Bob Flemin's MWIF AARse V - Fat AARse

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1940
Impulse: 1

Meanwhile chez France, the odds are 5:1 -1 on the Blitz Table....

....It's a 1. That sums up the French luck in this game so far...[&:] Again I am at fault in that I forgot the negative with the Blitz Bonus... That was dumb and proves to me what I should have learned from previous AARse's - The Western Allies are better off just sitting back and forcing the Germans to break them.

The French cannot lose the cavalry unit as that is in Paris. The Garrison is the next best thing. Well that really hastens the end of France... [:(]

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1940
Impulse: 2

The Germans are not able to really employ ground strike tactics this impulse - they need their fighters forward.

There will be three attacks:

- Seoul, Korea (against a Partisan)
- 2 x France

The attack on the partisan is automatic.

And so to France:

Firstly its the hex northeast of Paris. The odds are 5:1 +2 and, quite remarkably - I have forgotten to check the situation with the Armour AGAIN [8|]. The French have an AT unit and thus have choice of table - they choose Assault funnily enough....

...4(6) just enough.... I need to start remembering stuff like this....

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1940
Impulse: 2

The second attack is a bit more risky. Its a 4:1 no modifiers, although at least this time I remembered to add a Panzer unit for choice of table.....

....and its a 9. The French 8th Infantry Corps is destroyed for no loss.

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1940
Impulse: 3

The weather throw is a 5 - Fine everywhere except the Northern Monsoon once more.

Not much to write home about. The Soviets destroy the last Finnish unit in the south, a couple of Chinese Nationalist units move east to reclaim Chinese cities, while the French try and protect Vichy, but otherwise its a case of waiting for the Axis to show their hand.

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1940
Impulse: 4

Well with the French beginning to pull back in the Alps, and the Germans at the gates of Paris, that is the queue for Mussolini to go do his incredibly brace act of declaring war [8|]

There is no US Entry penalty for this craven act however [X(]

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1940
Impulse: 4

The Regia Marina put to sea and surprise the Royal Navy units there. The Italians have the choice of attacking the convoys alone, the Mediterranean Fleet or the two combined. They choose the latter as although the convoys are tempting, the chance of a shot at the RN with surprise is too good to turn down.

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1940
Impulse: 4

The RM have 10 surprise points. They need 4 of those to choose the combat type (they do not want naval air).

They then have six more points that they use to decrease the enemy's combat column and increase their own x 2.

[composer99]

I'm surprised they don't pick targets. Now's as good a time as any to pick off those Royal Navy carriers.

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1940
Impulse: 4

The Italians strike first and surprise a CW cruiser squadron, sinking two precious town-class and an unmodified C-class. Another town class is damaged and a fourth is aborted. Two battleships, Barham and Nelson are also forced to return to port:

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: composer99

I'm surprised they don't pick targets. Now's as good a time as any to pick off those Royal Navy carriers.

warspite1

You shouldn't be surprised at any moronic decision I make [8|] I did not realise that you could pick targets by using surprise points (now you have pointed it out I can see quite clearly that you can spend 3 points to do so).... In other battles I've had its tended to be a mix of who has decision and I never queried it.

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1940
Impulse: 4

The Italian cruisers did not get away scott free however. Two light cruisers were sunk in response, with two damaged and two aborted.

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1940
Impulse: 4

With most of their cruiser screen out of action, Admiral Cunningham has no choice but to abort the sea area.

For the moment at least, Mussolini can claim Mare Nostrum.

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1940
Impulse: 4

Back on land and the Germans attack the units south of Paris behind the Seine. Despite using a 5-strength Stuka, the result is disappointing - just one success.

As a laugh, I thought I would send a Japanese bomber on a ground strike mission.... don't ask....[8|][:D]

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1940
Impulse: 4

There are two 3:1 attacks in France this impulse - either side of Paris to the north and south.

The first attack, in the north, is a 3:1 +2, and the French have the choice of table. They go for the Assault for obvious reasons (but the Fractional Odds makes it 4:1.....

...its a 1(3). Both sides lose a unit, but the Germans are all disorganised.

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1940
Impulse: 4

For the second attack the odds and modifiers are exactly the same, although this time the Blitz table is used....

...6(8) Its just enough... The French units are all Shattered (no conversion).The Germans are able to send an armoured spearhead to overrun a French fighter that now has to rebase disorganised.

Both von Rundstedt and von Bock are used to reorganise the units disorganised in the northern attack.

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1940
Impulse: 4

The situation looks grim....

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1940
Impulse: 5

The French are clearly not likely to be around much longer. However, they do not intend to go out with a wimper.

The French Fleet decides it will attempt an attack on the Italian convoy from Sardinia in conjunction with a Royal Navy cruiser force from Alexandria. The French will have to fight past the Italian Fleet in the Western Mediterranean, however they decide instead to stay in the Western Med and see how many Italian vessels they can take down, while the British continue on to the Italian Coast to deal with the convoy.

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1940
Impulse: 5

In the Italian Coast the fleet of elderly C-class cruisers find the Italian convoy and have 9 surprise points. They want a surface combat and use 4 points to get the choice and use 4 remaining points to increase the expected losses of the enemy.

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1940
Impulse: 5

The C-class may be WWI vintage, but even they can be expected to despatch a convoy provided they could find it.

Having done their job, the cruisers return to Alexandria.

[warspite1]

May/Jun 1940
Impulse: 5

In a round of low-scoring dice, both the French and the Italian Fleets find each other. The Italians have 3 surprise points and can use 2 to decrease their opponents combat column.