AAR RedStorm Rising 1.33b PBEM

[Alain-James]

Here it is a game I am currently playing against Defcon, a friend of mine. It is partly because I know he will never come accross the forum that I take the risk to share a little of my game as soon as now :)

For this game, we decided to try out the PBEM NATO-friendly version, which makes NATO forces in FRG available immediately instead of turn 2.
Hope it will give you a little interest into it.
Another team is also conducting a testing of the other version of the game, the one in which these NATO forces are only activated on turn 2. Apparently, the game doesn't seem to be much more unbalanced - that's why I would advise an experienced NATO player to play the original version (the one without PBEM in the same) if he's looking for an interesting challenge against a capable Communist player. Files are available in the topic of the general forum dedicated to this scenario testing.

I do play the bad Cummies, and he will play the pround NATO forces.
Unfortunately for Defcon, Yougoslavia didn't declare itself neutral during the first turn - this means they will enter the war during the turns to come.

- In Iceland, the airdrop was successful, but there isn't any action point left for my paratroopers, and I will have to wait for the next turn before being able to enter Reykjavik and capture Keflavik. Fortunately, I hope to make the situation in Europe critical enough to divert any reinforcement that may come to Iceland help the light Icelander and NATO garrison defend the island.
Keflavik taking will reduce a little the NATO supply because of the threat the aircrafts based there represent for the NATO shipping. It is not much, but it is already something.

[Alain-James]

- In Northern Norway, my troops are advancing slowly, having pushed back the Tromso garrison with the help of the Northern Fleet fire support. At the end of the turn, the remaining forces will be sent in the moutains, but still represent a threat.

- The Baltic Front 1st paratroopers unit was dropped in Denmark to support the Copenhaguen invasion, while a second one was landed near Kiel and a third in the back of Hannovre in order to help the taking of the cities. In Copenhaguen, Marines units will land with heavy fire support directly in the city, while another force is assaulting the main island from the south (encountering the Danish artillery there, but it shouldn't be a problem). The Baltic fleet is blocking the Kattegat in order to avoid any NATO sea task force that may come destroy embarked troops in case of a half-success in the Copenhaguen operation. Finally, a last part of the Baltic front is assaulting frontly Kiel and the US 3rd Marines, while my last Baltic units are supporting this attack with an amphibious landing.
As planned, Copenhague is fastly taken and the southern landing is also successful. I will have to spend a little more time destroying the last "offshore" Danish units, then I will cross the straits and enter the "mainland".
Kiel, assaulting from every side, couldn't resist and the 3rd Marines vanished, even if it caused me much battle damage - the airborne troops will have to rest if I want to re-use them later...

- The Northern FRG Front is having hard time capturing Hambourg. After several assaults, the British garrison (in fact the 38th Infantry) is still holding, valiantly. Eventually, I will have to wait for turn 2, as my forces all around are quite exhausted.
This failure is certainly due to the forces I sent south to help the capture of Hanovre. But anyway, the fall of Hamburg is a matter of days.

[Alain-James]

- On the other hand, Hanovre capture was quite fast and sudden, certainly because of the welcomed Hamburg area reinforcements, that allowed me to clean up the Hanovre lock immediately. Apart from a handful of British units, the road seems to be free till the upper Ruhr. A part of my forces are diving to Essen, another one is going north in order to surround Bremen.
But the Center FRG Front is having hard time with the US troops in the Fulda Gap. 3rd Armored and 6th Infantry US divisions are blocking the road to Frankfurt, and make me avoid them in order to reach the Main river. It costs me some time and movements, but in a way, it helps me surrounding these bad guys. The Center front attacks on every side, pushing back Britishes in the north and Americans in the south of the Gap, but exhausted troops are unable to take Frankfurt, which still resists thanks to the German landwehr unit which defends its own home.

- Southern FRG Front is taking much damage attacking the Task Force Simon units, but NATO troops are finally pushed back from Nurnberg, and the road to Munich is now opened. Munich is effectively taken on this first turn (it was poorly garrisoned by an arty unit), but I'll have to stop there for now.
Regensburg is taken without much damage, and Im managing with no mercy my remaining APs in order to push my advantage the further possible. The next objective is Stuttgart, and then the Rhine.

- Northern Italy Front has to dive from the Czech mountains into the Danub to annihilate the TF Simon remnants. Fortunately, the odds are not too unfavorable: Linz is taken, and the NATO units are pushed back everywhere.

- In the Vienna and Sir Thuffey Task Force area, the situation is good too. Hungarian and Czechkoslovakian forces managed to take Vienna immediately (a kind of Hamburg revenge in a way...) and the shock is allowing us to disrupt the armored column, sending British, Belgian and French soldiers climbing the Alps trying to escape the cauldrun.

[Alain-James]

Next:

- The Albanian/Southern Italy Front disembarked in Bari and entered at once Tarento. Now troops are heading north both on the Western and Eastern coasts and will join in Roma. Mediterranean units are guarding Tarento, preventing any bad guys assault.

[Alain-James]

- In Greece, Bulgarian Armies smash first echelons of the Greek Army, but must stop in front of Thessalonika fortifications. The disrupted Greek units are retreating east, and the Bulgarians and Romanians won't be able to destroy them by themselves - I will need to commit a few soviet forces in order to spread the friendly Communist ideology in Greece...
Perhaps a landing in Athens is something possible in the next turns, but I will have to close the Egean to avoid any NATO naval attack.

- The Greeko-Turkish front is landing in Istanbul. Ive dropped previously airborne units to surround the city and force the destruction of the Turkish units there. The landing is successful, but the lack of APs don't allow me to push my advantage on.
Gallipoli is cleared from Turkish disrupted units, and I think that the Black sea fleet will able to enter Mediterranea during turn 2.


Im waiting for his second turn now :)

AJ