Li'blah'n' Axis and Allies (Turn 3)

We continue, with Germany's turn.

Germany builds masses and masses of men. About 15. Germany is hunkering down for an extended siege by the allies. Quite a bit of their battle plan depends on how the battle of Leningrad goes.

The Battle of Leningrad
Germany's side:
16 infantry
4 Artillery
11 Tanks
2 fighters
3 tactical bomber
1 bomber
12 at 1, 8 at 2, 13 at 3, 4 at 4, and bombards at 3 and 4

19 infantry
1 artillery
3 tanks
1 tactical bomber
2 fighters
20 at 2, 4 at 3, 2 at 4, and 6 antiaircraft

Bombard misses both shots, antiaircraft takes down one fighter.
First round: Germany rolls poorly, inflicts ten casualties. Russia rolls well, inflicts eleven hits.
Second round: Germany rolls about average, inflicts ten casualties. Russia rolls well, inflicts seven casualties.
Third round: Germany finishes Russia off, which gets three more hits.

Barbarossa declares a heroic victory, having lost all his infantry but only one of his tanks. His forces in Poland march into the Ukraine, pushing through minor resistance. Germany stacks it's men, collects it's Leningrad bonus (5 IPCs I believe) and stacks men up like cordwood.

Russia

Russia's honor has been savaged. More importantly, it's armies. Russia is so distracted by it's buys it doesn't notice me stealing it's eggroll. That's what I mean by total war.

Russia goes to trade land for space again, spreading it's infantry out into one man in every country it can reach thereabouts, defense in depth. It's lone tank, representing what's left of it's striking power, goes south with a mass of infantry to head off Germany's southern force.

In a bold maneuver, Russia has purchased two more tanks and a fighter, along with it's infantry. We'll see if it pays off.

Japan

Japan has to deal with an American Fleet around the Carolines, and push back China. China has massed seven infantry, an artillery piece and it's flying tigers in Yunnan. I'd dearly like to take them out, but I've only got one infantry and one artillery piece as ground units in range. Japan would also like to take Malaysia and the Shen State (again). This turn boils down to two critical battles; the battle in Yunnan and the American fleet:

Against Yunnan, I focus my paltry two ground units and the mass of the airforce; eight fighters and five tactical bombers. China hits three times, Japan loses two fighters and an infantry, leaving an artillery piece there to take the province. This probably breaks china's back, as they'll have a hard time keeping the Burma road open from this point.

On the fleet side, Japan takes four destroyers, two submaries, a carrier, two fighters and four bombers from the mainland against the American fleet. A submarine, a destroyer, a cruiser, a carrier with a tactical bomber and a fighter and a battleship defend two transports. Japan rolls well, hitting with all four bombers. In the carnage, America lost it's destroyer, so Japan's surviving submarine has first strike again. The submarine gets a surprise hit in, sinks the battleship being the only remaining sea unit, and the fighter is shot down. Net cost to Japan: two destroyers.

Even more than the material costs, this victory is important as America doesn't have any more transports nearer than San Fransisco. It'll take them at least two turns to put more pressure on Japan, even if they do massacre that Japanese fleet. Napoleon has already suggested that that might be a turning point in the war.

Japan places two carriers and a destroyer in the Sea of Japan. Four already extant planes land on them. Japan also places three tanks on it's factory in French Indochina.

Britain (East)

Britain sends two tanks and it's remaining airforce to reopen the Burma road. While it succeds, with no casualties, it's two tanks are stranded out where Japan's new tanks can hit them.

Britain east collects at five. Japan collected at 64. Odd don't look good for them.

Britain (West)

On the Afrika campaign, Britain cosolidates it's South African troops in the Belgian Congo, presumably to lend them a hand down there. It's transport lands a man in French Madagascar, for that one critical IPC. Britain attempts a sea landing in Normandy, gets beaten back bloody, taking out three german infantry while losing four units of their own. Despite the Italian advances in Africa, their colonialism efforts leave Britain at +3 IPCs

ANZAC

ANZAC saved up it's IPCs from last turn. Uses same to purchase five subs. It has no other military actions in which it can engage.

Italy

Italy has a suspicously large amount of resources. Italy's frontiers have expanded to the point where they're going to have problems fighting past the guards on their new borders. As such they're consolidating in Cairo. An attempt to finish off the men in Yugoslavia failed due to stiff resistance. Looks like they'll try again next turn.

To ensure victory, they changed the neutral units from british representation to french.

U.S.A.

The U.S.A has to deal mostly with the problem of the Japanese fleet. It buys another fleet. This one with half a dozen submarines. It's Hawaii fleet attacks the carrier group off of Japan, sustaining heavy losses. Significantly, it's pacific bombers are removed. Seeing as Japan has no transports in range, it moves it's pacific fleet up to the ocean outside of Japan (not yet the same sea zone), and places yet another fleet on the San Fransisco coast.

China:

China purchases four infantry, places them on it's newly acquired seaside vistas in Kiansu. Kwangsi. Kwiansu. Whatever; the one directly north of Hong Kong.

France

Thanks to British and American predation, France is down to exactly two territories, from which it would collect two IPCs, if it had a capital. Which it doesn't.

An inauspicious turn for the allies, but the war is far from lost. Join us next time, in Turn 4.