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Jan/Feb 1941
Impulse: 3

Its the Axis to throw first:

Round 1

10 - DC the CW clear through the Beaufort
11 - DC the Germans clear through their Condor

Round 2

18 - DX PX the Commonwealth have to destroy the Beaufighter or Sunderland! What a choice. The flying boat is lost.
14 - AA the Commonwealth aborts the Bf-110

The odds move up to +3 and so the Axis pull-out.

The fleets are so big, the wall of AA fire is simply huge. Both the Condor and the Beaufort are aborted. The results of the attack are suitably modest. Two Italian cruisers are forced to abort.

Jan/Feb 1941
Impulse: 3

Mussolini breathes a huge sigh of relief. The Regia Marina (with a little help from Fliegerkorps X) destroyed a Sunderland, helped take out Barcelona, and compromised the Allied response in Spain (through their taking a combined). All this for the loss of two damaged light cruisers; a more than respectable trade.

The Mediterranean is temporarily back in Allied hands, but Il Duce is already dreaming of a New Roman Empire....

Jan/Feb 1941
Impulse: 3

The remainder of the Allies turn sees more shuffling of forces along the Ebro and more aircraft being flown into the Mediterranean theatre. The one good thing about having a Spanish front is that it at least makes transporting aircraft to the Med easier...

The weather continues to assist the Allies. A throw of 6 meaning that the Northern Temperate is Snow, while the Mediterranean is Rain.

Jan/Feb 1941
Impulse: 5

The Germans are totally hamstrung in the Pyrenees - they literally cannot move anywhere without being disorganised - added to which, many of the units on the east of the front are out of supply. The impulse ends very quickly.

Jan/Feb 1941
Impulse: 7

All Allies except the CW Pass and the turn ends on a 2.

Jan/Feb 1941
Impulse: Production

Germany:
INF
ARM
ARM HQ
FTR
10 x Saved BP

Italy:
Paris and Barbiano (Repair)
NAV
FTR
Pilot

Japan:
INF HQ
Musashi and AMPH (2nd Cycle)
Pilot
CARRIER AIR

Jan/Feb 1941
Impulse: Production

China:
INF HQ
AT

Commonwealth:
HM Ships Implacable, KGV, Anson + AMPH (2nd Cycle)
CARRIER AIR
FTR
2 x Pilot
INF
MOT

France:
Nothing

USA:
5 x Essex-class (1st Cycle)

USSR:
INF
INF HQ
FTR
Pilot
2 x Saved BP

Mar/Apr 1941
Impulse: Reinforcement

Germany:
NAV
Lutzow
INF
ARM HQ

Italy:
Lepanto has been placed in the Construction Pool
NAV
Courbet
Conte di Cavour
Attendolo

Japan:
SUB has been placed in the Construction Pool
Shoho and Zuiho

Mar/Apr 1941
Impulse: Reinforcement

China:
MOT

Commonwealth:
HM Ships Lion and Indefatigable have been placed in the Construction Pool
FTR
HM Ships Frobisher, London, Southampton and TRS
MOT (Aus)

France:
Nothing

USA:
US Ships Cleveland, Alabama and New Jersey
AMPH

USSR:
FTR
MOT
ARM

Mar/Apr 1941
Impulse: Initiative and Weather

Axis 11:6 Allies

Weather roll = 7 Fine everywhere except the Arctic (Rain).

Mar/Apr 1941
Impulse: 1

The Spanish defensive position is not looking too bad - units being either behind river or in the mountains. This could be a tough one for the Axis forces to crack.

German fighter strength has migrated to their western flank, around Barcelona and that is where the attack will come from this impulse.

Two Stukas are sent, one each to Saragossa and the hex to the southeast for ground strike purposes. The two Beaufighters in Valencia and Bilbao can do nothing against the five fighters the Luftwaffe have based in the region.

The attack on the city meets with a 50% success rate - the second hex gets the full Stuka treatment....

Mar/Apr 1941
Impulse: 1

Having said that about the Spanish position, the Germans are actually able to get a comfortable 5:1 +3 against the extreme right flank of the Spanish army.

Throwing a 9(12) does not exactly hinder German progress either. Suddenly the Spanish position goes from not too bad to pretty flippin' horrible in one impulse...

Mar/Apr 1941
Impulse: 2

The right wing of the Spanish Army disintegrates and this means the CW have to do a Land Action this turn. Without looking in any detail at the numbers - just simply glancing at the terrain - I assumed the Spanish position was stronger than that, and that the Germans would at least be hurt in getting across the Ebro....

Mar/Apr 1941
Impulse: 2

Just one attack this impulse as the Indian army get rid of a pesky Partisan

Mar/Apr 1941
Impulse: 5

And the Allies catch a bit of a break. The weather turns to Rain in the Med (and Storm in the North Temperate). Franco and Gort now regret not reinforcing Saragossa...

Notwithstanding the weather, the Germans get an Automatic on Saragossa. That was a really poor piece of play by the Allies....

Mar/Apr 1941
Impulse: 7

The disaster on the Ebro has meant another Land Action for the CW. This isn't getting TRS to sea [:@]

All other powers pass to at least give a chance of the turn ending (20%).

The throw is a 4 - the turn continues. The only comfort for the Allies is that the weather has turned hideous. As per the famous song from My Fair Lady:

The Snow in Spain,
Falls mainly on the Wehrmacht....[:(]

Mar/Apr 1941
Impulse: 9

The Germans cannot attack but they continue to push deep into central Spain and are just two hexes from Madrid.

The turn does not end - this game seems to have high dice as its default setting.....


Mar/Apr 1941
Impulse: 12

The Allies once again pass - with the exception of the CW who this time get a combined in.

Playing with the Queens is fun! A South African infantry corps lands in Gibraltar - and the liners will make their way across the Atlantic next turn to pick up a Canadian infantry. A Spitfire is also transferred from Plymouth to the Rock.

Germany needs more militia and infantry in Spain.

Primary focus in Spain should be to reach Gibraltar, the second to gain the resources, third should be to transport those resources for production and only as fourth priority should an effort be made on conquering Spain. With that said it is important to contain the Allied forces in the NW but Gibraltar is so much more important. Axis needs more units in Spain and because of the terrain they should not be motorized.

Artillery and paratroopers can come in good use when attacking Gibraltar and should be produced.

The turn does not end - this game seems to have high dice as its default setting.....

I've begun using my own dice and import the die rolls into my game.

Mar/Apr 1941
Impulse: 15

The turn continues on a 10!!

The Mediterranean is now engulfed by Rain - at this rate the country must resemble a giant lake....

There is just one attack - against the Cartagena Militia that defends the right flank of the Anglo-Spanish position.

The odds are 7:1 no modifiers on the Assault Table.....

....5. The Militia is destroyed and the noose around Madrid starts to tighten....