WAR REPORT

Sept/Oct 1939: The war begins! The Germans invade Poland and start with an enormous attack on Warsaw (fueled mostly by the use of most of the Luftwaffe). The attack pays off, taking Warsaw without loss. Two other Polish units are crushed without loss. The Japanese attack a Communist unit in the mountains north of Si-An, taking the hex but losing one unit.
  2nd impulse sees France and the CW declare war on Germany. The French bring the INF in Syria back to France and the British spread out with a naval. Strategic bombing is reasonably successful, taking 2 BPs from the Germans. The Chinese advance towards the coast in southern China, surrounding Canton. They lack the strength to attack it, however.
  3rd impulse and the weather stays clear everywhere. Germany declares war on Denmark, taking Copenhagen without a fight. They assault and take Lodz on a +11 assault, but the attack is costly (2/2) and they lose the ENG. The Japanese occupy Chengchow and the world is outraged when their out of control units massacre the city’s civilian population.
  Impulse 4: After much deliberation, the French persuade the CW to join them in attacking Italy. Italy has two exposed TRS in the eastern Med as well as unprotected CONVs. The gambit is received poorly in the US (-2 chits), especially after the USSR occupies eastern Poland (another -1 chit), leaving the European entry pool with no chits. To make matters worse, every naval search roll (three of them with 40 and 50% chances) fails. The Soviets also demand Bessarabia, which Germany allows.
  5th impulse. Germany accepts Hungarian and Bulgarian demands on Rumanian territory and starts to move its army westward. Japan sends units from Japan to northern China. There is a lot of sabre rattling going between the USSR and Japan. The USSR started with a serious commitment of forces on the Manchurian border. Japan has thus far elected to commit heavily against the Chinese in the northern part of the nation.
  The big news, however, is that the Italians sortie their fleet, seeking to punish the Allies for their rash declaration of war. The fates favor the Allies, however, and in a 1/10 search roll split, the Allies find the Italian TRS and sink them both. In two subsequent rounds of combat, the Italians fare better, sinking 3 French CAs and damaging 2 CW CAs to the loss of 2 CAs themselves. 
  6th impulse: The CW land Gort and a corps in France and a DIV in northern Denmark. French subs try to sink Baltic CONVs but fail. The Soviets start moving forces back eastward after taking Bessarabia. China holds.
  7th impulse: Germany activates Hungary (with no US penalty) and troops push west. 
  8th impulse sees no action, and in the 9th impulse Germany activates Bulgaria as an ally (again with no US penalty). The turn then ends. A PART appears in China. The US takes no actions (no surprise with a small chit pool). Italy conquers French and British Somaliland, Poland is conquered, and Denmark is incompletely conquered. 
  Interestingly, the Germans lay down two BB hulls first turn, along with a PARA DIV and a NAV. Italy lay down a TRS hull. The USSR builds 4 GAR. The Soviets also remove all of their European air force from the map (having rebased it all to cities during the turn.) Lots of somewhat unusual 1st turn builds. Initiative is now +1 Axis.

Nov/Dec 1939: The Axis win initiative and elect to go first. The weather starts clear everywhere except the arctic. The Germans spend the impulse pushing their army to the Dutch and Belgian border, where it looks ready for more action. The Italians lurch forward into Egypt, but no combat occurs. The Japanese attack another Communist unit in northern China, killing it at the loss of a DIV. Most of the Japanese army is now concentrated in northern China. The Japanese also kill the PART that just appeared.
  Impulse 2. The CW takes a naval and with a great surprise roll sinks 2 German CONV and aborts the rest. The CW also place fleets in the eastern and western Med, trying to strangle the Italians in N. Africa. China tries to hold on. France sends its TRS to collect the Dakar INF. 
  Impulse 3. The weather turns snowy, but the war-mongering Germans don’t care and declare war on Belgium, which after some discussion aligns with the CW. The Germans annihilate the Belgian defenders in Liege and advance in southern Belgium, but in the next impulse the Brits were ready and send corps to defend Antwerp and Brussels. The French surge in to defend the rest of the country. 
  Impulse 5 sees the Italian fleet seeking blood. They surprise the British in the Eastern Med, sinking two cruisers to the loss of a damaged BB. The CW is forced to flee the area and lick its wounds. A CV fleet, however, rebases to Malta at the end of the turn.
  The turn ends on the Axis impulse. The US sends resources to China and occupies Greenland and Iceland. A PART appears in China as well as Burma. 

Jan/Feb 1940: The Axis win initiative. The weather starts about as horrific as possible (’12’ on the weather chart). The entire turn is only 4 impulses (2 each) and not much gets done. The Italians do try hunting the CW fleet in the eastern Med (trying to cut supply to the Italians in Egypt) and a battle is engaged. One CW and two French CAs are sunk, but the Italians lose a CA and an old BB in exchange. 
  The CW manages at turns end to reinforce Egypt with some Indian troops as the Italians and CW face off in the center of the Egyptian desert. The Germans are fully redeployed to the west, although they are stuck in Belgium with the bad weather. A few units straggle north into Denmark to deal with a pesky CW DIV that holds Fredrickshaven. 
  The US takes no options, but another PART appears in China.

Mar/Apr 1940: The Allies win initiative and the Axis do not contest the result. The weather starts middling for the season, mud in the temperate zone. The CW starts with a naval, protecting convoy lines and moving troops (mostly to Egypt). A convoy destined for France is suddenly diverted when British intelligence notices some heavy NAV and long range FTRs suddenly appear in northern Germany. The CW is already heavily committed to France, so the decision is made to consider alternatives. The Brits do manage a daring groundstrike that flips a German ARM on the front in Belgium, slowing the Wehrmacht.
  The Germans wait until impulse 4 to punish the Brits for their timidity. They sail some battleships into the Baltic and attack the DIV in Denmark, killing it without loss on a +6 assault. As a result, a CA and NAV that was in the Baltic cannot rebase and perish at the end of the turn. Fortunately they take some CONVs with them before they die, and impact the German builds for the turn. No Swedish ore this turn! But the Baltic is now well and truly sealed.
  The Japanese, also in impulse 4, attack the center of the Chinese line (Nationalists), killing one units without loss, but do not take the hex. The Chinese on impulse 5 start to move to heal the weakened line, but the turn ends early (on a ‘1’ – earliest possible) shifting initiative back to the Axis. 
  No naval action occurs in the Med as the cowardly Italians huddle in port, afraid to face the British navy. The US passes Selective Service and a PART appears in NEI. 

May/June 1940: The Axis win initiative, but the weather is not ideal with rain in Europe. The Germans prepare for the weather to clear. The Italians consider an attack in Egypt, but decide to wait and the Japanese adjust forces in northern China.  
  The Allies defend. The CW sets up convoy defense, but avoid placing a picket fleet in the North Sea as naval forces reposition. The Chinese huddle, the French dare the Germans to attack, and the Soviets mysteriously continue to build up in the east against Japan.
  Impulse 3 sees the weather clear. The Germans declare war on the Netherlands, taking the capital without loss. The Japanese try a +6 attack in China, succeeding in killing a Chinese corps without loss. The center of the Chinese line is looking… weak. The Italians stare down the Brits in Egypt.
  Impulse 4 and the Brits go on the offensive, taking a +9 blitz in the desert. The troops don’t perform well, however, and although they advance a hex, the Brits lose a MOT (1/R). The Chinese see an opportunity and attack Canton. The +4 attack is not a disaster (-/1), but the Japanese only lose a cheap DIV and replace the loss with a stronger DIV later in the turn.
  Impulse 5 sees the weather sour again, rain rain everywhere! Not much happens except the Germans catch a CW TRS in the North Sea on a shockingly lucky set of search rolls. 
  Impulse 6: See impulse 5, except the Brits fight back. 2 Dutch CAs are lost in the North Sea, but the Germans lose a CA, a sub, and the two ancient BBs (Schlesien, etc.). The Kriegsmarine is now only quality, but it is smaller.
  Impulse 7 the weather clears and Germans decide enough is enough. The Germans use chit points to try a combined arms attack against the Maginot Line at Strasbourg. They shoot down a French FTR defending the PARA, but the attack itself goes badly (2/1) with the elite PARA dying a horrible death. The French hold the hex. Not to be deterred, the Germans also launch a daring attack against the Brits who moved in to defend Rotterdam. The Royal Airforce takes a loss, but plenty of TAC and defensive shore bombardment reduces the attack to a mere +3 assault. But the Wehrmacht shows disdain for the British army and performs brilliantly, taking the city (1/2S) on a modified 20.  The Japanese army, mostly flipped, sends a HQ back to Manchuria, worried about the growing Soviet forces there. Meanwhile, back in Europe, the Soviets have virtually nothing on the border with Germany.
  Impulse 8 and the Allies hold on in Europe. The Brits lick their wounds and hunker down on the Antwerp-Brussels line. The French post a massive armored army just south of that, with an ARM, a MECH, and an AT. The Chinese sit and hope for the best.
  Impulse 9 and the weather stays clear. Sensing an opportunity, the Germans go all in to blitz the French armored spearhead. Probably not the best idea. The panzer perform really badly, resulting in a horrific (3/1) result. The Germans lose only DIVs, but the they are the elite units. The Italians hang tight in the desert and try to keep supply, but the Brits find and sink the CA San Giorgio. The Japanese army, mostly spent, awaits the turn end.
  Which immediately comes. The US gifts destroyers to the CW and allows Chinese aircraft to be produced. No PARTs appear.

Jul/Aug 1940: The Allies win initiative and elect to go first. Over the vehement protests of the American, the USSR declares war on Japan and removes two chits from the entry pool. Crack commie skinhead brigades lurch into Manchuria. Despite the advantages to be had in the surprise impulse, the Soviets waste the advantage on useless ground strikes instead of attacking CONV and bombing Japan. One attack is made that is moderately successful (-/1S) in Korea. Most of the units flip either by attack of because of the terrain. The Brits take a naval and post a fleet in the North Sea and a strong fleet in the eastern Med, putting the Italians in Africa out of supply. The French again dare the Germans to attack. The Chinese hope for a short summer.
  Impulse 2 sees the Germans once again attack. Dropping more chit points, the Germans valiantly attack the French line and despite good odds, perform badly (result was -/-). The Italians try to establish supply to Africa, with a single CA evading Allied searches. Japan sends a few units to Manchuria, but seems committed to keeping strong forces in northern China.
  Impulse 3 sees more clear weather and Soviet recklessness. Under the leadership of Vatutin, the Russians launch a +7 attack on Harbin. Mass wave tactics produce a predictable result: (3/1) including the loss of the HQ and 2 of the USSRs best units. They do advance into central Korea. The Chinese sit and wait while the French and British defend patiently. SA reinforcements reach Egypt and march towards the front.
  Impulse 4 The Italians remain patient in the Med, hoping that their TRS and naval reinforcements will arrive in time to allow them to go on the offensive in Egypt. The Japanese repair the line in central Manchuria and land troops in Seoul to stop the Soviets from taking Korea. The Germans reorganize their line, adjusting units to replace losses and reorganize.
  Impulse 5: The Brits find and sink the Italian supply CA in the eastern Med. They then finally get a good ground strike roll and flip two Italian corps in the desert. The following attack is a complete success at +18 with the Italians out of supply.  The Soviets move a few units forward, but most are flipped in Manchuria. 
  Impulse 6 and the Germans again attack the French line. Again they cannot buy good performance with a miserable roll, taking casualties while inflicting none (2/-). The French taunt the Germans a third time. Italy manages to re-establish supply and pulls back its units to the Libyan border to prevent disaster. Japan holds its line in Manchuria.
  Impulse 7: The CW take a combined, hunting Italian shipping… with success! Three Italians CAs are sunk to no British losses.
  Impulse 8 and the Germans reorganize in the west, looking for attacks but elect to wait for reinforcements. The Italians do not do much and the Japanese form a stronger line in both China and Manchuria.
  Impulse 9 sees the Brits go on the offense in Egypt, taking a +13 assault and killing Balbo (1/2S result with only 2 defenders). The path to Tripoli is a long one, but it looks like it might be open. The Soviets sit with their mostly disorganized army, hoping that the Germans do not push through France.
  Impulse 10 and the Germans assault British held Antwerp with only a +3 attack after air support clears. But the Wehrmacht shows up and they take the city (1/2S result). A CW FTR is overrun in the city and destroyed. The turn then ends.
  No entry options are taken and 2 PARTs appear in China. 

Sept/Oct 1940: The Allies win initiative and go first. The weather, however, starts out horrible (rolled ’10’). The Brits spend the turn pushing towards Tripoli, taking it in impulse 5 on a high odds blitz (blitzed into the city). The Germans take Brussels on a +8 assault (-/1S) and incompletely conquer it. The poor weather all turn means little happens in China or Manchuria. The turn ends after 4 impulses with little action.
  The US again selects no options. No PARTs appear.

Nov/Dec 1940: The Axis win initiative and enjoy good weather. The Japanese attack in China, killing a unit and taking hex in the north (-/1). The Germans push troops into Belgium looking for an attack, but their groundstrikes fail and they elect to hold off. A +5 blitz in the center of the French line fails badly (1/-) causing most of the German army to flip. A +3 blitz in the north also fails against the British.
  The French choose to then counterattack! A +8 assault retakes Antwerp (1/2S), inflicting serious losses on the Germans. The British take a naval and with Africa liberated, it looks like a major reorganization is going on. The remaining CW corps in France move to ships headed back to Bordeaux…(?) leaving the French to defend the western front all by themselves. The Soviets inch forward, but the terrain causes them mostly to flip. They are making progress into Korea, however. The Chinese take a daring +4 assault on Canton, but fail to take the city (1/1).
  Impulse 3 and the weather turns mostly muddy. The Germans, reeling from the loss of Antwerp swing troops around but as most of the army is flipped, there is no combat. Italian actively starts defending beaches in the homeland. Japan holds the line.
  Impulses 4, 5, and 6 with muddy weather see no action, just lots of troop movement. The Brits move up to ports in Libya and land more troops and planes in Sardinia. 
  The US Embargoes Japan with some tension resulting. One PART appears in India. The Brits complain about the ungrateful empire.

Jan/Feb 1941: The new year starts with a whimper. The turn goes 5 impulses, but aside from one bombing mission over Japan that takes one BP (Soviet bombers), there is no combat, on land or at sea. The Italian navy now mostly hides in port. The Brits slowly funnel corps back to Bordeaux (one HQ and 2 corps now there) and into the Med. The Soviets creep west and south in Manchuria and Korea. The Germans bemoan the poor weather and make no attacks in France. The turn ends with the US relocating the fleet to Pearl Harbor.

Mar/Apr 1941: The Allies win initiative and the weather starts clear. The CW take a naval, protect convoy lines, and continue to slowly shift troops into the Med. More troops now defend the shores of the UK as well, as the long-term German naval strategy starts to produce. Over the next 4 turns the Germans are getting 4 shiny new BBs and several new CAs. It looks impressive. The Soviets take a BP from Japan in strategic bombing.
  Impulse #2 and the Axis use the clear weather to try and clear the last row of hexes in Belgium before France. The result is a painful win (1/B) but the hex is taken. The Italians continue to defend. The Japanese shift forces in China.
  Impulse #3 sees the weather turn to blizzard. There is bad weather everywhere except the N. Monsoon. So not much happens.
  Impulse #4. The Japanese assault Wuhan at +8, taking the city with casualties (2/1), passing the entry roll for controlling their forces after the bloody victory. 
  Impulse #5 does not see the weather improve much. The Allies sit tight. The following impulse sees the Axis do much the same, and then the turn ends.
  No entry options are taken and no PARTs appear.

May/June 1941: The Axis are excited for the summer to return to France, but they have to wait for it. The Allies win initiative and the weather roll is a ‘1’ with mud in Europe. The Allies prepare for the turn and no action occurs. 
  Impulse #2 is the same for the Axis, waiting for better weather.
  Impulse #3 sees the weather clear everywhere. The Brits kill the Indian PART and move other troops into position. There are multiple corps in Sardinia and in ports around the Med. Two AMPHs relocated last impulse are clearly rebasing to the Med as well. The Soviets, not wanting to be outdone, assault Seoul at +9 and take the city without loss, allowing them at turn’s end to conquer the territory.
  The Germans go to work in impulse, making one large attack in Belgium. The French TAC, however, clear and provide HQ support, dropping the attack ultimately to a +4 blitz. The result is (1/1) and the Germans do not take the hex, flipping much of their army in the process. The HQs go to work, however, and reorganize all the land units. The Japanese consolidate their Manchurian line after the loss of Seoul.
  Impulse 5 sees the weather stay clear. The French reinforce the western line and the Brits push a few final units into ports. The Soviets, giddy from their success in Korea, look for attacks in northern Manchuria. They miss the river, however, and when informed of its existence abruptly call off a planned offensive. Instead, they blacken the skies over Japan and inflict 3 BPs of strategic bombing damage.
  Impulse 6. The Japanese exact revenge, killing a Soviet unit on the end of the line with a +16 attack. The Germans attack the same hex in Belgium again, this time at +7, and take the hex with casualties (1/B). The French are proving to be surprisingly resilient. 
  Impulse 7 and the weather goes sour again. The Allies don’t do much but give thankful prayers for the respite. The turn then ends.
  No US options are taken and no PARTs appear.

July/Aug 1941: As May/June was short, this turn would go long. The Allies win initiative, however. With good weather, operations are afoot. The Brits start with a naval, sending most of its fleet to positions in the Med, including a large combined CV/BB fleet off the coast of Italy, with TRS and AMPHs loaded with troops. The French reposition to strengthen their line. The Soviets push new reinforcements to the Manchurian front.
  Impulse #2 and the Germans go to work. A +11 assault on Antwerp is successful (-/2S). Some troops do start trickling back towards Poland, however. The Italians think about a naval sortie, but decide ultimately to wait and meet the CW invasion on the beaches. The Japanese pull back slightly in Manchuria to shorten their lines.
  Impulse #3 and the weather stays clear. The CW invade Italy just north of Bari. The assault is successful despite one Italian TAC clearing against long odds. The French hold the line and the Soviets surge forward into the land left vacant by the retreating Japanese.
  Impulse #4 and the Germans continue their push, taking a hex in western Belgium on a +13 blitz (-/B). They have to expend HQs to reorganize some of their line, however. The German losses have been fairly heavy and consistently so, and it is beginning to show as some corps need to head east to counter a growing Soviet menace. The Japanese again pull back to better defensive positions running from roughly the mountains through Mukden and south to near Port Arthur. Italy agonizes over the invasion, which apparently landed where it was no expected. The Italians decide to abandon Taranto (had one corps) and consolidate a defensive line around Naples across the peninsula.
  Impulse #5: Having landed the previous impulse, the Brits spread out, landing additional troops and triumphantly marching into Taranto. The French are starting to take losses but Paris stands strong. The Soviets are building up on the Polish border while pressing forward in Manchuria. 
  Impulse #6: With some desperation at the prospect of a new front in the east, the Germans continue the attack in France. A +6 blitz is a moderate success (1/B) taking a hex in France at the cost of a MECH, having run out of DIVs. The Japanese open negotiations about peace with the Soviets.
  Impulse #7: The Brits push close to Sicily and move up around Naples, threatening to flank the Italian line there. The Chinese consider an attack, but then choose to wait. 
  Impulse 8 sees the Germans attack yet again in France. This time a +5 blitz (lowered by TAC and HQ support) sees moderate success (-/R) with a central hex in France taken. Half of the attackers are flipped, however. The Kriegsmarine also sallies forth, trying to hit convoys in the Faroes gap. The searches found nothing. The Japanese pull back again, leaving Mukden exposed from three hex sides. The Italians 
  Impulse 9: The Brits send a large TF to find the German navy despite the risk to their convoys. More bad search rolls. The Soviets try to push south and a +8 blitz takes a hex with casualties (1/R) giving the Soviets 4 hexes on Mukden next turn.
  Impulse 10: The Germans, running low on airforce and face-up units, goes for a +7 assault on Lille. It goes badly (1/-). The attrition in the German army is now reaching painful proportions. The Japanese move units to the coast, especially some DIVs.
  Impulse 11: The Communist Chinese make an attack with no result (-/-) and the French try a +6 counterattack to reclaim a hex in France, but fail (1/-). The British find the German fleet and manage to damage the Tirpitz, but that is about it. The turn then ends.
  The turn ends. The Germans shift into a high gear of INF production, The US Gears Up finally. No PARTs appear. 

Sept/Oct 1941: The Axis win initiative, but had to demand a reroll to get it. The weather then starts nasty, with lots of storm and mud. The Japanese activate Siam as a minor ally (US doesn’t care). The Italians, seeing a large British buildup, elect to vacate Naples in favor of a stronger line in the mountains. 
  Impulse #2. The CW bring more troops to Italy in a naval, including aircraft. The Chinese push forward in the southeast. The Soviets are now close to having the requirement to declare war on Germany, even as German units stream east to prevent it. The Soviets still have a large portion of their army in Manchuria, however. France digs in, preparing to inflict more pain on the Germans.
  Impulse #3 and the weather clears in the temperate. The Japanese try a clever gambit, sailing out and invading directly into Vladivostock. There is a fierce air battle and the Sovs clear enough TAC to drop the odds to +4. The attack then fails, killing a MAR and two DIVs. Surprisingly Japanese morale does not really plummet. The Germans load up again and attack Lille. The French TAC clears, making the assault +5 and, once again, the French extract pounds of flesh. The dreaded 3/1 occurs. The French hold on to Lille and more German families hope for an end to the war. 
  Impulse 4 and the Allies go on the offensive. The CW walks into Naples, displacing the Italian navy there. The Littorio  and 3 CONV are sunk in the interception combat, but most of the navy get away. The CW then attacks northward into the mountains, taking advantage of the flipped Italian units. The +15 attack (shore bombardment nearly doubled the attack) succeeds (-/2S). Meanwhile, the Soviets attack Mukden and the +7 attack is also a complete success with a great performance by the troops (rolled ’17’). Mukden falls and Japan starts conversing with the Russians in earnest. The Chinese, not wanting to be left out, make a +4 assault in the central mountains, taking a hex on a (1/1) result.
  Impulse 6 sees the Germans still flailing away. A +11 attack in the Ardennes bleeds both (1/1) with no other gains. The Italians repair their line and the Japanese seem to have stuck a deal. 
  Impulse 7 sees the Allies mostly exhausted. Not much happens and the turn ends.

The US take no options and no PARTs appear. As expected, the Japanese and Russian sign a peace agreement (the US does not care). The Soviets get all of Korea and Manchuria. The Japanese get to keep their army and secure a peaceable border in the face of rising tensions with the US, Commonwealth, and the NEI over oil deliveries.

Nov/Dec 1941: The Axis win initiative and the weather starts pleasant for most of the world. The Germans use the opportunity to advance in France, but their army is simply worn out from 2 years of combat. The Germans fail to take the city on a +9 assault (2/2 result). The Italians are now in danger of surrender with a large buildup of CW forces in the boot. The Italians strategically realign units to maximize their garrison value. Japan, now relieved from the pressure of the war with the USSR, moves troops quickly to ports.
  Impulse 2 and the Brits, armed with newly arrived strategic bombers, darken the skies over Germany. 4 BPs and 1 RES are taken, and a factory is destroyed in Essen. The French juggle to line to replace the losses, but the line looks reasonably strong, especially as German corps are moving off to the east. China sits and the Soviets work on redeploying forces to the Polish frontier. 
  Impulse 3 sees no action. The Germans lick their wounds and arrange the line in Poland. Italy moves a counter here and their to improve their garrison, and Japan takes a combined to reposition some of its navy.
  Impulse 4 and the Brits want to see the end of Grabarini. More corps land in Italy and those there push up to put Italian units in zones of control. The rest of the Allies patiently wait. The turn could end… but it doesn’t, giving Italy another chance. They pull back from the line, once again getting over the bar to keep Italy in the war. Naturally, the turn then ends, saving Italy for another turn. 
  The US picks the Truman Doctrine and there are no PARTs.

Jan/Feb 1942: Much excitement with the turn start as both Germany and Russia are clearly able to break the pact if they so choose. The Axis win initiative, the Allies demand a reroll, and the Axis win anyway. Germany breaks the pact and declares war on the USSR. The US is outraged and support for entering the war grows in the halls of Congress. Meanwhile, the Japanese decide with early clear weather, to seize oil. Japan declares war on the NEI, the CW, and France. The US is again outraged at this behavior. The Japanese do a supercombined, invading all over the Pacific. Hong Kong, Rabaul, and Malaya all fall. The Japanese land on all of the oil fields in the NEI and next to Batavia as well. Naval raids claims 6 CW CONV.
  Impulse 2 sees the Brits pull in their convoy lines in the Pacific and Indian oceans. More corps and planes head to Italy. France holds the line. The Soviets send HQs to put their lines in supply in Poland, and kill the Bremen MIL in southern Poland. 
  Impulse 3 and the Germans manage to reinforce the line in the east just in time. Their forces in the west look stretched, but with air superiority it seems the French have no serious attacking possibilities. The Japanese land a few extra corps and start taking other ports on Bornea.
  Impulse 4 and the Brits push up in Italy, again seeking to collapse Italy. The Soviets launch a +10 attack against some Hungarians, and take the hex (1/1). More Soviet troops lumber towards the new front. The Chinese look defensive.
  Impulse 5 sees the Italians again pull back, leaving Rome precariously defended with a single corps. Again, the fates favor the Italians, as the turn improbably ends, preventing Italian surrender. The Germans push HQs and reinforcements into Poland. The Japan arrange to redeploy their fleet now that they have extra oil to spend.
  The US does, with all of the new chits, pass War Appropriations. The arsenal of democracy slowly starts to crank up, quite late. No PARTs appear but total war looks ominously close.

Mar/April 1941: The Axis win initiative and move first. The weather starts out fairly miserable, and not much happens… unless you count the sailing of the entire Japanese fleet off the coast of Hawaii. The Germans desperately cling to thin lines in the east and west. 
  The French on impulse 2 assault Saarbrucken in the storm and take it with a (-/1) result. The French on are German soil. Warned of imminent Japanese perfidy, the U.S. Congress decides to set up a bi-partisan commission to investigate what to do about it. The Brits take a naval and ship yet more troops to Italy. The buildup around Rome is significant.
  Impulse #3 sees what we expected: The weather clears and the Japanese declare war on the United States and strike Pearl Harbor with an air action. The strike goes surprisingly well, sinking the CVs Saratoga and Lexington, and the BB West Virginia. Germany activates Finland as an ally to relieve pressure on the eastern front, but it is unclear that it helps. 
  On impulse 4 the US hunt a straggler providing supply and sink the BB Kongo, but not much else is done. The US immediately sets to reorganizing supply lines and shipping its meagre forces to the front. The CW, seizing the clear weather, assault Rome and take it on a +16 assault. Strategic bombing hits Germany, causing 3 BPs in losses. The turn then surprisingly ends and the Italian government sues for peace. Italy is conquered! 
  To sour the party, Egyptian nationalists rise up and seize the Suez canal. much to the dismay of the Royal Navy that was planning to relocate the fleet to the Pacific. The US war machine cranks up but total war is not yet here as the US is not at war with Germany.

May/June 1942: The Axis win initiative despite the Allies demanding a reroll. The weather starts bucky clear. The Japanese start by setting up invasion fleets, clearly aiming to invade the Philippines. Germany reorganizes their lines again, but with an entirely new front in the south (with Italy conquered) stretches their forces. 
  Impulse #2: The CW activates Yugoslavia and lines up forces on the border of Austria. They take a naval, however, to move troops and set. A large invasion fleets sets up in the North Sea. The US moves some FTRs and corps to Hawaii and Midway, but there is no threat of naval action thus far. The Soviets choose not to attack, instead trying to push up their scattered forces to the front in Poland. France, however, goes on the offensive, attacking in Belgium (+14 attack succeeds, killing one German unit) and France (+4 assault with 1/1 result). 
  Impulse #3 and the weather stays clear. The Japanese invade Legaspi in the Philippines without any trouble. MacArthur phones for reinforcements. The Germans are now basically in a constant ‘plug the holes’ mode, falling back to more defensible lines and consolidating their forces. No units are sent south yet, however.
  Impulse #4. The CW invade the neck of Denmark, trying to open yet another front against the Germans. Units in Italy slowly crawl northwards and the Yugoslavians push into Austria towards the oil fields. 2 Ger BPs are lost in Essen to bombing. The Soviets elect to declare war on Rumania and surge into the country, aiming for the oil. Two attacks succeed without loss as the Rumanians are without German support. The Soviets push into Hungary as well. The Chinese make a +4 attack on Nanking that goes wrong (2/-). 
  Impulse #5 The Japanese land additional forces in the Philippines and warily await movement from the US. The Germans pull back slightly in Poland, unable to heal a breach in the lines in southern Poland that threatens Hungary. 
  Impulse #6 The Soviets attack. A +8 blitz in Poland is successful, opening another potential breakthrough. A +10 attack in Hungary is successful, opening the way to Budapest. A +10 attack in Rumania meets resistance, but the Soviets push forward (1/2S) and a second attack in Rumania annihilates the defenders on a +14 attack.  With another impulse it does seem like either Hungary or Rumania will last. The Brits land additional forces in Denmark and push up to the mountains in Italy. The US bides its time and the French push units to the front, although most of its line is disorganized.
  Impulse #7: The Axis discuss passing but decide too much must be done. The Germans again play defense. In the west they are trying to pull back but some flipped units are causing some difficult decisions. It is basically the same in Poland. Finally some units start moving to the southern flank as the Brits approach the passes. The turn does not end…
  Impulse #8 … and so the Soviets roll into Budapest and Bucharest. Much of the Soviet army is flipped in Poland, however, so no other action takes place. The Brits take Copenhagen and push southward towards Kiel. The German navy sits there, mostly flipped (from lack of oil). The US and China sit patiently.
  And the turn ends. Denmark is liberated while Hungary and Rumania are conquered. No PARTs appear, but the Brits manage to rebase some added units to Egypt to try and reclaim the Suez Canal. 

July/Aug 1942: This turns out to be a brutally long turn, especially for Germany, which starts to collapse under the weight of attacks from all sides. The Allies win initiative. The US starts by advancing a bill in Congress to declare war on Germany, but shockingly the bill fails in the Senate after a filibuster (20% chance of failure, and it failed). The Chinese take a +3 assault on Nanking again but this time take the city despite heavy losses (2/1). The French attack in the west, failing on a +10 blitz (1/1) while the Soviets attack in the east, blitzing into E. Prussia. Soviet forces in Rumania and Hungary split, some going south to take on the Bulgarians while others push north and west to the main eastern front. The Soviets and Yugoslavians link up at Bratislava. The Soviets angrily demand to be given the city, and the Allies agree for a future favor. The Brits navalize, sending a large fleet around Africa while reinforcing Egypt with 2 corps. 
  Impulse 2 sees the Axis setting up in the Pacific for more troop transfers to the Philippines and the Germans again trying to find a defensible line. With the Brits pushing from the north, there is simply not enough corps to hold a complete line.
  Impulse #3 and the US finally manages to declare war on Germany. We have total war. The Soviets attack in Poland to try and surround Warsaw and Lodz. They take the hex but suffer for it (2/2) on a +6 assault. The CW surprise everyone with an invasion of the Netherlands not far behind the German lines. The CW also land more forces in Denmark and slowly continue to filter through the Alps from Italy. The US and China are passive.
  Impulse #4 and the Germans decide to remind the Allies that they have a quality military. Troops are pulled from the western front and a +5 blitz is launched against the beachhead in the Netherlands. The (-/R) result kills the Brits, include a PARA div. It does flip the Germans and renders their western line weaker, but the Brits grumble. 
  Impulse 5 sees the Allies attacking again. A +8 attack by the Soviets in the Polish forest clears another hex (1/2S). A +10 attack takes Sofia with 2 losses, and an automatic attack kills an isolated German INF in Hungary. The French push up and await American reinforcements. 
  Impulse 6: The Axis reorganize lines and the Japanese land another corps in the Philippines.
  Impulse 7 and the weather clears a bit in the N. Monsoon. The US takes a combined and invade Majuro in the Marshall Islands, taking the port. The CW assault Munich on a +11 attack and take it without loss, killing a German MECH. The US and France team up to blitz a German unit left out front and kill it on a +19 attack. Meanwhile, the Brits finally have enough force to attack Kiel, and take the city without loss on a  +16 attack. The German navy is overrun. Unfortunately for the Allies, all but 2 cruisers escape to Stettin. The Baltic, however, is now dominated by the Brits (who eliminated the German CONV first impulse). In the east, the Soviets grind forward as well. A +5 blitz bashes a hole (-/B) in the north, isolating Rommel, while a +8 assault fails (1/-) and a +11 attack eliminates the last of a German pocket in Hungary (1/1). 
  Impulse 8 and the Germans try to rescue Rommel. A +9 blitz in E. Prussia succeeds in re-establishing supply, but at a cost (1/B). The line to Rommel is there, but weak, and Rommel and his entire stack are disorganized. The Japanese continue to push through the jungles of Luzon and surround Manila.
  Impulse 9 and the attacks keep coming. The Germans lose their one remaining oil to bombing. The Soviets attack and slug it out. A +3 blitz (1/1), and a +9 blitz (1/1) advance the line, re-isolate Rommel, but flip the army. The CW attack a MTN in the Alps to clear the supply lines and it works at a cost (2/1). In the north, however, the CW find more success, blitzing Rostock (-/1B). The French join in, attacking Liege but failing (2/-) and blitzing into Germany and succeeding on a +10 blitz with US help. The US reinforces Majuro and bases FTRs forward to the front lines in the Pacific.
  Impulse 10 sees the Germans consider another attack to supply Rommel, but the odds are too low to be reasonable. The line in the west pulls back to deal with the CW threat in northern Germany and the CW threat in Bavaria. Another impulse and things look dire. But the turn ends, allowing a huge stack of German reinforcements to appear for September. The Germans fight on! 
  Two PARTs appear in China, annoying the Japanese. 

Sept/Oct 1942:  The Allies win initiative. The US takes a naval, but the rest of the Allies take a land to press their advantage in Europe. The CW kills the PART in the Suez (finally) and repairs begin on the canal. A +18 blitz sees the CW kill a GAR and blitz into Stettin, destroying the German once and for all (no ports). The Soviets succeed on a +9 blitz in E. Prussia, kill the Rommel stack without loss, retreat a German corps in southern Poland (-/R result on +10 blitz). The French join in, assaulting Cologne but fail to take it (2/1 on +10 assault). And the Communists in China finally do something, attacking a mountain hex in the north at +0 (after TAC and HQ support). The attack fails (1/-). The US sets up its fleet under heavy FTR cover outside of Guam and run a MAR into Guam.
  Impulse #2: The Japanese decide to come play, sending significant air forces and most of their navy to seek out the American fleet. Alas, no combat occurred. In Europe the Finns assault Leningrad but perform really badly (3/-). Germany continues to shrink its lines, now mostly inside of Germany proper.
  Impulse #3 and the hits keep coming. The weather stays clear. The US and Japan again fail to find each other, but the MAR takes Saipan, expanding US air bases in the region. The Soviets attack south of Warsaw at +8 but accomplish little (-/-). A +14 assault and +15 blitz, however, are both successful, killing two German corps and threaten to pocket a large part of the German line still in Poland. The CW takes a naval to move troops and navy.
  Impulse #4 The Germans manage to link up with the pocket, but the situation is precarious. Again, no naval combat in the Pacific. 
  Impulse #5 The weather turns stormy in the Pacific and the US, after looking at the surface fleet of the Japanese, decide not to risk disaster. The fleet leaves except the New Orleans and some air cover. The Soviets attack Katowice and fail to take it (1/-) at +8. The Brits push up slowly in both the north and south of Germany. 
  Impulse #6: The Japanese go hunting and find the New Orleans, sinking it without loss. America mourns. The Germans hold tight.
  Impulse #7: The weather clear again, but much of the Allied armies are flipped. Some maneuvering happens in Europe, pushing units to the fronts. The oil in Germany is bombed again, leaving the Germans with precious little petroleum. 
  Impulse #8: The Japanese take an air and groundstrike Manila with 8 aircraft. MacArthur is flipped. The Germans pass, hoping for reinforcements. And indeed, the turn ends.
  No PARTs appear.

Nov/Dec 1942: 

To facilitate the training of new players, the game at this point was turned into a training exercise. Berlin was captured by the Soviets in March of 1943. Two major naval battles took place in the Mariannas, the second of which saw the destruction of most of the Japanese carrier fleet as well as most of its NAV. The US took bases in Iwo Jima and Bonin and landed in Kurile Islands. The game ended at the end of the Mar/April 1943 turn with an Allied victory.