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This will be the AAR for my 2nd game against Sillyflower, our first game (my first multiplayer game) he won on the very last turn!

Just to be clear: Sillyflower no you are not allowed in this thread!

I know Sillyflower likes writing rather prosaic AARs, sadly my writing style is more somber. I'll try to detail my plans, strategy and execution.
I'll also, for my very first time in an AAR, try to add some photos and other tidbits to liven it up a bit. Not sure how well I'll succeed.

The Lessons Learned

I played 5 multiplayer games in 1.06, three of those as the Axis. While I made many mistakes, two of them really stood out and I aim to remedy
those shortcoming in this and future games.

First of all, manpower. I didn't understand how manpower capped and the need to keep manpower below 99% to get the most out of it. In
this game, especially as Germany, I will carefully try to stretch my manpower as far as possible.

Second, airpower. My air losses in our first game were catastrophic. I put all my air units on full support and left them like that.
The results were not pretty. In this game I aim to use my air units carefully and only when needed. A precision tool, if you will.

We need more of these guys:

And much less of this:

The Plan

“Paris is always a good idea.”
Audrey Hepburn



Paris! Nothing else matters. All our early game efforts will be focused on taking the City of Lights!

Taking Paris will effectively shut down our arch enemy France, unleash Italy and free up our forces
for further ventures. No plans for further conquests will be finalized until Paris is within reach.

As a side note, Italy will prepare to take Greece. The Axis really could use all that Yugoslavian manpower,
so our southern ally will do their best. Initial plans do not involve using German units in southern Europe,
and certainly not in Africa.

--

Turn 0: September 1, 1939

Italy is not ready for war. It also suffers from delusions of grandeur.
We'll have to realign our ambitions. Two immediate new policies are in place:

1. Complete abandonment of any armor or mechanized program, the army will be entirely made up of infantry
2. Focus on the navy, all but halting the development and support for the air force

The specific steps taken by Italy are:

1. Disbandment of the motorized and armor units
2. All reinforcements and upgrades are halted
3. Existing infantry units are garrisoned, to free up production for needed units
4. To minimize the use of oil, all naval and air units are forbidden from moving

Two paratroopers are built, we will need them to take Greece by surprise. Later
on we will have to build one air transport and some landing ships, but at the moment
we cannot afford it.

We will not be deploying any of these during the war:

Germany refocuses research on heavy tanks. While I usually like to experiment,
we are not doing any experimental research, purely focusing on the techs we typically need.

No units are built, but we set Reinf./Upgrade to 500.

On the western front we reorganize our armies and prepare for a possible attack on the Netherlands.
Our u-boats head into the Atlantic to raid the Southern Atlantic trade route.

Our attack on Poland could have gone better. We lose 14 ground steps and 7(!) air steps.
Karkow and Lodz fall, while Poznan holds out. At least we are in a decent position to
assault Warsaw next turn.

(after this picture, our 3rd Army HQ is moved into Konigsberg)

Will read all of this, please also focus upon the economy.

Turn 2: September 15, 1939

France conquers Luxembourg. Allied vessels unsuccessfully hunt for our u-boat group.
The Polish air force is a nuisance.

As the Axis I usually conquer Luxembourg on the first turn. But I had a thought, if we liberate Luxembourg, do we get access to its manpower?
Or is it lost as an independent country? Either way, in this story the Allies are the aggressors and we will soon liberate our brothers and sisters!

Italy needs another air transport but cannot yet afford one. I don't like that they
are sitting at 99% manpower, but at the moment nothing can be done.

Poland has concentrated its defenses around Warsaw. Our plan is to use
our infantry to remove blocking units and sneak panzers into the capital.

First our infantry takes Poznan and removes blocking units, costing us 5 steps.
Next the panzers attack Warsaw from the north and south.

All bombers are called in and our panzers suffer a single step loss
before sealing Poland's fate.

We immediately begin transferring units west. Our two panzers divisions (soon to be renamed Light Panzer
divisions - more on that next week) both end their moves on rail hexes and can be transferred next.

We also begin redistributing AA guns from low value hexes to higher value targets. I'll show a map
once all transfers are complete.

Germany needs more and better Panzers if they are to attack France.
At the moment all production is going to upgrades and reinforcements.
At least we are not sitting at 99% manpower.

Turn 4: September 29, 1939

A British unit invades Germany and takes Hamburg.
U-boats sink 3 merchants.

Just when you've thought you've seen it all!
Well if the British want to throw away invasion barges
and manpower, fine by me.

British forces are quickly dispatched.