Cohen vs Enrico - AAR nr. 5

[AlbertN]

Jul / Aug 1941 (5 Impulses played, Axis first).

Japan managed to achieve another amount of minor successes - smashing some CPs of the W.Allies scattered around as they are trying, bravely, to keep the pipeline with Australia open (I am not sure for what exactly since they've a big cap in North Atlantic at the moment).

IJN Maya got a division to land closeby Diego Suarez (I totally not understood that the notional counted as Commonwealth because there were ships there from UK - despite the surprise), luckily enough the Allies did not had troops to land in Diego Suarez in time, so the Japanese marched into it smoothly and safely, denying a major base to the Commonwealth.

Though that division will be hard to extract - til replaced by a GARR or something like that.

In the Pacific rims and distances the US cruisers try to intercept and hook in combat the smaller task forces of Japanese raiders, for now without success.

3 US carriers got loaded with 2 CVPs each and got to Pearl Harbour, ready to operate in support of the surface fleet.

Production of USA - Japan First?
Currently the USA produces alone as much as all the Axis combined. - Next impulse it will align Brazil, and get up to 50 Factories. At 1.25 multiplier that's 63 BPs. (Yes US built 7 factories or so)

Which means all the Russian and UK production is above the Axis'.

The situation looks grim on the longer run (and I am starting to have second thoughts of how smart was to conquer China)

Also the US are laying down lots of ships (That included also 2 carriers of the future, with probably more to come too; building ahead more Essex carriers); it appears they want a crushing superiority in the seas.
The "only" (quite measly but something) positive aspect is that as US declared war to all the Axis they remained stuck with the gearing limits they had before - which are not too high, but they'll ramp up across this year (in fact US built already the 1st O-Chit because of low gearing limits).

[AlbertN]

End of Jul / Aug - Destroyed pool

July / August was an intense naval turn, where the Axis managed to reduce the UK production to 13 only!
Though, what matters, when USA alone produce as your three nations combined?

On the other hand, as USA started their invasion of the South America, that unleashed Argentina.
It was clear Roosevelt wanted such surprise effect that did not informed Churchill of his obnoxious plans of conquest, so that the Royal Navy, all focused in the North Atlantic, had totally left without escorts the western afrika coast, out of reach of Italy and Germany, and Japan too.
But not Argentina!
The Argentine Navy sank 8 convoys, and aborted another amount, and in the early of Sept / Oct kept fighting, avoiding the RN carriers and aborting more convoys!

[AlbertN]

Sept / Oct '41 - Japan Warfare

Played 3 impulses today - 2 of them Axis. Fine weather everywhere.

Japan is daring and took twice Combined, without much luck admittedly.

In the first impulse there were a dozen of US Ships in Java. And a single convoy supplying the place in the sea outside it; and another single convoy in the Pago Pago seazone.
Japan sends out submarines in both sea zones (at the 4 and 2 SZ respectively) and a single cruiser with a 2 strong marine division. (No shore bombing, potentially my bad here).
Alas the convoys were not found and the attack was called off.

The US retaliates by going to chase the IJN cruiser there, covered by a Zero. The Marine was debarked to keep it safe in Efate / Porto Vila.

The US did not succeeded into finding the Marine. The next impulse Japan takes combined again and tries the same trick with Kwajalein.
There is a 5-4 black print Marine and 4 BBs of the US.
Japan can attack with a total of 10 factors, 5 off the Marine and Tokyo-MIL invading, and 5 of shore bombing.

The plan envision a raiding force in the Marshall Sea (2 cruisers) which this time finds the enemy convoy and shoo it with its escorting cruiser. Then the Japanese carriers are meant to bombard and disrupt the US Marine. The Japanese carrier pilots fail their task.
With 2 units, the attack is at +4 only, and it can be a disaster. But in this occasion it's a VP zone and a port for submarines for the US. The attack is launched nonetheless. A 13 is rolled, a 17 is tallied. Japan loses 1, and US loses 1.

Harsh decision. The Marine is cheaper, but it's weaker for the possible US retaliation. The MAR too costs more, takes longer, AND can be used to invade further via cruisers.
The MIL is white print, and strong 6 otherwise. And costs less than the MAR and takes 1 turn.

In the end the MAR was the sacrificial lamb, and the MIL remained on the map.

In the end the operation was barely a success, as I expect the US to crush the 2 cruisers in Marshal Sea with their carriers and cruisers, easily. (And they'd find with 50% success, as they get to the 4 box like the cruisers)

[brian brian]

ORIGINAL: Cohen

(I totally not understood that the notional counted as Commonwealth because there were ships there from UK - despite the surprise)

I just checked and the notional rule does say "a real unit in the hex" but I would have made the same mistake. A new one to learn for me.

ORIGINAL: Cohen

(and I am starting to have second thoughts of how smart was to conquer China)

Well once you took several Chinese factories the Allies could have surrendered China anyway. It's pretty hard to realize that before you take those factories as playing the Axis you are geared for success on the map, not caution - and the Euro Axis contributed significantly to US Entry also.

[AlbertN]

Sept / Oct 1941 - Il Duce's Empire building goes slow

The sought and desired aim to get hands on Aden seems to have to wait or incur in risks.
Italy dedicated naval planes to hunt and chase the UK shipping there; and 3 bombers failed to disrupt both defenders of Aden anyhow.

The Italian forces are sort of needed elsewhere for Barbarossa - to protect (or attack from) Iraq.
Presently the Soviets have about 8 corps, most of them being MILs and CAVs of dubious offensive power, but we're speaking of Italians. Probably, a war of the poors.
The best Italian troops against the spares of the Soviets!
Shall Hitler commit troops in the sector to protect the Iraqi Oil Fields?

[AlbertN]

ORIGINAL: brian brian

ORIGINAL: Cohen

(I totally not understood that the notional counted as Commonwealth because there were ships there from UK - despite the surprise)

I just checked and the notional rule does say "a real unit in the hex" but I would have made the same mistake. A new one to learn for me.

ORIGINAL: Cohen

(and I am starting to have second thoughts of how smart was to conquer China)

Well once you took several Chinese factories the Allies could have surrendered China anyway. It's pretty hard to realize that before you take those factories as playing the Axis you are geared for success on the map, not caution - and the Euro Axis contributed significantly to US Entry also.

Indeed for the first point I realized after - I went to check the rules as it was giving us the notional, and the "issue" was sorted.

For the second, that much is true - but a China Surrender harvests half of the chits.
The point is that in one turn the Axis took 2 Cities with Factory - and both got a chit.
Gibraltar, that was a chit.
And 4 chits off China conquest.
Plus the chit of the turn.

That is 8 US Chits in 1 single turn.

[AlbertN]

Sept / Oct 1941 - Europe

Germany is slowly relocating assets toward Poland in prevision of the Barbarossa - which we all know, is going to happen.

Churchill had his moment of joy after almost having hung himself after the latest war bullettin about the battle for Atlantic.
The Bomber Command nailed Lille's factory (the BP, not the Factory itself), after that the RAF has mauled the Luftwaffe squadron protecting the factory.

(The Pilot survived, but FTR2 + 1 BP bombed, that's a 3 BP loss!)

Noteworthy is that the Argentina navy remained at sea - and managed to abort 2 CPs already, avoiding to get found.
But the RN is at them worse than in the movie "Sink the Bismark".
And now a Spitfire is overwatching like a bird of prey the convoys in the North Atlantic, so the Condor is a bit helpless. (In fact the remaining Condor has been kept in Lisbon as a looming threat.)

[AlbertN]

End of Sept / Oct 1941

The Abwher informed the Fuhrer that the Brits are shipping troops to other fronts, unaware of which ones.

The last ships (or almost last) of the Kriegsmarine sail out to intercept, the Gneisenau and the Leipzig.
After their heroic and legendary sinking of two "old" carriers of the UK in the North Atlantic much hope was laid down in these ships accomplishing their mission.

Alas the Brits tricked the German secret services, and a battlegroup of heavy cruisers were waiting in the Central Atlantic for the two German units: the Gneisenau got sunk, and the Leipzig limped back with severe damage to Lisbon.

[AlbertN]

End of Sept / Oct 1941 - Indian Ocean

Naval operations to the seas kissing the African shores.

The Royal Navy from its side gets to sink two Argentina cruisers that were hunting down convoys.

The Imperial Japanese Navy is hunting the Brits on the other side instead. And even dared two port attacks by the Shokaku and Zuikaku. A French base in Madagascar was hit successfully, a convoy destroyed and a cruiser damaged.
To much dismay the Japanese cannot find the British convoys closeby the Cape.

In the Azanian Sea the Japanese cruisers find the British convoys, sinking 3 of them.

[AlbertN]

End of Sept / Oct 1941

Italians finally get to assault Aden, again.
This time with success.

With grand grace Il Duce ensured ethiopian militiamen were to led the assault, able to fight in the mountains of similar nature to the ones of their homeland.
Needless to say, the ethiopian forces did a good job, but were litterally sacrificed for the cause. (1 Italian loss for both defenders).

The Japanese are still bunkered in their Persian spot, but the Soviet pressure is no more by now.

Iraq is very empty though, the Italians need to send troops there, and quickly!

[AlbertN]

End of Sept / Oct 1941 - Japan

Another turn ending up a bit too soon for Japan's tastes.
One more impulse would have been well received, with all what Japan has to do.

Japan prepared appropriate forces to assault Singapore, and was planning to take Manila this turn - but that never happened.

Japan landed in New Caledonia, to get hands on that resource at least.

Thanksfully in this turn Kwajalein was retaken, the US have Garrisons on the way which would have probably got the place much safer (and cheaply defended too) than their lonely and precious Marine Corp.

Also the IJN managed to sink a carrier (loaded with 2 CVPs!) and a cruiser (of the poor type though) at the cost of 3 cruisers of theirs. And both sides got an amount of damaged cruisers. - That happened as the US Navy moved out to seek the 2 Japanese cruisers that were off Pearl Harbour!
The USN did not found the Japanese, but then the weather worsened. Storm! Japan sent in 7 more cruisers in the hope to find the US task force.
Both sides found each other once - the US favored to keep the sea, hoping to not be found, but Japan found the US the second round and one juicy carrier went down to the bottom of the seas.

[AlbertN]

Sept / Oct 1941 - Pools

The French and the Greek cruisers were destroyed respectively at Marocco and Greece conquest.

[AlbertN]

Early Nov / Dec 1941 - France

Aerial battles over Bay of Biscay - no winner nor loser.
The RAF committed one Spitfire, the Axis has the HE112 and a Gabbiano (to help the search roll).

The Bomber Command performed a mission on Lille. It did not inflicted damage to the factory, but the German fighter defending it got shot down (Pilot saved).
Alexander promptly reorganized the bomber. Now Germany has only a 4 quality fighter, and UK has another 5 quality fighter, and 2 bombers ready!

[AlbertN]

Early Nov / Dec 1941 - Indian Ocean

The Japanese took a bold move and sent carriers afar from their bases, at the 2 box.
They have not found the enemy convoys.

The Royal Navy retaliated quickly, but the one to find the others were the Japanese - their planes went through the British defenders (which were inferior) and torpedoed down a carrier of the Royal Navy (one of these with 2 quality).

The Japanese though are at high risk if are found by the enemy - especially there, where there are many BBs. They're all in the 1 box, but if they find the Japanese "task force" of 1 carrier and 1 cruiser ...

Instead Shokaku and Zhuikaku are poised once again for port strike, if luck wants, as the RN squadron sent against them withdrew in Cape Town!

[AlbertN]

Early Nov / Dec 1941 - Pacific

The Japanese fleet moved out to protect with planes their perimeter, in the while proceeding to fix minor conquests.
Tragedy at Singapore - the Japanese assault, for how successful - costs them 2 units (a roll of 4 with a +11... a MIL and an INF lost) - for the Australian MIL.

The US loses a heavy cruiser.
The Japan loses a convoy point due to submarines.

Guam is invaded, and Manila taken.

[AlbertN]

March - April 1942

Axis just did the 1st impulse - it was rain.
Axis opted to not declare war to Soviet Russia yet - though that could be needed soon.
In general Axis wants the planes in position for the real turn of good weather.

Fine weather will be rare (10%) and snow (20%) for the next impulse.
So probably the grand start of Barbarossa will be maimed.

[AlbertN]

March / April 1942 - Barbarossa Preparations

In Bulgaria a German observation force of a certain consistence, along with Italian planes, are ready to kick into action via air, on the sea and whenever the Romanian government allows transit on their soil.

[AlbertN]

March / April 1942 - Iraq

The Italians struggled to bring in some forces, and right now the Soviets have many more units than the Axis - so that they could even pass on the offensive and threaten the Iraqi Oil Fields of Mussolini.

[AlbertN]

March / April 1942 - Indian Ocean, Axis side.

Showing the conquests of the Axis.
Japan has interest in Ceylon here - and by the looks the Allies cannot prevent it.

But the Allies have massed very ample naval assets in Cape Town now.

[AlbertN]

March / April 1942 - British Far East Fleet

With the Axis naval forces crippled - or the Italians operating in the Indian Ocean, the Royal Navy massed the bulk of the battleships and cruisers not dedicated to escort role at Cape Town.

More carriers will probably arrive in due time.