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Turn 200 - Axis Turn
15th August 1942

I decide to try the same approach as previously - a softening up exercise pre-moving units (so if the turn ends they haven't got themselves stacked up in a row ready to be bombarded) and then moving to attack.

Once again two hexes are targeted (with a couple of others earmarked for barrage).

I originally placed all non-dark green air units to rest. To hell with that old cobblers - unless they're orange then they are flying! This gives me a good air superiority rating....

ORIGINAL: MikeJ19

Warspite,

I continue to enjoy your posts and this AAR. The losses are very frustrating at times. I just attacked a bridging unit with tanks and the bridging unit had no losses and I somehow lost tanks... Oh well.

Good luck moving forward, Ian (Devoncop) is a very good opponent.

warspite1

He is indeed. Keeps up a good pace too!!

Turn 200 - Axis Turn
15th August 1942

The attacks were 'excellent' with 'light' and 'very light' losses - so it can easily be guessed what actually happened [8|]

There is 20% of the turn left and so the choice is:

- Continue for another attack against non-softened up enemy units
- Prepare for the expected counter-attack.

I think the plan has to be to continue the attack, but with one eye on ensuring stacks of artillery are not too big.....

But I change my mind. I can't get decent odds - or at least I can on one, but the losses I take won't be worth it. I instead try and bombard the defenders in the hope that maybe some units will reorganise.

I'll now count up the butchers bill - but it won't make pretty reading for the Commonwealth.


It's a good job I had air superiority or I might have lost another air battle......

Turn 201 - Axis Turn
19th August 1942

The Germans limited themselves to a number of bombardments along the line. The losses were not too concerning (except of course the artillery)but were enough to move the victory gauge 1 point in the Axis favour.

Below the Quattara devoncop has sent some recce forces forward but - for the moment at any rate - this remains a backwater part of the front....

Turn 201
19th August 1942

I receive the Greek Brigade - which provides three infantry battalions, a machine gun battalion and a field artillery regiment - always welcome!

The field artillery, AA and anti-tank components of the 51st Highland Division have also arrived.

As usual the British artillery is knackered - the majority of it on red status. But with so few turns left there is nothing to hold back for now.

I have a 5-point Air Superiority over the Axis air forces.

I earmark five hexes for attention to various degrees, of which two will be subject to attack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8TlQVHRhyA

"... we are going to finish with this chap Rommel once and for all."

ORIGINAL: Szilard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8TlQVHRhyA

"... we are going to finish with this chap Rommel once and for all."

warspite1

[&o]

Turn 201
19th August 1942

Overall I inflicted more losses than I took - but then there is the air war [8|]. In the first air battle the Allied fighters had circa a 4:1 advantage, moreover the number of Me-109's available was lower than is normally the case, but......

Really concerning that the advance in the south left a hex vacant. I get the feeling that devoncop will counter - and counter big pretty soon and that sort of thing doesn't help - although nor does getting your bomber force shot out of the sky for no apparent reason....

.

Turn 202
22nd August 1942

The victory points edge further into the Axis camp after that turn - even though there were only 3 bombardments and 1 attack. That said there was an air battle and well lets just not go there. My flowchart written in jest appears to be the actual flow chart for the game.....

Turn 202
22nd August 1942

I have few reinforcements this turn - 2 AA batteries and a Kiwi infantry battalion.

I try and move my Greek brigade toward the front but they get interdicted for their trouble. The same happens when I try and move the Kiwis.

But there is nothing to be done at this stage of the game other than keep plugging away.

As I line up to start my bombardments, the enemy launches wave after wave of interdiction. Ouch!

These continue after every round. Well if the Allied air forces struggled in the air before, then this change of focus has (seemingly) massively helped them; there were 8 Axis furballs!

The CW pushed back the Axis forces on 3 hexes - although I pushed my luck too far and now have some large stacks ready to be hit....

Let's work out what happened...

The CW just about came out on top in terms of infantry losses - but everything was pretty close and I failed to get amongst the enemy tanks. Bizarrely perhaps given the furballs, the Axis are showing as having air superiority at present.....

You should now be receiving gobs of Shermans, Grants, and Crusader IIIs via the tracks.

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay

You should now be receiving gobs of Shermans, Grants, and Crusader IIIs via the tracks.

warspite1

When I checked a few turns ago I think I had about 4 Shermans and a few more Crusader III's. I've been getting Grant's for ages. I'll check for an update when its my turn next.

Turn 203
26th August 1943

Well I need to get some sleep so I can't go through the detail now - but that is likely the turn that confirms the CW (at least in my hands) just can't win this.

I got some luck in the air last turn and kept air superiority, but that means nothing and two CW squadrons are furballed - not really sure what on earth the fighters were even doing as there were no attacks by the Germans and no aircraft are on interception so....

But that wasn't even the bad news. I've lost something like 100+ field guns in just one turn - in 7 bombardments! That's just bonkers.


Okay so in the cold light of day the result wasn't quite as bad as feared (but still very bad) as the losses were 'only' 97 guns of all types.

Turn 203
26th August 1943

Despite that awful turn the victory score moves 1-point in my favour thanks no doubt to the Axis furballs from the turn before. Just 40 turns left.....

Turn 203
26th August 1943

The dire state of the air force...

Lots of squadrons on paper - actual aircraft....not so much. The number of operational squadrons is my first pass - simply placing anything 'dark green' on operational status. I will need to fine hone this later in the turn to ensure none of these dark greens have too few aircraft or maybe some of the light greens can be brought into service given the urgency of the situation.

Turn 203
26th August 1943

I identify the following as possible areas for attack. I can't afford to try too many as I need to concentrate my puny artillery in order to stand any hope of making the attacks work.

In the south devoncop appears to have made a general withdrawal and what I am facing is a screen.

I want to keep the pressure on in the coastal plain however - the deeper desert is secondary.

Turn 203
26th August 1943

After a round of bombardment I select two more hexes for barrage and three to attack. The air battles were okay - although not as god as it could be given the number of sorties flown - but I was saved by one battle in particular where the Axis suffered.

The Land battles saw mixed success. Advances in the north and south, but the 1st Bn. 5th Panzer Regiment came to save the day in the centre. Allied losses - even before the ridiculous aircraft situation - were heavy.

Turn 203
26th August 1943

For the next round I was able to push the Axis back in all three attacked hexes - but the losses are just so great - units evaporating all over the place too. And yet I attack on 'Excellent' or occasionally less if I have lots of artillery and air support. But I don't take the mickey where German forces are concerned and yet.... the battle predictions in this game appear to be a lottery in many cases - what am I missing?

I get one more round and I will see what I can do but in addition to evaporation I got a few key units reorganising after that.

Overall the losses weren't too bad - and it was good to see the German tanks take some losses. The continued reduction in the bomber force is annoying, although the Axis fighters seemed to expend their strength in shooting them down as their response grew increasingly worse.

Sadly a battalion of Royal West Kent's got excited and will be surrounded and gobbled up next turn. A lone tank battalion that advanced to the east is in trouble too....

Turn 204
29th August 1943

The CW fighters continue to suffer [:(]

But the British battalion caught behind enemy lines (sorry I thought it was the RWK's but it was the 5th Royal Sussex) held on though completely surrounded [:)]

Turn 204
29th August 1943

Annoyingly my fresh infantry division - the 51st Highland - decides to go into reorganisation.... great timing lads.

So as I try and decide what to do, here are the latest scores on the doors...