Adventures in Italy

[devoncop]

ORIGINAL: hingram

I believe Devoncop's Stukas know what to do with them [:D]

Ahhhhh.....my long lost Stukas .....happy memories .....

Sadly if I was to start ordering Stuka forces around now I would be predating the Fuhrer's imaginary Divisions by several months [:)]

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: hingram
I'm not convinced.I remember moving reinforcements up from Reggio and the train stopped randomly. Everything looked fine. I disembarked a unit, move ahead a hex and suddenly the rail displayed as broken. But it could have been poor eyesight on my part.

I don't think you need the connection. You only need clean ones from the supply source but I connected them because you need reinforcements to come up by rail because your sea transport is probably done or close to it. D-Day happens in less than a month.

Wow...thanks for bringing that up. I haven't really been paying attention to the date and the
withdrawl of the shipping for Overlord. That probably means that there won't be an Anzio invasion
I'm guessing. I still haven't seen the TO that allows it.

[hingram]

Look at Anzio and see if it still has the "fence" around it.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: hingram
Look at Anzio and see if it still has the "fence" around it.

Yeah, I did...it doesn't. The port is open to traffic. I'm wondering if
I should launch or not.

[devoncop]

17th May 1944

The German forces in the East south of the Gustav Line are now retreating in some disorder, leaving a fractured rearguard behind in the hope the most valuable units can be salvaged.

In the West the issue is Anzio.

Whist the front appears stable protected by a combination of patchy Allied supply and fortifications, increased radio chatter intercepted (I am looking at you hingram[:)]) indicates an Allied landing at Anzio may be imminent. Local reserves have been mobilised and the Luftwaffe begged for some JU87 assets...it seems we have got a sympathetic ear having an Air Force Field Marshal in charge of Italy's defence. While they will be decimated by Allied Fighters it is hoped that having them close to the potential landing sites with a short range set may allow them some strikes before they are hit. Alternatively Larry may decide to bomb them into oblivion before the invasion fleet arrives but this will chew up some of the turn or even use up a turn or two which will allow the defences to be bolstered further...

All will soon be revealed.

The one difficulty for the landing force will be how quickly it can be relieved. I would not be minded to pull my troops away from the Gustav Line as the schedule of good quality troops arriving will hopefully be able to contain and counter any Anzio invasion........

[hingram]

Let's ask Devoncop. It's his port after all. [:)]

Reasons to invade Anzio : It puts you closer to Rome and hopefully removes the southern barrier. Axis has to defend Rome. It gives you another Supply point, the last one for quite some time. Rome is full of nice airfields that the allies really need.
Reasons to not invade Anzio : Loss of forces. Division of forces might be worse for the allies if the Axis has enough forces to defend both. You have to move quickly and the Axis knows it so the element of surprise is gone. You may not have enough sea transport now to do it. Keep in mind, the actual Anzio invasion happened on January 22, 1944.

Better places to invade? Toulon is awfully tempting and two divisions could be a major diversion there. But you are a long way from home and Axis can make it slow going with a bunch of 1-1 garrisons on that single rail line. Every time you take one out, the Allies have to repair the rail. Six garrisons could mean 12+ turns. Corsica has a really good airfield and is probably lightly defended. Three bombers there set to Interdiction could really slow the Axis down.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: hingram
Let's ask Devoncop. It's his port after all. [:)]

Reasons to invade Anzio : It puts you closer to Rome and hopefully removes the southern barrier. Axis has to defend Rome. It gives you another Supply point, the last one for quite some time. Rome is full of nice airfields that the allies really need.

Reasons to not invade Anzio : Loss of forces. Division of forces might be worse for the allies if the Axis has enough forces to defend both. You have to move quickly and the Axis knows it so the element of surprise is gone. You may not have enough sea transport now to do it. Keep in mind, the actual Anzio invasion happened on January 22, 1944.

Better places to invade? Toulon is awfully tempting and two divisions could be a major diversion there. But you are a long way from home and Axis can make it slow going with a bunch of 1-1 garrisons on that single rail line. Every time you take one out, the Allies have to repair the rail. Six garrisons could mean 12+ turns.

Corsica has a really good airfield and is probably lightly defended. Three bombers there set to Interdiction could really slow the Axis down.

Hingram dude, you deserve a promotion. I hereby appoint you to be my intelligence officer.
Congratulations and welcome aboard. You have done a masterful job with that analysis and I think
you're right about everything you touched upon. Let's discuss whether or not I should surrender
the game....that might tell us whether or not we have a leak.

[larryfulkerson]

The railhead is only just now leaving Naples and it's going to take a while to
repair all that rail. The supply problem is going to persist quite a while I
think. Ian is going to win this war because of my supply problem.

[sPzAbt653]

... and wait for the opportunity to do an amphibious landing at Anzio.

Well, it's after May 1, so no more Amphibious Assaults, if you follow the rule [:)]

To replicate the historical removal of major Allied landing craft for Anvil and Overlord, the Allies are not allowed to land embarked units after May 1, 1944 unless at a friendly port. 'Friendly Port' is defined as a hexside that contains both an anchorage and an Allied Supply point.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: sPzAbt653

... and wait for the opportunity to do an amphibious landing at Anzio.

Well, it's after May 1, so no more Amphibious Assaults, if you follow the rule [:)]

To replicate the historical removal of major Allied landing craft for Anvil and Overlord, the Allies are not allowed to land embarked units after May 1, 1944 unless at a friendly port. 'Friendly Port' is defined as a hexside that contains both an anchorage and an Allied Supply point.

Well, that about does that. This is going to be a long war.

[devoncop]

Ah.....right.....great news[;)]

This vindicates the "forward defence" strategy in that case. Sacrificing the South for a greater concentration around the fortified lines in the North would give up the defensible terrain in the far South much too easily to the Allies and let them land troops with few if any casualties.


It also invites a problematic invasion at Anzio whose "excursion zone" applied to German as well as Allied troops until now making a big garrison there impossible.

[devoncop]

21st May 1944

OB West now realising they have fallen victim to some classic Allied misinformation over a possible Allied landing at Anzio (Agent Hingram is a wanted man across the Reich[;)]) tells the foot weary Marine Division to slog across Eastwards from Rome and go into reserve mode behind the central portion of the Gustav line where Free French and Indian troops are attempting to push through the defenders.

Likewise, the Luftwaffe assets are returned to their original bases.

I have checked my supply levels as barely a bridge seems intact and found they are not as bad as feared. They range from an understandable 30+ around Rome down to 6 or so in the central mountains. Not great but I am not moving much once units are in position. Most supply is in the early to mid teens which is bearable.

All my artillery made it back behind the Gustav line in the far East thanks to the sacrificial rearguard which is good. What is better is that in the next few turns some extra Engineers to repair the bridges arrive. Boy are they needed. My heavy units are also due to start arriving in 3 turns time though bridges and interdiction mean they wont be at the front for several turns. Given Larry's supply issues I may then even look at a limited counter offensive if I can get supply decent....

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the new view of the east side. I'm mopping up near the coast and the remnants
will be gone soon and then I'll be able to continue the advance to the north. The
supply level in the middle is marginally better.

[devoncop]

24th May 1944

Aside from about 10% losses to some US Infantry around Garigliano in the far West causing by artillery embedded in the Gustav Line there was just an attempt to move troops to the front with varying degrees of success.

In a delicious irony that encapsulates my problems some desperately needed reinforcement Bridge Engineers making their way from Brenner Pass also got bombed off their train [:@]

The good news is that the Marine Division with some Artillery capability are almost in position to reinforce the regiment of mountain troops pictured in Larry's slide above SE of Sulmona who are facing stronger Indian and Free French Brigades. Given the problems the Allies had in forcing through the southern mountains I am hoping that particular finger in the dam will work.

For information, in Larry's slide you can see the Sangro River in the top right and the Eastern extremity of the Gustav line is just the other side of it.

[larryfulkerson]

It seems that I've taken delivery of the 1st British Armored Division at Reggio and
I can rail them all the way to Naples in the one-day non-stop train service that was
recentlly completed. But so far it takes more than one turn to arrive at Taranto via
train so I usually sail them that far. I'm thinking that these bad boys can join the
American 1st Armored Division in the north to contest the Panzers that intel says are
even now making their way south dodging the INT going on around them left and right.

There was a radio intercept captured two months, three days, and 14 hours ago, at night
thought to be between the OKH HQ and the regional commander who's location we aren't
told. It was recently decoded and turned out to be a conversation about who was in
charge of building the Gustov Line and this regional commander went off on a tangent
about how he was better than Patton, and that he was going to build the Gustov Line
and he was going to make the French pay for it. "100% Foolproof Guarenteed. Believe Me",
he was reported to have said.

[devoncop]

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

It seems that I've taken delivery of the 1st British Armored Division at Reggio and
I can rail them all the way to Naples in the one-day non-stop train service that was
recentlly completed. But so far it takes more than one turn to arrive at Taranto via
train so I usually sail them that far. I'm thinking that these bad boys can join the
American 1st Armored Division in the north to contest the Panzers that intel says are
even now making their way south dodging the INT going on around them left and right.

There was a radio intercept captured two months, three days, and 14 hours ago, at night
thought to be between the OKH HQ and the regional commander who's location we aren't
told. It was recently decoded and turned out to be a conversation about who was in
charge of building the Gustov Line and this regional commander went off on a tangent
about how he was better than Patton, and that he was going to build the Gustov Line
and he was going to make the French pay for it. "100% Foolproof Guarenteed. Believe Me",
he was reported to have said.

Lt General Trumpof has been advised that careless talk costs lives.....in this case his if he carries on openly blabbing.

The prospect of two armoured Divisions facing off against me with overwhelming air support has put plans for an offensive on hold [:)]

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what the war in Italy has turned into. It's late May of '44 and Overlord is
soon and I'm guessing the character of the war will change again. You have to stand
on the balls of your feet with this scenario. The ground seems to shift underneath
you. The only thing that keeps it from feeling like a roller coaster is the elephant
in the room that the Allies are going to "win" eventually and that the outcome of the
game is contingent on the passing of time. The number of turns remaining. And I feel
like the supply problem has already, or will soon, with some simple analysis reveal that
there's not enough time left for the Allies to win the scenario. I could be wrong.
I'm going to give it that old technical college try of course but I think I can see the
writing on the wall.

[larryfulkerson]

I think I found a place in the front lines in the Gustov Line where there's no
German defenders. Behind it is the mountains so it leads nowhere traversable so
it's not really wide open but it might be a chance to get one more hex adjacent
to an enemy target hex to make the attack more powerful. I'll have to send a
division to check it out.

[larryfulkerson]

This is the east side right now...the supply situation I mean. There are no rails
in this area and there's no way to increase the supply any higher here so there's
no way to go further north on this side because the supply levels won't support it.

Although the rails ARE getting closer to the middle and the supply levels are slowly
rising there. The railhead in the west has left Naples and is being repaired NW to
feed the Gustov Line folks and to the NE to eventually brush by the middle areas.

[UP844]

Am I reading the map wrong, or there is no railway line along the Adriatic (eastern) coast?? [X(]