Turn 24. Jul/Aug 1943. Axis #1.
HR 26. Battle of the Atlantic. (G 2141)
The following applies to Germany and Italy when active and prior to 1944.
Each MP prior to 1944 when active must build and/or repair a minimum of 3 or max possible subs per turn. Also, German & Italian subs get top priority for oiling during use oil prior to 1944.
Until Germany has taken a combine or naval action in a given turn, they must take one on the current axis impulse or successfully defer taking it. The choice to attempt to defer is voluntary and may be deferred if D10 >= U+S+A, U = # U-boat flotillas that threaten any sea area containing 6 or more CPs, S = # sea areas threaten containing 6 or more CPs and no escorting SCS in the 0-box and A = actual # of the current axis impulse of the given turn (i.e., 1,2,3,4, …). Threaten means a chance to find given weather and fight a sub or surface action against the 0-box. Escorting SCS means any SCS that could be included in a sub or surface combat.
- 01-AX-GER-BOA-Action.png (22.14 KiB) Viewed 299 times
- 01-AX-Actions-Weather.png (17.99 KiB) Viewed 299 times
The modified HR 26, “Battle of the Atlantic”, requiring Germany to take at least 1 combine/naval per turn was (re)written at the start of turn 20 (ND42), which is 4 turns and 1 impulse ago.
I rewrote HR 26 with a probabilistic equation that attempts to force Germany to take their one required combine/naval per turn early in the turn; especially if the axis move first on their first impulse, when allied convoys are at their most vulnerable.
Since that time axis subs have sunk 20 Western Allied CPs and aborted 17. That’s 30% of the total 69 Western Allied sunk so far this war (game) and 37.8% of the total 45 aborted. I’d say the modified HR 26 is achieving what I wanted in attempting to replicate BOA losses.
What I didn’t expect from HR 26 was the impact of such a forced combine/naval would have on, and the naval battles fought over, allied supply in the Med, Middle East, East Africa and Southern USSR.
As the German player, I was bemoaning the impact this turn of the certain and required combine for German. Specifically the impact of constraining land moves on the Eastern Front and in Italy. The fact that German would have only 6 land moves for all these forces and not the unlimited moves that would have come with a land action. What I didn’t expect was the incredible opportunity that Germany got on the Eastern Front, especially in the Caucasus vs Wavell’s BEF because of this combine. In fact, if not forced to do so I would not have taken this combine as Germany even if I had analyzed such an opportunity, because of the low probability chance. But, HR 26 FORCED Germany to take the high risk, high gain opportunity that this combine presented.
I have to say that this impulse was a very fun one filled with lots of action and intrigue. I initially thought that with a German combine, Japanese naval and Italy completely defeated that this impulse would be mostly uneventful except for some possible allied CP losses that the Western Allies would easily replace on their impulse. Boy, was I wrong!
I hope you can sit back and enjoy this impulse as much as I did as it unfolded. Goes to show you that even in solitary, MWIF can surprise you!
By the way, Germany's, Vichy's & Japan's naval moves are shown above and I won't repeat them here. We now move to naval combat.
