Spain & Med - Sept / Oct & Nov / Dec 1940
(3rd Impulse played, 5# for End of Turn computing)
Before July / August ended the British garrison in Gibraltar attacked the SS Division in Tangier.
The hopes that the bait could cripple the Brits in an attack across the strait were overly generous, and the Brits, for how unable to forfill more operations destroyed the defenders of Tangier, still not showing any interest in occupying the city.
The Germans pour down in Spain and prepare to attack Portugal.
Italian submarines and airplanes move in to hunt convoys in Cape St. Vincent, grand clash occur.
The UK sends in reinforcements, Carriers and Spitfire scrambling from Gibraltar.
Both precious Italian NAVs have been shot down in the encounter, and one submarine damaged; the Royal Navy suffered the loss of 2 light cruisers and some sent to the repair docks; the Spanish Chirri too was shot down by the machine gunners of the Sparviero.
It seems it is grand season of hunt for the Royal Navy, operating in both Eastern and Western Med, sinking 3 Italian Convoy Points and 1 Light cruiser, isolating the resources in Algeria and Cyprus. The efforts of the Luftwaffe to keep the Royal Navy honest have been easily foiled (by the rolls!).
In the while the German forces invaded Portugal as well, and the Kriegsmarine arrived (not exactly safely, and shrunk of a few cruisers) at Bordeaux, a raid at the Faroes Gap was not blessed with success and the Royal Navy retaliation left the german navy even more crippled than before (Accounting one of their battlecruisers was damaged in the surprise turn).
But the hour of Gibraltar approaches. The High Command had to review plans, since the Italian NAVs they relied upon to disrupt the supplies have been eliminated, and the other NAVs are operating in the other sector of the Med for other plans (Namely, Greece - considering in '41 they get an extra MNT!).
Meanwhile a long term plan was set in action (To produce more Land Bombers and try to carpet bomb to death Gibraltar!) Hitler tasks Goering to cover The Rock with bombs.
And that exactly happens, the Germans masses about 15 bombing factors in a ground strike, and about the same for ground support; Von Rundstedt leading the assault personally, with a bold Regia Marina sailing out en mass to provide support with the big caliber guns of the battleships. (That is where we saved!)
In the while in Balkans the Germans started to assault Sofia with the help of Romanians, in the openings of september the Bulgarian defenders got whittled down some, and by the end of the year the OKH plans are to raise a banner over Sofia.
With such in mind there was a declaration of war to the Greece to ensure better bases to operate in the Eastern Mediterranean. Bases not subject to British submarine interdiction!
A mixed force of airplanes strike the Pyreus, the port of Athens, meanwhile a detatchment of Romanians march south to occupy Salonika. Meanwhile there is scepticism of a fall of Athens before Christmas, it should be surrounded by then. Alpenjager forces land in Patras as well, and the Regia Marina is expected to ship in more german troops to help the effort. Planes once relieved from the task of supporting the assault at Sofia are to move south toward Athens.
Until now the Axis has suffered staggering losses compared to the previous game - but they're pretty ahead on the timetable.
The attack at Gibraltar is playing lottery, a +9 with an ARM-HQ involved, a bad roll can severely cripple the Germans, but the average roll which is 100 implies a loss of 2 Germans and taking Gibraltar: an INF and a CAV-Div are well bearable for Gibraltar within the 1940. Suez shall be next!
