A musical global war AAR...

[Centuur]

The British SUB escapes capture.

Music, music. The more I seek on the internet, the more I find. It's amazing what's around when you are searching for music out of the World war era...

Here is: Michael Jary - Es sind viele Jahre vergangen...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBlUK_XKXLM

Germany rebases aircraft.

Here is the Western Med:

[Centuur]

And the Eastern Med:

[Centuur]

The Japanese Imperial Command, after having been informed of the huge Portuguese presence in Eastern Timor, decides not to attack the Island. Japan railmoves units into Manchuria out of China, moves units into better positions and occupies Macao.

Here is Manchuria:

[Centuur]

Finally: here is the weather report for the next couple of impulses:

[Centuur]

November/december 1940, Allied impulse number 5:

Incredible... November becomes december but the weather is still fine everywhere....

Only if all Allied nations would pass, there would be a chance of 10% that the turn might end. Not worth it. So the USSR takes a land, the CW and France naval and the US a combined action. However, there isn't a lot to do...

But first: music: “I don’t want to walk without you” played by Harry James and his orchestra. Helen Forrest sings:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vzdtE5k4BI

The Commonwealth make some minor adjustments to the positions of the ships around the globe. Of course, they try to initiate combat in the Faroes Gap, hoping to catch the German. Again, the ocean is large... Allies roll an 8 and the Axis a 4, so no combat starts. In the Cape Verde Bassin, no combat is initiated.

Again, sirens are howling in Seoul. Soviet heavy bombers appear. Again a Japanese CVP planes intercepts the Soviet planes and an air to air battle commences:

[Centuur]

The Soviet bombers disrupt Japanese production in the city:

[Centuur]

The USSR rails more units towards the West and rebases aircraft towards that area. That concludes the Allied impulse...

[Grotius]

The Sovs are railing stuff west presumably because they expect a Barbarossa in the coming year, yes? What is the current date?

I'm impressed with how well the Axis has gobbled up the Med, including Spain and Gibraltar. But Russia will be a different story, I'm guessing.

[Centuur]

It's november/december 1940. Bad luck for the Allies in France caused a rapid collapse of the country. That led to Spain being attacked in 1940 (and it is than one unit short to make a good defense along the Pyrenees). Axis also got very lucky in both China and at Gibraltar (where an attack was made on the Rock which was meant to make the Allies use one unit, but cleared the hex totally and unexpectedly) and that was about it...

However, the USSR is doing pretty good at the moment. Full production and a lot of oil saved for the bad times. Stalin only made one mistake (hoping to save China) by going to war against Japan too late. The CW is doing what it must do in this stage of the game. That is to throw cheap units in the Axis way to make them loose the timetable. Only, they are very unlucky, until now.

Also, the German fleet is behaving very, very aggresive. That is surely a risk for Germany, but high risk gives high gaines if it succeeds.

Timetable is in favour of the Axis now, but the real question is: what's Uncle Sam going to do and when? A lot of early succes usually means the US entering the war early and that than gives the Allies more time to crush the Axis in the end game...

[Centuur]

One thing however, is good for the Allies. The German offensives have been spend on France and Gibraltar...

And the CW isn't doing that bad. It does what it did during 1940 and 1941. That is to be an annoyance to the Axis and to keep throwing cheap units in the way of the Axis advance. Now, if luck would shift their way...

[Centuur]

November/december 1940, Axis impulse number 6:

Three november-december turns with good weather. That's something which doesn't happen often...

Germany and Japan take land actions, Italy takes a combined action.

Germany moves a He flying boat into the Cape St. Vincent. Italy flies a Gabbiano flying boat into the same sea area. Guderain and a German MECH arrives in Bardia.

Music. German Swing: here is Walter Raatzke and his Orchestre playing; Küss mich! Bitte bitte küss mich!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkfs1X6HVIs

Next, Italy tries to initiate naval combat in the Cape Verde Bassin:
The French cruiser and her escorts forces the Axis SUB's to dive to avoid the combat (Allies use 4 surprise points):

[Centuur]

Italy doesn't want to initiate combat in the Italian coast. Finally, they want a combat in the Cape St. Vincent. If they can get rid of the French cruiser there. It appears they can:

[Centuur]

Since four air to sea factors have the same power as 11 surface factors, the Axis decide to call a naval air combat. The French AA fire is to weak to get any result on the attacking Axis naval bombers. However, the crew of the Montcalm is capable of saving the ship...

[Centuur]

Von Leeb, a MECH and a division are railed into Poland. Positions in Poland are strengthened. Two fast German INF move into Malaga, ready to be transported eastwards. Graziani moves next to Casablanca and the Italian division on Cyprus captures the port on the island. The Italian units in Morocco attack Casablanca.

Time for a piece ot Italian military music. Here is the Reggimento Artiglierria a Cavallo: Voloire:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXKLM-tMids

That will be almost an automatic victory...

[Centuur]

Italy and Germany rebase some aircraft. After some thinking (oil consumation), the Italians decide to reorganise the two TRS in Bardia.

Here is the Eastern Med:

[Centuur]

Here is the Western Med:

[Centuur]

Umezu arrives by rail at the USSR-Manchurian border, close to Vladivostok. Japan improves positions in Manchuria and moves slowly along the Birma Road towards the border. Japanese units also take on positions on the Chinese coast. Here is Manchuria:

[Centuur]

It's winter in the next couple of impulses. Music: Ernst van t´Hoff Orchestra plays: In The Mood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEkSHnyPuB0

[Grotius]

I'm lovin' the tunes. That's a great rendition of "In the Mood."

You mentioned earlier that the Free French played the "Marseillaise," just like in "Casablanca." Should Vichy France also play the Marseillaise, as it does in MWIF? Wikipedia does say the song remained the official anthem of Vichy, but some internet sources contradict this assertion, and even Wikipedia says that "Marechal, nous voila!" was a popular alternative. Do you have any thoughts on this?

[brian brian]

ORIGINAL: Centuur

Also, the German fleet is behaving very, very aggresive. That is surely a risk for Germany, but high risk gives high gaines if it succeeds.

Hi Peter, I'm curious about your thoughts on that comment - what is the risk? I see a lot of players almost forget the Germans even have a fleet, and it just sits around, bombards Leningrad once or twice, then finally D-Day arrives and it goes out for one final Jutland style sortie and accomplishes little.


I'm starting a new game on cardboard soon; I think we will use the new Khaki counters for the British Army and the original blue counters for the Royal Navy. Should make the map even more colorful than ever before.