Matrix Games Forums

I started my first 1939j pbem as allies .
Now we are already close to april 1940.

I am not sure if i understood the Events correctly, but i assume that in case i should manage to hold France the Soviets won't awake till germany has 4 vp cities or till 1942 ?

So i think it is wise to let france fall historically. But what happens with my troops then? If i would evacuate most of the french troops to GB from February to April 1940 and let the Germans conquer France without much resistence would i save my troops that way or still lose them?

If France falls and the German player plays the Axis card, all Western units in France surrender.  This also includes units in French North Africa and Syria.  It is a good idea to get troops to Gibraltar, Malta, Egypt, and the UK.  However, it is also good if you can delay the capture of Lille (triggers Italy) and the capture of Paris.  This will shorten the UK's window of vulnerability.  Finally, don't forget to build up your DDs.
 
 

Thanks for the answer tweber. I like your scenarios btw a lot [:)].

So France is a tough choice. If you keep France longer than historically the soviets get activated later though so less PP and time to build up for the Soviets and GB misses the Lend Lease PP boost too. Really well designed, lots of choices and each has its own weaknesses.

Soviets later or not is no thing you should care about !
You have to look at two things to survive.
 
1. Keep control over the UK and (if possible) Alexandria
2. Protect your base PP income against subs
 
That are really the only things with high priority for the west in that scenario.
As Tom said try to control France as long as possible to give the axis less time to do bad things with the UK.
And let him pay for getting control over France....
 
In Early 1942 Bigger US help will start and until that the west is mostly in defensive.
If he survives until that point and is still in good shape he should win the game easily.

Hm, i have started 3 pbems with this scenario now. 2 times i got the allies, once the axis. ~5 turns have been played
in both games where i am ally. In one game i luckily managed to hold out it is now march 1939 and the attrition war was costly to both france and germany. But those successes happened mainly due to minor mistakes of the german player i think. In the other game though my opponent played imho excellent and managed to break through the maginot line already in januar 1940 .

I did read your nice AAR about your Europe game with tweber seille. How long do you think if two good and experienced players like you two play can the allied player hold France? Currently because of the initial german air superiority it seems to me that the chances are good that the german player might break through before he gets the blitz card.

Some thoughts on good Allied play in the first year:
 
- You should lose no units when the German player plays the Vichy card.  All units in France are either transfered to the UK or elimanated in combat.
- You are aggressive in the Med.  Italy is likely to join the war in April or May of 1940.  You should have a sub blockading both Tripoli and Triane and cargo ships off Sicily.  An invasion in Southern Italy is a nice distraction for the Germans.
- You are ready for Norway invasion.  Put your fleet South of Olso in March.  This blocks naval reinforcements.  You can Olso soften Olso with shore bombardment and invade.  With luck, you should have by June.  This is a 4 city swing in your favor.  Also, the German AF is likely to be deployed against France at this time.
- Build a decent defense of the UK.  Focus on Manchester, Portsmouth, and London.  Portsmouth is likely to be the first target. 
 
As for France, you are doing well to hold to June.  But, if you do the above, it should not matter if you lose France in May.
 
Finally, you need about 25 DD by the fall of France and 50 DD by the time the Axis minors join the war.  Any less and you risk falling behind in the sub war and not being able to recover.