My Historical Global War AAR #3.

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Axis #2. The Western Front.

24. The Germans finish off their attacks this impulse with an near automatic attack on a French 4-5 motorized corps. The attack goes well.

25. von Bock and Rundstedt combine to reorganize 7 ground units, which represents all the front line ground units disorganize in this or the last phase.

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Allied #3 & Axis #5 Weather.

26. While the weather in the north temperate, which includes France, remains fine, it starts to deteriorate as Fall has arrived and turns to rain in the Arctic. This means that the impulse advance is 2 and this turn, on average, will finish faster. That is, Germany may not have many impulses left to capture France. And certainly, this could be their last fine weather one for a while.

Allied #3.

27. France and China take a land. The USA and USSR take a combined. The CW takes a combined in order to evacuate the CW 6-5 motorized corps isolated in La Havre and disembark him back into France and in the hex with Alexander's HQ this impulse. Also, the CW moves a TRS from Liverpool, England to the Eastern Med to load a CW infantry corps in Egypt and then put him in Greece to get the 4 CW corps required to align Yugoslavia.

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Allied #3. Eastern Med.

28. The CW moves the TRS to the East Med and loads a 7-3 infantry corps from Egypt. The RN declines to initiate naval combat. The Italian RM chooses to do so in hopes that their TAC can catch the TRS and force it out of the area before it can unload its cargo in Greece. Both the Italian and CW searches fail and the CW player takes a big sign of relief. The 7-3 CW infantry corps is offloaded to Greece and now the CW have the four corps that they need / want there.

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Allied #3. France.

29. Back in France, the CW XI Mot corps is successfully evacuate from La Harve and deployed back into France. A spitfire I fighter unit is also moved there in support of the BEF.

30. The French in an attempt to again disrupt Germany's planned attack on Paris again flies the Potez-631 fighter-bomber unit, which this time is escorted by the French MS-406 fighter unit, to attack a German stack adjacent to Paris that contains a 7-4 infantry corps. 8-5 armor corps, 2-6 mech division and a Ju 87B TAC unit. The Luftwaffe, again, is only able to muster one fighter unit to intercept, a Bf 109 unit. The Bf 109 unit does its job by downing the Potez-631 French fighter-bomber unit. The French fighter is ineffective. No disorganization of German units by French air this time.

31. With the exception of a single salient in the allied lines the French and BEF defensive position in France is very strong. Unfortunately for the allies, that single salient is the city of Paris. With fine weather there's no doubt that the Germans will throw everything they have in the next impulse to try to capture Paris. If Paris can hold then France may survive through the year. If not, then ...

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Axis #5.

32. Germany takes a land and Italy and Japan take a naval.

The Med.

33. With the CW involved across the world and their strong commitment to checking axis aggression in France and the Balkans, RN naval forces in the Med are spread thin. Most significantly is that these forces lack air cover. So the Italians decide to take a naval and commit the RM to seizing control of the Med from the RN. And, with 3 CW TRS in the East, possibly gumming up CW transport capacity when that capacity might sorely be need for Western Europe or moving air assets to the Med.

34. Also, the Italians move Balibo and a 4-5 motorized corps to the East Med for deployment to North Africa. The Italians, under the command of Balibo do intend to push into to Egypt and seem what they can get from a over committed CW.

The Western Med.

35. The Italians attempt to initiate combat in the Western Med but both theirs and the CW search rolls fail. No combat.

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Axis #5. The Eastern Med. Naval Combat.

36. The Italian RM successfully finds the RN in the Eastern Med. The first round of naval combat is uneventful. It's a naval air battle and the bombs of the only bomber present, the Italian TAC, are reduced to 0. However, things are much different in the second round. The Italian RM is able to surprise the RN and isolate the task force they engage to the RN ships in sea box 0. The prize for the Italians are the two RN TRS there. The battle is brutal for the RN, however, the escorts are able to fend off the Italian RM and save the two TRS from destruction or damage. However, this was not without cost to the RN as they lost two light cruisers and saw one of their WWI battleships damaged. Both sides stayed, but searches for a third round were unsuccessful on both sides. The RN, for now, dodged a bullet in the East Med. Well, maybe survived a bullet might be a better characterization.

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Axis #5. Pairs, France. Ground Strikes.

37. Now turning to the all important battle this impulse, which is the assault on Paris France. In preparation for that two Luftwaffe TAC bombers in combination with a Wehrmacht heavy artillery division ground strike the targets there. The two Luftwaffe bomber units only manage to disorganize 1 of the 3 ground units. However, the 150 mm artillery division cleans up by disorganizing the remaining two units. Maybe, just maybe, the Germans can capture Paris.

China.

38. Before turning to the assault on Paris, it's worth mentioning that the Japanese made a strategic bombing raid on the communist held Chinese city of Sian. The Japanese roll a 3 and the raid has no effect.

Paris, France.

39. Now bad to the German assault to take Paris, France and end this campaign against France.

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Axis #5. Land Combat. Paris, France.

41. Unbelievable!!!! The Germans miss taking Paris by 1!!!. That is, they roll an 8 when they needed to roll a 9 or higher.

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Axis #5. Reorg.

42. The last organized German HQ, in France, von Leeb does what he can to reorganize German land units for, hopefully, one last assault on Paris this turn. Hopefully the weather will cooperate, but given the way the rolls have be going for the Germans I wouldn't hold my breath.

I have to say that this is the most fun start to any wargame, not just strategic level ww2 games, that I've played in my 40+ years history of playing wargames. This is just plain old fashion fun!!!

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Allied #7 & Axis #8. Weather.

43. Well there's a break for the Germans. The weather not only remains fine in France (i.e., north temperate) it turns to fine all across the world.

Allied #7.

44. The CW aligns Yugoslavia and the US does NOT react. It couldn't get any better for the CW, but it does. The CW player notices a flaw in the axis defense in the Balkans. One that he fully intends to exploit. In order to exploit this flaw the CW needs land moves. The CW had intended to take a naval but now decides to take a combined.

45. France and China take lands. The USA passes and the USSR takes a combined.

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Allied #7. The Balkans.

46. The flaw in the axis defensive in the Balkans? Bulgaria has been left completely defenseless. The CW sets up the Yugoslavian army to fully exploit this and conquer Bulgaria for them.

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Allied #7. Bulgaria.

47. The Yugoslavian army march in to Bulgaria unopposed and capture Sofia without firing a shot.

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Allied #7. The Western Med.

48. The CW uses one of its two naval moves to move a task force containing the Ark Royal from Plymouth to the Western Med. It uses its second of two naval moves to move a cruiser task force Malta into the Western Med also.

49. Itching for a fight the RN tries to initiate a naval combat. Both search rolls fail, so there's no combat.

France.

50. The French use their land action to replace the corps and division in Paris loss last impulse. Paris is again occupied by three land units, Billotte's HQ, 6-4 infantry corps and a 1-3 infantry division. Billotte's HQ is disorganized but the other two land units aren't.

51. The end of turn chance is 10%. A roll of 1 would make the allies day. But it's not to be. The roll is a 9 so the Germans will get one more crack at taking Paris this turn.

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Axis #8. The Balkans.

52. One good flaw in a Balkan defense deserves another. Not realizing that the axis would be given the chance to immediately align Romania, the defense of Belgrade is worrisome for the CW. The Germans align Romania and the US does react to this where they didn't to the CW alignment of Yugoslavia. So in addition to a critical assault on Paris this impulse will also see a critical assault on Belgrade by the Germans and her allies.

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Paris, France. Luftwaffe Ground Strike.

53. Back to the assault of Paris. This assault is preceded by ground strike that successfully disorganizes the two organized ground units. So like the last attack, all three French ground units are disorganized. Now comes the all critical land combat. If the Germans don't take Paris now it may well be into next year before they do.

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Axis #8. Land Combat. Paris France.

53. This time the Germans roll high and take the city!

54. Still on a high from their good roll, the Germans decided to roll for the Belgrade assault next.

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Axis #8. Land Combat. Belgrade, Yugoslavia.

55. Looks like the CW lost two allies this turn. It's amazing how well land combat goes when you roll high.

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Axis #8. Land Combat. Nanning, China.

56. Turning to China, the Japanese try to take Nanning in a low odds land combat assault. This attack is a failure.

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Axis #8. Land Combat. China[91,136].

57. Their second land combat goes a little bit better but they lose a 5-4 infantry corps.

[rkr1958]

Sep/Oct 1940. Allied #9 & Axis #11. Weather.

58. The weather deteriorates too late for the allies.

Allied #9.

59. The CW takes a combined in order to try to continue to engage the Italians in the Western Med and to put (move) the BEF in France into a better defensive position given that the French army and France itself is on the verge of collapse.