CFNA 1940-43 devoncop (Axis) vs warspite1 (CW) - no devoncop please

[warspite1]

Turn 193 - Axis Turn and Allied Turn
22nd July 1942

There are still a lot of reinforcements coming through but bombardments were limited to half a dozen and the damage was light.

I suffer two withdrawals - the 25th Indian Brigade HQ and the 164th Field Artillery Regiment. The latter is particularly painful as I need all the artillery I can get. The good news is that I am back to 55 squadrons and I do a quick check on the air situation as I have not done this for a while.


I wish I hadn't bothered. Such grim reading. Although I have 55 squadrons on paper, I've effectively got almost 10 less than that. As can be seen the contempt for the Hurricane is all too evident here. Just 180 remain - or just over 7 squadrons. An equally grim statistic is the number of reserve aircraft - down to just 270....

[warspite1]

Turn 193
22nd July 1942

I try moving a few of my reinforcements - I have a battalion of South Africans and some RAF base units - but these are interdicted en route. One of the attacks was as the unit was passing an airfield and took out 5 Blenheims as well as the infantry [8|] The two Blenheim squadrons went straight into reorganisation mode....

The turns - and the game - continues to slip away but with most of my artillery still on red, an air force that contains so many squadrons with aircraft in single digits, with the two recently arrived infantry divisions badly mauled and a tank force still in recovery mode, there is simply nothing to be done.

[warspite1]

Turn 194
25th July 1942

There were four Axis bombardments that caused moderate damage. Otherwise all was quiet - apart from the huge number of reinforcements heading east.

For my part many of the artillery units are starting to show a little orange or light green so I am hoping offensive operations can commence. It looks like the 44th Infantry Division will be arriving soon too.

[warspite1]

Turn 195
29th July 1942

The enemy bombardments did relatively minor damage - but the Axis have moved up to the frontline - maybe the plan is for a spoiler operation ahead of whatever I have have in mind (eventually)?

For reasons mentioned above - no artillery being chief amongst them and next to no anti-tank guns being perhaps the biggest issue - I have no choice but to withdraw - and of course this could not happen without numerous units engaging and being badly shot up or worse.

Absolutely no idea what to do here - perhaps devoncop will take the choice out of my hands by attacking first?

[warspite1]

Turn 196
1st August 1942

Only two bombardments - with manageable damage. However the Axis forces are back in my face and with tons of rested artillery. But my forces are back at Burg El Arab and so there is nowhere left to go really. I've detected his paratroop units back.

I will ensure that all fighters are on air superiority but with small ranges so they can't go off getting into trouble - but can stop a paratroop drop (yeah right....).

More of my artillery is coming back to life - shoots of green are spotted springing out of the desert (although sadly only one I can see is dark green - and they are sill mostly red and orange) but hey, its a start.

My main reinforcements I think have now arrived - there's probably just the 51st Highland Division left - oh and a Greek Brigade - so its difficult to see how 'superior numbers' can work here. Artillery, tanks, and aircraft where art thou?

[MikeJ19]

Warspite,

A General can never have enough artillery! Good luck with your battle.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: MikeJ19

Warspite,

A General can never have enough artillery! Good luck with your battle.

warspite1

Certainly not in this game!!!

[warspite1]

Turn 197
5th August 1942

The Axis punch through one hex in the frontline south of the railway. I have an interesting dilemma here. Turns are running out, the Axis are still ridiculously strong and my artillery is equally weak. Do I continue to hold? Fight a limited battle to try and wrest that hex back.....or....retreat.

I am going to retreat and here is the madness in my method:

- Experience has shown that even a limited offensive will cost me stupid numbers of troops, tanks and guns (not to mention Hurricanes [8|]). Which is fine if it achieves something. But at best I just straighten the line to no real purpose.

- If I retreat (accepting that the CW usually get engaged) I will a) give more time for my artillery to recover, b) move my units closer to my air cover and - most importantly c) hopefully encourage devoncop to attack again and take him out of his prepared positions....

[warspite1]

Turn 198
8th August 1942

Well whatever I did was going to be risky. The Germans make further in-roads having laid on 14 bombardments (no attacks). The percentages look bad but I will have a look at the actual casualties these caused before deciding whether to stick with this approach or what. I suspect though that this will simply confirm there is no way through that wall of artillery for the CW.

The losses weren't too bad - except for the artillery which was expensive. Usual results apply in the air though - 11 out of 19 Hurricanes lost on one squadron sortie (4 destroyed). The below came at a cost to the Axis of 7 fighters (2 destroyed) and 21 bombers (6 destroyed) in total.

[warspite1]

Turn 198
8th August 1942

The CW forces pull back one more hex - leaving behind a routed Kiwi battalion.....

[warspite1]

Turn 199
12th August 1942

It looks like devoncop attempted another paradrop. A unit of mine appeared to disappear (I think) - but then so did the paratrooper. Nothing in the combat report to say what happened, nothing in the air briefing to say ANY aircraft were lost this turn.... This is so disappointing that the detail of so much activity can be simply unavailable to players.

Anyway, back to the main front and devoncop has pushed up as I've retreated, launching another 10 bombardments. Once again I'll check on the damage before deciding on whether to retreat further.

Once again, with the exception of field guns, the losses were acceptable in the context of the overall plan.

[warspite1]

Turn 199
12th August 1942

The victory points continue to move in the Axis favour

[warspite1]

Turn 199
12th August 1942

I decided to go for it - and then changed my mind - and then changed it back - and then decided to go for a limited bombardment just to cause a few casualties - and then decided to extend the bombardment - and then decided to attack - only by the time I decided to attack the turns had run out so I only got one round in...... Commanding General? what a ******!


There were five hexes targeted - with attacks against the rail line in the north and the units on the bend in the Axis line in the centre.

[warspite1]

Turn 199
12th August 1942

The two units succeeded in pushing the enemy back. I am not certain what of my forces advanced - but I'm sure I'm about to find out.....

The softening up exercise obviously helped the land battle but once again the air force situation was sub-optimal given the number of fighter sorties flown by each side. But I have to assume I have more aircraft than the Axis and so a whittling down in these ratios is no bad thing.

The tank losses for the Axis were all Italian unfortunately - indeed from what I could see there were few Germans in the two hexes.

[warspite1]

Turn 200 - Axis Turn (in real time)
15th August 1942

The turn begins with devoncop moving artillery – a lot of artillery - in the centre, south of the dog-leg.

Now I can see a number of German formations – motorised infantry especially – moving to the front in the north.

Further units – Italian and German are being sent to the front line – devoncop clearly has no intention of going quietly…..

More reinforcements moving through the Jebel now – and from Tripolitania.

It looks like another paradrop attempt is being made. It flashes up that there is an interception attempt, followed by the seemingly mandatory ‘Hurricane evaporates’ routine.

Then a whole load of movement of aircraft back and forward east-west and vice-versa (always pleasing when it’s the Me-109 going west and Italian aircraft going east) but I can’t see what’s happened to the paratroopers. There doesn’t appear to be a landing.

The bombardments commence – interspersed with troop and tank movements

A South African battalion evaporates

The turn ends.

Good grief….. it turns out it wasn’t just a Hurricane – a Spitfire squadron evaporated as well. Even after all that I still have air superiority – so it says something for how much of an advantage I had at the start of that Axis turn. But it seems to matter not. Bizarre.

Time to try and find out what other disasters befell the hapless CW forces….

[warspite1]

Turn 200 - Axis Turn
15th August 1942

I won't mention the air battles - it just annoys me too much [8|]

The losses to artillery are concerning - let's face it, with the state of the CW forces, any losses are too many.

[Szilard]

Monty's on his way, with cigs for the troops & a plan to poke up a stick up Rommel's gasket, what hey?

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Szilard

Monty's on his way, with cigs for the troops & a plan to poke up a stick up Rommel's gasket, what hey?

warspite1

What ho?!

The news summary says he's here now, but I understood it was from turn 201. Whatever - he's here or almost here [:)].

[warspite1]

Turn 200 - Axis Turn
15th August 1942

The German losses move the victory dial back slightly....

The recce indicator is up to 15% which is as indicated in the Scenario Briefing. But the Axis shock bonus I don't think is removed until next turn - at which point both sides will be on an equal footing shock-wise.

[MikeJ19]

Warspite,

I continue to enjoy your posts and this AAR. The losses are very frustrating at times. I just attacked a bridging unit with tanks and the bridging unit had no losses and I somehow lost tanks... Oh well.

Good luck moving forward, Ian (Devoncop) is a very good opponent.