Decline and Fall The Long Way Round

[AllenK]

J/A 1944 Axis 4: Land Movement

The German units that can be spared begin moving into the Baltic states to defend against the CW invasion. Shortening the line in the Caucasus allows the Germans to form a reserve of 3 Arm/Mech at Kursk and pull the HQ's out of the front line.

[AllenK]

The Allied forces in the north of Spain make this area pretty much impregnable for the Axis forces available. The weaker Spanish forces in the centre look a different prospect. The Axis continue their advance hoping to be able to roll up the defence from SE to NW.

Partisans in Yugoslavia have grown to become a real threat but there's nothing available to deal with them. It's long since the Axis were able to benefit from the resources and factories.

[AllenK]

Only two attacks are declared. The Japanese one has been boosted by 2 points of Ground Support.

[AllenK]

In China, the Japanese have choice of attack. Seeing Blitzkrieg gives them +9 instead of +8, they order the Blitz. As the troops cross the start line and too late to cancel, the Japanese realise, since it's their Arm-HQ leading the charge, if it all goes pear-shaped, it'll be the HQ that is lost. Perhaps a bit of a rash choice.

It turns out the Chinese weren't expecting a charge from the General and they are easily crushed (16 rolled).

The attack in Spain almost suffers a set-back (roll of 8) but the overwhelming odds (+16 after the fractional) carry the day.

With their remaining air moves the Germans rebase a Ftr closer the front line near Moscow and pull a Ftr from France back to Germany, allowing one from Germany to begin flying east.

The Italians rebase an Atr from Syria to Tobruk. The Japanese juggle their CVP's around.

No reorganisations and the impulse ends.

[AllenK]

J/A 1944 Allied 5

On a roll of 8, the storms in the Nth Monsoon continue. Elsewhere the weather is fine.

No DoW.

With nothing to move on sea or land, the US choose an air action with a view to reorganising some bombers. The CW chooses Combined having a couple of naval moves and debarkations to progress. The Chinese and USSR choose Land.

Noticing the Italian fighters covering La Spezia are now cruising around the West Med and there is nothing else in range to cover the port, the CW launch a 4 plane port-strike from the CV's in the West Med. The Italians are slightly surprised by this turn of events (3 points) resulting in their AA gunners putting up a less effective barrage. It's still enough to put a 3-point Swordfish off its aim. Hit by simultaneous bombs and torpedoes, which penetrate the main magazine, the BB Andrea Doria blows up and sinks in the harbour (damage roll of 1). The CL Bari tries to protect the more valuable ships and is destroyed in the process (damage roll of 4). Its sacrifice wasn't in vain as it took a hit that was meant for the BB Conte Di Cavour (damage roll of 9, 1/2 abort). A misguided torpedo explodes on a dock gate, jamming it shut and preventing the CP's in the basin from being able to leave until it is repaired (Axis choose to put the final abort result on a CP).

The Aussies fly their Beaufighter to the Coral Sea 3-box in search of the Japanese CP. It is joined by a US B-24.

The CW move a Trans containing XXX Arm to Tallinn. Formidable, Courageous and Glorious move to Gibraltar.

The Allies have choice of naval combat in 4 sea areas.

[AllenK]

With some rather potent Italian Ftr's and Nav's in the West Med, the RN conclude a touch of discretion may be the order of the day and decide not to press matters.

Similarly, in Biscay the Allies would rather not give the German U-boats a chance at getting to the convoys. With the Arabian Sea being covered in storms and the RN all in the 0-box, it doesn't seem worth the effort.

With both air units in the Coral Sea flying their first 'combat' mission, it transpires they appear to have skipped course 101 Finding the Enemy.

The remaining serviceable units of the US 8th Air Force launch a 20-point strategic bombardment against Essen. The bomb run is again unopposed. With nothing to disturb their concentration, the US bomb-aimers carefully and precisely set their sights and this time it's right on the pickle barrel. Both factories are destroyed and 2 BP lost on a roll of 10, modified to 11.

The CW move a couple of units in Iraq towards Syria. The remaining land move is used to disembark IX Arm into the hex containing Gort in Estonia. The Soviets move another unit to Leningrad in preparation for an attack and elsewhere carry on reinforcing the front. In China, the two Chinese factions manoeuvre to put the bulk of the Japanese OOS again.

[AllenK]

The Russians find the odds aren't that good for an attack on Leningrad. Instead they decide to try an attack right at the south of the line where they can get a +6 on the sole defending unit. The attack is launched and then the Soviets discover they haven't thought it through. As they launch a 4-point ground-support mission, they realise the Germans can send a 4-point He-111 supported by the Me-210. With no available Ftr's of their own, the He-III will be cleared through. To at least partially address this they add another 5-point Lnd. The Germans fly as expected.

The Me-210 and Tu-2 fight themselves to exhaustion and return to base. The Soviet Pe-2 proceeds on its way to target. The odds come down to +4 or +5 if the fractional is made. It is but it wouldn't have mattered as the Soviets stage a text book assault and destroy the defender for no loss (roll of 19). The headaches just keep on piling up for the Germans.

[AllenK]

The US C-54 reorganises a Trans in Spain. The C-47 reorganises a B-17. Hodges and Alexander between them reorganise a further 5 US strategic bombers.

Nothing else of note happens and the impulse ends.

[John B.]

Allen,

I have not played WiF since version 4 of the board came but I am thoroughly enjoying your creative and extensive posts. Thanks!

John

[AllenK]

ORIGINAL: John B.

Allen,

I have not played WiF since version 4 of the board came but I am thoroughly enjoying your creative and extensive posts. Thanks!

John

Thank you sir.

I appreciate your kind comments.

[AllenK]

J/A 1944 Axis 6

No DoW

While all 3 Axis powers would like to initiate some naval activity, they all have more pressing business to attend to on land. All 3 opt for Land actions.

No Naval Air, Strategic or Carpet bombing missions.

The Germans launch 2 Ground-strikes. The first is against an isolated Soviet Arm HQ (Rokossov) east of Novgorod. If it works, he can be put OOS and easily taken out. The second is in the south, on a stack of 3 units, in open terrain, the Germans can get a 3 side attack on. They are also planning an attack on the unit that captured the hex near Stalino. If both attacks succeed, it would open up the Soviet southern flank. This would force the Soviets to send units back down south to stop either the railways being cut or a drive down to the oil-fields and possibly aligning Turkey. At present, there are no units in place to stop this. Whether or not the Germans would make such a move remains to be seen as, for their part, the Germans have been weighing up whether to hold in place or withdraw further west to shorten the line ad free up reserves.

The Italians and Japanese decline to fly. The former because the units they want to attack are already disorganised and the latter because the only target they would want to hit is not in range.

[AllenK]

Gen Rokossovsky glances anxiously skywards as the unmistakeable drone of unsynchronised aero engines announces the arrival of the Luftwaffe. The forest saves him. The bombs fall around his perimeter and some within the camp but miss their targets (3-point Do-17z, rolled a 3).

In the South, the Stuka only manages to hit 1 out of 3 targets (2, 9, 9), disorganising the 8th Inf but leaving 33 Inf and supporting 45mm AT guns intact. The grand German plan (fantasy?) may well have fallen at the first hurdle.

The Germans rail a 6-point Garr to Bordeaux, freeing up the Inf there for Spain. The Italians rail the Naples Militia to Palermo.

The Japanese don't do any rail moves. Their main land moves are moving up to attack the unit near Tsinan to re-establish supply to their army. Gen Terauchi withdraws into Suchow to prevent it falling to the Chinese and stop him being cut-off but is disorganised in the process. LG Mar moves from Nanking to protect the supply line to the HQ and their place is taken by Kyoto Militia.

[AllenK]

The advance continues in Spain with an attack on Franco on the cards.

[AllenK]

The Germans evacuate some ground in the centre, which frees up sufficient units to proceed with the plan at reasonable attack odds. It's risky as it commits units that could be held as a reserve but it is felt the potential disruption to the Soviets makes it worth taking. In the North units move to limit the CW expansion inland possibilities.

[AllenK]

The Germans declare 3 solo attack; the two mentioned plus they realise they can get good odds on the Garr unit SE of Moscow. They also make a joint attack with the Italians on Franco.

The Italians fly a 4-point bomber to support the attack on Franco. The Germans fly a 4-point Stuka in support of the attack on the stack of 3.

The Russians send a 4-point ground support, escorted by their Mig-1, to the Garr. The Germans intercept this with a ME-109.

For the first round of air combat the opposing forces mill around the sky but neither is able to get a result (Allied 12, Axis 9 at +1/-1 in favour of Axis). Knowing they need to take down the bombers, the German pilots concentrate their efforts on the bombers and blast them from the sky (roll of 20). The pay the ultimate sacrifice as they are, in turn, downed by the Soviet fighters (roll of 18).

After allowing for Ground-support, the attacks work out as below.

[AllenK]

The Germans blitz the attack by Moscow and destroy the defenders for no loss (+9 including fractional and rolled a 14). XLIII Inf and IV SS Mech advance to capture the hex but decline the breakthrough option. Could an attempt to recapture Moscow be on the cards?

The blitz attack on the 3-stack hex shatters the defenders, destroying the AT gun (+10 with 12 rolled). The Germans capture the hex but are unable to exploit the breakthrough without becoming disorganised.

The final attack in Russia is, again, a Blitz and destroys the defender (+17, 13 rolled). Although disorganised by doing so, the Germans breakthrough to capture Rostov, deciding, in this case the benefit is worth it.

The combined Axis attack on Franco makes short work of him with another Blitz (rolled a 16 on +13). The resulting advance puts them in range of Madrid.

Having seen a succession of good die rolls, it is with some trepidation the Japanese launch their assault. It proves well-founded. The attack initially goes well (fractional made, boosting the attack to +9) but a strong defence destroys the elite 11th and 25th Inf, disorganising the other 2, for the loss of ChiComm 2nd Inf (die roll of 7). Yamamoto would have been disorganised anyway, having added HQ support to the attack. The Japanese would have liked to destroy 23rd Inf but this would have left Tsinan empty. The failure of the attack leaves the Japanese army largely OOS.

[AllenK]

The Germans continue with rebasing a Me-109 east, getting it to SE of Kiev. They also rebase a Me-109 from Nuremburg to SE of Hamburg to provide some cover in the North. It exposes the factories it was formally covering but any attacks there would at least be at extended range.

The Italians bring their Atr back from Africa to Naples.

The Japanese don't make any rebases but use their C-47 to reorganise 23rd Inf in Tsinan. Guderian reorganises a Stuka and He-111. There are 4 OOS Soviet units in the south just ripe for a ground-strike. Cavallero reorganises the 4-point Br.20bis.

So ends a satisfying impulse for the Germans and Italians. For the Japanese ....

[AllenK]

J/A 1944 Allied 7

No change in the weather on a roll of 5. Fine everywhere except continuing storms in Nth Monsoon.

No DoW.

If all pass, there would be a 30% chance of the turn ending. The Russians decide those odds aren't good enough and besides, have some gaps to plug. They go for a Land action. The Chinese follow suit. The US and CW opt for Combined's.

No port-strikes or naval air.

The CW move XIII Mot into Copenhagen from the North Sea. The BB Malaya sails into the Arabian Sea to look for the Italian CP. The US sends a CL into the Corral Sea to search for the Jap CP. V Mar move from West Coast to Midway. XX Mech move from East Coast to Ferrol.

The CW decline naval combat in West Med and Biscay but attempt to initiate in the Arabian Sea. Despite howling gales, a sharp-eyed lookout on the Malaya spots the Italian convoys who remain unaware of the BB's presence (rolls of Allied 1, Axis 5). The convoy is summarily sent to the bottom.

The Allied forces in the Coral Sea retake but fail 101 Finding the Enemy (roll of 10). The Japanese are unable to see much beyond their noses (9).

[AllenK]

US air recon discovers a gap in the German fighter cover at Dusseldorf. Four groups of B-17's are sent to attack. Two groups of B-24's try another go on Paris.

The B17-s raid is pretty successful, destroying 1 factory and 2 BP loss (8 modified to 9). The B-24 raid on Paris causes a further point of production lost (7 modified to 8).

No rail movement.

Zhukov plus 3 Arm and a Mech head back south towards Rostov. Rokossov joins the forces at Leningrad. Elsewhere the Soviets shuffle units to plug gaps.

[AllenK]

The ChiComm 1st Inf recaptures Paoting.

The Nationalists over-run a disorganised Japanese Lnd and move to put 23rd Inf OOS.