Global War AAR in Pictures

[rkr1958]

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Allied #5. CW Naval. Other Sea Areas.

The only other sea area in which either side choose to try to initiate naval combat was in the Eastern Med. The CW try but failed to initiate combat as both sides failed to find the other.

[rkr1958]

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Allied #5. Eastern Med. Egypt.

[rkr1958]

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Allied #5. CW. RAF Strategic Bombing, Germany.

[rkr1958]

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Allied #5. Northern China.

Mao and the communist pull back a bit to avoid being out flanked by the Japanese. Especially in the case of the turn ending and the axis getting to move first in the next turn.

[rkr1958]

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Allied #5. Southern China.

[AlbertN]

With that situation in France I'd definitely go Spain - since the Frenchmen can be easily mopped up at that stage.

To remove 1 unit from Lyon is a possible mistake, since a location with 2 units is much stronger.

And you'll see on the long run why the "En route interception" rule is a must for the Axis, or Germany will bleed an amount of BPs per turn because of UK bombers "teleporting" anywhere in Germany. (And Germany does not have enough fighters to cover all of their factories AND cover their frontlines - bear in mind, we are speaking of 1940 / 1941 situation)

[rkr1958]

ORIGINAL: Cohen

With that situation in France I'd definitely go Spain - since the Frenchmen can be easily mopped up at that stage.

To remove 1 unit from Lyon is a possible mistake, since a location with 2 units is much stronger.

And you'll see on the long run why the "En route interception" rule is a must for the Axis, or Germany will bleed an amount of BPs per turn because of UK bombers "teleporting" anywhere in Germany. (And Germany does not have enough fighters to cover all of their factories AND cover their frontlines - bear in mind, we are speaking of 1940 / 1941 situation)

Thanks.

[rkr1958]

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Axis #6. Germany. Strategic Bombing.

The Germans take a land and start of their impulse with a strategic bombing raid on Coventry, which was unopposed but failed to do any damage.

[rkr1958]

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Axis #6. Germany. Ground Strike, France.

A German ground strike against a stack of out of supplied French units does better and manages to disorganize one of the defenders reducing his defense to 1.

[rkr1958]

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Axis #6. Germany. Land Combat, France.

The Germans carry out four land combats against the French. Three of the combats are Blitz, all of which go well. The one assault, while successful cost the Germans a garrison and resulted in the disorganization of two of the surviving attackers.

[rkr1958]

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Axis #6. Germany. The Western Front.

With France in this bad of shape I'm serious completing going for the complete conquest instead of declaring Vichy. As the Germans, I'm still planning on turning East either way. That is, after France I plan on going after the Balkans and then the Soviet Union.

Should I go for the complete conquest or declare Vichy? Pros and Cons, anyone?

[rkr1958]

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Axis #6. Italy. Egypt.

Italy also takes a land and uses that to push further and put more troops into Egypt.

[rkr1958]

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Axis #6. Japan. Ground Strike.

Japan takes a land and ground strikes a stack of communist Chinese to no effect.

[rkr1958]

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Axis #6. Japan. Northern Flank.

Japan continues their war of maneuver against the Chinese. The odds they getting against the Chinese in the mountains are just too low at this point. Maybe next impulse?

[AlbertN]

Complete conquest of France and then going east is not very smooth in my eyes - simply because it leaves Marocco, Algeria and Tunisia as places where the UK can go and use them as bases of operations in the Med.
Also the Italian push to close Suez is pretty moot the moment the W.Allies have Gibraltar to operate from as well.

The moment you go Greece and the Med is not closed you pratically give 10 CPs to UK - assuming they slip through the Italian Navy in the Med.
Even if Italy gets to Iraq and Persia - unless you are certain (and one can never be) that you'll link up from above with the Germans at Caucasus - you'll see the RN presence growing up over time in the Med (If UK chooses for a mediterranean policy as historically they did).

At this point the only "pro" you have of the complete conquest of France is that you have immediately +1 Factory and +1 Resource.
With Vichy you have added resources that can be shipped in France if Vichy has the convoys for (Algeria one and Senegal one) that, with the one in France, pairs well up with the total of 3 factories Vichy has (Marseille, Lyon, Vichy). Vichy will stock up BPs for Germany later on - and you get 1 oil from Iraq as well.
Japan - with Vichy on - can ask for French Indochina and even Madagascar. (At the expensive cost of US chits!)

Long in short - if you have no plans for Spain at all - Vichy seems better than a conquest of France.

Which I am susprised about as you seem to have even built the Italian Marine (invasion of Gibraltar?) - but it is acting as regular INF in Lybia?
With the Italian DIV in Cyprus it would have been a nice threat to land anywhere behind the Brits (5 factors + 5 shore bombing = +21 against a 1 Strong notional!)
A landing at the Port Said hex would have closed the channel for both sides, ZoC'ed Suez port and all the brits suddenly OOS?

[Centuur]

Agreed. The Italian builds support a "close the Med" policy before going into the USSR. It's a pity the MAR wasn't put into Cyprus. It's a great base for striking at Egypt.
Since the summer turn still hasn't ended, Germany should attack the cities of Vichy and Rouen this impulse and start racing two fast units south towards Toulouse and Marseilles. If there is another impulse, Lyon gets captured. All because there is now one French unit in Lyons.
I would go for Spain and Gibraltar next. Only if the turn ends and the French gets two units which they can put into Toulouse and maybe a third which should go into Lyons, Germany should probably go for Vichy instead.

Also, I don't like the evacuation of the BEF out of France. You could have decided to keep those units in France instead and evacuate them next turn. However, a good trick now would be to move those units in the naval RTB phase to the ports of Bordeaux and Bayonne (they are still at sea, I presume and can reach those ports? The BEF than becomes the first frontline for Germany to pass, if it wants to go to Gib. Churchill doesn't know Axis war plans and should act this way. It's also a good defensive position in Western Europe if Germany creates Vichy. And if he doesn't, than the French will still fight for their last "fortress", Toulouse.

Delays are everything for the Wallies, and if you can force Germany to keep valuable forces in France a couple of turns of longer, because there are some bloody Brits still on the continent, that's good. The defense of Moscow starts in France...

The Balkans are a bad place to fight in, even with the superior Wehrmacht. Greece has a merchant navy which one should not give to the CW, except when the Med is closed and those ships can't get out of there. Otherwise, kill of Yugoslavia and let the Greeks stay neutral.

[rkr1958]

ORIGINAL: Cohen

Complete conquest of France and then going east is not very smooth in my eyes - simply because it leaves Marocco, Algeria and Tunisia as places where the UK can go and use them as bases of operations in the Med.
Also the Italian push to close Suez is pretty moot the moment the W.Allies have Gibraltar to operate from as well.

The moment you go Greece and the Med is not closed you pratically give 10 CPs to UK - assuming they slip through the Italian Navy in the Med.
Even if Italy gets to Iraq and Persia - unless you are certain (and one can never be) that you'll link up from above with the Germans at Caucasus - you'll see the RN presence growing up over time in the Med (If UK chooses for a mediterranean policy as historically they did).

At this point the only "pro" you have of the complete conquest of France is that you have immediately +1 Factory and +1 Resource.
With Vichy you have added resources that can be shipped in France if Vichy has the convoys for (Algeria one and Senegal one) that, with the one in France, pairs well up with the total of 3 factories Vichy has (Marseille, Lyon, Vichy). Vichy will stock up BPs for Germany later on - and you get 1 oil from Iraq as well.
Japan - with Vichy on - can ask for French Indochina and even Madagascar. (At the expensive cost of US chits!)

Long in short - if you have no plans for Spain at all - Vichy seems better than a conquest of France.

OK, Vichy it is.

ORIGINAL: Cohen

Which I am susprised about as you seem to have even built the Italian Marine (invasion of Gibraltar?) - but it is acting as regular INF in Lybia?
With the Italian DIV in Cyprus it would have been a nice threat to land anywhere behind the Brits (5 factors + 5 shore bombing = +21 against a 1 Strong notional!)
A landing at the Port Said hex would have closed the channel for both sides, ZoC'ed Suez port and all the brits suddenly OOS?

I could only get the marine to the 1 box in the East Med. However, I do have plans to put a transport in Tripoli so I can get the marine in the 3 box and, as you suggested, use the divsion in Cyprus for a flanking invasion of Egypt. I'll see if I can pull that off.

ORIGINAL: Centuur

Agreed. The Italian builds support a "close the Med" policy before going into the USSR. It's a pity the MAR wasn't put into Cyprus. It's a great base for striking at Egypt.
Since the summer turn still hasn't ended, Germany should attack the cities of Vichy and Rouen this impulse and start racing two fast units south towards Toulouse and Marseilles. If there is another impulse, Lyon gets captured. All because there is now one French unit in Lyons.
I would go for Spain and Gibraltar next. Only if the turn ends and the French gets two units which they can put into Toulouse and maybe a third which should go into Lyons, Germany should probably go for Vichy instead.

Also, I don't like the evacuation of the BEF out of France. You could have decided to keep those units in France instead and evacuate them next turn. However, a good trick now would be to move those units in the naval RTB phase to the ports of Bordeaux and Bayonne (they are still at sea, I presume and can reach those ports? The BEF than becomes the first frontline for Germany to pass, if it wants to go to Gib. Churchill doesn't know Axis war plans and should act this way. It's also a good defensive position in Western Europe if Germany creates Vichy. And if he doesn't, than the French will still fight for their last "fortress", Toulouse.

Delays are everything for the Wallies, and if you can force Germany to keep valuable forces in France a couple of turns of longer, because there are some bloody Brits still on the continent, that's good. The defense of Moscow starts in France...

The BEF is still in the North Sea. Because of FTC limits I could only deploy Gort and his transport to Bordeaux or Bayonne during the RTB? Then next turn move another corps and division there. Is that what you think I should do?

ORIGINAL: CentuurThe Balkans are a bad place to fight in, even with the superior Wehrmacht. Greece has a merchant navy which one should not give to the CW, except when the Med is closed and those ships can't get out of there. Otherwise, kill of Yugoslavia and let the Greeks stay neutral.

No Greece then. I will declare Vichy and then try to set up a flanking invasion of the British forces in Egypt.

[rkr1958]

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Allied #7. RAF Strategic Bombing.

The RAF carrying out two more strategic bombing raids against Germany. Though unopposed the RAF bombers miss their targets.

[rkr1958]

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Allied #7. France.

The CW takes a land and France takes a combined.

Against the advice of his allied Generals Cohen and Centuur, PM Churchill makes the difficult decision to abandoned France and orders the BEF commanded by Lord Gort to disembark back into London and Southampton.

[rkr1958]

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Allied #7. Northern China.

The communist continue to play the game of maneuver and no combat in China. In the case of the communist Chinese, their maneuver is a slow withdrawal through the mountains.