ORIGINAL: Jeremy Mac Donald
I disagree. This is the offensive into the endless desert situation - you don't do it unless there is a reasonable objective. There is nothing there except one good defensive chunk of terrain after another.
But you noted above that your offensive in the southeast was intended to keep me tied down while you exploited the west. You were attacking in Virginia for about ten turns after the last industrial city (Norfolk) was secured.
Here I agree - Though I think the real problem was that the idea on a drive that clears out the south and then shifts to the West is actually flawed. It creates dead periods that allow the Allies to more effectively recover. Balance this with the fact that the drive to the North West was just inherently unworkable and there is a real problem. In reality a better strategy would have been to be weaker in the South but also starting on persecuting the West from very early on - back that with a drive that cuts the rail line through Canada but focuses on attacks in the North East and the Allies never get a respite.
Yeah, I'm thinking something like a landing at Quebec or Boston plus one each at New Orleans and Norfolk or Wilmington. Then you've got the Allies sweating three ways:
1) A link up west of New York
2) A link up north of Atlanta/Birmingham
3) The big link up on the Great Lakes
One is a push with the current version but so deadly the Allied player has to keep his eye on it. Two is kind of a gimme with this landing but will prevent the Allies from holding the lower South in any strength. This then allows you to focus on getting 3.
I'm not sure when or if I'll play the scenario again otherwise I'd be keeping this one to myself.
So with this plan if one was anticipating getting to Lake Michigan and clearing the south by turn 55 or so then one could start withdrawing the Panzers to coincide with the offensive ending in the South, Northeast or the West.
I think this is late. I'd say if the Axis player hasn't really screwed the Allies already earlier than this then there's a problem- and anyway the first TO for withdrawing the panzers comes in about ten turns earlier and (especially if you have a low sealift option) you'll want to take it ASAP so you can spread out your withdrawals and not find yourself either in a position where you simply have no panzers on the board, or you wind up with Panthers cooling their heels in Europe waiting for enough sealift.
