AllenK vs Mayhemizer AAR

[Mayhemizer_slith]

CW rails GARR to Plymouth. Comm Chinese rails MIL to Chengcow.

USSR moves cav in eastern Manchuria to get closer to Japanes important railroads.
Comm Chinese blocks railroad and 73,143 resource becomes idle.
Nationalist Chinese takes empty city Hangchow.
France takes Arm out of Antwerp and shuffles troops.

France rebases Potez 631 2 hexes. USSR keeps flying east with TB-3 and IL-4. TB-3 is almost in range to bomb Japanese on Manchuria.

Zhukov reorganizes 2 units.

On roll 5 turn continues. Weather roll 1.

I kind of hoped turn to end. My poor CP's in Mediterranean...

[AllenK]

M/A 1940 Axis 11

No DoW

Germany, Italy Combined, Japan Land.

CA San Georgio moves to Italian Coast. Do CW wish to intercept?

[AllenK]

I'll assume no and the CA moves on to the East Med and stops in the 1-box.

Germany sends U-boats to the North Sea 3-box.

5 areas of potential combat.

[AllenK]

First to the East Med.

The Italians commit subs. Both they and the Nav locate the CP's on a 3 (Allied 6).

With surprise points used to increase damage, the subs make short work of the CP's.

[AllenK]

In the North Sea, the U-boat sneaks right up amongst the Allied shipping (searches 1 vs 10). The CP is sunk and the U-boat away before the RN can react.

The U-boat stays to fight. What do the RN wish to do?

[Mayhemizer_slith]

RN will stay.

Edit: Vs one sub RN will not abort. They rather sink than go home telling "we had to abort". Sounds like famous last words with Trans in North Sea...

[AllenK]

Using the cover of a stormy night, the U-boats approach stealthily on the surface, lower deck awash to give a low profile. Allied look-outs fail to spot the conning towers low in the water and the U-boats send a long-range spread into the Allied shipping. Some find their mark amongst the Dutch Transports, causing serious damage to the flotilla. Surprise rolls Axis 1, Allied 9. Points used to reduce allied damage to NE and select target. The D result was made when the Trans rolled a 4. The U-boats sneak away into the night.

[AllenK]

Both sides elect to continue the fight but the German subs stay on the bottom (don't commit) and the combat ends. The damaged Trans aborts to Plymouth.

In the West Med the Italians initiate combat but the RN gets the first salvoes home. (Searches Axis 4, Allies 2). How do the RN wish to allocate their 2 points and losses?

[Mayhemizer_slith]

Increase my damage.

I take X to CA Effingham, D to CL Emerald and D to CA Exeter and abort with every ship to Gibraltar.

Pretty well guessed what will happen in North Sea or what?

[AllenK]

Effingham takes the brunt of the opening Italian salvoes. Repeatedly bracketed, she limps out damaged but still afloat (X to D). The remainder of the combat goes with the damage.

[AllenK]

Then comes the retribution, which proves unfortunate for the CA Abruzzi.

[AllenK]

The Italians decline the Italian Coast.

Manchuria after land movement.

[AllenK]

The Italians swap a unit on the French border and nothing else happens.

The turn ends on a 1.

A partisan appears in Korea. Where do the Allies wish to place it?

[Mayhemizer_slith]

Nice. Resource hex, thank you.

EDIT:

US takes 1 chit to Japan pool. No entry actions.

Maybe I should have sailed to Red Sea with those 2 CP's instead of committing suicide in Mediterranean. Would be easier not to create a convoy line around Africa...

[Mayhemizer_slith]

Units destroyed during M/A 1940. Looks like Axis did better work...

[AlbertN]

Hmm the Japanese front does not look good at all.
That is one of the reasons for which I feel MWiF should have adopted the tabletop game map. Japs have too few units to do well in China and protect Manchuria.

[Jagdtiger14]

I like the Asian map...far more interesting!

[Centuur]

ORIGINAL: Jagdtiger14

I like the Asian map...far more interesting!

I agree. However, I also believe that the war on Mainland Asia has changed a lot due to the unified map. I think it is easier to conquer the Chinese by Japan on this map.

It looks like that a Soviet setup which is aggresive towards Persia, allows the Japanese to start hammering on the Chinese.

So I'm still looking for a right way to play with this map, especially by the USSR...

[AllenK]

ORIGINAL: Centuur

ORIGINAL: Jagdtiger14

I like the Asian map...far more interesting!

I agree. However, I also believe that the war on Mainland Asia has changed a lot due to the unified map. I think it is easier to conquer the Chinese by Japan on this map.

It looks like that a Soviet setup which is aggresive towards Persia, allows the Japanese to start hammering on the Chinese.

So I'm still looking for a right way to play with this map, especially by the USSR...

Thanks to everyone for commenting.

The change in map scale between WiF and MWiF has certainly changed the game. In which way remains to be seen as I don't think consensus has been reached.

I think this is the first posted AAR where the USSR has invaded Manchuria so it's a bit of a unique case. It's certainly interesting and challenging for the Japanese.

From the AAR's so far posted, without USSR involvement in Manchuria, the Japs can probably hold their own, can make pretty good initial territorial gains and kill some Chinese units along the way. In return, they lose a number of units. The strategic return on investment is questionable. The Japs don't appear to have enough units to hold the gains and get captured resources back to the factories. Sooner or later, the Chinese infiltrate behind the lines, cut supply and put the Japs in trouble.

However, I think most of the AAR's have included the Additional Chinese Cities option, which was brought in to compensate for the change in map scale. In practice, it seems to advantage the Allies far more than the Axis as it gives the Chinese more primary supply sources (or potential sources if initially Japanese controlled), which aids the infiltration and more cities to place reinforcements. For the Axis it is a couple of extra hexes with the city defence bonus. It would possibly make for a more balanced game by not including it. The alternative would be some adjustments to the Japanese force pool. Initially we need to see AARs without the additional cities.

[AlbertN]

I agree with giving a try without the additional cities. The rule for USA chit entry is tuned for both situations anyhow.
I encountered the problem too that once Japan has to divert forces to other sectors (Pacific / Birmania / Etc) and has to take impulses for Naval / Combined the Chinese can easily infiltrate the Japanese lines once they have built up a decent force.
By adding the Soviets to the equation the Japanese turn out to be quite crippled.

Another possible issue I forecast (but cannot speak about with certainness) is that the augmented number of isles equals to more airbases to a sea zone. And meanwhile the Japan has so many planes to pour in, the USA could reach an overwhelming amount of land based planes with many more isles to use as bases for each Sea Zone.