AAR - "1939 Storm Over Europe" (Axis) - Return of the newbies!

[Will95]

Turn 22 + War Plan 1941

Greece

The Greek invasion continues to progress in the 'tortoise' fashion rather than the hare. Bad weather throughout winter grounded our bombers and prevented them from making the easy kills for us, but ah well. We discovered a second British army this turn, destroyed a Greek corps, and took Larissa. What was left of the Italian fleet gave chase to the Allied ships that sunk a battleship a few turns ago and found a cruiser resting in harbour. If we can blockade this harbour, we can prevent the extraction of the British armies. The Italians have brought a tank corps to Greece, which will be a nice surprise for the Brits if they last long enough to see it.

War of the Atlantic

A scouting cruiser spotted an enemy destroyer, one of the many preying on our u-boats. It was heavily damaged but survived.

War Plan - 1941

The maxim goes, never start a land war in Russia. Therefore, Barbarossa is temporarily on a halt. While I think an invasion may be viable later on, I want to put off any kind of Eastern Front for as long as is humanely possible. The objective, therefore, is instead twofold- the conquer of mainland Britain, and in British African colonies. Sealion is a go for this year. We currently experience naval dominance everywhere except the Med, and we have a sizeable, elite and upgraded army ready to deploy. As we close on Athens, I will draw back the majority of the Axis fleet to the channel and line the straights of Dover with u-boats and battleships. Using the plunder boost from Athens, we will then embark our army and aim to land on British shores sometime in May. With London so close to the coast, it will be the primary target. Supporting the push we have 3 upgraded tactical bombers and 1 heavy bomber, and in the run up to the invasion we will press a research investment into amphibious warfare.

[Will95]

Turn 23 - Operation Sealion preparations

Greece

In Greece we took a pause: the south of the country is extremely mountainous and difficult to attack through, so we're just taking a turn to rest and reinforce. There's no rush- no reinforcements are incoming for the Brits and those that are already there have no way off. The Bulgarians have even joined in, bringing a corps from the north, although didn't accomplish much. We do however want to bring down Greece within the next 3-4 turns though, as we'll need the plunder for Sealion.

Operation Sealion

Preparations are now coming together quite solidly, so I thought I'd detail my plans with a bit more precision than the fairly blunt arrows above.

We will embark from Cherbourg, Calais and Antwerp, as these are the only ones closest to our target areas that we can reach within the same turn. This means the initial lading force will only be able to have a maximum of 9 units going at once, for the initial wave (I'm thinking 4 tanks, 3 armies, 1 special forces unit and a HQ). To cut down on costs and to facilitate an easier second wave landing, all bombing campaigns will now be redirected at the British ports. Objective one for the initial raiders will be to capture these ports so that we can send regular transports over once the first amphib has arrived (it's a shame we don't have any spare paras for this operation, although iirc I have some in the production line).

Protecting them will be the German surface fleet, currently comprising 2 battleships, 3 cruisers and a destroyer. They will block off both sides of the channel to allow our amphibs the protection they need.

The prospective date hasn't been set yet, but probably when the first paras arrive.

[Strategiclayabout]

- Unusual and bold but interesting plan. I'm very curious to see how that will unfold . Your agressive use of Axis navies seems to have put UK on the heels. Will you be able to blitz England before the russian bear wakes up ? And I wonder if those italian tanks are as good as Benito says, he boasts so much about everything ...

[Will95]

Turn 24-25

Operation Sealion is a go!

We've been rumbled! Intelligence has informed us that Operation Sealion has been compromised and Hitler gave the green light; after a midnight phone call on the crisis line from Churchill where he laughed, for several minutes, at the possibility of a British invasion. 3 tank corps, 2 armies and an HQ have been embarked, with the sole objective of establishing a beachhead at Dover. Our navy in its entirety is now battling with the English fleet in the channel, doing good damage to a Battleship and Carrier although not finishing anything off. We haven't embarked the entire invasion force because there's simply too much uncertainty as to how much recon the British have over the coast, and we can't afford to have too much stationed outside of port (most are hiding around Antwerp where they should be out of sight). Once Dover has been captured, it will be relatively simple to transport a much larger navy over via regular transports - but it all depends on whether we capture Dover or not. With any luck, the attack will totally throw the British off guard, even if they have twigged at the last minute.

The success of the invasion depends entirely on the British navy. Most of it, I believe, is now engaged with my subs at the other end of the channel. If he pulls them back, he might find my transports, but won't have the strength to attack them. If he counterattacks at sea, it will buy the transports valuable time- ditto if he pulls back to repair. If, however, he has a navy ready and waiting in reserve, then Sealion could be a complete and utter disaster.

Greece

The Italians thought they'd try their hand at a bit of amphibious invasion and sent an army down the coast, with the aim to land near Athens and support our under-strength paratroopers, currently limping away. The paras achieved their objective though- disrupting supply out of Athens and forcing the British to move out of their entrenched lines. We moved forward for a free shot on the HQ.

[Will95]

Turn 26

Operation Sealion

The last couple of turns have raised my bp, I'm sure. They say that on the night of the landings, Hitler and his staff held their collective breath as the radio remained silent....

...then suddenly, on the 4th July at 4:26am, the radio crackled to life....

...it was Rommel.

"Wir sind gelandet."

First, the German navy sprang into action, and with the help of Stukas based in France hit and destroyed 2 battleships. A cruiser was left with a sliver of strength left. This, however, only came after one of our landing craft came under attack from one of these battleships and cruisers, reducing a formerly elite army to half strength. However, that still left 2 tank corps, 1 army and Rommel's HQ prepared for landing from Antwerp. Heavy bombers knocked out the port and the tank divisions rolled through Dover. Rommel's staff quickly erected a temporary HQ in a tent on the cliffs of Dover. As insurance, we have prepared a follow-up wave of amphibious landing craft in case the beachhead at Dover is lost and we are forced to hit without a port of our own. Otherwise, we expect to be able to transport troops in normal fashion next turn. The German navy now experiences dominance over the channel, and several level 2 u-boats prowl, guarding the troops on their perilous crossing. We wiped out a Britsh corps at Dover and found an army resting in London. Otherwise, besides a weak corps, there doesn't appear to be much resistance yet. The Home Guard was assembled in London.

Greece

Relegated to something of a sideshow following Sealion, the Greek campaign continues to progress with some success. Salonika was taken by the Bulgarians and the Axis armies press forward. The British HQ was badly damaged and could be destroyed next turn. We have blockaded the port so there is little chance of the remaining British army being able to evacuate. Regrettably the paratroopers were lost, but the destruction of the British force here will more than avenge their deaths. Athens has been subject to heavy bombing, and combined with the direct HQ attacks, the remaining enemy forces cannot afford to supply themselves.

[Will95]

Turn 27

Operation Sealion

Sealion progresses mostly positively, but the situation is still delicate- we have perilously little intel about what kind of reserves the Brits have to pull out, but I took the educated guess that with a HQ and 2 armies in Greece, there shouldn't be an overwhelming resistance on mainland Britain. We found that the port at Dover wasn't quite ready to recieve transports, but should be by next turn when it reached 5 supply. Luckily, we prepped a few amphibs last turn which set off, bringing a fresh tank corps and a slightly damaged army to land at Portsmouth and Southampton. A British battleship found the army and hurt it while still in port, but u-boats and stukas hit back, sinking it along with the wounded cruiser from last turn. The tanks that landed last turn destroyed a British army group. As long as we are able to make regular transports to Dover next turn, things are looking quite good so far.

Greece

The British navy showed up in force and this may be the Italian navy's last hurrah. They sunk a battleship and the Italians were unable to do much in retaliation. On land, things progress more positively. We attacked the British HQ bringing him to 2 strength and what remains of the British army will hopefully be mopped up in the next turn or two.

[Will95]

Turn 28

Operation Sealion

London has fallen! Rommel set up his headquarters in Buckingham Palace and the troops continue to roll forward. One of the defending British armies was pulled back, and the troops guarding London itself were destroyed. More armies arrived, and a special forces unit. With most of the British navy in the Channel destroyed, we took the opportunity to move our navy back to port to refit and rearm. The British capital has moved to Manchester.

Greece

The last of the Greek forces were destroyed- all that is left is the British army group and the HQ. Although the HQ may yet be able to extract via transport after the Italian navy was chased off, the armies will wither an die without supply.

General Staff

One nasty side effect of Sealion is that the USSR and USA have become rather upset. Stalin increased mobilization to more than 80% at the end of this turn, virtually guaranteeing a Soviet entry to the war before 1942. With the plunder we'll receive from the destruction of Greece and a British surrender (?) we may be able to calm the old boy's nerves to prevent an entry before we are ready. We have just a skeleton defense in the east and we would like to wipe out Britain before embarking on another front.

[Strategiclayabout]

- Well done for Sealion but the timetable will now be a bit more complicated to invade USSR. I think some german aerial support could have sped up a bit things in Greece but it seems to have worked fine anyway.

- I've seen turn 28 second pic somewhere... Turn 27 maybe (just kidding) ? UK surrender won't be that easy because of capital transfer like France and USSR/USA are gearing up...

[Will95]

I kinda wanted to keep the Luftwaffe together for coordinated strikes at Britain, because honestly I was expecting more naval resistance. I guess the level 2 subs really did good legwork.

USSR invasion will probably be more of a USSR invading me- they're at 90% mobilization and it all comes down to whether my invested diplomacy pays off.

[Will95]

Turn 29

Operation Sealion

Corps at Birmingham and Sheffield were annihilated and the German blitzkrieg continues to roll over the English countryside. Manchester is now just a few miles away. We sent the Bismark with accompanying u-boat up the east of the country to hunt down some carriers we spotted using Intel a few turns ago. On the left, a scouting cruiser ran into a pack of destroyers, and the Axis navy sank a destroyer.

Greece

As expected, the British HQ was able to extract from Athens. The remaining armies will not be so lucky though, and continue to take a battering in their last stand, with one of the two armies destroyed. The Italian tanks really suck though

We did however lose a cruiser to a british Carrier in the Med, leaving the Italian navy practically non-existant.

General Staff

Spain is at 95% mobilization and will soon join the Axis. This will be important in preventing allied movement into the Med. Turkey is also mobilizing as a result of Sealion. However, Stalin is mobilizing his troops far faster than I'd like, and I invested into some serious diplomacy this turn to try and slow it down.

[Will95]

Turn 30

Operation Sealion

Our tanks surround Manchester, and severely damaged a HQ waiting for extraction from Liverpool. With such little of the British land army left, one army group has been pulled back to the coast awaiting transportation to the european mainland, and then Russia. We took Bristol and ran into a carrier in the Atlantic, but otherwise no British related activity.

Greece

Greece surrendered this turn as Athens was finally siezed by the Germans. We recieved about 250 MPPs of plunder.

General Staff

Russia entered the war this turn for the allies, and the Spanish joined the Axis. Russia's entrance to the war was earlier than I might have liked, and we have operated several corps resting in France to defend the eastern front. We reached level 2 in heavy tanks this turn, so once our armour is freed up from operations in Britain we will be packing some serious firepower for Stalin.

The objectives for the immediate future are to knock out Britain, wipe out as much of her navy as possible as it moves to either Canada or Egypt, and defend against Russia as she wakes up. Pioneers are beginning to fortify France as a measure against a future Allied invasion, although the USA still appears some way off joining the war proper.

[acrashb]

Greece surrendered this turn as Athens was finally siezed by the Germans. We recieved about 250 MPPs of plunder.

Next time around, try an amphib landing. Fighting through greece takes forever, as you discovered, while a well-executing amphib on Athens can be over in one turn, maybe two (support it with strat bombers to reduce Athens' supply to zero).

[Will95]

I will, thanks for the tip!

[Will95]

Turn 31

Operation Sealion

Manchester fell, and Hitler declared Sealion a complete and utter success. Nothing more to say here.

War of the Atlantic

We sunk a destroyer in port in Canada by chance, as we moved a sub to mine the ports there. The rest of the British fleet is out there, somewhere, and besides destroying a cruiser we found nothing. The British HQ has moved to Egypt, so the Axis fleet is en route there now.

Eastern Front

No moves from Stalin here just yet, but we wait with bated breath for the attack. Two panzer corps are back on the mainland now and will be operated to the eastern front next turn, and in the following turns we will bring two new HQ's and several armies.

[Will95]

Turn 32

War of the Atlantic

Two destroyers were sunk, but otherwise the British fleet appears to have sailed. The German fleet is now nothing short of intimidating however, and it will arrive in the Med soon enough. They will succeed where the Italians failed!

Eastern Front

We continue to operate all available corps, armies, HQs and tanks from France in a desparate bid to plug the gaps before the Soviet storm is unleashed. On the plus side, bad weather will soon set in and delay the push, but it remains pretty fragile. Our skeleton defense has been beefed up considerably but we still have a lot of force left in England. I've left 1 army to continue to 'liberate' the rest of Britain while the rest makes its way back to France. As the US is still a while away from entering the war, I'm not expecting much of a threat in France.

Spain

No pictures of this one as there isn't much happening, but Franco brought quite a sizeable army and a decent navy to the show now that he's entered the war. The Spanish task will be to take Gibraltar, and then will either move to a North African campaign or be operated to the eastern front, depending on how much pressure we come under there.

[Will95]

Turn 33

Well, the Soviets have arrived. Remarkably few shots were fired however, with the only losses being taken by advancing Russian units running into prepared positions. As this is basically going to be 90% of the fighting for the forseeable future, I won't be sub-dividing the AAR until further notice.

We pulled back across the line to seek better positions behind rivers. The enemy appears to have level 2 tanks and infantry, a most frightening prospect. There is still plenty more German army to arrive within the next few turns, but here are the lines as they lay currently.

Stalin makes 3 main thrusts- north, central and south. The north is the most precarious, with the fewest proper fighting units and zero effective anti-tank. The south is currently weak as it is held only by Axis minors, but we will soon be able to operate no less than 3 elite armies and a HQ there to stem the tide. The center (below, with the north) is the strongest, and it is where we have our armour, and where more armour will go when it is ready to be operated. We have dedicated AT, as well as Panzer divisions, armies and a paratrooper unit.

One of the positives of hitting everywhere at once, for me, is that the Soviet forces don't appear to be able to keep their spearhead in supply. We will try to lure them in by backing away until we have our full force to wield, then strike. We have 3 upgraded stukas sitting just behind the central line which will provide the devastating prelude to a counterattack in the weeks to come. However, as expected, rain grounded them this turn.

In other news, we declared war on Yugoslavia. The country is host to several important train lines which will be useful when operating along the front. Little resistance was met and barring some surprise army we should have captured it in 2-3 turns.

[Will95]

Turn 34

The Soviets advanced deeply this turn, although losses were fairly minimal- three tank corps hit a Panzer unit and destroyed it, so we moved across some dedicated AT for added support. This bad weather is crippling our stukas though, and delaying any kind of counterattack. More troops are operated in from the west.

Down in the south we pull back the line awaiting German reinforcements from the rear.

Overall Strategy

We have no concrete strategy besides 'survive' at this point; once all available troops have been operated over and the bad weather fades allowing our stukas the space to work, things will begin to tip once again in our favour. For now though, it's pretty dicey.

[Will95]

Turn 35

Eastern Front

North + Central Sector

We pulled pack from Koeningsberg, leaving the garrison to its natural end. The rest of the army is on the retreat to where we have a fresh tank battalion ready to battle the Soviets.

In the center, we destroyed a Soviet army and a tank battalion. The stukas are proving very useful now that the rain has gone! We operated yet another fresh tank group to the central sector.

Southern Sector

The Bulgarians are on the run and abandoned the capital. Either we lose the capital next turn and their remaining army disappears, or we guard the capital to the death, giving the Soviets plenty of experience in the process, and lose the army anyway. We have 3 German armies, 1 German corps and an Italian tank corps + HQ en route to defend, but I'm not sure it will be enough.

Gibraltar

Nice victory here; the fortress at Gibraltar was stormed by Franco's forces. We now control all naval activity in and out of the Med- this is a huge win. Intel reveal a carrier en route to the Atlantic, and we have prepared something of a welcome party. Coming from behind, we have an Italian sub and a Spanish cruiser. Depending on how much British force is coming to test us at Gibraltar, this could be a major win. Franco's forces will now be used to pressure the new British capital at Cairo.

Could someone also fill me in on the exact victory conditions for Axis?

[Will95]

Turn 36 + 37

The winter was uneventful, but now in March, things got interesting again.

The central sector of the eastern front now has a substantial force. 4 Panzers, 2 of which are hidden from view and ready to strike from the north, wait for an attack next turn. Combining stuka attacks from our now level 3 tactical bombers, a 4 tank charge and the support of several armies, we hope to crack the deadlock in the center and score a major victory.

In the south, we have put in a chokepoint defense at the Hungarian capital. The units here are entrenched heavily thanks to the mountains, and it will take a vast amount of Soviet firepower to crack it. The Yugoslavian capital will soon fall, and provide a valuable rail link to this southern sector in case the need arises to send some heavier equipment. Special forces invaded Yugoslavia this turn en route to Hungary, to add a bit of AT to the forces already there.

Our fleet in the med found a chunk of the British fleet, which it pounded but was unable to destroy. We will follow them if possible to the ports they will no doubt move to hide in next turn and seek to wipe them out.

In the Atlantic, another navy group is on the way to the USA to mine the ports and get some advanced recon of any kind of invasion.

General Staff

Italy continues to develop its industry, although stubbornly refuses to upgrade its infantry. This makes its usage in an African campaign near to useless, but at least they can be used as garrisons. Franco, having taken Gibraltar, now gears up to send the Spanish army, consisting of 3 armies, a tank corps and an HQ to North Africa to place pressure directly on the new British capital at Cairo.

[Strategiclayabout]

You can see victory conditions anytime by going in the "options" (1/2/3 button) of your ongoing game menu then "victory" .

You've already secured a minor victory for Axis with London but you need Moscow for the next level.

[Will95]

Turn 38

The central sector remains in deadlock, with mutually assured destruction for the first side that dares to strike. In the north we continue to fall back, conceding territory gains but making the Soviets bleed for every mile. We now have 5 tanks ready to blitzkrieg here, but with our stukas grounded we lack the crucial air support. We took the opportunity instead to refit our aircraft with the latest in ground attack technology- potent weapons indeed.

Soviet tanks have been spotted rolling out from their recent conquets in Bucharest, so Italian armour (lackluster though it may be) was enlisted as a roadblock. The Yugoslavians stubbornly hold onto their capital.

[Will95]

Turn 39

Central Sector + Northern Sector

The skies opened, hurray! Hitler ordered the long awaited Blitzkrieg in the central sector, which was carried out with devastating effect. Our new and improved tactical bombers proved themselves capable of destroying a whole Soviet tank battalion in a single strike, and with a little help from an advancing corps, was able to destroy no less than two whole tank units. This left our own tanks relieved from costly AT duties to attack more supple targets in the form of a Soviet HQ and two Soviet armies. To add insult to injury, our heavy bombers targeted the supply source at Bialystok, reducing it to rubble. Combined with the loss of the HQ, entire front lines of Soviet troops will now be left with the choice to retreat or die. Even more deliciously, an audacious paratrooper raid was launched at Brest-Litovsk, and incredibly, the fortress was found empty. Our paratroopers quickly entrenched themselves, cutting off yet another supply source to the Soviet army. We did however notice that in recent turns, the Soviets have upgraded their infantry to level 3, while we lag behind at level two. Infantry technology will be made a priority to gain parity with Stalin's men- something I have actually been neglecting.

In the north, our opponent's desire to push led him to place a HQ directly on the front line, which our corps greedily gorged on before retreating. Besides assorted towns and the port, there is nothing here to be lost that cannot be easily regained.

Southern Sector

The Yugoslavian capital is now surrounded and is finally ready to fall next turn. A sizeable Soviet force approached the Hungarian capital, but my troops there are heavily entrenched and have mountains to protect them from flanks. With Yugoslavia soon under Axis control, we will be able to easily operate troops to this front if and when it becomes necessary.

Battle of the Med

In the Med we sunk a British cruiser and destroyer, although lost a Spanish cruiser to carrier attacks.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US Navy showed its face this turn, appearing all over my subs mining the ports at Canada with no less than level 3 destroyers. This is nasty stuff and the rest of the Axis fleet is heading back to safer shores while top brass considers their next move. A new battleship has been commissioned for arrival early next year to escort our u-boats, but for now we will concentrate our subs in the Med, attempting to wipe out the Brits before the Americans arrive. A thought also occured to me today; with Britain under (mostly) my control and Gibraltar siezed, a D-Day style landing in France or Britain is virtually impossible- it would require amphibious transports to make their way across the entire Atlantic unmolested, which is surely impossible as long as I keep an eye out. Although he can probably 'warp' into the Med and invade Italy, the invasion threat to Western Europe is low.

[Will95]

Turn 40

North and Central Sectors

Hitler smiled with glee at his warmaps as the Soviet line, once a powerful force equal to or even greater than the German army that opposed it, was broken and systematically destroyed. After the loss of the HQ, the stealing of Brest-Litovsk and the continued bombing of key Soviet supply routes, the Red Army is left with little choice but to run away. Heavy bombers revealed a new HQ coming down from Grondo, but the bombing of the town should ensure the army finds nowhere safe to hunker down. Countless corps and various Soviet armies that did not manage to beat a retreat with their comrades were slaughtered, or simply driven past as they withered from starvation in the mud. Crucially however, our Stukas rained hell once again, assisting in the destruction of no less than two fresh tank corps that represented the only concrete division to prevent our panzers rolling forwards unopposed for miles.

In the north, we sent one Panzer group to assist in the severe weakening of an army that sallied up. The Soviet army here is still relatively unharmed, but is not able to push back the German forces quick enough to be a major problem.

Southern Sector

Here two Soviet tank groups broke through and did some damage to a Hungarian HQ, and totally destroyed the Italian tank army I thought would provide something of a roadblock. It wasn't totally useless however- both tanks were taken down to 5 and 4 strength each, and I am now attempting to manouver in such as way as to prevent their resupply. The corps at the Iron Gate will soon be able to sweep down and cut off all supply to this little Soviet invasion. Meanwhile further south at the Hungarian capital, we noticed the enemy was extremely low on supply here, and moved forward to bring one army to its knees and forced to retreat. A single army now waits there but will be forced to retreat or die.

War of the Med

Not much action here- British cruisers continue to be a major pain, but a new Italian battleship arrived this turn to put them in their place.

General Staff

Germany reached Industrial level 2, bringing us to 95% efficiency. This will give us the healthy income we need to really put the boot into these Soviet forces. Yugoslavia fell, and netted us 150MPPs of lovely plunder.

[Strategiclayabout]

- That's not entirely true for Western Europe but having England sure makes it harder for Allies. You'll begin to feel US breath on your neck soon enough .

- Well done in USSR, stukas level 3 against poor AA was a decisive factor and empty Brest was a nice gift !

P.S.: I think you wanted to say Bulgarian capital ? If it's Hungary you're in trouble .

[Will95]

Well, they could use regular transports to get to the Med, but what then? Surely unless they have total control of the sea, it'll be amphibs into Italy or bust?