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

AUSGAME2023

1943 N/D The Axis Get a Small Break – Initiative Win and the Bad Weather Continues.

Axis 3rd Impulse,Weather roll was a 4+1 (5), the snow clears on the Russian Front (Stalin more than a little disappointed) much to the relief of the Germans, storm in the Arctic and rain in the Temp – fine in the Med. Germany takes a land to fill the holes that the Russian winter attacks have created. Japan’s Comb sees Japan slip 3 x Conv though the China Sea and into the S China Sea in order to ship 3 valuable oil into mainland China and ensure supply to the S China Sea Garrisons. The conv’s are not found by US patrolling ships or Acft. On land, German and Italian units in S France extricate themselves successfully, leaving Lyon as an open city as they withdraw to the Italian Border. Axis forces on the Eastern and Western front move forward and secure their front line, and hope for bad weather – but not snow! The last Italian sub sails to cut of the supply in the W Med and successfully rolls a 1! sinking a British Conv, Corsica is now OOS. Axis fails to roll EOT, rolling a 7 (5 needed), Allies get a bonus impulse, albeit in bad weather.

Allies 3rd Impulse, with bad weather and few options the Russian takes a Land, the US, China and France take Comb actions - it is still fine in the N Monsoon and there are opportunities there for the US. The CW takes a Naval and attempts to port strike the Italian CA Garibaldi in Nice, the Italian rolls another 1 and the British CVPs are sent back to their CVs having failed to locate the port let alone the CA. The CW send out convoys, escorts and Tpts. They search again for the Italian Navy off the Coast of Italy and again fail to find, the dice rewarding the Italians for their failure to clear the sea area and seek safety in their major ports. Japan’s attempt to sneak some oil back to mainland are thwarted as the US now find and sink the 3 x Conv’s in the S China Sea. The US and CW attempt Strat bombing of the Ploiesti Oil Fields, the Austrian Oil and the Ruhr, but Ploiesti is ably defended. The oil from Austria is shut down as are two factories in Essen. Little acty by the US in the West, some readjustment of their line and a US Para Corps is railed to Marseilles, hoping for finer weather in the Med. Russia launches a low odds assault against the city of Chisinau hoping stage an EOT surprise, but on a +4 they roll an average 10 and pay the penalty of the dreaded ‘squiggly’ 14 losing three units v 1 Rumanian INF, all inverted. France advances a unit in Corsica across the straits and capture a hex and port in Sardinia. Chinese Nationalist strike again taking another hex from the Chinese – they are on a roll.

The Allies roll EOT, partisans turn up in France and Finland, none in China much to the relief of the Japanese. Rebase, production and reinforcements for J/F 44. The Communists receive a handy 6 factor Ftr thanks to the Soviet lend lease programme and pilot instructors. In breaking news, Germany cancels all oil and resource deliveries to Italy – Mussolini complains, but Germany’s demands are the greater.

JAN/FEB 1944

Allies 1st Impulse- Allies win the initiative on a 9, the Axis decline a re-roll – quite rightly as the Russian AKA Stalin is overly keen to roll his 40% chance of Snow but is betrayed by the weather Gods, rolling a 10! Blizzard in both the Arctic and Temp, no air Ops, +2 on the next weather roll and advances by 3 – the perfect roll for the Axis – another short/bad weather turn. The CW and France go Naval – little else to do (Snow in the Med) Three fleets head out to the Italian Coast escorting loaded Tpts and Amphs under Allied air cover. The threat is clear, to invade Italy, Sardinia and/or Sicily if the weather clears. Convoys are escorted and the brand-new CV HMS Audacious loaded with Britain’s first 6 factor CVP arrives in the W Med – no searches.

Russia’s chance to exploit the weakened German line is lost with blizzard as there are no worthwhile attacks. There is a general re-organisation of the Russian line and Acft are rebased. The US combined sees TF11 sail into the S China Sea under the cover of 3 x 8 factor Ftrs and US/CW subs are sent out to hunt for the Japanese Conv’s – no finds. The US assault the oil facility at Tarakan capturing it intact and gain a bonus oil. In the West, some readjustment of their front line. Chinese Nationalist, building on there success of capturing Hanoi and clearing adjacent coastal hexes, launch another assault on the 4.1 GAR defending the coast hex. Another successful attack as the Chinese exchange a 1 CAV Div for the 4.1and a half invert – as they say another one bites the dust.

Second Session.

Axis 1st Impulse– Germany and Italy take Land actions, taking advantage of Allied inaction due to the abysmal weather. The Western Front is straightened, and mainland Italy reinforced by railing units South. Japan takes a Naval and sails out the Kido Butai fleet into the China Sea under air cover, and escorts into the Sea of Japan and sends out its subs. Japanese Tpts deliver reinforcements to the Chinese mainland to help shore up its Manchurian garrison. The ever-successful Japanese raider sails into the Bay of Bengal but fails for the first time to NOT find the British Conv. A lone CA Tone hunts for the US convoy in the Marshall’s and is promptly found by the US NAVs reacting to the search and sunk. Axis air is rebased.

Allies 2nd Impulse – Weather roll is a 3+2 (5) the snow is back – Germany groans. Churchill takes control of the weather roll and rolls a perfect snow/snow for Stalin – a little dance from Uncle Joe. The USA takes a Naval and a Land spending 11 O-Points and the CW take a Land. US naval units reinforce the S China Sea and invade and assault Japanese possessions in the NEI and Malaya. US Submarines search and find the Japanese Convs in the Sea of Japan but are also found, 3 Convoys are sunk for the loss of 2 x Subs who fail the X and 2 x Ds – the Balao and Bang are sunk with all crew aboard. In the Bay of Bengal, the US CVs search for the Japanese CX, but fail to find it, worse, the CX finds the British Conv and D’s it and then aborts out of the sea area. Attempted Strat bombing of the Ploiesti oil field is successful as 1 oil facility takes a hit, the Austrian oil is safe as the US bomber is aborted. The night-time bombing by the British of Brussels is effective as the factories production is shut down for the month. Allied units aboard the Tpts and Amphs in the Med remain at Sea hoping for the weather to clear.

In Russia, the numerous ground strikes are below average with only one German Corps inverted and 2 x Divs. Three reasonable attacks are declared using the snow bonus that their WP units receive. Unlike the previous N/D snow turn, no German bombers are cleared through. In the South, NE of the bend in the Dniester River a German double Arm stack is attacked, led by Zhukov with a +8.7 blitz and an average roll of 12, for a 20 - 1/B. NW of Kiev an attack from three Pripet Marsh hexes achieves a +14.5 assault but another sub-par roll (

ended with a 22 - 1/2S. The 3rd attack was a speculative +4.8 assault west of Minsk, but an excellent roll produced another 20 - 1/2s. All 3 where half inverts but all were successful in creating holes in the fragile German line.

Axis 2nd Impulse– Germany and Japan take Land actions, and Italy a Naval. Italy unable to challenge the RN off the Coast of Italy sails its SCS one at a time to hunt for Allied shipping in the E Med but fail to find. However, the two CA’s Zara and Trieste that were intercepted off the Coast of Italy were found again – just – and promptly sunk by the 15” guns of 7 BS of the RN. The Italian sub search in the W Med was more successful with a moderate split with 2 x Convs damaged for no Italian loss. Germany takes a land and starts a withdrawal of the Kiev salient, there are just enough units to fill the holes in their line, again just. In the North AGN, withdraws a hex to straighten its line – the first rearward movement for over a year. Germany, with the help of some SS CAV and Bulgarians seal of the CW advance in Bulgaria. Japan’s land sees it adjust its line and rail multiple units to Manchuria and straighten its line, doubling up units where it can. Germany desperate to roll the EOT – 3 needed, fails with a 6 – Allies get a welcomed 3rd impulse.

Allies 3rd Impulse – Churchill again weaves his magic and rolls snow/snow for a grateful Stalin who tears up. Weather roll is a 4+1 (5) – the snow is back – Germany groans. The US and CW both take Comb actions. The Allies invade Sicily, South of the Port of Tampana despite the rain, supported by air and SB. The Italian contests the paradrop and in a bloody air battle that cost both sides acft and pilots manages to slip a bomber through to add 2 points and shift the odds markedly – luck was with the Allies as their roll was a perfect 19 for a -/1 losing neither Paras (they could have lost both) but are fully inverted – Newspapers report that the first allied troops have landed in Sicily, the first Axis country to be invaded, but not the last. In the Pacific, the US assault the oil refinery at Balikpapan, taking it with ease and invade Malaya, landing in an uncontested hex. Aircraft are rebased forward.

A weakened Kiev becomes the focus, of an all-white print non-mechanised assault. This achieves a +9.6 assault. An incredible roll of 20 plus a 1 on the fractional die occurs, stunning all who witness
it. The Ukraine is liberated! A cocky Stalin also declared an attack near Minsk, targeting a triple stack with an inverted v. Bock. Russia had no air available and had expected some German air support for a +5.7 assault. Several other long range bombers were found reducing the odds to +5.1. A poor roll results in a 13 (-/-) leaving Russia relieved and Germany pondering that a bit less air support would have achieved the ~14 (3/1) result that would have killed the newly arrived 2 factor engineer and hurt the Russian northern effort. Churchill counsels against risking such a valuable unit in low odds attacks and Stalin sheepishly concurs. Russia puts the Axis out of its winter misery by rolling a 1 to end the turn, initiative shifts to the +1 Axis. Partisan roll again sees no Chinese Partisans, it must be too cold for them. Partisans in Greece are put down on a roll of 9, as are partisans in Finland. Two French partisans turn up behind Allied lines and one (4.2) in Indochina – obviously the Chinese are not being too kind to the locals. Rebase, production and reinforcement next week.

The Siberian/Manchurian front remains interesting with preparations for war continuing with Russia now railing 2 low value ARM/MECH to counter the Japanese build up. With the reduction in garrison values in M/A, Japan has a unit value of 19.5 and 17 defensive chit value for 36.5. Russia needs 73 to break the garrison and they have 35.5 in units. If the chits max out that gives only 71 and thus unable to declare war. Builds are not within 3 hexes of the border but there is potential to build acft and rebase them forward. At the same time, Japan can continue sending units to the front and can stall for some time, especially if they continue to withdraw from Southern China. Japan has 20 Oil in mainland Japan – enough to wage war – their issue is how much of that do they pour into production, now that the US is cutting off resources and reducing their offshore oil fields (NEI) as they only have two oil facilities in Japan.

In Russia the Ukraine will surrender during the conquest phase as the losses in land and acft units on the Russian front continue to mount. Interestingly, each time that the Russian is just about to collapse the German line the turn has ended and the German has been able to re-establish its line – it is holding but only just. The Luftwaffe has been decimated on the Russian front. Of greater concern for the German, unlike Japan is the targeting of the German oil by the Allies – two Ploiesti oil were lost this turn, and there were several bombing runs on the Austrian Oil.

· ACFT – Aircraft

· LOC – Line of Communications

· NCC - No Cost Combined – no oil used

· TOTT – Top of the table a 23 or more

· AGN/AGS German Army Group North and South