• If a major allied invasion in western ever occurs, the Germans have probably let the game go on too long.  However, if this happens, there are easier ways too defend France than your traditional Rommel “Atlantic wall” strategy.  Most players will build their western defense on the coast.  This allows for a great advantage to the allied naval and air powers.  Any amphibious landings will be supported by battleships and air power, demolishing much of the coastal defense before the landings even take place (parallels history well).  It also limits your counterattack capabilities if they do establish a foothold in France.  Instead of stacking Infantry in France and Netherlands/Belgium, spend you money more wisely on a smaller, more offense minded tank force in Eastern France, leaving little or no pieces in France and Netherlands/Belgium. Pulling back your forces will annihilate any advantage the allies had with its fleet, and greatly reduce the impact of its air force. Let the landings take place, and then throw them back to the sea with your high rolling tanks, and perhaps what air force you have left in the area.  You will have to temporarily sacrifice your IPC, but it will pay off in the long run.  Your odds of winning are much higher, and your tanks can blitz back to eastern France by the end of your turn. The allies cannot reinforce the newly won territories with fighters until the next turn, and by then, you will have already pushed them out of France.  An AA gun can be moved up from Northern Italy into Eastern France to make the allies think twice before softening your tank force with bomber before their invasion.  Eastern France, besides Germany itself, is the most important European country.  It borders 5 vital territories, and has the ability to counter nearly every allied invasion is properly reinforced. Like all strategies for the Germans, this one begins to fall apart later in the game, but it is the best way to prolong an Allied Invasion in the west and may free up just enough resources and buy you just enough time to win on the Russian front. Sorry if this has been discussed before(I am new to Forums), If it has could some one direct me to the thread.  If not, I would love to hear some responses.


  • I love this tactic!  But if you push the allies back into the water the counter attack will be terrible due to aircraft and ship bombardent. To escape this thread you station your troops in Eastern France as proposed. And additionally you should only try a strafe attack after an allied landing has taken place. Doing so you cut down the allied forces and they cann´t do you no harm that turn.

    You may do so for some turns, but be careful to keep your objective in sight: Moscow! As this requires large resources and any airforce participating is to far from the eastern front on you next turn you should only do so if you are sure that Russia will be yours within the time this tactic gives you. It delays the allied approach but after that your eastern supply chain is broken and you may realize that you needed too long to reach the red square. This is the moment I surrender when playing Germany.

    The counter measure to this is an inicial british landing followed by US fighter support stationed the same turn. Now strafing would be foolish in most cases.

    PS.: Rules: You may not move your tanks another space after combat (This is a national advantage in AARe)


  • Im thinking about trying this in my next Europe game as Germany. I just need to make sure that the Luftwaffe are in place to kill some transports…I dont want a landing so large that I cant knock them off the beach.


  • Thanks for the replies. Does anyone else have different strategies for defending the France and the west, or is a lost cause if the allies land. Do you prevent them from landing by stacking large amounts of infantry, or do you invest in tanks that can push them back into the sea when they do land? Or perhaps a compromise between the two?

  • 2007 AAR League

    I’m not so sure that losing the advantage of defending is worth it because how much air power can there be? Defending will probably still give you a bigger advantage.


  • @Ktperson:

    If a major allied invasion in western ever occurs, the Germans have probably let the game go on too long.  However, if this happens, there are easier ways too defend France than your traditional Rommel “Atlantic wall” strategy.  Most players will build their western defense on the coast.  This allows for a great advantage to the allied naval and air powers.  Any amphibious landings will be supported by battleships and air power, demolishing much of the coastal defense before the landings even take place (parallels history well).  It also limits your counterattack capabilities if they do establish a foothold in France.  Instead of stacking Infantry in France and Netherlands/Belgium, spend you money more wisely on a smaller, more offense minded tank force in Eastern France, leaving little or no pieces in France and Netherlands/Belgium. Pulling back your forces will annihilate any advantage the allies had with its fleet, and greatly reduce the impact of its air force. Let the landings take place, and then throw them back to the sea with your high rolling tanks, and perhaps what air force you have left in the area.  You will have to temporarily sacrifice your IPC, but it will pay off in the long run.  Your odds of winning are much higher, and your tanks can blitz back to eastern France by the end of your turn. The allies cannot reinforce the newly won territories with fighters until the next turn, and by then, you will have already pushed them out of France.  An AA gun can be moved up from Northern Italy into Eastern France to make the allies think twice before softening your tank force with bomber before their invasion.  Eastern France, besides Germany itself, is the most important European country.  It borders 5 vital territories, and has the ability to counter nearly every allied invasion is properly reinforced. Like all strategies for the Germans, this one begins to fall apart later in the game, but it is the best way to prolong an Allied Invasion in the west and may free up just enough resources and buy you just enough time to win on the Russian front. Sorry if this has been discussed before(I am new to Forums), If it has could some one direct me to the thread.  If not, I would love to hear some responses.

    my tanks can blitz back? aftar a battle, even if the battle is more then one round? that was news to me…


  • no, they can´t, so a strafe is better than retaking france.
    You don´t get the income but will not lose your tanks.


  • what about if you keep the inf/art that was along the coast along with the tanks you add… then if you do retake france, you stand a better chance of holding against the next wave of allied landings, which may not be a whole lot stronger than the last as they are using trains of transports.

    i’ve not played much AAE, Rundstedt looks like a good deterrent, especially early.  maybe alternating landing zones by brits from uk and americans out of algeria into france and vichy france could split the defense though…

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