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Even disorganized, the Japanese may be too strong for the natonalist Chinese.

And the turn finaly ends.
Unsurprisingly, the Germans did suffer a lot!

Japan will produce nothing but had enough oil for reorganization.
Germany produces 18, but has no oil for reorganization.

Germany at the start of the May 45 turn.

Reinforcements went mostly in Berlin, Stettin and Dresden in order to protect Berlin.
Munich is left to its own ; it is not imediately threatened, and possibly some units can retreat to it.
Prague can be seen as lost. It received some planes and revived the crappy ones: the air reserve is empty. There are still planes that can fly, but they are few...

In the North, a reasonable garrison is kept in Kiel and Hamburg, as this prevents passing the Elbe and Kiel is an objective.

As expected, and this time not thwarted by ill luck, the allies get the initiative.

* Russia does a land impulse with an offensive on Zhukov: it wants to reach Berlin before the British, even if the odds are already heavy in his favor.
* The USA do a combined with an offensive (they have 7 offensives in store) ; they have prepared an interesting movement in Japan that is indeed made possible by the double impulse.
* The Commonwealth do an offensive with Alexander: they too want to reach Berlin, and they want to cross the Elbe.

Also note that I am quite frustrated with Japan: if I use its fleet, the USA will want to fight, but this is not possible (bug : the game crashes.) Up to now, that was acceptable : the fleet was being kept in reserve and reorganizing with the few oil it got each turn. But now, this won't be possible: the risk is too great now, and the fleet can be put to good use! I'm unsure about how I will proceed. Possibly interception still works (the game used to crash only at the end of the interception combat) ; I wonder what's wrong with my game: naval combat used to work at the beginning.

I also have a bug with Port Strike: after the planes have flown and fought an air to air combat, there is no attack on the ships in port...

Japan at the start of the May 45 turn.

Watch carefully: the marine unit that walked south of Tokyo has done a side movement west, in a "less" intersting place. That's on purpose,as I indeed expected the double impulse. The end of turn was likely (70%), and the initiative too (allies +2.) For once, a gamble that works!

The heroic behavior of a Japanese fighter will prevent a successful carpet bombing on Tokyo.

The axis uses its aircrafts for the last time : once down, they won't take off again: there is no more oil...

The Luftwaffe is not yet finished...

And it can bite...

Even though it may use pre-war aircrafts...

In Japan, its similar...

While the British pass to the other side of the Elbe...

The Russians pass the Oder...

And the US at last break the lock in the direction of Munich.
Once more, this is costly.

Alexander swallows Düsseldorf...

And Zhukov opens up a second road to Berlin.

Russian continue the clean up in the Balkans...

And the Japanese are surprised to see troops at the doors of Tokyo.

An overall bleak impulse for the axis!

The map of Germany at the start of the first axis impulse in May 45 confirms this.
Germany is cut in half while British and Russians shake hands at the southern doors of Berlin.

And Tokyo is almost isolated from the industrial part of the country.