Cohen vs Enrico - AAR nr.4 (Solitaire from 2# Impulse - Jul Aug 1943)

[AlbertN]

Sept / Oct 1941 - South America!

Last but not least, Roosevelt revealed himself a warmonger no less than the Axis powers.

With promises of assistance to solve the ancient feud between rivals, he backs Brazil in a war of aggression against Argentina - and in the while Cuba is seized by American forces, and so Perù is.

It seems South America is to see many nations (pratically anything with an in-game resource) soon to fall under the heel of American imperialism ... ehm I mean capitalism.

Argentina will fight, valiantly, but it is isolated and will be able to do very little for the Axis (except producing 1 or 2 BPs per turn, resources allowing.)

[AlbertN]

End of 1941 - Argentina & Brazil

In South America the USA seized for now only Perù and Cuba, but surely they've larger aims, so the Axis secret services inform.

In the while in Brazil the Allies are preparing the invasion force for Argentina, were motorized US assets arrive after a journey across sea and rail.

[AlbertN]

End of 1941 - Coral Sea

The initial conquest of the Japanese for their perimeter were swiftly frustrated by US raids of submarines and surface forces, wrestling the control of the Coral Sea.

Japanese invasion forces were repelled before they could seize Guadalcanal and other isles of the eastern rim of the Coral Sea; whereas the US raiders damaged two cruisers (bringing along a division); and the Japanese shipping lane to New Caledonia severed (the convoy wisely fled once the escorts were mauled).

In this sector, the US reported a tactical and local victory.

[AlbertN]

End of 1941 - Battle for the Marshals

The US grew extremely bold; meanwhile the Japanese were securing their internal perimeter with ease, they were already threatening their external one.

The US navy sent a mission to destroy the convoy line supplying Kawejin - well protected by the Japanese carriers (But you know how the game works, a lucky roll can just give you what's needed to screw up that convoy!). A single, old cruiser sailed to reach the Solomons, where the might of the Combined Fleet was.

A stronger task force with US carriers, two battleships and cruisers escorted in the Marshal Sea the transport bringing forth the US Marines (the 6-4 corp), so to land in Kwalejin. But the weather was rainy, the seas rough. (Which meant a 2 strong Notional).

That is where the first air battle between US and Japan happened, over the skies of Kwalejin. Both carrier task forces lacked real fighters - or better, the US had the "real fighters" they could produce, 2*4 Air Value Wildcats. The Japanese prepared their carrier fleet as bombing support force for invasions and they had only 1 Air Value carrier plane, and 3 * 3 Air value.
The rest were all bombers. The US had a total of 6 planes out of 4 Carriers. The Japanese 8 planes total.

The air struggle went on pratically until the end, the Japanese losing a squadron (but as they were fighting over their own land, the pilot got saved); meanwhile the US lost a squadron too (along with the pilot, for the same reason above). The US snuck through a few bombers and so Japan did.

But by how the game works, that was tragic news for the US.

6 for the Marine, 6 for Shore Bombing, and 2 out of planes. That would have done nicely if the Notional was only 2 (and still risky in rain, a +13 would have been.). But as the Notional suddenly went to 4 combat value because of the Japanese planes intervention the US marines found themselves welcome by heavy defence fire and their invasion small boats bombed.

The US Marine Corp was immolated for this test of the Japan defences.

Excellent news for the Imperial High Command. 1 BPs of theirs against 8 of the USA - this was an excellent trade ratio of losses.

[AlbertN]

End of 1941 - Burma

The Japanese forces finalize the conquest of Philipines (Yamashita and an INF debark where the marines earlier on made a beachead and then stormed Manila with heavy battleship gunfire of support).

A partisan insurrection in French Indochina (The Partisan was already there, Axis, but turned into an Allied one upon conquest) was brutally quelled down by the Japan forces that finalized the conquest of the region by claiming Hanoi for themselves.

Slowly the Burma sector is reinforced, via sea and via land.

[AlbertN]

End of 1941 - Diego Suarez.

Little to say here, the Nov / Dec 1941 turn here was a matter of initiative.

If the Allied moved first, their French Territorial would have marched unopposed in Diego Suarez.
If the Axis won the initiative - as it happened - the Japanese would quickly ship in a division to ensure the ample naval base is protected somehow.

[AlbertN]

End of 1941 - British Indian Ocean Squadron.

The Axis strongly suspects this will be reinforced heavily soon, since the submarine threat is non existant at the present.

[AlbertN]

End of 1941 - Aden Italian Squadron

I would like to be able to say that the Italian Task Force would get reinforcements, like the British one.
But that is not exactly the case, Italy has no other surface ship besides a few patrolling the seas already (Stay at Sea).

Italian auxiliaries from Ethiopia attacked Berbera, after the Luftwaffe bombarded it. It was a bloodshed of colonial troops (Italy lost both Ethiopia units; and the CW lost their South Afrika MIL).

[AlbertN]

End of 1941 - Kriegsmarine still in action.

The Kriegsmarine, with only 4 surface units total - 2 of them the old pre-WW1, pre-dreadnaught Battleships based in Lisbon - is still operational; having led with success the invasion of the (relatively useless) Maldive Islands.

There was a stranded and oil-less French submarine group there (1 unit) which the Axis hoped to get rid of. But the submarines managed to escape with the very little oil remaining, the last stock just in case of such emergency situation.

The small task force of the Germans, the CL Leipzig and some destroyers attached prepare to bring away the small invasion Kampfgruppe.

[AlbertN]

End of 1941 - Hitler proclaims himself the "Oil King".

Iraq and Persia willingly aligned with Germany.

Saudi Arabia was otherwise pursuaded to provide oil to the Axis. With the usualy German methods of pursuasion - as per military invasion.

The supply lane across the Arabian Peninsula and 2 HQs chained did the trick; the Iraqi cavalry unit attacked (with a 7-4 German INF and in -SNOW- weather) and marched into Rhyad; then the Germans start to move north to the railroads to relocate in Persia, at the Soviet border.

[AlbertN]

End of 1941 - Western Allies friskyness

The W.Allies started already operations to land. The weather was good (the first impulse at least of Nov / Dec) and they massed grand invasion forces in the Bay of Biscay, pratically undisturbed; with the RAF providing air cover to some transports waiting with reinforcements in the sea, and two modern carriers, all shiney and seeing their first action for the air cover to the invasion force proper.

Germany scrambles to the sector units via rail; at least to "zoc" a few hexes, but that is not enough.
The real saver is the bad weather that hits (as it should in Nov / Dec) and prevents the W.Allies to land.

But with the UK marine and an Amph already at hand, they can easily land if weather allows.

Note: I am impressed how quickly the W.Allies can build up a force to land already if they gear up properly. By the end of 1941 the Brits and the US should hardly be able to perform a landing. Even more with all the losses CW suffered.

[AlbertN]

End of 1941 - UK and France

As you can see - and you can only see the "top" unit, there are quite some units of the W.Allied in United Kingdom.

The main problem is that by how the USA are already producing, the can -easily- replace the losses and churn out more and more units, already by the start of '42. (Currently producing 58 BPs, 2 of them goingto UK. But March / April they get a gear up...)

And the Axis cannot really afford to have them land - but to devote a HQ there implies too less supply in Sovietland. (With the issue of having 2 HQs in the Persian sector too.)

Probably by March / April the W.Allies will be landing somewhere in Spain or France.
The Axis can only work to wrestle the air zone over the seas with their local fighters (which are few presently).

[AlbertN]

End of Jan / Feb 1941 - Caucasus Front

The Soviet forces seem highly unprepared to face the Axis assault there.
But a lot depends too from the initiative of the next turn, and the weather obviously.

[AlbertN]

End of Jan / Feb 1941 - "Ostfront"

If the Soviets are unprepared in the Baku sector, they're extremely well prepared in Belarus and Ukraine.

They've also two Winterized Garrisons in Leningrad (ugh!); have left Murmansk vacant for now; and have two units to the eastern front of Persia, where the Persian Cavalry unit has been deployed to draw some attention.

For the Soviets the Manchurian Front is very quiet.

[AlbertN]

End of Jan / Feb 1941 - France

Axis dreads of an invasion seem to have been soothed and calmed down - for now - when the British Marine Corp was sent toward Cape Town.

It seems Churchill has interests elsewhere. But how long it will take before a non Marine invasion force with Amphibious units is at hand?

But presently it is a small breather for the Axis, a second front so quickly is nothing they truly desire.

In Bay of Biscay a minor scruffle in the air happened, but no side suffered losses.

[AlbertN]

End of Jan / Feb 1941 - Argentina

US sent 2 HQs and 2 MOT units to back up the Brazilians.

The Argentine seems to be quite at a loss there, with less and inferior troops.

The question is "for how long" the Axis can benefit of the production of Argentine.

[AlbertN]

End of Jan / Feb 1941 - Pacific

A pretty quiet turn, with little happening.

Most of the naval maneuvers resulted in not finding the counterpart, til the very last impulse where the Japanese found the US raiders (5 cruisers getting found by 14 of Japan).

US lost 2 Cruisers and got 1 or 2 damaged, for 1 of the Japanese damaged.

On the other hand the US restored the convoy pipeline with Australia, and the Japan searches in the relevant areas were insuccessful.

[AlbertN]

End of Jan / Feb 1941 - Azanian Sea

The Royal Navy was giving the hunt to the Italian cruiser Taranto - send as forward picket for the main Italian fleet (for In Presence of the Enemy).

But the Taranto spotted from afar the largely superior British squadron of cruisers, and scooted away rapidly.

This sector should turn more ... heated soon, as the Indian Airforce received new fighters; and the Royal Navy is bringing in new carriers along with the Royal Marine Corp, and a US Division.

[AlbertN]

Openings of March / April 1942 - Pacific

Axis wins initiative, the Allies forfeit to reroll - trusting in the bad weather.

Alas for the Allies, it rains only in Russia.
Alas for the Axis, it rains in Russia (Arctic).

Japan sends out a bit of raiders, prepares some divisions to invade some islands or not too relevant places but better to have them than to have them in the hands of the enemy (like Brunei, etc).

Clearly their raiders though are a bit crap and only 1 US convoy is sank.

The US though have many forces to retaliate against these puny raiders.

Why one cruiser only? You don't risk to lose much if you are found by retaliation force, and usually to sink 1 convoy it's a matter of how you roll more than anything else.

[AlbertN]

Openings of March / April 1942 - Indian Ocean

The Japanese pushed a raider just in front of Cape Town - to slow down reacting Brits.

Then they're preparing to invade places there too, and have brought a 6 Air Factor Zero (the "Kai" one) in Ceylon to provide to the Condors and Gabbianos of the Euro Axis, in case the Royal Navy shows up in the Arabian Sea.

In the while Mussolini adds to his "Empire" the British Somaliland and the Oman.
The Iraqi cavalry is advancing toward Trucial Oman instead.

The allmightly forces of Yemen have resisted to the Axis attackers instead, and still raise the Union Jack on San'a. (There are no Axis attackers as the piece of rock has no ports - so it can be taken in due time.).