Operation Sledgehammer ’43

[TankBushido]

Turn 13 (Med):
The Germans in Reggio Calabria finally surrender, so I start getting ready to push further north up the boot. The German panzer and PzG division moved back a hex so they may getting ready to disengage and run.

[TankBushido]

Turn 13 (France):
Heavy rain in France. I make one attack on Cherbourg to reduced the fort, but otherwise all is quiet. No German counterattacks; they are content to sit and keep my forced contained on the peninsula.

[TankBushido]

Turn 14 (Med):
My invasion of the heel kicks off. I land with two divisions and have five other divisions, a brigade, and a regiment in the follow up force ready to land. The air coverage over the beach hasn’t been great (probably out of range of my airbases) so I’ve had lots of transports sunk on the way. Germans don’t counterattack the beach (probably not enough force in range), but they deploy six divisions in opposition (3 Infantry, 1 Panzer, 1 PzG, and 1 Fallschirmjaeger).

My land forces in the boot push north and the Germans disengage except for a lone Fallschirmjaeger regiment.

In Sardinia, the Italian units disband, but all of my units in this operation are ashore and are beginning to clear out the ports. The units I’m facing are easily brushed aside so I’m not wasting time on describing this in much detail or taking screenshots. It’s just a mop up operation.

[TankBushido]

Turn 14 (France):
Cherbourg falls and priority repairs begin on the port. I used two naval HQs to assist in the attack. I honestly thought it would take a couple more turns.

[TankBushido]

Turn 15 (Med):
More troops come ashore to try and solidify the beachhead near Brindisi, but I’m still right on the beaches. Pushing as hard and fast as I can in Calabria to try to link up my forces as quick as possible. I bypass and surround the Fallschirmjaeger regiment.

[TankBushido]

Turn 15 (France):
I eliminate the unit that retreated from Cherbourg last turn, but otherwise my troops are just sitting on the defensive waiting for the port to repair to improve my supply situation. I’ve been air lifting supplies in every turn. I’ve been careful not to stress my troops too much until my position is consolidated, but I may start looking for opportunities to push if the weather and German defense presents them.

[Sardaukar]

Interesting concept indeed.

[TankBushido]

Turn 16 (Med):
I expand my beachhead to the west towards Brindisi and south towards Taranto.

The bypassed Fsjr regiment is eliminated and I push north into Basilicata. A linkup with my beachhead is close.

On the German turn, the UI pulls back and sets up an odd defense which will allow me encirclement opportunities next turn. Partisans (?) must be active because lots of hexes in Basilicata switch to Allied control.

On Sardinia, only one port remains to be taken.

[TankBushido]

Turn 16 (France):
In France, I see an opportunity. The hex west of Carentan is more lightly defended and I attack twice and dislodge the defenders, then I exploit armor into the hex SW of it to cut off three German divisions still on the peninsula. A fierce German counterattack is driven back.

[TankBushido]

Turn 17 (Med):
My forces from the boot link up with my invasion force and not a moment too soon. No supplies came onto the beaches this turn so my invasion forces are severely reduced in effectiveness and starved for supplies, but German forces have mostly pulled back so it’s a manageable situation. I capture Brindisi and isolate elements of three German divisions on the heel. And start an encirclement of token units near Bari.

[TankBushido]

Turn 17 (France):
Another weakly defended hex SE of Caretan with just 1 German infantry division and 1 Reserve infantry regiment defending, so I push forward and take the hex. I attempt to eliminate the surround units, but only manage to reduce them. Germans attempt to counterattack again, but fail to dislodge the two Canadian armor divisions.

[TankBushido]

Turn 18 (Med):
Up to now, I’ve been using save games to post screenshots. For here on forward I’ve been capturing some better screenshots during the turn so you can see in-turn battles and disposition of forces during the turn.

I take Taranto and surround Bari, but am limited on attacks and am mainly just maneuvering because of the condition of my units. But supplies come into the beaches this turn and Brindisi was repaired by the Amphib HQ last turn so the supply situation should improve for a bigger push next turn.

[TankBushido]

Turn 18 (France):
Despite heavy rain (ground is still just light mud), I’m able to force the three German divisions on the peninsula to surrender. I’ll need to pause after this short push since my units are looking a little frayed and need to rest and get more supplies.

[TankBushido]

Turn 19 (Med):
Sardinia is now fully cleared and I begin setting up invasions of Corsica.

My linked up groups start reducing the surrounded units on the heel. I take Bari and push the Germans near Brindisi into a two hex pocket that should fall next turn.

Recon shows the German defense line running from Salerno to Foggia. I advance close to the line, but will be unable to push it. Many of my units need rest and supplies. I will have to pause a few turns to regroup, rest, and allow time for my supplies to catch up.

Turn 19 (France):
France is all quiet. I’m pulling units off the line for refit and resting my units. Supplies are flowing into Cherbourg which is almost fully repaired. I pull my Amphib HQ back to port; it was at 62% damage, but it did it’s job supplying the beachhead.

[TankBushido]

Turn 20:
As my units take a pause and the initial moves come to an end, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the state of the war in the west so far. Operation Sledgehammer has been a success. Units are ashore in force and have established a perimeter that is unlikely to be broken. I have a major port in Cherbourg captured and fully repaired. Territorial advances in the Mediterranean have been slightly behind historical gains, but I have managed to capture over 170,000 Axis troops. I’m happy with the progress and results in the Med so far.

The big questions I am pondering are what to do next in each theatre. Let’s start with my disposition of forces. In France I have 18 divisions employed and holding the Cotentin Peninsula. I have another five divisions plus support forces in England with more forces being added as time goes on, some of which are preparing a secondary invasion in Brittany. I have five divisions in Sardinia and another three in North Africa preparing for a move on Corsica. Sixteen divisions are in the field in Italy. I’m generally happy with that split by theatre; I may transfer a few divisions out of Italy in spring and redeploy them in France, but that’s months away.

The first 20 turns are generally good campaign weather, but as we’re in mid-November with winter approaching, the next 24 turns will have rougher weather before the late spring-summer-fall 1944 campaign season.

My immediate goals in the Med are to take Corsica and to capture the air bases around Foggia. After that I see three major possible thrusts, Southern France, the Po valley, or the plains north of Rome. I’m somewhat disposed to capture Corsica and then funnel most of my forces in the Med into Southern France in spring to coincide with my breakout in Normandy. I think that will be my plan for now. But I will continue to probe in Southern Italy to see what German resistance looks like. If opportunities present themselves, then I will exploit them.

In France my immediate goals are to make sure I have a good supply situation, but then also try to push the front south a few hexes both to extent the German line and to get closer to the edge of the bocage so that a spring breakout will be easier. It’s obvious I don’t have enough currently on the continent to make a breakout now; I need to build up some more forces. But I don’t want to flood the continent too soon if I can’t adequately supply them. So I imagine the front in France to be fairly uneventful until spring.

[TankBushido]

Turn 21:
In Italy, the Germans pull back to the Gustav line except for a covering force in Salerno and Naples. I’m moving up, but not pressing them or making any attacks.

[TankBushido]

Turn 22:
I move to start to surround Naples and Salerno, but otherwise just move up to the line in Italy.

[Sardaukar]

I must say that invading France in 1943 is a novel idea...have to try that.

[TankBushido]

Not sure that it would be effective against a competent human opponent, but it's certainly been effective against the more passive AI. I think the AI has more forces in Italy than I do and it's divisions in the fields of France seem rather few in number, so a mis-allocation of forces based on the threats being faced. I'll have to play the Germans to see what they actually have available, but I was expecting more heavy opposition in France. The early invasion of France also gives the Germans double Admin Points, so there is a cost there too.

[TankBushido]

Turn 23:
It’s clear and cold in France and I see weak point in the line, so my rested troops attack and create a breakthrough, take two hexes, isolate a German infantry division with security forces, and shatters a couple HQs.