Successful Barbarossa - How Often?

[Micky Luv]

Assuming Historical Focus is checked and no sliders (or state what slider settings you use)? I'm talking about AI success here just to be clear.

I've just had a great game as communist Australia which failed hard, lol.

1. Joining Comintern and the war against the Axis because Barbarossa hasn't moved in 5 months

2. But what's this? The Axis AI surrounds a massive number of Soviet Divisions near Kiev!!

3. The AI tries to reform the line with my 'expert' help...

4. Oh my, now the Japanese AI has joined in!

5. Soviet AI capitulates Sept '42 and Japan gets my country at the peace conference...

So, giffery aside, how often do you see a successful Barbarossa from the AI? That's the second one I've seen since I started playing, so maybe 1 game in 15 at most. Most times I see it bog down into attritional warfare which results in the Soviets taking Berlin around mid '44.

Cheers.

 

[PhillyPhan321]

I had a pretty cool Barbarossa that worked in my last play through.

I was a fascist USA in my own faction taking out the Americas while WW2 waged (was in the war vs the allies but didn't do much fighting with them after Canada and the islands fell). The Germans launched Barrbarosa after taking out France and got pretty far in until the UK saved Greece and started pushing up from the Balkins. This caused the Germans to get pushed back to their starting positions while also having to fight in the Balkins now vs the allies. To make it worse for Germany at this point the UK invaded Italy and knocked them out of the war getting all the way to the top rivers of Italy. At this point I had finished up the Americas and started going after Africa. I landed in N Africa and pushed for the Suez (Spain had already taken Gibraltar). As I took the Suez the Germans split the Allies and Soviet lines in the Balkins and the Allies had no supply now. The Germans quickly overran all the allies in Italy and the Balkins (I took all the islands). Once the Germans took out the allies in mainland Europe they launched a new attack on the Soviets that overwhelmed them and knocked them out pretty quickly.

While that happened I launched a attack on the UK from Iceland and took them out at about the same time the Axis took out the USSR. This was without Japanese help as well. I had also taken out Australian and India and from there the peace conferences were done. I then started my war vs the Axis from there after Japan finished of China. That was the most fun DDay vs the AI I ever had. The Axis swarmed my guys with divisions. Was able to beat them by constantly surrounding their divisions with my Armored divisions.

 

[Broletariat90]

I've seen it at least twice!

 

[davej]

If you don't affect the strength of the major factions, I don't think it ever happens.

 

[Broletariat90]

If you don't affect the strength of the major factions, I don't think it ever happens.

When I saw it both times I didn't change anything with the sliders.

 

[xsmilingbanditx]

I even once had a "lulz" Sealion...going Fascist as Sweden, Germany guarantees, UK declaring me not even a year in the game...i was just setting up invasions in case to have them ready while defending my shores. Next time I looked, Germans in England...
Might be a "once in a lifetime" event but I really fell off my Chair...

 

[TheMeInTeam]

I can't estimate the odds very effectively. From what I see, Romania joining Axis early and throwing a huge number of extra divisions onto that border is often decisive.

This is yet another reason you should never merge wars by the way, as if the objectively broken occupation logic and screwed peace conference consequences from doing so even when winning weren't enough.

 

[Reinner]

What i noticed in most of my playthroughs is that two most important things are Japan and Romania if Germany AI wants to defeat Russia:

1. If Japan wins in China before Barbarossa they pretty much always join the war which forces Soviets to move a lot of troops to Far East and if Vladivostok falls,then Germany is not forced to push beyond Urals.

2. Romania is still weird at the moment, i still don't understand why they pretty much always receive fascist revolutionaries instead of flipping and why does Hungary either annex entire Translyvania along with Crisana or they get rejected and nothing happens (this is with historical on). The whole point why Germany does so well with Romania is because front stretches all the way from the Baltic to the Black Sea.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

What i noticed in most of my playthroughs is that two most important things are Japan and Romania if Germany AI wants to defeat Russia:

1. If Japan wins in China before Barbarossa they pretty much always join the war which forces Soviets to move a lot of troops to Far East and if Vladivostok falls,then Germany is not forced to push beyond Urals.

2. Romania is still weird at the moment, i still don't understand why they pretty much always receive fascist revolutionaries instead of flipping and why does Hungary either annex entire Translyvania along with Crisana or they get rejected and nothing happens (this is with historical on). The whole point why Germany does so well with Romania is because front stretches all the way from the Baltic to the Black Sea.

Not only does the front stretch long for Russia, it's typically filled out by Romania on their own front. Germany gets a smaller front *and* USSR gets a bigger one.

If Japan caps China by '40 in addition to having a strong Romania presence AI USSR is pretty hosed.

Communist Australia has a pretty difficult time beating the Japanese navy, you can do it over time with NAV but it's slow. Paratroopers are a viable alternative but risky...you can stuff a lot into USSR then declare, but reinforcements won't be inbound any time soon. You need that first strike to count. I think best for communist Australia is to push through Middle East and break Romania from the South while NAVs work on Japan's navy...assuming you can somehow get the naval range or just paradrop from Russia.

 

[Magnificent Genius]

It's happened twice in my last three games. It all seems to hinge on Japan. Every time I have seen it happen Japan joined the Axis and entered the war. That is all it seems to take, just forcing the USSR to split its attention that little bit.

 

[davej]

When I saw it both times I didn't change anything with the sliders.

who did you play as and what did you do in the game?

 

[Micky Luv]

Some interesting feedback folks.

Thanks, please keep it coming. I was trying to localise what was happening with Japan v China to see if there was any kind of causal link. In most of my games I see Japan being very successful in China usually winning by 1940. But even in those situations the Japanese AI will not get involved with the Soviets unless Barbarossa builds up some kind of critical mass. I wonder if there is a Soviet capitulation % trigger. I'd never even given thought to the importance of Romania in all this, which I'll admit is pretty dumb of me. I'll keep a closer eye on them in the future.

Communist Australia has a pretty difficult time beating the Japanese navy, you can do it over time with NAV but it's slow. Paratroopers are a viable alternative but risky...you can stuff a lot into USSR then declare, but reinforcements won't be inbound any time soon. You need that first strike to count. I think best for communist Australia is to push through Middle East and break Romania from the South while NAVs work on Japan's navy...assuming you can somehow get the naval range or just paradrop from Russia.

Thanks for the tips. I wasn't really planning on doing much in this game other than grabbing some achievements. I went Comintern just to ride the Soviet coat tails and steal Istanbul. Then I was hoping to 'encourage' the Japanese to invade one of my cores so I could nuke them. The troops in Russia I pulled out in time via the Raj and got them home safely enough. Being a n00b and all I was somewhat chagrined with the result of the peace conference!

 

[Tarkilth]

I don't see it often, but when it happens it's usually mainly due to Romania either joining before the war starts or joining whiel the Germans are stil lable to continue pushing into Soviet Union. If they join too late in the war, the germans have groudn to a halt and they and Italy are now shufflign units to handle the 1000 fronts of the naval invasions the Allies are mustering. When Romania doesn't join at all I don't think I've ever seen AI on AI Barbarossa succeed. Not entirely sure why. Might be the extra divisions and material, might be the oil, might be the longer front.

 

[Micky Luv]

who did you play as and what did you do in the game?

I know this wasn't aimed at me but I'll respond because I don't change the sliders yet:

1. Fascist Unitary Canada - joined Axis for the achievement, messed up and let Britain invade Halifax (garrison shuffle ftw!), got beaten up by the USA. Didn't do anything I think to influence Barbarossa. USSR capitulated in late '42.

2. The one I described above as communist Australia. Sent 5 infantry divisions to help out and a ton of lend lease - convoys, trucks, infantry weapons, fighters, artillery. So definitely an influence of some kind in favour for the Soviets.

One thing about both of those - Barbarossa was launched very early in both games, like Nov/Dec 1940.

 

[pdstanbridge]

In my last seven run throughs as various nations it has been successful every time. There tends to be a pattern. Romania tends to be very strong, particulary mid war and helps Germany exponentially. Hungary always joins the Axis but usually appears quite dormant. Japan does well in China and pushes into Eastern Russia. If Japan does poorly in China the Soviets push harder in the west.

 

[KalZakath]

Happened back to back games for me -

First was as allied Greece - really just wanted to hold my own against the Italians and Germans (I did), but was really doing it to check on the order that the German AI took all of the NFs on Historical setting and where it started to deviate from a set pattern - and what those deviations normally were. Germans did Barbarossa in Spring of 1941, and conquered the USSR in mid 1942. Romania and Hungary got into it over Transylvania (I think), with Romania going allied. As Germany and Romania didn't share a border the Germans didn't pour into Romania, but Hungary then pushed the Romanians back far enough that they never got into it with Germany even as the Soviets were being pushed back in the East.

Second was Fascist Sweden. Looking again at the German NF choices, but with the goal to unify Scandinavia. Germany started Barbarossa about 3 months later than in the previous game, and conquered the USSR in late 42 - even though I provided a little help from the north. Don't recall what the situation in the south was.

It's happened several other times that I've played minors, but the back to back surprised me, and had me wondering if they had changed something.

 

[MJAnderson]

Germany has taken the SU in all 5 of the non axis games I have played recently. Italy always takes Yugo early and Greece and throws 60-80 divisions into the fight. Romania has joined Axis most games as well allowing for a quick southern victory. I think it's an OP Italy that makes it happen which just snowballs when Romania joins. Thinking of cranking up the difficulty for SU. Oh also Japan always beats China. Last game it took Raj as well.