Explorations in Strategy - Italy at War

[unmerged(10971)]

Ahh, pie charts.

...

Now I'm hungry.




Anyway, I imagine in this situation the question really should be less "how much is enough" and more "how much can Italy afford". Facing an enemy like that, and with "allies" like you have, I'm not sure there is an enough.

 

[badger_ken]

any chance you could get Japan to back-stab the Soviets?

 

[ColossusCrusher]

Launch a sweeping amphibious invasion of Bulgaria and connect to the Hungarian border, encircling the entire Soviet front. Bold? Yes. Insane? Totally. Expected? Not in the slightest.

 

[DanSez]

Thanks for the breakout of forces.

You can't have everything so its interesting (to me at least) to see the compromises made. I would guess you are packing recruits deep and long through the building queue. Maybe another set of Marines or will you recall them for the flanking move on the Soviets?

 

[Baltasar]

Impressive, although most likely unimportant, work in Africa. Just make sure you do not trip into South African area of Interest, because their land forces will number several dozend divisions which would sweep the few and in between Italian formations aside.

Am I the only one to think that Switzerland somehow disturbs the picture here?

Is the German landing in India going anywhere? Just hope they didn't invest too many troops there, Hitler should know he needs every able bodied man in Russia.

You've not really invested in armored forces so upgrading the army comes down to more infantry. However, the Russians will always outnumber your infantry, so you'll really need to think of something here. If anything you could try to form so many infantry divisions (preferably with an additional support brigade for some extra punch) that you can outnumber the Russians, at least locally. Add a logistic strike campaign on the Russians from your carriers and you should be able to advance, albeit slowly and in a costly manner in terms of manpower. Somehow I would assume Il Duche to try to find a more convenient way of throwing the Bear out of his backyard.

 

[Ahriman]

I see that the German AI is performing up to expectations and invading Indonesia Invading India is slightly more intelligent but perhaps those divisions would be better used on the Eastern front.

I'm waiting to see how the Illyrian defenses are holding now that the Soviets are up to them, and what your plans are for throwing the Red Hordes back.

 

[womble]

Launch a sweeping amphibious invasion of Bulgaria and connect to the Hungarian border, encircling the entire Soviet front. Bold? Yes. Insane? Totally. Expected? Not in the slightest.

And where, pray do the Divisions to enact and maintain such a bold stroke come from? A few MAR and MTN won't quite cut it, I think, having seen the Soviet response to the pocket attempt in Romania.

And "enough", O Great Dictator, is "every IC and MP you can stuff through boot camp and artillery school", I reckon. Tacking ART onto existing Divisions, 2 at a time might be a good way to stiffen resistance and even shove back some in the Balkans. Along with new 2+2 Divisions as fast as they can be raised.

 

[Surt]

There is no great place to cut off some of the Sovjet forces, Dardanels is closed and would need to be liberated AND held if you would try landing in Romania again and then you would need to keep the pocket closed, that would take ~60 division.
Landing in Turkey is also not profitable even if you only need to hold 2 hexes to the west, the east would take 3-5 divs for each province.
Landing in India might be an option, thou you would get a land border with the Sovjets in the north 2 provinces (I think), this might give you the added manpower to do something.
Else try to bleed the Sovjets by bombing and selective counter attacks, send some troops to the German front to help the AI.

 

[unmerged(52507)]

Great update, looking forward to the new year

 

[Myth]

Judas Maccabeus: Quite possibly, yes...

badger_ken: The Japanese are utterly useless. They couldn't even hold ground in China.

ColossusCrusher: I'm not sure I'd have the resources for something that ambitious.

DanSez: Heh, I'm undecided what to do with the Africa theater. Also, I'm undecided what to do in th Illyria theater.

Baltasar: The German landing in India has been puttering around worthlessly for years now. As for the Soviets, as you note I doubt I'll be able to defeat them purely with man- and firepower, important as that may be.

Ahriman: So far they've not tested my Illyrian line, and so far I don't have a plan to throw them back.

womble: Tedious as attaching artillery to four armies would be, it might have to be done. I'll have to do some thinking.

Surt: I doubt sending troops up to the German front would help. Not only are the stacks there quite big, but I wouldn't have the troops to send even if they were small, anyway.

Jemisi: Yeah, it'll be an interesting year for sure...

I'll probably play the new year in a couple days, and the first update of 1943 will be a couple days after that!

 

[Enewald]

You could easily trap a lot of soviets in Illyria as long as you have naval supremacy there.
But where do you get enough troops to encircle the soviets there, hold them and decimate them?
Build militias!
A lot of 'em!

 

[DanSez]

Are the Germans producing V1s yet? Maybe AI lead research will never give you the option to buy production licenses.

What I'm asking is planning a strategy of laying a strip of logistic destruction down to starve the Soviets out of either the front provinces facing your troops or (longer range) cutting them off somewhere in Rumania in prep for a counter offensive in Spring '44.

Good luck.

 

[BlitzMartinDK]

Surt: I doubt sending troops up to the German front would help. Not only are the stacks there quite big, but I wouldn't have the troops to send even if they were small, anyway.

Maybe a single army of yours could entice the germans to do something? Like supporting your attacks?

 

[unmerged(87183)]

Well, I hope you come up with a good plan.

 

[Forster]

I can't help but be amazed at how different the AI is in different AARs when comparing to my experience.
Well, I don't know if you are familiar with Laurel and Hardy, Myth, but it appears you've got yourself in a pickle.:rofl:

 

[Juan_de_Marco]

My money is on a big cut behind enemy lines from the Black Sea via in Bessarabia to the Hungarian border. It gives enough space to trade for time should the Soviet forces turn back from the frontlines (especially after they have first run to the Illyrian line), and that means no supplies for a large Soviet force. perhaps even enough to take them out. With enough army built, the big IF remains what the Soviets can whip up from the Ukraine

 

[unmerged(52507)]

The Dacian option would surely need at an absolute minimum a dozen new divisions, preferably some mobile ones. The artillery will be closer to a fort option than some more mobile forces.

 

[Myth]

Enewald: Eww militia.

DanSez: A bigger version of what I did during the withdrawal from Dacia might be possible...

BlitzMartinDK: Even if I had an army to spare, I'd bet on the Germans being far too spastic.

Maj. von Mauser: Me too.

Forster: A bit of a pickle, yeah. Germany's pickle, really, but it's hitting me first.

Juan_de_Marco: Hehe, logistical woes take a while to influence armies on the front, unfortunately, and even then they won't affect organization until 1.4

Jemisi: Any option would require a significant expansion of the army, really.

 

[Starfury]

Could the Soviets supply Illyria with ships if you retook the Bosporus and the old border in Romania?

 

[womble]

Could the Soviets supply Illyria with ships if you retook the Bosporus and the old border in Romania?

Shouldn't be able to cos of the control of the Bosporus. With the state of strait control mechanics, it's anyone's guess.

Bet they can kick the crap out of any blockading land force though, and retake Istanbul sharpish, too.