Don't Mention The War - Part 14 from Facebook

 AUSGAME2022

1941 N/D (Cont) Another 2 Impulse Turn

Allies 2nd Impulse – CW takes a combined, US a Naval and Russia a Land. The small CW invasion fleet in the Cape St Vincent drops down to the 2 box as any invasion is cancelled due to atrocious weather. Bombers from England drop leaflets instead of bombs on German factories. The Greek defensive line is contracted and a 5.4 lands in Homs, Libya. The US naval sees tpts return to the US and shipping relocated in the Pacific, including a loaded tpt sent towards Rabaul. Russia, hesitates, does the numbers and thinks about ending OFOPS against Japan to reorientate against the German. Deciding to stay active, they take a no cost land, MIL are sent to the Polish border and several Acft rebased. Allies roll EOT, yes, another two impulse turn and the German is getting nervous – can he get his units to Russia in time. At least one distraction is resolved as Yugoslavia surrenders, and the Zagreb Mtn unit can be placed on the spiral.

Return to base, production and reinforcements - Italy still denied one of its resources (Sardinia) as the short turn meant they didn’t get a Convoy out but they did recover the Pola resource having destroyed the occupying Yugoslav 2.4 Cav. Japan also losses access to several resources due to continued partisan activity. Germany is at a full build and with an abundance of oil, primarily due to being at peace with Russia and the short turns. Germany, having declared a N/D lend to Italy of 6 Oil and 1 R, Italy is also at full production for the first time in the game – Mussolini is pleased. Partisan roll sees a Part turn up in Iraq – Russia rolled a 1, and another Chinese, just to annoy the Japanese.

1942 J/A A New year – Situation no Change – well the weather that is US enters the War in the Pacific – Total War!

Initiative roll and the Axis win the roll, which is not contested by the Allies – hoping that that the Axis start and end the turn to gain a further shift on the initiative track now that Barbarossa is on the cards – one less impulse on the invasion turn can sometimes make all the difference. Japan rolls another 10 (8 +2) for more bad weather in J/F - German complains so much snow – Storms in the Artic, Blizzard in the Temp (no air Ops) and now in the Med and rain in the N Monsoon – not what the Japanese wanted.

Axis 1stimpulse J/F – Japan takes a combined and sends out the Advance fleet out to the Bay of Bengal, threating, Malaya and Singapore. Another units lands in the Kwajalein Islands to bolster the island garrison. The Vladivostok garrison destroys the Siberian partisans and Japan finally gets another Russian resource, acft are rebased. Italy takes a combined and send its subs hunting before allied escorts arrive in the 4 boxes, they only find in the E Med and sink a Conv, cutting supply to Greece. Italian land units rail and trudge towards Greece – this is to be Italy’s war. Germany rails HQ and Arm to the Russian border as other land units head East along snow covered roads. Aircraft are sent from Yugoslavia and Greece towards Russia. EOT advances by 3, +2 on the weather.

Allied 1st Impulse – no DOW v Japan. The US and the CW declare Naval Actions, Russia takes a no cost land. The US now active, takes a Naval and sends reinforcements to Pearl, and in a provocative actions send CA’s to the S China and China seas to goad the Japanese. In the ETO they provide Allied conv escorts and start shipping units, both land and air to Africa and the UK. The CW sends out its Conv escorts to multiple sea areas to bolster the US CA’s. The British Corps from Greece and Egypt arrive in British Somaliland to start the reduction and destruction of Mussolini’s E African colonies. A CW invasion force again assembles in the 3 box in the Cape St Vincent, a Div in the 4 box. A patrolling Italian sub intercepts CW transports and escorts stopping their movement to N Africa, it searches for the loaded tpts and is prompt found and sunk by the escorts. EOT advances by another 3.

Axis 2nd Impulse – weather roll 6 +2 for an 8, still no fine weather for the Axis and another guaranteed short turn. Italy takes a no cost Combined and sails its conv to ship the Sardinian resource which the patrolling British subs fail to find. Japan takes a Land and captures an empty Kuala Lumpur as well as the oil fields of Balikpapan in Borneo. The Sino-Russian front is stabilised as units are moved now that the Russians are fully inverted. HQ and land units are railed and acft are rebased. Germany units are railed to the Russian front as other land units trudge to their destiny, as well as the Luftwaffe. No EOT roll.

Allied 2nd Impulse – USA rolls for a DOW v Japan rolling a 7 (9 needed) the US is at war in the Pacific and takes a combined action. The US CA’s go Japanese Conv hunting but fail to find except in the China Seas where a handy split sees 3 Convs Sunk, 3 Damaged and 3 aborted – the China Sea is cleared. The Pacific fleet sails to the Marinas and searches for a small Japanese Fleet including several CVLs. The Japanese find and with no surprise points elect to sink a US Convoy – “and get the hell out of there” – they abort to Japan, rather than Truk which is now OOS. The US land a Div in Midway and invade one of the outer islands of the Kwajalein Group, taking their first Japanese island. Land based air is rebased to Midway. The CW takes a combined and attempts two strat bombing raids but only drop leaflets on Berlin. The British 6.4 on the Greek front line is relieved in place by the Greek 5 factor MTN corps ensuring ‘none shall pass’ (LOTR Ref) Two long range Ftrs and an ATP rebase from the UK to Gibraltar.

Allies fail to roll EOT, a 4 needed, 9 rolled – a first for a long time, as the Axis get a third impulse – Japan picks themselves off the floor. Japan will probably take a Naval as it has some opportunities to hunt the US CA’s as well as to reconstitute the China Seas convoys and get some valuable Resources and oil back to Japan. Germany gets a bonus impulse to get further units to the Russian border for OP BARBAROSSA . Axis 3rd impulse next session with the weather still bad with a 9. EOT roll will be a 7 which will give the Allies a shift to the +1 on the initiative table.

· BP - Build Point

· TOTT – Top of the table a 23 or more

· LOC – Line of Communications

· NCC - No Cost Combined – no oil used

· USE - US Entry

The build up in earnest - 1942 Barbarossa - 

when to launch that is the question - 

certainly not in bad weather

Invasion Trg - embarkation drills complete - some fine weather in the Med would be helpful

Greece still resisting in 1942

Italy's E African colonies under threat

The Far East has suddenly got a whole lot busier for the Japanese - now at war with every ally!

Russian attack in Mongolia failed to generate a GBA - 

average rolls will do that - rolled a 10 on +5 (15)

China gets bolstered now that the Russians look to be distracted by Germany - 

a welcome relief for Japan.

US Marines invade their 1st Japanese island of the Kwajalein group

The Pacific Green v Red - early days.

Shore bombardment from the US Battlewagons is always welcomed.

Minor losses as the weather prohibits much activity.