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March 1st, 1944

We push in France but run this campaign at a PP deficit against Germany and Italy. The Western Allies can afford this (in contrast to the Soviet union) in order to make fast progress. The PP difference is also not quite as substantial as with Russia. In Russia our southern front disintegrates as well. And our little successes up north will probably be short lived.

March 16th, 1944

Who is faster, the US/UK in the West pressing towards the Axis heartland or the Germans/Italians conquering the USSR? The race is on.

April 1st, 1944

When and where will Germany stop those free roaming British in north-eastern France?

April 16th, 1944

The British can still expand into a void in northern France and a different void is created by the Wehrmacht who annihilates most of our formations in southern Russia.

May 1st, 1944

The long '44 campaigning season starts and this will be a crucial summer both for the survival of Stalingrad as well as for the Axis western front.

May 9th, 1944

Western Europe is much smaller than Russia (ok, you knew that already) and high mobility action in the West is much sooner of consequence than in Russia. Otherwise we would have lost this war long since. We still see no decisive effort of the Wehrmacht to defend the Vaterland while most German units are fighting in France and Stalingrad. We still transport a few more UK units to Venice and expand our beachhead there but are checked by Italians. The Turin front is dormant for now.

May 16th, 1944

Stalingrad in peril and Paris approached by US forces.

May 24th, 1944

The Axis continues to focus on Stalingrad and has the situation in Italy under control. In western Germany, the British have not enough troops to move ahead. The British unit cutting off supply at the channel has been eliminated by the Germans and its sacrifice remained without visible effect on the units near Paris.

June 1st, 1944

We still hope that our pressure in the West will force the Axis to withdraw the strong forces required to take Stalingrad. But so far the Wehrmacht is undeterred in the USSR.

June 9th, 1944

A quiet move for the Western Allies with repair and reorganization. The Germans use the time to extend their defenses in Western Europe. The Russian creates a Hedgehog in Stalingrad and crosses a lot of fingers.

June 16th, 1944

Stalingrad is holding on desperately. There has been no Lend Lease with the exception of the very first few turns in 1941 of USA making it available. This may proof fatal now in hindsight. But on the other hand, Paris is under pressure and southern Germany seems open.

June 24th 1944,

The heavy fighting at Stalingrad continues and the Western Allies feel immense pressure to not come too late for the rescue. We need more Germans transferred back to Germany and very soon.

July 1st, 1944

All Axis units in the Luxemburg pocket are eliminated and force the Germans to retreat. Lille is the remaining unliberated French city. But the Stalingrad pocket is shrinking as the Wehrmacht pounds it.

July 9th, 1944

A major German city falls but no relief in sight for Stalingrad.

he's only been killing 1 unit per turn at Stalingrad so at least he can only free up 1-2 of his units per turn for the next 10 turns to aid the western front. since i don't own the game yet, how many PP will netting Stalingrad get him? or it only denies you PP?

Chocolino is offline, so I will jump in. Stalingrad is worth 25 PP per turn, and 9 VP. The Soviets will lose 25 PP per turn if the Axis holds Stalingrad. The Germans get a significant fraction of this 25 added to their PP base, and this is all complicated by the 150% PP adjustment the Germans enjoy. It is of huge significance to take (or hold) Stalingrad.

On PP basis alone you are looking at something like a 40-50 point swing.

Chuck

Thank you for following this AAR. That is a good question and thanks to Chuck for answering the PP aspects better than I could have. In addition to the important PP aspects I see the following significance of Stalingrad (some of which are obvious):

- Soaks up many German units at the moment - likely the better ones. They are missing not only in the West but could also be used to win the remainder of the USSR faster once Stalingrad falls.
- It is one of the three major cities that needs to be taken to eliminate the USSR from the game (Moscow and Leningrad are the others). There are three minor ones as well, Perm, Magnitogorsk and Orsk, but they pose less of a problem with the only caviat that they are very far east. By the time the Germans get there, it is over anyways. After a fall of Stalingrad there is only Leningrad left of the major ones that is actually "on the way home" for the Germans
- If the USSR falls entirely to Germany which is more likely after Stalingrad falls, the Western Allies have to conquer all of the USSR as well to eliminate Germany while the Wehrmacht is not occupied at the East Front any more.
- 9 VP is huge. If Stalingrad falls, the Axis will lead the game by a good margin in VPs (the winning criteria in September 1946). 9 VP is equivalent to all French and Spanish VPs that we just got. So we are back at zero since the US landing in Spain.


On top of that Germany does not have to eliminate all 10 remaining outside units before conquering Stalingrad and that will happen in less than 10 turns in my estimation. Germany will attack the city outright once it has three, maybe four neighboring hexes under control.

July 16th, 1944

Given the Stalingrad situation hanging on a thread, we become more bold (say "desperate" if you like) in Germany and rush ahead with a few units even though that may not be the most solid way of operations.

thanks for the info! this is AAR is like a lion and a tiger eating each other's hind quarters simultaneously - first one to the other's head wins!

July 24th, 1944

this is AAR is like a lion and a tiger eating each other's hind quarters simultaneously - first one to the other's head wins!

We will do everything to be the cat with the larger appetite here. This game has fairly mobile operations for a long time now and was very exciting to play for this reason even though the high mobility was in large part very involuntary on our part - at least in the East. (I still think if one plays "correctly" the game is more static with long non-moving front lines. (Not sure if this is a very good comparison but the early attack by the USSR on Germany has played like a somewhat unsound opening Gambit in chess and in exchange has offered new opportunities). But this was not my plan, it just turned out that way.