Decline and Fall The Long Way Round

[AllenK]

M/J 1945 Allied 3

No DoW.

All go for Land. CW puts O-chit on Monty. US puts one on Ike.

No port attacks, strategic or carpet bombing. The Soviets send a ground-strike to Leningrad, which succeeds. RAF Tempests pave the way for Monty's drive.

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M/J 1945 Allies 3: Land movement.

In Spain CW and Spanish units clear the front lines to allow the US to take over. The CW units head for the coast for redeployment.

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Elsewhere, the CW advance across the desert continues to Transjordan and the outskirts of Jerusalem, while the slow march down the Burmese peninsular continues. Monty moves up to go into action.

The ChiComms manage to get Mao back in supply.

[AllenK]

The CW invades Latvia. The US declares one combat led by Ike. Monty leads the CW effort in Estonia. The Russians launch a very low odds attack to try and get Leningrad back. Another one in the centre where the aim is to exchange an Inf Div for something more substantial and Zhukov leads an attack in the south.

The RN closes into shore to provide gunfire support. Zhukov takes personal charge of his attack. An La-7 is pressed into service as a bomber at Leningrad. RCAF Mossies cover one of the invasion beaches. The other goes unprotected as the remaining Mossie is needed to cover Monty's attack.

The Germans provide defensive air to the unguarded invasion, the Soviet attack in the centre and Monty's effort.

Over Monty, the Mossie brings down one of the attackers but the other gets through.

[AllenK]

With the support all factored in, the combats go in as follows.

[AllenK]

In Spain, Ike gets away with it due to the odds.

[AllenK]

The first of the invasions gets ashore intact.

[AllenK]

The second invasion gets ashore but at the cost of an Inf (16 at +6. Forgot screenshot).

Monty does enough to get his attack home.

[AllenK]

At Leningrad, the attack orders appear to have gone astray as 2 units that should have been involved were left out. It fails. The extra units wouldn't have made much difference but might have averted the loss.

[AllenK]

At Vitebsk, the Soviets don't quite get the exchange they wanted.

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While Zhukov wishes he'd stayed at home.

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The US and CW rebase some air units.

Russian HQ's re-org a number of units up and down the front.

M/J 1945 Axis 4

No DoW

Germany & Italy Land. Japan Combined.

[AllenK]

M/J 1945 Axis 4

A quiet impulse up to land movement, apart from a couple of German rail moves towards the east front.

The Germans move up to counter-attack the Royal Marines and Zhukov. Some reinforcements on the way forwards stop off for a go at some partisans in Russia and the anti-partisan ops in Yugoslavia continue.

The sudden US breakthrough has put the Italians in a bit of bother. They would like to retreat but doing so would leave valuable air units to be overrun. They shore up the line and hope for the best.

[AllenK]

M/J 1945 Axis 4: Land Combat

After disembarking Gen Hata at Haichow, the Japs declare an attack on Mao.

The Germans attack Zhukov, the Royal Marines and partisans in Russia and Yugoslavia. Their Ju-290 flies ground-support against the Marines. Bomber Command sends a Halifax at extreme range to support the RM. Soviets bomb up the La-7 and send it to help out their general.

[AllenK]

The Yugoslavian partisans prove tougher than expected.

[AllenK]

The Marines hold out but are forced to retreat.

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The Soviet partisans perish but, in doing so, write themselves into legend by destroying a mechanised army.

[AllenK]

The destruction of Zhukov allows the Germans to regain the ground they lost in the Southern offensive and re-establish their defence along the river.

[AllenK]

Mao is easily dealt with.

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The Germans rebase 3 Lnd and a Ftr eastwards.

No reorgs.

M/J 1945 Allied 5

Weather is fine everywhere except Nth Monsoon, rain.

No DoW

US Combined. Rest Land.

US BB's, CA's and an Amph loaded with a CW Mot sail to the high Baltic sea boxes.

The US mounts its first raid of the war on Berlin. A maximum effort with 7 bomber groups escorted by 4 fighter groups. The Germans scramble everything in range (3 groups) but the odds are slightly against them (+1:-1).

German fighters scatter the lead bombing group who turn and head for home (LW 6, US 13). Both sides duel around the sky but to no effect (LW 13, US 9). US numerical superiority begins to bite when the leading German fighters are downed and a B-17 clears through to target (LW 11, US 4). It continues when a further German fighter is shot down (LW 8, US 15). Another B-17 clears through (LW 8, US 11) before the final defending fighter is forced to land (LW 12, US 7).