A musical global war AAR...

[composer99]

Oops didn't look at borders very well. My bad, thanks for the correction.

[CanInf]

could the CW run from the Japanese, try and keep India with land forces, and save their Atlantic Jugular vein from being severed?

[Centuur]

The CW has got some forces in India and Birma under the command of Alexander is there too. To be honest, the only way the Japanese can attack India is if units out of China enter Birma. But that would pave the road for partisan activity in China. That's something that the Japanese don't want to do, since China is supplying the Japanese with all kind of nice goods for the war effort.

This leaves only Yamamoto and a couple of good INF which are slowly moving from Singapore into Siam to attack Birma. But garrisons need to be put in place in Malaya and NEI too, to prevent partisan activity and to garrison the important ports (Truk, Rabaul). There is also the Phillipines to consider. The Japanese need to get ready to kick Uncle Sam out of that country. They need the surprise impulse to get that done without losses (and they do want to make sure that there are no losses). That would mean that next turn, the Japanese need to prepare for the attack on the US positions in the Pacific region. They don't want Manilla to become a base for US Submarines that will attack Japanese shipping from there...

Australia is pretty vulnerable if the RN doesn't have a fleet there anymore. There is only one weak MIL in the country at the moment. Of course, the Sidney MIL will be rebuild end of turn, but still. If those BB's and the two CV's there leave Australia, it's wide open for a Japanese attack.

The situation around India is also troublesome. An Italian fleet task force is sitting in Red Sea ports and the Japanese will have another fleet in Singapore end of turn. The CW is planning an attack on the Italian East African possessions. Already, Monty and Wavell are in Italian Somaliland, together with 3 corps. There are only minor Italian units opposing them. The plan is to kick the Italians out of Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somaliland and retake Egyptian Sudan too.

The Atlantic Jugular that's a whole other story. The North Atlantic was the only sea area not under cover of land based air. Starting next turn, the Vildebeast will take up residence in the Madeira's to make sure the Axis can't do this again. That's to say: it will cost them 4 surprise points starting next turn. The CW now needs to redo the total convoy lines to free convoy points to replace the ones lost in the North Atlantic this turn. They can only hope that the turn doesn't end, so that they can get some convoys back in the sea area after having reorganised them.

However, the USSR would like to end this turn ASAP. Now, they can't affort to pass. In two nice weather impulses, things have somehow changed into a problematic Ukrainian front and a complete nightmare at the Turkish/Persian border...

[Centuur]

November/December 1941, Allied impulse number 8:

The CW takes a naval, the US a combined and the French and the USSR take land actions.

In Northern Ireland, the political situation is deteriorating. The Catholics are opposing the Protestant British rulers, who did decide to demolish a Catholic residential Area in the port of Belfast, to build the large oil storage facilities. This led to rioting in the streets and the British police was forced to use alot of violence. This again caused the IRA to take up arms against the British. Rioting and civil unrest, murders in the street and attacks on British policemen and soldiers maintaining the peace make Northern Ireland a dangerous place. Especially since German and Italian intelligence are using submarines to send small arms and explosives to the Irish. The “Deutschlandsender” continues to call the Irish to take up arms against the British oppression. In the US, the large Irish populations swings to the German side and calls on Congress to revoke the Lend Lease Act, because of British discrimination and violence against the Irish.
The US President promises to speak with both the Irish and the British government on this issue. But he does more. Troops are loaded on transport ships. Clark and two division are transported into the Faroes Gap, escorted by the battleship Arizona.

Time for music: The Booglie Wooglie Piggy - Glenn Miller (Tex Beneke & The Modernaires, vocal)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7hL3-ocTvs

The CW moves spare convoy points to ports within range of the North Atlantic. Gort reorganises convoy points in Liverpool.

The CW doesn't want to fight in any sea area. Bomber Command takes off and flies, escorted by long range Spitfires, to Lille. The Italian air force intercepts:

[Centuur]

Of course, the Italian FTR aborts when the Hampden leaves the battle.

[Centuur]

Near Smolensk, Stalin himself enters Zhukov headquarters. The orders he gives are clear: “Comrade, the German advance in Persia needs to be stopped immediately. Under no conditions can it be allowed that the Germans will convince the Turks from joining the war on the Axis side. Things are bad, comrade, But I believe that you should be able to counter the German advance there. I will give you all available reinforcements at the disposable of the Motherland”. Trains transport Zhukov to the South. Another factory is railmoved to Siberia.

A Russian Tango: Зоя Рождественская Над заливом On the bay; Zoya Rozhdestvenskaya ( A.Trilling - N.Dobrzhanskaya)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx3VhjglnGM

Positions are revised along the frontlines in the USSR. But this will only be enough, if the weather turns or if the turn ends. And even then, the outcome is unclear... Here is the Manchurian Front:

[Centuur]

The Belorussian Front:

[Centuur]

The Ukrainian Front:

[Centuur]

And the quite troublesome Persian Front:

[Centuur]

The turn doesn't end (roll 8, 20% chance). Stalin wakes up, hearing rain outside:

[Klydon]

Well, just how lucky can the Axis get this game? Decent weather again, followed by a turn end, followed by Axis winning initiative with good weather? Pretty much curtains for the Russians to a point. The Russian lines, especially in the north, looked pretty thinned out. To be sure, they likely have a lot coming in and at least in the north, have the cities to stage the troops out of.

Zhukov has temporarily stopped the Germans, but that area is still a mess to a point for the Russians. With Baku as the only nearby city and unable to rail in re-enforcements except 1 to the HQ unit there, the Russian prospects still don't look good. Fortunately for them, the Germans are pretty much at the end of their logistical reach for the moment and can't extend in much further, although it appears some additional troops are in the way for the Germans.

[Centuur]

I'm thinking on attacking Zhukov in a 1-2 attack now. Together with the +2 of Zhukov being disorganised, the chance that he will be killed is about 45% on the assault table (and if the Blitzkrieg table is used, the chance that the hex is emptied is more than 50%). Any thoughts on sacrificing the best INF Germany has got against Zhukov? If it succeeds, the USSR can't prevent the Germans from aligning the Turks anymore. I think Germany can stand the loss of the INF. Otherwise, Germany might end up in bad weather fighting a larger stack in the mountains. And there is the supply situation which makes that very difficult too (even if Balbo spends the supply unit)...

[etsadler]

A 45% chance to trade a 3 BP unit for an 8 BP unit and align Turkey soon after? [&o]

What are you waiting for? [:)]

[Centuur]

ORIGINAL: RickInVA

A 45% chance to trade a 3 BP unit for an 8 BP unit and align Turkey soon after? [&o]

What are you waiting for? [:)]

"Zu Befehl, mein Führer"!

[Centuur]

November/December 1941, Axis impulse number 9:

All Axis powers take land actions.

Some German swing: "Frauen sind keine Engel !" ... "Teddy" Kleindin & Horst Winter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0jrHwJ3OCQ

The Italian naval command in Rome suddenly realizes that a Spanish TRS is sitting alone in a port within range of one of their NAV in Mogadishu and no FTR's or CVP are present to intercept. Orders go out to attack the port:

[Centuur]

The Italian pilots, after a long flight in the hot sun, are not capable of damaging the TRS.

The Japanese enter Port Moresby and keep moving units towards the Siamese-Birmese border.

The Luftwaffe, is slowly getting short on fuel and ammo. Goering didn't expect that so late in the year, the aircraft would still be very usefull in the war. So there is only one ground strike:

[Centuur]

Movement to improve positions is done along several frontlines.. However, due to the rain and the fact that a lot of German units are now disorganised (who expects 2 good weather and one reasonable weather turn in Nov/Dec in a row) there are only two battles. The first is in the Ukraine, where von Rundstedt orders his forces to attack. Since he doesn't want to lost the ARM involved, he chooses the Assault table:

[Centuur]

Apparently the mud makes it impossible for the German tanks to move properly on the battlefield. The Ukrainian front stalls for the remainder of this turn...

Here's another German military Song: Soldaten sind immer Soldaten

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpSlWTh ... 1425740128

Next, Guderian carries out his orders from the Führer. Zhukov decides he wants to improve his chances on survival, chooses the Blitzkrieg table.

[Centuur]

Some aircraft are rebased.

Here is the Belorussian Front:

[Centuur]

The Ukrainian Front: