Battle(Axis) vs MagicMissile(Allies) MM welcome

[battlevonwar]

Center was a tough section, I fought hard here but Magic finally gave ground. The Weather is about to set in and operations here and North will most definitely cease. I will have to perhaps retreat some... Or create a line to defend through the Winter.

[battlevonwar]

North was highly successful aside that para who may get get cut off? He sent two Russian Air Units out of the Fight with 'em! Not quite worth it but I thought I may retrieve him.

[battlevonwar]

Russian Tech, Full Strength Infantry Corp, XP and now weather are going to tell now and right before the juicy targets come into focus I will have to cease my offensives. There will be the Brits and Americans to deal with and I have a feeling it's Italy. As that's where Magic hit Flavius in his AAR. I have 3 Italian Armor I think that I may post on key cities and I have a little bit more in the ways of an Air Force I think. I am a not prepared though for Italy, France and the USSR. My Navy doesn't take much in the way of Convoys now. It goes out, instantly is damaged and returns. Most of it's damaged or destroyed and I'm down to critical oil levels. Getting out of North Africa and into Italy is going to be next and holding the front. I won't take any objectives in the East now. Unfortunately I was too weak ... I needed several more Armor!

[battlevonwar]

Losses October '41

[battlevonwar]

Forces October

[battlevonwar]

December 1941:

Deep Frost sets and Winter came late. I had a few turns to mop up a few more Objectives in the USSR. I don't know when or where the Siberians will be employed but with the British now Threatening Italy with sufficient Force to make it surrender(And since weather there is fine for operations this time of the year) A good deal of my German Army is there and nearly all of my Italians are. Allies Land in the very bottom of the boot and have a toehold but nothing more so far. Though when the Americans come in I will be stretched very thin indeed. It would certainly be nice in this game if the USA couldn't proceed with operations till around Historical Torch time. For they could be in Italy in Jan of '42 and I need at least 4-5 more Corp 1 Armor just to hold them. Perhaps 4-5 Axis Minor Corp(Yugoslavia would be nice) to cover the flanks but that won't be the case here. I imagine it's possible Magic will enter through France at the same time while I have 10-20 Units in Italy. The East is stretched very thin but the Russians took a beating toward the end of the year. Just not enough of a beating to make this game work out for me. I've cut the Murmansk rail but might lose a Finnish Corp for it. I am willing to do whatever possible to make things more difficult for the Russians even if it means that.

Lines in the East run from Leningrad to just outside of Moscow, through Kharkov, Stalino. Typical lines...

West, all of North Africa went as well as several Weak Italian Corps(The Italians could use a slight Moral Boost) There is little to do here now but wait. '42 will include D-Day and the Invasion of Italy as well as dealing with a Russia at some point who can start to push!

For he's building and I am not and that's why the Allies are so strong, I am at less than historical levels and it's time to run in early '42. Honestly buying U-boats cost the Allies about 200-250 Production(some convoy and convoy escorts he may have built?). Building and repairing them cost me probably double that in raiding. So we won't see that strategy employed again, ever(until it's patched) with events through minors I don't think he needed to build a single escort but did or convoy ... He could of done just fine without them. 1 trip to raid now I instantly take casualties. My entire Surface Navy also Raided which literally got smacked too..Or destroyed. That = a lot of Raiding ... with little or no gain. Aside ASW investment I see no Plus to it now. I was raiding with nearly 10 Surface Groups for awhile!

[battlevonwar]

Finnish Fighting the Russians tooth and nail to draw off forces and I have drawn off several. Though they're tired and now either retreat or die.

[battlevonwar]

North USSR Frozen, doesn't appear the Russians will push much here.

[battlevonwar]

South Front, Frozen also. Perhaps a small push here by the Russians but they seem to be waiting for Summer when I have to Rail out units to defend against the USA who has all their forces setting sail.

[battlevonwar]

What I could scratch together Jan '42 to Defend Italy and Southern Europe from what I count as possibly 10-15 British Corps? At least 1 Mech/Armor ... I killed 1 other Armor and sacrificed the entire Kriegsmarine to try to stop the British Build Up?

[ago1000]

Wow. This is very exciting. You've sunk 192 MM and you think it hasn't had an impact on the UK?

[battlevonwar]

They've made good the losses ago1000, plus I never got to the threshold I'm pretty sure other than Magic stopping his shipments to conserve on losses he probably had all the Convoys he needed to ship everything. Mind you had my U-Boats not fallen into a bug survived and had I got Gibraltar it might of been possible to win the Atlantic for awhile. But there is oil constraints. I was facing vast shortages on oil. The death of some of my surface fleet freed up my ability to continue to operate before and now.

ORIGINAL: ago1000

Wow. This is very exciting. You've sunk 192 MM and you think it hasn't had an impact on the UK?

[battlevonwar]

Summer 1942:

I have decided to attempt to flank Moscow, Operation Typhoon but in 1942. The reasoning here is I am in a vulnerable position in Italy and with the Russians so strong at this point without knocking them down a few, the game won't last that long. I cannot trade land for time. This is the opening stages of the operation, and Magic has his armor a bit in the South cause I was pressing there so I slide through and encircle Tula and Moscow(at least that's my intention and capture as many Red Army Soldiers in this Pocket as humanly possible)!

[battlevonwar]

This is a wise CHOICE! Otherwise MM will be in France shortly, but I have to finish off as many Russians as possible before The West gets into position. I am not sure when he will hit Spain or how.

[battlevonwar]

These are the Forces at this point. I am relatively strong on land, The British are also strong(what MM's long term intentions here concern me, and Italy is holding onto it's fragile grasp to life by 1 city) but I don't think the USA/UK together are quite ready to completely stomp through me. (also technically I launched my offensive in Spring into the East before my troops were ready but I figure the Russians aren't ready either)

There are a lot of Red Army Soldiers.

[battlevonwar]

Losses to date, I have not traded as well as I would like but the Saturated Rifle Corp Strat that MM used spared some of my units in places... despite as difficult as it was to break.

[battlevonwar]

As a consequence to me fighting for the Atlantic I cannot defend the Baltic and am slowly losing this fight. I don't know if it's even worth building merchants and my Air Power hasn't been able to remove the threats. 1 U-boat strike of the last two I had left vaporized against Leningrad Port. This error will cost me Production. I may been able to slow the bleed otherwise.

[battlevonwar]

Through June I have had success but I haven't pinned down the Russians, I damaged several Armor(maybe 6 Surrounded Russian FrontLine Corps or more destroyed) but MM withdrew. Other than that I am happy with the results in the East and I fear what is coming in the West as huge Build Ups are happening there. I don't have much time now to prepare for that and rail in support for whatever may happen. I don't think Italy can fall cause if you're naval invading you would need a ton of air and I have been fortunate in sapping his Air... Though if he focuses as I have on the Moscow Region a front can collapse.

[battlevonwar]

MM has tasted my deadly Barbarossa but he has done well in keeping The Red Army and AirForce a Cohesive Force with his armor still alive. I will not be able to completely turn West, I fear Eastern counter-attacks. As Now the Brits/Americans Amphibiously Invade Spain(which I didn't expect) so I have to now turn my back on the Soviets a bit and prepare for the inevitable. I only count about 6 Mobile Units and I take Lisbon out with a Kamikaze Spanish Corp and spread out blocking supply as best I can but all of Spain is Allied now and he can start stacking it... This is a slow war losing proposition even without Italy in his Hands. I will have to punish him in the West I feel hard or lose the game. Though the terrain there is ill suited to it. That or punish him in the East(which is hard now) the best targets are beyond my grasp or will require a lot of ground to cover to get to them!

In Northern Russia I still maintain an offensive(if he is stubborn I will attempt to break through to the Finns if I have the time... It would work out well to remove Leningrad from the game as I would free up my Swedish Resource Trains and I could also use the Finnish Troops(but he has very large Army there) I am hoping Russian Manpower is not so well now. I will show the losses he received and I did for this The Largest Battle since the game began.

[battlevonwar]

Western Front!