Sicily to Brenner Pass Revised

[larryfulkerson]

Hey, something new in twenty two: the 8th Indian Division. I'm moving it to Messina to get it on the mainland ASAP.

[larryfulkerson]

I finally captured Reggio in T22. Now there's the small problem of that Panzer Division impeding my supply flow north.

[larryfulkerson]

OK. It's T23 and I see this screen at the beginning of the turn:

[larryfulkerson]

Even after capturing Reggio the supply situation is still dire north of the Panzer Division. No supply is getting through and the units to
the north are starving for bean, bullets, and band aids.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the front lines in T23:

[larryfulkerson]

Due to the supporting arty from the Messina side of the water, and lots of air support, and some timely attacks we got rid of the
interfering German squads from the Reggio area. The way is clear now. Now to repair the railroad going north.

[larryfulkerson]

It's looking like I need to rethink my strategy. The supplies aren't getting to the tip of the spear and it looks like I need to repair a heck of
a lot of rail to get some supply to the front. And while that's going on I may as well take Sardinia and Cypris etc.

[larryfulkerson]

I've got a good start on capturing all of Corsica. I'm not real sure what I can use the real estate for besides an unsinkable aircraft
carrier. I can put the shorter range planes there so they can reach Rome etc.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what the zoom out looks like:

[Telumar]

Interesting development. Do you know (or can you estimate) how many German units are left in the south of Italy? It looks like you destroyed a lot of them. With Corsica in your hands you would have air support for an invasion in the Rome area (Anzio is a supply point, Rome is one, too i would think). You could cut the peninsula in two thus cutting off all lines of communications for German units still in the south which you then can comfortably crush while building up around Rome for a drive into the north.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: Telumar
Interesting development.

I think so too. I'm wondering if I'm on schedule "historically". Steve Sill posted a partial map showing invasion dates for
specific places. That's cool.

ORIGINAL: Telumar
Do you know (or can you estimate) how many German units are left in the south of Italy?
It looks like you destroyed a lot of them.

I have no idea really. This is my introduction to this scenario and I'm playing by trial and error. I've only just now
established some supply flow for the bottom part of the peninsula. It's going to take forever to repair railroads from Reggio to
Salerno, say. I'm hoping there's a supply point at Salerno and Taranto because the going is going to be slow if there's not.

ORIGINAL: Telumar
With Corsica in your hands you would have air support for an invasion in the Rome area (Anzio is a supply point, Rome is one, too i would think). You could cut the peninsula in two thus cutting off all lines of communications for German units still in the south which you then can comfortably crush while building up around Rome for a drive into the north.

That sounds like a really good idea. So I'll develop Corsicaa and get it ready. Also, I've been eyeballing Sardinia and wondering
how much trouble it would be to grab that little island. There's Germans on it so it wouldn't be a pushover.

[larryfulkerson]

Oh nooooooooooo. Disaster. The 1st Airland Brigade was targeted for a drop on an airfield near Salerno and there just happened to
be a German stack nearby and the whole Brigade evaporated. D'oh. I should have split up the Brigade and flew the pieces just to
prevent an occurance like this. Since this has occured I'm calling off the entire drop.

[Telumar]

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson
That sounds like a really good idea. So I'll develop Corsicaa and get it ready. Also, I've been eyeballing Sardinia and wondering
how much trouble it would be to grab that little island. There's Germans on it so it wouldn't be a pushover

Should be the 90. Panzer-Grenadier Division. Not an easy pushover, though outnumbered to a potential invasion. However i would leave Sardinia for the time being, i don't think that Elmer will ship the division from the island and i also don't know if Elmer has any sea ransport cap. Also, with the Allied navy ruling the Thyrrenian sea and Corsica in your hands such an endeavour would be highly risky in the real world.
Interestingly the 90. PzG Div. had a quite adventourous 'journey' from Sardinia to the main land. It evacuated Sardinia in early September to the south of Corsica. There they had to march north to Bastia and from there by ship to Elba and Livorno under constant pressure from the Maquis and regular french troops landing at the southern tip of the island.

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson
I'm wondering if I'm on schedule "historically"

Err... actually you're behind. At that date the Allies were advancing into the Naples plain from the Salerno beachhead which in the meantime had been reached by 8th Army advancing from the south. On the Adriatic Taranto and the Apulia region (Puglia) were firmly in Allied hands. Bari has been liberated on the 25th (?).

See here for a quick overview:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactiv ... mbed.shtml

[larryfulkerson]

I dropped the 1st British Airborne Division on Taranto and captured another supply point. Good, maybe there will be some supply for
the push into the Napals area. I'm wondering if I need to build rail from Reggio now. Seems like a better idea to build railroad from
Taranto toward the north and NW.

[larryfulkerson]

Ok. I've moved everybody in T26 and I'm ready to execute the combat. I've overrun Corsica and the whole thing is mine now. I'm still
leaning toward Sardinia. I've got an 8th Indian Division all primed for it. Plus the Free French on Corsica are now unemployed.

[larryfulkerson]

I was counting on SOME supply being there near Salerno but NNOoooooooo there's no supply to be had. So I'll have to pull back or
maybe keep importing some fresh units or something.

[Telumar]

There is one in Salerno and another one in Paestum.

[sPzAbt653]

Interestingly the 90. PzG Div. had a quite adventourous 'journey' from Sardinia to the main land. It evacuated Sardinia in early September to the south of Corsica. There they had to march north to Bastia and from there by ship to Elba and Livorno under constant pressure from the Maquis and regular french troops landing at the southern tip of the island.

I found this unpleasant to simulate, so I settled on :

[sPzAbt653]

... and there was a earlier 'hint', although the news maybe should say 'transferred to Corsica' instead of the mainland :

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: Telumar
There is one in Salerno and another one in Paestum.

Thank you muchly. I'll try to get Paestum first it seems easier than Salerno. I'm going to need a lot more troops in the AO to handle
the load.......good thing I've got some reserve paratroopers. I'm going to commit them.