Reporting from the Front. A Narrative AAR.

[rkr1958]

Turn 1. Sep/Oct 1939. End of Turn Reports. Production, USA.

[al] US. 40 out of 40 factories x 0,25 = 10 BPs + 1 trade = 11BPs and 1 oil saved.

[al] US uses no oil.

[al] US builds a carrier, repair another carrier, 2 cvp0, 1 amph 1st and a inf div.

[rkr1958]

Turn 1. Sep/Oct 1939. End of Turn Reports. Production, USSR.

[al] USSR. 24 out 29 factories x 0,25 = 6 BPs + 2 trade = 8 BPs and 1 oil saved.

[al] USSR uses no oil.

[al] USSR builds 2 INF and a GAR.

[rkr1958]

Turn 1. Sep/Oct 1939. End of Turn Reports. Reserve Pools, Allied.

[rkr1958]

Turn 1. Sep/Oct 1939. End of Turn Reports. Strategic Resources.

[rkr1958]

Turn 1. Sep/Oct 1939. End of Turn Reports. Victory Totals.

[rkr1958]

Turn 1. Sep/Oct 1939. End of Turn Reports. Global Maps, Control.

[rkr1958]

Turn 1. Sep/Oct 1939. End of Turn Reports. Global Maps, Units.

[rkr1958]

Turn 1. Sep/Oct 1939. End of Turn Reports. Global Maps, Active Axis.

[rkr1958]

Turn 1. Sep/Oct 1939. End of Turn Reports. Global Maps, Active Allied.

[rkr1958]

Turn 1. Sep/Oct 1939. End of Turn Reports. Relations, Axis.

[rkr1958]

Turn 1. Sep/Oct 1939. End of Turn Reports. Relations, Allied.

[rkr1958]

Turn 1. Sep/Oct 1939. End of Turn Reports. Trade.

[jesperpehrson]

Turn 2. Nov/Dec 1939. Allied #7, part 1

[al] Weather roll is a 9 with +2 making it really terrible weather.


[al] Ok. I will run through my impulse, not as exciting as the last one but some interesting decisions for sure. Mainly the Yugoslavian set-up I guess.
[al] For moment I considered DOW on Italy with France to conquer Albania, but I figured it would not be worth the hit on US-entry.

[al] No DOW but France aligns Yugoslavia
[al] Roll is 5
[al] 1 chit removed

[al] France land, China land, USSR combined, US pass and CW naval

[al] CW portstrikes the CA in Cagliari with their CVP in Western Med
[al] Non-phasing side rolls 7
[al] Phasing side 2
[al] Allies have 6 surprise and AA has no effect it seems
[al] CW shifts the damaged output three times to an Italian risk of 2D + A
[al] First roll is a 1, CA Trieste is damaged
[al] second D, roll is a 3, CA Trieste is sunk

[al] No naval air

[al] A British sub leaves Malta for the Italian Coast
[al] The British merchantman restore connection with the Empire


[al] BB Ramilies transports the 2nd Infantry Division to Malta
[al] A British tranport with the 8th MECH corps meets up with the Pacific fleet in the Eastern Med.
[al] A transport with Gort joins the Pacific fleet while the 4th Motorised Corps stays in the Western Med on their transport
[al] Some heavy battleships sail to escort the 4th Motorised Corps


[al] CW initiates in the Italian Coast with the subs
[al] Italy can react with 2 FTR and a Sparviero LND. One FTR can reach the 0-box and the other the 1-box while the Sparviero can reach the 1-box
[al] Do you want to react?
[ax] React FTR2 to 0-box. FTR2 & Sparviero to 1-box.
[al] Allies roll a 1
[al] Italy rolls a 5
[al] CW fights only against the 0-box
[al] CW gets 7 surprise and spends 4 to chose subcombat
[al] Initial risk for Italy is D 2A and for CW D A
[al] Risk is lowered to 2A
[al] for allies that is
[al] First sub, roll is 4 - aborted, Second sub, roll is 10 - not aborted
[al] the italian convoy is sunk


[al] CW elects to fight
[al] How about Italy?
[ax] Yes. Italy stays.
[al] Subs do not commit
[al] Sub aborts to Malta

[jesperpehrson]

Turn 2. Nov/Dec 1939. Allied #7, part 2

[al] The Hampden on Malta strategically bombards Taranto
[al] a 10 is rolled
[al] 1 production is lost


[ax] Naturally. [:(]
[al] I do feel bad about the rolls being so lopsided but there is nothing I can do [:(]
[ax] Please don't.
[ax] I wouldn't.
[ax] Enjoy and make maximum use of your run of good luck.
[ax] It's the bold that make their own luck.
[al] Thank you for making this less difficult
[ax] No problem. It's only a game. It's not like we've got thousands of dollars riding on luck. [:)]
[ax] Part of the fun I believe with MWiF is trying to overcome adversity either made from one's own failures, from bad luck or both.
[ax] Or from an opponent's good move(s).
[al] True, there are so many occasions where if you only moved one more hex or whatever it would work and now you have to make due with another less good outcome

[al] No rail movement

[al] The Si-An milita makes a deep probe towards Beijing but without proper supplies they are forced to a halt to reorganize up in the mountains near Kaigan


[al] The Chinese cavalry tries to replicate the success of last month by putting everyone out of supply in the poor weather


[al] Bilotte sounds the retreat and the french invading forces head for the Maginot line again. It was all in vain!
[ax] I thought so.
[al] The Yugoslav army digs in and wonder what they have gotten into. Was not France going to conquer Berlin?


[al] No landcombat

[al] The french airforce rebase back towards Paris

[al] End of turn
[al] roll is...
[al] 2
[al] I send the turn to you

[jesperpehrson]

ORIGINAL: brian brian

The Allies might now regret not aligning the foreign policies of France & the USSR.

The French attack was not planned and for the reason I had not thought it through. Now that you mentioned it that would have been a lot better, on the plus-side Germany "has" to align Hungary in 1939, instead of later. Both better US-chits and worse Hungarian forces.

[brian brian]

Aligning Yugo is the normal reason for the French to cross the Rhine. With no demand of Bessarabia, Germany can’t align their minor allies unless they DoW Yugoslavia instantly. If the French had crossed the Rhine earlier in the turn with no Russian demand, the Axis would be in a tough spot now, though it depends on if they see this coming and do the DoW (and then USSR can never get Bessarabia). If the Germans don’t DOW, Prince Paul has ... cavalry.

In this game, I would have both tried the additional attack along the Rhine to get more French corps into Germany (negating possibilities of going below 4 on a German counter-attack), and as Germans I would have tried the counter-attack as the main risk would be to HG Panzer division. Though each French attack is perhaps 5 BPs for Germany, and 5 more if France can’t evacuate. But GE fighting Yugo without their Balkan minors will generate some French BPs too, and a Yugo CAV raid can cost the Germans a few Reichsmarks as well.

[rkr1958]

Turn 2. Nov/Dec 1939. Axis #10.

[ax] Turn 2. Nov/Dec 1939. Axis #10.
No DOW's. No special actions.
Germany aligns Hungary.
US entry, D10=2, 1-chit added.
roll[0,3017]=2757, 4 value.

[ax] No other alignments.

[ax] Actions. Germany - land, Italy - naval, Japan - land.

[ax] End of turn chance. 40%.

[ax] End of turn chance. 40%.

Germany Aligns Hungary.

[rkr1958]

Turn 2. Nov/Dec 1939. Axis #10. (continued)

[ax] Italian Coast. Italy moves CP from Taranto to the Italian Coast. Does the RN sub there wish to attempt intercept?

[ax] Oh never mind. That RN sub group is flipped and can't.

[al] I wish to but I cannot[:)]

East Med.

[ax] East Med. Italy moves empty and unescorted transport from Tobruk out into the East Med. Does the RN wish to intercept? And if so, which ship has the honor to initiate?

[al] Yes, worst ship in the lowest possible box please.

[ax] East Med. RN CA Cornwall initiates an intercept attempt against the Italian TRS.
3 or less required.
D10=7, failed.
Transport continues on to the Italian Coast, where it embarks a 3-1 gar from Trieste and goes into the 1-box.

[ax] Italy moves ships and sub to the Italian Coast and East Med.

[ax] Italy will not attempt combat in the Italian Coast, but will in the East Med.

[al] Ok

East Med.

[rkr1958]

Turn 2. Nov/Dec 1939. Axis #10. (continued)

[ax] Naval Combat. East Med.
(1) Italian sub group 5043 (3-box) initiates.
(2) Italy reacts FTR2 in Bardia, Libya to 0-box.
(3) No CW air reactions possible.
(4) Italy commits her 3 sub flotillas.
(5) Search. Italy=1, RN=5, only Italy finds.

[al] Bad news!

[ax] (6) Italy chooses the 0-box, where the RN transports are.
(7) This gives Italy, Surprise points (SPs) = (5-1) + (3-0) = 7.
(8) Italy has to use 4 SP's to force a sub combat due to the presence of RN carrier planes in the 0-box (3 & 2 ranges).
(9) RN risk is 2D, 1A
(10) Italy's risk is X, D, 3A.
(11) Italy accepts their risk and uses the remaining 3 SP's to put the first D on the TRS loaded with Gort HQ-I.
(12) Italian risk X, D, 3A. X on sub 5043=6, sunk,
(13) D on sub 5046=3, damaged.
(14) A on damaged sub 5046=9, aborted.
(15) 2As left which both will/would go the last Italian sub 5048, which is aborted.
(16) Surviving Italian aborts go to La Spezia.

[ax] Honestly, no matter what damage the RN takes (2D, A risk), they're coming out ahead in this battle anyway. [:(]

[ax] (17) RN risk 2D, A. Italy uses remaining 3 SP's to put D on TRS4724 w/Gort=7, aborted. Lone RN CP is sunk.

[ax] Aborted transport where?

[al] Port Said

[ax] All in all, this battle cost me a sub, damaged sub and you a CP. Gort still gets through. [:(]

[al] Yes.

East Med. Naval Combat. Round 1.

[rkr1958]

Turn 2. Nov/Dec 1939. Axis #10. (continued)

[ax] East Med. Round 2.
(1) Search. Italy=7, RN=2, only the RN find. [:(]

[ax] There goes another Italian CP.

[al] You have no subs left right?

[ax] That's correct. Just FTR2 & CP in the 0-box. You have 6 CA's (5 in 4-box & 1 in 2-box) that find.

[al] Ok kill the CP

[ax] You have 9 SP's, 4 of which to force a surface.

[ax] That leaves you with 5 SP's, which increase the overkill from 2D, 1A to X, 1D, which is good enough to sink the lone Italian transport 3 times over.

[ax] Italy stays and I assume the RN does too. But only an Italian fighter against RN ships the battle ends as neither side has any ability to affect the other.

[ax] Supply broken again to the Italians, Gort though flipped makes it to Port Said. All at the cost of 1 CP for the CW versus 1 sub sunk, 1 sub damaged and 1 CP lost for the Italians.

[ax] I've really gotten the Italians in a mess. [:(]

[al] Well to be fair I did have some very favourable rolls in my turn.

[ax] Those are the breaks.

East Med. Naval Combat. Round 2.