A musical global war AAR...

[Klydon]

Early in the game Centuur was taking input on what the Axis should do in terms of taking risks. Those that responded sort of pushed an aggressive German advance because of the weather.

The weather dice have mostly favored the Axis along with turn ends. The disaster started for the Allies when the Axis got good weather over the winter which allowed them to overrun the Low Countries and then use a offensive chit against the French very early. That pretty much destroyed the French defenses and resulted in the French with an early exit to the war.

The other issue for the Allies has been the failure of the US to get into the war before they did. (They missed at least 3 attempts to declare war with a chance over 60%).

This hasn't been a Axis fantasy situation at all imo. But it shows what type of luck the Axis need to even get the game to this point.

As noted in my previous post, about the only die rolls NOT going the way of the Axis consistently has been the initiative rolls.

[Centuur]

To be honest: I've never seen an Axis player killing France and grabbing Gibraltar in 1940(!). Sure, it took both German offensives to do so, but it was really astonishing the way the dice went in France in the winter of 1939-1940.

And there was the strange winter of 1941-1942 too to consider. Snow when the Soviets are defending in the swamps isn't that good at all. I really expected that frontline to hold until M/A 1942, but it was crushed in the winter turns. Far too soon to be able to get better defenses in play for the Soviets.

I'm realy a little bit confused at times what to do. This situation isn't like anything I've seen. I've seen quite spectacular demises of the Soviet Union, but I've never seen them getting pushed back like this after they've taken Iraq and Persia first. Normally with a "close the Med" strategy, one sees a Barbarossa 1942, not a Barbarossa 1941 with the Med all in Axis hands.

The conquest of China is probably due to the new map. I think that the only way to prevent a conquest of China is the early start of a Soviet-Japanese war. If the Japanese "throw the kitchen sink" at the Chinese and the Soviets don't interfere with that, China is gone, as was demonstrated in the early moments of this game. Next time, I won't fall into that trap again.

The war in China used to be a WW I type of war with the WiF maps. Now it has become more of a tactical war, with too few units on both sides to make a solid frontline...

If you combine this with the four die rolls for the US DoW's which all went wrong, you get the picture.

[Centuur]

July-August 1942, Axis impulse number 10:

All Axis powers take land actions.

The Luftwaffe decides to take action against the Soviets. The Soviet airforce decide to sit tight. It might be better to see if Soviet bombers can aid the defense later on. The Luftwaffe bombs the Soviet positions. The first attack is at the northern tip of the frontline:

[Centuur]

The second one almost at the southern end of the line:

[Centuur]

And the last one is on the last southern hex with Soviet units:

[Centuur]

Guderian rails to Egypt, an ART to the Soviet front and an ENG rails to Gibraltar. Italy rails an INF to Basra.

Listen to German Marchmusic: Wenn die Soldaten:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxnaRcUVo2g

Von Manstein orders two attacks on southern end of the Soviet frontline. The Luftwaffe provides ground support on the first attack, escorted by a Me FTR. The Soviets realise that this attack is it. If it succeeds, the German might break through. They react by sending out the air force. After this, the Luftwaffe scrambles Heinkels to intercept:

[Centuur]

At the end, the odds are quite lower than they were at first. Von Manstein orders the Blitzkrieg table:

[Centuur]

Because of this succes on the first attack, the next one becomes a formality:

[Centuur]

So, that “2” is out of the way... The OKH is shocked by the low fighting spirit of the German soldiers involved...

Listen to German Swing: Michael Jary - Am nächsten Tag... ft. Rudi Schuricke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rKJHNnYOcI

Von Leeb decides to attack Archangel. It isn't that good an attack, but with only one unit defending the city, the chance is high enough that the place can be taken. A Stuka provides ground support:

[Centuur]

Yamamoto orders an attack Lord Gort in Birma. Gort is disorganised and out of supply, but in a storm, this might be tricky: After some thinking, Gort wants to survive and chooses the Blitzkrieg table. However, it's no use against the Japanese elite forces attacking out of the Jungle from behind...

[Centuur]

Umezu crushes the Irkutsk MIL, killing the last Soviet unit east of that city:

[Centuur]

Yamashita decides that a further advance in Australia doesn't achieve a lot. With Mac Arthur as opponent, he is incapable of capturing the resource. He stays in place:

[Centuur]

Here is the situation in Birma:

[Centuur]

Rommel reorganises a Stuka and a MECH at the Ostfront:

[Centuur]

The turn doesn't end:

[Centuur]

Here's Japanese music with a video in color: 《軍歌》大東亜決戦の歌（Song of the Great Eastern Asia Decisive Battle):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1sE193lzqg

And here's the weather for the next couple of impulses:

[Klydon]

Bad set back for the Allies in Birma with the loss of lower Birma and especially the HQ unit going away. That will put all the units in Northern Birma out of supply except the small milita unit.

The Russians continue to be in deep trouble. If the Axis get to move again this turn with good weather, it is going to hurt a lot since the southern part of the line became unhinged and the Germans are arriving in force on the Russian line. Losing Archangel also frees up some Axis units although losses were heavy for the Axis there, it isn't anything they can't replace given their production.

[Centuur]

I don't know if the Soviets will recover from this. They can't continue to spend saved oil for building units for ever...

[Centuur]

July-August 1942, Allied impulse number 11:

There is a 70% chance that the turn will end if all major powers pass. However, the USSR can't affort to do so. If the turn doesn't end, the Soviet army risks being cut of from the East. Therefore, all major powers pass, except for the USSR who chooses a land action.

A Russian tango, recorded in 1940:

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

Also, since both HQ;s in the frontline are disorganised, the offensive chit is used to reorganise them. Things are desperate indeed...

The last Soviet reserve, a CAV out of Irkutsk, is railed to Kazan. The Soviets retreat the frontlines. Vatutin reorganises a FTR and the CAV. After this, they hope for the turn to end:

[Centuur]

Turn ends: