Courtenay's solitaire AAR

[Courtenay]

The US breaks down a 7-4 white print MOT in Essen into a 2-5 and 1-5 MOT XX

The Russians scrap a Yak-7DI and a Yak-9M. They do not scrap the Yak-9DD; its air-to-air value is not all that good, but range 10 is tremendous.

The Germans defiantly don't scrap anything, nor do the Italians. The Japanese see no reason to scrap anything, nor does the CW.

The US scraps two old CVPs, a SBC-4 and a SBD-1. They keep the size 2 CVP with an air-to-air rating of 6.

[Courtenay]

M/A 44 Axis production:
Ge: 0+0: Nothing. Not one thing.
It: 4+0: 2xTERR
Ja: 17+0: GAR, AA, 2xFTR-2, NAV-3, 2xPi,

[Courtenay]

M/A 44 Allied production:

The Chinese production is the same as last turn because last turn they were not attacked and spent an oil while this turn they were attacked and did not spend any oil.

Two CW factories are not being run, nor are three Russian. The French are not running half of their 14 factories.

The US scraps an SBD-4 and a 5-5 MOT.

Ch: 8+3: CAV XX, GAR, AA, FTR-2, Pi
CW: 38+0: PAR, MOT, CAV XX, MIL, FTR-3, 3xLND-4, 5xPi
Fr: 11+0: LND-4, Pi, finish AMPH, one BP saved.
US: 95+0: 2xO-chit, MECH, MOT, 2xINF, PAR, PAR XX, CAV XX, AA, 2xFTR-3, FTR-2, 3xLN-4, 5xPi, repair Hornet II, HMS Cairo, 2 build points saved;
SU: 70+0: 2xO-chit, 4xINF, 2xFTR-3, 3xLND-4, 5xPi, no build points saved.

[Courtenay]

US conquers Caroline Islands, Mariana Islands, CW conquers Italy
US liberates Philippines, CW Denmark

A lot of Italian ships went into the Cons and repair pools. This makes no difference, as none of them will get built.

[Courtenay]

Germany is given opportunity to surrender to Russia. They say no.

[Courtenay]

M/J 44:

Initiative: Axis 7, Allies 5. Allies demand reroll. Axis 1 Allies 9.
Allies move first:

[Courtenay]

M/J 44 Allied #1: Weather 4, F, F, F, R, F, F, no modifier, impulse advandce 1
Lowest roll that gives F in Arctic

Ch land, Fr combined
SU, US, CW supercombined.

[Courtenay]

Ch land, Fr combined
SU, US, CW supercombined.

The Allies put strong air cover in the critical sea areas.

The US moves strong forces in the China Seas. An invasion force moves to the China Sea.

Off Italy, the Allies try to sneak tranpsorts into Livorno, captured when Italy surrendered. The Italians attempt to intercept from the two box. The two transports, sailing independently, both get through, as the Italians rolled a 9 and a 3. The Italins, upon reflection do not try to intercept the battleship carrying a MAR ENG, as being to tough a target.

The Russian fleet moves to the Baltic, where it joined by a CW invasion fleet.

[Courtenay]

In the Baltic Sea, the US flips an air unit to initiate combat. Search rolls: Allies 4, Germans 2. Only German CPs are present in the zero box. Allies increase damage from X, D, 3A to X, 2D, 2A. Four German CPs are sunk, the last CP is aborted. No screenshot. Upon reflection, the Allies should not have increased their damage. The Germans are never going to be able to reorganize their aborted CPs, and if they are still on the map when overrun, there is a chance for the Allies to capture them. Oh well. Shows what happens when one clicks without thinking.

[Courtenay]

In the Italian coast: US flies a FTR to the zero box. The Germans decide not to commit their aircraft to the sea zone. Allies roll 2, Italians 9. Allies pick surface combat (they have 7 battleships) and shift the Italian damage 2 columns down, from 2D to A, and use 3 points to pick their first target as the Italian battleship. They want to clear the sea zone, and think that 1X and 2 Ds are more likely to do so than 2 X. The Caio Duilio rolls a 1 and sinks. The Bolanzo rolls an 8 and saves. Then the KG V rolls a 7 and bounces the A of its armor. The Italians send the Caio Duilio to Rhodes; the Allied forces in the Eastern Med make no attempt to intercept.

[Courtenay]

In the South China Sea: The US puts no land based air into the battle. The Japanese put the aircraft in Malaya and the NEI into the battle: one FTR and a NAV into the zero box, and two FTRs and a NAV into the three box.

Round one: US 4, Ja 9. The US increases its air-to-air rating by one, making the air-to-air combat a +4/-3. The only round of air combat sees the Japanese roll a 12, clearing a US bomber through, while the US rolls an 8, AA, aborting the Japanese FTR. The only Japanese bomber has an air-to-air rating of zero. Not wanting to fight at a -8, it aborts.

[Courtenay]

The US gets 2X, 2D, and 3A. The US puts all of its damage on CPs; the Japanese puts one X on the Kashima, which unsurprisingly sinks, even after rolling a 9. Four Japanese CPs are sunk, three are aborted, leaving exactly one Japanese CP in the sea zone.

[Courtenay]

The next round, the Allies continue to roll well, rolling a 2, while the Japanese roll a 1. There are no surprise points. The Japanese think that their NAV in the zero box will be in the fight. MWiF disagrees. Belatedly, I notice the rain in the South China Sea, which I knew about, but had overlooked. Sometimes MWiF is wrong and I am right; much more frequently it is the other way around.

The US again puts four CVPs as bombers and four as FTRS. The first round, the Japanese roll a 10, DC, and the US rolls an 11, also DC. One US CVP gets through, as does the only Japanese bomber. Now the Japanese have to make a decision -- continue to fight, hoping to out roll the US, or abort the combat, and let all the US bombers get through. Since aborts send the Japanese back to base, while just sending US planes back to their carriers where they will be available for the next round of combat, the Japanese decide to abort.

[Courtenay]

The Japanese roll lowest 1 of 5, the US lowest 1 of 3 for AA. Both sides roll a 2. The US gets an X and a D, and sink the Haguro when it rolls a 5.

[Courtenay]

The Japanese get a single point of air-to-sea through, and try to abort the Franklin; it rolls a 5, and indeed, aborts.

[Courtenay]

Both sides stick around. The US rolls a 10, the Japanese a 6. Combat ends.

The Japanese have a problem with their aborted CPs -- if they try and get back to Japan, they will very likely be intercepted and sunk. So they scatter around to various bases around the South China Sea. They do not all go to the same base, because that is too good a target for US port strikes. The Franklin aborts to Truk, where Nimitz awaits to reorganize her.

[Courtenay]

In the China Sea: China Sea, the US rolls well again: US 2, Ja 4; Seven surprise points. The US uses all seven to modify the air-to-air combat values by +1/-2. There is only one round of air combat, with the Japanese aborting a US CVP flying as a bomber and the US blowing up a very good Japanese FTR, but not its pilot.

[Courtenay]

The US proceeds to massacre Japanese CPs, killing five of them, and aborting the remaining two. The Japanese forces outside of Japan just went out of supply.

[Courtenay]

2nd round: US 1, Ja 7. With nothing left to kill, and valuable AMPHs and MAR in the sea area, the US, despite the surprise advantage, cancels the combat, ending the fight.

[Courtenay]

In the Bay of Biscay, the Axis initiates combat. The CW flies a NAV to the zero box. The Axis finally rolls well, Italy 1, Allies 7. Six surprise points for Axis. They choose Sub combat and increase own damage by 1 column. The Italian sub is destroyed, as are two CW CPs.