My second solo AAR

[yvesp]

ORIGINAL: Centuur

I hope the French moved the troops in Germany. They can align Yugoslavia if they have done this next impulse, wrecking havoc on the Germans.

Conclusion: it's a bad idea for Germany to attack across the Maginot line, especially with the Yugoslavian issue to think about...

It did happen indeed. You'll see it soon!

I knew it was not a good idea. But I wanted to play a little less prudent than usual.
It backfired... If it had worked (assume the French roll goes on the German attack on Strasbourg, and the German roll goes on the French counter attack -if any-) : the road to Paris would be opened! The wonders of WiF!

[yvesp]

And Varshaw falls, at a price.

Germany has few able troops now, although what remains is fast and strong.
it remains to be seen how it can stop the French, and the cost of the whole operation.

This looks like a dismal start!

[yvesp]

And France can align Yougoslavia, bringing some more troops in the fray. Worse, these will open a new front, quite ill positionned for Germany at that moment!
The USA nderstand that the European situation is going to solve itself fast and begin to lose interest.

[yvesp]

France pushes its advantage and takes chances into capturing Stutgart, garrisoned by disorganized units.

Despite German air support from whatever was available, The French manage to take the city.
Their loss is minimal, and the whole southern Germany now lay open.

[yvesp]

The situation in Germany at the end of the impulse 6.

Finaly, the USSR has decided to advance into Poland. The situation is not exactly the one I had envisioned before starting the game. A bit more pressure on Germany will certainly be welcome for the allies...

[Courtenay]

Wow.

One comment about a part of the German disaster: The German AMPH and TRS should set up in Konigsburg. The Allies don't have any planes that can reach.

If I were the French, I don't think I would keep any units in Germany. What are the benefits? It just gives the Germans easy units to kill, and it increases the German production multiple.

[yvesp]

German losses skyrocket.
The turn production doesn't make up for them.
This doesn't even accounts for the bottomed transport, nor for the huge amount of oil that will be required to reorganize the army, lost, or will not be able to reach Germany.

[yvesp]

ORIGINAL: Courtenay

Wow.

One comment about a part of the German disaster: The German AMPH and TRS should set up in Konigsburg. The Allies don't have any planes that can reach.

If I were the French, I don't think I would keep any units in Germany. What are the benefits? It just gives the Germans easy units to kill, and it increases the German production multiple.

The Russians have to occupy eastern Poland now, or they will forever lose their chance to do so.

Yes I know that.

However, it also has implications when comes the time to move them, in that you have to take a naval rather than a combined. This can be quite ennoying. I know that at some point, germany can sometimes pull a naval, but still.

and the sunk result was far from being warranted: it requires a good surprise and a good roll (amph defense is 5.) So, there is a trade off involved there.

For the French, they will very likely consider withdrawing under the cover of winter (I've rolled the weather for the next turn: indeed it is winter.) However, they may also want to destroy factories and oil wells if at all possible. That will later slow down the German war machine. Especially oil plants. This little French joke has cost dearly to Germany already: the French have by themselves destroyed 10 production points and 4 oil points (A captured, 2 Romanian that could not reach Germany, 1 that was in ZOC.) But most importantly, these are troops that will take some time to be replaced, which means that the German war machine may miss fuel (i.e. enough units) when it comes to blowing France. In addition, Germany has been forced to produce militias this turn to be sure to have enough troops west this turn! So the first German production turn is an emergency production. All this is worth the increased production multiple. But luck will likely not last long! And if France fails to withdraw in order, all this will have served nothing!

About Poland, I know how it works. Last time I played an AAR, I missed the opportunity to occupy Poland. This was not that dramatic. And it prevented the likely loss of a US chit. As everything, there are many trade off involved in Wif. Which is best is hard to predict. Indeed, this time, the USSR advanced into Poland, and there was no US chit loss...

[Centuur]

To wreck the German economy by destroying as many factories as possible is far more important for the Allies now. The Germans are paralysed and if the weather stays good, you can destroy a lot of oil wells and factories in the region. Simply poor as many French troops into Germany as possible. See if you can get as many French/Yugoslavian units on top of factories and especially oil wells and destroy them. It doesn't matter if those troops will be killed next turn. If you can destroy the oil fields in Austria and the factories Austria, Czechoslovakia, Munich, Stuttgart, Neurenberg perhaps even Leipzig (if von Bock doesn't move to that hex) all together, the German war economy is toast and they are done for.

Don't withdraw any troops. Reinforce them in Germany. Stay in defense in the Maginot line and in Stuttgart and everything will be all right. Germany might still look strong, but the German army is in the wrong position.

The German forces aren't going to outflank your defenses for a long time if bad weather kicks in in winter. You have the initiative, use it! Don't give it away...

[yvesp]

Unfortunately, around Austria, many factories are red.
I was not given the choice to destroy them of course.
I am aware that the oil wells are a large problem for Germany.
On the other hand, these will be repaired at some time, and France must not jeopardize its security chasing around for one more factory/oil well.

The good mix is to destroy as many of these as possible before retreating behind the Maginot line for when the German will have brought back their troops from Poland.

Wrecking the first German production turn is itself a quite good achievement, but it will serve little if France falls for carelessness!

One possibility that could open up is to see France pass 1940 unfallen. This could be interesting.

Yves

[yvesp]

ORIGINAL: Centuur
Don't withdraw any troops. Reinforce them in Germany. Stay in defense in the Maginot line and in Stuttgart and everything will be all right. Germany might still look strong, but the German army is in the wrong position.

Clearly. That's why Germany had to buy militias. These are poor fighting forces, but more than enough to form a winter front line against French units.

The German forces aren't going to outflank your defenses for a long time if bad weather kicks in in winter.

In mud, this is right. In snow, Panzers can move fast... And the poor French or Yugoslavian units cannot last long against the better German troops.

You have the initiative, use it! Don't give it away...

Well, the strategic initiative anyway: Germany had to waste its +2 initiative that turn. It could not allow France a first turn that would establish deeper lines in Germany. Another interesting consequence.

Yves

[yvesp]

Having wrestled the initiative, Germany manages to bring enough troops south to control to flow of French and Yougoslavian troops. Which means that France will not have any serious reason to stay in Germany.

[yvesp]

In China, a lone Chinese army cannot be stopped.
The capture of Tsinan is thus inevitable.
To prevent that, Yamamoto heads back from the mountains to meet the two Japanese militia armies disembarking straight from Japan.

Indeed, if the corps moves, it will be disorganized and could be assaulted at 6 to 1 odds. Even counting winter and city, that should give the Chinese pause to think about.

[yvesp]

In South Germany, the Wehrmacht decides to attack the lone motorized French corps. The odds are good, it will be a blitz attack. The drawback comes from the winter weather. Still, now Germany can afford losing a militia...

The French engage their bomber at extended range : if it goes through, the added point will be worth gold!

Indeed, it is lucky enough.

[yvesp]

If it were not for the French bombers, the attack would have been perfect.
Germany loses one militia, and convert the shatter to a retreat : in this way, the French corps won't reform in France, but will stay on the wrong side of the Maginot line, an easy pick for a later impulse.

[yvesp]

Despite the snow, the British take the rare opportunity that the Luftwaffe is engaged south to continue its strategic bombing campaign.

The oil wells are missed, but Hamburg suffers heavily.

[Courtenay]

ORIGINAL: yvesp

In China, a lone Chinese army cannot be stopped.
The capture of Tsinan is thus inevitable.
To prevent that, Yamamoto heads back from the mountains to meet the two Japanese militia armies disembarking straight from Japan.

Indeed, if the corps moves, it will be disorganized and could be assaulted at 6 to 1 odds. Even counting winter and city, that should give the Chinese pause to think about.

If the Chinese army captures Tsinan, it will be flipped and out of supply, so the odds will be at least 8-1, just based on Yamamoto. (The ART can't help, as it wouldn't be in supply.) The MIL that I can see can't reach in one impulse; I don't know what's underneath that. Tsinan will not be a supply source for the Chinese until the start of the next turn, so the army will have a defense strength of one. If there is a unit under the MIL that can reach, the army will die immediately. Thus the point of taking Tsinan is to give a 20% chance of moving a US entry chit. The point to not taking it is that it will take the Japanese longer to kill the army, and making the Japanese take more time is always good.

Since it is only a 20% chance of chit, I don't think taking Tsinan is worth it.

A city can only be a supply source for a unit if it has not been controlled by the other side at any time in the turn.

[yvesp]

ORIGINAL: Courtenay
If the Chinese army captures Tsinan, it will be flipped and out of supply, so the odds will be at least 8-1, just based on Yamamoto. (The ART can't help, as it wouldn't be in supply.) The MIL that I can see can't reach in one impulse; I don't know what's underneath that. Tsinan will not be a supply source for the Chinese until the start of the next turn, so the army will have a defense strength of one. If there is a unit under the MIL that can reach, the army will die immediately. Thus the point of taking Tsinan is to give a 20% chance of moving a US entry chit. The point to not taking it is that it will take the Japanese longer to kill the army, and making the Japanese take more time is always good.

Yes, I realized that, so the Chinese units attempt to retreat the next impulse. If they succeed, Yamamoto will have lost precious time going back and forth.

A city can only be a supply source for a unit if it has not been controlled by the other side at any time in the turn.

Hum. I did not remember that one. But I knew that in any case the Chinese unit would not be in supply at least before its next impulse. Rules like that are not used that often, and its easy to forget them.

But the real question was rather: do the Chinese attempt an end of turn (?) move into Tsinan ? Indeed, it requires two impulse for any Japanese unit to move to tsinan. So the Chine unit could decide to wait one impulse and move on the next one, hoping for an likely end of turn.

I finally decided it was not worth it. Furthermore, the Japanese begin in the next impulse to use similar tactics and are gaining some precious ground. So this Chinese move was probably overall not that a good idea.

[yvesp]

On the third axis impulse, Italy decides to declare war on the Commonwealth alone.

Declaring war on France is not a good idea : the French fleet is a bit too powerful ; best to avoid it or at least let France take the political cost of its own war declaration. Furthermore, there is little help that can be given on land.

On the other hand, remaining neutral while Germany is taking a beating is not a good idea either. Wrecking the Commonwealth convoys as long as they are using the mediterranean is a good idea.

On an historical note,Italy would certainly not have declared war under such circumstances ; Mussolini was quite prudent. But WiF doesn't give much choice: Italy's fate and possible victory is stuck with that of Germany...

Fleets sortie in both sides of the mediterranean: while they fail in the east, they find and sink the merchant fleets west. There is a catch : will the impulse terminate the turn, or will the Commonwealth have a chance to retaliate (50%) with the fleet based in Gibraltar ?

[yvesp]

Submarines were not forgotten and had their time of glory.

Even though the ships in Cape St Vincent escaped, those in Cape Verde Bassin did not have this chance and suffered heavily.

Overall, that Italian war entry would have a severe impact on the Commonwealth production for several turns, between resources that would not reach the factoriesand rebuilding the lost convoys.