4 Player Game AAR with new PBEM++

[kondor]

Chinese threat was left alone, I can't fight them as well, I rather took Java, and rebuilt the lost resource points elsewhere.

The massing of the SU forces has begun in Syberia, Allied fleet is coming from the Mediterranean and the CV fleet spotted at the Cape Horn.
Fan times ahead, for the allies. [:D]

[rjh1971]

ORIGINAL: kondor

I'm getting frustrated by Japan's inability to hit anything with army bombers, TB and HB-s. A number of bombings were conducted, even on empty infrastructure, and zero hits.
Japan HB-s attack at 3 is making them useless, they feel more like transport planes than the HB-s.

You need to invest in strategic bombing attack and you will notice the difference. Too late for that now I am afraid.

[rjh1971]

Spring 42 USSR + China

Soviet spies steal Germany's production plans.



The Soviets retook the Baltic States, Eastern Poland and Kiev only to lose it again.

This time the Luftwaffe aimed for the factories in Byelorussia and tore them down to rubbles.

The red air force retaliated and hit two resource centers in Western Poland.

As for Vladivostok nothing that can be done, it will probably fall in the summer unless the Japs set their eyes on another objective.

[tcart]

WA Spring 42 Apologies for missing a turn. I am on the road on vacation and didn't have time last time around. Nothing much happened due to bad weather anyway.

But now the WA plan takes effect. On the Western Front, I built heavy bombers and paras so as to threaten France and force a much bigger garrison. The Germans are stretched due to Spain and complications on the Eastern Front, so it was easy pickings. But even in a closer game I would aim to cause problems for the Germans just as things were coming to a head in Russia.

Now the race for Berlin is on.

In the Pacific the Japanese take a run at Hawaii but can't get the roll they need. That's bad luck, for sure. It also illustrates the importance of Midway. If they had invaded it on the first turn of their attack, they could have fighter cover over their carrier fleet. Instead they are exposed to an upgraded and numerically superior USN. The results have a very Midway-esque quality to them. Most of the INJ carrier fleet crushed for minimal allied losses. Hawaii is relieved and fighters rushed to the islands. The RN also moves up to pressure from the Indian Ocean.

One discovery I made this turn is that you can't invade Spain from Gibraltar. So my big force there can't destroy the Germans trapped by the fall of France. Will have to redistribute them next turn.

[kondor]

ORIGINAL: tcart

If they had invaded it on the first turn of their attack, they could have fighter cover over their carrier fleet.

Regrettably, both IJN FT-s were damaged in a clash with the SU, there were none left for other operations.

[kondor]

The fact the US mustered 8 CV units this early in the war (Summer 1942) is astonishing, at least to me. It's at least double in size than IJN-s.[&:]
Those 8 CAG-s destroyed my CV fleet, kudos to Tim.[&o]

[kondor]

Then I've broken the game [:D], I've tried to take an SS of the US CV fleet with my LightShot, and I can't get it to work on the popup information in AWD, only on still images (how are you guys doing it?).
Then I've tried one or two different tools, all with no results, so I've filmed the event.

Later I went on with the game, realizing that I'm already in production mode (without moving any unit).[X(]
Maybe I've hit some keyboard combination and ended my movement turn? So, I've gone to production at least to do something, but nope. The game does not allow me to build or research anything (all research has blue fonts).

I've saved, reloaded, it's all the same. Then, I've saved it again, and now I'm waiting so that you tell me how to proceed with this?

I have no issues with declaring this one as a total allied victory, but I'd preferred it if we played it to the (bitter) end. [:D]

[rjh1971]

ORIGINAL: kondor

Then I've broken the game [:D], I've tried to take an SS of the US CV fleet with my LightShot, and I can't get it to work on the popup information in AWD, only on still images (how are you guys doing it?).
Then I've tried one or two different tools, all with no results, so I've filmed the event.

Later I went on with the game, realizing that I'm already in production mode (without moving any unit).[X(]
Maybe I've hit some keyboard combination and ended my movement turn? So, I've gone to production at least to do something, but nope. The game does not allow me to build or research anything (all research has blue fonts).

I've saved, reloaded, it's all the same. Then, I've saved it again, and now I'm waiting so that you tell me how to proceed with this?

I have no issues with declaring this one as a total allied victory, but I'd preferred it if we played it to the (bitter) end. [:D]

ues with declaring this one as a total allied victory, but I'd preferred it if we played it to the (bitter) end.

Hi Dalibor, I loaded the game and it still says it's your turn.



Did you minimize before the error occurred? It happened to me once playing against Tim, the game froze and pressing all the keys I managed to go to the production phase. It was also with Japan, not moving the units that turn had a devastating effect that made me loose the war.

As to your other question I'm not making videos. For the images I use PrtScreen and Greenshot (for this one I have to press the windows key before to make it work) and then paint and paint.net to make the images.

[kondor]

ORIGINAL: rjh1971

Did you minimize before the error occurred? It happened to me once playing against Tim, the game froze and pressing all the keys I managed to go to the production phase. It was also with Japan, not moving the units that turn had a devastating effect that made me loose the war.

Yes, I play in window mode, and I did minimize it a few times.
I think that we are in no danger of winning this one anyway [:D]. But it would shorten it a quite bit.

ORIGINAL: rjh1971
As to your other question I'm not making videos. For the images I use PrtScreen and Greenshot (for this one I have to press the windows key before to make it work) and then paint and paint.net to make the images.

Thanks, I'll try Greenshot, as LightShot is not working with AWD (the way it should).

P.s. It is my turn, I saved it in production mode to give Joel a chance to look at it, and figure out the best way to proceed.

[kondor]

I've played my turn without a glitch this time. Ty Joel for a fast response & help.
Vladivostok fell without losses this turn and was quickly rebuilt as Japan production is now at 17 points.
And half of that is needed for supplies.

[kondor]

And here is the US fleet at Pearl. A very scary site for IJN, who lost all but one of its fleet CV-s last turn.
There is no way we can defeat that, but I can try to slow them down.

There is another, smaller, allied CV group southwest of Sumatra.




ps. ty Rafael, as you can see - the Greenshot works nicely.

[rjh1971]

Summer 42 USSR + China

Russia is waiting for the new armour to come out of the factories, so this turn they only conducted air operations they damaged one heavy bomber and a fighter but failed to hit the railyards in Romania.

China can't do anything until they don't fill their supply depots.

Sorry I am not giving more details, it's kinda of late and I'm tired.

Screenshots show the situation before and after the Germans played their turn. The failed to retake Southern Italy and they have big problems in France that forced them to abandon Spain.

[tcart]

WA Summer 1942

It's a race for Berlin. We're determined to divide occupied Germany into US, UK, and French zones. The Russians can watch from Poland. I expect the Germans will retreat to defend the homeland, so it will likely be a turn or two before a decisive battle can be brought.

This turn I retook Spain and advanced to the Low Countries. With a direct threat to Western Germany I expect a mass retreat rather than a big counterattack. But I guess we'll see. The screenshot shows the buildup in Holland and Belgium. I'm also bringing French factories on line to use their manpower.

The Germans must also be cautious of allied paratroops, which could get cheeky, especially in combination with a naval incursion into the Baltic. Let's see how his defenses end up.

In the Pacific, limited strikes from the Indian Ocean don't go well. The Southern half of my offensive is on hold until the CAG's can be replaced. The USN advances to Midway but with all of my transports sending troops to Europe it'll be a few turns before we can make lightening strikes in the Pacific.

[kondor]

Japan hunted down a few US subs and had a little skirmish with SU in Syberia. Attack failed - this time.
Taking defensive positions along the home islands.
No pictures worth taking this turn.

[rjh1971]

Fall 42 USSR + China

It was not a all out retreat towards the Fatherland by the Germans, instead they retook Spain, Eastern France and Southern Italy. They are overextended!

The Soviets retook once more Eastern Poland and Romania, this time they are there to stay. More airfield strikes damaged a German Heavy bomber.

The image below shows the forces involved in the combat for Poland and its outcome.



The next image shows the forces the WA and Soviets have in Europe ready to finish off the III Reich.



In Eastern Siberia more forces were rushed to halt Japan's advance and retake the areas conquered by the treacherous Japanese



And the relation of forces on the map and being produced, as well as the damaged and destroyed units all along the game.



As for China they managed to take back Shanghai, again lack of supplies prevents further advances.

[tcart]

WA Fall 42

Encouraged by Churchill, the WA try a lightening move to end the war. It doesn't work. Our air attacks failed to kill the TAC in West Germany, so we couldn't get combined arms. If we had, I've have tried an amphibious landing in the East and a land attack in the West.

In fact, I did and then the game wouldn't upload back to the server. In that attack I failed despite a 97% chance of success in the East but took W. Germany. In the re-do, I couldn't hit the ART in the east or the TAC in the West. We have to settle for wearing down the Germans.

My chances of success were 54%, so I figured it was worth rolling the dice.

More air power pours into the low countries, so hopefully we can try again in the winter, even with the weather.

Not much to report in the Pacific. Most of my transport fleet was scheming around the Baltic or ferrying reinforcements to W. Germany.

[kondor]

Yakutsk and Eastern Mongolia were conquered despite the harsh Syberian winter conditions.
Hunt for the subs with IJN DD-s is successful again. I'd advise future IJN players to please upgrade DD-s (or CAG-s) antisubmarine warfare to at least 2 (as I have), and later in the war to 3. Or the US will have easy pickings of your transport fleets.
Not that it matters in this game.

As the game is going to the end, I tried something that I usually would not do (desperate times).
First I've attacked with 1 TB + BB shore bombardments.
Then I've followed with a paratrooper assault on Sumatra (defended by 1 FT, 1 INF + 1 Arty) supported with shore bombardment.
I've managed to damage FT, so I've attacked with the remaining CV hoping to get a hit on that arty (my CAG-s have +1 attack) and opening a way to amphibious assault.
No luck, Sumatra holds, and that enemy arty has damaged two of my BB-s and gained well-earned veteran status.

[kondor]

I've wanted to address the last turns WA air raids on GE. I find it a bit, hm, illogical?
Flak is fairly useless in these attacks, and although Goran has 5 of them in defense they are utterly useless. Even if he had them 15 the result would be similar?

The WA consecutive attacks were not blunted much by them. And what's the biggest problem IMO if the attacking force has one plane, there are 5 defensive flaks, they ALL should fire on the attacking plane, not just one?

Are devs considering this as OP? The way it works now, and if allies attack with smaller air raids, there is no point in holding more than 1 or 2 flaks IMO.

What do you guys think?

[kondor]

You can clearly see that although the air defense is heavy, not even a single HB/CAG raid was disrupted, and they both scored a hit on their targets.[:-]

[rjh1971]

Winter 43 USSR + China

The Soviets keep rolling towards Germany, now nothing can stop them. Next turn all available German troops should concentrate in West Germany or the Allies will take Germany for sure, even if they do WA have a big chance to surrender Germany.

Prussia, Western Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria were captured.
Czechoslovakia was attacked to inflict damage to the German army, chance of taking it were cero but another inf was damaged.

Mongolia was retaken and now Manchuria with its three resources and factory is threatened, Japan will have to move in forces to defend it allowing further advance towards Vladivostok.

Nothing much China could do due to lack of supplies.