TAIFUN (Axis) vs smckechnie (Allies) Full game 1939

[Taifun]

I am starting a new AAR resuming our current ELO tournament game, me as TAIFUN playing the villain Axis invaders versus smckechnie playing the honorable Allies. As I did earlier in my other AARs this report will lag behind the current turn many months, so now that we are currently in Sep 1941 I will start with a resumé of the first year of our World War II.

After a few months without playing the game and many more without taking the Axis Powers we start this very interesting War. In this Series of Strategic Command with just a few of turns you can guess quite accurately the experience of your opponent. I soon found that Scott is a first class opponent, at the top of the WAW list without a doubt.



September 1-29 1939
From the beginning the Polish invasion was poorly planned and executed. The whole available German East invasion force was involved in the attack, and worse still I chose to create the para unit denying myself the opportunity to build the 3rd para unit for the rest of the game.
The Poles defended well and managed somehow to place the intact Poznan Army to defend Warsaw at the end of their turn.

An Italian BB and CL passed trough the Strait of Gibraltar to the Atlantic to assist the Kriegsmarine before the Allies closed it for many months.

[Taifun]

October 27 1939
Warsaw was captured at the end of this 3rd turn after a spirited Polish defense. My worst performance so far in this Series!
Germany began to relocate the main forces towards the West and the French border where one of our Infantry corps had managed to capture the French forest hex south of the Ardennes after passing through Luxembourg. The Allies reacted vigorously with a combined arms violent counterattack but our corps managed to hold the forest hex though taking serious losses!

[Taifun]

November 24 1939
China. The Chinese after taking some losses preferred to abandon the cities of Changsha and Hengyang rather than reinforcing or replacing the damaged units. This was the first time that the Chinese used this strategy and it was to be repeated time and again throughout the game, very often retreating towards the mountainous interior and limiting the destruction of units.

[Taifun]

February 1940
For months we defended our French forest hex in the Ardennes but could not advance any further as the fortified city of Metz hampered all movement. The British based in Chalons de Malta AA unit further protecting the area against any possible breakthrough. But in February our panzers managed to destroy the French infantry unit defending Strasbourg and a German corps occupied the important city. Immediately a British Infantry corps was operated to the Vosges to close the line. The next turn this British Infantry was destroyed and the Germans pushed trough the gap.

[Taifun]

April 12 1940
With the arrival of clearer skies our forces attacked Belgium and reached the main line of Allied resistance between Nancy and Amiens. The were numerous air combats as the Allies always defended ferociously their airspace at the front lines throughout the whole campaign.

[Taifun]

April 12 1940
China. The Japanese continued the assault of Kweilin where the first Chinese AA unit arrived to assist with the defense. Further North, attacking in a pincer movement, the Japanese assaulted the town of Ichang and threatened to isolate the Chinese forces entrenched opposite Wuhan.

[Taifun]

May-June 1940
The fighting for France was fierce. The Luftwaffe High Command launched a Fallschirmjäger para unit assault south of Chalons to try to destroy the British fighter unit based near Paris. The operation was partly successful as the enemy fighter was severely damaged (strength 2) but our para unit ended the turn isolated and out of supply. In the following turn the Allies counterattacked and destroyed easily the Fallschirmjägers. Is was a serious loss for the Werhmacht but the Allies never again appeared in force over the French skies and more importantly one of the counterattacking French units was the French Infantry Corps defending Lyon. Next turn Italy entered the War and easily overrun the recently arrived Indian garrison defending Lyon and following behind the Italian tanks entered Vichy, opening wide open the Allied South Front. Near Amiens a German Army was destroyed in a well executed counterattack, this unit being the last lost by the Germans in this campaign. One level 6 General is upgraded to the great von Manstein and leads all attacks.

[Taifun]

July 5 1940
The only British land unit remaining in the Continent retires to Le Havre and will be evacuated next turn. Our leading panzers envelop Paris from the South aiming Nantes and the coastal Atlantic ports. The Italians capture Marseille and Toulon in the South.

[Taifun]

August 2 1940
After a heavy aerial bombardment attack Paris falls in our hands. Vichy France is instated and the camping ends. Against German losses of 1 Fallschirmjäger and 1 Army the British expeditionary corps losses 2 Infantry Corps, 1 AA unit (Malta) and 1 garrison (Indian) plus severe damage to the BEF Army and 1 Fighter Wing. Several of our infantry units are quite severely damaged including 3 Armies. No new units were purchased by Germany for this campaign, and the only new unit build before the French armistice will be the Naval bombers.
Meanwhile in a couple of naval engagements the Royal Navy lost a BB and a CL but managed to sink 2 German CAs.
Total German losses so far are 3500 MPPs vs 2784 MPPs British.

[Taifun]

May-June 1940
China. The Japanese captured Kweilin and approached Nanning from the North led by a General 3 stars level 6.
The Center of the huge front is led by our best general (General 3 stars rated 7). After the successful pincer movement, the Japanese captured the town of Ichang and pushed unopposed in a quick advance until they reached the Capital Chungking surprising a Chinese fighter unit! It was a sweet moment for the Emperor as the Capital seemed to be within reach… Banzai!!

[Taifun]

July 5 1940
Nanning in the South is by now completely surrounded and will fall next turn. The Chinese after the initial surprise somehow managed to put together a defensive front near Chungking. Our supply situation is very bad in the forward area and many months will pass before we can resume any offensive aiming the Capital from this sector.
Until now the front near the NM city of Chengchow has been very quiet as the Japanese concentrated the main attack in the center and south. The first Japanese artillery unit arrived to Shanghai.

[Taifun]

September 1940
The Chinese are entrenched in prepared fortified positions outside the Kweichow area. Our artillery has arrived to the sector and is hammering the defenders from the South. The attack starts against the NM city of Chengchow which is quickly isolated from the rest of the country. Our Bomber wings are by now led by very experienced crews. The Chinese have built an artillery unit near the capital and have now AA level 1.

[Taifun]

December 20 1940
The NM city of Chengchow is by now in our hands and the fighting moves now west towards the mountains near Sian. The Communist have joined the fighting and one elite army is situated East of their Capital Yenan protecting the narrow valley leading to Sian from the North. The Chinese have purchased a second artillery unit that assist in this area.

In the center of the Front our best General (7) has moved forward to help with the supplies in this area but the Japanese are unable to advance. I now think that the General should have been sent to the Chengchow area as here he was of no use.

The first row of prepared fortified positions outside the Kweichow area was captured but they are great builders and a new second row just appeared behind. It is beautifully designed. A second Japanese artillery unit has reached this area of the front and is assisting the advance in the difficult terrain. The Chinese have now upgraded the first units to Infantry level 1 + AA1. We are fighting for the first time in equal terms.

[Taifun]

October 25 1940
Taking notice that Malta is still defended by a weak garrison, the Führer decides to launch an attack and eliminate that haemorroid. The only Fallschirmjäger unit left is operated to Sicily along with General von Manstein and most of the Luftwaffe. The next turn November 22 the island is captured and the paras enjoy the views from the Great Harbor of La Valletta. The Mediterranean area is very quiet since the beginning of the war. Also no action is to be reported from Africa at all.

[Taifun]

October-November 1940
Near the Strait of Gibraltar “Operation Bottleneck” was activated. Knowing that 2 British carriers were operating near Egypt/Abyssinia the Kriegsmarine working together with the Regia Marina took control the Strait for a small window of time. A strong combined Axis Task Force surprised the covering British Fleet defending the 2 Western hexes leading into the Mediterranean and sunk a British BB and a BC and severely damaged a DD taking few losses and no ships sunk. Several naval units (not declassified yet) crossed the Strait including 2 U-Boote to the Med and 2 Italian BBs to the Atlantic as can be seen in this snapshot.

[Taifun]

January 1941
The USA mobilization stands at 37% and the USSR at 33%. Spain is at 28%. The Soviets did attack the Finns in the Winter War but the Allies did not intervene. Denmark and the Low Countries are still neutral.

Very early in the game the Allies invested in Finland and got 3 lucky hits very fast bringing the country to the low 20s pro-Allied. As soon as we got the French MPPs after Vichy France was instated Germany invested all possible chits in Finland to try to bring this country back to our sphere of influence, Japan and Italy also contributing max. We got a hit fast and the Allies countered our move but we were very lucky and got 2 more hits that finally settle the issue in January and Finland remained at 7% Axis mobilized until Barbarossa. We will count with them for the Great Invasion!

[Taifun]

March-April 1941.
The USA mobilization stands unchanged at 37% and the USSR at 47%.
After several turns of bad weather the delayed Tunisian invasion is carried out by the Italians assisted by the Luftwaffe from Sicily under von Manstein. Our Fallschirmjägers were ready to intervene from Malta if the situation needed them. In Libya all was quiet but we heard rumors of an Allied offensive being prepared. 2 Italian Infantry corps defend Tripoli and Tobruk and no German troops were in Africa soil, all troops being needed elsewhere. A new Italian Naval bomber wing arrived to Sicilian airports at this time.

[Taifun]

April 11 1941
China. After a small pause due weather most of our Japanese Armies were by now upgraded to level 2 Infantry and again on the offensive.

In the North area a Japanese Army arrived next to Sian but the approaches were well defended and the fighting without artillery and air support was very difficult.

In the center of the Front nothing moves for a while. Further South Kweichow and the mine complex was now in our hands, our troops facing the second row of fortifications while a third just appeared behind, again beautifully designed by hard working engineers.
The Japanese air force grows. A second medium bomber wing is now ready for operations in China and a second tactical bomber wing just arrived in Korea.

[Taifun]

May 9 1941
Germany declared war to the USSR! The USA mobilization stands at 37% and the USSR at 55%. Taking advantage of good weather all along the front the invasion of the Giant took place 1 turn in advance of the Wehrmacht initial planing. It was a difficult decision to take as many of my units were not upgraded. Of the 7 panzerkorps ready at the front 2 were still level 1 and 1 was still not upgraded at all fighting in old Panzers I and Czech Pz Kpfw 38(t).
Some notes about the invasion preparations:

In my previous games I purchased all of the bombers for Barbarossa because the terrain in this game is horrendous for the invader (specially the roads leading towards Leningrad) and they could be used as flying artillery. But this time I could not afford a single new bomber wing. We will have to go around with the same Luftwaffe force that defeated France.

In this game I decided to keep the antitank chit invested as suggested by some players so I could not invest in longer range for my planes until much later.

I was a little late investing in Infantry Weapons and I got the 2nd level in time but not a single one of my infantry units could be upgraded for the initial attack. I did not want to delay the attack as no Soviets were detected near the border so we upgraded our infantry on the march later.

I did not buy any extra German HQ for Russia as I could work very well with the 5 available.

The Yugoslavia invasion force was in place for many turns but the revolt never took place. As a result 1 upgraded panzerkorps and 2 tactical bomber wings that were waiting in Rumania ready to attack Belgrade did not take part in the initial attack.

If I compare my present invasion force with the invasion force of my last game against Calcwerc (also AAR available in the forum) it is a much weaker force. The main actors in the initial 6 months of the last campaign were 7 panzerkorps vs 8 panzerkorps now, 3 Mechanized Panzer-grenadier corps vs no Panzer-grenadiers, 2 para units vs no para now (still in Malta) assisted by 6 tactical bomber wings vs 3 now and 3 medium bomber wings vs 2 now (+1 Italian). So I have only an extra panzerkorps to compensate for the missing 3 Mechanized Panzer-grenadiers, 5 bomber wings and 1 para: a considerable weaker invasion force.

[Taifun]

North of the Prypiat Marshes a strong combined Army Group North/Center included 5 Panzercorps and 1 reconnaissance supported by 1 tactical bomber wing and 2 medium bomber wings plus fighters.