Starting Year

German war calendar.

For long time, the classic start for a global Axis & Allies game has been the spring/summer 1942 at a time when Germany was leading a general offensive in Southern Russia, towards the Volga and the Caucasus (Blau Fall), and in North Africa, towards Alexandria. These will eventually lead to the epic battles of El Alamein and Stalingrad. In the Pacific, it coincides with the naval battle of Midway and the start of the long campaign of Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands. Axis forces are at the top of their strength and territorial extension, whereas Allied powers are just preparing to counterattack. It is without doubt an interesting setting, starting directly in medias res.

In 2009-2010, the new Europe 1940 & Pacific 1940 games, forming together Global 1940, brought the starting year back of two years. In May 1940, Germany is conducing its blitzkrieg offensive against France, Italy is about to enter war, and Japan is fighting against China. In the meanwhile, United States and Soviet Union are still at peace, so that Axis powers must bid their time, deciding when to strike against these sleeping giants. They need to be strong enough to make large advances, and at the same time they cannot afford to let their enemies reinforce. Recently, Larry Harris has approved an official 1942 variant for the Global edition, with a setup more similar.

The 1941 start is halfway between the two: German forces are at the gates of Moscow, while Japanese are about to strike Pearl Harbour. Allies are on the defensive, but Axis has still not reached its maximum historical expansion. This is true both in the 1941 scenario of Anniversary (2009) and in the 1941 edition (2012). A 1941 version of the Global edition had been posted by Oztea on Axis & Allies.org forum.

Despite there being talks about a 1943 version for Anniversary or Global, starting just before Kursk and the landing in Sicily, such variant would be problematic, since Axis would be losing in front of superior firepower and numbers. The same would be for 1944, apart from single battles (e.g. the D-Day and Battle of the Bulge games) or alternative timelines (such as the one at the basis of HBG's Amerika game).

Then, there is HBG's Global 1939, with the largest board up to now, and a great setup starting at 1st September 1939, with German invasion of Poland. It is Germany that, in this scenario, has the most to do, since it has to deal swiftly with two fronts (Poland and France) as well as other neutral countries in Europe, in order to become powerful enough to compete with US, UK and USSR, which are still building up their forces. However, HBG is looking forward to produce a new version of this map, with a start in 1936, and rules for later setups (1939 and 1942).

Now, I think that a really complete World War II game should start in 1936, that is when a war is already forthcoming at the horizon, but a full range of alternatives and different paths, both in rearmament and diplomacy, lies open to players. At the start of the year, Italy is engaged in war against Ethiopia, but it has still not made relevant progresses and the Allies are working for a peaceful solution. Germany is looking at re-militarizing the Rhineland as the start of an aggressive and expansionist foreign policy. In Spain, civil war is about to explode, whereas Japan and Soviet Union are vying for the control of China, which is in the middle of a civil war between Communists and Nationalists.

Obviously, this would require deeper diplomatic rules. Anyway, for the stated reasons, I am going to choose this date for the start of World War Home Edition, including the rules for later setups (1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943), if a shorter game is preferred.