Campaign For North Africa 40D-43

[warspite1]

Turn 7 - Royal Navy
1st January 1941

The Dockyard strike continues....

Proficiency (P), Readiness (R) Supply (S)

Battleships
HMS Valiant - P 80% - R 82% - S 82%
HMS Barham - P 80% - R 82% - S 82%

Cruisers
HMS York - P 80% - R 82% - Supply 82%
HMS Fiji - P 80% - R 82% - Supply 82%
HMS Dido - P 80% - R 100% - Supply 100%
HMS Euryalus - P 80% - R 100% - Supply 100%
HMS Arethusa - P 80% - R 100% - Supply 100%


Destroyers and others
HMS Bedouin - P 80% - R 91% - S 91%
HMS Marne - P 80% - R 91% - S 91%
HMS Lance - P 81% - R 96% - S 96%
HMS Ledbury - P 80% - R 96% - S 96%
HMS Partridge - P 81% - R 96% - S 96%
HMS Mohawk - P 80% - R 100% - S 100%
HMS Nubian - P 80% - R 100% - S 100%
HMS Jervis - P 80% - R 100% - S 100%
HMS Airedale - P 80% - R 100% - S 100%

At some point I think Admiral Cunningham will just need to head out regardless. With the 6th Australians reorganising, it might be that that time has come. He decides to keep a force back for the assault on Tobruk, but will sail with half his force to assist the defence of Bardia.

Bardia Bombardment Force: HM Ships Barham, Dido, Euryalus, Jervis, Mohawk, Nubian, Airedale. The ships come under attack from the air - Collishaw really needs to do something about this air issue.

[warspite1]

Turn 7 - The Royal Air Force (and Royal Australian Air Force)
1st January 1941

The words and figures differ... When I look at the air unit report there are two units not showing as reorganising - but they appear to be (denoted by the orange bar) on the map.

[warspite1]

Turn 7 - The Royal Air Force (and Royal Australian Air Force)
1st January 1941

The Gladiators are showing as bombers so I will switch their role to combat support. Collishaw can provide O'Connor with no fighter cover this turn.

[warspite1]

Turn 7 - The Nile Delta
1st January 1941

O'Connor pleads with Wavell for the release of more troops or the attack is in danger of stalling.

Wavell is able to offer:

2nd Armoured Division
2nd Armoured Division HQ
1st Armoured Brigade HQ
3rd Royal Tank Regiment
4th Hussars

3rd Armoured Brigade HQ
5th Royal Tank Regiment
Kings Dragoon Guards

2nd Support Group HQ
1st Tower Hamlets Rifles
1st Rangers
102nd Northumberland Hussars AT Regiment
2nd Royal Horse Artillery

XIII Corps
XIII Corps HQ
2nd Heavy AA Regiment
51st Field Artillery
1st Royal Horse Artillery
104th Royal Horse Artillery

Two units are placed aboard trains to take them to Mersuh Matruh. Along the route they are attacked repeatedly by Italian aircraft.... this is going to be a long, slow, painful reinforcement process....

The 2nd New Zealand Division is still forming, but the Polish Brigade are ready at least.

Polish Brigade
Polish Brigade HQ
1st Battalion
2nd Battalion
3rd Battalion
Kopanski MG Battalion
1st Cavalry Regiment
1st Polish AT Battalion
1st Polish Artillery Regiment

The Poles too come under massive air attack while travelling along the coastal road as far as El Daba.

[Tamas]

The Air War Panel updates "real-time" if I remember correctly, while the Air Report is start of the turn.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Tamas

The Air War Panel updates "real-time" if I remember correctly, while the Air Report is start of the turn.

warspite1

Interestingly as soon as I started moving my land units the Air Panel information changed. This now shows that the Italians have 1% interdiction as opposed to the CW's 0%. As you say this must be real time. If so then those air attacks have cost the Italians another 24 aircraft.

[warspite1]

Turn 7 - 7th Armoured Division
1st January 1941

So what is the state of Major-General Creagh's 7th Armoured? The current order of battle and overall situation is as follows:

[warspite1]

Turn 7 - 70th Infantry and other units
1st January 1941

The northern arm of the proposed pincer are in slightly better shape, but this is not going to be a turn full of attacks....

[warspite1]

Turn 7 - Round 1 to 10
1st January 1941

The turn was limited to shore bombardment against the Libyans bearing down on Bardia, and the removal of the Sabratha Division - which went perfectly. All other troops are hopefully recovering. During the turn the Italian air force was once again worryingly active....

[Olorin]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Two units are placed aboard trains to take them to Mersuh Matruh. Along the route they are attacked repeatedly by Italian aircraft.... this is going to be a long, slow, painful reinforcement process....

The Poles too come under massive air attack while travelling along the coastal road as far as El Daba.

Once you have Bardia, you'll be able to move some units by sea from Alexandria. Unless the AI switches to Sea Interdiction, you'll be safe.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Olorin

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Two units are placed aboard trains to take them to Mersuh Matruh. Along the route they are attacked repeatedly by Italian aircraft.... this is going to be a long, slow, painful reinforcement process....

The Poles too come under massive air attack while travelling along the coastal road as far as El Daba.

Once you have Bardia, you'll be able to move some units by sea from Alexandria. Unless the AI switches to Sea Interdiction, you'll be safe.

warspite1

That's good to know thank-you [:)]

[warspite1]

Turn 7 - Axis Turn
1st January 1941

It was a relatively incident free turn for the Italians too, although there air force is really starting to cheese me off [&:]
[:D]

[larryfulkerson]

You could move a low-budget ship first to test out the sea int possibility
before you move your high-value items via sea.

I must say....I absolutely love your AAR. It's a LOT better than any I've
been putting out. Bravo.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

You could move a low-budget ship first to test out the sea int possibility
before you move your high-value items via sea.

warspite1

Thanks - that's sensible, I'll try that - I moved Barham first - what a schmuck [8|]

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

I must say....I absolutely love your AAR. It's a LOT better than any I've
been putting out. Bravo.

warspite1

I think you are selling yourself a little short [;)]

[warspite1]

Turn 8
4th January 1941

The train to Mersa Matruh continues to send 2nd Armoured Division replacements from the Nile Delta as fast as possible, while the Poles continue their march west. The Kiwi's are still forming.

Good news - there were no air attacks this time around.


Ships, Feet and Automobiles. The Polish Carpathian Brigade preparing to board trucks to take them west.

[warspite1]

Turn 8
4th January 1941

Having been told to head east toward Mersah Matruh, the 9th Australian have been ordered to head west once more due to the build up of Italian units south of Bardia. The airfield at Fort Capuzzo and the small port at Sollum have come under threat from the newly arrived Sirte Division.

[warspite1]

Turn 8 - Rounds 1-7
4th January 1941

The next phase of the operation begins with the Australians of 6th Division. The Libyan units that had been on the receiving end of the pounding dished out by HMS Barham's 15-inch guns crumble when attacked. They fall back in disarray and suddenly the position of the Sirte Division is not at all good.

The Australians attack southwards in two columns - the left flank led by the 5th Battalion and the right by the 6th Cavalry Regiment. The Right flank then halts while the left pushes on in concert with the 5th Battalion coming up from Fort Capuzzo. The cavalry then gets underway again, but sadly its follow-up attacks are in insufficient strength and the Italians are able to retreat.

[warspite1]

Turn 8 - Rounds 1-7
4th January 1941

The position of the Cirene and Marmarcia Divisions has also taken a turn for the worse. O'Connor orders an artillery barrage to precede an attack by the 6th Royal Tank Regiment against the weakest part of the line. The 6th RTR then punches through the gap. The left wing of the Italian position is totally unhinged and begins to collapse in on itself.

[warspite1]

Turn 8 - Rounds 8-10
4th January 1941

The turn ends. As usual I can't do a summary. I think the attack south of Bardia went well and resulted in retreat, but do not think the attack in the south was as successful. We shall see.....


That was a goooood turn