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11 Aug 44 (part 1)

I’ve skipped ahead a little. The game has reached such a rich & complex stage it needs a two-part update. I’ll start in the Soviet Union where there are no fewer than 4 fronts:

North – I’m threatening an encirclement. Finally my light tank unit has come into its own.
Moscow – The axis has been pushed back. I should mobilise my cavalry toward the flanks.
Kuibyshev front – Shane has swallowed up my mines. This is the focal point of his attack.
Stalingrad front – the forces defending the Caucasus have broken out & threaten axis lines of supply. My misplaced anti-tank units finally have some armour to go for.

11 Aug 44 (part 2)

It has taken too long to repair the New Guinea ports & Shane has taken full advantage, sinking 2 carriers & some surface vessels & subs. I have managed some destruction too but not enough & no IJN carriers. 2 RN carriers are making their way across the Indian Ocean to reinforce the depleted Pacific fleet. Two garrison units in transports are on the way to consolidate my paltry gains.

In France, I’m threatening a break out. US armour has arrived with more to follow. The British intend a descent on Hamburg with amphibs going in the water next turn. A battle in the north Atlantic is in the offing too. I must restore the flow of MPPs through Murmansk somehow.

So who is winning? I’m in uncharted territory & really have no idea. We both have major problems to solve.

1 Dec 44

The main action is now in Germany. The Germans have been shipping unsustainable losses for many turns & may not be able to cling on much longer. Further US forces are lined up to land at Hamburg or Bremen next turn to strengthen the British push on Berlin. The west wall has been breached also.

In the N Atlantic, Murmansk convoys are getting through at more than 90% which is just as well as the Soviet economy has been severely weakened by Axis predation.

Japan keeps pressing in India.

So who is winning? I’m in uncharted territory & really have no idea. We both have major problems to solve.

I'd say Allies are winning quite comfortably if it's the 47 ending. Axis are overstretched and there are too many active fronts. Also noticed that Germany doesn't have lvl 4 tanks yet in 44, so that's a death sentence. But it does look like a very intense and fun game

If Japan can score a victory in the east by knocking out India & taking down the US navy, then it might get interesting and the game could end in a stalemate. I would actually say Axis best bet is to retreat all units to Berlin and try to turtle for 2 years. But it might be too late for that with Hamburg fallen.

good AAR

Umeu wrote: Tue May 12, 2026 2:51 am

So who is winning? I’m in uncharted territory & really have no idea. We both have major problems to solve.

I'd say Allies are winning quite comfortably if it's the 47 ending. Axis are overstretched and there are too many active fronts. Also noticed that Germany doesn't have lvl 4 tanks yet in 44, so that's a death sentence. But it does look like a very intense and fun game

If Japan can score a victory in the east by knocking out India & taking down the US navy, then it might get interesting and the game could end in a stalemate. I would actually say Axis best bet is to retreat all units to Berlin and try to turtle for 2 years. But it might be too late for that with Hamburg fallen.

good AAR

Thx for these observations, Umeu.

Germany surrendered in March & Italy in June '45. Japan has conquered India & inflicted yet more losses on the US Pacific fleet, so both your contingencies have occurred. And yes, it is the long game so I have a little under 2 years to prevail. True to character, Shane fights on resourcefully & undaunted.

It is by far the most fun game I've played, with several firsts including the defeat of Germany & successful defence of the Caucasus. Whether these count for more than the collapse in China & my naval bungling remains to be seen.

My intel people are deciding whether I can post more without giving aid & comfort to the enemy.

29 Dec 44

The situation in Germany is favourable. Hitler took the easy way out & committed suicide.

Time to look at the victory conditions.

23 Feb 45

Berlin at my mercy as the Soviets press from the east, striving to tie down axis forces there.

I think if we look ahead at what is likely we arrive at a stalemate. Allied forces will fight across Asia but they will be hard pressed to capture Manilla. Even Delhi and Chungking may prove out of reach. And there is still time for the IJN to do damage while the Allied steamroller ravages Eastward.

23 Mar 45

Both Berlin & Munich were captured so Germany surrendered. The US plundered 2,113 MPPs. Netherlands, Denmark & Yugoslavia liberated.

I now have just over 2 years to capture Rome, Delhi, Chungking, Seoul, Tokyo & Manila for a decisive victory. That is going to be quite a challenge as Japan has grown into a super power.

India won't last much longer. The northern front in Russia has been a success story.

15 Jun 45

Shane is defending forward in both Iraq & near Perm. I assume the idea is to keep me as far from my target cities as long as possible.

In the Pacific another naval defeat. I lost 2 US carriers. My naval play stinks!

On the capture of its northern cities, Italy surrendered.

Still can't post anything for security reasons but the game has reached Nov 46 and is going to the wire. Several results remain possible.

The game is finished. it went to the wire. I'll post once I've updated my notes and screenshots.

11 Aug 45

US production queue. More info in the next post. The subs were to prove important in screening & convoy raiding.

7 Sep 45

Boats in the water in the Med, heading for India, probably Karachi to outflank the Iraq front & head for Delhi. Everything is going either into LRAs or transports.

Shane has set up his defences in Iraq & east of Chelyabinsk. Strat. bombers caused much damage in Iraq & will continue to further erode supply next turn while tac bombers target his HQs.

Shane launched an air assault on Hawaii but found it bristling with air defence & inflicted little damage.

22 Mar 46 (part 1)

I’ve missed out the winter because movement was so restricted by weather that nothing much happened. However, this turn marked a big swing to the allies.

In the Pacific, in the absence of the IJN which is concentrated in the Indian Ocean, some progress has been made. Portuguese Timor was captured & an invasion of the DEI is under way. LRATs are in the water at Hawaii & off the US West coast. I have yet to decide where to send them. The pitiful remnant of the US Pacific fleet at least enjoys the benefit of a formidable screen of level 2 subs, 8 in all.

22 Mar 46 (part 2) Assorted screen shots:

The French prepare to re-enter the fray. They will wind up taking Singapore!
Afghanistan is a quagmire. I cannot bring my weight of numbers to bear due to poor roads & supply.
Similar story on the Omsk front.
More MPPs than I can spend.

Mar 46 – May 47

Time to finish this AAR with a grand sweep across the last year. On land, not much happened. The allies got bogged down trying to reach Karachi, also in Afghanistan and further north in Russia. Supply & communication problems dogged my land forces which could not breach Shane’s shrewdly arranged defences.

At some point, I realised I would never reach either Chungking or Delhi in the time remaining so decided to try for Tokyo to secure a stalemate. To that end I needed nukes which in turn dictated the capture of Manilla. Manilla fell easily & the nuclear strike was triggered on 29 Nov 46. Jap morale plummeted to 60% from c. 100. More on morale below. In Jan 47 I invaded Honshu & found it lightly defended. No kamikazes. No navy.

On 21 Feb 47 a French unit took Singapore. One in the eye for the Rosbeefs! On the next turn, Tokyo fell & the Soviets reached Urumchi, still well short of Chunking but the Chinese were liberated earning a whopping 7 MPPs at the end of the turn.

On 18th April 47 I sunk my first Japanese carrier in the entire game, the second city hex of Tokyo fell and the Japanese capital switched to Seoul. A desperado attempt to capture that city on the final turn narrowly failed. And that was that. Except it wasn’t.

Before I go into that, a few points:

1st, thanks to my opponent. He’s a pleasure to play against & a real challenge both in attack & defence. Also ruthless in economic warfare.

2nd, morale. By the end, UK morale was down to 9%. The graph, which I failed to screenshot, showed a steady decline from beginning to end. The US was at 20%. France was at 100%. I do not remember the Soviet figure but it was also low, maybe 40%. I’d appreciate some comment on this, especially the British figure.

3rd, my best decision – to abandon the Italy plan right away and switch units to GB for an early D-Day.

4th, my worst decision(s) – to engage Shane at sea. All naval engagements ended in disaster. I’m wondering whether this accounts for the morale problem.

5th, biggest area for improvement – see 4 above.

6th, most interesting and rewarding firsts – finding out how nukes work (capture Manilla & get in bombing range of Japan) & holding onto the Caucasus.

7th, I needed to get the Russkies researching mobility at the earliest moment after Germany & Italy fell. I was badly held up by mud & bad roads and consequently unable to bring their great force to bear.

More to follow.

Detailed losses as at Oct 46

Quite enjoying your aar on this game . I think Shane left Barbarossa far too late Sept 21 which I feel is crucial to why he isn't doing so well. You are doing well and my guess is you will win. Keep up the pressure and maybe look at invading key islands in the pacific to force Shane to defend those and take pressure off India.

HarrySmith wrote: Mon Jun 08, 2026 8:46 am Quite enjoying your aar on this game . I think Shane left Barbarossa far too late Sept 21 which I feel is crucial to why he isn't doing so well. You are doing well and my guess is you will win. Keep up the pressure and maybe look at invading key islands in the pacific to force Shane to defend those and take pressure off India.

The late Barbarossa mystified me too, especially as France was knocked out pretty quickly. Maybe Shane will drop by and explain. When you read the whole thread you'll see I did manage to capture New Guinea, Timor, Java and the Philippines, but only after India had already fallen, as it does in all my games against him.