Global War AAR in Pictures

[rkr1958]

Axis enemy partisan number and probabilities. Partisans in China are a near given. However, the Japanese can and will meet or exceed the garrison required in Korea and Manchuria to prevent partisans from appearing there.

By the way, Japan has fewer RPs than factories. So the loss of RPs to partisans is much more serious than the loss of a factory or two.

[rkr1958]

Setup, Korea and Northern China. One more corps in required in Korea to prevent partisans there. In Northern China, Japan will bring in sufficient troops to stalemate or even drive back the communist Chinese while the Nationalist in the south are being dealt with.

The biggest concern for the Japanese in Northern China is the vulnerability of "exposed" RPs to Chinese partisans. And given the near certainty of Chinese partisans means that those RPs will be lost for at least one turn of production.

[rkr1958]

Setup, Manchuria. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Or, in other words, who is the threat? Japan or the Soviet Union? Terauchi and the 5-5 mot could certainly be put to good use in China but not with Zhukov and strong Soviet forces on the border with Manchuria.

[rkr1958]

Setup, Germany. Germany is positioned for total war with the Western Allies for the very start. This explains Italy's aggressive setup, which is also positioned for total war from the start too. What unholy alliance have Hitler and Mussolini agreed to?

[rkr1958]

Setup, German Land Units Expanded.

[rkr1958]

Setup, German Naval Expanded. Fall Weiss and Fall Rot await Hitler's orders.

[AllenK]

Good to see you doing another AAR Ronnie. Will follow this with interest.

[rkr1958]

ORIGINAL: AllenK

Good to see you doing another AAR Ronnie. Will follow this with interest.

Thanks. I was afraid that folks were getting bored with solo AARs. Definitely not nearly as exciting as yours is. By the way, I've learned a lot for reading through yours.

[Mayhemizer_slith]

Good to see you going for another AAR!

[Courtenay]

Nice to see another AAR.

[rkr1958]

Appreciate it guys!

By the way, I'm using powerpoint to do this AAR. Is the size or quality of the graphics I'm posting ok? If not, I could go back to the way I did before, which produced larger graphics but caused me more effort.

[Mayhemizer_slith]

Are you going with Fall Gelb or Poland first? I remember you talked some time ago about Fall Gelb but all ARM units are in east...

[rkr1958]

ORIGINAL: Mayhemizer

Are you planning try "Fall Gelb" with Germany? Or normally take Poland and next spring attack west?

If you are going with "Fall Gelb", you should set up all ARM units to west. In my AAR I took Poland using about 11 INF corps and one INF div. And maybe I sent that MECH to Poland too. I also set up Ju52 to Polish front to reorganize Königsberg MIL as soon as possible.

I wasn't sure where to put the German armor (West or East). My Polish defenders are always setup in cities, so I can see how setting up the German armor against Poland is a waste. Your allocation for setup of the German units between the East (Poland) and the West makes sense. I'll give it a try next time.

I did set up and use the Ju52 in the West for reorg. SPOILER: Surprise French and CW ground strikes were moderately successful and disorganized three units including the German 1-4 infantry division. I used the Ju52 to reorganize that division and von Bock to reorganize the two other units and one reserve corps.

ORIGINAL: Mayhemizer
My advice is not to keep transporter with units in north sea with CW. If Germany takes combined and get lucky it may cost too much. In my AAR I got lucky and CW lost transporter with MECH and another transporter was damaged. CW was not able to bring units in Netherlands or France, Fall Gelb was perfect success and Paris fell super early (I would say J/F 1940 if I remember right).

SPOILER: I'm up to the first impulse of the JF40 turn and the weather is horrible and has been for the Germans after the first scripted fine weather impulse of the game (i.e., SO39). So due to weather there has been no "early" Fall Gelb. As my AAR unfolds I would appreciate discussion from this community on whether or not I made the right decision to wait (as the Germans). This decision, as the Germans, has been fueled by the fact that the British have had at least 2 "extra" corps in the North Sea ready to intervene in the Netherlands if the Germans invaded and didn't capture both Rotterdam and Amsterdam on the surprise impulse. This CW reaction force has been put in the 3 box (of the North Sea) directly defended (i.e., in Sea box 3 too) by 3 RN aircraft carriers, 3 to 5 battleships and at least 3 heavy cruisers. Also, the RN has put at least 2 heavy cruisers in the 4 box. And then there are the French who have a battleship and two heavy cruisers initially place in the 4 box of the North Sea. As the CW player I take the attitude that the RN controls the seas and invite the German Homefleet to a second round of "Jutland". As the German player, I'm willing to risk the KM and a couple of division if it means the total conquest of Holland on the surprise impulse, which keeps the pesky the British from intervening and becoming a pain.

Am I being too bold as the CW? Too cautious as the Germans?

[AllenK]

I posted the RN in a similar way but fell foul of the dreaded 1:10 search split when Mayhemizer sent almost the entire Kriegsmarine. Scratch 2 Trans, the BEF and practically the game from that moment on. Just warning you of the risk.

[Courtenay]

ORIGINAL: rkr1958
Am I being too bold as the CW? Too cautious as the Germans?

I am a believer in sending out CW TRS to the North Sea.

If you have horrible weather, there is not much that any side can do. Given horrible weather, I would wait for the Germans, and take the Netherlands using the PAR when you get it.

The thing I like least about WiF is the overriding importance of the weather rolls.

In my face to face games, we never had "average" weather. Some games the weather went great for the Axis; other games it went great for the Allies. The games it went for the Axis, the Axis won; those it went for the Allies, the Allies won. This did not make us feel that our skill as players had much to do with the outcome of the game, which was disheartening.

[AlbertN]

I can somehow feel the sentiment of Courtenay about Weather rolls and turn length.
It's dishearting to see the "Barbarossa" May / Jun and Jul / Aug ending at the 1 / 2 rolls required to have the turn end. And it happened. (With a May of 7 impulses total, 3 of the Axis).

[rkr1958]

Turn 1. Sep/Oct 1939. "The best made plans of mice and men".

[rkr1958]

No Sep/Oct 1939 Fall Gelb. Not even the conquest of Denmark due to poor weather (rain) in the North Temperate this turn.

[rkr1958]

The Brits deployed Gort and a 7-4 mot corps to France. They kept a second mot and a mech corps in the North Sea ready to pounce (i.e., intervene) if the Germans did invade the Netherlands or Denmark this turn. The force returned to base to Plymouth and is ready for similar duty (i.e., on Alert in the North Sea) with an additional 3rd corps next turn.

Bottom line, a Sep/Oct 1939 Fall Gelb scratched because of weather!

[rkr1958]

1. Sep/Oct 1939. Poland. Eastern Europe.

Even with lousy weather in the North Temperate and the Arctic, and with significant ground, air and naval forces deployed in the West waiting for a Fall Gelb that never happened, Germany with able to finish off Poland with no land losses or disorganization. Well, von Leeb was disorganized by a lucky Polish ground strike and the Luftwaffe lost a fighter and pilot to the Polish fighter. Other that that things went remarkably well for the Germans in Poland.

The Soviets used the German invasion of Poland as a pretense to take Eastern Poland, the Baltic States and claim Bessarabia. Germany allowed the claim as well as Hungary's and Bulgaria's claim against Romania.