TAIFUN (Axis) vs Fafnir (Allies) 1939

[Taifun]

Generals and Commanders,

A new AAR is starting resuming our current ELO tournament game, me as TAIFUN playing the villain Axis invaders versus Fafnir playing the honorable Allies. As I did before with my past AARs, this new AAR will lag behind the current month some turns. Fafnir is the unbeaten and undisputed Nº1 player of SC WWII War in Europe. I do not know if this will be a long AAR but I hope you all enjoy it. (As I write this lines I am in the second place of the ELO ranking). “Most battles against Fafnir seems to be fought in the dark, uphill, in the rain and at a spot that was inevitably at the corner of four separate map-sheets...” Please feel free to comment or question. Time permitting, I will give as many details of the battles as possible, and will explain the thinking behind many of my decisions.

September 1st 1939
Germany invades Luxemburg and France declares War to Germany automatically. Our German XXVII Infantry Corps occupies the Briey Mine complex inside the border and the French takes a 25% morale hit. This is a gap in the line that will have to be corrected in future updates of the game... The 14th Mot Infantry Army is rail operated to Luxemburg from Slovakia.

[Taifun]

Poland is invaded and in a classic envelopment maneuver we isolate important elements of the Polish Army. The Luftwaffe plays and important role and takes a few casualties in the process.

[Taifun]

September 15th
Warsaw is captured and the Soviets enter Poland, forcing the country to surrender. The Reich lost during this lightning campaign 334 MMPs in total.

In the Mediterranean Sea a British Task Force comprising a CV, BB and CL is detected by the Italians moving West.

[Taifun]

West Front. Two German Infantry Armies, including the 10th Motorized, are rail operated to the Luxemburg area. The idea is to push as far West as possible trough the gap south of the Ardennes. The whole attack is coordinated by General von Bock.

[taffjones]

Good luck to you both I am looking forward to reading this AAR, as I have been playing WaW since it came out.

It will be interesting to see the tactics of the 2 best players.

Might tempt me back to play WiE.

[Taifun]

November 16th
The attack by General von Bock south of Belgium makes unspected good progress, capturing the town of Verdun and destroying a French Army defending the Sedan forest area. The French border troops are being reinforced piecemealy, some corps guarding the Maginot line are standing at 3 strength while many other troops are in the low figures as well. German troops, involving both panzercorps, keep arriving in the area, preparing the attack through Belgium.

In the Mediterranean Sea the French Syrian Corps is detected in a convoy near Tunis moving West and the Malta AA British unit has been replaced by a UK garrison unit. This information is quickly passed to the Germans, who now think that the Allies will make a big effort to defend France.

[Taifun]

February 10th 1940
The northern most exe of the Maginot line next to Metz is captured after some heavy fighting and the gap is widened. General von Bock request reinforcements as he feels that he can continue the advance and gets a panzerkorps that enters the French Ardennes forest. The first British unit is detected in France, an antiair unit.

Diplomacy and Politics so far in the game:
The Reich Belin embassy invested 250 MMPs in Iraq right after the fall of Poland and got a quick lucky 5% hit that stopped the Iraqi convoys to the UK. The Allies responded immediately October 14th with both the French and the British investing 100 MPPs each in Iraq. Next Allied turn the French banned the Communist and invested another 50 MMPs in Iraq. The British invested a further 100 MPPs in Iraq and the Allies got an immediate hit of 6%!! So the German strategy of stopping the convoys was a failure, only working for 1 turn (70MPPs). At the end versus the German investment of 250 MMPs the Allies lost 420 MPPs. The main advantage of this strategy was that the French had to invest 150 MMPs at a time that they needed badly those MMPs to reinforce the troops guarding the border.

[Taifun]

March 23rd 1940
The French are retreating!!! The French troops defending the border abandoned the main Maginot positions and leaved some rearguard units defending Nancy and Strasbourg.
The Fuhrer, listening to some of his advisors, finally decides to spare the attack through Belgium and orders to attack with all the available forces through the main gap south of Belgium. At the end of the turn the whole front is broken and the German spearheads approach the towns of Chalons and Reims.

War at sea
The German U-Boots have been so far not involved in any convoy attacks. The only action being one attack near Canada by the U-30 escorted by the CA Deutschland. This couple being subsequently attacked incessantly and the CA Deutschland sunk by British aircraft from a carrier in a most improbable spot in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

[Taifun]

ORIGINAL: taffjones

Good luck to you both I am looking forward to reading this AAR, as I have been playing WaW since it came out.

It will be interesting to see the tactics of the 2 best players.

Might tempt me back to play WiE.

Many thanks for following this game!! It is always great to hear from veterans of many battles [:)]

[Taifun]

April 14th
The advance continues in France. At the end of the turn 7 French Infantry corps and 3 Armies have been destroyed.
The USA activation is 23% and the USSR is 18%. Italy at 69% is a long way from being involved in the War.

[Taifun]

May 6th
The City of Dijon and towns of Auxerre, Chalons and Reims are now in our hands.

[Taifun]

May 28th
The city of Lille, close to the Belgium border, is captured. A British Infantry Corps is cut off and isolated in Calais . They will evacuate from the Dunkirk bag next turn in operation “Dynamo” right on schedule!
A German panzercorps reaches the outskirts of Paris. The main French fortifications are facing North and Northwest… but the main German attack comes from the south! All of our tanks are south of the Seine river. The city of Lyon is also attacked near the Alps.

[Taifun]

June 19th
Our panzer forces sweep south of Paris destroying a French heavy tank unit and a British AA unit. Meanwhile from the North two motorized Armies destroy the two French HQ near Rouen and in combination of a para Falschirmjäger unit partially cut off the B.E.F defending Rouen and Amiens. Montgomery HQ based in Le Havre is evacuated hastily the next Allied turn!

[Taifun]

June 19th
In a bold attack, in combination with British naval forces, the French spare land units and attack Norway! The whole Royal Navy seems to be present, with at least 1 CV, 2 CAs, 3 CLs, 7BBs/BCs, 2 DDs and 2 subs are know to be in the area plus several French naval units. They destroy the garrison unit defending Oslo with air attacks from the CV Glorious.

[Taifun]

As soon as this news reach Germany Reichmarshall Goering arrives at the new Reich Chancerelly to met the Fuhrer. He suggest that all is not lost and that HE can deploy powerful air units to Norway to help the Norwegians repel the invasion. Hitler is not convinced about the idea but with the assurances of the Big Reichmarshall he agrees at the end. A tactical bomber, a medium bomber and a fighter wing are sent to Norway.

The French attack the defending Norwegians with the help of carrier based airpower and disembark a second infantry corps east of the Capital (our intelligence agents think the Syrian Corps). Oslo is occupied by French units and the Luftwaffe bombers are heavily attacked on the ground by 3 UK carriers. At the end of the turn Norway surrenders and our air units are left isolated in the middle of the country. The damaged Tactical bomber and the fighter unit are able to escape but the medium bomber unit is lost while based at Rjukan. The whole operation is a complete fiasco for the Luftwaffe. Germany spent many MMPs deploying in and out those units for no apparent benefit. The British engaged all 4 carriers and the whole Royal Navy. Now they get an extra 40 MPPs added to the 70 from Iraq ending up with more income per turn than Germany…
The Reichmarshall Goering retires to the Carinhall and starts a hunting weeked away from Berlin …

[Taifun]

July 7th
The last British Infantry units on the Continent are moved to Le Havre town and Paris (Fafnir being in such a way sure that if destroyed he will able to rebuild them cheaper because they will be in supply above 5). Paris falls and the B.E.F Army is destroyed at Le Havre. A huge bag holding 5 French Armies is created North of Paris. These out of supply units will be destroyed next turn, France finally surrendering the first week of August.

During the whole French campaign the British heavy bomber unit has bombarded continually, inflicting a considerable amount of damage to our forces. Aiming any panzer, HQ or para unit that happened to end the turn in open terrain, these unstoppable bombers will deal 1-2 points of damage every attack. The British heavy bomber is the most powerful unit at the moment in the game! Being responsible for 20%-25% of our lost MPPs in France. The RAF fighter command was also very dangerous, engaging the Spitfires in constant air battles with our fighters, and wining air superiority during the last stages over the Channel area.

[Taifun]

August 18th 1940
Germany’s total losses so far in the war are 2500-2700 MMPs and the British around 900-1000 MPPs. The British lost the Malta AA unit, a Mot Infantry Corps and a Mot Army against no land losses to our side.
The USA stands at 28% mobilization and the USSR at only 18%. Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, and all the Baltic states are still not involved in the war. Finland stands at 68% and Sweden at 48% pro-Axis. We got a 6% hit in Iraq that now is 31% mobilized.
No ports in Ireland have been occupied by the British. Vichy is in place and Norway is in our hands but British occupied!

[Taifun]

The Situation in Norway is weird. When France capitulated the whole country joined the Axis but as a British Infantry corps was based in Oslo (the one that escaped Dunkirk) the country remained in Allied control. The town of Narvik was in our hands but the port was still British being occupied by a CL. The convoy sails towards the UK and they get the 40 MMPs from the mines!! [:-]

[Taifun]

August 4th.
Knowing that the whole Royal Navy was in Norwegian waters a small window of opportunity was open to operate in the Mediterranean. The island fortress of Malta was defended by a single garrison unit…
Our Axis strategy in the Mediterranean area of operations will be one of active defense, not wanting to get heavily involved with many German units. The first step will be the conquest of Malta. 3 tactical bombers were moved to Sicily to start the aerial bombardment while the Regia Marina sealed the island.

[Taifun]

The Malta garrison is quickly overwhelmed and Malta is captured by a German para unit coming from Sicily August 18th.

The second step will be the activation of the Iraqi revolt to deny the British the important oil MPP convoys. For this operation, the Italians will be in charge. Two units will be involved:
For the overland march, the Italian 10th Army stationed in Tobruk will advance towards El Alamein (or within 2 exes of this town, enough to activate the script). We expect that the British main line of defense will be here, 2 exes before El Alamein. This unit will most probably be destroyed or heavily damaged in an exposed position.
Meanwhile, an Infantry corps will embark from Rhodes and amphibiously attack the rear of the British positions near El Alamein/Alexandria. This operations will be covered by a German Fighter wing from Libya. The only other units earmarked for Libya before the arrival of the Afrikakorps and Rommel are 2 German Infantry corps to defend the Tobruk area and an Italian Infantry corps to defend the Benghazi area under an Italian HQ.

The overland march September 1st is a success, with no opposition from the Allies, the Iraqi revolt is activated. The main goal achieved, the Italian Infantry corps disembarks in Nicosia, the alternate objective, a good diversion strategic position.
The Allied response is immediate. The Italian Army is destroyed in Egypt, and the Australian Infantry Corps plus a garrison unit disembarks in Cyprus.
The Royal Navy appears near Benghazi and Tobruk, effectively blocking both ports.