AAR - Joe (Axis) vs. Ronnie on BJR

[joerock22]

December 19, 941

I am not happy right now. the reason is that winter STILL has not come to Russia. I stopped most of my offensive 2 full turns ago, hoping for and expecting winter in November or December at the latest. Now it will be January, and my spring offensive will have less time to crack the Russian lines. Curses!

The only good thing about this is that I have made more progress in the north than I normally would have. Novgorod has been overwhelmed, and Leningrad heavily damaged. The great fortress will fall next turn, meaning the entire Army Group North can begin to drive eastward as soon as spring arrives.

The screenshot shows the evolving situation in the Middle East. Persia will fall next turn, but the Russian attempt to capture Kirkuk has been bloodily repulsed. I plan to wage a mobile defense, using the clear terrain to quickly move to meet any Allied incursion into Iraq. Ronnie will have to spend several months slogging through the rough terrain to get his forces in position to mount a major assault, during which time more German and Italian reinforcements will have arrived on the scene. Ronnie will not push me out of Iraq unless he commits a ton of Soviet troops, and he can't do that unless he wants me to be partying in Moscow in summer 1942 and at Siberia's doorstep in 1943.

Two subs are just about to arrive, bringing my total to 8. I also purchased 2 more tanks, which would bring my total to 8. I hope to have 10 tanks ready for the spring, plus 5 bombers (I have 4) and 3 fighters (I have 2). Building another 2 subs would also be a good thing, especially since the United States has entered the war. German industry reached Lv. 3 this past turn, and I know I'll have the resources to do it.

[joerock22]

January 28, 1941

Winter finally arrived last turn, so at least it won't be snowing in June! I will use the extra time to upgrade and build up my army, as I won't have any time to delay come spring.

The Battle of the Atlantic continues to go well. Ronnie was escorting the central UK convoy (52 pp), and I happened to have 4 subs in the area. I was able to pick off one of the escort BBs while losing only 1 sub step. This will force Ronnie to build more DDs, send more escorts per convoy, or let the convoys fend for themselves. I also attacked a small Soviet convoy up north, but his strategic bombers knocked 4 steps off one of my subs. The losses will be heavy, but what can I do? Letting the Russian convoys slip through unscathed is a bad idea. I am in the process of rotating my subs so they can receive the +2 survivability and +1 naval attack upgrades, so that will help.

[joerock22]

February 17, 1942

Well, it is finally happening. Ronnie is sending substantial reinforcements to the Med. Whether to Syria (through Gibraltar) or to Kuwait I don't know, but I certainly don't mind. I would much prefer him to waste time in Iraq rather than invading France. My oil is up to a whopping 820!!! I have all the troops I need in Iraq to make an Allied offensive very slow and costly. On the other hand, my defenses in France are relatively weak. If he landed there I would have to rail troops in from the USSR, which I don't want to do. So I'm actually glad for this development.

This turn I sunk a transport carrying a motorized corps. Ronnie left it straggling behind his main, fully-escorted group, probably hoping I wouldn't notice. I can see 2 fighters and 2 infantry units as well.

[joerock22]

March 9, 1942

I'm back from vacation and ready to continue this wonderful game! The action is really heating up in Iraq. I took some losses but didn't lose any units on his turn, and on my turn I managed to damage a Soviet tank and eliminate an infantry corps. I think I see what Ronnie is doing now; he's pushing into Iraq from the east while simultaneously moving some British and American troops to land in Syria and Egypt. My hope is that I can hold onto Baghdad long enough for the Soviet situation to become desperate up north, meaning Ronnie will be forced to withdraw his forces in Iraq or risk losing them via a Russian surrender. I sent 3 surface fleets back through the Africa transport loop in the hopes that Ronnie doesn't escort his transports too heavily and I can sink a couple of them. The Germans continue to rest and reinforce in Russia.

[MrPlow]

Great progress so far! I look forward to seeing how this game develops!

Cheers
MrPlow

[joerock22]

April 18, 1942

The Middle East campaign does not go well. Ronnie has brought overwhelming force to the region, including the entirety of the Soviet air force. My own meager air force has withdrawn to the coast for evacuation; it is no longer financially feasible to keep them in the thick of the action. Combat has been costly for both sides (3 units lost each, I think), but Ronnie can replace units and I cannot. I have withdrawn my remaining forces to a new defensive line along the river. My goal is no longer to win or even hold the oil. I simply wish to make reconquering Iraq as difficult and costly as possible for the Soviets. Every PP Ronnie spends in the Middle East is one less he spends in Russia, where I promise you he will need it come spring. I believe I have one more turn of winter before I can unleash the hellstorm I've been building up on the eastern front. Stay tuned.

[Clark]

April 18, 1942

The Middle East campaign does not go well. Ronnie has brought overwhelming force to the region, including the entirety of the Soviet air force. My own meager air force has withdrawn to the coast for evacuation; it is no longer financially feasible to keep them in the thick of the action. Combat has been costly for both sides (3 units lost each, I think), but Ronnie can replace units and I cannot. I have withdrawn my remaining forces to a new defensive line along the river. My goal is no longer to win or even hold the oil. I simply wish to make reconquering Iraq as difficult and costly as possible for the Soviets. Every PP Ronnie spends in the Middle East is one less he spends in Russia, where I promise you he will need it come spring. I believe I have one more turn of winter before I can unleash the hellstorm I've been building up on the eastern front. Stay tuned.

How's your oil doing? That's the big question, since the Soviet invasion of the Middle East really doesn't do that much for the Allies if the Soviets eventually fall anyway. But it seems like it would be difficult to conquer Perm before next winter unless you were able to rely on tanks and planes to help get you there, and for that, you need oil.

[joerock22]

How's your oil doing? That's the big question, since the Soviet invasion of the Middle East really doesn't do that much for the Allies if the Soviets eventually fall anyway. But it seems like it would be difficult to conquer Perm before next winter unless you were able to rely on tanks and planes to help get you there, and for that, you need oil.

Oh, don't worry; I've been thinking about my oil situation the whole game. Even holding the Middle East for as long as I did gave me a big boost. Last time I looked my oil was well into the 900s. I'm naturally efficient with the stuff, so I don't expect it to be an issue for the rest of the game. I currently have 10 tanks (4-8 oil each attack), 5 bombers (4 oil each attack) + another 1 coming, 5-6 fighters (2-4 oil each attack), and 11-12 subs (1-2 oil each attack, though they mostly just sit around waiting for convoys). And I don't move units unless it's really worth it, so that will help save. My biggest concern right now is making 1942 count. The goal is to break Russia's back, and if I can do that then the gulf oil will be mine I won't have to worry about it anymore. Thanks for the post. It's nice to see people are interested

[joerock22]

May 28, 1942

The Germans launch a massive spring offensive, destroying no less than 12 Soviet corps and 2 garrisons in the first wave. You'll notice that I made a conscious effort to have my valuable armour units end the turn behind my front line. Three Soviet tanks are in the Middle East, but I don't know where the rest of them are or how many Ronnie has. My plan is to punch through in the south and split the Russian line in two. Then I can work on the flanks of his fractured line with my armoured forces. Meanwhile, Army Group North will roll up the Russian's northern flank. I will close in on Moscow from 2-3 sides and take it before winter hits.

My oil consumption was over 125 this turn, but that will lessen as units rest and repair. My reserves are still over 800. There isn't much of my once might Middle East army left. I am retreating and hoping to make a stand in Egypt. The first of the evecuated air units is railed to the eastern front, where they actually have a chance to do some good. How long before Stalin begins desperately recalling the Soviet troops in Iraq? Here are the screenshots of the eastern front so you can see a disposition of my forces and the (visible) Soviet ones.

[joerock22]

June 17, 1942

Brutal fighting continues on the eastern front, with 9-10 more Soviet infantry corps being destroyed with a handful more suffering heavy damage. Axis forces break through in the south, just above Rostov. My losses are starting to pile up, and quite a few units will need to rest and repair next turn. I do expect to lose a couple armoured units this year, so two more are already in the production queue plus some infantry. Still no sign of the Russian tanks, but I'm sure they will make an appearance soon.

Ronnie continues his merciless pursuit of my Middle East forces. By the time I reach Egypt, I will only have the Italian tank left and maybe not even that! Ah, well, I still feel that I am winning this war.

[jjdenver]

Joe - you wondered if people are interested. Of course we are.

I've read both AAR's top to bottom of the last couple months. The only AAR's that I don't read are the ones against the AI as I think there is little to learn in those AAR's.

As to whether you're winning or not, it looks like your hand has been played, all strong cards are on the table. It will depend on what the allies do now.

I wonder though whether you should have started to advance in the north even during winter with the Finns at least to stretch his line, and whether some infantry assaults backed by air without armor involvement would have been useful in March and April just to get a head start on the attrition of the Red Army. With Red Army commitment to Persia it seems like extraordinary measures are called for by Germany in Russia to make the Soviets pay for that commitment outside of the Rodina as soon as possible.

Fun AAR either way.

[helevo]

You bet we're watching. Beats anything on the tube!!

I agree you're ahead right now. But how's your manpower holding out? And what's holding the fort in France? That's about the only things that could hurt.

[joerock22]

jjdenver: I did advance a little up north during the winter, just to get the infantry in position to attack on the first turn of spring. But my personal preference is to leave my army immobile during the winter months and build up effectiveness for a massive attack in the spring. I like to take out one enemy unit and sweep down the line, and do to that you need plenty of movement points, especially against a double defensive line. As a rule, I try to only move oil-consuming units when they can be most effective, and that means good weather.

helevo: My manpower is still in the white, somewhere between 800 and 900. I have a 4 leadership General in France, but pretty much nothing else except garrisons. I know some people like to have a strategic reserve, but having units sitting around doing nothing seems counterproductive to me. And unneccessary; I can always rail in units from Russia or new units which have just appeared in Germany. My instincts this game tell me that Ronnie won't be invading France until 1943 because of his efforts in the Med, and until he proves me wrong I won't send any more units to France.

Thank you both for the responses!

[joerock22]

July 7, 1942

Voronezh, Tula, and Kalinin all fall as 11 more Soviet corps and a motorized unit are destroyed. Some of these were damaged last turn, but a kill is a kill. I have decided to go for Stalingrad. I moved 3 fighters to be in range to attack the city, and I caught sight of 2 Russian tanks in the process. Several German tanks and infantry corps repaired this turn so they can carry the torch while other units rest later. The goal is to keep unrelenting pressure on the Soviets and not even give them a single turn to recover.

My upraded (Lv. 2-3) u-boats continue to be active in the Atlantic. I sunk a Soviet convoy and took about 50 steps off the UK central convoy. Ronnie seems to have realized that it is too dangerous for him to escort his convoys with BBs. His strategic bombers hurt, but my losses in PP are still dwarfed by the amount he is losing in merchant shipping. As long as submarine warfare is economically beneficial to Germany, I will continue to employ it.

For those intersted, here are my "vital statistics":
Manpower = 878
Oil = 686

And here are the screenshots:

[joerock22]

July 27, 1942

Victory! We have finally broken the Soviets, as they embark on a full-scale retreat. Four cities are taken: Tambov, Rostov, Yaroslav, and Moscow. Stalingrad is undefended but I came up one hex short because of the lower supply level. Now that I am advancing into that dreaded no-railing area, I will start preparing defenses in France and Italy, especially since Ronnie's African campaign is gaining momentum on both sides of the Med. The Italians withdrew from Beirut; I decided that Famagusta was a better city to defend.

So now my objectives change a little. It's clear that Ronnie is withdrawing to Siberia, and for the most part I have to let him go. Gorki and Stalingrad would be ideal places for most of my army to wait out the winter. Maybe I could also capture Astrakhan and cut the USSR in two. I will continue to push in the south and capture the nearby oil fields. What I don't want to do is advance too far and give Ronnie a chance to hurt me when winter hits. I probably have 5-6 more turns before the bad weather, so all of these objectives should be easy to accomplish. Sinking the Soviet convoys becomes even more important now, because progress is tough enough in the rough terrain of Siberia without extra Russian units to contend with.

[joerock22]

August 16, 1942

The only highlight of this turn was the capture of Stalingrad, so both of the Soviet's main industrial centers are now in German hands. Most of the Russian army is too far out of range; they can flee faster than I can chase because of the supply differential. I come across a fairly strong Soviet line south of Rostov, so troops, tanks, and planes are sent there accordingly. Next turn, I will begin a drive on Astrakhan to make sure none of those units can be railed to Siberia next year. And if Ronnie wises up and rails them out of there immediately, then the conquest of the southern oil fields will be that much easier. Here is the zoomed-out screenshot of the USSR:

[joerock22]

September 25, 1942

Gorki and Astrakhan have fallen, and capture of the latter means the USSR is cut in two. Saratova is next, but I don't think my northern and central forces will be advancing much beyond their current positions. Next month is October, and the risks associated with the winter easily outweigh the potential rewards of moving closer to Siberia. I will wait until Spring.

As I move southwards toward Grozny, I encounter a much larger than expected Soviet contingent in and around the city. I have decided that the majority of my remaining combat operations before winter will take place in this theatre. There are lots of Soviet troops within range, and I have a few turns to deal with them before the bad weather hits. I railed a couple more tanks and rebased nearly my entire air force to the area. Now that they have no hope of railing to Siberia, these Russian units will fight to the death, and I need to make sure I have the concentration of force necessary to oblige them See the screen shot below.

I think Ronnie believes I need the Caucuses oil more than I actually do. Otherwise, why would he go to such lengths to defend an otherwise marginal area? Unfortunately for him, I don't need it, but I do want it. My reserves at the end of the turn were 526, and my manpower just dipped into the yellow at 780.

In other action, my u-boats swarmed the Soviet and central British convoys, a combined load of 200 pp carried between them. Ronnie has begun bombing German industrial cities like the Ruhr, and I railed a fighter back from Russia to make him pay for it. Another fighter was added to the production queue as well. I can afford the oil to fight him here, so I'm going to do it. He can either build some high-quality escorts or get slammed on his bombing missions. Either way, the combat should cost the British more than it costs me.

[joerock22]

November 24, 1942

Ronnie wisely chose to retreat rather than fight in the Caucuses, so I was only able to take out a few more Soviet infantry corps. Batumi and Grozny have fallen, and my troops are placed in fairly strong defensive positions for the possibility of a Russian winter counterattack. Elsewhere, the German army hunkers down for winter. The bad weather has not arrived yet, but hopefully it will next turn. Mainstein, Rommel, and Reichenau will command the great Siberian offensive, while Kesselring will be given the job of holding the southern line. There is absolutely no point in pushing toward Baku; those soldiers will lay down their arms when Stalin sues for peace.

Submarine warfare continues to be an effective if not costly strategy. Sinking the last Soviet convoy (90+ PPs) cost me 6 sub steps from Allied strategic bomber attacks, which is still an acceptable outcome. I may need to build more subs to allow damaged ones to repair. I want to attack each convoy with 6 subs at once, thereby reducing the amount of time each sub spends visible to Allied air cover. To do that, I need lots of subs. German fighter intervention has ceased Allied bombing attacks on German industry for the moment. Here is a list of building priorities, in order of importance:

1. 3-4 more tactical bombers (10-11 total) for the Siberian offensive. The rough terrain will make attacking difficult and costly without air support.
2. 2 more tanks (10 total + 4 in Caucuses) for the Siberinan offensive.
3. 2-4 more subs

Manpower = 756 (yellow)
Oil = 495 (this will be well over 700 by spring, so no worries here )

Screenshots of winter positions:

[joerock22]

December 14, 1942

Winter has arrived, and I am quite pleased with its timing. Little action again this turn, but German bombers did begin battering down Sevastopol's defenses. That fortress is giving the USSR 4 PPs a turn, and now is the right time to capture it. It will take several turns for my infantry units to arrive there, but I am confident the defenders will not see the spring.

U-boat activity continues, as 11 of them attack USSR and UK convoys. We'll see how much it costs me, but I remain resolute in my determination to not allow huge shipments of resources to reach the Allies, especially the Soviets. A Free French tank has appeared in the Caucuses, confirming my belief that Ronnie is planning a major offensive in that area. This could be a very interesting winter.

[joerock22]

February 12, 1943

The lines have been drawn in the Caucuses. Axis and Soviet troops stare at each other across the mountains. I killed a Russian corps this turn and advanced into better defensive positions. I think I will be able to hold for a good long while, especially since I have air superiority and Ronnie has no bombers. The only other action was the fall of Sevastopol and some attacks against partisans. In terms of recruitment, I changed my priorities a little: 4 subs and 2 bombers are in the production queue. I'm still looking for 2 more bombers and 2-3 more tanks. Here is a screenshot of the situation in the Caucuses: