Peterjfrigate VS. Morris (The War is over - Morris welcome)

[peterjfrigate]

After my crushing defeat as the Axis, Morris has offered to switch sides in a rematch and has asked me to run another AAR. I tend to agree that the Axis have far less wiggle room for error, so Morris better be careful as I will try to chip away his strength whenever possible. Nevertheless, later in the game when the Allies are on the offensive their operations need careful planning as I have learned from hard experience at the hands of some very skilled Axis opponents. So let us see whose mistakes will lead to ruin or victory!

The game is well underway, so a brief recap is in order. Morris, taking a page from his recent AAR, does a "Supermax Blitz" of Holland and Belgium on Turn 2! I concoct a bold plan in which the French launch an immediate counterattack against a Panzer Corps idling in Brussels. The attack fails though the Panzers are heavily damaged. Below is a picture of Morris' response -- the Panzers have been repaired and more troops are being railed Westward. However, the Weather Gods have saved me as mud and rain have come early! My plan is delay, delay, delay: Denude the Maginot and NA of troops and maintain a double-line for as long as possible. Notice even the UK strat. has a role to play here. More to come soon.

[richardsd]

Are you planning to spare a unit fopr Casablanca?

[peterjfrigate]

Are you planning to spare a unit for Casablanca?

In answer to your question: But of course!

There are two easy ways as I see it to stop the Axis from little adventures beyond the North Sea:

Solution # 1



Solution #2



Let's just see how long it takes for the Axis to activate Spain now!

I implemented both solutions to give myself some flexibility in case my recon units got distracted or destroyed. Or I can pull the valiant Canucks out of Casablanca if they are needed elsewhere.

I turn now to bring this AAR to the present moment.

TURN 10 February 28 1940

The next two shots are before and after my tenth turn. As you can see the Allies are having a lot of problems, though on the bright side, I am happy they have made it this far. My goal is to keep France alive for another 3 turns, (can I wish for 4 with very great luck??). Recall that the Axis launched a devastating attack on the Low Countries on only turn 2 that was a complete success. I wish I could say France's survival to this point was due to some tactical genius, but in fact France's salvation owes more to the humble fields of mud and rain in the countryside. Even turn 10 is yet another mud turn. Notice the damage the Axis can inflict despite the bad weather - I have already been very lucky!

Another important thing to mention is the terrific naval battle we had a few turns ago. It started when the Axis went after a DD in the channel that had been escorting Canadians bound for England. One thing led to another, and in the end I was very lucky again - Morris heavily damaged a DD and a BB (down to 1 and 2 steps respectively, which both escaped). In return the RN sank the HSF! With the map clear of enemy surface warships, the Brits breathe a sigh of relief at the diminished possibility of an Axis invasion of the home isles. 3 Axis subs are still prowling around, and I have to assume he has sent them to the repair shop.

I decided not to completely repair the damage to the RN because manpower is still building and because it's nice to have some PP for a rainy day. The intrepid crews of the RN will have to make do with a fleet pockmarked and dented by Axis shrapnel for now. As for my opponent his costs are adding up - there were the massive rail costs, and now significant damage to armies and subs, so it's got to be getting expensive.

I find I like this stage of the game as the Allies. It's interesting to me that you make no attacks and everything just turns on the positioning of your defenders. It might have been wise to send a massive BEF but I decided instead to send a few Garrisons to help plug holes and buy time. Here's how things look before and after my latest turn.

BEFORE MY TURN:



AFTER MY TURN:



Well, it's certainly not a perfect world! Still, he needs to grind through for at least 2-3 more turns I think meaning France falls a little early, but it cost the Axis plenty.

SOME OTHER COMMENTS:

1. The lone garrison in the Liege fort was left there to impede movement, though now I wish I had it to deploy onto the front line. Not sure if it was wise to leave it there.
2. Collapse is immanent and I think several units will be destroyed in March. My Air will need to move assuming it survives (hopefully this will be so).
3. The BEF consists of 4 Garrisons and a cheap defensive leader (the Indian guy whose name I forget). I don't really care if they survive or not.
4. I still don't know what his plans are, so I am keeping the UK strong so they can respond with strength where needed.

Finally, here's two quick observations about some "gamey" options in the Mediterranean.

Here we have some Australians who have swapped positions with the UK armor unit in Egypt. You can make this move despite the fact that these forces have not yet activated. My thinking is that now the armor can move a little bit faster on the first turn of activation. It's a small difference, but might be useful in an emergency. I only consider it half-gamey since I suppose we could assume there's some rogue Colonel in Egypt who shuffled his troops a little despite orders to stay in barracks.



And here I noticed the GAR in Cyprus is ready for duty - though I decided to keep it here for now. (Note that the Malta GAR is paralyzed.)

[richardsd]

you are aware that your FTR's are horribly exposed right?

[peterjfrigate]

you are aware that your FTR's are horribly exposed right?

DAMN! I AM NOW! Very silly of me. Thought the French fighter would die but assumed the odds were good for the CDN fighter since it had a bodyguard. ARRRGHHHH!

O.k. I feel better now. Calmly getting a grip and dealing with the aftermath. Here's what I came up with.

BEFORE: It's a MADHOUSE!



AFTER: Panic sweeps through Allied Nations as news arrives of breakthroughs all along the Front, including the destruction of the Royal Canadian Air Force's main base by marauding panzers just outside of Paris. Reports confirm that Air Chief Marshal of the RCAF has resigned under intense pressure from the Canadian Parliament and an outcry of public opinion.





Not sure why I was even worrying so much about delaying the fall of France, given that the German Fleet is already dead. I just threw that fighter away for nothing. Notice the British GAR is now Rouen so they can leave France immediately.

[peterjfrigate]

Had some PP left so I built some GAR just in case Morris decides to reject the armistice. However when France falls Vichy France is created.



I anticipated this and sent the Canadians elsewhere.



Morris is doing a good job taking down convoys, but there's some good news in this area:

[peterjfrigate]

MAY 1940

First, here's the casualty figures for the French campaign. Not bad even considering the pointless loss of the fighter. The 3 UK ground units destroyed were only GARS. Could I have done even better if I hadn't counterattacked Brussels (this soon led to the loss of a French Mech and an INF)?



Next, Denmark falls and Italy joins the war. Given this next shot I'm feeling very confident about what Morris' overall strategy will be. He must be skipping an Egyptian campaign and will probably fortify Sicily.



Meanwhile, the RN has been upgraded for ASW and moves to guard a damaged convoy near Ireland.



Manpower isn't great, but has recovered enough so I could get away with a few repairs of ships and planes. New ground units will have to wait.

[Plaid]

Did morris lost both his naval surface units, or what?

[peterjfrigate]

Yes, they were both lost quite early in the game. If he had been a bit luckier I would have lost a DD and BB myself. Here's a repost of what happened:

"Another important thing to mention is the terrific naval battle we had a few turns ago. It started when the Axis went after a DD in the channel that had been escorting Canadians bound for England. One thing led to another, and in the end I was very lucky again - Morris heavily damaged a DD and a BB (down to 1 and 2 steps respectively, which both escaped). In return the RN sank the HSF! With the map clear of enemy surface warships, the Brits breathe a sigh of relief at the diminished possibility of an Axis invasion of the home isles. 3 Axis subs are still prowling around, and I have to assume he has sent them to the repair shop."

[peterjfrigate]

TURN 19 ---- August 26 1940

Well, well, Morris didn't leave Benghazi empty for no reason and there was a little surprise waiting for the RN.



It's a nice ambush and my response is to sink the DD and provide cover for the CV. More air units come into view!



But more help is needed from Egypt so cue the CAVALRY CHARGE music!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIdl6enQOho



Next turn I will start deploying Fighters near Benghazi.

On another topic, does anybody know how long it takes for new convoys to form? I hope this isn't a bug.

[pk867]

Every 4 turns is the simple answer. I do not know all of the reasons why one would not.

[peterjfrigate]

October 5 & 25 1940 (TURNS 21 & 22)

It's getting quite ticklish for the RN with heavy losses in the Med and now a SUB BLOB trapping the Atlantic Fleet near Ireland. But in both cases my attitude is
duke it out and make it cost him. Subs are certainly more dangerous in the latest incarnation of GS. I count 4 builds in addition to the 3 originals in his Wolfpack - still a 200 PP investment on his part, and a hell of a repair bill pending. But maybe worth it if he can sweep the RN out of the Atlantic?

BEFORE MY TURN:




AFTER MY TURN:

I thought this might be coming, so my early investment in ASW tech is clearly paying off. Scratch 1 sub and several others are damaged. Notice the fishing boats
offerred as a sacrifice to give the CV a fighting chance. A quick factor-count gives him about 40 points in subs vs. 45 in fighting ships for the RN. I'll see more of those damn uboats to the bottom of the ocean!



Meanwhile in Libya, my CV takes 3 steps of damage (ouch) and awaits it fate. The Army does its thing with a tank in a nice position to blitz that fighter if it hangs around to finish the RN in port.

[peterjfrigate]

November 14, 1940

Before my turn: Things are looking grim for the RN. In Ireland he's left a couple spots for me to run into a hidden sub. Then again, I've only seen 7 subs so far, and given the one I sank he (presumably) has 6 left. I could run south east, though I'm worried that he's deployed air there and then that's really it for me. Perhaps I should look North then and towards my Air Umbrella! To test the waters I send the Fishing Boats to their deaths and surprise! there's no uboat there! The rest of the fleet soon follows. I am slowly headed home with what's left of the Atlantic Fleet. I think he could have trapped me here but hurrah for now!



Here's what things look like in Ireland now:



Meanwhile, Libya also continues to be a disaster for the RN:



The Armor unit has scared off the Axis air for now. Though the CV is down to 3 steps, I should be able to hold out and begin making repairs. But for the hell of it I send in the subs to see if maybe there's an open hex. I figure he thinks I'd be headed for Malta, but I have different plans, so I choose the hex just East of the CV . Once again -- YES -- no prowlers -- and the way is clear towards a safe haven.



Some Egyptian Fishing Fleets assist the last BB in scanning the area. I should be ok since this is out of range of his subs.

Take a big breath and click!



Made it!!!





Beating the crap out of Tobruk but they are stubborn.

[peterjfrigate]

December 24 1940

I can't make it to Glasgow, but I can get close enough to guard the CV. First I need to do a kind of "cross sweep" with the DDs since subs might still be lurking. In the cross-sweep a DD positioned West sweeps East and an East DD goes opposite (well kinda North West), crisscrossing each other and hopefully clearing the hex the CV is destined for. Send the strongest DD first (here the Canadians) and lo and behold the Canadians run into the a sub severely damaging it (it was already weak). Air finishes it off and the route is again clear. (The enemy sub was hiding where the BB now is.)



I feel pretty confident now that I can save both CVs, though given the repair bill it will be a long time before they sail again, (assuming I can get them in port of course).

Next up is Libya, where the Italian subs are chasing me but can't keep up. It's just a matter of sending the GARs on suicide sweeps, just in case, though I expect the way to be clear.



No problem - the Med CV is saved and on its way to Iraq!! (The fighter was repositioned by mistake.)



Morris decides not to repair Tobruk and it is finally cleared.

[peterjfrigate]

Addendum:

Morris asks if it should be allowed to use GARs as blockers and bodyguards to save my fleet. I can see his point, since how could transports (or "fishing boats") be used to escort a carrier group? Or should we say that an influx of unarmed vessels could still be used to dazzle and confuse the enemy?

[zechi]

Addendum:

Morris asks if it should be allowed to use GARs as blockers and bodyguards to save my fleet. I can see his point, since how could transports (or "fishing boats") be used to escort a carrier group? Or should we say that an influx of unarmed vessels could still be used to dazzle and confuse the enemy?

The transports are not completely unarmed, as the can defend themselves against naval attacks, at least by surface units and inflict damage. It could be argued that the transport are not simply "transports", but could represent also minor naval units. Nevertheless, this strategy(using transports to block SUB attacks) is a little bit cheesy from my point of view, but as long as we had transportable GAR in the game, we do have this problem. Now it is even a bigger problem, because you get the PP for the transport back, if you use them wisely. However, you risk to lose transports, if you are not careful, which will reduce the overall transport capacity at least for a time.

If I remember correctly, the vanilla game introduced that GAR could not use transports at all. Perhaps this would be the solution, but it will make some operations a lot harder.

[peterjfrigate]

Some thoughts on the Sub Blob:

Keeping the RN near the home isles was important, as I'm not sure I would have made it to port if the battle had begun far out in the Atlantic. Maybe I've been fortunate, but so far the sub blob doesn't seem like a inevitable game winner nor a reason for more tweaking of game balance. The RN is intact and the UK and are steadily building their ASW capacity,

Things have gone mostly quiet, though last turn a UK sub took a potshot at a new Axis BB, which scurried off to Cherbourg for repairs. Some big convoys are getting close and I am tempted to go out and meet them. But the convoys are right in the middle of his favorite hunting ground - surely he is all over them trying to tempt me to come out and play!

Meanwhile intelligence provided by Yugoslav partisan indicates Axis troops concentrations on the Greek border. An attack seems imminent, and so does this mean a late Barbarossa in 41 or will he delay it even further?

[gerones]

If I remember correctly, the vanilla game introduced that GAR could not use transports at all. Perhaps this would be the solution, but it will make some operations a lot harder.

I agree that something should be done on this because now to use transports as "escorting" naval units is free since you only have to unload the garrison unit in a friendly port to get again the PP´s used for loading the unit.

[peterjfrigate]

April 1941

As expected, Greece is attacked next, though I don't understand what is to be gained by attacking it. It's not worth the points, and as a base it is only good if you are planning a Med. campaign which he has skipped. What is he thinking? Also, Intel from partisans suggests that the Axis are not prepared to launch a campaign against the USSR. Panzer formations are scattered across Europe, undermanned, and badly in need of technological upgrades. It's starting to look like Morris is planning on skipping a 41 Barbarossa.

Anyway, Athens comes very close to falling. As you can see that 1-step is going to make all the difference for Crete where the UK can now safely intervene. Notice the Greek DDs did a little minesweeping duty to clear the way for the UK troops and a fighter safeguards ownership of Heraklion. I'm guessing the odds are good that no Axis fighters are in range and if so my pilots will rack up some kills next turn.



Towards the mainland, this is an old trick but a good one. An Italian BB has kindly delivered itself to the RN and the counter is updated indicating its fate. The Axis player should have used subs to keep an escape route open. But he didn't so the RN will have its revenge!!

[Schnurri]

Peter - you are a step ahead of me with Morris. I am also playing him and he launched an invasion against Greece that I did not expect at all. He did the same evacuate NA and then ambushed overeager RN as well. I don't have any intel on the border with Russia but am guessing he is delaying Barbarossa with me as well. He has a massive sub net in the Atlantic that is choking the Brits so my guess is he is exploring a new strategy with strong German navy, delay Barbarossa and get as many pp's as possible. I've tried the same myself and it can be effective though Plaid beat me handily. I would expect him to go for Sweden and possibly a Leningrad attack. The nice thing about delaying til 42 is that the Russians allow you to build a substantial oil pool that can last throughout the war.