x13fox

Your first turn seems pretty good from what I see. I have found it difficult to achieve large scale encirclements in this game due to the lack of units and scale involved. I usually get a good sized pocket around Mazeikai and Kaunas the first few turns. I try to take Kaunas on turn two with my northern panzers and then turn hell bent for Riga. Here is a screen shot of the end of my first turn in my current campaign against the AI( I am at the beginning of August 41 right now).

Hello everyone. I am starting a single player AoD Solomons Campaign and thought I would do a detailed and fun AAR so anyone who is interested can follow along with the action. I have played the SC series a few times and really enjoy the game. Just got my hands on AoC and AoD and this will be my first game in this scenario so I will truly get the fog of war treatment. I will take the side of the Allies as a beginner. Below are my settings and options tables. I prefer using the NATO symbols as it gives me easier visual recognition. My advanced options screen The narrative and victory conditions screen. While being able to secure and hold my main bases in the New Hebrides and Australia, I must take all the island chains east of Rabaul along with its capture for a decisive victory. My next post will discuss the strategic situation as of July 15th 1942 to include current force dispositions, tech levels, and reinforcement ideas. I will also talk strategy for victory. I am not much into reciting game rules or formulas in order to find the best strategy. I am more hands on and "in the field" type of player with a bit of an aggressive streak, for better or worse. I hope everyone enjoys my game and gets some good entertainment out of it. That is why we are all here. Without further delay, the South Pacific awaits! The Solomons Campaign July 1942-December 1943

As I was cleaning up all my saved files I did the unthinkable and deleted the ones I had saved for this game. I would like to apologize to everyone for this bone headed move on my part (I was hitting delete and it was just going down the list rather quickly and I was not paying attention and I get what I deserve). Even though things seemed to be going rather well for the Allies, I had alot of work yet to do and was looking forward to seeing it through to glorious victory. I want to thank everyone who has followed this AAR and I promise another one here soon without the delete option available lol. On the bright side, tonight the Louisville Cardinals play for the National Championship in Men's college basketball..Go Cards!!!!

04Nov43 Turn 19 UK- Enemy action- Enemy submarines along the UK-USSR shipping route engage the Prince David cruiser and send her to the bottom. Japanes submarine spotted southwest of New Zealand. Another Japanese sub runs into our destroyer screen northwest of Rabaul. Orders- We dispatch our Atlantic destroyers to the North Sea going after the German Uboats. 6th New Zealand corps comes ashore in Greece as we invest Athens. 254th Armor secures the Siwa oasis as the 8th Army and 33rd Engineers push on the lone German Corps in front of Tobruk. We put two of our own submarines along the Burma-Japan shipping lanes. Our Pacific destroyers sink the Japanese submarine near Rabaul. Situation in the Med Production- None Tech- None USA- Enemy actions- None Orders- After a brief rest Patton moves forward probing Tripoli with armor and air support. The main Pacific fleet goes into various ports to rest and refit and heavy rains and storms cancel operations across the theater. Gen MacArthur embarks along with marines and tanks for the next South Pacific objective. US Pacific Fleet refitting and resupply in the Central Pacific Production- 4th Army is operational on the east coast. Tech- None USSR- Enemy action- Minor air attacks against our troops with minimal effect. Orders- We move on Riga surrounding German paratroops east of the city. Minks is surrounded and hammered with heavy air and artillery support. The veteran 26th Army moves forward and secures the Ploesti oil fields and with heavy attacks we secure Odessa. Production- None Tech- None China- Enemy Actions- Attacks on Foochow Orders- In the central front we attack with American air support and destroy the 2nd Kwantang Army in heavy fighting south of Chengchow. Production- 12th Army is operational near Lanchow Tech- None

07Oct43 Turn 18 UK- Enemy action- None taken Orders- 8th Army advances to the Egyptian frontier. Gen Platt lands on the south tip of Greece to coordinate and lead Churchill's efforts to liberate Greece. Gen William Platt leads the invasion of Greece Production- None Tech- None USA- Enemy actions- None taken Orders- Continued attacks on Tarawa. Gen MacArthur embarks Marines to assist the Australians with the liberation of New Guinea. The Tuskegee Airmen of the 12th Air Force in the Med. Production- None Tech- None USSR- Enemy action- Air attacks against our rockets and armor. Orders- No major offensive actions as we form up the front and replace losses. Mariya Dolina, our brave pilot comrade of the Soviet Air Force Production- None Tech- None China- Enemy Actions- Attacks against our lone corps at Foochow. Orders- Spoiling attacks around Chengchow and Nanning. More of our couragous troops head to the front. We are slowing down the pace of operations in general with the onset of the winter months. Operations in the Med and Pacific will continue but overall the Allies are regrouping and refitting for the spring offensives and building up for major operations next year. The Axis seems to be on the defensive and no threatening moves have been detected. The Russians are forming up the lines although a winter offensive against Riga is being considered along with souther attacks against minor Axis powers in the Balkans. The American Navy in the Pacific is in need of refit after long continuous operations to assist with amphibious landings

09Sep43 Turn 17 UK- Enemy actions- No actions Orders- In the East Med and North Africa we make advances with the 254 Indian tank corps finishing off German armor west of Alamein and advancing along with the 8th Army. The Sudan Corps secures Heraklion on Crete and the Rhodesians land on the south tip of Greece attacking Italian airfields. The Royal Navy finishes off the Pola cruiser and spots the Caio Duilio Battleship in port at Tripoli. Production- None Tech- None USA- Enemy actions- None Orders- AEF in Africa blitzs into Tunisia and secures Tunis. In the Pacific we secure Wake and begin air bombardment of Tarawa. Production- The 5th Marine Division is operational on the west coast. Tech- None USSR- Enemy action- Air attacks against our Rocket units. Orders- Our tank corps assault and secure Kiev. The German 11th Army is destroyed. We shore up the front lines and slow down our offensive tempo to maintain unit integrity. Production- 455th Tac Bombers is deployed near Kharkov Tech- None China- Enemy actions- None Orders- We attack to the northeast of Changsha and southeast of Chengchow. 41st Army advances on the north front. Production- None Tech- None

12Aug43 Turn 16 UK- Enemy actions- The Italian cruiser Pola continues to be a thorn in the side of our Crete landings attacking our amphibious ships. Orders- Two corps are on Crete with another corps and General Platt still awaiting offshore while the Royal Navy attempts to keep the beaches open. The 254th Indian Tank corps attacks from its defenses and inflicts considerable casualties on the enemy. The battles for the Eastern Med Production- The 1st Australian Army is operational at Brisbane. Tech- None USA- Enemy actions- None Orders- Gen. Patton preps for his next offensive action in Western North Africa. More troops sail for England as Generals' Eisenhower and Bradley assume command there. In the Pacific, with heavy carrier air support, Army Rangers secure the Roi-Namur fortress and the 3rd Marines are close to taking Wake. American operations in the Central Pacific Production- The USS Texas battleship is deployed at LA. Tech- None USSR- Enemy action- None Orders- Odessa and Sevastopol are invested as we prep to assault both objectives. The German 11th Army is surrounded in the Pripet Marshes north of Kiev. General advances along the whole front and upgrades of our armies with mechanized and motorized capability. Eastern Front situation Production- None Tech- None China- Enemy actions- None Orders- No offensive actions. Production- None Tech- None

From my experience it was easier to just destroy the garrison with airpower and then invade and take it over. Attacking ports with air/naval power seems to get pretty expensive for the attackers.

Hey everyone sorry have been off the net for a little while. I will get going again with this campaign in a day or two. Myself and the Allies apologize as work and war conferences called a halt to operations. No fear the war against evil Axis will continue!

15Jul43 Turn 15 UK- Enemy actions- Possible German Sub groups astride our convoy routes to the UK. Orders- We continue our offensive in the Med with another corps coming ashore at Crete as the Italians start to withdraw their fighters. Our fighters and tac bombers arrive from India to give us more airpower. The 254 Indian tank group also arrives taking over the defenses from the tired 8th Army. Our Atlantic fleet ships start to arrive in the western Med as well. No actions taken in Burma and the South Pacific. 254 Indian Tank Group in North Africa Production- None Tech- None USA- Enemy actions- The Musashi battleship and two cruisers stumble on our submarine picket and engage east of Marcus Island. Orders- We capture Algiers and prep for another attack. With fighters, tac bombers, and tanks we feel confident as our green troops gain valuable experience. In the Pacific, we got after the Japanese battle group and launch air and surface ships. We sink the mighty Musashi and the Tone and Kurataka cruisers!! We continue hitting the Marshall Island with dive bombers as more troops arrive in the area to begin amphibious landings. Production- None Tech- None USSR- Enemy actions- No actions against our forces. Orders- With clear weather we advance on all fronts. Arriving near Odessa and surrounding Kiev in the south and pushing towards Riga in the north. A lot of enemy air power but not many enemy troops now. Production- None Tech- Aerial warfare lvl 3 China- Enemy actions- The enemy is quiet on all fronts. Orders- No change as we continue upgrading our troops with new weapons Production- None Tech- None

17Jun43 Turn 14 UK- Enemy actions- No actions against our forces. Orders- Heavy actions in the Med. The Italian navy is fighting with spirit giving as good as they get. We are sailing reinforcements from our Atlantic fleet to the Med post haste to continue our naval dominance. 8th Army mixes it up with the Afrika Corps giving them a good wallop while our commonwealth allies continue to attack Italian airfields at Crete. More help is on the way! Production- None Tech- None USA- Enemy actions- The IJN backs off and does not attack us. Orders- We continue to subdue Algeria as our main tank groups lands along with Gen Patton and a tactical bombing wing. General Bradley assumes command of US Air Power in England while reinforcements are sailing there to begin preparations and training for another offensive. In the Pacific, we take Rabaul. The main fleet shuffles south and hammers enemy positions in the Marshall Islands and prepare for amphibious landings. Maybe the IJN will take the bait and come to their helpless defenders assistance. The Bunker Hill carrier and a destroyer groups are operational on the west coast. Our carrier power continues to grow. Battle of the Marshall Islands The Marines take Rabaul Production- None Tech- Inf warfare lvl 2! USSR- Enemy actions- No actions against our forces. Orders- A truly victorious month for the Russian armed forces. We destroy two German tank corps, two Italian armies and a German corps as we break the Southwest front wide open! Newly promoted Marshal Zhukov is bringing the full weight of Soviet armor into this area. On the attack Our battle hardened Comrades advance against the Huns Production- None Tech- None China- Enemy actions- The enemy is quiet on all fronts. Orders- We hold in place replacing losses and upgrading our troops with new weapons. Production- None Tech- None

20May43 Turn 13 UK- Enemy actions- No actions against our forces. Orders- In the Atlantic our destroyers and cruisers go after a German Sub that attacked an American destroyers. We damage it heavily before it dives to escape. In the Med , our fleets goes after the Italian Pola cruiser with mixed results. The Syrian corps lands on Crete attacking Italian airfields in preparation for our push into the Med. General Blamey continues his attacks on Lae despite heavy rains and tough terrain. Production- None Tech- None USA- Enemy actions- The Japanese fleets continues to hits us hard near their home waters sinking a cruiser and destroyer group. Orders- Adm Nimitz pulls the main fleet back to Midway to regroup and bring our ships under carrier air cover. Our troops consolidate in Algeria and start to push on Algiers. Production- 20th Tactical bombers in deployed on the east coast. Tech- None USSR- Enemy actions- No actions against our forces. Orders- Smolensk is liberated and we destroy a German tank group and Romanian Army. Production- None Tech- New heavy tanks are rolling off the production line (armored warfare lvl 3) China- Enemy actions- Minor attacks. Orders- We hold in place replacing losses. Gen Zhu, Commader of the Chinese Central Front. Production- None Tech- New weapons for our troops are getting to the front lines. (inf warfare lvl 1)

22Apr43 Turn 12 UK- Enemy actions- No actions against our forces. Orders- With clear weather our heavy bombers take off hitting the sub pens at Brest and Brussels. Our destroyers lay in wait but no German submarines have been spotted. Casualties are heavy among our American counterparts in the 8th Air Force. But our low level attacks knock out Brest and severely damage Brussels. Heavy sandstorms in North Africa conceal our preparations for opening another front in the Med shortly. British bomber crew including future Olympian Bill Davies(back row far left). Production- None Tech- None USA- Enemy actions- A Japanese cruiser and destroyer appear and sink the Juneau cruiser east of Marcus island. Orders- The main fleet moves forward spotting the destroyer and cruiser. With heavy storms grounding our air fleets once again our surface ships prove their merit as we surround and engage the Japanese ships. In the South Pacific despite heavy rains and swells the 1st Marine Division lands to take Rabaul engaging airfields and encountering heavy resistance. In the west our troops land on the shores of North Africa and overrun Casablanca in Algeria. American troops come ashore in Algeria. Invasion of Western Africa Production- The Baltimore cruiser and two destroyer groups deploy on the west coast. Gen Eisenhower becomes operational on the east coast. Tech- None USSR- Enemy actions- No actions against our forces. Orders- Attacking on the central and south fronts we liberate Kursk and Rostov destroying two German armies and corps in the process. The German 9th (not 6th) Army in dire straits. Production- The 5th Guards Tank corps is operational. Tech- None China- Enemy actions- Minor attacks. Orders- No attacks ordered as we replace losses. The Dare to Die SF group takes over the defense of Kunming. Production- None Tech- None

25Mar43 Turn 11 UK- Enemy actions- Italian battleship appears near Alexandria and engages our fleet. Minimal damage. Two Japanese Submarines surface north of Lae and engage the Australian destroyer Vendetta. Orders- We engage the Italians in the Med but the naval action is indecisive. 1st Australian Corps moves up the Kokoda trail on Lae. Our allied ships move to intercept the Japanese submarines as they dive from depth charge attacks. More movements and deployments as we prep for future operations. Production- None Tech- None USA- Enemy actions- Japanese ****s attempt to flee out of the Midway area but our screen of ships and depth keeps them in the battle. Orders- We complete the destruction of the Japanese destroyer flotillas but their spotted carrier manages to escape. We consolidate on the Solomons as the Marines rest and refit. Production- Gen Chennault and the 14AF is operational in China. The 4th Armored Corps is operational on the east coast. Gen Claire Chennault, Commander 14th Air Force. Tech- Our factories roll out the new standard battle tank. The M4 Sherman. USSR- Enemy actions- Limited German attacks as heavy rains and mud slow down operations. Orders- Despite the weather we press the offensives on all fronts destroying two armies and liberating Kharkov as the 1st Shock Tank Group is in Stalin's Order of the Day for this heroic action. Production- Gen Meretskov and his staff are operational. Tech- None China- Enemy actions- Minor attacks. Orders- Minor attacks Production- The Dare to Die SF group is operational near Kunming. Tech- None The situation in China and SE Asia.

25Feb43 Turn 10 UK- Enemy actions- German armor attacks our troops in North Africa but gets severely repulsed. Orders- No major actions as we repair various ships in our fleet. Replacing losses in New Guinea and redeploying troops for the spring/summer offensives. Production- None Tech- None USA- Enemy actions- The Japanese navy shows some fight as 4 destroyers and a carrier are spotted northeast of Wake Island engaging and sinking the USS North Carolina. Another destroyer penetrates our blockade of Midway. Orders- We destroy the Japanese air fleet and liberate Buin bringing the Solomons campaign to a successful conclusion. Near Midway we go after the Japanese ships engaging two destroyers but unable to locate the enemy carrier as heavy storms keep our air power on the decks. Production- USS Iowa battleships deploys on the west coast and the 3rd Army on the east coast. Tech- None USSR- Enemy actions- German attacks are sporadic as they pull back from Leningrad. Orders- Gen Konev attacks in force again but with modest gains as the snows and terrain limit the effects. Production- None Tech- None China- Enemy actions- Minor attacks. Orders- Minor attacks Production- None Tech- None