STBP 1943-45 devoncop (Axis) vs warspite1 (CW) - no devoncop please

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

Hey warspite dude....I just now re-read your entire AAR and it seems that you landed at the same
port on the mainland that Brian did and the reason you're further north is that devoncop started
building his MLR further north then I did but that's okay. It's probably what I should have done
after reading about your supply problems. Brian and I are playing the new version of the
scenario so that might make our game a little bit different from yours maybe.

I'm enjoying your AAR a lot and thanks for taking the time to do it. I appreciate it a lot.

warspite1

Ditto [8D]

[warspite1]

Turn 65
12th September 1943

A really rubbish turn on my part. I spent more of it trying to get the two 'ghost' divisions out of the way. I intended to set up a barrage with my artillery but it didn't work that way. I've probably lost a recon unit as a result. Dumb play.....

[warspite1]

Turn 66
13th September 1943

Having got plenty of artillery reinforcements I decide to go on the offensive.

The 9th Armoured Brigade spearheads the attack supported by a battalion of the 17th Infantry Brigade and a battalion of Kings Dragoon Guards. All artillery and air power (4 squadrons of RAF bombers) are brought in to support the attack against a battalion of German troops.

[warspite1]

Turn 66
13th September 1943

Having softened up the Axis forces with two rounds of bombardment, the forecast for the attack was Excellent with light losses. The German battalion suffers pretty high casualties - mostly destroyed - losing almost all its infantry, soft skin vehicles, trucks - most of its tanks and a third of its assault guns. However it refuses to yield ground. In return the British lose less than a dozen squads of all types and a similar number of vehicles.

But in the air its a different story; the Allied air forces numbered:
Fighters - 350
Bombers - 78

Luftwaffe brought in
Fighters - 59

The result? The Germans lose 8 aircraft (4 destroyed) while the Allies lose 17 (3 destroyed)....

The British continue the attack and this time the German battalion - with 4 MkIII panzers and 19 assault guns remaining - withdraws. The British losses are minimal and the 9th Armoured Brigade advances alone - into some pretty serious opposition....

[warspite1]

Turn 67 - Axis Turn
14th September 1943

The Germans make a fight of it northwest of Cosenza. A regiment of tanks and a battalion of paratroopers - supported by 2 artillery regiments and some panzergrenadiers - attack the exposed 9th Armoured Brigade. The British tankers are supported by 3 artillery regiments from the British 5th and 50th and the Canadian 1st Divisions. 454 Squadron RAF are also vectored in to provide support with their Baltimores.

Losses are not dissimilar - the British lose 29 tanks while the Germans lose 28 tanks and assault guns.

[warspite1]

Turn 67 - Axis Turn
14th September 1943

After the firefight the Germans launched two bombardments. The first, targeting the 168th Infantry Brigade and the 1st British Army Group Royal Artillery (AGRA), featured 197 bombers supported by 141 fighters. The Allies responded with 290 fighters. The British losses on the ground included 14 squads of all types and 19 large guns. The Germans lost half that number of artillery pieces and negligible infantry casualties in the counter-battery fire. But in the air the Allies get their own back - costing the Axis 38 aircraft (13 destroyed) against 12 of their own (2 destroyed).

The final action was a bombardment of the overstacked town of Cosenza. British and Canadian losses were remarkably light considering the stupid extent to which I overstacked the town [8|]

[warspite1]

Turn 67
14th September 1943

The movement cost off road is penal in this landscape and so there is little room for the British/Canadians to make their numbers count.

I launch a couple of bombardments before switching my attention to the panzer unit that previously attacked my armour.

Despite the presence of so much artillery and air force, the Germans inflict major losses on the British once again.

[warspite1]

Turn 68 - Axis Turn
15th September 1943

The Germans limit their turn to three bombardments of the exposed 138th British Brigade north of Cosenza. The infantry really take one for the team here with large losses of rifle squads and other equipment.

[warspite1]

Turn 68
15th September 1943

I have to try and force a breakthrough. Ideally I want to attack the enemy position on my left flank as I want the road - rather than the right flank and more mountains. For Round 1 I set in place more bombardments...

[warspite1]

Turn 68
15th September 1943

In yet another display of frightening ineptitude, it appears I attacked the coastal road rather than just bombard it.

The 169th Infantry Brigade actually forced the defenders back too! Yeah...ahem.... that was he plan all along....

Sadly this effort has sapped the British strength, there is only 20% of the turn left and few artillery units....

With my units so tightly packed (and so a magnet for bombardment) I have little choice but to keep going. My last attack is in the centre against the enemy panzers.

Only my air units show - rather than any land combat. I've managed to inflict some damage but this is a very powerful division. So while the attack cost the Germans:

2 x PzKwIII
6 x PzkwIV
6 x Panthers, and
2 x assault guns

he still has 163 tanks and assault guns here.

What turned out to be just a bombardment also cost the Luftwaffe 8 fighters (4 destroyed) against the Allies 5 aircraft (2 destroyed).

So by no means a bad turn, but its difficult to see a way through, and unless I can get some supplies to the US force on the east of the peninsular, there will be no help coming from that quarter either....

[warspite1]

Turn 69 - Axis Turn
16th September 1943

Yet more bombardment pain handed out. But there really is no alternative but to press on.

[warspite1]

Turn 69
16th September 1943

Supplies or no supplies, I slowly move the US forces forward on the east coast to try and relieve the pressure. There is still some way to go before the rail line is running, and if this doesn't cure the supply issue then I am totally stuffed.

After a wholly ineffectual round of bombardment I throw everything at the panzers once more....

[warspite1]

Turn 69
16th September 1943

I manage to push the panzers back but only advance with a weak recce unit. I don't have sufficient movement to then help this unit out. I am left to bombard the panzers for the next 2 rounds as I can't attack either.

The interdiction strikes are crippling but I have to hope that these losses are unsustainable (see circled stat). I still have no idea whether I am interdicting the enemy - I have to assume I am but I still get absolutely no announcements on this....

[warspite1]

Turn 70 - Axis Turn
17th September 1943

On the east of the Calabrian peninsular the Germans and US forces meet up. The Germans limit themselves to four expensive bombardments that sends much of the British forces into reorganisation. The units trying to push up the west coast receive brutal treatment.

With no supply, a seemingly ineffective air force and no room for manoeuvre, its difficult to see a way through.

[warspite1]

Turn 70
17th September 1943

After just one round of bombardment my units fail a proficiency check and the turn ends. The reorganised units have no choice but to sit there and take what is coming - which is going to be painful. Despite the entire US 12th Bomber Group on interdiction it would appear not a single aircraft flew - there are no losses for either side. German aircraft seem to interdict my forces at will but not the other way around. Ho hum.

[700851McCall]

Maybe you should halt the advance until supply catches up?

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: 700851McCall

Maybe you should halt the advance until supply catches up?

warspite1

I did. The US forces did not move for ages but regardless supply did not improve at all. I can only hope that its the broken rail line causing this - but I don't know for certain. The problem is that repairing the rail line will take forever. I think devoncop's idea to defend further north appears like an excellent one as the Allies have simply out-run their supplies....

[warspite1]

Turn 71
18th September 1943

The German artillery is devastating. I will try a little longer to try and force a breakthrough but otherwise I'll just have to retreat again.


Plenty of artillery....

[warspite1]

Turn 71
18th September 1943

That's weird. The only results that show up are for Allied aircraft - 6 bombers lost (2 destroyed) but no land units - and indeed the land units that took part don't even appear on the Loss Report.

The Germans retreat at least....

[warspite1]

Turn 72
19th September 1943

I concede defeat. The losses to Axis bombardment are simply not sustainable and outstrip replacements.

I decide to withdraw all along the front and await the repair of the railroads in the hope that this improves the awful supply situation (pictured).

In withdrawing I lost a number of units to engagement and these will no doubt be swallowed up, however, to stay where they were was murder anyway - and with no chance of breaking through.

I don't know how long it will take to repair the rail line to the front - or even if this will solve the supply issues - but its not going to be a quick repair job in any case. I have two rail repair units and they are very good - repairing a hex pretty much every turn, but the six army engineer units perhaps repair a rail hex once every 5 turns.