WiF - The Second Half

[EUBanana]

May/Jun 42 Allied #2

The United States considers the odds in the Bismarck Sea. It has double the gun power but the CV force is totally outclassed by the IJN force, so rather than stay and be port struck, or risk being bombed in the fine weather, it moves to the Coral Sea to cover convoys.

Bearn, Saratoga and Langley just got carrier planes, so they leave San Francisco, their destination the South Pacific, where they will narrow the CV power gap.

A whole bunch of transports go back and forth, from SOPAC to Hawaii, from SF to Hawaii, from the UK to the East Coast. There's 13 land factors of US troops in the UK now... a slow buildup but it begins. The Central Atlantic is the US's duty, so Ranger and a bunch of CAs head out to various boxes there.

[EUBanana]

May/Jun 42 Allied #2

The Eastern Med is the busy place, if anybody finds each other there. I think Italy is in a kinda bad way against the CW now to be honest, it's not suffered any real loss yet... it's just outclassed and has nowhere to go.

[EUBanana]

May/Jun 42

In the South China Sea a Dutch submarine rolls a 1 on the surprise roll, sinks a Japanese convoy point, and manages to get away without a scratch despite the huge IJN presence.

No successful encounter in the Eastern Med....

The Soviets try to strat bomb Ploesti again, this time with only 1 bomber as last turn the second strategic bomber was shot down. It's a night raid but the defending Focke-Wulf causes it to abort regardless.

[EUBanana]

May/Jun 42 Allied #2

The Chinese Boston bomber has been more than earning his keep, it's almost turned the entire front on it's head. it succeeds in hitting Yamamoto at the start of the turn - and it'll be a long turn. Lucky Yama is white print.

The Japanese need more fighters here. obviously. But unfortunately they need more of everything so easier said than done.

[EUBanana]

May/Jun 42 Allied #2

The Russians move their ground units.

In the north, they begin to pull back from the Dvina towards Pskov. The militias near Smolensk are quite weak low value units, I suspect the Wehrmacht could punch through those guys unfortunately, or the Soviets would be more aggressive.

At the Dnieper the Soviets commit their armour fire brigade near Gomel, looking to counterattack the outreached German hand.

[EUBanana]

May/Jun 42 Allied #2

Yet another partisan caused catastrophe seems about to engulf the Japanese in China... the odds of getting partisans in China must be super high, as it seems to be pretty much every turn. The only slight saving grace is that Japan definitely gets to take a land action next turn.

Is Yamamoto going to make it out of there?

[EUBanana]

May/Jun 42 Allied #2

The Russian firebrigade counterattacks. The bonus is +13 on a blitz, which might just put a serious delay on German plans.

However, this is considered important enough that massed bombers intervene, some at night some at day. There's only a single Russian fighter to help out - and the Luftwaffe is very lucky.

[EUBanana]

May/Jun 1942 Allied #2

Odds are down to 7.9 after the Luftwaffe intervention.

But then the Soviets get a bit of mild luck, rolling a 15 on their attack. The defenders are wiped out!

[EUBanana]

May/Jun 42

There's rain. All the Axis take a land bar Italy who takes combined.

Mussolini thinks that he should be able to land on Cyprus with his AMPH to deny the CW the resource at least. Even this minor goal seems to be beyond him though, as the +2 notional can probably handle the 4 INF invader. I think after this maybe Italy has to turn turtle... and I guess work on the Eastern Front more.

The big Japanese invasion begins despite rain. I didnt' realise rain was so bad for amphibious assaults though - an attempted landing at Legaspi looks like it's going to be yet another debacle even though it's got huge support. The landing on Java at least is going to work out.

On land there's that pocket to reduce, a flank to roll up at Dvina, and an ... accidental attck in Latvia? Oops. [8|][:(] The Nanking battle is probably the main one, the Japanese have given it their meagre all. Including evacuating Shanghai yet again so if yet another partisan shows up Tojo will cry. If that attack fails the IJA is going to get cut off probably.

[EUBanana]

A good roll and the Chinese adventure is still clinging by a toehold.

[EUBanana]

May/Jun 42 Axis #3

It's about time Japan got some luck. They are ashore on the Philippines and Java both, now.

[EUBanana]

May/Jun 1942 Axis #3

Actually looking back on it, the Axis had some amazing rolls in the land combat this round. Mussolini didn't get Cyprus, is the only bad bit. Even the accidental attack across the Dvina was at least mutual destruction, so the ARM didn't die in vain.

Bessarabia has been reclaimed by Romania now as the pocket has been reduced, and the situation on the Dvina river is deteriorating for the Russians. However around the Dnieper it looks like the German attack has been stopped cold... Hitler's eying the road to Moscow, and thinking the main effort needs to be focused there for a while.

[EUBanana]

May/Jun 42, Allied #4


US takes a naval, CW combined, China/Russia land.

Bit of a loss as to what to do with the two naval powers. In the end I decide to transfer a MECH from Malaya to India, with the intent of clearing out the partisan at Calcutta, small goals I know. The Italian east Africa colonies are still in Italian hands, I'm going to make it the CW's mission atm to take those away. After that, I guess the focus should be to build up an amphibious force somewhere, either the UK or Africa. Or both.

In any case...

the Sparviero in east Med finds the CW fleet there. But there's too much carrier air for it to stand much chance of getting through without escort.

[EUBanana]

May/Jun 42, Allied #4

There's another round of combat, this time the CW carriers find the Italian fleet. Most of the surprise points go on reducing the enemy AA fire which is very heavy - after that's done the AA roll is a 3, and the damage to the fleet looks like this :-

The AMPH was the CW's target, but no luck today.

After seeing some of the maths in action, the Italians decide to bug out and abort back to La Spezia. So much for taking Cyprus...

[EUBanana]

May/Jun 42, Allied #4

The Soviets, stung by last turns good Axis rolling, pull well back from the Dvina, over the river to Pskov and beyond. It's quite defensible there, but the main German thrust is going to be east towards Moscow, not north towards Leningrad. The defensive line around Smolensk is therefore toughened up a bit, but not enough IMO.

In the south the Soviet preponderance of force is much better, and the Soviets at least temporarily have the initiative.

In China, Mao's forces slowly envelop the once again out of supply Japanese... and some more American forces, a PARA and a MAR, debark into the UK.

The Allies are only really strong enough for one tentative ground attack, on the Dnieper river. The Luftwaffe intervenes heavily again, trying to hold off the Russian counterattacks. The Soviets do advance and destroy the defending MECH, but take losses in so doing.

Ike does some transport reorging in the UK.

[EUBanana]

May/Jun 42, Axis #5

Everybody goes land.

Japan manages to reorganise it's ground forces so supply is once again opened to the front line - in fine weather at least.

... they get an INF and a MAR at the end of this turn, hold on guys, hold on.

[EUBanana]

Mar/Jun 1942, Axis #5

In the northern army group area, German forces mask the Russians who retreated towards Pskov, and the main body rushes east with what it has. There's a defensive line of Soviet militia but it's weak, the Germans strike immediately before the Soviets can bring up reinforcements from the southern front. +9 with a blitz, good odds of getting over the Dnieper at the north.

Italians are starting to appear at the northern end as well, as they pretty much give up on the Med.

The southern front for now is pretty much static but the German position looks quite good, neither can move easily here.

[EUBanana]

May/Jun 42, Axis #5

Meanwhile in the Pacific War, Japanese troops can get a +8 against the Chinese here... they are going to go for it.

Soerabaja falls to the SNLF, who are maching across Java now to Batavia.

Nobody can move in the PI, everybody is out of supply or disorganised.

[EUBanana]

May/Jun 42, Axis #5

The Germans roll slightly below average, that, and the intervention of the Red Air Force while the Luftwaffe is all but spent (the Soviets are now too, in the air) mean the militia heroically hold. For now.

Guderian plans on reorging these guys and trying again while the opportunity remains.

[EUBanana]

May/Jun 42, Axis #5

Japan's assault costs a division but it costs Mao a corps, and the Japanese position looks far far more secure now after the battle is over.

Given the Philippines turning into a sitzkrieg it's probably time to use those TRS and reinforcements in Japan for China now, and then this front line should be essentially static, especially with some FTR reinforcements to keep the Nationalist Chinese air force away.






Guderian and Manstein then do some reorging on the Eastern Front. There'll be another attack by Smolensk, with smoe Stuka support even now.