Kurt_Steiner We'll see. At the very least they will get somewhat more stable politics.
stevep re Italy: Indeed. Churchill is well aware that any demand of 'uncoditional surrender' will come to bite the Allies into their collective seat muscles if it can't be enforced and at the moment the Allies aren't sure enough of their victory to take that risk.
I didn't actually intend to have Italy re-enter the war that early but recently came to the conclusion that if Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria were allowed to keep their Armies then Italy who surrendered on their own accord, should be allowed to do something too should they so desire, and anyway, writing an Italian Army that is actually competent and well equipped should be great fun.
Re Hitler's reaction: It will be covered in a near future update, though I'm not sure yet how I will write it. If I do it one way it will be rather graphic or if I don't it will be in the form of someone saying "the SS burnt down X Villages in response".
Re Grand Strategy: I did actually contemplate that when I played the game but then decided to go straight for Berlin. I might do things differently if I were to play that campaign today (never mind that I'd arrange my fleets differently, forgoe the KGVs alltogether to get another CV deck.. you get the idea).
In-Universe the Grand Strategy is explained as follows: any immediate move into Poland would leave the Allied Forces stretched out between two major Axis powers whose inner regions where most of their manpower and Industry are located are left untouched, while leaving the Channel Coast in the hands of the enemy. I'll explain the Grand Strategy more detailed in the next update (probably in the form of a post-war book on the campaign) but suffice it to say the main goal for 1943/44 is to knock out the Germans and liberate W-Europe with one half of the forces (there are two more British and one French Army in North Africa, slated to be sent to Germany) while the others keep Ivan in check. It's not the best strategy and the Poles didn't like it at all.
That said this was formulated before the minors changed side and there wasn't enough time to really adjust for that, so the Poles were suddenly rather happy when they were told that someone needed to keep the Soviet and German forces to the east busy....
ViperhawkZ This pretty much.
stevep re Italy: Indeed. Churchill is well aware that any demand of 'uncoditional surrender' will come to bite the Allies into their collective seat muscles if it can't be enforced and at the moment the Allies aren't sure enough of their victory to take that risk.
I didn't actually intend to have Italy re-enter the war that early but recently came to the conclusion that if Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria were allowed to keep their Armies then Italy who surrendered on their own accord, should be allowed to do something too should they so desire, and anyway, writing an Italian Army that is actually competent and well equipped should be great fun.
Re Hitler's reaction: It will be covered in a near future update, though I'm not sure yet how I will write it. If I do it one way it will be rather graphic or if I don't it will be in the form of someone saying "the SS burnt down X Villages in response".
Re Grand Strategy: I did actually contemplate that when I played the game but then decided to go straight for Berlin. I might do things differently if I were to play that campaign today (never mind that I'd arrange my fleets differently, forgoe the KGVs alltogether to get another CV deck.. you get the idea).
In-Universe the Grand Strategy is explained as follows: any immediate move into Poland would leave the Allied Forces stretched out between two major Axis powers whose inner regions where most of their manpower and Industry are located are left untouched, while leaving the Channel Coast in the hands of the enemy. I'll explain the Grand Strategy more detailed in the next update (probably in the form of a post-war book on the campaign) but suffice it to say the main goal for 1943/44 is to knock out the Germans and liberate W-Europe with one half of the forces (there are two more British and one French Army in North Africa, slated to be sent to Germany) while the others keep Ivan in check. It's not the best strategy and the Poles didn't like it at all.
That said this was formulated before the minors changed side and there wasn't enough time to really adjust for that, so the Poles were suddenly rather happy when they were told that someone needed to keep the Soviet and German forces to the east busy....
ViperhawkZ This pretty much.