World in Flames - FB 55

Just a reminder, this is lifted from the Facebook World in Flames group, where Mike's write-ups have been very well received and deserving of a wider audience which I hope posting them on my blog has done.

1945 M/A EOT actions

Partisan roll generates a Yugoslav 4.3 Partisan – Tito’s return is imminent, and the future of Yugoslavia is assured. Rebase, production and reinforcement. Mainland France is whole again as the Western Allies in formal ceremonies across the newly liberated territory return their captured hexes back to their 1939 ally. In Yugoslavia, in an act that will haunt them post war the CW hexes are handed over to the Russians. German production is marginal due to the saturation bombing of their factories and the loss of resources, rail lines and factories. Their spare pilots are retrained and the few MIL are drafted again to defend their cities.

1945 M/J – The Penultimate Turn and Germany calla up its Militias

Axis initiative roll is a 4 and is easily beaten by the Russian player’s 9, Germany desperate to go first demands a reroll (init goes to the +1 Allies – and now they win ties) but Germany rolls a definitive 10 which is well beyond Russia’s 6 of his second roll, the Axis go first. Weather roll is not what the Axis was wanting, rolling an 8 for fine everywhere, and only advancing by 1.

Germany takes a Land and Japan a Combined. Japan sails its remaining small and diminished fleets into the China Sea and Sea of Japan as they hope to use their shore bombardment against the US invaders still occupying Osaka. Two patrolling US CA’s in the Sea of Japan find on a handy Japanese split that damages the IJN BS Haruna and aborts another for the cost of the CA Augusta sunk, the Sea of Japan is cleared of US shipping. In the China Sea the Kido Butai fleet searches but the US having broken the Japanese Naval codes and surprise the Japanese three times in a row – they kept rolling 1’s and 2’s. The ensuing battles are harsh on the Japanese CV air groups that should have easily dealt with the two US long range Nav’s that had been escorting the patrolling CAs. The US roll 19 on the A2A combat shooting down the best Japanese CV 5 Ftr on the minus 4 table and abort the Japanese second CVP Ftr, in contrast both US Nav’s are cleared through on 10’s – ‘got to luv that A2A’ table. The US Nav’s constantly damage many of the Kido Butai Fleet’s BA/CV’s (Kirishima, Taiho, Nagato, Shokako and Hiei) significantly reducing the IJN shore bombardment. Finally on the 4th search, a favourable roll for the Japanese as they find and surprise the US - and everyone else. Japan selects the zero box to sink the US Conv and the escorting CA Minneapolis, the US defenders in Osaka are now OOS. With the US land based Ftrs based out of Osaka now OOS and unable to react the Japanese GS the City with multiple (3) land-based bombers but dismally fail to invert even a single US ground or air unit! Another Banzai charge to recapture Osaka is declared , the third by HQ Umezu, but this time the dice Gods favour Japan and a 15 is rolled on the +6 assault, for a 21 - the city is retaken. The US lose their 7 Marine, an INF Corps and a Div as there was no retreat path AND then both the Pacific Fleet and the TF58 are forced to rebase back to Manila as victorious Japanese troops flood Osaka’s major port. Some luck for the US as both their fleets sneak past the reduced IJN in the China Sea which fails to find the fleeing fleets. A win and morale boosting victory for the Japanese in these dark times for the Axis. The two US fleets arrive in Manilla inverted and will take no further action in this M/J turn and any chance of taking Tokyo is snuffed out in this single roll – well done Japan.

Germany’s land sees three units railed, to the Russian front, Prague is vacated and declared an open city as the few defenders withdraw behind the Danube River. In the North the SS 12-5 ARM and 10-6 ARM arrive in Berlin to defend the city and the Fuhrer’s bunker. The Western Front is abandoned, leaving only three INF units behind as a rear-guard; 4.3 in Rotterdam, 6.3 in Aachen and a 6.4 in Stuttgart. The rest of the German Army rush back to central Germany to establish a ring around Berlin. Rommel remains in Munich to defend the city as the rest of Austria is abandoned. In Italy, there is no movement as these units have remained inverted as they could not trace supply to Germany at the end of the M/A turn. Now OOS and isolated these units await their fate by the advancing US and CW forces in central Italy.

Allies first impulse sees multiple Super Combines from the US and CW, the CW declares a land Offensive led by the Canadian HQ Crerar – he wants to take Kiel. Russia takes an Air/Land and declares a land offensive. The US and CW massed fleets of TF 11, TF 17 and the Home Fleet together with 13 AMPHs and TPTs enter the North Sea, reinforcements arrive from the US on another 5 TPTs which are mostly unescorted and a small Allied fleet sails into the Baltic to deter German Naval interdiction. In the Med only 4 US and 2 CW BS and the reduced Force H fleet remain off the Coast of Italy to support land operations. A ‘housekeeping’ operation is mounted from the W Med to clean up Malta as a loaded AMPH and Marine Div are sent to finally liberate the Island.

The US Strat bombs Berlin, committing the game’s first war crime by dropping the first atomic bomb, possibly due to being intercepted by 10 and 9 factor Ftrs from Tempelhof the bombing is marginal with only a 4 rolled resulting in two Berlin factories forced to suspend operations. The US escorting Ftrs have a lucky day as they shoot down most of the hi-tech Ftrs including Germany’s first 10 factor jet – BV155. The following massed GS phase from all three major Allied nations, as well as the French, sees nearly every German unit/hex targeted, and with few interceptions many units are inverted. Importantly for the CW, the units defending the fortified city of Kiel are all inverted, a handy + 5. The CW launch their attack against Kiel at + 17, which was supported by Crerar’s O’Chit, massed shore bombardment and air – the city is taken an a TOTT roll and the German Nord fleet forced to rebase to Stettin. They are intercepted with a soft split and only lose a Finish coastal BS and a damaged CA for the loss of a British Sub. British marines and American Paras drop on the Dutch and German coasts taking the hexes against little opposition – inverted MIL. One German Stuka managed to slip through the CVP Ftr screen but made no impact on the subsequent result as the assaults were 9.5 Blitz using Marine ARM, shore bombardment and air support – both rolled TOTT, no loss and no inversions.

The combined US and CW land offensive overwhelms the three hapless defended cities in the West, as Rotterdam, Aachen and Stuttgart are taken for no loss and no inversions. There is now little between Berlin’s outer defences and the Western Allies. On the Russian front a similar tale is told as multiple attacks clean up individual units and several stacks of German ARM/MECH evaporate under the Russian O’Chit and massed Arm/Mech bonuses from Russian GBA and attacking Acft – the race for the prize, that is Berlin is on in earnest. Further South, the OOS German defenders in Northern Italy are overwhelmed as Milan and Turin are liberated. Units head towards the Brennan pass towards Munich to marry up with the US forces from West, Only Munich and Rommel guarding the pass and hinder this historic moment. Malta is liberated on a +12 invasion supported by Marines, air and shore bombardment. Further East, the CW forces led by Wavell assault and liberate both Italian Eritrea and Somaliland as the victors advance to their next and last objective, Addis Ababa for one last assault against Mussolini’s stronghold in the mountains.

In the Far East the Russian fail on their first attempt to invert the Seoul defenders and elects to try again next impulse, reinverting one acft. The US fleet searches for the remnants of the Japanese fleet in the China Sea, finding the last of the once proud IJN. These remnants are dealt with quickly and the sea area is cleared as the last of these ships are sunk, damaged or aborted.

Axis 2nd Impulse – ever hopeful roll bad weather a 1 or a 2, but alas fine again – no momentary reprieve for Germany as the skies remain clear and the ground firm. What few upright units head back to Berlin, the last act of Guderian, the last upright German HQ, is to reinvert 3 ARM and a 10 factor Ftr (FW 190 Dora). A few units in cites, mostly MIL defend the Cities of Dusseldorf and Dortmund on the approaches to Berlin. German is now clearly divided into an East and West advance as all three Allies Armies advance to the outer defensive ring of Berlin.

Allies’ 2nd Impulse – with clear weather the US, Russia and the CW take Air/Land actions, as they mount further strategic bombing runs against Berlin. The clear weather assists the bombing groups as they roll a 10 (5 ***) and destroy 3 factories, shut down 3 oil plants and burn 2 stored oil – Germany down to 2.2 oil. GS are launched at the few remaining defenders with moderate successes. The US launches assaults against several of the retreating German units that had not managed to withdraw to the Berlin pocket and cleared the cities of Frankfurt and Hanover. In the South Munich is taken on a +14.7 Assault and in the North the CW forces, fresh from the success of the Kiel capture Hamburg and expand their bridgehead into the North of Germany. Down in the South, Munich is captured and the last defenders in Italy surrender to the Western Allies – Italy is ‘liberated’. Russian forces assault Nuremberg, laying it to waste and clearing several hexes as they advance North and West towards the outskirts of Berlin. In Korea, the Russian GS against Seoul is rewarded with an inversion and the defending Japanese Inf is inverted and OOS, the Russians launch their assault, taking the city with ease - Korea falls.

Axis 3rd Impulse – first the weather roll 10 – definitively fine everywhere – no 1’s or 2’s for the Axis as Germany takes a land action, to shuffle his few remaining units to maximise the defence of Berlin and the last few hexes on the approaches to their capital. The other Axis pass hoping for an EOT roll, and at least prestige point for surviving until the last turn of the game. Alas, their hope is dashed as the 1 is not rolled and the Allies get another fine weather impulse and race for Berlin.

Allies 3rd Impulse US and Russia take an Air/Land and the CW and Russia take a Land. The US launches their final attacks from the South and S West with the CW forces clearing the Northern approaches to the city. Russia, still facing some hefty stacks in cities, albeit all inverted clears Dresden and advances another hex against Berlin. The US forces accept the surrender of Rommel at the Brennan Pass – the US Italian EXPED Army and the Western Europe Armies are now linked.

Axis/Allied 4th and last impulse – first the weather roll, a definitive 10, fine everywhere – in an attempted to end the turn the Axis nations all pass hoping for an EOT roll with their +2 to the roll. Again, no luck as they roll an 8 and the Allies get another fine weather impulse in M/J 45 and opportunity to assault Berlin. The Allies all take land actions. The Western Allies have three hexes against Berlin, the Russian two and the German one, the combined US/CW allies declare an assault on the city led by the HQ Devers and supported by ENG and massed air. The defenders 28 points are all inverted by GS, the Western Allies launch the assault on a +8.1 (could have gone either way) and roll a victorious 16 for a TOTT 24 – Berlin is captured by the US and Victory in Europe is declared.

ALLIED VICTORY

With Berlin taken the Allies accepted the Axis surrender – the Japanese had retained their Capital, Tokyo and managed to kick the US out of Osaka in M/A 45 – a surprise for everyone. Congratulations to all players, especially the Axis who ‘played on’ despite the impending loss. This allowed the Allies the opportunity to play the game out, to see where each of the Allied Nations would be by games end and most importantly re-enact albeit abstractly, the Second World War. Playing the long game also allowed the US and to a lesser extent the CW and Russian to build their force pools, enact the strategic bombing campaigns often not seen in the short game – too busy building tactical Acft – as well as the reflect the vast and overwhelming production that the Allies were able to generate in 1944/45. This game was always likely to be an Allied win, but with short turns, poor Allied rolls and bad weather in 43 and 44 there was still a chance, albeit small, that the Axis could have sneaked an historical victory of retaining 10+ Victory Cities.

I will summarise the victory points by nation, comment on critical points in the game and look at some of the Stats – weather, short v long turns, number of impulses and loss ratios and post later to this site.

AUSGAME22 will commence after a few weeks break.

Cheers and thanks for reading, the feedback and ‘likes’.

EUROPE

GERMANY

BERLIN

RUSSIAN AND US ARMIES MEET AT BERLIN

ITALY SURRENDERS

PACIFIC

FAR EAST

JAPAN - US still own one hex

Losses EOT M/J 1945 - as expected another huge loss in GERM BPs