World in Flames via FB - 11

Iran is finally conquered.  

Vichy is installed, just about everywhere!

Japan has a major offensive in China that is not very successful.

Attention now turns to the Eastern Med.

AUSGAME2000 1940 S/O – VICHY DECLARED AND WINTER IS COMING

The Axis 3rd Impulse with the weather already rolled – 5, is clear weather in the Temp, rain in N Monsoon. GERM declares a combined and Italy a no cost combined as they are down to only .5 oil. With a Comb rather than Land the GERM is not going after the conquest of France – Vichy declaration it is then. The Italian NAV air flies to the Italian coast and searches, it is ‘just’ successful on a roll of 4, and aborts the French surface presence from the Italian Coast. It rebases a FTR from the French alpine borders ‘down South’ to ensure that any British CVs that want to interfere will have a least a chance of being sprung. The Germ sails its Tpt and Amph into the Baltic and embarks the Rome MIL and an AT Gun – destination Oslo. They adjust their land stacks to ensure there are no ‘freebies’ for low odds attacks by the French. Japan declares a Land Offensive and spends 11 O-points to assault Sian and break the impasse. A GS sees the Sian AT gun inverted for another +1, for a +10 attack. Declaring two assaults, one in the Southern Mtns and Sian, the Japanese launch their last offensive for the long summer of 1940. Either exhaustion, or poor coordination of the massed attacks – both fail in their objectives. The unlucky Japanese rolled a 7 on the +7 attack on the Chinese Mtn stronghold for his second ‘squiggly’ 14 – losing 3 units for only 1 Chinese, and worse, despite spending O-points on the Sian assault he rolled 6 on the +10 assault for another expensive 2/1 loss. Importantly the hexes are not taken, and the Chinese line is not dislocated. The Japanese is justifiably disappointed with the performance of his Army. This land war in Asia is becoming expensive and is distracting him from his naval building program as he is being forced to replace land units rather than build ships. It has not been a good night for Japan. The EOT roll of 1 is missed, as expected.

Allied 3rd Impulse and the CMWLTH desperate to conduct a Naval, is forced to declare a Comb instead as it must occupy an empty Cairo or risk conquest if the GERM ends the turn and wins the initiative. They sail their two fleets, Force H into the E Med led by the CV Ark Royal and Home into the W Med – the Home fleet is intercepted by a patrolling Italian SUB and rather ‘fight through’ the RN elects to go to the top box – the CMWLTH cannot afford to lose CVs on speculative rolls. In a surprise the Indian Div on board a CA in Force H invades Bardia as it is OOS and lands on the Italian aborted CA and tpt – the tpt is destroyed and the CA x managers to escape the Indian's surprise attack but is successfully intercepted by the combined French and British fleets and blown out of the water. The Indian Corps recently arrived on the Queens occupies Cairo to the welcoming cries of its populous. The French knowing that they risk little, take a land and launch their second C/atk against the GERM line attacking at a +6, the GERM elects a blitz and an average roll sees the GERM retreat a hex with the French all inverted – the last gasp of the French not so Grande Armee! The Allies fail to roll the EOT roll – 2 needed, Axis get a chance to re-establish supply to their Egyptian Exped Army. Russia moving units from Persia to Poland and adjusting his defensive line. China – moved a unit.

Axis 4th Impulse sees GERM declare a combined and Italy a naval. Italian supply convoys are sailed to re-establish the Italian convoy lanes – both for resources (Cyprus and Sardinia) and supply. The Italians have run out of oil, so the GERM lends a hand so that Italy can sail its multiple Convs and react its air if needed. The French fleet in the W Med fails to find the unescorted conv that has arrive in the E Med, and the GERM/ITAL Expeditionary Army is back in supply. The GERM Navy sails to the Baltic and embarks two Divs from Norway. The GERM launches a counter, counter attack against the French line that dared to attack them and rolled a nice 16 on a +10 blitz attack for a top of the table result to eliminate a French infantry stack. They finally Strat move a 6 factor FTR to Southern Italy to assist with securing the Med – letting everyone know that the big boys have arrived – Russia says thank you to Britain. EOT roll by the GERM of a 1 (3) needed and the turn ends, Part roll was another 7, same as last week, with no Partisan acty, again Japan breathes a sigh – he certainly didn’t want further pain this turn with more Chinese Parts turning up in his rear areas.

Interestingly, the S/O 1940 weather was all clear weather, replicating the excellent weather that the Axis had in S/O 1939. I suspect that the GERM will be well pleased if this trend continues during OP BARBAROSSA. Rebase, conquest, production and N/D reinforcement. Stalin announces the Persia is now welcomed into the greater Soviet bosom and has become a satellite nation. The occupying troops are now withdrawing by road (there is no railway) as they move West to the GERM/Polish border. GERM announces that they have accepted a mutual agreement with French Govt announcing generous terms and the establishment of the Vichy France. So convincing is Goebbels propaganda machine that all but French Equatorial Africa joins Vichy all but one! The Allies are more than a little ‘disappointed’ that De Gaulle’s promised Free French Govt is largely ignored and relegated to drowning their sorrows in the last of the Burgundy Reds in their now capital of Brazzaville. Even the US Senate is indifferent as the GERM player rolls a 9 on the US Entry for only 1 chit to the GERM/IT Pool. US Entry options deferred till next session as Roosevelt is again ‘indisposed’.

1940 N/D - CMWLTH picks up the dice as he is desperate to save Egypt, and surprisingly rolls a 9 to win over the Italian’s 6 roll to take the initiative, declaring that the Allies will take that. Weather is a moderate 7, snow in the Arctic and the Temp, rain in the Med and fine in the N Monsoon. The CMWLTH will take a Naval to finally extricate the BEF from Rouen and reinforce Egypt, but more importantly hunt the Italian supply convoys – although now the Italian NAVs have ftr cover.

Interesting review of the GERM player’s options with the fall of Paris on the first impulse of the S/O turn one, you would have assumed that the GERM would have started to STRAT move his Army to the Russian – Polish border to prepare for OP BARBAROSSA, but not a single unit has been railed East. Instead, they have been railed to the Med and Norway. One would suspect therefore that the collapse of Vichy and an attack into Spain to capture Gibraltar and seal the Med is the most likely course of action. This is supported by two actions; STRAT moves and builds. The STRAT moves have been all to the Med, 1 x HQ and 4 INF Corps and a FTR as well as to Norway (7 Corps) and with the builds, there are no GERM INF builds on the Axis build chart, rather a focus on ARM/MECH and NAV air builds. Only the GERM/Axis player(s) knows his plans, the Allies can only speculate, but it would seem that the lack of any INF build predicates a Spanish expedition rather than an underdone attack against Russia in 41, as that is always high risk. It is looking like the Allies will have some deep thinking to do in 41 to prepare for a number of interesting options open to the Axis.

Just as an aside the Vichy France rules are ‘clunky’ and even with a careful read through what happens to the variety of units, Free and Vichy is still not clear – we think we got it right, but who knows! It needs a simplified flow chart and an example or two.

Next week – a rest week – followed by the start of the last turn of 1940, which the Allies have won, rolling a 7 for Snow in the Arctic/Temp and rain in the Med. They will finally get a naval action and the BEF will be extricated from Rouen.