How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR

[warspite1]

6th September 1942

Reinforcements
None

MPP Expenditure

UK - The UK prepare for the Second Front and build an Army
USA - The US save their points
USSR - The USSR build a tank unit

[warspite1]

13th - 20th September 1942

The convoy map shows how the recent Kriegsmarine sorties have pulled the escort forces out of position. U-Boats have struck two convoy lanes as a result. It also clearly shows how I have forgotten to move the Soviet destroyers flotillas for about 4-5 turns now [8|]. These are needed to replace the US destroyers that were lost during the Kriegsmarine's fleet sortie into the Atlantic.

The 3rd (Canadian) Escort Flotilla locates the wolf pack in the north and reduces its strength to just 3. The 14th Escort Flotilla is ordered to leave the Home Fleet and assist.

Three flotillas are ordered to the mid-Atlantic, although there is nothing they can do about the U-Boats this turn.

Meanwhile off the west coast of Scotland the cornered Graf Zeppelin is sunk by the 15-inch shells of HMS Renown and HMS Valiant. The wounded wolf pack, limping back to the UK is also destroyed.

The Home Fleet, less the destroyers, continues its journey back to the UK for R+R.

During the AI turn a destroyer flotilla attacked the 2nd Submarine Flotilla in the Skaggerak. A task force is sent into the Norwegian Sea but no sign of the destroyers is found. However, and very fortuitously, the 16th Escort Flotilla stumble across a wolf pack north of Bergen. The destroyers come off best, although there are no units to assist.

Finally the 2nd Submarine Flotilla is ordered to end its patrol and return to Scotland for repairs.

[warspite1]

13th - 20th September 1942

Reinforcements

United Kingdom
Crerar HQ appears in Canada

MPP Expenditure

UK - Purchase an Army
USA - Purchase an Army and a Corps
USSR - Research AT and Command and Control

[warspite1]

13th - 20th September 1942

In Egypt/Libya the two Allied forces have joined up south of Bardia and trapped the Axis forces in a coastal strip stretching from Tobruk in the west to Mersa Matruh in the east. A German fighter unit is destroyed along with the anti-tank unit that was screening the last of Rommel's panzers. The panzers remain a powerful fighting force but the Allies will attempt to grind them down.

Speaking of Rommel, in a surprise development, the 'Desert Fox' suddenly announced he was feeling a little queezy, his mum wrote the Fuhrer a note, and he has been allowed home...

To the west the US 2nd Army takes Benghazi.

[warspite1]

13th - 20th September 1942

In the Soviet Union I have to be a little careful here. The Soviets have pretty much all the key land units; army, corps, mechanised and tanks, in the field. Many of the units, in their quest to head west, have become under-strength. I think it is time for a little caution to be shown - although where considered prudent, the Soviets need to keep the pressure on.

[warspite1]

13th - 20th September 1942

As a perfect example of what I was saying above, 14th Rifle Corps south of Riga and 22nd Mechanised near Kaunas are both in trouble and cannot move. Stupidly Stalin - er sorry one of Stalin's general's - orders 4th Army south to assist the latter, but the German units there are too strong. The order is therefore given to concentrate on liquidating the pockets south of Parnu and tighten the encirclement of Daugvapils so there can be no escape for the four units there. Only where good odds are available should these units then be attacked. Meanwhile all units are to be brought up to strength.

[warspite1]

13th - 20th September 1942

To the south, and north of the Pripyat Marshes, the same rules MO is put in place. The 1st Shock Tank Army is ordered to take Pinsk but move no further, while efforts are made to eliminate 10th Army only. The German unit stubbornly refuses to die, but the Soviets stay calm and do not deviate from their plan of bringing units up to strength.

[warspite1]

13th - 20th September 1942

In the extreme south the German units on the east (south) bank of the Dnepr prove dogged in their defence. With the exception of pushing 21st Rifle Corps into Krivoy Rog (to hopefully unhinge the German position around Dneprpetrovsk), the Soviets are simply consolidating their position.

[warspite1]

13th - 20th September 1942

To the south of the Pripyat, the position remains difficult. The Italian armour north of Kiev is doing an annoyingly sterling job and the trapped 14th Army shows no sign of weakening. That being the case, again this is a turn of consolidation.

[warspite1]

Summary:

As we enter late 1942 I thought this game was over and that, with the seeming lack of German units on the Eastern Front, the Axis would simply be steamrollered.

The last couple of turns has shown that there is plenty of fight in the Germans....

I still think the Allies must be looking good here for the victory, but at least the Axis have given me something to think about.

[warspite1]

27th September - 8th October 1942

Reinforcements

United Kingdom
A destroyer in Plymouth

Soviet Union
An AA in Konotop

MPP Expenditure

UK - Purchase an Army
USA - Purchase an Army
USSR - Research Long Range Aircraft and Industrial Technology

[warspite1]

27th September - 8th October 1942

After so much action that was the dullest turn ever! Both in Egypt and the Soviet Union (plus the ships in the UK) units have been ordered to reinforce/upgrade where possible, not only in anticipation of future offensives, but also due to the fact that the Germans are not done yet...


Maybe letting surrounded units get destroyed piecemeal is not the best policy? The Germans fight back.

[warspite1]

19th October 1942 - 30th October 1942

Despite the loss of the bulk of the Kriegsmarine and Regia Marina, there is still plenty to keep the Allies occupied in the North Atlantic.

[warspite1]

19th October 1942 - 30th October 1942

Rommel's HQ - minus Rommel - is based at Halfaya Pass. The Germans nickname this Hellfire Pass as the German HQ is overrun by British infantry of II and V Corps. With the HQ gone, German resistance at the east end of the Axis line appears to wilt and then crumble.

The British, Canadians, Indians and New Zealanders (plus the US air force) attack the last remaining panzer and artillery regiments of the once proud Afrika Korps. The end is nigh.....

Meanwhile in the west, Bradley, looking as green as his counter after about 3 years at sea, finally makes land along with the US heavy artillery. II Corps does not wait for the artillery and starts to reduce the Italian garrison at El-Agheila.

[warspite1]

19th October - 30th October 1942

It must be so hard to design a truly quality AI. There are signs here that the guys are close with this one, but ultimately on the retreat, the AI doesn't know what it wants to do and when it decides, it does not properly commit. It looked last turn as though the panzers were coming to the aid of Daugvapils - but they've disappeared. In the south 48th Rifle Corps looked like it was going to get cut off and destroyed, but key German units remained south of the Dnepr attacking Soviet infantry it didn't need to.

As von Paulus will tell us, there comes a point when surrounded, beyond which a breakout becomes impossible. For the defenders of the Daugvapils fortress and the surrounding area, that time has been reached. Supply is zero, readiness is sub 30% and morale sub 20% for all three units outside the fortress; it's only slightly higher for those inside...

The 1st Baltic Front have now moved beyond Riga - and the Soviet Baltic Fleet has been ordered south to the Gulf of Riga. I am guessing the Finns aren't coming in now [:)]

[warspite1]

19th October - 30th October 1942

North of the Pripyat the German 10th Army finally succumb to the inevitable... 16th Army and a reconstituted Hungarian 2nd Army are all that stand in the way of a breakout to Grodno-Bialystok-Brest Litovsk.

[warspite1]

19th - 30th October 1942

The couple of tentative bridgeheads over the Dnepr have now exploded. Especially so in the south where another unfortunate German unit has been surrounded. In the north the Italian tanks were finally overcome and there are now a further six Axis units in imminent danger of being encircled.

[warspite1]

19th - 30th October 1942

Reinforcement

United States
Clark HQ - Boston
1st Armoured Corps - Providence
1st Corps - New York

MPP Expenditure

UK - Purchase Tactical Bombers
USA - Purchase an Army
USSR - Research Armoured Warfare, Heavy Bombers and Ground Attack

[freeboy]

Shaping up as a nice win.. I did not see this and Im sure it was there, what is the difficulty level? any changes to the scripts? thanks for a riveting ta(n)ke on this aar

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: freeboy

Shaping up as a nice win.. I did not see this and Im sure it was there, what is the difficulty level? any changes to the scripts? thanks for a riveting ta(n)ke on this aar

warspite1

Everything as per default setting so Intermediate Difficulty and no change in % (see post 5 of the first AAR). I have made no changes or deletions to any of the scripts - all as per standard.