Fall Gelb, multiplayer, majors on hard - Axis AAR

[gwgardner]

Chocolino and I are playing the Case Yellow campaign, he has the Western Allies and the USSR, I have the AXIS. We started out on very hard for the majors (except Italy), but moved it up to hard after turn 1.

June 24

After 6 turns, the Low Countries have been invaded and conquered. [in patch 1.1 it was promised that the Low Countries would put up a stiffer resistance, and that was borne out in my experience. Same for France.]

I had hoped to carry forward with the Manstein Plan to push Guderian's armor through Luxembourg into France, cross the Meuse, and then cut off the French and British forces to the west, but the French army has put up a much stiffer resistance than expected.

With my air forces employed in hammering Antwerp, Rotterdam and Brussels, I did not want to smash my armor at just 2-1, 3-1, 4-1 odds against the French. I therefore probed along the French line, moving west, until a weaker point in the line could be found. Guderian has now been given the go ahead to head south, with Luftwaffe support, to break the French line.

Recon has failed in spotting the BEF. It appears that Perfidious Albion has either quickly abandoned its ally, or is being employed in safe guard duty somewhere far south.

[freeboy]

I do not think you can change to hard in a server game.. are you pbem ?

[gwgardner]

We're playing hotseat. Exchanging save games.

[gwgardner]

The French decided to test the strength of the Siegfried Line, attacking along an 80 mile front northeast of Mulhouse. Over a period of three weeks, 12 strong French divisions have assaulted the static defenses of the 556th Infantry. It has required a steady stream of reinforcements to hold the line, but there has been little danger overall of any kind of French breakthrough.

On the other hand, if we had been able to predict that the French would advance beyond their own static defenses, we would have prepared a counter-offensive.

[gwgardner]

Notwithstading the valiant efforts of the Kriegsmarine, our position south of Narvik has had to be abandoned. We couldn't get enough supply into the troops from the beachhead. The French were tenacious in holding the village. What effect this is going to have on getting vital ores shipped to the Reich is yet to be determined.

[gwgardner]

In further action on and under the high seas, convoy raiding has been a mixed effort. Two submarine groups have been destroyed completely, and four others have had to limp into port for repairs. We maintain a force at sea, succeeding in sinking approximately 10 Allied STPs per week, according to reports.

We have ordered production of a steady stream of coastal type subs, 1 group per week. By the 1st of July, the assembly line of production, minimal training, and cast off to the shipping lanes will be in full swing.

[gwgardner]

July 1 (turn8)

The focus in the battle for France is between Lille and Rhiems, where the concentrated armor of the Reich is pushing hard against the French lines. A secondary push southeast of Dunkirk will serve to destabilize the front, and keep the enemy from concentrating its own forces solely against the German armored thrust.

The BEF still remains invisible. Does it exist?

The RAF has centered its fighter force around London. The Luftwaffe is getting into position to contest the skies. Our tac air took heavy losses to Allied fighters while attempting to support over the armored columns.

Late June was bad for the sub force. Two sub groups lost, with only 6 enemy STPs sunk.

[gwgardner]

3 corps of infantry have been transported from the Low Countries to the Siegfried line. It is expected that the French will no beat a hasty retreat back into the Maginot fortresses.

[freeboy]

wow, things are tough in france

[doomtrader]

I was hoping to see this two-side AAR

[gwgardner]

July 9

The breakout proceeds, with Guderians armor approaching Rhiems. At least 5 French divisions destroyed south of Lille. That town is critical now, as a rail junction critical to further advance, so it is under siege.

The Royal Air Force is devastating against German bombers again, and attempts by the Luftwaffe to hit the RAF bases around London have been an abject failure. The Luftwaffe has had notable success in a concentrated air assault on the Maginot, followed up by an infantry assault that achieved a breakthrough. We expect the French to begin a precipitate withdrawal from the Maginot all along the line.

[gwgardner]

July 24

The French have abandoned their static defenses, hoping to forestall the huge flanking movement of the German army, which threatens to separate the biggest part of the French force from their capitol.

With concentrated air assaults on the strongly defended Rhiems area, followed up by the bulk of the panzer forces striking south through that vital rail juncture, German forces are now within 80 miles of Paris. The fight was at heavy cost to the Luftwaffe, however. It seems that the entire anti-aircraft capability of the French was available at Rhiems. All of the 6 tactical bomber groups that participated in the assault took heavy damage, which is going to take weeks overcome. Whether the Luftwaffe will have enough punch remaining to help in the push against Paris, remains to be seen.

On a brighter note, fighter sorties against British air bases near London have finally paid dividends, with overwhelming losses to the British, at minimal cost to the Luftwaffe.

[freeboy]

looks like asome air is about ot be over run

[gwgardner]

August 9 (turn 13)

The collapse of the French army is underway, with both wings of their force in the process of being cut off from support. German armor entered Paris this week. Now we await the collapse of the French will to fight.

The Luftwaffe is completely spent, in terms of a tactical support role. Fully 3/4 of all tac bomber groups are at 30-40% strength or less. The rest of the campaign, to occupy and destroy, is going to be without air support, at least for the upcoming week.

Recon shows that the British have 3 fighter and one tac bomber group around London. This week, the Luftwaffe took 3-1 losses in sorties against the Royal Air Force. That can't be sustained.

Italy has entered the war, with immediate impact on the battle of supply and transport. Italian subs hit British shipping in the Med with devastating effect. Meanwhile the Italian army advances across the border of Egypt. The British appear to be giving ground voluntarily.

[gwgardner]

Aug 17

With the loss of their capitol, French demoralization has obviously set in. The German army is advancing all along the front, and French units seem to melt against the slightest threat of force.

The task now is to take all French transport and industrial hubs, to convince them to surrender or agree to an armistace.

After that, it is going to take months to regroup, refit, and reinforce.

The Battle of the Atlantic continues. Half of the sub force has been lost, but the shipyards are working day and night to produce more.

[freeboy]

are you using normal subs.. or costal?

[gwgardner]

I started off the game having standard 2-hit subs. I was purchasing on coastal hubs each turn, but started purchasing one of each.

[gwgardner]

Mid September, and the Wermacht has still not been able to force the French to come to the negotiations table. Occupation troops are approaching Marseilles from the north. The Italians have been of absolutely uncooperative in striking from the east. We're just hoping that the French don't take their government into North Africa and continue the struggle.

Italy has also been completely ineffectual in their North African campaign. 80 miles from El Alemain, they have hunkered down into defensive positions in the desert, claiming difficulties in getting supplies past the ravages of air attacks from Malta.

[gwgardner]

Negotiations for a French surrender have been cut off, with the enemy declaring their intention to fight to the last man. Presumably that means the Wermacht is going to have to send troops to North Africa. This is disappointing, what should be a sideshow is turning back into the first priority, over reorganization, resupply, reinforcement.

Meanwhile, in order to put an end to the machinations of the Yugoslavian government, and threats that they may invite British troops on their soil, Germany has declared war. Twenty divisions have crossed the border from Austria and Italy.

[gwgardner]

mid-October

Marseilles was taken this week. The fight to knock out the French will now have to proceed to North Africa. It is expected that the British will go all out to reinforce the French in North Africa, since they will now have more time and probably the aid of the Americans, to build up their own forces.

German submarine raiders have had little success for the last month, as the British have been much more skilled in positioning their carrier forces along the convoy lanes. We're losing at least one sub group a week.

Our biggest success for the last month was to move a force of tac bombers into Italian North Africa, where we have succeeded in hammering the French and British navies. So much, that the British seemed to have withdrawn to their bases, leaving the French all alone. Do we see a pattern here?

Meanwhile, the British have been completely inactive in North Africa. Such a shame that the Italians have done the same, due to lack of supplies. Malta has shut down all offensive operations.

In Yugoslavia, it's going to be a slugfest. Bad weather, worse terrain.