Storm over Europe 1939 – Ash vs Will - Allies

[AshesFall]

I understand there was some request for a Storm over Europe AAR next, and as both Will and I like to please, here we go!

In many ways I prefer SoE to many of the other WW2 campaigns, simply because of the scope. I love the map, the way it looks graphically just feels so right scale wise, with hills and rivers, forests and distances feeling more natural and “real”. Due to the Size of the map relative to the forces involved, its’ impossible to just cover all of France in a double line of units and leave it at that. Operational skill, scouting and manoeuvre warfare is a lot more important, both in Europe itself and above all in Russia (which is suitably vast!).

According to Will himself he is “crap with the Germans”, but wants to get better. We’ve played three campaigns of this before, albeit quite some time ago, and so far I won two and Will one (as allies that time). As many of the recent changes seem to favour the axis (probably a good thing all things considered) I may have my work cut out for me! Lets see if Will can even the score!

Initial thoughts on strategy

Where most WW2 campaigns are concerned, the first three years of the war is pretty much the Axis doing whatever they want, where they want, beating up on weaker targets. The Allied strategy is usually by necessity a reactive one. Though the Axis clearly have the initiative, this does not necessarily mean that the Allies are passive. Their job is to make sure that Germany can’t do all of what she wants, and force a choice between the different conquests.

A strategy I entertained for a bit and rejected is to essentially use French production and some of Britains on diplomacy for the Soviets, this would raise their readiness and give them more resources before they enter the war. This might be a more viable path in AoD though, with the whole world to pull resources from. Here, I think it is more important to cost the Axis as much time as possible in France, making it hard to pull off sea-lion, or to complete all the tertiary conquests (Yugoslavia, Greece) and still strike Soviet in a timely manner (may or so 41).

My goal for the first two and a half years or so will be to cost the axis as much as possible in their conquests, in both time and losses, and to restrict the more adventurous approaches to things. This means doing as much as I can to prevent the full conquest of france (and entry of spain), and to keep an eye out for diplomacy on Turkey or other neutrals.

The Mediterranean is very important in this respect. Locking it down completely with the British both make Greece a lot harder to capture (denying amphibious invasion), and larger adventures in North Africa difficult. To this end, I’ll be transferring all available carriers to the Mediterranean theatre, and there make an attempt to port strike Italian ships early on.

With the Mediterranean secure, I will try to make sure that the Axis are driven out of North Africa as soon as possible, and use resources not needed here to build the strength and numbers of British strategic bombers, every bit of production denied the axis will make it easier for the Soviets to survive.

That’s it then, on to the campaign and thank you for following!

[AshesFall]

Turn 1 – September 8th, 1939

For the past five years, a madman has terrorized Europe. Mostly, the greater nations of the continent have been content to pull hats over ears and ignore the problem. Noone, after all, could be crazy enough to want another large scale war after the recent horrors of the “Great War”.

Unfortunately, madmen do not adhere to most standards of measure, and this particular madman seems intent on plunging Europe headlong into more slaughter. With great reluctance, France and Britain declare war after German forces attack Poland.

The formal declarations give the beleaguered poles a glimmer of hope, surely their allies will land and help against this threat? The Soviet union will help push the invader back!

Reeling from a devastating lightning strike, with the only possible strategy being one of staying alive until help arrives, polish forces pull back to defend the capital and harry the German advance wherever they can. Under equipped and barely half strength air squadrons fly to hurt panzers closing in on Warsaw.

(though this prelude is a bit more “storytelling” I may focus more on player thoughts and shorter summaries of strategies and results. What do you guys think?)

I forgot entirely about the Italian entry conditions, and left Cairo empty. That will have to be rectified, as I’m nowhere near ready to take on the Italian navy yet.

[AshesFall]

Turn 2-4 – September 22nd to November 17th 1939

As Poland surrenders, a semblance of calm descends over Europe. The Polacks have been betrayed by everyone they trusted and both France, Britain and Russia watch on passively as the last of Polish will to fight is snuffed out. Nevertheless, the Western allies are quite pleased. That cannot be said of Comrade Stalin, who apparently still trusted the madman of Germany enough to negotiate some sort of secret agreement. Like every other agreement made in recent years, it was casually disregarded as soon as it ceased to serve German purposes. Stalin, of course, exercise his own brand of megalomania and promptly proceed to annex parts of Finland.

Poland cost the Germans four Armour steps and some infantry, pretty good all things considered. A British destroyer squadron found a German submarine group captain napping at his post, and spent two months hunting and hurting them. 40% are reported lost (Will forgot to move them from their starting position, and then forgot them again next turn. There are lots of things to plan and think about, so its easy to miss something). The sub then escaped into open waters.

Plans proceed, and in Lieu of any action I’ll show a picture of my plan to defend France. I’ve dubbed this plan “bumps and river walls”, and unlike certain hotheads of history I don’t plan to charge into Belgium and get completely cut off! The plan calls for a couple of speedbumps in forward positions, and two main “walls” behind rivers. The British close to the coast so they can scarper at need, and the French massed in the path of Luzemburg/Ardennes.

This is likely not the best plan, above all I risk a lot of Brits being overrun. However, if the conquest takes long enough it will be hard to make a sea lion work well anyway.

I’m a bit surprised at will electing to scrap the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. It does give him a lot less ground to cover to Moscow and complicates my defense of Soviet. However, I also get a bit of extra production to do it with. It will be interesting to see how it turns out!

[AshesFall]

Turn 5-8 – September 22nd 1939 to April 19th 1940

This war is a phoney war. Across the Maginot line, French troops eat picnic and watch Germans in their own trenches. Britain wages its own kind of war, old fashioned sensibilities trying to impose sense on a mad world. Flyers dropped by airplane attempt to educate the Germans on their error, predictably to little effect. Behind the scenes, the western powers are quietly gearing up for full scale warfare…

Submarine activity has been non-existent in the Atlantic, giving the British plenty of time to build their army. A sizable force has now landed in France, ready to lend support if needed. France has very little in the way of MPPs, and I feel that their final strengthening comes at the last second. As of yet weather has been awful, and Will quiet as a church mouse. I cant but wonder what he’s up to…

The naval task force is ready in the Mediterranean and standing by. We will see if it can end the threat of the Italian navy before it has begun.

In soviet I have built an engineer corps and will begin entrenching around Smolensk, the first possible redoubt in Russia. Stalin has invested in better infantry, and the US is already forging on in the tech war with two chits in intelligence.

Things are doubtlessly going to kick off soon…

[AshesFall]

Turn 9 – May 17th, 1940

May saw the definite end to the relative tranquillity of Europe, and any chance for peace without more bloodshed. The Allies were ready, or so they thought. Everything was prepared for the Germans to run straight into well planned Allied positions and get stuck, just as in 1914. Brilliance, though, is the other side of madness coin. In a stunning feat of military might, the Germans struck through Benelux and Luxemburg in a matter of days, outflanking the Maginot line by way of the Ardennes. Refugees flood the roads, and even the stalwart British start to fear decisive defeat…

So far I’ve spotted four Armour Groups and one special forces, along with artillery. The total tally for the conquest of Benelux is two steps of Armour, and the British account for one. My sole consolation is that entrenchment everywhere is at a maximum. The Initiative is with Will, he can either strike through the thick blob of French front and centre, or go against the much better equipped British and risk being attacked in the flank by French troops flailing at them with white flags.

In the Mediterranean everything is ready, once I’ve done what I can here I must send one or two carriers back to England to make sure Will doesn’t get any ideas with the Kriegsmarine. The Italians have tried to block access to the inland sea by placing ships here, I’ll attempt to dislodge them. Only carrier strikes and submarine attacks are much use against ports anyhow.

[Strategiclayabout]

Not much time to comment this one but I keep an eye on it !

Good luck with your plans Ash !

[AshesFall]

Not much time to comment this one but I keep an eye on it !

Good luck with your plans Ash !

Thank you as always! Glad to have you with us once again.

[AshesFall]

Turn 10 – June 14th, 1940

The lightning German advance continues, striking westwards from the Maginot line flank. Though French and British land forces combined matches German numbers, the allies lack the strategic initiative and stumble trying to find their footing. Other threats loom, as another dictator with illusions of Grandeur throws his lot with the enemy.

The losses here are estimated, unfortunately the replay mostly doesnt show the airplane but its target, so I only count what I can see

Will has elected to strike north-westwards towards the coast, and has so far suffered few casualties. I very much hope that is going to change however. The only bright spot is that they the Germans haven’t advanced much from the Benelux border.

The Italian navy retreats into the Adriatic. Allied navies follow, trying to block narrow passages and set up for the operation. Unfortunately, the strategic initiative is lost as Italy declares war at the end of the allied turn instead of on the axis turn. Ah well, with any luck, they wont be able to prevent what is coming anyway.

The Soviets develop infrastructure lvl 1, and more importantly production technology 1. Will loves his diplomacy, and got a hit on Spain this turn. Fortunately, he jumped the gun a bit and showed his hand early. This means that I can invest in diplomacy with both France and Britain, three and one chit each.

[AshesFall]

Turn 11 – July 5th, 1940

The German sledgehammer comes straight down on the French wall, which crumbles like wet paper.

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"The battle of Soissons would later be described as one of the few allied victories among a long string of catastrophic defeats. As the Wehrmacht strove to cross the Aisne river, the 16th panzergrenadier special forces attacked positions east of Compiégne by landing craft at dawn on June 25th. They quickly established a bridgehead and erected mobile bridges as the French 7th army stalled due to lack of effective command and XVI panzer corps soon crossed virtually unopposed. While the army tried a scattered fighting withdrawal and Huntzinger desperately tried to establish lines of communication with the British to coordinate a relief attack from the northern flank, the reserve corps and Alps army were cut off and outflanked through Reims. Within the day, the entirety of the front had disintegrated under the weight of the German assault. The fighting was bitter and desperate, continuing through the night. As the 26th dawned, the French 1st artillery found themselves embroiled in the fighting as retreating troops filtered through their position and the dirt plumes of Panzers were visible to the naked eye. At this time, Huntzinger had finally managed to bring some order to the situation, setting up a battery of anti-tank guns in staggered positions. British anti tank weaponry, having redeployed at exhausting speed through the night, covered the northern approach. At the very head of the arrow shaped axis of German advance the Germans had placed older model Panzer II’s and a smattering of Panzer I. With steely resolve, the French first artillery held their fire until the silhouettes of the Panzers became clear, and only then began a furious barrage. The Panzers scattered under the weight of fire, and drove straight into the teeth of the prepared positions. The XiX Panzer corps was destroyed in the subsequent fighting, and the German advance temporarily stalled as OKH re-evaluated the situation in the face of unexpected French resistance. This would buy French at guns, and Huntzingers own command, valuable time to redeploy towards Paris."

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Despite this rare victory, chaos reigned in France. As it became obvious that the Maginot line had been flanked into uselessness, the armies stationed along the massive fortress line started retreating towards Paris on their own initiative. The British, receiving new orders from high command, aborted the move to flank the Germans and began falling back towards the coast, taking positions temporarily west of Paris. Churchill did not intend British lives to be lost unnecessarily in France. With roads and cities in the east of France blocked by retreating troops, among accusations of treachery by the Brits (the sacrifice 1st British anti tank easily overlooked) and with French high command in chaos the Battle of Paris would soon begin.

Well, destroying an armour unit is nice boon! I am slightly worried at how quickly France is going down, but at least Will is paying somewhat for it.

The initial stages of “operation Spartacus” aren’t quite the success I was hoping for. Nonetheless, extremely few British naval casualties balance against the destruction of two Italian battleships and an Italian cruiser. Hopefully, more will be sunk shortly. Some British battleships have been placed near Sicily to catch any Italian battleships from western Italy coming to the relief of the navy in the Adriatic.

[AshesFall]

Turn 12 – July 19th, 1940

The latter part of July is characterized by furious Axis counter-blows, both in the Adriatic and in France. While these blows land telling hits on the Allied forces, they also leave weaknesses open to be exploited…

I forgot to take a picture of France this time, I thought I did, and when I looked after pressing “end turn” I had two of Italy. Oh well, these things happen.

Will definitely didn’t like losing that armour unit, and went after the retreating British with a vengeance instead of finishing off the French, going so far as to drop paratroopers to strike at British fighters. The great haste of the advance left some gaps however. Crucially, a French corps held on at 1str in Amiens right in the axis supply path. I coordinated an attack with a corps on the forward HQ (just 1 hit though) and that combined with a lack of nearby supply sources could hopefully mean low supply for the forward armour.

Speaking of armour, will left one Panzer exposed at the very tip of his advance, vulnerable to strikes from all directions. Combined attacks by the remainder of the British AT, carrier air, strategic bombers and pretty much everything else including a sortie from the French armour in Paris destroyed another German Panzer Corps.

The B.E.F reached Cherbourg, but the 21st army is in some trouble, only reaching as far as Rennes. Huntzinger escaped unharmed to Cherbourg, and the Coastal command fighters returned to Britain proper. While I am very likely to lose the 3 corps and the AT unit, the armies and HQ have a good chance of getting away given low German supply. German losses also essentially doubled, compared to the last count. Every turn the French survive is another where their navy and diplomatic chits can be an issue.

The larger and definitely less pleasant surprise was a sizable blunder in the Adriatic. I thought I had blockaded the port where the Italian sub was hiding and placed a battleship in the path of any sortie from Pola. That obviously wasn’t the case, and I should have seen the gap left by destroyed Italian ships. The Submarine and two Italian battleships that came out of their cozy harbour hideouts accounted for the Ark Royals demise. I did want the Italians to come out of hiding and attack, but I was hoping the French would take the brunt of it!

Anyway, the come out of hiding part accomplished exposing the Italian fleet for retaliation and the combined French-British navy sank the two forward battleships and hurt most of the remaining navy. Despite the unfortunate losses “operation Spartacus” has nearly accomplished its main objective. The remains of the Italian fleet, four ships (visible on the picture), is all badly damaged and should not present a threat for some time, or ever again.

[AshesFall]

Turn 13 – August 2nd, 1940

The German attack on the withdrawing British cost many Englishmen their lives, but the reckless haste of it and the loss of another Panzer Corps bought the French time to organize the defence of Paris. Whimsical, the dictator suddenly changed tacks, instead of Pursuing and finishing the British the attention of the Wehrmacht turned to Paris, and only the heroic actions in its defence by 12th corps allowed the returning 1st DCE armour corps to return and stabilize the situation. As the Germans strove to evict the stubborn French many Brits reached ports and crossed the channel for home, leaving the continent to its fate…

Will switched targets and went for the knockout blow, but below full strength Panzers attacking on the move over a river meant he did not take the Capital. The rapid advance and constant fighting now has these groups down to 60-75% readiness. Paris will likely fall next turn, but it will cost the Germans even more material due to the presence of the Armour.

Operation Spartacus petered out as most British ships left the Adriatic. The two remaining carriers dock at Malta to repair, and the rest of the British fleet screen the Mediterranean for transports or sorties by the remains of the Regia Marina. All in all the operation has been a great success, though not a perfect one. The Italian fleet is down to three, as the French scouted the remaining harbours and finished the badly damaged cruiser. Of the Italian Submarine there is no sign however…

Lets take a moment to discuss the hows and whys of this situation. Will has lost a tremendous amount of troops in France, and Italy is almost isolated from the get go. What went wrong?

Firstly, France. With pretty much 0 convoy raiding, the British have had free economic reign. This results in a large commitment in France, with resources to spare for diplomacy. The spend on diplomacy cost Will units for Fall Gelb. A better tactic, in general, would be to save MPP for max number of chits, and “shock invest” them once France falls and convoy raiding can begin in full. Then, the allies will have a hard time stopping it with a chit disadvantage and a strained economy. Another option of course is deception, ivesting two chits on spain and hoping for a hit to draw a heavy allied investment there, and then "shock investing" in turkey once France falls. Or vice verca.

Invading France against a numerous and well prepared defender can be difficult. There are two options that I consider “good”. First, you can go for broke and charge at Paris with everything to break the French as quickly as possible. Here its important not to get distracted, and just carve a path to the goal. Generally, it’s better to ignore the British here, they will probably withdraw once they are exposed to possible flanking and annihilation. Once France falls, you can deal with them at will unless they run away. The second option is a slower, methodical approach. Advance in good supply and with intact lines, screening your most valuable units with infantry after each Push. Here you take the opportunity to build experience, and resign to the fact that France wont fall until October or so. In either case, force preservation is important! So be careful about exposing your armour units to attacks from several directions.

Italy then, what can the Axis do against an “operation Spartacus” type gambit? I tend to assume that the allies are going to try something dodgy to get rid of the Italian navy quickly. Deploying an elite German fighter and a tac unit with naval tech is a good deterrent. Stay in the harbors, and if the British presence looks significant, bring more German air. This way, it is even possible to turn the tables and inflict a lot of hurt on the British navy, mostly ignoring the French as it can only batter itself against the harbours.

[AshesFall]

Turn 14 – August 16th, 1940

The German assault on Paris lasted for a week, with bitter street to street fighting and ambushes by French tanks in the rubble of buildings destroyed by artillery. In the end, the Wehrmacht prevailed, though the scrappy French tanks accounted for a lot of their number. The French government moves to Bordeux, even as talks between German representatives and a collaborationist sub group of the French parliament begins…

These two pictures probably speak for themselves, attacking French armour in Paris over the river caused horrible casualties on the Panzers, and France still hasn’t surrendered despite Paris falling and more more than 65% of the French army is destroyed…

The Germans have taken horrible losses, more total than invested in units so far, and France is still kicking until September at least. After a look at diplomacy, Germany has definitely invested five chits and Italy two, probably in Spain.

[VonLourens]

This is going fast, and i'm loving it again.

That's a lot of losses for the Germans in France!

[Bill101]

I love the name of Operation Spartacus!!

[AshesFall]

Turn 15 & 16 –August 28th to September 13th, 1940

France surrenders in late august even as British troops struggle to reach port and to escape. Low on supplies and bereft of any aid, the remains of two corps are lost on the shores near Cherbourg.

Collaborators within the government seize power and make peace with the Germans in exchange for retaining control of scraps. The enemy takes direct control of most of the western continent. Later analysis concludes that the success of the joint naval strike against Italy was what brought the Germans to the table, a complete conquest of France would otherwise have been easy, as both their navy and army were utterly decimated in the desperate battles of 1940.

England, now alone against the might of Germany, sees to her own defences. An ambitious plan to seize French gold in Dakkar fails, and to protect the most important defense of Britain, the channel, several ships under ownership of the new puppet regime are either sunk or confiscated at port. The French government will continue to fight a battle of words and prestige in exile.

Well, that certainly took time. Even after Paris fell France held for two more German turns. Most of the British army returned to England, the tally being two corps and one AT unit.

I’m blockading the coast of France as will is upgrading the port, and ships in the channel patrol the waters there. Destroyers are arriving steadily, the US sending lend-lease and the Soviets are ramping up production. Two notes of concern are German infantry tech at 2, and Italian naval tech at lvl 1. I’m glad I sunk most of their navy now, or I could have been in trouble in the Mediterranean.

[AshesFall]

Turn 17–23 September 27th 1940 to April 25th 1941

Norway was next to fall to the Germans, putting up no more than token resistance before the Wehrmacht took Oslo. Again, collaborators proved key, as Quisling worked with the invader to minimize damage and transition control of the country as quietly as possible.

Otherwise, the nearly seven months between September 1940 and April 1941 are seen as a sort of interlude in the war. The axis, exhausted after their difficult conquest of France and isolated to the continent, built an impressive war machine to unleash on their next target.

Meanwhile, knowing that direct conflict on the mainland was impossible, the British devised numerous indirect ways to bother the madman of Europe. Operations to raid the newly upgraded port of Nazir, funding for large scale commando operations to disrupt supply and production in occupied France, and a bombing campaign of German production facilities by the RAF. Small stings taken individually, together, perhaps a means to bring a giant to its knees.

Neither side were inactive in regards to their neighbours. Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary all joined what was, so far, an unstoppable force. Britain devised a coup in Yoguslavia before it could join the Axis, and Greece mobilized in allied favour. The stage now seemed set for a war of greater scale than ever…

Nothing much has happened. Will has been gearing up a very large land army, declining to conquer Yugoslavia and Greece. Spain has moved slightly towards the Axis, but is mostly kept in check by Britains chits. I’ve been researching technology and building a defence of Soviet, all the corps have been produced and placed in cities along the fronts as speed bumps, and fortifications are being built at suitable choke points. We’ll see if Will has cause to regret neglecting Yugoslavia and Greece…

[Cfant]

Hi! May I ask you some questions, General? I'd be interested, how you manage the Soviets. MPPs are only few, how many troops do you buy? And which techs do you regard most important?

As for the british "bombing campaign" - do you really attack german targets? In my experience, british losses are very high and reparing the bomber(s) cost much more MPP than the germans loose. Am I wrong?

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

What is the current war readiness of the Soviet Union please?

BTW: welcome To my Friends Cfant..

[AshesFall]

What is the current war readiness of the Soviet Union please?

BTW: welcome To my Friends Cfant..

Currently at 61 as of last turn!^^

Hi! May I ask you some questions, General? I'd be interested, how you manage the Soviets. MPPs are only few, how many troops do you buy? And which techs do you regard most important?

As for the british "bombing campaign" - do you really attack german targets? In my experience, british losses are very high and reparing the bomber(s) cost much more MPP than the germans loose. Am I wrong?

Of course! Happy to share some of my thoughts. I'm nowhere near an "expert" though, so take them for what they are.

Lets start with the bombing. Of course, as with everything else, this very much depends on your overall strategy. I tend to view everything but the survival of the soviet union as secondary until 1943 or so in most games. That means that UK mpps (unless the game is about sea lion and fighting in africa) are a lot less important than Soviet and German ones.

Absolutely key to an active bombing strategy is of course to research long range aircraft, heavy bombers and advanced aircraft. Approximately in that order of importance. Lets take a look at the picture below.

With just long range air lvl 1, this area in red is covered by the two fighters stationed at the strait of Dover. Fighter cover is key to avoiding too much bomber losses. Dont be fooled by just having two, dont forget about the carriers! Long range air 1 gives them a strike range of 8! A carrier stationed next to Calais can escort two bomber runs as far as Paris and Dusseldorf.

Dont forget to use a HQ on all those planes! Both the fighters and the bombers.

While your bombers will still take some damage, heavy bomber tech is good for this. With lvl 1, a full run of two strikes typically takes off 40-50% of the targets rating.

Lets have a look at the actual effect then. I've marked the value of the immediate targets. Lets say we do a full run of four strikes with good success and reduce the Maubeuge mines to 1 supply. That means down to 2mpp. The losses incurred are not limited to the 36 mpp the germans immediately lose due to the bombing, but also cumulative over the coming turns. Over a five turn trajectory (it goes on longer of course, especially if you hit it with one strike again after a turn or two);

1: +2 = 4 = 16 mpp lost

2: +2 = 6 = 14 mpp lost

3: +2 = 8 = 12 mpp lost

4: +2 = 10 = 10 mpp lost

5: +2 = 12 = 8 mpp lost

A total of 60mpp lost over five turns, and 36 from direct bombing, nearly 100mpp just from that one turn! Its most effective to spread your efforts a bit, hit one target down to very low, then another, and this effect becomes pretty severe over time. Soon you're costing the germans entire Panzer Corps in strategic losses.

At the start of the game, focus on resources outside Germany. The industrial modifier is only applied to germany itself and directly annexed holdings, everything else is flat rate. That means that early game, conquered resources actually yield more effective mpp than domestic ones. Germany starts with 75% industrialization. The level that this rises with tech differs by scenario, in SoE it seems to be 10%- This means that Germany should, unless they've been slacking with their research, reach 95% sometime late 40 or early 41, and 105% sometime late 40. early/mid 42. Often you can identify this from the graphs, knowing when and where conquests happened, and watching for other spikes in MPP collected. At any rate, from 95% onwards, hitting domestic german resources becomes priority. Also, even if the Germans upgrade resources with AA tech, that is something of an investment. Just shift targets! If all targets western europe becomes unpalatable, you can always switch to allied owned crete /greece and hit the romanian oil fields...

Well, that came out a bit longer than intended! I'll try to be a bit briefer about the Soviets!

The defence of soviet is still something of an ongoing project for me, and I havent really found an "optimal" way to do it. In this particular game I've been fumbling my preparations a bit, its been a while since I played this one, and the broken molotov-ribbentrop makes the starting positions in several areas even more tenous than originally (The baltics most notably). The upside of course is that I've had more mpp to play with.

I tend to favor a "bumps and humps" type of tactic. That means I seed mostly every city around the border and one line or two backwards with corps, and make sure they can dig in before barbarossa starts. So, I build a lot of corps.

Then I try to make hardpoints in strategic locations, building fortifications and defending those with armies. The ones you get from start generally suffice, and hopefully its possible to build more before the germans Plow through all those annoying little corps. Possible hardpoints include Riga, Minsk, Smolensk, Leningrad, Moscow, Dneprotovsk, Kiev. It all depends on what you want to do. I usually build an engineer the very first thing I do. Count on being able to build some four or five two sided and three or four one sided fortifications before barbarossa.

Given the small amount of MPPs before actual declaration of war, there isnt really any way to defend everything. Building stuff when it all starts and deploying where needed it probably best.

Personally, I love units that reduce readiness/morale. So I usually build artillery. This time I didnt redeem my rocketry chit, and will try out some rocket artillery instead (or in addition to, we'll see). Artillery and rockets can make an impossible fight merely difficult, or an even one to slaughter. Both in defence and offense!

Tech. Hm. The usual suspects cannot be ignored, Infantry tech, Industry, production, Armor, Advanced aircraft. Roughly in that order of priority. anything else is fun and gravy. I have a thought that rockets at lvl 2 might be massive amounts of fun, we'll see.

I hope that made some sort of sense, if you have more questions, I'll happily answer!

[AshesFall]

Turn 24 – May 23rd 1941

May saw the start of a new phase of the war. A conflict that would dwarf any previous engagements loomed, and the Germans struck first. Through the early spring mud, operation Barbarossa, the largest invasion ever planned to date commenced. The Soviets, in the midst of reorganizing and redeploying the army, were caught entirely by surprise. The outdated defence plans set in place by STAVKA resulted in the destruction of the fighter wing placed near siauliai, and the Armor group stationed there barely escaped. Worse the fate of the army group deployed at Proskurov, its wholesale destruction is a blow that will take time mitigate.

Well, here it is. The clash we’ve been waiting for. It seems that Will, the contrary bastard ^^ has declined to follow my carefully set up script, the gall! Instead of blithely striking north into my pretty fortifications, the absolute bulk of the Wehrmacht is coming through the south. This is going to get sweaty. With seven Panzer Corps in the Ukraine area, it will probably be impossible to stop the Germans before Kharkov or perhaps even Rostov before winter. That will mean a good bit of lost economy.

However, it’s not all bad. Though the German advance is overwhelming in the south, it is so far very weak in the north. Two Panzer corps, three armies and one artillery piece along with a HQ have been spotted. Also, Will neglected to destroy the STAVKA forces in the north, where only a single fighter wing was lost. I cant but feel that this was a big mistake, I always make it a top priority to destroy all of these on the first turn of the invasion. This both denies the soviet powerful assets, and makes sure that they go down in low supply so they cant be rebuilt cheaply. Putting two armour groups up north to deal with the forces around Minsk and then operating them south seems to be totally worth it. Will has left the door open, and I intend to make use of it. As heavy armor tech hit lvl 2 this turn, there will shortly be four strong armour groups under Zhukovs leadership (apparently he’s left his Siberian command for some reason and spawned by minsk.. with the Stavka forces). There are two armies in the North as well. If I can at least stop the northern German advance, that could mean that Finland wont join the war, and that will deprive the Axis about what they gain in the south. Where the enemy is weak, attack, where the enemy is strong, fall back and defend.

Also, the little green numbers spy spotted lots of German armour still at lvl 1 but upgradeable to lvl 2, same with armies. Will forewent upgrading his units fully to get an early attack. Fair enough!

Operation “Europe in Ruins” is going ahead, and strategic bombers are now hitting German production to good effect. Since nothing has arrived out of the port of st Nazaire so far, I went to take a look with a destroyer to find it empty. The Kriegsmarine has been quiet as a church mouse, so I can’t but wonder what its up to. It might be that Will has decided to entirely forego this, but I think it unlikely and it would be a huge mistake. I suspect that he might be upgrading submarines and his fleet entire, and try to hit the USSR convoy hard to deny the Soviets badly needed production. I started moving most of the British fleet towards the North sea.

[AshesFall]

Turn 25 – June 23rd 1941

The Axis onslaught continues, and the Soviet union is reeling. The enemy advances so quickly that reserves often arrive to the front when that front, in reality, is already beyond them...

In the North, the German push is closing on Riga. I made a logistical error in my withdrawal of the tanks. Leaving them in bad supply and unable to upgrade or reinforce. I attempted to rectify that this time around. A tip to other beginners like myself, reinforce a HQ or two before the invasion! I sort of forgot to. I also took a look at upgraded rockets this turn as it hit two turns ago. The only thing the upgrade does is give it a strategic attack value. No other changes. Hm. Well, not researching that again that’s for sure! Does anyone know if the second level is any different?

The south was bad, the Germans are closing very quickly, and I barely had time to rail reinforcements to the appropriate locations. At this rate, they might be in Stalingrad before winter.

The kriegsmarine was spotted closing in on the few soviet ships. There are still unupgraded submarines among them. It seems Will really did decide to scrap the convoy war and just throw every single mpp into the land army and the attack on USSR. Well, it’s my job to try to punish that, and create nasty distractions and MPP drains elsewhere. I have a few ideas, but getting Yugoslavia and Greece in will probably require active diplomacy, and might have to wait until the US joins. Perhaps an amphibious attack on Norway and Denmark will get Wills attention, we’ll see how it develops.

The British are on the move in North Africa, and bombing continues with Mons and one of the mines near dusseldorf completely reduced, and the other of those mines at half.

[AshesFall]

Turn 26 – July 11th 1941

Operation Barbarossa continued unabated throughout June and into July. Every stand attempted by the red army was brushed aside, the army group defending Kiev faced decisive defeat within two weeks. As the situation grew ever more desperate, Stalin faced chaos in the organization and leadership of the military, leading to critical delays in deployment, equipment and supplies. Even though hundreds of thousands flocked to their leaders call for a great patriotic war, the military lacked the ability deploy them effectively.

I continue to fumble the placement of the tanks here, they can upgrade, but will have to move next turn before they can be reinforced. I hope to be able to hit the germans near Pskov or Tartu.

The South is a mess, Kiev fell in a single turn, not unexpected, but still worrisome. The fortifications near Dneprotovsk finished at the end of the turn, and hopefully I will be able to withdraw the engineers and place an army there instead. The sole encouraging fact here is that the Germans are taking quite a lot of losses themselves in the advance, and with any luck they will have to pause and refit for a turn shortly, buying me a little time.

The RN deployed in force in the North sea, and I’ve set a strong force to raiding Norwegian shipping. Every little bit of lost German income helps the Soviets. Tobruk is now under Siege.

I’ve reduced three mines to rubble, and halved the production of Brussels. That’s some 70mpp per turn. One would think that drop would be visible on this graph, but it isn’t. Any insights into this?

[AshesFall]

Turn 27 – July 25th 1941

As the slaughter continued in the south, General Zhukov began to make headway in reorganizing the Stavka forces around Vilikiye Luki. For two whole weeks, not a man among the recruits reached the front, as Stalin and his staff struggled to create order in the ranks.

German Panzers reached the fortifications of Dneprotovsk just in time to prevent their completion, a fact that would prove decisive in cracking the soviet attempt to hold the city…

This is starting to look desperate. At least Will has taken a lot of losses just throwing everything forward like this. Beyond Gomel, the road lies completely open to Smolensk, as I didn’t get a single reinforcement this turn. Will the Soviets survive this desperate hour?

I finally got Zhukov and his tanks into good supply, ready reinforce and intercept the Germans in two turns time. We’ll see how far they’ve gotten until then…

Tobruk falls in North Africa, and the British are preparing to launch an amphibious invasion…

[steel32]

A good tactic in this version is to retreat when the Germans approach, wherever possible to save units. Especially in the south with the way your situation looks at this time you must be low on units and will want to avoid moving anything from the north.

Winter will come soon enough and keeping your army in good enough shape will pay dividends in 42'. Besides the German supply situation does a good job of reflecting the real war and is really lousy for the Germans unless HQ's are in cities/towns. This flips when the Russians start going on the attack.

Like your northern strategy though.

Good luck Ashes, always good to watch you 2 bash each other to pieces:)

[AshesFall]

A good tactic in this version is to retreat when the Germans approach, wherever possible to save units. Especially in the south with the way your situation looks at this time you must be low on units and will want to avoid moving anything from the north.

Winter will come soon enough and keeping your army in good enough shape will pay dividends in 42'. Besides the German supply situation does a good job of reflecting the real war and is really lousy for the Germans unless HQ's are in cities/towns. This flips when the Russians start going on the attack.

Like your northern strategy though.

Good luck Ashes, always good to watch you 2 bash each other to pieces:)

Thank you Steele! Perhaps I should have followed your advice from the start ^^. Glad to have you following us!

Turn 28 – 29, August 8th – August 22nd 1941

The Axis army crossed the Dniepr in strength at Kiev in early August. The question now among the slowly re-ordered STAVKA was, where would they move next? The answer quickly became clear. Even as Zhukov moved his army into position in the north, the Axis flooded the plains of Russia. Nothing could stand against them, and vast tracts of land fell in a matter of weeks. The loss of men was immense, “the bloody harvest of August” directly impacted soviet policy for the rest of 1941, Kursk and Rostov would be defended, and then the open fields would have to be the defence of mother Russia, until Moscow itself.

Holy crap. That was really bad! Will is pushing farther, faster, than I thought possible and inflicting horrible losses on me in the process. I thought about simply withdrawing, but Will is doing this neat little “leap frog” attack where he always has a HQ ready to occupy the city and provide good supply on his turn to units within two tiles. Low supply is never an issue, and his advance simply continues. Unfortunately, at this point, I can no longer even attempt to slow him down. I can just hope he wont reach Moscow or Stalingrad before winter.

This image is recreated in a vacuum after my turn, for some reason it dissapeared and I really wanted to show this tense situation! As such, there might be one unit in the wrong spot or so

The Italians ran into trouble moving on Daugavpils, and were beaten back only to return with help. By carefully keeping out of sight I’m hoping to intercept and destroy any pursuing forces. This is where I place my hopes, I need this attack to pull forces from the southern front.

The Royal navy is ready to support an amphibious attack, one bomber wing rests and refits.