Slitherine

Well, this is an AAR on an option i have been wanting to try for a long time, that is, an attack on Turkey by the Allies. Its anything BUT traditionnal but i think it can work miracles if you encounter an Axis player that will not go for the Middle East.

The main reason for this strategy are the following (see map for visual explanation):

Main objective: Have a secure base out of reach of the germans with which to bombard Ploesti and reduce Axis oil producing capability to 0

secondary objectives:

1- Once Turkey is eliminated, use British forces to reinforce the Sebastopol area
2- Reienforce and take care of the Caucasus defense, thus libarating Russian forces for other tasks.
3- Increase british revenue
4- Force Germany to commit troops to southern front, especially fighters, so they cant be everywhere at the same time.

Visual of the plan:



Ok, that was my general idea from the start... So i was playing this PBEM game agaisnt a guy from Russia that had decided to stake everythign on a strong Barbarossa, thus doing nothing after the fall of France. I was able to spot this early and sent all my forces to the Middle East. I gambled a bit there, but hell, you dont win wihtout taking calculated risks. I would have loved to do this agasint my dear opponent Joerock22, but in our most recent game he opted for an all-out atack of the Middle East. Ahh, Joe, i will do it in another game i promess!

Ok, so i was able to bring planes, tanks and Infantry on the spot. I also produced strategic bombers to be able to bombard Ploesti and reach my main objective The americans also produced some. As like any plans, its always better to be the strongest where you want to achieve an important objective, so i really went for the overkill. In retrospect, i think this operation can be successefully won with less forces, but, ah well i didnt know what i was gtting into at first, so OVERKILL was my only option.

I chose 3 angles of attacks for the british (see Russian angles of attacks below). A Land route thru Syria with my tanks and several troops, and a major landing on the southern Coast of Turkey, to be able to pass thru those clear hexe , in order to get to the capital faster. The third angle was more of a defensive one, that is, landing to block the straight of the Bosphorus so Axis could not send ground troops in reinforements. Also, i installed major airbases in Cyprus and some in Syria. The British fleet was also on the spot to guard against the Italian navy and to supply my southern/northern coast landings.

So i would push thru as hard as i could without regards for destroying turkish troops and get to the capital and take it in a maximum of 4 turns.



Also, i chose to attack Turkey on the exact same turn after Germany declared war on Russia. This gave me the advantage of Germany being very busy elsewhere and also get some help from the Russian.

I produced a strategic bomber! To aid in the bombing and reducing of Ploesti, and put some infantry in Russian port to be able to send 2 of them on a northern angle of attacks, just to make sure i would really overkill Turkey:



So So So so... It was now time to attack.



As you cans ee, most landings were unnoposed because there was no turkish troops present. Also, northern troops and Southern troops in supply as well. The only thing to do at that point was to go forward towards the capital before Axis forces can regroup there. Also notice the 2 Russian transport in the north.

So 2 turns later, i was at the capital!!! Many troops, and no turkish troops except for the corps defensing the capital. I had also decided that i didnt need the Russian corps in the north. They would be needed elsewhere to fend of the major Barbarossa from Germany.



The turn after that, the capital was under fire from planes, troops and the Turkish were thinking of surrender... Also notice that by that time, British strategic bombers were on the Bosphorus coast since attack turn 2 to bomb ploesti... effects were serious, the place was now producing only 2, and 2 german fighters were diverted to the area.



After that, well you can pretty much figure the end of the scenario...

NEXT , i want to show you what i was able to do with a Turkish position for Britain:

1- The Italian Fleet tried to intervene and was completely destroyed
2- Ploesti produced 0 oil on turn 7 of turkish invasion. I was able to land in force in Thrace and exploit this to eventually take over Rumania and Bulgaria in 1943. The german players, that had produced a tank-motorized army with many planes, was doomed mid 1941, he could not move his army anymore...
3- The game ended in 1943!!!

See some images below:

1- Ploesti producing 0:



2- Also, i discovered a very interesting thing with Turkey: It enables britain to train move in the MIDDLE EAST! YEAHHH!!

Nice job. Glad to see you post this. I'd ruled out Turkey for Germany but hadn't ever tried Turkey as Britain.

It seems like Germany should have had u-boats and IT subs watching the set-up for it. This emphasized the need to keep a sub or 2 watching the UK I think.

Yeah, and it also shows that Britain can be agressive before 1942.

I will also try a german version of a turkish invasion one of those days. But i think the land route fronm Istanbul is a very hard one and would take too long. I think the axis needs to do the same like the British, that is land in the south coast of Turkey and ride those clear hexes as fast as possible.

The british one definitely works! As to put subs on the lookout, the problem with that is that you never know if the allied player is going to attempt it.

The best way to counter this british move is to take Port Said as early as possible.

The fact that you canm rail move british units in the middle east (all the way up to the everything controled on the North african coast) is definitly interesting as well!

I've used that same strategy as the Axis to invade Turkey (except that Istanbul gets a screening force instead of a full blown assault). It works VERY nicely for the Axis also (I use it as an easy way to pump up Italian production for the end game). Without immediate reinforcement by the other side, the Turks are pretty easy to take out with that assault. Not enough units/speed/time to adequately protect Ankara beofre it gets overwhelmed.


Jyri