Cold War / Using AA 1940 Global war board

This is actually game #14 of East & West (between myself and @The_Good_Captain) dating back to December of 2021.

Below is my recap of the game, up to the end of round 4; a friend had asked for something of a deep-dive on the NATO strat, and how the game state had gotten to where it was, so there is a lot more detail given to that (also, because the NATO perspective is my perspective, obviously.)
For those unfamiliar, in this game NATO consists of 3 powers: Western Europe (WE), British Empire & Commonwealth (UK), and the United States (US).

This is the 2nd game which TGC has edited together YouTube videos for; you can check those out here:

Soviet opening
NATO turn 1 recap; Soviet turn 2
NATO turn 2 recap; Soviet turn 3
NATO turn 3 recap; Soviet turn 4

Also, check out his channel for videos of our previous game, plus other games – including multiple 1914 playthroughs.

Rounds 1-4 recap

Atlantic

Rd1:
Soviets sent all subs + 1 fighter against the North Sea; the SZ was cleared without loss, but this meant the subs were stranded without any surface ships for AA cover.

On the counterattack, UK’s fleet + 1 bomber wiped out the surface fleet without loss, while the remainder of their air force attacked the subs, scoring 2 hits. Because WE had moved a transport into the Irish SZ (shipping the lone infantry from Portugal to France) the remaining Soviet sub could only submerge, or retreat to the Batlic; it opted to do the latter.

The US moved their sub (from Iceland) into the North Sea to keep the other sub penned in, and prevent it from being used in concert with any air power against the main NATO fleets.
UK places 2 transports in Ontario; US places 3 transports off the East Coast.

Rd2:
Soviets sent their sub after the Americans’ but opted to retreat back after one round of fire, with neither side scoring a hit. US fighters based in France were able to sink the sub.

Overall losses: USSR: 3 subs, 1 transport, 1 cruiser US: 2 transports, 1 cruiser Pacific

Rd1:
The Soviets did the standard “Tokyo Drift” setup. US opted to salvage their sub from the Japan SZ, with the Soviets losing 1 sub and retreating the other to Marcus Island SZ; the US sub at Guam also survived, and retreated to Okinawa SZ to join the other retreating US sub.

Both US subs, both US bombers, and 1 fighter were sent to clear Japan SZ; a cruiser and fighter from the West Coast + the sub at Hawaii were sent to clear Guam SZ. Only 1 sub was lost (in the Japan SZ battle.) US navies grouped up around Guam and Hawaii.

Rd2:
Soviet fighters were sent to sink the lone sub in the Japan SZ; they missed, and the sub opted to submerge in place. This kept the sea lane open for the US transports, for a possible landing in Korea.

The US bombers (which had landed in Japan) were sent against the remaining sub at Marcus Island, along with 1 fighter. The sub was sunk, with 1 bomber moving to Panama and the other moving to the Eastern US to rendezvous with the nuke. A token force was left in the Pacific, with a transport depositing the armor (originally from Okinawa) at the Western US; all other naval assets were moved towards the Panama canal.

Overall losses: USSR: 2 subs, 2 transports, 2 cruisers US: 1 sub, 1 cruiser, 1 battleship Africa / Middle East / Central Asia

Rd1:
Soviets do the standard Turkey attack, with only 2 attacking infantry surviving.

WE sends infantry in Africa eastward; armor from Italy is transported to Sudan. The fighter from Indochina lands in Pakistan, along with 2 infantry via transport; the remaining infantry walks forward to Burma. French paratrooper lands in Pakistan. Fighter from France lands on the UK carrier; entire WE and UK Mediterranean fleets are moved to the Red Sea. UK fighter from the Mediterranean goes to Pakistan. WE places infantry in Madagascar and Mozambique.

Cruiser from South Africa moves north, into the Atlantic; infantry move to Mozambique, armor moves to Congo. UK pushes everything forward, from India into Pakistan. All Australian assets are moved to India; Burma’s infantry moves to Indochina to protect from paratroopers based in Siberia. Indian navy moved to Persian Gulf.

Rd2:
Soviets invade Iran with everything from Turkey, Georgia, and Turkmenistan. Soviets move more tanks into Georgia.

WE does no combat this round. Infantry are again moved east, into Sudan; the tank from Sudan is transported to Pakistan, while the 2 infantry placed last round in Africa are also transported to Pakistan. The 2nd WE fighter lands in Pakistan, and their remaining armor is moved from France to Algeria. The bomber moves to New Guinea. WE places in Indochina and Africa.

UK attacks Turkmenistan (1 inf, 1 arm, 2 ftr vs. 1 inf) and captures the territory without loss; all attacking equipment is moved back to Pakistan. Indian units move to Pakistan, Burma infantry to India; the infantry and armor originally from South Africa are transported to Pakistan. Transport at India moves back to Australia; UK subs rally in the Red Sea, carrier moves to Persian Gulf. Paratroopers from Italy are landed in Pakistan.

Rd3:
Soviets counterattack Turkmenistan, pulling their fighters from the far east to do so. They rally their forces in Iran.

WE uses their armor to attack Turkmenistan, and their fighters + cruiser to attack Turkey, losing only 1 infantry in the Turkmenistan battle. Armor in Algeria moves to Sudan. Bomber brings paratrooper from New Guinea to Pakistan. Infantry from Madagascar and Mozambique are again transported in, as well as the 2 infantry that arrived in Sudan last turn.

UK uses paratroopers and fighters from Pakistan to attack Georgia, capturing the territory with only 1 loss. Transports ship infantry from Australia, Ceylon, and Singapore onto the mainland.

Rd4:
Soviets are forced to pull infantry from Romania for an amphibious assault into Turkey. They also counterattack Georgia and Turkmenistan, recapturing all 3 territories at a loss of only 1 infantry. Iran is heavily reinforced, with additional fighters, as well as a heavy armor and bomber.

WE attacks Turkmenistan and Turkey again, but fares much worse in both attacks this time, losing 4 infantry in total but still managing to capture both territories. The French armor finally reaches Pakistan, while the bomber is sent back to Europe. Infantry are placed in Indochina, Madagascar, and Mozambique again.

UK sends 1 infantry to cover the empty Turkmenistan, but otherwise reinforces into Pakistan.

Overall losses: USSR: 17 inf WE: 14 inf, 1 arm, 1 ftr UK: 3 inf Neutral: 2 inf, 1 arm, 1 ftr Europe + Mediterranean

Rd1:
Soviets do the standard attacks; only 5 infantry remaining in West Germany, 1 in Greece, but all 5 in Norway. Soviets rally in Poland and Romania, as is customary.

WE trades an infantry with the Soviets, over Yugoslavia; the Americans move 1 more infantry in to reinforce. Infantry are placed in France. UK forces move from France to Italy.

Rd2:
Soviets invade Finland (without loss) and counterattack Yugoslavia.
WE infantry are moved from France into Italy, to oppose the new stack in Yugoslavia.

British marines from Canada land in Komi (unopposed) and Norway (w/ naval bombardment). Infantry from Gibraltar and Algeria are landed in France.

US activates the classic shuck-shuck; the US Mediterranean transport arrives in the Irish SZ.

Rd3:
Soviets invade Sweden and Switzerland, losing 3 infantry in each battle; also counterattack Norway and Komi. Soviet forces marshal in Ukraine.

Italians perform the now-infamous bayonet charge into Yugoslavia; 3 infantry killed, taking no losses. UK mops up the remaining infantry in the territory, while also exchanging infantry in West Germany (w/ naval bombardment). South African cruiser reaches the Mediterranean.

Spain joins the war, on the side of the US.
US forces in Italy and France (bolstered by Spanish units) combine to strafe the Soviet stack in Switzerland, regrouping in France; US drops the nuke on West Germany, immobilizing 2 fighters in addition to killing 5 infantry. Arab Outrage leads to the Suez Canal being closed to NATO. US bomber arrives in France from Panama, with 1 paratrooper.

Rd4:
Soviets re-secure Yugoslavia. Soviet forces are consolidated in West Germany and Finland.

WE uses their bomber to help retake Yugoslavia once again.

British armor helps to liberate Switzerland, while the British Mediterranean fleet wipes out the Soviet Black Sea fleet. Royal marines capture an only lightly-guarded Karelia.

US air and airborne forces liberate Norway, against minimal opposition. US marines capture Komi (w/ naval bombardment). Final US transport from the Pacific reaches the East Coast, as the shuck-shuck intensifies.

Overall losses: USSR: 54 inf, 1 trn, 1 sub, 1 crz WE: 12 inf, 2 arm, 1 ftr UK: 6 inf, 1 arm, 1 ftr, 1 sub US: 13 inf, 2 arm, 1 ftr, 1 bmb Neutral: 9 inf, 1 arm, 2 ftr

Active Nations:

USSR: 45 IPCs
Would include all starting USSR territories, plus the following:
Germany, Poland, Slovakia Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Albania

Western Europe (WE) : 23 IPCs

Portugal, Portuguese Guinea, Angola, Mozambique Holland Belgium, Suriname, Belgian Congo Greenland, Iceland, Denmark, Norway Northern Italy, Southern Italy, Sicily, Sardinia Turkey, Greece, Crete

So in E&W, a bit ahistorically (as the game is set in 1948) Greece and Turkey are part of WE, despite not joining NATO until 1952. For now I’m lumping them in here, but my other preference would be to have them as strict neutrals – more on that later.

Also in E&W, Greenland and Iceland are treated as US territories; since both are worth 0 IPCs on the Europe 1940 map, the only real important distinction is whether they are hostile or friendly, so I wanted to include them under WE instead.

UK: 31 IPCs
gains the following territories:
Italian Somaliland, Tobruk, Libya, Western Germany

UK loses Trans-Jordan, Egypt, Alexandria to the Arab League UK loses Iceland to WE

US: 38 IPCs
gains the following territories:
Greater Southern Germany

US loses Southeast Mexico to the OAS US loses Greenland to WE

Neutral Powers:

France (pro-NATO) : 16 IPCs

France loses Syria to the Arab League

What I’m proposing for France would be sort of a hybrid rule between the activation rules for pro-neutrals, and a house rule I proposed for China, in E&W.

Essentially how this works is that France would contribute income to WE, based on the IPC value of French territories containing NATO troops (WE, UK, or US) at the end of Western Europe’s turn. If France is attacked by the USSR, all French units and territories would convert to WE ownership.

The reason for doing this is primarily to keep France as part of NATO, without making WE so huge economically that they don’t need any help. Also, by weakening NATO a little bit in this way, I’m hoping to avoid needing to use the E&W rule whereby USSR gets infantry for 2 IPCs instead of 3 IPCs.

Organization of American States (OAS) : 9 IPCs
(Essentially, all of the neutral South American countries except Suriname, plus Southeast Mexico)
If the OAS is attacked by the USSR, all OAS units and territories would convert to US ownership.

Arab League: 8 IPCs
(Alexandria, Egypt, Trans-Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia)
If the Arab League is attacked by the USSR, all Arab units and territories would convert to UK ownership.

…
So, in addition to possibly including a diplomacy mechanism similar to classic E&W, I was wanting to incorporate one of the house rules I had suggested for E&W and apply it to this scenario:

All remaining neutrals are considered “strict neutrals”
However:

The USSR may attack any neutral at any time. If the USSR attacks a strict neutral, rather than having ALL strict neutrals side with NATO (as in classic Europe 1940) instead NATO gets to shift either the OAS or Arab League one step on the diplomacy scale.

Now, if Greece and Turkey are kept as strict neutrals, rather than being part of WE, this rule could potentially have large consequences if/when the USSR chooses to attack them.

I was thinking instead of the classic E&W diplomacy scale, it’d make more sense to have it like -8/-6/-4/-2/0/+2/+4/+6/+8

Strict Neutrals:
Probably a good “hard and fast” rule would be that if attacked by the USSR, strict neutrals in Europe would join WE, while strict neutrals in Africa or the middle east would join UK; Rio De Oro would be considered part of Spain, for these purposes. If Turkey is neutral…? I’d probably consider them part of the middle east.

Europe: Eire, Spain / Rio De Oro, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland Africa: Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ethiopia Middle East: Northwest Persia, Persia, Eastern Persia, Afghanistan

What this all means:

Starting Income:
USSR: 45
NATO: 92

Maximum potential income, including neutrals:
USSR (plus Arab League, OAS*, and all strict neutrals) : 71
WE (plus France, and all strict neutrals in Europe) : 46
UK (plus Arab League, and all strict neutrals in Africa + Middle East) : 42
US (plus OAS*) : 46

*Assumes OAS income is capped at 8 rather than 9

Ya it works.

@Yavid:

nations with an “old bb” piece from HBG I’ve replaced improved mech inf. tech with heavy battleship tech. HBG become the standard BB and used at set up and can be purchased until you get the tech. After you get the tech you can buy the OOB battleships as heavy battleships. These Heavy Battleships are 4/4/2/20 units just like standard but take 3 hits to sink and roll two dice in combat taking the best roll and using it.

Interesting idea, though I’m not sure if I want to make it a “tech” thing, especially since all the nations had new BB’s already in production before the war started.  I’d be more inclined to make it a “tech” ability to create a TRUE SBB along the lines of Yamato, Montana or H-class (and perhaps Sovietsky Soyuz, and, perhaps even more arguably Iowa, Vanguard and Lion), of which the Yamato is the only one we’re likely to have a piece for any time soon (and of which only the Yamato was ever actually built)… I might try something along these lines, along with maybe a “super-cruiser” and/or “super-carrier” tech if and when I ever decide to try using some of my painted NAVWAR or Panzerschiffe pieces on a very big map like GW1939… but I don’t see the likelihood of having AA-scale pieces of any of the other true SBB’s any time soon.

Another idea: perhaps old BB’s could be a 3/4/2 unit or a 4/3/2 unit; the rationale here is that the “real world” speed difference may not be enough to make a difference in the category of strategic mobility (which is what speed really represents in game terms, and most especially on the smaller board versions) but rather that the old/new speed difference should be understood as more an issue of “tactical” mobility which could put old BB’s in a combat disadvantage on either defense or offense?  If so, though, in which of the two would the lack of tactical mobility be more important?  I’m leaning toward it being a bigger disadvantage on offense, but I’d be interested in hearing other opinions.

In any case, keep in mind, for all of you out there who plan to use some sort of “old BB” house rules, that classic BB pieces are about perfect for this while we’re waiting for HBG to get to all of the nations’ version of one.  Similarly, the classic version’s carriers are almost perfect for generic CVE’s.  Variable or Coach, do you guys have classic pieces available for these two unit types for most of the relevant nations for those who don’t have oodles of them lying around?

Gents, does anyone know the scale of AA aircraft? 1-600 or 1-300?  I figured out they are not 1-700 scale waterline size.  I-94 Enterprises has decals in both sizes.

Cheers

Table Tactics used to have available the Central Powers units, which if you combined them with say the infantry figures and artillery from Attack, you could pretty much have what you needed for a WW1 land game, and the naval units, less carriers, would cover the naval aspect.  You could pretty much eliminate the Asian aspect as that lasted a very short time.  You did have the Emden raiding in the Indian Ocean and Von Spee’s squadron sailing across the Pacific, sinking Cradock’s two cruisers, Good Hope and Monmouth, and then attacking the Falklands, where 4 our of 5 of his cruisers were sunk in December of 1914.  Aside from those naval actions, you do not have much at all.

You would need the Mid East and Africa for those campaigns, and Lettow-Vorbeck was still fighting in November of 1918, and you cannot pass up the Arab Revolt and Allenby’s campaigns in the Mid East, nor Gallipoli.  The current Europe 1940 board would be about right, reset to 1914. Another option for a start would be the basic Attack Game board covering Europe and the Americas, and then redraw the boundaries.

I am talking to Table Tactics about doing some more WW1 tanks besides the Mark II that they have: the French Renault, maybe a British Whippet as a later war tank, the German A7V, and a Rolls-Royce armoured car for the Mid East.  Given the small size of most of your WW1 fighters, you probably would want to use 1/300 scale for the fighters, rather than 1/600.  I am checking with another company on Zeppelins, and they already do a nice blimp.  Get a mix of 1/2400 scale and 1/4800 scale WW1 ships, and you have the basis for a prototype.

For Countries in the Game, you have the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire on one side, and the British Empire, France, Italy, and a Russian/US player.  The US comes in with either the Russian Revolution or the use by Germany of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare.  I have thought of a couple of ways to trigger the Russian Revolution, with the option of preventing it if the Ottomans are knocked out soon enough.  Hard to say how to handle the Balkans, as Serbia has a claim to be in the game somehow, unless they are controlled by the Russian player until knocked out of the war.

There should be some nice naval actions between the German and UK, and the Italians, the Austrians, the French and the UK in the Med, with some chance for action in the Baltic and the Black Sea.  Not sure how to handle the stalemate on the Western Front as yet.  However, it is only 2011, so there is time yet.

tank #2 = IS-2….naaa release to late in the war to get a real impact.

I don’t know where on earth you guys are getting this: it’s simply not true!  (Are you guys still confusing the IS-2 with the IS-3?)  The KV series was off of the battlefied for the second half of the war, for the most part, and replaced by the IS-2!  More IS-2’s were produced than either KV-1 or KV-2’s (or stop-gap measures such as the KV-85 for that matter) and the Soviet counter-offensive that really won the war on Germany was spearheaded by twice as many IS-2’s as Germany ever produced Tigers!

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