Cohen vs Enrico - Yet another AAR

[AlbertN]

Greetings,

Finding myself with some time at hand - I'll get to post another AAR, the game is ongoing (actually has been interrupted, there has been a new game in the middle where Enrico experienced the Axis and then we got back to this one).

We play with some house rules, and almost all the optionals coded.

Excluding:
Defensive Shore Bombing: W.Allies hexes in coast are pratically non attaccable. It's silly.

Internment: Migrating the entire pilot force of Poland to UK? Really? Who even studied this rule?

HQ Movement: Too penalizing - especially for the Chinese which struggle to move Chiang around otherwise.

Unlimited Breakdown: We do not want a 3rd unit everywhere to soak losses; nor to have cheap waves of invaders anywhere necessary via cruisers.

Among the most relevant House Rules we use:

URSS cannot DoW Japan unless there is an European situation like Berlin is burning.
Reasoning behind this: Japan is toast if URSS can DoW them; as they cannot at once deal with 2 front war (China and Soviet) and prepare for the coming war with the W.Allies (Which anyhow will come, and they're oil dependant for that). By how the map is shaped Japan would simply lose more and more resources and be unable to have a meaningful impact later on; and that kind of move dictates the strategy pacing of the game, which in the opening of the war should be an exclusive of the Axis (as per Germany should not be forced into a '41 Barbarossa to save the far and distant Japan).
The map changes from the baseline game AND the insignificant penalty in US chits (compared to let's say Manchuria resources gone and a lack of advance in China, so Japan pratically playing with 4-6 resources less per turn...) cripple the game.

Custom "En-Route" interception for Strategic Bombing / Carpet Bombing.
None of us is fond of "teleporting" airplanes jumping screens of fighters in forward bases.
Meanwhile to not get headhaches we do not use it for other missions Germany production can be crippled by a swarm of bombers (which UK has pratically already produced at the start of the game).
How does it work? If a bomber in order to reach the intended target factory passes by in the interception range of a fighter, IF the fighter owner chooses to intercept, the bomber has to be placed in a factory hex in range of that fighter (and that fighter will have to intercept that specific bomber). If the fighter owner elects to not intercept with that fighter the bomber moves on - repeating the same procedure per each fighter interception range it goes through.

Minor Nation unit placement.
Only Colonial troops and the allowed ships can be placed out of the home country of a minor nation.
Poland forces have to be deployed in the Western Part of Poland.

Using Khaki in Flames extra units.
It gives nations a bit more divisions to use, which is good as long as there is a number of divisions one can use, and not a limitless amount of divisions. It also gives some extra punch in terms of offensive, adding an ENG unit to a few nations. (It would be an ARM-ENG unit but that is not coded so they're regular ENG).

Garrisons cannot Invade.
This is to offset the Khaki in Flames adding an amount of Garr-Divisions, and in general the concept that a GARR unit - division or not - is meant to be a static unit; to use a ship to go around its staticness it's quite cheap and they turned into optimal attack units to pair up with marines for landing (maybe it's intended; it just feel gamey. Use an INF instead.)
The Garrison concept is in general a defensive unit (which can move and attack nonetheless but only via land).

Russia DoW on Italy. Russia can DoW Italy if aligned with Germany, only if they can DoW Germany.
Pretty self explainatory.

Surface Naval Battles losses
We assign losses like the Air-Naval combat, but owner starts to decide what to lose. (So 1st, 3rd, 5th, etc pick are of the owner, 2nd, 4th, 6th, etc are from the one who inflicts the damage).
Carriers, CPs, AMPHs, TRS, and any loaded SCS cannot be choosed as target by regular means (you may by spending 3 points of surprise though - when the pick would be of your opponent as well).

[AlbertN]

Current turn is Nov / Dec 1941
Alas the game is already somehow ahead - time shortage prevented me to start the AAR from the very beginning.

How things unfolded in France for Germany.

Enrico tried a new "strategy" with France; deploying directly behind the Seine and in Paris with the bulk of French forces.
He litterally left the Maginot manned by 2 Garrisons only and made a strong line at the mountain range north-west of Bern; with anti-tank unit in the "Saone" hex (where the name is written on the map), prosecuting up north behind the Seine, filling Paris and leaving the river hex behind it empty; and the BEF (Gort, a Mech and a Mot-ART) sitting on the resources west of Rouen.

The Germans simply advanced in the Maginot, butchered the garrisons and proceeded by attacking only Paris; seizing it firsthand and being merry with a Vichy.
The Germans lost a grandtotal of 2 BPs (1 division) in the campaign of France, a pratically scott free tale.
Belgium feel with ease as Germans swept from Germany and France to destroy it.
Netherland was left untouched - denying at the instant 10 precious CPs to the UK (but that resource less for Germany was felt - Germany had to keep 1 HQ flipped for 2 turns because of oil shortages).

The BEF was trying to escape - as the North Sea was contested, and in the first turn a sortie of the Kriegsmarine costed to the Brits a TRS already.
Meanwhile the RN Navy was operating in mass in the Mediterranean - the BEF was commanded to be evacuated via St. Nazaire.
Alas (for the Brits) the last german operational bomber pinned down some of the BEF units, with only Gort making it to St.Nazaire. That was the last turn of life of France - with the mechanized corp and motorized artillery being stuck on the open (on the resources east of Nantes).
The Germans craving for a pursuit holed the weakened French line by Rouen past the Seine.

But the turn then ended and it was a matter of initiative the next round. Which Axis won. (I do not remember actually which turn was it!)
Far from Allied air cover and with French units gone out of the way in Vichy, the BEF was suddenly in a very precarious situation. Both BEF stacks got struck by the Luftwaffe, Gort - who was not in direct risk of being attacked, was disrupted; and so was the Mot-ART.
But The German forces easily reached the forward group of the BEF butchering it and following up with Gort, that disrupted, had no way to get extracted from France.

Poland:
Germany had a screen force for Poland, but was quite lucky with their bombers and attacks - losing only a GARR unit in the while campaign of Poland (so 2 BPs there too!)
Poland was falling and surrendering by the end of Sept / Oct despite the German forces being pretty - and the Soviets for odd reasons (well the true reason is to not forfeit an US chit) let the Germany seize the whole of Poland!

By May / June 1940 certainly the French campaign was over and Germany placed eyes on Spain.

Screenshot of France - Nov / Dec 1941

[AlbertN]

Il Duce wet, imperial dreams

Italy was forced to join the Germans quickly in war.
The sudden appearance of the whole Royal Navy carrier force in the western Mediterranean waters heading toward the current major naval base of Regia Marina was a big alarm bell.

The math is simple; if Italy gets surprised it will get 1 invasion in Sardinia for free, and will eat a massive port strike crippling its shipping ability across the Med.
Therefore Italy is -forced- to declare war when the UK opens in that way.

Italy starts with a Naval move, scattering around submarines past Gibraltar and the Regia Marina seeks confrontation with the Brits. The rolls were not very favorable for the Italians except in Cape St.Vincent where the Italian submarines wreck some CPs casting the UK production down some.
In the Western Mediterranean the UK "finds" the Italians (alas due to the surprise round, Italy still has the surprise), and the Italian AA fire smashes a CVP.

The UK simply stands still no matter what, and Italy does not find. Soon enough the Mediterranean is swarmed by W.Allied ships. The RN Indian Fleet, the Marine Nationale, submarines of both the nations chasing and hunting the Italians.
Luck does not smile either to the W.Allies though initially.

Italy manages to ship a MECH and their ARM-HQ in Lybia. But then both their TRS are found, and despite the risk of being destroyed both are ultimately damaged only.

France, seeing the push toward Egypt, marshals their best INFs (the 6 and 5 strong, which appeared in the colonies!) toward Tripoli. Only a GARR sits in Tripoli, and a TERR of Lybia at the border with Tunisia. The French attack with a +11 without the support of their fleet (a mistake here, but the French fleet was busy trading blows with the Italians). A bad roll occurs, and France loses both their quality INF to destroy the TERR! The glorious advance in Lybia ends before it has truly got anywhere!

In the while the Regia Marina bravely continues to ship supply to Lybia where Balbo and Graziani proceed in their daunting advance toward Alexandria.
The UK is unable to reinforce - as their TRS are busy shipping troops to Gibraltar and being around for the BEF extraction - the French campaign is not over yet.

Regia Marina clashes repeatedly in the Italian Sea with the Marine Nationale; trading blows meanwhile the Royal Navy is merry to keep secured the western and easterd Mediterranean sea zones. But the Brits are not excelling at finding the Italian convoys, though they leave the Italians for 1 turn whole OOS at least. But Wavell lacks bombers and guns to exploit the momentum, not to speak of troops!

It came the moment the Marine Nationale has to withdraw - and remains stuck without oil in France; the Italians bring forth their ships in the eastern mediterranean alongside their decent LND bomber (the 3 strong Leone) to attack Alexandria, were Wavell is overwhelmed by the Italian forces.
With the fall of Alexandria the Italians manage to sweep and seize Suez before to remain out of supply, as the RN manages one another sweeping of convoys in the East Med.

Mussolini sets eyes on the unguarded Aden, all the British TRS are on the wrong side of Afrika. Yemen gets a declaraction of war, an Italy division lands with surprise and march unopposed into Aden.

Screenshot of Nov / Dec 1941

[AlbertN]

The Spanish campaign and the fall of Gibraltar

The second impulse of Jul / Aug 1940 Germany goes to bite Spain.

In the first impulse they rebased freshly produced airplanes from Germany to the Spanish border; and make Vichy collapse.
For some strange bug - as Free France was non existing - France has turned into a ghost entity. (Like no Allied units can enter Dakar, despite the ships there have a CW blue band on the counter!)

In the while the Kriegsmarine bravely managed to go around the Faroes Gap and reach Bordeaxus as new naval base, despite some losses.
In the previous game I used the the Regia Marina to have an amount of German landing along the mediterranean coast of Spain - this time I did a German side invasion; exposing the the Kriegsmarine to the retaliation of the Royal Navy.

But the Royal Navy had other priorities than react there in force (in the grand scheme of things the Russians were invading Persia, and it was an interest of the W.Allies to prevent the Italians to get to align Iraq to Russia could eat Iraq too!) and only minor skirmishes took place.

The Luftwaffe - strong of 6 actions instead of four - bombed heavily the Spanish positions, pinning an amount of them. The Germans advanced pratically with non existant losses (I think they have lost at top 1 division or 1 militia - naval losses though are a different tale).

The Germans seized in 3 impulses Bilbao and Barcellona (so 4 impulses their side, as they DoW'ed the 2nd impulse), and were poised to strike at Madrid - but the turn ends on 1!

Therefore the Spain gets their Mech, and the 2 MILs. The Mech and the Seville MIL are quickly moved south, to help the defences of Gibraltar where in the while the UK brought 3 land units (1 is a div, 1 is the AA, and 1 is an INF corp - yes 2 small units, a potential mistake); along with 2 FTR an 1 LND.

Germany sweeps through Madrid, Portugal and descends toward Gibraltar laying siege to it; in the while the Luftwaffe gains ample bases to Cape St. Vincent and the Italian airforce comes by to give help.

By then Italy repaired also 1 TRS and shipped to Tripoli to invade via land Tunisia and so forth.
Concerned of a sudden british stronghold in Marocco, the Germans paradrop in Melilla and pair it up with divisional invasion there and in Orano, with full air support and shore bombing from the Regia Marina.
The Royal Navy, with Gibraltar in danger, does not dare to enter the Mediterranean, Suez closed already.

Aerial combats see a BF110 being shot down by the Hurricanes at Gibraltar, but the british bombers fail to deliver.

By then, in September / October 1940, the USA are quite fed up with the Axis going rampant around, and geared up, and declared war on Germany and Italy in Nov / Dec 1940.

In November / December 1940, in a good week of sunny weather over Gibraltar, the Axis storms the Rock. It's a +9 or +10 attack (All units flipped, +4, +2 out of HQ support, and 30ish factors among ground units and airplanes against 15-18 defense factor). The Germans conquer Gibraltar. And the US declare war on Japan too (after having moved their fleet at Pearl Habour in Jan / Dec 1941).

(Note - I could remember facts not precisely there, but I know for certain US geared up in Sept / Oct '40; DoW'ed Euro-Axis in Nov / Dec 1940 and played Pearl Harbour that turn; and DoW'ed the Japan the turn after).


The Brits have much to salvage in Marocco though; some Spanish units and their airplanes.
Roosevelt immediately sends some cruisers with the typically amazing AA that USA units have, to no avail.

The Axis armada of flying birds, Erone, Gabbiano and Condor, greets the coming USA units along with the RN units in the zone with leaded, explosive candies. Once two of the quality US CA (with 3 AA each) are going to adorn the bottoms of the seas, with the fighters of the UK spent already on the ground, and the best carrier air at avail being 3 strong (against the 6 strong German FTR at the 2 box), short of convoys of reserve and reluctant to commit precious TRS, the W.Allies sound the retreat from the sea, litterally abandoning to their fate the Spanish MECH, their MIL, 1 UK INF-Div (Which was wisely choosed to live on from Gibraltar because a cruiser could have extracted it, but as it retreated it was disrupted that turn).

The airplanes were the biggest hit for the UK here in terms of losses.

On the other hand, USA is in total war at Nov / Dec 1940, and geared up at Sept / Oct 1940.
At one year of distance, US production, having seized Argentina, aligned Brazil and Mexico, tallies 74 BPs, by itself the whole Axis production combined. (Though on the first turn of 1942 the Axis production scales up).

Screenshot of Nov / Dec 1941.

[AlbertN]

Someone wants Gibraltar back?

On year later, after the Axis forces elsewhere located, and with only measly troops defending Marocco; the US has set yes on Marocco.

Both Marocco and Algeria got seized by Germany after their invasion at Oran; but the sector is deemed of competence of Italian troops. Alas Mussolini has been busy elsewhere (You'll see later).

The US, after their successful drive in Argentina; and having started a magnificent carrier naval plan; had saw to potential mistake in these plans of grandeur in the Pacific (the Soviet collapse hammered them!) and made haste to be a nuisance for the Axis at least.

Among the various possible targets (Invasion of Denmark, invasion of France, Invasion of Spain / Portugal, Invasion of Marocco) they opted to begin to march in Marocco which was only defended by 1 Italian corp.
Italians quickly rush some more troops in there but their limited production and other commitments overstretch the very thin forces of Mussolini.

A real problem for the Allies is that France is a ghost - so Cisneceros is the only port where they can fit troops in safely and their reinforcement influx is pratically as limited as the Axis.
The main question here, have the Allies the punch to deal with the Axis nasty pidgeons in the sector?

Germany will probably will call back the Bf109 you saw in Italy, that departed Marocco few turns ago to head to Russia!

Screenshot of Nov / Dec 1941

[AlbertN]

The struggle for the Middle East

Soviets got their hands on Persia, but Il Duce forces managed to get in Iraq in time.
Not content of Iraq alone, Mussolini sent his troops down in Saudi Arabia to gain more oil resources!

That diversion was of ill augur for Il Duce, since the Germans declared war to Russia shortly after and Iraq was pratically empty of Italian forces!

The Italians rushed back with what they could after having seized Rhyad; but Iraq fell in Soviet hands. Italian reinforcements managed to secure Mosul at the cost of getting encircled and with no way out - but that oil was graciously sent via Turkey to Italy for some turns more.
Heroic resistance in Mosul saw the Italians hold the city despite the superior Soviet odds.

Stalin, content of the first German failures in the Barbarossa - dispatched armoured forces in Iraq even (an ARM and a MECH! That now you see west of Mosul).

The Italians struggled and had to retreat after Baghdad fell to the Russians; with Balbo waiting at Beirut.
In the while Graziani and the mechanized units of Italy moved from Rhyad to Kuwait that had been seized previously by the Iraqi CAV unit.

With supply at hiccup, the Italians secured Basra with a division coming via cruisers across the Indian Ocean where the RN presence was non existant (also thanks to Japan giving them some headhaches around South Afrika) and managed only in Nov / Dec to unleash an offensive to retake Baghdad - costing the Italians their precious MNT unit and to the Soviets 2 CAVs).

(There was a potential supply bug here as the HQ of the Soviets, in a turn of Snow, was in supply in the exact position where it is. Baghdad being Soviet was not linked via rail because of Basra being Italian, and the Soviet HQ is 4 hexes and not 3 hexes away from the Persial railway).

Now the Soviet situation is precarious there, due to supply shortage out of the blue; but the Italian shipping too is threatened as the Royal Navy repelled the Japanese forces and is dominating again the eastern coast of Afrika. Therefore the Italians could not be able to push.

Greece:
Greece has been a swift affair that took place in the early 1941; seeing the Germans invade with divisions, reinforcing via the Italian TRS with proper corps and giving air support (2 LND3 which were pretty much needed elsewhere!)

Now the Italians plan to seize by surprise Crete - with that healthy amount of CPs inside - maybe they capture 1 or 2!

Syrya:
Adding a note for Syrya, because the Vichy Fleet got parked there before its collapse, and left purposefully without oil and as far away as possible from the exit of the Med still open to them!
Italy seized some ships of Vichy - mainly, they lucked their TRS - that you can see in Bardia.

Screenshot of Nov / Dec 1941

[AlbertN]

Colonial Warfare

Since the start of the war, the CW placed their precious ENG unit in Sudan!

I had not realized to start with and was already marching to seize Sudan itself, til I realized I had this pesky UK unit marching toward Asmara where the Italian supply unit was lingering, unguarded!

The Italians instead went to seize Kenya that was unguarded.

Il Duce still has some aims, Djibuti, British Somaliland, to finish off Yemen and the rest of these useless, pieces of sand and rock that are the countries and colonies of this region. All for the grand glory of a reinstated roman empire!

Italy also seized the Seychelles - a strategical position for airplanes but pretty hard to keep in supply as the Allied pressure is building up.

As you can see, Japan has taken Ceylon, and there is also a pesky partisan blocking the railroad to Bombay (which has only 1 indian INF into it!)

The Italians plan to get rid of the UK Eng (it could be wiser to leave it be, as precious as it is - but I feel it's a bit gamey just because they unit cannot attack or nor be disbanded. I'll eventually ask Enrico if he wants it "disbanded"; can always attack with the Italian adjacent to it and force a roll of 18 to eliminate it).

For now only minor naval battles have been introduced to these sea zones.

Screenshot of Nov / Dec 1941

[AlbertN]

Barbarossa

It was March / April 1941, when one million of German troops, plus some Romanians and Finnish, along some panzer corps, and a grandtotal of 500 German fighters without any bombers, plus the Romanian and Finnish airforces, invaded the URSS.

The start of Barbarossa was extremely weak - as it was entirely unplanned that early. Germany had laid down already all the 3 Synth Oils; had to produce 2 Condors for the plan for Gibraltar; and in the past seen how little losses France gave even took the fancy to produce the Graf Zeppelin (that is sitting in the port, having never seen action! Some mismanagement here I think by my side!)

Most of German forces (mainly the Luftwaffe) was still in Spain, some of the troops were in Greece too.
What kicked in the decision is that the US got in the war already. To wait down to 1942 would have meant to find a big USA army ready to invade and have to anyhow divert forces from Barbarossa anyhow to protect the long Axis shores.
Also the Soviets had litterally left open grounds til Moscow and the Caucasus where they had concentrated their forces - despite some roadbumps.

What happened is that on declaration of war, the Soviets seeing how anemic the German attack was, deployed their reserves upfront and pushed their Moscow sector troops onward to meet the Germans.
Though Enrico forgot of Leningrad, which had only 1 MIL unit (the one that appears there).

The Finns quickly jumped on it, being a turn of snow when the Axis DoW'ed (originally I made some math, to use an O-Chit on Mannerheim and attack nonetheless with the Finns a Leningrad that was empty - so any reserve placed there was flipped anyhow). The fact it was snow simply meant I did not had to use the O-Chit on the Finns and they delivered.

Minsk had a single garrison unit which was overwhelmed. And the impulse next with good weather in the south Kiev and Cernauti got attacked both (as Romania entered the fray the 2nd impulse of war).
Tragedy consumed here when in Cernauti the Axis lost 2 units vs 1 Garr-Div - but they had some sacrificable units there; and in Kiev Axis lost 3 units (1 Div, 1 MNT and 1 INF) for 1 Garr-Div.

The few German fighters present were too few to provide air cover against the superior airforce of the soviets (in numbers, not in quality, but it was really 2 fighters against 4-5 bombers the Soviets have and their few fighters).

The Germans stalled the operations - even because of the poor weather - to take air actions to bring in more Luftwaffe that was badly needed.

The cards indeed started to change in May / June; with the fall of Smolensk and Kiev with Stuka support. The Soviets though were still well spurred by fighting desire, and counterattacked valiantly, destroying a finnish INF and a german MECH unit.

May / June did not saw much action, a total of 7 impulses, one of them of rain in Russia (where the Germans brought in more airplanes) and the front did not moved much; but the Soviets got some forces pocketed in Gomel including a good 7-5 Mech unit.
Mussolini as well brought forth some bomber, including the trusty Leone that saw action in Egypt already, along with some naval bombers that were used as Tactical bombers.

Enrico battleplan was to pick some cities and turn them into fortresses.

Screenshot of Nov / Dec 1941.

[AlbertN]

Barbarossa - Part 2

With the coming of July / August the Germans marched onward, with more planes than before now, more INFs and more tanks.
Von Manstein was to arrive the next turn too.

The City-Fortress of Gomel was seized and so was for Rostov. Stalingrad was left unmanned and simply seized.
Sebastopol screened.

In the while the Germans approached Moscow, and there the tragedy consumed for the Soviets instead.
The battle plan of the Soviets was to have a massive fortress in Caucasus after having moved 4 factories in Baku and Tblisi; accept a large pocket in Moscow and hold there for the winter.

But a lucky artillery shot (a 3 strong artillery) flipped a full stack of 3 germans in open plains in front of Moscow woods!
That was a pretty unwanted bait and the Soviets issued an immediate attack. No O-Chit fired, math done, it was a +14-Blitz IF the Germans manage to sneak past the 4 strong Soviet fighter all of their avaiable bombers and using Zhukov HQ support.

The Germans were at the next North-West of Tula; the Soviets could attack from 4 hexes (Tula, North.East of Tula, woods south-west of Moscow and the open plains 2 north west of Tula.) Only one hex was visibly exposed to retaliation from other German forces.
The Soviets went for it - having only few other troops mobile in reserve, in Ryazan and Yaroslavl. The Luftwaffe arrived en mass in fact trying to defend their precious units (a MOT, an ARM-Div and an AT-gun) managing to slip through all their bombers (a 6 strong FTR vs a Soviet 4 strong one did the job).

The attack was still a +14 as planned and expect in the worst case scenario. But the dices betrayed Stalin. Enrico on Skype was already trying to tranquillize me. "I'll roll a six, don't worry". He rolled a 2.

With much horror all of the Soviet units got disrupted with no HQ around to flip them around, and the German units simply retreated away. And the Soviets lost an ARM-Div.

The Germans swept over and crushed the troops in Tula, an uppercut from armoured forces holed Rhyazan leaving exposed 3 soviet LND already spent and their FTR, and Moscow was vacant. The Germans occupy with 1 unit the woods west of Moscow.

The Soviets opt to not use their O-Chit to flip Zhukov (and Khonev too who took part to the attack - it is still a hefty unity strength wise) and adjusts their defences as they can. (I think they should have used the O-Chit to flip the HQ and in turn flip organized more units at the end of their turn, even if they were still in positions pretty exposed to the Germans).

Moscow got manned quickly with troops from Yarsoslav but the Germans attacked it from the east as the screen of Rhyazan was destroyed; and from the woods at the west - and Moscow fell.
A massive pocked of Soviet units was OOS and they got butchered down in the last impulse of Jul / Aug and across Sept / Oct.

Meanwhile the German triumph in Moscow, the Soviets start to arrange the defence of the Urals with the newly produced units.

In Sept / Oct a new tragedy for them gets at the horizon in the Caucasus, where a successful German attack shatters their local HQ, sending their western branch of the front entirely OOS.
Luckily for them the rest of the turn is very bad weather - preventing the Germans to exploit their success - and then the turn ends with the Soviets gaining initiative first - so they stabilize the Caucasus situation before the mountain ranges are crossed.

The Germans too are preparing the siege of Sebastopol, to remove that thorn in the side and free some troops from there.

Screenshot of Nov / Dec 1941.

[AlbertN]

US South American conquests

Greedy for more resources, the US military commanded the seizure of objectives of worth in the latin america.

Germany DoW'ed Bolivia once Argentina was aligned, because that way even if for few turns, both factories in Buenos Aires could be functioning - it neated 2-3 if not 4 BPs (I do not remember now how many turns the US needed to smash through Argentina).

Perù and Chile are next on the list.
Cuba got seized already and Colombia has been invaded.

Abiding to the last game tradition, when the US declared war on Cuba and Colombia, they've not notified of potential repercussions via Argentina to the UK, which in turn has not escorted their west afrika convoy lines.

The Argentine navy struck hard the Brits shipping (probably the best contribution Argentina has given to Axis, besides the obvious fact of pinning some US forces there for some turns and the BPs!) being entirely unescorted.

At the date, summing up all the losses - with the surprise impulse of Italy, the one of Japan, and other raids and battles - the W.Allies must have lost about 40-60 CPs (did not really counted them).
If it was not for the USA being really on steroids the game itself would prolly be closed alraedy.

[AlbertN]

US goes to war

A recent change of heart from the US Government made them shift their entire marine force to the Atlantic coast, in the new light of the Soviet looming collapse a pressure somewhere on the Euro-Axis has to be put.

The US long term plan anyhow envision them to receive a helluva of Essex carriers in late '42 and early '43 (They have put in production all the '42 Essex already, and 3 of the '43 force pool as well! Plus the escort carriers; and have stocked already 4 O-Chits in reserve pool besides any on the spiral!)

The US will wait then to deal with the Japan who is expanding like a big bang, in order to do their best to save Comrade Stalin.

[AlbertN]

Siberian Front

Japan in the while, seeing the ruin of Soviets in Europe and relying on their shortage of replacements - after they placed their reserves; aggressed the URSS.

Vladivostock fell easily, and now the Japanese have tried an assault on Khabarovsk, which costed them 2 units for 1 loss of the Soviets.
The Soviets though lack the ability to replace it due to other, more pressing priorities.

Even Chita was seized by Yamamoto himself - which marched there undisturbed, cutting from the Soviet factories two of their resources. Secured Chita with a token garrison Yamamoto was railed away to be shipped to other fronts.

[AlbertN]

China gone for good.

In the last weeks of July / August China was definitely undone.

The last basion of the Communist Chinese was destroyed - mainly as the Chinese troops got all pinned down by lucky air strike and artillery bombardments; leaving the Japanese 1-5 CAV-div move as it pleased.

The tale of China saw the Japanese start an attack against Changsha and pushing an offensive with 2 HQ there (Yamamoto arriving in Canton) and simply following the weather swings between the two zones to keep the uptime of the offensive at the best.

In the north Mao performed a fierce resistance at Si'an, stalling the Japanese advance despite their reinforcements from Manchuria (yes a set back of Soviets unable to attack Japan but China can deal with that).

What screwed China here was the fact I never took Vichy as option, meanwhile in this game I did. Japan had a 5-4 INF in Japan for that turn and got shipped into French Indochina. That unit was in Kumming (empty) before any Chinese could get there (Enrico simply oversaw that detail).
Though the seizing Indochina gave a hefty bonus to US! At the cost of sealing for good the Burma road. That cut some Chinese production and gave to Japan an extra factory.

China in the end is a slow struggle, where Japan uses their planes and launches desperate attacks at +6 - +10 depending how many units are flipped and often with HQ support to maximize the losses for Chinese and minimize theirs (I'd rather have a better attack and lose 1 for 2, and get all flipped; than have a bad attack and use the HQ to reorganize what I've left).

[AlbertN]

Where's my Oil?

Needless to say the US found themselves able to embargo Japan pretty quickly (Japan also took Madagascar, ah the greed) and by Jul / Aug 1940 the Japanese were running short of oil already!

By common agreement with the Germans both the nations jumped on what the Netherland could offer to them.
Alas the south american Dutch Guyana offered to 8 CPs a safe shelter and the Japan did not realized the NEI have a minor port in Bay of Bengal, so the CPs and the TRS of the Netherland managed all to escape safely from the Axis attacks.

For Japan the choice was hard - because to DoW Netherland would have sensibly sped up their gearing up; alternatively they could have drained their measly oil reserves and stalled the invasion of China having to keep planes grounded and their HQ not used for support meanwhile China was to rebuild up their own reserves.

NEI Invasion took place in Sept / Oct 1940, the same turn of US Gear up.

Philippines:
In Sept / Oct 1941 Manila fell, with the subsequent fall of the Philippines.

Burma & Ceylon:
In Nov / Dec 1940 Japan DoW'ed the UK and seized Singapore that was vacant and marched into Burma unopposed.
Ceylon was unguarded too and was easily grabbed in the surprise impulse.

[AlbertN]

Indian indipendence?

The UK was way too busy - when Japan entered war - around Gibraltar!

The Brits had no TRS at avail to operate in the Indian Ocean (I am starting to believe to -force- the hand of the Axis to DoW prematurely is not that good, sure USA gained much more production but the W.Allies had nothing to throw against Japan for an amount of turns and this is not the only situation here); that suddenly two situations rose in front of the Brits.

Having both Calcutta and Sidney endangered (and admittedly in a case of double turn for Axis, last previous turn and first the next turn). Sure they could rail two units taking a land movement, having both Dheli MIL and Sidney MIL at hand for the task.
But also they found Japanese carriers ready to port strike some valuable naval assets and submarines and Condors in the Atlantic with their CPs litterally unescorted (the sentry bug, ships at 4 have the benefit of remaining at the 4 box, but no ship drops down to the 0 box!).

In the end the UK takes a combined and opts to save Australia - that would have been conquered otherwise; and sacrifice Calcutta.

The Dheli MIL is sent to protect the Indian capital.
That nets another factory for Japan, and shortly after a closeby resource to fuel it without the need of shipping oversea.

[AlbertN]

Holidays in Madagascar

First time I seized Madagascar via Vichy France; it costed me greatly for the US but gave a very forward base to Japan.
Japan sent there a 4-1 white print Garrison for Diego Suarez (and at some point they'll get the decent TERR unit to defend the capital or about that).

From there, 2 CV with a healthy cruiser escort and the starting Japanese submarines operated, inflicting harsh blows to the unexpecting convoys of the Commonwealth.

The CW had to play defensive for a while there until Japan withdrew their carriers and cruisers and left only the submarines in the zone that is anohow very peripheral for the Japanese interests.

[AlbertN]

The lands of the kangaroos

Japan opened their war waging with grand zeal, outraged by the embargo of the US and then their declaration of war upon them.
Even more so as the US were entirely unprepared for (and fucked up big time too!).

The US went to ship in troops - hopeing to send them I do not know where - but they had 3 unescorted TRS, all loaded with HQ, Marine and AA - and the Japanese sent their cruisers for the kill.
The naval roll was good, but only the AA TRS got sunk, the others got damaged.

The US navy had only 2 carriers ready at Pearl Harbour but they did not managed to achieve anything when retaliating.
In the while the Japanese scoured in the Pacific following a philosophy of first taking what is more remote and dealing with calm with the internal islands.

Melbourne was seized rapidly after Brisbane fell; the Fiji and even Pago Pago fell to the Japanese advance.
The US reeled back - having lost the TRS and 2 more in the repair pool, admittedly forgotten there til now to focus on the grand carrier plan of Essex class monsters.

The 1942 is coming, and Japan has about slightly more than half a year to seal their required deals and then, with all probabilities, start to turtle up against the coming onslaught.

[AlbertN]

Nov / Dec 1941 - Repair & Construction Pool

[AlbertN]

Reserve Pool

Yes, Japan likes to have a choice when it comes down to CVPs, and mostly to have reserves at hand to replace losses!

[AlbertN]

Coming Production - Part 1

A suggestion I gave to my friend is to have US produce CPs and not UK, and have UK focus on units of their force pool; but it has fallen on deaf ears!