Cohen vs Enrico - AAR nr. 5

[AlbertN]

Start of Jul / Aug 1942 - After 1 impulse each

The Royal Navy intervened in force to cut the Italian supply in Iraq; but no side found its counterpart (that too in the 3rd Impulse, Allied - as we're playing live and I am writing as my bud is taking his turn).

UK has committed an amount of CVs and BBs in the zone, the Italians lack fighters, and their only hope is the Zero Reisen-Kai based in Ceylon.

[AlbertN]

Start of Jul / Aug - After 3 impulses

Pacific.

In the first impulse the USA sends submarines, and sink the Japanese shipping to Australia.
US took combined to assault too Buenos Aires, as you saw already.

Japan reacts by taking combined too. New Zealand Coast is empty, the Japanese carrier fleet goes there with cruiser escort and a MAR. Only a black print Garrison, OOS, defends the Fiji - which harbour 4 US ships!
The carrier bombers succeed in flipping the Garrison, which goes to 1 factor. The assault is routine at +20.
An USN Cruiser is sunk in the port (disrupted already due to lack of fuel). The other three ships flee, but are intercepted by the carriers. Luck wants the US roll amazingly with their AA (Lowest of 4, they roll 6 7 7 7 - 1 Japanese CVP explodes with the pilot!). But then these pilots are promptly avenged by their comrades (Out of 2 X and 2 D, the US fails all the saves.)

The US has lost 1 GARR, 1 BB (old), 2 CA (6 mov 5 range) and 1 CL (6 mov 3 range, old style!).

In their next impulse the US send a submarine to raid the Solomons, but Japanese land based planes scramble, find and damage the submarine, successfully protecting the convoys.

[AlbertN]

Start of Jul / Aug - After 1 impulse each.

Ostfront.

The Germans destroy an amount of divisions and lesser troops, clean the pocket in Crimea and force the Don north of Voronhez.
No losses for Germany here at least - and the Soviets have an amount of disrupted units due to bombardments and a shatter result converted to retreat.

In their next impulse (That is being played now) the Soviets retreat further leaving the disrupted units to their own destiny!

[AlbertN]

Jul / Aug 1942 - After 2 impulses each

During Allied impulse, the Royal Navy do not find the Italian fleet.

Japan come to lend assistance, with 3 BBs and their Zero.
Italy sends a TRS from Iraq to try to pick some reinforcements, but it is intercepted - and stays in the sea zone instead of fighting through - going to sit nicely in the 2 box along all the other ships.

But the Royal Navy elects to search and finds. It's air battle - but inconclusive in nature. Despite the Allies rolling 1 and the Axis 7, the Zero aborts the Swordfish and the Axis fighters then flee from the fight.
It's not over though.
Both sides find each other, the opening of the air fight sees a Sparviero being gunned down by the Fulmars which in turn are simply aborted, but the other Sparviero goes through, the Royal Navy anti air fails (rolling an 1 and a 7) and the carrier loaded with the Fulmar is damaged.

But the W.Allied still have 2 Carrier Planes with 4 air to air and 2 air to sea, and a 3 air to sea swordfish!
They total 21 ships and the Axis 13, but they've the same gunnery power.

The third round see the two fleets finding each other - the carrier task force of UK only. Another naval-air battle!
The Zero guns down one of the CW fighters; where the Swordfish and the Sparviero both go through. Though the Zero is aborted, and being land based go back to Ceylon.
The Italian AA excels - returning the favor at the Fiji naval battle - the lowest of 3 dices blast away the Swordfish.

The Italians have only a Sparviero now, and the Brits have a 4 air to air fighter!
The W.Allied finds once again but only with their carrier task force. It's too little with only 1 plane, and they've tiny bits of surprise. They elect to sink the convoy.

But the two opposing fleets do not find each other anymore.

I was already terrified as Iraq would have been out of supply, in my head.
It was not the case, for I totally forgot the TRS that got intercepted and remained in the sea zone, supplying to the shortcoming of the sunk convoy.

[AlbertN]

Jul / Aug 1942 - After 2 impulses each

Impulse 1.

The Bomber Command elects to bomb Lille.
The RAF has at avail a 7, a 6 and a 5 air to air FTR2.

Luftwaffe has only a 6 and a 5 air to air FTR2.
The Luftwaffe stood on the ground, Lille was bombed for 1 damage.

Alexander reorganizes the Whitley.

Impulse 2.

The Bomber Command elects to bomb Bruxelles, sending in their whole escorts.
The Luftwaffe though is much thougher here, having also new airplanes in Germany.
The Luftwaffe reacts with 3* 6 air factor and a 5 air factor FTR2.

The Germans harvest a grand victory, shooting down 2 FTR2 of the RAF and a pilot, for no losses there.

[AlbertN]

Jul / Aug 1942 - After 2 impulses each

Japan simply seizes Tarawa after having repelled the US submarine strike in the Solomons.

Little is happening, US is short of carriers presently and is waiting for the 5 new Essex class ones coming the next turn.
Japan is trying to have some extra landgrabs!

[AlbertN]

Jul / Aug 1942 - After 2 impulses each

Iraq, one of the aching teeth of the Axis. Obviously, the front of Italian competence.
But Hitler cannot exactly go complain to Il Duce, after all the Regia Aereonautica is lending much more resources on the Russian main front, than the Germans devoting stuff into Iraq.

The Italian navy has been quite successful recently, and the Italians are pinning much larger Soviet forces on their front.

On the other hand, the Italians upfront see the situation rather grim, with their chance to get reinforcements pratically non existant or very slow.
Albeit, a brand new tactical bomber is coming their way (a nice BR20 with 9 range and 3 tactical factors) - with the absence of Soviet fighters, 3 extra points in defence somewhere can do marvels where numbers are so low here. And I am sceptical the Soviets can devote a fighter there, especially their coming brand new 6 air factor fighters!!!

[AlbertN]

Jul / Aug - After 2 impulses each

The Soviets sheltered a MECH and a MECH-Div behind the river bend (where you see the 3 stacks of panzers). The Germans though took Voronhez, trampled over a FTR2 and swarmed them with armour, breaking through.

North of Rostov the Soviet forces suffered other casualities, another FTR2 spent already, a MECH, an INF and a MOT-Div that got surrounded (and the MECH overran).

[AlbertN]

Jul / Aug 1942 - After 2 impulses each

Vologda falls - and a Soviet MIL perishes.

South of Moscow, the Oka river is crossed, a GARR is destroyed, and Moscow is pratically surrounded.

North of Vorohnez, Konev and 2 INF armies are butchered, encircled (Konev was bombed, the INFs got to retreat).

The Germans went to bomb further on, but their Luftwaffe is doing a poor job and only 1 INF was pinned (where Zhukov is!)

Germany spends 3 HQ in reorganizing various planes, 3 Stukas and 1 Ju88 to keep pushing. There is plenty of Luftwaffe but is well behind the first lines, and Germany needs disrupted Soviets NOW! (Well next impulse)
So meanwhile Von Bock, Rommel and Rundstedt spent their leadership, Von Manstein and Guderian remain operational, alongside Mannerheim and Antonescu.

[AlbertN]

Jul / Aug 1942 - After two impulses each

Japan has lost 1 pilot.
UK has lost 2 pilots.
Soviets lost 2 pilots.
Italy lost 1 pilot.

Germany lost 1 CP.

US has 2 offensives and 12 pilots in reserve.
Germany has 1 offensive and 4 pilots in reserve.
UK has 3 pilots in reserve.
Soviets have 1 offensive in reserve.
Japan has 2 pilots in reserve.

[AlbertN]

Jul / Aug 1942 - After 3 impulses each

The Soviets keep on their hasty retreat, they're saving very few factories and their production looks maimed and crippled.
Luckily for them the Luftwaffe is not as efficient as it should, and very few of their units are bombed.

Only an INF remains behind.

Moscow, Rostov, and other positions are all bombed in preparation for the assault.
Germany fires in their 3rd impulse their newly produced O-Chit that arrived this very turn. Otherwise Jul / Aug will see lots of Germans sitting around Rostov and Moscow laying siege to them and diminishing their pushing power greatly.

With Von Manstein going disrupted by the end of the impulse, that leaves only Guderian, Antonescu and Mannerheim to lead on the German push. Given they can rail Von Leeb from France upfront to expand the supply lines.

Rostov attack goes smooth, no losses for the Germans. The Soviets lose a GARR and a GARR-Div; the third unit there, a GARR, retreats and is out of supply.
Moscow on the other hand is a bloodshed - both sides loses 2 units. For the Soviets, it's all they've. The Germans lose an ENG and MIL.
Closeby Saratov the German panzers steamroll a Soviet MECH and INF in open plains. In Saratov there is sitting a disrupted LND4 too!
In the woods west of Penza a Soviet INF is destroyed and another forced to retreat, disrupted.
The Germans assault too Stavropol, across the river Kuban - and a 2nd German ENG is destroyed but elite SS units cross the river and seize the city.
Currently Germany prefers to have the Soviets retreat their forces so they can destroy them, more than Shattering them to find them again somewhere where the Soviet needs and wants them.

The Soviets also are losing a helluva of factories, Novossibirsk, Moscow (only 1 was evacuated), Yarsolav is locked, and Gorki is locked too. Saratov can only be railed toward Baku.

Von Manstein reorganizes 2 land units (the only 2 in range) and 2 Stukas.

[AlbertN]

Jul / Aug 1942 - After 3 impulses each

Ostfront Sud.

Stalingrad was taken, it was empty. There is that LND4 grounded and undefended closeby Astrakhan.

The Germans are laying eyes on the Caucasus, for now not too heavily defended thanksfully.
It's a matter of time, a race against the rains and the snows.

The losses in ENG troops though could screw up some the attack on Leningrad that usually happens in Winter '42, but right now the Germans need to push, push, and annihilate as many Soviets as they can.

Once again I feel the VVS (Soviet Air Force) was way too much neglected, and the Luftwaffe can pratically operate undisturbed. Also it did not helped that in the first soviet impulse they tried to bomb panzers - and spent all of their fighters in the attempt. I remain in the case the Soviet Air should be used defensively and the fighters should scare the Stukas away - anywhere they cannot operate unescorted.
A keypoint is that the Luftwaffe simply cannot hold up the pace of the advancing germans / retreating soviets. There are plenty of planes sitting in corners of Poland and Russia, not being used. But as long as the Soviets flee, the Germans have little point to rebase planes where they're not exactly needed.

[AlbertN]

Jul / Aug 1942 - After 3 impulses each

The Soviets did not moved into Mosul with a single CAV. (Wisely so to not be counterattacked, the puny forces of Italy can still deal with a single CAV!)

The Iraq CAV then goes to man Mosul and an Italian bomber arrives to save the days to come.
There is a total absence of fighters still - this is the war of the poors.

Italy is naturally poor.
Russia has simply other headhaches elsewhere.

[AlbertN]

Jul / Aug 1942 - After 3 impulses each

And speaking of Stalin's headhaches and woes, Tojo could be soon give him another as Japan has over time massed troops by the front of Manchuria.

But currently the Soviets are Factory-capped and not Resource-capped. (At least for the time being).
Not that Japan would disdain anyhow one extra resource that they can easily ship back to Japan, because Japan now has an abundance of resources - but they're in Australia! And the shipping lanes are not exactly the safemost.

Talking of Japan - also from the new base in the Fiji, land based Naval Bombers struck the port to the west of Pago Pago, the US Marine Base - damaging a transport of the 2 ready there (with 2 MAR corps sitting ready for when the USA has more carriers - which is the next turn!)

[AlbertN]

Jul / Aug 1942 - Destroyed pool, after 3 impulses each side!

[brian brian]

I like how World in Flames shows players the results of the historical Murmansk convoys, the hard way.

Although I am not a fan of putting 2 CV planes on a CV in this game system, at all, nor what I call the "Essex strategy" for the USA, I do like how MWiF allows the players to kind of double down on the Essex strategy and plop 55 Build Points down on the map simultaneously. The feel-good hit of the game.

I suspect in this game, the Partisans that appear in South America should be controlled by the USSR.

[AlbertN]

Jul / Aug 1942 - After 4 impulses each

Axis started to whittle away Caucasian defenders (1 INF).

I noobed big time here - as you notice the para (which I lost one as 20 was rolled total) was aimed to cut the supply, was not followed up by the ZoC'ing up the northern part of it.
Which means the Soviets can operate nicely still, alas.

Also the Tank Army that was in Saratov got railed down to Tblis.

Iraqi front has not moved in the south. That front currently is eating a lot of Soviet units which makes the Germans happy (and the Soviets struggle to stop them).

With 1 more impulse marvels happen - that LND4 will have its fate sealed and Astrakhan will be captured; and more oil rigs into Axis hands.

1 more impulse! (And by how the end of turn stuff has been til now, I am quite confident I won't see an extra impulse.)

[AlbertN]

Jul / Aug 1942 - After 4 impulses each

Zhukov and 2 INF armies, and 1 MIL were all smashed. The first three were already disrupted and left behing as stragglers.

The MIL unit, moving 2, was too slow to reach safety.

Von Leeb was railed from France to support the German points in their northern advance.
Mannerheim gave support in his attack to Yarsolav - which was quite successful. A MIL and a GARR destroyed there.

[AlbertN]

Jul / Aug 1942 - After 4 impulses each

Disregarding the many sorrows of Stalin, the Western Allies keep going on with their plans to conquest South America and seize their resources.

They are quite confident Stalin can manage smoothly with its own resources and trading land for time. (Facts do not seem exactly to prove that being correct though, but Roosevelt and Churchill at the moment has not devoted a single penny in Lend Lease).

Chile seems the next target of their greed for resources.

[AlbertN]

Jul / Aug 1942 - Destroyed Pool after 4 impulses each