DQ2004's AAR #2 - "Ouch. ...that hurt"

[DQ2004]

In the 2nd round the US stays for another go - and this time, with no useful fighters left, everyone flies as bombers. The US divebombers swoop down and finally extract revenge!
Scratch one flat-top! Shokaku is sent to the bottom.

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After the remnants of the Japanese fleet flee, the US marines land on Bessell Island, destroying the 1st SNLF division there.

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Back in Russia and Guderian's forces dstroy two more corps and take another vital resource hex from the Soviets.

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Yeremenko is duly annihilated near Magnitogorsk.

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With no useful defensive terrain available any more the Soviets decide to create more 'Hero Cities' and will try to keep the southern Urals pocket as a fortress pair of cities. Trouble is that if Novosibirsk falls, far to the east but much harder to defend, the Soviet Union will surrender. This means that the Germans can run for Novosibirsk and virtually ignore this group of units if they want.

[DQ2004]

Finally the USAAF has sent some reinforcements to North Africa.
Note that in this image the strange supply issue - Manstein is clearly in supply but for some reason the units near him don't think he's any use. As soon as I move him it recalculates and they're in supply again. Strange.

[DQ2004]

Guderian polishes off yet another Soviet corps. Sverdlovsk is now in big trouble, and is one of three remaining cities standing in the way of ultimate German victory, as well as being a victory city on its own.

[DQ2004]

Desperate to keep Sverdlovsk at least for one more turn to give Novosibirsk a chance, the Soviets plead for all Allies to pass. It didn't work before but maybe it will this time? A 40% chance - mmmn might be worth taking. They decide to go for it - after all there's no moves that they're going to miss out on making, in fact there are hardly any units worth moving at all. They hit the button...

[DQ2004]

The Germans curse and swear, but the turn is over.
Here are the destroyed units for Jul/Aug 43.
The Japanese have been hammered. Asama was sunk by US submarines in the China Sea.

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Axis reinforcements for Sep/Oct 43

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Allied reinforcements for Sep/Oct 43 (with 2 Commonwealth pilots missing off the edge of the scrollable screen)

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And finally global control at the start of Sep/Oct 1943. Its true that in a two-player game any Allied player who'd made that many stuff-ups and gotten into this position would probably have thrown in the towel now. But I'm finding it fun to keep going and to see how it plays out, improbable and unbelievable though it may seem. At this point I'm thinking that the Allies' best hope might be to try to take out Japan, which isn't really doing that well.

[DQ2004]

The Allies get the initiative in September and the US has a carrier group that stayed at sea. Their carrier aircraft swoop down on Truk. Heavy AA fire shoots down one of the strike aircraft.

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The TBF gets through and damages Zuiho

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There's yet another big naval battle in the Solomons. The US gets the surprise points again.

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They win the air battle

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And they damage the light carrier Chiyoda and the cruiser Aoba.

[DQ2004]

Seeing the large amount of reinforcements just arrived for the Kriegsmarine, the RN with some USN help have prepared a little surprise party for the Germans in the North Sea. There's only one problem; the weather has turned foul. With no advantage in the air, the now massive German fleet puts to sea. They decide to send the subs in also, and overwhelm the British fleet.

[DQ2004]

The Kriegsmarine get the surprise points...

[DQ2004]

The mistake I made here was in increasing the column; the Germans should have gone for 'choose target'.
Nonetheless the damage bill is extensive. The Portuguese destroyer flotilla, which had only just entered the war, is summarily blown out of the water, as are the Kenya and Vincennes, with two other RN cruisers damaged.