How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR

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How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/13/2016 6:48:23 PM

warspite1

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As my old mum used to say "If at first you don't succeed - set yourself up for another humiliation at the hands of the AI"....

So here we are for Round 2!

- Yours truly as the Allies
- Same optionals and preferences.

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805

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RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/13/2016 7:01:19 PM

warspite1

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First things first. One of the features I would ask the designers to change is that, as the Allies, you don't get to see your Polish troops in all their glory before Case White is launched. It would be nice for there to be a pause button for a number of reasons - and this is one.

Anyway, here is the Polish set up on 31st August 1939. The Poles are broadly deployed as per actual. There were roughly seven armies lined up along the northern, western and southern borders. Although the deployment looks poor, in reality the Poles had little choice. The set-up was designed to delay the Germans, thus allowing mobilisation to be completed and industrial areas to be protected.

In the northeast is a KOP garrison in Wilno. In reality the KOP (Korpus Ochrony Pograniczawere) were border guards that were spread out along the eastern frontier with the Soviet Union.

31st August 1939

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 12/13/2016 7:17:18 PM >

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805

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RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/13/2016 8:02:46 PM

AllenK

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Following with interest and if you need an opponent when multi-player is working, I'll be happy to take up the challenge and run some parallel AAR's.

(in reply to warspite1)

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RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/13/2016 8:08:01 PM

terje439

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Good luck. Tried starting an allied game myself, decided the game was stupid, so now I am going to play some WoT instead

Terje

_____________________________

"Hun skal torpederes!" - Birger Eriksen

("She is to be torpedoed!")

(in reply to AllenK)

Post #: 4

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/13/2016 8:13:48 PM

Aurelian

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When you can, build a Soviet engineer and start building forts at Leningrad :)

If you do the landing at Narvik option, attack with the French first.

_____________________________

If the Earth was flat, cats would of knocked everything off of it long ago.

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RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/13/2016 9:14:27 PM

Hartmann

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Looking forward to round 2!

I agree that a pause button would be nice. Or at least that we have to actually start the turn (for the Axis).

I often thought about how I would have defended Poland if I had been in charge. It seems like an almost impossible task, given the lay of the land.

(in reply to Aurelian)

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RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/13/2016 11:04:26 PM

Malor

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Warspite,

Looking forward to another fun AAR.

Bill,

Put me down for a pause button to stop AI turns when needed to capture screen images or simply review the results of a battle. I also think the end of turn and beginning of turn messages should require a click to make go away, not a time delay. I miss many of them because I can't keep focus on the game 100% of the time. Life does exist outside of the game.

Thanks,
Malor

(in reply to Hartmann)

Post #: 7

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/14/2016 4:32:05 AM

n0kn0k

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Good luck! Give em hell!

(in reply to Malor)

Post #: 8

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/14/2016 8:35:03 AM

marky

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quote:

ORIGINAL: terje439

Good luck. Tried starting an allied game myself, decided the game was stupid, so now I am going to play some WoT instead

Terje

whats your game name for tanks?

_____________________________

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Post #: 9

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/14/2016 11:03:34 AM

terje439

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quote:

ORIGINAL: marky

quote:

ORIGINAL: terje439

Good luck. Tried starting an allied game myself, decided the game was stupid, so now I am going to play some WoT instead

Terje

whats your game name for tanks?

Same as here, EU server.

Terje

_____________________________

"Hun skal torpederes!" - Birger Eriksen

("She is to be torpedoed!")

(in reply to marky)

Post #: 10

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/14/2016 12:44:52 PM

sapper32

Posts: 1197
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From: Warminster England
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Looking forward to another AAR good luck to you commander, In my game against the Axis AI I'm planning a Mediterranean strategy for the western Allies I've let GER have Norway and didn't help France out too much however I've built up my forces in the western desert and I've started to send troops to help the Greeks

(in reply to terje439)

Post #: 11

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/14/2016 4:15:51 PM

Skyros

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From: Columbia SC
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Good Luck Warspite, my copy is under the tree so watching and learning.

(in reply to sapper32)

Post #: 12

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/14/2016 5:40:39 PM

warspite1

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EGYPT

Learning from my last game, there will be no stupid adventures toward Libya with Wavell's 30,000.

The plan will be to form a defensive line anchored on the Quattara Depression in the south and a little known watering hole by the name of El-Alamein on the coast. I will try and build fortifications if and where possible to try and hold up any Axis advance.

The Mediterranean Fleet will need to be built up if I am going to take on the Regia Marina and protect Malta.

Mediterranean Fleet (Admiral Andrew Cunningham)
CV: Glorious, Courageous
BB: Warspite (Flagship), Barham
CL: 3rd Cruiser Squadron: Arethusa, Coventry, Galatea, Penelope
SS: 1st Submarine Flotilla

Army
H.Q Major-General Richard O�Connor
Western Desert Force (Army)
XII Corps

31st August 1939

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 12/14/2016 6:01:04 PM >

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805

(in reply to Skyros)

Post #: 13

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/14/2016 5:51:31 PM

warspite1

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Malta

Previously I replaced the AA unit for a Garrison. I don't know if there was any merit in that - but I guess if Malta becomes the target of attack it will be initially from the air. I therefore intend to keep this unit in situ.

The navy I intend to send to Alexandria initially in order to keep the Mediterranean Fleet concentrated.

Royal Navy
CA: 1st Cruiser Squadon: Devonshire, Kent, Shropshire and Sussex
DD: 1st Destroyer Flotilla

Army
1st Malta Defence Brigade

31st August 1939

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 12/14/2016 6:01:19 PM >

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805

(in reply to warspite1)

Post #: 14

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/14/2016 6:00:24 PM

warspite1

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Gibraltar

The naval units are considered part of the Mediterranean Fleet and will move to Egypt accordingly.

Royal Navy
BB: Ramillies, Malaya
BB: Royal Sovereign, Resolution

Army
101st Infantry Brigade

31st August 1939

Attachment (1)

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805

(in reply to warspite1)

Post #: 15

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/14/2016 6:09:14 PM

warspite1

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United Kingdom (North)

The United Kingdom has so few units at this stage of the war - mostly a hard pressed, much put upon and increasingly obsolescent Royal Navy. Not sure of what is going where yet....

Royal Navy

Home Fleet (Admiral Sir Charles Forbes) (Scapa Flow)
CV: Ark Royal, Furious
BB: Nelson (Flagship), Rodney
CC: Hood, Repulse
CL: 18th Cruiser Squadron: Aurora, Belfast, Edinburgh, Sheffield

SS: 2nd Submarine Flotilla (Rosyth)
CL: 2nd Cruiser Squadron: Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, Southampton (Rosyth)
CA: 12th Cruiser Squadron: Effingham, Emerald, Norfolk, Suffolk (Glasgow)
CV: Hermes, Eagle (Liverpool)
DD:1st Destroyer Escort Flotilla (Liverpool)

Army
102nd Infantry Brigade (Belfast)

31st August 1939

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 12/14/2016 7:26:45 PM >

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805

(in reply to warspite1)

Post #: 16

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/14/2016 6:19:51 PM

warspite1

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United Kingdom (South)

Royal Navy
BB: Revenge, Royal Oak (Chatham)
CA: 7th Cruiser Squadron: Cornwall, Dorsetshire, Exeter, York (Portsmouth)
CC: Renown, Valiant (Portland)
DD: 2nd Destroyer Escort Flotilla (Portland)

Royal Air Force
Bomber Command (Oxforshire)
Advanced Air Striking Force (Wiltshire)
No.11 Fighter Group (South East England)

Army
103rd Infantry Brigade (London)

31st August 1939

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 12/14/2016 7:32:42 PM >

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805

(in reply to warspite1)

Post #: 17

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/14/2016 6:49:57 PM

Hartmann

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Concentrating the mediterranean fleet (Gibraltar ships included) at Alexandria is what I do too. I'm always tempted to even include a few more ships from the North Sea, but it's not a good idea to thin out forces too much as the Germans can scrape more ships together than one may think.

Also everybody leaves the AA unit on Gibraltar. It's EXTREMELY unlikely that the AI invades there.

< Message edited by Hartmann -- 12/14/2016 6:55:03 PM >

(in reply to warspite1)

Post #: 18

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/14/2016 7:45:00 PM

warspite1

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From: England
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French North Africa + Southern France

The French have a large colonial army - that I completed neglected to do anything with in the last game. Not sure on the transport capacity, but the 3 corps, one in each of Algeria, Tunisia and Syria, are going to be headed for Metropolitan France asap!

French Navy
Forces de Haute Mer (Rear-Admiral Rene-Emile Godfroy (Toulon)
BB: Provence (Flagship) Bretagne
CL: 4th Cruiser Squadron: Emile Bertin, Jean de Vienne, La Galissoniere, Marseillaise
SS: 4th Submarine Flotilla

CA: 1st Cruiser Squadron: Algerie, Colbert, Dupleix and Foch (Oran)

Army
XV Corps (Nice)
Naval Garrison (Toulon)
CSTT Tunisia Corps (Tunis)
XIX RM Algeria Corps (Algiers)
Syrian Corps (Damascus)

31st August 1939

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 12/14/2016 8:22:40 PM >

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805

(in reply to Hartmann)

Post #: 19

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/14/2016 8:23:23 PM

warspite1

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From: England
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Metropolitan France

I plan to move the French armies out of the Maginot Line and replace them with Corps. I have no illusions that the French are set up to lose - I just need to learn to lose not so quickly......

Army - Field Marshal Maurice Gamelin

First Army Group - General Gaston Billotte
7th Army (Calais)
1st Army (Lille)
9th Army (Reims)
2nd Army (Sedan)

Second Army Group - General Andre-Gaston Pretelat (Maginot Line)
3rd Army
4th Army
5th Army
6th Corps

Third Army Group - General Antoine Besson (Maginot Line)
8th Army
13th Corps

Army of the Alpes - General Rene Olry
6th Army (St Etienne)
14th Corps (Lyon)

GHQ Reserve
1st, 2nd and 3rd Corps (behind 1st Army Group)
9th, 11th and 44th Corps (Behind the Maginot Line)
Reserve Corps (Paris)

Navy
Force du Raid (Admiral Marcel-Bruno Gensoul) (Brest)
BB: Dunkerque (Flagship), Strasbourg
CA: 5th Cruiser Squadron: Duquesne, Dupleix, Suffren, Tourville (Bordeaux)
DD: 3rd Destroyer Flotilla
DD: 7th Destroyer Flotilla

BB: Lorraine, Courbet (Bordeaux)

Air Force
21st Fighter Group
6th Bombardment Group

31st August 1939

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 12/15/2016 6:03:21 PM >

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805

(in reply to warspite1)

Post #: 20

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/15/2016 5:33:16 AM

warspite1

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1st September 1939

The Germans invade Poland!

The German 4th Army sweeps into the Pommeranian Corridor, annihilating two infantry divisions of the Pomorze Army and the attached Pomorska Cavalry Brigade. The remaining three divisions of the army were then surrounded and destroyed northwest of Kutno.

Meanwhile the 8th and 10th Armies of Army Group South launch a pincer movement aimed at Lodz. After four days of hard fighting, the four divisions and a cavalry brigade from the Lodz Army effectively cease to exist.

The Poles must try and plug the gap by falling back on the capital Warsaw with whatever they can.

Smigly-Rydz: Don't worry lads the French and British will now attack in the west.....

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 12/15/2016 5:56:22 AM >

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805

(in reply to warspite1)

Post #: 21

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/15/2016 6:01:57 AM

warspite1

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1st September 1939

The British and French, having given a guarantee to the Poles, react....

3rd September 1939.
11.15 a.m. London. The Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain makes a speech to the nation. In Paris, and in the capitals of the Dominions, from Ottawa to Wellington, over the coming days, countries prepare for war with Germany for the second time in living memory....

"This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government a
final Note stating that, unless we heard from them by 11 o'clock that they were
prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would
exist between us.

I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received, and that
consequently this country is at war with Germany.

You can imagine what a bitter blow it is to me that all my long struggle to win
peace has failed. Yet I cannot believe that there is anything more or anything
different that I could have done and that would have been more successful.

Up to the very last it would have been quite possible to have arranged a peaceful
and honourable settlement between Germany and Poland, but Hitler would not have it.
He had evidently made up his mind to attack Poland whatever happened, and
although He now says he put forward reasonable proposals which were rejected by
the Poles, that is not a true statement. The proposals were never shown to the
Poles, nor to us, and, although they were announced in a German broadcast on
Thursday night, Hitler did not wait to hear comments on them, but ordered his
troops to cross the Polish frontier. His action shows convincingly that there is
no chance of expecting that this man will ever give up his practice of using force
to gain his will. He can only be stopped by force.

We and France are today, in fulfilment of our obligations, going to the aid of
Poland, who is so bravely resisting this wicked and unprovoked attack on her
people. We have a clear conscience. We have done all that any country could do to
establish peace. The situation in which no word given by Germany's ruler could be
trusted and no people or country could feel themselves safe has become intolerable.
And now that we have resolved to finish it, I know that you will all play your part
with calmness and courage.

At such a moment as this the assurances of support that we have received from the
Empire are a source of profound encouragement to us.

The Government have made plans under which it will be possible to carry on the
work of the nation in the days of stress and strain that may be ahead. But these
plans need your help. You may be taking your part in the fighting services or as
a volunteer in one of the branches of Civil Defence. If so you will report for
duty in accordance with the instructions you have received. You may be engaged in
work essential to the prosecution of war for the maintenance of the life of the
people - in factories, in transport, in public utility concerns, or in the supply
of other necessaries of life. If so, it is of vital importance that you should
carry on with your jobs.

Now may God bless you all. May He defend the right. It is the evil things that we
shall be fighting against - brute force, bad faith, injustice, oppression and
persecution - and against them I am certain that the right will prevail."

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 12/15/2016 6:06:54 AM >

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805

(in reply to warspite1)

Post #: 22

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/15/2016 6:11:15 AM

warspite1

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From: England
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8th September 1939

United Kingdom

Decision time. The British war cabinet order the deployment of the BEF to France.

Neville Chamberlain goes into full 'Man from Del Monte' mode - he say YES

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 12/15/2016 6:12:47 AM >

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805

(in reply to warspite1)

Post #: 23

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/15/2016 6:17:55 AM

warspite1

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From: England
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8th September 1939

Soviet Union

Decision Time for the Soviets too. Well no decision really - Stalin has played what he thinks is a blinder in signing the Nazi-Soviet pact, and now he aims to begin collecting by invoking one of the secret protocols...

The poor Poles. A) they think the Western Allies are going to help them and B) they at least believe they don't have to worry about their eastern frontier....

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 12/15/2016 6:20:23 AM >

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805

(in reply to warspite1)

Post #: 24

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/15/2016 6:31:26 AM

warspite1

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From: England
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8th September 1939

The 'numbers' position at the start of the Allies first turn.

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by warspite1 -- 12/15/2016 6:33:53 AM >

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson October 1805

(in reply to warspite1)

Post #: 25

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/15/2016 9:15:28 AM

loki100

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From: Utlima Thule
Status: offline

good to see this.

I'm just finishing up my first game so plan on round 2 with far less early war mistakes. I'm glad I kept going as I learnt a lot about the 1942-3 transition but wouldn't have survived apart from the warnings of things in your AAR.

Agree with your new Egypt strategy, get on the defensive, get very well dug in and stay on the defensive in the early phases.

_____________________________

(in reply to warspite1)

Post #: 26

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/15/2016 10:16:18 AM

Hartmann

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Freeing the armies from the Maginot line (replacing them with corps) is a clever trick. I'm actually a bit worried that this time you will delay the German advance so much that this game will end early too.

Regarding the African and Syrian corps, removing them from their posts might trigger Italy early. It might still be worth it, though. Many players also just disband them to use the MPPs otherwise.

(in reply to loki100)

Post #: 27

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/15/2016 12:13:22 PM

n0kn0k

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Hartmann

Freeing the armies from the Maginot line (replacing them with corps) is a clever trick. I'm actually a bit worried that this time you will delay the German advance so much that this game will end early too.

I did this in my AAR, but the Germans attacked in early March so entrenchment wasn't optimal yet.

(in reply to Hartmann)

Post #: 28

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/15/2016 12:56:04 PM

Hartmann

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quote:

ORIGINAL: n0kn0k

quote:

ORIGINAL: Hartmann

Freeing the armies from the Maginot line (replacing them with corps) is a clever trick. I'm actually a bit worried that this time you will delay the German advance so much that this game will end early too.

I did this in my AAR, but the Germans attacked in early March so entrenchment wasn't optimal yet.

Cool, I like that!

When I did it, they also once attacked somewhat earlier than historically, but the Maginot line still held. In all European Theater WW2 grand strategy games, I always try to have at least one run where I hold the Germans at bay as France. I don't know if it is possible here, I tried three times and couldn't make it work. I achieved delaying the Germans until 1941, though (which essentially means the game is over for them as well as they will never recover from having lost so much time).

(in reply to n0kn0k)

Post #: 29

RE: How the Axis could have won II. Allied AAR - 12/15/2016 2:25:05 PM

Lecivius

Posts: 4845
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From: Denver
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I say, Warspite1 old fellow. Have you found the bugs in this game to be marginalized by the fun to be had in playing this collection of software? I am giving it serious consideration. Your opinions would be duly noted

Glad your doing another AAR. I am enjoying them.

(in reply to Hartmann)

Post #: 30

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