One Sided Miniature Wargaming Discourse: Don't Mention The War

AUSGAME 2022

S/O (Cont) GERMAN ADVANCES STALLS AS RAIN FALLS

Axis 4th Impulse Having rolled an 8 for weather, finally some bad weather, rain in Europe and storm in the Artic and N Monsoon, advances by 2. Germany takes a Land as their army that successfully took Warsaw needs to be railed to France and the low countries as quickly as possible – with still a potential clear impulse left in S/O - the German seeks to exploit his early successes. Three Corps are railed to Holland as other units make slow process heading West. Italy declines to do anything and stays at home near their fires, wine cellars and women. Japan take a land and rails units South where the clear weather is more likely and prepare for the campaigning season against the Nationalist in the N Monsoon. Germany fails to roll the EOT with an 8, impulse marker goes up 2.

Allied 5th Impulse, with rain the CW take a Combined to move some of their recently acquired Dutch conv points releasing British ones to rebase. A speculative GS by British bombers out of Britain fails to invert the front-line German units. France takes a no cost combined and adjusts its line and then rolls a 1 to end the turn. Partisan roll is a 2, a 0-2 partisan arrives in the mountains of Northern China.

Return to base, production and N/D 39 reinforcements. France was successfully Strat bombed in S/O by the German Luftwaffe so lose their production from their Metz factory. Britain scraps the Fairy Battle sending its pilots to Hurricane school for retraining, melting down the airframes for a future BP. The US Senates supports the decision for the Allies to ship resources to China and agree to send blue-prints and parts so that they can build their own acft. The US build the two Huston Oil facilities to supply America’s future industrial needs.

N/D 1939 Winter Arrives with a Vengeance

The CW declare support to the Chinese cause and declare that they will ship an oil and a resource along the Burma Road to the Chinese. Axis roll for the initiative with a 7+2 (9) but is beaten with a definitive 10 by the French – Germany declines a re-roll. The more important weather roll was a second 10 +1 (11) and a +2 on the next roll – impressive, most impressive rolling by the French so far tonight – Germany groans. Blizzards descend on the continent and shuts down land and air operations for both sides. This will be a short turn as the turn as the impulse marker advances 3 per impulse. Belgium is relieved as they can now celebrate a last Christmas under their King Leopold. Having won the initiative, the Russian’s occupy the Baltic States with little interest from the world and the US Senate.

Allies 1st Impulse The French and CW both take naval actions. The Western Allies reinforce the French line as Wavell arrives from Gibraltar to orchestrate a defence by an expanding BEF. The CW takes a naval and escorts the convoys and dominating the North Sea with both the Home Fleet and Force Z. France’s Naval sees the Med Fleet conducting naval ops in the W Med, and their CA’ assist with Allied Convoy escort duties. China decides that they can take a land and use the bad weather to cover the withdraw to more defensible terrain in Northern China, recognising that the IJA cannot attack them in Blizzard. Stalin’s Russia starts sending Siberians to the Iranian border for military exercises conducted by Zhurkov, supported by the long-range air – Tehran, appeals to the League of Nations with a strongly worded telegram but the league members are going into winter recession and are looking forward to the Christmas circuit of embassy drinks in Geneva.

Axis 1st Impulse – Germany takes a land and rails three more units into Holland from Poland. The German has a number of HQ’s Corps and Arty which all need to be railed to the West. Stukas are also rebased towards France and Japan takes a paid land, and with a lucky bonus, they shoot down the Chinese air force with a handy 17 as their bombers get cleared through for GS which see several lucky 1’s invert the Chinese defenders, With success in the air and with the GS, they launch a +8 assault in the rain against the Chinese resource hex, an average roll of 12 sees a 20, for a 1/B, half invert as their Eng is eliminated and the Chinese are blitzed back to the spiral – good choice of the Blitz table by the Chinese. Italy closes the door for the long winter.

Allies 2nd Impulse – The French roll a 9+2 for another 11 for the weather – the Blizzard in W Europe continues unabated. The CW takes a Naval and declares the mining of the Norwegian Coast – the US Senate is incensed by this action and the US losses a chit with a roll of 2 – needing a 5 or higher, worse was to come for the British, with the Norwegian Government also angered by Churchills decision to mine their water – they promptly declare a gift of 10 Convs to Germany, a guaranteed shipment of iron ore to Germany and the use of Oslo as a transit port if they require it - YES the CW player rolled a 10! Churchill was not happy with the Norwegians ‘overreaction’ and was expecting the 10 Convoys to be reflagged for the British. The French take a no cost combined, conserving oil and readjust their line – shipping the Senegal TER into Marseille. The US looks on as the world descends into chaos.

Axis 2nd Impulse Germany takes another land and rails three more units into Holland and France from Poland, completing the majority of operational movement for the French Campaign. The German’s Stukas arrive in W Germany , their target France. Japan takes a no cost combined, rebases aircraft and shuffles ( a military term for soldiers that can’t dance) their line. Italy remains closed for the winter – its Blizzard in the Med!

Allied 3rd Impulse, with an EOT roll at 7, the Allies agree to ‘all pass’ needing a 9 or less, the French roll an EOT with a 9 – so close - the turn ends. No Change to the initiative marker as it is already ‘topped out’ in the Axis +2. Partisan roll is a 4, as another partisan arrives in the mountains of Northern China to plan the doom of the Japanese land forces in China. The US senate declare that the Selective Services Act which is not well received by the free press as they loose a chit to tension. Return to base and production. Tokyo in a strongly worded letter demands the closure of the Burma Road which is done with not even a murmur – the CW cancels its shipments of Oil and iron - no chit for the US as it builds two more oil facilities ensuring oil supplies to the Allies in the years ahead. With the Swedish iron ore shipments temporarily suspended due to the Blizzard for a second turn – Germany burns 2 stored oil to keep up their factory production

J/F 1940 – Winter is Here to Stay.

Reinforcements, and the French player rolls another 10 to win the initiative (My recollection is that the Axis won the initiative and decided to go second) for the first impulse of the new year, recognising that the weather is appalling +2 on the roll the Axis decline a re-roll and allow the Allies to go first. Weather roll is an 9 + 2, another 11 to continue the longest blizzard Europe has seen in decades – three blizzard impulses in a row – the German is not happy, and his early successes of the long, fine autumn of S/O 39 turn evaporate in the worst weather we have seen. Another short turn as the impulse marker advances by 3 and there is a +3 on the next weather roll – worse that means guaranteed bad weather and the Allies will be able to end the TURN on a 5 after their third impulse. Germany is looking for the weather to clear, hopefully in M/A 40. The only compensation to the German is that Norway has become a friend and the gift of their resource, and 10 convoys was not the Christmas present that they were expecting, possibly they would have preferred Brussels – but that is dice and the world of WIF.