Just wanted to let everyone know I'm back. It's been about 3 years since I've played WWII: World at War. Any rule changes I should know about? Haha, just kidding.
It's great to see many of my old friends and opponents still playing and providing advice in the forums. I'm especially pleased that Hubert and Bill continue to provide excellent support. Wow, not many gaming companies provide that level of support. You and your staff are much appreciated.
I'm pretty rusty but I just accepted Old_Shane's challenge. He's Axis. I'm Allies. Sorry, I can only take on one game at this point. I noticed that we may move to a new ELO system in January. That's great, otherwise I was so far down in the rankings that I'd never see daylight,
Old_Shane wrote: Tue Dec 16, 2025 4:29 pm
Pete - are you going to do an AAR for your game with Umeu? There are some interesting house rules you guys are using that would be great to follow.
It is August 1940, the world has been lulled into a false sense of calm, caught in the eye of the storm of war. There's still smoke here and there, small pits of conflict scattered around the globe, but surely these are dying cinders, not the tinder that will set the world ablaze once more.
The Germans rolled over France like a tidal wave, Paris fell in February, France surrendered in March. The B.E.F, determined to stand staunch and steadfast on the left flank of their allies, in the spirit of 1914, was caught in a cauldron and destroyed to the last fighting man. Only the airforce and HQ managed to escape to safety. However, the damage to the German army has been extensive, though there's no time to lick wounds. Paratroopers secured Tunisia and Malta.
Italy struggled, having misjudged the daring of the British Desert Rats, Tobruk and Benghazi fell rapidly without much resistance, as armies and HQs scrambled to secure a defense at El-Agheila. The Desert Rats quickly scurried back into their holes once they spotted the eagles in the sky. But that's not where Il Duce's woes ended... East Africa is under siege, Mogadishu toppling first, the other dominos soon to follow.
China and Japan have been locked in mortal combat for nearly a year, with the fiercest fighting seen so far. The Chinese reeled from the initial punches, the North was abandoned (though in a brilliant feigned retreat, a Japanse corps chasing the cowardly Chinese to Ningsia was trapped and obliterated), while Changsha and Nanning fell at record speed. But then they found their bearings, and as the Imperial Japanese army turned towards the heartland, Ichang and Chengdow, they gathered their resolve and launched desperate and lethal counter attacks, inflicting many losses on the IJA. However, the cost was high, and to no avail. Chengdow fell once the defenders depleted their numbers in the counter attacks, and Ichang just fell too. However, there are rumors the Japanese high command fears retribution from across the wide ocean, and will not advance much further. Both armies are exhausted, at any rate.
Excellent writing Umeu. I enjoyed your colorful description of the war. The match sounds exciting. Watch out, I know from experience that Pete is dangerous when backed into a corner.
I agree with Shane, an AAR would be great. But if you don't have time, I think everyone would be interested in periodic updates as to how the house rules are working out. I've always felt that Long Range Amphibious Transports are ahistorical and detrimental to the game. Allowing an Allied fleet off the coast of Spain to land troops just about anywhere in Europe doesn't make sense.
Don't be misled by the gloss that Umeu has kindly applied. I'm getting my arse kicked.
We've tried these rules once before and it takes a lot more planning for amphibious attacks. Much more realistic IMO. Unfortunately I wrecked that game by missing the huge mobilisation penalty for Japan attacking USSR before PH (not mentioned anywhere in the rules or the Strategy Guide). I know Umeu will not be making that mistake.
petedalby wrote: Wed Dec 17, 2025 3:32 pm
Don't be misled by the gloss that Umeu has kindly applied. I'm getting my arse kicked.
We've tried these rules once before and it takes a lot more planning for amphibious attacks. Much more realistic IMO. Unfortunately I wrecked that game by missing the huge mobilisation penalty for Japan attacking USSR before PH (not mentioned anywhere in the rules or the Strategy Guide). I know Umeu will not be making that mistake.
I made a different one! It takes a bit getting used to all the extra rules and their implications. But I do think it's way more realistic and fun in the midgame, and also some strategies such as nuking Italy or North Africa with LRATs in 1940/41 is no longer possible. This makes North Africa even more crucial than it already was, and gives the axis a major incentive to fight for it, as it buys them so much time if they succeed in securing it. And in the pacific it's the same. Japan now has a big incentive to man all those small islands, as the amphibious transports can no longer easily bypass them. But they also have to plan their pacific invasions way more, and Japan can no longer take Hawaii easily (there was like a 95% chance to take it in 1 turn with LRATS, if you have 5, 100% if you have 6) or the US east coast.
Some of those strategies were fun but yes, the game is much better without lrats.
LoneRunner wrote: Wed Dec 17, 2025 3:23 pm
Excellent writing Umeu. I enjoyed your colorful description of the war. The match sounds exciting. Watch out, I know from experience that Pete is dangerous when backed into a corner.
I agree with Shane, an AAR would be great. But if you don't have time, I think everyone would be interested in periodic updates as to how the house rules are working out. I've always felt that Long Range Amphibious Transports are ahistorical and detrimental to the game. Allowing an Allied fleet off the coast of Spain to land troops just about anywhere in Europe doesn't make sense.
The year of 1941 is coming to an end.
The Third Reich and its Axis of Evil now stretches from Bordeaux to Vyazma, on the outskirts of Moscow, and from Petsamo to Cairo. Seeing the Italians struggle in the desert against the British, the German High Command launched Operation Sunflower, sending the entire Luftwaffe as well as three panzer corps under command of Von Manstein and von Rundstedt to push back the British threat, which saw Tobruk and Benghazi lost.
Swiftly, these strongholds were retaken, and the panzers barreled down the desert highway to El Alamein, slaughtering armies in their wake. But the British were not prepared to give up so easily. They amassed a strong force with two tank corps of their own, tactical and strategic bombers as well as several carriers. They put up a good fight, but their hopes were crushed when a fourth panzer corps emerged from the sands and bad weather prevented the Royal Navy from striking back at the Luftwaffe. Egypt was evacuated, and Cairo fell.
The panzers wanted to push through to the Middle East to secure desperately needed oil, but badly battered by now, were checked and stalled by a heroic Anzac Corps entrenched on the slopes of Mt. Sinai. The skies finally clear, the Royal Airforce struck the lead panzer corps and nearly annihilated it, the coup de grace coming from the 7th armor and a Tank Corps freshly arrived from India. German High Command responded by renewing the assault with a frenzy, but the Anzac Corps was dislodged only with great difficulty after a series of bombardment and armored attacks. Once more the Royal Airforce proved to be a daunting adversary, destroying another German panzer corps in conjunction with their armored fist on land. The African Expedition was down to only 2 corps by now, but the luftwaffe controlled the skies, and the British defensive line was broken through, tanks rolling down the hills of the holy land en route to Jordan, picking off the remnants of the Royal Airforce fighter wings, ending their reign of terror in the skies.
Their sacrifice has not been in vain. The time they bought allowed armies from Egypt and corps from South Africa and other parts of the British empire, many of them hardened veterans of the East African campaign, to firmly embed themselves in Baghdad and along the banks of the Eufrat, covered by the Royal Airforce and the Royal Navy carriers, hellbent on avenging their comrades ambushed in the Atlantic ocean, where the Kriegsmarine emerged out of the blue to sink two RN carriers who were chasing down uboat bait. Their valiant defense has so far succesfully thwarted German efforts to reach Iran, but it has come at a very high price. Help is on the way though, as Red Army T34s have been spotted, sending the German high command a worrysome Christmas present.
Operation Barbarossa has been largely uneventful, as astonished German soldiers and armored vehicles advanced mile after mile meeting almost no resistance. There was some fighting in the marshes south of Leningrad, where Novgorod was seized in a daring mission which saw paratroopers drop into the city after tanks cleared out the defenders but were out of fuel and could not advance further. Rostov, Smolensk and Sevastopol were lightly defended and also cleared out swiftly, but elsewhere, winter reached the Germans before they reached the heavily fortified Soviet lines.
In China, the Japanese army mostly respected the threat of Chairman Mao and the US, and did not venture into the Chinese heartland. But alas, rogue elements broke the unwritten treaty not once but twice, by accident they claim, pissing off everyone on both sides of trenches. They have been executed for their disobedience. Nonetheless, the clever Japanese generals found a loophole, or a goat's track, if you will, leading from Paotow through Zhangye into Urumchi, which fell after an arduous year and a half campaign involving many runs by all types of bombers, including two strategic bombers which cut off supplies and reinforcements from the besieged industrial center. The brunt of the Chinese forces are now surrounded on all sides, though still firmly entrenched around Lanchow, Sian and Chungking.
As Christmas draws near, soldiers on the march or in the trench everywhere are looking up to the skies and wondering, when will there be peace? Only to be struck by lightning and thunder, because the Gods above are Gods of War. And it has only just begun.
Very enjoyable reading! Looks like NA very much in focus for both sides (4 German tank korps there instead of blitzing in Russia!!!).
2 RN CVs sunk by subs ?!? That's bad.
Where were the securing destroyers and other vessels?
Yeah NA/ME has been the hot zone this game so far. Imo it’s the most crucial front of the game even with LRATs but without them, NA becomes even more important. If the MedSea is secured, Axis can turn Italy into a proper useful power and a lot less ground to defend.
Blitzing Russia is not as important with these rules, as the Axis have more time now since LRATs can’t just bypass half their empire to strike st the heartland. They must chip away at it piece by piece.
The subs were not alone, the surface ships showed up as well, and they helped clear the destroyers. But also, unless you have a ship surrounded, a sub in the dive modus can usually find its way into the gaps.
Ok, I see. I guess that must have been a well planned surprise strike with almost all of Kriegsmarine involved. In early war the ratio is something like 3:1ships in favour of RN I think, so normally you should be able to get the upper hand, even against the multitude of those annoying subs.
Quite pleased that the Axis are being held in the Middle East - not sure for how much longer though. My losses have been horrendous. Umeu has made a massive commitment there. Winter has just hit in Russia but I suspect all the Panzers will be enjoying a holiday in Holland. USA & Comm China both just about to join so lots more action to look forward to.
Yep, I know how it is to play Umeu...you can never lay back and relax, the next strike is already looming. Interesting to see what he does in the Pacific without LRATs, but I would still pack Pearl with troops, no matter what the isolationists say.
1942 has ended, and 1943 started with a bitter cold frosting most of the northern hemisphere. Europe, a continent at war with itself for almost 4 years, is about to see better days. The era of Pax Germana has been ushered in, with the rifle and the tank perhaps, but who will remember the blood once the beer starts flowing?
Yet how differently did the year start? From his bunker in Berlin, the man with the moustache looked at his maps with a pang of discontent. His generals executed his plans perfectly, yet, victory in the East eluded him still. Stalin, that rake, defied the odds with a stubborn defence in the mountains of Persia, bristling with AA guns, neutralizing even the most experienced of his luftwaffe pilots. And to make matters worse, in a combined effort by the Royal Navy carriers and the Royal Airforce, the HQ of Manstein was obliterated, and the man himself hoisted 2 meters into the air, shattering his collarbone. He was to be hospitalized for several months, and would not return to that wretched front. Elsewhere, the panzerfist had been stopped dead in their tracks in the swamps outside of Leningrad, on the outskirts of Moscow, and along the river Don, in front of Stalingrad and Rostov. Most units were withdrawn from the frontlines with impending winter, and the casualties from frostbite and exposure were low. Only 450 mpp.
Despite the new generation of tanks hitting the battlefield for a spring offensive, the German High Command knew something needed to change in order to secure victory. They decided to fight where the enemy is not, withdrawing all bombers and several tanks from the front lines, and transferring them to Western Europe. The targets were clear, and Allied intelligence informed them well in advance that Vichy France, the Netherlands and Denmark were about to be invaded. Even Spain, a long time friend of the Axis of Evil, was mentioned. And indeed, these places fell swiftly. But what those prying eyes did not see, were the glider planes on the banks of the English channel, readying for a jump into London. And the entire luftwaffe assembled to destroy the AA capacity of the city, which fell in the biggest air campaign the world has ever seen, with 4 divisions of paratroopers making the jump. London was captured, but the port remained in allied hands, preventing any units from coming in. However, there was an invasion fleet readying itself in the freshly captured ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam, as well as in Antwerp.
At the same time, the Japanese empire burst forth from its shell, destroying the American battleship fleet at Pearl Harbor and invading DEI, Thailand, Guadalcanal, PNG, the Phillipines and a host of smaller islands. Hong Kong and Malaysia followed not long after. But it would be the zenith of the Japanese expansion in the East. Their gaze turned inward, towards China, encircled in the heartland after the fall of Urumchi. But the parts that remained defended, proved to be tough nuts to crack. The entire year of 1942 was needed to capture Chungking, as well as to move through the mountains towards Tianshui, surrounding and capturing the communist stronghold of Yenan on the way. No notable advances were made by the armies that marched on Lanchow from the direction of Urumchi and Zhangye.
And as the admirals had warned, they were allowed to roam freely for 12 months, and on the 12 month, the US Navy penetrated the fog of war, and began their invasion of the Marshall islands. However, to their surprise, the IJN was not there. They had different plans, which began with the fall of Algeria, in the spring of 1942, and then Portugal in summer, and Ireland in winter. There are rumors that the IJN is making their way towards New York and Washington... leaving the Empire's soft underbelly almost entirely undefended. The Allied high command seems intent to exploit the situation by capturing the strategic stronghold of Manilla to gain a better bargaining chip for when peace negotiations inevitably begin.
While the IJN was making its way towards Ireland, the luftwaffe was engaged in the world's biggest dogfight in what truly was the Battle for Britain. Slowly but surely the joint Axis Expeditionary Force (comprising of mainly Axis minor nations under command of German and Italian generals) barreled forward, towards the Scottish highlands. Despite their outdated equipment, poor leadership and lack of massed heavy weapons such as tanks and artillery, the Allies fought bravely and bitterly until Manchester fell. Afterwards, they quickly broke, evacuating all of the navy and airforce, as well as some of the land forces, to fight another day. Only a single AA unit in Inverness refuses to surrender, though they shall quickly be pacified.
In Russia, the new German panzers punched a hole in the heart of Red line, crossing the banks of the Don river near Salsk and below Voronezh, causing panic in the Soviet high command. They evacuated not just Stalingrad, but also Leningrad, which the Germans were very thankful for, as they saw no way to crack it without the luftwaffe which was engaged in Britain for most of the year. However, not much more advances were to be made. The fight to cross the Don had been short but brutal, and the sparse resources were needed to win the battle of Britain, so the battered tank corps were not repaired and refitted for quite some time. A push towards Moscow was quickly shut down by superior Soviet defenses, while the advance on Grozny was hampered by bad weather and poor supplies.
Nonetheless, the year of 1942 was considered a major strategic blow to the Allied war effort, as Franco and the Turkish wolves were convinced by the Axis success in Britain to join the side of evil. As more and more units were stripped from the Persian front, von Rundtstedt, after almost a year of sitting on his ass, or rather all kinds of positions, in a Baghdad brothel, finally got his panzers moving, and they quickly overwhelmed the remaining defenses and liberated Teheran.
1943 marks a change in the Allied strategy, as a massive armada of strategic bombers and fighter planes has been amassed around Kunming and in the north of India and Burma. Unfortunately, Chungking fell just prior, exposing several British and Chinese fighter squadrons on the ground outside of Chengdu, which were quickly destroyed. A bitter blow to start the new year with.
And what's worse, for all those who love freedom, Greece was invaded and panzers wait outside of Athens, for permission to enter the city. Only Sweden and Switzerland remain neutral. The question is, for how long?
Still the Allied high command refuses to surrender. Victory seems a distant blip on the horizon, but they believe they can force the Axis to the bargaining table. To do so, they must retake Manilla and prevent the fall of Moscow.
German losses from winter were the lowest I've ever seen. Most / all high value units were withdrawn to warmer climes.
The lack of LRATs did not stop Japan achieving most / all of its objectives. Flawless planning & execution by Umeu. Only the 2 US subs & the Fighters in the Philippines survived.
The UK was bled white in NA & ME and is badly off the pace in terms of research. MPPs are moving closer to parity with the Germans & Italians sharing Europe with the Japanese. Moscow survives for now but when the Caucasus is lost that MPP balance will swing in the Axis favour. Can the USA hold on?
And of course Allied morale is on the floor whereas Axis morale is sky high.
Umeu is an excellent player and is also generous with sharing information on the rules & the game. You should play him if you don't mind losing as you'll learn a lot.
Thank you for keeping us up to date. Awesome descriptions of the battles, from both of you. Umeu's color commentary is impressive, I can see the paratroopers gliding into London. Von Rundtstedt heavily lifting himself from a delicious Turkish feast. What an exciting game. Will be interesting to see where the Axis turns it's attention. To the USA? Or back to Russia? Or both? I'm wondering if Japan is ripe for conquest. However, with the absence of LRATs, a surprise invasion across the Pacific would be tough to accomplish.
and a lot less ground to defend.