653Nv1.7 Allied AAR

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SC3 v1.13
This is here instead of the AAR Forum because this mod is very different from the stock game. Hopefully this way any confusion or possible misrepresentation can be avoided. The first seven posts from the previous AAR apply here so no need to duplicate them, they can be seen at:

tm.asp?m=4479984

This time though, I am playing the Allies against the Opponent [Programmed] which I will refer to as Opie. The purpose is to see how the many changes work out, and if the script changes work, and work well, plus to gain any possible input from the community. Thanks!

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While the Poles are being defeated, we'll have a review of the Allied Forces, starting with France. Here is the initial setup, its all
historic. The 8e Army is guarding against a possible German attack thru Swiss territory. The 5e Army is a reserve to the mostly fortress units occupying the Maginot Line. This was one of the many flaws with the French - they had forty good divisions plus a lot of tanks guarding against a possible German attack on the Maginot Line, as the French were worried about the morale effect any German success there would have.
North of the Maginot were the two worse French Armies, the 2e and 9e, guarding against a possible German attack thru the Ardennes region. A liitle further north from there is one of the best French Armies, the 1e, ready to counter a German move into Belgium.
Not on map at this point is the best of the French Armies, the 7e. It contained most of the larger mobile formations. Initially it was France's strategic reserve and was located in the Chalons area. In March 1940 it was moved north to the coast area along the border with Belgium in order to move to Holland to support a German attack in that direction. This was a political move to help offset the negative world opinion of France after it did nothing to help its' ally Poland. We will see the 7e Army later.
The French Air Force is small at first, having only the two units seen here. They have two fighters and two tac's available for build, along with one Strat. This is because the French kept most of their planes in reserve at airfields far to the west, because they expected a long drawn out war of attrition [WWI style] and didn't want to expend their planes too early.

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Russia starts out with its historical number of corps at the start of the war, all organized into partially mobilized and therefore weak corps. The Soviet Air Force is hardly represented due to various reasons, the main one being that the units are expensive to build and replace, and this is too much for the player and Opie to handle early on. I have considered lowering the cost of Soviet Air units, but have yet to pull the trigger on that idea.
Suggestions on how the Allied player might run the Soviet war effort will be covered later.

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The UK is in a tough spot, having to defend itself and the Middle East, while contributing to France's defense and preserving its small Army. It also has to fight off German sub attacks on its convoy lines. As the naval units have been reduced in 653N, the UK is defended by several Coast Artillery units.

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Here is the first MPP Report [I wish we could pull these up any time during a turn, maybe an 'M' hotkey]. I am trying to add individual imports to the UK, but finding them is proving difficult. I've read many internet sites that don't specify what was imported and from where. I bought a book on the Economics of WWII and not only does it not mention specific imports/exports, it might as well be mostly written in Chinese as I am uneducated in this field. I plan to add a few more to the UK as I find details.
And yes, Canada is a Major in 653N.

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Poland surrendered after two turns. Kind of embarrassing as usually the human player has difficulty getting Poland out in only two turns. Maybe I was good, but got a few bad dice rolls ?
I did notice that after this screen shot the Soviet Brest-Litovsk Garrison surrendered, which others have identified as a bug with v1.13, and that Hubert has confirmed that he is looking into a remedy. [Przemsyl Garrison stayed in this game].

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A sub is moved to interdict the ore shipments to Germany from Narvik. In 653N, most convoy lines have been replaced with crosshatched hexes, blue for the Axis, red for the Allies.

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The USA cannot start building units until Sep. 1940, so investment in Research will begin, starting with Logistics. There are no AVL's in 653N, and the Allies start with little AV or Transport capability, so investment in Logistics is very important to the US and UK.

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Here is the DE concerning the French 7e Army mentioned in Post #2. While saying YES to this seems like a nice idea, it takes time and MPP's to get the new Mech Corps to a position where they are effective. It could save France, but it could contribute to the downfall. When I say NO to this, it is because I am focusing on building a French HQ and taking this option would ruin that path [the French start with no HQ's]. Saying NO also gives me the 7e Army, which I will certainly move away from the north to where it is needed further south. In this case, I will say NO.

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If I were saying YES to the previous Decision and creating the French Mech Corps, I would say NO to this as this extra unit in France would be a real help. But as I am saying NO to the Mech Corps, this unit won't prove much help in defending France. It will be put to better use defending the UK, so I will say YES to this.

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U-Boats begin to have an effect on Convoy deliveries.

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The German Navy has shown up to run me off of raiding their convoys from Norway. We will play this game for a while, he will attack my sub and force it to move away, I will move it back. Every now and then the sub will get down to 5 strength and I will move it back to port to build it back to 10.

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Well here is revolting development, Opie has attacked BeNeLux on Dec. 30, 1939. He didn't get very far, but I am not ready at all. I can't build my French HQ, all I can do is bring up most of my Armies to 10 strength and move up the BEF. I've had to move up some of the Belgian units as blocking fodder.
It's an odd coincidence with history, because the Germans attacked just as the French government wanted to replace Gamelin as French Supreme Commander, so they left him in place until it was too late. If I'd have had another two turns I could have built that HQ and it might have arrived in time to help. Maybe not, maybe I should have been building up my units the whole time instead.

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Most of the Belgian Army got wiped out, but the Dutch are holding on despite losing The Hague. Two of the French armies are so battered that they can't be in the line and there won't be enough MPP's to reinforce them, so it looks like I'll be lucky to hold the line for one more turn. It's only March 1940 !

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The line is broken, Belgium and The Netherlands surrender, the French and British fall back onto towns, and the BEF HQ loads onto transports and heads to Egypt where it will become the new 8th Army HQ. The Germans invade Norway and Denmark.

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This Decision is a definate NO, as Opie never attacks Malta so there is no reason to give it away unless the player feels that keeping Italy out for a few turns might prove beneficial in some way. Maybe in some Multi-Player game someone would say YES.

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Not much I can do as two more French Armies are eliminated.

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Two more French Armies are eliminated this turn, and their replacements aren't enough to do much.

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Oh well, such is life.

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The surrender of France sparks a flurry of events and news.