The World at War ELO Tournament

[ThunderLizard11]

[ELOs Ended]:

ThunderLizard11(allies)[WIN] v. Rudolf Steiner(axis)[LOSS]: Axis resigns March '43. Allies on the move on all fronts. Italy about to fall, Greece has joined allies, China pushed Japan back to the coast and island hopping underway in Pacific. Steiner tried an interesting strategy of playing defense against Russia - this didn't work long term. Excellent turn return from Steiner and some interestesting strategies.

ThunderLizard11(axis)[WIN] v. grant1(allies)[LOSS] - Allies resign August '42. Allies tried agressive defense against Barbarossa but get ground down. German in control of Caucasus, Stalingrad and on the move toward the Urals and Moscow. Japan has pushed China back past Sian and has cut off the Burma road.

[ELO started]:
Sparky0565 (axis) v. ThunderLizard11 (allies)

[firsteds]

ELO result:

Firsteds (Axis) defeats Harris45 (Allies) 1943

Russian morale collapsed quite suddenly. Pretty steady game elsewhere with China digging in and Allies grabbing a foothold in Europe. Axis tried rockets and lots of tech, but not convinced it had much impact. Good turn rate and comms as always with bomber Harris. Thanks and good luck in your next game!

[Umeu]

New ELO game started:

Firsteds (Axis) v Umeu (Allies). Usual rules. Let's go!

Great game! Great you are back for a game Umeu

The Idol is back!! Great news for the community! Have a good game and good luck firsteds, you'll need it

It might be me who needs that luck! I can see why Firsteds has lost only 1 game so far :O

here is a little update.

London has fallen.

These three words shocked the globe, British high-command first among them. They had cracked the German code for operation Sealion upon conception, months in advance of its implementation. They had devised a counterplan which could not fail, the German operation was doomed before it had even started, or so they believed. When the inept German generals bumbled their way through Belgium and France, taking enormous losses, the British generals threw a party and went on holiday. The politicians decided there was no more need for an army as the Germans were practically defeated, and instead money was invested in naval and industrial technology instead of buying a third Anti-Air battery and preparing another corps for the defense of Britain.

This decision of impeccable Tory hubris damn near scuttled the Allied campaign.

The Germans, well aware that their code had been broken, doubled down on their folly. A joint Italo-German venture turned London into a Gothic adaptation of Dante's inferno, while bombs as well as little green men fell from the sky. It was followed by the Divine (or Satanic) comedy. The RAF, supported by Royal Navy Carriers, proved to be toothless in the skies, outskilled and outdared by the Luftwaffe. The veteran core of strategic and carrier bomber pilots was torn out of the heart of the RAF/RN command in a desperate attempt to put render the London harbor inoperable. With despair the British High command saw their plans turns sour as the garrisons placed in defense of strategic towns and cities were mopped up with little resistance, and wave after wave of amphibious assaults washed upon British shores. When the tanks arrived, it all seemed lost.

The 7th Armoured arrived in Manchester in the nick of time. Lord Gort VC was sacked and Monty assumed command. The 10th Armoured and BEF army were en route from Egypt and France respectively, after a foolish Italian probe stirred the Americans into action. It turned out, they were not needed. Monty's miracle, they called it. The 1st BEF corps, withdrawn after the fall of France, stunned the German panzers, though they suffered immense losses. The 7th Armoured came in to break the panther's back, and the 2nd BEF Corps provided the coup de grace. England was saved, but the road to London would prove long and arduous, and full of unforeseen obstacles.

Maybe if the German High Command had sent more panzers to the British shores, things would have gone different. Monty's miracle had decimated the offensive capacity of the British army. The RAF was grounded after horrendous losses in the Battle for Britain's skies. But the Germans had lost many panzers in France, and were perhaps too hesitant to commit more. Instead, they poured their resources into diplomacy. The fall of London enticed Madrid and Istanbul to listen to the twisted lies of German diplomats. Franco mobilized his forces, the Turks followed soon after. With British prestige and wealth greatly diminished as a result of the fall of London, there was naught the Empire could do to stop it. Even the puny Yugoslavs could not be persuaded to rise in revolt, and instead, their craven king joined the Germans too.

Malta fell. Gibraltar was assaulted by Franco's forces. The Royal Navy sent enough stuka bombers into the straight to build a bridge from Gibraltar to Morocco, but it did not matter. Maritime bombers from Germany and Italy arrived and forced the Royal Navy to retreat, leaving behind the Long-Range Desert Group, which had walked over water from Alexandria to Gibraltar in a heroic yet ill-advised attempt to delay the fall of Gibraltar. They held out for two months, much shorter than they had believed they were capable of. The German power in the air proved decisive yet again. Rumor has it that last remnants went underground, spirited away by SOE agents, ready to wreak havoc upon German supply lines come winter.

The last man out of Gibraltar was Admiral Edward-Collins, keeping the ports open long enough for the Royal Navy to refuel en route to calmer seas.

Will they return for another round with the Luftwaffe over London skies? Or are they eastbound, to face the Kido Buntai in the Bay of Bengal?

Elsewhere, things did not go much better for the British Empire. The WDF executed a textbook Triple Tripoli, but suffered unexpected losses on route to Tobruk, where fierce fighting took place until the stronghold finally surrendered. The British dominions, supported by the Crown of India, also suffered heavier casualties than planned in the vast expanses of East Africa. Overall, the British war-effort is in tatters. The army battered, the navy scattered, morale shattered. Forgot the RAF you say? Well, they never mattered.

Perhaps the only reason the British High Command is not the global laughingstock, is because arguably the Japanese campaign in China has been even more disastrous. A poorly executed advance into Northern China turned into a rout of the South as the Chinese forces surgically decapitated the viper's head at Tientsin, south of Beijing. Their forces poured in, cutting off supply, and never let go. Without the railroad from Seoul, the Japanese evacuated most of their forces in Southern China, clinging only to slivers of land around Shanghai and Nanjing. Despite Japan pushing China back to their initial positions around Chengchow, a stalemate occurred because the mountains around Suchow remained firmly in Chinese hands.

With the USA and USSR alarmed and well-prepared after the fall of London, the German-Italo alliance high on steroids after their string of victories, and the Japanese war effort in disarray after the loss of much of mainland China, nobody knows which way the dust shall settle, only that the storm is far from dying down.

[Taifun]

Fantastic summary. Launching an attack on the United Kingdom was a bold and courageous decision . The main issue I see is that both the Soviet Union and the United States are likely to enter the war with overwhelming force, which could turn the Eastern Front into a nightmare for Germany. On the other hand, the fact that Spain and Turkey have joined the Axis is excellent news for Hitler. With control of the Mediterranean, the Axis would be in a much stronger position to protect Italian territories, forcing the United States and its allies to devote significant resources to retaking the British Isles.

If Germany can successfully contain the Soviets on the Eastern Front while Japan maintains control of its holdings in the Pacific, the strategic situation becomes far more complicated for the Allies. Since the United States would be compelled to concentrate much of its military strength on the European theater, its ability to conduct large-scale operations elsewhere could be limited. Much depends on Stalin...

[firsteds]

London has fallen.

Thanks Umeu it's been an epic game already. It's now April 1941 and the Axis still cling on to London although the Allies will probably retake it next turn. The Axis is generally scrambling to prep for Barbarossa and Pearl Harbor. The clock is ticking because USSR and USA mobilisation is very high. Turkey, Spain and Yugoslavia have joined the Axis so MPPs are high, but there are a lot of units to strengthen and upgrade. Turkey can threaten the Caucasus which is a bonus.

I am quite proud of my Sealion in this game. Massive risk to try it against a top player who was prepared for Sealion from the very start (thanks Forum!). It works best as a surprise. Anyway, Sealion has done its job, bringing in Spain and Turkey and helping to take Malta and Gibraltar. I will lose an HQ soon and I have already lost one Panzer unit near Cambridge. But I think there is no doubt that I will face further suffering in this game as Umeu is a fantastic player and when we have clashed on other fronts I have been soundly beaten. I fight hard. He fights smart. I have lots to learn.

[Umeu]

London has fallen.

Thanks Umeu it's been an epic game already. It's now April 1941 and the Axis still cling on to London although the Allies will probably retake it next turn. The Axis is generally scrambling to prep for Barbarossa and Pearl Harbor. The clock is ticking because USSR and USA mobilisation is very high. Turkey, Spain and Yugoslavia have joined the Axis so MPPs are high, but there are a lot of units to strengthen and upgrade. Turkey can threaten the Caucasus which is a bonus.

I am quite proud of my Sealion in this game. Massive risk to try it against a top player who was prepared for Sealion from the very start (thanks Forum!). It works best as a surprise. Anyway, Sealion has done its job, bringing in Spain and Turkey and helping to take Malta and Gibraltar. I will lose an HQ soon and I have already lost one Panzer unit near Cambridge. But I think there is no doubt that I will face further suffering in this game as Umeu is a fantastic player and when we have clashed on other fronts I have been soundly beaten. I fight hard. He fights smart. I have lots to learn.

Your reputation as a Sealion expert preceeds you indeed, and yet I still managed to underestimate it but the way you did it this game, I would have noticed it immediately even if I hadn't known you like to do it. The game gives quite a lot of info, if you care to, as well as know how and where to look.

Much depends on Stalin...

as always, excellent analysis by Taifun

[Pekkavilamoura]

Love to read Umeu 's battle reports!
Would have been nice to have a Taifun-like 'official' AAR of this game.

[gronivaure]

ELO result:

gronivaure (Axis) defeats Johnny25k (Allies) by ghost in july 1942.

This is a rematch (played fast). No news since the 23-06. Two message send to Johnny not read. Hope no bad news for Johnny.
I'm sad because this was a really fun game. Johnny try the same strategy as our first game and that don't work. But i think he still have a good chance of win.

[gronivaure]

ELO ended:

Old_Shane (allies) [Loss] vs. gronivaure (axies) [Win] - Allies resign July 44 after the surrender of China, India and Russia. Germany take Suez, push in Irak and attack Russia from Persia. Japan win the naval battles against USA and fight for each hex in China and India. Great game. Great opponent. Fast turn.

[gronivaure]

New Elo game:

Old_Shane (Axis) vs gronivaure (Allies). Good luck!

[gronivaure]

New Elo game:

Freddygraves1 (Allies) vs gronivaure (Axis). Good luck!

[Umeu]

Todays headline.
Churchill: Montgomery, give me back my legions!

The BEF is no more.

Their fathers stood on the left in 1914, as they had again in 1940. The first British boots on French soil, the last to leave the shores of Brittany. They had been the van and the rear. They had thwarted the panzers at Amiens and on the banks of the Seine, fighting a retreat back to St. Malo and Nantes. On those windy shores, ships lay waiting to take them towards bleak horizons. Petain had surrendered France to the wolves, and hordes of Huns and Visigoths ransacked London. The 7th and 10th armored were to be the fist, but the BEF was to be the boot to kick the invaders off British shores.

They were there, for what historians will call Monty's miracle. But they know who did the magic. Tricks of fire and steel, of blood and grit so tough you'll break your teeth on it. They encircled the invaders like a pack of wolves, until the deed was done. London recovered, Britain British once more.

They were in urgent need of rest and replenishing their ranks, but there was to be no time for recreation. The war had swept eastward, over the plains of Ukraine and Belarus. Rumor has it that Stalin is holed up in a bunker under his dacha. His troops are nowhere to be found. Many have deserted, joining the Germans. Others are fighting among themselves. The Germans faced no resistance but the winter and the land, always hungry for bone and skin. Of course, these were but rumors. But morale was low in the BEF, and prone to wild tales to lift a man's heart, or to sink it. Their marching orders came. Their departure from France had included a return ticket.

By now, it was late 1941. 1914 seemed eons away. The center had fallen out of their world, collapsed under the immense pressure of panzersteel and stukafire. There was no more left, no more right. They would go in to be surrounded. They would go in to die. They knew it. They went anyway. Some grumbled, asking what it was all for? Certainly not for king, country, or St. George. It was for Stalin, to show him that the Empire was not dead. That it was willing to sacrifice its best army just to show the world it would never surrender.

The BEF stormed the beaches at Caen, Cherboourg, at Le Havre and at St. Malo. They ate Messerschmidt pilots for breakfast. Now they would dig in, securing a bridgehead, or otherwise rebuild the docks for a swift retreat. The brass had impeccable timing, as always. The entire German panzerforce and luftwaffe were in France on RnR. Second corps held the rearguard. They died first. The army retreated into Cherbourg, panzers hot on their tails. They died in the ruined rubble, on the desolate docks from where Britain could be seen on cloudless mornings. They would never return. The Canadians, who had replaced first corps, was last to go. By then news had reached them, and they knew what was coming. Holed up in St. Malo, no binoculars could show them the pinefilled ridges of Canada. They were a long way from home. Those that did not surrender, died. Those that did not die, shattered. Perhaps the wind will take them back across the ocean to more familiar shores.

The BEF is dead. But the empire lives!

[Old_Shane]

New ELO game
Cratorous (Allies) vs Old_Shane (Axis)

[LoneRunner]

ELO Result:

LoneRunner (Axis) defeats Firsteds (Allies) 1943

The Axis adopted a risky strategy of focusing almost entirely on the three capitals, ignoring Stalingrad and the Caucasus. Not even taking Rostov. Russia surrendered upon the fall of Perm. Meanwhile, Japan was crushed by combined British and American forces. Japan had neutralized but not defeated China with the capture of Lanchow but lost all of it's island defenses and was turtling awaiting the final Allied onslaught.

Firsteds is a great opponent with an excellent turn rate and fun communications. Thank you for a superb game. Good luck on your next games!

[Umeu]

ELO Result:

LoneRunner (Axis) defeats Firsteds (Allies) 1943

The Axis adopted a risky strategy of focusing almost entirely on the three capitals, ignoring Stalingrad and the Caucasus. Not even taking Rostov. Russia surrendered upon the fall of Perm. Meanwhile, Japan was crushed by combined British and American forces. Japan had neutralized but not defeated China with the capture of Lanchow but lost all of it's island defenses and was turtling awaiting the final Allied onslaught.

Firsteds is a great opponent with an excellent turn rate and fun communications. Thank you for a superb game. Good luck on your next games!

I still don’t get why so many allied players resign in this position. It should be possible to at least stalemate if Japan is already on the ropes. Rome is indefensible and Berlin is vulnerable too with careful planning. There is still 3 more years left and allies have naval supremacy with Japan out of the way, and the carriers can then help provide air supremacy

[firsteds]

ELO Result:

LoneRunner (Axis) defeats Firsteds (Allies) 1943

The Axis adopted a risky strategy of focusing almost entirely on the three capitals, ignoring Stalingrad and the Caucasus. Not even taking Rostov. Russia surrendered upon the fall of Perm. Meanwhile, Japan was crushed by combined British and American forces. Japan had neutralized but not defeated China with the capture of Lanchow but lost all of it's island defenses and was turtling awaiting the final Allied onslaught.

Firsteds is a great opponent with an excellent turn rate and fun communications. Thank you for a superb game. Good luck on your next games!

I still don’t get why so many allied players resign in this position. It should be possible to at least stalemate if Japan is already on the ropes. Rome is indefensible and Berlin is vulnerable too with careful planning. There is still 3 more years left and allies have naval supremacy with Japan out of the way, and the carriers can then help provide air supremacy

Agreed. The game could have continued. But with Lonerunner's agreement I bowed out at this stage as Allies were pretty weak and I had some other games on the go, plus the leaderboard to update! (soon folks). I do sometimes play on after the fall of Russia with mixed results.

[LoneRunner]

Agreed. The game could have continued. But with Lonerunner's agreement I bowed out at this stage as Allies were pretty weak and I had some other games on the go, plus the leaderboard to update! (soon folks). I do sometimes play on after the fall of Russia with mixed results.

Yes, always the gentleman, Firsteds checked with me first before surrendering.

Could the Allies have pulled out a win or draw? Ummm...I don't know. By conquering Russia in 43, Germany was in a extremely strong position. Japan was on its knees but its fleet was intact and its relatively unscathed army was already prepared to defend the Home Island and China.

However, the Allies were ramping up their bombing campaign. And Italy was like a ripe plum to be picked. And Europe has a whole lot of coastline to defend. And Allied production is, well, enormous.

A continued war would have certainly been epic and fun. Perhaps when we meet over the gameboard Umeu, we could carry the war out to the bitter end. I'd love to try it.

[Pekkavilamoura]

Can someone please explain how a game can end with a draw?
To my knowledge there can be an Axis or Allies major or minor victory.
If neither of those occurs, there is a tactical victory if Axis holds at least one of the key cities. Have I missed something?