Cohen vs Enrico - AAR nr.4 (Solitaire from 2# Impulse - Jul Aug 1943)

[AlbertN]

Sept / Oct 1940 - Manchuria.

At the cost of a MOT-Div, the Japanese eliminated the remaining Soviet CAV unit that was running amok and bringing chaos behind their lines.

The Soviet Army, after losing the previous turn 2 units, opts to cease their attack, running already off steam.
Stalin's promised reinforcement, an INF army is on their way, but that is hardly enough to replace the loss of a total of 4 corps (albeit, 3 of them were CAVs).

[AlbertN]

Sept / Oct 1940 - Mao's Offensive

The Communists seem to share same fate.

Mao opted to attack the mountain city of Yenan, defended by a single division of the Japs.
But the Japs foresaw the possibility and relocated a long range bomber to get to Yenan. It's only 1 added point of Combat Value, but can make a small cut!

Mao attacks nonetheless, and uses its support; it's a +8 attack almost. But it costs Mao a Warlord and the elite 7-3 INF.

Thus Mao too runs out of steam to prosecute his offensive.

[AlbertN]

Sept / Oct 1940 - China

Chengtu falls, not defended at all. A factory less for the Chinese.

And before the weather improves, the Chinese opt to evacuate too another industrial center. Because, if the weather improves these troops would risk to be bombed, surrounded and butchered.
And without troops, Kumming would fall pretty quickly - so the Chinese think (and I approve here).

A +10 about attack could have been made on the isolated Garrison, but wisdom suggests to wait for it to be bombed and to butcher it without risks and dangers, especially as there are only INFs in the sector to take losses. And to lose 2, that would be bad for the Japan and their stretched economy.

[Subotei]

Eeeeeh, what a turn. One side or another is on the knife-edge of total catastrophe in Morocco.

[AlbertN]

Nov / Dec 1940 - Start of Allied Impulse nr.3, Turn Impulse #9.

It was bad weather in the north, and fine in the south; in China at least.
Despite snowfalls the Japanese Imperial Army managed (after the planes bombed it) to erase the GARR unit isolated in the mountains; and now they approach the bulwark of Kunming, its outter perimeter.

Japan has received replacements and has recruited even local forces, Warlords with personal armies who in order to remain in a position of puppet-power (Puppet to Japan, Power to the local population) swiftly changed flag and aligned with Japan.

Good weather arrived, but will Axis have an impulse?

[AlbertN]

Nov / Dec 1940 - Mao's Offensive Renewed.

Meanwhile the Nationalist Chinese are starving of troops, Mao has gained plenty of new forces despite the recent losses.

Sian MIL, a strong Mountain Corp and a Cavalry unit!

Mao has set eyes on Ankang, weakly defended by the Japanese with just a token force.

[AlbertN]

Nov / Dec 1940 - Timoshenko's Wisdom

In Manchuria the Soviet Games of Infiltration have reached their end.

Timoshenko has wasted enough forces in Stalin's eyes and he got ordered to defend the mountain passes, sating the landgrab desires with the chunk of Manchuria seized.

The Japanese draws a breath of relief, and ponder. Mao still needs a hammering and the Sian resource in the south should be sought after. But can they afford to relocate forces, least the Soviets grow bold again?

[AlbertN]

Nov / Dec 1940 - A new theather of war opens!

With the fall of Gibraltar the Brits start to reinforce Egypt.

Sydney-MIL and an Indian INF arrive, and the Australians have at the ready a quality MOT (8-4!).
Mussolini has started to ship already German forces - freed up after the Spain campaign. Simply and mostly because the Italians are all busy in Marocco already.

For now it's just massing of forces but Italy is short of Convoys to keep the Afrikan army in supply!

[AlbertN]

Nov / Dec 1940 - Marocco Situation

The Italians slug down some as they are busy with aereo-naval (mostly aereo ...) operations; meanwhile the Germans seize an undefended Tangier.

With good weather occasions rise and open up, but a lot depends on the fight in the sea at Cape St. Vincent. If only the Axis could wipe the convoys there ... if only ...

But first the Axis needs an impulse or two more, there is so much to do.

The bad weather in the first two impulses prevented any attack, hindered British movement and the Italian pratically stood.
Only one aerial fight happened, that saw the Luftwaffe escorting their bombers with success.

[AlbertN]

And the year 1940 ends...

Axis never got another Impulse.

With insight I dare say the Axis is not very well positioned.

I did a mistake to send the fleets out - it would have been much better to keep them as "fleet in being" in the docks; and force the RN to keep a force to ensure the Axis fleets don't grow bold.
I should just have the planes do the dirty job, less risks in terms of production terms anyhow.
It was a calculated risk - but it went terribly wrong.

An amount of turns ended prematurely (for my tastes!) with the rolls of 1 or 2 when required.
Axis did not manged to ship troops in Afrika in Nov / Dec, where I only had 2 impulses and the RN is scouring the Mediterranean from the Egypt bases. Which is a big hindrance.
And in the bad weather the search rolls were not very favorable either.

Surely, over time Axis did many conquests, and initially at minimal losses.

But the biggest concern is USA. Here the US Entry Chits: they're getting very close to the Oil Embargo (again) but mostly the next gear up.
USA at war by half 1941?

[Dogfax]

The AAR continues to fascinate and is well poised. What is the situation on the Russian border? Is there any chance of a surprise attack by the USSR soon?

[AlbertN]

The Soviets could do that if they'd want but my friend has no interest in declaring war because ... well the American impact is nothing he wants, he wants USA geared up asap for better long term profit.
The Soviet forces are already well entrenched behind the Dnepr and in the Smolensk sector at the Beresina.

There are big benefits Soviets have from being at war with the Japan.

A- They can build MIL units and position them as they want already.
B- They can move freely (as per take a full LAND action) and at any given time they could close in the distance to declare war on the next impulse.

But if I understood well my friend, he just wants to gear up the USA and bring them to war.
Then the Soviets can be unleashed.

[AlbertN]

The swift Winter Jump!

Before to provide screenshots I set hands ahead, we had a nice session of ~5 hours in a row; and we played an amount of impulses.

So you'll see the situation of early May / June now, after each side had their first impulse in smooth weather (Ah, the rain comes already with rough seas).

In Jan / Feb though the USA embargoed Japan, crippling their production.

In March / April occasion rose to capture Suez due to a luck end of the previous turn followed by the opening for the Axis of March / April and it was seized. That though gave the USA an extra chit, and by the end of the turn when they got the regular turn chit, they did the Approval of War Bills (the important gear up!).

So USA are now kicking in a massive production.

Also the Axis has been severely hindered by poor weather and both Jan / Feb and March / April were only of 5 impulses total for the Axis side. Impulses of bad weather for the most!

[AlbertN]

Early 1941 - Battle for Atlantic (Or better Marocco supply lines)

Quite one sided in terms of who attacks, the Germans and Italians took an amount of combined impulses, pushing to earn domination over Cape St. Vincent. The result was only obtained by the half of March / April turn.

The Allies lost 2 cruisers in the process and 5 CPs without any Axis loss. (That paired up with a successful land spearhead - but will say of that later).

Churchill was in despair, but did not surrendered his forces, and dispatched a sacrificial lamb (1 Convoy) in the sea zone, along with escorts at the 2 and 3 boxes (A mistake my opponent realized because he thought loudly after, "It's not just you having to find me, but if I find your planes I lose ships AND I give you more rolls).

Needless to say, the Belgian TP arrived, danced, delivered supplies and stood safely in the sea for March / April. (It came at the 3rd Allied impulse, and the turn ended there to much dismay and curses of the Axis).

Submarine raids in March / April were not successful at all, and actually the Axis lost some meanwhile the Allied only had aborted convoys.

But in the openings of May, seeing that the Royal Navy was idle due to the shortage of Axis threatening forces, the Axis unleashed a new aereo-naval offensive, hitting in good weather three different sea zones.


The Belgian Convoy was sunk in Cape St. Vincent. In Bay of Biscay the Brits lost 2 CPs, after their air cover was repelled back to homeland by the superior German fighters.
In the North Atlantic, were 11+ convoys were present, a lonely Condor at the 1 box (but having a +3 on its Search Roll, due to convoys and itself being a NAV) and an Italian submarine at the 3 box managed to sink an escorting cruiser, aborting 2 and sinking 5 CPs.

It is expected that the Royal Navy brings in reinforcements in the threatened sea zones and a new convoy in Cape St. Vincent.

[AlbertN]

Early 1941 - Battle for Marocco

The Axis started triumphantly, in a spray of good weather in January the German panzers moving down from Spain alongside Italian forces advancing along the road passing via Fez struck Alexander and the Hispanic Corp remaining to fight alongside the Brits.

The Germans elect Blitz after the Luftwaffe has bombed the Uk HQ; the RAF is too far away to protect. Yet the Bomber Command has a squadron in the sector, and Gladiators and Swordfishes loaded with bombs depart from the carriers. (The 10 combat factors of the ground units can turn up to 15!)
But the Luftwaffe is ready to react. Two squadrons of Bf109 scramble to the intercept, escorting as well German bombers.
The Gladiators are badly beated (2 Gladiators destroyed), having only 1 of their carrier plane bombers reaching the target successfully. Deprived of escorts the remaining bombers of UK swiftly turn their tails and head home.

The Blitz is a success, albeit spending Von Rundstedt HQ ability - Alexander is trampled. (The Axis could have advanced with Von Rundstedt and a MOT-Div to Rabat - if I was not a "noob" and overstacked Tangers with planes requiring the HQ to remain for the extra base bonus).

Besides that though the weather was very poor - the Italians waited for better weather (that never came and turns ended) and remained well behind in the mountain ranges of Marocco meanwhile the Brits gradually disengaged (in both turns the Italians waited and the Brits moved and disrupted).

That created a good safety gap for the UK forces, leaving only a MIL as rearguard - that only in May was finally trampled (not even disrupted, it stood and fought in the mountains) but now all the Brit units are disrupted and OOS.

Maybe a new Convoy will arrive, but if it will survive the Axis air assets that is a different tale.
Yet Axis - Germany especially is on a time schedule. Still Greece and Egypt to take and then to move to be ready for Barbarossa! And these short turns are not nice.

Even in May / June now the 2nd round of impulses is bad weather, with double impulse jump.

Resume of Land Combats:
Axis suffered absolutely no losses there - the UK lost Alexander, a MIL, a Spanish INF, and 2 Carrier Planes until now.

The Axis obviously hopes to wipe clear the whole of the UK forces there.

[AlbertN]

Early 1941 - Egypt Campaign

The Axis here had a chain of curses (player wise!). The premature ending of both Jan / Feb and March / April led to the German HQ badly needed there to never make it.

Initially the Commonwealth had a pesky squadron of 4 cruisers that were fighting against a single Gabbiano for the domination of the Eastern Mediterranean. But the Regia Marina in this occasion was sneaky enough with its convoy! (Even because Italy is quite short of reserve convoys, they have only 1 more besides the 3 at sea they've.)
Then the Axis remaining ships snuck through Cape St. Vincent - still patrolled by the Royal Navy by then, and go into the Med, coming to perform a landing operation (with 3 German divisions) - in Egypt, but at the very border of the Palestine.

Enough distant from any UK retaliation, that was the intent - and then the Marine division with an INF division should have merged together into the full Marine corp (but the game did not allowed - I suspect that is a bug).

That is where Jan / Feb ended. And the Axis had the start of the March / April turn.
With a good amount of fantasy Germany and Italy take both combined, seize Suez and have an Italian Garr-DIV land in Port Said. Only an Egypt Territorial is in supply of the Allied forces. They've an ARM-HQ, an INF and a MIL otherwise trapped in Egypt.
The cruiser squadron is caught pants down in Suez, and rebases to Aden, so the UK submarines based in the sector. The Suez Channel is closed (and the USA gets cranky).

Twice (once in May / June too - where it is destroyed) the Egyptian TERR attempts to assault Suez; manned by then by a German INF-DIV and the Italian GARR-DIV. Then the auxiliaries disband and desert, clearly demoralized.

The Italian airforce fails though to open the way in Alexandria - so Germany is forced to send bombers in the sector too.

This is a sector where the Axis had to improvise. The landing behind the British lines was originally a mere diversion to bring away from Suez / Alexandria a unit or two of the CW. With the division merging in a 5-3 Marine that would have given some punch, with shore bombing and air support. But as mentioned the "forming up" of the Corp did not worked. And there was no UK unit in ZoC!
Instead, due to the end of the turn - that turned into the turning keypoint for the Egypt campaign.

The short turn prevented the HQ to be shipped but at once allowed me to claim the Channel. (And have the USA gear up probably 1 turn in advance that it would have). Also I believe that prevented the Brits to bring in more troops as they were out of ports in Egypt suddenly where more Indians or Australians could have been shipped.

Though a turn early of gear up for the USA is a lot of extra BPs through the whole game!

[AlbertN]

Early 1941 - Mao

Japan pressures the defenders of Sian's perimeter. No attacks yet, especially due to the bombers failure to achieve anything meaningful.

In the while Mao hastens his return there, swiftly having changed opinion after a march southward toward Chunking - surely an appetizing target for the Communists to set their hands on!

[AlbertN]

Early 1941 - China at Kumming

History seems to repeat, the Japanese are encroaching at Kumming.

This sector saw an amount of Japanese successes - first of all due to a mistake of the Chinese, they have let their supply line being ZoC'ed (They had Chiang and 2 more units in the hex where Yamamoto is now - and the hex behind them empty. The Japanese moved a unit where the Hiroshima MIL is currently and blocked the supply path).
A successful bombing run reduced the combat efficiency of Chiang and company to 1 each! (All three bombed, woooo!).

And they could not retreat either because in the other hex to the north there were 3 other Chinese units. Of which the Anti-Air that shot wildly trying to protect Chiang!

First the Chinese lost Chiang and 2 more units, then they withdrew the two armies leaving the Anti Air behind, and used Stillwell to reorganize them.

January / February finished, and as the Axis opened in March / April the Japanese jumped on the lonely AA unit - the only attack of that turn pratically.

In May / June the Japan presses on, moving second. A 5-3 INF is left alone to man the mountains, and is assaulted. No losses for the Japanese there either but all of them are disrupted - at the start of a May / June that is quite crippling for their intended push, but it happens. Less Chinese to fight, and Chinese nowadays are hard to replace!

[AlbertN]

Early June 1941 (Impulse #2, Allied to be played) - Marocco

By the end of April the Brits managed miracolously to supply their forces in Marocco. Hitler was not pleased and reprimanded Goering. "The Kriegsmarine is lost and so the navy of my trusted ally, Il Duce. Where is this Royal Navy graveyard you promised me?"
Goering pointed out that all the carriers of United Kingdom were sank or damaged, along an amount of cruisers and battleship! But the Fuhrer pressed on.

So once May opened, the hunter-killer squadrons of the Axis renewed their efforts in Marocco, smashing the Belgian convoy. (But you know of that already).
Yet the Brits were paralized still (Naval impulse) waiting for stable supply; and the sudden conquest of Marocco made the local population somehow unsupportive. (All hexes changed ownership except these in ZoC - that quite disrupted later on the UK supply).

Churchill promised Gort more supplies, and issued the RAF to cover convoys and brought in an old carrier and a surface fleet squadron (Split at the 0 and the 3 Box). And to begin with it seems it worked, the Brits got cruisers damaged (of the 3 box) but then found the Axis well enough to redirect convoys off (Avoid Combat option).

The Axis land offensive though continued, since the Brits were on their spots. The Beefeater MIL (London MIL) was destroyed in combat, and a rearguard of motorized artillery caught alone. Gort thunders to the UK about his worsening situation.

On a note - UK could not bring a convoy in the zone in the impulse they sent ships because of "Presence of the Enemy" and did not had close enough convoys. But in their next impulse the Convoy arrived, and was not found during their turn (The Axis elects to fight any given time it is possible to them - even had to take Combineds with Germans for most of the turn).

IF the convoy survives though, only the 6-4 INF in Mogador would be supplied, because of hexes between Mogador and Gort being Axis due to the Conquest of Marocco!
But the problem does not really sussist. The Axis air squadrons find the prey. (Finally rolling a 1 against a 8 or 9, anyhow netting 13 surprise points! And finding with -everything- including the Bf109s in the 1 box.)

The Luftwaffe shows the RAF the true grit of being a loser of WW1 and having twenty years of suffering. Both fighters of the RAF are destroyed, only aborting a Bf109 themselves. (UK loses a pilot too there).
The Swordfishes of the old carrier Argus promptly opt to return to the carrier, suddenly being quite outgunned and outmatched. (They could have been choosed as "Bombers - but that would have been a gamey tactic since Axis had whatsoever no ships involved and we play fair.)

The Italo-German bombers go past the flak (that aborts a Gabbiano), still having 4 NAV diving and torpedoing the Royal Navy.
3 Destroyed and 2 Aborted - with the last surprise points spent to pick the 2nd target. The Axis destroys the Argus, a Battleship and damages another; the Uk aborts a cruiser, and with the last abort the Convoy is shooed from the sea zone.
The Royal Navy promply elects to vacate the sea zone, leaving Gort to its grim fate.

Gort commands "Every man for himself!" and the UK units start their desperate race toward Cisneceros, but from Mogador and the northern side of the mountain range reaching the coast ... it's a long distance.

The Axis pursues, and destroys the British - only a division remains isolated, and in the Jul / Aug turn will probably be destroyed.

Only of "land" units of UK in the battle for Marocco + Gibraltar whole the Axis netted:
Gort, 1 Mech, 1 Mot-Art, 2 MIL, 1 GAR, 2 INF, 1 MOT, 2 Mot-Div (one of them is the one in the map still, but I consider it destroyed), 1 Eng (That assuming I am not forgetting anything).

That cripples the UK potential for the short coming future of any meaningful landing of sort once the focus will be in Soviet Union.

By the end of June a German Panzergrenadier Corp was spearheading toward an undefended Cisneceros, containing the evacuated RAF remaining in Marocco (1 Bomber, and 2 FTR - which could rebase even if OOS) and 1 TRS (That shipped a South Afrika FTR2, which got shot down in the sea).

Thanksfully Churcill was dispatching reinforcements to Gort, well convinced his Royal Navy and RAF would prevail.
But supplied by the well guarded Cape Verde Basin, where the Marine National sails (the French Navy), the Brits debark (though disrupted as they return mid-turn) and INF and a MECH. Enough to prevent Cisneceros fall!

But that is where the turn ends, and Jul / Aug starts - in the sector little happens, the German Panzergrenadier corp promptly heads back to help destroy the remaining UK division. Aerial assets are being switched to other sectors (Lybya and Greece, and Bf109s railed to Poland over time).

With the opening of July, Italian submarines and 1 Condor try again to raid the North Atlantic, but the Royal Navy earns good success there, protecting not only the convoys, but destroying an Italian submarine; and expelling from the sea zone the rest of the Axis assets.

[AlbertN]

Early July (Impulse #2 to be played, Allied - of Jul / Aug 1940).

Mussolini through the whole of April and May prepared his triumphal entrance in Alexandria - for it to never happen.

Amazingly enough, with the whole (remaining) of the Regia Marina cruising out of Alexandria and gunning the city (rethoric) docks and relevant British facilities; the defenders of Alexandria stood fast.

Italian bombers went in and did nothing meaningful. (A Sparviero and a Gabbiano - 3 and 1 respectively).
Weeks elapsed, Goering reassured Mussolini he'd send his best bombers as soon as possible.
So the Germans arrive (a He111 and a Ju88 respectively with 3 and 4 of tactical factor.) and ... fail too.
Which means the Axis cannot seize Alexandria, defended by Wavell and an India INF.

Wavell though, like Gort, thunders and roars to Churchill - the situation is desperate. Where is the Royal Navy? Why the Axis landed undisturbed into Palestine? The Egyptian auxiliaries disperded after few combats, the Palestinian ones simply deserted. But Churchill has nothing to spare.

By the end of May / June the Italians have shipped Guderian and 2 MILs into Egypt (yes they built a new TRS and in July / Aug they get an AMPH too with 5 range!)

The Germans try again, this time in the opening of July the Luftwaffe works better. Surely enough weeks of recon have pointed out where the bunkers and emplacements of the Brits at Alexandria are. German Panzers advance into Alexandria and the Regia Marina quickly ships in supplies to renew the offensive.
But even there the curse of the Egypt campaign shows!

The pesky Anzac MIL (Sidney). The German freshly arrived troops - Guderian and the MILs along side with the division that landed previously with the invasion move from Port Said and Jaffa to attack it. It's a +10 attack, Blitz (Using HQ support) or Assault. The table tells me Blitz should be safe enough. Because if I lose 1 unit, it's a Panzer-HQ! And I risk it.
The roll is 2 ...

Thanksfully that is no loss at all for me, but all these units are disrupted now. Including the division that is probably required for the invasion of Greece.
But with Alexandria fallen now have 2 Panzer Korps and 4 Armee Korps (2 ARM 4 INF) ready to destroy the Anzac and wipe Egypt from British presence.