PBEM: Grotius (Axis) vs. Rome (Allied)

[Grotius]

I did consider that option, CommC, but early on I decided on a "southern" strategy that centered on taking the Middle East and taking or at least isolating India. My Germans took Persia and, most significantly, the Caucusus, just as my Japanese took Rangoon and Mandalay. But both offensives ran out of steam, primarily because of poor logistics planning -- I didn't have enough supply to repair at the Caucausus (which might have given me the auto-victory).

Once I'd committed Japan to pressuring India, and thus taking on the Western Allies, it seemed natural to take the Southern Resource Area at the same time, which in one turn almost doubled my production output. Resources are harder to come by in Russia. Moreover, given that my German strategy was not to conquer Russia but to seize enough resources/factories for the auto-victory, it seems doubtful that Japan can tip the balance there. Besides, I just thought it would be more fun to use all these naval assets.

But yeah, next game I might try the squeeze-Russia plan.

[Grotius]

Fall 1943: Axis Lake is no more. The Western Allied fleets now roam the Mediterranean with impunity, and the Allies have landed in Morocco and now taken Algeria. I never took Spanish Morocco because I had trouble keeping a transport in the western Med, since Rome stationed his carriers just west of Gibraltar and kept after me with his carrier air. So he had a little toehold on which to base his Operation Torch. If I had kept him out of that free toehold, he'd have been forced to land from far away, incurring the huge distant-amphibian-landing penalties. Live and learn, Admiral Grotius!

Still, other than that, the news isn't so bad. Rome didn't push me back much in Russia, and I see a chance of encircling one province there. I still have 60 total production, even after Rome damaged 3 of my resources in Spain with carrier-air attacks. (Time for some flak there.) I don't see how I can get to 70 at this point, but I suppose stranger things have happened.

Here's a look at the Med. The next post has a small shot of the Russian front.

[Grotius]

And here's the situation in the Soviet Union:

[daskomodo]

Two questions/observations:

- Did you have any artillery in Gibraltar? That would prevent a naval break-in when you control both Gibraltar and Egypt.

- The WA just cut all your supplies to the Middle East. But it seems he placed his entire Med fleet out of supply. Maybe it's the pic, but there seems to be no transport in Western Med.

[Grotius]

- Did you have any artillery in Gibraltar? That would prevent a naval break-in when you control both Gibraltar and Egypt.

I did, but he bombed it tenaciously with his carrier aircraft -- losing quite a few aircraft in the process. I brought in replacement artillery and flak as quickly as I could, but there was a turn or two where I had no arty, and bam, he moved into the Med. I've got arty there again now, though, which may indeed explain why he hasn't put a transport in the Western Med. I've still got arty at Suez too. And I have been basing subs at both Suez and Gibraltar (and Western France and Kiel) the whole game. I've destroyed or damaged 40 or more transports over the course of the game. If he and I play again, I doubt he'll let me get away with that again.

The WA just cut all your supplies to the Middle East. But it seems he placed his entire Med fleet out of supply. Maybe it's the pic, but there seems to be no transport in Western Med.

That would help explain why I just managed to damage three of his heavy fleets in the Eastern Med with three subs. As I said above, he may not have anticipated that I would get an artillery unit back in Gibraltar so quickly. Or, seeing as this is our first game with Advanced Supply, he may still be struggling with the supply rules. I know I am! Er, naval units require a truck in the same or an adjacent hex?

If I'd mastered the supply rules, I'd have won by now -- for a time, I held the Caucusus and enough factories for the auto-victory, if I'd had the supply on-hand to repair it all.

[Grotius]

Winter 1944: The Western-Allies cancer continues to grow in the Med. He took Tripoli and is poised to sweep across the rest of North Africa. Still, my subs damaged his final remaining heavy fleet there, reducing his naval superiority. And it's now 1944: he's running out of time. I *still* hold Suez and Gibraltar, with artillery and flak in both.

Elsewhere the news is surprisingly good. The Russian Winter brought me one of my best turns yet in the Soviet Union! I encircled and killed a dozen enemy units in Kiev. The encirclement will probably mean I sacrifice a couple of the units doing the encircling, but the tradeoff (12 killed for two that might die or might just be damaged) is well worth it. I now have Kiev and its factories, fully repaired, for (I hope) another turn or two.

And the situation in the Far East is good too. I still hold Mandalay, the Southern Resource Area, the Solomons, New Guinea, and Bismarck Island -- all of Japan's historical conquests, plus Port Moresby. I've stationed Betties and a sub in the Rabaul area, where they pick off two transports a day; and more Betties in the Central Pacific, to head off threats heading west from Midway or Wake. My CVs are in an undisclosed location. Total Axis production: 62. Not bad for 1944.

A few screenshots follow. First, here's a look at the Med:

[Grotius]

In Russia, my 10 evasion/10 attack tanks have helped matters quite a bit. Here's the Russian front:

[Grotius]

I keep forgetting to take a closeup of the Far East, but the Strategic Map can give you idea -- and a look at the production situation.

[CommC]

Personally, I think the Germany going for North Africa and Japan going for India strategy is sub-optimal for the Axis, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Carry on.

[Grotius]

Yep, I've heard everyone say that the squeeze-Russia plan is one good way to win. But the downside is that it gives the Western Allies a freer hand, and it arguably hamstrings Japan, which can't fight both Russia and the USA. I like to think there's more than one way to win; thus my southern strategy. Most of all, I just thought it would be fun to try.

So far I think it's worked beautifully. It's now mid-1944, and I'm still holding Kiev and threatening Moscow; Russia is in such dire straits that she can't repair her resource centers or factories; I still control much of the Med and the Middle East; I hold the Southern Resource Area, Mandalay, New Guinea and the Solomons; and I have 63 or 64 production.

Here's the latest look at Russia, before my Spring '44 turn:

[Grotius]

Here's the Med at the beginning of Spring 1944. As you can see, Rome has moved his surface ships back west of Gibraltar. I wonder whether he plans D-Day in Spain or Portugal. In any case, I hope my artillery in Gibraltar will deter his fleet from re-entering.

[Grotius]

Summer 1944: At the end of the Spring '44 turn, Rome tried what he described in his latest e-mail as his "practice D-Day." His troops hit the beaches in ... Spain. He did kill off a few of my defending units, but ultimately he was driven back into the Atlantic.

This venture meant he couldn't afford the supply for his normal Murmansk Convoy -- a convoy whose transports I normally destroy every turn. Anyway, with no new supply in Russia, the Russians were uncharacteristically quiet, and I took the opportunity to push further forward. I now have 65 production, only five from auto-victory, but as always it's hard to see where the last five will come from.

In the Far East, Rome has mounted a land offensive out of India, and he has at last taken Mandalay. I have moved a half-dozen units into Rangoon to try to stop him there. The good news is that there is no sign of any American advance in the Pacific, other than a string of single transports reaching to Brisbane. As usual, I destroyed a couple this turn with a sub and a Betty. I have my eyes on actually expanding further in the Pacific: candidates include Australia, Wake Island, Noumea, the Aleutians, and an obscure atoll named Midway.

[Grotius]

The situation in Western Europe, after the first failed D-Day. Note that I still hold Gibraltar and Suez, and while Rome does have ground troops in Tripoli, my navy (such as it is) controls the Med itself.

[Grotius]

The Russian bear.

[Svend Karlson]

Great stuff, keep it coming and it looks like Axis are heading for the win.

[Grotius]

Fall 1944 through Winter 1945: Two fairly static turns. Rome still has not managed to get ashore in Western Europe, and time is running out for his D-Day there. I've deterred him by shifting forces from the Russian front to Western Europe, but of course the downside is that I've weakened my Russian line. Still, I continue to hold Kiev, and we fight back and forth over places like Belorussia, which is fine with me.

In the Med, Rome's now taken all of Northwest Africa, but I continue to hold Gibraltar and Suez, closing the Med to his transports. His forces are advancing on Egypt now, but he's got supply trouble since there are no railroads there and he has no transports in Axis Lake. (Yes, it's once again Axis Lake.)

In the Far East, Rome's major offensive is through Burma, but while he did take Mandalay a couple turns ago, I've managed to hold the line at Rangoon so far. I don't think he'll make it to Tokyo taking this route, and my Pacific holdings remain intact, so I'm increasingly confident that Japan will at least live through 1945. I think Rome's been wrestling with the supply rules in the Pacific; I've noticed a couple heavy fleets stranded in the South Pacific, probably because of lack of local supply.

Here's a look at the Med:

[Grotius]

By the way, Svend, I meant to say that I'm glad you're enjoying the AAR. I wish I could get Rome to post his thoughts here. On the other hand, in his absence, I've been increasingly open about my observations.

Here's a look at the Russian Winter of 1945. Rome has been gradually whittling me down here, and doesn't help that I've had to reinforce the beaches in the West. Still, the line is holding for now, and with Kiev still in my grasp, I'm still at 63 total production.

[Grotius]

Spring, Summer and Fall 1945: These turns have zipped along as both Rome and I found time to do more than one turn a day. Rome has conducted air attacks on my Atlantic Wall, but still no successful D-Day, so Western Europe remains mine as of Fall 1945. My fighters have higher evasion and air-attack than his, and my fleet of 8 or so fighters (plus flak) has thwarted his efforts to reduce the invasion site before sending in the transports.

Likewise, the Med is still mine, for maybe another turn anyway. His land forces took Egypt last turn, and they stand poised to attack my garrison at Suez. Even so, I still hold Gibraltar, which at this point is more important to me. I'm resigned to losing Iraq and Saudi Arabia eventually, but it will take him three more turns minimum, by which time the game will almost be over.

The Russian front has been a bloody war of attrition; he took Kiev last turn, but I promptly took it back, and this turn I seized Kharkhov for good measure -- and after reducing his front-line force of about 12 tanks and infantry, I don't see anything standing between me and the Caucusus. I'm sure Rome will remedy that (he always does), but the fact that I can still undertake offensive operations in Russia must be worrisome to him this late in the proceedings.

Rome's most important successes have been in Burma. This turn he took Rangoon. I've put a strong garrison into Siam, though, so I'm hoping he'll decide to move north, to take Luchow, in coastal China, buying me time to protect Indochina, Malaya, and the Dutch East Indies. I'd rather lose China than the DEI. It's interesting: I planned for a seaborne American attack, so I invested heavily in Betties, Zeroes, and carrier air groups, including appropriate tech; I ignored my infantry and artillery tech. If I'd known his primary approach would be by land from India, I'd have done otherwise. Still, I'd rather fight a land war: my precious resources in the Dutch East Indies, as well as the Home Islands themselves, will remain safe so long as I control the sea.

Here's a look at southeast Asia:

[Grotius]

Here's a look at the Med:

[Grotius]

Western Europe as of Fall 1945: