John Prados Third Reich Session Report #3

Last Friday the Brigadista came over and we continued our Third Reich game.

Situation: When we last left our heroes, they had completed the Summer 1941 turn. Germany has invaded the Soviet Union. Italy has conquered Greece, but is still at peace with the other major powers. Britain is making war on Vichy France and ignoring the Germans, prompting some to wonder if the British are more interested in expanding their colonial holdings than fighting fascism.

Turn 9 (Fall 1941)

Event: IRA (Britain must garrison northern Ireland with a combat unit for four turns.)

Political Activity: Italy, fresh off the conquest of Greece, declares war on Yugoslavia.

Military Activity: German forces get the jump on the Soviets and encircle two significant pockets of troops.  Massive numbers of Russians surrender.  However, little progress is made towards Moscow, prompting the Brigadista to dub my offensive Operation Barbarella.  Ouch.  Italy conquers Yugoslavia in a lightning campaign.  Damascus falls to the British.

Turn 10 (Winter 1941)

Event: Polish Rally (Polish units become available to the Soviets and British.)

Political Activity: Italy, flushed with confidence, declares war on Bulgaria.  Romania, after several turns of hostility, declares war on Germany.

Military Activity: Extreme Russian winter slows down activity on the eastern front.  More Russians are cutoff and surrender.  Russians hold firm in the Carthpathians, however, tying up large numbers of German troops.  Italian attack on Bulgaria falters.

Turn 11 (Spring 1941)

Event: Pearl Harbor (U.S. joins the war, but Britain is required to send forces to the Pacific.)

Political Activity: None

Military Activity:  Mud hampers operations on the eastern front.  Minsk is encircled and falls to the Germans.  Russians and Romanians continue to threaten the German southern flank.  The Italians conquer Bulgaria.  British forces land in French Morrocco and Algeria, which are undefended.

Session Notes:  It's amazing that Italy is still not in the war.  That's undoubtedly why things are going so well for her!  She's conquered Greece, Yugoslavia, and Bulgaria, and gained Spain as an ally.  Going into the next session, the big question is should Italy get into the war?  I suspect Germany will lose badly if I don't bring them in.  We shall see.

I think Germany has hit the high water mark.  The Russians lost a lot of units, but gained a great deal more in 1942.  Germany will be hard-pressed to expand further to the east.  The focus for Germany will be to hold on as long as possible against the Brigadistas rapidly expanding forces.