ElvisJJonesRambo (Axis) vs Taifun (Allies)

[ElvisJJonesRambo]

November 1942:

The Russian campaign fell apart, due to the major malfunction, of Herman Goering control of the Luftwaffe.
Using simpler words (and less details) than my opponent, I will explain.

Luftwaffe did not coordinate correctly, after their overuse in the Baltic Naval Battle.
Ground units started Barby too early. Feb 1941, tried to grab quick ground, but didn't get me any advantage.
Army Group South was lacking legitimate air support, since I wasn't gonna pay outlandish fees.
Therefore, Army Group Central, had the Air support, bad mix.
There wasn't any coordination.
Army Group Central became the main focus, sent all mech & panzers there, to break Smolensk.
When the weather came, it was a frozen parking lot.
Russians got that good weather, first, April 1942.
I had lost initiative.

Fast forward my photo, November 1942, disaster at Dnieper.
Getting chowed on the ground,

[Taifun]

"Ground units started Barby too early. Feb 1941, tried to grab quick ground, but didn't get me any advantage." I still think that you could have taken both Rostov and Stalingrad in 1941 if all those 8 panzerkorps were concentrated and directed towards those 2 objectives...

1942-09-11
Orders from Berlin: German forces must "reorganize their front lines" in the USSR. Army Group South ordered a general retreat and abandoned Kursk and Kharkov. Pursuing Soviet forces destroyed the Hungarian 2nd army south of Konotop in exchange for an antitank unit. West of the Dnepr River Soviet mobile units captured Uman, Odessa and Vinnitsa. German allied forces were hard hit, with the Italians losing an infantry corps and the Hungarians tanks miraculously surviving (strength 1) and retiring to Cernauti. German forces east of the Dnepr (around Konotop) ended the turn in danger of being cut from the German rear as Soviets troops threatened to cut the main railroad at Zhitomir.

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Army Group Center also ordered a general retreat and abandoned Vyazma and Orel. Pursuing Soviet forces destroyed the German 1st army and General von Rundstedt's HQ near Bryansk. Further west, Soviet troops managed to rescue the encircled Soviet infantry corps entrenched at Daugavpils. The Stavka sent significant reinforcements to Pskov to increase the pressure against Army Group North forces. For the first time, the USSR deployed more land units (65) that the Germans (64). Germany lost 1500 MPPs! and their morale fell to 94%.

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The USA declared war on Italy. Syracuse in Sicily and Catanzaro were captured by US troops while additional British Troops landed south of Naples. US General Bradley waited anxiously for his turn to disembark, but he will have to wait for an operational port (level 5) to be available. General O'Connor commanded Allied air units from Tunis.

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The Australian CL Perth was sunk near Bandoeng in Java. The Allied offensive in the South Pacific started. All towns along the north coast of Papua New Guinea (Sorong, Hollandia, and Wewak) were captured without a fight by Australian and Indian forces. Thus covered, Admiral Halsey advanced with the main fleet towards the Bismarck Archipelago. He had 11 BBs and 4 CVs (3 British) as 2 other US CVs were still refitting at Pearl Harbor. Two Japanese CVLs were spotted in the Caroline Islands and the Palaus...
Unfortunately, at this precise moment, Japan declared war on Portuguese Timor and captured Dili, which was the target of the Australian corps embarked at Darwin. The intrepid Australians ended the turn in the Banda Sea escorted by an Australian CA.

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[Taifun]

1942-10-09
The Japanese detected the Australian ATs in the Banda Sea and sunk the unfortunate transports with maritime bombers based in Soerabaja (Java). The Australian CA escorting them was also attacked by the Japanese and damaged (strength 5). With the element of surprise lost, the Japanese were fully aroused and ready to fight. As the Allied turn began this was the general disposition. Most probably Elvis expected an invasion of Java, aiming at Batavia, and he set up all-around defense. North of Darwin, near Timor 1 CV, 1 CVL, 1 BB, and light surface enemy ships were spotted. An additional enemy sub was intercepted while sailing north along the Australian coast, trying to reunite with the bulk of the Japanese fleet. General Stilwell was still waiting at Cairns to continue his trip west.

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Admiral Halsey had a difficult decision to make. He could wait for the 2 US CVs, that were ready and about to sail from Pearl Harbor and reunite at last all Allied CVs before engaging the Japanese Fleet, or he could attack the Palaus or even Truk. Waiting another turn for the 2 missing US CVs was a prudent option, and this could put him in numerical equality with the enemy in the number of carriers while enjoying numerical superiority in BBs. Attacking Truk was an attractive and safe option as he knew that a substantial portion of the enemy fleet was operating near Timor and this could put him in numerical advantage in the area. Attacking the Palaus in the enemy's center was the riskier option as the enemy would counterattack with all of his fleet plus land base aviation from the Philipines and elsewhere. Before making any decision, he waited for the reconnaissance reports from land-based planes and airships.

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Based in Darwin, airships reconnoitering north towards the Palaus reported an enemy CA near Sorong, 1 CV in Davao port (Mindanao), and an additional CVL and medium bombers based in Peleliu. Maritime bombers based in Lorengau reported a Japanese maritime bomber and a motor torpedo boat at Truk. Halsey didn't hesitate and ordered Operation HAILSTORM, the invasion of Truk. He dispatched north the US carrier to support the landings of the US Marines. The operation was a mixed success and he had to send another British CV to finish the Japanese bombers and capture the island. All of a sudden, while celebrating the capture of Truk, another report arrived that placed 1 BB, 1 CA, and 1 DD near Merauke hugging the south coast of New Guinea .

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Admiral Halsey had only 2 British carriers left but he ordered Admiral Cunningham to attack and destroy those enemy ships! DD Fubuki and BB Nagato were sunk by Allied carrier planes. General Stilwell was ordered to disembark at Cairns. He was tasked to provide air cover for Admiral Cunningham's TF, immediately setting up an HQ to command 2 US fighter groups that were operated from the US.
Halsey also sent Admiral Lee with 1 BB, 1 CA, and 1 Sub to destroy the Japanese CA near Sorong. In a brief naval engagement, CA Furutaka was sunk near the Molucas. A British fighter unit was operated from the UK to Sorong to provide Admiral Lee with air cover, lastly, a UK naval maritime bomber was operated to Hollandia to bolster the Allied air forces in the area.

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[Taifun]

Admiral Halsey himself sailed to Truk where the 2 US CVs had in the meanwhile arrived from Pearl Harbor, thus gathering again 4 CVs. His original TF was thus divided into 3 smaller TFs, not mutually supported, Admiral King was furious! Halsey awaited with tension Admiral Yamamoto's answer.

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[Taifun]

Meanwhile, in Europe, Germany declared war on the USA. Elvis reacted violently from the sea, air, and land against the Allied invasion of Sicily. The two remaining Italian BBs attacked the Canadian destroyer in the Tyrrhenian Sea, almost sinking it. Out of the blue, both German paratroopers jumped, one liberating Catanzaro while the other landed near Taranto port. The two British infantry units were therefore isolated and will end the turn out of supply. A German Infantry corps disembarked at Palermo and attacked the US special forces. Another German infantry corps took positions in the fortified hexes south of Naples and from Paris were operated the Ariete tanks.

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Next turn the Allies sunk the Italian BB Giulio Cesare in Naples port and destroyed the German maritime bombers that defended the city but Naples could not be captured as I had no Amphibious troops available. In fact a British infantry corps was supposed to be loaded in LRAT this turn near Tripoli but I made a mistake and they ended the turn in a regular transport... General Bradley disembarked at Syracuse (along with the British infantry corps) and counterattacked destroying the recently arrived German infantry corps. Unfortunately, the two British infantry units isolated on the mainland could not be rescued. Additional troops loaded LRATs in Tobruk.

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German forces retired to the west bank of the Dnepr River abandoning Konotop and Cherkasy. Elvis counterattacked in the Vinnitsa area, recapturing the town and severely damaging the Soviet paratroopers.

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General Vasilevsky's troops managed to liberate Vinnitsa for a second time. The 3-star General was at once awarded the Order of Lenin and promoted Marshall of the USSR by Stalin himself. The 4 battered tank and mechanized units were retired to the rear areas for a short time of rest and refit. Soviet troops approached Kiev from the south and east. The mud and the lack of supply will work together to end the Soviet summer offensive...

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[Taifun]

The Stavka sent very substantial Soviet reinforcements to the Pskov area, including General Timoshenko , who was transferred back again to lead the Northern Front. Soviet forces advanced south from Daugavpils and approached Wilno.
In the Central Front Zhukov's forces maneuvered to envelop Smolensk and cut the main railroad to the strategic city. As the troops pushed forward the supply situation at the front deteriorated.

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In China, the US Army Bombers have been hammering the Japanese communications for a while, hitting Nanning, Changsha, and Hengyang. Now the Indian paratroopers jumped and captured Hengyang, cutting the main railroad linking Hanoi with Peking.

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Overview 1942-10-09

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[Taifun]

1942-11-06
The Axis forces, even if outnumbered and outfought were still a dangerous opponent. In the Army Group South area of operations, they counterattacked again in the Vinnitsa area, destroying the Soviet paratroopers, an anti-tank unit, and an infantry corps and capturing the town for the third time.
General Timoshenko's forces pushed forward from the Pskov area in terrible weather. Their objective was Riga, and the plan to isolate Axis forces in the Baltic States. The Stavka assigned a new tank unit to the Northern Front.
In the Central Front Zhukov's forces struggled to maneuver in the mud as they attempted to envelop Smolensk. The sole remaining panzerkorps in this area retreated along the Minsk highway.

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German forces crushed the isolated out-of-supply British forces south of Naples. An AA unit was operated to defend Naples but Elvis, by now very short in land units, could only deploy a weak Italian garrison to defend Rome.
Allied forces sunk the BB Roma (I forgot about this ship!) and the BB Conti di Cavour. The two remaining Italian CAs hid in ports in the Adriatic Sea. US special forces boarded again in LRATs directly from Sicily as a new invasion force gathered at Tunis port aiming to capture Rome next turn. General Bradley assaulted Palermo with heavy air support from Tunisia.

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In the Gulf of Siam area, Indian Special Forces landed near Bangkok cutting the supply lines of the Japanese army in Thailand. No Japanese reinforcements were expected to arrive via Saigon as the railroad to China was cut in several places. Further north in Burma, the Japanese had reinforced their forces at Rangoon with a General and a paratrooper unit.

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Admiral Halsey's Operation HAILSTORM had been rushed, without time for careful and thorough preparation, and worse the Allied naval forces ended the turn divided. Upon receiving word of the American invasion of Truk Elvis mustered his surface naval and air forces for a counterstrike. American carriers were known to be in the vicinity of Truk while British carriers were reported south of the Papua-Guinea coast. Other Allied ships were reported near the Moluccas and Sorong. It was a complicated picture and Elvis decided to leave alone the Allied carriers near Truk and concentrated his forces on the other 2 groups of Allied ships.
Admiral Lee's forces were obliterated, Yamamoto's carriers sinking BB Maryland, CA Tuscaloosa and severely damaging SS Salmon (strength 2). Other Japanese forces advanced further east along the north coast of Dutch New Guinea looking for trouble. Finding no naval units they destroyed the UK naval bombers based in Hollandia and hit hard the UK fighters based in Sorong. Japanese super-battleships sunk CA Camberra on the south coast near Merauke and then retired towards the Arafura Sea.

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[Taifun]

Admiral Halsey had another difficult decision to make. He could attack the Japanese carriers reported near Sorong and the Palaus with both, his 4 carriers and Admiral Cunningham's 2 carriers in a pincer attack. It was a risky plan as he knew very little of the exact enemy dispositions and rainy weather covered all land hexes in the area and worse, his land-based bomber forces were very weakened. But the force that strikes first is the one that wins most of the aeronaval engagements in this game.
Attacking the Marianas was an interesting and safer option as he knew that the Japanese Combined fleet was operating near the Palaus and the Celebes, and therefore would not interfere with the Marine landings. Moreover, the Japanese land base aviation seemed to be based in the Philipines and the Palaus, surely weakening the Marianas' defensive forces.

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Before making any decision, he waited for the reconnaissance reports.

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Based in Darwin, airships reconnoitering northeast towards Wewak and Lorengau reported a Japanese BB moored at Merauke's port covered by an AA unit. SS Salmon reported that while attempting to escape from the Banda Sea they had encountered 2 subs, 1 CA, and 1 BB in the area. Admiral Cunningham scouted the area around Merauke on New Guinea's south coast with the CV Formidable but failed to sight any other enemy ships. Admiral Halsey decided to invade the Marianas. That was a fateful decision and for the Americans a crucial one. If the admiral had taken the more aggressive course, as some of his officers had urged, the fleet might have been severely damaged.
He ordered Admiral Cunningham to retire east towards the Coral Sea with the CV Formidable. The other British CV was ordered north towards the Marianas as fast as possible. General Stilwell transferred by sea his HQ to Darwing, the 2 US fighter units to follow him in short order. The US naval bombers based in Lorengau were sent to the USA's west coast for a period of rest and refit.

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The Marianas Islands were defended by weak Japanese garrisons and a motor torpedo boat and both San Jose (Tinian) and Saipan were easily captured by US troops. Undefended Kwajalein atoll in the Marsahall Islands was also captured by Allied units.

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At the end of the turn German morale was 92%, Japan 99%, Italy 34%, USSR 85%, USA 88%, UK 92%, India 87% and China 72%.

[Duedman]

Nice AAR with some very good strategies. Never heard of attacking Tripolis from Tunisia haha.
Also cutting the rails severely hampers the Japs.

I think by far the most significant mistake of Elvis was to swing the Panzers northwards during the summer campaign. Already in WiE (which I usually play) summer time is super valuable in Russia. I guess in WaW with its fewer turns per year this is even more so.

[Taifun]

1942-12-04
Thanks, Duedman for following the AAR. I also played for many years WiE but I missed the Pacific Theatre of Operations!

German forces were evacuated from the Baltic States just before General Timoshenko's troops cut the main coastal railroad. Northern Front units reached Kaunas, approached the outskirts of Riga, and liberated Tallinn. The fully equipped German Army defending Polotsk was about to be encircled as Soviet units advanced south from Daugavpils.
In the Central Front Zhukov's forces at last surrounded Smolensk. Elvis left behind the veteran German 14th Army to defend the city to the last man. Their sacrifice will give him some time and more importantly, the supply value of the strategic city will be further reduced. Italian infantry units moved forward along the main highway towards Orsha to delay the Soviet advance toward Minsk.

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Elvis replaced the Italian garrison defending Rome with veteran German paratroopers. General Bradley had to make last-minute changes to the invasion plans. The 2 Allied Special Forces damaged the German FJs but were unable to destroy them, ending the turn in a complex situation. Further south in Sicily, the Italian 10th Army defending Palermo fought tenaciously, barely surviving the combined Allied assaults. US Army troops liberated Catanzaro for the second time as they climbed the Italian Boot. US Marines were ordered to board again LRATs at Siracuse port. British heavy bombers were transferred to Tunisia from the UK. After some heavy action, the 2 British CVs urgently needed rest and refit.

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It was a hard turn for the Indian forces in Asia. The Indian paratroopers were destroyed defending Hengyan in China. It turned out that the Japanese had 3 veteran land-based bombers and a fighter unit based around Saigon. Collaborating with carrier-based bombers they hammered the Indian Special Forces near Bangkok. The poor Indians were destroyed by Japanese Paratroopers that jumped from Ragoon! To make matters worse at Sorong the Indian Infantry Corps was destroyed along with the UK Nº12 Fighters. To conclude, SS Salmon was sunk in the area by Japanese maritime bombers coming from the Palaus.

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Admiral Halsey's retreat was a controversial decision. Admiral King was mad and wanted to relieve him, but Nimitz interceded in his favor. I must confess that I was very reluctant to engage Elvis' carriers in this game. I have limited experience playing with the Allies in the Pacific and seldom played any aero-naval battles in WaW. Japanese carriers have been training in China for 3 years and were killing machines with very skilled crews and advanced fighters level 3. The US carriers were green and still equipped with old F4Fs Wildcats (advanced fighters level 2). Worse still, not all carriers were refitted to full strength or fully re-supplied. I thought that I could wait until I found a better occasion to engage Elvis' forces. I wanted a naval superiority of 2-1. So I planned a trick until additional forces and advanced fighters level 3 were available. I decided to simulate an invasion of Japan itself to draw the Japanese north to defend their homeland. When the Combined Fleet would be forced to return to home waters, I will invade the Palaus and Mindanao and, if possible, Manila!
Admiral Halsey was ordered by Nimitz to approach Iwo Jima with some ships to mobilize the Japanese home guard and alert the enemy. Here Halsey is pictured reading his new orders in his Enterprise's cabin.

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[Taifun]

1943-01-01
As expected the presence of Allied naval units near Iwo Jima triggered Osaka, Hiroshima and Tokyo to mobilize their home guards. Guam in the Marians was captured by US Marines with carrier air support from Allied 2 CVs. Admiral Halsey moved his fleet south towards the Caroline Islands, as he made preparations to invade the Palaus next turn. General McArthur has been asking since the war began for an active post on the front lines. Just to get rid of him Admiral King suggested that he could take command of US Army Forces based in the Marianas. He was straight away appointed Top US commander in the Marianas Islands, given 2 US fighter groups (that were previously based in Darwin), and ordered to move Tinian.

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General Stilwell left Australia and continued his long-delayed trip to India. In the Marshall Islands Roi-Namur, Tarawa and Eniwetok were captured.

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German forces counterattacked near Kaunas and Wilno with 2 panzerkors. The fully equipped German Army defending Polotsk retreated south to avoid being encircled. In the Central Front Zhukov's forces liberated Gomel and Smolensk. On the Southern Front Vinnitsa was liberated for the third time by Soviet forces, but it was a costly fight and General Vasilevsky lost quite a few troops including a tank unit. For the last 3 turns the German forces in the USSR were fighting very effectively, dealing a 2-1 lost ratio. The first 2 Soviet artillery units, the famous Katyusha rocket launchers, arrived at the front lines at this time.

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A new Allied amphibious attack took place at Ancona, situated north of Rome on the east coast. The town was captured and 2 Italian garrisons were destroyed. General Bradley's forces at last liberated Palermo in Sicily. More and more German units were dispatched to defend Italy, in particular a German army that was operated to Bologna.

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[Taifun]

1943-01-29
Mussolini was removed from power in Italy! I was totally surprised as Italy's morale was still in the low 30s (not sure about the exact figure). Germany seized Italian territory but the picture changed completely for Elvis as Italy had 21 land units, providing garrison duties all around Europe . Allied troops were warmly welcomed by enthusiastic Napolitano. An elite German paratrooper unit, unable to escape north, was isolated near the east coast. The US marines isolated north of Rome were running low on supplies but relief forces were on their way. Albania was liberated whilst the town of Split was captured by Yugoslav partisans.

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Two new panzerkorps arrived as a most welcomed reinforcement to bolster the German forces facing the Soviet Northern Front. In the Central Front Zhukov's forces liberated Vitebsk but the supply situation was becoming a problem as the Soviet lines were stretched west. German Army Group South forces evacuated the strategic city of Kiev as soon as they saw the first Katyusha rocket launchers. Soviet paratroopers deployed at Odessa to threaten the Rumanian rear areas.
Swedish convoys stopped arriving in Germany.

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A lonely British CV was heading towards Bombay for a time of rest and refit after fighting in the Mediterranean. Japanese forces reinforced Rangoon with a second unit of Special Forces. The US Air Force 12 AF fighters and the 8th Strategic bombers based in China were ordered to head for Malaysia where General Stilwell had disembarked at Penang. Japanese forces retired from Thailand towards Saigon and General Slim (new HQ in Bangkok) pushed his forces in hot pursuit. All seemed to indicate that Elvis had transferred all his air units from Indochina to Japan to defend their homeland. The trick had worked, and Elvis took the bait! Reinforcing this information, a UK Sub that was operating in the East China Sea near Nagasaki was attacked and sunk by no less than 2 CVLs, 2 CVs, 3 BBs, and several CAs. The bulk of the Japanese Navy was back in home waters !

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Admiral Halsey was informed by carrier scout planes that Mindanao and the Palaus Islands have been evacuated by the Japanese! A Japanese CVL was spotted by intel moored at Manila's harbor. Halsey hesitated to attack Manila directly. Although he had 6 LRATs and 6 carriers available (but not at full strength) he opted for a safer option. He ordered the Australian Special Forces to liberate Davao whilst US Army troops captured Babelthuap. With the benefit of hindsight, we now know that I missed a golden opportunity, and I will pay a heavy price for it.

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[ElvisJJonesRambo]

South Pacific late 1942:

IJN guessing, that Americans may land in DEI, the Eastern Port which is quite popular. One transport destroyed. Straggling Royal Navy engaged North of Australia American Carriers, probably way back at Tarawa, pressing on Truk and in the picture, near Pelepiu. He's using Maritime Bombers as scouts and attack threats. Cautious, I'm guessing. Looking forward to the gathering, in the Pacific. Must be careful with my precious elite Carriers.

[Taifun]

1943-02-26
I was hoping for Elvis to attack in the Pacific, either the Marianas Islands or Halsey's invasion fleet near the Palaus. But Elvis was cautious, sending only a few reconnaissance carrier planes from the Luzon area that were intercepted by our carriers. Now he knew that we were coming in force and that Manila was in danger...
President Roosevelt was under heavy pressure from Stalin to open the second Front in Western France. The Soviets were fighting (and winning) the war against Germany all by themselves and Roosevelt knew that he needed to offer Stalin something. If US forces liberated Manila and Rome that would calm down Stalin for a while until Operation OVERLORD could be launched. Roosevelt called Admiral King to authorize Operation LIMESTONE, the invasion of Luzon.
From Davao, the Australians advanced north towards Legaspi along the coastal road opening the Mindanao Channel, allowing a British CV to scout the Manila area. The Japanese had redeployed his naval forces south again. Luzon was packed with bombers and surface naval units patrolled against amphibious landings. An attack plan was quickly designed. Instead of attacking Manila directly from the sea, (two subs were stationed east of Manila protecting the capital) US Marines would disembark from the south.

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The Marines boarded the landing craft and prayed!

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Two Marine units disembarked south of Manila, destroying an AA and the veteran Japanese 21st medium bombers. The mighty CV Akagi (13-11 strength) was moored at Manila and though it was attacked by the 2 Marine units it ended the turn still with 8-11 strength. Three other Marine units landed elsewhere, one disembarking in Cebu! Halsey's fleet ended the turn dispersed between the Celebes Sea and the Palaus. The whole affair was a terrible mess, with only one LRAT in reserve, the chances of defeating the Japanese in Luzon were slim. To back up the invasion the veteran RCAF Maritime bombers were operated to Davao from Italy, and a second US maritime bomber unit was transferred to Babelthuap. Peleliu was captured by an AA unit that provided some protection to the CVs, but there were no US landed-based fighters within range.

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General Stilwell was ordered to cut the DEI-Japan convoys and was given two strategic bomber wings to bomb the DEI ports from Penang. Allied units were about the enter Indochina from Thailand.

Out of the blue, the isolated German paratroopers jumped and escaped north towards Bologna! The US Marines (low on supplies) isolated north of Rome embarked on LRATs to escape destruction. General O'Connor was transferred from Tunis to mainland Italy with his air force. Taranto and Brindisi were captured in southern Italy and Skopje and Dubrovnik were liberated in Yugoslavia.

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[Taifun]

1943-03-26
The war against Japan was chiefly a naval and air campaign, in which the destruction of the Japanese fleet was the basic strategic problem. The naval campaign belongs at the narrative spine of the history of the Pacific War, and I have worked in that spirit.
Upon receiving word of the American invasion in Luzon Elvis mustered his surface naval and air forces for a counterstrike. Elvis had decided to station most of his battleships and carriers at the northern end of Luzon where they would be less vulnerable to Allied air attack. The Japanese land-based bombers (3 maritime) and fighters attacked first, dealing considerable damage to the screening ships and several carriers and destroying the veteran RCAF Maritime bombers. Then the enemy's carriers attacked sinking several ships, and lastly, the big BBs finished the cripples. It was carnage, with the Allies losing CA Astoria, BB Colorado, BB Duke of York, BB Idaho, CV Courageous, CV Formidable, and DD Wainwright.

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The annihilation of 2 carriers and 3 BBs was a severe blow and Halsey elected to retire at high speed to the east, rather than to engage the Japanese fleet. With severe aircraft losses among his surviving 4 carriers, and with several BBs heavily damaged, the fleet was in no condition to fight effectively. To renew the attack, he believed, would expose his fleet to a new carrier air attack while he lacked any defense; he would be inviting the same sort of catastrophe that he had recently witnessed.

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As Halsey's ships limped back towards the Marshall Islands and the Bismark Archipelago, among the Marines, news spread that the navy had suffered a terrible defeat. It became apparent that the fleet had left the Palaus Islands and the Philippines. The Marines ashore destroyed a Japanese Special Force unit that was isolated out of supply near Legaspi but that was all that they could accomplish. They were now on their own...
General Stilwell's bombers damaged the ports of Batavia and Palembang, interrupting the convoys to Japan from DEI. Some good news: Semarang and Soerabaja were liberated by Indian troops in Java.

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General Timoshenko's forces reached the outskirts of Riga and Kaunas, threatening to cut the rail line between those cities. The Northern Front still had priority and Timoshenko had received substantial reinforcements including a new level 3 tank unit.
In the Central Front Zhukov's forces were approaching Minsk from the east and northeast. He commanded 2 anti-tank units but no mobile armored/mechanized units.

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[Taifun]

After liberating Vinnitsa Soviet Southern Front forces were approaching the Polish border. General Vasilevsky's forces destroyed the 4th panzerkorps, the DAK antitank, and a German Infantry Corps. Very few Axis forces remained on Soviet soil in this area. Heavy combats in Besarabia as Soviet troops entered Rumania. Nish was liberated in Yugoslavia and Cernauti was captured in northern Rumania.

In a daring operation, the US Marines were ordered to capture Trieste or Zagreb, but both cities were defended by German troops and they didn't land anywhere ending the turn still embarked. The Rumanian oil fields of Ploesti were targeted by the UK heavy bombers based in Italy and were damaged (5 points).

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[redrum68]

Do you think that your invasion of Philippines was just too aggressive at this stage? Given hindsight would you have avoided it and used your fleet else where?

Interested in the Pacific combat as that is where I have the least experience.

[Duedman]

wow disaster in the pacific. I wonder if there will be some tender loving care for the strat bombers

[Taifun]

1943-04-23
I should have waited a few more turns before invading the Philipines. In my original plan, the Palaus Islands were to have been reinforced with AA guns, some maritime bombers, and the 2 US fighter wings from the Marianas. The US carriers should have been reinforced, refitted, and upgraded to level 2-3-3. BUT Germany was defeated, with Soviet troops about to enter the German Reich in a few turns. That would end the game. I wanted to finish as fast as possible as I had another "Family Front" to take care of. I made a mistake, but it wasn't critical.
Admiral Halsey's Operation LIMESTONE had been rushed, without time for careful and thorough preparation, and worse the Allied naval forces ended badly mauled. Admiral King was furious. Upon arrival at Pearl Harbor, Admiral Halsey was informed that he would take a new command in Alaska . The new Pacific Fleet commander would be Admiral Spruance, but it would take several months to rebuild the fleet.

Disaster upon disaster in the Pacific! The Japanese Combined Fleet carriers entered the Gulf of Siam and destroyed the 2 US heavy bomber units! General Stilwell managed to escape to Bombay whilst the US fighter units moved north. The loss of the 8th Strategic Bombers and the 1st Bombardment Wing was a severe blow. I incorrectly planned that the Japanese carriers would remain in their home waters after losing Manila.

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Riga was evacuated by the Germans and the Soviets approached East Prussia. Further south Red Army troops entered Polish territory and marched towards Lublin after capturing Przemysl. The Hungarian Infantry Corps defending Brest-Litovsk was isolated after the railroad connection to Warsaw was severed.

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German troops were instructed to reestablish order in Yugoslavia. The German panzerkorps that defended Zagreb moved southeast to defend Belgrade whilst the Hungarian tank unit joined them coming from Bucharest. It was an important diversion, as these two key enemy units won't be available to fight the Soviets for a while. Worst still, the German panzerkorps was seriously damaged by UK tactical bombers based in Italy. The Rumanian oil fields of Ploesti were targeted again by the UK heavy bombers and suffered further damage. Cluj in Transylvania was captured by Soviet troops coming from Ukraine.

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Germany counted 83 land units vs 72 USSR.

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[Taifun]

1943-05-21
Rome was evacuated by the Germans! A new line of defense was established at Bologna further north. General Bradley paraded through Rome much to the disgust of General O'Connor... US Marines recaptured Malta.
Axis forces recaptured Nish, Dubrovnik, and Skopje in Yugoslavia, isolating the Yugoslav partisans around Split. But again, the Hungarian tanks were furiously attacked by tactical bombers based in Italy.

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Heavy combat around Kaunas. The Germans massed 3 panzerkorps to defend East Prussia. The fortress of Brest-Litovsk was surrounded. There will be no decisive engagement during the next months. The main locus of the fighting moved up and down the line, first as I tried to break through in different places, and then as Elvis tried to throw me back. There was an assault, then a pause, then another, both sides losing several units every turn. There was no maneuvering over empty desert spaces as there had been in the previous months. But the battle was not a draw. It had a clear victor as Germany lost many more MPPs than they could harvest.

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Lublin was captured on the main road leading to Warsaw and Soviet forces reached the Vistula River near Przemysl. Soviet paratroopers entered Hungary, menacing the German rear areas. Elvis was determined to defend Romania and the Balkans. German forces attacked the Soviet infantry corps holding Cluj in Transylvania with powerful units. Bacau in Bessarabia, defended by an army of motivated Hungarians, probed to be a tough nut to crack. After several unsuccessful attacks, the Stavka was compelled to send additional reinforcements to the Odessa sector, in particular 2 armies and a unit of Katyusha rocket launchers. General Vasilevsky's forces struggled in Romania.

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The Marianas Islands were evacuated and General McArthur was ordered to the European Theatre of Operations. The two surviving US Marine units retired to Mindanao from Luzon. Admiral Spruance started to rebuild the fleet at Pearl Harbor and the USA West Coast. US Army troops were ready to board LRATs at the USA East Coast ports. Operation BOLERO, the Allied build-up of forces in southern England, was almost completed.
At the end of the turn German morale was 87%, Japan 81%, USSR 93%, USA 82%, and the UK 87%.

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