Archibald

08 feb '42 - It's turning into a race to snap up all the minors as I thought it would. He went for Sweden and took Stockholm with his usual efficiency. Surprisingly, the Swedes didn't throw the towel in. A huge air battle developed over Riga as I try to knock the army garrisoning it out. My five L2 air fleets took on his five. I must have hurt him. The army goes down to three, but he holds. I straighten the German line to take in the hexes south and south west of Riga. German income now up to 573, which is a lot better. Norway next... [ January 13, 2003, 01:07 PM: Message edited by: Archibald ]

Vichy falls. With Britain gone, the minors can't be reinforced. That's interesting. My air fleets engage his around Riga and do some damage. I think he may be gearing up to invade Sweden. I advance the Ostfront by one whole hex. Wow! [ January 13, 2003, 01:06 PM: Message edited by: Archibald ]

Finland and Canada are gone. My income is 505 MMp per turn for germany, and 125 MMp for Italy. even without Britain, the allies are still out producing me. Worse yet, the Soviets now have L2 aircraft. I even the batting by declaring war on Vichy. I surround both Marseilles and Algiers so that that can only be reinforced to five. Having said that, can they be reinforced at all now Britain's gone? [ January 13, 2003, 01:05 PM: Message edited by: Archibald ]

It's October, I think... He's evacuated Edinburgh and I've recaptured Copenhagen with the remainder of my air fleets. Canada will fall this turn, but Finland is somehow still holding out. He's slowly falling back in Byeloriussia and the Ukraine. He's trying to get me to come forward and lose my entrenchment so he can hit me. I'll wait till I'm ready.

Builds and redeployments mainly. Edinburgh's battered down to one and surrounded.

September '41 - The hammer and sickle flies over Edinburgh Castle - for now. His transports in the Baltic have gone into reverse and have cut off the Finnish port. Goodbye Finland... The Americans are massing off Canada as expected, but it's served it's purpose. Otherwise it's all a series of redeployments reinforcements and research, research, research. [ January 14, 2003, 02:40 AM: Message edited by: Archibald ]

Well the Russians took Copenhagen - I can live with that. More importantly I took London and the Brits surrendered. Holding fine on the Ostfront. He's sent so much to try and save Britain that it's lost it's punch. I forgot to move the Finns back again in all the excitement (I'd not mentioned that had I?) and the Soviets landed between most of them and Helsinki. I can sweat it. the important thing is I took out the UK.

Sometime in July '41 I think. The Russians are in and have started pushing at Rumania and hitting my motley allied army on the Polish border. They've a transport on the Black Sea coast, but so far it's nothing I can't handle. He's sending Russian transports via the Baltic like there's no tomorrow. In great Britain I knock out another corps around Surrey and start knocking down London. By the end of the turn the corps is at entrenchment zero and strength five. He can build another corps adjacent to London, but I think he's had it. The US have joined, but I've three turns grace before they arrive. The Spanish came in at the same time as the Russians. They 're moving towards Gib to start harassing the fully entrenched strength three air unit there. The battle of attrition round Cairo continues. [ January 13, 2003, 01:04 PM: Message edited by: Archibald ]

this is weird. I'm still in the game... I've been wondering what happened to you. Just thought you'd a lot of thinking to do.

July 1941. I kill a British corps in Kent and knock another two down to half strength. He's bleeding to death. With only 66 MMP left after my Italian subs have finshed, it'll be all he can do to rebuild his existing corps. Cairo's still holding out. The Russians and Americans are waking up, but at least I've got a solid line facing them. Still anxious though. [ January 13, 2003, 01:02 PM: Message edited by: Archibald ]

June 22 1941 - I take Canada. The Yanks will go berserk immediately, but it knocks 30 MMP off British income. With Manchester gone and London cut off, they're now at 65 MMP a turn. Russia still at 65% - perhaps because I've not taken London and I've not attacked a neutral since the Low Countries. Cairo knocked down to two again. Every MMP will be precious for the Brits now. Italians also knocking 5 MMP a turn off Britain in the Med, leaving him with a net income of 60. [ January 13, 2003, 01:01 PM: Message edited by: Archibald ]

This is on a knife edge. Cairo's now down to one. My Italian transport in the Atlantic survived AGAIN!!! I now have an Italian and a German corps sitting on the Canadian coast about to debark. Cairo's down to one, though he can reinforce back to five if he can afford to spare the MMPs. The Yugoslavs also surrendered this turn. In Great Britain I killed a corps in Sussex. My air is now up to L2 - chucking all my French booty into jet research has paid off. Amazingly, my panzergruppen has moved three hexes (one of them a mountain) and taken an unguarded Manchester. I don't know who's more surprised - me or the British. I might even pull this off yet. [ January 13, 2003, 01:01 PM: Message edited by: Archibald ]

Lost the connection while I was on the summary screen before I moved. My autosave or yours?

By some miracle my Italian transport in the Atlantic survives unscathed. He steams at full tilt towards Canada. Guess what? HMS Hood sitting just offshore. We've seen each other and he'll jump me next turn. Don't think I'll be so lucky next time. Cairo's been battered down to five, whilst I've left Gib to the British. Off Britain he made a determined attempt to stop me. It cost me a corps, but I destroyed two of his battleships in return. I doubt his air's doing very well after their counterattack. I've got two armies, an HQ, a panzergruppe and a corps ashore. I've another three transports off the now defenceless east coast waiting to land. He's got five corps in and around London. Manchester is only held by Monty, Edinburgh is empty, while there's only a battered RAF unit in Scotland. The Yugoslavs play up, but my minors move in and take Belgrade on the first turn. It's all getting rather tense. [ January 14, 2003, 02:36 AM: Message edited by: Archibald ]

April '41 - He Builds another three corps around London. I've forced him to expend most of his cash reserves. My air fleets batter them to keep their entrenchment levels down. I don't land this turn, but instead move another four transports into position. Cairo is now surrounded. He still has the air unit in Gib and a transport waiting to land. Better there than the UK. In the Atlantic a speculative Italian transport hits a battleship - ouch. He must be very stretched though... [ January 14, 2003, 02:35 AM: Message edited by: Archibald ]

March 1941 - Ive decided that I'm so bloodied that I can't hope to win in Russia. Accordingly, I'm going for glory and Sea Lion. The Italians walk into Suez; that's good news at least. In the Atlantic, the German corps I'd sent towards an empty Canada (they all died in France) was sunk by another of those dreadful aircraft carriers. :mad: At least the threat to Canada and Gib is keeping him tied up. Three transports are now off the shores of Kent and Sussex. It's make or break. [ January 14, 2003, 02:34 AM: Message edited by: Archibald ]

My machine locked up on the summary screen. Could you load your autosave and post an IP for me to join?

He took the bait at Scapa. I now know the strength of the fleets he's got in home waters. All of them seem to be depleted. I make another stab at Gib, but again my shells just bounce off the rock. A precious British corps has appeared off Gib. He'll land next turn and the air will operate back to the UK. In Egypt, the Italians have just discovered that Suez is unguarded. I have a corps in position ready to take it next turn.

December 1940 - Rumania and Hungary have come on in for the big win. The British operate a strength 2 air fleet into Gib. I pull back my invasion fleet and hit it with a battleship - not a scratch. I mop up the ports the British have just evacuated. Well he's got two corps in the UK now. My uber-sub takes a shot at HMS Hood and knocks her down to one strength. In the North Sea I manage to sneak a transport past John O'Groats. They're poised to land in Scapa Flow. [ January 13, 2003, 06:58 AM: Message edited by: Archibald ]

November 1940 - I finally take Paris after a desperate defence by General Weygand's stenographers and pastry cooks. Germany gets 977 plunder. The RN have abandoned Gibraltar, which is ripe for the taking. Some recompense for the bloodbath I've just endured. [ January 14, 2003, 02:31 AM: Message edited by: Archibald ]

27 Oct 40 - I take out another French Army and a French corps. He's recaptured Brussels, but I know he can't hold it. I send the Luftwaffe against the RAF in Kent. I know I hurt him badly, but I didn't destroy him. He hurt me too though, and suddenly those units in Belgium look awfie awfie scary. Good news in the Med. The refurbished Italian fleet battered HMS Hood down to 2 in Gibraltar for little loss. HMS Royal Oak, stationed just to the west of Gib is attacked by my German uber-sub and knocked down to three. It's a big setback for the RN. I wonder if they'll run for it? Just looked at the report screen. I know that all the ground forces the French have left is three corps and an HQ. more interestingly, the strength bar for Britain is exactly the same as the French. He's possibly got a corps in Egypt, two corps in France... The British Isles must be about empty. Hmmmm.... [ January 13, 2003, 06:56 AM: Message edited by: Archibald ]

15 Sep 40 - He took out an army and a corps. The word catastrophe is an understatement. I took out yet another French army. He's got very little left. Hard pounding gentlemen... [ January 14, 2003, 02:29 AM: Message edited by: Archibald ]

Well... He's lost two battleships and a cruiser and had quite a lot of his fleets knocked down. He's lost all the Canadians, and at least three other corps. On the other hand I've lost an army, a panzergruppe and an air fleet. On balance it probably hasn't. It all stems from not taking the Low Countries in one turn.

September, I think... Will this war never end? When will I see Gretl and the children again? This turn I took out a French army north of Paris and a British corps south of Paris. Fierce air battles over the Channel as HMS Glorious is knocked down to half strength. I must have hurt the RAF. The big question now is whether the remaining French armies will stay put or come charging out in one last glorious offensive a l'outrance. [ January 13, 2003, 06:54 AM: Message edited by: Archibald ]

He's abandoned the Maginot Line and fallen back to Paris - it's 1870 all over again. I knock out the hated Canadian corps and a corps to the north west of Paris. Unfortunately a recce of Paris by a German air fleet turns into a full attack and the French HQ holding Paris takes a hit. However I've a rather vulnerable looking army next to Paris now. will he go for it or harbour his strength? [ January 13, 2003, 06:53 AM: Message edited by: Archibald ]