Finland (part II or is it XXII?)

[SkyVon]

I am concerned about the "allied" aid to Finland once a Russian unit gets within 3/4 hexes of Helsinki.

Why?

In my game against Chuck, Germany and Russia have been at war for some time now, and the Russians have finally been able to get close to Helsinki (I know why you retreated that hex Chuck, but I just had to take it ;) ). I just got a mssg saying that Sweden and Co are concerned about this move, being the precursor to their entry with some nice units, I have to question this.

Would the Swedes and others "help" the Finns even after they were officially allied with Germany? Would these "allied" units fight side by side with those German (yes, the grey ones) units now in Finland?

Once Germany and Russia were officially at war, I would think that Sweden would stay out...until the fall of Leningrad.

Unless I am completely wrong here and this has already been taken care of, shouldn't the Swede intervention event be canceled by either the Axis invade Russia TO or the Russia DOW Germany TO?

[Dan Neely]

lack of events to cancel them. the updated house rules (rtf) say that any allied aid units should be disbanded as soon as Germany and Russia goto war with each other.

[SkyVon]

Doh, your right.

My memory is shot.

They say the memory is the second thing to go...can't remember what the 1st was.

[Chuck?]

I didn't try to get you to move toward Helsinki. The Finns have been frozen for two turns in a row during the winter so I couldn't do anything.

How's that for realism: the Finns unable to fight during the winter.:hush:

[Mark Stevens]

Nothing to do with your original question, but I'm playing a 1.8 with Pelle, and it does now seem possible for the Axis to push the Finns back to the Mannerheim Line, invade the 'Claimed Territory', and possibly - I haven't got it yet! - take Petsamo without using the entire Red Army or suffering massive casulaties. Don't think it will be possible to force the choke points and actually knock the country out, without the latter, especially once the Finnish Reserves show up.

[Dan Neely]

I've just completed a pair of head to heads of my own. I managed to take the borders excluding petsamo for about 5k lrs in 3 turns. In the 1st one I then bludgeoned forward with massed attacks taking petsamo and the outter exlusion zone for 18k total in the next 3 turns, but was unable to break through the final chokepoints to threaten helsinki. the second time I tried wearing the finns down by using corps to make LA-ML attacks to drain supplies. Russian losses from this approach were generally >500lrs per attack, and while I eventaully took Petsamo and the southern 2 hexes of the Mannerhiem line I was unable to take either Kuipio of Viipuri. I didn't keep track seperatelym but IIRC bludgeoning Petsamo into submission took about 3k losses. Without using HQs as suicide attackers, I don't think the finns can be taken out in 39. I'd be tempted to try in winter 40/41 with several mech corps backed with t34s and the 80% shock penalty. Unless the germans are tied up though, having alot of corps in the red when winter ends is a recipe for disaster though.