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The Japanese situation is just constantly deteriorating on land, I think the Axis probably foobed due to Japan being kicked about. This stack is going to be overrun this turn almost certainly.

The CW Blenheim in North Africa successfully ground strikes an Italian TERR near Homs.

The Soviets move in. The German MOT by Smolensk is looking a bit exposed... down south in the sunny bit southeast of Kiev, the Russians are aware of the danger there as the Germans are stacking up. So the Russians do as well, as best they can. They've got quite a deep defence there themselves, but the Luftwaffe has a major presence, big battle coming I think...

The Wehrmacht has 0 engineers on the eastern front atm, which isn't good right now! An oversight I think, they would be super useful about now.

The CW futz around with Malaya a bit (the Thai 'invasion' was a pretty bad idea from the Japanese, one of many bad ideas. The CW got a whole bunch of Indian reinforcements a couple of turns ago and promptly shipped them over, the tables turned fast). Singapore isn't going to be an easy nut to crack either, it's the Gibraltar of the East. Right now Japan simply doesn't have the manpower I think given their dire situation in China, which needs reinforcements like, NOW.

CW also closes in a bit on Libya.

Now the Japanese economy is coming along they can crank out a fair bit of militia and I think stabilise the situation in China... but it's gonna get worse before it gets better.

The Japanese choose blitzkrieg to try and reduce losses, and they get what they want. Shattered, but China forces a retreat instead. 'no, you can't get away'... or can they?

Mao reorgs the Red Chinese, and his troops keep hot on the heels of the forced back Japanese.

The turn doesn't end, the Axis thank God. They want a stab at getting over the Dnieper first.

The Italians take a combined, they want another crack at the CW fleet in West Med, but they also want to redeploy their army which is sitting by the Turkish border. While a fair old size I don't think it's anywhere near big enough for a quick knockout blow on Turkey, they need to capture Istanbul and Ankara both to do that, Ankara looks super hard to take.

So a combined, to have at it with the navy but also move some of these guys Greecewards.

Rommel in this war doesn't get to complain about supply unduly in 1942, as a whole mass of stores are made available for his use on the Dnieper...

Japan takes a combined, there are some DIVs to get ashore and I need to run the invasion of Shanghai. I perhaps shoud've done a naval last turn, moved more stuff, and done a land this turn but oh well, I think all the key stuff will happen.

It's near the end of the turn probably so Japan goes for a port attack on Batavia, because why not. It's far from the full Kido Butai (oil problems...) but Tromp gets blown away so it wasn't such a bad idea.

Italy get their chance at glorious naval combat - there are some subs in the eastern Med to take out the convoy point there, the fleet in the western med, well, they'd love to take out the CW AMPH and keep Malta cut off.

Seems highly unlikely but you never know.

The fleet is so mismatched in gun power this could end real badly for the CW... or not, as the CW have carriers.

The CW has had diabolical luck in this game so far. We have another example of that now...

The Axis roll a 1. The CW roll a 9. This is gonna hurt.

After the surprise points are spent on forcing a surface combat, it looks like the RN cruisers are probably about to take another ferocious beating in order to save the AMPH supplying Malta, not to mention the juicy RN carriers...

As suspected...

Royal Navy return fire damages and aborts the Impero, and aborts the CL Bari.

The RN has to linger to get that AMPH through, surely the Axis cant be this lucky twice. In a naval air combat the RN has the advantage.

I was gonna just avoid if the RN won the search but... as the tables are turned. Revenge seems possible.

I read somewhere advice that the CW should always be daring, so... ok, naval air combat on.

The Ju-87 on the Aquila is unable to fend off any CW bombers, they all get through escorted by the Gladiators.

Remaining surprise points go on reducing vicious AA fire, the end result is lowest 1 of 3, and that's a 2. Lucky Swordfish.

1 destroyed 2 aborted, CW has first pick.

Aquila goes to Davy Jone's Locker! I think that's the first Italian capital ship sunk.

There's another search roll, the Allies avoid combat, don't think this should be pushed.

No combat in the Eastern Med.

Back to the Eastern Front, and the Luftwaffe make air strikes around the Dnieper. The Russians scramble 2 fighters, the Germans have only twin engine fighters to hold them off...

Though as it happens it looks like the BF110s do their job admirably.

Needn't have bothered, mind, as th ebombers don't hit a bean.

Even with the o-chit the odds are not amazing. After the air support dust has settled (both sides commit everything), it looks like this.