Slitherine

These are games in progress, the next set will be from the start:

AA1939 ausf G [Allies] - April 7th, 1944 (Turn 57/100)

The Axis player had some major setbacks both militarily -- being heavily delayed in Poland, Norway, France, and Greece -- and with its allies. Romania joined fairly early, but the rest joined much later than they did historically, with Italy refusing to ally until mid 1941. France didn't surrender until 1942, with a pocket around the Maginot Line refusing to surrender and not being defeated until 5 months later. Germany was stuck in France until then, meaning the attack into Russia was late and consisted mostly of Romanians and Slovakians (Bulgary being busy in Greece and Hungary joining later then attacking Yugoslavia).

North Africa was a huge campaign for both sides, at one point the armies stretched as a solid line from Benghazi in the north to the Sahara. The tides went back and forth many times; the Commonwealth forces had pushed the Italians almost back to Tripoli before the Afrika Korps arrived. They then pushed the Allies back to Alexandria.. the lines were fairly stable between Alexandria and Benghazi for some time -- moving slightly when the Churchhills rolled in, but pushed back when Tigers were deployed. However FINALLY, as of April 7th 1944 the last Axis units in Africa (that I know of) have been destroyed.

The Russian front was a massive campaign in itself, the Romanian and Slovakian forces pushing hard but the soviets were fighting a delaying action putting random infantry, tanks, and even trucks in the way to slow the Axis down while they regrouped east of the Dnieper. Having secured this, the Russians were able to build their forces and guard the key crossings while looking out for bridge engineers and reinforcing Leningrad. Upon arriving the Germans broke through a few times, but a reserve of T34s was able to push them back twice. Odessa was overrun, then Sevastapool but the enemy was stopped before getting in sight of Stalingrad and pushed back across the river. A few quick units broke through but were hunted down by the growing Russian air force. Leningrad's key defence was the Battleship Sovetskaya Rossiya which sat in port most of the game so far.

A huge armoured thrust in the north broke the siege of Leningrad surrounding and destroying the Axis including one of their Karl-Gerat guns. Things snowballed quickly as the Russians poured through the gap, surrounding the Axis forces along the river. At the same time a blitz on the Romanian forces in Odessa managed to break through and a second beachead across the river was established. Between the two they through out the Axis and now have reclaimed Warsaw and several other Polish cities.

The Axis, aided by the Iraqi Golden Square coup, made the mistake of trying to Annex Turkey, allowing a third Russian army to break through their as well. At this time the single surviving Greek soldier has reclaimed part of Athens. Most of Hungary is under Russian occupation, Bulgaria is threatened, and Poland is almost entirely 'liberated' by the Russians. Unfortunately the armies have bled themselves dry doing so, have very thin lines and are critically short on prestige for repairs. The Romanians have formed a large tank group and are making a counter attack, and large formations of Panther Gs and Tigers are rolling towards Poland.

Meanwhile In the West, Spain decided to throw in with the Axis and Portugal was invaded. Elements of the Regia Marina passed through the occupied straits of Gibraltar, but met with an American Task Force landing troops for Operation Torch. The Battle of Britain was winding down, with neither side really having won -- but just not having the funds to continue replacing so many fighters. Then D-Day was launched. A major US force was landed in Spain, while Canadians, Americans, and Brits landed on the West coast of France after some heavy bombardment of the atlantic wall. Casualties have been brutal, but Brest and La Rochelle have been liberated, Bordeaux is heavily contested, and paratroopers have landed around Paris. Despite an overwhelming air force, the Fw190s and 88s are taking a heavy toll.

Meanwhile six groups of Paratroopers managed to sneak around southern France and occupy parts of Rome; one was shot down by an enemy fighter and another mauled, but two managed to take Rome, while the rest are holding off a counterattack from Venice.

As it stands now: North Africa is mine, but all the forces there need to travel through Turkey to get to Europe (waters are filled with lurking subs, cruisers, and destroyers); Russia has a three pronged attack into Axis territory but they are taking a beating and I simply don't have enough points to repair and replace everything. I don't believe the Axis can hold France though, and Spain is pretty much taken at this point. Iraq is back in Allied hands, the British India forces have linked up with Russia and pushed into Bulgaria. The Kriegsmarine is battered and hiding near Kiel; but their airforce is still strong. V1/2 rockets should be coming soon, and the dreaded Tiger II is available for them.

I still believe it's a matter of time until the Allies win, but it will be a hard fight and we've agreed to just play it out and see how it ends.

Updates coming soon..

April 7th, 1944 (Turn 61)

Axis Flee France
What's left of the Axis in France are fleeing through the Ardenne; the US and Canadian forces have liberated Paris, Caen, Bordeaux, Dieppe, and Brussels. Spain has also been secured, and the invasion force is linking up in Southern France. The 101st Paratroopers are tenaciously holding onto Rome, but the Italians have launched a counter-attack from Venice and Naples surrounding the Americans. Marseille is still heavily defended by the Germans and Vichy French, making it unlikely they will receive reinforcements in time.

Treachery in Casablanca!
Elements of the allied fleet have been sent South as the Italian fleet passes through the straits of Gibraltar. However intelligence showing North Africa to be cleared of the enemy was proven false as German and Italian alpine troops seized Casablanca, depriving the allies of a critical shipyard. The HMS Warspite, HMS Duke of York, and the USS Mississipi have been forced to flee. The brave seamen of the HNLMS Dolfijn attempt to hold the strait and delay the enemy, while several B-17Gs and B-25H Mitchells have been dispatched from France to deal with the naval threat.

Warsaw Uprising
The people of Poland have risen up and joined forces with the Russians, though Warsaw was liberated months ago. A large tank battle is being waged around Danzig with the Russians sole ship -- the Sovetskaya Rossiya -- providing support; after an extremely poor showing at the Battle of Danzig, the Northern army group is in serious trouble; if it falls then the Germans can retake Warsaw and cut off the Soviet supply line. A pocket of Russian armour was also outflanked and destroyed near Kostrzyn, though the Polish reinforcements were rushed in to shore up the defences. Finally, the Germans launched a devastating counterattack from Dresden; seven King Tigers have slammed into the Russian advance and begun pushing it back. The skies are heavily contested by both sides; auxiliary AA batteries and German Fw190s are slowly gaining the edge though.

Greece Liberated
The Soviet-British offencive to the South has liberated Greece and captured most of Bulgaria. Albania is under siege, and Yugoslavia should be freed soon. Bucharest is under siege from this force and the main Russian offencive; the Romanian armour took a heavy toll on the attacks but was overwhelmed. Only a few enemy tanks and infantry managed to fall back to Belgrade.

Madagascar in Enemy Hands
The Iraqi and Vichy navies defeated the Commonwealth's invasion of Madagascar; a heavily damaged HMS Ramillies (BB) and HMAS Nizam (DD) managed to escape to the West, while the HMS Ark Royal -- whose aircraft were destroyed -- fled to the Red Sea, hiding near the port of Jeddah and evading three enemy cruisers.

The Battle of Denmark
The FNS Duquesne supported four British Paratroopers dropping into Denmark and destroyed most of the fortifications there, taking only moderate casualties in return. The Red Army has thrown the Germans out of Norway and taken control of the ports; once more landing craft become available they can support the British PTs in Denmark.

Germany Refuses to Surrender
Despite horrendous losses the Axis have vowed to fight to the last man. The Luftwaffe has taken a beating, but still has some terrifyingly experienced pilots and many entrenched 88s. The Axis cannot possibly win at this point, but they can still force a draw if Berlin holds out long enough.

July 6th, 1944



Victory in Europe is celebrated as the Axis forces collapse, though in this alternate timeline Berlin was never taken.

The Italian counter-attack inflicted heavy damage on the 101st, but the D-Day forces managed to link up and relieve them. By the time the Italians officially surrendered, none of their military units were left. All of Eastern Europe, Turkey, and parts of the Middle East are under Soviet control. Athens is Greek again, while other sections were liberated by the Indian forces or Red Army. Holland, Belgium Luxembourg, and France were liberated by the Canadian-American invasion. Britain provided much of the air support in the West and retook Denmark with Paratroopers and Tetrarchs (well M5s). The Kriegsmarine and Regia Marina are wiped out, though the Luftwaffe maintains a heavy defence over Berlin.