STBP 1943-45 devoncop (Axis) vs warspite1 (CW) - no devoncop please

[700851McCall]

Do you have anywhere on the mainland with good supply? What is the supply level at the railhead?

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: 700851McCall

Do you have anywhere on the mainland with good supply? What is the supply level at the railhead?

warspite1

Yes. I'll show this next turn. This is why I think its the railroad. The port where I landed - Reggio di Calabria - is fine.

[warspite1]

Turn 73
20th September 1943

The 17th British Infantry Brigade is lost as it can't get away from the German units east of Cosenza. A US battalion of the 3rd Division is also in trouble have been engaged.

Here is the supply situation. 66 at Reggio and then rapidly reducing as the road heads east. Its at 32 by Siderno, at 11 at Catanzaro and then single digits from Isola di Capo Rizzuto up to the front.

On the west coast it reduces to 32 at Pizzo but again, quickly reduces north of there.

[700851McCall]

I guess you will have to wait for the rail. You have got another 550 or so turns to play with [:)]

[Zorch]

In view of your North African AAR, maybe you should start fortifying Messina now. [:D]

[DanNeely]

ORIGINAL: 700851McCall

I guess you will have to wait for the rail. You have got another 550 or so turns to play with [:)]

Its the broken bridges not the rail that're crushing supply on the east coast. I'm assuming the same is affecting the situation on the west coast a bit farther north.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: DanNeely

ORIGINAL: 700851McCall

I guess you will have to wait for the rail. You have got another 550 or so turns to play with [:)]

Its the broken bridges not the rail that're crushing supply on the east coast. I'm assuming the same is affecting the situation on the west coast a bit farther north.

warspite1

No. All broken bridges (except for one north of Cosenza) are repaired. This is actually something that normal engineers did okay on (unlike rail).

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Zorch

In view of your North African AAR, maybe you should start fortifying Messina now. [:D]

warspite1

I'm way ahead of you Zorch. Tunis, Tripoli, Algiers and Cairo are being heavily fortified and garrisoned as we speak [:D]

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: 700851McCall

I guess you will have to wait for the rail. You have got another 550 or so turns to play with [:)]

warspite1

Yes indeed, my plan is to bore the enemy into giving in [:)]

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: 700851McCall

I guess you will have to wait for the rail. You have got another 550 or so turns to play with [:)]

warspite1

Yes indeed, my plan is to bore the enemy into giving in [:)]

You've had worse plans. [:D]

[700851McCall]

one of the great things about TOAW is that it has realistic supply. You can't keep bashing forward forever with the same units, you have to pause and refit.
And you can't just zoom around the map hundreds of miles from supply sources with impunity.

Frustrating, but challenging.

[warspite1]

Turn 74 - 78
21st - 25th September 1943

Not much to report on as I've been trying to get supplies in place (by fixing the rail line).

I can see some benefit already as the lines are (slooooowly) being fixed.

However the Germans have been pounding the US on the East Coast so I've had to conduct a large-scale withdrawal.

When getting the last turn back, devoncop said he destroyed 200 aircraft. So I think I best make a check on what's going on - as said before, I didn't even know my aircraft were flying....

Checking the aircraft is not as easy in this game but I can't see that I've lost a huge amount of aircraft (but as said it difficult to be precise as I didn't record reserve nos. previously). Since I first recorded the air numbers, I've lost one whole US squadron.

[warspite1]

Turn 79 - 80
26th - 27th September 1943

A quiet couple of turns - just a few unopposed air strikes from the Germans on turn 79 and then nothing on turn 80. Bizarrely considering the detail below, my aircraft supply is great - but proficiency and readiness are generally poor for all squadrons.

The supply situation is - hopefully - almost resolved and the armies can get moving once more. Based on this, the right thing for the Axis was defending this far north. By defending in the south the Germans would simply be playing into the Allies hands as they would be fighting (and presumably inflicting losses) while having the luxury of slowly building up supply lines.

[700851McCall]

It's a marathon not a sprint, as they say.

[warspite1]

Turn 81 - 84
28th September - 1st October 1943

After 3 more turns of rail repair I think I'm now in a position to get on the move again. On Sicily there is now a complete rail line from the British and US reinforcement hexes to Messina. On the mainland there are still about 10 rail lines to fix but these should be done within 10 turns or so and supply levels are acceptable I think.

In fairness to devoncop I'm not looking at the other STBP threads and so, as per the CFNA game, I am playing this completely new.

This has its disadvantages of course but it's also quite exciting. I will need to read the rules on air drops but I have my two airborne divisions at airfields so I guess that is a start!

All fighters are on air superiority while the troops start moving up to the front.

As for the plan, well given what I've seen of the German forces I don't know how a landing at a German garrisoned port is actually possible, but I'll have to try something and see what happens.

To this end I have a rough idea of the units to be employed:

West Coast:

British 8th Army - XIII Corps
5th Division
46th Division
1st Canadian Division
7th Armoured Division

+ 8th Army assets

East Coast:

US 5th Army - II Corps
US 3rd Division
US 36th Division
US 45th Division

+ 5th Army Reserves

At Catanzaro available for amphibious landings somewhere tbd:

US 5th Army - VI Corps
US 34th Division
US 1st Armoured Division

At Isola di Capo Rizzuto - available for airborne drops:

US 82nd Airborne Division

At the three ports north of Pizzo available for amphibious landings somewhere tbd:

British 8th Army - X Corps
8th Indian Division
56th Division
78th Division

At Pizzo - available for airborne drops:

1st Airborne Division

[warspite1]

Turn 85
2nd October 1943

The British 46th Infantry take Cosenza unopposed and begin the march on San Marco. I will need to bring engineers up to mend the bridges and repair the railroad.

On the east coast the 36th Division, marching up the coastal road, push back a battalion from the HG Division. Their target is Corigliano.

All the Allied aircraft are on air superiority/interdiction missions in case the Germans decide to contest these moves.

The turn consists of three rounds of bombardment by the British and two by the US. The damage is reasonable - but the Germans are tough nuts to crack.

[warspite1]

Turn 86
3rd October 1943

I played that turn all wrong [8|] The scenario is quite different to CFNA and I need to adjust better. I opened up with some bombardments but used too much of the turn, meaning that I couldn't then attack.....

[warspite1]

Turn 87
4th October 1943

The Germans appear to have retreated someway on the east coast. This allows the 36th Division to establish itself along the river north and east of Corigliano.

On their left the 45th Division occupy the town and then move beyond to the river line. Reserves of tanks are brought up too but there are a number of bridges that need repairing before any advance is possible.

[warspite1]

Turn 87
4th October 1943

Meanwhile on the west coast the British set about the Germans around San Marco.

On the right flank inland the 46th Division, with support from 8th Army assets, push north to try and hem the Germans in, while the 5th Division attack from the west and southwest of San Marco against a German reinforced panzergrenadier battalion. The 7th Armoured Brigade provide the necessary muscle.

The defending Germans retreat but not before a company/battalion? of paratroopers evaporate.

The air battle that accompanies the ground fighting looks a bit weird though. Around 600 British and American fighters escort 83 bombers to the fight. They are opposed by a full 36 German fighters. The fighting is hard fought and close with the German losing...ahem 4 aircraft (1 destroyed) while the Allies lose 22 (10 destroyed).

[warspite1]

Turn 87
4th October 1943

Attention is then switched to San Marco itself and 46th Division take over from 5th Division. Once again however, the infantry can call upon the tanks of 8th Army reserve - as well as the Canadian infantry coming from the south. A paratroop battalion is destroyed and San Marco is occupied.

The turn finishes off with a round of bombardment. I just hope the Germans find manoeuvring difficult so that I can swing my US tank forces west....