Another Solo Global AAR

[markb50k]

May/Jun 1942

Beginning of Turn Phase:

Situation in Morocco:
Large US force here. May be time for the Axis to hunker down and defend.

[markb50k]

May/Jun 1942

Beginning of Turn Phase:

Situation in South-East Asia:
Japan may have wasted too much time around Calcutta. CW now has 3 fighters in India and can contest air superiority. Japan may still get Calcutta but it may end there. Yamamoto may take a while to get there to help out.

[markb50k]

May/Jun 1942

Beginning of Turn Phase:

Situation in Manchuria:
If the weather would just cooperate, Japanese High Command is confident that Vladivostok should be in Japanese hands by the end of the summer.

[DanielAnsell]

With all that strength in Morocco and Russia, how strong is the Euro-Axis in France and/or Scandinavia? I'd at least be thinking about aiming at Spain, or somehow cutting off as much of that huge Axis force in Morocco as I could, rather than letting the Axis turn that area into a strategically irrelevant place to pile up Allied forces.

[Centuur]

ORIGINAL: Carny

With all that strength in Morocco and Russia, how strong is the Euro-Axis in France and/or Scandinavia? I'd at least be thinking about aiming at Spain, or somehow cutting off as much of that huge Axis force in Morocco as I could, rather than letting the Axis turn that area into a strategically irrelevant place to pile up Allied forces.

+1. And how are things around Egypt? Maybe there are possibilities there too (or is the Med an Italian lake?).

[markb50k]

I'll show an update on those two areas soon.

I agree that Morocco has become irrelevant for both sides and serves as a distraction and drain for both sides. The Allies should pull out and make some noise on the European continent

Thanks for the feedback

[Centuur]

Don't pull out, just put another front in somewhere else...

[markb50k]

Ah, ok. Not sure if they have enough firepower to do so. Maybe, though, you have a point. Wavell is about to be finished off in Egypt, he can be the nucleus of another front.

Will think on this..

[markb50k]

May/Jun 1942

Allies 1st Impulse:

Situation in France:
The Allies are considering a new front, here is how Axis forces are aligned in France.

[markb50k]

May/Jun 1942

Allies 1st Impulse:

Situation in Egypt:
Not much to do here but wait for these units to be destroyed. CW will attempt to save whatever it can here, but isn't expecting much.

[markb50k]

May/Jun 1942

Allies 1st Impulse:

Actions:
USSR - Land
CW - Naval
Fr - Naval
US - Naval

Naval Moves:
CW picks up the two isolated units behind enemy lines, among many other moves. US puts their carriers out to sea in the Coral Sea again.

Strat Bombing:
CW fails in a strike on Berlin, rolling a 4.

Ground Strikes:
USSR launches two ground strikes to hit German HQs. With all the aircraft in Morocco, the Germans are pretty short on fighters but are able to get two up in defense of each attack.

The first one is on Rommel.

1st round, Axis rolls a 6, USSR choosing to destroy their front fighter. Allies roll a 15, aborting the front Axis fighter. Ratio raises to +2/-2 for Axis.

2nd round, Axis rolls a 12, clearing an Allied bomber. Allies roll a 7 to abort the last Axis fighter. Both USSR bombers are through.

[markb50k]

May/Jun 1942

Allies 1st Impulse:

Ground Strikes (continued):
Results of the attack on Rommel... all 3 units disorganized. German progress may be blunted a bit on the very first impulse of the first turn of the summer. Ugh.

[markb50k]

May/Jun 1942

Allies 1st Impulse:

Ground Strikes (continued):
The 2nd Ground Strike is on Guderian. Again 2 Axis fighters intercept against 2 Allied fighters + a bomber. Ratio is +3/-3.

1st round, Axis rolls a 9, no effect. Allies roll a 11, no effect.

2nd round, Axis rolls a 3, destroying the front Allied bomber. Allies roll a 10, no effect. Combat is over.

[markb50k]

May/Jun 1942

Allies 1st Impulse:

Rail Moves:
USSR rails a factory out of Leningrad to Siberia.

Land Moves:
USSR forms a solid line of defense (they hope) in the North, and does a controlled pull-back in the South.

Here's how the whole Eastern Front looks at the end of the Allied impulse

[Centuur]

Southwest France and Northern Spain are totally without Axis units. I think you should grab Bordeaux, Bilbao and Bayonne with the Allies. Second front in that region seems possible, also because there are only very weak forces in France proper.

The thing with the Axis is that they can't defend everything. "Hit them where they ain't"...

[markb50k]

May/Jun 1942

Axis 1st Impulse:
Axis gets their first crack at extended good weather in 1942, at least they hope it stays good weather.

Actions:
Japan - Combined
Germany - Land
Italy - Combined

Naval Moves:
Italy moves their fleet in the Red Sea to see if they can catch the smaller CW fleet. They roll for search, but are not successful.

Japan moves two carriers to reinforce Truk and sends a BB fleet to Bay of Bengal for an assault on Calcutta.

Ground Strikes:
With no fighter escort in Russia, things are quiet on the ground strike side of things. In Egypt however, a Stuka is sent to disrupt Wavell.

Results are mixed with the 6-4 INF being hit, but Wavell not.

[markb50k]

May/Jun 1942

Axis 1st Impulse:

Ground Strikes (continued):
Japanese artillery in Calcutta finally hits something although only 1 of 3.

[markb50k]

May/Jun 1942

Axis 1st Impulse:

Land Combat:
Things are moving a bit slower than the Axis would like in Russia. With Rommel disrupted and a defensive line formed, no big attacks are possible this impulse in the North. Riga, with only 1 pt defending, is the only attack in the area. In the south, Mannstein crosses the Dniester and attempts an attack that starts at +7 modifier. Two other attacks, on Calcutta and Wavell in Egypt, round out the impulse.

The 1st attack, in Southern Russia, has air combat over it. A Rumanian fighter and 3 bombers, up against a Soviet fighter and two bombers. Ratio is +1/-1 for the Axis.

1st round, Allies roll a 6, Germany decides to abort the front bomber (side note: Soviet air force has been rolling well overall so far). Axis rolls a 8, USSR chooses to abort the front bomber. Ratio stays where its at.

2nd round, Allies roll a 10, DC, Germany clears a bomber. Axis rolls a 6, DX, USSR kills its front fighter. USSR aborts.

Overall 2 Axis bombers get through, no Allied.

[markb50k]

May/Jun 1942

Axis 1st Impulse:

Land Combat (continued):
Total of 9 pts of ground support added. This puts the modifier at +11 on the blitz table, which is what Germany chooses. They roll a 10, for a 21 overall for a breakthrough. Germany converts this to a retreat instead hoping to put some of these units out of supply later in the turn and overrun them.

[markb50k]

May/Jun 1942

Axis 1st Impulse:

Land Combat (continued):
In Calcutta is the 2nd attack and air to air combat. A CW fighter intercepts a Japanese fighter escorting 2 NAV bombers. Ratio is even 0/0.

1st round, Allies roll a 7, Japan aborts the front bomber. Axis rolls a 4, killing the CW fighter. Japan's (my) conservative nature cost them a bomber, they should have aborted the fighter.

Overall 1 Axis bomber got through and added 2 ground support points.