ORIGINAL: battlevonwar
Alvaro, in my last two games vs Allied Opponents of equal or greater skill. I find that the Axis can survive well into '42, do some damage but there it ends. The situation is about this, the Allies know they can give land and have time and the Allies can land anywhere they want with an army they can afford to lose and rebuild within a short period of time. So no matter what the Allies will always win when the opponents are of = skill by '43... Unless the Axis player makes zero errors, then I think the possibility of survival in '44 is doable.
No strategy or tactic I can see on 1.9 would change this the Axis are short about 10 or 15 Corps to defend against the Allies in the West and are hard pressed in late '42 and early '43 to hold. Not to mention Italy is just a royal pain and most Axis have to garrison here with all her finest units and with all those ports you do it at your peril. The only way the Axis win this game as it was is utterly wiping out say the Soviets in '41... Total Destruction ...
Of course is a VP Win still possible I saw one in AAR, so if the Axis play for time I don't know that possibility is there depending on the skill level?
I tend to agree here. In my matches with Hadros the games went to the last turn when I was the Allies. But I think he is a better player and he really ravaged the Russians in one game.
When I am the Axis I am crushed by 1944.
In my current game I took Gibraltar via Spain, took Norway, had 10 subs out in the Atlantic by 1941. I have drastically slowed the Western Allies. It's coming up on Summer of 1943 and they still can't invade Italy although they just took Algiers and are approaching Tripoli.
I did do a calculation on the sub run up from my games because I go heavy subs. Hadros is a little light or historical. He also does a 1941 Barbarossa
But over the many games we played he and I both noticed Germany ran out of manpower by 1943. They lacked a in production and manpower.
I still have really yet to try a straight 1941 Barbarossa with historical subs myself but I faced a few.
In the last Beta Germany did get a boost to production starting in 1942 that won't really affect the 1942 offensive. I also doubled the Waffen SS recruit events which by my calculations should keep their manpower up ok till later in the war. But little steps for balance. Russia did get a slowdown in status from 1941 to 1942 which impacts their production.
Sadly I can't play WarPlan all day as I have other things to do.
As for victory.... the VP system is the way to win.
If you match up 2 excellent World in Flames players it will come down to 1945 and victory objectives. Neither will blow out the other. So yes Germany should plan to play the game for VPs always.
The best game for both players is the nail biting one that goes to the last turn, and last objective. Thus why as the Axis you need to plan operationally and strategically.
But a 1942 option should be available for the Germans as a strategy. The Russian production is historical till 1941.
I am hoping my changes will allow a 1942 strategy for the Axis as an equal option to the 1941 option.
