A musical global war AAR...

[Grotius]

Nice, swift conquest of Greece. Could the Greeks have set up two units in Athens? Or would that have left the land route to Athens wide open?

[Centuur]

Sure, they could have set up that way. That leaves the land route open and means it will take the Germans/Bulgarians another impulse to reach Athens. Para's and Marines would have taken the port at Kalamai and than walk in conjunction with the Bulgarians and the HQ towards Athens and go for a land attack next impulse. With far more factors joined in the attack, the odds for Germany would have been better and the probable loss of a German unit would have been an INF. It's always a trade off on your choice of options in this game. I was thinking about setting up both units in Athens too, but decided not to do so. Looking back, it did turn out not to be a good decision.

So therefore, the Greeks chose to block the way to Athens and see if they could get losses of expensive units on the German side if they would go for Athens. Also, the Sparviero was very lucky (again the "L" word) in ground strike. If it didn't disorganise the Greeks, Germany wouldn't have done this attack at all (+9 becomes than a +7 and that's really asking for losses on the German side). Also, there was a good opportunity that the attack would fail...

[Centuur]

March/April 1941, Allied impulse number 3:

The USSR, knowing that an attack on Vladivostok is coming, decides to use the SUB's one more time. It's probably going to be a suicide mission, but if the Soviets can kill some convoys...

USSR and US takes combined and the CW and the French take naval actions. Churchill has secretly decided that it isn't worth anymore to send reinforcements to the Middle East...

The Soviets sail their SUB's into the China Sea, hoping to catch Japanese convoys. The CW and France reinforce convoy escorts. Wavell and Alexander are loaded unto transports. A South African FTR is loaded and sailed towards India. The convoy chain is repaired and two carriers sail into the Cape Verde Bassin. NAV and other carriers are used in convoy escort duty too. It slowly becomes clear that it is more difficult for the Axis to kill of convoys, with all those planes scattered in the Atlantic.

Here's: "Ma Pomme", sung by Maurice Chevalier

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjCODmD88Ic

The USSR decides to initiate combat in the China Sea. However, both side don't find eachother. The Italian SUB's are faced with a difficult decision. To try to find the enemy or not...

[Centuur]

The Italian submarine commander is bold, and decide to see if he can find the allied convoys. If the CW finds him. But again, the God of the dice is with the bold...

[Centuur]

He stumbles upon a large convoy with trooptransportships included... Isn't that nice.

Here's Italian Swing: “Sonnolenza”, played by the "Orchestra Cetra" conducted by Pippo Barzizza:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pRtxFPlatY

After some thinking, the Italians are going to try to kill the transport, so a surface combat is called for...

[Centuur]

The Spanish crews on board of the transport ships manage to control damages...

[Centuur]

Now, if the Italian SUB's can do this again, they might kill the convoys... The Italian Sub commander doesn't know about the presence of CW carriers in the area, and decides to follow the unescorted convoys. They stay for another round, but suddenly sees aircraft approaching. The SUB's dive and the few bombs from the Gladiators don't damage the ships (No effect).

[Centuur]

The Italian SUB commander, doesn't want to give up on the comvoys, so again, he decides to try to find the precious merchantmen. They stay for a third round...
Again, planes are sighted. Again, the Italian SUB's submerge. However, this time...

[Centuur]

Still, the Italian commander appears to be a stubborn man. He want's those merchantmen. So again, he stays. Again, a two and a three are rolled (Axis-Allies). Again the planes strike the sub...

[Centuur]

And things are repeating... The Italian commandant is decided... Merchantmen or death! Banzai... Euhh, that's for another Major Power, I believe... Next round, again both sides find eachother (Axis 3, Allies 5):

[Centuur]

Now, I did mention the stubbornness of the Italian commandant, didn't I. You probably are getting a little tired about this continuing battle... But I want those merchantmen. So I stay for another round. Basta (that's better...)! This time, however, the Gladiators suddenly fall out of the sun (Axis 6, Allied 3). Six surprise points spend on increasing the effect of the bombs...

[Centuur]

The USSR rails a MIL into Persia. Some minor movement takes place and some planes are rebased.

And now: Soviet Swing: Estradni Orkestr Pod. Upr. A. N. Tsfasmana: Dshozef Fokstrot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E9n1NcRamk

Here is the weather report for the next couple of impulses:

[Centuur]

March/April 1941, Axis impulse number 5.

All Axis powers take land actions.

The weather prevents Japan from attacking Vladivostok. However, the ring slowly tightens around the city...

[Centuur]

Italy rails a GAR into France. In Egypt the 1st Inf captures Caïro and Suez. This action gives headlines in the US papers and causes questions to be asked in Congress. 1 US entry chit gained into the Ge/It pools. Some improvements are made in Spain, Morocco and at the Polish Demarkation line.

A German walz: Ich tanze mit dir in den Himmel hinein, played by Barnabas von Geczy and his Orchestra:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2e1AIzVwBU

An Italian division invades Heraclion at an automatic victory. Again the Greek Merchantmen scramble to stay out of the hands of the invaders. The Helle again escapes, together with 2 convoy poins. All other ships are destroyed by their own crews. The Italians again try to intercept, but fail, due to the rain...

The combined German/Italian army attacks the isolated stack in the Egyptian desert. The Italian airforce provides ground support. The British have an AT gun defending. They decide to choose the Assault table. Choosing the Blitzkrieg could force the Germans to lose the MECH, however, that's a +14 and that deminishes the chance to get losses to the Axis:

[Centuur]

Since there isn't a way to retreat, the CW units are destroyed. Planes are rebased towards the Polish Demarkation line.

Here is the Eastern Med at the end of the impulse:

[Centuur]

March/April 1941, Allied impulse number 7:

If all major powers should pass, there is a 30% chance that the turn will end. After carefull review on the map, it turns out that the CW, France and the US don't need to do things this turn. The USSR would have liked to use a land impulse, to railmove more units towards the Polish German border. However, since there aren't any really pressing matters, Uncle Joe Stalin decides too pass too. Perhaps the Japanese invasion of Vladivostok can be prevented, this way...

[Centuur]

However: Glenn Miller - You’ve Got Me This Way sung by Marion Hutton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gszn9uIecUE

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

[Centuur]

March/April 1941, Axis impulse number 9:

In Berlin, Rome and Tokyo, the generals applaud the arriving of nice spring weather. All Axis powers take land actions.

A Japanese D2A2 ground strikes Vladivostok:

[Centuur]

And a Stuka ground strikes Alexandria, which succeeds on a die roll of five. The Euroaxis improve positions around the Polish Demarkation line. In France and move serveral units from Morocco into Gibraltar. In Egypt, they move towards Alexandria. The city is attacked and captured in an automatic victory. German Para's drop unto the Island of Lemnos (another automatic victory), again forcing the Greek ships to find another base. One convoy is destroyed and the Helle is captured by the Para's.

Here is the Hohenfriedberger Marsch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAS3ZYUe7y0

The Japanese moves units towards the Burmese-Chinese border and around Vladivostok. In China, units are moved towards the coastal area's. In the far north, the city of Nikolaysk is taken by a Japanese Marine division. The two other marines invade Vladivostok. Umezu personally leads the attack from overland (HQ support included) and the Japanese fleet opens fire. Soviet workers are pressed into service (notional unit included in the battle). Since there is no possible retreat, the assault table is chosen. If this goes wrong, the Japanese lose the precious marines. Hmmm. What about the golden rule in WiF, if you can't have the worst result, don't attack? Well, in this case, one has to take a chance:

[Centuur]

Some aircraft are rebased. Here is the Middle East: