Joerock22 (Allies) v. Ftgcritt2 (Axis) - The War is Over

[Peter Stauffenberg]

I think you're on the path to victory, Joe. The Germans are way too weak in Russia to have a hope of getting anywhere there in 1942. They will probably have to go on the defense in 1942 due to many losses in 1941. Your opponent placed Axis minors in the front line in the south just before the severe winter. That's asking for having them killed.

[trulster]

Yes, looking very good! Impressive Allied fleet off Palestine - the Mid East has become a death trap for the Axis. With that solid naval superiority why not invade somewhere, Libya, Egypt, Italy...?

[joerock22]

I think you're on the path to victory, Joe. The Germans are way too weak in Russia to have a hope of getting anywhere there in 1942. They will probably have to go on the defense in 1942 due to many losses in 1941. Your opponent placed Axis minors in the front line in the south just before the severe winter. That's asking for having them killed.

Yeah, I try to avoid doing that too much. But I don't think Frank had a choice; he probably didn't have enough German units to cover the front, especially since he combined a lot of them to take Kiev. Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I have a long way to go.

Yes, looking very good! Impressive Allied fleet off Palestine - the Mid East has become a death trap for the Axis. With that solid naval superiority why not invade somewhere, Libya, Egypt, Italy...?

The simple answer is that I'm strapped for cash right now, but there are other reasons as well. First, the Axis army in Syria is quite formiddable and I don't want to take any ground units away from the main battle. The other reason is that my naval superiority could dissappear pretty quickly if Frank decides to send subs through the Suez Canal. I don't think he will; at least five subs are on patrol in the central Atlantic, just outside bomber range. But it's possible. Anyway, when the Americans get organized, I'll send them after Sardinia and Sicily. Hopefully that will catch the Axis by surprise since we'll probably still be fighting over Egypt.

Hmm...you know what I might do when spring arrives? I may invade Ireland to bring those pesky subs within range of my bombers. It should be a relatively simple operation. Yes, I think I'll schedule that for April 1942!

[massina_nz]

That is a novel idea. I'd love to see what the after-affects of an Irish invasion would be.

[Clark]

I think you're on the path to victory, Joe. The Germans are way too weak in Russia to have a hope of getting anywhere there in 1942. They will probably have to go on the defense in 1942 due to many losses in 1941. Your opponent placed Axis minors in the front line in the south just before the severe winter. That's asking for having them killed.

Yeah, I try to avoid doing that too much. But I don't think Frank had a choice; he probably didn't have enough German units to cover the front, especially since he combined a lot of them to take Kiev. Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I have a long way to go.

Yes, looking very good! Impressive Allied fleet off Palestine - the Mid East has become a death trap for the Axis. With that solid naval superiority why not invade somewhere, Libya, Egypt, Italy...?

The simple answer is that I'm strapped for cash right now, but there are other reasons as well. First, the Axis army in Syria is quite formiddable and I don't want to take any ground units away from the main battle. The other reason is that my naval superiority could dissappear pretty quickly if Frank decides to send subs through the Suez Canal. I don't think he will; at least five subs are on patrol in the central Atlantic, just outside bomber range. But it's possible. Anyway, when the Americans get organized, I'll send them after Sardinia and Sicily. Hopefully that will catch the Axis by surprise since we'll probably still be fighting over Egypt.

Hmm...you know what I might do when spring arrives? I may invade Ireland to bring those pesky subs within range of my bombers. It should be a relatively simple operation. Yes, I think I'll schedule that for April 1942!

Can the Allies DOW Ireland? I tried it once in a failed Allied invasion of Britain from North America. I couldn't DOW Ireland, and I ended up losing the entire invasion armada including much of my surface fleet. Of course, that wasn't GS, and updates could have been made. But test it first!

[joerock22]

Can the Allies DOW Ireland? I tried it once in a failed Allied invasion of Britain from North America. I couldn't DOW Ireland, and I ended up losing the entire invasion armada including much of my surface fleet. Of course, that wasn't GS, and updates could have been made. But test it first!

I already tested it in another game involving a reconquest of the British Isles. Ireland is now neutral so the Allies can declare war on it, and Ireland surrenders when Dublin falls like any other country. It gives the conquerer no production, but it can be quite valuable strategically if the right situation comes about.

[joerock22]

December 19, 1941

The slugfest continues in the USSR. I lost 4 Russian corps on the Axis turn, but the Soviets struck back hard, destroying 4 German corps, 1 German mech, and 1 Italian corps as well as damaging more Axis minor units. I hope the Axis continue to stand and fight! The Russians have the weight of numbers and the weather advantage. I hope to be able to kill some German panzers next turn.

The British have matching success in Syria, taking out the damaged German corps as well as an Italian one, and also damaging another Italian corps. I was able to attack the German fighter with a ground unit but only got 1:0 results out of it. Oh, well, the collapse of the Axis forces in North Africa is well underway. British strategic bombers stream to the newly-opened Greenland airbases to escort the Soviet convoy, which we are 100% certain will soon come under u-boat attack.

The Allies continue their lab building, with the following being purchased:
British - 3rd Air
Americans - 2nd Air
Russians - 3rd Infantry

[joerock22]

January 8, 1942

The Axis wisely pulled back their forces in southern Russia and straightened their line. So I was only able to destroy one Axis minor corps while damaging several others. I could have attacked some German units, but my fighters needed to be repaired so I had no air support. The odds weren't very good, and ZoC was preventing me from really ganging up on 2-3 German units as I would have liked. The Russians have retaken Kiev and dealt the Germans a heavy blow, but the war will not be won with this winter campaign. Some players would go all out here and throw everything at the Axis regardless of casualties, but that has never been my style and I'm not about to change. If the Axis continue to withdraw next turn, I will let them go and begin preparing for the summer 1942 campaign.

In Syria/Egypt, the Allies destroy three Italian corps and place Garziani on R&R, though only for two turns. The Royal Navy is proving invaluable in this campaign; a large part of my success is a result of naval bombardment and the CV's help in neutralizing enemy fighters. They are finally making up for their earlier defeats!

The Americans purchase a 2nd infantry lab, while the British purchase a 4th fighter for England. I may deploy it to Canada and send it to the Med to replace the Russian fighter, which I would like to redeploy to the USSR. We'll see in a few turns.

[massina_nz]

Ahhh, never really thought of that. Building UK units in Canada and shippong them to the Middle-East from there. Less likely to get intercepted by u-boats.

[rkr1958]

January 8, 1941

The January 1941 threw me there for a second; but I see you meant 1942.

[joerock22]

January 8, 1941

The January 1941 threw me there for a second; but I see you meant 1942.

Oh, yes, thanks for catching that. It's the same as when you change a calendar year; you always have to remind yourself that it's a new year when writing out dates.

[joerock22]

January 28, 1942

The Axis didn't retreat much at all, so I attacked again, taking out 2 German corps and damaging a couple others. My fighters and tanks were hit pretty hard though. I guess the Soviets can't win every engagement.

The British capture Port Said and continue to harass the fleeing Axis units with air and naval bombardment. At this point, there are only a few of them left. The rest of the North African campaign will be a cakewalk. The Soviet fighter is on its way back to the USSR, with the bomber soon to follow. I can make better use of them there; the UK fighters and CVs will provide all the bombardment I will need in the Med.

The British purchase a DD, and the Americans their 3rd Armour lab. The Russians are busy building tanks and mechs. I will probably have to switch to corps soon, but they take less time to build so I like to purchase the more advanced units first.

[rkr1958]

Joe,

Something that just struck me was that your Russian Mechanized Units haven't had any upgrades yet. Based on how well you're doing in Russia I guess you don't need it or are too busy attacking with them to upgrade.

[joerock22]

Joe,

Something that just struck me was that your Russian Mechanized Units haven't had any upgrades yet. Based on how well you're doing in Russia I guess you don't need it or are too busy attacking with them to upgrade.

No, I didn't purchase infantry labs early enough. The only tech I achieved so far is Dog Fight Lv. 1 because that was the first lab I purchased. I like to try to get air parity with the Germans as quickly as possible. Armour and Infantry now have 3 labs each and tech is coming along. I should be able to get some upgrades before the spring.

[joerock22]

February 17, 1942

Not too much action this turn. The Germans retreated two hexes in the east this time so I let them go, just finishing off a couple stragglers. The Russians had a lot of repairs to make, and will now get ready for the spring campaign. I haven't decided yet if I will retreat behind the river again or hold position.

The British occupy Cairo and assault Alexandria. I posted subs just north of the ports at Benghazi and Tobruk, hopefully to intercept any fleeing Axis units. The DAK is still in Egypt, but the Italian tank might be ready to board transport next turn. The Royal Navy will soon arrive to help make sure it doesn't escape. I will blockade those ports and make Libya a deathtrap for the Axis ground units.

So much for me being "100% certain" the Russian convoy will come under attack; it has almost reached its destination without a whiff of u-boat activity in the area. Not that I'm complaining! Preparations begin for the transfer of British troops to Belfast for the invasion of Ireland. The Americans are getting ready to board transport for the Med, with a stop to conquer Portugal along the way.

[joerock22]

March 9, 1942

The British capture Alexandria and destroy another Italian corps, while the RN continues to harass the two fleeing Axis tanks. The Italian one is at 8 steps, the DAK now at 5 steps. The only clear hex path to Libya is along the coast, which the Axis units have to brave if they want to outrun my hard-charging ground forces.

The Russians pulled back in the east. When spring arrives, I want to have the option for the first strike. In other words, if and when Frank advances his forces, I want to have the option of attacking before he does if I like how things look. I won't get that chance if I stay too close to him.

The Russians purchase a 3rd Air lab.

[rkr1958]

The only clear hex path to Libya is along the coast, which the Axis units have to brave if they want to outrun my hard-charging ground forces.

That to me is one of the greatest risks for the axis if they advance into Egypt and are not able to capture or hold the Suez Canal. Since they don't have rail they have to walk and drive back to Libya. Also, because of no rail and because there are no supply sources (i.e., cities or ports) east to Torbuk to supply an axis force that doesn't hold Alexandria this force is highly vulnerable to a flanking British invasion.

[joerock22]

The only clear hex path to Libya is along the coast, which the Axis units have to brave if they want to outrun my hard-charging ground forces.

That to me is one of the greatest risks for the axis if they advance into Egypt and are not able to capture or hold the Suez Canal. Since they don't have rail they have to walk and drive back to Libya. Also, because of no rail and because there are no supply sources (i.e., cities or ports) east to Torbuk to supply an axis force that doesn't hold Alexandria this force is highly vulnerable to a flanking British invasion.

Agreed. I thought about a flanking invasion, but opted for a frontal assault instead since I knew my troops had better supply than him and his infantry wouldn't be able to outrun me. Only the two tanks escaped, and there's no way they're getting out of Africa alive. It's only a matter of time. The planes escaped too, but there's nothing I could do about that either way.

[joerock22]

March 29, 1942

The RN inflicts more damage on the DAK and bombards Benghazi. The British army continues to pursue, but the corps units are falling behind. It doesn't matter. Frank is really just wasting oil by moving his tanks, since neither of them will escape no matter what he does. The only thing I worry about is a suicide mission by the Italian Navy to allow a transport to slip through, but that doesn't seem likely. I will take steps to guard against such an occurrence nevertheless.

The Russians pull back a little more. We will wait here for the Germans to come to us. And if they don't, then we will build up our forces before advancing during in late summer and into the winter.

[timhicks]

Thanks for doing the AAR Joerock, This AAR just reinforces my belief that in GS, there is no point in the Axis trying anything in North Africa. The only possible gain that justifies the cost of such a campaign is the Iraqi oil, and the Russkies can block that easily. As far as I can see , if Gibraltar is held by the Allies , then Capturing Suez has no effect on either side.

I suppose if you buy lots of Italian submarine labs, and then lots of Italian subs, then it might be a good way to get those subs into the Atlantic, but otherwise I can't see any benefit of Suez to the Axis.

Does anyone know what the objective was for the Axis in the Real North African Campaign ?, did they really plan to go to Iraq after taking Egypt. I realise that the Allies have to defend if they are attacked , and I know lots of Axis players do actually put in big N.Africa campaigns, but I'm not sure why it's so popular ?