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These multiplayer AAR's are very fun to read. However I do feel it is a bit cheaty by the Japanese to have a task force in the north sea, especially if you control the Suez (were they there before the war or did they go around Africa?)
They got around Africa using the newly aquired Spanish bases if I remember correctly.
Wonderful game you have there, but I wonder, why haven't the Italians built any aircraft carriers? Even 1-2 could make huge difference now..
impressive team play by the axis here ...
I never played CAN , they start without a flaat and low production?
I never played CAN , they start without a flaat and low production?
They start with no capitals, around two pairs of ships, and one transport. They start with 20'ish base IC and very high neutrality. The best thing there is the airforce, with some basic techs researched, with a NAV, a TAC and an INT making up the Canadian Airforce.
They start with very poor techs and I built NAVs instead. The med often offers very good fighter cover options for the RM.
Truly battering chapter for the RN, the axis simply beginning to overwhelm them at this point.
The med is lost,get that fleet and those troops out of africa now. U lost armour in africa which is also very bad news, africa can't be held now with the arrival of german panzers.Great co op there from axis which was helped by zid on two comps.
I think its time u will have to pull everything back to britain and bunker up there.
Good news from ur perspective is there is no german navy that was built,bad news is all that ic went into land forces which means russia will feel the brunt,definitely right decision by german player sir henry.
The loss in the number of screens was truly very great,u also lost a battleship and a carrier,ur running low on carriers i think and the japs are mostly winning engagements despite numerical inferiority by carriers.Lucky to save another BB,u have lost 3 carriers and 1 BB in capital ships till now,how much did u make?
More or less i'm expecting a sealion soon,if u lose a few more capitals i think sealion will definitely be attempted,the capitals are the only thing that are standing between u and the axis land forces atm,so u should def preserve them and fight close to ur home harbours with raf support,that way u can't be trapped as when u retreat u can retreat directly into ur harbours and not into another hostile fleet.
The med is lost,get that fleet and those troops out of africa now. U lost armour in africa which is also very bad news, africa can't be held now with the arrival of german panzers.Great co op there from axis which was helped by zid on two comps.
I think its time u will have to pull everything back to britain and bunker up there.
Good news from ur perspective is there is no german navy that was built,bad news is all that ic went into land forces which means russia will feel the brunt,definitely right decision by german player sir henry.
The loss in the number of screens was truly very great,u also lost a battleship and a carrier,ur running low on carriers i think and the japs are mostly winning engagements despite numerical inferiority by carriers.Lucky to save another BB,u have lost 3 carriers and 1 BB in capital ships till now,how much did u make?
More or less i'm expecting a sealion soon,if u lose a few more capitals i think sealion will definitely be attempted,the capitals are the only thing that are standing between u and the axis land forces atm,so u should def preserve them and fight close to ur home harbours with raf support,that way u can't be trapped as when u retreat u can retreat directly into ur harbours and not into another hostile fleet.
Japanese player from this game here.
These coordinated naval attack were a real chellenge. As overstacking was a risk we had to sync every movement through detailed communication. Trying to spot the direction of the fleeing fleet as well as guessing it's next move was a game in itself. And sending that fleet all around Africa was a hazzle as well. It took weeks (for the faster ships). But it was well worth it and felt good after the land losses in Asia.
Also, convoy raiding was intensified thanks to the Spanish colonies in conjuction with Gibraltar. As UK could no longer trace convoys through the Med, they would have to go all around Africa. Both Italy and Japan stationed submarines along western Africa and at times saw a lot of succes. When most succesfull, during a couple of months, I think we sank 1-2 convoys per day.
These coordinated naval attack were a real chellenge. As overstacking was a risk we had to sync every movement through detailed communication. Trying to spot the direction of the fleeing fleet as well as guessing it's next move was a game in itself. And sending that fleet all around Africa was a hazzle as well. It took weeks (for the faster ships). But it was well worth it and felt good after the land losses in Asia.
Also, convoy raiding was intensified thanks to the Spanish colonies in conjuction with Gibraltar. As UK could no longer trace convoys through the Med, they would have to go all around Africa. Both Italy and Japan stationed submarines along western Africa and at times saw a lot of succes. When most succesfull, during a couple of months, I think we sank 1-2 convoys per day.
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Great to have the other players post in here, too. Would like to read more from their perspective 
Advice for UK would be keeping air surveillance around Scapa Flow and Ireland, so you have time to move troops should transports be spotted. Beware decoys, though
With the intencity of the game play right now, it's more important to position the troops on the British Isles so they are prepared for rapid response. I have very little time available to sit and scout my coast. If the attack north they will have lighter resistance initially but longer way to go - or the other way around.
Oh ****. Your situation is worsening fast. What is the situation of your merchant fleet? With ASW fleets gone, your supply situation in Africa and India may get tricky very soon.
It seems that the Axis wants to reduce your naval capability before attempting to perform a Sea Lion. It's a good strategy, because even if they cancel Sea Lion, it will take much time for you to rebuild your navy.
Killing suspense, BTW. Your position is even worse than UK's was IRL and 1940 was very harsh for them. Be strong, pal. Army strong
Merchant fleet is not realy doing ok. I'm losing tonnage quite fast. I have closed several unneccessary routes. But I can still supply my important strongholds. My unity is on the decline though...
Actually, I don't plan to build too many new capitals. I have a new Battle Ship coming in a years time, with 1938 tec - but mostly I go for screen-production. As things have turned out, I dunno if it was the best descision...
Heh... yeah, in MP HoI things happen quickly... Difficult to balance everything perfectly.
Ouff... no nice list you got there, baltazar. To my experience, CAGs DO repair in harbors, but sometimes very slow - and slower than the navy its attached to. I dunno why.
Buy it, mate
If u like ww2 strategy, this is the shit.My pleasure. Nice to have you on board. And us guys playing this campaign both enjoys and learn a lot from your comments.
Yes, multiplayer is the killer experience and always gives exciting games and a lot of adrenaline. The problem is, of course, that the game is made to work for singel player and there are a lot of stuff that's not really designed for multiplaying. So, its definately not cheating by Japan to be in the Med as neither the game or our House Rules forbidds it. But if it is good for the game balance - that's a whole different question. I will bring it up in the AARs next chapter later today.
Reis and Zid answered your question there. I just wanted to add that RM sunk most of Canadas fleet a couple of month ago... so at this point of the game they have little more than their transports...
Buy it
As it is about one year old its gotta be real cheap in the net, no?You think I should leave and bunker up? Future will tell if ure right. But I can't give up the Med without a proper fight.
I reasently deployed some new carrier and battle ship from the original 1938-start up production queque. I also have a newer model of battle ship in-bound but mostly I go for screens - both when it comes to tec and production.
Well, at this point, I was quite sure Seelöwe wouldn't come before the fall of the Med. Therefor, I thought it a good thing to delay there as long as possible. The same time I give up the Med, the Axis can take the rest of Africa, all minor allies and overwhelm India. I was simply not a very nice option. Two really bad choices were all I had...
New chapter later today.
Years of Jolly Carnage – a multiplayer AAR
Part XXIV - Desperate resistance and a whisper of doom
Authors note: Players are UK, CAN, USA, SU, GER/ITA, JAP
ITA player (Zid) played both ITA and GER on two computers as GER-player (Sir Henry) was in a lot warmer country...
USA now got a player (see below).
Last chapter brough only pain to the Allies with Axis setting up several traps. Now, an Axis offensive in North Africa is under progress...
Author’s note: As mentioned in some of your comment, the fact the USA was far from the war and probably just building a lot of crap worried the Allies who felt it was another (and not logical) incentative for Axis to not attack USSR. Allied nations brought up the issue of placing a player on US, even if that wasn’t part of the initial House Rules. Axis accepted this on premises that diplomacy, politics and intelligence was on AI. The player could, however, move troops and take care of production and research. Allies accepted this deal.
We were right, of course. More than half of US production was on AA-emplacements, forts of different kinds and industry. A majority of the rest was on Carriers but no CAGs… The research done was mainly on navy and air force. Infantry and armor was far behind and uneven. For example, one of the slots in cavalry was so far behind so we couldn’t even start researching motorized until a “full” research cycle on one of the cavalry slots. It would take to long into 1942 before the first motorized unit would be finished. Same thing with marines. It made us a little bit sad…
And then it was this thing with the Japanese Navy in the European theatre.
Palm (After last chapter): However I do feel it is a bit cheaty by the Japanese to have a task force in the north sea, especially if you control the Suez
Well, it’s definitely not cheating as nothing in the House Rules forbids it. BUT, you can still debate the game balance. Both devastating naval traps was made possible only because of this and the landing of Germany’s Africa Corps would be extremely risky without it (even though I actually like, from a game-playing view, to have the Africa Corps present). And it’s quite difficult for UK to prevent the situation from happening – in any campaign – if Axis is determined to push it. We did not have a discussion about this issue at this point, but I started to get slightly annoyed and grumpy… - but I wasn't yet sure if I only was grumpy due to being beaten up or if it was actually unfair in any way.
January 1st, 1941
As the world war enters a new year, Great Britain has few things to celebrate. Except a few minor allies (One player on Canada), they are all alone against the might of Germany, Italy and Japan. And have been for some time. Their powers are starting to drain. The Royal Navy, weakened by numberless battle has lost its superiority and has been forced out of several theatres. It no longer patrols the Med and has cancelled any offensive moves in Asia. It has even had to flee from a three-pronged attack from all the major Axis countries in the Atlantic. It means that Axis without much initial problem can attack the British Isles. Even though it still would be a daring move, Britain can’t do less than keep the land heavily guarded, draining other battlefields.
The Axis offensive in North Africa will be hard stopped this time. With the German Africa Corps in place, led by the skilled panzer officer Walter Model, Brits and Canadians are bound to lose ground. The Brits know they will lose ground on all fronts as long as they stand alone.
January 2nd, 1941
If the desert-battles were hell for the soldiers in the desert, it was not much better in the air. The British superiority was now contested and both sides threw in bombers and fighters to support the battles. Some bombing missions succeeded while some were intercepted. This was clearly visible to Bomber Command who had to alternate their squadrons. Still, Fighter Command won most battles as their adversaries often had a lack of ammunition or spare parts which caused them quite a few problems. While tactical bombers tried to help the Brits in the pocket, heavy bomber squadrons attacked roads and supply depots around the German Africa Corp close to Tobruk.
January 3rd, 1941
In Al Tamimi, all roads were destroyed and no supply depot or truck yard was visible to Bomber Command. Hopefully, this would hopefully mean some difficulties when the German panzers came.
January 3rd, 1941
Italy launched an attack to retake Sardinia. Britain had never bothered to place troops here and neither could or would do much to stop it. It was a time of only losses…
January 4th, 1941
The British armor division never reached the front. The Spanish riders had already given up and the dog-tired British motorized division under Dobbie could not hold on by themselves any longer. They perished there on the desolate beach and surrendered. The British rescue-mission had no chance to reach the coast and save the men. The Axis plot had succeeded and the Allied North Africa just became a little weaker. It was truly dark times.
January 12th, 1941
After the terrible defeat in Darnah, the Allies got a little respite as Axis needed some time to organize the advance on Tobruk. The Brits had no illusions. They knew they were going to lose, but wanted to make the Axis pay for every yard.
The Canadian’s put up a token-defense but retreated to Torbuk after short battle, hoping to find better defenses there. The Italian 3rd division attacked Al Adam against bad odds and immediately started to take losses. Probably, it was all just a diversion, trying to tie down the Brits but it was alright – the Canadians needed time to assemble and dig in in Knightsbridge.
January 16th, 1941
Four days later, the Italian 3rd Division had taken extensive losses and the Brits had gotten used to slaughtering Italians. Knowing Britain got severe punishment on many other fronts this was all good news and reporters made several articles about the heroes of Al Adam. The good days were about to end, though. The Long Range Desert Group reported incoming German Panzers. This was not a force the Brits wanted to face alone out in the open and a plan to retreat towards Knightsbridge was formed. Sadly, the Axis did not seem to have any supply problems. It was a slight misscalculation.
January 18th, 1941
Unable to singlehandedly cope with the massive pressure from Axis diplomatic activities around the world, British diplomats were pulled back from Greece which meant a soon Axis victory here. It was unfortunate but Britain had little choice. The Med slipped more and more out of their influence.
January 18th, 1940
Admiral Cunningham had left the Indian Ocean to support the battles in the Med, bringing with him the most famous division in the United Kingdom. The 1st Infantry Division. Just as they were about to enter the port of Alexandria they were intercepted by Kriegsmarine. It turned out to be an even battle with quite few ships being badly hit. HMS Birmingham was sunk and the German heavy cruiser Blücher was burning and listing as it slowly sailed away from the battle.
It also came as a slight shock to the Allies meeting the Bismarck, Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin. As they had not been there earlier, it was believed they had not been built. But they were…
:: Dog Company was stuck in the steel hull of the transport ship. It was a terrible and nerve-wrecking to sit there, all men quiet and tense, and listen to the muffled sound of naval gun fire outside. They could even hear the sound of a ship gotten hit. And they couldn’t do shit about it.::
::Richard and the Diehards and been “dying” to leave Colombo in the end. They had been there for about half a year, doing no’ing. Made them crazy, it did. One of the ended up in jail for killing a naval officer in a brawl. They needed to get out of there and the defeat at Darnah gave them the opening. Britain needed to reinforce North Africa.::
::”Hell…” Richard said, “…Just send us back to Africa so we can retake the shit hole. I don’t care if it’s friggin’ Krauts or pansy Italians. The Diehards will take care of all o’ them.”::
January 20th, 1940
Admiral Tovey sailed out with another task force, hoping to meet the Kriegsmarine. Instead, the Axis had swapped fleets and he instead faced the feared Yamamoto. The British positioning, however, was quite good and the British fleet managed to give their opponents a frightening barrage.
::This time, Mark Monaghan and HMS Renown was in the front when the Jap navy was spotted. Even though Tovey early on made the other COs know he didn’t plan to linger, Mark saw the chance of scoring a few hits. This time, the Japanese would pay with casualties. Renown soon spied a heavy cruiser that tried to come into firing distance and Mark ordered his “fire at will” and then the music began. All across the ocean, the ships of the British navy fired away on an enemy who still tried to close in. Renown scored a tremendous hit on IJN Aoba who started to burn fiercely. With a grim face he ordered the fire to continue, feeling hope in his chest. They hit the Aoba again, and this time she started to sink immediately. The crew on the Renown shouted of joy – happy that for once succeed in sinking an enemy ship before the HMS Ramillies.::
After the sinking of two Japanese heavy cruisers, Tovey pulled back into the port of Alexandria. After the continuous flow of defeats, this was something to celebrate.
January 21st, 1941
1st Infantry was in Alexandria once again. Last time, about one and a half year ago, they just rushed through it on their way to conquer Tobruk from the Italians. They thought they would do the same this time but got to stay in Alexandria.
::It was somewhat of an orderly chaos here. Lot’s of troops came in or left, and some reorganized into new formations. They all knew that the situation was grim and the Diehards, who thought they were coming to kick some butt, realized they were in for a tough time.::
“Gee, I don’ wanna have a new Caen” Johnny complained. It had been tough fighting there and their long standing friend Malachi had been killed by a tomato masher. “It was hard going there”.
“Take it easy, Johnny…” Richard said as their trucks slowly moved in a column through a busy street with stores and markets on the sides and a chaotic commerce taking place. “The battles are far away from here. A lot will happen before they reach us.” Dick shrugged at his own words. “Either way, we will kill them when we meet them, don’t ye doubt.”
::The trucks kept snailing further into the busy Arabic city and the grim soldiers looked at it all with unimpressed calm stares. After Tovey’s victory out in the Med, divisional HQ managed to distribute a barrel of beer to each company for celebrations. It was good after the long time at sea. Still, the Diehards were eager for battle.::
As Soviet must use all its leadership to prepare for Barbarossa (leadership), UK singlehandedly took charge of counter-influencing all the nations (almost) that Axis influences. Except those listed above, Japan is also influencing Siam and Tibet. But UK can’t stop them all…
January 23rd, 1941
It had been fairly calm around Tobruk for a few days. Troops on both sides needed the rest. In the air, battles of various types were still fought on a daily basis. A few days, RAF rested as the Italian or Japanese bombers targeted Canadian troops with AA-brigades, hoping they could bring down a few planes. Once in a while, RAFs Hurricanes made a run which always resulted in wild dog-fights. Axis seemed to have an endless supply of planes and when one Italian squadron was chased away, a Japanese showed up, or a German. The Brits let damaged and dog-tired squadrons return to England and brought fresh ones. Still, they were not repaired as fast as the new ones got shot down and Britain gradually lost the bite in the air around Tobruk.
February 2nd, 1941
After yet another calm period of about a week – Hell broke loose. It was not Hell in the sense of overwhelming power but it was Hell because the Allies new that Axis now targeted entire North Africa. British Isles was not, as the British leadership had feared, the next target. Instead, a fascist storm would blow across North Africa…
Words from Cybwep after readings that ended July, 14th: Invasion of Spain was their best choice of a target from the ones within Axis reach. I have to repeat my earlier warnings - guard Suez carefully or your Empire will be cut in half. It doesn't matter if Italy loses several ships as long as they gain control over the Mediterranean.
Authors note: A very good call. Unfortunately, this all had happened before that. I did not see this one coming – on this scale. I now realized (or actually somewhat later as this was in the middle of a game session and I did not have the time for long term thinking) that Barbarossa not would come anytime soon. It is of course a worrying thought, especially as we don’t have any House Rule that will force Axis to do it. After reading many of your comments in previous chapters I start to wonder if I should have foreseen this. But I didn’t.
But I have realized something interesting in this particular game. Just as generals and leaders in history, Hitler more than many, got fix ideas of what the enemy would do next, and therefore was slow to see the signs that they were actually doing something else – in the same way I was stuck in my own suspicions. While you, dear readers, not being stuck in MY thinking, saw the danger several months ahead.
I guess it was a quite grave mistake. On the other hand, as I pointed out before, if I had fled this arena, Axis would immediately been throwing themselves over the next target, whatever that might be. So even in hindsight, I’m not sure what would have been the best move.
Part XXIV - Desperate resistance and a whisper of doom
Authors note: Players are UK, CAN, USA, SU, GER/ITA, JAP
ITA player (Zid) played both ITA and GER on two computers as GER-player (Sir Henry) was in a lot warmer country...
USA now got a player (see below).
Last chapter brough only pain to the Allies with Axis setting up several traps. Now, an Axis offensive in North Africa is under progress...
Author’s note: As mentioned in some of your comment, the fact the USA was far from the war and probably just building a lot of crap worried the Allies who felt it was another (and not logical) incentative for Axis to not attack USSR. Allied nations brought up the issue of placing a player on US, even if that wasn’t part of the initial House Rules. Axis accepted this on premises that diplomacy, politics and intelligence was on AI. The player could, however, move troops and take care of production and research. Allies accepted this deal.
We were right, of course. More than half of US production was on AA-emplacements, forts of different kinds and industry. A majority of the rest was on Carriers but no CAGs… The research done was mainly on navy and air force. Infantry and armor was far behind and uneven. For example, one of the slots in cavalry was so far behind so we couldn’t even start researching motorized until a “full” research cycle on one of the cavalry slots. It would take to long into 1942 before the first motorized unit would be finished. Same thing with marines. It made us a little bit sad…
And then it was this thing with the Japanese Navy in the European theatre.
Palm (After last chapter): However I do feel it is a bit cheaty by the Japanese to have a task force in the north sea, especially if you control the Suez
Well, it’s definitely not cheating as nothing in the House Rules forbids it. BUT, you can still debate the game balance. Both devastating naval traps was made possible only because of this and the landing of Germany’s Africa Corps would be extremely risky without it (even though I actually like, from a game-playing view, to have the Africa Corps present). And it’s quite difficult for UK to prevent the situation from happening – in any campaign – if Axis is determined to push it. We did not have a discussion about this issue at this point, but I started to get slightly annoyed and grumpy… - but I wasn't yet sure if I only was grumpy due to being beaten up or if it was actually unfair in any way.
January 1st, 1941
As the world war enters a new year, Great Britain has few things to celebrate. Except a few minor allies (One player on Canada), they are all alone against the might of Germany, Italy and Japan. And have been for some time. Their powers are starting to drain. The Royal Navy, weakened by numberless battle has lost its superiority and has been forced out of several theatres. It no longer patrols the Med and has cancelled any offensive moves in Asia. It has even had to flee from a three-pronged attack from all the major Axis countries in the Atlantic. It means that Axis without much initial problem can attack the British Isles. Even though it still would be a daring move, Britain can’t do less than keep the land heavily guarded, draining other battlefields.
The Axis offensive in North Africa will be hard stopped this time. With the German Africa Corps in place, led by the skilled panzer officer Walter Model, Brits and Canadians are bound to lose ground. The Brits know they will lose ground on all fronts as long as they stand alone.
January 2nd, 1941
If the desert-battles were hell for the soldiers in the desert, it was not much better in the air. The British superiority was now contested and both sides threw in bombers and fighters to support the battles. Some bombing missions succeeded while some were intercepted. This was clearly visible to Bomber Command who had to alternate their squadrons. Still, Fighter Command won most battles as their adversaries often had a lack of ammunition or spare parts which caused them quite a few problems. While tactical bombers tried to help the Brits in the pocket, heavy bomber squadrons attacked roads and supply depots around the German Africa Corp close to Tobruk.
January 3rd, 1941
In Al Tamimi, all roads were destroyed and no supply depot or truck yard was visible to Bomber Command. Hopefully, this would hopefully mean some difficulties when the German panzers came.
January 3rd, 1941
Italy launched an attack to retake Sardinia. Britain had never bothered to place troops here and neither could or would do much to stop it. It was a time of only losses…
January 4th, 1941
The British armor division never reached the front. The Spanish riders had already given up and the dog-tired British motorized division under Dobbie could not hold on by themselves any longer. They perished there on the desolate beach and surrendered. The British rescue-mission had no chance to reach the coast and save the men. The Axis plot had succeeded and the Allied North Africa just became a little weaker. It was truly dark times.
January 12th, 1941
After the terrible defeat in Darnah, the Allies got a little respite as Axis needed some time to organize the advance on Tobruk. The Brits had no illusions. They knew they were going to lose, but wanted to make the Axis pay for every yard.
The Canadian’s put up a token-defense but retreated to Torbuk after short battle, hoping to find better defenses there. The Italian 3rd division attacked Al Adam against bad odds and immediately started to take losses. Probably, it was all just a diversion, trying to tie down the Brits but it was alright – the Canadians needed time to assemble and dig in in Knightsbridge.
January 16th, 1941
Four days later, the Italian 3rd Division had taken extensive losses and the Brits had gotten used to slaughtering Italians. Knowing Britain got severe punishment on many other fronts this was all good news and reporters made several articles about the heroes of Al Adam. The good days were about to end, though. The Long Range Desert Group reported incoming German Panzers. This was not a force the Brits wanted to face alone out in the open and a plan to retreat towards Knightsbridge was formed. Sadly, the Axis did not seem to have any supply problems. It was a slight misscalculation.
January 18th, 1941
Unable to singlehandedly cope with the massive pressure from Axis diplomatic activities around the world, British diplomats were pulled back from Greece which meant a soon Axis victory here. It was unfortunate but Britain had little choice. The Med slipped more and more out of their influence.
January 18th, 1940
Admiral Cunningham had left the Indian Ocean to support the battles in the Med, bringing with him the most famous division in the United Kingdom. The 1st Infantry Division. Just as they were about to enter the port of Alexandria they were intercepted by Kriegsmarine. It turned out to be an even battle with quite few ships being badly hit. HMS Birmingham was sunk and the German heavy cruiser Blücher was burning and listing as it slowly sailed away from the battle.
It also came as a slight shock to the Allies meeting the Bismarck, Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin. As they had not been there earlier, it was believed they had not been built. But they were…
:: Dog Company was stuck in the steel hull of the transport ship. It was a terrible and nerve-wrecking to sit there, all men quiet and tense, and listen to the muffled sound of naval gun fire outside. They could even hear the sound of a ship gotten hit. And they couldn’t do shit about it.::
::Richard and the Diehards and been “dying” to leave Colombo in the end. They had been there for about half a year, doing no’ing. Made them crazy, it did. One of the ended up in jail for killing a naval officer in a brawl. They needed to get out of there and the defeat at Darnah gave them the opening. Britain needed to reinforce North Africa.::
::”Hell…” Richard said, “…Just send us back to Africa so we can retake the shit hole. I don’t care if it’s friggin’ Krauts or pansy Italians. The Diehards will take care of all o’ them.”::
January 20th, 1940
Admiral Tovey sailed out with another task force, hoping to meet the Kriegsmarine. Instead, the Axis had swapped fleets and he instead faced the feared Yamamoto. The British positioning, however, was quite good and the British fleet managed to give their opponents a frightening barrage.
::This time, Mark Monaghan and HMS Renown was in the front when the Jap navy was spotted. Even though Tovey early on made the other COs know he didn’t plan to linger, Mark saw the chance of scoring a few hits. This time, the Japanese would pay with casualties. Renown soon spied a heavy cruiser that tried to come into firing distance and Mark ordered his “fire at will” and then the music began. All across the ocean, the ships of the British navy fired away on an enemy who still tried to close in. Renown scored a tremendous hit on IJN Aoba who started to burn fiercely. With a grim face he ordered the fire to continue, feeling hope in his chest. They hit the Aoba again, and this time she started to sink immediately. The crew on the Renown shouted of joy – happy that for once succeed in sinking an enemy ship before the HMS Ramillies.::
After the sinking of two Japanese heavy cruisers, Tovey pulled back into the port of Alexandria. After the continuous flow of defeats, this was something to celebrate.
January 21st, 1941
1st Infantry was in Alexandria once again. Last time, about one and a half year ago, they just rushed through it on their way to conquer Tobruk from the Italians. They thought they would do the same this time but got to stay in Alexandria.
::It was somewhat of an orderly chaos here. Lot’s of troops came in or left, and some reorganized into new formations. They all knew that the situation was grim and the Diehards, who thought they were coming to kick some butt, realized they were in for a tough time.::
“Gee, I don’ wanna have a new Caen” Johnny complained. It had been tough fighting there and their long standing friend Malachi had been killed by a tomato masher. “It was hard going there”.
“Take it easy, Johnny…” Richard said as their trucks slowly moved in a column through a busy street with stores and markets on the sides and a chaotic commerce taking place. “The battles are far away from here. A lot will happen before they reach us.” Dick shrugged at his own words. “Either way, we will kill them when we meet them, don’t ye doubt.”
::The trucks kept snailing further into the busy Arabic city and the grim soldiers looked at it all with unimpressed calm stares. After Tovey’s victory out in the Med, divisional HQ managed to distribute a barrel of beer to each company for celebrations. It was good after the long time at sea. Still, the Diehards were eager for battle.::
As Soviet must use all its leadership to prepare for Barbarossa (leadership), UK singlehandedly took charge of counter-influencing all the nations (almost) that Axis influences. Except those listed above, Japan is also influencing Siam and Tibet. But UK can’t stop them all…
January 23rd, 1941
It had been fairly calm around Tobruk for a few days. Troops on both sides needed the rest. In the air, battles of various types were still fought on a daily basis. A few days, RAF rested as the Italian or Japanese bombers targeted Canadian troops with AA-brigades, hoping they could bring down a few planes. Once in a while, RAFs Hurricanes made a run which always resulted in wild dog-fights. Axis seemed to have an endless supply of planes and when one Italian squadron was chased away, a Japanese showed up, or a German. The Brits let damaged and dog-tired squadrons return to England and brought fresh ones. Still, they were not repaired as fast as the new ones got shot down and Britain gradually lost the bite in the air around Tobruk.
February 2nd, 1941
After yet another calm period of about a week – Hell broke loose. It was not Hell in the sense of overwhelming power but it was Hell because the Allies new that Axis now targeted entire North Africa. British Isles was not, as the British leadership had feared, the next target. Instead, a fascist storm would blow across North Africa…
Words from Cybwep after readings that ended July, 14th: Invasion of Spain was their best choice of a target from the ones within Axis reach. I have to repeat my earlier warnings - guard Suez carefully or your Empire will be cut in half. It doesn't matter if Italy loses several ships as long as they gain control over the Mediterranean.
Authors note: A very good call. Unfortunately, this all had happened before that. I did not see this one coming – on this scale. I now realized (or actually somewhat later as this was in the middle of a game session and I did not have the time for long term thinking) that Barbarossa not would come anytime soon. It is of course a worrying thought, especially as we don’t have any House Rule that will force Axis to do it. After reading many of your comments in previous chapters I start to wonder if I should have foreseen this. But I didn’t.
But I have realized something interesting in this particular game. Just as generals and leaders in history, Hitler more than many, got fix ideas of what the enemy would do next, and therefore was slow to see the signs that they were actually doing something else – in the same way I was stuck in my own suspicions. While you, dear readers, not being stuck in MY thinking, saw the danger several months ahead.
I guess it was a quite grave mistake. On the other hand, as I pointed out before, if I had fled this arena, Axis would immediately been throwing themselves over the next target, whatever that might be. So even in hindsight, I’m not sure what would have been the best move.
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Great update. Don't bother yourself too much, though. Naturally, troop distribution can always be better, but many of your problems come from the fact that you are fighting all alone against the Axis might. Moreover, unlike IRL, Lend-Lease is of no help in HOI3 Vanilla, so you don't get any from the New World, either.
And yes, the Axis has many strategic possibilities, as initiative is still in its hands. Unless the SU attacks Germany or Japan attacks USA, that won't change for a while.
Good naval handling, BTW. Regarding Japan - I think that the problems arise from several facts. One of them is that beating China is extremely easy in HOI3 Vanilla and there is little threat from the SU, so Japan can freely transport troops, ships and aicraft early on from the Pacific Theatre to the European one. Another is the fact that Germany puppeted Spain in this game, so Japan can freely use bases in Spanish colonies in order to get to the Med. Maybe you should have tried to intercept those ships, which would at least damage them. Maybe you should have guarded Gibraltar more heavily. Hard to tell now. Moreover, Japan has little resource problems in HOI3 Vanilla (as resources are too plentiful and can be stockpiled too easily) and that there is no US embargo on oil, so Japan isn't really forced to attack the Malaya and the Dutch East Indies. Lastly, the SU is very passive in your game. The Axis wouldn't be so bold in Spain and in Africa and if it had to fight on two fronts.
And yes, the Axis has many strategic possibilities, as initiative is still in its hands. Unless the SU attacks Germany or Japan attacks USA, that won't change for a while.
Good naval handling, BTW. Regarding Japan - I think that the problems arise from several facts. One of them is that beating China is extremely easy in HOI3 Vanilla and there is little threat from the SU, so Japan can freely transport troops, ships and aicraft early on from the Pacific Theatre to the European one. Another is the fact that Germany puppeted Spain in this game, so Japan can freely use bases in Spanish colonies in order to get to the Med. Maybe you should have tried to intercept those ships, which would at least damage them. Maybe you should have guarded Gibraltar more heavily. Hard to tell now. Moreover, Japan has little resource problems in HOI3 Vanilla (as resources are too plentiful and can be stockpiled too easily) and that there is no US embargo on oil, so Japan isn't really forced to attack the Malaya and the Dutch East Indies. Lastly, the SU is very passive in your game. The Axis wouldn't be so bold in Spain and in Africa and if it had to fight on two fronts.
"Palm (After last chapter): However I do feel it is a bit cheaty by the Japanese to have a task force in the north sea, especially if you control the Suez
Well, it’s definitely not cheating as nothing in the House Rules forbids it. BUT, you can still debate the game balance. Both devastating naval traps was made possible only because of this and the landing of Germany’s Africa Corps would be extremely risky without it (even though I actually like, from a game-playing view, to have the Africa Corps present). And it’s quite difficult for UK to prevent the situation from happening – in any campaign – if Axis is determined to push it. We did not have a discussion about this issue at this point, but I started to get slightly annoyed and grumpy… - but I wasn't yet sure if I only was grumpy due to being beaten up or if it was actually unfair in any way."
In my opinion the problem is not the fact that the Japanese navy is in the north sea but the fact that Japan declared war on Britain and not on the USA, in reality the USA would never have allowed this to happen.
Well, it’s definitely not cheating as nothing in the House Rules forbids it. BUT, you can still debate the game balance. Both devastating naval traps was made possible only because of this and the landing of Germany’s Africa Corps would be extremely risky without it (even though I actually like, from a game-playing view, to have the Africa Corps present). And it’s quite difficult for UK to prevent the situation from happening – in any campaign – if Axis is determined to push it. We did not have a discussion about this issue at this point, but I started to get slightly annoyed and grumpy… - but I wasn't yet sure if I only was grumpy due to being beaten up or if it was actually unfair in any way."
In my opinion the problem is not the fact that the Japanese navy is in the north sea but the fact that Japan declared war on Britain and not on the USA, in reality the USA would never have allowed this to happen.
Indeed, while it may have been able to convince them the war in the med is "Europe's business" they would not have accepted Japan marching into India. With the AI's questionable build and teching I think it would only be fair to let the US DOW Japan
Although it may seem bad, it's not as bad as it looks...Remember, the longer you delay a Sea Lion, the longer you delay Barbarossa and, as we know, the more time the USSR has to prepare for the invasion, the harder time the Axis will have. Of course as you point out, they do also have the option of not invading at all, but that then opens up the opportunity of the Axis facing a 3 pronged invasion from the USA, UK and USSR forces; not a position they will want to be in.
Try to hold onto Africa as long as possible too, and ensure your priorities. It may be prudent to force a fighting retreat to the western side of the Suez and abandon everything east to the Italian and Japanese landings. You seem to have a decent amount of troops to the west which should buy you a few months time against the Panzers before you must retreat to Alexandria. The airforce is going to be key though. With Axis forces so involved in Africa, you can probably afford to direct the majority of your RAF to Egypt...Lastly, you can't afford to lose much more of the Royal Navy. Despite the encouraging victory against the IJN, that is merely a scratch on the surface of the combined Axis fleets. The main priority is to make sure that the RN is in a state to contest the channel when Sea Lion does arise.
Basically, if you can stall a Sea Lion until the Summer (successful or unsuccessful) then the Axis will not be able to feasibly invade the soviet union until Spring 1942...By which time the bear should have turned into a grizzly
Good job so far CptEasy, and great reading once again
Try to hold onto Africa as long as possible too, and ensure your priorities. It may be prudent to force a fighting retreat to the western side of the Suez and abandon everything east to the Italian and Japanese landings. You seem to have a decent amount of troops to the west which should buy you a few months time against the Panzers before you must retreat to Alexandria. The airforce is going to be key though. With Axis forces so involved in Africa, you can probably afford to direct the majority of your RAF to Egypt...Lastly, you can't afford to lose much more of the Royal Navy. Despite the encouraging victory against the IJN, that is merely a scratch on the surface of the combined Axis fleets. The main priority is to make sure that the RN is in a state to contest the channel when Sea Lion does arise.
Basically, if you can stall a Sea Lion until the Summer (successful or unsuccessful) then the Axis will not be able to feasibly invade the soviet union until Spring 1942...By which time the bear should have turned into a grizzly
Good job so far CptEasy, and great reading once again