We are going to stamp all over one's Blau Swede Schuhe

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: AllenK

Well, if the Commonwealth would like the French planes to keep flying, our motorized and mechanised forces to keep rolling and our ships helping keeping the convoy lines open, un peu d'essence, s'il vous plait. We 'ave sent les ships out en preparation.

A couple of other resources to keep the factories in production would also help n'est pas? Malheuresement nous n'avons pas les convoys pour cette. Les anglais doit les provides.

warspite1

I've no idea what you said but it sounds saucy!

Just let me know what you are looking for and I will pass it through the relevant committee. Said committee can then decide the best time for a meeting to discuss setting up a meeting about er..... what was it again? Oh, well.. I'm sure it'll come to me. Anyway, I can't stop gassing here all day - there's a war on - and I'm late for a meeting.

[AllenK]

Le translation.

1 oil and 2-3 BP's. We can ship the oil but will need CW CP's for the resources or BP's would be an acceptable alternative. Depends on the production multiples as to which is most efficient.

C'est impossible mais en casse de la demise de France, nous vous donnez as many of notre BP's as you can ship in the turn before as recompense.

[AllenK]

Un autre pointe.

Le CV Bearn et a Brest pour avoiding a tricksey hobbit raid par les Italians. Je suggeste les Americans l'interne toute suite. Je préfére le CV continué a un CV mais c'est votre choice.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: AllenK

Un autre pointe.

Le CV Bearn et a Brest pour avoiding a tricksey hobbit raid par les Italians. Je suggeste les Americans l'interne toute suite. Je préfére le CV continué a un CV mais c'est votre choice.

warspite1

I have no wish to be rude but I'll take a TRS as, let's be blunt here, your Bearn il fait tres tres merde n'est pas?

[AllenK]

Avec le Gogglebox translator.

Ce n'est pas great mais elle est un bon accompanyment pour les anciens et decrepides battleships de les Americans et aussi les transports qui marche d'un speed similar.

S'il vous la converter, vous perdu un CV pour receipt d'un transport vous n'avez pas le need of maintenant. La transport disappare from the pool. Avec la CV, vous pouvevz constructer la transport plus tard.

[Courtenay]

The Allies can't set up a trade agreement on the first turn, since China is the only Allied country at war in the trade agreement step.

[Courtenay]

I always take the transport. Taking the CV costs the cost of completing the CV, the CVPs, and the pilots. Taking the transport saves six build points. So taking the CV has a net cost of over ten build points, more than an Essex with CV group, and the Bearn is no Essex.

[AllenK]

ORIGINAL: Courtenay

The Allies can't set up a trade agreement on the first turn, since China is the only Allied country at war in the trade agreement step.

We are discussing arrangements for the end of turn when we can set one up. We need to make sure we have the CP resources in place in advance so we don't screw up the rest of the convoy chains.

[warspite1]

Well this is pretty simple. If they succeed in this, then the game is over....

They are obviously going all out, win or bust - so will try the invasion of Rotterdam second Impulse. I have to assume a few things:

- I will have no capacity to help Poland on at least our first impulse, but will have to pile into the North Sea and hope to defeat him there (but I have bad memories of our first multi-player where the Allies got hammered in the North Sea so it won't be strait forward). With that amount of fire power he will be looking to destroy the British in the Low Countries (assuming they even land of course) possible even expending an offensive chit so that there is nothing left for France.

- He's got something planned with Italy (note the units in La Spezia). I can't afford to take to sea in the Western and Eastern Med and get surprised (I recall the dire consequences of that against Mayhemizer). Can we declare war against Italy on our first impulse (assuming they haven't)? EDIT: No we can't....

This is my intended set up for Poland. Its designed to safeguard against quick knock out while recognising we may have no capacity to move any Polish units for a while. There is not much the Poles can do once he's placed his reserves at key places, but we just need to keep the Poles in the game!

I suggest max effort at sea from the British - possibly even sacrificing some cruisers in the absence of the French (who have probably got better things to worry about than the war at sea!).

Thoughts?

[AllenK]

Whoa. Steady the Buff's.

There's a lot that needs to go right for the Germans with weather, turn length and combat rolls to pull this off quickly. If they get the run, there's not much we can do in France. They key then will be setting ourselves up for their phase two.

The French need boots on the ground so Brian Brian's comments around Canadian oil etc. are on the mark. France needs that plus as much BP's as you have CP's available to send them. BP's, rather than resources as we don't know how many factories will be available to receive them. Once it looks like there is no point in producing more French units as they would still be in the production queue and Vichy/conquest then we reverse the BP flow and send whatever is available to CW.

We'll start to get an ideas on their phase two intentions when we see the German and Italian builds. However, I think there are a couple of things we can do in preparation.

Can you send me the game file with your Polish set-up and I'll get back to you.

[AllenK]

Right here goes.

Before piling into the North Sea, there are a couple of vulnerabilities to address in the event of an Italian DoW on impulse 3. The ports on the East Med are exposed to surprise invasion, particularly Port Said where you have the British fleet. To get them covered while still taking a naval move means either leaving the Queens exposed in the East Med 1-box or leaving Damietta open.

Damietta open has a 6 speed CA bringing the INF Div from Plymouth to Port Said. If the landing succeeds and assuming there will be other ships to provide defensive shore bombardment, you have the option of a 3:1 counter-attack using the INF Div, TERR and ART but this has a 30% chance of failure and almost certain disorganisation. You can get 4.5:1 by leaving the ART at Alex and using Wavell. If the fractional fails, it's 10% failure but 70% likely disorganised. At 5:1 the Italian Div will be destroyed but there's still a 50% chance of disorganisation. If that happens, Alex will fall to the Italians advancing from Libya and reinforcements can be brought in.

I think a combined move is necessary for CW. Use the Queens to bring the TERR up to Suez (keeps them as safe as we can). In your land moves, bring Wavell back to Damietta, move the Egyptian TERR to Port Said and the SA TERR to Alex'.

That leaves one naval move. You could use it to put the RN in the North Sea or send the Polish DD's raiding in the Baltic. However, another idea would be to use one of the 4 range CA's at Plymouth to bring the INF Div to Oran. If the Italians want a port in Algiers on the surprise move, it would have to be Bone, which is the right side of Algiers for us. They could still try a landing on the west side, hoping to be able to debark an HQ later but it could be counter-attacked first and the HQ and TRANS run the gauntlet in West Med without the advantage of surprise.

France will take a naval and put Bearn and CA in the North Sea 3-box and send everything to West and East Med as high a sea box as possible. I'll send out the 2 CP's at Casablanca as they can help you with the chain from Dutch Guyana or Belgium Congo when they become available. It's also then a port to bring the Nigerian TERR's into if it looks like they are doing a 'close the Med'.

Suggest Gort to Bordeaux in preparation of going to Bayonne once I have shifted the oil. If you can take a naval on our second impulse then great but that leaves Calais open until our third impulse. Need to look at the situation. Combined on our second impulse would be okay and use other naval move depending on whether Italians have gone to war.

Opening air stikes I suggest the French will try Saarbrucken. RAF try the DB-7 on the 8-6 ARM and the Harrows on the 5-5 MOT and FTR if it hasn't gone to North Sea and 6-5 MOT if it has.

What do you think?

[warspite1]

Okay thanks - that's very useful. Stupid placement of the Med Fleet - no need for it either. I'll see what they actually do first impulse and take it from there. But I've limited our options by that dumb placement [:(].

[AllenK]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Okay thanks - that's very useful. Stupid placement of the Med Fleet - no need for it either. I'll see what they actually do first impulse and take it from there. But I've limited our options by that dumb placement [:(].

Not really. We would have had to have got them covered anyway. They still might try landing around hex 81,62 but we would be able to react to it better.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: AllenK

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Okay thanks - that's very useful. Stupid placement of the Med Fleet - no need for it either. I'll see what they actually do first impulse and take it from there. But I've limited our options by that dumb placement [:(].

Not really. We would have had to have got them covered anyway. They still might try landing around hex 81,62 but we would be able to react to it better.

warspite1

I've got a new pair of angry trousers on order. The last pair have worn right through.....[:@]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJSr6vY32Ls

[AllenK]

Looking at the first plan, you could leave Wavell at Alex and move the SA TERR to Damietta.

I've though of another option, which will be worth considering if the German fleet puts to sea in the first impulse. Move the INF Div to Oran as before. The TERR at Cairo goes to Port Said and the ART at Alex' to Damietta. That leaves a naval move to pile the RN into the North Sea on the surprise move and hope to knock lumps out of the KM. You should still get to the 3-box with surprise. The Germans might be in the 2-box if they want fighter cover.

The downside is a weaker defence of Damietta but assuming shore bombardment, their attack would be 1:1 +1 if we include the notional. That's 80% chance of failure and 50% chance the ART survives. Be interesting to see if they take those odds on as a real punt. However, even if it gets ashore it will be disorganised and you could bring in the SA TERR on our next impulse for a pretty good odds counter-attack.

This also leaves a land move free. If it hasn't been blocked by the PzJag 1, which is the only unit that can, then I'd consider moving the INF at Poznan to 47,43. That provides a block to buy an impulse for the Polish DD's to have a go at the German CP's in the Baltic. Don't know about committing RN CA/CL's here. More ships is more chances but those 6 speed CA's are invaluable. I'll leave that one to you. If it is blocked, then you could get a decent attack against the PzJag if you used the Polish LND in support.

Another possibility they might try is Haifa. I'll make sure the French ships in East Med have 3 shore bombardment factors to assist a counter-attack with the TERR should the Italian INF Div get ashore.

One other minor point. When dropping Gort off, use a 4-4 TRANS and keep it in the 0-box in Biscay. That way, at Return to Base, it can get down to the Nigerian port ready to pick up one of the TERR's.

P.s. Need to start thinking about units to get to Gib'. If they are going for 'Close the Med' then two elite ones will ultimately be needed but just getting 2 corps with the ENG is first priority. The 7-3 INF in the reserves (deploy in a West Coast port) plus Sydney MIL are probably best option unless anything else crops up but will need the Queens. SA TERR to Suez or elsewhere in East Africa or Singapore is best way to facilitate that.

[Courtenay]

Why set up the Polish airforce where it can be overrun and destroyed in hexes the Germans are going to move into anyway?

If nothing else, set it up in Eastern Poland where it will get interned when the Russians occupy eastern Poland.

If the Germans leave Rundstedt in clear terrain ground strike him. Maybe do so anyway.

Have units ready to land in Rotterdam if he fails to take it. If you get three surprise points in the North Sea, target the unit carrying the division. Even an A result will send it home.

If you put a unit in the forest instead of the empty hex southwest of Warsaw, he can't get any units adjacent to the cities. As it is, he can get three hexes on Lodz

[AllenK]

ORIGINAL: Courtenay

Why set up the Polish airforce where it can be overrun and destroyed in hexes the Germans are going to move into anyway?

If nothing else, set it up in Eastern Poland where it will get interned when the Russians occupy eastern Poland.

If the Germans leave Rundstedt in clear terrain ground strike him. Maybe do so anyway.

Have units ready to land in Rotterdam if he fails to take it. If you get three surprise points in the North Sea, target the unit carrying the division. Even an A result will send it home.

If you put a unit in the forest instead of the empty hex southwest of Warsaw, he can't get any units adjacent to the cities. As it is, he can get three hexes on Lodz

There are no German units in East Prussia. The only units not shown are a German 5-3 INF at 55,43 SE of Katowice and the Polish CAV at Krakow. The Polish air is quite safe where it is for now.

Rundstedt is out of range. My mistake with where I put the French LND. That said, it's still got a decent ground strike at either 2 INF and FTR at Saarbrucken or von Bock in the woods. I'm inclined to the former as success prevents them from being used until reorganised and reorganising them disorganises the HQ anyway.

[Courtenay]

It never occurred to me that German would set up no units in East Prussia. That leads to some insane ideas, which I won't mention, because they are, after all, insane.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Courtenay

It never occurred to me that German would set up no units in East Prussia. That leads to some insane ideas, which I won't mention, because they are, after all, insane.

warspite1

Not operation Catherine I hope?

[AllenK]

Operation Catherine?