Morris vs BattleVonWar

[BattlevonWar]

This time I am Allies and we have not met in the field of combat since nearly 6 weeks, since then I have gotten smacked a lot and won my first few games. Quite easily, thanks to the great players in the community here that have taken the time to hand me my rear and show me their abilities and maneuvers. I will try to help some basic players too as I go as I am playing one now and often people do not know the basics and quit early...best to fight on and learn the tactics you can carry to your next game and watch the tactics of your opponent and emulate them. Morris is extremely aggressive, and this should be a very dangerous game for me. Cannot lose easily, must at least attempt to give him a Draw! At this point!

1939:
Poland a wash, 1 step point left on Warsaw Corps, that's about as good a Poland as you will get aside taking it in 1 turn which can be done.

(If you hotseat Poland several times you can perfect this and get all your tanks safe away from Polish Kamikaze Corps... IMHO, there is no Safe Blitz and no avoiding finishing Poland, any deviation from it will cost you the game 40% of the time, aside a Blitz and I have BetaTested it 20 times and it's no fun to lose and hard to gain upon if you lose a lot and get bad weather, so even if you get the 60% success you can still easily lose the advantage. i.e. in my game vs Morris above, 2 turns of clear, 1 mud, 1 clear and then Winter! Whoa and he's gotten Holland and Belgium smack 1940 comes with Lille down and Axis poised for the assualt on France)


France in Defense and France on Offense(with Dyle) Dyle is tricky and I did it vs SuperMax and will not comment on that strategy(!) other than(!) it can backfire against Elite opponents and even devoted opponents if they don't panic... Never Panic in the face of Dyle! Always be prepared for the unexpected. i.e. not garrisoning a blind city on England!

Germans crush Poland under 20 steps lost


French retreat behind rivers to protect their weak units after fall of Belgium

[BattlevonWar]

March 1940:

Rushing to get prepared is tough, always plan for the worst when on a desperate defense : ) just faced a guy where I forwardly deployed my troops during first Winter in Barby and got toasted ... almost ... this was just a beautiful use of weather/tanks/airpower to have a very low level of loss for the Axis(UK lost very little too)

Moving on

[BattlevonWar]

One of the best France attacks I have seen, I feel more AI like today : ) U-boats kick a UK transport and raid our Convoys! We prepare for the future...

[BattlevonWar]

1940-1941 leading to Barbarossa vs Morris:

The basics here are quite simple, Morris has built a fleet and I have hidden from it as we all know there is no way for the Allies to compete at Sea if the Axis have an easy campaign in France and you risk throwing The UK if you get too offensive too early with the RN. As well as leaving yourself weak for upcoming D-Days...

Since Morris' losses are particularly low, he has a very strong Barbarossa. I have actually done a little better than this against Mechs but he has wiped out the entire Southern Garrisons(which we all know sap your Axis Minor Manpower and become such a nuisance as they regain their morale since most of your forces are forwardly deploying attempting to hunt down Red Units and Kill them plus gain ground)

Screenies just for a General idea of Offensive directions as lines form and Major battles occur I will zoom






The lendlease Destroyers from the USA are knocked back into Port in Canada and UK Submarine Forces strike out at the Kriegsmarine but other than that, the only thing to point out is The Iraq Revolt...No other vast offensive actions but I believe this Barbarossa will run deep and quick! Morris is extremely aggressive and I would be interested to see if he reaches one of those elusive goals vs a fairly seasoned Russian Player like myself! At least without losses

[BattlevonWar]

1941 Barbarossa Progression:

Morris is not making many errors so far. Very low losses and is getting a lot of Mother Russia in the very end stage of Summer of 1941. We're sitting halfway mark where the Germans dig in and upgrade or attempt to push the potential Weather in September. Most German Units are tired but low losses due to good use of Tactical Air Power and closing in on Moscow. Leningrad has fallen and with it the first serious loss, their Battleship in the Baltic. In the South Rostov is shadowed and the Crimea is taken. Stalingrad seems something the Germans are not interested in yet... It's really impossible for any Russian to counterattack at this point and to do it is suicide, although I am rarely this threatened on all Fronts, this guy moves a lot faster than normal. Most German Units are not upgraded they relied on the weak Barbarossa Moral to take the hostess cupcake for free... Finland is now able to operate their units out(which do not get the ill weather effects) and The USSR is in Dire need of Reinforcements. With some desire the Germans may possibly take Moscow...They have the forces and just enough time! (will add screenies of the situation around Moscow tomorrow)



Earlier in the Campaign

[BattlevonWar]

Summer/Fall 1941 Progression of Barbarossa...Rostov Falls, Axis Center Retreats back to more defensible lines than Moscow, in the North Karelia holds but is threatened as Axis push here and hold...

[BattlevonWar]

South Front before Winter sets in... Axis dig in behind the Rivers, Donets is firmly in Axis Hands.



November 1941: The first snow flakes just fell, the USA has joined the War and Libya is about to be taken by the British. The Battle of the Atlantic is still on and The Soviets move in for their Winter Offensive....

[BattlevonWar]

Harsh Winter to the Eve of 1942:

I am a little frustrated on both the Eastern and Western fronts. To boot, the Southern Front is no better... The Axis have more or less asserted control of the Atlantic from me. Although this is temporary this does nothing for my morale. I lost a few minor ships and had a few more damaged, in return he just took some heavy damage and pretty much we come out even as maybe I will get a convoy through for the first time in since 1940 intact. All Allied ship turn in Port and await upgrades, repairs and timing..the attempt to joint forces Western and Eastern Atlantic to create a Mass of unstoppable Naval Might is tattered.

This just means that in 1942 there will be a very unlikely D-Day or Relief Front in Sicily/Italy...and now Morris knows this and he can focus on an Eastern Offensive if he wishes. I have killed maybe 2 units and damaged some others with my Russians, no instant Guard Units from this action though and that's maybe even more frustrating the worst Winter in ages I cannot kill more Axis Units. Libya is down to just 1 Axis Port, Tripoli and the Russians hard still pushed beyond Rostov all the way up beyond Leningrad... Kharkov-Kursk are the major contested center points with Moscow still in range of the Axis. It is a prize and may be a 1942 Morris Goal. We shall have to leave massive forces here regardless, just in case.

[BattlevonWar]

Current Casualties ...



U-boat Menace strikes US Ships


Massive German Navy in the Atlantic and battle


Eastern Med Battle

[BattlevonWar]

Frozen North Sector of the Russian Front(which has not changed much) aside a few Dogfights over the Forests/Rivers and Steppes of Russia. Apparently Organization tech is utterly vital for the Russians/Germans.

Much of the Axis Forces I cannot see and our outside of Air Recon, especially due to weather so I have no clue what the Axis could be doing...

[BattlevonWar]

Okay Morris is now lined up right on Moscow, April to May Weather is clearing for an offensive for him, 1942:

I count in the lower 30 German Army Corps, probably low Armor due to the fact so much investment in Subs/Surface Ships to keep the Americans and British out of France. He may have 4-5 Tanks and between 8-12 Mechanized. 5-7 Fighters, 5-7 Tacs Aprox. This is all staple German Units not the their weaker counterparts.

Meanwhile against him:

The Russians are very Army Corp heavy as well at least equal to the Germans(which is NOT GOOD), some tacs/tanks/some fighters as well. The Tech is all about the same but as usual Organization tech doesn't come easy for the Russians till '42.

In the West, there is a growing number of ASW Ships and Subs but altogether the Axis Navy probably is on par with the Allied Navy. I'd assume a dozen U-boats, no more. Perhaps 7-10 Destroyers...and the staple Battleships...all with Naval TECH, to match the Allies so far.

Without a shipbuilding campaign things may be hairy and Allied Approaches to Europe/Africa/Italy are blocked. There is also a huge convoy issue, none are getting through and this is showing where if the Axis can afford it, they can blockade the Atlantic.

Operation Typhoon I believe is full blossom, but this is Morris and it could be a feint. It is hard to say, would he go for Oil, or would he feint Moscow and do that. Or would he feint Caucasus and go for Moscow?

Screenies coming!!! This is a beautiful battle

[Peter Stauffenberg]

Are you playing with GS v3.10 (XP boosts unit stats)?

[BattlevonWar]

Are you playing with GS v3.10 (XP boosts unit stats)?

No, old fashioned 3.0, I think if I had put all the BEF in France I may have delayed Morris to May on France, that's a possibility but he stormed right on through Poland/Low/Countries and France with 63 steps lost in total. Probably one of the best early Axis campaigns I have seen to date by anyone.

P.S. I have heard EXP in 3.1 is vastly changed. Especially since the Axis get constrained for Manpower later.

[BattlevonWar]

The Clear Season Campaign Season 1942:

The Axis have launched massive Attacks! Should have retreated a lot further back than I had during Severe and Regular Winter..though even after running as far as I could after an initial shock attack, it was not far enough! Morris just keeps coming after me!

Moscow captured!

[BattlevonWar]

Battle of the Atlantic:

In a Side Theater, a German Destroyer is killed, another damaged...some pinging back and forth but our Navy is still not strong enough to go after the High Tech Power of the Kriegsmarine!

Battle off Ireland for the British Convoy System


Bad needed Supplies not reaching Russia

[BattlevonWar]

Although I thought that Moscow would be taken, I did not expect an overall front collapse considering I used my Rivers but there has been intense air battles where the German Fighters and their Axis Minors have won hands down. Some losses but with such achievement, crushing our Center completely. Currently there is a pocket here which is another couple turns off where Morris has trapped 5-7 units and is about to crush them. I retreated again as far back as I could but his tanks and relentless attacks have kept pace with my retreat. Altogether the Russians are absorbing a majority of the Casualties.


This shows you can never retreat far enough as the Russians, an old story I had forgotten, unless the Axis really don't have the power to push. This is the furthest any player has taken me ever in any game so far.



(July Losses in Total as of last turn not yet reflecting what is seen)

[BattlevonWar]

The tactical bombers(5-6 at least in the middle or more with Minors) of The Axis crushed the Army Corps will to fight in the initial little tiny screenies you saw, allowing this encirclement despite running as far as we can and despite having almost on par numbers with the Germans. The German units I suspect are doing very well in Blitzkrieg and Org techs to breech our lines along with everything else.

An Italian Fighter even finished off a Russian Tank Guard outside of Stalingrad that had amazingly dealt the Germans their not so finest hour : ( That never happens for me with that mothball unit!

[Morris]

An Italian Fighter even finished off a Russian Tank Guard outside of Stalingrad that had amazingly dealt the Germans their not so finest hour : ( That never happens for me with that mothball unit!

It was not the Italian fighter's achivement , it made by a nine step lvl 10 Luftwaffe STR . Italian FTR only cost fuel .

[BattlevonWar]

Be nice to have a playback feature for that : ) but that Strato did the job!

Right now it's coming up on October, Stalingrad has fallen. There is little or no Russian Army left, 50% of it has been wiped out on the way to The Urals. Apparently despite the great timeline(quick quick France partly due to my blunder in defense and poor weather) of which Morris has fallen upon earlier, I have blundered again and again. I just hope that I can find a way around this. We shall see how Severe Winter holds if The Allies can press on without the Russians as I am almost certain they cannot be entirely defeated but mostly wiped off the map as there less than 10 hexes to the edge of the map to cut me in half! How do UK/USA Fair without their Ally?

[BattlevonWar]

Beginning of September 1942. The 2nd Baku captured!




What I needed? 10 more Army Corps, about 10 hexes further retreat... I have never seen a Russian situation remotely close to this personally and I should not have underestimated my opponent by reading year old AARs, he has played flawlessly. I cannot see many errors, if any errors. Nothing so far...