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Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. The Defeat of France.

The allies win the first roll. The axis elect not to re-roll, so the allies have the initiative and elect to move first.

A desperate artillery barrage by a 105 mm French artillery division manages to disorganize Von Leeb and his HQ unit. While this barrage may help it is very unlikely it will be enough to save Paris.

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. The Defeat of France. Axis #2.

The Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht throw everything they can into an assault on Paris. The PWIN is high (>94%) but not certain. At risk is Col. Student and the rest of the II FJR corps if the assault fails to take the city (~6% chance). Even if the assault succeeds, there's a 6% chance that the valuable 1st Engineering division providing support west of Paris to assault troops fighting across the Seine river will be destroyed. All these risks soon evaporate when the German assault rolls a (unmodified) 14, resulting in a modified die roll of 29.

The defenders of Paris are annihilated, through destruction or surrender, to include Pretelat's HQ and Charles de Gaulle's 4th armor division. The status of French General Pretelat is unknown. However, Col, now Major General de Gaulle managed to escape the clutches of the Germans and make his way to England.

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. The Defeat of France. Axis #2.

Paris is German controlled.

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Allied #1. USA, Iceland.

Under the principal of the Monroe Doctrine, the USA begins building up their newly acquire base in Iceland.

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Allied #1. The Royal Navy.

With France on the verge of collapse, the Royal Navy is put to sea to contest the Germans and Italians in the Atlantic and Mediterranean and ensure that vital sea lanes and convoy routes remain open and protected.

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. The Battles of the Western Mediterranean.

Editor's note: I must confess that I've never personally seen anything of the like in MWiF. What fun it was to play through 16 rounds of naval air and surface battles for control of the West Med.

The Royal Navy (RN) and Marine National (French) navies fought and won a hard earn and costly victory over the Regia Marina this turn. A series of 16 rounds, spanning the entire turn, of naval air and surface battles were fought between the allies and Italians in the West Med. In the end, the allies won uncontested control when the Italian RM decided it was best to retire from the sea area given what forces they had left versus those of the allies.

More details on these battles are provided in following posts.

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. The Battles of the Western Mediterranean. Axis #3.

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. The Battles of the Western Mediterranean. Axis #6.

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. The Battles of the Western Mediterranean. Allied #7, Round 1.

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. The Battles of the Western Mediterranean. Allied #7, Rounds 2 & 3.

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. The Battles of the Western Mediterranean. Allied #7, Round 4.

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. The Battles of the Western Mediterranean. Axis #8, Round 1.

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. The Battles of the Western Mediterranean. Axis #8, Round 2.

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. The Battles of the Western Mediterranean. Axis #8, Round 3.

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. The Battles of the Western Mediterranean. Axis #8, The Italians Retire.

A costly allied naval victory.

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Eastern Mediterranean. Egypt.

While the mammoth series of naval battles was taking place in the West Med, smaller but no less important naval and land battles were be fought in the East Med and in Egypt.

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Eastern Mediterranean. Egypt. Axis #8.

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Eastern Mediterranean. Egypt. Allied #9.

And the turn ends after this allied impulse ...

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Destroyed & Repair Pools.

Turn 6. Jul/Aug 1940. Convoy Losses.