WAW 1939-1945 PO Version 62221 Allied Human vs Axis Bot

[thomasharvey]

T41 6/8/40 The Italian mountain troops may take Belgrade from the west. That has happened before. I will not send in Greek or British troops to try and save Belgrade.

[thomasharvey]

T42 6/15/40 Belgrade has been encircled and is now out of supply. A relief force is coming up from the south to save them but I doubt that will work.

[thomasharvey]

T44 6/29/40 The relief effort to Belgrade failed so Greece is retreating south to a more narrow front. Further, the Greek Army is having trouble with a single weak German division near Kavala.

[thomasharvey]

T44 6/29/40 Libya is under threat so the Italian 7th Korps is activated in North Afrika. I thought I could retake Egypt but no. The Duce feels threatened! So now I will send additional units from England to Egypt via the Suez Canal. More on that later.

[thomasharvey]

T45 7/6/40 Note the Bot is forming up for Barbarossa still a year away. That is another reason the Bot is in a hurry to finish the invasions prior to 6/22/41. The Bot wants all their units placed and fully rested before attacking Russia. It will be a real challenge for the Allies to save Moscow.

One other issue relates to the "new mud and snow rules." I recently clicked them to off. I want less mud to help the Bot be more competitive. This can be done before or after the scenario starts.

[thomasharvey]

ORIGINAL: thomasharvey

T44 6/29/40 Libya is under threat so the Italian 7th Korps is activated in North Afrika. I thought I could retake Egypt but no. The Duce feels threatened! So now I will send additional units from England to Egypt via the Suez Canal. More on that later.

Here is a view showing some UK troops from England after two weeks at sea. On the next turn they will land at one or more ports indicated. The Royal Navy escort is required at this time of the war due to the German Commerce raiders, Q-Ships, sailing under the cover of stealth and fraud trying to ambush undefended ground troops at sea.

[thomasharvey]

T45 7/6/40 This view shows the Royal Navy spotting and then attacking two German Raiders off of Iceland. Until the Royal Navy ships sailed near them they were invisible. The Raiders are the equivalent of a light cruiser in firepower and range of 2 hexes. Therefore the Allies need to patrol or escort using battleships with a range of 3 and or aircraft carriers. Once spotted it is easy to move the carrier within range and the battleships within 3 hexes to destroy the raiders without loss. It was just luck that the BB force sent to pick up and escort a Canadian division from Canada to the UK spotted but did not get fired on. I moved by them at a range of 3 hexes. After spotting them I turned back to take care of business.

If the allies run into an ambush the Raiders fire first and can do a lot of damage to the allied forces whether they are ground troops or naval craft smaller than a BB.

[thomasharvey]

T45 7/6/40 Here is what the Raiders see. They are out of range and doomed at this point. There are about 8 Raiders that were used during the war over time. Some started the war at sea. Some even made it to the Pacific without being spotted. Others had to try and escape the Baltic into the Atlantic.

You will notice that the Raiders in the scenario look like Allied ships. The Atlantis has Royal Navy colors and the Widder looks like a US Navy ship. In a test game I thought they were my ships and actually tried to click on them and move them! I wonder how many times they were not spotted in the overall clutter of allied ships at sea...

Once all 10 raiders have been sunk the threat is gone. However, there is still the threat of Axis naval combat ships at sea to watch for.

[thomasharvey]

T47 July 20, 1940 Belgrade has fallen. Yugoslavia has surrendered.

[thomasharvey]

T48 7/27/40 This will the last stand of the Spartans.

[thomasharvey]

T50 8/10/40 The Germans are moving into position in Greece.

[thomasharvey]

T54 9/7/40 This screen shot shows I have reached my goal of 40000 rifle squads of the German Army has been destroyed before the fall of Greece. That will give the Russians an even chance to hold out since the Germans will have no reserves when they invade Russia.

Look at the previous screen shot to see the Greek defensive line. It will take a few more turns before Athens can be taken.

[thomasharvey]

T57 9/28/40 The Spartans are holding up the Panzers.

[thomasharvey]

T57 9/28/40 The Italians are being wiped out in front of Tobruk.

[thomasharvey]

T59 10/12/40 Benghazi under threat! The Axis Bot is making new panzer divisions...

[thomasharvey]

T62 11/2/40 The line finally gave way in Greece. The Germans will still need to fight to get to Athens.

[thomasharvey]

T62 11/2/40 The British forces are making sure the Italian units do not get in the rear to cut supply.

[thomasharvey]

T65 11/23/40 The battle for Greece continues.

[thomasharvey]

T65 11/23/40 The Italians are being mopped up near Tobruk

[thomasharvey]

T69 12/21/40 I think Greece will hold out in Athens. The Bot many times will bypass objectives that are not worth the effort. The Bot also needs certain minimum odds to attack. Here many units have moved on so Churchill has his bridgehead in the soft underbelly of Europe.