Posts made by RJL518

In the Second World War, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the successful German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, defeating primarily French forces. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb (Case Yellow), German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes and then along the Somme valley to cut off and surround the Allied units that had advanced into Belgium. When British and adjacent French forces were pushed back to the sea by the highly mobile and well-organized German operation, the British government decided to evacuate the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) as well as several French divisions at Dunkirk in Operation Dynamo.

After the withdrawal of the BEF, Germany launched a second operation, Fall Rot (Case Red), which was commenced on 5 June 1940. While the depleted French forces put up stiff initial resistance, German air superiority and armoured mobility overwhelmed the remaining French forces. German armour outflanked the Maginot Line and pushed deep into France with German forces arriving in an undefended Paris on 14 June. This caused a chaotic period of flight for the French government and effectively ended organized French military resistance. German commanders finally met with French officials on June 18 with the goal of the new French government being an armistice with Germany. Chief among the new government leaders was Marshal Philippe Petain, newly appointed prime minister and one of the supporters of seeking an armistice.

On 22 June, an armistice was signed between France and Germany, which resulted in a division of France whereby Germany would occupy the north and west, Italy would control a small Italian occupation zone in the southeast, and an unoccupied zone, the zone libre, would be governed by the newly formed Vichy government led by Marshal Petain. France remained under Axis occupation until the liberation of the country after the Allied landings in 1944.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_France

Ok…i know this question has been beaten to death as we now come to the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of France and the Low Countries.  
Hitler’s Germany has attacked Western Europe and Scandinavia.
German Panzer Divisions are all over the place and the Wehrmacht appears virtually unstoppable.
The Luftwaffe is bombing everything in sight.
The British Expeditionary Force is in Europe awaiting orders.
World War II is in full swing and we are now at the official start date of Axis and Allies 1940!
But this is not a game…this is war!
You are France!
You DO have excellent fighting machines and weapons that are very close to the quality of the German Army’s, if not SUPERIOR!
WHAT DO YOU DO?

Im going to enjoy this one…as i have all my other polls.

The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter’s invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway’s aid with an expeditionary force. Despite moderate success in the northern parts of Norway, Germany’s invasion of France in May 1940 eventually compelled the Allies to withdraw and the Norwegian government to seek exile in London. The campaign subsequently ended with the occupation of Norway by Germany, and the continued fighting of exiled Norwegian forces from abroad. The conflict occurred between 9 April and 10 June 1940, the 62 days of fighting making Norway the nation that withstood a German invasion for the second longest period of time, after the Soviet Union.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Campaign

Even though the Allies were having decent success against Germany during the Norway Campaign, do you guys think that they should have continued to resist the Germans in Norway anyway during Hitler’s invasion of France and the Low Countries?

Operation Pike refers to a strategic bombing plan, overseen by Air Commodore John Slessor, against the Soviet Union by the Anglo-French alliance.  British military planning against the Soviet Union occurred during the first two years of the Second World War, when despite the Soviet Union’s neutrality, the British and French came to the conclusion that the Nazi-Soviet pact made Moscow the ally of Hitler.  The plan was designed to destroy the Soviet oil industry, to cause collapse of Soviet economy and thus deprive Nazi Germany of the Soviet resources.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Pike

Lets say this operation occurs and goes according to plan.   What do you think the Soviet Union would have done after being attacked by the Allies just because of the Nazi-Soviet Pact?  
Follow-up question:  Would this would have changed the early stages of World War II?

The Altmark Incident (Norwegian: Altmark-affæren) was a naval skirmish of World War II between the United Kingdom and Nazi Germany, which happened on 16 February 1940. It took place in what were, at that time, neutral Norwegian waters. To date, it is the last major boarding action fought by the Royal Navy.

In February 1940, the German tanker Altmark was returning to Germany with 299 British merchant sailors on board,[4] prisoners of war who had been picked up from ships sunk by the pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee. On its way from the southern Atlantic to Germany, Altmark passed through Norwegian waters. On the insistence of British contacts who had been pursuing the vessel, it was investigated three times on 15 February by the Royal Norwegian Navy. First, the tanker was boarded by officers from the torpedo boat HNoMS Trygg off Linesøy Island, then by officers from the torpedo boat HNoMS Snøgg in the Sognefjord, and finally personally by Admiral Carsten Tank-Nielsen and naval personnel from the destroyer HNoMS Garm in the Hjeltefjord. In each instance, the men who boarded the ship carried out cursory searches and took the Germans’ word that the vessel was conducting purely commercial business. Following the third boarding, Altmark was escorted southwards by the torpedo boats HNoMS Skarv and HNoMS Kjell and the guard boat HNoMS Firern. The British prisoners held in the ship’s hold reportedly made strenuous efforts to signal their presence, even though international law did not ban the transfer of prisoners of war through neutral waters. The Norwegian search parties however did not inspect the hold, and allowed the ship to continue on its way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altmark_Incident

The story of the Altmark Incident has raised a lot of interesting questions and has received a lot of interesting answers.  What do you guys think and do you guys believe that Hitler did change his plans for Operation Weserubung because of this event?

The Mechelen Incident of 10 January 1940, also known as the Mechelen Affair, was an event which occurred in Belgium during the Phoney War in the first stages of World War II. A German aircraft with an officer on-board carrying the plans for Fall Gelb (Case Yellow), the German attack on the Low Countries, crash-landed in neutral Belgium near Vucht in the modern-day municipality of Maasmechelen within the Province of Limburg. This prompted an immediate crisis in the Low Countries and amidst the French and British authorities, whom the Belgians notified of their discovery; however the crisis abated relatively quickly once the dates mentioned in the plans passed without incident. It has been argued that the incident led to a major change in the German attack plan, but this hypothesis has also been disputed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechelen_incident

Do you guys think that Germany DID change their attack plans after the plane had crashed? 
Would you have changed the plan attack date?
I think that this is an interesting question.

The Battle of the River Plate was the first naval battle in the Second World War and the only episode of the war to take place in South America. The German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee had been located in the South Atlantic a long time before the war began, and had been commerce raiding after the war began in September 1939. One of the hunting groups sent by the British Admiralty to search for Graf Spee, comprising three Royal Navy (RN) cruisers, HMS Exeter, Ajax and Achilles (the last of the New Zealand Division), found and engaged their quarry off the estuary of the River Plate close to the coast of Argentina and Uruguay in South America.

In the ensuing battle, Exeter was severely damaged and forced to retire; Ajax and Achilles suffered moderate damage. The damage to Graf Spee, although not extensive, was critical; her fuel system was crippled. Ajax and Achilles shadowed the German ship until she entered the port of Montevideo, the capital city of neutral Uruguay, to effect urgent repairs. After Graf Spee’s captain Hans Langsdorff was told that his stay could not be extended beyond 72 hours, he scuttled his damaged ship rather than face the overwhelmingly superior force that the British had led him to believe was awaiting his departure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_River_Plate

This question may be redundant…but was there ANY chance of the Admiral Graf Spee escaping from Montevideo Harbor?

The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland in 1939�1940. It began with the Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939 (three months after the outbreak of World War II), and ended with the Moscow Peace Treaty on 13 March 1940. The League of Nations deemed the attack illegal and expelled the Soviet Union from the League on 14 December 1939.

The Soviet Union sought principally to claim parts of Finnish territory, demanding�amongst other concessions�that Finland cede substantial border territories in exchange for land elsewhere, claiming security reasons, primarily the protection of Leningrad, which was only 30 km (19 mi) from the Finnish border. Finland refused and the USSR invaded the country. Some sources assert that the Soviet Union had intended to conquer all of Finland, and use the establishment of the Finnish Communist puppet government in Terijoki as proof of this. Other sources argue that there is no documentary evidence to support this and that there are arguments against the idea of a full Soviet conquest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_War

It was pretty amazing to see a small country like Finland give Russia such a headache in the early stages of the Winter War.
What do you guys think was the main reason why they did?

very nice…although can u create a 1941 setup just  for A&A PAcific 1940…or would i just use the PAcific powers in the global setup…just cutting it in half and jsut give the USA their normal starting IPCs when they are at war?

@wittmann:

Thanks Vance. Will try and watch them.
Like Garg, though,  I prefer the other side of the hill.

I watched them…but i agree with you.

awesome shots…looks like they were just taken yesterday with a smartphone camera

The Phony War was a phase early in World War II that was marked by a lack of major military operations by the Western Allies (the United Kingdom and France) against the German Reich. The phase covered the months following Britain’s and France’s declaration of war on Germany (shortly after the invasion of Poland) in September 1939 and preceding the Battle of France in May 1940. War was declared by each side, but no Western power had committed to launching a significant land offensive, notwithstanding the terms of the Anglo-Polish and Franco-Polish military alliances which obliged the United Kingdom and France to assist Poland.

–Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoney_War

Im loving the polls im putting up.  All you guys are giving me lots to read and learn.

Question:  Lets say the Phony War does not happen and Germany goes on the offensive right after overrunning Poland.  What would you have done next if you were the German High Command?

try this on for size…set up the board game…and play the game solitaire with YOU playing all powers…set up strategies and plans with the power your are playing for the current turn…

believe it or not…its possible to do…

i have played Pacific, Europe and Global solitaire and it made me a decent player when i play against others…

since the UK is what you were really concerned about…take your time when the UK comes up to bat…look at what you have done so far and figure out a good opening move…

The usa will gear up and get into the war a little late…the anzacs can also capture rich territories and capture importaint islands so that the japanese have to fight for them…and dont forget the National objectives…follow them to victory.

The UK is pretty weak in Pacific.  I have played this game many times and Uk always gets the short end of the deal early.  The best thing the UK can do is defend and hold on to calcutta as long as possible.  Take the DEI quick to get the bonus IPCs that thos islands give.  Japan has to decalre war in order to capture them and make sure the UK has a couple of infantry to guard the dutch islands.

Help protect the Burma road for china.  6 ipcs that china gets is very importaint and can help them hold out against japan a little longer.

Depending on what japan does…whether they go for a usa attack, or british attack…japan has a LOT of aircraft.  If japan was to bring the full strength of its air to asia and attack on the 2nd or 3rd round…the UK will find virtually iompossible to fend off a full strength japanese attack on calcutta later.  Japan should build a nminor complex in asia…allowing tanks and mech inf to roll all over china.

Truth be told…playing the uk in pacific is not easy.  The uk will defending early and often until the usa can get into the fight and start relieving pressure on the uk as the usa will dominate the main pacific ocean and then threaten japan itself.

ok…i got it now…thanks KriegHund…aka the “WarMaster”

and can carrier move two spaces into a combat with other naval with the planes on it and they can attack the naval units…and or ground units if it is an island sea zone and then land on the carrier (if they survive)?

to follow up on question A…

the japanese on turn 1 attack the phillipines…as soon as japan attacks the us…thirty IPCs are given to the us player from the bank…while during Japan’s turn or on the purchase units phase of the USA player turn

btw…thanks KriegHund

i also asked this question for the single theater games…lets see what these great guys say… :mrgreen:

i really like black elk’s idea.  my proposal is that the deck gives a special advantages and help in battles maybe and purchasing units only…

i think the R&D phase OOB is just fine the way it is…

but if u draw a 2 of clubs for germany…and u roll a die…and the die comes up a 4…which on that card for germany is Erwin Rommel…tanks and mechanized infantry can blitz through TWO hostile territories…and the mech inf does NOT need a tank to blitz…

or something like that…and BTW…credit goes to Danny boy for the idea of Rommel…

what do you think elk?  because if you use the cards for R&D…that completely takes away that rule OOB…idk…just MHO…

but on the whole Black Elk…i think those cards could be useful for SOLITAIRE play…

since i play the board game solitaire…i might put together a good set of advantages…

have to hand it to you Elk,  you are pretty darn smart!!

and you Young Grasshopper,  the sky is the limit!!!  Yo Da MAN!!

The Political Situation, The United States: This paragraph should read “The United States begins the game neutral. It may not declare war on Japan unless Japan first declares war on it or makes an unprovoked declaration of war against the United Kingdom or ANZAC. Following any such unprovoked declaration of war by Japan, the United States will receive an immediate one-time bonus payment of 30 IPCs, representing the total mobilization and transfer of military assets within the continental United States. However, if the United States is still not at war with Japan by the Collect Income phase of its third turn, it may declare war on Japan at the beginning of that phase. This is an exception to the rules for declaring war (see “Declaring War,” page 11), which may normally be done only at the beginning of the Combat Move phase.” (Note that this change applies only to the Pacific rules, and not to the Global rules.)

I understand this rule was put in because of the very strong Japanese USA Crush strategy.

Questions: (A)  If Japan attacks the US at ANY time, when does the US receive these 30 IPCs?

(B)  If USA declares war on Japan,  do they STILL receive these 30 IPCs?

©  What is the difference between a “provoked” and “unprovoked” attack and does that make a difference concerning the 30 IPCs to USA?

(D)  Are there any ways that the USA does NOT receive this one-time payment?

Any help is always appreciated from you A&A Masters out there!

@toblerone77:

I cannot recomend strongly enough that you buy both AAP40 and AAE40. Once you play one you will want the other. Additionally with games like either edition they quickly become unavailable and out of print. When it’s time to buy whichever one you didn’t buy it will cost a lot.

I am not just a player but a collector and while not trying to be pompous, I have found that when you miss out on the original print run of games you will pay “pound of flesh” and then some to obtain some editions or even simple units.

Just buy both you will thank me lateror make a profit selling what you wish you hadn’t bought.

what he said…i have two copies of each…and im having a blast playing each game by itself and global…

ill be honest though… i prefer pacific first…the naval battles are fun to roll dice for and great aircraft carrier dogfights and amphibious operations all over the board…i love both games…but pacific 40 was the first one i bought