WWII-Global 2.4, Emperor difficulty, Soviet Union.
House rules: I use ground artillery only against Fortress units, as otherwise it is an overwhelming advantage to me.
Summary of events so far:
The Soviet Union took most of Poland, most of Persia, and all of the Middle East except Jerusalem in the opening turns. After making peace with the Allies, the Soviets annexed Communist China after seeing the Japanese raze a Communist Chinese city. A long period of peace and prosperity for the Soviets was broken only by a declaration of war by Norway, which was swiftly crushed. Shortly after Norway surrendered, the Soviet Union was the victim of a brutal treachery: the Axis powers launched Operation Barbarossa (I forced this to happen by attacking Finland with a single unit and then withdrawing on week 21, 1941).
Although I posted week 21 before, I repeat it here for reference.
Week 21, 1941:
[Note: I am attempting to simulate Operation Barbarossa by making the Axis declare war on me. I will do this by attacking a single Finnish unit in Finnish territory, and then withdrawing in order to simulate the element of surprise. I will cancel my ROP with Finland first so that my reputation suffers as little as possible.
On the eve of Operation Barbarossa, I have:
103 Russian Infantry divisions
176 T-34 divisions
14 Motor Rifle 1941 divisions
161 KV-1 tank divisions
17 Heavy Artillery
162 Yak-1 fighter wings
68 Mig-3 fighter wings
12 Yak-9 fighter wings
27 Il-3 Sturmovick wings
44 Pe-2 bomber wings
41 Pe-8 bomber wings
Germany has:
3 Marine divisions
3 Fallschirmjager (Paratrooper) divisions
2 SS Infantry divisions
4 Slovakia Infantry divisions
11 German Security divisions
38 German Infantry divisions
135 88mm FlaK/PaK divisions
53 Panzer IIIe tank divisions
2 Panzer IIIg tank divisions
17 German Mechanized Infantry divisions
3 Me-109e fighter wings
18 Me-109f fighter wings
16 Ju-88 bomber wings
Japan has:
161 Japanese Infantry divisions
31 Type 97 tank divisions
2 Paratrooper divisions
1 Japanese Special Naval Landing Force division
24 Ki27 Nate fighter wings
13 D3A Val bomber wings
3 B5N Kate bomber wings
]
Treachery! The Axis declare war on us. The Finns, the Germans, the Hungarians, the Romanians and the Bulgarians all simultaneously attack.
The Finns sink 4 submarines, and destroy 8 Soviet Garrison divisions. They approach Murmansk, Kem and Leningrad with a total of 19 Finnish Infantry divisions, 4 Tank divisions, and 3 Light Tank divisions. It is not without some bitterness that our Generals observe that the Finnish tanks are fueled with petrol made from Soviet oil.
The Hungarians enter the mountains immediately west of Kishinev with 18 Hungarian Infantry divisions.
The Romanians approach Odessa with 14 Infantry divisions.
The Bulgarians sink 4 Submarines in the Black Sea and approach Istanbul with 15 Romanian Infantry divisions and 10 Infantry divisions.
The Japanese make no obvious move. They have, however, lost Hanoi to the British.
The Germans attempt to bomb Bergen with two wings of Ju-88 bombers, both of which are shot down by our mighty Yak-1 fighters. They also attempt to bomb our 5 Battleship C2s near Bergen with a single Ju-88 wing, which is shot down.
The Germans also attack Radom with 4 tank divisions, each of which is destroyed by the two KV-1 divisions garrisoning Radom. However, they have crossed the border in the following places: near Radom, with 5 Panzer IIIe divisions; near Warsaw with 26 Panzer IIIe divisions, 2 Panzer IIIg divisions, 2 Marine divisions, 6 German 88 divisions, 2 Paratrooper divisions, 1 SS Infantry division, and 1 Motorized Infantry division; and near Radom with 5 German Motorized Infantry divisions, 3 German Infantry divisions, 3 Slovakia Infantry divisions, and 4 Panzer IIIe divisions.
Clearly counterattacking the German army near Warsaw has highest priority.
Week 22, 1941:
The Soviet Union savagely counterattacks our Fascist enemies. The battleship Marat, the October Revolution, and a Battleship C2 destroy the Finnish naval blockade and retire to Tallinn for repairs.
We heavily bomb the German forces near Warsaw. Of our 44 Pe-2 wings, 11 are shot down by the deadly German 8.8cm FlaK cannons. We lose 4 Pe-8 wings.
Our new Sturmovik ground attack planes acquit themselves spectacularly. They attack the Hungarian Infantry (the greatest threat within range of our Sturmovik airbase) and pound them brutally, damaging all of the divisions and destroying four outright.
Our Black Sea destroyers and DDs sink the remaining Romanian subs and destroyers. The Black Sea is now 100% Soviet.
Our Mediterranean fleet (the Paris Commune, the Krazny Kavkaz, and 3 Battleship C2s) bombard the Bulgarian Infantry that menaces Istanbul.
The 23 T-34 divisions remaining from our Norwegian campaign attack and take Petsamo, at the cost of 5 divisions. This re-establishes our land link with Soviet Norway.
Our army in Greece takes Tirana, losing one T-34 division, then assaults Sofia, reasoning that the troops threatening Istanbul will surrender once Sofia falls. This backfires. Sofia is heavily defended, and we lose 7 T-34 divisions and fail to take the city.
Our eastern army takes Ansi, which was held by the Japanese and was surrounded by Soviet territory. We lose a single T-34 division in this action, but we shorten our front considerably. Aside from this, we do not invade Japan. It is possible that we can coexist peacefully along this eastern front. It would certainly be lethal to Japan's continental Asian ambitions to attack us, considering Britain's aggressive attacks on their southern cities.
Our submarines sink a Finnish Heavy Cruiser near Helsinki.
We counterattack the Axis armies and destroy the following:
German:
32 Pz IIIe
2 Pz IIIg
2 paratrooper
1 SS Infantry
2 Marine
6 88
8 German Motorized Infantry
5 German Infantry
Finland:
3 Tanks (finland)
5 Finnish Infantry
1 Coastal Defense Ship
Romania:
14 Infantry (romania)
Hungary:
18 Hungary Infantry
1 Infanry (hungary)
(my counts may be off - we destroyed the entire German, Romanian and Hungarian land forces that crossed into Soviet territory)
This costs us:
11 T-34
1 Motor Rifle 1941
5 Soviet Tank Division
2 Paratrooper
We don't have the manpower to destroy the 26 Bulgarian divisions near Istanbul: we will have to hope that the 3 KV-1 divisions and one Communist Infantry division there can hold out. We have tried to reinforce Istanbul, but our rail network doesn't go close enough to Istanbul yet to make this possible on short notice.
The Axis continues their assault. A Ju-88 wing destroys an I-16 wing over Riga. A Ju-88 wing bombs the damaged fighter wings in Bergen. Their land forces destroy 1 Soviet Tank Division, 1 T-34 division, 1 Marine division, and 2 Soviet Garrison divisions, losing only 1 German Infantry division. The Germans have 4 Pz IIIe divisions, 2 Pz IIIg divisions, 1 SS Infantry division, and 1 Paratrooper division in Soviet territory.
The Finns destroy 2 Soviet Garrison divisions and 1 T-34 division at the cost of 2 Light Tank divisions.
The Italians destroy 2 Motor Rifle divisions and 1 Marine division at the cost of 2 of their armored divisions.
Week 23, 1941:
We counterattack and destroy the 12 Axis divisions that have crossed into European Russian soil, while most of our armor undergoes repairs from last week's conflicts. Finnish troops run rampant on Soviet soil, slaughtering our border garrisons. Our Scandinavian armor is currently being repaired after the difficult siege on Petsamo.
We continue our attack on Sofia. Again we suffer heavy losses, and again we fail to take the city.
The Axis send a feeble force of infantry and 88s across the border.
Week 24, 1941:
Observing the heavy fortifications in Königsberg and Breslau, we move our 17 Heavy Artillery divisions into place outside Konigsberg, screened by 20 Soviet Infantry divisions.
Our bombers ravage the Axis border troops, and we send our reserve Soviet Infantry divisions in to crush them. We also take an airfield outside of Breslau and in general clear the Soviet-Axis border of enemies.
Our armor continues to repair from damages suffered while repelling the European Axis attack. We prepare to counterattack. We smash the small Axis invading force.
Japan sends 4 tank divisions into Soviet territory near Sian. We may have another Sino-Japanese war.
Week 25, 1941:
Our armies finally take Sofia, and Bulgaria surrenders. Tirana and Athens are once more connected to Moscow by road.
Our artillery shells Konigsberg, and we take the city after a long, bitter and very difficult siege. We lose nine T-34 divisions. The city was defended by no less than six 88 FlaK divisions, in addition to its Fortress, two German Infantry divisions, and a Marine division. If all German cities are similarly garrisoned with many 88 divisions (and aerial recon indicates they are), Germany will be very difficult to take.
[Note: Taking Sofia as an independent nation was much, much more difficult than it ever has been when Sofia was part of Germany. I was stunned by the Bulgarian resistance. I hope that, if the Red Army ever faces a much stronger enemy, my soldiers will fight so bravely.
Also, I'm concerned about the many 88s the German has. While they aren't especially lethal to my T-34s because of the tactical withdrawal ability, taking out an 88 unit requires a considerable investment of T-34s.]
Italian forces execute an effective counter-strike, wiping out nearly all of the infantry we sent into Axis territory with their M11/39 tanks and Marine divisions.
Japan withdraws its tanks from near Sian.
Romania, Hungary and Italy have all requested audiences. I refuse to speak with their envoys.
Week 26, 1941:
We take Danzig with little difficulty.
In Finland, we take Kemijarvi - rather than attempt to crush the marauding Finnish Infantry forces in Soviet-held Scandinavia, I am sending my tanks directly at their cities. I don't have the reinforcements to spare for the Finnish campaign, so I want all of my forces to be spent gaining territory.
We begin our assault on Bucharest. As with Sofia, we are repelled, but we cause some casualties. It seems that the war for Romania will be identical to the war for Bulgaria - a war of attrition.
I look forward to finishing the minor Axis allies so that I can use Yugoslavia as a buffer and narrow this war to two fronts: Germany and Finland. Once Finland falls, those forces can come south to smash Italy. I still maintain an eastern force of 60 T-34 divisions in the east against possible action by Japan. Once the Trans-Siberian railroad is connected to Vladivostok, or at least parts near, I will feel more comfortable releasing 30 of our eastern T-34 divisions to join the war in the West.
Denmark requests an audience. If they think they can sue for peace now that we are at war with the Axis, they are sadly mistaken.
The Finns request an audience. We refuse.
The Yugoslavs and the Swiss have sent infantry into our territory, presumably because Germany destroyed some of our border guards and created an opportunity for neutrals to slip through.
The Lufwaffe makes a few sorties, but there is no action from the Heer this week.
Week 27, 1941:
We take Bucharest after a spectacular battle. All of our new armor units have been sent to this front, and many were lost in the battle for this mighty city. Fortunately the barracks is intact, so Red Army tanks no longer need to make the long trip back to Ankara for repairs.
We take Stettin after destroying its radar installation. This is another costly battle. Our casualties have outpaced our production. It will be important for us to take Iasi, Budapest and Austia as soon as we can.
Week 28, 1941:
We spend this week recovering from the siege of Stettin and positioning 34 armored divisions in the mountains southwest of Iasi.
Week 29, 1941:
We take Tornio from the Finns, Rostock from the Germans, and Iasi from the Romanians. Iasi was much easier to take than Bucharest. Romania surrenders. We also take Budapest, which puts up a noticeable but ultimately useless struggle. Hungary surrenders.
Austria is now exposed to us. I will turn my southern army against Pressburg, Vienna and Graz, in that order. My northern army will turn south to Berlin, Leipzig and Dresden.
The Italians attack Budapest with 10 armored divisions. Our five KV-1 divisions destroy them all with no casualties. They also attack Tirana with a single armored division and a Marine division. These are also destroyed with no losses.
Week 30, 1941:
We take Berlin! The costs are heavy, but not as heavy as when we took Konigsberg. Our territory extends to the outskirts of Leipzig and Dresden, so it will be easier for our armor to strike those cities.
We assault Pressburg but are thrown back with moderate casualties.
The Germans attack Berlin with a Panzer III division, which is destroyed by a KV-1 division. They also attack Bucharest with a Panzer III division and destroy one of the defending KV-1 divisions.
Week 31, 1941:
We take Pressburg with few losses. We take Leipzig with heavy losses.
Week 32, 1941:
We take Vienna with heavy losses. Our southern forces may no longer have enough divisions to continue making assaults with fresh troops every turn. New units are directed to support our southern European army.
We take Dresden with moderate losses. Once we take Prague and Breslau, we will turn north toward Hamburg and Denmark.
We take Kuopio from the Finns with only one division lost.
Week 33, 1941:
We take Prague with few losses. We move our artillery into place near Breslau to deal with the heavy fortifications there next week. We move 30 armored units into the mountains north of Graz.
The British take the Italian city of Rimini.
The Germans land a Fallschirmjager division and a Pz IIIg division between Rostock and Stettin.
Week 34, 1941:
We take Breslau with medium casualties, and Graz with no casualties. We move our Scandinavian army outside of Vaasa.
We destroy the German invaders near Rostock, and bomb the transport, though it costs us four wings of Pe-8s. The Germans have deployed FW-190s.
Week 35, 1941:
We take Hamburg with few losses. We take Vaasa with only one division lost.
Week 36, 1941:
Another engineering breakthrough. We have discovered how to improve the T-34 chassis by adding more armor and replacing the 76 mm main gun with a powerful 85 mm main gun. Furthermore, the Su-76 has been refit into the promising new Su-76M self-propelled gun. Finally, we now have highly mobile Rocket Artillery available to us.
All of our factories which were producing the expensive KV-1 tanks now switch to produce the even more expensive T-34/85s. All factories which had been working on T-34/76 tanks now switch to produce Su-76Ms.
We move 17 armored divisions south of Copenhagen in an attempt to end this ridiculous war with Denmark. We also pull 35 of our 40 south German armored divisions back to Kishinev, where they are loaded onto trains. In a week they will be unloaded near Nuremburg to continue their offensive into Germany.
France declares war on Spain.
The Germans mount a counterattack on Vienna and Leipzig. They lose three PzIIIg divisions, but destroy two KV-1 divisions. Our Su-76Ms will be a welcome reinforcement on the western front.
The British raze Rome. Clearly the time for Soviet intervention in the Italian theatre has come.
Week 37, 1941:
We take Copenhagen with the loss of only one KV-1 division and Denmark (Norway-Denmark) surrenders. Now that we have more capable defensive units, I am converting our KV-1 divisions to offensive roles as they are relieved by Su-76M divisions.
We take Bremen with heavy losses. It is almost as if our tankers have forgotten about their superior mobility. The new, upgunned T-34s will be a welcome addition on the front.
We take Turku from Finland with no losses.
We take Nuremburg with moderate losses.
The Allies declare war on the Spanish.
The Germans attack Berlin and destroy one KV-1 division and a T-34/75 division.
The British take Palermo.
Week 38, 1941:
The Soviet Union cannot tolerate the brutality that the British have perpetrated on Italian workers. To destroy the glorious city of Rome and kill or enslave the entire Roman proletariat is unforgivable. We declare war on the British.
We plan to allocate every unit we have in our drive south to Italy. Our asault begins with Munich, led by three of our new T-34/85 divisions. They perform admirably, each crushing a single 88mm FlaK division, and with support from our older T-34 divisions we take Munich, with only light losses. It is clear that the new T-34s will revolutionize the war in Europe.
Taking Munich has left Stuttgart vulnerable, so we take it, with moderate losses.
We take Tampere, losing 1 T-34/76 division. Helsinki is the only bit of non-Soviet Finland that remains. We expect to eliminate Finland in three weeks.
Britain's response to our declaration of war is mild. They send a Crusader division, four British India Infantry divisions, and a British Militia division toward Damascus from Egypt.
Germany sends troops to Italy, perhaps comforted by the new Soviet-British hostilities.
Week 39, 1941:
We sink the British BB Revolution and an Escort Carrier in the Mediterranean off Crete, prompting the Allies to declare war on us. I believe they will far exactly as well as they did the last time around, when they attempted to discourage Soviet occupation of Poland.
Our Mediterranean fleet consists of 4 BB C2s, the BB Paris Commune, and the CA Krazni Kavkaz. It may well be outclassed by the British Mediterranean fleet, but we expect to be gaining a number of new Mediterranean ports very soon.
We send 43 wings of Sturmoviks to Damascus to stall the British invasion.
We take Freiburg with heavy losses - they had eight 88mm FlaK divisions defending the city. Taking Freiburg exposes the shattered remains of the Maginot Line to us and serves as a grim reminder not to rely on the folly of static defenses.
Now that our flank is clear, we send 31 armored divisions into the hills north of Innsbruck to clear the way toward the beseiged Italian workers.
The Italians slip an infantry unit through Yugoslavia to attack Tirana. This Yugoslav complicity with Italian guerilla actions is unacceptable.
The British try to bomb my Black Sea transports with 3 wings of Lancaster bombers. One wing is shot down, and the other two wings destroy the Mig-3 wings that intercept them.
The British also send 3 Matilda divisions, a Crusader division and 2 South Africa Infantry divisions toward Damascus.
The British BB Royal Sovereign sinks a BB C2 near Crete.
Week 40, 1941:
We sink the BB Royal Sovereign off Crete.
We take Innsbruck, losing a new T-34/85 division in the process.
Since Persia has declared war on us, we take this opportunity to settle an old score. We send 10 divisions of Soviet Guards Infantry and 19 divisions of Russian Infantry marching toward Kabul.
Yugoslavia's truculence has been a problem for too long. We declare war and send a force of reserves including KV-1s, Soviet Tank Divisions, Marines, Cavalry and Soviet Guards Cavalry to take Belgrade and Zagreb. 12 Motor Rifle divisions move into the hills north of Dubrovnik.
We take Venice and Bologna at the cost of a single T-34/76 division.
Our Sturmoviks smash the British forces approaching Damascus.
The British heavily bomb Bologna, both with Lancasters and with shorter range Skuas and other dive bombers based in Rimini. That will be the last flight for those short-range bombers. The British also attempt to bomb Athens with four wings of Lancaster bombers, but our Yak-1 and Yak9 fighters based in Athens destroy them all.
Week 41, 1941:
We take Rimini from the British with no losses.
We send 51 armored divisions into the hills north of Naples. From that vantage we see that Naples is menaced from the south by a Valentine MkIII division. We hope that we have arrived in time to prevent more genocide.
We take Dubrovnik, and Yugoslavia surrenders.
We take Helsinki, and Finland surrenders. Now we can send our 21 remaining T-34/76 divisions in Finland toward the German front.
We move 9 armored divisions into the grasslands east of Torino.
Spain declares war on the Germans.
The British bomb Athens and heavily bomb our armored forces north of Naples with Halifax and Lancaster bombers based in Malta. The British take Naples, but somehow manage not to burn it to the ground. They also send six assorted armored divisions and three horse-mounted cavalry divisions into Soviet territory near Damascus.
The Germans invade near Hamburg, Freiburg and Stuttgart.
Week 42, 1941:
Another breakthrough. We begin producing the might Su-122 self-propelled guns.
[Note: Should it be the Su-85, instead? As I understand it, the Su-122 was introduced in 1942 and was replaced by the Su-85 in 1943 because the Su-85's high velocity main gun had better armor penetration than the low-caliber gun on the Su-122. Since this is in the Air 1943 tech, the Su-85 seems like a better match.]
Our Sturmoviks wipe out the British invasion force near Damascus, and we destroy the German Panzers that threaten our German front.
We assault Torino's fortess without artillery support. The fortress claims 3 T-34/85 divisions and 10 KV-1 divisions before falling to an elite Soviet Tank Division. We don't take Torino, but we do destroy the fortress and the three Mountain Infantry defending it.
Finally, finally we have taken Kabul and forced Persia to surrender. The two Special Fortress divisions and the two Infantry divisions defending Kabul destroyed 19 Russian Infantry divisions and 5 Soviet Guards Infantry divisions, but Kabul is ours!
We take Naples from the British easily - their only defenders were the battered Valentine division that took the town from the Italians. We move our armor toward Taranto.
The British are making a nuisance of themselves. They have bombed our Italian armored divisions, our Arabian Peninsula oil colony, our Mediterranean surface fleet, and Tian Shou. There are very many bombers stationed on Cagliari and Malta. Taking command of the Mediterranean islands is a high priority.
The Germans sent an envoy. We refuse to listen to him - they have nothing to bargain with in any event.
Week 43, 1941:
We take Torino with a trivial effort. Italy surrenders. Membership in the Axis is down to two. We move our Italian forces toward Palermo.
The British continue their bombing campaigns and continue to send troops across our borders near Damascus and Baghdad.
Week 44, 1941:
We smash the British defense forces at Palermo decisively and occupy the city. We discover two King George V BBs guarding an Escort Carrier off the northern Sicilian coast. We would like to send our Mediterranean fleet after them, but they are currently escorting 20 Russian Infantry divisions, 9 Soviet Guards Infantry divisions, and a Marine division to Nicosia.
We take Dortmund.
The British continue their vicious bombing campaign, relentlessly bombing Italian cities. It seems that the British have some nationalist burgeois grudge against the hardy working people of Italy. The British steam two King George V BBs and the Heavy Cruisers Cumberland, York and Exeter to bombard Athens.
The British also steam the CV Furious, escorted by the BB Revenge, and a second carrier group consisting of an Escort Carrier and three 1941 DDs right to the mouth of the Persian Gulf.
The Germans make some harrassment strikes which cost us a KV-1 division and a T-34/76 division.
Week 45, 1941:
Battle in the Mediterranean! We take Nicosia from the British in an extremely costly amphibious invasion. We sink a King George V and heavily damage another, at the cost of two of our BB C2s.
We sink the BB Revenge and the CV Furious, as well as one of the 1941 DDs in the Persian Gulf with our Gulf Navy of 3 BB C2s.
We take Dusseldorf and Cologne. The resistance in Cologne is fierce and we lose many armored divisions.
Sweden declares war on us and attacks Oslo with a single Tank division, which is crushed by our KV-1 division. They send 12 Swedish Infantry divisions, 3 Tank divisions, 3 Light Tank divisions, and 1 Infantry division across the border near Tornio.
The Allies make peace with Spain.
The British continue their bombing, and the CA York sinks the CA Krazny Kavkaz near Crete.
The Japanese send an emissary, which we reject.
Week 46, 1941:
We sink the remaining British carrier group in the Persian Gulf and retire our Mediterranean fleet to Adana for repairs.
We take Amsterdam and Strasbourg. Strasbourg is a particularly bitter conquest, costing us six of our new T-34/85 divisions.
Our Eastern forces consist of two armies, each composed of 30 T-34/76 divisions. One covered the west of Manchukuo, the other covered the east. Now that the Trans-Siberian railroad reaches nearly to Khabarovsk, we don't need both armies stationed in the east. We send one of them to deal with the Swedes. We destroy the Swedish armor, then drive around their infantry to cross the border near Lulea. Their infantry can wander in the wilderness for as long as they want.
We quickly establish air superiority over Sweden and ruthlessly bomb their reinforcements before they can reach the front.
Week 47, 1941:
Our bombers sink a large portion of the Swedish navy, including two Coastal Defense Ships which were each escorting a Transport. Our bombers also cripple many Swedish infantry divisions.
We take Luleå. Unfortunately the barracks is destroyed.
We take Rotterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Namur, Lille and Verdun. The Germans are down to five cities.
Week 48, 1941:
We take Paris.
Week 49, 1941:
We liberate the workers of Kiruna from the Swedish bourgeoisie.
We send 19 armored divisions to the outskirts of each of the remaining German cities: Brest, Bordeaux, Marseilles, and Lyon.
Among the many targets the British bomb this week, they bomb our armored column which approaches Bordeaux.
Week 50, 1941:
We sink a KGV BB in the Persian Gulf, along with a DD 1941 and the Escort Carrier they were protecting.
We take Sundsvall from the Swedes.
We take Brest, Bordeaux, Lyons and Marseilles, and Germany surrenders.
I send full-strength divisions toward Jerusalem, while I divert all newly-created units to Moscow to create a new strategic reserve. I plan to take Suez and then the British Isles.
[Notes on battling Germany:
Rocoteh, you asked how Germany would deploy its many 88 divisions. The answer is: defensively. Almost every city had four fortified 88s, and some had as many as eight. On one hand, they survived longer than they would have if they had put that production into tanks. On the other hand, that kind of defensive approach is a losing strategy for Germany.
During the entire war with Germany, they made some moderately effective guerilla strikes with their armor, but I made sure that they had to sacrifice their units to do it. I could easily afford to trade divisions with Germany on a 1:1 basis.
I never contested Germany's air power (mainly because Russia can't contend with ME-109s, to say nothing of FW-190s), so I didn't use bombers to soften cities. I used my formidable bomber fleet (72 Pe-8s by this time) to handle non-German threats and to bomb any naval units that came into my waters. The bombers were also useful when Sweden declared war, because it was easy to establish air superiority and hold their units down while I could allocate units to the Swedish front.
If I didn't have the ability to build railroads, this would have been slower. Russia probably more than any other civ in this scenario benefits from railroads. I think 2.5 will make things both harder for the human player and also more realistic.]
The British send an envoy, but we turn him away.
Its as if they have something to prove when Russia has over 690+ infantry and rising and not to mention T-36's....and I am pretty sure all of the T-36s are currently fighting me, not the Japanese.
cuz honestly they suck and I dont want to have to have them free loadin off of me
