The Challenge:
Adolf Hitler declares, “I can annex the USA earlier than anyone else… and do it with less German Manpower Losses while getting the highest Axis Combat Effectiveness!” Of course he is a crazy madman – but the challenge is open to all.
Scoring:
While our production for this saga remains secret, we cannot hide the fact that there is no time to wait for Anschluss… and we get the Austrian Army into the Axis. Since we lack the IC to build much, we need help. However, it is dreadful that we will never get that IC for Germany.
We were serious about “early”. The plan is to get some TPs, make the Atlantic safe, and scuttle over to America to kick Uncle Sam in the butt before he knows what has happened.
But then Stalin DOWs us… and threatens to derail our brilliant “early plan”.
No worries. The Soviets can’t touch us as Poland and Romania are blocking access. So we pull off a very easy Sea Lion since the Royal Navy was totally surprised… and still at anchor up at Scapa Flow. Naturally, we have a few U-boats and the Kriegsmarine, which is three CA-4 with screens. Sadly, we had to cancel plans to build expensive things like BCs and BBs. They take far too long anyway!
Our spear point, three LtARM-1, quickly rolls up the British Isles.
We try bombing the RN in Scapa Flow – but as our weak bombers can’t even knock out the 2 AA there, we have little hope of sinking this mammoth target. Maybe - if we take the province - the enemy fleet will relocate to Belfast where there is no AA and we would have much better basing to help the effort?
But the canny RN rebases to Gibraltar instead… and now we have a dagger at our side should we try to cross the Atlantic. No worries… we get Yugoslavia into the Axis (along with Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria and Greece by now).
We even get the Yugoslavian cavalry to occupied France to help with the anti-partisan efforts there. And after all that time they still break the Pact of Steel. A furious assault from Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria and Greece befalls the traitorous Slavs as every nation tries to claim their territory. And Germany smashes at the Yugoslavian divisions that took our provinces in France. But before we can annex Yugoslavia, Romania DOWs us. What next?
Oh, the Soviets DOW Poland. Guess they want a route to Berlin. What should we do? The Poles are supposed to be our next conquest – in time. If we let them join the Axis, we will never get Danzig. We decide to refuse… let our enemies destroy each other. Good plan!
But it soon is evident that it is mostly only the Poles getting destroyed. Once we saw the mass of SU divisions steam rolling all in its path, we wisely evacuated out of Konigsberg. We cannot stop the Red Horde alone, and - and when the Poles ask again - we decide to let them into the Axis so we can immediately take military control of Poland – and prevent the looming disaster.
Superior Wehrmacht infantry and especially the Luftwaffe succeed in putting together a good counter-attack with the help of the Poles, some Hungarians, all the Bulgarians, and many of the Greeks. The two Fallschirmjäger divisions are key to our success, but we have only two TRAs total since our low IC prevented building more.
We close the pocket on about 50 enemy divisions. Probably another 50 have already been over-run. We almost lose one of the airborne divisions, but the other air drops on an adjacent province in the nick of time so the defeated Fallschirmjäger has a retreat path.
Finally – with the bulk of the Red army destroyed, the situation stabilizes. Poland regains its country… and a bit extra. Bulgaria is happy too.
Meanwhile, the Italians – who annexed South Africa long ago – now amphib Karachi to take away the UK’s crown jewels.
And Germany amphibs Leningrad to start a new front that will sweep around Poland’s and Bulgaria’s eastern borders to trap the remaining few Soviet divisions trying to hold a defensive line. BTW, the fastest route to Moscow is not thru the marshes! Don’t trust the AI to pick the best route when a worse route exists nearby.
Meanwhile, at Gibraltar, our wolfpacks regularly do battle with the RN. We only stick around to fight if we can combine 2-3 wolfpacks in time. In this case, the three wolfpacks were convoy raiding in different Sea Areas, which works fine for sinking merchantmen but not to co-ordinate in time to win this battle.
Just before we fulfill the last condition for BP to fire, we liberate Russia – and immediately release the puppet to avoid additional dissent. Being this is v1.09, there is no telling when BP might fire… and we really can’t deal with more than 5% dissent. However, we need to keep our dissent high to benefit more when BP eventually fires. But the overall situation is not so bad… we are still conquering eastwards to get more cores added to the now Axis member of Russia. Stalin…. when we are done you’ll be lucky to have a pot to piss in unless you sue for peace quickly.
FINALLY – we get our first spy into the USA. We are stunned by what he reports. 113 divisions? What happened to the “Early Plan” that was supposed to defeat a single lone CAV-1 defending USA’s mainland? And the USN has 6 CVs? This can’t be true!
Here’s what the Axis got:
That leaves the Italians, except…
Hitler forced Mussolini to make peace with Ethiopia when Germany started WW2. It was the only way to get the Suez Canal open in time to prevent the majority of the Italian army from eliminating due to lack of supply when the Suez Canal got shut. So we need to take care of this now. Sure hope the Ethiopian divisions are only militia.
But what to do about this thorn in our face? Is there any hope that when Munich agreement comes in September 1938 that the Czechs will give up the Sudetenland? We would greatly prefer that to having to fight for the provinces that then would give greater Revolt Risk. We already are building 4 lines of GAR, but that wasn’t intended to be diverted to places we would ordinarily get for free. However, can we afford to have a large part of the Wehrmacht tied down for another 5 months to defend the border until we know what happens at Munich? Definitely, we are not free to send an army across the Atlantic.
Finally, there is this. We just got Vichy France into the Axis, and could get the 2 Fallschirmjäger to the air base at Casablanca and air assault Gibraltar to force the weakened RN out of port. Then decimate it with our wolfpacks (currently 3 SS-2, 28 SS-3, 9 SS-4 and 3 SSH-8). Mostly they have been attacking convoys with 287 merchantmen and 60 escorts now sunk – but would love to tangle with a huge retreating Royal Navy.
While the RN stills appears big on paper, we know it is severely mauled and can’t repair much with the UK only having 2 IC. But is forcing the RN out of Gibraltar even wise? Where would the survivors go except to Newfoundland – exactly where we really don’t want them. Ooh, what to do while we eliminate the dissent we got liberating Russia, and wait for BP to fire.
As regards the Spanish Civil War, it’s still raging on. We weren’t even invited to support the Nationalists. Not sure if we want to eliminate whoever will be the winner (so weakened by the epic struggle) or get them into the Axis. However, looks like Portugal wants to join the Axis, so our options are open.
To be continued…
HAPPY NEW YEAR, Forum!
Adolf Hitler declares, “I can annex the USA earlier than anyone else… and do it with less German Manpower Losses while getting the highest Axis Combat Effectiveness!” Of course he is a crazy madman – but the challenge is open to all.
Scoring:
- Earliest USA annexation date – 60 points maximum, awarded at the rate of 5 points for each full month that winner annexes USA before anyone else. Two players annexing within 29 days of each other is a tie.
- Least German Manpower losses – 100 points maximum deducted at the rate of 1 point for every 10,000 German MP Losses. If MP losses reach 1,000,000 no points will be awarded.
- Best Axis Combat Effectiveness (ACE) – 40 points maximum awarded at the rate of 1 point for every 10% of superior combat effectiveness. Example: Player #1 has ACE of 409.1 %. Player #2 has ACE of 300.0% Player #1 is superior by 109.1% which is awarded a total of 10 points.
While our production for this saga remains secret, we cannot hide the fact that there is no time to wait for Anschluss… and we get the Austrian Army into the Axis. Since we lack the IC to build much, we need help. However, it is dreadful that we will never get that IC for Germany.
We were serious about “early”. The plan is to get some TPs, make the Atlantic safe, and scuttle over to America to kick Uncle Sam in the butt before he knows what has happened.
But then Stalin DOWs us… and threatens to derail our brilliant “early plan”.
No worries. The Soviets can’t touch us as Poland and Romania are blocking access. So we pull off a very easy Sea Lion since the Royal Navy was totally surprised… and still at anchor up at Scapa Flow. Naturally, we have a few U-boats and the Kriegsmarine, which is three CA-4 with screens. Sadly, we had to cancel plans to build expensive things like BCs and BBs. They take far too long anyway!
Our spear point, three LtARM-1, quickly rolls up the British Isles.
We try bombing the RN in Scapa Flow – but as our weak bombers can’t even knock out the 2 AA there, we have little hope of sinking this mammoth target. Maybe - if we take the province - the enemy fleet will relocate to Belfast where there is no AA and we would have much better basing to help the effort?
But the canny RN rebases to Gibraltar instead… and now we have a dagger at our side should we try to cross the Atlantic. No worries… we get Yugoslavia into the Axis (along with Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria and Greece by now).
We even get the Yugoslavian cavalry to occupied France to help with the anti-partisan efforts there. And after all that time they still break the Pact of Steel. A furious assault from Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria and Greece befalls the traitorous Slavs as every nation tries to claim their territory. And Germany smashes at the Yugoslavian divisions that took our provinces in France. But before we can annex Yugoslavia, Romania DOWs us. What next?
Oh, the Soviets DOW Poland. Guess they want a route to Berlin. What should we do? The Poles are supposed to be our next conquest – in time. If we let them join the Axis, we will never get Danzig. We decide to refuse… let our enemies destroy each other. Good plan!
But it soon is evident that it is mostly only the Poles getting destroyed. Once we saw the mass of SU divisions steam rolling all in its path, we wisely evacuated out of Konigsberg. We cannot stop the Red Horde alone, and - and when the Poles ask again - we decide to let them into the Axis so we can immediately take military control of Poland – and prevent the looming disaster.
Superior Wehrmacht infantry and especially the Luftwaffe succeed in putting together a good counter-attack with the help of the Poles, some Hungarians, all the Bulgarians, and many of the Greeks. The two Fallschirmjäger divisions are key to our success, but we have only two TRAs total since our low IC prevented building more.
We close the pocket on about 50 enemy divisions. Probably another 50 have already been over-run. We almost lose one of the airborne divisions, but the other air drops on an adjacent province in the nick of time so the defeated Fallschirmjäger has a retreat path.
Finally – with the bulk of the Red army destroyed, the situation stabilizes. Poland regains its country… and a bit extra. Bulgaria is happy too.
Meanwhile, the Italians – who annexed South Africa long ago – now amphib Karachi to take away the UK’s crown jewels.
And Germany amphibs Leningrad to start a new front that will sweep around Poland’s and Bulgaria’s eastern borders to trap the remaining few Soviet divisions trying to hold a defensive line. BTW, the fastest route to Moscow is not thru the marshes! Don’t trust the AI to pick the best route when a worse route exists nearby.
Meanwhile, at Gibraltar, our wolfpacks regularly do battle with the RN. We only stick around to fight if we can combine 2-3 wolfpacks in time. In this case, the three wolfpacks were convoy raiding in different Sea Areas, which works fine for sinking merchantmen but not to co-ordinate in time to win this battle.
Just before we fulfill the last condition for BP to fire, we liberate Russia – and immediately release the puppet to avoid additional dissent. Being this is v1.09, there is no telling when BP might fire… and we really can’t deal with more than 5% dissent. However, we need to keep our dissent high to benefit more when BP eventually fires. But the overall situation is not so bad… we are still conquering eastwards to get more cores added to the now Axis member of Russia. Stalin…. when we are done you’ll be lucky to have a pot to piss in unless you sue for peace quickly.
FINALLY – we get our first spy into the USA. We are stunned by what he reports. 113 divisions? What happened to the “Early Plan” that was supposed to defeat a single lone CAV-1 defending USA’s mainland? And the USN has 6 CVs? This can’t be true!
Here’s what the Axis got:
- Forget Poland’s army – they are 1918 infantry and CAV-1. They are already positioning against Finland, and their cavalry going to Russia’s far border, and the strongest are manning the defensive line against the Czechoslovakians.
- Forget the Bulgarian army – they are all employed doing partisan control and manning the border with Turkey.
- Forget the Greek army – they are defending Greece, the Balkans and the Middle East since the Royal Navy still has access into the Mediterranean.
- Forget the Hungarians – they are all defending against the Czechoslovakians.
- Forget the Austrians – they too are all defending against the Czechs.
That leaves the Italians, except…
Hitler forced Mussolini to make peace with Ethiopia when Germany started WW2. It was the only way to get the Suez Canal open in time to prevent the majority of the Italian army from eliminating due to lack of supply when the Suez Canal got shut. So we need to take care of this now. Sure hope the Ethiopian divisions are only militia.
But what to do about this thorn in our face? Is there any hope that when Munich agreement comes in September 1938 that the Czechs will give up the Sudetenland? We would greatly prefer that to having to fight for the provinces that then would give greater Revolt Risk. We already are building 4 lines of GAR, but that wasn’t intended to be diverted to places we would ordinarily get for free. However, can we afford to have a large part of the Wehrmacht tied down for another 5 months to defend the border until we know what happens at Munich? Definitely, we are not free to send an army across the Atlantic.
Finally, there is this. We just got Vichy France into the Axis, and could get the 2 Fallschirmjäger to the air base at Casablanca and air assault Gibraltar to force the weakened RN out of port. Then decimate it with our wolfpacks (currently 3 SS-2, 28 SS-3, 9 SS-4 and 3 SSH-8). Mostly they have been attacking convoys with 287 merchantmen and 60 escorts now sunk – but would love to tangle with a huge retreating Royal Navy.
While the RN stills appears big on paper, we know it is severely mauled and can’t repair much with the UK only having 2 IC. But is forcing the RN out of Gibraltar even wise? Where would the survivors go except to Newfoundland – exactly where we really don’t want them. Ooh, what to do while we eliminate the dissent we got liberating Russia, and wait for BP to fire.
As regards the Spanish Civil War, it’s still raging on. We weren’t even invited to support the Nationalists. Not sure if we want to eliminate whoever will be the winner (so weakened by the epic struggle) or get them into the Axis. However, looks like Portugal wants to join the Axis, so our options are open.
To be continued…
HAPPY NEW YEAR, Forum!
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