Soviet and Communist China cooperate to bring the war to Japan and the partisans close to capturing Peking. The Mediterranean has become an Axis pond. Germany has now switched its attention to Norway.
AUSGAME2000 1941 M/J (EOT) START J/A
Axis 4th Impulse, GERM takes a Comb, Italy and Japan take a no cost Comb. The GERM Tpt/Amph sail into the Baltic and embark the 9.3 Hvy Inf and a Mtn unit which they promptly disembark in Norway – it looks like the push is on to secure Norway and maybe even kick the British out of Narvik. In the E Med the Italian finally puts a Conv out and the last Italian Tpt remaining at sea flips an Italian CA in Syracuse at the end of the impulse. This Tpt has been at sea for 8+ continual impulses and has survived ‘not being found’ by the British on nearly every one of those impulses – certainly, a lucky ship – the Italian and the ship’s crew will breathe a huge sigh of relief when they finally returns to port at the end of this turn. Japan’s no cost Comb sees little activity other than a line reorg and another Ftr arriving on the front to counter the increasing Russian bomber threat. The German and Italian move several land units, and rebase acft – a quiet impulse as many units are inverted and the weather is poor although the GERM Africa Corps advances and captures Jerusalem. Disappointingly for the Allies the Axis do not roll EOT – 3 needed.
Allied 5th – Whether roll is 8 + 2 (10) clear and with little to do the CW takes a no cost Comb, as all its navy has sailed in previous impulses, they shuffle several land units and rebase acft. In the Far-East some activity prompted by a lucky 1 in 10 roll by Russian acft that successfully GS an OOS supply Jap 4.3 black print Inf on the N edge of the Jap defensive line – yep, he rolled a 1 and inverted the unit. The Communists suddenly aroused launch an attack at +10, roll a 15 for a ‘top of the table’ result destroying the hapless INF Corps – the first attack by the Chinese player for the game. EOT roll by the Russia of a 2 ends the turn, initiative track advances to the +2 Axis. The Partisan roll and the Axis are let off again as an 8 rolled – Japan delighted – no Parts in China; Japan’s build is still hurting as she has not attacked last turns Part who are sitting on valuable resources – distracted as they are by the Russian DOW and intervention in Manchuria. Japan’s build is still only 10 BPs. However India is unable to suppress an uprising as a PART turns up in central India.
Rebase, Builds and reinforcements. Of note, not wishing to trigger a search in the W Med the Med fleet rebases to Malta instead of Gibraltar. GERM commences building its first plant - Japans first Synth plant arrives in Japan next turn. Another chit is added to the Jap pool and the Senate is very quiet as no US Entry options are taken – the deduction here is that the US has enough tension to do War Appropriations (No options taken), and now just need extra chits to bring each pool to the required 34.
1941 - J/A DOW Greece is at War
The Axis is very keen to win the Initiative as Malta is very vulnerable, the Italian determined to show his contribution to the Axis war effort helps the Axis immensely by rolling a 10! no contest the Axis take the impulse. The weather is an 8, clear mostly as you expect but storm in the N Monsoon. The Axis open the J/A turn with a DOW against Greece which aligns with Britain. No interest from the US as the GERM rolls a very safe 5 – 3 needed to lose a chit. The Italian takes a Naval, GERM a Land and Japan a no cost Land.
The Italian fleets sail into the E and W Med with their subs searching for convs, again with no luck finding convs or subs. However, in the Med the Italian successfully finds the Malta Conv rolling a 2, and typically the CW rolled a 7 – the Italians, target the Convoy, sink it and Malta is OOS the British did react its acft to the 1 box with a Nav air so it needed 2’s to find. Having found the Conv and sunk the Conv, they push their luck buoyed by success they search again, risking their lone CA with no air cover in the 4 box and are rewarded with another 2, the CW a 10 – another huge split the CW is hugely annoyed as yet again Lady luck crucifies the CW. The acft have too abort, and the W Med is solely occupied by the Axis.
Worse was to come, a lone GERM Nav attempts to GS the Malta Garrison and rolls another 2! Malta Garrison is now OOS an inverted – lots of hoots and patting on the back as the Axis plan comes together. Malta is invaded with 1 Div and a GERM Para supported by SB form Italian BS in the E Med. +16 attack, 17 rolled – Malta falls. The Med fleet is overrun and has to rebase to Gibraltar and, typically a 3 is rolled by the Axis finding the fleeing Med Fleet. The CW rolls a soft 4 and with one shift an air combat sees the single Italian NAV air cleared through to attack the Med fleet as the CW roll another 11. Yet again return fire by the Italian destroys another CVP – 3 out of 3 air combats has seen 3 British CVP’s shot out of the sky for no loss to the Axis. 17 points of AA drive, lowest 1 of 3, sees 2 of the 3 factors fall harmlessly at sea and the fleet suffering an abort escapes to Gibraltar. The Axis failed to react four other Navs from Sicily into the interception combat which would have cost more ships sunk or damaged, depending on the AA result – a rush of blood perhaps after all the successes. Still the Axis are well pleased, Malta is taken as the British Med fleet is forced to flee and is inverted in Gibraltar as are all the British Acft in the W Med – there will be no interference from the British this turn. The Officer’s messes in Malta are full of despondent Brits drowning their sorrows in G&Ts marveling at the success AKA skillful rolls of the Axis partners.
Allied 1st Impulse and Britain takes a Naval, still in shock with the loss of Malta – Churchill is not happy as yet again a sequence of lucky dice rolls has seen him loose strategic pieces of territory, he laments not building up the garrison Malta earlier, especially with WP Gar/Inf, but the Norwegian Campaign and supporting Russia has cost him valuable actions and time. Gort HQ arrives in Norway to bolster the defenses. Russia takes a no cost land and shuffles a few units in the Far-East and adjusts his GERM border. China does the same and the US does its mandatory no cost Comb.
End of Session - Axis 2nd Impulse, weather a 4, clear, rain in the N Monsoon.
Another harsh day for the CW, the loss of the initiative – which was likely, could have been contested but for the Axis rolling a definitive 10! The multiple finds by the Italian rolling 3 x 2/3’s with the CW rolling 2 x 10’s AGAIN. And in the air combat another CVP shot down on a roll of 5 with the CW player rolling multiple 9, 10 and 11’s to clear through enemy bombers and let the Axis bounce against Brit acft. A bad session for the Allies means a good day for the Axis – funny that, as they take Malta, shut down the British and will conquer Greece this turn allowing them to align Yugoslavia which is always a significant bonus for the Axis – extra build, HQ, units, acft and no Partisans. The rule change now has changed the historiography of WWII as we now never see the invasion of Yugoslavia, rather its alignment by the Axis. Perhaps the USE dice roll should be higher possible 15 and certainly cost the Axis a Russian resource – point for discussion. So far this turn (still early days) there are no losses to the Axis despite the opportunities that were there to hurt them, mainly in the W Med. On a positive note for the Allies, the CW convoy lanes remain intact, the fleeing Med Fleet of mostly CV’s could have suffered more, as they escaped the trap that was Malta, Russia and China are ‘cooperating’ to harass the very stretched Japanese. The US look like they will be declaring War Appropriations at the end of this turn which will see probable DOW against Japan in S/O or N/D 1941 depending on the numbers – which will time very nicely for operations in the N Monsoon theatre. However, still tough times ahead for the CW at the moment but then, GERM and Italy have little else to do until the US enters the war or they DOW against Russia – either cannot come soon enough for the Churchill. It is becoming an interesting game – one of our first for a while that has not followed a predictable script where GERM has not DOW v Russia in 1941.
THE FAR EAST
MANCHURIA - PRESSURE IS BUILDING
Note: There are Soviet HQs at Vladivostok and under the 1-5 motorised div.
CHINA WAITING TO STRIKE AGAIN
IT IS A COLD AN LONG WAIT IN NARVIK
GERM REINFORCMENTS ARRIVE IN NORWAY
THE BRITISH GARRISON IN NORWAY PREPARE TO DEFEND THEMSELVES - GEN GORT ARRIVES.
RUSSIAN FRONT THE ADJUSTMENT FOR THE OPTIMUM RUSSIAN DEFENCE BEGINS
W MED - THE AXIS LAKE AS MALTA FALLS
NOW AN AXIS TERRITORY
E MED OTHER MINOR TERRITORIES NOW IN AXIS HANDS
MALTA GROUND STRUCK WITH A ROLL OF 2 INVERTING ITS OOS DEFENDERS
THE MED FLEET FLEES MALTA AS GERM PARAS DESCEND AND CAPTURE THE STRATEGIC ASSET
ASIA MINOR - BRITISH REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE
ALL BRITISH LOSSES SO FAR - STILL EARLY DAYS
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