1.
As always thanks for the update!
2.
The ENG landing in Romania including the surprising "Quickpuppetisation" was truly a severe blow to the already fumbling, faltering and failing Axis (Though absolutely unrealistic... But Captain and Daphne have made a clear statement for this AAR and I respect that.)
Zid is an excellent player and keeps playing a masterfull game this round, fully staying in within the framework of the Carnage HR for for the current session!
-> The one big misgiving I have about going through Russian Istanbul/Bosporus is that again the historical "Three-block-war" is beeing ignored and Russia treated/ played as just another allied Country.
The Soviet Union and the Allies were extremely antagonistic, with deep distrust between the factions. Allied troops on Russian soil (same goes for its immediatesphere of interest like the Blacksea and Neighbouring countries) would have been unthinkable for paranoid Stalin and Churchill would never have put a full ENG Armygroup at the mercy of Russian controlled suplly lines far from home.
(Historically even the Allied crews risking their lives bringing the huge amounts of material aid throgh Murmansk were treated almost hostile by the Russian harbour authorities.)
But all in all the Axis deserves this punch in the guts:
GER for ignoring the entire Romanian front from the get go + leaving it to AI controlled Romanian troops of absolutely inferior quality + ignoring the importance of a Russian controlled Bosporus
and ITA for tinkering about with a few divisions on the Eastern front and no human controlled backup in the very long frontline.
Actually "Il Capitano Douche" has earned the honorary title of "FM Capitano-Paulus" for perfectly reenacting the fate of the GER 6th Army in Stalingrad in small scale with Italian Divisions.
He overxtended far ahead of the front line completely dependant on crappy romanian troops along his flanks...
3.
The Axis loses this game because there doesn't seem to be enough cooperation between GER and ITA and no real cooperation with JAP.
(Example: If ITA takes part in Barbarossa why not at least give two GER Panzer Divs as Exp Forces to ITA to have some Punch and Backup on that part of the Front?)
The same odd
absence of strategic cooperation was already present when Axis was only facing ENG. (Helping the Luftwaffe out with a few Interceptors every once in a while is merely tactical day to day business.)
And as someone put it JAP is/was playing it's own game "EU2 stile" - apparently with the focus of painting the Asian map yellow no matter how usefull this is in the greater scheme of things. This yellow will soon enough be turning blue...
-> Why did ITA and JAP never focus on Suez when it was still possible? Getting the IJN into the Med would have been the only relevant thing prior to Barbarossa?!
4.
I also still wonder what ITA is doing since the Spanish screw up? (Other then sending three Divs to their early and pointless deaths in the East.)
We know absolutely zero (0) about ITAs strength and plans.
Knowing Captain as a formidable player I have only two explanations:
a.) He role-plays typical Italian "Bunga-Bunga" leadership.
b.) ITA's main thrust/ strategie/ concept has been hidden from us so far.
5.
The good thing: The new house rules of the Al dente round will let us see a long defensive battle into Axis territory untill the Allies can claim victory.
Have a nice evening Carnage gang and friends
Thel
(Waldorf mode off)