Revanchism in Europe (PBEM gwgardner vs Chocolino)

[Chocolino]

3-27-42

This shot may give you a good overview of the overwhelming force the Allies have deployed in the Mediterranean theater. Menacing fleets, hordes of airplanes and just a few pockets of Axis defenders here and there. It is not a pretty sight from the Axis point of view.

Once Tunis falls Sicily will receive even more Allied attention. I only hope we can take Palermo back before that happens.

[battlevonwar]

Precarious position for the Italians to be in, looks like they're out of position if the Western Allies manage to take a lot of their home cities! Eastern Front looks quiet.

[Chocolino]

Yes, the East Front is still in winter slumber - but should end soon. The western Allies are quite strong and will likely undertake more diversionary attacks so that Germany cannot focus entirely on the USSR.

North Africa is flost of course. But at least for now I don't see Italy being taken completely. But the Allied commander is always good for a surprise.

[Chocolino]

4-10-42

After what felt like an Herculean effort German infantry can finally take Palermo. Unless the Allies can retake it this will spell doom for the remaining Allied troops in Sicily.

[Chocolino]

4-10-42

The situation in North Africa is of course not looking rosy for the Axis. Italian colonies here have shrunk to a single screen shot.

Once NA is taken (only a question of time - I assume it is mainly bad weather that is holding the Allies back here), the Allies will look for a new target and I wonder what it will be. Sicily is the nearest and most obvious. Marseilles is another interesting option. Let's see what the Allied commander has in store for us.

[Chocolino]

4-24-42

The last US corps has been thrown back into the sea - the British corps remains for us to deal with in Sicily.

[Chocolino]

4-24-42

In '39 and in '40 strat. bombing devastated German production and cost us close to 1000 production total. But now in '42 the Luftwaffe has the situation more or less under control. Here is a recent example of an Allied bombing run. Not all of them are this costly for the hvy. bombers but overall the Axis seems to come out ahead more often than not.

[Chocolino]

4-24-42

First signs of life at the East Front after a long winter.

While it is still snowing just a bit north, there is already great weather in the south and the Germans use this to get into good positions near Kharkov. We cross the Dnieper and shatter 2 Russian corps. This is of course only a droplet in the Russian ocean of units.

[gwgardner]

ORIGINAL: Chocolino

4-24-42

In '39 and in '40 strat. bombing devastated German production and cost us close to 1000 production total. But now in '42 the Luftwaffe has the situation more or less under control. Here is a recent example of an Allied bombing run. Not all of them are this costly for the hvy. bombers but overall the Axis seems to come out ahead more often than not.

Currently I have no counter to your vicious interceptors. Looks like I should have focused on escorts in a big way.

You lost 1000 PPs early in the war. The Allies, having built 3 strat bomber groups, apparently have lost 1500 PPs. They're pretty much useless right now. I've been using them as carpet bombers against your front line or even as naval air. Pretty ineffective either way.

[Chocolino]

ORIGINAL: gwgardner

ORIGINAL: Chocolino

4-24-42

In '39 and in '40 strat. bombing devastated German production and cost us close to 1000 production total. But now in '42 the Luftwaffe has the situation more or less under control. Here is a recent example of an Allied bombing run. Not all of them are this costly for the hvy. bombers but overall the Axis seems to come out ahead more often than not.

Currently I have no counter to your vicious interceptors. Looks like I should have focused on escorts in a big way.

You lost 1000 PPs early in the war. The Allies, having built 3 strat bomber groups, apparently have lost 1500 PPs. They're pretty much useless right now. I've been using them as carpet bombers against your front line or even as naval air. Pretty ineffective either way.

Not quite useless I should think. If nothing else they force the majority of the German interceptors to hang around in Germany instead of preventing the massive air strikes that the red army's air force is undertaking against my ground units. And the effect of the earlier strat bombing is still felt. Germany is still in catch-up mode and is fleshing out its army - even now in '42.

[Chocolino]

5-8-42

Just when we thought we have seen the last of the Western Allies in continental Europe (Sicily) for a while the Allied commander has another Ace up his sleeve and throws us a new curve ball that we have to deal with. They land in Denmark with quite some strength. They won't overrun the Reich right away but it is another distraction that we have to deal with. I am sure the effect on the East Front will reveal itself in the not too distant future.

[Chocolino]

5-8-42

As mentioned above, the last Allied unit in Sicily had to surrender. But in North Africa only 3 ports hold out for now and only Algiers has a little bit of real estate attached to it.

[Chocolino]

5-8-42

At the East Front only the southern weather allows for attacking. So we try to expand our beach-head across the Dnieper but gain only a total of 5 hexes.

But the really important stat, though is that we have almost no advantage in losses taken over the Russians. The Russian overall force strength is now about double that of the Wehrmacht. Of course not all Wehrmacht units can be at the East Front thanks to the Western Allies. So it is closer to a 2.5-1 ratio. Unless Germany can generate serious casualty advantages this summer it will probably go down.

[gwgardner]

ORIGINAL: Chocolino

5-8-42

Just when we thought we have seen the last of the Western Allies in continental Europe (Sicily) for a while the Allied commander has another Ace up his sleeve and throws us a new curve ball that we have to deal with. They land in Denmark with quite some strength. They won't overrun the Reich right away but it is another distraction that we have to deal with. I am sure the effect on the East Front will reveal itself in the not too distant future.

One of Winston's hair-brained schemes. The Canadians were reluctant to go along with it. The German response is stronger than expected, and bodes ill ... for the 60,000 men thrown into the jaunt. Intel placed all German armor on the Eastern and Southern Fronts. The untimely loss of Sicily frees up Axis resources.

It's questionable whether the Prime Minister's government will survive this. Their plodding advance in North Africa has already given the opposition an opening.

Perhaps they will be receptive to German admission that the turning point in this war has come and gone, notwithstanding temporary successes in Sicily and possibly Denmark.

[Chocolino]

ORIGINAL: gwgardner

ORIGINAL: Chocolino

5-8-42

Just when we thought we have seen the last of the Western Allies in continental Europe (Sicily) for a while the Allied commander has another Ace up his sleeve and throws us a new curve ball that we have to deal with. They land in Denmark with quite some strength. They won't overrun the Reich right away but it is another distraction that we have to deal with. I am sure the effect on the East Front will reveal itself in the not too distant future.

One of Winston's hair-brained schemes. The Canadians were reluctant to go along with it. The German response is stronger than expected, and bodes ill ... for the 60,000 men thrown into the jaunt. Intel placed all German armor on the Eastern and Southern Fronts. The untimely loss of Sicily frees up Axis resources.

It's questionable whether the Prime Minister's government will survive this. Their plodding advance in North Africa has already given the opposition an opening.

Perhaps they will be receptive to German admission that the turning point in this war has come and gone, notwithstanding temporary successes in Sicily and possibly Denmark.

Since the Axis was never really on an up-slope in this game, there is no turning point required for our demise. The war was lost in '39 and '40 already. We fully admit it. But the political situation in Germany is such that a peace offer (surrender) would be suicidal for the current government - so they plod on and hope for Wunderwaffen.

[Chocolino]

5-22-42

This local shot is representative for the state of the East Front at the moment. The German army (while actually quite teched up) looks weak and worn out just after a few rounds of fighting. Combat odds are poor everywhere and we don't have enough air to overcome it. This turn we managed to gain just 2 hexes.

The Russians are so strong now that if we exhaust ourselves even further then their counterattacks will succeed. Partisans also cause severe supply shortages which is another problem.

In contrast to the Axis, the Russians have a huge air force and pound us with over 30 air sorties each turn.

[battlevonwar]

An epic game ... I applaud both players carrying through till the end like this. Although it appears like the game is heavily shifting ...

[Chocolino]

ORIGINAL: battlevonwar

An epic game ... I applaud both players carrying through till the end like this. Although it appears like the game is heavily shifting ...

Thanks for following along.

Yes, I expect that the Axis will be from now on on the defense everywhere. It will not collapse right away (I hope) but it is a question of time. I am interested in seeing the Allied end game and we will play a bit further still.

[Chocolino]

6-5-42

German troops drive the Allied invaders back but fail to get Frederickshafen, the only port the Allies rely on. There is only a single attack hex and it requires a lucky roll and much air. More German aircraft are demanded by local commanders and it appears they may actually get them.

[Chocolino]

6-5-42

Before the German turn.

The Russians have not failed to notice the German weakness this summer and ruthlessly counterattacked in several areas - this being one of them. They managed to break through in four different spots if I remember correctly.