Taifun (Axis) v EarlyDoors (Allies)

[EarlyDoors]

September 1939 - World War II Begins

And France, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia declare war in response.

but of course hybrid war had been raging across Manchuria for years.
It turned hot in China with the Japanese airforce softening up the 41st Army in the marshes southeast of Chengchow and the infantry finishing them off. Simultaneously the hapless XIV Corps east of Changsha were overrun and obliterated.

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Germany advances into Poland destroying 3 armies and 2 cavalry brigades. The attack on Warsaw is barely rebuffed.

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Although German Panzers have secured a supply source at Lodz there appears the possiblity of cutting the forward thrust off from their main supply routes and the few remaining Polish troops attempt an encirclement.

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Unfortunately the 'End of Turn' gods flip the control of the hex South of Torun opening up supply routes.
The Polish mech unit makes a southerly excursion into Slovakia looking for easy pickings.

[EarlyDoors]

October 1939

China's 12th Army outside Chengchow is destroyed.

1939-10-13-china.png (442.38 KiB) Viewed 2715 times

Poland loses a Corps, 2 Cavalry Brigades and 2 Garrisons. Warsaw is lost and surrenders.
The country is split with the USSR taking the eastern half.

The B.E.F. arrives in France and the RN begin raiding the Norway merchant line.

[EarlyDoors]

November 1939

Germany declares war on Belgium capturing Eben Emael and Brussels. Belgium surrenders.
Refugees block roads. Fear spreads through France.
Montgomery steps onto the continent to command the B.E.F. in response.

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[EarlyDoors]

December 1939

Japanese troops reorganise and prepare assault positions around Changsha and Hengyang vacating Canton.
A Chinese Corps marches over the mountains to secure the important supply source.

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In Western Europe the Maginot line is outflanked and the British II Corps defending the mine is destroyed.

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[EarlyDoors]

January 1940

A new year, a new hope for peace? No, Germany continues through Belgium into Northern France. The B.E.F stand firm in Lille but are now surrounded.
Monty thinks of escaping across the Channel but instead retreats to Cherbourg. His fighter squadron flies back to blighty for R&R. There's not a lot between the German Army and Paris now. France rustles up a corps to Le Havre.

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Bouyed by hubris and jealous of German success, Mussolini declares war on the Allies and British forces mobilise in Egypt.
Chinese diplomats have been feverishly swinging the Burmese 5% closer to war.

[firsteds]

Enjoying the AAR. Excellent graphics. Can you occasionally mention diplo, research, mobilisation etc.? Always interesting to see what players try in those areas.

[LoneRunner]

Great AAR. I like the screenshots. Thanks Taifun and EarlyDoors for sharing.

Yes, information on your research and diplomacy choices would be cool.

Monty! What, is Lord Gort not good enough? Haha. Interesting choice to spend 105 MMPs replacing Gort. I know UK MMPs are extremely tight at this point. Although, it'd be nice to have Monty this early, especially in North Africa.

Appears that UK is incurring most of the losses.

[EarlyDoors]

Thanks for the interest. I'm publishing a year after the in-game events so will try and add thought process and other info when I can.

February 1940

Chinese CXV Corps destroyed outside Changsha. Japanese show great operational manouverability to finish them off but vacate a mountain hex south of Wuhan that a Chinese corps pushing out from Ichang occupies. The Changsha - Hengyang railroad is cut.

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In NE France, the B.E.F. are destroyed and Lille captured.

[EarlyDoors]

Early March 1940

French morale falls as the Germans approach Paris. Units pull back from Sedan to form new defensive lines in front of Paris.
In the south, a corps lands from Algiers which together with a garrison of Congolese Belgians seal off an Italian reccon Corps that has seized the St Etienne mine

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Chinese SIGINT detects Japanese commanders frustration with the wintry weather

[EarlyDoors]

Late March 1940

In France, spring rains have kept some of the luftwaffe grounded but the wehrmacht push on through mud throwing a blocking French Corps back across the Seine. The only remaining British Corps is surrounded in Amiens.
Further south the Congolese Belgians are shunted aside and fall back on Vichy. Algiers Corps intercept the out-of-supply Italian Corps heading for Montpellier and a garrison is raised in St Etienne. Strong German forces are heading over the mountains.

1940-03-29.png (1.04 MiB) Viewed 2559 times

Germany takes the world by surprise with an invasion of Norway inserting a puppet Prime Minister. US reacts with fury but not enough to start shipping aid to the UK. Netherlands and Luxembourg remain neutral.

In Asia, China loses CXX Corps and the UK raises its dominion forces in Malaya. A combined French and RN blockade North African ports.

[EarlyDoors]

April 1940

The assaults on Chenghow and Changsha continue with the loss of the 42nd Army and the CXXX Corps.
Puppet government established in Nanjing.

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German panzers strike SW then SE of Paris to destroy Grp de Chasse 21 Fighters. Tours seized. French scrambling units they can't spare from the Maginot line to plug gaps.
British I Corps destroyed in Amiens. Monty leaves the continent.
Italian III Corps still out of supply in the south but axis forces including Italian tanks are flooding over the border.

1940-04-26-western-front.png (859 KiB) Viewed 2538 times

UK Forces advance on Tobruk.

1940-04-26-north-africa.png (1.11 MiB) Viewed 2538 times

[EarlyDoors]

May 1940

The Japanese strike from south/south east and destroy the Chinese 4th Army defending Changsha. The city is taken potentially leaving a fortress Corps cut-off but the supply line is maintained from Ichang. Further north at Chengchow II Corps are lost. The japanese have shaken off the winter snows and got their mojo on now. Chinese morale falls with the loss of Changsha.

1940-05-24-capture-of-changsha.png (961.1 KiB) Viewed 2506 times

2 German Panzer divsions enter France and drive down the East side of Paris linking up with a Panzer coming from Tours. The French Army is routed losing 1 army, 2 corps, 2 HQs and a Garrison. Chalons and Lyons are taken. Even with the arrival of Tanks, Paris is surrounded on 3 sides and looks doomed. Morale tumbles further.

1940-05-24-envelopment-of-paris-and-fall-of-lyon.png (724.59 KiB) Viewed 2506 times

[EarlyDoors]

June 1940

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The Chinese III Corps defending Hengyang are destroyed and the city occupied.

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Indian troops land in Italian East Africa linking up with Sudanese Corps and begin the attrition of Massawa.

1940-06-21-indians-in-east-africa.png (1.55 MiB) Viewed 2451 times

[EarlyDoors]

July 1940

Japanese mop up the Chinese Corps in the remaining Changsha fortress and begin enveloping the army guarding the mountain road to Kweichow. There is more concern further north as Chengchow falls with the loss of its defending corps. Morale falls across China though enough survivors escape to reform units.

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The seige of Tobruk continues. The British forces not strong enough to push their way into the fortified coastal town. To the south, ANZACs under the command of Blamey and under strict radio silence fall upon the Benghazi garrison but the inexperienced troops have to be content with laying seige. The port is degraded. Nothing is coming in or out for a few months.

With the loss of the French navy there is concern about the situation at Tripoli. British Reconn unit makes a dash through the Western Desert meeting no opposition at El Agheila or Sirte.

1940-07-19-sirte-seized.png (1.05 MiB) Viewed 2417 times

[EarlyDoors]

August 1940

Japanese assualts continue. Chinese 1st Army in the fortress guarding the Kweichow road are overcome and L Corps on the road to Sian are also destroyed.

1940-08-16-china.png (1.6 MiB) Viewed 2383 times

Germany has been mounting fighter sweeps over the channel. Norwich was buzzed last month and this time Bristol ack-ack says hello. Are they probing in any seriousness? The British have been purchasing for Home Defence since the November invasion of Belgium. I thought Sealion had been discounted by the German High Command but now I'm having second thoughts.

1940-08-16-possible-sealion.png (921.72 KiB) Viewed 2383 times

[Taifun]

Generals and Commanders thanks for following this great AAR: Earlydoors is doing a great job. As said before this game is lagging behind the "live turn" only 1 year. So no spoilers...
August 1940. France was defeated in a quick campaign. I didn't buy any new units except the Italian and German naval bombers. Italy entered the war very early January 1940 and opened the south Alpine front. I operated intensely in this campaign with no less than 4 Armies, 1 tank corps and 3 infantry corps being moved by rail. It was soon clear that the British were sending no reinforcements to France and were concentrating their MMPs in new unis/naval upgrades. They only invested a single time 175 MPPs most probably in Naval Weaponry and another x2 175MPPs July-August 1940. The UK invested 250 MPPs in diplomacy in may. Germany concentrated their income in research investing 1600 MPPs until August 1940 while our diplomats stayed quiet for the time being. China with 150 MPPs and India with 100 MPPs also invested in Diplomacy so far, getting a couple of hits in Burma.

The weather in China during the winter was the worst that I have seen in this game and Tojo struggled to make good progress for many months.

[EarlyDoors]

September 1940

War has been raging for a year.
Japanese success north of Ichang destroys the 13th Army and forces a dislocation of the defence. Chinese forces pull back and take up new positions along the road to Chungking. The Chinese V Corps are lost on the road to Kweichow.

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HMS Valiant, having belatedly sailed from its moorings in Alexandria to Malta en route to pound the port of Tripoli is caught by a combined Luftwaffe / Italian bomber force flying out of Sicily and sunk. This same force assist in a dastardly airborne insertion to Tunis, forcing the surrender of the Capital and giving the Axis a working port in North Africa. The turncoats are outraged. Should have backed the Free French, lads.
At least there will be little air support for any invasion of the UK.

Tobruk and its port are finally captured but the ANZACs haven't got enough firepower to shift the Italian garrison from Benghazi.

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The Kreigsmarine have been probing the escape routes to the open ocean via the Channel and the North Sea. The Admiralty has been expecting to have to defend the merchant sea routes.

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1940-09-13-st-georges-channel.png (531.38 KiB) Viewed 2306 times

[EarlyDoors]

September 1940 - East Africa

There is timely success for the Allies with the Indian seizure of Massawa in East Africa.

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Both India and China have secured Improved Infantry Weapons - hussah!

[EarlyDoors]

October 1940

Ichang lost ! China's 54th Army destroyed and a corps cut-off although it can still receive some supply across the lake.
Also the reformed XIV Corps (yes them) are destroyed on the road to Kweichow.

1940-10-11-china.png (682.82 KiB) Viewed 2303 times

In the Mediterranean the combined German and Italian air arms pound Valetta whilst the Italian Navy blockades its ports. Looks like the Axis are making a play for North Africa. If they needed a reminder about the importance of Malta they get one as it hinders supply to one of their resources.
The Italian 5th Garrison holding Benghazi are overcome and the town and port are ours lowering Italian Morale.. 7th Armoured arrive in Egypt.

1940-10-11-reduction-of-malta.png (396.77 KiB) Viewed 2303 times

The Axis sign the Tripartite pact - worrying. Hungary and Romania also join the Axis Alliance.

British diplomats edge the Burmese 7% closer to war. Still only about 77% though. NOt getting much return for the investment. Our units fail in the Dakar raid.

[Taifun]

In my last 5-6 games as Axis I left Libya underdefended and Malta in Allied hands. In most cases I captured Tunisia with a para unit in 1940 and delayed the Allies around Tripoli and then Tunisia for around 1 year or even more. But this game was different. The Allies didn't attack the Italian Navy before France surrendered. A mayor mistake? With an intact Regia Marina the Fuhrer decided to help Mussolini stop the Allied offensive. The Kriegsmarine will send 3 U-Boote and 2 Heavy cruisers to attempt the dangerous Gibraltar crossing. Once in the Mediterranean the combined Axis fleet will take control of the Libyan coast.

It took some time to get all the bombers from France to Sicily down the Italian peninsula, as I didn't want to waste any MMPs operating the expensive bombers. All 5 Luftwaffe bombers together with their Italian bomber comrades battered Malta starting October. General von Manstein was activated and given control of the Luftwaffe. The weather in the Mediterranean turns rainy fast during the fall turns and I needed some luck: November must remain with clear skies over Sicily and Malta...

When Tunis was captured the city and port were damaged to level 2. Then Tripoli port, when about to reach finally level 5 was hit by Malta "forces" and reduced to level 3 again in October.
Ready to cross from Italy were 2 panzerkorps, a German infantry corps, a German AA, an Italian Army and an Italian HQ. But they will have to wait 2 more turns to make the short cruise. A lone Italian Army was holding Tripoli since the war started. A second German para unit was operated to Messina to take Malta as the other German para was stuck in Tunis in low supply since September.