Bob Flemin's MWIF AARse V - Fat AARse

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1940
Impulse: 2

And now, the most important attack - and one that could have been beefed up had I realised the importance of the hexside. Will the Germans pay for that mistake? It's 3:1 +1 on the Assault Table....

...its a 5(6). The Spanish lose just one division and the Germans are all disorganised....

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1940
Impulse: 2

The Germans rebase a Stuka from Northern France.

They take a chance and do not reorganise units on the right flank. They only have one HQ left for such purposes and by waiting, Rundstedt can be used to reorganise 4 corps rather than just 2. It will slow the advance but hopefully worth it in the long run.

[composer99]

Well, the Germans are using up their re-org capacity right off the bat, but methinks they're across the mountains now. (Although getting Bilbao, now that they've stalled in the north, will be a slog.)

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: composer99

Well, the Germans are using up their re-org capacity right off the bat, but methinks they're across the mountains now. (Although getting Bilbao, now that they've stalled in the north, will be a slog.)

warspite1

Agreed. That was not a total disaster, but with a bit of thought it could have been so much better - e.g. not needing to use Guderian (and having his reorganisation capability intact) would have been good, plus I could have attacked the stack north of Barcelona as well.

Ho hum - you live and learn....

... and now the weather has changed. Rain in the North Temperate...

[Orm]

I thought that one of the main reasons on playing a offensive on Guderian was to use the extra reorganization since it was expected that lots of land units would become disorganized.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Orm

I thought that one of the main reasons on playing a offensive on Guderian was to use the extra reorganization since it was expected that lots of land units would become disorganized.

warspite1

Yes but thinking I needed his attack points I threw him into one of the three battles - fact was I did not need him.

[composer99]

Plus with all the mountains, Guderian would have been out of range to reorganise most units, anyway.

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1940
Impulse: 3

The plan now is to get some naval gunfire support to the Spanish East coast. An Anglo-French fleet sails to the Western Mediterranean, while the Spanish fleet take to the Bay of Biscay and use their TRS to pick up a British Infantry Corps.

[Courtenay]

Note that for most of North Africa, you won't need a HQ, as at least two of Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco are just minor countries, and the CW may freely enter them. (But not CW TERR or minor country units.) If you made some other country the new French home country, you can enter all three freely.

Also note how FTC works: You need a HQ to get units to enter a country. Once the units enter the country, the HQ can leave, and the units that already there can stay there. Of course, if they are destroyed, you need to bring an HQ back to get new units in there.

A major power or minor country unit that ends any step in the home country of a friendly major power it doesn’t co-operate with is destroyed unless:

It started the step there; or

It started the step elsewhere and the unit satisfies the foreign troop commitment limit.

Thus it is legal to move units in, using FTC, and later move the HQ out, since the other units "started the step there."

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Sep/Oct 1940
Impulse: 3

The plan now is to get some naval gunfire support to the Spanish East coast. An Anglo-French fleet sails to the Western Mediterranean, while the Spanish fleet take to the Bay of Biscay and use their TRS to pick up a British Infantry Corps.

warspite1

The Spanish look screwed from where I'm sitting. What would people do next? I need to ensure Gibraltar is fully garrisoned and that the Italians cannot just walk into Algeria on a freebie - I will give Tunisia up as lost.

Should I even bother attempting to save Spain given that it may mean Gibraltar's defence is compromised? But then delaying the Germans getting to Gibraltar helps the defence????

[composer99]

Lots of Germans are disorganised, so the Spanish might be able to hold them up for 1-2 more impulses along the Ebro and the mountains, especially with some light CW reinforcement around Bilbao and Barcelona.

(However, if that's Franco underneath the fighter unit, IMO he should run for Spanish Morocco.)

After that the CW wants to hold the Germans up for an impulse or two at Madrid.

After that, the CW wants to hold the Germans up for as long as they can (though again probably only an impulse or two unless the weather cooperates) by garrisoning Seville and Malaga and the Sierra Nevada, so as to control the overland approaches to Gibraltar.

Of course, ultimately Spanish and CW land unit density at this stage probably aren't sufficient to form a solid line. So I think you're doing pretty good if the Germans take until Jan/Feb 1941 to get to Gib, at which point hopefully the weather can keep them out of the picture until the summer, giving the CW more time to bring in reinforcements (land units & planes) to North Africa to support the defence.

Holding till summer also gives the USSR breathing room against attack (or, possibly, the opportunity to either fight Japan, or build garrison and try to break the Nazi-Soviet pact themselves while the German Heer and Luftwaffe are stuck in Spain).

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: composer99

Lots of Germans are disorganised, so the Spanish might be able to hold them up for 1-2 more impulses along the Ebro and the mountains, especially with some light CW reinforcement around Bilbao and Barcelona.

(However, if that's Franco underneath the fighter unit, IMO he should run for Spanish Morocco.)

After that the CW wants to hold the Germans up for an impulse or two at Madrid.

After that, the CW wants to hold the Germans up for as long as they can (though again probably only an impulse or two unless the weather cooperates) by garrisoning Seville and Malaga and the Sierra Nevada, so as to control the overland approaches to Gibraltar.

Of course, ultimately Spanish and CW land unit density at this stage probably aren't sufficient to form a solid line. So I think you're doing pretty good if the Germans take until Jan/Feb 1941 to get to Gib, at which point hopefully the weather can keep them out of the picture until the summer, giving the CW more time to bring in reinforcements (land units & planes) to North Africa to support the defence.

Holding till summer also gives the USSR breathing room against attack (or, possibly, the opportunity to either fight Japan, or build garrison and try to break the Nazi-Soviet pact themselves while the German Heer and Luftwaffe are stuck in Spain).

warspite1

I fear I do not have enough units for all that. Its tempting to try and use Bilbao and Barcelona as landing grounds for CW troops. The only problem is that my TRS (in Barca) would then be sitting ducks for a port attack....

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1940
Impulse: 3

The weather change has scuppered the CW plans in Spain (such that they were). The landing of troops in Northern Spain would leave them disorganised due to the weather/terrain. Troops in India cannot make headway against a Partisan for the same reason....

The CW rebase a fighter and naval air to Spain but....

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1940
Impulse: 5

The good news for the Allies is that the bad weather has scuppered the Germans too. von Rundstedt cannot advance into the mountains (with a view to reorganising 4 corps) because of the weather. Worse - the planned movement toward Barcelona is being slowed. The Germans can still get an attack in on the Spanish 5th Corps, northwest of Barcelona, but the odds are not as good as they hoped; in fact, at 3:2 they wisely decide against.

Meanwhile in China it is a similar story. The Japanese attempts to get at the Nationalists will have to wait...

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1940
Impulse: 7

The weather throw is a 3 - Fine everywhere..... at least the Allies get the first go during this Indian summer....

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1940
Impulse: 7

Boy do the Allies need this turn over quickly or what? I did not realise that landing troops in port (when already at sea) means they will be disorganised. Plans to land in Barcelona, Cartagena (for onward deployment in Madrid) and Algiers have thus come unstuck.

If I am, to land Allied troops, organised, this turn, then the north coast of Spain is my only option.

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1940
Impulse: End of Turn

And the turn ends on a 1!!!!

How lucky is that for the Allies??

But they remain desperately unlucky in the US Entry department. They just cannot get any Tension going.....Four 1's? I mean come on?!?!?!? [:@]

[Orm]

But they remain desperately unlucky in the US Entry department. They just cannot get any Tension going.....Four 1's? I mean come on?!?!?!?

It seems you need to relocate the Pacific Fleet to Pearl Harbour. So it might be a good idea to place the extra chits in the Japanese pool for a while.

[warspite1]

Sep/Oct 1940
Impulse: Production

Germany:
INF
GARR
ARM
FTR
LND
Pilot

Italy:
Jean Bart II and Aquila (2nd Cycle)
Pilot
Carrier Air

Japan:
Hiyo and Junyo (2nd Cycle)
INF
2 x Convoy
2 x Light Carrier (1st Cycle)
Aoba and Asama (Repair)
SUB (1st Cycle)
1 x Saved BP

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Orm

But they remain desperately unlucky in the US Entry department. They just cannot get any Tension going.....Four 1's? I mean come on?!?!?!?

It seems you need to relocate the Pacific Fleet to Pearl Harbour. So it might be a good idea to place the extra chits in the Japanese pool for a while.

warspite1

What do you mean Ormster?