Sicily to Brenner's Pass ( Brian and larry )

[larryfulkerson]

According to the listing of expected reinforcements I'm supposed to get some stuff
next turn. I'd best look up the hex of entry of the tank to see if I own it because
I think I saw it on the list last turn. So I looked it up and yep, that entry hex is
on Sicily and I don't own that so I'm not getting that tank anytime soon.

[devoncop]

I am finding much less damage when units travel by road...that is logical I guess. I am only railing down to around Anzio and then sending units singly rather than in a bit stack so if there is an interdiction bit it is not too horrendous.
You should get that equipment back as long as the Para Divn gets to rest just behind the MLR of course.

I am very concerned about another landing behind my initial MLR so have tried to cover the likely spots as best I can but obviously that reduces forces further south....once I get another decent mobile Divn I am thinking of basing it around Cassino to be able to act as a strategic reserve. We will see.

I am using most of the flak units by the way to sit on non blown bridges ready to blow them later...just a suggestion.

I think Brian is going slowly because his units are in poor shape due to losses you have caused with his overstacking habit combined with the poor supply values so you have time for the interdicted units to recover.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: devoncop
I am finding much less damage when units travel by road...that is logical I guess. I am only railing down to around Anzio and then sending units singly rather than in a bit stack so if there is an interdiction bit it is not too horrendous.
You should get that equipment back as long as the Para Divn gets to rest just behind the MLR of course.

My stuff from northern Italy was being railed to Anzio and it got struck by INT strikes and it
may have been a fluke but I'm thinking he has coverage over a lot of Italy and most of it is in
harm's way. Thanks for your report by the way.

ORIGINAL: devoncop
I am very concerned about another landing behind my initial MLR so have tried to cover the likely spots as best I can but obviously that reduces forces further south....once I get another decent mobile Divn I am thinking of basing it around Cassino to be able to act as a strategic reserve. We will see.

I've got one ( strategic reserve ) too but it's too far away from the action that it would have
to be moved to influence anything anywhere but moving causes strikes and losses and I hesitate
to move it right now as all my fighters are down for their annuals.

ORIGINAL: devoncop
I am using most of the flak units by the way to sit on non blown bridges ready to blow them later...just a suggestion.

That's a great idea. I'm not sure if we're using the new bridge rules or not but so far the
Allies haven't figured out how to drop a bridge using aircraft. There have been no bridge
attacks so far and I don't anticipate any.

ORIGINAL: devoncop
I think Brian is going slowly because his units are in poor shape due to losses you have caused with his overstacking habit combined with the poor supply values so you have time for the interdicted units to recover.

He's still doing it right now. Stacks that are cherry red. It's got combat power but the losses
are horrendous. I read warspite's AAR and was struck by how much trouble he's having with his
supply net. Also he's done a lot of complaining about your fighters. He says they are real
trouble for his air fleet. He thinks he's being nickel and dimed to death in the air. Keep up
the good work.

You've got some really good ideas and I think our games will be better for it. Thanks.

[devoncop]

Thanks for that Larry.
a nice morale boost knowing Goerings finest are still causing grief

If he is hitting North of Anzio with bombers how are his fighters managing to escort at that range? It may be worth basing some fighters with very short ranges....maybe 20 or 30 hexes in the area you are getting interdicted around Anzio ...my bet is most of his fighters won't have the range to escort and you may get some easy bomber kills...I am not in front of the pc right now so haven't counted the hexes to his nearest airfield but it seems likely unless he is basing them in Corsica or Sardinia of course.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: devoncop
Thanks for that Larry.
a nice morale boost knowing Goerings finest are still causing grief

It's aimed at improving your game but I'm glad you approve.

ORIGINAL: devoncop
If he is hitting North of Anzio with bombers how are his fighters managing to escort at that range? It may be worth basing some fighters with very short ranges....maybe 20 or 30 hexes in the area you are getting interdicted around Anzio ...my bet is most of his fighters won't have the range to escort and you may get some easy bomber kills...I am not in front of the pc right now so haven't counted the hexes to his nearest airfield but it seems likely unless he is basing them in Corsica or Sardinia of course.

Most of his fighters can't reach that far ( Spitfire, etc. ) but he's also got some P-38's and if I
recall correctly some models of the P-38 have a respectible range. You know what might be instructive
is for me to start up a hot-seat game is this, go to the Allied side and do some graphical cutting
and pasting of the characteristics of the Allied planes. I'll get busy on it.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the specs on the Allied fighters, most of them.

[devoncop]

Thanks for that Larry. So basically if we use fighters in the interdiction spots North of Salerno they will only be facing US P40's and P38's as well as the Mustangs( assuming they are not resting) but no British fighters.
Could be worth getting local air superiority in that case and giving those interdicting bombers some grief

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: devoncop
Thanks for that Larry. So basically if we use fighters in the interdiction spots North of Salerno they will only be facing US P40's and P38's as well as the Mustangs( assuming they are not resting) but no British fighters.

Could be worth getting local air superiority in that case and giving those interdicting bombers some grief

Yeah, that's the idea. Hoping that he can't reach our northern bases from where he is now with his
shorter ranged fighters does, I think, mitigate the power of his air force a bit. This is a situation
where he's got more airbases at the toe of the boot than I do and my fighters are getting chewed up
because they are so outnumbered I guess. I've got only a single useable airfield in the south and
Brian has probably close to a dozen within reach counting those on Sicily. That's a lot of local
airpower in the hands of the Allies and I hadn't thought of that when I was setting up MLR's. Knowing
what I know now, I'd be better off with the MLR's considerably more northward. Closer to a spot
where I have some supporting airfields. As it is, I'm guessing Brian will have a shorter adventure
then he might have because I'll lose quicker. In the long run. It's that dire.

[MikeJ19]

Devoncop and Larry,

It is a lot of fun reading your discussion about this scenario. I'm learning a lot.

Good luck to both of you!

Have a good day,

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: MikeJ19
Devoncop and Larry,

It is a lot of fun reading your discussion about this scenario. I'm learning a lot.

Good luck to both of you!

Have a good day,

I'm learning a lot from Devoncop....he's got good instincts and is street smart. I enjoy
our conversations a lot. Thanks for the good luck.

[larryfulkerson]

This turn was a lot like the previous ones in that Brian attacked on both sides and
gained hexes and is advancing slowly northward. I saw some troop movement on the
west side and they seemed to be American troops. There's not a lot for me to do in
these turns lately since I'm all set up at the new MLR's and the planes are down for
maint.

[larryfulkerson]

I broke the bridge on the east side but then forgot to garrison the hole so I found
a unit not doing anything and moved him into the broken bridge hex and there appeared
some Allied engineers just about to jump on the job. I got there first and he's
going to have to push me out of the hex in order to repair the bridge. Maybe I should
make a big stack of units right there. Nah.

[larryfulkerson]

There were attacks on both sides and this time Brian broke through my lines on the
west side. On the east side his units pushed my defender out of the bridge hex and
I assume next turn he'll have engineers get busy on it. I'm wondering how many
repair attempts it will take him to get it fixed. I saw only one engineer unit there.

[larryfulkerson]

Brian concentrated on the west side and the middle this time. I see American troops
moving north along the west coastal road and I'm wondering if he's going to replace
the British with the Americans bacause the British are tired and worn down and the
Americans are fresh.

[larryfulkerson]

Brian must have had good luck getting that bridge fixed.

[larryfulkerson]

Brian is attacking on the west side and in the middle and gained some hexes as he did
so. It's almost over.

[larryfulkerson]

Brian gained some more hexes in his attacks. He's almost up to my second MLR and I
have no idea how they will perform. We're about to see.

[MikeJ19]

Larry,

Very interesting stuff. There is a large gap of flat ground on the East coast of Italy after the MRL you are building. You are going to have a challenge holding him back in this area.

Have a good evening,

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: MikeJ19
Larry,

Very interesting stuff. There is a large gap of flat ground on the East coast of Italy after the MRL you are building. You are going to have a challenge holding him back in this area.

Have a good evening,

Thanks for the "good evening" thing. I'll see what I can do. Also, you're correct, Mike dude, in
that if he gets past my MLR on the east side it will not be there that the next MLR gets built.
I'm thinking of someplace up north a bit where I have the airfield advantage perhaps and I can use
the terrain to my advantage somehow. I'm studying where to put it. I'm open to suggestions.
Good game so far. Brian is taking his sweet time advancing. He must have a low supply problem.

[MikeJ19]

Larry,

You might be able to slow him down a bit at the river. At least when you do reset your line it can be a very narrow one. It is hard to really see on the maps above. On the West side, Brian is going to have a rough time. Your defence line can be narrow and deep.

Supply issues are never fun.

All the best,

Mike