Session VII Game Summary:
Players:
Mighty G, UK and the Allies
Cueball, Germany and the Axis
Geofactor, the Soviet Union
Unscheduled Game Engine Events: I dropped, we rehosted using a client save.
Average game speed: Slow
Session Length: 3 hours
Start date: August 5th, 1942
End date: September 26th, 1942
Late Summer and Fall Campaigns in Russia
Strategic Considerations:
It is obvious that something has to be done about the slowly growing Allied presence in Greece, but we really can not afford to let any opportunity to destroy Russian divisions while we can. Therefore the main thrust of session 7 is still operations in Russia. I have sent a small force of 10 extra divisions to help smother the Allied advance to prevent them from breaking out, but nothing of the key offensive assets of the Wehrmacht are deployed in the Balkans.
Game Play Comments:
Breaking through at Chernigov-Gomel and Vyshgorod was very profitable, and I think I netted another 50 divisions in an massive overrun. I was lucky here because Geo attacked with his massed armour just east of Chernigov, just before I was about the launch my attack. He quickly realized the issue when the strength of my attack became evident, and canceled his attack, but the armoured force he would need to reinforce his position at Chernigov was depleted by their own attack, and by the time he brought them into play, it was too late. At the same time, units to the west of Chernigov were engaged by a general attack from Axis allies, and helped to pin possible reinforcements there, allowing for the blitz breakthrough into Gomel.
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From the Game Log:
Code:
name = "2:00 August 14, 1942 : USA entered a Military Alliance with United Kingdom, France, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, British Raj, Belgium, Netherlands, "
name = "Turkey and Persia."
name = "2:00 August 14, 1942 : Philippines entered a Military Alliance with United Kingdom, France, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, British Raj, Belgium, "
name = "Netherlands, Turkey, Persia and USA."
name = "2:00 August 14, 1942 : Liberia entered a Military Alliance with United Kingdom, France, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, British Raj, Belgium, Netherlands, "
name = "Turkey, Persia, USA and Philippines."
name = "2:00 August 14, 1942 : Philippines joined the war on the same side as United Kingdom, France, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, British Raj, Belgium, "
name = "Netherlands, Turkey and Persia in their war against Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, Sweden and Bulgaria."
name = "2:00 August 14, 1942 : Liberia joined the war on the same side as United Kingdom, France, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, British Raj, Belgium, "
name = "Netherlands, Turkey, Persia and Philippines in their war against Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, Sweden and Bulgaria."
name = "2:00 August 14, 1942 : We have spotted and started bombing an enemy fleet in Sea of Marmara."
name = "2:00 August 14, 1942 : USA joined the war on the same side as United Kingdom, France, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, British Raj, Belgium, Netherlands, "
name = "Turkey, Persia, Philippines and Liberia in their war against Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, Sweden and Bulgaria."
Code:
name = "Mighty G (everyone):its a long way to tipperary"
name = "Mighty G (everyone):its a long way to go"
We tried to get the Abwehr to decode the meaning of that, but our boys failed, unfortunately. It was suggested it might be lyrics from a popular song, but we aren't fooled by such tricks. We had that analyst sent off...
Game Play Comments:
After Gomel I try for Kaluga in an effort to turn the entire Russian flank. This turns out to be a mistake, rightly I should have turned around immediately, and pressed my attack west in an effort to trap the advanced Russian units in Beloryussia. I attempt this second plan, but my armoured units are so depleted by the attacks at Gomel and then Kaluga that they simply don't have the juice to fight the fresh Soviet divisions in Beloryussia, though I do force them to withdraw. I might have picked up a division or two, but by the time we got around to this plan, Geo was already retreating out of the danger zone.
Geo is not one to turn down an opportunity, and in true Geo style counters my advance in Beloryussia with an attack in the Urkaine. I almost pocket the best part of the Russian Armour just outside of Kiev when I try to pincer the flanks of his attack, but they escape in another near miss for the Wehrmacht.
Its been fast and its been pell-mell with attacks and counter attacks on both sides, but by the end of the campaign season, I am faced with the task of dealing with the Allies in Greece, so I carefully withdraw and start redeploying.
Campaign Assessment:
This year, I have to be satisfied with the 70+ divisions I picked up after the attack in Ukraine and Crimea, and then later at Gomel. Its been a good year, and the Russians have been cut down a bit, but they are hardly anywhere near dead.
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From the Game Log:
Code:
name = "Mighty G (everyone):longest beach landing in history"
name = "Mighty G (everyone):^^"
name = "Mighty G (everyone):coons on sardinia fighting to the last breath"
Code:
name = "Mighty G (custom):ill be able to open a second front by christmas"
name = "Mighty G (custom):ill probably look to take norway 1st"
He is lying of course. I know because my subs are catching his TP's going to the med, so he is either going to expand his front in Greece, or try and open a new one in Italy.
Session VIII Game Summary:
Players:
Mighty G, UK and the Allies
Cueball, Germany and the Axis
Geofactor, the Soviet Union
Unscheduled Game Engine Events: MG dropped once, game was lagging for Allies so we set the game to very slow.
Average game speed: Very Slow
Session Length: 4 hours
Start date: September 26th, 1942
End date: December 1st, 1942
Driving the Invaders from Europe
Strategic Considerations:
With the USA in the war, the time to act is now. I must force MG to make a landing as opposed to simply adding troops to an already established beach head. In order to drive this army from Greece, I originally am taken with the idea of invading Turkey using the Regia Marina to make a landing, and at the same time using a paradrop. Then I would land troops in behind the defenders at the Bosprus, and work to cutting off any retreat for the force in Greece.
Here again, my main objective is to take as many divisions as possible.
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From the Game Log
Code:
name = "11:00 November 18, 1942 : We lost a naval battle against United Kingdom in Ionian Sea. The following ships were sunk."
name = "United Kingdom - HMS Eagle(CVL)."
name = "Italy - RM Giulio Cesare(BB)."
name = "Mighty G (everyone):you know its a bad day when lvl 1 british scrap ships beat you up"
name = "Mighty G (everyone):^^"
name = "13:00 November 22, 1942 : We lost a naval battle against United Kingdom in Ionian Sea. The following ships were sunk."
name = "United Kingdom - HMS Colombo(CL)."
name = "8:00 November 23, 1942 : Regia Marina has arrived in North Aegean Sea."
name = "11:00 November 23, 1942 : We have engaged hostile fleets in North Aegean Sea."
name = "15:00 November 23, 1942 : We lost a naval battle against United Kingdom in North Aegean Sea. The following ships were sunk."
name = "Italy - RM Eugenio di Savoia(CL)."
name = "Mighty G (everyone):hmmm"
name = "Mighty G (everyone):italy navy slipped away?"
name = "Mighty G (everyone):slippery bastard"
Game Play Notes
Events simply move to fast for me to contemplate a clever invasion of Turkey and the Regia Marina is quickly put to work with other objective.
My opportunity to kick the British out of Greece starts out with a clear error on my part. I'd like to say I meant to do this, but basically I just left Tirrana open, which was a very stupid thing to do. Not only is it a beach, but it is a port, and in mountains as well. Once in there the Allies would be very hard to dislodge, and could easily turn my flank.
MG sees this opportunity and acts on it immediately. Its a good plan and comes very close to working. What he doesn't expect is that I now have a huge force heading to the Balkans. In fact, had I done anything less than redeploy nearly all of the Wehrmacht armour to the Balkans and the Crimea, he very likely would have succeeded.
Fortunately, my forces are almost there at the time when MG is moving, and so I hastily throw them into the fray without delay or even waiting for them to "Org Up". The Regia plays what looks like will be its last critical roll in the war ferrying Armour divisions through the North Aegean and into Greece. Its a risky operation, and in order to cover it, I have to bait the RN with what remains of my surface fleet.
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From the Game Log:
Code:
name = "Mighty G (everyone):Die Guderian!"
name = "Mighty G (everyone):Mother Fucker!"
name = "Mighty G (everyone):2 steps forward 2 steps back in the balkans"
name = "Mighty G (everyone):nice little skirmish"
name = "Mighty G (everyone):well hopefully it bought geo some time"
name = "Mighty G (everyone):quite a bit of whermacht in blkans now"
name = "cueball (everyone):yup"
Code:
name = "Mighty G (everyone):paras have 89 XP and havnt even jumped from a plane yet"
name = "Mighty G (everyone):lol"
name = "Mighty G (everyone):mountbatten is the man"
name = "Mighty G (everyone):will have to put that in my aar"
name = "Mighty G (everyone):ill do it a bit later tonight"
name = "Mighty G (everyone):btw" "
name = "Mighty G (everyone):mountbatton is now a skill 4 commando!"
Game Play Notes:
MG quickly got out of Tirrana as soon as the weight of my attack became evident, a wise move, even though I am sure he could have held on there for quite some time. Instead he decided to concentrate his forces at the choke point of the Greek peninsula at Athens. This all turns out to be one hell of a slug fest with back and forth battles all over, finally resolving into two titanic battles in Agrinno, and in Athens.
Campaign Assessment:
At the end of the session it looks like we will knock the British out of Greece, but at considerable loss of valuable MP, and half the remaining assets of the Regia Marina, which was already cut in half. The Regia as useful as it has been is now down to 25% of its original force strength. MG fought all the way here, and things are not going to get any easier, both with the Allies and with Russia.
