@aadudecphdk1981

On Amazon UK, I was able to find the game sealed and shrink wrapped for only 130 pounds! This is compared to the normal (rounded up) 500 US dollar price on Ebay-I was able to ship it to a friend’s house in Scotland and from there sent to my place. Unfortunately that was the last copy, so I can’t help anyone else with this-still, keep looking and you should be able to find it eventually! It took me a long time, but I was able to find it!

@witt

I believe that they could have captured Tripoli-however, if Germany launched an all out Mediterranean campaign instead of Barbarossa, Germany would have been able to regain the initiative due to possibly an entire Panzer Army being sent to Libya, or if not possible, Tunisia (historically, Germany made quite good negotiations with Vichy France to get them to join the war on the Axis side, which only stopped after the failure of talks with Spain), crossing the Mareth Line. In the end, Germany would have won especially as they would not have needed to invade Crete (if the British did not move troops to Greece, they wouldn’t garrison men off Crete), allowing for an assault on Malta, and Hitler, summoning all of his “diplomatic strength”, would convince Franco to invade Gibraltar. In the end, the Suez would have fallen. And if the Panzer Army couldn’t reach Cairo, Hitler would also have been able to convince Turkey to join the Axis, or invade Cyprus, which either way, would allow Germany to move into Syria and Iraq, driving from the east to the Suez.

I’m so happy. I voted Stalingrad, but still we are getting a new Axis and Allies game. I’m sure Larry Harris passed the torch well. I hope that this community will like this game, and it won’t be controversial.

@kaleu

This is all true.

Firstly, it’s possible that Hitler could have restrained himself for the moment and go against the Mediterranean, a decision support by Raeder and Goring.

Secondly, the main reason Franco was so toxic was that before Hitler’s meeting with Franco, he sent Wilhelm Canaris, a secret member of the German resistance movement, to negotiate with Franco, and Canaris said that he though that Germany was going to lose the war and Hitler was planning to move to the east (it’s said that Hitler was actually going back and forth between the Mediterranean and the Soviet Union). If Hitler really committed to it, he would have been more forceful, and Franco would have relented, especially if the Battle Of Britain had not concluded yet. If Vichy France entered the war, Hitler might have been able to mediate between it, Italy, and Spain about North Africa.

Finally, a similar situation could have appeared with Turkey, where if Hitler really did everything possible to convince them, it might have worked out. If it didn’t, Germany could use their paratroopers (as they would not be beaten up at Crete, due to the British heading for Tripoli) to possibly take Cyprus, depending on the result of an airborne invasion of Malta. Due to no British intervention in Greece, there would have been no disaster at Cape Matapan, and Italy’s navy, along with a Luftwaffe not burdened with commitments on the Eastern Front, could have swept the waters around Cyprus (as likely as not), and launch an amphibious invasion if paratroopers alone can’t cut it. If Cyprus is taken, a leap into Vichy French Syria would be in order. From there, Germany can launch a massive offensive against the Suez Canal, which Britain cannot hold with an attack on two fronts. Additionally, Germany will have support from Iraq, which won’t be destroyed with direct aid from Germany and Italy.

@captainwalker

Today where I live is the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Rimini, a town on the Adriatic coast of Italy. Its liberation was part of the broader Operation Olive, an attempt by the Allies to break through the Axis-held Gothic Line in Northern Italy. While they experienced multiple tactical victories, the Germans were able to hold out long enough to prevent a decisive breakthrough until winter came. It would not be until 1945 that the Allies would break through the Gothic Line and liberate the rest of Italy.

Rimini was actually liberated by a Greek unit fighting with the British, one major highlight in the Greek military history of the war following the country’s fall in 1941.

@nolimit

I also have an idea for another Soviet national objective:

5 IPCs if the Soviet Union controls 6 Chinese territories. Theme: aid to the Chinese communists and establishment of a Communist Chinese government.

Have you ever heard of the book called If The Allies Had Fallen? It examines many what ifs of World War 2, with all of them very grounded in reality. A lot of the chapters are written very differently, from basically scholarly analysis to what the history books would have said had the timeline changed in the way described. If you had read the book, what do you think? Thank you!

@nolimit

Oops, sorry! My mistake…

The reason I hoped to do 15 victory cities is that the Axis will have to build up a big navy, instead of just doing an all continental assault, perhaps we can make it a 13 victory cities required win, as that will require at least an Operation Sealion which, without a Japanese navy to worry about, the Americans and British can completely focus on the Atlantic, which will lead to epic naval battles.

I think you should make so if China has all it’s territories captured, and the Allies control Africa (excluding strict neutrals), that combined, should be a substitute for capturing an Axis capital-it still won’t be an easy fight.

Another insane idea that I have for you is to have the US join the Axis-how you will balance this is your choice (also, please tell me how many rounds it will take for the Axis to win with only the US with the Axis).

Soon after the Battle Of France, Hitler is informed by the Devil that on the day that when Operation Sealion begins, a massive land bridge (stretching from Pas-De Calais to the western edge of Normandy) connecting France to Britain will magically appear. With this information, Hitler immediately orders the suspending of Luftwaffe operations over Britain to conserve aircraft for the invasion (that way, if pilots are shot down, there is more of a chance for them to be recovered). This information is not found out via Ultra, and Hitler informs only his top generals, admirals, and Luftwaffe officers of this information. No civilian cargo ships are converted to transports, the resources used for the conversion used to produce additional army equipment.

With the striking power of the entire German army catching the British by surprise, could Germany have won the war? Thank you!

@superbattleshipyamato123

Here are the ground forces comparison (Italy, Britain, Japan, ANZAC, and France, or Allies to China, Germany and the Soviet Union, or Axis):

Infantry: 101 to 98 (in favour of the Allies)

Tanks: 8 to 11 (in favour of the Axis)

Artillery: 22 to 11 (in favour of the Allies)

Mechanised infantry: 5 to 6 (in favour of the Axis)

Anti aircraft artillery: 18 to 12 (in favour of the Allies)

Total ground units (Allies to Axis): 153 units to 138 units (in favour of the Allies)

Total IPCs in ground units (Allies to Axis): 545 IPCs to 488 IPCs (in favour of the Allies)

Adding the US adds another 8 infantry, one tank, three mechanised infantry, two artillery, and four anti aircraft artillery, or 70 IPCs worth of ground units.

@SeaYa

I’ll check these films out when I have time (probably when I’m retired).

Some World War 2 related reads I mentioned here in the past:

https://www.axisandallies.org/forums/topic/41385/great-leyte-gulf-alternate-timeline-article

https://www.axisandallies.org/forums/topic/37506/an-interesting-book-i-read

@CentralCommando

The original Global 1940 games alraedy tries to make the Solomons valuable by attaching some of ANZAC’s and Japan’s national objectives to it.

I remember how the 1914 map has the Balearic Islands and Spanish Morrocco as seperate territories and I think it would be cool if Global 1940 had the same function.

I think Corsica would work quite well as a seperate French territory. It would give the Allies a lot more room to hit Italy early on.

@SeaYa

Agreed.

@dazedwit

US strategic bombers (which move a total of 6 spaces without an air base) can attack sea zone 6 (the one around Japan) from Midway or the Aleutians.

They can also attack the sea zones around the Caroline Islands, Malaya, Phillipines, and the Dutch East Indies from Australia (quite hard for Japan to attack). And if India is still in the game they can bomb any ships near it.

The only places out of reach of American bombers are 19, 18, 36, and 21. These are useful sea zones, but Japan can’t do much in them beyond fighting submarines. It’s certainly not enough to make the advances neccessary to win the game.

@dazedwit

The main weakness with this is if the US rapidly bulks on strategic bombers. I’ve played many games where the US does this, and Japan really has no response unless they’re already winning handily. Absolutely obliterates their ships and prevents any new ones from being built.

@The-Captain

Exciting!

@crockett36

Yeah, that’s what I meant. I apologize for being unclear.

@crockett36

Like, try to win a game against you with this bid? I’m a bit busy now, but I’d happily do it when I’m available a few months later. I’ll bookmark this conversation.

@crockett36

Only 1 unit per territory/sea zone (which France already has at least a unit in) complicates this a lot. Yeah, probably 1 battleship in sea zone 93, 1 destroyer in sea zone 110, 1 fighter in the UK, 1 air base in Morocco, and either 1 transport in sea zone 72, or 1 infantry in Syria or Algeria and 1 mechanized infantry in French West Africa.

@crockett36

Right. Well with those bid rule I’m inclined to agree that battleships in 110 are the best option.