A Harvest Of Sorrow - USA '44 AAR

[stnylan]

The idea of Bolivia joining the United Nations being a piece of good news really goes to show the desperate straits you are in more effectively than anything else.

[lifeless]

very nice! hopefully, it isnt too late to turn the tide...do you have military control of your allies?

[Karl Martell]

Gaining control of the air and sea around Iceland is my first step to victory. Naturally, my existing forces are totally inadequate for the task. To the build queue!
1) 10 x 99 (10 parallel runs of 99 serial runs) of airfields.
2) 5x99 convoy ships – there’s no way I’ll be able to support major overseas deployments with my 100 remaining convoy ships
3) 1x99 convoy escorts
4) 4x99 Fighters: I have 2 fighters, and I can’t gain control of hostile airspace with short-range interceptors.
5) 12x99 Destroyers – I’m facing 126 subs, and I hate subs.
There are a lot of random naval builds in the queue; I’m going to let them wind down before I rebuild my army. I’ll also free up a lot of IC once I kill my dissent.

Whew... well, never plan too small, as they say. Is there any bonus to be gained form ordering so many units in serial?

The first day goes well. My redeployments go smoothly enough, and in about 5 days my air force wings will be where I want them to be (without org, but still). At midnight, I check my recalculated IC: 470. The SU has 870, and you’ve got to wonder what they’ll build with all that IC and no manpower (I sure hope it’s not nuclear reactors).

I set up naval strike missions along the eastern seaboard of the US: I’ve got coverage from the Sea of Labrador to the Bermuda Triangle. My goal is to bait enemy subs or CVs into this area, and pounce on them. In the South African theater, my bombers pounce on a lonely HQ:



Soviet typewriters and plotting tables can’t stop B-25s! It’s hard to see, but Libreville is under a massive attack from SU and Spanish forces. I’m not sure if France has any VPs outside of that area.

Is there any chance for you to bail out those French troops, and evacuate them to South Africa? I saw several stacks of Soviet divisions marching south across eastern Africa, and there was as of yet very little Allied forces to stop them or at least delay them long enough for the USAF to pounce them.

At 11am on 3/9 we get our first bit of good news:



On 3/10, we finally accumulate enough money for a diplomatic deal: 1700 supplies to NL for $519. Silly Netherlands: those supplies will feed my troops as they pass through Batavia on a general retreat, leaving you holding the bag. I get enough money to bring Colombia and Venezuela into the United Nations, and I start influencing Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina.

Our scientists also discover Advanced Heavy Tank, and I start working on another Air Doctrine:



I cancelled “Floating Fortress” yesterday (at 22%); the war at sea will be won or lost with my carriers, not my 4 remaining battleships.

My only sizeable transport fleet is rebased from Batavia to Cochin. I intend to use it to evacuate Rajkot. Fighter sweeps are noticed across Sri Lanka, so I anticipate being spotted (and attacked).

Finally, an update from the Philippines:



I think the Filipino militia is enough to take back the islands, if backed up by my TAC wings in-theater and whatever fire support their old destroyers can muster.

TOMORROW (or Monday): I hope to get about a week or two’s worth of game in this weekend (baby, wife, and mother-in-law permitting). We’ll see how the evacuation of India goes, whether we can retake the Philippines, and if we can start our Atlantic campaign.

Hooray for the free world! Send the Soviets packing!
BTW how many divisions are there in Rajkot?

[therev]

Looking forward to your AAR. I think I might give it a go!

[rich-love]

@GrimReaper: ha! As I type this, my 12 day old son is sleeping on my chest.

@stnylan: good point.

@lifeless: Not yet. I want to get my house in order before taking that task on.

@Karl Martel: The only bonus is speed, and my peace of mind. 10 runs of airbases means I can instantly create a major airbase if I need to, and the 4x FTR and 12xDD stacks are the groupings I'd use in game. 8 Divs in Rajkot, and as for France, wait for the next update...

@therev: Thanks for the interest!

[Earth's Savior]

That red empire is truly menacing.

[Pacer]

democracy shall prevail

[Lurken]

Pacer: I would shorten down your signature, it seems that it is a little to long, the allowed length is 10 lines, your's about 16 lines.

[kenneththegreat]

Pacer: I would shorten down your signature, it seems that it is a little to long, the allowed length is 10 lines, your's about 16 lines.

19 with empty lines, as far as i can see

[rich-love]

At 11pm on 3/10 we take control of France’s military – 21 divisions, 17 of which are militia. They have a small naval group, which I send to Cameroon for immediate troop evacuation. Take a look at my retreat options:



Neither path looks promising. I don’t have many transports in theater, and I don’t think path B will remain open for long. I resolve to sit tight until the SU commits to an attack direction.

3 hours later, I make a probing attack out of Rajkot, just to see OPFOR:



As expected, 12 infantry divisions, in excellent position. They haven’t attacked, but we won’t be able to break out either.

Naval forces begin to rally at Pearl Harbor, and I plan my Island hopping campaign:



Reconnaissance indicates that the majority of the Pacific Islands are held by solitary Japanese garrison divisions; since I have maybe 2 Marine divisions to spare, this is good news. Minimalists will love my island-hopping campaign.

[lifeless]

ah.......good luck with your island hopping! what about other coastal provs in india? how are the defenses there?

[GrimReaper]

"Grasshopper gets squished quickly if settled in front of oncoming steamroller."
Old Chinese Proverb

Which countries are allied as of now?

[Karl Martell]

Yay! Liberate the, um, atolls...

What about the French retreat, on your picture is actually looks as if you could withdraw to the coast, to Pointe Noire, and then ferry the French troops out division by divison, to Capetown. Wouldn't that be a lot better than trying to hold out in the worthless jungles?? Why would you want to defend there when you can save your troops by pulling out as quickly as possible? You have a ton of divisions there, the entire South African army plus the French, but the Soviets have three big stacks rolling towards your position.

[Lurken]

Yay! Liberate the, um, atolls...

What about the French retreat, on your picture is actually looks as if you could withdraw to the coast, to Pointe Noire, and then ferry the French troops out division by divison, to Capetown. Wouldn't that be a lot better than trying to hold out in the worthless jungles?? Why would you want to defend there when you can save your troops by pulling out as quickly as possible? You have a ton of divisions there, the entire South African army plus the French, but the Soviets have three big stacks rolling towards your position.

Maybe since it might be the last VP of France?

[lifeless]

Maybe since it might be the last VP of France?

dont they have a VP in south america or somewhere in the pacific?

[stnylan]

they do have a VP in one of the south pacific islands I think.

Nice to see you planning offensive operations from the get-go.

[GrimReaper]

Cayenne in the northern part of South America has a VP.

[rich-love]

@lifeless: Thank you! The SU has several 12-24 division stacks lurking about India. It doesn't matter right now; it's a tertiary theater, at best.

@GrimReaper: The usual suspects plus Colombia, Venezuela, and Bolivia.

@Karl Martell: I do plan to evacuate Cameroon, but I only have one French transport in the area.

@all: If the French are down to their last VP in Cayenne, I plan to write a custom event to inherit them. Managing their ‘Liberation of France’ events and the inevitable supply issues when I retake Paris fills me with dread.

Two updates before I leave the office today!

[Lurken]

@all: If the French are down to their last VP in Cayenne, I plan to write a custom event to inherit them. Managing their ‘Liberation of France’ events and the inevitable supply issues when I retake Paris fills me with dread.

Sounds reasonable.

Two updates before I leave the office today!

YEA!

[rich-love]

In the Philippines, Canadian forces (controlled by the AI, no less) drive the Japanese from Aparri. Lamon Bay and Legaspi still remain in enemy hands.

The Soviet advance into South Africa hits a snag as American tactical bombers obliterate a lone HQ moving without air cover:



DDR interceptors are seen in the area; this HQ simply moved to far ahead.

A combined Filipino / French assault on Lamon Bay fails mere seconds after jumping off. Can anyone share some insight on how to properly use military control of one’s allies?

The remaining IJN carrier is spotted in the Celebes, and proceeds to maul unloaded American transports:



Other American transports carrying the retreating army of India are forced to route around Indonesia (Batavia to Kwajalein via Darwin to Port Moresby).

Finally, fragments of the Spanish Navy are spotted north of Puerto Rico:



What they’re doing there is anyone’s guess.

Next update before I go home today!