There are not enough Italian Roundels!!!

@tamer-of-beasts Often when that happened 2 things would go down:

British navy pulls back and I can immediately crush France and Britain’s navy atleast by round 2

French-North Africa is secured easily

Then there is the British stack in Egypt, usually they pile up there and leave 1 infantry in Alexandria. I often sacrifice my 3 units in Ethiopia to take Sudan and Kenya, letting UK bottle me up through there (which I am fine with)

If I have the transports and the US hasn’t secured Gibraltar yet, most of the times Egypt falls I dont know maybe round 3-4 and then the Middle East (unless they built a factory in Persia, my chances of winning Egypt are hindered)

But it just depends on the Allies if they are good or not :slightly_smiling_face: Italy often doesnt win Taranto but it has happened once or twice before.

Then the US comes in and it is either I have enough income to sustain a fleet capable of securing the Med and subsequently not having North Africa liberated – or I loose like 2 of my transports and cant reinforce Africa any longer so there is lots of choices there.

Usually round 1 I take Yugoslavia and South France, I haven’t done a “Mainland France Kill G1” before but I might next time I play as Germany. Greece goes next maybe round 2 (there is an inside-joke that Yugoslavia and Greece are warriors because they always roll at 2’s or lower. Usually it takes much more than needed to take out Yugo and Greece so who knows the outcome)

Sometimes UK takes Greece (idk why most players dont do this but I guess they dont want to sacrifice their Egypt dudes and a transport) but it is a sting in the butt for Germany and Italy.

Hmmmm what else IDK

@taamvan:

Thanks for going to the rulebook, the old rules I think said 3 squares (how boring)

1st edition of Global 1940 had 3 spaces for rockets, indeed.

@Tolstoj:

Retreating to the Red Sea seems like a good option. The downside seems to me that Italy can block the British way into the Med. At Gibraltar British options seem more attractive:

1. Converging with the US fleet
2. Threatening to land in Italy or France
3. Pressure on the Italian fleet
4. Landing you airforce to help in the above mentioned

I agree. Add to that list that by bringing the planes closer to the UK you make Sea Lion a lot more difficult, which allows you to avoid “turtle infantry builds”.  The airbase at Gibraltar (depends on where the German air is located) has long term benefits. It’s a tremendous force multiplier (protects 91 and 92 with same units). You can reinforce Egypt immediately with air.

If Germany makes a build that isn’t suited to Sea Lion, then it seems better to simply strike 97 to finish the Italians (goes long way to secure Egypt) and scratch the German air force.

I always liked the Bulgarian addition to Italy.  Those 4 Inf are useful, but it sort of commits Italy to covering Romania for German advances in the North which generally means a stream of Mech coming from N.Italy to Romania.

Alternatively, you can give Canada to ANZAC, replace the Canadian units with ANZAC ones, and play that way.

And to answer your question, a lot of people don’t do SeaLion b/cuz it’s not always a guaranteed thing. Depends on what the UK does. If the UK makes it as difficult as possible, then most likely the Germans can take it still but it might be a little dicey and leave them vulnerable to the Russians. If the UK makes it easier then the Germans will be more likely to do a SeaLion. I don’t think a successful SeaLion always means an Axis victory.

For ‘Barbarossa’ Mussolini sent to Army Group ‘South’ sector, the Corpo Spedizionario Italiano in Russia (Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia) of 60.000 men, formed by divisions ‘Pasubio’, ‘Torino’ —type 1938 divisions of 2 infantry and 1 artillery regiments— and 3rd Mobil ‘Principe Amedeo Duca d’Aosta’ —2 cavalry, 1 cycling Bersaglieri and 1 artillery regiments plus support units and an armoured group. Later on the 63rd Assault Legion ‘Tagliamento’ —formed by Black Shirts— joined the CSIR.

On July 1941 the Italian soldiers’ morale was high and the CSIR seemed quite impressive, according to their German counterparts, but their command, motorisation and armoured forces were completely inadequate and they also had a tremedous lack of artillery and AT guns.

In March 1942 Mussolini sent the II Army Corps made of divisions ‘Sforzesca’, ‘Ravenna’ and ‘Cosseria’ and the élite Alpine Corps composed of infantry division ‘Vicenza’ and Alpine divisions ‘Tridentina’, ‘Julia’ and ‘Cuneense’ plus more Black Shirt units gathered in the groups ‘· Gennaio’ and ‘23 Marzo’. The CSIR became the the XXXV Army Corps. This force of 227.000 men was comprised in the VIII Italian Army under field marshal Italo Gariboldi.

On August 1942 the VIII Italian Army took deffensive positions along the Don river, backed by some liaison German units. On November 11th, ‘Operation Little Saturn’ desintegrated almost immediately the II and XXXV Army Corps, leaving the Alpine Corps isolated. After more than 110.000 casualties, the remaining Italian forces re-grouped in the Ukraine and were sent home. “I don’t want to see not even another one soldier of our Allies in the eastern front”, Hitler declared after the débâcles of 1942-1943.

here are these 10 divisions and their commanders:
3rd Cavalry: Amedeo Duca D’Aosta
2nd Infantry (semi-mot): Sforzesca
3rd Infantry: Ravenna
5th Infantry: Cosseria
9th Infantry: Pasubio
52nd Infantry (semi-mot): Torino
156th Infantry: Vicenza
2nd Alpine: Tridentia
3rd Alpine: Julia
4th Alpine: Cuneese

You may use the tank and the two infantries in Albania with maybe an artillery and/or an infantry from Northern Italy. This way, Italy would have done it’s part of the deal for Barbarossa and appease Hitler’s demands about it.