Italy rails Badoglio into Damascus.
Japanese troops close onto the resource in Siberia. Finnish Ski troops cut the railline from Murmansk towards the south. German troops enter Eastern Poland, Latvia and Lithuania. Rumanian troops enter and leave Chisinau. Beirut gets surrounded and Italian troops continue moving in Egypt towards the East. An Italian division disembarks in Tripoli. Attacks are declared against Kaunas, Lods (both automatic victories), Beirut and in Siberia. At Beirut, the Italian Fleet and airforce provide support to the attacks. The CW chooses the Assault table, hoping to kill Axis units:
The Axis forces (units not capable of leaving the minor countries excluded) at the Eastern Front counts up to: 40 land and 13 air units. In the Middle East, there are 7 ground and 6 air units available. On the Soviet side, there are now: 39 land and 9 air units at the Eastern Front. In Iraq, there are 4 land units. Division are counted for half a land unit. There are 5 Axis HQ's and 2 Soviet HQ's active in the region. Guderian is available for Iraq (since the Italian HQ's have to be used to provide supply). Only the higher quality of the Axis units involved, gives the Axis a small advantage, however, the Wehrmacht can't deal with large losses at all. And that's a little troublesome for the Axis. This gives the Axis something to think about. To attack or not attack in the USSR itself. They haven't done so, yet. Attacking or having an in supply unit in the USSR gives that country a nice production boost. You did want “totalen Krieg”. So you've got it. But if it s was wise to do, that remains written in the stars...
Here's: Xavier Cugat & his Hotel Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra - Perfidia
I am not really sure where you had a choice in the matter to a point. Yes, the Russian economy will result in more build points for him, but its not like you could continue to wait into 1942 and do what in the mean time?
The Axis should be able to push the action someplace against the Russians simply because there are so many fronts that are going for them. They have to watch a credible threat in the ME, Machuria is active as well. Now, getting through that nice line the Russians have is going to be tough going, no question and the Russians know the Germans do not have an offensive chit to play with (need to fix that at some point if possible). The threat of a German offensive chit would cause the Russians to likely change how they are doing their defense. The Russians can afford to throw up a wall like that with not a ton to fear from the Germans, except in the event of a double move. In that case, they would have serious issues, but then that threat exists all the time.
An offensive chit is the equivalent of a "kill stack" (2 ARM corps and a division). That's a lot of build points to spend as Germany. Usually, I don't build any with the Axis. The effectiveness for the Axis side is fastly overrated, I believe. It's the "one time usage" which I believe is the problem. When did someone kill for 15 BP on units due to an offensive chit? That doesn't happen a lot. Sure, the aftermath of an offensive chit can be quite effective if it is used on a small front (such as France in 1940, or to capture places like Gibraltar or Leningrad). But even then, apart from a Japanese supercombined, the overall costs is usually higher than the benefits.
Now, there is also the USSR itself to consider. If I now spend 15 build points on an offensive, this will mean at least 5 Soviet units more on the Eastern Front than Germany has there at this moment. Also, it takes three turns to build one, and that means it's winter before it can be used. That will mean that it will be available for the Summer of 1942 (never use one in winter in Russia. To much bad weather around). And there are a lot of nice German units still in the force pools to be build (Synth, FTR's, LND 3, very good INF/MOT and MECH. The draw until now for the Germans has been a little, let's say on the bad side. I started the game with the worst of the German MECH/ARM possible, and guess what: they are still all alive and kicking). If I build one (and notice the word "if"), I won't build it before S/O at the earliest...
If you look at the US in the end game, things are usually different. Provided the US has got the "boots on the floor and planes in the skies", than offensive chits can be build, since transporting units from the US to the front often isn't possible due to the fact that the Allies are always short on TRS/AMPH capabilities. Even with those pools completely emptied, the US usually can't transport the units to the frontlines...
In London, the War cabinet meets. They are quite elated at the fact that the USSR is now in the war. This means that the struggle for survival is probably done. Sure, it will take a long time to get back into shape, but the German army will be busy in the East and won't be hammering on British possessions for a long time. The convoy situation, however, is still very bad. The CW is dangerously short on merchant shipping. However, first, a lot of ships arrive out of the USSR, carrying former Polish soldiers out of Soviet prison camps. The CW promises to reïnstate the Polish army in the UK. Marshall Rydz becomes the surpreme commander of that army (HQ added to the CW force pool):
There is a 30% chance that the turn will end if all Allied powers pass. After some deliberation (especially on the Soviet side) it is decided that this chance is to small.
The USSR and the CW takes land actions. The US takes a combined and France passes.
Wavell enters Italian Somaliland. The CW puts two units ready for transportation into Liverpool.
Now, I made a mistake last turn. I should have rebased a German FTR into Rumania to cover the Ploesti oil fields instead of sending a FTR to guard against ground strikes on Rommel. That might become expensive, since the air is full of TB-3 long range bombers from the Soviet air force...
The warning message is clear: keep those precious oil fields under FTR cover, for as long the USSR long range bombers can reach it. Next, the USSR rails the factory out of Odessa to Akmolinsk. Far away in Siberia. Improvements are made to the Soviet frontlines. It starts to look like something the USSR can work with, for the moment. No attacks are declared.
Next, during the air reorganisation phase, 2 TB-3 bombers fly to Minsk, escorted by USSR FTR's. The only German FTR on the frontlines react and intercepts. An air-to-air battle commences...
As a result, the two disorganised reserves in Minsk are reorganised. This is why I like those big old Soviet TB-3's. They are really multi purpose planes. You can use them for reorganisation, strategic bombardment, air transport and they have reasonable tactical factors too, combined with a large range. I love them. If they get lost, I immediately rebuild them. Those planes are by far the best possible buy for a bomber in the game. Why the 5-year plans don't allow to build more of those is beyond me... [:D]
Here is a fine piece of Soviet Swing. It's a long piece, but worth listening too: Alexander Tsfasman: Concerto No. 1 for piano and jazz band, composed in 1941: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2JgwqoVoyk
Understood on the O-chit for the Germans, especially with playing oil rules. It makes it tougher to produce one and I would not be building one either at the moment, but there is a difference in having one and not having one as far as the Russians are concerned in terms of how they may go about their defense.
As it is, the Axis are going to have fun trying to crack that Russian line at this point. The Axis need to somehow get the job done and make it harder on the Russians to line up like that. Single Russian units can generally be dealt with. Double stack Russians where you get 2 hexes worth of attackers on is another matter unless the Luftwaffe can intervene on a major scale and even with that, you still have to deal with the Red airforce at that point.
I have seen the paratroopers down south. Any chance the Italians have their long range transports in the game or if they are being built? Defending against paratroop drops against range 9 aircraft is a lot different than the range 5 Ju-52 the Germans typically have available.
One of those long range ATR is available for the Italian or German paratroopers. It is currently in Bulgaria, since it did transport the Italian Para out of Bari this turn. The other one isn't build (at this moment), however I'm considering to build it somewhere in the next couple of turns. It is on the wish list, together with the second German Para.
Now, the first thing that is happening is that the government of Prince Paul in Belgrade decide to join the Axis side (Germany aligns Yugoslavia). The US doesn't care about this at all. Between the firm discussion on why the US should politically support a Communist dictator in Moscow is still raging in the papers and in congress...
Time for: Peter Igelhoff mit seinen Solisten: "Wir machen Musik"
The German lines in the USSR are not able to push through the USSR's defenses at this moment, since the Luftwaffe is to far away. This need to be adressed. And there is an opportunity to try to disrupt the CW economy in the Cape Verde Bassin, if more ships and SUB's can be put in. This gives the Germans more than enough reasons to go for a combined action. The Italians and the Japanese take land actions.
German submarines enter the Cape Verde Bassin. Of course the German commanders want to search for the enemy. Such a rich award awaits them, if they can find the CW convoys...
An there it is: the Italian fleet finds the CW convoys:
This turns out to be a slaughter, when the fast Italian cruisers hunt down the Merchantmen. Some which thought to escape, are found by submarines. Only a few manage to escape to port...
The French decide to abort, since there are no more convoys to protect in the sea area. In London, the admiralty is shocked by these horrendous losses and the war economy lies in shambles...
The Italian Stuka decides to ground strike Yeremenko. The Soviet airforce reacts, resulting in the most damaging air to air combat in the game so far:
