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

1940 M/A (Cont) –

Allied 3rd Impulse – weather roll – 1! Blizzard again in Europe! EOT roll now at 4. CW declares a Combined moves a transport and readjusts the BEF. In Australia the Sydney MIL gets on a train to do the transcontinental trip to Perth, Western Australia for embarkation to Singapore or Egypt. A side not for the train buffs, it took four train swaps over three different gauges for the crossing as they were still State railways and often not connected – Australia’s rail is still not completely standardised – see the 1945 map. France takes a no cost Combined and sends a CA to assist with convoy escort. China and the US just hunker down for the continuing winter. No EOT, 9 rolled as the Axis get another winter turn. Russia declines to attack Tehran in snow as the risk of losses is assessed as being too high.

Axis 4th Impulse. Germany takes advantage of the extreme weather and take a Naval and goes convoy hunting after last month's success. Rough seas and atrocious visibility results in no finds for the U-Boats but they have several lucky escapes as they roll 8’s and 9’s – but the CW escorts also fail to find rolling 4’s - the U-Boats escape a frigid death. The Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches, Admiral Sir Martin Eric Dunbar-Nasmith was not pleased as any find by the CA’s operating in the 4 boxes with those 8/9’s rolled by the Germans would have spelt doom for the submarines. Note - Sir Admiral Sir Martin Eric Dunbar-Nasmith was a distinguished submarine commander – he won the VC and DSC – well worth viewing his service record. The Deutschland escorts the German Convs in the Baltic. Italy takes a no cost Combined as more of its air force heads to the French frontline to conduct navigation and familiarisation training In the Far East Japan, still struggling to reconcile the disaster of the ‘squiggly’ 14 roll in Southern China takes a no cost land to redistribute its forces North in preparation for the coming of the fine weather in Northern China.

Allied 4th Impulse – with little to do all the Allies take pass actions and the M/A turn ends. No partisans as Allied security forces in Indochina and Burma quell local disturbances and independence marches. No USE as their Senate is still in winter recess. Return to base, production (Japan welcomes the bonus 3 oil from Iran – sending a note of thanks to Stalin) and reinforcements.

1940 M/J

A Bad Day in the Office Just Got Worse as Germany gets Duded by a (un)lucky EOT Roll

A start of a new month – German rolls a definitive 10 +2 for an uncontestably 12 to win the initiative for the Axis. Weather roll is 4 fine everywhere but the N Monsoon - rain. Axis 1st Impulse, Germany makes a DOW against Denmark rolling a 10, (Their diplomats are very good) and that is after last week’s 9 for the DOW against Belgium, so again no interest from the US senate who must still be deep in winter recess – the US has been quite unlucky in the chit draws/loss and is now a minimum of 2 – 3 chits down in the German Pool. This has limited the Allies options, minimised US entry choices. Denmark aligns with the CW, as Denmark is invaded by 2 x German Divs with the CW gaining the 10 Danish Convs. Copenhagen and Fredrickshaven are occupied with no resistance as the Dane’s capitulate. German attempts a GS on the French stack in Belgium with a single Corps success (+2), then launches a blitzkrieg attack led by Rundstedt, a TOTT roll and two French Corps vaporise as the French AT Gun is sent to the spiral rather than retreated. This is the only attack as German anticipates a long turn, its acft are rebased forward for the next round. Italy considers its position vacillating between a DOW against France and/or the CW are remaining neutral – they elect the latter and take a no cost Combined. Japan takes a Combined as reinforcements arrive on the Chinese mainland from Japan, including the first MECH Div – GS against Sian are driven off by Chinese AA Gunners, so Japan declines to assault the city.

Allied 1st Impulse. The CW takes a Combined as it sails both the Home fleet and Force Z into the North Sea to support the BEF. Having seen the French ‘stack’ on its flank evaporate the BEF in Belgium deftly withdraws in good order into Lille. Three Strategic bombers fly from the UK to bomb Germany’s industry and Berlin – as a concession to world peace, they drop pamphlets rather than bombs. The French take a land to reinforce their front line, moving two French MIL into Belgium to cover the withdrawal of the BEF and mask the French movement of their ARM and AT guns. French Bombers slip through to GS a German MECH Corps on the front line but lose their escorting Ftr. Their front line ‘digs in’ to prepare for the next assault. China awaits the assault on Sian electing not to reinforce the city. After a failed GS, Russia launches its assault on the Persian capital led by Zhukov, taking the city with a TOTT roll, securing additional oil – Stalin is relieved that this distraction is now resolved, on to Bessarabia.

Axis 2nd Impulse – Weather is a 4, again fine in Europe with rain in the N Monsoon. Germany takes another land as does Japan. Italy takes a no cost Combined to conserve oil sailing a single Submarine. The German spends 6 O-Points to reinvert Rundstedt as a forward HQ after his successful first assault. In Belgium the German makes a single, overwhelming low-risk attack eliminating a French Mil left behind as a rear guard in Belgium, advancing to the French border with massed armour. Attempts by the Luftwaffe to GS the forward line are thwarted by French acft and AA. One German ME109 and its pilot is lost on a 19 but they destroy the French ftr on a 16, further reducing the French Ftr force from 3 acft to 1.

In the Far East, Japan takes a Land and declares an O-Chit on Terauchi, who launches an assault against the important industrial city of Sian, which is still only defended by two Nationalist Corps – no third Div. Again the GS is unsuccessful, so no bonus plusses – chaos again ensues as the Japanese rolls a 3 for a 1/- another loss for Japan – Sian holds. The Japanese player shakes his head in disbelief, his last two attack rolls have been a 4 and a 3, he is not a happy man, more delays and lost units. In the South, only slightly better news as an 8 is rolled on a +9 (17) on a Mountain hex for a 1/1 exchange – just not happening for the Japanese.

Allied 2nd Impulse – The CW takes a Naval and commits the rest of its ships to Conv Escort duty, preparation for the possible submarine warfare if the weather turns. Transports deliver the Manchester MIL for duty in Gibraltar, and the Indian MOT Corpse arrives in Egypt with amore than handy South Africans 6 factor Spitfire II which should deter Italian interest. France takes a land and moves its recently arrived reinforcements in preparation for the German assault. Russia starts to rail its Persian ‘special operation’ units back to the Ukraine and Bessarabia – Rumania looks concerned.

Axis 3rd Impulse. The weather Gods interfere with Axis plans as Germany rolls a 2 for bad weather, storm in the Artic and rain in the Temperate, advances by 2 with a +2 on the next weather roll – guaranteed clear weather. Germany takes a Combined with Italy and Japan taking no cost Combines to conserve oil. Germany sails out a convoy into the Baltic to ship the Norwegian Resource to Germany and launches a single attack against the last remaining French MIL in Belgium, again overwhelming odds in the rain. The MIL is eliminated, and the Germans have now cleared Belgium and face off, double stacked against the BEF and the French on the Belgium border. EOT counter advances 2.

Allies 3rd Impulse. The CW and the French both take Combined actions, a few individual ships are moved and there is minor movement on the front lines. The first EOT roll, a 1 needed. The CW picks up the EOT dice and claiming a ‘very mild superpower’ of rolling 1’s promptly rolls a 1 to end the turn. Silence as the Allies snatch Germany’s guaranteed clear weather impulse (there was a +2 on the weather roll) and its first attack into France in clear weather with the French air force depleted, and all the French HQ’s inverted. This is a minor disaster for the German’s and could force the German to spend O-Points in the J/A turn to make significant headway in the next and only guaranteed clear weather turn left in 1940.

Partisan roll is a 2 – more bad news for the Japanese as two more partisans turn up in China. The US senate, still in winter recess again take no actions. Return to base, production and reinforcements in two weeks’ time as the German takes a well-earned vacation where the weather is guaranteed clear – Broome NW Australia.

· EOT – End of Turn

· TOTT – Top of the table a 23 or more

· NCC - No Cost Combined – no oil used

· USE - US Entry

Losses EOT M/A 2/3rds of the French Ftrs shot down - sustainable land losses for the French - bad weather and short turns are a godsend for the French and the W Allies.