@timerover51:
Considering that the US was supplying French North Africa with food and clothing (see Murphy-Weygand Agreement), the Duke of Aosta surrendered in Italian East Africa on 18 May 1941, and Madagascar had no effective communication with any part of Europe or Vichy France, I have no problems whatsoever with those territories not being allocated to the Axis. The last main Italian naval base on the Red Sea was Massawa which was captured April 8, 1941. I have always assumed that A&A, in all of its editions, started with Operation Barbarossa in June of 1941. At that point, Italian East Africa was no longer a factor. If you do wish to add it, then it would be reasonable to give the USSR one free building turn before any German attack, along with a movement turn, and give the British additonal land, naval, and air forces to continue the offensive in Ethiopia.
I understand that you wish to skew the game to the Axis as much as possible, and make it as difficult as possible for the Allies to have a chance to win.
Timeover51, I have a deep abiding respect for you as a historian. I have a question, I am reading Italian East Africa, Gondar, did not surrender until Nov, 1941; I have copied what I am reading, for your convience. Is this in error?
Also, I had read of captured papers that out line Japanese intentions on occupation of Madagascar, allowing deployment into Africa and South America? The same article, indicates, this was the movtivation for the ops that had Allies moving on Madagascar in 42?
**Italian last stands
In spite of the Duke of Aosta’s surrender at Amba Alagi on 18 May 1941, some Italian forces continued to hold out. The port city of Assab and the strongholds of Gondar and Jimma remained under Italian control. Both Gondar and Jimma started with garrisons of roughly 40,000 men.[78]
[edit] Operation Chronometer
On 10 June, Operation Chronometer was launched and a battalion from the Indian Army was landed at Assab, the last Italian-held harbour on the Red Sea.[79] By 11 June, Assab had fallen. On 13 June, two days after the fall, the Indian trawler “Parvati” became the last naval casualty of the campaign when it struck a magnetic mine near Assab.
[edit] Jimma
An Italian force under General Pietro Gazzera, the Governor of Galla-Sidama and the new acting Viceroy and Governor-General of Italian East Africa, continued to resist at Jimma in southwest Ethiopia. Gazzera had replaced the Duke of Aosta as Viceroy and Governor-General of Italian East Africa.[78]
However, even before Cunningham moved against him, Gazzera was faced with a growing irregular force of Ethiopian patriots (or Arbegnoch). Many of his units started to melt away. His colonial troops were especially prone to defection. On 21 June 1941, Gazzera abandoned Jimma where about 15,000 of what was left of his command surrendered. On July 3, Gazzera and his last 7,000 men surrendered[80] when they were cut off by Belgian Major-General Auguste-Éduard Gilliaert, the commander of the Free Belgian Forces in East Africa.
On 28 September, the 3000 man garrison of Wolchefit Pass surrendered to the King’s African Rifles. [81]
[edit] Gondar
General Nasi and his last troops receive military honors at Gondar, November 1941.Main article: Battle of Gondar
The force at Gondar, under General Guglielmo Nasi, the acting Governor of Amhara, held out for almost seven months. Gondar was the capital of Begemder Province in northwest Ethiopia, about 120 miles (190 km) west of Amba Alagi. After General Gazzera surrendered, Nasi became the new acting Viceroy and Governor-General of Italian East Africa. But, like Gazzera, Nasi faced not just conventional forces (from Platt’s command), but also an ever increasing force of Ethiopian patriots.
While the Italian Royal Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) in East Africa had been worn down quickly by a lop-sided war of attrition, the Italian pilots held on to the bitter end. On 24 October 1941, the last Italian aircraft of the campaign was shot down.[9]
On 27 November 1941 General Nasi and his last 23,500 men surrendered Gondar[82] to a combined force of British and Commonwealth troops and a force of Ethiopians. The Italians received full military honors.**
No, its not my intentions that an unbalanced Axis should win.
I was merely curious about the design of AA50 and looking forward to some fun with an Africian campaign being added, when Italy was added to AA50. It didn’t happen and Larry maybe thought complexity was increasing beyond the scope of his game.