Slitherine

FYI - if you are going to contest the air - and it looks like you are - you might consider moving that FTR out of the swamp east of Kerch. Low supply in swamps hurts your effectiveness.

jjdenver wrote:FYI - if you are going to contest the air - and it looks like you are - you might consider moving that FTR out of the swamp east of Kerch. Low supply in swamps hurts your effectiveness.

The reason why I have placed it here in the first place was to try to spot any landing craft which might come towards the Caucasus. Your suggestion is excellent and I will move it out so that it can gain some more effectiveness.

17. June 1942, Wehrmacht advances on all fronts
The weather.


US and Russian scientists produce some results.


The allied war production. Even though USA has lost some cities, the production still is fair as the war effort has risen.


In the Middle East the axis has started to advance towards Baghdad. My Red army tank receives equipment upgrades, and an infantry army is railed from northern Persia. I move the motorized army behind the river. The Red air force takes pot shots at the axis inflicting no damage, perhaps they should be upgraded as well. I move my strategic bomber back and it reveals no axis surprises.


Boston is captured by the Wehrmacht. The cannon fodder at the front will probably meet their fate next turn. US units are repaired and I buy a motorized corps which will assist in the defence of Washington. The USA fighters have been deployed as far back as they can from this position they will try to inflict as much pain as possible on the Luftwaffe. Next turn they will get the latest equipment.
A panzer grenadier is punished by the US navy and USAF.


All quiet in the northern sector in Russia.


Likewise on the central sector. A Red Army fighter almost destroys an Italian garrison.


On the southern sector panzer formations destroy two of my armies. For now the front line holds. I spot a panzer korps in Sevastopol, and I fear that Supermax is scheming some evil amphibious landing. The Red air force receives new equipment.
Near Kerch the fighter is redeployed to better terrain so that its effectiveness will improve.


Russia gets a 62 PPs convoy and buys two tank armies. I want to build up a strategic reserve that will be used this winter. The two Siberian tank armies have been sent to the Middle East and I need some offensive punch in Russia. I do not want to reveal them to Supermax immediately, so they will be deployed in the Voronezh area.
The allied build queue:

7. July 1942, Tank army destroyed in the Middle East
The weather.


Russia gains a tech.


In the Middle East Supermax kills my tank army. I thought it safe for equipment upgrades as the axis units had low efficiency. Well lesson learned move out of harms way before upgrading . A tank army which was bound for Voronezh is deployed in the Caucasus and will travel to this theatre to replace the unit lost.


The Wehrmacht grinds down the US defense. The USAF and US navy attacks the axis air force and inflict some losses on them. The US sub attacks the Italian BB in port.


All quiet in the northern sector in Russia.


Mostly quiet on the central sector. The Red Army fighters continue to attack the Italian garrison.


In the south Supermax kills two infantry armies and leave a Wehrmacht infantry korps exposed. The Red army kills it and closes the breach in the front line.


The US buys another motorized army and Russia two infantry armies to replace the ones that were destroyed.

27. July 1942, AG South advances stopped
The weather.


US and Russian scientists work overtime.


For now all is quiet in the Middle East. I suspect that Supermax will attack next turn. Another tank army is railed to Baghdad. The Italian infantry corps south of Baghdad is attacked by the Red air force and afterwards by my motorized army. The result is badly beaten Italians that retreat. Further north I have moved in some infantry. I am contemplating to move it south a little bit to make Supermax use forces to contain it.


In the US I spot two amphibious landing forces. The Wehrmacht furthest south is what I suspect a scouting party to see if there any empty hexes that could be landed to. Well I guess that leaves Supermax disappointed as my latest fighter is deployed here. I buy a garrison and plug the hole in which the Italian force could land onto. The positive note is that I managed to sink the Italian sub and BB. That should leave most of the axis navy on the bottom of the sea.


All is quiet in the northern sector in Russia.


Likewise in the central sector.


In the southern sector Supermax moves in his panzer troops to the front line. I pull back a badly damaged infantry army and fill in with another. Lots of axis fighters are spotted. My Red fighters attack and claim several victories.


The US buys an infantry corps and the Russian buy another commander for the Middle East sector. The rest of the Russian PPs are used on repairs and unit upgrades.


I scan over several of the new axis units that have appeared (fighters and panzers) and note that their survivability is lower than for other seasoned units. This would mean that Supermax also has some manpower issues. Actually this does not come as a surprise but it is nice to have it confirmed.

16. August 1942, Wehrmacht pressure in the US increases
The weather.


US gain a tech.


Supermax attacks and forces an infantry korps across the river north of Baghdad. Swift counterattacks by my tac bombers and motorized army destroy it. The tank army receives new equipment and the commander is placed in the garrison north of the battle zone. Another tank army is deployed to the Caucasus for deployment in this theatre. Thus I have assigned three tank armies for this critical sector.


In the US Supermax destroyed several units (fighter, tac bomber and a garrison). New York is under heavy pressure and I fear it will fall next turn. Again the USAF scrambles to the sky and inflict casualties on the Luftwaffe.


All is quiet in the northern sector in Russia.


Likewise in the central sector. The Red air force finally kills the Italian garrison.


In the southern sector Wehrmacht infantry captures the mine next to Stalino. Once again Red Army counterattacks save the day. The korps is destroyed and the mine recaptured. A new tank army is deployed near Rostov. My fighters attack the Luftwaffe fighters and inflict few casualties.


The Russian spend their PPs on a new tank army and the rest is spent on repairs and unit upgrades.

5. September 1942, New York is captured by the axis
The weather.


Russian scientists work overtime.


New York has been captured by Supermax. Hopefully the rest of the defence will slow him down before autumn arrives. I need the US alive as long as possible. I want his tac bombers here rather than in Russia. My brave USAF fighters scramble to the sky and attack and damage two Luftwaffe fighters.


In the Middle East things are looking brighter. Supermax has cancelled his offensive and has pulled back his forces. I move in my motorized and tank army and plug the hole in the front line. My tack bombers attack a panzer korps. I am wondering if there are any imminent axis reserves which will come to the aid. I move in my strategic bomber and it reveals no nasty surprises.


A Finnish partisan unit has been destroyed, otherwise all is quiet in the northern sector. I send out my BB for recon and it observes garrisons in Helsinki and Tallinn. I guess Supermax has started to guard his coastal cities in the Baltic Sea


All is quiet in the central sector.


In the southern sector my fighters attack the axis allied fighters and inflict serious damage. I spot that the axis air units are in sentry mode. Hmmm, I guess Supermax wants to prevent them from intercepting me and save some fuel. A tank army moves to the front line near west of Rostov. Next turn the poor Wehrmacht unit will feel the wrath of my Red armour.


Russia gets a 106 PPs convoy this turn. I have 260 PPs to spend. I buy two tac bombers for the winter offensive. The rest is spent on unit repairs and upgrades.

25. September 1942, Counteroffensive in the US
The weather.


Russia gains two valuable techs.


French partisans have become quite active. One of the partisan units formed in a city, and now they have a supply base


A German korps has managed to get next to Washington. My USAF attacks the German tac bombers and inflict damage on them and the Luftwaffe fighters that came to their rescue. Finally my tac bomber can attack the German korps without too much trouble. My motorized infantry attack and kill the German infantry.


I move my strat bomber in the Middle East and it reveals the axis defensive line. My tac bombers attack some Italian infantry units. I also spot two landing craft in the Red Sea, I suspect that they have come from the US and will beef up the axis defensive in this theatre.


All is quiet in the northern sector in Russia.


I move my BB and it reveals no defence in Konigsberg, perhaps I should land something here? Otherwise all is quiet in the central sector.


In the southern sector my armour attacks the German infantry south of Stalino with disappointing results.


Russia buy another tac bomber and spend the rest of their PPs on unit upgrades (fighters and armour)

Some of those German air units around Washington look awfully weak. Your play has improved immeasurably since the start of this AAR. If you can start killing some of Supermax's units in the US it takes a long time for him to replace them; the same is true of the Middle East. Walking is a Slow way to get anywhere.
Amphibious ops is a great way to go. Just do them out of range of his air if you can. The Russians can do some interesting things, much as you have already done in Finland.

You might consider declaring war on Vichy France if you can get the US to survive in this game.

In case you didn't already know, we are all in awe of your persistence in this game.

shawkhan wrote:
You might consider declaring war on Vichy France if you can get the US to survive in this game.

In case you didn't already know, we are all in awe of your persistence in this game.

That's actually a sneaky idea... declare war on Vichy then promptly sail the Free French (leave one inf behind in the capital) off to land behind the lines in Canada or something, that FF armour could do some damage and you still have some navy left to support the landing. At this stage you certainly have nothing to lose! Or even a surprise invasion of Italy (The Vichy will see the fleet coming as you sail by Gib thuogh)...has he got Rome guarded?... could be a memorable move.

15. October 1942, Counteroffensive in the US
The weather.


Russia gains another tech.


Supermax continues to push towards Washington in the US. My brave USAF goes to the sky again and this time a Luftwaffe fighter perishes in the heavy battles. One of his Stuka units has only one step left, I assume that it will be pulled back for rest and refit.


In the Middle East another tank army arrives. My tac bombers take pot shots at the Italians, otherwise all is quiet.


All is quiet in the northern sector in Russia. The Baltic fleet goes to port for some upgrades.


All is quiet in the central sector.


In the southern sector a new tank army is deployed. South of Stalino my armour and infantry kill the German korps. Supermax can decide if he wants to fill the hole in the front line and sacrifice another unit.


Russia buys yet another tac bomber and spend the rest of their PPs on unit upgrades and repairs.

4. November 1942, Washington is surrounded
Winter has arrived in Russia.


Russian scientists acquire more knowledge.


Supermax has destroyed the rest of my ground forces in front of Washington. Washington is now surrounded. I spot no axis aircraft. I think the USAF punished them enough and they are somewhere further north receiving much needed repairs. I wonder how long the Washington corps will hold out.


The third and last tank army is deployed to the Middle East. My tac bombers wreck havoc on an Italian infantry corps which only has 2 steps left.


All is quiet in the northern sector in Russia.


All is quiet in the central sector.


In the southern sector Supermax has pulled back from his exposed bulge. The Red Army advances cautiously.


The Red Air force attacks axis allied units at will. They meet no Luftwaffe opposition.

The Russians buy an infantry army and a tac bomber.

trulster wrote:

shawkhan wrote:
You might consider declaring war on Vichy France if you can get the US to survive in this game.

In case you didn't already know, we are all in awe of your persistence in this game.

That's actually a sneaky idea... declare war on Vichy then promptly sail the Free French (leave one inf behind in the capital) off to land behind the lines in Canada or something, that FF armour could do some damage and you still have some navy left to support the landing. At this stage you certainly have nothing to lose! Or even a surprise invasion of Italy (The Vichy will see the fleet coming as you sail by Gib thuogh)...has he got Rome guarded?... could be a memorable move.

I am not sure. That would mean that Syria joins the axis, which will mean that me front line in the Middle East will become even more stretched. Right now I feel I have enough forces to try a limited push in order to plug the gap. If the moment comes, I might declare war on Vichy/Syria, but for now I will wait.

24. November 1942, Quiet on all fronts.
Muddy season in Russia, and winter hits USA.


US and Russian scientists work overtime.


Except for an Italian infantry unit which was badly damaged after attacking Washington, all is quiet on this front. The USAF makes limited attacks against the units next to Washington.


All quiet in the Middle East. All units are upgraded.


All is quiet in the northern sector in Russia. The Baltic fleet is upgraded.


All is quiet in the central sector.


In the southern sector the Red Air Force attacks at will with their new tac bombers. Several axis allied corps gets beaten up.


Russia gets a 51 PPs convoy, which is perhaps the last before USA is knocked out of the war. The Russian buy their 6th tac bomber, and the rest is spent on upgrading the armies on the southern sector. With 6 tac bombers I should have enough offensive power in one sector for my winter offensive. This winter Ag South will receive the fury of the Red Army. I will purchase some more fighters so that I can combat the Luftwaffe in the US when it comes to Russia.

PanzerGeneral,

If you every get to the point where you can't repair the Washington defenders back up to full strength (or to a strength you feel comfortable with) then you can convert that unit to a transport and deploy a new unit to DC from your build queue. Of course, you'd have to have a unit in your build queue in order to do this and you would lose any entrenchment that the unit you converted to transport would have.

rkr1958 wrote:PanzerGeneral,

If you every get to the point where you can't repair the Washington defenders back up to full strength (or to a strength you feel comfortable with) then you can convert that unit to a transport and deploy a new unit to DC from your build queue. Of course, you'd have to have a unit in your build queue in order to do this and you would lose any entrenchment that the unit you converted to transport would have.

Thanks for a very helpful tip! The US get more than enough PPs each turn even if I only have Washington. The problem is that I cannot deploy any new units, and my garrison in Washington with level 8 entrenchment is not going to move anywhere.

14. December 1942, Russia starts its winter offensive against AG South
Severe winter hits Russia.


Axis units lose some effectiveness.


USA and Russia gain more techs.


Even with only Washington the US gets more than enough PPs each turn.


No action in the US, except for the USAF bombing the panzer grenadier korps outside Washington.


The Red Army starts its advance towards the axis front line in the Middle East. The tac bombers are repaired for the upcoming offensive. I am wondering if there are any surprises behind the front line. The strategic bomber moves in, and what a surprise it reveals. Part of Luftwaffe America has reached the Middle East. STAVKA orders three fighters from the northern and central sector to this theatre, the units are railed to the Caucasus and should arrive next turn.


In the northern sector I move my army in Leningrad to the Finnish front line and attack the Finnish garrison. It receives some serious damage, with only 3 steps left.


On the central sector some units are upgraded. I attempt two attacks. One against the Hungarian corps which lose 5 steps, and the second against the Wehrmacht infantry south of Gomel which also gets a beating.


In the southern sector my tac bombers attack the Wehrmacht infantry in the south. My armour moves in and destroys both of them. The attack continues and I severely crush the panzer grenadier korps which only has 2 steps left after my attacks. My winter offensive has started and hopefully will gain some more momentum next turn.


The Russians buy a fighter and spend the rest of their PPs on unit repairs and upgrades.

Maybe I am missing something here, but can't you put the bomber south of Washington on a transport and deploy a unit there? That might be helpful in the coming battles if you have that infantry unit at high efficiency waiting to step in if the unit in the capital gets badly battered. Something I do in my games is that if the unit is badly depleted and at really low efficiency is send them on suicidal attacks against strong units and move in a fresh unit to defend. I appreciate this won't turn the tide but it may allow the US to hold out for longer...

TotalerKrieg wrote:Maybe I am missing something here, but can't you put the bomber south of Washington on a transport and deploy a unit there? That might be helpful in the coming battles if you have that infantry unit at high efficiency waiting to step in if the unit in the capital gets badly battered. Something I do in my games is that if the unit is badly depleted and at really low efficiency is send them on suicidal attacks against strong units and move in a fresh unit to defend. I appreciate this won't turn the tide but it may allow the US to hold out for longer...

Thanks for the tip. As long as my garrison looks healthy I will use the bomber to attack the axis units next to Washington. But if my Washington garrison starts to get beaten, this tactic will be handy.

3. January 1943, Russian offensive in the Middle East
The weather.


US and Russian scientists work overtime.


All quiet in the US. I have followed some sound advice and have put my bomber onto and transport and made room to deploy my infantry corps. The plan is to sail this corps somewhere exciting Perhaps England, France or the Middle East!
The USAF fighters are upgraded and repaired.


The Red Army has started its offensive in the Middle East. The Red Air Force scrambles to the sky and force the Luftwaffe to engage them and burn some fuel. An Italian infantry corps perishes in heavy battles against my tanks. Another Italian infantry unit is severely damaged by my armoured attacks. My Russian fighters have arrived.


In Finland a Finnish corps is destroyed just north of Leningrad. Otherwise all is quiet in the northern sector.


In the central sector, the Red Army performs several attacks across the Dnieper and inflicts some axis casualties.


In the southern sector my Red Air Force attacks without interference from the Luftwaffe. The exposed panzer grenadier is easily destroyed. Because of severe winter my armoured advance is slow.
My partisan unit in Romania reveal that the city of Constanta is unguarded. Perhaps a spring landing with my garrisons in the Caucasus along the Black Sea cities is possible.


Russia buys another fighter and spends the rest of the PPs on unit upgrades.
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