End of the Japanese Empire, Dmitry (Allies) vs LoneRunner (Axis)

[LoneRunner]

...
How do you defend a coast that's indefensible? I have no idea but here's my Atlantic Wall. I'd welcome any suggestions.
...

After a bit of hotseat strategizing the one thing I can say is: Don't put units of types soft or hard on the coast. A lvl 5 amphib has atk 7 vs soft, 6 vs hard, 2.5 vs everything else and everything (yes everything) you can put on the beach has def 0 vs amphibs (unit type transport).
Those corps will just go poof for nothing, I'm afraid.
The best thing on the coast would probably by AAs, but you need those elsewhere. So maybe antitanks? Or just don't defend the coast at all and add those corps to the chokepoint forces.
I can't quite see one on the map, but do you have a naval bomber with decent long range upgrade to give you advance warning via passive scouting?

Thanks for the comments Bavre. You are right, anything on the beach is dead meat.

Anti-air and anti-tank are gold at this point in the war so I don't want throw away two or three of them. Corps are the best throwaway unit.

The alternative, like you said, is don't defend the coast at all. Hmmm...just goes against my nature to give away the entire coast but you may be right. Let the Allies land and hit them in low supply.

Yes, I got a long range naval bomber waaay back from the coast. Found a good spot where I can cover both the Atlantic and Med.

[Bavre]

Yes, you're right of course. Sacrificing ATs at this stage is a bad idea, especially if you have overproduced them. Other alternatives would be odd things like trains or railguns, but those are expensive and while they would hold up reasonably well vs the LRAs, they are very weak to the landed units.
I also had a second look at your calculation earlier about whether sacrificing corps is good MPP wise and I'm sorry to say I kind of disagree. As far as I get it you only factored in the LRAs as one use missiles, but since he needs to quickly get across as much stuff as possible, their value as transport (with landing losses but without the need for a harbor) should imho be priced in here. Additionally you have the xp gain for him, the HQ xp loss for you and the loss of any xp on your corps.
Bottom line an indirect approach looks more and more favorable to me, but I'm very curious how this is going to play out. So keep it coming!

[LoneRunner]

March 1944
Greece joined the Allies! Grrrr, after all we've done for them.

Here's my setup for a one turn conquest of Greece:

Greece beg Mar 44 1.png (1.61 MiB) Viewed 1491 times

Allies have not yet been able to reinforce Greece because Greece joined the Allies at the end of the Allied turn. My objective is to capture Athens in one turn before the Allies react. Two corps will kill the Greek garrison in Larissa. Then the tank in southern Albania will destroy the corps defending Athens. Then the para unit will land in Athens. The second tank is backup in case the two corps have terrible luck and don't kill the Greek garrison in Larissa.

The remainder of the units are there to destroy Greek defenders and defend against the inevitable Allied landings. Hopefully I can occupy Thessaloniki and the mountains in northern Greece before the Allies show up.

Advice for New Players:
Capture screenshots of every neutral country that you may DoW, like Greece, Turkey, Sweden, Spain. That way you can plan your attack before declaring war. Neutral defenses never change (except for Belgium and Holland).

Capture screenshots by starting a game in hotseat. Then on the first turn Germany declares war on everyone. End your turn and start the Allied turn. In the Allied turn you can see the defenses of all the neutrals that you declared war on. Cool huh? I'm sure all the experts have already done this. Might as well have a level playing field.

Here's the situation at the end of my turn:

Greece Mar 44 1.png (1.63 MiB) Viewed 1491 times

Hoorah, Greece is mine. Now I got to get out of the Greek peninsula. That tank is especially vulnerable.

Italy
Allies slam northern Italy with multiple landings and massive air attacks destroying an army, a corps, two anti-air units, and almost a tank. Ouch. Another lesson that nothing near the coast or anywhere else is safe.

Here's the situation at the beginning of my turn:

Italy beg Mar 44 1.png (1.85 MiB) Viewed 1491 times

Yes, looks dire for the Axis. My tank is almost surrounded. My anti-air is gone. Just about my entire air force huddles in snow.

Meanwhile, the Allies got at least four carriers cruising off the coast. A ton of air power lurks in central Italy. Plus who knows how many amphibious transport (AT) missiles roam the Med.

But then again, the German army is awesome on the attack.

Here's the end of my turn:

Italy Mar 44 1.png (1.82 MiB) Viewed 1491 times

Doesn't look nearly as bad. The Axis counterattack destroyed two Allied corps and a tank. Afterward Axis armor retreated into partial safety.

I'm concerned about that 3 strength panzer but nothing could be done, he needed to get out of Milan and I needed him for the counterattack. He's shielded somewhat from AT attacks by the port and garrison unit but notice I don't have any anti-air available. I've got fighters providing air cover but he's toast if the weather is clear for the Allied turn.

[LoneRunner]

April 1944
The Allied subjugation of the free people of Europe began. A dozen or more amphibious transports (ATs) hit the northern French coast destroying three Axis corps (as expected).

France Apr 44 1.png (1.88 MiB) Viewed 1462 times

The ports of Brest, St Malo, Cherbourg, and Le Havre were captured. Based on the appearance of an HQ and tank, my guess is that Cherbourg port was captured at level 5. But they could have been riding on ATs. The Allies have plenty of MMPs to spend.

The weather was clear and the air war raged throughout Europe with heavy bomber and fighter losses on both sides. To date Axis air power is holding its own but I'm consuming about 300 MPPs a turn on fighter repairs. Level 4 fighter research is getting close to completion and it's coming none too soon.

Bombers based in England heavily damaged cities throughout France as the Allies unsuccessfully attempted to isolate the landing beaches from reinforcement.

The invasion was successfully contained by strongpoints adjacent to Caen and Paris. Contained at least for now. Reinforcements, including 3 tanks, anti-air, and infantry rushed to the scene.

Italy

Italy Apr 44 1.png (1.78 MiB) Viewed 1462 times

Italy was relatively quiet. Allies destroyed a corps in their turn. In response, Axis launched a sharp counterattack and destroyed a corps and USA tank. In addition a UK heavy cruiser was sunk. Good attrition for the Axis.

Notice I've gathered strong air units in the Balkans. I'm attempting to punish Allied ships in the Adriatic, maybe sink a carrier, without losing too many bombers. Not much luck so far.

Although the counterattacks in Italy have been successful, I'll be replacing the armor in northern Italy with infantry when I get a chance. Notice that the experienced 3 strength tank escaped from Venice despite clear skies, woohoo.

Greece

Greece Apr 44 1.png (1.4 MiB) Viewed 1462 times

Minimal Allied landings in Greece. Allies destroyed the para unit defending Athens with AT missiles and landed an out of supply tank on the coast. I figured the Allied AT force was spent invading Normandy and Italy, so I stayed in Greece and destroyed a defending corps and took Athens back. Then I prepared to destroy that out of supply tank.

Actually one of the worst decisions I made in this game. Well, other than the ones in Italy and Japan and China.

I think Dmitry played a clever gambit using the tank as bait. At least I hope he placed the tank on the coast as bait. I hate to fall for something unplanned. Anyway, I fell for the bait, risking a valuable tank and three corps for little gain. Notice my unit placement is horrible. Didn't even defend Athens or Larissa. Just asking to be cut off from supply. I also moved two armies and anti-air north figuring I might need them on the northern European coast.

Next turn the Allies responded.

[LoneRunner]

April 1944

Persia Apr 44 1.png (1.36 MiB) Viewed 1437 times

North Persia settled down to a standoff, which is what I want right now. Armies defend both roads going north into the Caucasus. Note the elite German army. The mech unit waits around the corner of Lake Urmia to counterattack any unit attacking north of Tabriz. Good to see that a large portion of Allied artillery is wasted on this front.

All three tanks and a German HQ left the Persia front and headed west. I'm considering pulling the anti-tank gun and bomber but decided to wait a turn to weigh the size of the Allied attack.

East Russia

Russia East Apr 44 1.png (2.12 MiB) Viewed 1437 times

April rains melted East Russia snow. In response Axis forces destroyed a Chinese army and surrounded two more Chinese units. Waiting for zero supply in Barnaul. After mopping up Barnaul I plan to move on Semipalatinsk. Hopefully the Chinese have an HQ to kill in that area.

Chinese are massing in front of Krasnoyarsk. Glad I captured the city. The Chinese units are in low or even zero supply so I'm not particularly concerned about their attack. But Krasnoyarsk may need reinforcement to keep from being surrounded. Sheesh, Axis units are getting stretched thin.

Keeping a tank in East Russia was a tough decision. But it's earning dividends. Not only am I hitting the Chinese hard but killing Chinese units in low supply is helping maintain German national morale.

[LoneRunner]

May 1944

Here's the situation at the beginning of my turn:

France beg May 44 1.png (2.07 MiB) Viewed 1426 times

Five Allied tanks arrive on the French coast plus several infantry units. The Allies definitely commit to Normandy. Tough Axis armies in Nantes and in the bocage SW of Caen put a serious crimp on the Allied assault. Despite the mass Allied attack, no Axis units destroyed. Minimal damage.

I was glad to see the HQ adjacent to my army and the tank in front of my full strength anti-tank gun. But Dmitry has little choice on unit placement. He's got to get boots on the ground regardless of losses.

Here's the end of my turn:

France May 44 1.png (1.2 MiB) Viewed 1426 times

The Allies paid a heavy price for a few yards of French soil. Two SF units, one heavy tank, one HQ, and two corps destroyed. Most in low supply. Light Axis losses.

Next turn when the Allies clear the Brittany Peninsula, the Axis defense will get tougher. Right now though the defense looks good. Notice that I did not advance into the open spaces left by the destroyed Allied units. No way am I getting near the coast. Let the Allies come to me. Notice also that panzer units are off the front, except for the heavy tank in the fortification, and each is protected by level 3 anti-air.

Ready for the next Allied wave.

Italy

Italy May 44 1.png (764.59 KiB) Viewed 1426 times

Situation is stable. Allies attacked Venice but failed to destroy the defending corps. In a sharp counterattack Axis forces destroyed a Mexican corps and USA tank. Nice to see all the Allies participating.

Sunk the Lexington (carrier). Woohoo.

[LoneRunner]

May 1944
Allies land in Athens, Larissa, and Kalamata, thrashing a corps and forcing it to retreat. As a result two Axis units are trapped in southern Greece. Ouch. Total unforced error. How many Allied amphibious transports (ATs) are floating around out there?

Here's the situation at the beginning of my turn:

Greece beg May 44 1.png (1.1 MiB) Viewed 1416 times

The two corps in southern Greece are in zero supply. Attacking with them is a lost cause. My tank north of Larissa is heavily damaged. Using it to attack the SF unit in Larissa is out of the question. Nothing else is within range. Sheesh.

My only option is to get one corps out of the pocket and send reinforcements. I'll lose one corps for sure but that's better than losing two in low supply.

Here's my response to a bad situation:

Greece May 44 1.png (1.39 MiB) Viewed 1416 times

I've reinforced the tank, brought in an anti-air to protect the tank, and reinforced Thessaloniki. A couple armies are within counterattack range and another tank is on the way. The HQ in northern Greece brings everyone up to at least 5 supply.

No, I'm not going to use that para unit to save a corps, haha.

With all that coastline, I'm in a scary position. Dmitry is not going to be satisfied with one corps. Thoughts of destroying the tank in Ioannina are gone.

[LoneRunner]

May 1944

Persia May 44 1.png (1.33 MiB) Viewed 1413 times

Allied special forces landed on the Caspian coast and attacked Baku, damaging a fighter. Brilliant move. Disrupted my whole position and forced me to send reinforcements to a front I wanted to forget. Nice work Dmitry.

Actually I'm surprised my fighter in Baku didn't spot the AT when it loaded last turn. The turn was clear and the AT was at most 3 hexes away. Oh well. At least the fighter was not destroyed.

I operated in a precious army to protect Grozny from further landings. Can't afford to lose that city. The whole Caucasus would be outflanked and in low supply. Baku is not nearly as important.

The Allied SF is dead but I'm sure more landings will follow.

East Russia

Russia East May 44 1.png (1.74 MiB) Viewed 1413 times

Destroyed a Chinese army and corps in low supply at Barnaul. Woohoo, more national morale.

Eliminated that group just in the nick of time. Sent a unit south toward Semipalatinsk and discovered a sizable Chinese army forming to the south. Another Chinese army is massing near Krasnoyarsk in the east. Wish the Japanese were still around.

The lone panzer can't take out both threats at once so I have to decide which army to destroy first. Cool!

[LoneRunner]

June 1944

Here's the situation at the beginning of my turn:

France beg Jun 44 1.png (2.1 MiB) Viewed 1362 times

Allies landed two more tanks and an HQ in Normandy and destroyed a heavy tank and anti-tank gun. In addition an army landed in Ypres and captured Lille. Throughout France cities were heavily bombed as the Allies successfully isolated western France from reinforcement.

The Allied HQ in Cherbourg demonstrates the problem with a Normandy invasion. The Allies need an HQ in that area but the HQ blocks the Cherbourg port from reinforcement. And if the HQ moves out of Cherbourg I'll destroy it. Until ports in Brittany reach level 5 and Nantes is cleared, the Allies will struggle to provide their forces with adequate supply and command.

Allies destroyed the heavy tank in the fortification in front of Paris but surprisingly didn't occupy the fortification. Works for me.

The Allied occupation of Lille looks bad but not much concern. The Allies got no where to go from there. I figure the Allies are attempting to spread Axis forces thin with an additional landing. I think they would have done better with a landing south of Brittany. The Allied bombings have reduced access to western France and I would have struggled to combat a landing in that area.

Here's my response:

France Jun 44 1.png (2.13 MiB) Viewed 1362 times

Allies suffer heavy casualties. 2 heavy tanks, one tank, one army, and one corps destroyed. Notice I captured Caen to cut off the USA HQ's command to the tank in Le Havre, then pulled back away from the coast.

At the end of my turn, Axis units settled into their familiar defensive line to await the next Allied wave. Allied air is getting more powerful by the month so I placed two anti-air guns next to each tank to fend off bombers. Reinforcements of armor, artillery, and infantry are on the way.

Notice I placed a strategic bomber and maritime bomber near Strasbourg. From there they can hit both the Atlantic and Med fronts and are relatively safe from air attack.

Yes, I would have loved to destroy that AT off the coast of The Hague but I had other more important targets. Besides I've noted that maritime bombers are not that strong against upgraded ATs. Frequently I get no effect on attacks. Seems odd that an AT would have better defense than a battleship. Again, I think upgraded ATs are over powered in WaW.

Skagerrak Strait

Baltic Jun 44 1.png (1.39 MiB) Viewed 1362 times

The naval battle north of Denmark is getting intense. The Allies seem intent on blasting Oslo's port to smithereens. I'm not sure why. If they wanted to invade, they could have done so several turns ago.

But it's a great opportunity to sink Allied ships. I've got the Bismarck, a battlecruiser, and three subs working in shifts. Attack, run back to port, repair, then attack again.

Maritime bombers based in England are taking a toll on my fleet but I don't dare place a fighter closer to the coast.

Sunk a heavy cruiser and battleship this turn. Hoping to sink the carrier north of Denmark but it got away with two strength points.

[LoneRunner]

June 1944

Allies slam the Greek peninsula with massive air strikes and about a dozen amphibious transport (AT) strikes and landings. A tank, HQ, and two corps were destroyed.

Wow, huge AT landings and strikes in both France and Greece on the same turn. Where are the Allies coming up with all these ATs?

Here's the situation at the beginning of my turn:

Greece beg Jun 44 1.png (1.33 MiB) Viewed 1325 times

Seems that every turn Axis positions on both north and south European coasts look impossible, haha. You got to have thick skin to play the Axis in mid 1944.

The Greek peninsula is a lost cause and the Axis will be lucky to hold Albania. Also, I'm expecting landings on the Adriatic coast. The surrounded heavily damaged anti-air gun and corps are likely to die during the coming Allied turn.

Axis units in the Balkans are outnumbered almost two to one. And more ATs lurk off the coast.

Here's my response:

Greece Jun 44 1.png (1.28 MiB) Viewed 1325 times

I've reestablished a defensive line while destroying a corps. The anti-air unit is abandoned and I've shift clicked the damaged corps into 5 supply. At least it won't hurt so much to lose the corps during the Allied turn. Luckily most of the Allied units are in terrible supply and won't be much use in the Allied turn.

The Axis tank and HQ are vulnerable to carrier attack but nothing to be done about that. Hopefully both are shielded from AT landings by the corps in Thessaloniki and the garrison unit occupying the fortification.

Keeping the Allies out of Bulgaria and Rumania is top priority. I need their units to hold the line.

Italy

Italy Jun 44 1.png (751.39 KiB) Viewed 1325 times

Allied units advanced next to the Alps and apparently planned a heavy assault next turn. However, the Axis upset the Allied timetable with a strong strike that destroyed two corps. I expected landings around Trieste but apparently the Allies were more focused on Greece.

[petedalby]

Hi Bill - thanks for continuing with your excellent AAR.

With the benefit of hindsight, would you still have invaded Greece? Struggling to see what it gained you other than more coastline to defend.

Cheers

[LoneRunner]

Hi Bill - thanks for continuing with your excellent AAR.

With the benefit of hindsight, would you still have invaded Greece? Struggling to see what it gained you other than more coastline to defend.

Cheers

Thanks Pete.

Good point, the invasion of Greece was a terrible idea. Not that it opened more coastline because Greece had already joined the Allies. But sending units into Athens down that long peninsula was crazy.

Considering the situation with the masses of ATs and carriers available, I should have destroyed the Greek units in northern Greece, occupied the mountains, and left it at that.

In a normal game with Japan still in the war would I take Athens? Hmmm...I think I would. Because the Allies wouldn't have the overpowering ATs and airpower available to punish Axis forces and conquering Greece would force the Allies to spend MPPs re-capturing Greece.

[LoneRunner]

June 1944

Persia Jun 44 1.png (1.35 MiB) Viewed 1287 times

The SF unit that landed on the Caspian is a tough little bugger. I'll have to wait until next turn to destroy him.

The Allies advanced an army into the hex of doom north of Tabriz and promptly got destroyed. That's a tough line to crack because supply and movement are so bad for the Allies. Much like the terrible conditions I encountered during my attack south into Persia, haha. The Allies advanced lots of artillery into range of my defense but that's going to have little effect and I'm glad to see the artillery in Persia than in a more important front.

I really should move that anti-tank gun to France.

East Russia

Russia East Jun 44 1.png (1.69 MiB) Viewed 1287 times

Chinese units continue to attempt to stretch my defense. And that's what they are good at. The problem for them is supply. It's terrible in East Russia. The partisan unit is zero supply and Chinese units are all in low or zero supply. With my interior lines I can run back and forth destroying hapless units as they advance.

I took the turn to bring my tank and corps up to full strength. I really should move that anti-tank gun to France, sheesh.

[LoneRunner]

End of June 1944

Allies landed 3 more tanks and 2 armies and ignoring heavy casualties threw maximum force on the thin Axis line. Destroyed one tank and severely damaging the army holding the bocage SW of Caen, forcing the army to retreat. Normandy defense is breached, ouch.

Here's the situation at the beginning of my turn:

France beg Jun 2 44 1.png (1.89 MiB) Viewed 1250 times

Another turn where Normandy looks bleak. The Allies have an unending supply of units and so far have shrugged off heavy losses.

Nantes is key for holding the Allied invasion in check. Difficult to reinforce the area because the Allies have bombed all access points but I plan to direct more units to defend that location.

In the past as the Axis, I've been able to screen one front, throw everything the Axis got at the other front. Drive the Allies into the sea. Then turn full force back to the other front. Being unable to approach the coast, I can't drive the Allies into the sea in Normandy. So screening the Balkans and throwing all my armor at Normandy (or the reverse) is not going to work. Due to the power of amphibious transports (ATs), I feel I'm getting forced into a battle of attrition, which is not good for the Axis.

Interesting situation and very different game without Japan in the war and Europe facing the full power of Allied sea and air.

Here's my response:

France Jun 2 44 1.png (1.9 MiB) Viewed 1250 times

Destroyed a tank and army. Heavily damaged two more tanks. That area south of Le Havre has become a graveyard for Allied armor and German armor. I hate leaving my tank in the front line but don't have the movement points with heavy armor to both attack and retreat. The mobility upgrade would be nice at this point.

Notice that I'm moving more air units to the Normandy front. I'm careful to keep them well back from the coast.

Loss of the bocage strongpoint really hurts my defense. Be interesting to see if the Allies can take advantage of that weakness.

[LoneRunner]

End of June 1944

Allies continue a massive land, sea, and air assault on Balkans destroying two corps and an anti-air unit. Additional landings on Adriatic coast outflank Axis positions.

Here's the situation at the beginning of my turn:

Balkans beg Jun 2 44 1.png (1.5 MiB) Viewed 1214 times

Allies are again attempting to spread Axis forces thin. The Adriatic coast is impossible to defend and I'll eventually have to retreat from northern Greece but not yet. The Allied unit behind Axis lines in Skopje is weak, in low supply, and easily destroyed.

The other two Allied corps near Split are also low supply and can be contained and destroyed. The problem is that all this requires more units and the Allies can always land reinforcements. Also, Allies have enormous air power based in Italy that is punishing Axis units without regard to losses.

Here's my response:

Balkans Jun 2 44 1.png (1.61 MiB) Viewed 1214 times

Axis forces destroyed the corps in Skopje and for good measure destroyed the Indian special forces in Greece. The two corps near Split are contained. I had hoped to get two Axis units next to Split to cut supply but couldn't quite gather enough units.

I'm figuring a couple para units are lurking in Italy so all Balkan capitals are defended.

The Balkans are critical because I can't afford to lose Romania. The loss of Romanian units and the loss of the oil well would be devastating. The terrain is terrible for both sides but supply is much worse for the Allies. The key is to hold the mountains as long as possible, hope for bad weather, and wait for the Allies to run out of new units, haha.

[LoneRunner]

End of June 1944

Persia Jun 2 44 1.png (1.13 MiB) Viewed 1209 times

Two more amphibious transports appeared in the Caspian Sea. I attacked one with a bomber and fighter but got unlucky and only knocked it down to one strength. The entire Caspian coast is threatened but I'm figuring the target is Astrakhan. If the Allies capture Astrakhan, they can ship a large force across the Caspian to south of Stalingrad and really stretch Axis defenses.

That SF unit next to Baku is a tough little guy. I attacked with an army and got a bad roll, so I pulled the army back to defend Grozny and wait till next turn to destroy him.

A tank appeared on the Allied line so I finally had a use for the anti-tank gun. Got another bad roll and only knocked the tank down to 1 strength. So, 3 for 3 on bad rolls in the Caucasus, dang.

East Russia

Russia East Jun 2 44 1.png (1.57 MiB) Viewed 1209 times

The situation in the west is getting a bit tense, so I moved the tank and anti-tank gun into position to rail home next turn.

Supply conditions for the Chinese are bad enough that I think I can hold both south and east armies in check with 4 corps and an armored car. At least I'll have to, because that's all I got.

[LoneRunner]

June 1944

Unit Report end of June:

Units Jun 2 44 1.png (662.77 KiB) Viewed 1182 times

German forces incurred heavy losses in the last few months. As a result the land unit count dropped from 138 in December 1943 to 130 in June. Not huge but an indication that reinforcements are not keeping up with losses.

Losses have also taken a toll on the Allies. USA land units increased to 39 from 35 in December but UK units dropped to 30 from 38, a net decrease of 4 units. Again, not big but an indication that the Allies are also feeling the hurt.

The Chinese are continuing to grow their land army, increasing from 26 units in December to 32. That's despite some heavy losses. So the Chinese are investing all their income in land units. Notice Chinese air has not changed.

In total, Axis land units continue to outnumber Allied units, 130 to 115. Also the Axis has superiority of quality. For example, notice Allied tanks are level 3 tech and Axis tanks are level 4 tech. Experience? Haha, that's a moot point. Losses are so high on both sides that no one can accumulate much experience.

Axis still has the advantage on land but I think we've seen the apex of Axis power.

As expected, UK/USA air units increased significantly, going from 27 units in December to 32 in June. An increase of 5 units doesn't sound like a lot, but it's huge and I'm feeling the growing impact of Allied air power on the battlefield. It's a combination of more units and better technology.

German air increased by 1. That's a strategic bomber. I needed something to hit Allied ports to reduce the flow of reinforcements.

Production

German MPPs Jun 2 44 1.png (2.74 MiB) Viewed 1182 times

German MPP production peaked this month but I'm sure production will begin declining. Unit losses in the past few months have been extremely high. Close to 5,000 MPPs over the past two months, ouch. All German production is going into replacing losses, not building new units.

German Stra Bombing Jun 2 44 1.png (487.35 KiB) Viewed 1182 times

Luckily the Allied strategic bombing campaign has been anemic. Allied air losses are greater than Axis MPP losses. Normally I'd expect to be losing over a hundred MPPs a turn at this point in the war. To date, German mines have barely been scratched. The Allies have focused their attention on bombing French cities in order to isolate landing areas.

MPP Production per Turn (includes convoys)

Germany 1,160

Allies
UK 1,210
USA 1,000
China 400
India 160
Total 2,770

Allied production is about 2.4 times Axis production, ouch. And, unfortunately it's going to get worse as the Allies continue to peck away at the edges of the Axis empire.

The good news is that most Allied unit losses are in low supply and most Axis losses are in good supply. I don't think the difference shows in the charts but the difference in cost of replacing unit losses is huge. The key to holding the Allies at bay is to keep them in low supply.

The Allied battle of attrition is succeeding. The number of Axis units has dropped. Bulgaria and Romania are threatened. Might be tough to last 3 more years.

[LoneRunner]

End of June 1944

National Morale

German Morale Jun 2 44 1.png (512.81 KiB) Viewed 1180 times

German national morale is holding pretty steady, currently 111%. Woohoo. Important to keep national morale above 110%. If national morale is above 110%, unit morale is multiplied by 1.10 each turn.

So far, Germany has maintained high morale because heavy Axis casualties have been offset by losses of Allied capital ships and Allied units destroyed in low supply.

UK Morale Jun 2 44 1.png (500.46 KiB) Viewed 1180 times

US Morale Jun 2 44 1.png (482.61 KiB) Viewed 1180 times

Both UK and USA have begun a steady decline of national morale due to casualties. And already Allied unit morale is suffering. If national morale falls below 95%, unit morale is multiplied by .95 every turn. Not much but it adds up.

At 82% USA morale is approaching the next break point. If national morale falls below 75%, unit morale is multiplied by .90 every turn.

National morale is the great equalizer between Allies and Axis. Unit morale has a huge impact on unit combat effectiveness. If I can continue to sink capital ships and destroy Allied units in low supply the difference in unit morale between Allies and Axis may offset the difference in MPP production.

[LoneRunner]

July 1944

Here's the situation at the beginning of my turn:

France beg Jul 44 1.png (1.63 MiB) Viewed 1145 times

Allies landed two more tanks and a special forces unit. Destroyed a coastal gun and army. Captured Nantes. Another strongpoint falls. Allies have a strong hold on the beachhead. Not likely I will be able to drive them into the sea. And they got at least 7 tanks on the beachhead. Whew.

Loss of the coastal gun is not a big deal. But Nantes was important for constraining the Allied beachhead. Without Nantes I may have to pull back into a Paris defense.

Here's my response:

France Jul 44 1.png (1.81 MiB) Viewed 1145 times

I'm not quite ready to retreat to Paris. I decided offense is the best defense, especially with the German army.

Destroyed 3 Allied tanks and heavily damaged a fourth. Also killed the special forces unit and occupied Le Havre. I'm taking a risk placing an army in Le Havre but I'm betting that not many ATs are left in the Channel. Besides, the Allies might need everything they've got to hold Normandy.

Bombed St Malo port down to 1 strength to limit reinforcements. Discovered 2 Allied HQs.

I'm offering the Allies two sacrificial corps and perhaps an anti-air gun. Better them than one of my tanks.

The two anti-tank guns should contain any Allied tank advance after the corps are destroyed. If the Allies take the bait of the two corps, I've got 6 tanks ready to provide punishment. And a para unit will take advantage of any encirclement possibility or a chance to destroy one of the Allied HQs.

Next turn should be interesting. Yes, I'm concerned about Allied air. Notice the tanks and anti-tank guns are protected by two level 3 anti-air guns and 3 fighters.

Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea suddenly became a battleground. Allies bombed Copenhagen down to zero strength and rushed a large part of their fleet through the strait. Sank the Prinz Eugen and two subs. I'm down to one sub in the Baltic.

Here's the end of my turn:

Baltic Jul 44 1.png (1.94 MiB) Viewed 1145 times

I lost a destroyer when he ran into a battleship. Didn't realize how many Allied ships are in the sea. Sunk a battleship but I'm down to the Bismarck, a destroyer, and a sub.

A couple bombers are heading north and hopefully will sink a few Allied ships. I quickly occupied Danzig, Konigsberg, Leningrad, and Helsinki but if the Allies bring in amphibious transports the coasts of Germany or Finland are pretty vulnerable.

Surprised that the Allies didn't invade Denmark. That's what lead me to think they may not have many ATs available.

[LoneRunner]

July 1944

Italy

Italy Jul 44 1.png (831.07 KiB) Viewed 1096 times

Allies launched a strong attack on Turin with special forces, corps, artillery, and massive air strikes. Destroyed an army. I replaced the army with another and retreated into the mountains SE of Lyon. Probably should have done that last turn.

Italy has become sort of a sideshow but Allied airpower can break just about any defense. I moved all my tanks to France so hopefully Italy will stay semi-quiet.

Balkans

Balkans Jul 44 1.png (1.48 MiB) Viewed 1096 times

Allies destroyed a para unit but otherwise a relatively quiet turn. Greece is filled with a double layer of Allied units so I expect a strong attack soon.

Destroyed a corps and recaptured Tirana. I don't expect to hold it long but I wanted to keep Allied units in low supply. The Allied units near Split remain in their beachhead. I'm not keen about moving units near the coast so attacking those units may not be in the cards.

I've moved all my air units north expect for a lone fighter. I can't even spare an anti-air unit for the Balkans. Kind of risky.