Ash (Allies) vs Will (Axis) - SoE

[Will952]

Following our 1st match of SC in Case Blue (see here https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4830546) Ash and I have decided to take to the main 1939 campaign. I always find the 1939 campaign incredibly daunting, especially as Axis, because you have so many choices to make, and every decision and every MPP spent in the first year or so can be incredibly impactive.

I've had a little read of some of the AARs here and I've seen that flavour of the month seems to be a Med-focused strategy with Sealion and aggressive diplo against Spain. That might be a little exotic for my first proper 1939 game but I'll keep an open mind.

I’m picking up this AAR after turn 3. Warsaw was captured on turn 2 and the armed forces are marching Westwards. I've refunded the Rockets research chit and ploughed it into inf weapons, long range and advanced aircraft and tank tech instead. Notably, the Allies are yet to spend anything on research or diplomacy as yet, choosing to build more units.

Quite a few decisions to make early on – I agreed to honour Molotov-Ribbentrop to keep Soviet readiness low, and deployed the Paras at half-strength early on; this to ensure a rapid capture of Denmark and get the MPPs flowing. I’ve offered the USSR the friendship treaty – not too sure of the ramifications of that one yet, but keeping Soviet mobilization as low as possible seems sensible.

A couple of subs were steaming their way towards the Med to assist the Italian fleet once they enter the fray, but got caught up by the Royal Navy off the coast of Spain. A few shots fired but only the British surface fleet takes any damage.

Meanwhile I’ve got subs and a cruiser making their way to Halifax, where I intend to start hitting the Canadian port and hurting British income.

[Will952]

October 1939...

Not too much to report. Germany continues to plough funding into research, the Reich scientists will want for nothing! Unsexy-but-important logistics and anti-aircraft got a boost this turn.

The Allies on the other hand appear to be putting greater emphasis on buying up troops, with the USA the only ones to have made any research investments (probably intelligence). The Brits in particular seem to be bolstering the size of their forces.

Some naval skirmishes off the coast of Spain as my subs get caught in a web of destroyers. Took a bit of damage but gave a bit back too. I've tried to slither away this turn but there's evidently a large number of ships in the local area.

Meanwhile at Halifax, I've moved in to mine the port.

The French banned the Communists, enraging Stalin but keeping French troop morale high.

Ash also strolled his French troops into the Saar mine and occupied it - that'll teach me not to garrison it on the first turn.

[Will952]

November 1939

Germany has more or less maxed out its research capabilities now. Limited funding until France is captured. Still nothing worse posting picture-wise. I'm getting my ducks in a row on the Belgian border and was hoping to invade Denmark this turn, but rain put things off. My subs seemed to have escaped Ash's clutches, but ran up against a couple of battleships while cruising through the Atlantic - will probably get trapped again.

The KM is causing havoc up at Halifax, knocking the port out of action to the tune of some ~40mpps lost in convoy income to the UK. I've left them there one more turn to reduce the port to 3 supply before I send them away.

The Regia Marina is bottled up in the Adriatic with bombers and fighters stationed nearby on overwatch, guarding against any French fleet kamikaze missions when Italy enters the war. Troops are gradually making their way to North Africa to shore things up there ahead of any sneaky British moves.

[Will952]

December 1939

Preparations continue for the Battle of France. To keep Sealion open as an option, I'm investing in the Luftwaffe, purchasing a maritime bomber. A couple of new armies wouldn't go amiss either, to help move things along when Spring arrives. While I'm not prepared to commit to Sealion either way at the moment I think it's certainly worth at least scouting the UK once France is looking wobbly because if the UK has massively over-committed to Egypt then it can be worthwhile going for it.

Some surprisingly spicy battles at sea as Ash tried to bait me out by placing his Norway raiding sub tantalizingly close to German shores. Never one to ignore such tempting bait I sent my destroyer out on a scouting mission, exchanged heavy blows with the sub and retreated. Ash moved in with a cruiser and sunk my destroyer, but I returned the favour by sinking his cruiser this turn before scurrying back to safe ports. A trade I'm happy to take.

In the Atlantic, I've had my fun at the Halifax mines and I've moved away before the surface fleet comes to cause me pain.

[Will952]

March 1940...

Made a bit of an embarrassment of myself by invading Denmark, but failing to clear the garrison with my Medium Bomber so had to use the Fallschrimjagers instead, who then had no AP left to occupy Copenhagen. Whoops. Taken the following turn. One sub went down in the Atlantic, doing a good amount of damage in the process to a number of destroyers, so no great loss. The rest of the fleet is nipping around silently although will soon need to resupply.

Mud should clear next turn and the invasion can begin. Will post a screenshot then.

[Will952]

April 14, 1940

Fall Gelb begins on the first turn of clear weather. Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg are conquered easily with minimal losses. Due to my muck up with the invasion of Denmark the 2nd unit of paratroopers couldn’t join this turn, but no matter. The RAF has been placed quite centrally in France, indicative of a strong British presence. Seems Ash is going to try and delay the fall of France for as long as possible by committing heavily to the continent.

[Will952]

May - July 1942...

Have been quite a few fast and furious turns today so will summarise...

The Fall of France happened slightly slower than I would've liked, with capitulation only achieved after a hard fight on July 21. Some smart use of engineers and consistently entrenched French armies lead to stiff resistance. I lost 1 Corps in the process and otherwise took a bit of a hammering across my units generally, but landed some clean shots on Monty's HQ plus destroyed the BEF army and the aforementioned RAF fighter wing. Ash was then forced to operate the rest of the British forces out of danger at some considerable cost.

USSR was tilted slightly towards the Allies, confirming that the big diplo numbers are indeed being spent on massaging Stalin's readiness. I'm not too fussed about this unless he starts getting multiple diplo hits at which point I'll have to move to counter. For now I'm content to have all my diplomatic efforts focused on Spain. I've already had a few hits, so coupled with the capture of France I'm in a good position to bring them on side within the next year or so provided Ash doesn't move to counter.

Now the real question is, is the UK so undefended that Sealion is a viable option...

[Will952]

August 18, 1940

France has surrendered, the Vichy government installed.

I'm now going to try and achieve a number of objectives by the end of 1940;
- Maintain Italian holdings in NA, shoring up the defences there and potentially bringing in some German support ahead of the DAK's arrival in early 1941
- Capture Malta
- Damage Britain, considering Sealion
- Prepare troops to invade Yugoslavia and Greece in early 1941

The UK mainland has been scouted and found rather undermanned, suggesting a heavy presence in the NA theatre. Carriers are sat in port and looking very inviting.



Review of the MPP situation across the board shows some strange results. The USSR has yet to invest a single chit in research, instead focusing all efforts on purchasing new troops every turn. Meanwhile I'm well on my way to inf weapons level 2 and tank tech level 3. Barbarossa is going to hit like a freight train...

[Will952]

September 1, 1940

I had planned to operate most of the Luftwaffe to Sicily for the assault on Malta, but the UK is providing too many inviting targets to ignore. Sunk a carrier docked in London this turn. Another sits at Southampton and is ripe for the plucking if Ash doesn't move it soon...

Paratroopers are preparing, if I can build the courage to launch them.

USSR put their first chit of research in play, 200mpps, likely inf weapons.

[Will952]

October 25, 1940

Ash shifted his carriers away from the vulnerable south coast of the UK - a wise decision. The window of opportunity for a Sealion in 1940 is more or less closed, and was never too much of a serious proposition.

The rest of the Luftwaffe including 3 tacs and 2 medium bombers plus the Italian medium bomber is now hitting Malta hard. Italian battleships initiated a coastal barrage reducing supply to zero, and a sub is blocking land supply from the ports. With a bit of luck and clear weather I'll be able to capture Malta next turn.

Things are hotting up in NA, as the Brits finally advanced with Inf Weapons level 1. The Italian army was waiting to greet them and punched the British army on the nose although failed to destroy it and took moderate losses in the process. Italy got Inf Weapons level 1 at the end of this turn however so if I can buy a bit of space I can probably slow the British advance until the DAK arrives in 6 months or so.



Got an interesting DE this turn, whether to permit the Italian invasion of Greece. While this gives 2 extra corps at less than cost price, and a small boost to fragile Italian NM, I decided it was not worth it. My troops are not yet in position around Yugoslavia, and an early invasion of Greece before I am ready to blitz it will only serve to create a potential headache. Italian pride will suffer, but I think it's the sensible decision long term.

[Will952]

December 1, 1940

Malta falls under the relentless Luftwaffe pounding and is seized without a shot by waiting paratroopers. That should lay the groundwork nicely for the DAK's arrival in a few months time.

In Egypt I have now realised that advancing so far was actually quite a major error, as it allowed the Brits to spawn a huge amount of reinforcements instantly. As such the Italians are now having to fall back and have abandoned Mersa Matrul. On the plus side, Sidi Barrini should hold out for a few turns as the troops there have Inf weapons level 1. I will probably lose an Italian army next turn thanks to my blundering.



Meanwhile on the continent I am preparing my Yugoslavian invasion force. In order to keep Soviet mobilisation low, I will wait for the allied coup rather than invading directly.

Speaking of Soviet mobilisation, it is sitting at 17% - very low, and is due to Ash sending successful aid to Finland and banning the Communists in France. I think you can do one or the other, but not both - very risky. As such I am content that Barbarossa can be delayed until late Summer, allowing ample time for the conquer of Yugoslavia and Greece and ensuring that all of my troops are fully upgraded at the jump.

[Will952]

December 30, 1940

The Italians continue to get a right kicking from the Brits in North Africa with the expected destruction of one Italian army, a loss they can ill-afford. Fortunately I was presented with the DAK decision at the start of this turn, which naturally I accepted, and used most of this turns MPP income to bring the troops to full strength. They'll go into battle over the next turn or two.



USSR mobilisation remains at 17%. I'm naturally very happy with this. I'm minded to delay Barbarossa until late July or even early August as I don't want to gift Ash a sudden increase in USSR income when it is currently so low. That will leave plenty of time for an invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece. I'm also planning to reinforce Rommel with some additional bombers which won't be needed in the East for a little while.

[Elessar2]

That may be true [reducing Russian income], but you more than make up for that by destroying many of his units each turn. When mud comes your offensive will be slowed, then stopped by winter (and the Russian Winter event), and all of those untaken city centers & mines will boost his production into 1942. I do think that the rasputista often dries up too early [early mid May], but I prefer to take advantage of all those clear summer turns.

[Taifun]

I completely agree with Elessar2, the sooner you attack the better. Sometimes, weather permitting, I start the attack in May 1941. Those extra turns in dry weather means a few more km towards the main big cities. The Russians reinforce a lot in 1942 with the arrival of the Siberians and the going will be a lot tougher.

[Will952]

April 1941

Yugoslavia is invaded after the Allied coup with no losses of note. A German battle group is forming up at the Greek border ready for the final easy conquest of mainland Europe.

In NA the DAK makes its first major move of the game, destroying the WDF army at the spearhead of the British advance. British infantry is 2-3 lines deep plus armour so won't be easy to crack. Rommel will benefit from an extra tac and medium bomber.

Noted above comments; I think there's definitely something to be said for both approaches! Certainly if Ash was at a higher mobilisation e.g. 50+% I'd be looking at an early as possible invasion. The fact that he's still kicking around the 30% mark makes me loathe to invade too early while his income is so low. But I am nevertheless forming up across the USSR border ready for the jump-off in a few turns time...

[Will952]

May 1941
(sorry forgot pictures)

A couple of British Corps are blown away at the front line in North Africa. The British HQ backstopping them takes a heavy hit from aerial bombardment. The British line looks pretty thin and he'll probably have to fall back to his emplacements by El Alamein.

Greece has been invaded, the navy destroyed, and the armies at Thessaloniki swept aside. German soldiers march triumphantly south.

The USSR is creeping up in mobilisation, now sitting at around 63%. I don't want to wait too much more, but ideally I'd have Greece conquered and the troops there railed back in time for Barbarossa.

[Will952]

June 21, 1942

Apologies for the big gap in time.

What has happened since May 1941...

Well Barbarossa began in August, a tad later than desirable. Progress has been reasonable; I was not too concerned about reaching any of the 3 key objectives before Winter, especially as Ash has gone for the 'garrison every town and city' defense approach. Going steadily and building XP therefore seems much more effective. By Winter I was close to Leningrad, some distance from Moscow, and surrounding Dnepropetrovsk in the South. This slow and steady approach had the other benefit of delaying the Siberians, and I still haven't seen any sign of them. No Axis land losses as yet.

Franco was persuaded to join the Axis cause, having been tipped over the edge by the furious pace of German progress in Egypt, and finally after witnessing the Americans sending the Brits lend-lease tanks. He would not stand for this blatant imperialism and has given his forces to the dark side. Portugal was promptly invaded and conquered, along with Gibraltar. Vichy France is next on the hit list. Vichy itself has been taken, and the rest of the puppet state should fall in the next turn or two.

Turkey is the new focus of Axis diplomatic attention and is now sitting at around 40%.

The Americans have been focusing on the Saudis, no doubt hungry for oil as well as additional territory to retreat into, should the situation become dire.

Since 1942 began, German troops have gained new momentum and captured Leningrad with assistance from the Finns. I would ordinarily consider sending Mannerheim on an expedition to capture Murmansk at this point, however Ash appears to have 'turned off the hose', so to speak, on British and American support to the USSR! Convoys have dropped to 0, irrespective of any raiding activity. This is suggestive of a critical situation for the British, who clearly need all the MPPs they can get...In any case I now have a substantial battle group available for re-deployment. I'll clear out a few towns near Leningrad and garrison them so that I have an early warning system against any future attempts to re-capture them, and then look to reposition the troops elsewhere.



cont below...

[Will952]

June 21, 1942 (cont)

Elsewhere in the USSR progress has picked up nicely since 1942 began. A renewed German offensive at Smolensk has smashed open the Russian defensive line, which was assisted by no small amount of entrenched troops. A wedge of shock troops, spearheaded by special forces, is now primed to assault the city directly.

The strongest troops are in the South near Rostov where they are preparing to split into Army Group A, for Stalingrad, and Army Group B, for Baku. The bulk of the armour is in the south and at level 3, versus level 1 Russian infantry, is having no problem cutting up the defenders.

Down in the Med, there has been bitter fighting over Egypt. Dogfights have seen at least 2 British fighter wings destroyed and the Axis have firmly established air superiority. The Brits were well dug in with many layers of entrenchments but I've finally cracked the hard shell that existed around Alexandria. Just this turn, Italian troops marched into Cairo and the British armour that was guarding it was destroyed. The first American troops can be seen here together with some Canadians holding the line.



There has also been major sea battles, with losses on both sides. The introduction of the American navy has tilted the odds in the favour of the Allies, despite good early gains by Axis battleships. There is an ongoing major sea battle off the coast of Norway, no clear victor has emerged as both sides are trading.

At the macro level, things are definitely looking good for the Axis. Spain has joined and the Med is all but sealed-off. Turkey should join by the end of 1941, opening up another front into Baku. The Brits are in such a critical state that they've ended all lend-lease to the USSR. German income is a little above 1100MPPs and set to grow more in the near future with the capture of Vichy France.

However, one cannot become complacent. The USSR is still only gearing up in 1942 and they will soon start to bring significant armour to the front line. The Americans have long supply chains but they have massive industrial potential. Still much to play for.