AAR - New Supreme Axis Commander Named (The War is Over)

trulster · Post by **trulster** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 12:24 am

joerock22 wrote:February 7, 1944
It has to be quick, because I'm going to need these troops in Russia; only 3 Italian corps survive of the once mighty Axis army that went into Siberia. Historians are comparing it to Napoleon's disasterous Russian campaign of 1812-1813. Hopefully the war won't turn out the same way for the invader this time.

Well you already have much more than you need for such a narrow front, so start railing em off to Moscow!

joerock22 · Post by **joerock22** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 2:43 am

trulster wrote:Well you already have much more than you need for such a narrow front, so start railing em off to Moscow!

I'm taking no chances. The Allies can do a lot of damage because of their bombers, and I might need those extra units to replace damaged ones. Defeating the Allies in the Balkans is top priority right now, and I can't run the risk of failure by railing troops out too soon.

supermax · Post by **supermax** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 3:08 pm

So the Balkan offensive is going well for you Joe... Good job!

You should be done very soon, i do not foresee the allies player being able to put more troops on the ground so this front is in the bag for you in 2-3 turns.

As Stauffenberg said, i do not believe, however, that you have any chance of knocking out the Russians.

If id be playing the allies right now, i would be attacking you on every front possible and in every way so you could not build a reserve for a future offensive. And even then, your Perm offensive... I am very skeptical

If i can give you an advice, well launch your offensive with NO regards or losses and keep pushing it hard even if the winter is looming. dont stop and ldont et the Russian catch his breath. Push him as fast and as hard as you can, no looking back and no thinking of retreat, defense or stopping for winter unless you are 100% you are not going to succeed.

joerock22 · Post by **joerock22** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 3:46 pm

supermax wrote:So the Balkan offensive is going well for you Joe... Good job!

You should be done very soon, i do not foresee the allies player being able to put more troops on the ground so this front is in the bag for you in 2-3 turns.

As Stauffenberg said, i do not believe, however, that you have any chance of knocking out the Russians.

If id be playing the allies right now, i would be attacking you on every front possible and in every way so you could not build a reserve for a future offensive. And even then, your Perm offensive... I am very skeptical

If i can give you an advice, well launch your offensive with NO regards or losses and keep pushing it hard even if the winter is looming. dont stop and ldont et the Russian catch his breath. Push him as fast and as hard as you can, no looking back and no thinking of retreat, defense or stopping for winter unless you are 100% you are not going to succeed.

Well, then I'm glad you are not my opponent, supermax! I will take your advice on the Perm offensive to heart. I realize it's a long shot, but it's the only chance I have.

joerock22 · Post by **joerock22** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 3:55 pm

February 27, 1944

The Balkan offensive continues to go well, with 2 more mechs being destroyed. Even better, I only had to use 1 bomber attack because the Allies are now being pushed back into the clear terrain. I think it's time to call of the dogs. I don't have to push PanzerGeneral into the sea. His army is now reduced to a mere handful of ground units, and I can now form a solid defensive line in the rough terrain that will allow me to focus most of my attention on the Moscow front in the spring. Besides, I really can't afford to pay any more air repairs. So the Luftwaffe bugged out of the area this turn, some units railing and some moving manually. My oil is still at 246, so I'm trying to strike a balance between conserving oil and saving pps. So 4-5 bombers will make the trip to Russia manually at a cost of 6 oil each. That saves me 28-35 pp, almost half a tank. I'm going to have to spend enough pp railing my infantry out of the Balkans, so I don't need air units adding to the bill.

This turn I was finally able to purchase 2 tanks, even if I had to sell 2 useless naval labs to do it. I hope to order 2 more next turn, even if I have to sell more labs. I received Dog Fight Lv. 5 (+2 air attack, for a total of eight) this turn, so the Russian fighters will be fighting at a disadvantage come springtime. Air superiority will probably be key to those first few turns when both armies are strong. Here is the Balkans screenshot.

Clark · Post by **Clark** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 4:06 pm

What are you going to do with the fleet that should be rolling out any time now?

joerock22 · Post by **joerock22** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 4:33 pm

Clark wrote:What are you going to do with the fleet that should be rolling out any time now?

Hopefully nothing. If the western front stays quiet, that fleet can just sit around and not waste oil. Although, maybe I should go after the Soviet convoys. The problem is that I would have to go far into the Atlantic to do that, so that's probably not feasible. The fleet will probably remain inactive unless PanzerGeneral mounts an invasion of France, in which case I will most definitely try to intervene.

Peter Stauffenberg · Post by **Peter Stauffenberg** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 7:18 pm

One thing you can do with your new BB fleet is to place them in Atlantic ports where Panzergeneral can't avoid to detect at least some of them. If he then investigates further he will discover even more BB's. What do you think he will think if he's faced with a huge BB fleet playing against the player known for loving Sealion.

Maybe you can't use your own fleet for much good, but the mere sight of it might force the Allied player to build many units for the defense of Britain instead of bombers and fighters that can harass the German production. Fooling him into building units he doesn't need could be worth a shot.

joerock22 · Post by **joerock22** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 7:39 pm

Stauffenberg wrote:One thing you can do with your new BB fleet is to place them in Atlantic ports where Panzergeneral can't avoid to detect at least some of them. If he then investigates further he will discover even more BB's. What do you think he will think if he's faced with a huge BB fleet playing against the player known for loving Sealion.

Maybe you can use your own fleet for much good, but the mere sight of it might force the Allied player to build many units for the defense of Britain instead of bombers and fighters that can harass the German production. Fooling him into building units he don't need could be worth a shot.

Oooh, I like that! Especially since PanzerGeneral started bombing Brest with his fleet last turn. Great idea, Borger! I will begin deployment next turn.

shawkhan · Post by **shawkhan** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 7:52 pm

Wouldn't London be easier to take than holding Moscow or taking Perm? Especially since the allies insist on sending their air elsewhere.

Clark · Post by **Clark** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 8:38 pm

shawkhan wrote:Wouldn't London be easier to take than holding Moscow or taking Perm? Especially since the allies insist on sending their air elsewhere.

Yes, but it wouldn't stop the Russian Army from coming. Also, the UK has zero oilfields. Russia has quite a bit.

rkr1958 · Post by **rkr1958** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 8:43 pm

Personally, I think you and PanzerGeneral should play to a May 1945 end date; regardless of which option was selected and determine victory at that point. I think that would give you a fighting chance for "victory" and make these two AAR's even more interesting than they are (if that's possible).

I'm also going to post this in PanzerGeneral's AAR.

joerock22 · Post by **joerock22** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 10:01 pm

rkr1958 wrote:Personally, I think you and PanzerGeneral should play to a May 1945 end date; regardless of which option was selected and determine victory at that point. I think that would give you a fighting chance for "victory" and make these two AAR's even more interesting than they are (if that's possible).

I'm also going to post this in PanzerGeneral's AAR.

If we were going to play just until 1945, I would definitely have launched Sealion. I would have played things differently from the start. Right now I'm preparing for a do-or-die battle in Russia. I'm fine with playing until one of us surrenders. It doesn't matter to me so much if I win this game because obviously I didn't put myself in this unenviable position. As long as I give it my best effort, I'll be happy no matter what the result. I'm satisfied with my performance so far.

joerock22 · Post by **joerock22** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 10:06 pm

March 19, 1944

A quiet turn except for allied bombings in the Balkans. I'm going to have to spend pp down there every turn, but at least I don't have to worry about a breakthrough until PanzerGeneral sends in reinforcements. I sold a couple labs, purchased a couple tanks, and railed/flew some more units to Russia. The force there is starting to form, under Mainstein's command. Next turn's pp will be spent almost exclusively on repairs and upgrades.

Also, as per Stauffenberg's suggestion, the German fleet sails out of the Baltic toward the English Channel. Hopefully I can catch the bold Allied ships by surprise and sink a few of them. They are bombarding my coastal cities with impunity now.

joerock22 · Post by **joerock22** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 5:00 pm

April 7, 1944

The German fleet sails into the English Channel and nearly sinks an American BB. I'm hoping for a major naval battle; it will give those otherwise useless German ships a chance to do some good, and perhaps convince PanzerGeneral that England is in danger.

You can see on the Moscow screenshot that my defense is starting to take shape. I purchased another tank for a total of 6 when they are all complete. If PanzerGeneral continues his advance, his tanks will come within range of my bombers. And if I think I have a shot to kill a couple of them, I will definitely take it. That should make him advance more cautiously, and give my new tanks a chance to get out there and raise effectiveness for a couple turns before going into action. Little action in the Balkans; some of the Allied air force has moved on to other pursuits, probably an offensive in the Caucuses. That's fine; by holding him here for this long I have assured that I won't have to worry too much about my southern flank until fall 1944 at least.

joerock22 · Post by **joerock22** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 7:08 pm

April 27, 1944

Well, that's that! So much for the mighty KM Ike99 built; I lost 2 subs and 2 BBs in one turn! Ah, well, the remaining BBs have retreated to port and the subs have sailed into the Atlantic to provide advance warning of any invasion forces. Not a huge deal.

PanzerGeneral did not advance any further with the Russians, perhaps sensing that he would be entering the danger zone. That's fine; my bombers will be ready whenever he decides to come closer to Moscow. The Italians continue to take over for the Germans in the Balkans, allowing the latter to rail to the Moscow front. I repaired my 4 upgraded fighters over there, and I had to decide between repairing my bombers and buying another tank. I chose to repair the bombers because 1) they are already there, 2) I already have 6 tanks, and 3) I have fighter superiority over the Soviets and that will allow my bombers to be very effective indeed. Plus they only use 3 oil and tanks use 12 (6 to move and 6 more to attack). I think I have a great chance to smash the Russians once they make their assault on Moscow!

On a sidenote, we have decided to play this game to the bitter end, though PanzerGeneral is not sure if Ike99 actually disabled the "end in 1945" option. When this game is over, we may go back and restart from December 1943, agreeing to end the game in May 1945.

joerock22 · Post by **joerock22** » Sun Nov 22, 2009 4:59 pm

May 17, 1944

Winter is over, and the Soviets begin advancing again. Part of their line is within attack range, but PanzerGeneral's forces are spread out along a wide front, while mine are concentrated near Moscow. That could work to my advantage. I now have 3 tanks in the area, with 2 more by Berlin ready to rail next turn. I expect to launch my counterattack in 2 turns, but we'll see what happens.

joerock22 · Post by **joerock22** » Mon Nov 23, 2009 11:00 pm

June 6, 1944

You can see the situation near Moscow, and it's not good. The Soviets have 9 tanks to my 5, and plenty of supporting infantry. My only advantages are the bombers, effectiveness, and entrenchment. I saw a chance to down a newly arrived UK fighter, and took it. Other than that I just maintained my defensive positions. I will try to weather the storm and hope PanzerGeneral gives me some counterattack opportunities next turn. With a couple bomber attacks my tanks are capable of killing his with only one attack. I'm producing infantry and tanks together now, so reinforcements should continue to trickle in each turn.

joerock22 · Post by **joerock22** » Wed Nov 25, 2009 2:45 pm

June 26, 1944

The first screenshot shows the situation around Moscow before my turn began. As you can see, PanzerGeneral has divided his forces and tried to go around my flanks instead of making a frontal assault on my infantry line. In doing so he has played right into my hands, and I took advantage. Four Russian tanks and 1 corps are destroyed (see second screenshot)! My only problem is oil; stores fell to 136. I will have to substantially restrict bomber and tank movement in the coming turns if I hope to make it to Omsk.

Things are not going so well on other fronts. The Allies look like they are ready to renew the Balkans offensive (third screenshot). Furthermore, they are attempting to land in France (fourth screenshot). I moved the German infantry to block off the coast, leaving only a single open hex which I hope he will not be able to take advantage of. My goal is to make him land further north, where he will not be able to capture a city so easily. If I let him get a supply source in France I will need many more troops in France to prevent a major defeat.

trulster · Post by **trulster** » Wed Nov 25, 2009 4:31 pm

joerock22 wrote:June 26, 1944

The first screenshot shows the situation around Moscow before my turn began. As you can see, PanzerGeneral has divided his forces and tried to go around my flanks instead of making a frontal assault on my infantry line. In doing so he has played right into my hands, and I took advantage. Four Russian tanks and 1 corps are destroyed (see second screenshot)! My only problem is oil; stores fell to 136. I will have to substantially restrict bomber and tank movement in the coming turns if I hope to make it to Omsk.

Yes, expected this given that he left the spearhead very vulnerable to a counterattack. Still, failing a morale breakdown for the Allies by this setback, I think reaching Omsk at this point is a loooong shot. Not enough units to cover up for the Allied attack options at this point...