Just another AAR

[Kaldadarnes]

Turn 44

Further attacks on 1 corps push back further hexes and some of the frontline brigades are now shattered, my reserve units plug the gap but some of them were only pulled out of the line last turn and are not fully ready to return to the fight having been reinforced with freshly raised troops. However, needs must – they are thrown into the line. However the attackers are also starting to wear out their formations and pay a terrible price for their gains losing 256 infantry and 38 armour units to just 90 infantry casualties on my side. The armour losses inflicted is particularly good – most of 1 corps’ formations have now got a complement of 3-5 AT guns at level 3 which have replaced a lot of the bazookas (Bazookas – great in the early game and for “light” units, but for this kind of heavy defensive work – you need guns every time). Every attack they survive improves their experience and it is really starting to show.

12 corps continue to move forward working well with 2 corps – hex by hex grinding. 9 corps start to refit with more halftracks arriving.

In the North the battle feels like it might be starting to swing my way (again) but not form the source I expected. 3 corps make sudden progress. I transferred some artillery from 1 corps a turn or so ago to support them and suddenly they break through and manage to catch a heavy artillery unit on the hop. They are also threatening to surround a small pocket in a link up with 10 corps. I would consider 3 corps the “Cinderella” formation of my army - rather like the British 14th Army in WW2 – a lot of fighting, a lot of casualties, very little support, last in the queue for kit, and very little glory…their only battle honour so far is the relief of Aurora). Maybe their time has come to turn the Northern front decisively in my favour??



the northern front - has 3 corps moment arrived? Potential link up with 10 corps tanks could open a gap in the enemy's line, allow seizure of those resources mooted around 20?? Turns ago and cut off enemy formations to the East also

[Kaldadarnes]

Turn 45

Further attacks on 1 and 3 corps but after their last heave forward DoM seem to be exhausting themselves – no hexes are lost but Aurora is again on the frontline, hopefully the next few turns will allow me opportunity to retake both hexes in front of Aurora and Gazvin and recapture Gabr.

In the South the fit out of 13 corps continues with their complement of Artillery and Anti tank guns coming up to a decent strength. They are critically short of both at the moment and with 9 corps redeploying away to the central front this has left them exposed. The mechanised units of 9 corps that have bogged down in the paddy fields blow up their halftracks and move North West on foot. Meanwhile my militia units start a cautious reconnaissance from Baghdad toward Fuping in support (approaching from the West). 9 corps start shifting the mechanised units westwards – the wide open spaces around 12 corps desperately need support – they can refit on the hoof.

12 corps try to press North towards Brighton but DoM armoured forces are massing to the West of them – I have the feeling that there are a lot of armoured cars and other light armour floating around in the large desert tracts South of Brighton/West of Baghdad leading to a lot of random encounter battles.

2 corps manage to retake Gabr this turn with massed artillery (they have a couple of their own arty brigades, the heavy arty of 14 corps and 12 corps arty). 1 corps also grind forward successfully as well, despite the last couple of turns heavy pressing by DoM I have kept my artillery intact and kept my brigades just about in existence - now I have the chance to counterattack.



overview of central front - you can see how my counterattack has started with Gabr recaptured and pushes forward from Aurora

[Kaldadarnes]

Turn 46
A shock defeat in the South as DoM forces recapture Baghdad. Armoured forces appeared out of the desert and evict the militia garrison with ease! My risky drive north with 12 corps has left me exposed - @Josh – you were on the money a few turns back! However 9 corps are to the North and start driving down to retake the city. Again – the AI has a few tricks up his sleeve and both can and will counterattack (it’s worth noting that Gabr has changed hands about half a dozen times now. However on the central front the DoM offensive has definitely petered out. I sense there is a redeployment going on as they try to address threats in the North and South as their ally begins to collapse. 12 corps remain heavily pressed by armour in the deserts near Fuwwah and 13 corps get a shock with Light armour trying to drive up towards Hyberbad in the South – the shortage of AT guns in being addressed however and I am confident in the next few turn 13 corps will both stabilise and assume the offensive.

On the bright side for the first time pretty much in the game, my officers are all happy and my supply network is tickety boo!).

As to my turn 9 corps are now swinging South towards Brighton. The corps is now fully mechanised and consists of) now consists of 1 armoured brigade (light tanks), 2 artillery divisions, 3 mechanised infantry brigades and half a dozen mechanised regiments for screening and recon work (for reference - I call a brigade around 50 stack points, regiments around 15, divisions are 75 upwards – it’s just my way of thinking about units but might make more sense to the reader). Next turn they should be able to retake Baghdad.

13 corps start to push forward on the road to Fuping, it’s all jungle and supply is an issue (DoM troops are suffering readiness losses just a few hexes from their city). As a result I move my engineers down so they can start building the railhead right behind my advancing infantry. I’ve given the troops a heavy complement of SMG troops also. My plan is to try to left hook through the jungle as the forces facing mine on to the North of the city are well entrenched and supplied in the heavy jungle.

In the North 10 and 3 corps continue to make good progress, a small pocket (a few divisions) of DoM troops made last turn is destroyed and a gap is starting to emerge in the enemy’s lines. I reassign further artillery to 3 corps (reinforcing success!) so they can continue pressing on. It really does feel like it is starting to swing my way up there. 10 corps also catch an SE HQ and inflict substantial staff, and hopefully supply point, losses.

In the centre 1 corps and 2 corps make great progress – artillery and infantry work well in combination to break into the front lines and then I use light tanks to pursue the battered formations with heavy losses inflicted. I also identify 2 very large artillery concentrations behind their lines. I move 14 corps to start shelling one of them and I will try to break through and let my light tanks loose at them in the next turn or so. Without their supporting artillery I suspect a collapse might ensue. The initiative on this sector has really swung back to me in the last turn or so.



DoM forces emerge from the desert and recapture Baghdad, but 9 corps mobility allows a swift redeployment to meet the threat

[Kaldadarnes]

Turn 47

The central front again holds well in the face of DoM attacks, there are casualties but I suspect these are mainly from bombardments as attacks were few and far between (and repulsed with ease). The Fuping front however is hit hard on my right flank again, although DoM shies away from those formations equipped with ATguns in the centre of my line. 12 corps are still struggling against numerically superior forces in the desert and I pull them back slightly to keep the line straight. For some reason light tanks in production at one of my factories are not making it to my HQ (no idea why – suggestions welcome…)

In my turn 13 corps push forward again on the left flank with engineers still working up towards the lines. I’m hoping a few more turns will see us in Fuping. 13 corps can then consolidate around Baghdad and provide flank security.

9 corps successfully retake Baghdad and begin mopping up operations as well as throwing out a defensive screen of mechanised regiments to the south of 12 corps.



good overview of the Southern/Baghdad-Fuping area - 9 corps have recaptured Baghdad, you can see the fight around Fuping with 13 corps driving on their left and DoM forces doing the same to me, however with no alternate supply if Fuping is captured all those troops will wither

[Kaldadarnes]

Turn 47 cont'd

Central fronts - the dispatches are identical to last turn – good artillery and infantry co-operation. Heavy enemy casualties, 1 hex gained along length of front. Although, as an added bonus, I manage to hit both enemy artillery stacks inflicting heavy losses. I also manage to start repairing some of the bridges around Gabr (the area between Aurora/Gabr/Fuwwah is a mess of small and big rivers) which should improve supply to 2 corps and 12 corps in the next turns.

Northern Front – real success this turn, 3 corps continue to push the line back so it runs straight north from Gazvin, 10 corps meanwhile start to push into the mountainous region which has been their objective for some time, although the DoM troops offer resistance, SE troops are starting to fold. The main hold up is the mud rather than the enemy, but these DoM forces are now cut off and will not last long – a few turns and 10 corps should be able to join the main battle on the central front.



the northern front - enemy forces have been prised apart and theatrics facing 10 corps are now cut off from supply. 3 corps makes good progress although - another victory (hard won) beckons


I also start considering relocating my SHQ nearer to the front to shorten supply lines in the event of a big drive deep into DoM territory. With both the Northern and Southern fronts secure, Gladstone, Aurora (or who knows even Brighton!) could offer a good locations. I will need better defences against counterattacks though.

Objectives: (I haven’t done this for a while, largely because events over took me) but my objectives for the next half dozen turns are as follows.

13 Corps to capture and clear Fuping and surrounding areas; then redeploy to the West of Baghdad relieving 9 and 12 corps.
9&12 Corps to defeat enemy armoured formations in the Baghdad/Fuwwah desert area (to this end, 12 corps will temporarily withdraw to refit up to full complement of armour) 9 corps will support assault on Brighton from the South.
1&2 corps to continue pressing DoM forces on their front with a view to assaulting Brighton – priority will be given to destruction of enemy artillery.
3 & 10 corps to defeat and clear forces in Northern sector and redepoloy to support attack on Brighton from the North

As you can tell I have stepped back from my grandiose encirclement plans of a few turns back. I think the DoM forces are still too strong to allow me to roll them up. However there is no doubt that the battles on central and Northern fronts are swinging my way and I reckon a few turns of slow but steady “crumbling” (in the words of Monty) will then offer up opportunities for more rapid advances into DoM’s heartlands. With that in mind the rapid capture of Fuping will be crucial as I need 13 corps in the line south of Fuwwah to release my best and fastest formations - 9 and 12 corps – to exploit any break in the resistance.

Also, the peace party is now polling 9%, you will remember I created an algorithm to time limit the game - whereby a % of my population would concert to peace each turn, when they reach 75% the war ends....

[Josh]

"...As you can tell I have stepped back from my grandiose encirclement plans of a few turns back. I think the DoM forces are still too strong to allow me to roll them up..."

Well that's a good thing you know, *if* you were able to pull that off it would mean game over. One starts, or at least I do, with some sort of attackscheme, it usually gets bogged down in smaller and smaller skirmishes especially in woods/hills man they take forever. Battles in open terrain can get very fluid and fast, and become very deadly for the losing side. Very unlike the fights in forests, there you need masses of Artillery there and outnumber the enemy 3 to 1 at least, and then you have taken only one hex...

Also, the peace party is now polling 9%, you will remember I created an algorithm to time limit the game - whereby a % of my population would concert to peace each turn, when they reach 75% the war ends....

Now that's a cool concept. Ofcourse comrade Stalin knew what to do with them. It's a bit Civilization oriented, the more people are unhappy with the war the more your economy gets hampered. I mean 10% production loss would be massive [:(]

[Kaldadarnes]

@Josh totally agree with your assessment - i find most battles have 2 basic phases - attrition/exploitation.

Attrition - let the enemy bleed themselves on your defences, grind the enemy down with artillery, air strikes and combined arms assaults. In terms of numbers enough infantry, but most important of all you as you say "masses of artillery" you need guns, big guns, upgraded guns, bigger guns and lots of them...if you look at my turn 45 pic you can count about 10 artillery counters and some of them are double stacked, and I could still do with a bit more [;)]

Exploitation - mass your armour and mechanised units and drive like hell.

However when you are in the exploitation phase you sometimes have to take some risks [:D]

As to my civilian population, hopefully a few DoM cities will reignite their warlike passions...

[Kaldadarnes]

Turn 48

A mixed bag in the AIs turn – strong attacks from Fuping hammer 13 corps’ left flank again and threaten a break out towards Hamdan/Hyberbad. On the rest of the front all is quiet although some of the screening mechanised regiments from 9 corps are roughly handled in the desert west of Baghadad. The rest of the front holds extremely well.

In my turn the Northern front continues to swing my way. 3 corps are setting up for a sweep around the northern flank of the main DoM concentrations – their left flank is anchored on 1 corps and the enemy in front is dissolving. 10 corps also make progress breaking down and mopping up the cut off forces to the East – it’s been around a 6 month battle but the intervention of 3 corps has proved decisive.

1&2 corps make great progress, breaking through to the rear echelon all along the line and catching several large artillery and HQ concentrations exposed and inflicting heavy casualties –however advancing is difficult work, with artillery now having to move up before shooting and thus limiting its impact. Also both formations had taken a bit of a pounding when DoM launched their offensive and are inevitable taking further casualties as they advance. I’ll push them to the limit now, but I’ll need to pause and reinforce them once we have broken the back of the enemy in this sector.



Overview of the Northern/Central front – you can see how 3 corps is poised to sweep around the main enemy concentrations, 10 corps will be mopping up for a few turns but then can be turned West.

[Kaldadarnes]

Turn 49 – Dec 9 1932

1 corps face heavy counterattacks despite the damage my forces have done. Outside their entrenchments my infantry are just a lot more vulnerable and accordingly take heavy casualties. 1 corps call a halt to their advance and I start diverting production to reinforcing the formations which in many cases are just a handful of antitank guns and riflemen. However 12 corps have started to receive the light tank reinforcements and as a result are now back up to strength. I start driving them North, a risk given strong DoM forces on my flanks but one worth taking – they make good headway but fail to break through to the DoM artillery as hoped.

Fuping is a regular pain in the a*se and is throwing out small units all over the place, although small and often out of supply they are popping up in unexpected places (capturing a raw facility and cutting the Hull-Hamadan railway line for example). They are also making a big drive North towards Hyderabad w/Armour and field guns, which forces me to pull off some 9 corps units to counter the threat. I continue to push through the jungle in a left hook downwards to Fuping. but it is slow work (1 hex a turn) and I am having to build the railway behind to move up my guns. 13 corps has a good complement of artillery but effectiveness is limited in the dense jungle.

9 corps have now established a defensive line in the desert but my use of small regiment forces in defense has been a disaster, you need 20-30 stack points to really generate enough defensive firepower to stop any advance in strength.

In the North progress is good, 10 corps and mopping up and 3 corps sweep West – although I note a few DoM formations on the horizon which is probably a developing defensive line.

As a general point, I think I need to think about how to make an “assault” brigade. My infantry is very defensively orientated, I’m thinking assault guns and mortars instead of MGs and AT guns

[Kaldadarnes]

Turn 50

There is a definite redeployment going on against 3 corps – large formations move North to counter them (which to be honest suits me fine given the ragged state of much of 1 corps) but they lose yet more armour in attacks on my positions, the number and experience of anti tank guns is increasing.

12 corps continues to push north – effective cooperation with 2 corps continuing. 1 corps move a little but pending infantry reinforcements they are basically on the defensive. I start to rethink my reinforcement strategy also. At the moment I have directed reinforcements to corps HQs – but now consider creating another HQ simply to accumulate reinforcements in and then send on. This is driven by the fact that 3 corps are critically short of guns and support infantry (MG and bazookas), but have as surfeit of line infantry whilst 1 corps are critically short of line infantry but have dozens of Anti tank and artillery pieces sitting in the HQ. How do other people manage this?




"Congratulations on your commission into 1 corps infantry...what? Sh*t I mean 2 corps...tanks, artillery? Ok that's settled then, artillery 2 corps. This isn't working very well."

Meanwhile on the Fuping front the weight of artillery directed to 13 corps is starting to tell. Every time DoM move out of the jungle they are getting completely plastered with shells. Although some armour breaks through my lines and drives north towards Hyberbad the force is rapidly cut off and will be reduced over the next few turns.

[Kaldadarnes]

Turn 51 Dec 23rd – Christmas on the front lines

A breakthrough by DoM on the far northern front is rapidly isolated and destroyed. The pause in the advance last turn allowed my troops to entrench and we deal with AI attacks comfortably and we do considerable execution amongst their infantry. The pace of attack is slackening. A quick look at the force stats also suggests that the battle has swung my way decisively, I now have parity in force terms. Against basic AI – that’s game over as far as I am concerned.

2 corps deliver our great nation a Christmas present to remember – the recapture and liberation of Brighton! It’s good to be back. It’s liberated by elements of Clarence McNeills 2nd corps after a bombardment from 14 corps guns and 2 corps artillery. Next stop – Lanzhou. The going for 2 corps has got a lot easier since they got clear of the tangle of rivers between Gabr and Fuwwah.



Brighton recaptured, and 12 corps smashing through rar echelon forces on the road to Lanzhou - the next objective will be he bridges at Fuyang, t[he capture of which will cut off DoM forces to the east of the river

Generally the whole front grinds forward effectively, artillery closed up last turn and destroy much of the remaining infantry leaving the DoM armour vulnerable to infantry assaults (nice little tactical trick this – bazookas are quite effective at destroying armour on the attack if the infantry have been rendered insensible by shelling first.

In the South 13 corps are at the gates of Fuping, the swing through the jungle proving highly effective. However on the main road south to Fuping I lose heavily in an assault on well entrenched jungle position despite a preparatory barrage from 24 arty lvl3! Jungles are a nightmare to advance through. I am learning a lot of lessons about how to do it. Lots of SMGs and engineers to maintain supply lines – advance a couple of hexes from the railhead through jungle and you may as well be in Timbuktu for all the supplies you are going to see.

12 corps also make real progress driving down the road towards Lanzhou – they have benefited from a couple of turns of inactions (well offensive inaction, they are still in the line) and now, up to strength again they rip forward. Their artillery have also closed up and the heavy guns of 14 corps also support the breakthrough.

My main issue is now one of mobility. My infantry units have been primarily defensive with lots of AT guns and no trucks – suddenly I need to move these formations quickly (certainly more than 1 hex a turn!) to exploit the shattering of DoM’s forces. I prioritise production of trucks and halftracks.

[Kaldadarnes]

Turn 52

Counterattacks focus on 12 corps and 9 corps (who are now leaderless as Mark Cooper tripped over some sandbags on a trip to the front) but the heavy armour losses incurred in recent turns by DoM mean that the attacks are primarily infantry and repulsed at around a 7:1 kill-loss ratio. However a bulge is developing between 9 and 12 corps which I will need to focus on closing.

12 corps drive on towards Lanzhou (and the critical bridges in that area) but are stopped short. It’s generally getting very hectic along the front as those troops with mobility drive forward and stay in touch with the retreating enemy, those without transport are effectively out of the battle. However more and more halftracks and trucks are arriving (1 corps is now 50% mechanised) so the next few turns will see them back in the pursuit.

In the South Fuping falls! The flanks were critically exposed and my advance through the jungle worked a treat. If I can weather the expected counterattacks the DoM troops in that area will starve rapidly. 13 corps have done well. (Also it is the first DoM city to fall, but I think there will be a few more shortly.)

9 corps assume the defensive with only minor operations to straighten their front. They are facing a big DoM build up and are, I suspect, in for a tough few turns. I get AT guns along as many of the units as I can. More will arrive next turn.



southern sector - 9 corps look in for a rough few turns holding off the DoM concentration to their front[. The gap between 9 and 12 corps is marked, suspects will push 2 corps down to plug the hole/i]

[Kaldadarnes]

Turn 52 Jan 7

More counterattacks from DoM but it is starting to feel pretty desperate, without arty support they make little headway. Fuping holds although the supply lines to the city are cut – no problem though, my engineers simply build another route into the city! We are already seeing the first readiness losses amongst the DoM forces in the area, I identify and attack their HQ unit to speed up the process.

12 corps capture Lanzhou. Th disintegration of enemy forces in th sector is demonstrated by the ease of capture - barely a pause in the advance. Next they race on towards Fuyang and the key bridges, although there are threats to the flanks it is time to ignore them and go for it.

In the north, the front continues to disintegrate under the pressure of my forces. I start considering pulling either 10 or 3 corps out of the line as my forces are getting a bit confused. The front is too short for both corps.to effectively deploy.

[Kaldadarnes]

Turn 53 Jan 13

Barely any counterattacks now – this is becoming a procession.

12 corps continues to move up and a hastily mechanised 1 corps now races up in support.

The perpetually reliable 2 corps is pushed South to seal the gap and link up with 9 corps – which they accomplish. 6 cities now remain for me to capture.



Overview from north to south
10 corps (pink) and 3 corps (gold) harrying DoM remnants in the North
1 corps (white) awaiting trucks and half tracks to enable rapid advance
12 corps (blue) driving forward towards Fuyang
2 corps (brown) plugging the gap between 9 and 12 corps
9 corps (orange) holding the line against DoM forces in the desert
13 corps (silver) mopping up near Fuping

[Kaldadarnes]

Turn 54 Jan 20

Much manoeuvring by DoM but no attacks.

12 corps continue to drive to Fuyang but are slowed by poor weather (the rasputita strikes!). However next turn should see the capture of Fuyang. Fuyang is the northernmost city of the DoM, meaning that once it falls the troops in the far north should roll over quickly. Unfortunately they are not rolling yet, as this turn the DoM northern armies give 10 corps a nasty surprise inflicting heavy casualties as I launch attacks without the required preperation.

9 corps make some small gains picking out unsupported infantry units and pounding them with artillery. I love artillery. It is totally my favourite thing. Like, TOTALLY.



I wear this at all times on my left lapel, close to my heart

One issue I have is that my oil stocks are starting to drop (from c 80k down to 77k this turn). Since the capture of Baghdad my oils stocks have been soaring but the rapid mechanisation of my infantry formations is starting to burn it faster than I can ship it. I start building more trains to bring the surplus stocks into my supply network (I have around 20k barrels needing to be trained in), and also assign some troops to hunt down some diehards (units of <10 riflemen) in the southern jungles who are basically making a nuisance of themselves cutting off or seizing oil facilities – 1 rifleman sitting on a railway line is all it takes. Clearing these stragglers could give me another few thousand barrels a turn easily.

[Kaldadarnes]

Next turn Jan 27

Barely a whisper from the enemy in their turn, the main threat to my advance is a looming supply crisis. A combination of poor weather, stretched supply lines and heavy fighting by all along the front has increased my supply consumption. I’ve started moving my HQ up towards Aurora to increase its supply range and I dedicate another couple of cities to increasing my supply production.

10 corps in the North continue to roll forward, I need to think of what they will do when they have crushed the forces to their front – keep driving west and size resources and factories I guess. 3 corps start to retire on Gazvin to reorganise or, more likely, get knee deep in booze and hookers until the war ends in a few months.

1 corps and 12 corps continue moving on Fuyang, but despite a very heavy bombardment, the blown bridges and a staunch defence hold off the tanks of 12 corps. A new defensive formation is appearing on 12 corps left flank around the river area which 1 corps race to block.

2 corps and 9 corps are in position and start working slowly forward crushing the enemy formations in front of them, they don’t have quite enough artillery though (what a conversion, when I started this AAR I thought a one or two of artillery units for a 7 brigade corps was sufficient, now I want at least one or two artillery units for each brigade…)

13 corps are still clearing up in the jungle. Realistically I think this is going to take them some time as there are a lot of stragglers as described above. I need to spend time just occupying hexes.




10 corps advance, 3 corps retire, Fuyang holds. There's your headline

[Kaldadarnes]

Next turn Feb 3

1 corps and 12 corps seize Fuyang without opposition with the enemy being utterly routed by preliminary bombardment from the heavy guns of 14 corps. 9 corps are also romping forward and will crush the enemy formation to their front in a couple of turns.

However the anti war party gains strength, even with my recent victories. 34% now want peace…I estimate another 3-4 months until the ungrateful hippies and other assorted pinkoes and commies force a settlement. Although I diffed around a bit (due to getting confused about the VP values of cities and capitals), per my post on 29/11 (bottom of page 2) the scorecard is as follows.

25+ VP is marginal victory – I’m there already, SE out of the war and DoM’s 2 northernmost cities Fuyang and Lanzhou in my hands
28+ VP is a major victory - I’m almost there – I need to capture 3 of the following: Wuhu, Weifang ,Penghu and Xingtai
If I capture Macau itself and the last small city, then it’s a total victory.

So, how are we going to do this…?

Macau itself lies in the South surrounded by jungle and shielded by mountains and paddies; I’ve already had experience of how much fun that can be when I attacked Fuping. However heading South from Fuyang until you get to the paddies and mountains the going is fairly good. So advancing to the line Weifang-Penghu will favour my mechanised forces. The North of the country is basically a few rail lines, factories, mines and oil wells. However, it’ll be important to capture them quickly to prevent too much heavy equipment being put in the way of my advance. So….

Phase 1 Operation Eric – by end March 1933.

12/1/13 corps. 12 corps will break out of the Fuyang bridgehead and swing south to assault, and seize, Wuhu and Weifang. Speed is essential to prevent the enemy reforming and risks will need to be taken. 1 corps will provide flank security and destroy such forces as it is able to. 14 corps will support 12 corps by destroying enemy fixed defences in their path.

9/2 corps 9 corps will cross the river, and drive West to seize Penghu. Whilst the distance to be covered is not great, engineer support will be necessary to bridge the river and keep supply flowing. 2 corps will mop up forces to the east of the river and ensure the engineers are able to perform the bridging tasks. Fresh engineers units will be assigned to 2 corps to achieve this.

10 corps will destroy forces to its front and drive rapidly to seize factories and other facilities north of Fuyang to deplete the enemy’s production capabilities.



operation Eric planning

Phase 2 Operation Ernie – by end April

1/9/13 corps will close up on the cities of Macau and Xingtai bringing them within gun range. Additional heavy guns will be provided to 13 corps. Non combat formations will be stripped of artillery and this will be provided to 1 & 9 corps. Halftracks and antitank pieces will be split into separate brigades or disbanded to improve jungle movement.

10/2 corps will remain in reserve ready to take over the assault if casualties or exhaustion make it necessary.

Phase 3 operation Wise – by end May or peace party polling over 75%

Utterly destroy all remaining enemy forces, occupy Macau and Xingtai. Hire white horse and A4 size medal board for victory parade.

[Kaldadarnes]

Feb 10

12 corps start the breakout out of Fuyang, although getting clear of the scattered DoM forces is tricky, some reasonably careful movement planning sets me up for a strong advance next turn, but progress in this turn is limited.

2 corps start pushing down South West on the large DoM concentration, squeezing them against 9 corps coming up North West. Heavy casualties are inflicted and a drive on Penghu is developing. I transfer engineers to get the bridge thrown across the river so the advance can continue.

13 corps continue mopping up and clearing the jungles – surprisingly large forces still lurking.

Hippy index – 35%

[Kaldadarnes]

Next turn Feb 17

DoM troops withdraw across the river in the Penghu (9&2 corps) sector, and realign their forces a little elsewhere. They seem more bothered by the advance of 1 corps than of 12 corps which suits me just fine.

12 corps now drive hard towards Wuhu and are just a few hexes from the city, the opposition is crumbling a little. Not to be outdone 1 corps, with the assistance of one of the heaviest artillery concentrations on the battlefield, also make good progress. My superiority in artillery is really starting to show, the enemy infantry simply cannot stand in the face of it. 1 corps infantry now have between 60-70 experience after their long fight in front of Aurora and as a result they seem able to rip through freshly raised formations. I suspect I have underestimated the importance of experience previously. Given the progress, I decide to leave Wuhu to 1 corps and send 12 corps on a wider sweep to cut off the DoM forces in the far North (easing 10 corps advance indirectly) as well as allowing me to threaten Weifang from 2 sides. I note a river screening Weifang that could prove problematic. 1 corps engineers are still repairing blown bridges around Fuyang, but will start moving South soon to get in position to bridge the river.

Further South, 2 and 9 corps are across the river and in pursuit of the increasingly disparate DoM forces. My engineers have reached the river and will bridge next turn ensuring I can continue getting supplies to the front.

In the far south 13 corps are still mopping up near Fuping and militia units are sweeping the jungle for stragglers. Sam Eckhart’s milita units have been remarkably handy, it’s a useful command card that I will use again.

Mud in the north hinders 10 corps progress – the halftracks bogging and churning through the mud. When it dries we should be away. 10 corps are also facing challenges with a tangle of rivers and marshes in their path.



Hippy index – 36%



the situation, 12 corps are starting to disentangle from the Fuyang river confluence, all other corps ahead of schedule. Note the 1 corps artillery concentration also - love those guys...

[Josh]

That sure is a lot of artillery there, how many tubes is that and how much experience do they have already?