I'm a little bit in a hurry, so I will only post the interesting screenshots:
Blood, toil, tears and sweat - The war is over!
Moderators: rkr1958, Happycat, Slitherine Core
Good job so far! I'm glad to see you weren't reluctant to do an early counterattack and keep up the pressure on the Axis. I think this will give you the best chance going forward. I still think '42 could turn tough for you in the East when the Luftwaffe is again strong and not suffering from weather penalty (and the Germans have deployed more ground units that were lacking in '41). But best to have kept all that territory (and all those PP's on the map) and to have done some damage to the Axis while you can! Another good thing for you, I think, for you is all the PP's the Axis has spent defending Libya. Normally, this wouldn't be such a big commitmen. But Plaid really needs some more panzers and motorized units for the Eastern Front if he wants to gain the ground I think he needs to gain in '42.
Now I have some time for comments.
The Battle for Tobruk seems to come to an end. Plaid withdrew the German commander defending the Fortress, which is a sign that he is abandoning it. The first US Army Units will also arrive soon. I don't think I will need them for the Battle of Tobruk and they instead attack Tripoli. I will then have secured Libya faster. The next step will be Sicily.
I will not do a classic Torch, because I do not want Plaid to get the Vichy PP. Later in the War (1943), I will perhaps DOW Vichy for the Free French. But this depends on the situation in Italy. I don't think that Plaid can produce a good defense in Italy. I destroyed several Italian units in the Battle for Tobruk and on the Eastern Front. Furthermore, he produced a FTR, which means he could not built many other units, especially as the Italian SUB and FTRs needed much repair in the Battle for Tobruk.
On the Eastern Front I do not think that I will make a major breakthrough in the southern sector before weather turns to fair, but I will do my best to keep the pressure up. I'm already bulding up the Soviet Airforces and produced a FTR and TAC (I already produces a FTR a few turns ago). The difference between the northern and southern sector are astonishing. If I would attack in the northern sector the combat results are 3:6 or even 2:6. In southern sector I have results like 5:4, 4:4, 3:1 or 2:1 and with air support they get even better.
I really wonder if Plaid has the capability to launch a new offensive in 1942 in Russia? At this moment I expect him to attack in the northern sector, where mostly German Units in good shape are placed. However, he also needs to bolster the southern sector. Otherwise I will make a breakthrough. Plaid also indicated that manpower becomes a problem for Germany. Furthermore, I think his Oil must be really low. It will be interesting what he will do in 1942.
At this moment I don't think I will go for Finnland. It would take me several Corps to attack there efficiently and at this moment Plaid does not attack with these Units. They are effectively blocked in Finnland. By the way, the first Finnish partisan unit appeared.
The Battle for Tobruk seems to come to an end. Plaid withdrew the German commander defending the Fortress, which is a sign that he is abandoning it. The first US Army Units will also arrive soon. I don't think I will need them for the Battle of Tobruk and they instead attack Tripoli. I will then have secured Libya faster. The next step will be Sicily.
I will not do a classic Torch, because I do not want Plaid to get the Vichy PP. Later in the War (1943), I will perhaps DOW Vichy for the Free French. But this depends on the situation in Italy. I don't think that Plaid can produce a good defense in Italy. I destroyed several Italian units in the Battle for Tobruk and on the Eastern Front. Furthermore, he produced a FTR, which means he could not built many other units, especially as the Italian SUB and FTRs needed much repair in the Battle for Tobruk.
On the Eastern Front I do not think that I will make a major breakthrough in the southern sector before weather turns to fair, but I will do my best to keep the pressure up. I'm already bulding up the Soviet Airforces and produced a FTR and TAC (I already produces a FTR a few turns ago). The difference between the northern and southern sector are astonishing. If I would attack in the northern sector the combat results are 3:6 or even 2:6. In southern sector I have results like 5:4, 4:4, 3:1 or 2:1 and with air support they get even better.
I really wonder if Plaid has the capability to launch a new offensive in 1942 in Russia? At this moment I expect him to attack in the northern sector, where mostly German Units in good shape are placed. However, he also needs to bolster the southern sector. Otherwise I will make a breakthrough. Plaid also indicated that manpower becomes a problem for Germany. Furthermore, I think his Oil must be really low. It will be interesting what he will do in 1942.
At this moment I don't think I will go for Finnland. It would take me several Corps to attack there efficiently and at this moment Plaid does not attack with these Units. They are effectively blocked in Finnland. By the way, the first Finnish partisan unit appeared.
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schwerpunkt
- Sergeant First Class - Panzer IIIL
- Posts: 367
- Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2009 12:26 am
- Location: Western Australia
Sounds to me like a winter offensive in the south, accompanied by a bombing campaign of Ploesti is the way to go.....zechi wrote:Now I have some time for comments.
On the Eastern Front I do not think that I will make a major breakthrough in the southern sector before weather turns to fair, but I will do my best to keep the pressure up. I'm already bulding up the Soviet Airforces and produced a FTR and TAC (I already produces a FTR a few turns ago). The difference between the northern and southern sector are astonishing. If I would attack in the northern sector the combat results are 3:6 or even 2:6. In southern sector I have results like 5:4, 4:4, 3:1 or 2:1 and with air support they get even better.
I really wonder if Plaid has the capability to launch a new offensive in 1942 in Russia? At this moment I expect him to attack in the northern sector, where mostly German Units in good shape are placed. However, he also needs to bolster the southern sector. Otherwise I will make a breakthrough. Plaid also indicated that manpower becomes a problem for Germany. Furthermore, I think his Oil must be really low. It will be interesting what he will do in 1942.
At this moment I don't think I will go for Finnland. It would take me several Corps to attack there efficiently and at this moment Plaid does not attack with these Units. They are effectively blocked in Finnland. By the way, the first Finnish partisan unit appeared.
Also might be worth taking a look at Greece. It's close enough to Ploesti to allow Allied bombers in on that action, and Sealion must have drained Plaid's oil stocks considerably.trulster wrote:Re Finland they provide a decent income per turn for Axis and will also spawn a unit/year. Also, pretty easy to take and it seems you have plenty of corps. GL
I think you have a very strong position in the east, and I actually called this game for you as soon as Barbarossa started. But I am a little concerned about your lack of urgency in planning for the liberation of England. England should have been your number 1 priority the moment the USA entered the war, but instead you sent a fairly sizeable American force to Africa. And as you pointed out earlier, the British seem perfectly capable of at least clearing out Africa without American help. When Joerock sealioned me (with a much quicker and deadlier sealion than Plaid's), I launched a counterinvasion in the Spring of 1942 and was able to mount a decent Overlord invasion as early as the summer of 1943. It just takes planning, and you can't get sidetracked by secondary theaters like the Med. Not only will you get all those PP's back, but you can also start bombing German synthetic oil production. That, coupled with the fact that Plaid isn't likely to push you out of bombing range of Ploesti any time soon, would be deadly to the Germans. I think you'll be surprised at how easily England can be taken back, especially with the Germans' situation on the eastern front so dire. But you need to get the ball rolling now.
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schwerpunkt
- Sergeant First Class - Panzer IIIL
- Posts: 367
- Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2009 12:26 am
- Location: Western Australia
I wouldnt be so concerned with retaking britain quickly. The russians should be able to win this game as long as the allies can keep some sort of pressure on Germany. The Med is the best theatre to do this as there is no weather to force a lull in fighting. A successful invasion of Sicily will draw away plenty of Italian troops at least, potentially resulting in Britain being stripped of troops. The game is won by taking Berlin, Hamburg and Rome. London and Paris are automatically captured if this happens..... It is nice however to build british units in Britain rather than to have to ship them across the Atlantic....ftgcritt2 wrote:I think you have a very strong position in the east, and I actually called this game for you as soon as Barbarossa started. But I am a little concerned about your lack of urgency in planning for the liberation of England. England should have been your number 1 priority the moment the USA entered the war, but instead you sent a fairly sizeable American force to Africa. And as you pointed out earlier, the British seem perfectly capable of at least clearing out Africa without American help. When Joerock sealioned me (with a much quicker and deadlier sealion than Plaid's), I launched a counterinvasion in the Spring of 1942 and was able to mount a decent Overlord invasion as early as the summer of 1943. It just takes planning, and you can't get sidetracked by secondary theaters like the Med. Not only will you get all those PP's back, but you can also start bombing German synthetic oil production. That, coupled with the fact that Plaid isn't likely to push you out of bombing range of Ploesti any time soon, would be deadly to the Germans. I think you'll be surprised at how easily England can be taken back, especially with the Germans' situation on the eastern front so dire. But you need to get the ball rolling now.
I think you overestimate the US forces at their entry of war. The US starts with a rather small army, if I remember correctly they only have 2 INF, 1 MECH and 1 ARM. This would not be sufficient to invade Britain, especially because they are of lesser quality than the German units. Of course I could have produced more ground forces with the US, but then my the US navy would be less powerful. Because I lost most of the RN, I need first a strong US navy which can deal with Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe, otherwise any invasion effort will be doomed. Furthermore, it is not without cost to ship a significant invasion force over the Atlantic. The US begins only with 3 transport slots if I remember correctly. I would need at least 6-8 Corps to succesfully invade Britain, especially since the invasion force would not have any air cover at all.ftgcritt2 wrote:I think you have a very strong position in the east, and I actually called this game for you as soon as Barbarossa started. But I am a little concerned about your lack of urgency in planning for the liberation of England. England should have been your number 1 priority the moment the USA entered the war, but instead you sent a fairly sizeable American force to Africa. And as you pointed out earlier, the British seem perfectly capable of at least clearing out Africa without American help. When Joerock sealioned me (with a much quicker and deadlier sealion than Plaid's), I launched a counterinvasion in the Spring of 1942 and was able to mount a decent Overlord invasion as early as the summer of 1943. It just takes planning, and you can't get sidetracked by secondary theaters like the Med. Not only will you get all those PP's back, but you can also start bombing German synthetic oil production. That, coupled with the fact that Plaid isn't likely to push you out of bombing range of Ploesti any time soon, would be deadly to the Germans. I think you'll be surprised at how easily England can be taken back, especially with the Germans' situation on the eastern front so dire. But you need to get the ball rolling now.
To attack in the MED with the US forces has several advantages. The Kriegsmarine cannot be deployed to the MED and the Regia Marina took heavy losses. With the help of the US navy naval superiority is secured. I can attack with a relative strong ground force consisting of US and British forces and most likely I will have to fight against Italians. Last but not least, I will have the chance to take out Italy out of the War in 1942 or 1943, which would be a significant blow the Axis War effort. In Britian I can only gain PPs and perhaps the chance to go for D-Day, but as Neil already pointed out, the War is won through getting Berlin, Hamburg and Rome, not London or Paris.
In 1943 I will perhaps able to engage the Kriegsmarine around Britain and 1944 an invasion of France/Britain could be possible.
Plaid is back and our game resumes:
Turn 46 - Tobruk falls, Southern offensive continues
On the Northern Front I have upgraded most of the INF and MECH. I retreat the frontline units to upgrade them also.
On the Southern Front the Red Army is still on the offensive, I destroy a German INF with a leader (Reichenau). Italian INF with leader is heavily damaged.
Tobruk is secured by British INF after German INF left via transport. British Army advances and destroy fleeing Italians.
Near Tripoli the US Army arrives and will soon land to push the Axis from North Africa:
Fat convoy will arrive next turn. My DDs are upgraded and soon US TAC and INF will be transported to the MED.
I save most US PP to buy Patton next turn. My plan after securing Lybia is to upgrade all US und UK Units and attack Italy as soon as Axis Army resumes offensive in the spring in Russia. The attack on Italy should divert some Axis Units from the Eastern Front.
Turn 46 - Tobruk falls, Southern offensive continues
On the Northern Front I have upgraded most of the INF and MECH. I retreat the frontline units to upgrade them also.
On the Southern Front the Red Army is still on the offensive, I destroy a German INF with a leader (Reichenau). Italian INF with leader is heavily damaged.
Tobruk is secured by British INF after German INF left via transport. British Army advances and destroy fleeing Italians.
Near Tripoli the US Army arrives and will soon land to push the Axis from North Africa:
Fat convoy will arrive next turn. My DDs are upgraded and soon US TAC and INF will be transported to the MED.
I save most US PP to buy Patton next turn. My plan after securing Lybia is to upgrade all US und UK Units and attack Italy as soon as Axis Army resumes offensive in the spring in Russia. The attack on Italy should divert some Axis Units from the Eastern Front.
Last edited by zechi on Sat Sep 25, 2010 5:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Turn 47 - Soviet offensive loses momentum, US Army lands near Tripoli
On the southern front Axis counterattack destroys damaged six step Soviet ARM. My offensive loses momentum and I'm not able to destroy any German unit, but at least damage a German INF heavily (down to 2 steps).
In Lybia the US ARM lands and British Army attack Benghazi:
RAF, British and US CV and US Airforce are upgraded. My Manpower for the UK is good again, but I will save my PP until it is really good, to avoid quality loss:
I also move US TAC and INF to the Med:
I did not buy Patton as intended, but bought a new Lab for the US.
On the southern front Axis counterattack destroys damaged six step Soviet ARM. My offensive loses momentum and I'm not able to destroy any German unit, but at least damage a German INF heavily (down to 2 steps).
In Lybia the US ARM lands and British Army attack Benghazi:
RAF, British and US CV and US Airforce are upgraded. My Manpower for the UK is good again, but I will save my PP until it is really good, to avoid quality loss:
I also move US TAC and INF to the Med:
I did not buy Patton as intended, but bought a new Lab for the US.
Turn 48 - Benghazi falls
Nothing really interesting happened this turn. The British Army succesfully secures Benghazi and Tripoli will fall next turn:
I also repaired most of my Units in Lybia and soon the offensive against Italy will start (2-3 turns).
On the Eastern front everything is quiet. A Soviet TAC destroyed a retreating German INF. This is the last Severe Winter turn, so the next turn the Axis offensive could begin. It will be interesting to see where Plaid will attack. In the north, there are mostly German units, but no airforce. In the south there are a lot minor Axis units but most of the Luftwaffe. Perhaps he even intends to attack on both fronts. I'm prepared, most units were upgraded. For counterstriking I have three TAC, four FTR, three ARM and several MECH and my income is about 150 PP.
The casualities so far:
Nothing really interesting happened this turn. The British Army succesfully secures Benghazi and Tripoli will fall next turn:
I also repaired most of my Units in Lybia and soon the offensive against Italy will start (2-3 turns).
On the Eastern front everything is quiet. A Soviet TAC destroyed a retreating German INF. This is the last Severe Winter turn, so the next turn the Axis offensive could begin. It will be interesting to see where Plaid will attack. In the north, there are mostly German units, but no airforce. In the south there are a lot minor Axis units but most of the Luftwaffe. Perhaps he even intends to attack on both fronts. I'm prepared, most units were upgraded. For counterstriking I have three TAC, four FTR, three ARM and several MECH and my income is about 150 PP.
The casualities so far:
Turn 49 - Tripoli falls, heavy Luftwaffe attacks but no offensive yet
This turn the weather is fair and from now on the fair weather period begins. Nevertheless, the expected German offensive did not begin yet. The Luftwaffe bombarded my two ARM on the southern front and inflicted heavy damage, but Axis ground units did not attack. I retreat both ARM (hopefully out of sight and range of the Luftwaffe). I expect Plaid to begin with the Axis offensive next turn and I think it will be on the southern front:
I also retreat some of the frontline units for upgrades.
On the northern front everything is quiet:
I'm unsure what to do here if Plaid does attack as expected on the southern front. Most likely I will wait.
In the MED I further repair/upgrade my units. One RAF FTR moves back to Malta to spy on Sicily. As you see only the two GAR are stationed here. It seems this will be easy. I also take Tripoli an bring a STR into position. Next turn I will begin preparations for Operation Husky.
I also buy a lab for the US and the USRR. These are my tech levels right now:
Any suggestion to change the focus?
This turn the weather is fair and from now on the fair weather period begins. Nevertheless, the expected German offensive did not begin yet. The Luftwaffe bombarded my two ARM on the southern front and inflicted heavy damage, but Axis ground units did not attack. I retreat both ARM (hopefully out of sight and range of the Luftwaffe). I expect Plaid to begin with the Axis offensive next turn and I think it will be on the southern front:
I also retreat some of the frontline units for upgrades.
On the northern front everything is quiet:
I'm unsure what to do here if Plaid does attack as expected on the southern front. Most likely I will wait.
In the MED I further repair/upgrade my units. One RAF FTR moves back to Malta to spy on Sicily. As you see only the two GAR are stationed here. It seems this will be easy. I also take Tripoli an bring a STR into position. Next turn I will begin preparations for Operation Husky.
I also buy a lab for the US and the USRR. These are my tech levels right now:
Any suggestion to change the focus?
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_Augustus_
- Sergeant - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
- Posts: 213
- Joined: Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:36 pm
Hi Zechi,
Keep up the good work with the AAR. It's a fun read.
Sincerely,
_augustus_
Don't read too much into that he did'n't launch the offensive you expected. The winter ends after the Axis turn. Thus if you stopped your winter offensive last turn you missed one turn you could had used to try to knock out a unit or two. His turn 49 was still in winter and you could had used this fair turn to repair your units and have your units at full strength and ready to defend against his possible offensive on turn 50.zechi wrote:This turn the weather is fair and from now on the fair weather period begins. Nevertheless, the expected German offensive did not begin yet.
Keep up the good work with the AAR. It's a fun read.
Sincerely,
_augustus_