Oak

March 22 In the east ... the Axis take another resource and kill off a lot of Russian corps, although there is no major breach in the line. Specifically, - attacks continue on Sevestopol (knocked down to str. 3). Attacks involve the 3 troops surrounding Sevestopol, since air is used to take the mine. - the 2nd mine near Rostov is taken with the help of a German bomber and 2 Italian air. - 5 Russian corps (including the one on the mine) are killed and 4-5 others knocked down to strength 6-8. However, the corps that are killed are spread across the line so no major breach of the Russian line. - the German corps stranded behind the Russian line disrupts supply by moving to within 2 hexes of Leningrad. In the west ... German subs raid in the Atlantic. In the Med ... all is quiet.

PS: It will be interesting to see what change the Allies have in mind to save their deteriorating position in the east. This is an interesting game!

February 8 - all is quiet in the Med and the Atlantic - the 2 Italian air attack Sevestopol, as do the 3 surrounding Axis troops. The corps is only knocked down by 1. It will be slow going against the Sevestopol fortress until a German HQ can provide closer support and better supply. - a German HQ and army are transported into Finland to help with the defense there. - another city is taken and another major breach made. The Russian corps in Minsk is killed by German air, and the corps next to it killed by ground troops. A German corps moves behind the Russian line but is not quite able to take the mine southeast of Minsk. There is a real jumble of Axis and Russian troops now in the triangle formed by Leningrad, Riga and Minsk. It will be difficult for the USSR to restore the line and still maintain the attack in Finland. - as anticipated, more UK and Free French troops are appearing in the USSR. - assaults across the Russian line result in many (perhaps even most) of the Russian troops being down to between 4-8 in strength. This is also due to the unsuccessful counterattack by the Russian the previous move.

December 14, 1941 in the Med ... Italian corps east of Tobruk is reinforced. No other activity in the Med or Atlantic in the east ... - Finnish forces pull back to defend Helsinki. All of Russia's heavy units (the remaining tank and 2 armies) are being used in the attack on Finland) - Sevastopol is attacked and surrounded - the mine closest to Odessa is taken with assistance from Italian air (still at level 0) - the Russian line is hit across its length, with many (6-7) reduced by 20-50%. - a major breach is created in the north (mid-way between Riga and Minsk) when 2 Russian corps are killed with the help of German air. 2 German corps circle behind Russian lines, one heading north and the other south (approaching Smolensk). The German forces will soon be able to rescue their new-found Finnish allies. - so far, the Axis are achieving their twin goals of taking at least 1 USSR resource each turn while also forcing the USSR to deal with breaches in their ever-more-fragile line.

Playing against a human opponent is VERY different from playing against the AI. Humans are much more aggressive. As the Axis, they will take Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Vichy France and -- usually -- Spain before Barbarossa.

November 16 All quiet in the Med and Atlantic. Everything happening in the east right now. - the Axis take Kiev, killing the corps there and just south of it with a combination of Italian & German air plus ground attacks. A German army moves into Kiev and 2 German corps move into the breach. - Sevastopol is attacked (but no damage caused) and a German panzer crosses the isthmus to find a Free French corps just south of Rostov. We expect to find a lot more UK, Free French and even US troops as the Axis move further into the heart of Russia. - with the USSR having patched up the breach in the north, the Axis try to create another one. Unfortunately, the Russian corps targeted for destruction holds out at strength 1 and the Russian line holds. During the attack, Russian air (at level 0 with no HQ support) intercepts German air (at level 2 with HQ support). Our guess is that the Russian air suffered badly.

October 19 All of the activity remains in the east. The Russians have formed a solid line from Riga to Rostov. The Axis pound the line to force the USSR to reinforce while also creating a small breach 2 hexes north of Minsk. 4 German air, a tank and an army kill a Russian corps and a German army fills the breach. In the south, Axis units move towards Sevestapol and also begin attacking the mine. With all those corps, it will be a slow, hard slog for the Axis in Russia. Unfortunately, the air limits and MPP favor the Allies and time is on their side. The 2 Italian air and 2 of the German air sit out this turn. All is quiet in the Med.

September 21 The game is going rather slowly right now because both players are caught up in hectic real world activities. In the west ... the sub near Canada flees to the east. The corps in Lisbon is killed and Portugal surrenders to the Italians. In the Med ... the Italian corps next to Tobruk is reinforced. The UK fleet moves away from Tobruk, apparently heading west. In the east ... the remaining Russian border armies are killed off and Odessa is taken. A corps near Riga is killed. The Axis are now at the Dnieper river in the south and on the outskirts of Riga in the north. Both the Axis and the Allies seem to be going for a strategy of quantity over quality in Russia. The Axis has mostly armies and corps, but lots of them. The USSR has chosen to build LOTS of corps (we count close to 20) to create a defensive line. The additional MPP for the USSR that enabled them to build all those corps, combined with the air limits, will make things a real challenge for the Axis.

August 31 - the Germans lose a sub but the 2 remaining subs get their revenge by sinking a UK battleship. The Allies already limited fleet in the Atlantic is being knocked down to a size that the Axis can readily deal with ... and the Axis still has 2 subs near Canada with more heading there to help out. Also, the UK loses 13 MPP from raiding. - the Axis declare war on Portugal. The corps in Lisbon is knocked down to 4 by 2 Italian armies and an Italian battleship. - the Axis declare war on the USSR, and hit them hard. 6 of the Russian border armies are destroyed completely while the other 3 are hit and cut off. Odessa is isolated. Also, the Russian tank near Kiev is killed and the northern air knocked down to 7. A good start to Barbarossa, but the USSR has 1695 MPP to spend, which should help them mount a challenging defense.

1) I have a record of the games played and who won. I just haven't had the time to turn it into a win/loss record. 2) Let's keep this thread limited to important stuff so that players don't have to wade through trivia to get to the stuff they want.

August 17 USSR: 81% With most of the UK fleet in the eastern Med, the Allies were probably counting on the US fleet to help out in the north. Unfortunately, the US fleet came one point short of being totally eliminated. The 2 US battleships were spotted trailing the Allied fleet as it moved north about 4-5 hexes east of Canada. They were attacked by 3 German subs and a bomber based in Brest, with one US battleship sunk and the other knocked down to 1. The bomber was intercepted by US air in Canada, but did little damage because it had no HQ support. The German subs also cost the UK 20 MPP from raiding. In north Africa, the UK is clearly making a move on Tobruk with Allies ships swarming towards Tobruk and covering the sole UK carrier. No surprise with the move other than the fact that we were expecting it sooner.

In order for cities/ports to increase from 5 to 8 (they can't go above 8) they need to be connected by land to friendly capital city. So, for example, if the north African cities/ports belong to the Allies then they will increase to 8 if Iraq also belongs to the Allies and if the USSR is in the war (giving a land link to Moscow). If north Africa belongs to the Axis, then the value of ports/cities will go up if Spain, Gibraltar and the African part of Vichy France are taken (giving a link to Rome and Berlin).

August 3 USSR: 76% - USSR readiness is going up very slowly, giving the Axis more time to prepare - Yugoslav forces attacked and eliminated by air and ground assaults. 2 Italian air (still at jet tech 0) join the attack. Yugoslavia surrenders. - a UK corps northeast of Manchester is bombed, with escort by German air. The Free French air intercepts. - raiding in the Atlantic continues, with the UK losing 40 MPP [ September 07, 2003, 11:26 AM: Message edited by: Oak ]

July 20 USSR: 72% (USA joins the Allies at the end of the Axis turn) - Axis forces move into Gibraltar - the UK loses 18 from raiding in the Atlantic

July 6 US: 88%, USSR: 68% - an Allied bomber moves to the spot just south of Manchester. Seems that the Allies are starting to come out of hiding. - Gibralter is bombarded and attacked by a German tank - Axis subs continue to raid, costing the UK 29 MPP. - at the end of the Axis turn, the US prepares for war Note: According to Terif, Bulgaria IS affected by Spain.

June 22 USA: 84%, USSR: 64% - the UK has now moved all 4-5 corps around Manchester to the north. - 2 Italian battleships bombard the Spanish corps moving towards Algiers. There was no real threat, but it provided good experience for the Italian navy. - the Spanish corps in Balboa and Madrid are killed by a combination of German air and ground forces, although 1 Italian army helped attack Madrid. A German panzer moves into Madrid and Spain surrenders. - Axis subs continue to raid and the UK loses 37 MPP.

June 8, 1941 USA: 80%, USSR: 62% - with Bulgaria now part of the Axis, war is declared on Spain (causing a big jump in USA readiness). Italian armies invade and take Valencia by sea, with the help of 2 Italian battleships. German troops and air attack from the north, killing the 2 Spanish armies. Both Bilboa and Madrid are hit by air. - Axis subs continue to raid in the Atlantic and Med, costing the UK 27 MPP.

May 11, 1941 US: 62%, USSR: 57% - usually Amona waits for the USA to join before attacking Iraq, so we are suprised by the early DOW on Iraq. - the Allies now have a treasury of about 1,000 MPP - Gibraltar is bombarded - Axis subs raid in the Atlantic & Med, and the UK loses 29 MPP.

April 13, 1941 USA: 65%, USSR: 57% - Gibraltar is bombarded - subs continue to raid in the Atlantic and Med (23 lost to the UK) - no activity around England.

March 16, 1941 USA: 61%; USSR: 57% The latest version of the Strategy Guide says that the Axis are better off attacking England from the north, and taking London last rather than first. Thinking this to be sound advice, the German transports pull back from London and decide to take a different approach to the invasion of England. Subs raid in the Atlantic and Med, and the UK loses 15 MPP. No other activity visible to the Allies.

Sign me up Oak

February 2, 1941 US: 57%, USSR: 57% The UK builds at least several corps that it puts around Manchester, but leaves the south occupied by only a corps in London. The Axis decides to postpone landing troops, using the time to reposition transports and continue preparations. Axis subs are now raiding in both the Atlantic and the Med, with the UK losing 12 MPP.

I'm not sure why the campaigns don't load, but I can help you with the mod problem. The reason you can't run SC is that there is a problem with the graphic called "main_menu_buttons". After you put the new graphics into the "bitmaps" subdirectory you then need to overwrite the new "main_menu_buttons" with the original one. It will then work fine.

December 8 The action that the Allies have been waiting for finally arrives. With the British navy all hiding out of view of Axis air in Norway and France, German transports swarm around London and most of the German air (including bombers to reduce entrenchment) move to spots just across the channel from London. Intelligence indicates that there are only 2 armies (one Free French and one Canadian) and 1 corps (located in London) in England together with the Free French air and a bomber. Subs continue to raid in the Med.

November 10 The Allies have left a token force of battleships in the north to guard England, and those ships are taking a real beating. The Malaya suffered from sub and bombing attacks, and now it is the turn of the Royal Oak. 2 German air fleets in Norway (now at jet tech 2) attack the Royal Oak battleship in Scapa Flow, with a Free French air fleet intercepting. We expect that FF air fleet (at level 0 with no HQ support) must have really suffered from its interception. The Germans now have 2 subs in the Atlantic, and Italian subs in the Med continue to raid.