Winston's Soft Underbelly -- A Dream Realized?

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27. Jan/Feb 1944. Reserve Pool.

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27. Jan/Feb 1944. South China Sea.

The RN is directly challenging the IJN for control of the South China Sea. Though the naval exchanges this turn were not decisive, the RN appears to have the upper hand.

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27. Jan/Feb 1944. Bismarck Sea.

While the USN wasn't able to complete route the IJN in the Bismarck Sea, the USN was able to put some significant hurt on the IJN in that area and make the Japanese naval base at Truk dangerous for the IJN. In fact of the two IJN fleet carriers sunk this turn by the USN, one was sunk in a port attack against Truk.

New Guinea.

In New Guinea, the allies brought in significant reinforces. Now instead of the hunted there, the Western Allies may have become the hunter.

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27. Jan/Feb 1944. Coral Sea and The Solomons.

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27. Jan/Feb 1944. The Marianas, Marshalls and Hawaii.

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27. Jan/Feb 1944. China. North Temperate.

Very little happened here this turn because of the weather.

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27. Jan/Feb 1944. China. North Monsoon.

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27. Jan/Feb 1944. The Eastern Front. North.

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27. Jan/Feb 1944. The Eastern Front. South.

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27. Jan/Feb 1944. The Eastern Front. Murmansk Convoy Route.

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27. Jan/Feb 1944. The Eastern Front. The Western Front.

No movement here because of the weather this turn.

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27. Jan/Feb 1944. CP Losses.

In the Atlantic, the Germans put 7 u-boats to sea to join up with the 4 already there. These 11 u-boats were spread over 4 sea areas but none were successful in their searches.

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27. Jan/Feb 1944. Country Economic Reports.

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28. Mar/Apr 1944. Victory Totals.

No change in the victory totals from last turn.

This turn lasted 5 impulses. With the allies moving first and last they had 3 and the axis had 2.

The weather in the Arctic and North Temperate was snow for the first and second impulse pair and blizzard for the last impulse. Though this weather is no hindrance to the Soviets, and in fact may relish fighting in it, it did deter the western allies from land combat actions on the Western Front.

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28. Mar/Apr 1944. Destroyed Pool.

Losses this turn were limited to the Germans, and their allies, and the Soviets.

Land Combat Breakdown: USSR, The Eastern Front.

4 Assault and 6 Blitz, or 10 total, attacks.

1:2A 1
1:1A 1
3:1A 1
5:1A 1

3:1B 3
4:1B 2
5:1B 1

Land Combat Breakdown: Germany, Occupied France.

The Germans launched two attacks (3:1A & Auto) against French partisans. Both attacks were successful and destroyed the two partisan units without loss or disorganization.

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28. Mar/Apr 1944. Reserve Pool.

Note the number of reserve pilots that both Germany and the USA have. Also note that Japan has exhausted its reserve of pilots and will now have to begin training more.

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28. Mar/Apr 1944. CP Losses.

The western allies, specifically the RN, though one successful round of combat in the South China Sea was able to add 2 IJN CPs sunk and 1 aborted to this years total, so far, of 10 IJN CPs sunk and 7 aborted. (Note these totals include this turn).

On the flip side, German u-boats finally managed to find and attack allied convoys in the Arctic Ocean and Norwegian Sea. The CW lost a combined total of 3 CPs and saw another 4 aborted in those two areas combined. The CW before the turn ended was able to replace those 7 CPs lost or aborted and maintain fully the allies convoys to Murmansk. It's been a year (i.e., 6 turns), since the allies had seen any CPs lost or aborted. As a result the allies had gotten a bit complacency about spending BPs for "spare" CPs. Though, the USA did commission the building of 4 CPs last turn, which will arrive in Sep/Oct 1944. Until then, what the allies have on the map is all they have until then. Specifically, the CW at the end of this turn has 108 CPs, of which 16 are idle. The USA has 46 CPs of which only 1 is idle. So in total the Western Allies have 137 active and 17 spare CPs. However, with 2 idle CW resources in Malaya 10 or more of these spares could be put to immediate use if they weren't needed as reserves to guard against German u-boats in the Atlantic.

In addition to the Arctic Ocean and Norwegian Sea, the German u-boats were out in force also in the North Atlantic and Central Atlantic. Though, fortunately for the allies, these u-boats were able to find their targets (i.e., convoys) this turn.

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28. Mar/Apr 1944. South China Sea.

The RN continues to move naval and air reinforcements into the South China Sea forcing the IJN to respond in order to secure their convoy routes. As stated in the last post, only 1 round of naval combat occurred in this area this turn. This round saw the RN surprising the IJN in sea box 0. While the ultimate objective for the RN, supported by the USN, is uncontested (i.e., total) control of the South China Sea, the more immediate goal is interdiction and disruption of Japanese convoy routes in this area.

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28. Mar/Apr 1944. Bismarck and Timor Sea.

The USN continued to challenge the IJN for control of the Bismarck Sea. However, neither side was able to find the other in any impulse this turn.

The allies near term objective is to gain uncontested control of the Bismarck Sea and then starting driving the Japanese army out of New Guinea.

(Not Shown). Further to the north in the Marshalls, the USN is also eyeing the islands of Sipan and, or Truk. But first the USN will need to cut supply to these islands and then successfully disorganize their defenders before an amphibious invasion is practical.

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28. Mar/Apr 1944. China. North Temperate.

Weather limited action in this theater this turn to movement.