Explorations in Strategy - Italy at War

[Maj. von Mauser]

It is hard to say, but a push to take the Caucasus might not be a bad idea. And linking with the Germans in Poland, would make a nice trap (and possibly save Slovakia).

[Forster]

Myth can be so maddening. Why are you having to "sit in the stairwell"? Doesn't your school provide interenet access in the rooms?
I took me a while to find out about monthly automatic saves when I first became addicted, ugh, started playing this game when it was HOI1. I can't believe Myth, who has been around a long time doesn't know this simple trick. I think he is doing it on purpose to torture us. Evil!

[Starfury]

So yeah, update tonight for sure! And this weekend I'll be playing through 1945. It'll be interesting.

I just found out it's three hops to Vladivostok, so I guess I can scratch that suspicion

[Myth]

sneakey pete: Monthly autosaves annoy me.

stef737: I try, more or less.

Sgt Jack: I'll keep that in mind. But you know who won't? That wanker Hitler, that's who.

JohannesAngelos: Glad to see you posting, then!

Maj. von Mauser: Hehe, we'll see.

Forster: I moved to London six weeks ago. And as I said to sneakey pete, I know about monthly autosaves. They just annoy me so I don't use them. As for me being evil, heh well...

Starfury: You are quite suspicious!

Posting from work.

[FrodoB]

I just found out it's three hops to Vladivostok, so I guess I can scratch that suspicion

Heh! It took myth two trips to move his mobile corps to Dacia for the last round. He'd probably get there quicker overland. I think he needs to look closer to home.

Maybe it's time to take the rest of France, or clean up the remainders of Spain in Africa.

On second thought, an attack on Vichy would probably pull all of the Germans off of the eastern front. Not such a good idea.

[womble]

Heh! It took myth two trips to move his mobile corps to Dacia for the last round. He'd probably get there quicker overland. I think he needs to look closer to home.

Maybe it's time to take the rest of France, or clean up the remainders of Spain in Africa.

On second thought, an attack on Vichy would probably pull all of the Germans off of the eastern front. Not such a good idea.

Bah. Why think small? A drive on Moscow would collapse the entire Soviet Union and if the Italians can assiduously push a large coherent front East (they've the Divisions for it), the Ivans will surrender to Rome, not Berlin. Fall of Russia before the end of March.

[FrodoB]

Bah. Why think small? A drive on Moscow would collapse the entire Soviet Union and if the Italians can assiduously push a large coherent front East (they've the Divisions for it), the Ivans will surrender to Rome, not Berlin. Fall of Russia before the end of March.

What little we've seen and heard from Myth about the Ukrainian Bulge, is that it is held by Germans' at least primarily. And they seem to be conquering that territory for Italy quite nicely. For Italy to attack toward Moscow, I think they would have to trust the Germans to hold the flanks, and myth didn't even want to use the units Germany gave him.

Though he does apparently still have the expeditionary force he has moved to the German front, and they seem to be in a position to strike toward Moscow. Or they could be further north to create the huge north-south pocket.

Too many possibilities. And what ever we come up with, Myth will do something different.

[dublish]

What little we've seen and heard from Myth about the Ukrainian Bulge, is that it is held by Germans' at least primarily. And they seem to be conquering that territory for Italy quite nicely.

Whoa. Might Germany pocket all of southeastern Poland?

[FrodoB]

Whoa. Might Germany pocket all of southeastern Poland?

This:

The Soviets... were also committed to supporting the Finns in the far northern theater. They were committed to an offensive of sorts in southern Poland as well. If the Italians acted correctly, there seemed to be the opportunity to overstretch the Soviets and initiate the breakdown of the entire Soviet defensive system. However, if history taught anything it was that invading the vast expanses of Russia, particularly from the west, was risky, very risky.

might point to something like that, with a little help from Italy.

Where is that expeditionary force going?

[Jemisi]

Glad things are back on track, I'm eager for '45

[Ahura Mazda]

I see you have possibility to make a large encirclement. Do it. DO IT!

[Baltasar]

The danger of neglecting the Russian advance into Slovakia is that it could eventually turn against you. If you push further into Soviet territory, STAVKA may panic and recall her army to defend the motherland. If they don't you'll be in a very exposed position (due to lots of provinces with low infrastructure) while the Reds may turn south towards Italy's heartland.

[Khanwulf]

Thank you for this AAR, Myth. You pushed me into finally purchasing HOI3 and SF (half off online stores didn't hurt).

Now I'm fiddling around with Austria, (re)learning HOI, and after discovering I don't have to fight Germany after all in '38, eyeing the underbelly of Czechoslovakia. Having read all 138 pages, I'm finding my thinking to be quite operational...

This time around the Austrian-Hungarian Empire will be the major partner!

--Khanwulf

[Myth]

FrodoB: Vichy would seem a bit gratuitous, maybe.

womble: Interesting plan.

FrodoB: Expeditionary force? You mean the units I'm trying to give back to Germany?

dublish: Pfff do you trust them to be that competent?

FrodoB: To the eastern front?

Jemisi: Me too. Hopefully my replay will result in as good a year as I lost last week.

Ahura Mazda: Haha, maybe.

Baltasar: That's asking for a lot of success from the Soviets. Would they deliver? Especially against the Slovaks? Remember, they're the single most competent coalition partner after the Italians.

Khanwulf: Fantastic, and welcome aboard!

Okay, so today I'll be playing 1945 again and this time I'll succeed! So the first '45 update will be tomorrow evening.

[Myth]

Achtung!

So I played 1945. Or more specifically, I played it until it crashed again, and then played it a third time to the end. The second crash play was quite a good play up until the crash. The third, full, play had a good first half and a rather boring second half due to the complete retardedness of the German AI made me just give up and watch passively because I couldn't be bothered any more. So the question I have is this: should I write the second play or the third? Writing the second means, obviously, that the AAR will end at the crash date. But up to that point it was a pretty good year. Writing the third means that the AAR will continue past 1945, but the second half of the chapter will be quite short as I essentially do nothing important. I figure that my readers should decide. I've kept screenshots of both play-throughs.

Or I could play through yet again, but it won't be this weekend because it takes me all day to play through a year and I really cannot be bothered with 1945 a third time in one weekend, and it won't be next weekend because I'll be off to Cambridge for a conference, so that'd be another two weeks of waiting.

I'm thinking that the game is getting a bit unstable by now, given that the save game has gone through three different patches.

[loki100]

if you want a vote - I'd go for interesting play and an end date. I'd suspect the further you push a game started in 1.1c the more likely it'll go bonkers

also, purely for myself, what I find fascinating is the narrative you place around the game events, with which you've richly rewarded me in the (almost a year) you've been delivering on this gem ...

[Enewald]

The AAR must continue with any means necessary. Even if you have boring months of gameplay.
You don't need to wait what the others think, since I am sure everyone wants this AAR to continue as long as possible.
And I am always right?
...right?

[aglozier]

if you want a vote - I'd go for interesting play and an end date. I'd suspect the further you push a game started in 1.1c the more likely it'll go bonkers

I agree finish this AAR and start a new one in SF.

[FrodoB]

I'd say go with the 3rd, full year of play, and continue on from that point. We can just assume that Il Duce became ill during the latter part of 1945, and was not able to maintain the control he needed of his generals.

Of course, I'm one of those that would hate to see this AAR end on a 'technicality'. (But then, it might be better to go out on a high note than begin a series of frustration crashes if the game becomes more unstable).

Maybe do the 3rd run, then in the event the '46 campaign is a crash-fest, you can go back and do a 'paper' on how the events of '45 were misunderstood, and tell us what 'really' happened.

[rasmus40]

I'm in line with loki100.

It's better to see this AAR end on a high note rather than you not giving it your best shot anymore because of crashes.

It has to stop some day so why not end with a good year?