Sturm und Drang : Axis Perspective

[cpdeyoung]

19431101 : Some rebuilding, and an attack.

[cpdeyoung]

19431201 : The last turn of 1943, and a quiet one.

[cpdeyoung]

19440101 : A new year.  The map did not change in any significant way this turn.  We have brought in replacements for the units on the Eastern Front that have taken losses, but have not done any reinforcements recently.  We have built another ship this turn, and are looking west in 1944.  We must not take chances there, and will just have to build more land power, or pull some units from the East.  The combination of quiet turns and the enemy's production capacity make us very nervous.  We must watch for attacks by air and sea on the shores of Europe.  The Allies are seeking to bring Norway into their fold, and we would love to foil this.
 

[IS]

Why not use quiet time, and take over Switzerland and/or Scandinavia and/or Middle East? [:)] Is there a penalty for taking them in current situation?



BTW. BIG THANKS for those AAR`s - I`m totally addicted to them [:D]

[cpdeyoung]

Especially Norway which he is about to activate.  I am thinking of it, but Norway is no pushover, and it might cost a good bit to build the amphibious points, or paratroopers.  Switzerland would be interesting, and I must get that VP at some point.  There is not much in the Middle East I can take without getting the Soviets involved.  Gary is taking on Turkey in "Tripleplay" which may get him thinking here.  I do not want to defend Egypt and Saudi Arabia against the Soviets.
 
I had not been worrying about this, but I suppose I must start.
 
Glad you are enjoying the AARs. Chocolino has a good one going too.
 
By the way I have mentioned naming my ships :
 
Aircraft Carriers :
Germany Freiherr von Richthofen
Germany Graf Zeppelin
Germany Hermann Göring

Battleships :
Germany Bismarck
Germany Derfflinger
Germany Frederick I, Barbarossa
Germany Großer Kurfürst
Germany Friedrich der Grosse
Germany Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Germany Kaiser
Germany Kaiserin
Germany Lutzow
Germany Markgraf
Germany Moltke
Germany Rheinland
Germany Scharnhorst
Germany Schlesien
Germany Schleswig-Holstein
Germany Seydlitz
Germany Tirpitz
Germany Von der Tann

Cruisers :
Germany Emden
Germany Leipzig
Germany Lutzow

U-Boats :
Germany U-22
Germany U-37
Germany U-87
Germany U-98

Chuck

[cpdeyoung]

19440201 : We have a couple of irons in the fire.

[cpdeyoung]

19440216 : The (Middle) East is red? (edited date)

[cpdeyoung]

19440301 : We go about our business. (edited date)

[cpdeyoung]

19440316 (edited date) : Not enough change in the map to bother with showing one this turn.  We picked off a division, the only one left observing our lines.  We are now expecting a shock, which seems paradoxical, but really is not.  The vast amount of production the Allies have at their command has been a black box for many turns now.  Putting ourselves in their shoes we would be building an immense navy, and we have to think the Allies are doing just that.  If this is the case they should be ready for a naval onslaught soon.  We are going to be hurt, and we do not have the PP to rebuild quickly.  One option would be to place the fleets out of harm's way, and let the Allies make their assault on the beaches of Europe, and then fight them on the land, but that will be a very hard fight.  If our fleets can hold them off for another invasion cycle it would be wonderful.  The suspense of the Allied forces hanging over our head is significant.

Should we be attacking vigorously in the Soviet Union?  Perhaps we should, but that takes such a committment.  We think we can hold there, but the West is ominous.  If we push forward in the East we will need many more line fillers and they cost PP, but are not as valuable.  Production is the key here, as always, and building infantry does not please us.  The shoe must drop, and the "expected shock" will come.

[cpdeyoung]

19440401 : Now that is airpower! We are scrambling, and that is never fun. We expect more trouble, and perhaps a major attack or demonstration from the Soviets. Woo hoo!

[cpdeyoung]

19440416 : Whew, more airborne. We have certainly not contained the allies in the West, but we have a chance of doing so. In the East we have had to pull back, and will have to do so again.

[cpdeyoung]

19440501 : Debacle. We are in very rough shape. Our two finest Korps, rushed to the West were lost, along with a fine Italian corps. On both fronts the pressure is immense, and we can hardly cope. All production is being desparately rushed to the front in hopes of staving off the disaster unfloding.

[cpdeyoung]

Campaign notes : Well, Mr. Gardner has shown how it is done.  The extensive use of his airpower is a demonstration of how to play to your own strengths.  My analysis before the invasion commented on his building ships, but he chose a way much more suited to the occasion.  The air power vaporises my defenders, and the mobility means the Channel is a freeway.  I will not forget soon the vulnerability of Le Havre.  Only the strongest garrison is appropriate there.
 
The operational blunder I made with the exposure of my magnificent Panzer Korps is inexcusable.  I should have held them back at Paris, and I am ashamed to admit that the final location was partly because of greed in attacking an airborne division.  Once these huge American Corps are on the continent, woe to the Axis.
 
Of course this is not the result of General Marshall and his staff analysis, but of the mind of Mr. Gardner, who chose his weapon wisely, and applied it with such skill.  Perhaps I am in the best spot to appreciate just how well this was done, and there is a certain pleasure to be taken from this, but it has not been exactly fun!

[cpdeyoung]

19440509 : Struggling to stabilize.

[James Ward]

This is going to be a real slugfest from here on out!

[cpdeyoung]

Amen.  I wonder how close we are to the historical situation?  Not too far for 1944, on land anyway.  I have learned a lot about defending the continent against the Allies.  One thing I will never do again is consider the Axis Minors as proper troops for garrison duty.  It is incredible how much they get in the way.  This game does an excellent job of recreating the problems of multination coalitions.  Notice that Gary has only US troops in the beachhead.
 
Now I know how Gary felt when the Brest invasion occured in RtW.  There are so many factors involved here.  I really do love playing this game.
 

[Joshuatree]

ORIGINAL: James Ward

This is going to be a real slugfest from here on out!

Sure thingy, I think now is the time for the "Wunderwaffen" and "durchhalten".
The disaster at Le Havre is indeed what more or less happened at Caen and La Falaise. After that a retreat to... Holland and the Ardennes I guess. Does this game give defenders in forests and hills and behind rivers a bonus?

[cpdeyoung]

19440516 : Reaction, and retreat. (To Joshuatree : Yes, defensive bonus for both, or either.)

[cpdeyoung]

19440524 : We want so much, but are on short rations.

[cpdeyoung]

19440601 : We see the writing in the sky, and begin to shift forces in the West.