It Takes A Village to Raze a Village

[rkr1958]

Turn 13. February 16, 1940. Axis. Japan. Central Chinese Front.

1. A bit of reshuffling and a couple of attritional attacks by Japan on the front.
2. Japan got the worse of the attritional attacks losing 1 step (total) and inflicting none.

[rkr1958]

Turn 13. February 16, 1940. Axis. Japan. Southern Chinese Front.

1. Nanning is (finally) captured this turn!
2. I would like to say that it was my genius of the attack sequence I use to accomplished this but some sure-fire dumb luck I think came into play.
3. The luck was on the air attack sequence I employed.
4. First though, the CV Soryu was sent to dry dock in Pakhoi and reinforced from 5 to 7 steps for 35 MPPs. Of course this ground Soryu's air group this turn.
5. The air attack sequence I decided on for attacking Nanning was to attack first with the CV Akagi, CV Kaga and CVL Zuhio. I've noticed lately that they haven't inflicted any losses but heck hopefully they're helping out some other way in addition to gaining experience.
6. So the first CV air group goes in and is intercepted by a Chinese fighter group. They do battle, the CV air group may, or may not have lost a step, and then attacks Nanning inflicting no losses.
7. I learned something I assume/think. That is, a CV air group fights their own air-to-air battles even with a friendly and ready ground fighter unit nearby. The bottom line, which has significance later on, it that the Japanese fighter unit wasn't used up counter-intercepting the Chinese fighter group as it would have been if I had led off the air attacks with a ground naval air unit.
8. The 2 CV and 1 CVL air attacks inflicted no step losses on the Chinese Nanning defender. I assume (hope) that they maybe soften it up more in addition to the carrier air groups gaining experience.
9. The carrier air attacks were followed by air attacks by the two ground base naval air units. These managed, if I recall, to reduce the Nanning defending corps by 2-steps.
10. The air attacks were followed up by ground attacks by 5 Japanese corps/armies. The last two took the defending Chinese corps from 6 to 1-step.
11. DANG!!! I missed getting Nanning by 1-step. But wait. What about the Japanese fighter group. Worth a try. And sure enough it took that final step off and shattered the defending corps.
12. Also, fortunately the SNLF had the action points left to be able to move in and capture Nanning.

[rkr1958]

Turn 13. February 16, 1940. Axis. MPPs.

[rkr1958]

Turn 15. March 15, 1940. Axis. MAS Report.

[rkr1958]

Turn 15. March 15, 1940. Axis. Germany. Decision Event. Operation Wesenbung.

Yes.

[rkr1958]

Turn 15. March 15, 1940. Axis. The Western Front.

1. New Units (Germany): (1) SG1 TAC, (2) 5th Pz corps
2. Sitzkrieg has set in especially given the late winter/early spring weather.
3. Amazing how quickly German MPPs go. Almost entire turn budget spend of 3 upgrades (3rd & 4th Pz corps & StG TAC).
4. Italians reinforce I Corps up to 10-steps for 15 MPPs, 1st Sq FTRs also up to 10-steps for 27 MPPs and 1st Med bombers by 1-step up to 7-steps for 15 MPPs.

[rkr1958]

Turn 15. March 15, 1940. Axis. The Med.

1. Italians get and deploy their new Axiom Sub adjacent to Syracuse.
2. Italy reinforces Leonard da Vinci Sub (Palermo) to full strength (10-steps) for 15 MPPs.
3. So Italy's entire war budget used this turn for reinforcement of land, air and naval units.

[rkr1958]

Turn 15. March 15, 1940. Axis. Italy. East Africa.

[rkr1958]

Turn 15. March 15, 1940. Axis. Battle of the Atlantic (1/4).

1. RN final arrives off the coast of South Africa and takes a couple of steps of off the Adm Graf Spee.
2. Adm Graf Spee order to hold position and continue their blockage of Cape Town.

[rkr1958]

Turn 15. March 15, 1940. Axis. Battle of the Atlantic (2/4).

1. RN and French navy manage to take another step off of U-32 and keep the sub on the defensive (i.e., silent)
2. U-32 stays silent with the mission to escape from the allied navy and look for safer hunting grounds or possibly even return to port for rest, refit and upgrade.

[rkr1958]

Turn 15. March 15, 1940. Axis. Battle of the Atlantic (3/4).

1. U-35 is also on the run/defensive from the allied navies.
2. U-35 remains silent with the goal of not only evading but losing the allied ships.
3. Then it can return to hunting for and sinking allied convoys.

[rkr1958]

Turn 15. March 15, 1940. Axis. Battle of the Atlantic (4/4).

(1) U-30 took a bit of damage from the RN and continues to run on silent mode as it makes it way into the North Sea headed for Kiel.
(2) U-35 enters the North Channel on it's way to the hunting grounds for allied convoys.

[rkr1958]

Turn 15. March 15, 1940. Japan. Manchuria. Northern China.

1. The swap out of garrisons for corps and armies in Manchuria continues.
2. Japan moves two corps adjacent to Seishina for transport to southern/central China next turn.
3. After these two corps are moved out this leaves the 3rd Army, XIII and XVIII corps to be swapped out for garrisons.
4. Two of those garrison are on the map, which are the 18th just transported to Seishina and the 17th just deployed to Osaka.
5. This leaves Japan with the requirement to build at least 1 more garrison.
6. However, Japan spent their remaining MPPs this turn to purchase a heavy artillery unit. I debated (with myself) over what they should be building but in other wargames that I play buying (more) artillery is generally a good strategy.

[rkr1958]

Turn 15. March 15, 1940. Japan. Southern & Central Chinese Fronts.

1. These two fronts, if not already, will soon be merged.
2. The Chinese conceded the Kalan pass, I assume to move to better (i.e., worse) weather for defense.
3. Japanese forces both in the south and central China pressed forward.
4. In Central China, Japans Central Expedition Army managed to take 5 steps off the Chinese Field corps in a single attack.
5. I did learning something, which I probably should have know. The max that a unit can be reinforce is limited by supply (I think?). I tried to reinforce the units that had lost 1 or 2 steps (down to 8 or 9) but wasn't able.

[rkr1958]

Turn 15. March 15, 1940. Axis. MPPs.

[rkr1958]

Turn 17. April 12, 1940. Decision Event. Bribe Denmark into Collaboration.

Yes.

[rkr1958]

Turn 17. April 12, 1940. Battle of the Atlantic (1/3).

1. Adm Graf Spee takes near mortal damage.
2. Time to flee.
3. Ordered to Italian East Africa.
4. Good luck.

[rkr1958]

Turn 17. April 12, 1940. Battle of the Atlantic (2/3).

1. U-32 lost 2 more steps to allied navies.
2. Remains on the defensive and looking to escape/lose his pursuers.
3. After that, it's a long journey back for rest, refit and reinforcement.

[rkr1958]

Turn 17. April 12, 1940. Battle of the Atlantic (3/3).

1. U-30 makes his way to the Dogger Bank and his way back to Kiel for much needed repairs and upgrades.
2. To the west, U-35 enters the North Channel and is on the hunt for allied convoys. He's the only vessel actively hunting for convoys.
3. To the south, U-47 enters St George's Channel but makes contact with the RN. U-47 dives.

[rkr1958]

Turn 17. April 12, 1940. The Western Front.

1. Hopefully this is the last turn of Sitzkrieg.
2. Germany expends their entire MPP budget this turn on reinforcements and upgrades.
3. (Another) Live and Learn. Was moving units around bit in the north in order to get the German Pz corps deployed last turn on the border with the Netherlands. Something which I did accomplish. However, in making room I moved the 1st FJR, which was in prepare mode, 1-hex southeast and apparently they though they'd been order to make a training jump in the rain, which they did. I got a message saying they'd taken jump causalities (or something like that), which as far as I can see they didn't? Also, and probably more significantly, they went off of prepare mode and won't be able to jump next turn.