Adventures with Brian In Italy

[700851McCall]

I'm pretty sure you have to move into the rail hex before you can use it or, most of the time, repair it. I don't know about airfields, I've not noticed.

[larryfulkerson]

It turns out that landing near Salerno was a mistake. I landed in the presence of
a Panzer division and the two regiments got decimated, are both in reorg and can't
leave the killing zone. They may not be there next turn. I need to land someplace
else. And the formation that those two regiments come from will be relegated to
garrison duties until the two regiments respawn four to six turns after they die.
This is a setback but not the end of the world.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: 700851McCall
I'm pretty sure you have to move into the rail hex before you can use it or, most of the time, repair it. I don't know about airfields, I've not noticed.

I'm pretty sure you have to actually occupy the airfield hex to own the airfield.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's an assortment of regiments assaulting Taranto in order to get ashore
there. I've got three of the four ship units supporting the attack and I'm going
to assign a bunch of planes to direct missions in support as well. I've got my
fingers crossed that they will get ashore.

[larryfulkerson]

I thought I'd drop some paratroopers into the AO to help channelize the German
retreat and to try to isolate the battlefield.

[hingram]

I verified it is ZOC. You can be adjacent to a hex and own it so long as the enemy isn't in that hex.

And ZOC also breaks the rail so my plan doesn't work. I moved some units adjacent to hexes containing rails. In the next turn, all the rails were broken.
----
I landed the British force in the two ports south of Salerno. They were surrounded by a Panzer group and I dropped a para unit in that airfield next to it which was surprisingly empty. I managed to land one unit (all the sea transport I had left!) then loaded it with more paras. British paras and the 82nd Glider(more defensive points). Fingers crossed that they survive the day.
---
" I need to land someplace else. "
Berlin?

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: hingram

I verified it is ZOC. You can be adjacent to a hex and own it so long as the enemy isn't in that hex.

And ZOC also breaks the rail so my plan doesn't work. I moved some units adjacent to hexes containing rails. In the next turn, all the rails were broken.
----
I landed the British force in the two ports south of Salerno. They were surrounded by a Panzer group and I dropped a para unit in that airfield next to it which was surprisingly empty. I managed to land one unit (all the sea transport I had left!) then loaded it with more paras. British paras and the 82nd Glider(more defensive points). Fingers crossed that they survive the day.
---
" I need to land someplace else. "
Berlin?

Berlin isn't empty and I don't need the losses. I'm thinking of heading off to Foggia if I can get ashore at Taranto. I just received some moves from Brian. I'm going to load up the game and see whether or not I got ashore.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the situation at Taranto: I didn't get ashore in the initial assault and
during his turn Brian has moved in the rest of the division and now Taranto is home
to an entire division of the elete Panzer troops. Even with CS missions and support
from all four ship units I'm not sure 7 regiments of Allied troops can amphibiously
assault an urban hex successfully. I'm wondering if I should pick somewhere else
to invade or just go ahead and go for it. I'm going to go for it just because I have
everybody there, ready to go, and the paratroops will get captured if I don't at least
try to save them.

[larryfulkerson]

I was checking out the expected reinforcements just now and found to my surprise
that there's two potential shipments for next turn at nearby ports. I wish I had
known about this before I launched at Taranto. I'm thinking that I can use the
extra troops and that I ought to liberate them soonest. I think I'll go after the
one closest to Reggio.

[larryfulkerson]

I finally got ashore at Taranto. Now to bolster the footprint and expand the perimeter
and spread out and set up for the counter-attacks that are going to happen.

[larryfulkerson]

I did an attack to clear out a stack of Germans in my camp and it moved but it's
still a problem. Brian had a defender on a three-dot setting and it burned all my
rounds and I got only a single combat phase. But this is what it looked like at
Taranto right now.

[MikeJ19]

Larry,

Just catching up after being away for a few days. Very interesting stuff as usual. I hope you can expand that beachhead.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: MikeJ19
Larry,

Just catching up after being away for a few days. Very interesting stuff as usual. I hope you can expand that beachhead.

You've been away for a few days? You must be important if you have to travel for your job. Probably carry a cell phone and business cards and everything. Glad you're back. We missed you and your opinions and ideas.

I'd like to get rid of all the Italians and I can do that by invading the toe of the boot and I'm thinking that might be a good thing to do. I've got the stack of 8 units in the Messina hex ready to sail and I'm wondering if I should send them to Taranto to the fighting there or if I should open another front on the toe of the Italian shoe. I've seen Axis trains approaching Foggia and I'm expecting a lot more Axis troops to show up around Taranto so I think they may need the troops pretty soon now. I'll get the toe of the shoe in some future turn.

Going to Taranto with the goal of driving on Foggia might not have been the best idea I've ever had. I'm going to get bogged down in the fighting near Taranto and the west coast is calling me. I still think I need to try getting ashore at Salerno. I've got enough troops for it. Well, maybe not now that there's an active front needing people.

And the smaller islands need some attention some day. I'm thinking I'll send a depleated division to convert the hexes and roads and rails. I will have a depleated division here shortly.

[MikeJ19]

Larry,

Lots of options for you. I agree that you need to get a foothold on the Western side of Italy.

I was away on a extended long weekend trip with my family - lots of fun but no gaming time. I used to have a job that had some travel - working on a NATO working group - and that was lots of fun.

Have a good day!

[hingram]

Good reasons for using Taranto as a starting point:

1) It is further up the map
2) It has supply!
3) It has good roads and rails and the moving is easier.
4) It has a big pile of airfields.
5) Wine and coffee are better.
Here's what I did. YMMV

[larryfulkerson]

Another ship-load of troops landed at Tarakan and the perimeter has been pushed out
further and more planes were flown in for a CAP and the ships are offshore supporting
the whole area. It looks like we may be there permanently but I've heard a lot of
train noises no doubt bringing Axis troops into the area and I'll be chin deep in
enemy units soon.

[larryfulkerson]

I made the mistake of leaving some planes in range of Axis arty and lost almost an
entire squadron of Spitfires. And now they are in reorg and can't be flown out of
there. D'oh. They are as good as gone already.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what's going on. I'd like to be able to break the western Axis group's anchor
on the bay and swing around behind them trapping them against the mountains. And then
in the east I need to zoom up to the north coast and set up some MLR's to hold back the
hordes, all the while clearing out the peninsula to make sure there's no surprises. I
don't like surprises. I plan to try to advance along the north coast road to Foggia and
along the bay going west with two ship units on each group to support. This is going to
take a long time so I may as well turn some of these events into operations. The operation
to advance along the north coast road to Foggia is Operation Rubber Baby Buggie Bumper,
ORBB for short. And the operation to clear the coast road from Tarakan to Reggio is
Operation Shiny Chevy.

[larryfulkerson]

I did a recon by aircraft unit ( select an aircraft and go looking through potential
target hexes to see if anything is in the hex ) and found out that the Foggia hex
didn't have anything in it so I thought maybe I ought to drop some airborne troops
in it and sent the 505th regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. The regiment split
into three pieces revealing some Axis AA units that I'm tempted to chase with my
troops but I'd best keep them together for now and combine them next turn. The
problem now is to hold the position until I can get some more people in there. I may
have to fly them out of there pretty quickly.

[MikeJ19]

Larry,

Love the Operation names.

Foggia looks like a good place to hold as it cuts the rail line and the road network. Does look a long way away from your forces though...