This is an issue that has cropped up in numerous A&A games. The box board photos are often taken by marketing department people who simply want to make the picture look pretty and who aren’t overly concerned about depicting things accurately.
If France isn’t taken by turn 1 Germany is in trouble and the UK will thank you for leaving France intact. Also the USA would collect all of South America if you hit a Netural nation like Turkey. There are a lot of other holes in the plan…you assuming above average dice rolling which can’t be assumed. Your also assuming the Russian player is stupid and doesn’t figure out your plan and move to counter it. Because all Russia really has to do is hold on and wait for the USA to arrive to help. This tactic wouldn’t work on me as a USA player because I would be sitting in Rome turn 5 especially with Italy having no fleet in the med I would just park my fleet in the med and let you take pot shots at it with fighters(that would be fighters you wouldn’t be able to use to help take the other VC).
Easy, the game start after the Dunkirk evacuation and after the French navy was scuttled. There is no other way to do it.
The game does start after Dunkirk.
However, whether the French are “well represented” or not….they are finished after 1 round. If Germany doesnt do that, then this would be a QUICK allied victory.
I did some research last night and found out that the if the French are in control of their country at the start of the game … then the French Navy MUST still be “alive”.
The game starts befor the fall of France. This still leaves reasonable assumption that Dunkirk has happened (May 24-26 1940). French resistance ended on June 25. The British bombardment of the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir happened on July 4 (70 years ago tomorrow, interstingly enough).
Based on this information, French ships should still be present at the start of the game. They cannot say the game starts after Dunkirk AND the scuttling of the French Fleet. It is impossible because France is autonomous at the start of the game. I for one hope that France has ships and something can be done with them. Either the French person keeps them, the British can sink them or the Germans can use them, I don’t care. As long as they are there.
Actually, that was on the 3rd of July
Oh my mistake… so 70 years ago today. The book I got the information from said July 4.