Slitherine

FAIR weather in Northern Europe this turn and I get the following message

I was quite tempted into attacking with the nice weather and all, but i prefer waiting still...

So it'll be on for next turn, not much I can do really but sit and wait.



The British begin to get more active. I'm sending some units to Spain as a distraction.

The synth plant is bombed again and both RAF FTRs attack Rouen for some free experience.



Looks like the Task force has slipped by un-noticed, but the u-boat hasn't attcked the convoy again. Oops! I forgot that subs travel at a slow speed. And the trailing INF transport is now exposed.



Ready next turn to invade Sardinia, also will begin the trip up the toe, just really another distraction for the Germans.

Pretty impressive Barbarossa, I count 6 TACs, 3 FTRs, 8 MECHs and 5 ARMs, and only half the TACs were used in the first turn. It's a pretty substantial force this early on.




I pull out what Russian units I can and leave the others to their fate. You'll notice that the troops around Moscow are yellow, they were placed there this turn. I had already placed several INFs near Leningrad and I wanted to set-up my defensive line there early. In recent games as the Russians I think I've defended too far to the East in the forests, and have lost Leningrad and Moscow too easily. On the Steppes I start to assemble a line at Orel-Kursk-Kharkov. I have no intent on defending here. I t will just look like it. When the Germans approach I will just retreat - I will happily trade ground and cities for less casualties. Why fight the Germans in the open when they have the distinct advantage? My overall plan is to hopefully launch a limited winter offensive, and then build up my FTR force for the 1942 campaign season. And I definitely need to target the Ploesti airfields and defend the Caucauses somehow.



British troops cross the Messana straits and the Sardina task force is assembled. I still have no idea where the German BB is.



A MECH corp arrives in Spain to annoy the Germans.

Barbarossa continues apace



I form some sort of defensive line, but it's only temporary. Note, I've only placed GARs in the cities as they are expendable and may slow the Germans down a little bit.



A thunderbolt hits me! I don't need to invade Greece in order to bomb Ploesti, I already have Albania, I can easily reach the oilfields and Rome from there. It also frees up my other UK Med-based troops to concentrate on Italy. I have a UK STR that landed in Egypt this turn and the Russian STR is currently en-route in Iraq. I just to need to ensure the Caucauses are well-defended.

Be careful in Albania! An Italian partisan unit could appear in Tirana and cut off your GAR.

zechi wrote:Be careful in Albania! An Italian partisan unit could appear in Tirana and cut off your GAR.

Yes better fly that STR in to Tirana quickly.

Hmmm I was thinking can you actually bomb Ploesti from Albania over neutral territory?

massina_nz wrote:Hmmm I was thinking can you actually bomb Ploesti from Albania over neutral territory?

As far as I remember you can fly an attack mission over neutral hexes, but you can't fly over neutral hexes when you want to relocate an air unit.

_augustus_

_Augustus_ wrote:

massina_nz wrote:Hmmm I was thinking can you actually bomb Ploesti from Albania over neutral territory?

As far as I remember you can fly an attack mission over neutral hexes, but you can't fly over neutral hexes when you want to relocate an air unit.

_augustus_

Thanks. A quirk in the mechanics that I hope to exploit.

German tide floods forward. Looks like the Caucauses are a target as well as Moscow probably



Well I decide I must make a stand somewhere, especially if it concerns oil. Wouldn't it be wierd if the Germans took the Caucauses and I ended up bombing the oilfields from Persia?

Next turn the pain starts as the German panzers will hit my lines, but I can't really let the panzers get too close to the oilfields too soon. In the north and around Moscow I decide not to retreat either, my troops there should go > 60% effectiveness and have 2 levels of entrenchment, I'm going to take some losses, but hopefully my improved defenses tech may protect my troops a bit more than normal.



Italy deosn't look too well defended at the moment, guess there will be troops on the Gustav line shortly. I take the city in Sardinia as well as progressing up the toe of Italy



I place some requisitions for US naval assets, I plan to use these to escalate my intervention in Spain. Yeah Spain isn't the easiest counry to traverse, but I have a port there and there will be no Luftwaffe there for quite a while.

Unsurprisingly one of the FTRs which was on the Russian front has been bouthgt back to Germany to protect the sythn oil plant. My STR suffers a step loss but does 3 steps damage to the plant, it is now at Zero production. This game will be about three things now - Oil, Manpower and can the Russians survive!

Why go for Spain? I would go for Vichy France. It is relative easy to get a foothold there and you will get the Free French as reinforcements. Furthermore, you could cut off Spain from the other Axis controlled countries. If you put pressure on France and Italy the same time, Supermax will have to divert a sizeable force from the Eastern Front to counter you.

You should also try to land in the Gustav line now. Even if Supermax rails units there to block you, it will cost him some units he could use on the Eastern Front now. Furthermore, it will cost him rail points which he will also need in the East.

If the Axis are attacking in Russia, the Allied player hould always put a pressure on the Axis with the UK/US somewhere, to divert some Axis resources to other theaters. Even if the diversion is not very succesful, the resources the Axis player has to use to counter the Allied forces will be missing in the east.

Well it definitely looks like the Axis are hungry for Oil, with the Caucauses being the primary target.



In the north I retreat a little bit but sustain a line of troops.



I reposition my troops as I can't really afford to retreat anymore. God those Russian troops could be vapourised in the next couple of turns. My Black Sea fleet attacks the Romanian fleet, if I can destroy it, it will then leave the amphibous troops out of supply. I move my 2 FTRs and my TAC into the Caucauses. And take them off sentry mode. Facing presumably only half-strength Axis Allied FTRs they should have local superiority.



I start my assualt on the Italian mainland cities, once I get a port here, I won't have to worry about partisans popping up and cutting off supply through Sicily. My STR arrives in Albania.



Progress in Spain is slow and gradual

I'm beginning to re-think my US Strategy. They may be needed to defend the oil-fields in the Caucauses.

A wierd thing for me in this game, is that the Russian PPs are currently lowish (they've lost lots of cities and I focused by tech on INFs & FTRs), but the UK PPs are going through the roof, hardly any convoys are being attacked, and the Brits are gradually gobbling up Italian cities.

zechi wrote:Why go for Spain? I would go for Vichy France. It is relative easy to get a foothold there and you will get the Free French as reinforcements. Furthermore, you could cut off Spain from the other Axis controlled countries. If you put pressure on France and Italy the same time, Supermax will have to divert a sizeable force from the Eastern Front to counter you.

You should also try to land in the Gustav line now. Even if Supermax rails units there to block you, it will cost him some units he could use on the Eastern Front now. Furthermore, it will cost him rail points which he will also need in the East.

If the Axis are attacking in Russia, the Allied player hould always put a pressure on the Axis with the UK/US somewhere, to divert some Axis resources to other theaters. Even if the diversion is not very succesful, the resources the Axis player has to use to counter the Allied forces will be missing in the east.

No I won't go for Vichy France. Because it just gives my opponent extra PPs, and I don't really need the Free French troops. It also makes it easier to cut-off Spain from the rest of Europe if Vichy France is neutral, as the current narrow point is only two hexes wide.

I really have to stop the Germans getting hold of more oil and that may mean diverting US resources to that theatre and not the West.

I'm going for Spain because it is close to the UK, I have a supply source there, and the Axis presence in there will be weak, and it a long way from Berlin.

FYI,

By placing an infantry corps in the Maikop oil field you actually make it possible for Max to capture it next turn. Assuming an attack by his tactical bomber followed by the Italian infantry corps and the German infantry corps I would think a retreat and subsequent capture of the oil field is likely. If you hadn't placed a corps there then there is no way he could capture it next turn.

Ronnie

rkr1958 wrote:FYI,

By placing an infantry corps in the Maikop oil field you actually make it possible for Max to capture it next turn. Assuming an attack by his tactical bomber followed by the Italian infantry corps and the German infantry corps I would think a retreat and subsequent capture of the oil field is likely. If you hadn't placed a corps there then there is no way he could capture it next turn.

Ronnie

Yeah I know, I realised it after I did it. If only I had realised it before I did it.

However if he does attack with a TAC there is a chance it will be interdicted by my FTR. And also if the unit advances into Maikop, it will be in open terrain, which will make it easier to attack, if I get the chance. At least Maikop isn't a supply source, so any capture by the Axis should be temporary, especially if I nail the Romanian DD. One of my weaknesses in CEAw is I often fail to consider the minutae of whether a unit should be one hex this-way-or-that. It can make a big difference if you're one hex too far or too short.

BTW they're Bulgarians not Italians. You not up with the news again

massina_nz wrote:BTW they're Bulgarians not Italians. You not up with the news again

I wasn't thinking. It would be impossible for them to be Italians because of your brilliant move that forced a surrender of Italy and shut down Max's plans in the Med. How silly of me to forget.

rkr1958 wrote:

massina_nz wrote:BTW they're Bulgarians not Italians. You not up with the news again

I wasn't thinking. It would be impossible for them to be Italians because of your brilliant move that forced a surrender of Italy and shut down Max's plans in the Med. How silly of me to forget.

I did a double-take when I first saw them. Until I zoomed in and realised they had a different icon.

Funny tho' my brilliant move has had some very painful consequences, short term gain - long term pain? Mind you having the Axis running rampant in the Midlde-east would have been worse.

I think you are playing with fire in the south, I would have attacked his German Corp rather than the DD.

He can easily get the landing in supply if drives south with his tanks and you also have lots of troops exposed down there, are you going to fight?

Yes I'm playing with fire, I've been doing so all game talk about a mis-match of playing styles and ability.

I had Hobson's choice really

I will fight, but the troops around Rostov will disintegrate.

Yes his Tanks could get him back into supply, but if his Tanks get there that quickly it won't even matter. And that is what will probably happen. I think I have one turn to neutralise the amphibous assualt and that's all. There's still heaps of FAIR weather on the cards. I foresee that the Caucauses will easily fall to the Wehrmacht, not too sure about what will happen around Moscow and Leningrad. It's all looking very gloomy for the soviets. My only real chance is if the Axis are already low on oil.

In hindsight I should have probably set up fortress Caucauses and just ignored central Russia.

yes, sorry I didn't have a look at this earlier as I would have suggested that if you where going to defend here then at least a double defense lind behind the river to stop a quick breakthrough to the south for the oil

I am sure you remember from our game that he will be PP rich but oil poor so it makes sense that he is going for the oil

richardsd wrote:yes, sorry I didn't have a look at this earlier as I would have suggested that if you where going to defend here then at least a double defense lind behind the river to stop a quick breakthrough to the south for the oil

I am sure you remember from our game that he will be PP rich but oil poor so it makes sense that he is going for the oil

Yes it's foremost in my mind.

I would not be too worried at the moment. I would retreat further, and start assembling some offensive capabilities around Stalingrad.

See it this way: What does he get by going into the Caucasus? Some oil. As long as he doesn't get to Baku (you definately have to make sure of that!), it's not much. Maybe one or two more armored corps he can sustain. What does he also get? A looong and overstretched front that he has to guard. Especially if you threaten to cut his troops off by attacking from Stalingrad towards Rostov.


EDIT: I just saw Massina's last move (you posted yours after he did), and now I would be worried. From your screenshots, I did not realize that there was a gap in your defensive line north of Voronesh. It seems you have to sacrifice some troops to let the bulk escape.