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

AUSGAME 2022

July/August 42 (Cont) – Stalemate as Rasputitsa - General Mud and Snow saves the Russian.

Again, a summary format due to time constraints. The July/August fine weather was a long turn with 6 impulses per side. Germany kicks off the session with a +11 Blitz attack against a Russian big stack, destroying 2 units, blitzing to the Dnieper River and overrunning a Russian 6 Ftr and its pilot. Japan builds up its forces in the Philippines and the Axis fail to roll EOT – a huge relief to the Russian as the Allies get an extra impulse to withdraw to the Eastern side of the Dnieper River. Allies move more land units into Norway and the US again fails to find anything in the Pacific continuing the trend of rolling multiple 9’s on his search rolls. The Allies roll EOT, much to the relief of Russia and the Allies.

Reinforcements placed, with the bulk of Russian reinforcements sent South to plug the gaps, the US has its first 3 Essex class CVs arrive escorted by the BS Iowa – the balance in the Pacific just shifted in the Allied favour. Two Inf/Gar Corps arrive in Aust to secure the country as Japanese intentions are not clear. Germany sends its BIG 12.5 SS ARM to Keil rather than the Russian Front to stop any expansion of the Danish bridgehead by the Allies. The Russian enforces its peace with the Japanese as they are deeply concerned about the potential loss of Southern Russia.

September/October 1942

Initiative was looking good for the Axis with a +1, no re-rolls by the Allies and a 50/50 chance of clear weather to capitalize on their July/August gains, the Russian rolled an unremarkable 2 which was matched by another unremarkable 2 by the German, and with the +1 the Axis gained the important initiative. Weather is a 6 clear in the Temp and rain in the Artic – Mud has arrived, and importantly for the Russian the impulse marker advances by 2. Germans advance and destroy the rear-guard stack on the outskirts of Kiev as well as the Div defenders of Krivoy Rog. Second impulse the Germans advance to the Dnieper River and assault Kiev – taking the city with a TOTT Roll, little activity in the North – its mud and then snow. Japan consolidates its Pacific holding, now focusing on the Philippines as its next objective. Including a huge clash of land based air in the Solomons Sea that went all Japan's way, shooting down 2 x Ftrs and a NAV for no loss - where is Papa Boyington when you need him

CW naval units deliver more units into Denmark, both acft and land units, mainly ARM/Mech and fail on all their searches in the Baltic. Allies take Oslo in the clear weather and the US finally find some Japanese convoys with a sub search and sinks 3 and damages 3, as does the CW sinking another – Japanese conv losses are mounting but not yet critical, as they start the repair and build process as Japanese factories are almost totally dependant on convoy supplied resources. EOT after two impulses helps Russia enormously as they start to dig in on the Eastern bank of the Dnieper River. Builds and reinforcements are placed as Russia feels it has blunted the German assault – thanks mostly to the weather and another short turn

November/December 1942

The Allies win the initiative and promptly roll a 9 for atrocious weather – Russia is saved, and it will be sitzkreig now until the fine weather returns as the Dnieper River is now defensible and Blizzard and snow makes Axis attacks almost impossible. The Russian launch an winter assault against a single German defender hoping to generate a GBA but fail all of their GS and promptly loose two FTRs and their pilots as the Luftwaffe roll two 18+ rolls on the A2A table, the German losses a FW 190 – a newly arrived 8 factor – so much for quality! The Russian attack is a 13 -/- no loss and no GBA. The US has fine weather in the N Monsoon and goes ballistic declaring a SUPER COMBINED, they naval move everything, rebase every acft, they successfully GS a now OOS Kwajalein and rolling well take the island group – next step Truk. Russia having won the initiative advances units to Dnieper River – this will be a short turn as the EOT advances by 3! In the second impulse The Russian again looks at another winterised attack, but again fails all its GS and again lose another Ftr and its pilot – an expensive turn 3 x ftrs and 3 Pilots (12 BPs) for 1 x FW 190. The CW fail again on all their searches in the Baltic and everywhere else and the Force H gets bounced by a small Japanese fleet in the Bay of Bengal and has a damaged CA and then its cleared through CVP gets shot down by Japanese AA rolling 8, 9, 10 – just as well there was only 1 CVP.

The Germans bolster their Russian front line and with atrocious weather elect to not attack, even their 2nd impulse searches for CW are fruitless as they lose a coastal boat to depth charges. The Germans have vacated the Greek peninsular, leaving the Italians to deal with the Greeks. The Italians are more successful and find British Convoys in the North Atlantic, sinking 3 and damaging 6. The Japanese set up the assault on Manila and successfully take the city on a TOTT roll on the second impulse, again without loss. German roll EOT on their second impulse.

EOY Summary 1942

With the 1942 German OP BARBAROSSA, which was also undermined by bad weather and short turns, Germany had only a single long clear turn of 6 Impulses, the German progress has since that J/A turn been very, limited. Losses in the air have been enormous for all players except Japan who has had a dream run in 1942, having sunk a US CV (Hornet) sunk by a single CA (long lance Torpedoes?), 4 CA’s sunk and shot down multiple US land based acft for little loss either in land, air and shipping – there only real loss has been in Convs which has cost them occasional BPs and some stored oil and the Kwajalein Island group – the US used a super combined to take it. The Japanese are now on a full build, 23 factories and 23 resources and are storing oil and apart from not securing Rabaul in the opening moves has Singapore, Batavia, Truk and Manila. They have 16 CVs v the US 10 CVs and the US has not elected to build its other Essex CVs relying heavily on land-based air to challenge the Japanese sea power.

Germany has declared that they will align the Ukraine – so it will be interesting to see how this pans out, but with few losses of Land units Germany is very strong. Despite the Allied landings in Norway and Denmark, the Axis seem little troubled by these invasions. 1943 will need to see the Allies land in either Germany and/or France/lowland to open the true Second Front. Italy is still in the war and there has been little progress in the Med, in part due to the CW focus on the Norway and Denmark invasions. Italy needs to be invaded in 1943 otherwise the Allies will be leaving it too late to reduce the number of objectives held by the Axis. 1943 will be the deciding turn of the game, with the advantage with the Allies but nothing is guaranteed in WIF!

A NEW YEAR 1943

Reinforcements are placed including the 15 BPs allocated by Germany to aligning the Ukraine – something new for our group. With bad weather almost guaranteed, and a +2 on the first J/F weather roll, the enthusiasm for a reroll is high from either side. Russia rolls a definitive 8 v 2 for the German, and the Allies take the initiative for the first turn of 1943, better still the Russian rolls a perfect 4+2 (6) for snow in both the Arctic and Temperate. Next session Allies to go first – the Russian will almost certainly declare an O Chit and declare a winter offensive and will also look to see where it can attack Axis single units to gain valuable GBA upgrades. The CW will be pleased to take a Naval to get its escorts out before the winter U-Boat war starts and an opportunity to move Tpts/Amphs around with no storms at sea. The USA will probably take a Naval or combined and will certainly sail its subs to ‘have a go’ at the Japanese convoy lines.

· TOTT – Top of the table a 23 or more

· LOC – Line of Communications

· NCC - No Cost Combined – no oil used

· USE - US Entry