Global 1940 & 1943 Expansions Game Reports

@the-captain Sweet !

@the-captain Wow, just read it. Amazing game report. Maybe you can play as the Axis one time to make @SuperbattleshipYamato happy as you’ll probably defeat any opponent as the developer :)

I started a new game of the House Rule Expansion with all five sections. I did start a game earlier but another game I bought arrived in the middle of the game, so I cleaned it all up and played the other game. Now, I have enough of that other game so I decided to actually play a full game of your great expansion. It’s currently Late 1941, and things are interesting as usual… I followed the strategy guides for Germany, Soviet Union, Japan and United States for this game.

Germany did their opening moves. They took over all of France and Yugoslavia. Finland and Bulgaria joined the Axis. The fleet in sz 111 was destroyed. Near Canada, three U-boots attacked the British destroyer and transport. The destroyer got a hit, so the Germans will not be able to form a wolf-pack if a counterattack happens.

They slowly built up their forces for an Early 1941 Barbarossa campaign. The first Panzer army was created, as well as two Waffen armies, and large stacks of infantry. The initial advance towards Leningrad was successful, and the stack of Russians that took flexible positions in Belarus retreated to Archangel, leaving Leningrad open for the taking. In the south, things didn’t go according to the German plan… a lot of trading took place.

The German force in Bessarabia was attacked with everything the Russians had, and everything but five German tanks got destroyed. The Russians could go on, but they were afraid of an outflanking in Western Ukraine with the German armies in the north. So they retread towards Ukraine and stacked it up with everything it had. The British lend-leased two aircraft to the Russians and flew them to Ukraine, to beef up the defence even more. But the Germans did a risky but bold move. They attacked the Russian forces in Ukraine with everything it had. The five surviving German tanks, a Waffen army in Romania, and all their airpower. The fighting was very exciting, and the Germans managed to destroy the Russian forces (including a Russian army corps and ALL their aircraft) but took heavy losses too. Only one tank and two German planes survived. The Russians regrouped, counterattacked some areas and formed a massive stack in Archangel to counter the German one in Leningrad. The south didn’t have large reinforcements (just a Soviet Army Corps with three guards and a couple of infantry), and with German reinforcements in Poland on their way this may look bad, but next turn the Red Army Conscription will reinforce this area significantly.

The Japanese situation looks pretty bad. A large Japanese army got destroyed by a large Chinese army way deep in china. More Japanese large forces are in Yunnan, keeping the Indians honest but now this army needs to move towards the Chinese in Tsinghai, in order to have a chance to defeat China. The Americans reinforced the Philippines significantly, and the Japanese attack in round 4 didn’t go well. Five American fighters managed to survive and regrouped to the main fleet. The USA, seeing the Japanese struggling with everybody continued to build up naval forces in the Pacific, with a super heavy battleship, destroyers, and carriers.

The situation in Africa is in favour of the Allies. The Italians weren’t able to bring up reinforcements, because their primary goal was to destroy all Allied ships in the Med. After a successful British Taranto raid, the Italians weren’t able to do both. The UK, seeing this, built a factory in Egypt, to build tank units to help in Africa, and aircraft to be lent-leased to Russia.

I can’t wait to see how these events will play out. Japan quickly needs to regroup and take the Philippines, as well as the Dutch East Indies. Italy probably needs to withdraw from Africa, but they can gamble and reinforce it as much as possible, with German aid, and maybe having a chance to dislodge the British from Egypt. On the Eastern Front, the fighting is really exciting and interesting. Both sides have good chances of winning, but German reinforcements are just a bit out of time. And with the Red Army Conscription, lend-lease units (the British can now send three new aircraft as they were destroyed before they were converted into Soviet units), Soviet Guards and eventually Soviet Mass Tank Production, the Soviets have a slight edge. Both sides have a decimated airforce but the Soviets have the lend-lease units.

This is the situation in Early 1942, after the Russian turn. @The-Captain, you have the most experience. Is this a lost position for the Axis?

Lol, why is the quality so bad? I guess you need to get your microscope while looking at this!

There are 19 inf in Archangel, 20 inf in Moscow
5 inf in wUkr, 11 inf in Novgorod

@victoryfirst

I can’t watch! This looks horrible for my favourite power, Japan. By the way, I thought the Soviets could only receive three tanks and three aircraft in the entire game? Excellent report!

@superbattleshipyamato yes, but if they are destroyed before they are converted into Soviet units they don’t count towards the maximum

@victoryfirst

You’re right! That makes this so much worse for the Axis. At least they must be converted to Soviet units, so the Soviets can’t just use them to make certain territories unattackable.

@superbattleshipyamato Yeah, and the worst thing is that Philippines isn’t taken, and the transports need to go back to Japan in order to get troops. Early 1943 is the earliest the Japanese can take over the Dutch East Indies, but that’s unlikely as there is a large US taskforce in Queensland, and reinforcements are on their way.

@victoryfirst said in Global 1940 Expansions Game Report Thread:

Lol, why is the quality so bad? I guess you need to get your microscope while looking at this!

Alternatively you could simply click on the image to enhance it. :slightly_smiling_face:

@victoryfirst

Please tell me (as you seem to be playing by yourself) if you’re willing to do some “creative movement” to favour the Axis?

@panther

Nice one!

@the-captain said in Global 1940 Expansions Game Report Thread:

Also, Japan should launch an amphibious assault against Aleutian islands and/or Alaska - to force the US troops to focus on “cleaning up” rather than offensive operations in the Pacific.

yea, this good advice if the opportunity is there. It’s a strong move that doesn’t cost much. Throw an Escort in for another 6 bucks and you got a 50% chance of killing something better unless it’s a Sub or Escort fodder unit, which is a wash. Make them react to you a little bit.

Also, you kill a National Advantage and activate the Pacific Islands bonus. Although might wanna be careful activating AK. USA end up getting more dough in the long run.

Sounds like a fun game. Looking forward to how it turns out.

These photographs are even worse than before! Anyway, Early 1942, I did the Japanese turn. At first, I thought this didn’t look so bad. The Japanese transports masses around Okinawa. With a naval base built in Kiangsi and lots of troops built in the factories of shantung and Kwangsi, these fellows can take Malaya, Borneo, and Celebes. China got eliminated, and the freed-up troops can now take up the fight with the British

But, of course, after the American turn, it looks even worse. The Americans massed their fleets around the Carolines and took it. Although this fleet is vulnerable to a Japanese counter-attack, the ANZAC forces will reinforce this fleet on their turn, making it impenetrable. And more American reinforcements are on their way. The Japanese need to think hard in order to have a chance. (I did the Japanese turn before I read your comment @The-Captain, attacking Alaska would be a clever move, but I am now a bit out of position…)

And I found a new strategy for Axis-Italy! Building Para’s is the way to go! This way you can take a lot of places that you otherwise need a transport to take it. The Italians built some paratroopers and flew to North Africa. These were able to finally conquer all of Africa, and after that, they were able to fly to Gibraltar and take it. They also flew some of them to Syria, threatening to take the Middle East. They just collected all of their bonus income. If they start to build up a lot of infantry, the Germans will have a lot of spare forces once they take over Italy.

This is the situation on the Eastern Front, Late 1942, after the German turn. Using paratroopers, they blocked the Soviet armies in Archangel to counter-attack the two German armies in Bryansk. (I forgot to move the two AA guns in Bessarabia to Ukraine, I corrected that later).

The situation in the Atlantic? Well, the British have built up a large task force with a Carrier, a Battleship, two Cruisers and four Destroyers. The Americans are still on the east coast, but they have two Carriers and three destroyers. So seeing this, the Germans retreated their last six subs to the med, in order to hinder the Allies there. The battle of the Atlantic is lost to Germany.

And while I am doing the Soviet turn, what happens if an Army takes casualties? Are the extra dice cancelled immediately?
Example 1: A Panzer Army is attacked. The attacker scores three hits. Three Panzers are selected as a casualty. Is the army now disrupted, and will the defender only roll six dice, or the full ten?

Example 2: Same example, but now the defender gets six hits, immediately destroying all the units in the Army. How many dice gets the defender to roll?