,JAP had pushed deep past Lanchow, with China desperately trying to survive for as long as they could.

In Siberia, JAP began to put pressure on Irkutsk. Since they DOWed Russian, they'd been working hard this way the whole time, and Russia had to constantly send a unit or two there to deal with this threat. JAP also took Mongolia quite some time ago.

[Cpuncher]

Jun 18, 1943: Since May, Axis did not make any further advance into Spain, and the Allies began to breathe a sign of relief.

Allies recaptured Tunis (it had switched hands 4 times now) and began marching back toward Egypt.

[Cpuncher]

Meanwhile, trouble in Russia: Axis forces finally destroyed most of the Russian defense around Grozny, and now Russia's southern flank became wide open!

[Cpuncher]

Jul 16, 1943: In 1 turn, the Russians completely abandoned the defense in the Rostov area (and all the forts that were built[&:]), and established a new defensive line that ran through Voronezh, Stalingrad, and Astrakhan. Many units had to be operated from the Rostov area for the retreat.

And the Americans began to prepare for a counter attack from Spain.

[Cpuncher]

Aug 13, 1943: Americans began attacking into France from Spain, finding mostly 2nd rate Axis units there.

[Cpuncher]

Meanwhile, the new Russian defensive line was already under pressure. The Axis moved way faster than I thought they could. They were mostly well supplied too. What happened to scorched earth?

Additional German Armored units showed up. They were the ones probably pulled from the Spanish front.

[Cpuncher]

Now in hind sight, this was a fateful strategic decision by the Axis that should be re-examined.

I believe at the time, the Axis were fully capable of pushing the Americans back into the sea, recover Gibraltar (which is the gate to everything), and maintain a stalemate on the Eastern front. I know with the Russians finally showed signs of cracking, and it being high summer time, it's hard to resist the prospect of giving the Russians a decisive blow, making them very much incapable of any counter attacks for a long time, then swing back to deal with the Americans.

It turned out that the Russians were far too deep for that to work, while the Americans were relatively vulnerable at the time. Without a Major Capital on the continent, their supply would always be somewhat difficult. The Axis had to fight the Western Allies on the beachhead, instead of inland. You simply can't allow them an expanded foothold on the European continent, as that will eventually make the Axis unable to deal with both the West and the East at the same time.

For an Axis tactical victory, they just need to hold 1 of Berlin, Tokyo, or Rome, and 1 of Allied capitals, be it Paris, Chungking, or Manila. It's not impossible for the Axis to keep fighting the Americans on the beaches, while maintaining a stalemate on the Eastern front, for a very long time. Manila would be lost for sure, but if the Allies were to fully focus on Paris, to have any chance, then it's possible for the Japs to hold on to Chungking till the end.

[Cpuncher]

BTW, at the same time, the Allies also prepared an attack from Danmark, which had been held all this time. Sweden was diploed over and now her forces were attacking Norway. An Amphibious landing in Danzig was quickly destroyed by the Axis units there. But all these kept many elite Axis units away from Russia or Spain.

[Cpuncher]

And in the Pacific, Allies began a siege on Manila. The city's supply would be immediately reduced to 0 by the BBs.

[Cpuncher]

Sep 10, 1943: The Allied advance from Danmark was to be met with a very strong German response. I guess this was too close to German homeland to be ignored.

[Cpuncher]

Meanwhile, Germans took Voronezh, and continued to pressure Stalingrad.

[Cpuncher]

Oct 8, 1943: The Americans established themselves around Bordeaux. With Bordeaux being the new French capital, the supply situation would improve dramatically.

[Cpuncher]

Meanwhile, Allies took Tobruk, advancing toward Egypt. 2 amphibious attack and a para drop took Palermo.