Ash (Allies) vs Will (Axis) - Case Blue 1942

[Will952]

Hello all, hope you enjoy this little AAR courtesy of my buddy AshFall. We've been playing SC for a few years now - used to put our AARs on the old forums - and are both embarking now on our first proper campaign of the new game (having mostly played 'Classic' SC). By no means experts at the game, however, and there's a lot of new stuff to this game/campaign which we'll be unfamiliar with. Many surprises in store, no doubt!

In an effort to skip straight to the action without the relative tedium of the Sitzkrieg we have gone for Case Blue.

June 28, 1942



We kick things off with a fairly leisurely summer attack. The Soviet starting position in Case Blue is rather unfortunate, as it puts quite a few armies stuck in forests just south of the Don. My goal in the short term is to encircle these guys, cut them off, and wipe them out to prevent easy reinforcements. Things are only going to get tougher from here so got to take the breaks when you can get them!

With some Luftwaffe assistance, I managed to wipe out one of the starting HQs here - that should ensure bad supply and readiness for the nearby troops. There's a fairly menacing looking lvl2 Soviet Tank group sitting just across the river, but I'm hoping that without a HQ it won't be in a position to bite my nose off.

Further up the line I made some decent strikes, but the main thrust of the attack is going to be south towards Rostove, and then on to Stalingrad.

Up north at Leningrad, the starting position is a rather sorry-looking band of out-of-supply Corps, and a single Army. I pulled one corps back from the border of Volkhov as it was on 0 supply and would surely get minced by the mechanised unit staring at it. The HQ starting position is also pretty terrible, stuck in a marsh, so I am going to gradually pivot him around to Narva, where he can benefit from the 6 supply port.

The key aim in the north will be to keep my boot on the arterial railway line that would otherwise connect Moscow to Leningrad. If the two cities are allowed to link up, the otherwise poorly supplied Soviet troops there will get a huge boost in readiness, and I'll have a much tougher fight on my hands. Ash will know this and will be doing everything he can to un-seat me.

The final army group, not photographed, is the small armoured force near Rhzev. I have a few choices here; keep pushing towards Moscow across densely wooded and fortified territory, operate the force to another sector, or stay put and make light assaults if and when opportunities arise. Safe to say, none of these options are particularly palatable; Moscow is not a significant strategic victory, and the fight for it would be bloody. Can't imagine my tanks would fare too well there either. Sufficed to say I've got a plan for this army group, but I'll keep it close to the chest for now...

Also not captured here is the Afrika Corps. It starts the campaign in a state of minor disrepair, so there isn't much going on here besides re-arming and preparing to attack the British over the next few turns.

All in all it's a solid first turn, dealing about 1200MPPs of damage to the Soviets, taking about 700 in return but spread thinly across my units. Beating the Soviets is all about winning the war of attrition, so we're starting as I mean to continue - not that I think it will!

What do I expect from Ash? Well, he's a crafty bugger. He's also a lot better with navies and amphibious organisation than I am. I suspect he may try something like an early landing in France or North Africa to try and throw me off. I would also not be surprised to see some aggressive diplo usage to push allies away from me and/or stifle my imports.

[Will952]

July 10, 1942

No pictures this turn, apologies.

The pocket of Soviet armies caught out south of Kharkov became properly isolated and were picked off. Many of them tried to retreat, if only to reach 5 supply territory where they might avoid being destroyed out of supply. A few were successful, but quite a few weren't. The Italians and Romanians are the rear-guard on mopping up duty.

Troops reached the gates of Rostov but did not attack yet, as the troops there are starting to dig in. Next turn the Luftwaffe will pound the city into the ground, and that should, barring any unlucky rolls, let German troops into the city.

Near Leningrad, I continued to pivot my HQ round towards the Narva port and am now benefiting from (slightly) improved supply in the region. Some lucky attacks allowed me to destroy one of the forward armies and press forwards towards Leningrad itself.

In North Africa, the DAK scored an important tactical victory; the destruction of a British corps, creating an opening to rock the British HQ directly (not destroyed though).

Starting to put some serious MPPs into research - I want longer range aircraft, improved production costs, and I need to keep pace with Allies research, so one chit into Spying as well.

Troop purchases are best left until Autumn, which tees them up to arrive in time for the following Spring. For now, just a few Garrisons are purchased to handle Partisans.

[Will952]

July 26, 1942

The German advance continues at a reasonable, if not slightly ponderous, pace. Starting with the North, I am starting to squeeze Leningrad, with one of the defending Soviet armies taking a battering but remaining standing. I have operated a number of additional troops to this region sourced from across the front. My rationale being, the sooner I can crack Leningrad and open up the Finnish-German rail lines, the quicker I can release the Finns to a more useful sector. Not to mention boosting the MPP value of Finnish resources. A substantial force is being built up around Volkhov which will surge across the river soon and this will certainly cause some problems, but if I can keep them at bay 2 or 3 more turns that should give me ample time to start cutting into the city of Leningrad itself.

Back in the South, I scored 2 decent strategic victories, Sevastopol and Rostov. The latter was expected, but the former was a pleasant surprise - Ash only reinforced the Army there to 50% so it fell easily. This gives me another army group which I can either use to press my advantage in the south, or relocate to another front altogether. I don't want to completely abandon the Moscow front, so I will probably send the troops there with a view to forcing Ash to keep a meaningful Soviet presence in the area.

In North Africa, another British corps is decisively dispatched by a combination of Italian and German tanks, and I am inching closer to El Alamein.

Quite a few MPPs were spent on replenishing my central battle groups, but the little leftover is being ploughed into fresh armies. Corps are handy for mopping up, and tanks are great at attacking troops in the open, but when it comes to urban fighting it's Armies that I need.

[Will952]

August 9, 1942

The Axis forces continue to steamroll the southern front, with a crucial breakthrough made at Rostov. The Soviet line is pretty thin here, and it shows. A German tank column scored a major hit on Eremenko's HQ. I could have finished him off, but as he has no viable means of escape, I have decided to leave him to drop to critically low supply levels so that he can be taken out without an easy rebuild; ditto the 1 strength Soviet armour. Meanwhile infantry have moved to cut the rail lines, ensuring that none of the infantry can catch the train away from the danger zone. With a bit of luck this should make for a rather juicy pocket which I can mop up over the next couple of turns.

Supply lines are becoming quite stretched though, and I made a mistake with my Hungarian HQ placement meaning I'll have to wait another two turns most likely before I can assault Stalingrad directly. I'm still getting to grips with the new supply rules and 'linking' HQs...



Up North in Leningrad another Russian army was wiped out and I am now knocking on the gates to the city itself. An AA unit and the Army garrison are both within striking distance, but both fortified in 4 and 5 level entrenchment respectively. I have only a single Medium bomber to dislodge them, so I might give consideration to switching one of my southern Tactical Bombers up north next turn to help soften things up.

The Soviets struck across the river from Volkhov, but fortunately did little damage to my 'Blue' Division. The river, Marshland and generally poor supply should buy me enough time to get into Leningrad properly.

In North Afrika, the first German loss; a Recon unit. A shame, but can't be helped. British and American air power delivered a crushing blow to Axis tanks who fortunately remained standing - just, on 10% health. I retaliated by doing the same thing to the British armour.

There were some naval skirmishes this turn for the first time; the Tripitz, which was raiding the Soviet lend-lease merchant line, came across a British destroyer, and had a favourable exchange of blows. In the Med, the Italian navy, which I had fanned out across the sea to catch any incursions, snagged British Sub and Battle Cruiser in its web. The Sub was given a spanking, and the Cruiser was sunk to much Italian revelry.

Meanwhile, I have deployed two German Battle Cruisers to the Atlantic in support of the U-boats, who have managed to avoid detection from Destroyers so far but whose luck will probably run out soon, especially as the US starts to crank them out.

Invested in some new hardware this turn; a heavy artillery piece that should arrive for the Winter, meaning I can keep pounding any fortified positions even when things turn icy, keeping entrenchment low, and a new Tactical Bomber which should arrive shortly before Spring. I will probably look to place that unit with Rommel but I'll keep an open mind.

[PvtBenjamin]

Interesting game thanks for the posts

IMO defending (as Allies) Caucasas is much more important to defend than Leningrad. Not sure what you have south of Rostov from the pic.

Caucasus is very high in supply/resources. The Astrakhan/Grozny rail line is key in the game.

Also in Caucasus the Axis fight a two front war in Leningrad the SU does, too easy to cut off Leningrad.

Enjoy.

[Will952]

Glad you're enjoying Benjamin;

I agree, the Caucasus is pretty crucial. I remember a Storm Over Europe campaign I had with Ash where I played a fairly good Axis from 1939 and Barbarossa went well, I got almost to Baku - then a massive Soviet counterattack emerged from Stalingrad (which I hadn't been able to capture) and trapped the army group in the mountains with massive losses. So I'll definitely be aiming to punch deep into the Caucasus, but I'm mindful to protect my northern flank by capturing Stalingrad too.

Leningrad I feel is quite strategically important - it opens up the rail connections between Germany and Finland which boost Finnish supply (and consequently MPP income) and it lets you shorten the line quite a bit, freeing up the Finns (or Germans) for the push on Moscow/Caucasus etc.

[Will952]

August 23, 1942

German forces have succeeded in destroying or routing virtually all Soviet forces in the southern front - the road to Stalingrad, and the Caucasus, appears open. Mannstein has succeeded in breaking through from the Crimean peninsula and is now primed to take over command of Amry Group A; just as with history (although hopefully with more success!) I will now need to split Army Group South with one thrust driving down to Baku, and another pointing at Stalingrad. It's a whole lot of territory to swallow, but there isn't really an alternative - leaving Stalingrad standing would give Ash too much of a strong base of operations with which to attack my flank. A very successful Soviet attack can even end up cutting off German forces trapped in the mountains, and that's an outcome too disasterous to countenance. No choice but to dedicate significant resources to taking the city. In an ideal world, I'll be able to continue to drive all the way to Astrakahn, which will cut the rail line to Baku. While that won't affect supply or the ability to place new troops in the Caucasus (as Baku is an Industrial Centre), it will prevent troops being able to operate to or from the theatre.

[Will952]

August 23, 1942 (cont)

Splitting this into two posts to cover the Leningrad front, as there was a particularly significant breakthrough this turn.

Recon flights spotted that Volkhov, the source of the Road of Life that keeps Leningrad supplied in the winter months, was empty of troops. Fallschrimjagers, who had been waiting for such an opportunity, were immediately dropped in to capture the town. A Russian corps was destroyed in order to open up the road and rail connection to Volkhov, keeping the paratroopers supplied. Some insignificant attacks were made against Leningrad itself to try and reduce the entrenchment of the troops there.

The loss of Volkhov dealt a morale blow to the Soviets, and gave the Germans a boost. Leningrad's capture looks all but certain at this point.

[PvtBenjamin]

I've only played the '42 scenario once, seems to be one of the better non '39 games. Its the only game I've played as Axis. One issue was I took out the Valutin & Timoshenko HQs on the first turn. Not sure if this is intended, seems those HQ's should be further back. Not sure Axis can win in Egypt in '42, thats a long term problem there.

Seems Leningrad & Moscow are more defend able in '42 scenario vs '39. Against a highly skilled Axis player in '39 the SU defense often really starts North of Leningrad (Petroz...=> Belomorsk) and north of Moscow (Yaroslavl=>Vologda). Supply works better for SU and Research/Reinforcements start to catch up there. Rostov/Stalingrad/Caucasus much better to defend for Allies.

[Will952]

September 6, 1942

Leningrad fell to German forces this turn, to much aplomb. There is another supply source within the peninsula but at this point the supply situation for the Soviets who remain trapped is pretty dire. I should be able to mop them up within the next turn or two, bagging myself some fairly significant Soviet scalps. With Volkhov already in Axis hands, there aren’t many viable targets within reach of this sector, and I’ve now got to consider the redeployment of this army group elsewhere, or start the long, slow trudge south towards Moscow.



In the south, German corps captured the first of 4 crucial oilfields. The first is easily reached, the second is at Grozny, and with a bit of luck, may be achievable before winter. The last 2 are located next to Baku and are an ambitious Summer ’43 objective. Meanwhile Axis infantry have moved to surround Stalingrad on three sides, with Tactical Bombers moving into position to start hitting it hard. If I can crack Stalingrad before the winter, which seems achievable, that’ll be 2 key objectives under my hat and I think I could call Fall Blau a successful operation.

Elsewhere, things are a bit less rosy; the Tripitz was sunk and my u-boats are starting to be discovered by Allied destroyers. Fortunately, while I’ve got sub tech 3 and most destroyers have ASW 0 or 1, I’m not in mortal danger, but that won’t last for too long. I’m dancing around the shipping lanes for now but the Kriegsmarine is on borrowed time.

In North Africa, Allied air superiority is causing me a real headache. Ash is keeping a laser-focus on my Panzers who are getting hammered every turn. No major attacks in this theatre.

[Will952]

September 20, 1942



I marked this turn with the twin captures of Stalingrad and Leningrad’s secondary supply. This is a solid result for the Germans, achieved without the loss of a single full unit in the East. The capture of Stalingrad in particular has given the Axis a morale boost, although it kicked in at the end of the turn, which might take Germany to 100% NM or more – this will be a boon for troop readiness and a blow to the Soviets. In a couple of turns the rail lines between Helsinki and Berlin will be fully operational, and indeed this will connect Norway to the Axis major as well. That will give a very welcome boost to MPP income.

I have tasked some Slovakian troops to continue pushing towards Astrakhan with the goal of severing the railway connection to Baku. While this won't prevent new reinforcements being build there, it will hamper Soviet operational flexibility (and bag me an additional city). It's also the nearest viable 'jumping off' point for a Soviet offensive, and with Kamyshin and Baskunchak soon in Axis hands, Stalingrad should be quite well defended.

In North Africa an Italian corps was destroyed by a sustained British offensive. This sector is going to need new manpower and soon, if it's going to hold up.

[Will952]

October 8, 1942

Mud has arrived…

And with it the Axis advance in the East will finally have to come to a halt. This is not unexpected, although I had hoped for 1 more turn of good weather; never mind. Not much combat this turn besides the mopping up of the Soviets still holding out in Leningrad. A shock army at the frontline of Volkhov also bit the dust, as did a battered Russian corps near Stalingrad.

Recon flights near Stalingrad found a moderate Soviet force assembling just east of the city. Bombers nailed the HQ to take some of the sting out of whatever assault they’re planning.

In North Africa, the Brits launched a major offensive, forcing Rommel to fall back. However, much to the Desert Fox’s delight, I have now decided I can afford to reinforce the DAK and am sending some considerable reinforcements to bolster things – a number of Italians plus German armies.

I’m facing the same issue that was historically faced by the Germans, namely far too many objectives, and not enough manpower to tackle them all. I shall have to consider my options…

However, the overall picture is not a bad one. I’m sitting on 120 land units to the USSR’s 42. I can however expect that number to balloon over the winter months, probably up to as much as 60 or 70. I still have infantry tech advantage, although probably not for long. Spain is sitting at 48% mobilization, so with some luck may enter the war in 1943.

There were some very bad naval engagements however this turn. 2 u-boats ran up against a wolfpack of destroyers, and when the heavy cruisers nearby rushed to their aid, they too ran into a US battleship and carrier. Next turn will probably be extremely painful for naval losses...

[Will952]

October – November 1942

Squishing 2 turns into one update here as not a whole lot to report due to bad weather slowing things down.

The big news is that the Brits and Americans have launched a very early invasion of France. This is unexpected– the US still only has inf tech 1, and the combined British and American land forces aren’t numerous enough to be massively threatening right now. It will certainly force me to relocate a fair few troops from the East though, which is probably the aim.



The last of the Stalingrad defenders were mopped up, and across the South I’m beginning to dig in and accept that I won’t be making any further pushes in this theatre until Spring. At least 2 HQs are needed for any aggressive action due to the supply rules and I’m spread a bit thin at the moment, so there’s lots of operational movement and consolidating going on.

I’ve sent Von Bock to Italy with a chunk of the Luftwaffe to start hammering Malta. This is obviously a slightly awkward time, as they’d rather be up in France dealing death blows to the Allied troops on the beaches, but oh well. The aim is to capture it in the next turn or two, which might finally give Rommel a bit of room to breathe, as he’s been taking a bit of a pounding, poor chap.

Speaking of North Africa, I am now very much on the defensive, but managed to strike a good blow at the Brits by taking out their armour, leaving just one tank unit in this theatre – mine.

At sea, the Kriegsmarine’s surface navy has taken some pretty heavy hits of late, but not without sinking a few American ships on the way, and I’ve managed to keep the U-boats alive so far. The sea lanes are absolutely swimming with destroyers now though.

[Will952]

December 13, 1942

Not much action to report this turn. Across the USSR I'm digging in, reinforcing my elite steps, and engaging in a bit of light skirmishing. A Romanian cavalry unit which had been scouting forward of the Stalingrad line was destroyed out of supply, not a bitter loss. Mannerheim has been sent to the frigid north with some Finnish troops and has been tasked with capturing Murmansk.

Heavy artillery arrived this turn, and I will be sending it to start shelling the Moscow defenders. The Gustav gun has also made its way to the Soviet capital, as there's a pretty dense network of emplacements here.

Soviets are also digging in across the Caucasus and it looks like the battle for Grozny will be a slow one. Given the lack of room to maneuver here it will probably require bomber assistance rather than heavy artillery.

In France, the Allies are struggling slightly it seems with the low supply. I'm still building up my counter-attack force around Paris and will be adding a Panzer division next turn. In January or February, weather permitting, I will be in a position to attack.

In North Africa, aerial exchanges saw a British fighter and a Corps destroyed. A new German army has just arrived to assist, along with a 2nd German fighter wing and an Italian army. Hopefully now, with the British tanks also destroyed, I might be able to start punching back.



I'm continuing to - technical term - bomb the ever-living crap out of Malta, with mixed results. The AA unit still stands although must now be in very low supply and unable to properly reinforce. Hopefully next turn I'll be able to destroy it.

The Italian navy is slightly worse for wear after the Malta campaign so I will need to spend a bit getting them all ship-shape again, especially if the Allied navies are coming to to tango (Axis subs were hit by a carrier and a number of surface vessels trying to break in through Gibraltar).

Despite a pretty frustrating lack of tech breakthroughs, I've finally got German production level 3 and AA level 2, which is something. Haven't had any diplo hits on Spain in about 5 turns which is annoying.

Speaking of production, my queue isn't looking quite as juicy as I might like, but in time for Spring I'll be getting 2 new armies (2 have already arrived this turn and deployed to France), a tactical bomber, 2 heavy tanks, 1 regular tank and a Corps. Not too shabby, but I wouldn't mind a few more armies and a bomber or two.

[PvtBenjamin]

I think Malta should start the '42 scenario in Axis hands. I appreciate its a-historic but the game makes Malta key and 90% of Axis ('39) PBEM players take Malta by '42. It does help that the Malta AA is 8 str (lv 1) but to require the Axis player to have to move all the units necessary back given the importance doesn't seem right.

While I'm at it SU should have lv 1 AA at start in '42 also IMO.

[Will952]

I think you've got to take the rough with the smooth with the '42 scenario. Not having Malta is indeed a pain, but your starting position in the East is quite favourable I'd say it balances out. I don't have enough experience in this game yet, but in an SC Classic '39 start the Soviet player is already starting to punch back in places by 1942 and is generally a lot more steadied. Here they start almost encircled in some places and a lot of their HQs are exposed, giving you a pretty good shot at some key objectives (as seen here).

[Will952]

January 14, 1943

Despite the even snow cover across much of Europe, there were still a few interesting moves this turn. The Allies continued to pour into France, although I'm keeping regular tabs on the total number of US land units and note that they only have 10, of which about 6 or 7 are now in France. The Allied infantry have been quite aggressive despite being out of season, and a US Corps and British Corps managed to get themselves trapped. I hit them pretty hard and will hopefully be able to destroy them out of supply next turn. I've also brought a 2nd German HQ to the Western front to assist, because what I really don't want is to be fighting a protracted 2-front war. Stamping this invasion out and kicking them out of France quickly would be a major victory.



In other news of note, Mannerheim and his Finnish troops captured Murmansk without much difficulty. This hurts Soviet morale, and lifts the spirits of the nervous German commanders who are observing this multi-front war with some concern. Convoy income should drop for the Soviets, although not removed entirely.

In the Med, no movement besides a shore bombardment on Malta - bad weather means no Luftwaffe.

And finally in North Africa, the DAK bites back against the British with the destruction of another British corps. The new Italian and German armies have quickly proven their worth. I've also brought a 2nd Italian HQ to the theatre to assist with the otherwise pretty dreadful supply issues.

Little movement in the USSR, although I'm getting artillery in position ready to start hitting targets around Moscow in time for the Spring offensive. Soviet troop numbers have leapt up to the mid-60s so sufficed to say 1943 will not be like 1942...

[Will952]

February 25, 1943

The battles in France hotted up this turn, with the snow turning to mud, allowing for some limited offensives. The trapped American and British corps were destroyed as expected, but I was also able to send my Mechanised to wipe out a British tank division, also out of supply. Better yet an elite German corps sprung forward and dealt a nasty blow to the British HQ. More reinforcements are pouring in from Germany, with no less than 4 armies about to be brought to bear. They’re slow moving though, so taking their time to get near the action.



Soviet troops are massing and recon flights have now spotted significant build-ups of troops near both Moscow and Stalingrad. The USSR unit counter is now tipping the scales at over 70 units. While my troops are still far superior in readiness and I told the tech advantage, the moment they reach tech parity I might be in trouble unless I’ve dealt with the Allied incursion by then.

Down in the Med and North Africa, the Allied surface navy is now fully inside the Med and skirmishing with the Italian fleet. I’m not yet sure what Ash’s goal is here, whether it’s to try and protect Malta, to go for a killing blow on the Italian navy, or just to harass. So far the Italian ships are proving slightly better in combat than their erstwhile German counterparts. I’m also hoping that if the fleet comes any closer to Sicily, I’ll be able to hit them with my massed bombers.
In North Afrika, another British corps is destroyed. Slow but steady progress being made in this theatre now.

[Will952]

April 8, 1943

More action in France this turn with skirmishes across the line, and the destruction of another British tank division. I've got some serious firepower facing down the Allies now in this sector, with two Panzer divisions and a number of Armies. Even the Corps, given their elite steps and high readiness, are making short work of the British infantry. The Allies are getting increasingly bottled up, and their supply situation remains fairly dismal.

Elsewhere, there are big buildups of Soviet troops near Stalingrad and Moscow. I have also seen the first Soviet units with Infantry level 2, so the easy wins are now officially over. Especially with Zhukov in command at Moscow, who is doing a good job of providing defence in depth. I did manage a small victory this turn, to clear and capture the town of Ryazan just south-east of Moscow. I won't be able to make a decisive push here however, without support from the Luftwaffe which is still in Italy.



In the Med, the British navy is making a major play to try and knock the Italians out of the war. Two carriers and a flotilla of surface fleet have been causing mayhem, destroying cruisers and battleships left right and centre. The Italian navy now stands at just 4 battleships, 3 cruisers and 2 destroyers.

In North Afrika, Rommel scored a major victory by managing to skewer right through the British front line and attacking Monty directly. The HQ was destroyed, leaving the remaining British infantry in a fairly perilous supply situation.

[Will952]

April 30, 1942

Some big moves this turn as we officially say goodbye to the quick winter turns and start to get back to the critical fighting months.

In France, Axis Panzers made a pretty devastating advance directly into the Allies lines, destroying an American tank division and brutalising 2 US Corps down to 20% strength. The allies do now appear to be retreating from the beachhead and are split into a small number of UK and Canadian forces at Cherbourg, and a slightly larger US contingent near Brest. I am fairly confident that within the next 2 turns I'll be able to destroy what remains or force them to route.



Not as much progress to report in the USSR. The Russian lines are dense and Shock armies with level 2 inf tech are nothing to be sneezed at. A critical lack of HQs means that for the best part of 8 months Mannstein has been essentially stationary in the Caucasus, unable to proceed any further. Moscow, Stalingrad and the marshes near Leningrad are seeing regular skirmishing but no decisive moves by either side. In the still-frozen north, Mannerheim is clearing some more Soviet garrisons from small towns bordering Finland, but I am shortly going to get him and his Finnish army back on the train to assist elsewhere. This is not the time for a jolly in the snow!

In the Med, the British and US navies have stuck around to try and finish off the Italians, sinking the Roma battleship. Finally, however, with the skies cleared I was able to use the Luftwaffe to strike back, sinking a British carrier, battleship, and American cruiser. I have also re-armed a number of German subs and Italian battleships and if he doesn't clear off next turn, I think I'll be able to do some real damage. I will then have to set about clearing Malta sharpish, because I can't afford to keep 4 bomber wings away from the front lines for more than a couple more turns.

In North Africa, Rommel is feeling his oats with the loss of Montgomery, and 2 British Corps are stuck in the desert in extremely low supply. Garrisons are being pushed to the front to hold the British line, and El Alamein appears perilously undefended. I am hopeful that in the next two turns I can destroy the isolated British units and start to threaten Alexandria.

Spain has at last been persuaded that the Axis is a worthwhile horse to back in this fight, and is sitting at around 70% mobilisation. On reading the manual, it seems I would already have been presented with a decision to pay 800MPPs to arm Franco and cause him to immediately join the Axis if it were not for the presence of Allied troops in France. As it is, it may be the case that I can bring the Spanish into the fray without the rather substantial payment otherwise required...They will be particularly persuaded if I can capture Egypt, although that's probably some way off yet.