Vengeance: A Global War AAR (DQ2004 AAR#3)

[DQ2004]

Reinforcements for May/Jun 1941:

[Grotius]

Exciting action at sea! Glad you're back at it.

[DQ2004]

Thanks Grotius. Lots of excitement still to come!

Play resumed for the May/Jun 1941 turn yesterday, and although unfortunately that got cut short, we're now already two very action packed impulses (for each side) through the turn.
So lets begin.

The Axis got the iniative (which they badly wanted) for May/Jun 41 but were then struck down by the curse of the poor weather roll. Indeed, other than the un-seasonally long and balmy Nov/Dec 40 turn, our plans for vengeance have been very much curtailed by the poor weather.

So with little to do on the land, the Kriegsmarine sorties once again into the North Atlantic. In the Faeroes gap the battleship Tirpitz runs into an poorly protected convoy.
The Germans 'choose target' and destroy two more CONV points. One more CONV is aborted as are the two escorts. But the remaining convoys slip away in the storm, and the German ships find no more juicy targets.
In the North Atlantic sea area, the Scharnhorst and two cruisers also fail to find any convoys.

[DQ2004]

In response, the British sortie large groups of ships into the Faeroes Gap and the North Atlantic sea areas.
A large battlegroup centred around seven battleships and three carriers, finds the German squadron in the North Atlantic.
They damage both the Prinz Eugen and the Admiral Hipper, but they all escape to fight another day.

[DQ2004]

However, unluckily for the British, a salvo of 11-inch shells from Scharnhorst land on the cruiser HMS Kent.
The Southampton is also forced to abort after suffering light damage from the retreating Prinz Eugen.
The convoys in this area are safe again, however. But the Commonwealth is now down to just seven in the Faeroes Gap, half of what they need.

[DQ2004]

The Eastern Front.
May, 1941. All is calm.
Rumours have been reaching STAVKA, the office of the General Secretary of the Soviet Union, Comrade Stalin, and the KGB, that an attack by Germany on the USSR is imminent.
The evidence seems strong. There has already been German troops spotted in Finland.
German marines arrived in Hanko recently, and many aircraft have been seen flying over the Soviet-German border in what used to be Poland.
The Germans have of course claimed that their troops are recovering in Poland for a holiday, after their strenuous campaign in France.

[DQ2004]

Lets take a closer look at the fronts.
The Finnish Front:

[DQ2004]

The Northern Front:

[DQ2004]

The Southern or Ukrainian Front:
(note that the Soviets have never tried to claim Bessarabia - which has impacted German plans somewhat - without that they can only align Romania if they are at war with the USSR).

[DQ2004]

At the start of the Axis' second impulse, nerves are shot. Anxious messages are being sent to weather-reporting units and hard questions are being asked of forecasters. But the results are not welcome news.
The rain continues across much of the USSR. The armies are, well, not as ready as we'd like. But they are in a far better condition than the enemy, who is unprepared and badly out of position. The time may never be better - but for the weather. The panzers will not make much progress in this mud.

The decision is made - we go now - before its too late!

[DQ2004]

There's no doubt that the Soviet reserves are irritatingly large.
Even if some of them are about as useful as a cactus in a cushion factory.

[DQ2004]

The Leningrad Militia is the only reinforcement placed by the Soviets in the Finnish Front.

[DQ2004]

And this view of the reinforcements placed in the Northern Front show just why the Wehrmacht has chosen to attack despite the rain - the Soviet reserves cannot be placed in Minsk nor as many placed nearer the front. This will mean that it will be harder for them to organise their front line in the following turn. Plus with fewer units near the front, it should be easier for the Germans to advance - as long as the rain stops, of course!

[DQ2004]

In the Ukraine, the rain is clearly the only thing that is going to stop the Germans in the short term.
The Romanians, not actually all that angry about anything the Russians have done, join the Germans anyway. Stalin curses their name.

[DQ2004]

Before we get to the action on the Eastern Front, we must talk about a few naval actions in the Mediterranean.
In the last turn, the Commonwealth declined to move any assets into the Med, after the Eastern Med sea area was inundated with Axis aircraft.
The Italians decide to take the gamble and send their newly completed CONV units into action, restoring the supply lines for their armies and throwing down the gauntlet once more to the British.

[DQ2004]

In the Western Med, the Italians decide to beat up on the British cruiser squadron that they beat up on last turn.
Once again they find the enemy, and despite the last-minute arrival of some Beauforts, are free to do their mischief again.

[DQ2004]

With plenty of surprise points, the already uneven battle is looking decidedly one-sided.

[DQ2004]

The Norfolk is duly sent to the bottom by the might of the Regia Marina.
Dorsetshire escapes with damage.
Only Shropshire remains.

[DQ2004]

For the Italians, there is almost no effect in the battle with the Commonwealth squadron.
The Trento and Bolzano return to Sicily, where Balbo ensures their light damage is swiftly repaired and the ships are refuelled and rearmed.

[DQ2004]

In the Eastern Mediterranean, the Axis aircraft swiftly dispose of the single CONV point there.
The action results in all Commonwealth forces in Egypt becoming out-of-supply.
Vengeance for the Italian merchant marine!!