Gibraltar

[Ryben]

I was wondering why Axis could not enter the Mediterranean via the Gibraltar strait.

I understand Gibraltar was a key port and it dominates the narrow strait but i think Axis fleet should be able to cross it. Maybe they would get attacked by coastal guns, mines or the british have a permanent Sub fleet there but closing the Mediterranean this way looks quite radical to me.

And there´s no way to capture Gibraltar unless Axis enters at war with Spain just to attack the british colony.

Well you could ask pro-axis Spain goverment to allow German units land in Spain,no?...wait...there´s no diplomacy at all in CEAW. You must enter at war with your supposed allies to gain military access.

[Maj_Battaglia]

Actually, this is quite realistic and is a convention used in all WWII strategy games that I have seen (board and computer).

The Strait is 8 miles at its narrowest, and therefore would be suicidal for surface ships to traverse. As far as I know, no Axis surface ships tried to pass either way. In addition to shore guns, mines, etc., the British also had planes based there as well.

Even submarines had a hard time entering, the Strait being guarded by destroyers, nets, and planes. See http://uboat.net/ops/mediterranean.htm for more details. The submarines that did enter did some significant damage, however, as the victories and losses section will show you (including two carriers and a battleship).

However, in game terms there is no way they could enter in force, i.e., in a strength 10 unit. You will note that in 2 and a half years of trying, the Germans got 62 U-boats in. This would require some special rules and tweaking of the code to allow for a buildup there over time and account for losses of those trying to pass.

A realted issue that I have been thinking about is Malta and its lack of effect on the game, particularly Axis supply in North Africa. Problem is, with no stacking allowed you can't have both a garrison and air unit there. Malta was a key to the Mediterranean Theater, yet it has no impact in CEAW.

[Panzer987]

Both Gibraltar and Malta seem to be victims of limitations of an otherwise great strategy game. As a direct response to the question, I've personally floated the Strait, and you can easily see across it on a clear day- especially from Morrocco looking north to the Rock. It would be very hard to imagine an enemy vessel trying to traverse the waterway during wartime.

Let me say this: the platform on which Commader is built is sensational. Gameplay is extraordinarily good, IMO. There area a few things that could significantly improve the game for a 2-point edition. Frist and foremost would be taking each current hexagon of land or water in the game today and breaking them down into- say- 36 smaller hexagons. That way, places like Malta and Gibraltar become available for an amphibious assault by a daring unit. Increasing the number of hexagons would allow the game to have more units, more cities and resources, and ultimately more detail.

The one other thing I'd love to see is the ability to place units together, such as a corp with a tank cloumn for additional attacking and defending strength. I'd also love to see each unit sub-classified by the actual number of soldier, tanks, or aircraft in the unit. It's hard to tell just how many soldiers are involved in the fighting until you look at your "casualties" screen.

[Maj_Battaglia]

I should note that after posting above I looked through this forum in more detail (didn't have a chance the first time) and found a thread from several months ago about Malta. It does have an impact, according to this thread: Axis supply in North Africa is limited, but as an abstraction. If the Axis are able to take Malta this restriction is not lifted.

Understanding the limitations Malta placed on supply, the Axis did put together plans to invade Malta that involved a combined air/amphibious assault. The plan was for this to take place in summer 1942, but other priorities in North Africa prevailed. Avalon Hill's old Air Assault on Crete board game came with a nice bonus game that treated this "what if" invasion, and was based on the actual plans.

[syagrius]

Maybe the British should have at the start a fighter or a tac bomber on Malta instead of a garrisson? Would be more realistic? Otherwise one can move the garrisson and put a air unit on it?

[Panzer987]

Theorectically, you could move the garrison out through the seaport and fly or ship an aircraft there instead. I always play as the Axis, but that would make a lot of sense for an Allied player.