Where is SHAEF HQ? (Full Version)

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David Chandler -> Where is SHAEF HQ? (1/16/2015 1:20:13 AM)

I tried to post this earlier but it seems to have vanished:
It's the middle of May 1944 and SHAEF has still not formed. I am playing Allies against Axis AI. I'm sure I'm missing something ridiculously obvious, but can anyone tell me when SHAEF is supposed to show up, or if there is a trigger? Most of the units that should be reporting to SHAEF are reporting to USSTAF, which I thought was an air-only HQ. Some are reporting to AFHQ where Ike still lives in Africa. Please tell me where I am going on? I plan to invade Normandy in a few turns and it would be nice to have SHAEF.



Belphegor -> RE: Where is SHAEF HQ? (1/16/2015 11:11:07 AM)

looking in the reinforcements arrival for 43-45 campaign I see Shaef arriving in December '43



David Chandler -> RE: Where is SHAEF HQ? (1/16/2015 1:21:54 PM)

Thank you. So the next question obviously is where did it go? I've checked the destroyed units list, it wasn't destroyed or inadvertently disbanded; I cannot find it on the map; it is not listed in the commander's report; ditto the order of battle; nobody reports to it. And even though it is the end of May 1944 Eisenhower is still sitting in the Mediterranean at AFHQ, although I may move him to England soon (I haven't checked if he can command USSTAF yet) as I am getting ready to invade France. Has anybody else lost SHAEF? Don't get me wrong, I learned long ago never to underestimate my capacity for doing something stupid, so it is probably 80% chance this is me and 20% it is some sort of bug with the program. It's especially annoying as I own a number of original SHAEF patches and other documents from that HQ (having long ago -many, many years ago- purchased a foot locker full of the accoutrements from a WW2 Army physician at an antique auction), so other than the 101 Airborne (relatives) it's the only WW2 unit I feel any sort of sentimental link to. War is hell.



Belphegor -> RE: Where is SHAEF HQ? (1/16/2015 2:27:16 PM)

I'm willing to look at your game (when I'm home and not at work not working) to see what I can see. Fair warning, I'm not tech support etc. so if I can't find it it's up to you to take it further.

can you upload a save?



David Chandler -> RE: Where is SHAEF HQ? (1/16/2015 3:43:04 PM)

Thanks. I'm not at all sure I'm doping this right as the program apparently will only allow me to send graphic or zipped files, so I zipped two of the latest saves into one zipped folder. Hope that makes sense.



Belphegor -> RE: Where is SHAEF HQ? (1/16/2015 4:09:28 PM)

I think it'll be fine. Won't be looking for another 8 hours or so though.



Nico165b165 -> RE: Where is SHAEF HQ? (1/16/2015 4:41:53 PM)

Just had a look - you have no SHAEF HQ and it has not been destroyed.

Would be interesting to see saves from turn 22-23-24 to see if you did receive it, and if it's a repeatable problem with this save ?



David Chandler -> RE: Where is SHAEF HQ? (1/16/2015 7:46:50 PM)

Thanks. Unfortunately I don't have the earlier saves, having played Grigsby games since the very first days of the ORIGINAL WITP and WITE and therefore not expecting any problems whatsoever. When SHAEF didn't show up in December I figured it was probably because I hadn't met some condition or other, like not enough of a dramatic invasion of mainland Italy. I remembered from my reading that SHAEF didn't take over from COSSAC until February (the 13th maybe?) so I figured it would show up then. When it failed to do so I started looking for it and also started watching the forums to see if anyone else had lost the main Allied HQ. When nobody reported a similar problem I just figured it would show up eventually. But the end of May '44 and still no sign? Even I realized something was wrong at that point. The Allies still function without it: USSTAF takes over a lot of SHAEF's responsibilities, it seems. But without SHAEF it looks like Ike will never lead OVERLORD and become really famous and we'll be stuck with Adlai Stevenson as president in the 1950s. Or (gasp) Dick Nixon fifteen years early.



David Chandler -> RE: Where is SHAEF HQ? (1/19/2015 12:29:43 PM)

I'm scrapping the SHAEF-less game and starting anew, largely because my invasion of Normandy was a disaster and the casualties as I try to break out of the Cotentin peninsula are so high I am bleeding VPs at a rate of 30-35 per turn. I've gone from nearly 300 VPs to almost zero since D-Day.
Lessons:
1: Use recon extensively (as extensively as possible) prior to the invasion.
2: Never try to invade a port (even Granville) directly.
3: Never drop an airborne division on top of the Hitler Jugend division (see note about recon above).
4: Take your heavies off Ground Attack and back on to strategic air attacks as soon as reasonably possible after the invasion. There are several reasons for this. You have to be concerned with the VP situation regarding strategic bombing and V-weapons, plus the tactical air forces can survive the Ground Attack flak losses better than the 8AF and Bomber Command. The German war economy is too robust to give it an extended break in the summer of 1944.
5: While not having SHAEF is definitely a handicap it is not necessarily fatal, as USSTAF takes over to a large extent. However I'm sure it is no coincidence that my biggest problem now is my inability to break out of the bocage (despite as many as 4 nine-division deliberate attacks on the same hex per turn, by rotating attacking divisions after two assaults), and the fact that my senior land campaign HQ is being led by Carl Spaatz. There seems to be no way to place a ground commander in charge of USSTAF so I am stuck with Spaatz or Doolittle as my commander-in-chief Europe. And all the air officers (except for probably Kesselring) are rated "1" on mechanized and infantry combat.
So I reluctantly abandon this particular alternate reality before I have to resort to the humiliating prospect of pulling most of my troops out of Italy to invade southern France in a desperate attempt to at least get to the Rhine before the Russians plant that flag on the Reichstag. Knowing what I know now I will do a better job of having the air forces prep my invasions and will invade France at a better spot (Brittany worked fine in my first game, but I've always been partial to the zone between Le Havre and the Somme)and with two infantry divisions per hex. I have a much better understanding of how logistics and air power work so I look forward to liberating Europe for real in the next few weeks. And I will let you know if SHAEF shows up this time.
Dave Chandler



CaptBeefheart -> RE: Where is SHAEF HQ? (1/22/2015 2:24:44 AM)

Interesting dilemma and explanation. If you ever play a human, I for one would read your AAR.

Cheers,
CC



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