Tough old boot, the airwar over Italy 43-45

[Smirfy]

This is played with the suspicion the game not is balancing the effect versus loss with regards airpower. I have the suspicion loss v production is somewhat out. In this game feel free to ask for any screen at any time. No plane will fly at under 70 experince or morale apart from a couple of B17 groups that I know are going to be withdrawn pretty early, these dont drop below 69 experience and never get below 70 morale. No plane will be flown over 10 fatigue, that includes training.

I am going to try and preserve my airforce and destroy his quickly so at the start so I will start retraining my P40'and Kittyhawks after the a couple of turns

Some background:


Between October 1943 and 44 the 15th USAAF flew 142,787 sorties and lost 2,200 aircraft at a rate of 1.54%. A large proportion of these mission were over the Riech on strategic targets


"With the passing of the Husky the end is not yet realiased, nevertheless it is still in sight"

RAF official Report.


Keeping the boys alive no ground support turn one

[Smirfy]

"Mission Accomplished"

George Bush

Luftwaffe took a beating but so did my workhorse, the Wellington. Tedder gets on to Ike get Monty and Patton moving I want my boys off Naval intediction!

Both phases turn 1

[Smirfy]

"Low morale goes hand in hand
with defeat after defeat
followed by impending defeat"

James Mason, Cross of Iron

After that the Wellington crews get some leave round the the fleshpots of Tunisia

[Smirfy]

"See Naples and die"

Anon


Three weeks in and Dolittle convinces Tedder that the Strategic Airforce can cripple German resistance in Sicily by crippling her logistics. These raids are divided into two types "Nickel" against ports and "Dime" against Railyards. Unfortunately the first "Nickel" raid on Naples runs into stiff resistance from the Luftwaffe

[Smirfy]

"It was not a vital target, but it seemed to me better to destroy an industrial town of moderate importance than to fail to destroy a large industrial city"

Sir Arthur Travers Harris, 1st Baronet.

After the slaughter over Naples, Dolittle is forced to continue his "Nickel" raids within the range of the Tactical airforces fighters. Whilst losses plummet they are still high and results are disappointing over Reggio Calabria

[Smirfy]

"Every Soldier thinks something of the moral aspects of what he is doing. But all war is immoral and if you let that bother you, you're not a good soldier"

Curtiss LeMay


Dolittle reads the riot act to his group commanders and insists the attacks must be pressed home in future. Target for week seven, Messina!

[Smirfy]

"But Tigers cannot pole-vault across the straits of Messina. You must realiase that Colonel General Guderian!"

Hermann Goering

The final tally in of the battle for Sicily. I can safely say Airpower contributed nothing to victory. I flew little tactical air against land targets, it was mainly taken up flying naval indterdiction. Sicily was was when the theory became reality and airpower became a self sustainable arm of the land campaign. So far (whether this is just scenario dependant) Allied airpower is defensive. In the camapaign for Sicily the Allies lost approximately 350 planes flying at the highest intensity, I have lost 714 doing little. If I flew more I would have done little more for *alot* greater loss going by the breakdown of my losses. The Strategic offensive was fun (though totally ineffective) the rest somewhat dull. Time to invade Italy

Before I do Tedder is going to reorganize a bit, it will take a couple of weeks. Malta air command will be stripped of aircraft, multi engines going to Coastal airforce, Singles going to Tactical Airforce.
The USAAF Spitfires will be grouped together in the 1001st Fighter Wing, The Spitfire MK IX/XVI will be put in 800 Group both will be responsible for Air superiority missions alternating daily. The Spitfire MK VB's will be put in 500 Group and escort Interdiction missions and the VC's will form 600 group and provide top cover for Ground Support. A complete group of Kittyhawks, 50 Group has been trained for the purpose.

But before we go ashore Dolittle is tasked with taking Naples Port out

[marion61]

Since no one else posted in your AAR, I will. Good job keeping air losses down and taking Sicily.[8D]

[Smirfy]

ORIGINAL: meklore61

Since no one else posted in your AAR, I will. Good job keeping air losses down and taking Sicily.[8D]

Thanks Meklore, your right on the money about feedback to what your actually doing in game btw

[Smirfy]

"To conquer the command of the air means victory; to be beaten in the air means defeat and acceptance of whatever terms the enemy may be pleased to propose"

Gilulio Douhet

The theorist's birds come home to roost! Dolittle's bombers neutralizes Naples in a "Nickel" raid prior to invaision. Interspersed with bombs is leafleting explaining to the disgruntled Italians the hopelesness of the Axis position.

[Smirfy]

"You could teach monkies to fly better than that"

Edward Fox and Ian McShane in the "The Battle of Britain"

9 Lancasters from *one* Squadron lost in *one* turn, 26 in total. Training and resting pratically alternate turns! Any ideas how to get this Lancaster unit in action in time for the Korean War. The Halifax Squadron much the same. Have Canadians got a mental block about flying?

[Smirfy]

"I used to say no! The real thing to do when you open up a new campaign in a new theatre is decide how you are going to develop them."

Bernard Montgomery

I am sure you have played this landing a hundred times so I will not bore you too much since this is mainly about the airwar. Montgomery's plan is simple the main fight will be before Rome and he intends to break through there with his armour. To do that the landing below Salerno will first secure a beachhead then pivot on V Corps when Patton and 7th Army fight there way up the toe enabling 8th Army to link up with the Beachhead. Montgomery will then form a Corps de Chasse from the British Armour units and put them under XIII Corps and a heavy shock army under V Corps control and a Flank guard will be formed with X Corps commanding. 5th Army will then replace 7th army taking control of all US forces and mop up any resistance left behind then procede to the Aegean side of the boot and prepare for offensive operations.

The plan is pretty much successful but the Commando raid spooks Kesselring and he withdraws to a line just before the Gothic one leaving behind a few units which Patton mops up whats left in the toe . Air power cannot prevent a few German units from leaving ports and contributes little to this phase of the game except taking casaulties

[Smirfy]

"We call ourselves the "6th Panzer Army", because we've only got 6 Panzers left".

Sepp Dietrich

The first strains of the air campaign surface at this time despite careful husbanding and handling of forces 50 Group has to replace a Squadron of its Kittyhawk III's with Typhoons as the Kittyhawk iV's cant take the strain.

The problem here is the experience quicky goes down to 56 for the Typhoons and does not easily come back so with my criteria they are effectively out of the fight while they train (sic)

[RedLancer]

The AAR is great but if you are wishing to make a point about production being off then Battleground Italy is not a suitable testbed.  Joel's post in your production thread sums the situation perfectly.
 
May I also suggest that you read Section 8.2.1 on Pilot Training.  My perception is that you don't fully understand the rules in this area.  I'm not sure I do completely either but I know that flying training missions in most instances is not worthwhile and you are better to use the train experience level in the air doctrine (5.3.2).

[Smirfy]

Hobson's choice

"a choice of taking what is available or nothing at all."

The Hurricanes are in my interdiction Group and have hardly been used. With 20% of the production figures there are not many choices with this level of attrition. From now on practically every other turn I will have to replace a Kittyhawk III squadron

[Smirfy]

ORIGINAL: Red Lancer

The AAR is great but if you are wishing to make a point about production being off then Battleground Italy is not a suitable testbed.  Joel's post in your production thread sums the situation perfectly.

May I also suggest that you read Section 8.2.1 on Pilot Training.  My perception is that you don't fully understand the rules in this area.  I'm not sure I do completely either but I know that flying training missions in most instances is not worthwhile and you are better to use the train experience level in the air doctrine (5.3.2).

I am demonstrating a few points, I have been told and fully accept production is not optimized from the Italian scenario. I have a suspicion that if you have small production run aircraft in this model you will soon put pressure on your major marks. I also dont think Air is any way effective vis a vis losses except in very narrow instances so I am investigating that, so far in game I am at turn 28 and have suffered 1911 losses for little or no effect.

Thank you for the tip on training much appreciated I look forward to reading the rule when I get home from work, understanding it instead of just clicking on training and getting some boys back in the fight

[Smirfy]

"The enemy is courting further and deepening disaster"

Brigadier E.T. Williams CIO 8th Army

After delaying the conquest of the airfields round Foggia, Kesselring hopes to deny the the Allies the use of the ports at Salerno and Naples. Though XIII Corps mobility did take him somewhat by surprise. Inside the cauldron of Salerno the men of the 26th Panzer division consider the irony of their Panzer regiment presently fighting to relieve Gruppe Stemmermann at Korsun on the Eastern front and their chances of relief.

[Smirfy]

"Nothing more mortifying to the pride of our seapower has happened since the seventeenth century."

London Times

However at Marineoberkommando Süd there are no such recriminations, the Führer makes a personal visit to the headquarters to decorate Admiral Kurt Fricke and his staff for the incredible relief of 26th Panzer. Dolittle is apoplectic with his crews claiming they are failing to carry out their duty, Tovey reminds his captains Admiral Bying was shot for less and even the usually unperturbed Alexander says it was a "pretty poor show". The coastal airforce believe the Germans must have some new radar counter measure to avoid detection. Ike summons Dolittle, Tovey and Lloyd and assures them if the 16th SS escapes they can name their successor

[Smirfy]

"Only numbers can annihilate"

Horatio Nelson

Ike puts 15th and Coastal Airforce at Monty's disposal. Montgomery tells everyone "The form" deploying V Corps and X Corps, Dolittle chaffs at the subordination but nevertheless his pilots destroy evey wharf in Naples. and 16th SS "Riechsfuhrer" is marched into captivity.

I'm glad they wernt able to move out so far I have been plagued by seemingly impossible naval moves. A pz divison able to sail out of a badly damaged Salerno under the guns of the navy the airforce and 8th army is fiction. The naval end is really frusrtating from the transport bug/wad? to the Axis AI having an extraordinary naval transport power to naval interdiction only hurts the Allied players capability. Its just so arbitary and unstoppable. The Axis should have finite capabilty outside what the Luftwaffe can put down which the Allies destroy by interdiction! I have to agree with sentiments expressed on other threads the AI has improved but I think it should be choosing its garrison units better.

Anyway to the Gustav Line

[Smirfy]

"I will tell you this; I think the French are very good on generals. The French devide generals into two classes. They say there is what we would call "le bon general ordinaire". Now he is the general who is very good, so long as someone will tell him what to do and will stand by and help him do it and see he does it! He is very good! There are a good many of them about, "le bon general ordinaire". The other type of general the French would say is what they call "le grand chef." He is the general who knows what to do and all he requires is a "Directive" over two or three weeks and he gets on with it and you really don't have to bother with him any more!

Bernard Law Montgomery

The weather holds and taking full advantage of Clarks pressure along the Aegean Coast, Montgomery breaks the Gustav line with V Corps then uses XIII Corps mobility to throw them into the breach