Solitaire game starting late '42

[EUBanana]

Well, in the north it doesn't go that well at all... a bit of a push, into the mire.

[EUBanana]

The only actual success...

Might be enough to push a bit at least.

[EUBanana]

I was kinda bummed for the Fuhrer in that turn (as much as I was bummed for FDR) but to be honest, after the dust has settled and Manstein has done his cheap reorg, it doesn't look so bad. That's a big punch to the middle of the line aroudn Kursk, and even in the north, after the reorging, pushing the Soviets back a hex seriously exposed some units to followup attacks.

Coulda been better, coulda been worse.

[EUBanana]

Well... it's the Allies go.

CW take a land, US take a combined, USSR land, CHina land.

The interesting thing to me, as I flail cluelessly with the naval combat system, is that the US situation isn't that bad at all now. It's as was said - a reserve is a good thing. And the IJN has largely shot its bolt in holding off the Coral Sea, which they did do, but still.

I do need to have the US capture Homs so Tripoli can fall this turn though, hence the combined.

In any case. Now the IJN used its CVs, the US gets to use its CVs, and moves them to the Marianas, to link up with the cruisers. There's a MAR sitting on Tarawa, and cruisers on the west coast have a couple of MAR-divs, so I move those to Honolulu, where they arrive disorganised - but reorganisable by Nimitz. It seems to me that a second invasion this turn can happen in the Marianas and much of the IJ fleet is used, even with the reorgs (lingering int he Coral Sea seems to be a worse move, actually, so that error isnt much of an error).

There's a tussle as the IJ do have a lot of LBA covering that sea zone but I think they will decline to combat as they didn't roll well enough to get their fighters into play, and a Nell vs fighters is going to be a dead Nell.

[EUBanana]

Unfortunately this really isn't going Japans way. They don't have enough surprise points to avoid it totally.

The Americans put up a fair bit of CAP, and the Nell is brushed off.

And the Japanese AA roll is as bad as it gets.

At least the Nell aborted and wasn't shot down.

[EUBanana]

Well thats a bit of a pickle.

The 'be bombed more maybe, or run away' decision. Running away lets the US have a completely free hand, might still be able to scrape up a proper response to this.

I think the IJ will risk another bombing... and pray to the Emprah.

[EUBanana]

And the Americans roll a 1 on the search roll. Absolute disaster for the Japanese. Well... at least its only cruisers I suppose.

They even fail every single armour roll. The cruisers get wiped off the Earth.

[EUBanana]

Heh. The Japanese just want nothing to happen, so they can reinforce their cruisers with the CVs that got reorged, and link up with the LBA they deployed.

They just don't get a break. The US don't find them, but the Japanese do pass the search roll. Yet again, not enough to actually avoid combat. So for a third thime they get bombed.

This time their LBA got involved at least, and they bounced off the 2 box of the US. But, due a 15 on an air to air roll, their Zero got aborted. So.... t here's not much point any more, the LBA just got neutered.

So... they kinda give up, I guess and slink back to Truk minus a few cruisers.

Ages ago, playing solitaire for a long time, a single German uboat pretty much destroyed the entire convoy force in the Faeroes Gap as they just could not fail a search roll and just kept on attacking. Getting memories of that... Sometimes nothing happens. Sometimes its like they are stuck together like magnets.

[EUBanana]

A combined action means quite a lot of air too, so the Americans turn their eyes to strategic bombing the Ruhr again. Rather than spread everything out like I did last time there was a lot of strat bombing, this time they pick one target and really do a number on it, or try to.

[EUBanana]

Yeah, no. Allied strategic bombing has been pretty dismal in this war so far, despite a lot of investment.

Shoulda bought Essexes instead...

[EUBanana]

It's not just the US air force having a hard time. CW attempts to soften up Tripoli also come adrift.

The CW does lack tactical bombers though, which is a shame given the Mossies are so good. When they finally arrive.

[EUBanana]

The Russians get to reorganise their front again... and thanks to their much thicker front line they seem to be able to do that pretty well. Kursk itself is pretty much surrounded, but Manstein's breakout has a wall of Soviets around it.

[EUBanana]

The Russians counterattack that exposed 12 factor SS panzer corps...

Germany scrambles defensive intercept, the Russians shoot down its escort, a very nice Bf110...

[EUBanana]

I assumed this would be a blitzkrieg as they had more ARM + MECH... apparently not.

This could be pretty disastrous, as it was it just flipped them all. 'just'. It did take the elite SS off the board though which was the point.

I don't like to have the Russians just sit there and get pounded and pounded again.

[EUBanana]

The CW debarks some troops onto Italy and Libya. Wavell finally makes it across the mountain. The Med has been swept clear of Axis.

Maybe next turn is when Field Marshal Haig tries to move his drinks cabinet six inches closer to Rome.

[Angeldust2]

ORIGINAL: EUBanana
I assumed this would be a blitzkrieg as they had more ARM + MECH... apparently not.

No, SU had not more ARM than GE, both had exactly just one ARM. If one side has ARM, MECH will not even be taken into account.

[EUBanana]

ORIGINAL: Angeldust2

ORIGINAL: EUBanana
I assumed this would be a blitzkrieg as they had more ARM + MECH... apparently not.

No, SU had not more ARM than GE, both had exactly just one ARM. If one side has ARM, MECH will not even be taken into account.

Ah, I assumed it was MECH counts as a half. So SU had 1.5 and GER had 1.

I guess that makes ARM a lot more important than I assumed...

[EUBanana]

Well, it's the Axis go. They all take land actions - even Japan. I was pondering engaging the Americans with their reorged carriers, but its not actually from a position of superiority but slight inferiority due all the LBA being aborted in that cruiser massacre. And they have other things to do in the Philippines, may as well get to it.

First off, some light bombing on the Eastern Front...

The terrible luck that has dogged the Russian airforce all war is still a thing.

[EUBanana]

And in Italy, the Italian airforce does a rare ground strike. Now with lots of fully stacked hexes in that tight little area by Rome, it's becoming an attractive target for bombers, though this is basically the Italian airforce entire (aside from the Sparvieros).

[EUBanana]

Bombing and shelling up by Pskov...