Svend/Jagular vs Maginot/Vlale: Axis Thread

[Svend Karlson]

Hello everyone. This shall be the Axis thread for a 4 player AAR starring:

Svend: As Germany
Jagular: As Japan
Maginot: As Allies
Vlale: As Soviets & China

We are using the latest patch, with Fog & Advanced Supplies.

If, for whatever reason I cannot imagine, you wish to read the depraved rantings of our most unreasonable adversaries, you can go here : tm.asp?m=865269

[Svend Karlson]

Germany, Spring 1940

By now my opening gambit is more or less set in stone:

1. Use infantry to take Netherlands
2. Send in bombers to soften up Western France
3. Use armour to take Western France
4. Attack Yugoslavia with bombers, fighter & battleships
5. Use surrounding militia to take Yugoslavia, incurring 2 losses
6. Take Denmark & station infantry, artillery & flak there
7. Fix up all resources/factories & prepare for thrust into Spain

Now the new patch has created some interesting options. Any readers of my previous AAR know that I went tank & heavy bomber heavy, which served me well (even if my early strategy didn't). However other options have been made more attractive by the changes to the world standards . . . .

[jagular]

OOC: Guys remember: everything is IC!

IC: Ohayou-gozaimasu

After we've seen our most honorable allies defeat the Evil Dutch, the foul French, the bring Danes and the ugly Yugoslavians the Glorious Japanese Airforce conducted a bombingraid in Foochow, annihilating 2 inferior Chinese militia. This was followed by a combined attack by units from several areas, including the Imperial Palace Guard. The endresult of this manouvre (as we can hardly call it a military action) was a crushing defeat for the Chinese remaining militia.
Now Foochow belongs to it's rightfull owner.
Hail the Emperor of all civilized people.

Sayounara

[vlale]

Spring time in Moscow and Chungking.


Komrad Stalin, has been busy on the diplomatic front. Beria was send off to kill the imperialistic dog Chiang Kai-Shak. Mao was send on "vacation" in Siberia and from now on, China and its communist party is under the control of the rightfull communist party. The Soviet one.

This was celebrated by a quick counter-offensive. Shanghai was retaken from the imperialistic japanease dogs. The 2 militia were kill off in exhange for a mere Inf. damaged.

Other news.

Conscripts of the glorius year 1940 was drafted and Red Army are soon to be
strong again after its betrayel of the late 30ies.

The rumors of Soviet scientists messing with nuclear bombs has been dismissed.

Last, but not the least. Sports. Dynamo Kiev 0 Dynamo Moscow 2.


Nastrovia.

[vlale]

Ops, guess ill get out of here and crawl over to the allied thread. Sorry my bad, didnt realize we do different threads.
Wont read this thread any more so no need to fear from more spies [:-]

Kind regards

Rasmus

[Svend Karlson]

Germany, Summer 1940

Well I'm quite stunned by the boldness of the Allies! They have taken all of North Africa + Sardinia. I'm impressed by the initiative, but I wonder whether the Allied planners know how to follow up & exploit this expensive innovation?

What this does present to me is the epitomy of the 'target rich environment'. The air-groups that I have go to work & reap a fairly rich harvest of transports at least, with a carrier air-group in the Western med being damaged by a tac bomber no less.

One dilemna I have is neither my subs nor my air-groups are particularly effective at sea. I had not intended to develop in this direction but this Allied move forces a reconsideration. I simply cannot have so much hostility in my own swimming pool.

My subs keep a low profile during the frantic activity, as they are still primative & easily damaged.

Spain falls of course, & I must thank providence, or Guderian, for providing me with a flawless victory once again. I don't think I've ever played a game before where at least one panzer did not get damaged in the France + Spain attacks. Of course next time we shall see how well they do amongst the rocks of Gibraltar [:)]

[jagular]

Ohayou-gozaimasu

Our devine plan to lure the Chinese into taking Shanghai and make themselves volnurable in that way has worked. The Gods are smiling upon us. Again the Emperial Guard conducted a succesful amphibiuous landing, supported by our finest Battleships and Carriers. The endresult was known in advance, but now our pilots and shipgunners have gained some valuable training, which they can use against the evil British and Americans.

The Emperor also wishes to gratulate the British for their courage. We thought only Japanese were capable of Kamikaze-actions, but apparently the British know it too. The only difference is that our Kamikazes enflict damage upon the enemy, while the British simply die.

Sayounara

[Svend Karlson]

Germany, Fall 1940

My greatest concern about the proliferation of Allied forces in the Med is of course the potential fall of the Italian mainland. For this reason both North & South Italy are now generously garrisoned with artillery, 5 infantry units each + sufficient air cover that air-superiority is guaranteed.

The season began with a bit of a dilemna for me - what to do about the armada the Royal Navy has position off the Italian coast?

For whatever reason, the 2 fighter units have been strategically moved onto 1 of the 2 transports present (you can barely see this in the picture below). This transport therefore MUST be hit - it is a wonderful opportunity to destroy the fighters before they make nuisance of themselves. The efforts of my entire Italian fleet plus air-force manage to damage/destroy 1 battleship, 2 cruisers & only 1 transport!! Luckily it is the right one [&o]

The transports to the east & west of his remaining fleet are taken out. An undefended Gibraltar is occupied & thus the large Allied forces in the Med must now obtain their supplies via Cairo either from the African transport network or from India. Well I can do something about the African link, that is what subs are for [;)]

I'm generally fairly content with how things are going, but my one real worry is that the forces tied down in Italy to prevent invasion are forces I was counting on for the Eastern Front.

[Maginot]

Ugh. Thats what you get for misclicking the Central Med instead of Malta!

[jagular]

Ohayou-gozaimasu

And again the Imperial Japanese army celebrates victory after victory. After liberating Paoti we took Liuchow as well. In the meantime more and more units become available that can be used on other fronts, units with extra capacities that will ensure total Japanese domination in the Pacific.
We wish our German friends good hunting in the Med.

Sayounara

OOC: Japan suffers from the usual lack of supplies. I have the factories, but not the resources. Knowing that it takes at least 3 turns to upgrade any unit I started with buying research. Obviously too much, because as I also have to buy enough supplies that left too little to buy extra units. Especially against an agressive China (who figured that). The loss of Shanghai also set me back.
So basically I'm now where I should have been 2 turns ago, be it that some of my units have upgraded.
Fortunately it's me that decides when the bulk of the WA can come into action.[:D]

[Svend Karlson]

Germany, Winter 1941

The least active season so far as the Heer is permitted to settle into Winter billets & enjoy hot cocoa recovered from a sunken merchantman.

I keep hammering away at the Allied fleet in the med. I get stronger there whereas he gets weaker, inevitably. Still I am mostly ineffective at sea & at the end of the season he has his carrier (the prize!) & 2 battleships left. I'm far less concerned now given that in the entire med region he appears to have only 4 supply points. Unless he can supply these forces afresh I will redeploy most of my Italian forces in the Spring & ignore his remaining troops.

My prerogative through this is to not suffer any delays to . . . . other plans [;)] I do confess that this early activity has curtailed my production/research more than I would have liked.

More subs of a new advanced design slink into service this season & I become more daring in my forays into the Atlantic. Even last season it took the extended movement of 3 light fleets just to damage 1 sub - I like that exchange. Now it shall become much harder for the Allies to counter the wolfpack threat.

[Svend Karlson]

Germany, Spring 1941

Two heavy bombers were left unprotected in Spain last season & were damaged in Allied raids. If I were a Nazi leader my nearest lackey would soon be flecked with spittle as I ranted incandescent about the perfidy of the RAF. If I were a Prussian leader of breeding I would express admiration for a foe who seizes opportunity well.

Regardless, it should never happen again. A 'west-wall' is created using flak units purchased specifically for that purpose. I prefer flak to fighters for air-defence since they are less easy to damage or destroy.

The Italian Navy is the toast of Germany as all traces of Allied naval forces in the med are cleared up. A single fighter also sorties against the fighter unit based in Malta. Both fighters are damaged but now I will not suffer interdiction/op-fire points as I move around.

German wolfpacks compete for a share of the glory by damaging an aircraft carrier loitering in the north sea after it's air-cover was disabled.

Although I did not plan to move on it, Cairo is looking like a gift right now. The units in the med are paralysed, Cairo is garrissoned by 1 militia & there are barely enough chocolate bars & K-rations to go around.

[jagular]

Ohayou-gozaimasu

Again a glorious Japanese victory. Another nameless Chinese province has been liberated by our glorious army.
Now that the Chinese are only capable of defensive actions it becomes time for the Japanese generals and admirals to see where they can liberate more provinces. Will it be Russia or the Pacific?
The generals all have voted for Russia, but the admirals want to see the superior Japanese shipdesigns in action and are opting for the Pacific. Their main worry is that if Japan waits too long, Germany will destroy all the WA-fleets and there will be none left to be sunk by us.

Sayounara

[Svend Karlson]

Germany, Summer 1941

There can barely be any concealment of the new forces that were deployed in the Spring & have moved to the Eastern Front. The forces now staring across the border from German territory now include 14 armour units & 9 tac bombers. They shall not sit idle.

My 2 subs in the S.Atlantic were either damaged or destroyed, after being hunted by 2 light fleets each. This is unpleasant. However the Allied fleets overall are not overwhelming & I do believe they shall struggle to keep open a supply line to Russia. My war with the Allies shall now comprise of two facets; 1 is to mimimise the damage they cause through air-raids in the west & 2 is to cut their supply routes to Russia. I do not consider this to be a diversion from our enemy in the east but rather a way of cutting off his life-support from the source.

Cairo was rather heavily reinforced last turn, so I land an infantry unit further North in the Middle East. This will force him to either bring more units from other areas (Britain or India) or spread out those guarding Cairo. I consider this worth 1 supply & the use of a single infantry.

[Svend Karlson]

Barbarossa, Fall 1941

The German liberation of the oppressed peoples of the Soviet Union begins. I use my first surprise attack against Kiev, which falls to the 8 armour units + infantry support I send in. I fully repair everything in Kiev, including the rail line. Kiev is a wonderful staging area into Kharkov & Belorussia & the industry is plentiful too.

Next I use tac bombers & then a single infantry to clear the Baltic states in order to allow my panzers to surge into Leningrad. Additional units had appeared in Leningrad since last turn & it takes my 6 panzers + amphibious support + naval fire from a heavy & a light fleet to take the city . . . just. I was counting on capturing Leningrad so losing that one would have been a major blow.

I discover that the Allies had finally established a Northern lend-lease line to Archangel & delivered approx 30 supplies there. Good for them. This prompts me to send the Finnish infantry into Karelia begging for light losses. Afterwards I send in a sub to sink the transport in that sea square & then dock in my new port.

Good so far, one thing left to do. My Fallschirmjager have been still for too long. I use tac bombers to scatter the defenders from Grozny before making an airdrop there. I then use Rumania's transport to evacuate the transport. The transport will be destroyed, but the Russkis will have to keep all the Black Sea provinces garrisoned from now on unless they want a repeat performance.

At the close of play, I am confident that the only successful counter-attacks possible are into Eastern Poland, Baltic states & East Prussia.

[Maginot]

Gah! The life of an allied merchant fleet sailor is one of peril.

[Svend Karlson]

ORIGINAL: Maginot

Gah! The life of an allied merchant fleet sailor is one of peril.

More so in the South Atlantic than the frozen north . . . but that didn't make it into the AAR [8|]

[Maginot]

You just wait till the turn gets back to me. I finally have a way to put an end to your U-Boat-ness!

[Svend Karlson]

Germany, Winter 1942

1 more year before the US enters the war . . .

Not much action. Under normal circumstances I'm not a big fan of attacking cold provinces in winter, but the Russkis have also focused their research on increasing the attack of infantry, artillery & flak. This makes them particularly suited to defence.

Watching the Russion replay was like watching one of those games with a ball & three cups where you have to keep track of the ball. The outcome was that all the factories within reach of the front have moved to the interior. I need to use the lull in production this will cause to strike further.

I did take Belorussia, but as it has no factory left I immediately pulled out again back to Kiev. I have left Baltic states, Western Poland & Belorussia undefended. I will not defend something that has no identifiable benefit to me.

[Svend Karlson]

Germany, Spring 1942

First of all to mention the Western Front action. The Allies had inconsiderately parked 2 fighters & a carrier-air right off the southern coast of Spain. It was almost as if they did not want my subs to sally forth unmolested! Firstly I sent in the 2 fighters I had in Gibralter & Spain to take out the fighters. Next I used my heavy fleet to win the ocean province & force the carrier air to retreat. Then my u-boats streamed happily into the Atlantic once again.

My 6 active subs all bagged a target this turn, one even managing to destroy a light fleet by itself (attack has been raised to 4). I need more than 6 to be anything other than a nuisance however. More are on the way, I only hope in time.

Eastern Front. Well I gritted my teeth & sent fighters into Kalinin from Leningrad to take out Russian planes (they had flak too). The Russian tac bomber was destroyed & the Russian fighter damaged. Both my fighters were damaged. Acceptable (thats one way to transfer them back to Germany). My panzers then waltzed into Kalinin & nothing there could damage them or withstand their attack. I'm now in range of factories & resources once again. I'd actually welcome the Allies to land behind me at this point as I know I could use my subs to cut off their retreat & destroy their units.

Seemingly Stavka learns slowly. Grozny was taken once again by Fallschirmjager. Other tac bombers amused themselves by clearing the militia from the front areas. With 14 panzers now operational & several more in production I'm now ready for a new assault.