Fall Weiss II Western Theater - Axis AAR

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In Iraq we push towards the Persian Gulf to capture the remainder of the oilfields and push the remaining Allied forces into the sea. With the convoy's in the Southern part of the Atlantic now completely severed the Axis navies pull back into the Mediterranean, aside from the task force you see the remainder of the Southern Axis navy (Italy, Spain, Vichy France) remains at various port for repair in the Mediterranean. The German surface vessels are still safely in the Baltic. We will have to resupply before heading into the Northern Atlantic to commence raiding cavities.

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The Moscow front has finally stabilized but I am relying heavily on the Italian Army after all of the recent loses of German and Hungarian forces. There is a lot of anti-air craft defenses deployed by USSR but I will need to rely on the Luftwaffe to help break the more entrenched positions due to the loss of so many of my Tanks. Next turn I'll have to bite the bullet and re-fit the Luftwaffe which has served well despite operating at half strength, I simply could not bring all units across the front up the max strength each turn this year.

Meanwhile in Central USSR the Spanish Army has successfully stopped the attempted Soviet breakout from Voronezh. I am especially paper thing along this front and am lucky the Soviets did not press a harder offensive.

In the South the Axis still has not been able to press into the Caucasus mountains, but the battle of Stalingrad is about to begin, it must fall before the end of the year of Fall Blau will be a failure and Germany morale will falter. I also expect massive Soviet reinforcements soon as the short summer turns will soon end. I've only 6 ground units in que right now to arrive before year end, my guess is that the Soviets have 6-8 times that number. The Soviets alone look to be producing about 1350-1400 MPP per turn as per the charts vs. about 1150-1200 for Germany.

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German income end of August 1942, i'll maybe show comparative next turn of the 4 Majors (USSR, UK, USA, Germany)

[Elessar2]

It all now depends on when the Western Allies invade you, and how quickly you can get those Iraqi troops charging northward to take all those Russian oilfields (+ Iran's).

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ORIGINAL: Elessar2

It all now depends on when the Western Allies invade you, and how quickly you can get those Iraqi troops charging northward to take all those Russian oilfields (+ Iran's).

I can only hope that the Western Allies wait until 44' but one of the things that I built into version 4.0 is that the Allied AI will check Axis gains in USSR which could trigger a 43' D-Day, with some degrees of variability so that it's not automatic of course, but more likely the Western Allies are coming to the rescue if Moscow and Stalingrad fall before the year's end.

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In the Middle East the Axis cross the border into Iran while also approaching Basra and Kuwait.

Along the Western Front our defenses are currently not up to the task if the Allies will attempt an early D-day.

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German forces capture Volkhov, east of Leningrad. The remaining townships are surrounded by poor terrain and the enemy will have a very tough time pushing the occupiers back towards Leningrad. The bigger northern threat will now be a Soviet offensive against Finland.

The Moscow front was very quiet this turn as both sides are exhausted and fatigued, I did manage to repair the Luftwaffe in this area and hope to resume the offensive next turn.

Germany's main offensive remains firmly directed at Leningrad which is now a front line city.

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Here is a look at MPP of the 4 Majors as of Sep 42'. The UK had taken very heavy losses during the battle of the Mediterranean and North Africa but have certain tapered off a bit, naval fighting certainly inflates the losses but the UK is clearly hurting, and their national morale as well. USA income continues to climb and they have been successful in supplementing the UK's loss of Middle Eastern income/oil.

The more notable graphs are that of USSR and Germany, the Soviets are relentlessly taking heavy casualties but all throughout 1942 the Germans have as well. Despite the enormity of the Germany Army we are simply losing a war of attrition. The Allies majors are outproducing Germany 2:1, Italian and Finland income is not closing the gap.

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The Allies have had a few recent hits in Turkish diplomacy, Finland has the most spare MPP right now and invests 2 chits to help offset. We had long had chits invested in Switzerland and actually got a diplomatic swing last turn.

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In the East German soldiers enter Stalingrad! A big change of course from the daunting task that was ahead of us earlier this summer. I had the choice of swapping in an Infantry Army rather then Infantry Corps but not knowing if it will be a German killing ground opted for an Infantry.

Along the Moscow front our offense feels halted, reinforcements are going to have to be re-directed from the South.

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North of Smolensk attacking Soviet Tanks have forced the Germans to retreat from Velikiye Luki. A full strength Infantry Corps was holding the town. An attempted Soviet breakout will be a costly distraction as my units are very tied up.

Soviet reinforcements are beginning to pour onto the map as expected, Tanks are spotted near Voronezh and if USSR launches a competent offensive I will likely have to send more reinforcements to Kursk to launch an effective counter offensive.

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Germany has captured the remainder of the oilfields previously under British control near the Persian Gulf. The Western Allies operated the remainder of their aircraft back to presumably Britain, but a few HQ's were destroyed.

Also attached is the loss chart. The British have taken a beating as mentioned in the earlier MPP summary post. The British are finally not engaged in active conflict right now so this pause may actually given them time to rebuild their strength.

The Axis Navies have fared very well but they are largely in port right now. The German U-boats are not fit for sea service right now and are a bit low on the priority list, and the Mediterranean Navy not strong enough to venture into the Northern Atlantic.

The Soviets have lost a whooping 222 units. The Germans have lost 28 units, mostly on the Eastern Front. While Germany's losses pale in comparison they have been very hard felt, particularly the losses of 7 Infantry Armies, 3 Tanks Corps and 1 Mechanized Corps during the 1942 summer campaign have severely weakened my offensive capabilities near Moscow.

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In the North, the Finnish Army is forced into a limited retreat just inside the Finnish border. Supply issues in the rough terrain was proving unfavorable against the Reds. While Germany continues a limited offensive East of Leningrad it would be a stretch to think that the Germans and Finnish will link up again anytime soon.

Army Group Center continues to defend its territory in the Moscow region, and are threatened by an attempted breakout North of Smolensk. The Tanks Corps' in these areas are upgraded to Tanks IV, as well we begin to send reinforcements into the area.

Southward, Stalingrad continues to be held by the German Army. The Luftwaffe is reinforced near Rostov finally, and we begin a rejuvenated offensive towards Kantemirovka, the re-captured town north of Rostov receiving supply from Voronezh. A Romanian Tank Corps (supplied by Germany) have helped end Soviet resistance in the Crimea and free up more troops for the Caucasus campaign.

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From Velikiye Luki the advancing Soviets destroyed the retreating Infantry Corps and a Garrison, and now recapture Vitebesk just North-West of Smolensk. I had not expected the Soviets to advance so quickly. The Soviet offensive which began with an attack Velikiye Luki seemingly came out of nowhere and now i'm going to be forced to re-direct a number of units to push the enemy back.

Luckily I am finding some reprieve in losses as the summer campaign has winded down, with total German losses only 30-50% of what an average summer turn was.

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No screenshot for the Middle East this turn, the Western Allies are completely gone from the Middle East and we advance into the mountains of Iran.

A number of recently deployed reinforcements are sent to defend against the recent Soviet breakout north of Smolensk. At Moscow our defensive lines are formed, it is unlikely we will be able to capture Moscow over the winter months. In this campaign the Allies won't offer surrender if they still hold Baku, so I have no incentive to toss the entire Luftwaffe at Moscow for some Paratroop win or something of that nature if anyone is wondering.

In the South Stalingrad remains firmly in Axis hands and we capture the neighboring town of Berzodnoye. The Southern sector feels especially strong right now, and with our renewed offensive against the Soviets entrenched along the Don River north of Rostov we hope to soon shorten our defensive lines....in case the Western Allies plan for an early D-Day.

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No Soviet resistance yet in Iran.

In Western Europe we must prepare for the possibly of a Western Allied invasion. I had never left the West completely undefended, keeping numerous Divisions and the Vichy French Army in France. I am happy that I did as it it's proving very difficult to send Germans away from the Eastern Front right now. 2 experience Infantry Corps were however were re-directed from Army Group South this turn to Western Europe.

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The Soviet advance from along the Volga River and Moscow has resulted in more casualties. Nearly the entirety of the Italian Army which was fighting on the Moscow front has been destroyed, with only 1 Infantry Corps and a HQ remaining. Italian contribution to the Moscow front at it's height amounted to 1 Infantry Army, 4 Infantry Corps a Tank Corps and HQ, which is reflective of what a killing ground this has been.

With good weather on our side Germany has launched an offensive south of the Soviet Capital and are once again at the gates of Moscow. The AI has placed a Anti-Air unit here without upgrade which is very anti-climatic but highlights why the AI gets so much assistance to make this campaign work. If we can take Moscow we will severe the supply West along the Volga and smash the Soviets.

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Germany liberates Iran in the Middle East, and now will turn northwards to Russia.

In the West, the British Navy clogs the English Channel...

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The attack on Moscow begins, barring a devastating counter attack by the Soviets I expect to occupy the capital, will I hold it will be the question. Taking Moscow will shatter the various Soviet supply routes West of the city.

In the South the Axis make small gains, notably re-capturing the oft contested town of Kantemirovka along the Don River.

Across the Eastern Front the Luftwaffe is a near 100% strength as we turn the corner into 43'.

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The below is a shot at the beginning of turn.

The never ending supply of Soviet Tanks advance towards the capital and counter attacks in the snow nearly destroying a retreating German Tank Corps and battering the remainder of the forward units. Germany plans to continue the attack on Moscow as we have reinforcements ready.

The Soviet unit count has ballooned once again. Despite the gains in the Middle East we have not been able to put a dent in the Allied war machine.

The Allies are also becoming more aggressive with diplomacy, scoring 20% swings in Sweden over their last 2 turns and are now investing in Turkey. Sweden is teetering so close to the Allies and so quickly i'm not sure it is worthwhile to invest diplomatic chits as it may be a net loss if the Allies get another hit. Spain meanwhile again is experiencing supply shortages which will drain Axis income. Turkey despite their Allied leaning have begun exporting to Germany worth 30 MPP per turn.