abukede

Strategiclayabout... lol...

It's been a bit tough getting this turn in. I have the version of the game we are playing installed on my desktop... so that I can only play when I have had time at home. With two little girls competing for my attention and a demanding wife... it's been interesting. Okay... Al has me hemmed in everywhere. Japan is in serious trouble in China as he presses in. In the West it's deep winter... Russia is pressing in on my on the East and the Allies on the West. Across the map there was low level fighting in every area. Al took some damage in France as I intentionally kept the low level action going. I could have sent in armor this turn but I have to be carefull with my mmps. If I send them in... they go in with perfect conditions so I get the best results. Germany has a lot of troops deployed with a lot of reserves. The bad news is that Turkey entered the war on the allied side. It is only a matter of time before Al pushes in the East and it will be ugly. I just hope that I can hold him off long enough to get into 45. I am in a tight spot but I love a defensive fight. A lot of people quit early when things start to go sour in an SC game. I don't like doing that and only call a game when it's nearly done. I feel I learn a lot from such fighting retreats... and I think it ultimately makes my game better.

Yeah... the game can prove quite challenging. I managed to mess up royally with my builds and focus early on... and it has come back to bite me in a big way. Game wise... Not much I could do this turn. The weather was poor everywhere. Al has Germany pretty paralyzed... though once the weather turns good I will have to throw all the dice in and go for it. Japan... is hanging on in China and the US is pushing into the Pacific. Really it is only a matter of time when Al goes for it.

I was finally able to get a turn in. It is getting more difficult by the turn as Al has increased the pressure on the Axis. He's played a great game. China economically hamstrung Japan... so after my initial conquests there was not much else I could do offensively as I did not have the resources. Things in China have settled down for the most part due to Al coming out of the hills. My airpower is dealing the Chinese heavy damage each turn. I would have struck in South China... but the weather was poor so I was reduced to hammering an army up north. Pacific wise... both fleets are playing it cautious. Germany... I kept the slow burn war going in the West and ramped up the pressure on Al. I destroyed the UK armor he landed, and a US army while damaging a couple of other units. I could very well lose my first armor to his response next turn. In the East I consolidated my lines, attacked and destroyed a Russian corps that had advanced too far. I also brought up reinforcements. Al clearly has the initiative and it is only a matter of time before he really brings pressure on Germany... or rather a matter of when... as he has to do it right because Germany is still powerful and if he makes a mistake like he did last summer the war could easily stretch on for another winter. One of the problems he has is German air defense. In the West I have 5 fighters upgraded to level 4, with unit AA at 2. Each time he airstrikes me it is very costly and he has been at it pretty regularly. In the West I have 4 Fighters and 5 tactical units. I could really use the tactical units in the west... If I moved them West... I would be able to easily force Al off the mainland. In our last major engagement... my airpower played a pretty decisive role in the action in the East.. and I know they are acting as a deterrant. The downside of moving them West is that I would leave myself open for a major Russian attack. So the tactical units stay East... for now. Not my finest game... but very enjoyable. As I have said before Al is the only one who regularly can beat me. This is still his game to lose.

I use Soft Builds... as I like the flexibility with game strategy.

Not much to report this turn. I played it safe in the West and did not strike Al. I had poor weather and had to move back those units I moved to the East. I expect to be able to cause him serious headaches in the West next turn. I had a railgun in range of the belgium port and hammered it hard so he could not ship in more units. The railgun will probably be lost this turn but atleast it did something useful. Al is keeping the bulk of the USN away from the IJN. I found them this turn via bomber recon right where I expected them to be. In China I strengthened units... and beat up on the Chinese a bit destroying a corps. My forces in the East are very strong. Beyond that not much good to report. I am waiting for Al to make his next move.

No pictures this turn... back to operational security. I played it cautious. I think my armor could have dug right into his line hard... and I was sorely tempted to try. My only problem was my backup line of infantry was just too far back. Had he hit me I would have been able to easily counter attack with them and probably done enough damage to keep pushing. Another consideration was the further I get into Russia his supply improves.... so I pulled back and left a screen of infantry and anti-tank for him to play with. If he advances... it will get real interesting... fast... there is that gap between cities in the South that messes with supply... so that whoever goes too far suffers for it with readiness and morale. I made sure I retook Kharkov... so his supply remains low as he advances. Bad weather is also starting to set in... I had mud this turn which is also why I chose not to hit him. I also destroyed 2 more Russian corps. I think that makes 12 or 13 frontline units destroyed in the last 3 turns. I could lose 4 or 5 units... but they are really designed to suck him in, eat up time and MMP. The closer he gets the greater the opportunity to hit again. I lost no armor in my counter offensive... he lost 1 armor. So in essence I call that a German victory. Much of the fighting season is over as winter is coming. Whoever attacks now risks the potential of a random good weather turn for the enemy... which could prove disasterous for a reponse if the weather turns back to poor. In Asia... Al finally came out of the hills and mountains so I was able to hit him hard with air... and hammered 1 army hard enough to get it to retreat. Some other minor action and the attritional warfare in Burma continues. Where is the IJN? I know where the USN is. Scary thing is both fleets are very close together and mine has the experience.

done... slot filled.

Who wants to play a GOLD game with me? I promise to be gentle.

I can tell you I am playing a game with Happy right now where I had 8 subs deployed... he and I fought it out... and as Germany... his DDs hammered the heck out of me. He lost 4 DDs and I lost 4 Subs in the end and was forced to pull back. I think it comes down to deployment. The problem in your game is both German and Italian navies working with the U-Boats. What happened to your carriers? They should make short work of any Axis fleet.

That's the idea... though I am hoping I can punch him again hard next turn. Al lost over 11 units in the last 2 turns, I lost 3... 2 of which I expected to lose 2 turns ago... 1 Hungarian Army and 1 Romanian army. I do have a feeling whatever Al does it will hurt.

I weighed my options this turn. It’s the end of August… we’re about to get poor weather… Al’s forward units were in poor supply, Al’s forces have been evicted from France… so well why not. I went all in! This may turn out to be a major error... mistake... screwup... but what the hell! It was time and besides other considerations I will outline below I was tired of our Phoney war in the East. I began by using heavy airpower air striking critical targets. My 5 TAC air units came in handy. Then I brought in armor and ground. My troops in the North attacked too. I even took back Kursk using airdrop. All in all it was a good start. As you can see I put a buffer in front of my armor. I expect them not to survive Al’s response and I expect him to do me a lot of damage in return…. He will likely take out some of my armor… if not the majority of it. However… if he advances he brings his armor further he will step into my tac air range. So in a way it is a double edged sword for him. In addition his supply situation will not be the best either. I brought up additional forces (5 armies) that were just behind the lines and out of range. They will form the nucleus for a counter punch to his response to my offensive drive. Perhaps I should have fallen back and let Al come closer to me before hitting him or allowing him to hit me. That would have risked poor weather on the Eastern Front negating my airpower advantage. This turn I destroyed 3 armies, 2 corps, 1 Special Forces and 1 armor. Al has lost 5 armies and 4 corps alone in the last 2 turns. The scary part is he can afford to lose them. I expect it to get very ugly from here on out and he still has the initiative in the West. In the East… not much to report. China is causing me some serious headaches. Weather was poor so I could not hammer Chinese units. In short Japan is in trouble in China. It is very frustrating that I cannot even damage any of his ground forces in a normal fight on the ground. My armor upgraded to level 2 is virtually useless. The only bright spot in China is my airpower and during good weather turns my Tac air can hammer him hard. I moved the IJN this turn… not saying where.

Finally got some serious time for a turn. I spent an hour at the computer after the replay thinking about what I wanted to do. I have to be very careful as does Al because things can really change based upon what happens on the Eastern Front. That said... It was a very eventful turn... Germany struck back hard on the East Front using both air and ground for little loss in return. Scratch 1 Corp, 1 Army, 1 Special forces. I also recaptured the mine. In the picture below 1 army has already been destroyed. This is how it ended. As you can see air recon and ground units show a good portion of Al’s strength. He has a lot of stuff. I do too… just out of view. Al extended them too far. This may have been on purpose. I expect him to hammer me back hard and I feel I am very ready. Germany is very powerful. Those two cities were originally intended as speed bumps. Al has yet to take them back. They will help against his counter attack. Had he taken them back last turn he would have had a freeer hand in counter attacking. Instead they will act as blocking positions that should he attack will be costly to take in a rush. In the West Brussels fell to the Germans again and the Lowlands surrendered. Scratch 1 UK corps. I actually like that because I believe I get a small readiness boost right before our major engagement in the East. If it works out that way I want to thank Al for helping. He now has 1 English corps stranded without supply. In Spain I had to redeploy a few units down there to remove the US corp. I will begin working on that next turn. I also deployed more Luftwaffe fighter units this turn. Al’s airwar over Europe has gotten very expensive. I am intentionally keeping the war in the West very low level as it's eating up his units 1 by 1 for little loss. I have only deployed 1 armor unit to battle in the West. My real power still remains in the East. I was almost tempted to really push forward this turn especially after I used a fighter to do recon and found his tanks. In China I forced an army to retreat up north by combined air and ground assault and in the South hit an army too. Japan is really struggling in China. No pictures of the fleet or China… plans in motion. The only really bright spot is in my fleet which is experienced, blooded and upgraded. In Burma there was more attrition warfare. It is becoming expensive for the UK. In DEI I finally got my act together and knocked out that Indian army occupying the mine. All around a tough turn for the UK. All said... as I told Al I still think he has the momentum at the moment it is his game to lose. Hence the caution on both sides. That said I thought you might like to see the relative strengths of the countries.

Al hammered me pretty hard in China. I can virtually do nothing against the Chinese... even with 4 upgraded Tac air units. It is a bit frustrating. Supply is a real issue and I was forced to make some strategic moves to hopefully draw Al out of the hills. Burma is a stalemate. The IJN is strong. I suspect that Al has moved Russian units east. He did not attack me in force in the West. My only bright spot is in the West. Germany is very strong. If Al hits Japan with Russia I will go all out on the Eastern front. The Western Front is in great shape. I destroyed 1 UK corps and should get the other two this upcoming turn. It will be interesting to see if Al goes all in in the West. He almost has me on the ropes. It is his game to lose at this point.

I have.

Sorry for the delay in turns. I've been a little busy with work, my show, and a SciFi novel that my editor has been hounding me about... not to mention the attention that my two little girls demand. Game wise... it is middle of June 1943... I made a decision to pull back my troops in South Russia. Air intel showed Al building up large force to hit me. My lines were essentially in a bulge bending around Rostov and south to the Oil field which I have held for some time. I left a few speedbumps/units for Al to play with as he lunges forward. I had considered attacking but the ground was terrible... mud and likely it would be fine the next turn meaning Al would have probably hit me first. I am confident he has the majority of his forces in the South... while I had held an elongated front. My front in the south is shortened, I am closer to my supply source, my army is powerful and in one piece. In addition Turkey is likely to join the Allies shortly and it made sense to have the front a smaller and in a more confined space. Should Al lunge foward, my new front lines allow me to easily hammer him back. I gave up 35 income in captured resouces to Al. It does not sound like a lot but it is. I also made the decision to not reinforce the Persian corps this turn. It had been a drain on the UK for the last few turns and I am betting Al brought up tac air... repairing it is also a drain on Germany. So he can have Persia. In the North I remained in place. My troops are entrenched with supporting armor and air. I also occupy some good ground. If he attacks it will be costly and my counter attack should be more costly to him. In Asia I have a firm idea where Al's fleet is East of the Solomons. (good intel) I almost elected to hit him as I had 4 carriers in range with a good sized fleet. In the end I elected not to. The US has a large navy and I want more carriers in range should I elect to hammer him... sadly 3 others were just out of range of the carrier I could see thanks to Intel. There was a little action in Burma. In China... Al is tearing up my forces there. Supply is not the best for the Japanese... I decided to reinforce and consolidate my units there... I expect Al to hit me hard again this turn, however my Chinese forces have lacked for resources these last few turns... as I had them directed elsewhere. No longer. My TAC air is up to strength and I expect things to get interesting shortly. It has been a very interesting game so far. I am sure some of my moves have given Al a bit of Acid Reflux. Oh... and did I mention there are Axis naval units operating in the Indian ocean?

I just released the latest episode of my show an interview with Captain Bob "Punchy Powell! Punchy was a member of the 352nd Fighter Group during the Second World War. He flew the P-47, P51 and is one of the few Americans to have flown the Spitfire and as a result is a member of the Spitfire Association. Bob is currently the Historian of the 352nd. He has authored 2 books, consulted on Movies and TV series including the Winds of War. He is also in the process of writing his life story. Bob saw a lot of combat and flew 3 missions over the Normandy beaches on D-Day. He also flew with Aces Major George Preddy and Colonel John C. Meyer. After the war he became good friends with German Generals Adolf Galland and Gunther Rall. You can find the show at: http://www.2centhistory.com/podcast-2cent-history or download it on itunes or zune. RSS tag is at the upper right of the webpage. I hope you enjoy listening to Punchy.

Not much action but a lot of movement behind the scenes. No pictures either as I am in a rather delicate position and one mistake from either Al or myself could turn the tide majorly. Japan struck back and the armored force in Burma got hammered but is still alive... I think strength 4... the joys of supply. I have it and Al does not. Elsewhere I almost launched a major attack this turn with Japan... but decided to hold off. I got intelligence that made me cancel that operation. I feel pretty good about Japan at the moment... but Al's constant hammering in China slowed me down a bit. In Germany... replaced that corps in the Lowlands again. It's getting more expensive for Al I think with the air attacks... he is taking a lot of damage but seriously I expect his air attacks to get a whole lot worse. I have a large force in the East and a good sized one in the West ready for landings. Production 4 has helped easily replace lost units. I think that with the units we have on the board now... whoever jumps first in the East had best do it right and be careful about it. I feel that either of us could kick off the festivities and do a tremendous amount of damage. I almost attacked Al this turn but the weather across the front was just not right. I think that with my tactical air and aircover in the East I may have the edge over Al and it could mean the difference in a serious fight. What I am not looking forward to is de-entrenching his units. Al gets antsy occasionally and I had hoped to tempt him into striking me first last Summer, which worked out well in the end because he invaded Spain. Spain set the UK back about 6 months in terms of losses last summer. His failure in Spain and my sitting tight on the East for a year allowed me to build up a defensive force in the West using Spanish, Italian and German units... while in the East I was able to strengthen my forces there and build up strong airsuperiority. I think Germany has 5 upgraded fighters there and 4 tactical units with bomber support to deentrench and or reduce morale, not to mention 6 or 7 fully rested and upgraded Panzer units. I think when it happens it could be a Kursk on a massive scale and with the reseves both of us have present... who knows what will happen. Though it is likely I made a big mistake. Al is a fine player and unlike most I play he is the only one I feel confident can beat me on a regular basis. When you dont see a lot of action... there is a lot going on behind the scenese on both sides and it is like a chess game... trying to out manuvere the other. There is a tremendous amount of tension on both sides right now.

Al has been hammering me from the air in the West this turn. He destroyed a corps. I had limited damage to air units but his ability to hammer me will be a problem. Again on the Russian front limited action. In China... I hammered a corps by air and ground reducing it to strength 1 before it retreated. I did managed to locate what I believe is his carriers. I had a lot of movement behind the scenes. For the moment Japan's income is good but I am in difficult situation. The attrition in China is hurting.

No graphics as I am keeping my cards close to my chest. I am in a very dangerous position at the moment and I want to make sure I am careful with what I do next. I retook Marcus Island this turn. -1 US corps. Al know knows where 4 of my carriers are... but what of the other 6? In China Japanes airpower became dominant. I have air superiority over the Chinese and really demonstrated it for the first time... destroying a Chinese army. In Burma I brought up reinforcements and stregthened that unit that Al damaged. Japanese subs are now raiding UK supply lines too. I have a feeling Al's carriers are operating near the Solomons... perhaps it's intelligence... perhaps it's a gut feeling. Germany... again the phony war. Al flexed his airpower muscle last turn and took our an Engineering unit. I have strong air assets in the West and East so it will be interesting to see what happens long term. Germany is near 600 income per turn... and there has been no fighting for a while now. USSR and German income are near parity... and with no fighting... both countries are very strong. It may simply come down to who jumps first and screws it up. Then again I may have already done so by not pushing hard against USSR in 42 to see if I could break him. Time will tell.

Very quiet turn. I did hammer the Flying Tigers by air and felt that I probably came close to destroying them. The tension is mounting game wide.

Very quiet turn. I bet Al is wondering what the IJN is up to. He has not seen them for several turns. China is eating up MMPs... I think shortly I may be forced to go all out in China and end this game of attrition. It would mean a shortage of resources for the IJN... It all depends on how operation Dynamo pans out. In Germany... it's January 43 and not much going on other than reinforcing my line and waiting for Al to make his big move. I have a feeling it will be Summer 43.

Burma fell this turn though I probably sacrificed an understrength para to secure it. It was a close thing. Al's last UK unit in the DEI is still clinging on... just barely. The Tokyo home guard deployed this turn so Al probably has units nearby. Somthing of concern. In the West... not much to report other than Germany deployed a whole lot of units and had a diplo victory in that West Africa went Axis. On the East front... nothing to report other than each side is strong and waiting.

I almost hammered Al on the East Front this turn. The weather had turned nice and he moved up close to me. I almost unleashed my armies and armor because I knew there was a fair chance the weather would turn back to winter on his next turn. In the end I decided to sit tight. Germany has a lot of units deploying and shortly I will face a 2 front fight. I would say the Red army is close to parity ground wise... air wise... the Luftwaffe is still superior. I did launch a minor attack on an adjacent unit. Al lost a UK DD this turn to the Bismark and company. Lots going on behind the scenese. In the East... I was surprised by the fall of Marcus... so close to the mainland. It is either a trap with his carriers nearby or a way to distract the IJN from an invasion of Austrailia. Since the IJN has 2 major battle groups it will not stop me from my main objective. The assualt on Rangoon continued and the last UK unit in DEI is still hanging on... though he is stranded. Had the weather been good he would have been destroyed. In China I decided to finally put the Japanese airforce to work. I hammered and destroyed the Chinese armor. Last turn I hammered the Flying Tigers and feel I probably came near to nailing it. I will shortly be ramping things up in China and elsewhere. I am still wondering where those US carriers are.

Another ugly turn for the UK. I retook Denmark smashing the upgraded corps there using air, carrier support and ground assault. I also nailed one of Al's DDs that he moved into the Baltic. The other is now isolated and in trouble. On the Eastern front I repositioned and brought up additional forces. Al moved up close to my lines and I sense a clash coming this winter. It could be ugly and very brutal as there has been no fighting for several turns now. Both he and I are strong. I think I can maintain air superiority over the entire front if it comes to a clash this winter backed up by 4 tactical air units. In the Pacific theater... Rabul fell and Al lost another corps that he had sent in to try to hold it. Poor Ausies. Sniff sniff... Not much you can do against 6 Carriers and support ships. I hammered by ground assault the last holdout in the DEI... a stranded Indian corps. I think he's down to 3 points now and there is no escape for him. I bombarded Rangoon heavily from the air, even using carrier support and mauled the corps there too. I need to bring up additional units to secure that city. They are on their way. In China the weather was poor and I sat tight. Japan got 3 critical advances last turn that I feel will make things very difficult in the Asian theater for Al. Japanese income is climbing fast and I have had long delayed additional units deploying. I think I have a choice now... Japan has a huge army and airforce. I can easily concentrate both against 1 target. Do I go for China? Austrailia? India? or... Russia? Tough decision. I need to think on it... or maybe I already have made up my mind. Hmmm.