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I have always thought that the best strategy that Germany could of had in the real war was to postpone war with the Russians and focus efforts in Africa, push up through the middle east and take caucus (as a joint attack on the eastern front starts). I have done this quite a few times and it does have a great effect as far as slowing down the Russians ability to produce. If I have infantry to spare than I send them against India to take pressure of the Japs.

I was wondering what the rest of you thought of this strategy.

Hi Zooey

In the real war the problem with your strategy would be logistics as the Axis had great difficulty in supporting their forces in North Africa. This was not so much due to the oft claimed impact of the British in Malta but was more a question of inadequate port capacity in North Africa to unload the supplies being sent and then truck them up to the Egyptian frontline. Fortunately or otherwise GGWAW makes no attempt to model such difficult issues as port capacity so you are free to implement your idea.

I can however tell you that the one strategic threat that really worried Churchill was a link up between the Japanese and Germans via the Indian Ocean. This could have destroyed the Allied supply link to the Mid-East up the East African coast and made your strategy more possible. Fortunately the Japanese decided to attack Midway rather than developing their Indian Ocean raid into a real strategic thrust.

regards

Mike

You are right about the supplies, but you are not looking at the scope of the war. In N Africa Rommel usualy had less than 200 tanks (and 200 was on a REALLY good day). On the Eastern front 200 tanks could get eaten up in a weeks fighting. Only when N. Africa was lost did Hitler commit a large amount of troops (that were eventualy captured in Tuninsia).

The supply problem would not have been as large a problem had a serious commitment been made to Africa. If Rommel had won El Alamein He would have pushed into Cairo and leaped frogged going from port to port to the Middle East. The supply situation was resovling itself at that time because of the capture of Torbruk. From Torbruk, Cario, from Cario, Jeruselem, from Jeruselum, Caucus and a link up with German troops fighting on the Eastern front. Pushing into India would have caused a supply nightmare, but as long as they stuck relatively close to the Med. sea they could have kept supplied.

However, the presence of the Germans west of India probably would have diverted a lot of English troops in India to deter a German attack. This may have caused the collapse of India by the Japs.