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

AUSGAME 2022

M/J 1943 (Cont)

Axis 3rd Impulse Weather roll is a 9 – fine weather everywhere. Germany takes a land and Italy takes no cost combined action to conserve oil, so that they can contain/limit the Allied landings on the Brest peninsular. Four units are railed into W France and the coastal defenders shuffle, mostly Axis MIL units North and South of Brest move towards the Peninsular to help contain the Allies Exped force. On the Eastern front Germany GS, the two 12/10 factor GBH ARM units that had advanced over the Dnipro River and despite a handy 2 being rolled on the AA, the 12.5 GBA Arm is flipped, reducing the possibility of further Russian exploitation. Ftrs and bombers head West from central Germany, including several 7’s and 8 ftrs and a few bombers. Japan takes a Combined and deploys additional naval and air assets to protect its convoys. Several land units are moved to release them from the Chinese front line as the first reinforcements head to the Manchukuo border.

Allied 3rd Impulse– US takes a Combined, the CW and Russia take Land actions. Russia rails three more units the cities of the Far East. South of Dnipropetrovsk Russia launches a low odds blitz an another attempt to cross the Dnieper, rolling a very ordinary dice (again) they only retreat the German defenders for the loss of a 3.6 Mech Div but are fully inverted and no GBA. The Russians being fully inverted decide it will be too risky to cross the Dnieper and remain on their, the Eastern bank of the Dnipro River – but it is another hole in the line that the German has to fill. An attempt to bomb the valuable oil at Ploesti with two Hvy bombers fails, as the German Ftr aborts the first Bomber but remains to attack the 2nd– courage failing the Russian aborts the 2nd bomber rather than risk a loss.

The CW land the rest of their land units that are sitting on Tpts in the North Sea on to the Brest peninsular and a combined attack against a defending 5 factor INF, defending in the woods is declared at a comfortable 12+ Blitz, but drops down to a +10 as the Luftwaffe sneaks through a supporting bomber, which also shoots down an inexperienced US pilot and his Ftr – 19s will do that. With a very average roll (11), the hex is taken for the loss of a US Para Div as the German defenders are blitzed to the spiral – they shall return. With a half invert the Allies advance will be slowed. US and CW Ftrs are rebased from Norway now that the focus will be France, and the 1st US B17 is rebased to Greece!

Axis 4th Impulse– Weather roll is a 6, fine everywhere. Germany and Italy both take no cost land actions to conserve oil as they have few oil dependant units to move, it is mostly INF, GAR and MIL. Five Axis units are railed to the Cities in the Loire Valley in the hope of limiting the Allied landings on the Brest peninsular. and the coastal Axis defenders shuffle to contain the Allies as they attempt a semblance of a defensive line along the Loire River. Italy sails out its convoy to Sardinia again. Japan takes a Combined and again limits offensive action, happy to re-establish its convoys into the S China Sea now that the EOT rolls start. Another Japanese land unit is rallied to Sino-Russian border as concerns mount about garrison limits. First EOT Roll chance for the Axis to end the M/J turn, the 1 is not rolled and the Allies gets another impulse in fine weather.

Allied 4th Impulse– US, CW and Russian all take a Combined Actions. The British acft fly in off the coast of Italy and again find the Sardinian Conv rolling a 1, but so do the escorts – so 1’s rolled by both sides and evens A2A with the British Nav cleared through, damaging the Italian Conv. No second round as both sides roll two big. The US Subs sail into the Sea of Japan and are found with another 2 rolled by the Japanese, sinking the sub for no loss, but in the S China Sea, success for the US as a find by his subs sinks 3 Japanese Convs and aborts 6 others. The US regain Guam, destroying the single Japanese Div defending the Island – another airbase for the US as they inch closer to the Japanese centre. In another debacle for the RN, the CA Jamaica carrying the 2.4 AUS Div from Persia is intercepted in rain (rolled a 2) by a Japanese sub patrolling the Arabian Gulf, for safety it moves into the 3 box rather than risk fighting through. In what is proving a trend against the IJN when the RN fight sees another big split as the Jap sub rolls another 2, finding the loaded CA with the CW rolling a 10. A 2-10 split, X and D which the CW promptly fails sinking the CA Jamaica and its cargo of Aussies – the CW player grieving in yet another large split that has cost him another CA.

In The West the US aborts several loaded transports into the Brest Peninsular ports landing their cargos of US Units. The B17 that was rebased to Greece has a bombing run to the Ploesti Oil fields and although cleared through misses its target by 1 rolling a 6. The British Lancaster flying extended range to Breslau is more successfully as the factories production is shut down. In mainland France, the US/CW blitz attack against a second German 5 INF defending in the woods on the Brest peninsular is made again more difficult as an Italian bomber is cleared through despite Allied air superiority taking the hex to a 7-point defence and converting the +10 to a +8 – every hex is being defended valiantly. This time the Allies roll above average with a 14 for a 22 so they get the result they were after, 1 KIA on the Defender, no loss and no inversions, the British 8.4 remains in the open as US Paras occupy the now empty woods. The US successfully rolls the EOT, 2 needed. The US is delighted as the Japanese will not be able to replace the Convoys and their occupied oil fields will have to store their oil locally. The Japanese will have to expend 6 Homeland Oil (he has plenty but now 6 less) if he wants to maintain his production. Italy will also be down on its build as the Sardinian resource will also not be shipped.

Partisan roll sees one turn up in France overrunning an inverted JU88 and another turn up in Finland. Rebase, production and reinforcement. Finland is conquered as the US liberates it and approves its resource to be shipped to Russia.

J/A The Allies get the Jump and win the initiative – ominous signs for the Axis.

Both sides are keen to win the initiative, the Allies want to exploit their landings in France before the German reinforcements arrive, and more importantly there are number of German units that could be put OOS. In the East the Russians have several opportunities to exploit the weakened German line before it gets consolidated. Equally the German is desperate to ‘go first’ so that it can reorganise its front lines in both the West and the East and potentially GS some of the Russian big stacks before they get a chance to strike first. The Allies win the initiative and the Axis demand a reroll, the dice Gods favour the Allies as the CW rolls a definitive 10 against the German’s 7, so the Allies will go first and get the double tap. The weather is a 5, fine everywhere but storm in the N Monsoon. Next session Russia will go Land and assault several German stacks, and the W Allies will combine naval and land movement to clear the Brest Peninsular and break out into western Frances’s hinterland and onward to Paris. In the Pacific, Storm in the N Monsoon will limit the US opportunities but with no air, there is a chance that a small CA squadron can sink/damage or abort some or all of the Japanese Cons (9) in the S China Sea. But the main effort will be France and the landing of US ARM/MECH and rebasing of acft, with blitz attacks against some of the out of position German forces that will be caught out in the open.

· TOTT – Top of the table a 23 or more

· LOC – Line of Communications

· NCC - No Cost Combined – no oil used

· USE - US Entry

Western Europe - the Allies secure the Brest Peninsular

France - The Axis win the initiative - both German flank units will be put OOS and likely destroyed. The French campaign will begin in earnest.

Norway

Greece - the first US B-17 arrives - target Ploesti oil fields

The Russian Front

Army Group North - little movement here as all the action is in the South

Army Group South - lots of action by both sides - but the Russian is now over the Dnipro River in three places and will be hoping it can use its ARM to expand these bridgeheads