Allied Thread - Over the Reich JPetroski vs. McMonkey

[JPetroski]

Turn 41

Spoiler :

-2/3 dams in Ruhr destroyed
-Schiphol and Deeleen bombed to no effect
-Aircraft factory NE of Holland bombed but not destroyed
-6x Fw190 destroyed for loss of 1x P-47
-Cormeilles and Beaumont AF strafed and bombed – 3.7cm Flak destroyed at Beaumont
-U-Boat sunk in convoy zone

-I’m able to actually destroy 2/3 of the targets for Chastise – I wasn’t expecting that but I don’t think he realized what I was after

-I have a good turn against the Luftwaffe, destroying six fighters.

- I only receive 5 freighters so I devote all Liberators built this turn to combing the Atlantic for U-Boats – I find one and destroy it. I hope that between doing this and also attacking some ports in Eastern Germany over the next few turns, I'll restore the 7 or 9 per turn I was receiving.

-I send 3 B-17s after an aircraft factory in Holland so that I can hopefully distract from the main raid that just crossed into Denmark. I don’t think he has much that can attack it in Denmark. I really think he’s going to have an unpleasant surprise when some 25 bombers or so start attacking targets at Kiel, Hamburg and Lubeck next turn.

-Like an idiot, I lose a PR plane because I didn’t notice that it was on its last turn. I was able to figure out that his defense is not in depth in the south.

-I end with 492.5 points

 

[JPetroski]

Turn 42

Spoiler :

-RAF bombers redeploy to the Ruhr as the dams are encircled and can’t be reached.
-Urban area near Dortmund destroyed
-Urban area near Essen destroyed
-Port at Hamburg destroyed
-Refinery at Luebeck destroyed
-Port at Kiel destroyed
-Fuel refinery at Kiel destroyed
-Fuel refinery near Amsterdam destroyed
-Cormeilles emptied of defenders
-Bodilis AFB attacked
-Through all of this several B-17 take heavy damage and also several Luftwaffe fighters are observed to be destroyed by friendly flak as they seem to fly into the flak belts to attack the bombers.

This turn saw my raid arrive in Germany as several targets were destroyed. I ended up earning 38.5 points in this turn alone!

While the bombers arrived in time, he had positioned fighters near targets to intercept them, so he must have known they were approaching somehow. I am guessing he couldn’t quite reach the stream so he did the next best thing. That, or he saw the size of the stream and realized that his fighters would be torn to shreds attacking it.

By night, I was not able to strike the last Ruhr dam because he encircled it with his aircraft and I had no fighters nearby, so I took the RAF bombers and struck two cities in the Ruhr instead. I’ll have to settle for destroying 2/3 of the dams – I won’t be able to hit the 5th before time runs out.

I ended the turn with 531 points and an understanding that mass formations work.

 

[JPetroski]

Turn 43

Spoiler :

-Port at Luebeck attacked and though it takes a ridiculous amount of bombs it is destroyed
-Port at Bremen attacked but not destroyed
-Aircraft factory near Bremen attacked but not destroyed
-Port at Nantes attacked but not destroyed
-4x Fw190 destroyed in the air and 6x Fw190 destroyed on the ground at Cormeilles

I believe he has built substantially more ports because I only receive 5 freighters. I targeted three ports this turn but could only destroy one, the only target destroyed (a bit of a letdown after the turn before, but the main attack was blunted by very poor results at Luebeck).

While I still have several bombers over Luebeck and Bremen, many more are in the process of limping home to England.



If they’re allowed to arrive, they’ll be disbanded for brand new, better aircraft as the B-17G is coming online. These wounded birds will allow me to rush build a large force in my eastern airfields to compliment those that the freighters provide each turn.

The larger news on this turn is that an absolutely furious dog fight erupts north of Paris. He is still defending France in force. I’m not sure I’d do that. There’s only two cities (La Rochelle and Bordeaux) that I can’t hit from England in one turn with B-24s so anything he builds here tends to be destroyed quickly, and what’s more, I can hit any attacking fighters with my own escorts. He has about 8 or 9 airfields in the region and I’m sure he’s bringing his trains in to supply them and build most of his aircraft there – that certainly makes sense. I’d probably move most of the aircraft back east after I did this, however.

In any event, he has not, and so I destroy 10 Fw190 fighters this turn. 4 in the air and a further 6 on the ground. My B-24s are proving pretty good at destroying ground targets like flak, assuming I have numerous B-24s to spare. In a three turns or so I’ll have A-26 invaders with 1000 pound bombs available (that I can attack with either 4 times or twice and then reposition) and those will do even better. If I don’t press attacks and withdraw them they should be substantially more survivable and they’ll likely do well with a P-47 with its strong dive bonus overhead.

I end the turn with 542.5 points and 15 bombers lost out of escort range.

 

[JPetroski]

Turn 44

Spoiler :

-Schiphol AFB attacked but without effect
-Fighter-bombers attack Longueau AFB and Cormeilles AFB, destroying radar and 3.7cm flak
-Refinery at Rostock attacked but not destroyed

This was a slow turn as I had no assets in range to attack most targets. Also, I’m building up for another powerful blow. I’m assembling a force of B-17G aircraft which I will probably deploy from northern England to try and get around any interceptors en route to targets in Germany. These will be unescorted.

Likewise, 10 Liberators are launched. Their goal will be to destroy the ports of Wilhelmshaven and Bremen as I’m only pulling in 5 freighters per turn and need more.

By night, I have a force of some 21 bombers built with more on the way, and important I have added 6x Beaufighters, with more on the way. This force will go hey-diddle-diddle-right-up-the-middle towards the Ruhr with the aim of destroying urban targets there, accumulating points, and hopefully the night fighters destroying a number of Me110s or other interceptors.

I used a significant number of fighter bombers to attack some airfields. I was able to destroy some radar and a 3.7cm flak. The flak is an expensive unit that will now need to be replaced if he wants to land units at that airfield successfully. Also, if he wants to challenge my attack he needs to deploy fighters as he doesn't have flak available. When the A-26 becomes available in a few turns, I’ll build up strength with these to empty first airfields in France and later the coastal cities.

All in all, I’m in a building stage and it should be a slow few turns but by around 50 I will be hitting him with several missions at a time. I’m hopeful that my attacks will allow me to research P-51 Mustangs and deploy them before turn 75. That is the goal, anyway.

I end with 551.5 points

19 bombers lost of out escort range (I need 50 to trigger the necessary research for Mustangs).

 

[JPetroski]

Turn 45

Spoiler :

-Me110 destroyed on the ground at Ophoven AFB
-Tournai AFB strafed with no effect
-Port at Nantes attacked but not destroyed
-Pocking AFB is bombed and a few aircraft are damaged

This was a slow turn as I am building up force for a night raid and two daylight raids.

As it stands I have about 24 B-17s committed to striking targets in Germany (I’m tentatively thinking fuel refineries in Rostock and Brunswick) with a further 12 scheduled for completion next turn. Of those a few will strike ports in France, but most will head over to the 44th Bombardment Group’s airfield near Hull. I plan on departing in two turns with whatever is at the airfield by then. The B-24s are still enroute to hit Wilhelmshaven and Bremen ports and should strike in two turns. I suspect I will take enough casualties with these two raids to get pretty close to the Mustang trigger, but I might need a third to push me over the edge.

Depending on that, the next wave of B-17Gs being built will either head deep into Germany again or go straight for the Ruhr. Once I’ve lost my 50 bombers, I’m probably going to start bombarding the Ruhr around the clock.

On that note, I have a large number of night bombers (27) assembling at Boxted near Colchester. Their target will be urban facilities in the Ruhr. I continue to build up my intruder force of admittedly antiquated Beaufighters to chip away at some German defenders. This force will likely also leave in two turns.

Thus, next turn will be another quiet one but after that things are going to heat up in a big way. I’m also going to get the technology for the A-26 next turn and am seriously considering calling a tech halt while I wait for the bomber losses to accrue. If I accept a minimal tech rate I can acquire nearly 3700 fuel credits per turn, which would help me churn out B-17G bombers at such a rate that I think I’d likely overwhelm his defenses. It will probably be about 9 turns before I hit the 50 bomber loss target so that might work out very well.

The other option is to start researching towards better night fighters, but in all honesty I think he will be forced to bring his night fighters to daylight operations soon and the RAF will have a free hand. Once I have Mustangs, he’s not going to have anywhere to hide (and once I have Mustangs—particularly the Delta class—I see very little reason in continuing research).

I am trying to figure out where his fighters are so I run a recon raid to Vannes (near St. Nazaire) and find that he still has 4 fighters there alone. He is keeping quite a few planes in France still so he must have plenty to spare at this point. All the more reason that I need Mustangs (and the better Thunderbolts for that matter that carry 1,000 pound bombs and can devastate these airfields - I'm holding off on researching those until I lose my 50 bombers because the second I have them the further I must go to trigger the bomber loss).

I end with 557 points.
20 bombers lost out of escort range.

 

[JPetroski]

Turn 46

Spoiler :

-Rottum AFB is bombed – 1 photo recon aircraft and 1 Me110 are destroyed
-Port at Nantes bombed but not destroyed
-88mm destroyed near Lille
-Tournai attacked and some units damaged but not destroyed

I only received 4 freighters this turn which means he must have brought U-Boats into the convoy zone somewhere. I’m going to have to spend time devoting units to combing this. My B-24’s are continuing on towards Germany to destroy ports there to address this. The more freighters I spawn, the more pressure he will be under. I should strike his ports next turn.

Meanwhile, I continue building up two large forces which will launch next turn.

I finish the turn with 563 points
20 bombers lost

 

[JPetroski]

Turn 47

Spoiler :

-Port at Bremen destroyed
-Port at Wilhelmshaven destroyed
-Fuel refinery near Bremen attacked but clouds obscure the target
-Aircraft factory near Denmark attacked but isn’t destroyed
-Rottum AFB bombed and an Me110 is destroyed
-Port at Nantes destroyed but a B-17 is crippled by heavy defenses
-Factory at Nantes attacked, a B-17 is crippled and B-24 is destroyed. Factory survives.
-B-24 crashes in Swansea
-Shore battery destroyed in Normandy.
-Dive bombers destroy factory at Lille
-Dive bombers destroy fuel refinery at Brussels but lose 2 fighters to flak
-Schiphol AFB is attacked. A 3.7cm flak, photo recon aircraft, and Me110 are destroyed on the ground.
-U-Boat destroyed in Irish Sea

39x B-17G take off for Germany. Although I’ve said this frequently, this is now the largest raid to date.



Another large raid is launched at night against the Ruhr. They’re going right up the center, destroying anything they find on the ground on the way, and will be pushing in towards the city. They’re “escorted” by several beaufighters and the hope is to make a dent into his night fighters with this force.



There’s something weird going on with the Battle of the Atlantic. Granted I destroy 4 more ports, but this turn I’ve swung up to 11 freighters received. I didn’t sink any U-Boats in the convoy zone, just one outside of it. I don’t know if he has some tactic now of leading me on goose chases by parking in there for a turn and then moving out, or if the event is broken. It will be interesting to read his notes after the game to determine this.

If he is swinging in and out, that’s a very effective tactic because it basically doubles my search area. It’s not like I have a warning of when I’ll get many ships and when I won’t.

I’ve cut science research for now in favor of production and I’m slated to produce 16 aircraft of all types next turn. The B-17G is inexpensive enough that I only need to disband a freight every other turn and I will have excess production that I can use to rush-buy another unit the following turn.

I’m going to keep sending bombers deep into Germany to trigger the 50-loss threshold to acquire escort technology. After that, I’ll rush as fast as I can towards the Mustangs and once that is completed I will not worry about research for the rest of the scenario and simply aim to swamp him.

For now, I’m OK taking heavy losses but the end goal and reason for the Mustang is to enable bombers to make it back home in the future so by the time D-Day arrives I have overwhelming force.

My air force of the future will comprise a select few types:

-P-51B/D Mustangs – escort fighters that will accompany heavy bombers and try to destroy the Luftwaffe deep in Germany;
-P-47D40 Thunderbolts – fighter bombers with 1,000lb bombs – they’ll escort our tactical bombers because their dive bonus will mean anything that attacks the tactical bomber will likely be bounced and destroyed;
-B-17G Flying Fortress – inexpensive and carries as much as the B-24 while being better defensively. They’ll be the only bomber I produce eventually;
-A-26 Invader – tactical bomber that can drop up to 4x 1,000lb bombs. Their goal is to start destroying the defenses in coastal cities and airfields (which won’t be easy given he has flak batteries in at least some of them).

I think the B-24 will be phased out as it isn’t as survivable and the goal will eventually be to bring the aircraft back home rather than write them off when they are destroyed.

I finish the turn with 580.5 points and 21 bombers lost

 

[JPetroski]

Turn 48

Spoiler :

-3x He111 destroyed by Beaufighters with a 4th badly damaged
-1x Ju88C and 2x Me110 destroyed, another damaged by Intruder aircraft
-Deelen AFB attacked with no result
-Rottum AFB attacked and a Fw190 from Wilde Sau destroyed on the ground
-Essen attacked but nothing yet destroyed
-Cherbourg bombed to no effect

There was no hiding the RAF formation but now that we’ve broken the coast we have dispersed far and wide. My goal is that no fighter should be able to kill more than one bomber. I hope I am able to destroy at least a few urban targets with this because the RAF does constitute a larger investment for me since the only unit on the night map I can ever disband are freight trains. There are several other options on the day map.

Anyway, if he sends more day fighters for Wilde Sau then that’s less that will be in position to hit the large B-17 raid that is about 3-4 turns from target.

In the meanwhile I start building more and more A-26’s. I really don’t want these to die. They can hit Cherbourg and return to base in one turn so once I have enough of them, I should be able to destroy the gun batteries there regardless of the flak improvement.

As for Swansea, I rebuild one improvement this turn and will rebuild the other the next. I also build more beaufighters for the region.

588 points

25 bombers lost (halfway there).

 

[JPetroski]

Turn 49

Spoiler :

-The Ruhr comes under very heavy attack with 6 urban centers destroyed, with a further one damaged. 7 bombers lost to defensive flak fire.
-Cherbourg attacked to no real effect
-Panzer attacked near St. Nazaire with no real effect

We have a very favorable result in the Battle of the Ruhr with 6 urban centers (worth 45 points in total) being destroyed. We pull in 55.5 points this turn in total, which is huge and exactly what Bomber Command is meant to do.

Our 8th Air Force raid is now 2 turns from target, 1 turn from the coast. This time, I’m going to specifically target aircraft factories rather than major cities because I suspect there will be considerably less flak fire, and he’ll have to bring in his fighters to shoot me down. I only get the “bomber out of escort range” bonus when a fighter shoots us down. There are aircraft factories near Kiel, Bremen, and Rostock that I will attempt to hit.

I launch a second, smaller 8th Air Force raid of 13 B-17s to follow up on this attack. They won’t swing quite as far to the north on the approach, counting on the larger raid to draw away defenders. I’m hopeful that between these two raids I can trigger the Mustang tech.

At home, we go on a spending spree for A-26 invaders. I need a substantial force of these to break through and destroy the defense at Cherbourg and other locations. These will also prove indispensable when he acquires Me262s. Although the 262 is exceptionally deadly in the air, they’re vulnerable on the ground. If I can identify at what fields he’s parking them, and send my Invaders en masse to overwhelm any flak defenses, I can destroy these deadly fighters.

We end the turn with:

643.5 points
25 bombers lost

 

[JPetroski]

Turn 50

Spoiler :

-An embarrassing, national disgrace of a U-Boat hanging out in the Bristol Channel is sunk
-FW190 that was apparently on patrol is shot down east of England
-Cherbourg attacked to no real effect – a few units wounded but nothing destroyed

My large raid has broken into Denmark and resistance is expected this turn. I’m in position to start hammering targets next turn. I think he might be alarmed at its scope:



I continue to rush A-26 Invaders. I might as well build my stock pile of them now since I have no plans of losing them. At present I have 20 active and am seeking a force of about 50.

I am going back into research to see if I can get a better night fighter before I need to start rushing towards Mustangs. He has a powerful fighter force at night when supplemented by Wilde Sau and I want to be better able to destroy it.

I end with:

655 points
25 bombers

 

[JPetroski]

Turn 51

Spoiler :

-Aircraft factory in Holstein destroyed
-Aircraft factory near Bremen destroyed
-Factory in Kiel destroyed
-A second factory in Kiel destroyed
-Factory at Luebeck destroyed
-Cologne attacked but not destroyed
-Aircraft factory near Regensburg attacked but not destroyed
-2 B-17G damaged in these attacks
-Cherbourg heavily attacked – damage to several units and 1x Schutzen is destroyed

The major raid for the most part made it through with only a few bombers lost. We destroy 5 targets and a large part of the raid is pressing on towards Berlin.

A second follow up raid will break the Danish coast next turn.

I have a third raid of 5 bombers forming to likely hit something closer, like Holland, with fighter support.

My A-26’s are almost at a point where I can expect to break through at Cherbourg, but it depends on dice rolls. We were able to damage the shore battery and flak enough this turn that we might destroy it the next turn – I don’t think it will completely heal.

In other news, I get unwelcome news that Operation Hydra has launched – this is a raid against Peenemunde. It comes at a bad time given that the RAF has just been destroyed over the Ruhr but I launch what the mission gives me and give it a shot.

It was a fruitful turn. I'm only 309 points away from getting landing craft. These large raids are paying off, as has the Battle of the Atlantic. I am swimming in aircraft now.

691 points
27 bombers lost beyond range
28 active A-26 Invaders with many more being rush built.

 

[JPetroski]

Turn 52

Spoiler :

-Aircraft factory near Rostock destroyed
-Fuel refinery near Brunswick destroyed
-Fuel refinery at Luebeck destroyed
-Trainyard near Rostock attacked but not destroyed
-Fuel refinery at Bordeaux attacked but not destroyed
-Cherbourg cleared of defenders

He hit my raid hard but I was able to swamp him and I make more attacks. The raid will turn for home next turn with any survivors. If he chases it far I’ll hit the pursuers with aircraft from England.

It is exceptionally likely that I’ll be past the 50 unit threshold next turn, which means it is possible P-51s will roam the skies within about 10 turns from now (around 8 turns to get the technology and another 2 turns to build up a force). This large raid will be the last one that goes in unescorted.

I’m going to take the survivors from this raid plus anything I can build and start prepping for a large, escorted assault. Now that the 50 bomber threshold is about to be met, I want to try and have as many units as possible survive from turn to turn, while destroying as much of the Luftwaffe as possible.

I also need to start thinking about invasion. I’m less than 300 points away and the pace has quickened significantly, yet I have almost no tanks. I might need to start having some of my coastal cities at least start producing ground units so I have a large army by the time I can launch D-Day. I will also need to start drawing up plans for how to invade.

My tactical bomber force is proving very important. I have so many tactical bombers that I am confident I can sweep opposition away from before them for an initial invasion landing, but if I need to let them roam far and wide they would be vulnerable. They can hit some of the French coastal cities and return to base in one turn but they can’t go much further. Even attacking the airfields, (which I have half a mind to do) would leave them exposed.

I rush build 2 more photo recon birds so I can understand what targets would be best for the tactical force. During this stage of the game, I’m going to stretch him between defense of his homeland vs. the strategic bombers and the need to defend in France.

Frankly, unless he commits the entire Luftwaffe to raiding a few key airfields, I don’t think he’ll be able to stop my tactical force. I don’t think he has the fighter bombers to do this.

717 points
44 Bombers lost
38 active A-26 invaders

 

[JPetroski]

Turn 53

Spoiler :

-Aircraft factory near Merseburg destroyed
-Factory at Rostock destroyed
-Fighter at Eggbeck destroyed on the ground
-Aarhus port attacked but not destroyed
-Servon cleared of defenders at cost of 1x A26
-Cormeilles attacked 1x A26 lost
-Carpiquet cleared of defenders

I failed to realize I need 60 bomber losses rather than 50 so I have to make further attacks and leave them exposed rather than withdrawing. They should withdraw next turn after having taken sufficient losses and I should be 6 turns away from the P-51B. I'm starting to build up a new force of B-17s that will likely sortie out fully escorted in about 10-12 turns' time. The next major raid won't bother with going so far to the north. We will want Germany to attack it early and often so that the Mustangs have the best chance to cut the Luftwaffe to shreds.

I launch massive A26 raids but they aren’t as effective as I had hoped due to replaying the turn with ½ the bomb load and a capacity to be attacked and hurt by ground flak. I’ll probably lose a number of A26 because of this but that is important as this unit was quickly unbalancing this game. I anticipate that the Luftwaffe will destroy several of these next turn, but I'll be able to attack them as a result.

By night, the RAF continues flying towards Peenemunde. It should approach the target in a few more turns.

740 points
56 bombers lost
41 A-26 though all are vulnerable

 

[JPetroski]

Turn 54

Spoiler :

-He111 shot down by Beaufighter near Swansea
-3.7cm destroyed near Beaumont
-Moult AFB cleared of defenders
-Sdkfz 7/2 destroyed near Cormeilles – 1x A26 is killed trying
-Construction crew destroyed near Tournai
-Beaumont AF cleared of defenders
-Panzer division at Lille attacked by A-26s
-Aarhus port destroyed
-Flak train badly damaged near Servon
-Rouen attacked but only minor damage caused
-Le Havre attacked but only minor damaged caused

Mustang Research triggered – projected 6 turns to research, 8-10 turns to deploy

750.5 points
48 active A26 bombers

 

[JPetroski]

Turn 55

Spoiler :

-U-Boat sunk near convoy zone
-Me109 shot down near Servon but P-47 also destroyed
-flak train attacked NE of Lyon with no effect

I received news that the Schweinfurt raid has been ordered, so I launch all available bombers. There is no good way to do this save “hey diddle diddle, right up the middle” so that is what we’re going to do. I don’t’ have high hopes! I would significantly doubt that I can even hit one target, to be completely honest.

Meanwhile, the Peenemunde attack continues to barrel in, undetected. It should strike the target next turn. I don’t think he has very many radar sets in this area, which is something to consider if I want to target Berlin ever.

I end the turn with 763 points.

 

[JPetroski]

Turn 56

Spoiler :

-The RAF bombs research facilities at Peenemunde in “Operation Hydra,” delaying German research! The city is also attacked but not destroyed.

Recent German attacks in the Atlantic have created a backlog of convoys as I haven’t been able to get them home in 2 turns. Thus, I have none to utilize this turn and I don’t earn any points.

Because of the German activity in the Atlantic, I don’t actually utilize any convoys and I once again only finish with 763 points (I don’t get points for the Peenemunde attack).

 

[JPetroski]

Turn 57

Spoiler :

-The town of Peenemunde is attacked with surviving bombers – one urban factory destroyed and another damaged
-Vannes AF attacked and cleared of all defenders for the loss of 2x A-26
-Carquefou AF heavily attacked. Flak train and some Schutzen destroyed.
-Bodilis AF heavily attacked without much effect. 1x A-26 destroyed
-Trainyards near Lille destroyed
-Two factories near Brussels destroyed and a third damaged
-He111 shot down near Swansea

For the first time in this game, the Germans have been upping the pressure in the Atlantic. A few turns ago, they started challenging my ability to park destroyers right next to the eastern edge of the convoy zone, where my ships would only have 1 turn exposed at sea. Now, he’s directly attacked a stack and had a huge victory of sending all 11 ships beneath it to sea.

As I stated in my very first report in this thread, this is my absolute top priority. The chain of freight from the Atlantic must be protected. Doing so allows me to build 10 new units every single turn, often very expensive fighters. I immediately make adjustments to divert all tactical bombers and fighter aircraft to cover the approach. Tactical bombers will strike any and all air bases within range and fighters will aggressively defend and destroy the enemy.

My tactical force is successful in destroying three fighters on the ground at Vannes but can’t break through at Bodilis. Those that survive will strike it next turn. He has three airfields within striking distance of the Bristol Channel and it is imperative that absolutely nothing be allowed to operate from them again.

I don’t have enough escorts to form a protective ring around the convoy – only enough to stack on top – but I give them high alt cover this time from a P-47.

I am now rush-building P-47D40 aircraft as I’ve researched Escort Fighters III. These carry 1,000lb bombs and have better range and stats than other aircraft available to me.

We are three turns away from discovering Mustangs.

800.5 points. Less than 200 to go to D-Day.

 

[JPetroski]

Turn 58 - 71

Spoiler :

Turn 58
-Operation Jericho is launched – Amiens prison is destroyed, the Resistance is let loose, and several railyards in Northern France are destroyed!
-I attacked and destroyed several Luftwaffe fighters near Brussels – its hard to say how many as I think that most were destroyed by their own flak
-Rottum and Ophoven have several aircraft destroyed on the ground by the RAF
-Bodilis AF cleared of defenders
-Tours cleared of defenders


824.5 points


Turn 59
-3x Me110, 1xFw190A5 and 1x Ju88C attacked and destroyed near the Ruhr
-2x urban areas at Cologne destroyed for loss of 2 bombers to flak
-2x urban areas at Dusseldorf destroyed for loss of another 3 bombers to flak
-Rouen attacked to no effect
-Tournai and Woesndrecht both attacked to no effect
-Factory near Brussels finished off
-Brest cleared of defenders at low alt for the loss of 5 or 6 A-26 Invaders
-Factory near Brest attacked but not destroyed

873 points

Turn 60
U-Boat sunk in Convoy Zone
-2x Me110 destroyed at Turnhout
-1x Fw190 destroyed at Rottum
-1x Fw190 shot down east of Rottum
-1x Me110 destroyed at Stolberg
-Deelen attacked but not destroyed
-Factory finished off at Brest
-I am trying to keep my Mustangs far away from bomber stream so they can zoom in and destroy Luftwaffe

890.5 points
12 active P-51B Mustangs


Turn 61
-2x Fuel refineries destroyed in Holland for the loss of two bombers.
-1x Fuel refinery destroyed near Brussels
-Factory at Amsterdam badly damaged but not destroyed

917.5 points
23 Mustangs available


Turn 62
-6x Fw190A8, 1xFw190A5, 3x Me110, 1x P-47D25 lost
-3.7cm Flak destroyed at Schiphol

Turn 63
-Mustangs attack every air base they can find, but don’t do much damage due to heavier than expected flak defenses. 1x Fw190 destroyed at Jever. 2x Mustangs lost near various air fields.
-Fw190 destroyed at Jever
-Fuel refinery attacked at Amsterdam but not destroyed

Turn 64
-Tourhout attacked without effect
-Amsterdam oil refinery attacked and two B-17s damaged, 1x P-47 destroyed. 1x P-51 destroyed. Oil refinery destroyed.
-Factory near Amsterdam also destroyed.

Turn 65
-no news

Turn 66
-Woensdrecht AF is cleared of defenders for the loss of a few A-26
-A flak train near Woensdrecht is also attacked but we can’t destroy it
-Our raids on Schweinfurt and Regensburg have been defeated

Turn 70
-factory near Amsterdam destroyed
-2x factories near Rotterdam destroyed
-1x factory at Brussels damaged – 4x B-17 damaged
-Calais cleared of defenders but I take heavy losses
-Rottum attacked with no effect
-Aircraft factory near Amsterdam destroyed
-Mustangs descend on Jever – 4x 190s destroyed on the ground as well as a nearby radar unit
-Ophoven attacked with no effect, I lose a mustang
-190s attacked on the ground at Borken

1054 points

Turn 71
-Bremen destroyed by the RAF
-Karlesruhe destroyed by RAF
-Several targets in the Ruhr destroyed by the RAF, but we lose about 7 or 8 bombers to flak
-The RAF attack uses all the flak’s ammo – 2 factories, 1 oil refinery destroyed
-Significant Axis assets are destroyed in the Pas de Calais
-significant air battle near Ostheim – 12x 190’s and 2x 110s destroyed. A large number of P-51s also fall.

 

[JPetroski]

Turn 72

Spoiler :

-Mannheim destroyed
-Frankfurt destroyed
-Hanover badly damaged
-Hamburg attacked
-Ju88 shot down near Mannheim
-Several Skdfz destroyed near Lille
-2x 190 and 1x 110 destroyed over Ruhr
-2x oil refineries destroyed in the Ruhr
-The Allied Invasion of Europe begins with the Allies landing in Calais!
-Cherbourg and Brest are heavily attacked.

The arrival of the 262s comes as a nasty surprise. I make a decision that I'm going to invade Europe with what I have now, while I hope the 262s are out of position and can't intercept my transports. I'm concerned that if I wait any longer, they'll be able to pick off any invasion fleet. This means I can only land with 6 ships, as it has only been 3 turns since I raised enough points to build landing craft, and they can only take 2 units at once. This is a big risk, because if he throws me back into the sea, I lose. However, I destroy all land units that have any chance of reaching Calais next turn, and have such an overwhelming concentration of aircraft in the region that I'm reasonable certain he can't push through. Even so, I'll only have 8 units in Calais next turn and it's going to be a slow buildup. The push to the interior is not exactly going to be ferocious.

I also start steaming towards Brest and Cherbourg but can't reach them. Cherbourg is heavily attacked but I can't break through his defenses. Brest has significantly less defenses, but my troops are further away.

I continue to attack in the Ruhr with my 17s. I'm not sure if I'll even build more at this point, which is kind of a bummer. I think I'd better make some incentive to continue gaining points in the final version because right now, I could go purely tactical.

Anyway, hopefully I didn't miss a random tank out there within 8 spaces of Calais.

 

[JPetroski]

Turn 73-75

Spoiler :

Turn 73
-Bodilis AF captured
-Lison AF captured
-Longeau AF captured
-Cherbourg hammered but not broken
-Lille cleared of defenders
-Brest attacked
-Brussels factory attacked again but without effect

Turn 74
-Hannover finished off
-Luneburg destroyed
-Kiel attacked. One urban center destroyed.
-Lille captured
-Cormeilles AF captured, Panzer division stationed there is destroyed
-Beauval AF captured
-Carpiquet AF captured
-Moult AF captured
-Industry at Brussels destroyed
-Cherbourg attacked; shore battery sinks battleship
-Various ineffective attacks throughout France

Turn 75
-Kiel finished off
-Brunswick attacked. One urban center destroyed and another heavily damaged
-Brest captured but significant surface vessels destroyed capturing it
-Paris is captured after very heavy fighting
-Elancourt AF is captured
-Woensdrecht AF captured
-Tornai AF captured
-Several Panzers destroyed near Lison
-Beaumont AF captured

My landings have gone on well enough but I have a legitimate concern - I think he is holding back the Luftwaffe to be able to destroy my bombers at the Rhine. If he builds enough jet aircraft it is very conceivable that he'll be able to wait for me to attack a city with A-26s and just wipe them from the skies. It's going to be very challenging to try and push him back. My plan for now is to consolidate France and also to build up my recon aircraft strength. The hope being that I can determine what airfields his Me262s are operating from and attack those fields FIRST rather than concentrating on a city. That is about my only chance.

Capturing any city with flak batteries is exceptionally tough. Paris was about to complete one next turn so I poured everything I had into attacking it and capturing it. Now I'll move to capture the rest of France while building up strength for a Rhine crossing eventually. I'm not sure if I'll be able to accomplish everything I need to do in time. Rouen, Le Havre, and Cherbourg are all heavily defended. I'm rushing some heavy cruisers to try and aid in the attack. He still has significant armies near Brest and Cherbourg too. I didn't notice the Cherbourg group until it was too late so I wasn't able to destroy it and he might inflict heavy losses on my planes on the ground at Lison next turn....