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JA44 Allied #1

Naval Movement

North Sea

A large task force on station in the North Sea, ready to support operations in France.

JA44 Allied #1

Naval Movement

North Sea

A hefty carrier and battleship fleet stands ready.

Almost the entire British Army not already in France is aboard transport flotillas, ready for deployment (including follow-up invasions).

JA44 Allied #1

Naval Combat

South China Sea

The Allies have sent their submarines en masse to the South China Sea, where the bad weather is likely to keep Japanese airplanes at bay for most, if not all, of the turn.

Despite also impinging on the Allies' searches, the hope is that they will get lucky late in the turn, cut the Japanese convoy lines and prevent Japan from using the oil in place to reorganise units, much less save it in Japan.

In the event, the search rolls are 7 for the Allies and 3 for Japan, so there is no combat.

JA44 Allied #1

Ground Strikes

Belorussia

The Red Army hopes to catch some of the German forces fleeing the USSR before they make good their escape.

The fighter escorts manage to engage the German interceptors, keeping them at bay long enough for the bombers to slip through.

JA44 Allied #1

Ground Strikes

Belorussia

However, the bombers either let out their payloads early for fear of German fighters, or were simply incompetent.

4 die rolls to try and hit something, but no dice.

JA44 Allied #1

Land Movement

Shanghai Region

The Nationalist Chinese advance, with the intent of reducing the Japanese in their cities.

JA44 Allied #1

Land Movement

Burma

The elite Chinese army, unaccountably deployed in this region at the start of the scenario, continues its long march to the real frontlines.

Regrettably, I forgot to move the Kunming militia this impulse towards Burma where it could possibly help open the rail line.

JA44 Allied #1

Land Movement

North China

The Chinese Communists advance upon Taiyuan.

Mao's HQ unit is still disorganised, having been left in that state last turn to preserve China's sole saved oil.

JA44 Allied #1

Land Movement

Siberia

The USSR has begun bringing units out to the Far East in preparation to take the fight to Japan.

Apropos of this effort, the Mongolian cavalry corps is on the move.

JA44 Allied #1

Land Movement

Finland

After last turn's wheeling manoeuvres, made possible by late-spring cold snaps, the Red Army in Finland settles down for a long wait until the air force can arrive to help dislodge the Finnish defenders, or an extra HQ can arrive to permit further manoeuvre.

JA44 Allied #1

Land Movement

Belorussia

The Red Army advances to keep pace with the retreating Germans.

Unfortunately, due to German zones of control and terrain, they can't keep any German units from retreating at will if that is what Germany desires on its turn.

JA44 Allied #1

Land Movement & Rebase

Ukraine/Rumania

The Red Army moves forward in Eastern Poland and Rumania, and brings some fighter squadrons close to the front.

The dearth of air missions the USSR gets during land impulses will prove very annoying.

JA44 Allied #1

Rebase

Timor Sea

A US bomber squadron redeploys to the port of Darwin in northern Australia, for eventual use in this southern axis of advance.

JA44

Axis Impulse #2

Declarations of War

None

Actions

Germany calls a land action; Japan, a naval.

JA44 Axis #2

Naval Movement

China Sea

Japan deploys convoy escorts to the China Sea, as well as a flotilla of amphibious craft. No land units are loaded, interestingly.

A carrier and battleship are in the 3 box with the AMPH.

JA44 Axis #2

Naval Movement

South China Sea

The Japanese sail convoy escorts out to the South China Sea as well.

They also send much of the merchant shipping in this sea area (4 cps to be exact) to Manila, leaving only 2 cps for the Allies to potentially find.

JA44 Axis #2

Naval Movement

Arabian Sea

Hoping to take advantage of the stormy weather, Japanese submarines set sail for the Arabian Sea with the aim of finding and sinking Allied merchant shipping.

JA44 Axis #2

Naval Movement

Bismarck Sea

The Japanese also send out a picket of light cruisers to the Bismarck Sea.

This picket is not really in place to contest the sea, but rather to provide presence in the event the Japanese carrier fleet attempts a sortie.

JA44 Axis #2

Naval Combat

The Japanese have the option of initiating naval combat in three sea areas. They will decline this opportunity in two of them.

The Japanese submarines do elect to initiate a combat in the Arabian Sea.

JA44 Axis #2

Naval Combat

Arabian Sea

Search rolls for the first round are Japan 3 and CW 6, meaning the Japanese submarines in the 4 box surprise the merchant ships and their escorts.

Japan calls a submarine combat, and spends 6 of its 7 available surprise points to reduce the damage it would take to a single abort result.