Vengeance: A Global War AAR (DQ2004 AAR#3)

[DQ2004]

With France 'Vichied' and very few colonies falling to those pesky 'Free' French (Arbeit Macht Frei = Work Makes You Free, in case you'd forgotten), now the war is between just Britain and her irritating colonys and the might of Germany and Italy (not so much in Italy's case).
The first impulse of the turn the Allies win the iniative, again trying to destroy the Italian convoys in the Italian Coast. Admittedly they had done quite badly on their search rolls although they had destroyed the convoys in all sea areas in previous turns, they had failed to find the new convoys.
This time the bulk of the Italian battlefleet set out to engage the large British force in the Italian Coast. With new 'Erone' flying boats on reconnaissance (possibly with a few bombs loaded too), and as many ships as they can find, they head out.
This time fortune is with them, and the ever so annoying Royal Navy is caught napping.
With a superiority in battleships of three to one, Admiral Iachino gleefully orders his ships to close in, and they target the most despised of all RN carriers, the Ark Royal.

[DQ2004]

Sadly, whilst they hit their target quickly, many of the Italian shells are duds, and the Ark Royal retires behind a smokescreen while the RN cruisers charge forward to protect the big carrier.
HMS York is sunk and HMS Effingham badly damaged before they can flee.
On their way out they sink a number of Italian submarines that were screening the Italian fleet.

[DQ2004]

In the North Sea, the German naval air arm (of course in this war, there is such a thing, because we're not that silly) has received reinforcements.
They target the Royal Navy's battle squadron in the North Sea.
Again the Germans get the benefit of surprise. Naturally they target the biggest ship they can see.
It is a triumph for the German airmen, with Iron Crosses all round. The mightiest ship in the Royal Navy has been sent to the bottom. Vengeance is ours!!

[DQ2004]

Over the skies of England the Battle of Britain is raging. Well, sort of.
A large force of Heinkel 111s target London. Every available fighter is sent by either side, and a gargantuan scrap ensues.
The British lose two fighters for only one German, although the bombers do relatively little damage.

[DQ2004]

After some preparation, the Germans decide its time to take out the arrogant Norwegians. Besides, we have intelligence that the British are about to occupy the country, and so for its own protection, we need to take control. A few elements are expected to be unhappy about this, but that's their problem.
Plus, the Norwegians should have helped us in the last war! Vengeance!

[Courtenay]

Wow! I am not used to seeing Norway attacked. The two transports and all the CPs make it too much of a free gift to the CW. I would like to know your reasoning, or is this just roll playing?

Did you grab Narvik with a division? If not, did the CW have anything at all that can get there?

[Centuur]

13 CP and two TRS for the CW. Now, that's a huge boost for them. And if the CW has an INF on a TRS capable of reaching Narvik, the iron ore from Sweden won't go to Germany when it's snow in Sweden...

[juntoalmar]

Fantastic AAR. Thanks! Love the animated GIFs. How do you create them?

I see the Japanese army is very strong in China. What's the situation in the Manchurian border? Can the soviets launch an attack there to help their Chinese friends?

[DQ2004]

Thanks juntoalmar for the comments. Thanks also to whoever was responsible at Matrix for putting a link to this AAR on the front page! I'll try to do that justice, however long it lasts.
Re GIFs, I create them in photoshop. A quick google search showed me how to do it.
The key is saving screenshots at the same zoom and with the exact same view to enable them to be easily created.

As for Norway, well, as you'll see they didn't quite get all of those CONV. And to be honest I just expected my opponent to roll over and let Norway die... but, well, you'll see.

Now, back to it!
Unfortunately being caught up in the moment of a two player game one tends to forget things. Like the Russian build-up in Finland. And this is partly because it was conducted at a glacial pace. Not that there's much one can do about that.
Anyway, Bomber Harris finally declared war on Finland sometime during the Jul/Aug 1940 turn, I think it was, and this is the front some time near the end of the turn:

[DQ2004]

The turn didn't go very well for the Finns, losing two battles and two units plus their FTR force, with no Soviet casualties. Not at all what I was hoping for the Winter War. Which is.. not happening in winter, of course!

China continued their slide towards disaster but unfortunately the Jul/Aug turn seems to have been the one we screen-shotted the least. I do apologise. Seeking vengeance does keep one busy, after all!
In fact, the other thing that happened that I forgot to 'capture' (pun intended) was the Germans decided to overrun the Netherlands. They even managed to capture one Dutch cruiser! Another was scuttled in port by its crew. Of course Holland is now part of the Reich.

These are the losses for the turn:

[DQ2004]

The other problem with the Norway situation was that because the turn ended, the Norwegians would get the Oslo militia reinforcement and Norway would be that much harder to conquer [:@]
Global control at the end of the Jul/Aug 1940 turn:

[DQ2004]

These are the reinforcements for Sep/Oct 1940:

[DQ2004]

The Axis got the initiative for the Sep/Oct 1940 turn and quickly set their new plan into motion.
One: Large quantities of Heinkel He-115 naval strike aircraft flew into the North Sea, with a few He-112s in support.
Two: Transports loaded with more troops quickly sailed to the beach-head at Kristiansand
Three: Troops that had started the turn there quickly moved to Stavanger, forcing four CONV there to rebase - and of course, there was only one place they could go - the North Sea.
Being the first impulse, the British could do virtually nothing, and declined to send a FTR to try to help the vulnerable transports. Sure enough, they were spotted, and a few waves of torpedo bombers finished them off.

After this, Ju-52 transport planes flew the Alpine corps to land in newly occupied territory in Norway, whilst the 1st INF Korps made their way to the mountains overlooking Oslo.
The Royal Navy moved into the North Sea with 'Whirlwind' FTR escorts ... but it was too late, really.

[DQ2004]

China was another place that we forgot to capture screenshots of during the Jul/Aug turn.
But basically little happened in the North, but in the south the Nationalists continued their retreat.
After realising that withdrawing to the last row of mountain hexes would leave them vulnerable supply-wise, the Nationalists decided to make Chekiang a 'hero' city, and with two corps and a division prepared to withstand a siege.
It was not long in coming, the Japanese could not afford to leave this place behind the lines, especially given it is sitting astride the Burma Road. So thus every available unit was sent to surround it. Only the maximum available force would do.

[Mayhemizer_slith]

Great AAR, there is fighting everywhere.

Finland is saved, 2nd ski division arrived! [:D]

[DQ2004]

A closer view of the Japanese armies moving around Chekiang (sorry no GIF this time!)

[juntoalmar]

ORIGINAL: DQ2004

Re GIFs, I create them in photoshop. A quick google search showed me how to do it.
The key is saving screenshots at the same zoom and with the exact same view to enable them to be easily created.

Yep, I have made some myself with PS. The trouble is to have the same map zoom and position all the time. If I created some map views, I have to replicate them with all nations so I can always take a screen capture the same size (otherwise the GIF is shaky).

What about Manchuria? It seems Japan is very strong in China, so I guess that part of the map is quite empty.

[rkr1958]

ORIGINAL: DQ2004
Anyway, Bomber Harris finally declared war on Finland sometime during the Jul/Aug 1940 turn

The Brits declared war on Finland?

[DQ2004]

Bomber Harris is the name of my opponent! (although his name in this forum may be different, I'll have to go back and change all references if he chooses something else).
I haven't got a picture of Manchuria from this point in the game, I'll take one soon enough.
I'm still behind where the game is actually at from the screenshots & GIFs posted.

Here's the situation in Northern China. After losing Mao's HQ, the communists have recovered.

[DQ2004]

In North Africa, the Regia Marina has still failed to wrest control of the seazones. Transports sneak two German corps to Libya; but the Deutsches Afrika Korps has to drive all the way from Tripoli.
Both sides are experiencing supply difficulties with both sides consistently destroying vital CONVs, and after the early Italian army attack, there has been virtually no activity on this front, other than reinforcements arriving from both sides.
In Sicily however, a large Axis force of aircraft has been assembled, with lots of Italian flying boats, plus more Italian FTRs, and now German Bf-110s and a significant quantity of FW-200C Condors.
Fliegerkorps X and the Regia Aeronautica now seek to tilt the Mediterranean naval balance in their favour.