Cohen vs Enrico - AAR

[AlbertN]

Start of 5th Impulse (Allied) of Jul / Aug 1942

The Axis opens the dances with an Offensive Chit - Guderian leading the Army Group South; big guns (4 and 5 factor, not OC'ed) gun at Kharkov and the Istmus of Crimea Peninsula.
Subsequent assaults follow, as clearing up of a screen of delaying forces the Soviets left behind. (The Allies had the big advantage of ending the previous turn, and going first this one).

The forces defending Crimea got knocked in the teeth hard and the survivors withdrew further in the peninsula, trying to protect Sevastopol, only to get dispatched and finished in the subsequent weeks (3 defenders, 2 destroyed in the first attack, the third retreats but is hooked up the 2nd Axis impulse, #4 Impulse of turn).

The Soviets got a fighter grounded in Kharkov even (Mistake of my opponent to place 2 fighters in Kharkov not noticing the 5 CV Arty of the Germans adjacent).
On the other hand the Soviets performed preliminary bombing on Kiev, where 3 airplanes and 2 corps were quartered. The VVS fighters immolated themselves in order to escort the bombers to their delivery point; the airstrips of both the Italian squadrons were dotted with many craters in the runaways, and supply depots destroyed, leaving only the Germans free to operate. (2 Italian LND3 grounded, disrupted).

The attempt of some Soviet forces to escape are met by failure when they're caught at Bryansk, and erased (The Soviets got a HQ caught there, they opted for Blitz in the hope to get a result to allow the HQ to be saved or at least its destruction delayed. But the Germans rolled enough to achieve a full success and got a breakthrough).
Another blitz in between Kursk and Bryansk brings the German panzers past the Soviet lines, actually forming a pocket containing infantries (one being a MIL).

In the meanwhile Stalin orders Moscow to be turned in a fortress, mobilizing population, men, women and children to dig trenches and small forts; the Axis cannot find a place viable enough to start a penetration in depth of the defences, and attempt a stretching around in the north. Valiant communist defenders in the swamps west of Yaroslav: the Germans to maximize their brute force in the assault commit as well armoured assets, suffering losses in the department.

Grand air battles happen all over - including over Lille and in the Manchurian front.

[AlbertN]

Start of 5th Impulse (Allied) - Jul / Aug 1942

[AlbertN]

The Destroyed Pool, after 4 Impulses (Total, 2 Each) of July / August 1942.

Com.China INF vs Jap INF.
1 Russia FTR shot down by Japan Airforce.
1 German FTR and the UK Spitfire shot each other down.
1 Italian MIL lost in Iraq, Soviet defenders Shattered.

All the rest is Soviet Front proper.
Germany used 1 O-Chit.

[AlbertN]

Start of 5th Impulse (Allied) of July / August 1942:

Japanese offensive against the Commie-Chinese, who were growing a bit too frisky (as depicted above, 1 INF lost per side).

The Japanese high command is sceptical of achieving larger results than a safer perimeter in the mountains and to lay siege to the eastmost Commie-City.

[AlbertN]

Start of 5th Impulse (Allied) of July / August 1942:

Situation at Kunming. Chiang is under the Chinese fighter squadron.
And suddenly in the region the Chinese have air superiority, not even, air supremacy (total absence of japan fighters)

[AlbertN]

Start of 5th Impulse (Allied) of July / August 1942:

The Manchurian Front.
With the arrival of a HQ the Japanese got bold and started to advance.
Aerial strikes of the VVS not only produced no result, but thinned their fighter force in the region due to suffered losses.

[AlbertN]

Start of 5th Impulse (Allied) - July / August 1942:

Under strong aeronaval cover the Japanese are preparing to perform amhpibious operations in the sea kissing the Solomon islands.

The Gilbert and Ellice Islands are potential targets as anything that is not Japanese.
Shall the US Navy come to engage battle? (I suspect not as they do not have yet the Essex carriers and it would be foolish of them to try their luck before to have a neat superiority - which they'll have in short time).

[AlbertN]

Start of 7th Impulse (Allied) - July / August 1942

Germany used an Offensive Chit with Manstein (and screwed up slightly its placement ... so the reorganization value was sort of misused!).

Operation Typhoon started in the summer, and good weather blessed (to an extent) the German advance to encircle Moscow ... at a cost (1 ENG and 1 ARM perished in the effort).
At once 1 Soviet HQ and 1 Soviet INF-DIV have been shattered. (along with some CAVs from previous impulses).

Updated Casualties of the Turn:

[AlbertN]

Start of 7th Impulse (Allied) - July / August 1942.

Operation Typhoon:

The Germans shatter the Soviet local HQ, conquest Yarsolav and cross the river to the south of Moscow.
The "only" unit of worth remaining in the potential pocket is an Armour Corp, rest is mainly Militias, Garrs and some Infantry.
But Moscow has all of its factories still there!
And Yarsolav was not evacuated in time either.

A rich booty.
At the cost of of 1 O-Chit, depleting the German stock of O-Chits.
On the other hand the Soviets still have 2 O-Chits stocked. Not sure when they'll use them. They've potential for an offensive in the South, but to attack endangers their forces, if the attack goes bad especially - not only because they'd remain in the open and in the plains.

[AlbertN]

Start of 7th Impulse (Allied) - July / August 1942:

The Soviets perform a withdrawal in the southern zone, Konev uses its reserves of stocked supplies (Reorg use) to get combat ready two Soviet squadrons of fighters.
But one is in Kursk, that is overran and thus the fighter is forced to rebase. (It is a quality 6 Air-Air factor, 5 range fighter).

The bulk of Soviet forces in the South though is armoured and mechanized, with support footed assets.

Extra Notions:

Persian Front: The Italians assault the last Soviet cavalry corp keeping a thin veil in the zone. There are no more Soviets opposing, but the total of Italians present is 3 corps, one of them a HQ-Arm.

Pacific: The USA invades successfully Majuro meanwhile the Japanese performs minor landing in isles. It seems the Japanese perimeter is violated already though with an airbase and port giving in to the Marshalls already. But the USA due to their low production over the game lack the means to reinforce Majuro for now.

Post Impulse:
We spent some time talking of Soviet options for long term survival - still in a phase of learning the game we interface and reason, even if it means to put the boots of the other player and suggest against your own interest. (None of us is fond of a restart by now due to previous games gone bogus due to balance, rule fuck ups or simply game crashes of fatal type).

The Com-Chinese attempt and assault with a +9.5 against a Japanese Warlord ... and they roll 5, losing 3 units! (Worst roll ever for them).
The Soviets run ... and then the turn ends with a roll of 1! The Luck (of the Soviets!)
Axis at least, at the cost of a reroll, seize initiative for Sept-Oct 1942, but it rains.

[AlbertN]

Start of Jan / Feb 1943.

The Siege of Kunming.

The Japanese forces, bolstered by free infantry armies that the northern collapse of the Nationalist Chinese saw push in to lay siege to Kunming, last Nationalist Stronghold in China - if we exclude the remote cities of Sinking, where the "Silk Road" is.
Slow advances made under the "air supremacy" of the Chinese airforce, trying to thin the perimeter around the city.
Alas for now a still solid perimeter.

The Birman Front.

The Royal Navy forfeitted to keep the supply of the units deployed in Burma, but Churchill refused to evacuate it in order to keep fuelling the Chinese war effort (or provide a resource to Kunming factory, depending how the Chinese wished to use it).

Bad weather kept the Japanese (along with other operations) from advancing in depth, stalling Yamashita and his elite army suited to fight in the thick jungle at the borderline of Siam.

The Far East British fleet, after losing the base of Singapore, and with Ceylon in Japanese hands (since the suprise turn), opted to find refuge in Cape Town in South Afrika, using it as main base of operations. Earlier on they were operating from Diego Suarez, but the Japanese managed to sink the convoys bringing oil and the dread to remain immobilized with the whole fleet for months made the Admiralty opt for a safer, albeit further away from the operational theater base.

India convoy pipelines have been severed in multiple occasions; and as you know an earlier clash east of Ceylon in the attempt to maintain Burma supplied by sea costed to the Brits a carrier.
They made a recent attempt to stop the Japanese to operate in force, but getting caught by the Japanese in bad weather the Brits got mauled (the Japanese got 2 BBs damaged; the Brits got a few crusers sinking.). After that the Royal Navy opted to keep well away from the waters east to India. By now though the Brits brought in modern carriers, totally 4 operational Carriers and 4 land based air squadrons - on the paper a stronger force than the Japanese aero-naval commitment in the zone. But the Japanese operate from closer bases and have longer range planes.

And with the arrival of good weather the Japanese not only pushed in, but performed landing operations in Burma and advanced in Chittagong, the Imperial Guard leading the assault and overwhelming the South African colonial forces defending the small port (A territorial).

With the fall of Rangoon, Burma whole converted to Japan, severing the supply lanes going via rail to Myitkyina and then linking up to the Indian railway at Ledo.

[AlbertN]

Start of Jan / Feb 1943:

The two opposing Indian Ocean naval assets - safe minor bases which could have the extra cruiser or submarine.

Keep in mind two Japanese BBs have been damaged in the last battle - as depicted above, and are in homeland in the shipyards for due repairs.

Bases are respectively Cape Town - South Africa; and Singapore - Malay.

[AlbertN]

Start of Jan / Feb 1943:

The Chinese Communist Front:

The Japanese tried to infiltrate the southern flank of the Comunist strong line, as they have grown bold and advanced ahead threatening Sian. An assault almost managing to take the City itself, but the Japanese forces that stormed Ankang arrived in time to the rescue.

The Chinese rushed back to their mountains, and the latest ally of the Japanese, the new "puppet" Warlord of Chengtu was marching northward across the mountains to get at Lanchow unopposed.

Mao, still stuck due to lack of oil for its few trucks and major army assets (in game terms, simply without Oil to reorganize itself) issued a major attack against the valiant Warlord forces. (That were by then OoS and Disrupted but in mountain). The Japanese airforce rushed to the assistance and a bloody fight came to an almost nuclear outcome - with no survivors. (The chinese rolled poorly, and the final roll came as a result butchering 1 defender and 3 attackers!).

With the sudden evaporation of the Chinese best troops, alongside with an initial Japanese penetration in their mountain line forcing a fall back to Tianshui already; the leftovers defending Tianshui rushed back to Lanchow to avoid being trapped and the precious factory fall in Japanese hands prematurely.

Mao was then left alone with its personal bodyguards, and was forced to run to hide meanwhile his most loyal immolated themselves to allow their leader to flee. (Mao was left OoS and Disrupted as Tianshui left, and the Japanese seized opportunity to attack the individual unit, destroying it. With their current production Mao should not be back anytime soon!).

[AlbertN]

Start of Jan / Feb 1943:

The Manchurian Front:

All is static here. The Japanese lack the forces to attack, and the Soviets.
Though currently the Soviets have no reserves nor replacements to spare, meanwhile the Japanese are waiting fresh troops. (A 4-3 INF and a 6-6 MECH waiting to be railed from Seoul.)

The Soviets seems to have still kept Zhukov in the area, for how it would be much needed elsewhere.
Admittedly by now any resource they can get hands on is precious - that includes keeping dear and close their tin mines just at the original borderland of the Manchuria.

[AlbertN]

Start of Jan / Feb 1943:

The Pacific Front:

The Americans made their headstart in the Marshalls.
After the conquest of Majuro they set themselves ready to assault another island: Kwajalein or Eniwetok?
The Japanese Combined Fleet headquarter was unsure of the target, but seeing that Kwajalein had already a strong garrison - for what they can afford, they issued a division (2-3 INF) to Eniwetok, and set their Kudo-Butai (all the other carriers they've pratically - besides the ones at Singapore), and 3 land based squadrons of Zero in the area (Two you can see, the missing one was a 6 Air-to-Air factor).

The Japanese plan was not to engage directly the USA Navy but to provide enough air cover to turn into a disaster any attempt at getting ashore.
Wishful thinking ...

Historically there has been an air battle, the Yankees call it the "Turkey Hunt of the Marianas". (The Japs lost like 500 planes vs 34 americans or so, memory could betray me.).

The Japanese were confident of their aerial prowess (4 * 6 Air to Air squadrons total, 3 * 5 Air to Air squadrons, and more carrier planes of lower fighting power or bombers.). The Americans fielded a much inferior airforce - accounting the Lightining you see was providing added air cover to their carriers and thus was unable to provide assistance against the Japanese planes. (The Americans had only 2* 6 Air to Air fighters, 1 * 5 Air to Air, and an amount of 4 Air to Air.).

Through the two air battles (The Ground Strike one and the Ground Support one, fought respectively at advantage for Japanese and at parity - the Japanese had to commit planes first and then the USA counter-intercepts); the Japanese lost 6 Air Squadrons, and 1 Pilot; getting only 1 bomber squadron through to provide support ... the USA slipped through all of their bombers except one (Aborted) and lost a grandtotal of 0 airplanes!

Eniwetok was assaulted then, and it fell easily like cheese being poured on pasta.

The USA Marines are not poised to perform Island Hopping - into the Japanese perimeter, meanwhile the IJN has returned home to replenish the embarked airforce, well depleted after the recent clash.

[AlbertN]

Start of Jan / Feb 1943:

The USN in its glory at Honolulu, intact after its aerial victory over the Japanese at Eniwetok.

[AlbertN]

Start of Jan / Feb 1943:

A snippet of next turn production (March / April) coming in.
Given, we've still to play Jan / Feb, so Militias and other 1 turn units are not showing up here, if any!

[Numdydar]

What do you think happened to lose that many Japanese planes? Just a lot of bad die rolls?

[AlbertN]

Bad rolls yes.
The Japs started the air battles with +1 / -1 and 0 / 0. It was just no results or bombers cleared in my rolls, and getting gunned down almost every roll from the USA side.
Not much one can do about that.

Exactly as Moscow endured 3 assaults as well - but that will come once I get to the Euro part of the AAR for Sept / Oct and Nov / Dec turns.

[AlbertN]

Production coming in May / June 1943 (At the date of Jan / Feb '43 start of turn).

Italian is "rebuilding" some sank cruisers, and the Scharnhorst, after having been damaged in the very opening of the war by a surprise attack of the Brits at Kiel is finally returning in service, upgraded!

Antonescu only now seems to see action; and some German carrier-planes suggest their carriers in Construction pool could be built (Graf Zeppelin and Seydlitz).