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WWII: Struggle for Europe____WWII: Struggle for Asia => After Action Reports / Playtesting => Topic started by: Mark on December 01, 2015, 12:17:18 PM
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Finally getting around to posting pics of the big game John hosted in October! We had 9+ players gather for a big WW game that we played over 3.5 days. The pic below shows all of the players - going counter-clockwise from the bottom left, we had Jeff and James as the Allies in the Pacific, George as the West Front Axis, Dave and John as the Western Allies, Ron as the Soviets, Craig and Mike as the Japanese and then me (taking the picture) as the East Front Axis. . . . Always fun when you have this many people involved in a single big game!
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The game started pretty well for the Axis. The chits fell in the Autumn of 1939 in a way that enabled the Germans to conduct a surprise assault on the Ardennes very early and drive the Belgian army back into Flanders. The Japanese took and consolidated ground in China.
In the Winter, the Germans invaded Holland and took the rest of Belgium and were poised for a lightning strike into France in the Spring.
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In the Spring of 1940, the Italians invaded Crete and took Northern Greece. The Allies defended Paris too well for a lightning strike right for the capitol, but contented themselves with taking most of Eastern France and cutting the Maginot Line out of supply. The plan will be to mop up France in the Summer. The Japanese continued to push the Chinese back into the hinterlands of mainland China, suffering only light casualties.
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Great shots ! I don't see an japanesse ground Unit occupy Hainan. Shouldn't there spawn a communist ? :-)?
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Yes - should be a communist there - good catch
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The Axis (well, me) made their first major mistake in the Summer of 1940 by giving away the initiative. . .I think I wanted to react and be last with my planes - which I will not do again in this situation. The Allies took advantage of getting the initiative by attacking Guderian's panzers (and winning), forcing him to retreat and unable to attack on the double mech phases. While the Germans were able to take 4 French territories, France did not surrender and continued to fight into the Autumn.
The silver lining I suppose is that the Italians were able to defeat Grecce by themselves with relatively light casualties.
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Autumn 1940
France fell in the Autumn ( finally ) and the Germans took many more casualties than I had hoped. The initial victories in the Autumn and Winter of 1939 taking out the low countries early has ended in a very luke-warm victory over France late in 1940. At least Norway fell and was occupied without a hitch. Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria have joined the Germans as the Axis gaze turns East.
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8)
ouch yeah France campaign always hurts so much .. When playing france , best Option seems to be to throw everything into a Kamikaze. Hurting the germans as much as possible. When playing germany you always can pray that you don't loose too much ;-). But on other side as an axis player, nothing Is more fun and give you a happiness than having these early victories. I Miss that when playing a 1941 game ;D
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Extreme aggression seems to be the best policy with France... Barring bad luck
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Choices, choices, that's what this game is all about. Give the initiate away and pray that the Allies don't get to move on the first chit drawn, and get to move your airplanes last, thus minimizing the loss of your air force, OR take the initiative but you will risk not having air superiority on some areas. Best move will be keep as much of your air force at the front, that way you will be able to react to adjacent battles or pin the Allies fighters. Next time I'm flying in a day earlier, 😜😜
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Did You alter the stats of the japanesse leaders ? I see some different stats on Nishio & ushiroku ?
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No - should be the same as are in the drop box file.
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Winter 1940
Luftwaffe bombing England in the Winter of 1940. Geman U-boats establish bases along the Atlantic coast. In the Med, Rommel has established the Akrika Korps with the Italian fleet redeployed to the Aegean with heavy support from the Germans and Italian airforces. The war of resistance continues in China.
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Spring 1941
Due to the delays in France, the Germans have had to delay Barbarossa to the Summer - but at the end of Spring, the Armee Groups are in position and ready to launch their offensive on June 22nd. In North Africa, Rommel's recon units have reached Mersa Matruh before withdrawing to Sidi Barrani.
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Mark- I think that I need to fly in next time and take up the role of your chief of staff. You need someone to keep an eye on you. ;)
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Will the Action Report continue next year ? 8)
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I hope so :)
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OK - after a long Holiday break - getting back to the after action report:
Summer 1941
Barbarossa was finally launched in the Summer of 1941. Army Group North smashed its way to the gates of Leningrad and Army Group Center, spearheaded by Guderian's panzer army made it to Smolensk. In the South, the German offensive was a little less successful, failing to take Kiev in the mech phase and losing a significant number of mechanized units in the attempt.
In the Pacific, the war for China continues. . .
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Autumn 1941
The Germans divert their panzers to the North and the South in the Autumn of 1941 in order to support the encirclement of Leningrad and take Kiev to the South (how historical . . .). The Germans manage to isolate Leningrad by taking Novgorod and in the South encircle and take Kiev in addition to establishing a beachhead over the Dnepr. German paratroopers briefly seized Krasnodar and knocked the Crimea out of supply. I n the Med, both Rommel and the British 8th army build up their reserves in Egypt.
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Winter 1941
On the Russian Front, the Germans were able to blunt the Soviet Winter offensive and maintain their positions on most of the front. Army Group Center managed to seize Vyazma and bring in reinforcements under Manstein. In the South, Hoth is consolidating his Panzer Army South of Kharkov.
In the West, the Allies launch operation Torch - but limited to only Morocco. The Vichy regime does not collapse and the Axis quickly reinforce Algeria in an effort to stop the allied offensive and prevent them from taking any more deep water ports in North Africa
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I wonder which german Army was able to defeat the big russian stack in Lwow in Autumn 1941?
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None - those Russians moved into the Carpathian Mountains in Autumn and established a huge Partisan army. . . we have not rooted them out yet, preferring instead to guard them like a giant POW camp.
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Xaxaxa I remember them, more like a huge partisan army than a POW camp.
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Hopefully this AAR gets done before the new one in AZ ,🤒🤒🤒
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Sorry for the long delay! :o
Spring 1942
The Soviet Winter counteroffensive was not too disastrous for the Germans and they were able to recover and reinforce pretty well for their Spring 1942 offensive. In the South, the Soviets were surprised when Hoth took his panzers South and seized the Crimea on the Mech Phase. The rest of army Group South pushed the Russians out of Rostov and the Donbas. Army Groups North and Center re-established their front around Leningrad and before Moscow.
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Spring 1942 West
The Allies opted for an early, but weaker, Operation Torch in the Spring of 1942. The Vichy regime failed to collapse and the axis hurriedly rushed reinforcements into Algeria to contain the Allied invasion and limit their supply to just the Morocco ports. In the Western Destern, Rommel withdraws to Bardia as the British 2nd Army continues to gain in strength.
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Summer 1942
Army Group South pushes out toward Maikop and Stalingrad against weak Soviet resistance. No picture in the North, but this situation is a stalemate before Leningrad and Moscow. In North Africa, the Royal Navy severely damaged Axis supply and forced Rommel to continue to fall back. In Algeria, the combined French, Italian, German Army in Oran under Messe continues to hold a defensive line against the allied invasion of Morocco. Axis u-boats harassed Allied shipping to Casablanca keeping Monty's army on a shoestring supply line as well.
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Autumn 1942
The 6th Army reaches the banks of the Volga and German panzers take the oilfields of Maikop. . .but Soviet resistance is stiffening.
In the desert, The Italian army under Garibaldi defends Bardia while Rommel withdraws his Akrika Korps to Tripoli.
In Algeria, the French-Italian-German Army under Field Marshal von Kluge continues to bottle up Montgomery in Morocco - supply problems due to u-boat attacks on the supplies getting to Casablanca has created challenges. What was once thought of as an early knock-out of French Northwest Africa has turned into a quagmire.
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Winter 1942
In Russia, the German army withdraws from before Stalingrad and Maikop due to mounting Soviet pressure.
In North Africa, the Allies finally break through the Axis defenses at Oran and push forward toward Algiers.
In France, the Germans slowly reinforce and build the Atlantic Wall and have kept a healthy u-boat fleet that continues to damage Allied shipping. . .
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Spring 1943
The Allied build-up in North Africa blasts through the Axis defenses in Algeria and Kluge falls back to defend Tunisia. Patton is transferred to command the Allied armies in Libya facing Rommel. General Mark Clark leads an Allied invasion of Norway and lands at Bergen.