AAR - Crispy131313 vs TAIFUN. FALL WEISS 11.0: The Darkest Hour.

[Taifun]

Lets count heads and tails...
The Soviets are reinforcing themselves with new units every turn and now have about 68 units from about an average of 35 early in the game. Germans have 83. This means that Germany have only 15 more units than the Russians!

[Taifun]

The British are in the 320 MPPs but this number is very volatile due to convoy lanes...
The USA receive about 360 MPPs. USSR gets 850 and Germany only 680 MPPs. Italy about 170 MPPs. This means a LOT OF TROUBLE for the Axis powers. We are only starting 1942 and USA is not jet at war and the Allies get a combined 1530 MPPs while the Axis are only getting 850 MPPs almost half!!!

[Taifun]

The British lost only 656 out of 6285 MPPs in their convoy lanes (10%).
Germany lost 1357 out of 2571 MPPs a staggering (52%)!! [X(] You can buy a lot of panzers with these lost MPPs [8D]... The Soviets got 833 MPPS

[Taifun]

USSR and USA have invested heavily in research (more than 3000 MPPs) and Germany and UK far less (about half!!)

[crispy131313]

Yes things are not going well, very well summed up!

How has Germany ended up here facing certain defeat? Excellent game play by the Allies and the following mistakes on part of the Axis:

- Poor execution of the invasion on the Low Countries/France. Too much MPP were wasted, particular with the Luftwaffe
- Failure to accept Vichy. I had not planned for an "All of France" but rather made the split second decision in hope of redeeming myself for the poor invasion of France.
- Investment into Spain - Diplomacy, Civil & Military Aid as well as the investment in Spanish mines were all wasted once France was spared from surrender.
- No income from Switzerland (due to France not surrendering)
- Failure to protect Scandinavian Convoys
- No French plunder created a lack of income to prepare for Barbarossa.
- Poor use of German Bombers - inexcusable really.
- Weak invasion of USSR - lack of Tanks, HQs due to low income. Nothing has been costlier then this.

Will it be possible for the Axis to comeback? Most unlikely, however we must try. I will be looking for a re-match in the future that is 100% certain as I am not this bad! I think I had been too used to a different style of game play against BPINisback. Taifun is a toolbox player, and by that I mean a player's who's objective is to win rather then to re-enact history.

[crispy131313]

Looking onward to 1942

Enough of the bad, what is good?

The British are fighting on two African fronts which is surely a strain on their MPP and ability to prepare for an eventual invasion of mainland Europe. The British are also contending with German U-boat activity while the Italian Navy has local superiority in the Mediterranean.

Despite a less then stellar 1941 offensive into USSR, Army Group South had ended 1941 well positioned to launch offensives towards Kursk, Voronezh and Rostov. Germany still holds the tech advantage and with Army Group Center lagging behind historical gains, the Soviets will have a vast amount of Northern territory to defend as well from Army Group South (by far the strongest German Army Group), as much of the Red Army fights along the borders of the former Baltic States. Germany has is well aware of the problems that slowed the 1941 advance, and prepared to launch a strategic offensive into the Soviet Union in 1942!

I should also add some clarity on the toolbox reference, Taifun isn't being gamey he is just kicking my butt!

[Taifun]

North Africa.
Libya Front. With the arrival of the Afrikakorps the Axis moved forward towards Mersa Matruth. For months a series of violent actions took place around this coastal village. Both sides exchanged bloody blows. The British had air supremacy over the front lines with 2 TAC Bombers and 2 Spitfire Fighter wings meeting only a German F-190 equipped group end 1941. The British Army Group lost 2 Infantry Corps, the W.D.F Infantry Army, the Desert Rats tank corps and a mechanised division. The DAK is completely exhausted reduced to only the Panzercorps and the field artillery. They are supported by 3 Italian units. What will these exhausted forces achieve? A race for reinforcements have started...

[Taifun]

24 March 1942
In a surprise attack Germany declares war on Yugoslavia. In a pure blitzkrieg attack Belgrade is captured and the country surrendered! This coward attack has angered the USA and finally this great country declares War on Germany!

The first round of Battle of the Atlantic is over. The 2 Killer teams have managed to contact all 4 U-Boots and sink 2 of them and damage the 2 others. In the Mediterranean Sea an Italian sub is also sunk and one U-Boot is severely damaged. So far we have sunk 6 U-Boots in this war!!

[Taifun]

North Africa Front.
Algeria. By 6 November General BROOKE and his Army Group entered Tunisia. Reacting to our advance the Italians send reinforcements and 2 infantry corps were detected defending Tunis. By the 20 December our troops attacked and destroyed the Italian infantry corps defending the road leading West to Tebessa. Next turn the Axis send further reinforcements in the form of 2 German infantry corps. Hitler wants to hold Tunisia at all cost! In a great breakthrough our British tank corps attacked decisively General von Kuchler's HQ established at Sousse village (5 points of damage!).

The fight for Sea Supremacy is ruthless around the North coast of Tunisia, both sides losing many ships. Several air combats takes place around the island of Sardinia and Tunis...
The final stages of Operation "MELANOGASTER" are being planned. General Brooke meagre forces are about to encircle the capital Tunis and isolate the Axis units around Tebessa. The supply situation for the Axis is becoming a nightmare...

[Taifun]

April-May 1942
Huge Armies are being raised in the glorious USSR to push back the invaders. Already the Crimea peninsula has been cleared and from Rostov the offensive under General Zhukov is about to begin to liberate Ukraine. The North front is solid and the Germans are losing territory in the Baltic States and around Pskov.
The allied economic machinery is turning well greased and 1871 MPPs were collected in April. The tide has already turned...! [8D]

[Taifun]

10 June 1942
The final offensive against Tunis begins. To avoid any interference the Royal Navy launches a mayor operation against the Regia Aeronautica in Sicily. All 4 carriers under Admiral Cunningham attack Italian naval bombers stationed at Marsala and near Syracuse. The unit stationed at Marsala is destroyed and the other bomber unit is severely damaged (5 points of damage). Surprisingly, there was no air opposition from Italian fighters based in the island.
New Italian units are detected reinforcing the Tunisia front: 2 mountain division are advancing North from Tripoli. British heavy bombers operating from Algeria are heavily damaging the Axis infrastructure in Tunisia and their supply situation is catastrophic.
The Italians in the next turn counterattack with 2 battleships and sink one of our covering BBs, the third British BB to be lost in this area...

[Taifun]

28 June 1942
Tunis falls!!! The German infantry corps defending the strategic capital (out of supply 0) surrenders!!!!!! The population greats our forces with great joy! This is the first liberated capital... many will soon follow!

[Taifun]

28 June 1942
The aerial assault of Sicily continues. The Italian fighter wing defending Palermo is destroyed. Not a single Axis land unit is defending Sicily...
The first amphibious assault of the war is about to begin! Operation "DROSOPHILA" just started. USA troops are ready to storm the island of Sicily! Coming directly from the USA 2 Armies and one Infantry corps crossed the Atlantic Ocean at full speed (it took 5 turns!!) loaded in long range amphibious transports. They will attack next turn Palermo, Syracuse and across the Strait of Messina!

[Taifun]

Crispy just informed me that he officially surrenders.[X(] He is well behind schedule in all fronts... I will post a final set of slides to sum up our game

[Taifun]

Last turn...

[Taifun]

The living...
The USSR has now more troops than the Germans...

[Taifun]

The dead...
Germany and Italy lost an incredible amount of units, their economies count not deal with such heavy losses...

[Taifun]

The amount of MPPs lost was terrible for the Axis....

[Taifun]

Great Britain suffered and bought time for Stalin. The USSR economy was very strong and did not need the help of the Western powers...

[Taifun]

Some final thoughts:

- The Axis did not focus on any objective. They scattered their precious forces all over the map: from Algeria to Egypt, and so Barbarossa was not very successful. Many important Russian units managed to survive that first very important turn...

- The real problem with the Germans was their Luftwaffe. They just where missing. With no aerial support the advance in Russia was costly and slow. A complete mismanagement.

- The U-Boots where never a real theat.

A would like to thank Crispy for his time and effort. He was a great opponent. I really like this mod. I think that it is very well balanced and it closer to the real war...