France's role in Global 1940 SE

[Cornwallis]

@FranceNeedsMorePower no, italy can take those loses and retreat. Germany can then finish them of in one blow. I think it is interesting to retreat through the suez. I will make a film about my UK1 once i get back from holiday next week sunday.

[FranceNeedsMorePower]

@Cornwallis Yes but then the German air force is gone now. It takes a lot of money to buy another one. Sure hit it with your already damaged air force from the scrambles and the boats and throw them away even more. I would like to see that video send me the video I think you should talk about the French related British pieces as well. Well this include the pacific side? Good luck, have you ever seen my France video?

[Cornwallis]

@FranceNeedsMorePower i have done that before as well as gibastion and in both cases the luftwaffe mobbed up the remainders of the UK fleet with minimal losses while the italian transports roam free.

Yes i have seen it and you are right, the French have an added value.

[Cornwallis]

@FranceNeedsMorePower

This is a wild idea i want to try:

https://youtu.be/ZQDC0iGa7UY?feature=shared

[barnee]

@Cornwallis

would you do a quick summary of the video

[FranceNeedsMorePower]

@Cornwallis I like the idea you just shuttle units into Africa then to the middle east then to Russia or India. And, this does not require a large fleet because it is out of German airspace. At 5:57 in the video the extra transport could either be sent back up or take the French guy from West Africa and load him on. Just an idea. As America and Britain I have always wanted to have the perfect invasion of France but really it’s not that smart to take France. I personally like to take down Italy. And shuttle troops to Southern Europe because that area tends to not be heavily defended. Europe’s Underbelly lol. The only thing I have aganseint this idea is that American can position itself in range of more victory cities really the only ones are egypt then Calcutta then maybe Stalingrad. I like landing in the Pacific because there is a ton of juicy targets if you play right.

Can’t wait to see the U.K. one!

Nice job!

[FranceNeedsMorePower]

@barnee The video is only 7 mins, but I can give you one. I watched it. Basically, you shuttle troops and mech’s into French West Africa then all the way to Egypt then to the Middle east then to Stalingrad or Calcutta. I think this Strategy would work really good with middle earth.

[Cornwallis]

@FranceNeedsMorePower thanks! Yes your inputs are appreciated. This minimum investment allows the US to focus on Japan without surrendering the atlantic.

I´ve come to see the game for the allies as an economic game in which I first try to keep london and Egypt (contain italy) and ASAP try and start convoying the Med and Norway plus bordeaux. Strat bombing german factories in russia or paris/West Germany also delays or annoys them.

In the pacific i think with anzac you can get 4 subs by Anzac3 and start harrassing Japan.
With US i would like to go to iwo jima and start bombinh Japan from there or at least forcing the IJN to come back north.

[FranceNeedsMorePower]

@Cornwallis @The-Janus @SuperbattleshipYamato @barnee @AndrewAAGamer Say Normandy/Bordeaux or Southern France still have French units there at the end of round 1. It happens often when playing the AI. I feel every time I try to get them out of their I just lose my whole navy because the German Airforce. Is there a way to safely evacuate these troops if they survive? A route that’s worth it. Not just losing half your navy to save a few guys. Let me know if anyone knows!

[barnee]

@FranceNeedsMorePower said in France's role in Global 1940 SE:

Normandy/Bordeaux or Southern France still have French units there at the end of round 1

They will die a glorious death for their homeland.

Vive la France !

[Cornwallis]

@FranceNeedsMorePower italy will kill them.
If not you have 4 and could gather them in bordeaux. Or attack belgium with Support of the French fighter.

[SuperbattleshipYamato]

@FranceNeedsMorePower

There’s a very clear answer to this, unfortunately: no.

Using this game as an example:

2025-7-16-World-War-II-Europe-1940-2nd-Edition.tsvg

Where the Allies went full scramble and the Luftwaffe took quite a few losses sinking the 110 and 111 fleets, here’s the best the British can put together in sea zone 110 (spending all of their IPCs on turn 1 on naval and air units), assuming no units die killing the damaged German battleship:

1 cruiser
2 destroyers
3 fighters

In this scenario, the Germans can still put together (remember, Southern Italy aircraft can attack sea zone 110 and land in Holland Belgium):

3 fighters
2 tactical bombers
2 strategic bombers

Germany will have an 80+% chance to win. It could be even higher if the 2 submarines that hit sea zone 106 instead attacked the cruiser in sea zone 91.

[FranceNeedsMorePower]

@barnee Bummer, that’s pretty funny though what your wrote. Lol.

[SuperbattleshipYamato]

@Cornwallis

Well without the cruiser and including the Gibraltar fighter, with a 3 fighter scramble by the Axis, there’s a 12% chance of victory.

[FranceNeedsMorePower]

@SuperbattleshipYamato So basically their death is inevitable.

[FranceNeedsMorePower]

@SuperbattleshipYamato I tried it any the fleet survived! It seems Italy has to pick and choose between thinning out the fleet, taking Greece, or attacking southern France. They can’t do all.

[SuperbattleshipYamato]

@FranceNeedsMorePower

Italy shouldn’t need to grab Greece on the first turn. Unless they’re lucky enough to also grab Gibraltar or Egypt that same turn to get the national objective, it would be more efficient to have either Germany or Italy mobilize Bulgaria and then attack.

[FranceNeedsMorePower]

@SuperbattleshipYamato I keep trying to attack the British-French fleet but I keep failing.

[SuperbattleshipYamato]

@FranceNeedsMorePower

I think you should take Cornwallis’ comment more seriously.

Even if Germany loses their air force sinking that fleet (which usually is only possible if they already took heavy losses destroying the fleets in sea zone 110 and 111 with a scramble), Italy now has a free hand in the Mediterrean.

Trust me, there’s not much more dangerous in a Global 1940 game than an Italy that isn’t contained and goes wild in Africa and the Middle East. Unless the Eastern Front and/or the Pacific War are going really well for the Allies, the Allies have basically lost in that scenario.

You made a good point about taking British hits first though.

@Cornwallis

You’re right. I do think it is the least worst British turn 1 Mediterrean move.

[SuperbattleshipYamato]

@FranceNeedsMorePower

Really? In both scenarios I succeeded:

2025-7-16-World-War-II-Europe-1940-2nd-Edition 2.tsvg

2025-7-16-World-War-II-Europe-1940-2nd-Edition 3.tsvg

And I think this actually highlights the brittleness of the British-French defense:

If the Allies try to preserve the carrier by killing destroyers and cruisers first, their overall defense capability will be greatly weakened (since the battle calculator odds assume that the carrier is killed first) and Italy can easily sink all the ships.

But if the Allies take out the carrier early on, as long as Italy takes Southern France (which they can easily do), all Italy has to do is destroy the carrier and retreat. The British planes will have nowhere to land, the French ships will have to retreat since the Luftwaffe is too powerful, and Germany can make short work of the remaining British ships

Oh, and in both games the Axis were able to take Greece and Southern France on the first turn and sink sea zone 93.