Joe v. Morris Round II (Joe's AAR)

[joerock22]

Turn 60 – November 24, 1942

A very quiet turn. Just some Russian infantry attacks in the north, which they lose 7:9. I’m actually disappointed with that result since there was no air support. Hopefully things will get better in subsequent turns. My troops have +1 defense and +1 survivability, plus entrenchment, while the Russians have no upgrades to speak of.

A major milestone: German production reaches 200 PP! Nice!

In the Med, Tripoli falls, so all of Italian North Africa is now in Allied hands. Where will they go next?

USSR North (pre-turn)

[Morris]

one question :

When will the Free French 's troops spawn ? I remembered it happen in Oct 1942 . Am I right ? Or depend on someother sector ?

If Armistice is accepted they spawn when Vichy is DOWed

If Armistice is rejected it is turn 57 I believe.

Is it mean that :
If Armistice is accepted & Vichy is not Dowed , even if until 1945 , Free french will not spawn anyway ?

[Morris]

I know this is just like a boxing match in Las Vegas , most of the fans are Joe's . But do you want to watch a long exciting match or just hope Joe beat me down at the first round ?

Allies is Dying but not dead ....

What I can see now, is kicking allies, who are already on the ground. Boxing does not encourage such action, as far as I know

Yes ! I am lying on the ground with blood bleeding from nose & mouth ,I can't open my eyes & only heard the judge 's counting : 1,2,3,4.....
I am just trying to standup before 10 !

[Kragdob]

Is it mean that :
If Armistice is accepted & Vichy is not Dowed , even if until 1945 , Free french will not spawn anyway ?

Exactly.

[Morris]

Is it mean that :
If Armistice is accepted & Vichy is not Dowed , even if until 1945 , Free french will not spawn anyway ?

Exactly.

Now , I seems understand why so many players like to Dow Vichy .....

[joerock22]

Turn 61 – December 14, 1942

The Red Air Force appears to support infantry attacks in the north, and with the Russians still doing well on the ground, it’s time to retreat. Unlike last winter, I have no reason to hold my ground exactly where I am; there is nothing valuable to defend that far east. There is no sign of the Red Army in the south, so I continue to mostly hold position there. It looks like my late offensive really took the wind out of Morris’s sails.

Recruitment update: I am sending some units back to Germany for SS training next turn. Having 2 SS tanks and 3 SS mechs should give me a nice balance between offense and defense. I will also max out mechs (limit 12 in 1943) as soon as possible, because they provide the offensive punch I need without consuming huge amounts of oil like tanks do. I have 2 paras nearing completion and will recruit another one in January. I built a lot of corps leading up to winter, but now Germany is shifting to a quality over quantity approach. I plan to expand the Luftwaffe further and even the tank force slightly, though I doubt I’ll ever have more than 10 due to oil constraints.

One final note – I finally finished off the trapped UK units in Scotland this turn, and a message came up that the British are now suffering a morale penalty of 5. The only British unit left in the UK now is a partisan.

USSR North

[joerock22]

Turn 62 – January 3, 1943

Morris pursues me in the north as expected, but I did not lose any German units to air attack (yet). Still nothing in the south, except a 6-step partisan popping up in Kherson. I have garrisons in all production cities, but I don’t have enough units to cover every single city in the USSR, plus defend Italy and fight partisans at the same time. Kherson should not be a major problem at any rate.

Speaking of Italy, the Allies move to land on Sicily (or so it would seem). I wondered why the landing was so weak, until I saw that my DD had spotted a British transport off neutral Greece. I believe this is where the main Allied assault will come. And I hope it does! Invasions of Greece are in my experience disasters for the Allies unless the Axis are being pressured on other fronts. It will be easy to crush the landing with a few panzers and some air support. Perhaps I can even push the Allies into the sea quickly and then get the panzers back to Russia for the summer 1943 offensive.

I make sure not to rail any German units into hexes where Morris can spot me. I want him to think that his Greek invasion will be a surprise (so that he will go through with it). I do move some air units into Hungary so they can fly into position next turn while the panzers are railing. I can afford the oil, and that way I don’t have to spend a fortune on extra rail next turn.

I purchased a 4th air lab and a 4th armour lab. As soon as I get industry lv. 5, I will purchase a 4th infantry lab. Dog fight tech is still only 55% done with lv. 4; I have no luck in this area! Soon even the Russians will pass me! Italy at least developed fixed defenses lv. 2 this turn. I’ve been waiting for that one a long time as well.

USSR North





Med (post-turn)



Hungary (post-turn)

[Cybvep]

Maybe Morris wants to take Greece in order to be able to bomb your oil fields in Romania and Hungary? He probably figured that oil is your weak point and wants to lower your oil producing capacity ASAP. Ofc, you can intercept the Allied bombers, but the problem is that you lose oil that way, too...

[Plaid]

I think its to late to deplete german oil. Joe has absolutely no need to conduct large scale offencive anywhere (unless he plans to achieve soviet surrender ), and for minor operations his synth. plants should provide enough.

[joerock22]

Maybe Morris wants to take Greece in order to be able to bomb your oil fields in Romania and Hungary? He probably figured that oil is your weak point and wants to lower your oil producing capacity ASAP. Ofc, you can intercept the Allied bombers, but the problem is that you lose oil that way, too...

I initially thought that this was his intent as well, but with the advantage of being a few turns ahead of the AAR, I now don't think it was. I agree with Plaid; I feel that my oil situation is under control and that I will not run out unless something very bad happens.

[Cybvep]

Well, the only benefit of attacking Greece that I see is the fact that you can station Allied air units there. Terrain in the Balkans is harsh, so any advance there is usually a long slog. Greek PPs is unimpressive. Tirana is surrounded by mountain hexes, so no easy pickings. Joe is too experienced to leave Sofia poorly defended, so no early Bulgarian knock-out.

All in all, the plan has to involve air power IMO. Maybe Morris hopes to provide air cover for an Allied invasion in southern Italy? He could protect his transports more effectively that way. Or maybe it's just desperation...

[Morris]

Or maybe it's just desperation...

Yes ,you are right !
Actually according your opinion to the AAR with Peter , I would surrender several turns ago . But as you know there are so many fans enjoying this AAR which I was badly beaten down on the ground ,so we just want to play this game to the last minute to complete this joy .

It is not a question of who will win in this pbem . If Axis still won't win the game at such a huge advantage & so many Allies big mistakes ,especially Axis is played by an elite player like Joe , The game balance will have serious problem !

So let's just watch what kind of victory Joe will achive ! Allies will just try their best to be an qualified enemy .

[shawkhan]

Morris, you are a 'Class Act'.

[joerock22]

Turn 63 – January 23, 1943

Absolutely no movement from the Russians on the eastern front. It seems Morris is determined not to make the same mistake he made last winter (pressing his attack too long). It’s all good for me! My infantry could use a break, and this allows me to focus all my energy on the Western Allies.

American and British forces move away from Sicily and invade Greece as expected, reducing Athens to 1 step. We prepare for Greek surrender and all its implications. Powerful German forces occupy Salonika and prepare for a massive counteroffensive to push the Allies back into the sea. Oil up above 500 before my moves—we are in good shape, even if the Allies try to bomb Ploesti as I fear they might.

By the way, I made a mistake last turn by not positioning a unit to immediately capture Salonika if the Allies forced Greece to surrender in one turn. I simply assumed that Greece would take two turns, which was a dangerous thing to do. Fortunately, Greece did take two turns and I got away with my error this time.

Research: Germany develops anti-tank guns lv. 2 and armour lv. 3. I had focused on armour because it was lagging behind, but now I even it out. The next big tank upgrade is tank destroyers lv. 4 (45%). Dog fight lv. 4 made a big jump to 88% – that fourth lab is already paying off. Perhaps I will get it next turn.

Greece

[Cybvep]

Do you plan to use the RM here?

[Morris]

Do you plan to use the RM here?

what is "RM" ?

[ncali]

Do you plan to use the RM here?

what is "RM" ?

Regia Marina, the Italian Navy.

[Plaid]

Its not hard to capture Athens in 1 turn this late - remember, greek infantry have no upgrades at all. But looks like Morris don't have HQ for his air units in Lybia - it is probably the only thing, that stopped him from 1 turn conquest.

[Cybvep]

Do you plan to use the RM here?

what is "RM" ?

Regia Marina, the Italian Navy.

Yeah, I often use these abbreviations. Other naval WWII ones include:

USN - United States Navy
IJN - Imperial Japanese Navy
RN - Royal Navy
MN - Marine Nationale (the French Navy)
KM - Kriegsmarine

[Morris]

Thanks ! I got it !

By the way , The RM is badly hurt ,maybe only subs left .but it is still dangerous !