Bob Flemin's MWIF AARse II The Sequel

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1939
Impulse: 2

Stalin, gagging for his booty, orders his troops into Eastern Poland and the Baltic States.

[Jobylens]

Glad to see you doing another AAR Bob enjoyed your last one and look forward to reading this one in your unique style [:D]

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1939
Impulse: 3

The weather remains perfect all over for this turn. The German intention is to get this Polish irritation over with and head back west.

The Luftwaffe are called upon to ground strike Warsaw just to make sure there will be no slip ups. The attack was unsuccessful though.

In China meanwhile, the Japanese are making a concentrated effort in the south - no silly dividing of forces this time...

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1939
Impulse: 3

The Germans bring no less than 14 units to Warsaw. Surely they couldn't throw another 1 could they?

[brian brian]

yes, thanks....just so you know for the future, the Germans are allowed to enter Eastern Poland before the Russians claim it. so they could have overrun the Polish Air Force with that set up. generally you can set up their planes away from wherever the Germans set up their tanks and easily make that impossible.

I do like setting up in the southern Polish cities if the Germans set up weekly in Czechoslovakia. A bad roll on one of them might keep the Polish resources out of the German economy on the first turn.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: brian brian

yes, thanks....just so you know for the future, the Germans are allowed to enter Eastern Poland before the Russians claim it. so they could have overrun the Polish Air Force with that set up. generally you can set up their planes away from wherever the Germans set up their tanks and easily make that impossible.

I do like setting up in the southern Polish cities if the Germans set up weekly in Czechoslovakia. A bad roll on one of them might keep the Polish resources out of the German economy on the first turn.

warspite1

No I didn't know that - although because I am going with the same historical bias as the previous AAR, I would have allowed the Soviets first dibs (the Nazi- Soviet pact having been signed).

So what happens if the Germans take Eastern Poland? Are there any penalties / advantages for so doing?

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1939
Impulse: 3

The Battle of Warsaw begins!...and quickly ends.. the Germans roll a 10 and destroy the two defending Polish Armies for no reply - and no disorganisation.

[Missouri_Rebel]

Bob, I want to thank you again for all the effort it takes to make these. Much appreciated.

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1939
Impulse: 4

Back to the Axis. This Global Warming malarchy is playing havoc with the Allied plans - for the 4th straight impulse, the weather is Fine....

There is so little to be done they would have been better off passing to try and end the turn quicker....

[Klydon]

Great to see the sequel AAR! [&o]

The German units that are on the Soviet side of the line when the Russians come into Poland will be displaced back across and German units will not be allowed to cross the line. This actually can possibly provide Warsaw some protection.

One note that I have seen in the previous AAR and continued with this one. Ground striking with 2 strength aircraft just isn't that effective, even with two shots at it (20% chance of success twice is not good odds). I would rather use such aircraft either in reserve to upset an attacker or top up one of my own attacks or give me a better chance of rounding up on fractional odds.

I usually Stuka Warsaw and Lodz and leave it at that. (Although one game I set up, the Germans had just 1 Stuka due to bad luck on the initial aircraft draws. [:@] )

One other thing about Warsaw set up. If the Polish are not careful about what they put in Warsaw (and where they put their other units), a friendly reminder that there are no rivers on the first impulse, so if the Germans have a lot of troops in Prussia, they could get a good crack at Warsaw right off the bat because of no rivers. A lot of times, I will put the 3-3 infantry in the forest to the NE of Warsaw to prevent this. I also usually stack Warsaw with 3 units.

Great stuff and I am looking forward to seeing how all this plays out [:)]

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1939
Impulse: 5

And it doesn't end. But the weather does turn a little inclement for this time of year..

Only in the Mediterranean is it Fine, everywhere else is either Storm (Northern Monsoon) or Rain. Storm puts a bit of a dent into Japanese hopes for this turn, but hey, Rome wasn't built in a day - and nor can the Emperor expect the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sloblocks to be...

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Klydon

Great to see the sequel AAR! [&o]

The German units that are on the Soviet side of the line when the Russians come into Poland will be displaced back across and German units will not be allowed to cross the line. This actually can possibly provide Warsaw some protection.

One note that I have seen in the previous AAR and continued with this one. Ground striking with 2 strength aircraft just isn't that effective, even with two shots at it (20% chance of success twice is not good odds). I would rather use such aircraft either in reserve to upset an attacker or top up one of my own attacks or give me a better chance of rounding up on fractional odds.

I usually Stuka Warsaw and Lodz and leave it at that. (Although one game I set up, the Germans had just 1 Stuka due to bad luck on the initial aircraft draws. [:@] )

One other thing about Warsaw set up. If the Polish are not careful about what they put in Warsaw (and where they put their other units), a friendly reminder that there are no rivers on the first impulse, so if the Germans have a lot of troops in Prussia, they could get a good crack at Warsaw right off the bat because of no rivers. A lot of times, I will put the 3-3 infantry in the forest to the NE of Warsaw to prevent this. I also usually stack Warsaw with 3 units.

Great stuff and I am looking forward to seeing how all this plays out [:)]

warspite1

Ah good - I thought brian brian was saying the historical effects of the pact could be side-stepped by the Germans goose-stepping in before the Soviets. That's good to know.

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1939
Impulse: 5

The Axis finish off the last of the Polish units and continue to pour west in order to set up a clash in the Low Countries as soon as possible.

The Weather improves a little and the turn continues despite the Allies passing with all to try and make the turn end.

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1939
Impulse: 9

The Germans and Japanese do some more shuffling of units and then the turn ends at the end of impulse No.9.

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1939
End of Turn

Two Partisans appear - one in Poland and one in Indo-China. The Polish one is placed in Katowice to disrupt the resourse.

Neutrality Pact

The Germans choose their two markers and the Soviets, their one. I did not see what they were so will report this next time - however the pact cannot be broken in the first year anyway.

US Entry

The US choose to intern the French carrier Bearn and will receive a TRS instead.

Here is her unit description for those that want a brief history lesson as to why this option is included in the game.

• Engines output: 37,200 hp
• Top speed: 21.5 knots
• Main armament: 8 x 6.1-inch (155mm), 6 x 2.9-inch (75mm) guns
• Aircraft: 25 (operational max) plus 15 in reserve
• Displacement (full load): 28,400 tons
• Thickest armour: 3.1-inch (belt)

Béarn was the only aircraft carrier completed by the Marine Nationale (MN) by the outbreak of World War II.

She began life as a Normandie-class battleship, but having been laid down in 1914, construction was halted during the First World War.

In 1919, with the war won, work on Béarn resumed, but she was no longer destined to be finished as a battleship. With the British Royal Navy leading the way on the development of naval aviation, the French were keen not to be left behind, and, with a short flight deck fitted, landing-on trials were carried out over the next two years.

In 1922, following the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty, it was decided to complete Béarn as an aircraft-carrier, but a lack of money meant that the project proceeded only very slowly. Work on her conversion began in 1923 and she was completed four years later. Assistance was received from the British, who provided plans for one of their own conversions - HMS Eagle.

Béarn was fitted with two hangars and she was able to carry up to 40 aircraft. However, a maximum of just twenty-five could be operational at any one time, and these were operated from the upper hangar. The remaining reserve aircraft were stowed in the lower hanger. These two hangars were served by three lifts.

Vertical protection consisted of an armour belt 3.1-inches thick rather than the 9.5-inch belt that she was originally designed with. For horizontal protection there were three layers: a 1-inch armoured flight deck, a main deck of similar thickness, and a 3-inch lower hangar deck.

Defensive armament was provided by eight single 6.1-inch guns mounted in casemates in the hull. For anti-aircraft (AA) defence there were six 75mm guns and, later, eight 37mm guns were added. The armament package was rounded off with four 21-inch underwater torpedo tubes.

By the time of the outbreak of the Second World War, speed was a problem for Béarn. She could only manage 21.5 knots and with the arrival of fast battleships during the thirties, she was no longer able to operate with the fleet.

However, this was not her biggest problem. The lack of money generally, and to the MN specifically, meant that the development of naval aircraft was severely limited during the inter-war years, and consequently, by September 1939, Béarn's aircraft were obsolete. She carried 1931 vintage Levasseur torpedo-bombers and Dewoitine D37 fighters which were actually withdrawn from service two months after the outbreak of war....

Béarn was named after a former province of France, located in the south of the country.

Béarn was completed in May 1927 and at the outbreak of World War II she was based at the port of Brest.

When, in October, the British and French formed a number of hunting groups to find German surface raiders, Béarn was attached to Force L alongside the fast battleship Dunkerque, the light cruisers Montcalm, Georges Leygues and Gloire; and two destroyer divisions. Force L was to play no part in the finding and destruction of Graf Spee later that year, and indeed, after just two months of war, it was clear that Béarn was proving to be something of a liability to the effectiveness of the fast ships she was operating with; she was simply too slow, while her aircraft were obsolete and proving unreliable. Béarn was detached from Force L and she was then used as an aircraft transporter to ferry aircraft sold to the French by the United States.

In May 1940 she sailed with the cruisers Jeanne D'Arc and Emile Bertin for North America as part of an operation to transfer French gold reserves to Canada. Whilst in North America Béarn was loaded with crated aircraft ready for the return journey. However, she and her escorts were still there at the time of the signing of the armistice with Germany.

The three ships were ordered to the French-owned Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe; Béarn and Emile Bertin sailed for the former, while Jeanne D'Arc docked in the latter island.

In July 1940, when the British carried out their attacks on the Vichy French fleet at Mers-El-Kebir and Dakar and also seized French ships berthed at ports in the United Kingdom and Egypt, they left these three ships in the West Indies alone. No doubt distance played its part in the decision, which was all about keeping the French fleet out of German hands. However, the Royal Navy maintained a watching brief on the islands until May 1942, when, under pressure from the United States, the Vichy authorities agreed to their demilitarisation.

On the 30th June 1943 Béarn was transferred to Free French control, the Forces Navales Françaises Libres (FNFL). She was obviously no-more fit for front line duties than she had been in 1939, however she was successfully used in the role of aircraft transporter between the United States and the United Kingdom, and it
was in this role that she saw out the war.

After the war, Béarn was initially used to transport aircraft to the French colony of Indo-China, and was later relegated to a training role. After a stint as a submarine tender, Béarn was scrapped in 1967.

[WarHunter]

Here i am with morning tea and what greets my eyes, A new Warspite1 adventure story. [:)]

Especially happy to see the 1D10, dual-edged crt being used. Still remember the primitive 1d6 dagger. (I'm such a romantic at heart). Many good memories of that piece of work. Never really caught on to the 2D10 rapier/sword combo crt. Maybe someday.

Anyway, I see the axis have made short work of the Poles. Yet the Poles still extract a cost. That arty was a prime cut of steak. If you had time to ask for advice, The Motorized corp would have been sacrificed.

Thank you Warspite1, for putting in the time and work to share your AArse.

Especially looking forward to the exploits of Penelope, Arethusa, Ajax and Coventry. small players big expectations.

Enough pleasantries. Get back to rolling virtual dice.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: WarHunter

Thank you Warspite1, for putting in the time and work to share your AArse.

[:D]

Especially looking forward to the exploits of Penelope, Arethusa, Ajax and Coventry. small players big expectations.

I'm sure they will feature - the Royal Navy love putting themselves in harm's way [&o] [:)] [8D]

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1939
End of Turn

Ships start heading back home. In Hawaii, some German sounding guy called Nimitz rocks up at his desk. I wonder if he's any good? [;)]

The French bring a corps back from Syria

While the British and Japanese bring their empty TRS and AMPH home after having previously dropped off their war material..

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1939
End of Turn

The CW scrap all Polish units except the HQ and the white print 5-3.

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1939
End of Turn: Production [:)]

Germany:
Tirpitz
Infantry
Fighter
2 x Pilot
Cav Div

Italy:
Nav Air

Japan:
Shokaku
Hiei
2 x Infantry