Global War : a Japanese AAR

[yvesp]

The British are annoying.
Tey were able to move into Palembang and hold the oilfields.
They also hold the railway line to Telok Betonk. The Japanes don't have yet enough troops to kick them out. The British settled just as the NEI fell...

Singapore is well protected too.

With the American fleet in Brisbane, it is now impossible to move at will.

[yvesp]

and in China the nationalist have been able to restore the semblance of a front line. Nothing that would endanger the Japanese, thoug.

[yvesp]

A Japanese task force clears up the american convoys from the Bismark sea, clearing the way for an invasion (unupplied = 1 less notional.)

[yvesp]

In the Italian peninsula, Hitler just now remembers why he should himself have declared war on the USA!

Last impulse, american paratroopers landed mostly unopposed north of Naples. There is one impulse to get rid either of them, or of the reinforcing fleet that contains 3 HQ that can easily disembark then pave the way to a full invasion. Naples and Taranto being factory cities, and both being rather difficult to reinforce, if that invasion is not pushed back very fast in the sea, then the countdown to the fall of Italy starts.

Obvioulsy, this may be a major turn in the war, because this could possibly let the British send a large part of their fleet east.

The allied fleet meets some axis planes chasing in the area.

[yvesp]

The axis is not able to repulse the US units in Italy. It is good that the transports bringing allied HQs were turned back by the defending German planes. Nevertheless, the situation is now not good at. The axis has no reserve left to prevent the extendion of this invasion.

The countdown to Italy surrender may well have started.

[yvesp]

As expected, the Japanese army has gone north and partially caught the communist from behind. I did not even see it coming myself until it was too late!

The attack is a large success which shatters the communist defenses.

[yvesp]

A fight that may have deep implications on the eastern theater of the war : Naples falls. Italy is going down much faster than expected.

[yvesp]

The turn destroyed units.

As expected, the Russian take the largest share : about all their production, which is obviously not enough to beat them! Even though they are retreating.

Germnay takes the second share: that's to be expected, considering the relentless and sometimes reckless attacks. Note that a bomber was destroyed by the surprise paradrop from the USA, and a militia was destroyed during the conquest of Naples.

Italy loses about as much as it produces. But does it really matter now ? The best guess is that Italy should surrender on the next turn, except for luck or incompetency from the allies.

China loses enough to prevent the increase of their army.

And Japan losses are unsignificant, which lets them increase their army by a significant share.


But the big winners are the USA, which lost a few troops in the Philipines, and especially the Commonwealth which suffered very little. But the damaged ships are not shown.


Japan builds:
- 3 carrier planes (1 at 0 cost)
- 2 carrier (superstructures)
- 1 carrier (infrastructures)
- 1 pilot
- 1 marine
- 1 mech div
- 1 militia

China builds:
- 1 militia
- 2 garrison

The Commonwealth builds:
- 3 carrier planes (1 at 0 cost)
- 2 convoys
- 1 transport (superstructures)
- repair 2 battleships
- 2 battleships (superstructures)
- 1 armor
- 3 territorials
- 2 pilots
- 1 Lnd4
- 1 Fighter
- 1 infantry
- save 2BP for France

The USA builds
- 1 transport (superstructures)
- 1 transport (infrastructures)
- 4 carrier air
- 3 pilots
- 1 inf HQ
- 1 battleship (infrastructures)
- repair 3 British ships
- 1 armor
- 1 marine div
- 1 mountain inf
- 1 mech
- 1 artillery
- 2BP saved for France

Gold Coast was conquered by Vichy (!)
Philippines was conquered by Japan
Lithuania was liberated by Germany

[yvesp]

Rant
Once more losing more than one hour trying to route the Commonwealth resources.

The default planning is, oh, more than stupid.

I have the Resource in Bechar. It has to go to England.

I have a plan : go through Spain, then cross one sea area.
Woa! No! That would really, really be too easy.
Lets route the resource to Gabes, load it in the Western Mediterranean sea, then go East (yes, east!) pass through the Suez canal and go all around Africa, Cape St Vincent, Bay of Biscay... I would do it myself, I think I could not!

Oh Great! using more than 10 convoys just to have a nice trip ? At the very least, the game should realize that, well, West Med is adjacent to Cape St Vincent and there is no need to go around Africa. But no. It is that blind...

Then I decide : better not to use that resource. Set it to Idle ? no luck. Set it to Lost ? no luck! It will go to Britain using the long way, preventing other resources from reaching the factories.

I'm now on my way to repairing that stupidity. This involves resetting all resources to idle, then assigning them one by one to factories, with trial and error, sometimes using the bugged panel to set the route : this time, with no other resource assigned to factories, I could set my route through Spain! I've yet to route many other resources.

Thanks!
End of Rant

[yvesp]

Oh no! It did it again!
But now I know when it happens: wen I decide to save the Persian oil in India, then the Bechar resource runs around Africa ; it even enters the Italian sea area. Why not ? there also is a convoy there...

But its absolutely incredible: I set the resource to produce in Liverppol. I route it manually to the Bay of Biscay. It finds the route and sets Lisbon as the intermediate point. Then I click recompute ; Liverpool is adjacent to the Sea of Biscay ; but no! the game has to run the resource around Africa!

[yvesp]

In Russia, Barbarossa is blocked in the north by pesky rivers and forest.

In the South, it has well advaced, but not as well as hoped. German troops are glued in a web of Russian troops, not very effective, but that slow them down, and prevent any breakthrough.

All reinforcements this turn were sent south in Italy, and west to take the place of the now unsure Italian troops.


July 42, impulse 1

[yvesp]

In the South of China, troops have been able to form a reasonable front, protecting whatever can be salvaged.


July 42, impulse 1

[yvesp]

In North China, the communist are being pushed backwards.


July 42, impulse 1

[yvesp]

While the USA are very busy in Italy, their fleet stands idle in Brisbane.
This is a good place, as it is well protected from any suprise attack, it is a primary supply source for the USA so there is no way the fleet can get easily put OOS, and the lace is at a reasonable striking distance from strategic places, such as Singapore, the India ocean or both China sea.

As a result, the japanese is wary about sortying its fleet : while the japanese fleet has a slightly stronger carrier force, it is lacking in battleships, which are extremely important in soaking damage. And in case the fight should be a gun figt, the USA have a large advantage.

And new USA battleships are arriving...

However, this doesn't prevent them from using the bad weater cover to slowly grind new areas ; the conquest of New Guinea is thus well underway.

[yvesp]

As the summer progresses, the Japanese manages to desorganize the isolated and entranched Chinese units, and then proceeds to destroy them.

The Chines choose a blitz in the hope of forcing the loss of the attacking armor.
No luck.


July 42, impulse 5

[yvesp]

Italy gets a respite, thanks to poor allied luck.
That's one more turn that Japan won't have to worry about the Commonwealth fleet.

[yvesp]

The Japanese push their advantage, taking the risk of a "low" odd attack (at 4-1) to advance to Sian as well as destroy more Chinese units.
The Chinese selects a blitz combat to preserve its units ; as a result, it manages to salvage two garrisons instead of having them destroyed.

Note that the communist were fairly static because the USSR chose a combined option to successfully destroy the Germna convoys in the Baltic. As a result, te German had to take a disastrous naval action, which resulted in further convoy losses in the Baltic, where the German fleet failed to protect them, as well as the loss of 3 subs to a lone patroling Sunderland in the North Atlantic. The western axis powers now have no sub force worth mentionning.


July 42, impulse 7

[yvesp]

As the turn is going to its end, the USA launch a distraction attack on the Japanese force in charge of invading New Guinea. Despite the stormy weather it succeeds in locating the Japanese transport and protecting cruisers, which are quite surprised.


Bismark Sea July 42, impulse 8

[yvesp]

The Japanese fleet takes a beating.


Bismark Sea July 42, impulse 8

[yvesp]

The US fleet suffers minor casualties.


Bismark Sea July 42, impulse 8