War report XVVILMC:
Because of withdrawal symptoms I started to play with the 1.9 again.
Now, with Kursk pre-save. Rommel difficulty, of course, with manual calculated prestige income. Also playing the Finns historically - this means, until the capture of Leningrad, they do not goes south, neither with land, or with airforce - but they can andvance towards Arhangelsk. The prestige halving is a good simulation for the dire fuel situation of the Axis too.
I did not played Kursk since 1.7-1.8 (?), because there is no more a chance to make a DV - with earlier versions, it was possible, although it was extreme hard. While to make an MV is a relative easy task, if the player brings a Panther and the Stuh 42 to Plymouth and with capturing it, cancels the Normandy invasion. To make some more challange, I planned to capture England - also to stop the annoying bombing campaigns.
I must say, it is DEFINITELY harder, than the earlier versions! It really show up, what McGuba referred and edited, that the Allied power got massive stronger from 1943. I feel it, especially with the Red Airforce. It's brutal. My plan is no more destroying the Red Air force units - because I simply do not have the power for that, while also protecting partly my land troops. My new strategy is to weaken them: so, when they fly home for resupply, they will loose another 1-2 turn to replace the losses too.
- I could hardly eliminate the Sicily landing operation, but I had success.
- I made the usual preparations for the landing south of London. With the help of the 21cm and the super-heavy gun, I could destroy the strongpoints to 1, than bring the troop transports with 2xPanthers, 1x PzIV and 1x StuH 42 and land. So it went smoothly, I could take London too.
- I captured after very intensive fights Moscow, cleared the region till to Gorky.
- I could also clear the region around Kursk, although holding Voronezh is a hard task, I already lost a PzGrenadier corps in the city.
- I started with a not very strong army to take Stalingrad (without tanks and artillery and bombers - just inf, AT's and fighters for protection - I try to take out first the annoying 4-range gun and AA gun by crossing the Volga. Not an easy task, even in winter...hopefully I succeed, because the city is a bastion and a staging point for further operations into the north and southeast too.
- I made a little, but effective army of German and Romanian mountain troops, some AT guns plus the two 75mm guns to capture Grozny - and if possible, maybe Baku too. The fuel situation had to be made better!
- The Anglo-American air power, especially the fighter force is simply a terror! So many times had I reload and find out another solution to avoid my fighters butchered, while also protecting somehow my invasion force and the rest of my navy.
- Oh yes, not to forget! I had enough, that the Tirpitz couldn' be used, so I took her out. My plan was to destroy as many Allied destroyers as possible, to lower the later danger, when I invade England. But in the meantime, the invasion of Norwegen was triggered, so I was caught in suprise, while I hunted in the winter of 1943/44 with sneak//hit and rund style attacks the destroyers!
Luckily, with a few Uboats sacrificed, I could destroy the troop transports, while also weakening the destroyer arm. Still, there will come enough later after my the Engalnd-invasion is initiated... (while the well experienced and hero-Uboats are long gone...)
- I ordered a single recon battalion (halftracked one) to make a daring move, sail through the dangerous Mediterranean see and capture as many objective in Libia, as possible. Intelligence got the info, that these are not really defended. They will be again recaptured, but with the recapture of them by the Axis forces, much chaos, morale rising and war material can be collected (prestige income!).
That's all very nice, BUT! I forgot about the Finns! SPOILER!
1., I do not remember exactly but around Sept 1944, if Leningrad will be not taken, they quit. What is really problematic, if I want to take Archangelsk, because the small Finnish army is good enough to take the city "from behind". After I cleared the area east of Moscow, I did not had the time to take Leningrad timely. So - reload many turns earlier...
2., With a really villainous move, the Allied started another smaller landing operation at Sicily at turn 73, for I was absolute not prepared!
First I could gather somehow 2x Italian heavy assault guns, but with 275 prestige/turn and 440 prestige/vehicle meant that all other resupply was stopped, which made a very strong break in my operations everywhere. So, I had to reload it from turn 61.........
So, I'm far from the end of the war. What I felt, that the frustration/swearing-factor is almost as high, as with the Normandy save.
