Slitherine

December 9, 1943

This is going to be very interesting. I'm glad I took up the challenge of taking over for Ike99 in his game with PanzerGeneral. Here is a summary of the Axis situation:

German Production = 184
Italian Production = 31
German Manpower = 262 (30%)
Italian Manpower = 308 (70%)
Oil = 358

Production Queue: 5 German BBs, 2 German subs (all completed within 4 turns)

The first two images are zoomed out screenshots of the map before I began my turn. They show the situation exactly as Ike99 last left it. This is my starting point.





As you can see, Ike99 has infantry units scattered all over the map, but few where they are actually needed. My second act as new commander in chief was to order all spare units to rail to the Balkans and the Caucuses. I spent a fortune on extra rail moves, but it was necessary.

My first act was ordering a general retreat from Siberia. With Russian tank forces closing in on both sides, the situation had become untenable. I had hoped winter would arrive at the end of my turn and give me a head start on the retreat, but luck did not go my way, and the weather remained clear. PanzerGeneral will hound the Axis forces I’m sure, but it’s better than sitting there in Siberia and losing the whole army to a double envelopment. Winter will allow me the time I need to amass sufficient tank forces to battle the Soviets in the spring.

I am surprised by the amount of oil the Axis still have; I was under the impression that Ike99 was almost out. I shall take advantage of this! Ike99 stationed a massive bomber fleet in France, plus about 8 German infantry units. Also, you see all the naval units in the production queue. Southern England is devoid of Allied ground troops. Everything is lined up perfectly for a resurrection of Operation Sealion! Even if the British have ground troops, they won’t be able to stand up to my bombers. The worst that will happen is that I will lose some infantry units. And if the RN intervenes, all the better! I would love the chance to sink some Allied ships too. With the Russian winter imminent, now is the perfect time to get creative in the west.

My infantry is marching toward the ports of Hague, Brest, and Wilhelmshaven. I will try to keep my intentions secret for as long as possible, so the troops won’t actually move adjacent to the ports until the turn right before they board. The Axis lack generals; Ike99 only has Mainstein on the map, in the Caucuses. Reichenau has been recruited to command the German forces in France, and Garziani to lead the Italian contingent in Siberia. I will continue to buy commanders over the next several turns until all the major combat areas are fully covered. I value commanders very much; they are worth every pp spent. The last 4 screenshots are close-up views of the various combat areas. You can see the vast changes I made in terms of movement. Some of infantry in Russia moved to occupy some of the many enemy-controlled hexes behind my line. I don’t mind having some, but this is way too many!

Overall, I’m not at all dissatisfied with the Axis situation. I wasn’t confident when I accepted this assignment, but now I believe I stand a good chance at victory.

Wow, this German has made some straaange priorities. Sounds like your fix is right on the money. Gotta get to those Bulgarian mountain hexes for some semblance of defence. With those ships in the queue definitely a Sealion should be attempted, hilarious though it is in '44! If nothing else it will throw any D-Day plans way off schedule.

Oh and is this the first German in history to have only one -1- panzer unit on map?!

trulster wrote:Oh and is this the first German in history to have only one -1- panzer unit on map?!

Yes, and tanks are my favorite unit too! But don't be too hard on the guy. He set me up nicely for a fun conclusion to the game. His biggest blunder was not finishing the Russians off when he had the chance. If it was me, I would have sent hordes of tanks and bombers at Perm and conquered it by brute force. But for whatever reason, Ike99 chose to focus on the west. I don't think he should have kept so many units in reserve; put them at the front line where they are needed! Especially in the Balkans, like you said.

Even now I'm debating abandoning Sealion and sending everything I have at the Russians, because defeating them is the only real way to assure total victory. Those bombers would be very helpful against the Soviet tanks. It's a tough call.

joerock22 wrote:

trulster wrote:Oh and is this the first German in history to have only one -1- panzer unit on map?!

Yes, and tanks are my favorite unit too! But don't be too hard on the guy. He set me up nicely for a fun conclusion to the game. His biggest blunder was not finishing the Russians off when he had the chance. If it was me, I would have sent hordes of tanks and bombers at Perm and conquered it by brute force. But for whatever reason, Ike99 chose to focus on the west. I don't think he should have kept so many units in reserve; put them at the front line where they are needed! Especially in the Balkans, like you said.

Even now I'm debating abandoning Sealion and sending everything I have at the Russians, because defeating them is the only real way to assure total victory. Those bombers would be very helpful against the Soviet tanks. It's a tough call.

You're a more experienced player than me, so I assume you know what you are doing, but what would Sealion gain you at this point? You're going to spend a lot of oil to gain some PP production and set the UK back a big step, but you stand a good chance of losing all of your oil production in the East at this point, including Ploesti if he manages to move in force through Turkey.

Clark wrote:You're a more experienced player than me, so I assume you know what you are doing, but what would Sealion gain you at this point? You're going to spend a lot of oil to gain some PP production and set the UK back a big step, but you stand a good chance of losing all of your oil production in the East at this point, including Ploesti if he manages to move in force through Turkey.

Sometimes that assumption is unwarranted.

Anyway, I think the intial excitement of doing Sealion in 1944 got me. Then, after playing the turn and thinking about it, I realized that it probably isn't the best way to win this game. The Germans basically have no oil production from the map; it's all been strategically bombed down to 0. Therefore, I need to save everything up for an air and armoured counterpunch against the Soviets. The spring 1944 Russian campaign should decide the conflict. That's not nearly as intriguing as a 1944 Sealion, but it probably gives me the best chance to win.

Joe,

Now that you've decided against Sea Lion have you though of moving some infantry units in France next to ports and feint it? This might allow you to get a couple of whacks against the RN and also might divert some Allied resources away from the Med. This feint would also be strengthen by the fact that you appear to have launched a general retreat in Russia and appear to have decided to be only on the defensive there.

I don't see how the Russian army can be much of a factor on the German border for several turns as they have a long way to go. Hold Ploesti and the Caucasus, reinforce with multiple fighters and with oil you can hold out until the Russian army arrives in force. Hopefully by then you will have some panzers on the map and can make a fight of it.

Since you already have a navy on the way, they should at least be able to make an allied invasion of western Europe a costly proposition.

I have never been able to beat the computer with a 1942 start, so seeing you pull this one out with a 1943 start could be a real eye-opener for me.
Good Luck, Buena Suerte, Viele Gluck, Bon chance!

rkr1958 wrote:Joe,

Now that you've decided against Sea Lion have you though of moving some infantry units in France next to ports and feint it? This might allow you to get a couple of whacks against the RN and also might divert some Allied resources away from the Med. This feint would also be strengthen by the fact that you appear to have launched a general retreat in Russia and appear to have decided to be only on the defensive there.

The situation in the Balkans is rapidly deteriorating, as you will see in the next update. I had to move most of the corps units in France over there. The garrisons will stay, but my southern flank will totally collapse if I don't sent every available man down there.

I don't see how the Russian army can be much of a factor on the German border for several turns as they have a long way to go. Hold Ploesti and the Caucasus, reinforce with multiple fighters and with oil you can hold out until the Russian army arrives in force. Hopefully by then you will have some panzers on the map and can make a fight of it.

Since you already have a navy on the way, they should at least be able to make an allied invasion of western Europe a costly proposition.

I have never been able to beat the computer with a 1942 start, so seeing you pull this one out with a 1943 start could be a real eye-opener for me.
Good Luck, Buena Suerte, Viele Gluck, Bon chance!

Well, one way they can be a factor is get lucky and not have winter arrive until January, which is exactly what happened. Thanks for the well wishes; I have a lot of work to do.

December 29, 1943

That's it! I am officially declaring war on Mother Nature! Winter does not arrive in December, and therefore my entire retreating army in Siberia will be destroyed. If bad weather had hit either of the past 2 turns, I would have been able to save some of the force. Now I need to build a whole new army basically from scratch. I have a lot of work to do to pull this game out, especially since it will not end in 1945.

That is the primary reason why Sealion has been cancelled. Once my initial excitement faded away, I thought about it rationally and concluded that focusing everything on Russia and the Balkans was my best shot at victory. That doesn't mean France was neglected this turn. The Luftwaffe downed a British fighter in Southern England. Furthermore, a sub discovered a fighter transport off the English coastline, and my bombers sent it to the bottom. Two enemy fighters in one turn!

The situation in the Balkans is becoming precarious indeed. The Allies advance in force, with substantial air support, and I am barely able to occupy any of the rough terrain. More transports line up on the coast. I sent about 8 infantry units there from France and Rostov, plus 3 bombers and 2 fighters. Hopefully this will be the last turn I have to spend a fortune on rail movement. The plan next turn is to ship the rest of the Luftwaffe down to the Balkans. Then I can blast away at the Allied ground forces because they don't have enough fighters over there to stop me. Reichenau was deployed to France because all my troops in the Balkans had moved, but I recruited Rundstedt to command in Romania. Hopefully I can rectify the situation in the Balkans and send some of those units to Moscow for the spring. Otherwise, every available resource will be spent creating a new Axis army in the USSR.

Hey Joe,

Looking at this, youve got to decide where to strike.

Here is my opinion on this:

1- The Balkans front is in my opinion very weak for the allies. By that i mean that if you send several planes in the area and attack aggressively like i would do to you ( ), you can boot them out. Remember, on a strategic level, the allies cannot hope to replace their losses faster. Once a unit is gone, its gone for good... So you can push the allies back to Constantinople in no time... Once they are booted out of there, you can exploit this by either using the black sea for transport, or send some infantry units in Turkey... The allied player staked everything on his Balkas Strategy... Make him pay for it, since you can be stronger than him... Ideally, you need to find a frontline where you can be the most effective. The balkans are one of these, and then England. Ah and also, why dont you give that allied player a taste of his medecine in Turkey? I am ready to bet a millions $ that there are no troops in the viscinity of Constantinople... You culd land a couple troops there just to harass him and make him move his planes...

2- You have NO chances of retrieving the situation in Russia, you need tanks and troops in position to counter-attack and ou dont have them. If that Russian players is only a little agressive he will outflank you and wear you down. Use space for time and you might be able to stop them somewhere, but far far away from siberia. maybee you'll be able to block him around Moscow for a while...

3- Remember now, to win the game you need more capitals... The german player is perfectly setup for a superb attack on England. you can overwhelm him VERY EASILY. You should be able to get england quite fast, and keep London until the end of the game... so when 1945 arrives you will be left with Berlin, Rome, London and Paris, and the allies Moscow + Washington = You win!

4- dont produce tanks or planes. Only infantry, and lots of it. you need cannon fodder on the eastern front!!! And building mechanized an armor and planes would be useless you wont have oil left in a year anyway...

5- You should abandon the Caucasus... The oilfield are producing nothing, and these troops could be used elsewhere for better use... With any luck you can hold the Russian around Rostov/Stalingrad for a while...

So that is my take on your overall strategy

Supermax, the game does not end in 1945. Joe absolutely has to beat the Russians.

ahhh that makes things a little bit more complicated...

Nevertheles, he wont beat them... too many other fronts need his immediate attention.

supermax wrote:ahhh that makes things a little bit more complicated...

Nevertheles, he wont beat them... too many other fronts need his immediate attention.

Ye of so little faith! Russian production is still low, so if I push the Allies out of the Balkans like you said, then maybe I can beat the Russians. I expect to have to fend off a strong 1944 Soviet offensive. I will try to hold around Moscow if I can get enough troops there, definitely outside of the half-supply zone! One reason I can't do England is the oil. I will run out eventually, and I have to make sure that's after I have the Soviets on the run. Otherwise it's all over for me. Plus, if I'm going to overwhelm the Allies in the Balkans, I can't spare any units. The Caucuses are a good defensive position for me, and if things stay quiet down there I will withdraw some of the units eventually. Probably Mainstein and his tank. Right now he is in place to raise their effectiveness during winter.

Destroy the allied strategic bombers, hold the Caucasus/Ploesti and you will have oil. W/O oil you cannot win. Since axis manpower is so low, units that maximize effectiveness with minimal manpower are a necessity.

If soviet manpower is also low you have a chance. Destroy the allies in the Balkans, especially their airpower and you buy time to build oil reserves.

Realistically, you probably have a slight chance of victory, but it is there so have fun.

shawkhan wrote: If soviet manpower is also low you have a chance. Destroy the allies in the Balkans, especially their airpower and you buy time to build oil reserves.

Question - do the Soviets ever run low in manpower?

Clark wrote:

shawkhan wrote: If soviet manpower is also low you have a chance. Destroy the allies in the Balkans, especially their airpower and you buy time to build oil reserves.

Question - do the Soviets ever run low in manpower?

Not in the vanilla game. In the CEaW - GS mod it's not uncommon for them to get into the yellow. In the vanilla game only German and Italy have manpower issues everyone else stays in the green.

I think it will be impossible for the Axis to win this game. They're on the run everywhere with manpower and oil getting lower and lower. The Allied production advantage will increase more and more. Soon the Axis tech advantage will have disappeared as well.

The only way the Axis could have won would be to get to Perm, but how can the Germans get there now?

If the game had ended in May 1945 then I think Joe would have had a good chance to get at least parity in number of capitals, but the Allies will eventually get to Berlin if you play with no time limit.

Joe has probaby one chance and that is to build a lot of armor units and send all he has to the Moscow area and launch a major offensive towards Perm as soon as the poor weather in Russia ends. If he gets local superiority then he can break through the Russian lines and storm towards Perm. But a good Allied player won't allow this. He would rail as many units he can in the path between Moscow and Perm.
But Joe has no other choice. If anyone can do it then he's the guy.

Panzergeneral will only lose if he becomes complacent and thinks the game is already won. He must be careful and make sure he engages the Axis forces everywhere so Joe can't build a strategic reserve he can use for the 1944 Spring offensive.

January 18, 1944

Things are looking much better for the Axis in the Balkans after this turn. My bombers flew unescorted, but they fought well against the intercepting Allied fighters. I destroyed 2 mech corps, including Patton's, so the good general is now on R&R. Also, my bombers sunk an armour transport off Istanbul. A whole tank, killed without my ground forces firing a shot! As you can see from the screenshot, I railed in more infantry and air units, and my army is poised to flood toward Istanbul and cut the Allied forces in the north off from their supply lines. My new plan is to crush the Allies in the Balkans, then send every available unit to Moscow to face the Russians in the spring. I will throw absolutely everything I have at the Russians in the hopes of breaking through, as Stauffenberg said. Rundstedt and Garziani were deployed to the Balkans this turn, and Mainstein is withdrawing from the Caucuses so he can command the Moscow force. List was recruited to replace him in the south.

An interesting development in Crimea; PanzerGeneral attacked out of Sevastopol last turn, and I was able to destroy the unit and close within 2 hexes of the fort. I should be able to occupy it next turn unless he sends a unit there. Not a huge deal, but certainly not a bad thing! On a final note, winter finally arrived in the USSR, so the clock is officially ticking. I probably have about 8-10 turns before the Russians are in the Moscow area. I have that long to clean up the Balkans and get ready for the battle that will decide the conflict.

February 7, 1944

PanzerGeneral did the smart thing and directed his attacks toward making sure I couldn't cut him off from Istanbul. He also concentrated the full might of the Allied air force in the area. This is a problem for me for two reasons: 1) his fighters are tougher than mine, and 2) he has more of them (4:3). I'm presented with quite a quandry. If I allow my damaged fighters to fly escort, I will lose them. If I repair them instead, my bombers get slammed. I should have railed them so they wouldn't be within Allied fighter range. But you can still kill a weak fighter with bombers, so that still might not have worked.

Anyway, I was able to kill 2 corps and 1 mech this turn. The Allied army is rapidly shrinking, and we'll see how my opponent reacts now. At least 2 fighters and 3 bombers are at or near full strength for next turn, so I should be able to mount another successful attack. 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.

On a minor note, I occupied Sevastopol as planned and deployed List to the Caucuses.