Axis Only. Ronnie vs Composer99.

[rkr1958]

Turn 8. Nov/Dec 1940. Axis #11. (continued).

[ax] Naval. Cape Verde Basin. Round 2.
(1) Axis commit her subs (again).
(2) No air reactions possible.
(3) Search. Axis=2, RN=10.
(4) Axis choose 0-box, giving them 10 SP's, and elect to fight a sub combat.

[ax] Initial risks (before application of any SP's).
(1) Axis. 10 sub factors vs 8 CP's (4 ships). X, A.
(2) Allied. 4 ASW vs 3 subs. D, 2A.
(3) 6 SP's used to reduce axis risk to no effect.
(4) 4 SP's used to increase allied risk to X, D, 3A (or 3 CP's sunk, 3 aborted).

[al] Allies stay.

[ax] Axis stay too.

[ax] Assume you wish the BEL, NED CP's sunk along with 1 RN CP sunk and 3 aborted?

[al] Yeah, go ahead and sink the minor cps first. Maximise British cps aborted.

[ax] copy that.

[ax] You have 2 CP's left at sea that aren't aborted. It's off to round 3.

Cape Verde Basin. Round 2.

[rkr1958]

Turn 8. Nov/Dec 1940. Axis #11. (continued).

[ax] Naval. Cape Verde Basin. Round 3.
(1) Axis commit her subs (again).
(2) No air reactions possible.
(3) Search. Axis=9, RN=2. (searches are almost exactly reversed from last round).

[al] Pick both boxes. I'm pretty sure CW inflicts 1D on the subs, and subs inflict 1D on the cruiser. By my reckoning, CW gets 9 surprise, and will spend 2 to reduce its risk to 1A and 4 to increase the Axis risk to 1D 2A and 3 to pick the target of the D.

[ax] copy that.

[al] Let me know if I'm out of my reckoning.

[ax] Actually 1 A on the subs initially.

[ax] However, 4 SP's does increase axis risk to 1D, 2A.

[ax] So, 2 SP's reduce RN risk from D to A and 4 SP's increase axis risk from 1A to 1D, 2A. This leaves you with 3 SP's.

[al] RIghty-o. We'll spend those 3 to pick the D on the "beefiest" German sub.

[ax] copy that. That'll be the 4830 (4 attack, 8 defense) then?

[al] Indeed.

[ax] Very interesting battle I must say.

[al] Quite. Pretty decisive win for the Axis so far.

[ax] (1) A on CA Effingham=2, aborted (and previously damaged).
(2) Allies use 3 SP's to put D on U-boat 4830=5, damaged.
(3) A on U-boat 4830=2, aborted (and damaged).
(4) A on U-boat 4835=6, aborted.

[ax] Axis stay. What about the allies?

[al] Yes, please.

Cape Verde Basin. Round 3.

[rkr1958]

Turn 8. Nov/Dec 1940. Axis #11. (continued).

[ax] Naval. Cape Verde Basin. Round 4.
(1) Italy commit her sub (only sub group left).
(2) No air reactions possible.
(3) Search. Italy=3, RN=8, only the Italians find.
(4) Select 0-box, elect sub combat. Italy gets 7 SP's.

[al] Ouf, what a disaster for the CW. Pretty much boils down to the flubbed aborts on the U-boats in that first round.

[ax] Yes. The failed aborts on the German u-boats was very fortunate.

[ax] Initial Risks.
(1) Italians. 3 sub vs 2 CP's (1 ship) = A.
(2) RN. 4 ASW vs 1 sub = D.
(3) Italy uses 4 SP's to increase RN risk from A to D, 2A (1 sunk, 1 aborted, no CP's left).
(4) Remaining 2 of 3 SP's used to decrease Italy's risk from D to A.
(5) A on Italian sub 5046=3, aborted.
(6) 1 RN CP sunk, 1 aborted.
(7) With no axis subs left, combat ends.
(8) Where do the 4 aborted RN CP's return to?

[al] Halifax, please.

[ax] German u-boat aborts to Brest.
Italian sub abort to St-Nazaire.

Cape Verde Basin. Round 4.

[rkr1958]

Turn 8. Nov/Dec 1940. Axis #11. (continued).

[ax] Next up. Cape St. Vincent.

[ax] German u-boat 4833 in 3-box will initiate.

[ax] You have air reaction possibilities.

[al] Short-range nav flies to 0 box, long-range to as high a box as it can get.

[ax] copy that.
(1) Swordfish NAV2 to 0-box.
(2) Vildebeest to 2-box.

[ax] Naval. Cape St. Vincent. (Rain).
(1) German u-boat 4833 in 3-box will initiates.
(2) CW reacts Swordfish NAV2 to 0-box and Vildebeest NAV2 to 2-box.
(3) Axis commit her u-boats/subs.
(4) Search. Axis=5, RN=9. Nobody finds.

Cape St. Vincent.

[rkr1958]

Turn 8. Nov/Dec 1940. Axis #11. (continued).

[ax] Last up. North Sea. Storms. No air reactions possible, so we'll get right to the searches.

[ax] Naval. North Sea.
(1) BB Bismarck initiates.
(2) Search. KM=2, RN=6. Only the KM 3-box finds (BB Scharnhorst & CA Admiral Hipper).
(3) KM get 5 SP's and it's a surface actions in the stormy North Sea.

[ax] Initial Risks.
(1) KM 9 surface vs 2 RN ships=D, A.
(2) RN 3 surface vs 2 KM ships=2A.
(3) KM use 4 SP's to increase RN risk from D, A to 2D, 3A.
(4) RN has CA Hawkins (1 att/7 def) and CA Fiji (2 att/7 def).
(5) How do you wish to handle risk?

[al] 1D on each ship. Spread out As as required.

[ax] copy that.

[ax] RN Risk.
(1) D on CA Hawkins=5, damaged.
(2) D on CA Fiji=4, damaged.
(3) A on CA Hawkins=5, aborted.
(4) A on CA Fiji=5, aborted.
(5) No place for last A.

[ax] KM Risk.
(1) A on CA Admiral Hipper=4, aborted.
(2) A on BB Scharnhorst=7, 1/2 aborted.
No RN ships left in North Sea. Naval combat ends.
CA Admiral Hipper returns to Brest.

[al] In the Med, it's all sunshine and roses for the RN. Outside...? Best not to ask.

[ax] The sailors of the German Home Fleet has fulfilled a dream of their fathers.

The North Sea.

[rkr1958]

Turn 8. Nov/Dec 1940. Axis #11. (continued).

[ax] Ground Strikes. None.

[ax] Rail movement. Japan. none.

[ax] Land Movement. Japan. Highlights.
(1) Adjustments to their front lines in Manchuria.
(2) Adjustments to their lines in southern China.

[ax] Land Combat. none.

[ax] Air Rebase.
(1) Japan. A6M2 (Zero) Mikden, Manchuria to Southern China 90, 138.
(2) Japan. D3A2 (Val) Manchuria 61,154 to Chengchow, China.
(3) Germany. Bf 109 E-7 FTR 2. France 61, 25 to St-Nazaire.
(4) Germany. Bf 110 C. Lodz to Poland 51, 47.

Manchuria.

[rkr1958]

Turn 8. Nov/Dec 1940. Axis #11. (concluded).

[ax] This ends my impulse at the HQ reorg phase.

[ax] 08-NOV-DEC-1940-AX-09-EOI.zip game turn sent.

[al] Got the game file.

[al] End of Turn
Turn ends on a roll of 5 or less.
End of turn roll is 9. Turn continues.

China.

[rkr1958]

Turn 8. Nov/Dec 1940. Allied #11.

[al] Weather Roll
Weather roll is 10, becoming 11 with last impulse's modifier. +2 modifer to next weather roll.
Weather is B/B/Sn/R/St/R
(B = Blizzard, Sn = Snow, St = Storm, R = Rain, F = Fine, if there was any.)

[ax] Yikes!

[al] Allied Impulse 13
Turn ends on a roll of 7 or less.
No DoWs, alignments, etc.

Actions
China: Land
Commonwealth: Naval
Free France: Pass
United States: Pass
Soviet Union: Land

[al] Naval Operations
Port Attacks
CW launches a port attack against the Italians in Trieste. As far as I can tell, there are no Axis planes to intervene.

[ax] Yes. No planes. I knew that was coming.

[al] Surprise rolls are Italy 1, CW 5. Italy has 5 surprise. I assume avoid combat?

[ax] Avoid please.

[al] Done.

[al] Naval Operations (cont'd.)
Naval Air
None

Naval Movement
(1) TRS sails from Liverpool to East Coast.
(2) Task force sails from Scapa Flow to 2 box North Sea.
(3) HMS Newcastle sails from Scapa Flow to 2 box Cape Verde Basin.

[al] Naval Operations (cont'd.)
Naval Combat
CW will initiate in the North Sea and Italian Coast.

First up...
North Sea
- HMS Gloucester initiates the combat.
- No planes in the storms.
- Search rolls are CW 5, Ge 7. No combat.

[al] Next up...
Italian Coast
- HMAS Australia initiates the combat.
- No new planes to fly; just the stuff that's in the sea area already.
- Search rolls are CW 8, Axis 7. No combat.

[ax] I'll take both those searches (North Sea and Italian Coast).

[al] Yes, I daresay you will.

[ax] It's always a long war of attrition for the RN. But they will eventually wear the Italian and German navies down.

[ax] No to mention how all that is accelerated when the US gets into the war.

[al] Quite. And the RN has given a pretty good account of itself thus far overall.

[ax] Yes they have.

[al] Land Operations
No strat bombing and ground strikes.

Rail Moves
(1) 2-1 GARR rails from Tsitsihar to Blagoyevshchensk.
(2) cav div rails from HQ Yeremenko hex to Kharkov.

Land Moves
(3) Red Army adjusts its positions around Tsitsihar.
(4) KMT and CCCP forces stay put.

[al] Rebases
(1) Red Army adjusts plane basing in Manchuria.

No CW rebases.

[al] Reorg
- You better believe I'm annoyed that the weather is keeping the atr from reorging convoys.
- TRS in East Coast reorgs 2 cp.

[ax] It's that time of year.

[ax] Really it's Soviet weather.

[al] The most wonderful time, if that song is to be believed.

[al] Although I daresay the British and assorted Allied merchant mariners would disagree with that assessment.

[al] End of Turn
Turn ends on a roll of 7 or less.
End of turn roll is 1. Turn ends. (And initiative shifts towards the Axis.)

[ax] Yep ... just exactly as I planned.

[ax] Well, these sorts of plans rarely workout for me.

[al] I felt like I'd done a pretty good job, if not controlling the pace of the war, at least bending it in a favourable direction, up until that blunder with the French. Ever since then I've felt like things have slipped out of control somewhat. Oh, well, fortunes of war.

End of Turn. Destroyed/Repair Pools.

[Courtenay]

Congratulations on the conquest of Yugoslavia. Well done. That is one problem solved.

Now your remaining problem is the Soviet Union. Just conquer them, and you're done. [:)]

If I were you, I would consider getting Italian units back into Africa. Don't expect them to survive, but it will give the CW something to do in a place you don't really care about.

[Centuur]

ORIGINAL: Courtenay

Congratulations on the conquest of Yugoslavia. Well done. That is one problem solved.

Now your remaining problem is the Soviet Union. Just conquer them, and you're done. [:)]

If I were you, I would consider getting Italian units back into Africa. Don't expect them to survive, but it will give the CW something to do in a place you don't really care about.

Agreed. But if you are going to go back into Lybia, do so at the third Axis impulse, to minimize the danger to your TRS.

China is looking as good as possible with a war in Manchuria going on. The Japanese should forget about conquering China. Take Nanning if you get good odds and that's it for the moment.

The Soviet attack has saved the Chinese, but at what expense? I would suggest to retreat your MAR out of China and prepare for an assault on Vladivostok (but this time, land adjacent to the place and attack in conjunction with land forces out of Manchuria). It's good to do so in good weather in May/June. You've got time enough after that to get your Marines back to Canton to attack the British and Dutch end of 1941.

[rkr1958]

Thanks guys. Appreciate the advice.

[rkr1958]

Turn 8. Nov/Dec 1940. End of Turn.

[al] Partisans
Korea: 85
China: 2; Garrison test 8;
Malaya: 53
NEI: 84
Burma: 25
India: 46
Indochina: 36

[al] Nazi-Soviet Pact
- Ge places 2 markers in the offensive pool
- marker rolls are 98 (value 1) and 334 (value 4)

- USSR places 1 marker in the defensive pool; marker value is 2.

[al] US Entry
- US draws 1 marker versus Ge/It.
- US chooses option 19. Resources to USSR (tension 8).
- Tension roll is 4. 1 marker moved to tension.

Estimated US Entry.

[rkr1958]

Turn 8. Nov/Dec 1940. End of Turn. (continued).

[ax] Production (Preliminary & Final). Germany.
(1) Save Perm Oil resource to Berlin.
(2) Save German Oil 51,36 to Stuttgart.
(3) Save Ploesti Romania #1 Oil to Stuttgart.
(4) 30 of 30 factories production.
(5) 30 x 0.75 = 23 BP's. -2 to USSR. 21 BP's for builds.
(6) 8 oil resources. 5 saved and 3 used in production.

[ax] Production (Preliminary & Final). Italy.
(1) 6 of 11 factories producing.
(2) 6 x 0.7 = 5 BP's for builds.
(3) No oil resources.

[ax] Production (Preliminary & Final). Japan.
(1) (TR) US 60,305 Oil to Sapporo for Production.
(2) (TR) Tarakan, NEI Oil to Kyoto for Production.
(3) (TR) US 64,281 Oil to Yokohama for Production.
(4) 16 of 19 factories production.
(5) 16 x 1 = 16 BP's. -1 US. 15 BP's for builds.
(6) 4 oil resources. 3 used for production & 1 saved.

[ax] Production (Preliminary & Final). Vichy France.
(1) 1 of 5 factories production.
(2) 1 PP x 0.75 = 1 BP. +1 saved, gives Vichy 2 BP's for builds.

Stay at Sea/Return to Base. German.
(1) North Sea. BB Schleswig-Holstein. Stays. Moves Down to 0-box.
(2) North Sea. BB Bismarck. Returns to Stettin, Germany.
(3) North Sea. BB Scharnhorst. Returns to Brest, France.
(4) All German u-boats at sea return to Brest.
(5) All axis CP's at sea remain at sea.
(6) Black Sea. Romania CA DD Flotilla remains. Moves down to 3-box.
(7) All Italian subs at sea return to St-Nazaire.

[al] Bismarck, running back into the Baltic??? 🐓🐓🐓🐓

[al]

[ax] He's moving there to keep an eye on the Soviet navy.

[ax] 8) Italian Coast. CA & FTR2 in 1-box stay. Move down to 0-box.
(9) Italian Coast. FTR2 & BB 0-box return to La Spezia.
(10) Italian Coast. CA 2-box stays and moves down to 1-box.
(11) Italian Coast. Italian Nav and German FTR2 2-box return to La Spezia.

[ax] (12) China Sea. Japanese Transport in 3-box returns to Fukuko.
(13) All Japanese CP's remain at sea.
(14) China Sea. IJN KB & BB's in 3-box stay and move down to 2-box.

[ax] So you weren't able to replace any of the CP's knocked out of Cape Verde?

[al] 'Fraid not. Didn't have any to spare.

[al] Stay at Sea
Axis: As instructed.

Commonwealth
(1) Ships in 1 and 4 boxes (and Effingham in 2 box Cape Verde) in convoy pipeline zones drop a box to stay at sea.
(2) Kent stays at sea in E Med.
(3) The RN task force in Italian Coast stays at sea.

[ax] Use Oil. Axis.
(1) Germany. 2 oil needed to reorg 2.0 worth of units. Use saved oil at Vienna & Warsaw.
(2) Italy. 2 oil needed to reorg 1.8 worth of units. Use German oil at Hamburg & Berlin.
(3) Japan. 0.6 worth of units. Don't reorg naval transport & Ki-30 Ann LND2 (Kweilin, China). No oil needed to reorg remaining 0.4 worth of units.
(4) Vichy. 0.9 worth of units. Don't reorg 1 CP & Georges HQ-I. No oil needed to reorg remaining 0.45 worth of units.

Use Oil. Axis.

[rkr1958]

Turn 8. Nov/Dec 1940. End of Turn. (continued).

[ax] Break Down Corps/Armies. Axis. none.

[al] Return to Base
Axis: As instructed.

Commonwealth
(1) Warships in 0 boxes of convoy pipeline zones return to Halifax, Liverpool, and Gibraltar, as required.
(2) Both nav2s in Cape St Vincent return to Gibraltar.
(3) The task force in the North Sea returns to Liverpool.
(4) HMS Belfast and Sheffield return from W Med to Gibraltar.
(5) HMS Rodney returns from Red Sea to Port Said.
(6) TRS in E Coast returns to Liverpool.
(7) One TRS in Cape St Vincent returns to Cape Town. The other returns to Liverpool.
(8) Queens return to Aden.
(9) Dutch TRS returns to Bombay.

(Addendum to CW staying at sea: the Yugoslav cruiser also stays at sea, for want of a suitable port to return to at this point.)

[ax] Production (Final).
(1) Germany. 21 BP's for builds. 7 + 5 (newly saved) = 12 saved oil.
(2) Italy. 5 BP's for builds. 2 saved oil.
(3) Japan. 15 BP's for builds. 7 + 1 (newly saved) = 8 saved oil.
(4) Vichy. 2 BP's for builds. 4 saved oil.

[ax] Scrap Destroyed. Germany. none.

[ax] Production. Axis.
(1) Germany (21 BP's): Sub 4837 2nd (1), Sub 4841 2nd (1), LND(2), PIL(2), Arm(6), Mot Div(2), MIL(2) x 2, AT Div(3)
(2) Italy (5 BP's): HQ-I(5).
(3) Japan (15 BP's): MTN(4), INF(3) x 2, Sub 1st(1), PIL(2), Cav Div(2)
(4) Vichy (2 BP's): 2 CP's.

[al] Use Oil
Axis: As instructed.

Commonwealth: Spends 3 oil to reorg 3.25 worth of units.
Soviet Union: Spends 1 oil to reorg 0.6 worth of units (HQ Zhukov.)

(Other Allies didn't need to use any oil for reorg.)

[al] Alied Final Production
China: 4 pp x 0.75 = 3 bp; no new oil.
Commonwealth: 14 pp x 0.75 = 11 bp; 10 new saved oil for 27 total.
Free France: zip nada nilch
United States: 38 pp x 0.25 = 10 +1 (Ja) = 11 bp; 1 new saved oil for 10 total.
Soviet Union: 25 pp x 0.5 = 13 +2 (Ge) = 15 bp; 2 new saved oil for 10 total.

[al] Allied Builds
China: (3 bp) 1 GARR (2), 1 cav (1)
Commonwealth: (11 bp) 1 amph (1st) (3), 3 cp (3), 1 ca (2nd) (1), 1 pil (2), 1 nav2 (2), 1 cvp0 (0)
United States: (11 bp) 2 trs (1st) (4), 1 sub (2nd) (1), 1 pil (2), 1 mar (3), 1 cvp1 (1)
Soviet Union: (15 bp) 1 arm (4), 3 INF (9), 1 CAV (2)

Production Spiral. Jan/Feb 1941.

[rkr1958]

Turn 8. Nov/Dec 1940. End of Turn. (continued).

Production Spiral. Mar/Apr 1941.

[rkr1958]

Turn 8. Nov/Dec 1940. End of Turn. (continued).

Production Spiral. May/June 1941.

[rkr1958]

Turn 8. Nov/Dec 1940. End of Turn. (continued).

Production Spiral. Jul/Aug 1941.

[rkr1958]

Turn 8. Nov/Dec 1940. End of Turn. (continued).

Production Spiral. Sep/Oct 1941.

[rkr1958]

Turn 8. Nov/Dec 1940. End of Turn. (continued).

Production Spiral. Nov/Dec 1941.

[rkr1958]

Turn 8. Nov/Dec 1940. End of Turn. (continued).

Reserve Pools.