Taifun (Axis) v EarlyDoors (Allies)

[EarlyDoors]

The War in Numbers

The unit matchup belies the precariousness of the Allied strategic position.

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The detailed losses are more revealing. There is barely a scratch on the Axis.

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U-boats seem to have been cleared further west to the Canada convoy route.
Last month there were no raids on the arctic convoy : going to try and get 1 through at 40% : it succeeds!

1942-01-02-mpp-summary-convoy-gets-through.png (820 KiB) Viewed 3869 times

Research / Diplomacy
UK RD 600 Diplo 400
USA RD 2925 Diplo 200
USSR RD 1375 Diplo 0
GER RD 2375 Diplo 250
ITA RD 1300 Diplo 150
JAP RD 2125 Diplo 150

National Morale :
UK 73
USA 93
USSR 83
CHINA 74
IND 78
GER 112
ITA 73
JAP 110

MPP circa
UK 480
USA 640
USSR 550
CHINA 200
IND 110
GER 690
ITA 195
JAP 310

[Taifun]

The situation in India was stalling. Calcutta was reinforced by an Indian infantry corps and our invading forces seemed insufficient to capture the mayor city. From Madras, the Japanese SF unit moving north along the coast was unable to cross the mayor river towards Vizagapatam. Only in the center of India did we make any progress capturing Nagpur. I decided to reinforce the center and planned to move forces from the Calcutta area towards Bilaspur from the east.

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Admiral Ozawa’s carrier groups were exhausted after 5 months of continuous operations. US fighter groups were doing a good job defending Indian air space. Admiral Yamamoto instructed Ozawa to return to the homeland to refit and replenish his depleted Task Force. The only available Japanese fighter wing was transferred to Madras from China to escort our tactical bombers, the US had gained air supremacy.

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General Rommel arrived to Alexandria and immediately ordered his troops forward into Palestina in hot pursuit of the retreating Indians that by now had reached the Iraqi Capital Baghdad. A strong Axis Task Force entered the Red Sea searching for trouble.

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Admiral Nagumo was back in home waters refitting his carrier groups.
The Kriegsmarine was also refitting and upgrading in European ports, getting ready to renew the Battle for the Atlantic.

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[EarlyDoors]

Late January 1942

China's 12th Army is destroyed to minimal Japanese gain.

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Finnish supply lines are have deep protection. The paratroopers return to the Murmansk railhead.

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Army Group North start to squeeze Soviet Corps around Polask by taking the settlement of Vitebsk. For the first time since Barbarossa there are no Soviet unit losses.

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Southern Front pauses. Infantry Weapons lvl 2 are manufactured.

1942-01-30-ags.png (1.86 MiB) Viewed 3803 times

[EarlyDoors]

Late January 1942 - Asia

British reconn unit abandon the Siwa Oasis for the losts of the desert. Jerusalem, Port of Haifa falls. Palestine surrenders.
The low morale, low readiness Indian remnants fail in their attack on Baghdad.

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India loses the 3rd Garrison as the settlement of Ahmedabad is captured. Japanese Special Forces about Calcutta appear trapped. If the Corps at Bilaspur can hold the situation may stabilise.

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Slightly east, Burmese troops march into Thailand to deny Bangkok to the japanese.

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USS Marblehead is lost about Singapore. Elsewhere UK loses the destroyers Castleton and Mohawk. Worryingly, the Royal Navy is not dominating the Atlantic Seas.

In the Pacific, US Carriers probe for Maritime Bombers that had attacked Pearl Harbor. They've relocated west and the Marshall Islands are liberated.

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[Taifun]

The Soviet Winter hit very hard the German forces last December, inflicting around 1600 MPPs points of damage. The Economic department of the OKW estimated that 3,5 full months of production would be needed to replenish and refit our forces. Apart from a few garrison units, not a single unit was built last year, so the Wehrmacht was essentially the same force that started Barbarossa last June. The Soviets, after taking severe losses during 1941, still deployed 50 units in the USSR. Stalin managed to rebuild all the lost units. The Soviets were getting UK aid via the Murmansk convoys and US aid via Vladivostok.

The Fuhrer reviewed the German objectives for 1942 and sent new directives:

- Rommel with his 2 panzerkorps and 2 bomber wings would be transferred as soon as possible to the USSR. The remaining mobile German troops in Egypt would take care of the Indians menacing Iraq.
- The British economy and his Royal Navy became the main target of the Kriegsmarine. Admiral Raeder U-Boote will focus on the Canadian and USA convoys.
- All Axis naval units in the Mediterranean and Red Sea would be transferred to the Atlantic Ocean.
- Japan will attack and capture Vladivostok.

The UK economy would be stretched to the limit: attacked by our new type 3 U-Boote and still needing to send very large convoys to the Soviets… Much depended on our Kapitanleuntnants...

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[redrum68]

With 1941 coming to a close, thoughts on if committing Rommel's forces to Egypt was worth it or whether they would have been better off as part of Barbarossa?

[Taifun]

I think that it was worth it. As Axis player I seldom sent any German units to Africa, I would say 1/5 games. But this time I was very happy that I did. The fact that the UK didn't attack the Italian Regia Marina was a mayor contributing factor. With a strong naval force in the Med (backed by German subs) I felt strong enough to challenge control of the Med from the British Empire, more so as the Japanese were to attack early and position several naval units in the Arabian Sea. My opponent made a few not very wise tactical movements in the desert that helped Rommel's advance.
With the Suez Canal in Axis hands we won a very strong strategic position. And Japan will take advantage of it as you will see...
Also the Iraqi revolution came at a very bad time for the Allies as they had no troops to counterattack and retake the country. Those oil MPPs were a most welcomed reinforcement for our economy.
On the other hand, all the mayor objectives (Smolensk and Rostov) were taken in the USSR during 1941. It would have been good to have an extra German HQ but at the end we did OK.

[EarlyDoors]

February 1942

About Sian the Communist 8th Route Army is destroyed. Replacements are keeping pace with losses. The front is under pressure but holding. Hong Kong surrenders with destruction of its garrison.

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Out of Supply, India's Dogra Corps are destroyed outside Baghdad by Rommels Motorised Afrika Korps. Another Corps heads north to Mosul.

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British Army of India arrive to cement the trap of Japanese forces assualting Calcutta. A second UK Strategic Bomber unit originally earmarked for the middle-east is operated in theatre. Their mission to starve the Japanese of Supply, isolate and destroy the invaders.

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Wainwrights defence of Corregidor is lost. To the east, the US Pacific fleet prepares to liberate the Gilbert Islands.

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[EarlyDoors]

February 1942 - USSR

The Narvik Garrison attempts to escape by sea but are destroyed by an Awaiting UK Heavy Cruiser.Army Group North has Polotsk surrounded.

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There is a timely Partisan insurrection at Kursk that provides supply to a Corps unit cut-off in the neighbouring forest.

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[Taifun]

US subs were active in several locations throughout the Empire. One was sunk previously near Pearl Harbor but at least 2 US subs and a Dutch sub were operating near the DEI and were a potential threat to our main convoy line. Admiral Yamamoto sailed south with a strong Task Force that included the 3 new CVs: Shokaku, Junyo and Hiyo. They were to screen and protect our SF invasion forces that were embarked and ready to attack Singapore next turn.

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As expected our naval forces were attacked by US subs, but to our surprise 4 new US subs were marauding the area. Another 2 US subs were detected in the Marshalls so the USA NAVY obviously concentrated their allowed MPPs in their Silent Service. That was a very significant economic effort, more than a 1000 MPPs...

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The situation before the Big German spring 1942 offensive

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[Elessar2]

No new German units bought at all, not even the 3 Tank Armies?

[Taifun]

Hi Elessar2, nice to have you around!
I couldn't afford a single heavy tank unit, I bought 1 AA and a few garrisons. Total German land units: 80.

[EarlyDoors]

March 1942

China's 6th Army are destroyed and the road to Kweichow opened. China has now got level 2 anti-air technology but can it implement it in time.

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The Australian HQ under Blamey had been badly shot up in the middle east but managed to gain transport in a circuitous route avoiding Japanese navy in the Indian Ocean to land at Singapore. The plan was to refit, bolster the Malayan units to max strength then head up country. With unfortunate timing a Japanese Invasion occurs whilst the Capital is at its weakest and the Fortress falls to Japan. British Morale sinks some more.
USS Cachalot in lost in the defence.

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11th Army forms up in India but the defensive front is breached as the corps defending Bilaspur retreats under attack. Most unfortunate.
The Japanese units are in surprisingly good supply which has got intelligence puzzled.

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US forces occupy Tarawa and move south targeting a liberation of Samoa.

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[EarlyDoors]

March 1942 - Europe

Around the North Sea a u-boat and Z2 destroyer are sunk.

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New type-3 u-boats interdict the Atlantic shipping lines.

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With Axis forces concentrated around Polotsk, Riga appears to be defended by only artillery and an Italian garrison. Soviet forces driving south from Tallinin destroy the garrison to reveal the artillery has left. Riga is liberated.

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The artillery most likely went south as a heavy bombardment precedes a breakout from Rostov. Soviet forces recoil with the loss of 1st Guards Army. The partisans of Kursk are overcome.

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[Taifun]

Singapore was captured. Admiral Yamamoto with 5 CVs and 2 CVLs began operation LEJIA: the disinfection of US subs from the DEI area. At Brunei a garrison unit was raised…

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Good news from India. Bilsapur town was captured by our paras when the defending Indian corps retreated! The US Airforce with 3 fighter wings (we now know that 4 were present!) defended successfully the Indian skies, based in well supplied airdromes north of the country. Additional Japanese troops were disembarked at Bombay and were already moving slowly north towards the front. A second Japanese HQ assisted with the supply up north from Bombay.

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General von Bock was again transferred south to serve under the orders of General von Manstein in AGS. His replacement at AGN was an Italian General. The 2 artillery units were also operated to the Rostov area. I wish I had more artillery… Mussolini ordered the construction on an artillery unit at the Ferrari Works this turn. The Luftwaffe tactical bombers were back from Rumania fully refitted and a medium bomber wing joined them from Egypt.

The new offensive in AGS started near Rostov in muddy weather. A most weird thing happened this turn. When we hammered the Soviet Army entrenched behind the Don River just south of Rostov every round of artillery did 1-2 points of damage! (bug or extremely lucky?) So, the defending Soviet Army was completely devastated by our artillery barrage and finished easily by the panzers. The adjoining Soviet infantry corps was also pushed back and our 2 paras got ready to jump. This was a great unexpected beginning and opened the gates to the Caucasus and beyond... we just need a turn with good weather!

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[Taifun]

April 10 1942

The Sun shines in AGS . The bridgehead was greatly expanded south. Maikop oil field was captured and Grozny reached, cutting the main railroad leading north. Baku was isolated! Further north our troops reached Stalingrad and Voronezh…

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General von Leeb prepared his new offensive towards Moscow. He was reinforced with 2 medium bomber wings.

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Admiral Yamamoto managed to sink 2 additional US subs, making his total score to 3

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[redrum68]

Hard to see how the Soviets can stop AGS. Starting to get the feeling that they will collapse here by the end of 1942 just like we've seen in a lot of other games.

[Bavre]

About the extremely damaging arty barrage: was the target perhaps on a swamp hex (neg def) ?

[EarlyDoors]

Yes, they were

[EarlyDoors]

April 1942

China's CXV Corps are destroyed as assaults continue against Kweichow and Sian.

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The subs USS Albacore and Dace are lost about Singapore.

An Indian AA gun at the Tata Steel Works is destroyed in a combined Japanese offensive to rescue the surrounded Special Forces. Calcutta is once again threatened.
An Indian Army pushes forward to the jungle north of Bilaspur to try and hold the Japanese.

I calculate that Japan is using HQ boosting but at this point I realise that my understanding of the mechanism is wrong.

I know that a boosted HQ needs to be in supply range in order to be boosted. I had always assumed that meant that it had to be receiving supply 5 or higher. But no, it is sufficient for the boosted HQ to be receiving supply 1 from the boosting HQ. This means that the first HQ could be sitting as deep as Bombay.

RAF Bomber Command is operated from the frozen lands of North Norway to target Bombay and its port.

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Baluchi Corps is lost in the Iraq desert. Turkey signs a Treay of Friendship with Germany. There has also been intense Allied diplomatic activity to try and prevent Turkey siding with the Axis including a 5% swing to USA this month.

Army Group North is able to regroup much force to Riga to dash any Soviet hopes of further offensive.
Army Group Centre is now threatening the Vyazma -> Bryansk gap.

1942-04-24-agn-stabilise-at-riga-agc-advance-on-moscow.png (1.73 MiB) Viewed 3578 times

Soviet forces on the Don front are surrounded. The enemy is at the gates of Voronezh and has Stalingrad under observation. 3 Corps, an Army and a fighter unit are lost. Corps are rushed to Grozny from Persia with further reinforcements across the Caspian Sea. Paratroopers prepare to jump to restore rail links.

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