Yet Another Sicily t BP Ian Allies me Axis

[larryfulkerson]

Ian and I restarted and he did his Allied moves and now it's up to me to reply.

I've been going through the OOB checking out the units, aircraft first, and I've come to one of the formations that is still in garrison mode. I thought I'd document who's in garrison mode so there will be a record to refer to later.

[larryfulkerson]

I found another formation that's stuck for the duration of the game. This one is
in reserve and therefore needs to be attacked before it will wake up. This one
is near Salerno.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's another one near Taranto that's in garrison mode. So I'm guessing that it
needs to be attacked to be activated.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's another one near Rome. I'm going through the OOB and haven't found a
formation I can move yet. They have all been stuck. Maybe I should post the first
one I can move.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's one on Corsica that I have to move to a port hex and then wait for some Sea
cap before I can use it anywhere.

[larryfulkerson]

Hey you guys: I was clicking on units in the Formation Report and evidently clicked
on the wrong one and I was given control of the Allied side so I need to load the
original file again and start over. I'll have to reconstruct all the moves I've already
made again. I hope Ian doesn't mind waiting for another half hour or so.

[sPzAbt653]

If it's only 4 formations that are locked, it's not worth any sort of document, but maybe a future mention in the briefing [:)] Their situation is as follows:

2. Fallschirm. Div - Is the Rome Garrison and doesn't get release, but is eventually withdrawn on turn 35 [it was sent to Normandy].

16. Panzer Div - is released when attacked [only one unit needs be attacked and the whole division will get released].

26. Panzer Div - is released when Italy surrenders, which happens when the Allies have enough units on mainland Italy to trip a bunch of triggers.

3. PzGr Div - same as 26.PzDiv above.

[larryfulkerson]

maybe a future mention in the briefing

That would fix the frustration problem the Axis player feels. Thanks.

[devoncop]

10th July 1943

So as Operation Husky gets underway this time the Allied Bomber crews are specifically tasked with taking out as much Axis air power on Sicily as possible early on by hitting multiple airfields, especially at the Gerbini Airbase where I was aware some JU87's were based as I really do not need any ships taken out. This is very successful with whole squadrons of FW190's, ME109's and the vast majority of the Stukas taken out. In addition some Italian MC200 Saetta's were wiped out near Reggio in the far south of the mainland.

On land The 1st Canadian Division and the 5th British Division are tasked with enveloping and destroying the Italian 206th Coastal Division east of Ragusa whilst the Rest of the British push north. The Americans are expecting an imminent counter attack around Licata in the west and also from the Herman Goering Divn from the north as Larry caused the US quite some problems in the earlier aborted game with this approach.

I am going to try and concentrate on maintaining the integrity of the formations in this game as I have not been good at doing this in the past and I am aware now it increases the co-ordination efficiency of attacks to do this.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what it looks like just after the playback and I haven't moved anybody yet.
I'm trying to get all the Italian defenders from the west end of the island to
Messina and I'm not sure Ian will allow that. He might have a unit racing north
even as we speak. I may have to fight my way there. Who knows?

[larryfulkerson]

Somehow Ian sneaked ( snuck ? ) a paratrooper unit into my airdrome complex and
I only found it by accident and so now I need to take it out before it causes more
trouble.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the southwest side. I've formed a solid front line facing the Americans but
he's got ships with big guns and I'm pretty sure he's going to blast a hole somewhere
near the coast and roll up my lines. And when I try to get away his disengagement
penalty will prevent it and they will all get destroyed. QED. But they will buy
some time for the Germans to get off the island and they are going to surrender in
a couple of weeks anyway. Either that or get destroyed where they are parked.

EDIT: I think QED is a latin phrase that means "quit when you're done."

[larryfulkerson]

The 90th Panzer Grenadier Division reached a port on Sardinia. Now if I just had
some sea cap to move these guys.

[devoncop]

13th July 1943

The only thing that is predictable about playing Larry I have found out, is that he is unpredictable !

After our last game where he launched a furious counter attack by Italian troops from the west and the HG Division from the north against the Americans (which may have led to some big encirclements eventually of Axis troops on Sicily but made the first few turns very touch and go) this time he has gone into full "force preservation mode" it seems. The remaining air squadrons are being despatched of to the northern mainland it seems and there is a rush towards Messina by the ground troops on Sicily. I suspect I will find he is building a very strong MLR around Mt. Etna and it will turn into a slog for Messina but he may be concentrating on extricating as much as possible to dedicate to the Italian mainland defence. From bitter experience I am aware that Axis troops are pitifully few on the ground on the mainland initially so that may also be the plan.

With our friends in the Herman Goering Division not yet sighted in any numbers the 3rd US Division and Rangers push north and east towards Piazza Armerina and Grammiceleand skirmishing with an Italian screening force west of Licata begins prior to assaults.
The British 1st Airborne lands somewhat recklessly near Primasole bridge but rather than trying to take the bridge and blow it (which last time resulted in it running into a Panzer Regiment and getting destroyed) I decide to take Gerbini town and mess with the rail line. An Italian Mechanized infantry Regiment tries to block the progress of British troops advancing north from Syracuse and is surrounded and mostly destroyed but hampers progress north.

Most bombers take a rest after the exertions last turn. The decision about devoting them to interdiction or blowing bridges is one I considered but rejected for now. I am happy if Larry wants to pull units out of my path and I don't want to create more roadblocks myself by blocking escape routes. May be a mistake but we shall see..........

[MikeJ19]

Ian,

One of the things that I like about this game is that the players often have lots of options for how they go about getting their objectives. It is interesting to watch the different styles that Larry uses. He is often very aggressive, but it seems in this one, that he is aggressively moving North...

Good luck and I will enjoy this AAR,

[larryfulkerson]

Here's a list of the battles when Ian had his turn. He has advanced several hexes
and is getting closer to my final MLR.

[devoncop]

17th July 1943

Kampfgruppe Baumunk is hurled by Larry against 1st British Airborne at Gerbini after surrounding it and with the town levelled the 1st Airlanding Brigade is overrun but not before the KG has lost 40 of its 90 infantry and engineering squads so the Brigade went down fighting.

The Italian mechanised unit surrounded by 50th and 51st infantry Division north west of Syracuse is totally destroyed as is KG Hudel in the central front by the US 3rd Division who are at the gates of Piazza Armerina and have also overrun Gramicele and Vizzini linking up with the British advance on the east coast.

In the table above the attack by the US 1st Division runs west of Licata is stalled with 14% losses by stubborn Italian resistance which is as annoying as it is surprising though supporting Italian Artillery behind the infantry line is heavily shelled and bombed by sea and air and suffers badly.

Repeated attempts to blow the bridge east of Gerbini by air fail as allied bomber crews complain about faulty bomb sights.

[devoncop]

20th July 1943

Sympathetic anti-fascist locals near Rossano on the south west Italian mainland indicated the presence of more JU87's at the airfield there and so repeated strikes by British and US bombers were ordered which almost wiped out the 20 planes based there.

The 50th British Division with support from the Royal Tank Regiment overwhelm the marine garrison at Augusta in the british drive north and it seems the Axis have set up a defence line based around Primasole and Gerbini now only 20Km or so to the north. Artillery in this line is shelled from the sea to try and soften it a little. Once again there is little progress in the west as US troops continue to face dug in Italians.

It seems Larry has almost completely reversed his previous policy of an aggressive forward defence in favour of a delaying action on the approaches to Messina and more German armour is reported to have arrived near Mount Etna from the west so this is likely to be the formidable 15th Panzer Grenadier Div.

As an aside Larry has been blowing up bridges like it is the 4th July so my engineers will need to get busy.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the front lines in T4 before I have moved anybody and Ian is slowly fighting
his way to the MLR's I have built around Mt Etna. I have flown all the planes to a
far away airfield with an AA unit on it and put them on rest. I need the squadrons
to use this time to fill up with replacements to become full strength again because
some of them are down to half strength.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's a close up of the action sites. Several of my units in the west have gone
into reorg including the supporting arty and that makes a weak spot that Ian will
probably take advantage of in his turn. And in the NE Ian has been using his ships
to bombard my arty and it's a wreck now. I expect Ian will move his troops up to
the MLR and start attacking. He's breaking through in the middle so I need to
expedite the building of the MLR on the NW side of Mt. Etna and shore up the northern
approaches to Messina. The various roadblocks and strongpoints are being slowly mopped
up and soon they will be gone with the wind. I'm still wondering if I should have
defended forward again. I busted all the bridges in the west as I was evacuating units.