Taifun (Axis) v EarlyDoors (Allies)

[Taifun]

Japan invested every spare available MPP in their Navy or in Naval Related Technologies. Their docks worked furiously to finish 3 additional CVs while 2 new CVLs were already launched. Another 2 Maritime bombers were already deployed in the Marshalls. No new units were possibly built for the Army. With no artillery or additional bombers, and receiving barely enough replacements the advance in China was somehow behind schedule.

General Tojo planned for an early attack on the Western democracies and targeted India as his primary objective. With most of the Indian infantry units in Abyssinia and about to be shipped to Egypt the timing seemed perfect. Moreover, with the Royal Navy mainly focused on Norway, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea will most probably be devoid of Big Allied ships. The IJN might even surprise the damaged British CVs in port while refitting in Indian ports.

The IJN was divided in 2 Fleets. Admiral Nagumo with 3 CVs and 1 CVL plus supporting ships planned to attack Pearl Harbor while Admiral Ozawa with CV Soryu and 2 CVLs plus supporting ships planned to cover the invasion of India and Bushehr in Persia (to cut US ecominc aid to the Soviets).

Unfortunately during the Allied turn, Australian ships were spotted sailing south of India towards Ceylan. Most probably they passed through Ozawa’s invasion force reporting their position to the Admiralty. The 2 British CVs retiring from the Mediterranean (though damaged) were a force to be reckoned with, more so as their position was unknown. One was supposed to be refitting in Bombay and the other in transit somewhere in the Red Sea.

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With the element of surprise lost, Japan was faced with a dilemma. The weather during the Axis turn was sunny in Hawaii, but rainy in India and the Philippines hampering aerial scouting. A decision had to be taken. We could wait 1 more turn and hope for sunny weather in India and Hawaii but with an alerted enemy, or launch the attack immediately. No risks were taken: TORA TORA TORA.

[Taifun]

Due to an “unforeseen” American bureaucratic problem the US ambassador didn’t get the honorable Japanese declaration of war in time.
Pearl Harbor was devastated with Nagumo sinking 3 BBs and seriously damaging a CA. The strategic DEI capital Batavia was captured as were the empty towns of Aparri in the Philippines, Samoa island and Bushehr in Persia (Persia was invaded by the Allies last turn).

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Calcutta, Bombay and Karachi were the original objectives of the India Invasion Force. None could be air reconnoitered due rain but by shore bombardment Madras could. It turned out that Madras and Bombay were defended by entrenched Indian garrisons. Calcutta’s landings were cancelled as only Madras could be captured but (surprisingly!) with an intact port. Immediately General Okamura HQ and an Army were disembarked from regular transports reinforcing the beachhead. As will be soon explained, an Indian Infantry corps will soon replace the damaged Bombay’s garrison.

To isolate Bombay’s port Admiral Ozawa deployed a blocking naval task force covering the Arabian Sea. This small force was formed by a CVL, a sub and a BB. Ozawa himself remained positioned south of Ceylon covering the Southern approaches of the Bay of Bengal while covering additional Japanese transport troops.

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Reinforced with the recently disembarked 11th Panzerkorps General Rommel ordered the DAK to continue their advance into Egypt. Mobile troops captured Mersa Matruh while some Italians headed south towards the Siwa Oasis, occupied by the UK recon unit.

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The assault of Kherson continued. The defending Soviet Army, continuously being pounded by artillery and bombers, was resisting heroically. Kharkov was captured and our fast units pushed east threatening the Soviet main line of defense behind the Dnepr river.
General von Manstein planned to envelop the Siberian troops defending Kursk by ordering an infantry mot corps to cut the railway south of Orel but the operation misfired and they ended the Allied turn isolated.

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[Taifun]

Further north General von Leeb established his HQ in the recently captured city of Minsk.
Our panzerkorps in constant combat for months were by now suffering a steady continuous attrition, most being 8-6 strength.

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[EarlyDoors]

29 August 1941 - A date that will live in Infamy -> September 1941

Japan declared war on the USA, UK, Dutch East Indies and Phillipines.

Oklahoma, Arizona and California are sunk in Hawaii's battleship row. 1 Bombardment Wing are destroyed in the Phillipines.
US industry mobilises for war.

The invasion force knocks out the 4th Indian garrison defending Madras. The city and its port are captured. Karachi is undefended. It is also seized. In Persia, Bushehr and port are captured.

The Allies have been outsmarted. This is not a skirmish force but a full-on invasion of India. There are 2 corps that India try desperately to transport back home. One makes it through to Bombay, another on route to Vispatagam, runs into a Japanese destroyer. Low readiness US fighters fly in to provide air cover.

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Dutch East Indies surrenders.

There is heavy fighting across the whole Chinese Front. Feng HQ about Yanku are routed. 1 army and 2 corps are lost. Paotow lost. Communist China increases its mobilisation to 71%

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Unit Matchup

1941-09-12-units.png (875.24 KiB) Viewed 1279 times

Italy declares war and marches unopposed into Vichy. Vichy France surrenders.

[EarlyDoors]

September 1941

Although Minsk is captured the Soviet northern and central fronts are stable.

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With 4 armies lost, the southern front is where most of the German thrust is occurring. Kharkiv is captured.

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A combined allied force continues to attrite the Axis across Samiland.

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And skirmishes occur across the North Sea as Kreigsmarine challenges Royal Navy supremacy. UK loses a motor torpedo boat.

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[EarlyDoors]

North Africa

UK's Desert Anti Tank unit is lost at Mersa Matruh. O'Connor's remnants fall back on El Alamein. 10th Army is raised at Jerusalem but is only at half-strength.

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Iraq revolts and sides with the Axis. Indian XIII Corps form up at Basra. With the IJN dominant in the Arabian sea it is planned to send the 2 remaining Indian Corps home via Aqaba and Baghdad.

[Taifun]

To clear a path for the Indian troops embarking from the Gulf of Aden area for the cruise back home, the Australian Navy was sent to ascertain the situation in the Arabian Sea. A light cruiser was severely damaged by our sub waiting in ambush but the British CA ? based Muscat (in the Gulf of Oman) attacked our CVL severely damaging the Shoho. Unfortunately, an Indian Infantry corps managed to disembark at Bombay. I made a mayor mistake: the Japanese BB was positioned in the wrong hex as Bombay is a mayor port and has a naval spotting of 2 hexes, dammit!

Admiral Ozawa sunk the light cruiser. Soon after Soryu carrier planes hit hard the British CA based Muscat. The new CV Zuikaku rejoined Admiral Ozawa's main fleet near Calicut.

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Advancing from Madras our troops captured Hyderabad and Calicut while another SF pushed north following the coastal road towards Vizagapatam, expanding the invasion perimeter. More reinforcements arrived to Madras: a para unit and a veteran tactical bomber from China.

Being in change of both AGN and AGC General von Leeb (by now 2 star veteran) had to decide where to attack next. Commanding now 2 panzerkorps, after being amputated of the 11th panzerkorps sent to Libya, he had to concentrate his forces and focus on one objective at a time. He could either attack fortified Daugavplis and advance north-east towards Pskov or continue his attack east towards Smolensk and Moscow. The Pskov area was well fortified and the fully entrenched Army in Daugavpils would be a difficult nut to crack without artillery or air support…

Enjoying clear weather conditions he cancelled the planned assault on Daugavpils, regrouped his forces on the Minsk-Smolensk Road, and captured Orsha pushing towards Smolensk. To improve the German supply in his northern flank Italian General Guzzoni was sent to Wilno.

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The mud arrived early to AGS. The assault of Kherson again failed but the exhausted Soviet Army took severe losses. Our paratroopers jumped near Taganrog and attacked the garrison defending Rostov (1 turn too late!). General Zhukov's troops were trapped in a huge bag. As Sebastopol is a great Primary Supply Source, the trapped troops enjoyed good supply.
Further north near Kursk the communications were reestablished with our motorized infantry corps.

The Ostheer panzerkorps were in a serious need of rest and refit, most being at half strength. Not yet assigned any missions, General Heszlenyi waited in Budapest with 2 Hungarian Armies.

El Alamein was captured and the last Allied defenders entrenched near Alexandria. With no Indians in sight El Cairo seemed ready to fall in our hands.

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Admiral Raeder sent 5 U-Boote level 2 to interdict the Murmansk convoy route. In support, the Kriegsmarine sailed and took station in the south Norvegian coast. German CA Admiral Graf Spee was sailing north Madagascar, on a raiding patrol, heading towards the Arabian Sea.

Admiral Nagumo retired with his task force towards Truk atoll. He will sail towards Indochina's ports to refit his air groups next turn.

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[EarlyDoors]

October 1941 - Asia

Chinese partisans spring up in Tsingyuan and march on Tsing - maybe that will hurt Japanese supply?
Sian is threatened and Communist China joins the Allies. These experienced troops are rushed to the front without the latest weapon upgrades.
There is heavy fighting across the entire front with the CCCXXII Corps and 10th Army lost

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The Imperial Japanese Navy has control of the Arabian Sea. The transport of the Assam Corps that ran into a destroyer is sunk and the 3rd Garrison at Calicut folds. An Australian Heavy Cruiser and 2 DEI Light Cruisers are sunk.

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ULTRA detects Japanese Special Forces embarking from Batavia after the capture of the DEI. USS Marblehead, a light cruiser that had fled to Singapore after the assault on Manila moves to intercept. With an expected kill rate of 0:7 it is ~ DAMAGE EVADED ~ what the..these green sailors need to improve their gun sights.

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[EarlyDoors]

October 1941 - USSR

Orsha and Premzyl are lost. 2 Corps, a Garrison and an experienced Heavy Tank unit is lost.

With Zhukov trapped in the Dnipro pocket a troop transport is rustled up to ferry his headquarters to the south of Rostov at Krasnodar.

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This is the first month of substantial soviet replacements. 1 Army, 4 Corps and a Garrison arrive just in time to reinforce Rostov. The fortified positions on the Dnipro river are abandoned with most troops falling back towards Crimea. A Tank Brigade drives east to Taganrog to restrict the movement of the Fallschirmjaeger in low supply.
German Infantry 2 spotted for the first time.

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Meretskov makes progress in Finland with the seizure of Vipuri.

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Seiges continue across Samiland.

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[EarlyDoors]

October 1941 - Battle for the Arctic Convoy

Kreigsmarine blast a path through RN patrol boats allowing subs to slip out of North Sea masked by storms. The Light Cruisers Belfast and Sheffield are also lost.

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Uboats later attack the Merchant Marine.

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It is warmer in North Africa but too warm for a New Zealand and South African corps who are destroyed and El Alamein falls.

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[Taifun]

With the fall of Dnepropetrovsk and Kherson the few remaining Soviet troops retired into Crimea. The new front run north from Rostov to Voroshilovgrad but the problematic town of Kursk, defended by the Siberian Army, was a thorn on our side threatening our rear.

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Bombay fell in our hands! From Madras a Japanese SF advanced north along the coast towards Vizagapatam.
Admiral Ozawa engaged enemy naval vessels in the Arabian Sea.

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[EarlyDoors]

November 1941

The Combined Canadian-Soviet force knocks the Finns out of both Petsamo and Kirkenes. The remaining corps should disappear in the frozen waste. Disappointingly Bomber Command is making little impression on the supply source at Ivalo.

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Army Group Centre is now at the gates of Smolensk.

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Its carnage in the south. USSR lose 1 Corps, 1 Mechanised, 1 Tank and 2 Armies as Kherson, Dnepropetrovsk and Taganrog all fall.

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The only consolation is the arrival of improved Anti-Air Technology.

The Roal Navy strike back in the North Sea sinking the Admiral Scheer off Bergen.

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[EarlyDoors]

November 1941 - Elsewhere

Since conquering Vichy, the Italians have been doing a lot of Research - 450mpps in 3 months

German forces pause on the Nile and refit. Just the Cyprus Garrison and an Indian AA unit lost this month. Cairo braces.

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The Bengali Corps can't hold and Bombay and its Major Port are lost. A grievous blow.

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Japanese forces mop up locations foregone in the initial attack.
Solomans, Sarawak, New Guinea all surrender. A bomber arrives at Buin.

In China, the partisans are destroyed and Tsinan and Tsingyuan both recaptured.
Chinese XXXI Corps destroyed.

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[Taifun]

Rommel launched his final offensive against El Cairo.

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Destroying the rookie 10th British Army, German motorized infantry passed through El Cairo and surprised General O’Connor’s HQ at Suez. The severely damaged HQ was forced to retreat to the marshy hex near Alexandria. Both of Alexandria’s ports were then attacked and damaged by Italian BBs, rendering them unusable. As at the end of the turn Egypt would surrender and Suez’s city and port would come under Axis control, General O’Connor would be unable to escape by sea next turn.
Mussolini insisted and paraded through El Cairo main avenues raiding a white horse. Retreating Indian troops headed towards Iraq.

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From Madras, the Japanese SF unit moving north along the coast was unable to cross the mayor river (needed 3 points of movement) as an Indian SF defended Vizagapatam. Our paras jumped from Madras and captured Bhubaneswar further north up the coast. First aerial combats between our carrier planes and American fighters. Calcutta was defended by a weak garrison and will be targeted next. Admiral Ozawa now commanded 3 CVs and 2 CVLs.

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Admiral Nagumo reached Indochina's ports but he was unable to replenish his air groups as the ports were now downgraded to level 5. The Chinese partisans did a lot of damage to our supply network cutting our main railroad in China.

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[EarlyDoors]

December 1941

China loses the 5th and 13th Armies and the important settlement of Yanku falls.

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The Australian Light Cruiser Perth is lost. Bubaneswar seized by Japanese Paratroops. US Fighters scramble to the defence of India.

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The British 10th Army and South African I Corps are destroyed. Cairo seized. O'Connor attacked. Egypt surrenders.
A Cairo Legion is formed to serve the Axis. Italian & German National Morale is increased. UK Morale suffers.

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[EarlyDoors]

December 1941 - Soviet Sphere

The Arctic Convoy has been turned off recently with the Western Allies concentrating mpp's on anti-submarine warfare. U-boat hunting continues around Faroe.

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Narvik remains under seige. The Soviets devise a cunning plan to break open the North Finland front and deploy Paratroopers at Murmansk. If they can drop behind the Finnish HQ into Rovaniemi they should be able to constrict supply allowing an advance on Ivalo. The British send Anderson's HQ to improve the readiness of Bomber Command.

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Army Group Centre are slowed by mud but still have an impressive force arrayed against Smolensk.

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With clear skies in the south, the USSR lose 2 Armies, and 2 Corps as both Kursk and Rostov fall....gulp.

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[Taifun]

The OKW decided to make a last final push north of the Pripyat marshes before the arrival of the Russian winter. For this AGN was reinforced and given a new German commander. From AGS General von Bock was promoted and transferred to organize the assault on Daugavpils. New troops, including a Hungarian Army, 2 infantry corps and a unit of rocket artillery were dispatched to bolster the AGN forces already present in the Riga area. General von Leeb and his AGC were also reinforced with field artillery and a SF unit and ordered to capture Vitebsk and Smolensk.
Great news: General von Bock captured Daugavpils. General von Leeb and his AGC managed to capture Smolensk.

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Further south the Soviets established a new front behind the Don river. After capturing Rostov and Voroshilovgrad General von Manstein’s forces needed a pause. The 2 artillery units were sent north of the Pripyat marshes and the Luftwaffe ordered the transfer of all planes back to Rumania to avoid the Russian winter and enjoy a short period of rest and refit.
Hitler was already planning at the OKW the new final offensive of 1942 that will destroy the Soviet “workers paradise”.

One scouting Japanese sub operating in the Gulf of Aden reported that a small Allied Task Force including at least a British CV was operating near Berbera port in British Somaliland. Admiral Ozawa’s staff immediately studied the feasibility of a possible surprise attack against this CV…

The last remaining Allied troops were captured or destroyed near Suez including General O’Connor who commented to his interrogators: “the war is lost, to continue this struggle is pointless!”.

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General Rommel was upgraded to Field Marshall. Where to go next? He could push south into Sudan or east, towards Iraq and then into Persia or India…

[redrum68]

Its starting to look pretty grim for the Allies. Would be interested to see a force summary as the Soviets have to be hurting and now with the fall of Egypt and most of India not much defends their southern flank either.

[EarlyDoors]

Early January 1942

China's III Corps and 68th Army are lost. Thanks to the Burma road they are able to replace some losses but the Japanese advance is slow and steady. Vinegar Joe Stillwell arrives to improve the readiness of the troops around Kunming. Hong Kong joins the Allies. I'm not sure why, maybe its due to proximity of the Japanese.

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The South Luzon Corps are overcome in Manila and the Phillipines surrenders.

The Indian 2nd Garrison is lost at Nagpur and there is a new amphibious attack at Calcutta.
The Heavy Cruiser Kent is lost.

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The Jat Corps and a Sudan Corps lose Alexandria and Port Suez. O'Connor captured. Nothing can stop Rommel now.

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[EarlyDoors]

Early January 1942 - USSR

RAF Bomber Command report that Rovaniemi is garrisoned. Damn. The Soviet paradrop is cancelled. Cavalry Corps takes Salla. Due to ice, Anderson has to walk from Murmansk.

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German Special Forces had been taking losses and are no longer visible in the Helsinki area. Are they recuperating or planning an assault on the Leningrad coast? Reinforcements are called up to secure supply lines.

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Soviet National Morale falls as Army Group Centre takes Smolensk and the fortified town of Daugavpils.
VII Corps and 4th & 22nd Army are lost.

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Army Group South pauses to take a breath. They have achieved too much.

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***Soviet Winter Strikes***