My second solo AAR

[yvesp]

Now that I can hope that most of the bugs that plagued the end of my first AAR are gone, I'll try another one.

This time, the intent for Germnay is to go to Gibraltar and close the Mediterrean.
The way to do this is still opened, and Hitler is still discussing with Mussolini about this.
Obviously, Italy will be called to have a major part in this. It will also be the first to benefit from such a strategy.

Of course, this strategy will have to be mixed in with a credible offensive stance on the East, to keep Russia quiet. Even though it will soon be fairly obvious that a western strategy is ongoing, just by looking at the counters on production, Russia cannot be given a free ride, especially not against the Japanese. But small wars may be inevitable (Persia, Finland... who knows ?) These will certainly boost Russia.

In the far east, I will not do the same mistake as I did in my first AAR where I failed to initialy understand the implication of the change of scale from the boardgame, where Japan was given a beating by a Chinese merely pushing their assets in menacing places and exploiting any holes in the front line. I expect to do much better there.

I will also reiterate the Russian tactics of a low profile in the West, which worked perfectly well into leading the USA in the war quite early. But interesting opportunities will not be missed either.

Obviously, the other power cannot say as much : there is no laying down grand strategy for France, Commonwealth or China, which are reacting and don't have that many troops to begin with! Keeping the front line with Germany or Japan will have to do as an initial strategy...

[yvesp]

The intial setup.

Unlike some people, I go extremely heavily against Poland, even if it later takes half a turn to bring back victorious troops. I have seen more than one game where Germany would try to hunt down more than one hare and lose everything...

That Polish setup has always worked wonders for me. It forbids any direct assault again Varshaw on the first impluse, unless Germany is willing to take real risks. On the second impulse, bets are on : the weather can turn ugly. I have thus seen Poland last into the second game turn unconquered. That's not very good for Germany...

The Polish planes are hidden far into the eastern woods, so that ground striking or overriding them is not that interesting.

[yvesp]

The starting position in China is quite aggressive.
Initialy, the Japanese forces are scarce, and an immediate assault unlikely.

The nationalist army is large enough to be a real threat. Not as a fighting force, but just by going behind the Japanese lines and cutting supplies. So a heavy positoning on historical lines make very good sense. An Japanese are not a very strong threat in the south: what is there to gain there, if the lose Center or North China ?

As an answer, the Japanese are forced to occupy the same historical lines. Not doing so gives the Chinese back some hard won, and well positionned hexes, which would have to be reconquered: Center China is a hell with all these mountians, rivers and swamps!

Of course, this lets few troops to match the equally few communists in the North.

Any offensive will have to be fed from reserves coming from Japan.

[yvesp]

In Siberia, the Russian setup is paranoid about Vladivostok.
There is no way it can be allowed to fall.
There is no way that the Japanese can be led to believe it could possibly fall.

In answer, the Japanese can just setup their troops along the border. They are too few to be any real threat, but their position is good enough should the Russian decide to attack. Unlikely, at least that early: Russia is severely lacking troops to engage in a Siberian war, as is Japan...

[yvesp]

The initial ground strike from Germany in Poland is mixed. Varshaw is half struck, one plane fails dismally. But Rydz will not be able to move and reinforce. Well.

[yvesp]

The first assault will wipe out the three Polish corps keeping the borders.
There is no way they can hold.
But there is no way to overrun or bypass them either.
Meanwhile the Polish Corridor has already been occupied, and the Polish destroyer fleet has rebased in England.

[yvesp]

The first combat is a catastrophe!
Even though it has a large superiority, the German army loses a Panzer corps while shattering the Polish corps that held up the north eastern access to Varshaw.

Note that is a 16% chance event, and it could only occur because the Polish unit was hidden in the woods...

[yvesp]

The second combat goes as planned.

[yvesp]

As does the third.

[yvesp]

At the start of the allies impulse, the USA don't care less about the British declaration of war against Germany.

British planes immediately take off to attack the German fleet based in Stettin.
A long range Hampden does the job and catches the whole fleet by surprise (German surprise roll of 8) ; an amphibious transport is sunk (bottomed), and the Gneisenau is slightly damaged so that it won't be able to move that month.

The pilots come back quite satisfied.

[yvesp]

France and the Commonwealth both take a combined attack.
They both use one of their air action to make a strategic bombing attack on Germany ; it may be long before that opportunity comes again (no interception, so no risk...)
And Germnay is not going to attack France yet, is it ? That would mean attacking the magino line with little air support. That would crazy would be, wouldn't it ?

Luck strikes again, and Germany loses two production points.

Counting the lost amphibious and the lost panzer, that makes it almost up to the German production for the turn!

Meanwhile, the CW brings up troops from England. German interception is impossible. Ala that will remain at sea are empty transports, protected by a destroyer patrolling from afar, and which can be covered by land based aircrafts.

In the Mediterranean, the French take no risks and bring back a corps from Syria directly into Nice. Italy won't be tempted into doing something foolish.

[yvesp]

At the end of the allied impulse, things are mostly in order:
* the Polish planes have flown back to Varshaw which is stacked up to the maximum (Lodz is evacuated)
* the British troops have landed in Calais
* the Italian front is manned as is the German front

Obviously, there is no land attack! With what troops pray ?

[yvesp]

In Chian, Tchiang launches an "offensive" (Chinese vocabulary) which means that he uses his superior number of troops to try an infiltrate behind the Japanese lines. With the Chinese attack weakness option on, launching a real attack is akin to suicide! This might works because Japanese reinforcements were sent North, where an headquarter was anyway badly needed.

Indeed, one more move and the whole center army group might be put out of supply. This means that the Japanese will have either to retreat, or bring more troops from the back, opening up the possibility that partisans might rise up unless the northern troop don't take an offensive stance (stay backwards.)

Attacking might be a possibility, by the odds are not very favorable, and the likely outlook would probably be a disaster: even the loss of one corps could be felt dearly.

[yvesp]

In the east, Japan decides to move troops to close the holes.
Keeping against Chinese intrusion is all that is needed until enough reinforcements arrive to really hurt.

In the west, a successful artiellry barrage against Strasbourg decides Hitler to attempt the capture of the city, weakly defended. Even though the chances are not excellent, they are good enough for that city. After all, taking it would just break down the Maginot line and possibly make the invasion of Belgium and Nederlands unnecessary.

In the east, two schools were warring. The first held that an immediate assault on Varshaw was possible and should be done while the conditions were good, although not perfect. The second was that it was preferable to wait and completely surround the city before launching the attack. However, the itch was that not only this retarded moving said troops west, but that the benefits were chancy : should the weather turn sour, which became more and more likely at this season, the benefits would not show up.

Finally, the weather gurus who said that there was a 60% chance that the weather would hold good for still some time decided the command to wait a little. It also gave some time to bring some fighters to deal with that Polish bomber that still was around.

[yvesp]

Strasbourg unfortunately held fast.
But there was no regret at attempting this assault.

[yvesp]

And Rydz was not up to the task of holding against Rundstedt and his army group.

[yvesp]

France decides to take chances in the hole left open by the German troops in the Black Forest. In a very lucky shot it opens up the way into South Germany. There will he a cost though: Germany will gear up and dramatically increase its production.

[yvesp]

Meanwhile, the Chinese go on with their game of position. In the end, somebody is bound to lose some units, but whom ? and when ?

Note that even though it looks tempting to attack the lone division in the mountains, the odds are exceedingly bad: at 1 (division) x 2 (mountain) + 2 (likely ground support) versus a maximum of 5 (Tchiang) + 5 (corps) + 3 (corps) = 13, divided by 2 (chinese weakness) : this makes up a 3/2 attack with no bonus (a +1 on the attack table.) Quite bad!

Meanwhile, the Japanese army may still be isolated, and two cities are within Chinese range.

[Centuur]

I hope the French moved the troops in Germany. They can align Yugoslavia if they have done this next impulse, wrecking havoc on the Germans.

Conclusion: it's a bad idea for Germany to attack across the Maginot line, especially with the Yugoslavian issue to think about...

[yvesp]

Germany is unable to answer to the French breakthrough.
It has no fresh troops in the vicinity, and cannot bring any back ; all troops are in Poland, trying to capture Varshaw. There is a lone armored corps, headed to Denmark, but it is too far to e of any use.

The best bet now is to go on as if nothing had happened. Capture Varshaw, capture Copenhagen.
Then, remaining troops will be free to come bac in force.

The air defense above Varshaw fails.