Slitherine

I have had a rare experience where my opponent didn't invade Russia in June 1941. My question is, why can't the Russians declare war on Germany prior to the May 1942 ( game turn 50 ) deadline? I know the Russians aren't that strong offensively, but the German player had his forces strung out all over the place. To me the Russians could gain valuable land before the German could react. Plus, it would stop the oil from going to the Germans.

Quick answer is that that's the DoW date.

Essentially, the DoW is NOT based on anything happening on the ground, but is hard coded into the timeline. The specific date it could have happened "historically" if Barbarossa hadn't occurred is a matter of debate.

Jyri

I suppose "historically" that might not have happened, but with "what ifs" built into MHCEAW, such as operation Sealion, or the possibility of invading the US or Canada, I would have thought the choice would be Stalin's.... ....thank you for your answer though.

The problem is that if the Allied player could decide then he would have activated Russia as early as possible. That means more control over production, possibility to retreat forces to a better defensive position and so on.

This means the Axis player would struggle with anything except the historical May / June 1941 Barbarossa.

Many historicans have claimed that Stalin planned for attacking Germany in the Spring / Summer of 1942. Not before. Therefore we have coded that Russia mobilizes in October 1941 (production increase, but still can't move units) and a Russian DoW in May 1942 (+/- 1 turn) if still neutral. By doing so we make it a possible option for Germany to postpone Barbarossa to 1942 and focus on Britain and the Middle East in 1941.

It seems the rules work pretty well. Most Axis player declare war on Russia in 1941, but some do in 1942. Both options seem to have merit so it's not a given it's worse to attack Russia in 1942.

CeaW is supposed to follow historical guidelines with a possibility to do ahistorical options that could have taken place. E. g. Sealion was a real threat, Operation Herkules on Malta too. German fortress Europe strategy could have been implemented if Hitler had had less saying in the strategic planning of the Axis forces.