Vengeance: A Global War AAR (DQ2004 AAR#3)

[DQ2004]

Across Eastern Europe, Luftwaffe planes swoop down on Russian targets.
The results are spectacular for the Axis forces. Many Soviet armies are disorganised.
In China, Aichi D3A2 dive-bombers swarm the surrounded Chinese Nationalist capital of Chungking.
With the city encircled, it obviously wasn't hard for the spotters to pick out the defensive positions. The Chinese forces are left reeling from the devastating pin-point precision attack.

[DQ2004]

The Finnish Front after the Axis land moves. Not that there were many.
But this was the other reason I decided not to wait until the rain cleared; because my opponent was quite likely going to spot the move telegraphed by the movement of the German Marines to Hanko, and rail a unit to Tallinn, thus preventing any significant benefit of them jumping across the Gulf of Finland. By going now, the Marines were assured of a successful operation.

[DQ2004]

On the Northern Front, the Panzers can make disastrously little progress.
On this front, the Luftwaffe earned many medals and unit citations - both the 2nd Mech and the tank army underneath it were disorganized. Another unit was disorganized at Minsk.

[DQ2004]

And on the Ukraine Front, more glory was earnt by German aircrew, as both the 1st Cavalry and 8th Infantry Armies were disorganized by airstrikes. It means that the first part of the German invasion, small-scale though the initial attacks are, will be not even a speed-bump for the Wehrmacht.

[DQ2004]

The two attacks go in. Both are of course automatic +21 attacks (yes we are using the 2D10 table).

[DQ2004]

We will return to China shortly, partly because I need to make a new GIF or two about what is happening there.
Patience, my pixel destroying friends.

In the Allies' second impulse, a Sunderland NAV is flown into the Faeroes Gap to try and stop the German ships from finding the convoys again. The Germans decide to try to find it anyway. Unfortunately they are found by a Royal Navy squadron centered around the battlecruiser Repulse, with five cruisers in company.

[DQ2004]

The Germans aren't willing to risk the Tirpitz being sunk, even though the odds are only 20%, this is of course what happened just last turn to the Bismarck (although it was the Allies' choice then), so they throw the X result at the Deutschland.
Should have renamed it...

[DQ2004]

The British only suffer damage to the Hawkins. A good price to pay for the destruction of another German surface ship - even if their achievements so far only equal the historical result. Nonetheless, the RN has now lost a lot of cruisers - with more damaged. So far they haven't built any new ones (my opponent, Bomber Harris, has done quite well by being aggressive with the Royal Navy, IMHO, and concentrated on building things that the Commonwealth needs more of), but they will soon have to start at this rate.

[DQ2004]

When the Soviets can finally react to the German invasion, they take the time to wipe out the pesky Romanian Cavalry corps, which had brazenly and foolishly advanced forward of all other units. Despite ground support (from both sides), the attack is a great Soviet success. The Germans note the presence of previously unknown T-34 and KV-1 tanks.

[DQ2004]

In the Axis' third impulse, the Italians send the newly re-fuelled & re-armed cruisers Trento and Bolzano back into the Eastern Mediterranean. Both sides find each other.

[DQ2004]

The entire Italian fleet is aborted. The Axis should be annoyed about this, but really, they're happy to get away with no damaged ships (the first damage choice was accidentally put on to the cruisers instead of the battleships, but it would have made no difference).

[DQ2004]

In the desert of North Africa, with their supply lines restored, the combined Italian-German Army of Africa cautiously advances as the British army retreats (a little).

[DQ2004]

In Western Europe, German divisions quell some pesky partisan activity. Why don't these people realise the benefits of being in the Reich? Ungrateful! Oh well. We fixed it now.

[DQ2004]

In Southern China, with no help forthcoming and as you saw earlier, a devastatingly effective ground-strike from the D3A2 dive-bombers, Chungking was swiftly siezed and the majority of the armies in the area then headed north, a handful moving south to block the surviving Nationalist forces around Kunming.
This GIF follows the action in Southern China from the second Axis impulse through to the end of the May/Jun 1941 turn.

[DQ2004]

Its pretty unusual for the Japanese to use this 'free' offensive chit for anything other than a super-combined during which they launch everything they've got at the Allies. [&:]
But not this little black duck - all will become clear shortly...

[DQ2004]

May/Jun 1941
THE COLLAPSE OF THE COMMUNISTS
(super-GIF!)

In May 1941 the Japanese had managed to get sufficient forces to the Northern Chinese front, facing the Communists, to consider an assault. Both sides continued to shift units from one hex to another and then suddenly, it looked as though there was not one, but two possible attacks. Both were risky. But it was decided that both were worth that risk.

The first was just south of Yennan, crossing the Hwangho (Yellow) river, the second, south-east of Sian.
Whilst these attacks took place, Chunkging was also overwhelmed by a large Japanese force that surrounded it.
The attack on the Cavalry corps south of Sian required the commitment of the Umezu HQ. The risk being that he might be disorganized by the attempt - and so it was. The attackers of Chungking, whilst successful, were also disorganized, and both Terauchi and Yamamoto had to sort things out so that they could move again.
The results of that brought fear to the Communists. A new horde of Japanese units were now heading north! Even if the previous attacks had not been successful, they were soon going to be outflanked regardless. They retreated from Sian, hoping to make a last-ditch stand at the mountains around Lanchow.
But it would not be easy - the Japanese were already moving towards Lanchow as well. Initially it seemed as though their supply lines would not be up to the task - but then the Japanese High Command intervened.
A huge stock of supplies that had been built up some time ago was released to all three Headquarters units. Whilst some in the High Command wanted these supplies for a possible offensive against the Western Imperialist powers, it was decided that the chance to outflank the Communists' was too good. Thus re-energized, Terauchi moved north towards the mountains. Now back in supply, the leading Japanese armies were now able to continue to move - and enough were able to move quicker than the Chinese such that they ended up on the outskirts of Lanchow before the Chinese could.
For the China, May/Jun 1941 has been a disaster. The end is now inevitable, it is merely a matter of time. At the end of the turn, Chinese production was reduced to one - and even if they got the iniative, the Chinese could not now move into Lanchow before the Japanese did. There were no Communist reinforcements expected, so Lanchow was going to fall.
China would be reduced to just one factory in the south - Kunming.

[DQ2004]

Not much happened in Norway during May/Jun 1941, except that the British withdrew the 'Gort' HQ and a Wellington bomber that was based in Bergen. The two infantry corps in Norway then retreated to Bergen, followed by the German forces.
Rommel had been unable to get to North Africa due to a distinct lack of transports, so the German High Command sent him to Norway instead. Now if they can only get rid of the pesky British from Bergen then he can be sent back to the Mediterranean, to await a ship. In the meantime, the XLI Pz Korps was withdrawn from the front and returned to Oslo, where they await the chance to be shipped to the Eastern Front. The boys are looking forward to that, of course! [8|]

[DQ2004]

In the Med, the Italians destroyed the Allied convoy in the Western Mediterranean sea area.

[DQ2004]

And then the Macchis shot down the Beauforts, which had somewhat foolishly stayed in the area.

[DQ2004]

As you may recall, for the first impulse of the May/Jun 41 turn, the weather was rain, so we decided to postpone the attack on Russia for an impulse. However the next impulse was rain as well!
So we decided to attack, damn the T-34s (as it were) and move anyway, in the hope that the weather would improve.
Well... it didn't. The next impulse was rain as well!
Finally, on the fourth Axis impulse the weather cleared. Except then for the fifth, it rained again!!
And then the turn ended. A very frustrating five impulses, four of which were spent attacking the USSR, and only one of those which was clear weather.
More to the story, and what ended up happening in Russia, coming next, with some more GIFs of course.