I was playing a fascist Turkey game. The German offensive into Russia stalled entirely by 1942 before taking the whole of Ukraine, getting near Leningrad, or getting near Moscow.

By 1944, Russia had pushed Germany almost to the black sea. I thought it was over and prepared for a defensive war but...

Germany had 400 factories to the USSR's 350 and USA's 300-something. Germany had 350 divisions while the USSR had 300. Germany had 2 million manpower left with all adults serve, the USSR also 2 million.

Germany regained the initiative and pushed back hard. They seem very likely to win. The US has not moved at all from America, and no naval invasions of Europe have been attempted despite Britain still alive.

The mod description says it intends to simulate WW2 as an economic war where the Axis are racing the clock to win. Yet in 1944, after 3 years of back-and-forth on the, it was Germany who was far stronger than the each of the other 3 industrial powerhouses, which is absurdly ahistorical.

I don't think I was a decisive factor here. I did divert about 40 soviet divisions to the caucus and nab the USSR's oil fields, but that doesn't explain why they were so much weaker than Germany.

Is this normal? Will AI Germany usually win? I was hoping for some Gotterdammerung but was a bit disappointed to find myself taking Stalingrad without any real resistance in 1944.

Also a note - I remember black ice would funnel troops into 'decisive' cities like Moscow and Stalingrad to encourage long urban battles. Is there any way that total war could do this? I found taking Stalingrad after 3 years of war insanely anti-climactic, as all they had in it was a couple garrison divisions that folded super easily.