Slitherine

Bravo!

rkr1958 wrote:Wow. Does this mean that you captured Rome and forced Italy to surrender? Did I miss the post on this.

I just went to Max's AAR and I now see what all the fuss is about. Very well done!!!

I've got a backlog of AAR posts to do as we've gone over the cap on our broadband usage at home. It takes way too long to do it on dial-up. So I'll wait until I'm back to work and post them during my lunch break.

Yes indeed I captured Rome with a GAR. Thanks to Truls for showing me that kind of move.

I'm like Neil when I play as the Axis, I never let an Italian city go ungarrisoned.

I really couldn't believe my luck when I wandered up to Rome, and lo! There was no one there, just as I hoped.

Well hopefully some of the Western troops may still be able to rail out to safety if they are not ZOC'd by the invading troops. The sub is sent to the Suez loop as it will be a sititng duck for the luftwaffe.


The u-boats continue to block the straits. So I keep the pressure up by keeping two DDs next to it. Looks like I'll have to jsut send the Maltesse FTR back as it is too vulnerable to TAC attack.

Okay, so the cat's-out-of-the-bag in regards to Romegate but here was my rationale

1. I know from other AARs, especially the one with PG that my opponent doesn't always garrison his citie
2. In another game, with me playing the Allies, Truls had done something similar to me, taking one of the major US cities with an INF transport, when I had left no troops in the US. Never did that again!
3. I can see this already happening in France with a couple of coastal cities empty
4. I can tell that all the Mainland Italian INFs are on transports
5. Given the dramatic excess of transport capacity consumed by the Italians, I doubt they could afford to build any units to replace the INFs that have left for the Holy Land
6. Land units can see 2 hexes into the sea.
7. I had a GAR transport stationed outside Cartagena ready to land there (but not in the actual port in case Spain fell, and it did)
8. All the Regina Marina are in the eastern Med
9. I can trace a route from Cartagena around the north of Corsica and to Rome, and the only way it could be spotted is if there IS a unit in Rome, or an air unit in Italy, the latter is very unlikely.
10. If I take Rome, Italy surrenders

So at the end of my turn the GAR transport moves from the north of Corsica to Rome and lo and behold, there is no-one at home.

Not sure how the Germans managed to do it, but the ARM and MECH are cut-off. The Germans must have spent a fortune in invasion costs.



The KG make an unexpected return, I'm surprised the DD survived even at 1-step. It makes a run for the Persian Gulf. The GAR in Morroco is wanderign around so that the Germans have to actually expend and Invasion point if the want to land next to Tangier.


So here it is! The GAR lands in Rome. And the game changes completely. Gosh if the Italian GAR had moved out of Naples sooner, I would have been seen.

I even get my wife to watch over my shoulder as I press end turn, hovering ove Egypt expecting to see all the Italian units disappear. What an anti-climax, the map moves to France and shows a partisan pop up in Bordeaux of all places! Then the message - Italy surrenders to the UK.

The Germans evacuate what they can. I will wait until the INF units turn red status before attacking them.


How fortunate was that movement of the sub out of the Med, it now can berth in Tangier and keep watch over the KG.


I ship a MECH into Cherbourg port. I don't actually want to over-commit to France, I just want to be annoying, not aggressive.

There's some last ditch attacks from the Wehrmacht. But again I will wait them out.


The MECH transport leaves Tobruk harbour. Looks like I can gain North Africa uncontested. Where to next? Greece before Bulgaria joins the Axis? I suspect that's probably not a good move as the Allied troops are still pretty weak offensively, and the Battle in Greece could last several turns in the Luftwaffe intervene.


The days of the pro-democracy liberators are numbered. There's no point in re-inforcing them, how callous of me for those brave lads. I'm sure they'd understand. At least I still have GARs holding out in Tangier, La Coruna and Barcelona.


Taken before my turn

Well a partisan pops in Reims, I am really living a charmed life here. I land the MECH in Cherbourg, and ship an INF out of Cardiff and place it next to Brest, Truls will remember this move well. With winter coming the Mech I leave in Cherbourg might last quite a while. My STR bombs the Solven plant again.

US buys an Air lab, USSR another INF lab.

I feel I really need to be careful here and don't over-extend myself. The Germans have inherited all the Italian PPS and can put them to good use, but they will be constrained in the end by manpower. The Brits are getting a healthy supply of convoys, without even having to risk the RN, despite this the Germans are probably earning more than twice as many PPs as the Brits. So I need to wait until my other Allies join, which gives the initiative back to the Germans, not something I really feel that comfortable with. But it seems realistic. Barbarossa will presumably be constrained by the need to garrison both Spain and Italy. And what about Portugal? It can't be left as and easy entry step into Europe for the US.

For the time being my plan is to nibble at the edges, taking North Africa and looking to Sicily and Sardinia next.

Surely I can't lose from here?

Tobruk taken otherwise quiet in NA

The Germans train in a GAR to Brest, so my INF transport that was lingering there returns to Liverpool. I bomb Solven again, but this time I find a FTR there. The STR loses 3 steps, but at least with a FTR there, then there's one less elsewhere. The Germans can't be worried about oil already?

Barcelona holds out at 1 step.

I get a FTR upgrade and apply it to all my UK FTR units and buy a UK naval lab.

Pretty quiet turn, so no real need for any screen caps.

52PPs of convoys arrive, this really helps me

A fighter in Dover manages to do 3 steps to 1 steps damage versus a TAC in France, after Cherbourg fell. Well I thought it might have lasted a bit longer. Barcelona also falls. I've eradicated all Axis troops from Egypt now. UK buys an INF lab, Russian fixed defense tech at 64%, will it make it to 100% before Barbarossa?

As stipualted earlier, my opponent confirmed that his PP has jumped dramatically. But his weakness is still manpower and oil. And I think he'll probsbly have to garrison Italy, but there's no strategic reason to invade Italy anymore. The only two strategic points for me now are Hamburg and Berlin, and the best way to get to them is via France and Poland. I'm still waiting on a move on Portugal.

Another quiet turn, although there was MUD in Central Europe. Nothing much happened. I'm waiting for the Germans to strike next.

UK buys it last available Lab, in Armour. Russian Fixed Defenses is at 72%.

There's a large 89PP convoy in the central Atlantic, I'm tossing up whether to send 3 BBs to escort it to Glasgow.

Pretty quiet again, other than Romania joining the Axis.

I'm expecting either an assualt on Portugal or Yugoslavia soon, or a rather large an early Barbarossa.

At the moment I'm thinking the Med is a dead theatre with no strategic importance whatsoever.

Considering that I should focus on bulking up the UK during 1941 for a very early 1942 D-day, co-inciding with the the 1942 Summer offensive of the Germans.

massina_nz wrote:(...)

At the moment I'm thinking the Med is a dead theatre with no strategic importance whatsoever.

Considering that I should focus on bulking up the UK during 1941 for a very early 1942 D-day, co-inciding with the the 1942 Summer offensive of the Germans.

It's only a dead theater if you choose it to be. I think there is a lot of potential there for you. Take and reinforce Sicily, for example. Prepare to defend Greece if it is attacked, and if not, take it yourself. Then you are in a good position to bomb Ploesti early on.

Everything you do means the Axis will have to divert forces away from Barbarossa. I think a 1942 Overlord is one year too early. The Germans have lots of PPs now, but they need to guard many shores. Take advantage of that by striking indirectly.

eisenkopf wrote:

massina_nz wrote:(...)

At the moment I'm thinking the Med is a dead theatre with no strategic importance whatsoever.

Considering that I should focus on bulking up the UK during 1941 for a very early 1942 D-day, co-inciding with the the 1942 Summer offensive of the Germans.

It's only a dead theater if you choose it to be. I think there is a lot of potential there for you. Take and reinforce Sicily, for example. Prepare to defend Greece if it is attacked, and if not, take it yourself. Then you are in a good position to bomb Ploesti early on.

Everything you do means the Axis will have to divert forces away from Barbarossa. I think a 1942 Overlord is one year too early. The Germans have lots of PPs now, but they need to guard many shores. Take advantage of that by striking indirectly.

I agree. You want to spread the German forces out and the MEd, because of its weather, is a great place to force the German planes to burn oil...

Another pretty quiet turn.

Thansk for the advice guys. One thing I have got going for me in the Med is total naval superiority, because I just don't see the Germns sending in u-boast to the Med in numbers. I will continue to nibble away at Sicily and wait until Barbarossa kicks off before assailign Greece, that way the Luftwaffe will be committed elsewhere. I might focus instead on strategic bombing of Germany and go for a 43 D-Day instead.

Another quiet turn. 96 PPs arrive by convoy, almost all of my convoys are getting through unscathed, with only some minor u-boat activity off Spain this turn. A couple of DDs recon Sardinia and Sicily, and find it empty, so I will land some troops there shortly. The UK maxs out is lab builds with another Air lab, and the Russians are a couple of turns away from gettting their first fixed defenses upgrade, then I will start building the Soviet ground troops. I've got a feeling I'm going to need it. BTW I still hold Riems, La Coruna and Tangier.

massina_nz wrote:Another quiet turn. 96 PPs arrive by convoy, almost all of my convoys are getting through unscathed, with only some minor u-boat activity off Spain this turn. A couple of DDs recon Sardinia and Sicily, and find it empty, so I will land some troops there shortly. The UK maxs out is lab builds with another Air lab, and the Russians are a couple of turns away from gettting their first fixed defenses upgrade, then I will start building the Soviet ground troops. I've got a feeling I'm going to need it. BTW I still hold Riems, La Coruna and Tangier.

One thing to consider when building up the Russian forces is that you may want to keep a number of your new builds in your queue and deploy them on the turn that Max invades Russia to avoid the -30 point effectiveness hit.

rkr1958 wrote:

massina_nz wrote:Another quiet turn. 96 PPs arrive by convoy, almost all of my convoys are getting through unscathed, with only some minor u-boat activity off Spain this turn. A couple of DDs recon Sardinia and Sicily, and find it empty, so I will land some troops there shortly. The UK maxs out is lab builds with another Air lab, and the Russians are a couple of turns away from gettting their first fixed defenses upgrade, then I will start building the Soviet ground troops. I've got a feeling I'm going to need it. BTW I still hold Riems, La Coruna and Tangier.

One thing to consider when building up the Russian forces is that you may want to keep a number of your new builds in your queue and deploy them on the turn that Max invades Russia to avoid the -30 point effectiveness hit.

Good idea, apart from stationing a couple of units next to Sevestapol, there probably is no real reason for placing any units at all

Well it finally arrives and I buy two Russian commanders and lots of INF units.

Otherwise it's pretty quiet, I land an INF unit in Sicily, and will follow it up with a landing in Sardinia.

I'm thinking of also landing in Albania, so I can use it in a future Greek invasion.

UK develops strat ops level 1. This will be very useful for the RAF to provide air cover for the bombing of Germany, so I upgrade all FTR & STR units.



The Bismarck leaves for the Med, probably with u-boat escort. I alter my plans in the Med to suit, I'll leave Sardinia alone for the meanwhile and target Albania, in preparation for a future invasion of Greece, so I can bomb the Ploesti airfields. As oil will be the Germans achilles heel.



I take Palermo and station a DD there to watch for the Bismarck.

I build an INF unit for the Brits and will send it to the Med from Canada. I think INF units will be the most useful in the Balkans.

The Russians build some more INF units. their manpower is now at 81%. I will stop building INF units once I reach 80% manpower and then focus on MECH units.

Another quiet turn. I place a new STR in Halifax, to ship it to the Med. Hmm, I could have actaully put it in Plymouth, flown it to La Coruna and then to the Balerics, but too late now.

Russian dogfight tech is at 65%, I now have two labs dedicated to this, so hopefully I'll get to 100% before the '42 summer.

Mud in N Europe, if it’s FAIR next turn Barbarossa may even start.

42PP convoy arrives in the UK, I was going to say that the convoys were not being targeted, but then.....



.....a u-boat makes an appearance off the coast of the US. I take a risk and attempt to slide by with a task force of a STR & INF

Tirana (Albania) taken in the Med.

Scholven synth plant bombing resumed – this time there is no FTR defending it. In addition RAF FTRs are upgraded to dogfight level 2

I notice there seems to be no INF units, even Axis Ally ones in France – looks like Barbarossa will be a humdinger.