Solitaire game starting late '42

[EUBanana]

So, Japan sorties the fleet in Rabaul under Zero cover, picks up the last division on Australia.

The various antisubmarine escorts are deployed at Bismarck Sea, China Sea, South China Sea.

Mutsu, Soryu, Hiryu and Ryujo patrol the Bay of Bengal from Canton.

Zuikaku and Shokaku make themselves useful in the 4 box of the Bismarck Sea, but they were really moving from Japan/Canton to Truk.

The Solomons gets a Nell in the 4 box as the convoy point to Kwajalein needs cover. It also gets 2 cruisers in the 0 box and 2 in the 1, as there's plenty of US subs near. Carriers + CV + other LBA is ready should the USN make a move.

LG Mar and a cavalry division are transported from Japan to the China Sea, in readiness for debarking to the Phillipines.

[EUBanana]

So as they got the initiative the Allies only have the bare minimum defending their CP in the Italian coast right now. The Italian naval air finds it.

I'm not really a fan of using transports for supply entirely, I should probably get used to it though as convoy points are both valuable and vulnerable... at least transports get damaged not destroyed sometimes.

The Allies send up a Spitfire to try and defend. But it does nothing, the Sparviero's are cleared through, the Spitfire is aborted by the Bf110 due to spending 4 surprise points on air combat.

[EUBanana]

The Italians make sure to bomb the convoy point. The CW will have to build some more... and re-establish supply to Italy somehow.

[EUBanana]

With Queen Elizabeth left alone in a 0 box I can't see the ALlies wanting to defend the CW aborts and for a moment the Italian Coast is free of Allied shipping.

The partisans prove very annoying, temporarily blocking the Germans from railing reinforcements to the southern front. A convoy point in the Black Sea keeps everything in supply though, hmm, maybe the Commonwealth could try and take that out somehow... could be important. But there's reinforcements to rail to the north as well so it doesn't cause actions to be wasted, yet.

No air action on the eastern front from Germany because of the snow. Or Italy because of the rain, bit of a waste with all the out of supply units but they only got 1 bomber. We'll see next impulse if the Allies don't reopen supply.

Antonescue heads to the Romanians in Sevastapol, he's been commanding Germans in the Rostov area mostly but, well, isn't that good is he? He's replaced by Kesselring who railed in last turn moves up. Aside from the constant partisan hunting, in the north Guderian tries to make contact with his far flung panzers...

[EUBanana]

The partisans in Minsk are ejected easily (+21), but the others remain so far. Rundstedt and his reinforcements move to Kratowice rather than sit on their bums in Germany, getting there the old fashioned way.

Offensive operations elsewhere in the snows is not possible with the Soviets all organised so far.

[EUBanana]

Impulse #3, Jan/Feb 1943.

CW takes a naval, US takes a naval, China a land, USSR a land, FF pass.

US sends a Catalina to the 4 box of the Marshalls, a P38 to the 2 box of the Coral Sea (American BBs can get to there is the reasoning).

I think the US plan is
a) put aircraft on Wake Island where they can cover the Marianas
b) take Eniwetok so Allied submarines are one zone closer to the goodies
c) pressure the Coral Sea with BBs under land based fighter cover, and take out the convoy point there.
d) take out the Japanese convoy point in the Solomons.

I think that will basically open up the next layer of sea zones to US offensives. We'll see how it goes...


the CW send Sunderlands to the Faeroes Gap and North Atlantic, and a Mosquito fighter to the 2 box of the Italian Coast, which I think is where the TRNs will bed in. ... looks like I guessed wrong, they can only make it to the 1 box. argh! Speed 4 TRN, at Malta, move to the Italian Coast, I guess its speed 4, -1 for rain, -1 for 'in the face fo the enemy', so 0 box -> 1 box the end.

Oh well, I got a Whirlwind that can react to there if need be. [:(]



Well thats absolutely frickin baffling, I was right, they could make it to 2. So now I have an escort force floating in 1 and no TRN as I moved them first. Oh well. I guess there's another -1 if they were intercepted or something? But the Italians didnt want to waste their last activation on an intercept.

Basically the guys in the 1 box are there in error, but it's not a crippling one I guess given how many ships the CW has so I'll play on. Goes to show, even now I really don't know all the rules that well.

[EUBanana]

Aside from that, Italy has a SUB now so convoys in the Eastern Med need protection again.

More by luck than by judgment it turns out the QE2 in Liverpool can only take Alexander as far as the 1 box in the Med so those escorts are in the right place after all!

[EUBanana]

I got a spare Beaufort in Liverpool now and for the first time ever the CW feels it actually ahs enough naval bombers. There's two Sunderlands in the UK covering Faeroes Gap and North Atlantic, a Beaufort in Gibralatr covering Cape St Vincent, a Vildebeest in Palermo covering Italian Coast... I'd like to keep a slot free in Gibraltar for its use as a reinforcement passing-along station so don't want another Beaufort there. It ends up en route to Sardinia so it can cover the Western Med from Italian sorties.

The Royal Navy diverting some stuff to the Far East is taking shape as its a new turn... enough to stop the Japanese just raiding the Bay of Bengal whenever they feel like it on the cheap at least but not exactly enough to start contesting for naval supremacy there like they have in the Med.

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: EUBanana


the CW send Sunderlands to the Faeroes Gap and North Atlantic, and a Mosquito fighter to the 2 box of the Italian Coast, which I think is where the TRNs will bed in. ... looks like I guessed wrong, they can only make it to the 1 box. argh! Speed 4 TRN, at Malta, move to the Italian Coast, I guess its speed 4, -1 for rain, -1 for 'in the face fo the enemy', so 0 box -> 1 box the end.

Oh well, I got a Whirlwind that can react to there if need be. [:(]

Well thats absolutely frickin baffling, I was right, they could make it to 2. So now I have an escort force floating in 1 and no TRN as I moved them first. Oh well. I guess there's another -1 if they were intercepted or something? But the Italians didnt want to waste their last activation on an intercept.

Basically the guys in the 1 box are there in error, but it's not a crippling one I guess given how many ships the CW has so I'll play on. Goes to show, even now I really don't know all the rules that well.

-1 for rain? That is news for me. [&:] [:)]

If you play with the Rough Seas option it is -1 for some ships (incl. TRS) in Blizzard, or Storm. But rain has no effect.

And there is no -1 penalty for interception.

xxxxx

Anyway. I have fun following your story. [&o] [:)]

[EUBanana]

The rest of the RN spreads out to cover convoys... if the weather is bad the Kriegsmarine will get frisky as Germany has naval actions to spend. Also Germany wants to transport a MIL to Norway to deal with a pesky partisan so its happening.

So the RN sorties to the North Sea and Bay of Biscay as well to keep everything bottled up. They can do this with impunity as one thing Germany didn't buy was NAVs, their starter NAV was shot down... years ago. And while the Condors are very nice the problem with Germany is the sheer cornucopia of nice things and the many things they have to worry about.

An Indian/American invasion of Libya is planned as well to take Tripoli for the victory condition purposes as laid out by Orm. (thanks! [:D] )

[EUBanana]

ORIGINAL: Orm
-1 for rain? That is news for me. [&:] [:)]

If you play with the Rough Seas option it is -1 for some ships (incl. TRS) in Blizzard, or Storm. But rain has no effect.

And there is no -1 penalty for interception.

xxxxx

Anyway. I have fun following your story. [&o] [:)]

It's like Malta has a curse of naval ship slowness on it or something.

King George V and co could only make the 3 box of the Eastern Med. I think they should have been in the 4 box. I have no idea why it wouldn't let me get to the 4, there's no Italians there, the only thing there is the weather (rain) and the fact they came from Malta (curse???).

[&:][&:]

Good to see someone is enjoying it, so I shall continue. [;)][:D]

[EUBanana]

The first Allied impulse always seem to be a slew of enormous naval actions ranging from the Atlantic to New Zealand... anyway I think the CW is done, onto the yanks.

There's 5 TRN on the American east coast now. Which I don't think is enough to transport everything they want to send...

The delivery is...
3 strategic bombers to UK
1 INF to UK
1 INF-div to UK
1 MOT-div to UK

1 more strat bomber that will have to move to the TRN and be transported next turn.

And... Ranger and Texas and co are at Malta. When I try to move BB Texas, on its own, to Eastern Med, which has no italians and rain, and Texas is speed 4, it can only make the 2 box. Shouldn't it be the 3 box? It doesn't matter as I'm going to keep the US fleet there in reserve for when/if the Italians come out but still. There's something I really don't understand with naval warfare here. And you have to understand it really because you do naval air first, so you have to put the aircraft in the slot you KNOW the ships will go to later in the impulse.

Anyway. The Pacific...

American subs range into the China Sea and the Bismarck Sea. The Bismarck Sea especially will annoy the Japanese no end if that supply line is broken.

It looks like I guess right elsewhere. In the Coral Sea, BB Tennesse is at Efate, speed 4. Japanese are in the Coral Sea which is -1 speed. They make it to the 2 box - where my P38 is as planned. It's just Malta that is weird. Badly need naval bombers down here, Yamato will be quite the hard answer otherwise.

The USN moves a big chunk to the 3 box of the Marshalls, looking for invasion targets but being fairly conservative and not trying to push more than 1 sea zone away. With the Japanese navy at Truk I doubt there's a lot they can do this far out, I don't really know. The Reisen and bomber are ready at Kwajalein but with the Japanese fleet going to be in a low box, it might best to wait for the Americans to get closer to Truk before seeking Decisive Battle.

Either way those musings are for the next Axis turn I guess not now.

Yorktown and Wasp actually go to the west coast to pick up some more carrier air, their air groups have mysterious shrunk in size and they've discovered how to squeeze more aircraft on. [:D] and we want everything fully packed after all fighting the deadly IJN. Also a valuable P38 is collected by TRN fro mthe west coast, and an INF division, always good for invading things.

[EUBanana]

A terrible feeling that I've forgotten something as the US naval action ends... oh well. We'll find out when I play the Japanese and look for the holes.

Fair bit of naval action this turn potentially, Italian Coast will be LBA vs Royal Navy, Coral Sea is the old US battlewagons venturing out, the rest is all Allied submarine activity.

[EUBanana]

The submarines in the Solomons promptly get wrecked by the Betty there. Annoyingly I could've brought a P36 into the 2 box... I suppose the Japanese would just bring the Reisen and add the P36 to the haul then though.

Both US subs abort back to Midway Island.

[EUBanana]

The only other naval action is in the Bismarck Sea which is a pretty similar story. Shokaku and Zuikaku are en route to Truk, but were defending the Bismarck Sea as they went. They probably won't be on sub duty all the time (or ever again for all I know!) but this turn at least it was good they were as they almost bagged one. Almost.

[EUBanana]

It's slim odds but the Chinese manage to get past the Reisen at Canton and disorganise the GARR before it gets across the strait to Hainan... which is good, as there's a resource point to deny if they can get there.





The Chinese also rail a MIL to Wuhan so Hata can't just walk in unopposed.

[EUBanana]

Chiang in his eagerness follows up... but forgets about defensive shore bombardment.

A blast of high explosive from Nagato and Fuso in the South China Sea end his dreams of shaving off a resource from Japan and contributing to the war effort.

Losses are fortunately minimal.

[EUBanana]

There's no attacks in the snows on the eastern front, but some sort of credible defence of Moscow is forming. Siberians cut off by the Winter Blitz of December '42 retreat into the forests towards Novgorod, and seemingly ensure that Leningrad will be safe for the foreseeable future.

[EUBanana]

The southern front seems shored up a bit but not enough. Especially as the Germans have an O-chit they can use in the summer still. I'm weirdly averse to O-chits, they cost so much I'm paranoid about wasting them.

But Kharkov is a fortress the Germans can't seem to quite get through which is why they are strung out in this long line. Hmm. Maybe Germany should try an O-chit to take that when the weather turns good?

I'll have to read up on what the air o-chit does given the Luftwaffe still bombs at will here.



It's quite sad really, basically in 1941 the Germans moved up to Dnepropeptrovsk and sat there for a year. Then in 1942, which seemed like a good year to me, they made it as far as this. A year gets you ... six hexes. [:D]

[EUBanana]

Also what is this super unit of Brazilian killers?

They need to get to the Med asap and drive all before them. If only there was a transport for them!