Axis Win

Standard G1 opening, UK fleet destroyed, France taken. UK responds by building destroyers in Atlantic but they are wiped out.  On G2, Germany builds transports for possible sea lion.  UK builds 10 men and reinforces with units from Canada and Africa.  US manages to land some units too.  G3, Germany does not invade but builds up land forces, feigning preparing for seal lion.  Italy attacks USSR on turn 3 and takes Baltic States. G4 Germany moves in and takes Leningrad, blitzing through Baltic states and using transports, destroying much of the USSR’s heavy equipment. USSR counterattacks with everything they have and loses.  Germany, using Italy again to clear a hole, manages to move a large army next to Moscow. USSR can only build 9 men, and then the allies capitulate – the fall of Russia was imminent.

In Asia, Japan did a J1 attack on UK fleet, Hong Kong, and Philippines.  Japan parked part of their fleet in the Carolinas with about 10 fighters/tac bombers on the island.  This prevents the US from moving in.  Japan built a 10 factory on Hong Kong.  The Asian land war slogged on without one side gaining any definitive advantage.  The game was decide in Europe.

Two realizations from the game: even though the US has 80+, poor US management will severely hinder the allies.  The US was a virtual nonentity in the game, splitting its income ineffectively between Europe and Pacific with no results.  In fact the US pacific fleet sailed all the way around Australia to get around the Japanese force at the Carolinas – a complete waste of time.

Second realization, USSR is not as strong as it appears.  After two rounds of continuous fighting the USSR was severely depleted with no tanks, one tac and a few men.  The Italy/German one-two-punch can devastate the Soviets if they are not careful about how they position their forces.  Grouping their tanks and planes one province back creates a sitting target susceptible to wholesale destruction, which is what happened.

Italy moved its tank from Albania and its tank from Northern Italy towards the eastern front and bought 2 mech round one.  Round two the mech moved into east germany.  So two tanks and two mech were in range of the baltic states, which only had one man defending.

Once USSR was destroyed Germany would be in 70+ IPC. territory.  The US was only about to be able to land in strength in France.  With the fall of the USSR in only 3 turns after invasion, there was nothing the allies could do in terms of helping the USSR.  Also, Italy had control of most of Africa and the Mid East.

Russia, to my recollection, had one man in each boarder province, a large stack of Inf, I think the majority if its inf, in Leningrad, and then another in Viborg, with a tank-mech reserve force in Belarus.  It also had some modest inf stacks in the south.

Germany had 7 transports next to west Germany with more then enough inf and artillery to load – the sea lion fiegn.  It also had some inf, say 5-6 strong, in Finland, east Poland and in Romania with I think 6 tanks in support of Poland and 3-4 in supp of Romania and some artillery and mech.  Italy had 2 tanks and 2 mech in east Poland.  Germany also had 4 tac and 4 fighters and bomber all in range of USSR.

It3 opened up Baltics, G4 German blitzed to Leningrad and used transport to land some 14 men and guns.  Germany also moved into all the boarder provinces with Inf and attacked Viborg from Finland. The southern german forces moved forward one space.

USSR response was to attack Leningrad with everything in range, which was the entirety of its tanks and local inf stacks, which if I recall gave them a slight numerical advantage.  USSR won, but the result was devastating for USSR. This army was smashed G5, with Germany using its transports to bring in new units and inf in Baltics.  By G5 the USSR managed to pull together a large force in Bryansk from local units and from Russian reinforcements in an attempt to put together a defense.

On It4, Italy’s small force attacked from Baltic to Western Ukraine knocking out a blocking inf. G5 Germany blitzed through an empty Belarus into Bryansk with tank reinforcements  in Baltics brought up from east Germany. Germany also attacked with southern Tanks and mech force from Bessarabia through Italian hole in Western Ukraine in Bryansk.  Germany smashed the last major Russian force and its air force stationed there.  USSR could only reinforce Moscow with infantry and was defeated.