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

AUSGAME 2023

MAY/JUN 1944

AXIS WIN THE INITIATIVE BUT CLEAR WEATHER (MOSTLY) IS NO FRIEND OF THE AXIS.

Production and reinforcement – The Russians do a quick calculation and knowing it cannot break the Pact with Japan sends all but one of its reinforcements to AGN, a Para unit arrives in Sevastopol and starts emplaning training with the adjacent TB3 HVY Bomber/ATP. Japan adds a hefty 20+ of A2A points placing 4 x long Rng Ftrs in Japan, a timely and welcome addition to its air defence. The initiative is again won by the German rolling an 8 against the Russian’s 2, the Axis have now won the last 5 initiative rolls. The Allies decline a reroll and keep their +1 and ‘winning ties’ advantage for the guaranteed J/A Fine weather turn. The weather roll is a low 3, with a +1 (4) with rain in the N Monsoon. Winning the initiative allows Japan to reinforce the Russo-Sino front and keep the Russian at bay for another full turn.

Axis 1st Impulse,Germany and Italy take a Land actions, and Japan a Comb. Axis land units in Russia consolidated their line. it is now hinged on the Dniester River in the South and is now tripled stacked – it will take massed inversions or an O chit or good dice rolling or all three to break this line, although there are few reserves and only 3 Ftrs defending the front. It's been a while since Germany ground struck or attacked on the Eastern Front. In the North reinforcements from E Prussia head out to bolster AGN’s line. Aircraft are rebased forward by Germany to replace the M/A losses on both Fronts. In Greece the Italian withdraw towards Albania and readjusts their Ftr cover over their cities and oil facilities. Japan’s Comb sees the majority of the IJN sail into the 2 box of the China Sea under the cover of 4 Ftrs, similar to the J/F and M/A opening moves, it has worked for them so far. The Japanese fleet search for the single US Ftr in the 3 Box reacting additional long Rng Ftrs but both sides roll 8’s so no finds. The Japanese Subs are sailed out on patrol, again on interception duties rather than conv attacks – no searches. Two more land units are landed into Russia to bolster the GV, and the Japanese Arty fire pre-emptive and harassing fire, disrupting Mao. Some adjustments on both the Russian and Chinese front lines. EOT advances by 1.

Allied 1st Impulse – With fine in all but the N Monsoon, the US elects to take a ‘Super Combined’ (Naval/Air and Land) spending 16 O-points again, the CW takes a Naval/Air spending 10 O-Points, Russia and China take Land actions and France an air. The US flys 10 Ftrs and 3 NAV into the China Sea as well as sailing the Pacific Fleet to contest the Japanese control of the China Sea. The US searches for the IJN, keen to settle the debt for the loss last week’s of the Lexington II and the Alabama, but there are no finds as both the Japanese and US roll too high again – both needed 4’s. The CW Naval action sees the massed fleets of the RN again sail off the Coast of Italy to support landings and invasions into Italian territory. Escorts are sent to protect convoys and Tpt’s ship units from the US to France. The US massed GS in Western Europe target key hexes on the Western Front, and unlike M/A multiple stacks are inverted, include the recently arrived Rommel HQ. The air war over the Western Front is contested by both sides but soft rolls so neither side lose any acft. The Strat bombing phase is a non-event as the US Strategic bombers are either aborted or roll too low. The US attacks a single coastal hex in Belgium with a below average roll, the German defenders are Blitzed and the US lose a MECH Div for a ½ invert. In the Med the CW expanded their occupation of Sicily and successfully invade Salerno, cutting off the toe of Italy to Axis reinforcement, CW Marines also cross into Italian homeland from Sicily. In Greece CW and Greek forces advance into the vacant hexes left behind by the withdrawing Italians. British GS on Tripoli fail to invert the Italian garrison, or the Japanese in Burma so no attacks here.

Russia’s Land saw a flurry of successful GS from Air and Arty with a number of German stacks fully inverted, these came at a cost as two Russian Ftrs and their pilots were destroyed for no cost to the Luftwaffe. Two declared attacks had mixed results but were declared successful. Against AGN another attack was launched against Vilna after the previous turns abortive ~14 result, a +11.7 assault took the hex with a TOTT result and a GBA was created. Vilna was liberated with two losses to the German as well as two defending Axis acft shot down. In the South another blitz attack just north of the bend in the Dniester at +8.2 was launched, and a marginal 12 rolled for a 20 on the Blitz table sees the Russian lose a DIV and the ‘stack’ sent back to Berlin, another ½ invert. Two Blitz attacks, one US and one Russian will see 6 hefty German units return as reinforcements on the J/A Turn, this will offset some of the production losses the German is experiencing – although the Allies take the hexes and stretch the line, they are not inflicted land losses. Russian units advance on the Russo-Sino border under the summers sun. China, with Mao inverted attempt to GS the Japanese line but with little success, so no Chinese attacks declared.

Axis 2nd Impulse – Weather roll 3 is rolled, rain in the Artic and Storm in the N Monsoon, advances by 1, the Axis do a little dance, just a little one – bad weather is always good news. Germany declares a Land as they need to plug the holes that the Russian has created and respond to the US coastal push in Belgium. Importantly they need to do some re-inversions on both fronts. The Allied airpower is starting to influence ground ops. it’s getting tough for the Germans/Italians, but it is 1944. Italy takes a Comb and flies their NAV Air into the W med and off the Coast of Italy. Their last sub sails into the E Med and finds and sinks a Greek Conv, but in the W Med their NAV is shot down by long range Ftrs. However, off the Coast of Italy their 5 pt Nav is cleared through and sinks a British AMPH and aborts the Conv. Japan declares a Comb and flies another 4 x Ftrs into the 2 Box and searches for the Pacific Fleet and again, no finds for either side. Japan sighs as it’s a missed an opportunity as it is at “evens” in the air war with both sides about the 21/22 value on the A2A CRT.

Allied 2nd Impulse – With fine in Europe and most of their navies already committed, the US and the CW go Land, China and Russia declare Combined actions, with France a Naval. French Naval units are sent to the US and relocate several US units in Europe. In the Pacific, the Chinese, CW and US fly out to the 3 box in the China Sea to increase the Allied advantage in the air. With the Chinese Ftr initiating the search, finally a find with over 70 ships and acft in the sea zone – no splits as both sides roll 5’s but the Allies start off with a +3/-3 A2A advantage. The air combat is bizarrely soft with no Japanese land or CVPs and only one US CVP shot down! Japan aborts back to the Sea Area and throws 5’s and 10’s on the 3 lowest dice of 5, for 15 AA destroying one and aborting another US land based NAV. However, the US clears through 30+ points of A2Sea and sink two CVs, the Zuikaku and Kaga and damaging a third, the Akagi. With 3 x CVs out of action and 6 x CVPs the Japanese abort the China Sea rather than risk a second engagement – the US own the China Sea and avenge the loss of Lexington II! On land, the US and CW advance up the toe of Italy and a US INF liberates Sarajevo in Yugoslavia and then capture the port of Dubrovnik. In Belgium the US launch a 3 hex Blitz attack on the Belgium border rolling TOTT and advancing adjacent to Brussels. ACFT are rebased to France. Russia went for a combined to move a small fleet into the black sea and rebase planes forward. They successfully bomb 1 of the Ploiesti oil fields as well as shooting down another defending Rumanian Ftr.

Axis 3rd Impulse – weather roll 7, Weather fines up again in the arctic and Italy and Germany conserving their oil both take no cost Land actions, Japan a Comb. German reinforcements are rushed from Germany to fill the gaps on the Russian, French and Italian front lines, but the few reserves are spread thin. Italy closes off the toe of Italy and Japan adjusts it line in China and reinforces Manchuria.

Allied 3rd Impulse. The Allies all go Land, China no cost land. Russia spends 5 x O-points to re-invert a 3 factor arm HQ in the North. Successful ground strikes set up 2 attacks as more German fighters are shot down. A three hex +7 assault West of Minsk saw a roll of 4 (11), 1 loss to the attacker and full invert – the end of the Northern offensive. In the South a +15.1 blitz from 3 hexes East of Lvov saw a TOTT roll expanding the size of the AGS penetration – all the German HQs are now inverted. On the Sino-Russian Front, 3 more Inf have been railed over to add to the units and planes built there but the Japanese have also reinforced the garrison with planes and land units. Russia has 3 Inf HQ's, an ARM, several MECH, MTN units and numerous land and air units and is still unable to break the pact and DOW. The HQ's in particular would have been useful against Germany to re-invert units and keep the momentum of the attacks going. Tojo has stated that after the recent disappointing naval encounter, that more land-based planes (4-5) will be headed for Manchukuo. Stalin is looking for the next round of purges to re-invigorate the armed forces.

The US launch an assault against Antwerp rolling a TOTT roll taking the City with out loss and stretching the German line even further – there is sense that it will snap very shortly, especially if the Axis do not end the M/J turn in the next two impulses. The first Super Fortress successfully bombs the Austrian oil, no oil from this facility this turn and the defending Italian 4 factor Ftr is no match for the Superforts guns and is shot down. More bad news for Italy as the CW launch an assault against the single German MIL in the Southern Mtns rolling a handy 16 for another TOTT result, remaining upright – both Naples and Toronto have Allied units adjacent to them and there are few reinforcements available without stripping N Italy. Worse, US Paras and CW Marines, supported by SB take the Albania Capital of Tirana but the Italian Piaggio Long Range Bomber is cleared through, doubling the odds and the Allies lose a US MAR DIV and 5.4 INF and are fully inverted, but Tirana is now in Allied hands. France assaults the Sardinian Territorial hiding in the Sardinian mountains and China, without inversions and no Mao to lead the Communists, China declines any low odds attacks.

Axis 4th Impulse – next session – Weather 6 – fine weather everywhere, rain in the N Monsoon, Axis can roll EOT on a 1.

· ACFT – Aircraft

· LOC – Line of Communications

· NCC - No Cost Combined – no oil used

· TOTT – Top of the table a 23 or more

· AGN/AGS German Army Group North and South

· GV – Garrison Value