AUSGAME 2023
NOV/DEC 1944 – EOT
LONGEST NOV/DEC GERMANY IN DIRE STRAITS BUT JAPAN SAVES THE DAY – OR THE USA COULDN’T FIND THE JAPANESE IN FIVE IMPULSES.
Allies 4 Impulses - Allies kicked off with their 3rd Bonus fine weather Impulse. The Allied 1st session of the second N/D 44 turn saw the CW take a Naval/Land – in part as the turn was likely to end and they needed to move their massed navy and Tpts. The US took a combined as it needed the air moves as it wanted to contest the Japanese Sea and search for the Japanese Convoys, as well as GS Truk in the fine and hopefully launch an assault against the island. As it happened the US rolled 4 straight 8’s in their search rolls and although they managed to flip another Corps in Truk the attack was going to be marginal at +9 Blitz and the risk of losing the Marine ENG and ARM Divs was considered too high. Instead, the US elected to breakout from N Holland with their ARM on a +14 Blitz – again they rolled another 6 losing an 8.6 MECH – no Divs in the attack. The Russians took land actions and assaulted Lodz and captured the two Polish resources, again another 3 and 6 rolled causing losses and inversions on the Russian – it has been an expensive turn for the Russian. In Hungary, the Russians bypassed Budapest as both GS acft were either shot down or aborted, so they elected to target German defending MECH Corps. Exploiting inland they will look at capturing Budapest and forcing the Hungarians to surrender in J/F – the city is now surrounded. The CW advance into Austria capturing Vienna and destroying the Fallschirmjager defenders – Prague is next as there are no defenders, and it is on the wrong side of the mountains that defend the German heartland. The CW decided to assault Kiel on a speculative +5 and rolled 8 for a 13 -/- no losses either side – this is a hard nut as this is where the German placed his three initial fortifications – attacks are quartered – so it will take a ‘lucky’ roll to take this city. The French have started to advance in Northern Italy but content themselves to assisting the other Allies with shipping and air spt.
Axis Impulses – three more – total five impulses in N/D. The German initially took land actions and then a combined followed by a pass to add a +1 to the EOT roll needing a 9 to end. Japan mainly took combined actions, with one no cost land to conserve oil. In the West the Germans managed to contain the US advances, in part as the US keeps rolling badly and inverting itself. In the East the Axis struggled to maintain any semblance of a line as the withdrawing units were few and insufficient to provide a cohesive line. The Russian provided some assistance to the German by again rolling numerous 3’s, 5’s and 6’s but the Eastern front is grim, and the bulk of the German reinforcements will know doubt be sent East. The Italian campaign is now over as the few remaining units head North to the alpine Mtn hexes. One high-light for the German was the sailing of an Amph to collect the Konigsberg MIL trapped in the Baltic States and landing it back in Stettin – every unit counts.
Japan has played a cautious game and has been rewarded with minimal losses. Taking a mix of land and combined they have slowly withdrawn in Manchuria and kept the sea-lanes open in the Sea of Japan despite US and Cw Subs and Acft attacks. The Japanese have also exploited the US player’s inability to find unescorted convs and managed to slip through convs into multiple sea areas to supply their outer defended Islands.
Germany passed on the 5th impulse and rolled EOT, great jumps of joy as the Japanese have managed to get Truk, Hong Kong and Manila all back in supply which means they all reinvert at the EOT – so much good work by the Allied air-forces undone. The initiative marker moves to the +1 Allied, they will win ties and no re-roll for the Axis. Partisans, all quiet, other than a single Partisan turned up in Palestine. Rebase and production. Reinforcement next session, with the pendulum of the game swinging marginally back towards the Axis with Japan getting Truk, Hong Kong and Manila back in supply and reinverted. The Axis have 17 VPs still but there are 4 that are very vulnerable. Needing to reduce the Axis below 9 City VPs in 4 turns means the Allies will need to capture a minimum of two per turn. The pressure will be on the US in the Pacific and the Russians during the winter in Europe.
Interestingly 1944 has not been the year we expected. The consensus was the game would end as Germany collapsed, and Japan’s outer ring of VP Cities would have been reduced. This has not been the case, the short turns, bad weather and Germany winning critical initiative rolls, 5 out of 6, combined with consistent poor rolls by the Russian, CW and the US where rolls of 3 and 6 have not been uncommon. The US especially has rolled poorly in both Europe and the Pacific; rolling multiple 3’s and 6’s in attacks and 8 (+) in searches – one night session the US failed to find in the entire evening rolling multiple 9’s and 10’s all night! 1945 should see the collapse of Germany as the Soviet pressure and Western air is building despite heavy Russian losses. The Pacific is where this game will be won or lost depending on how many Japanese VP can be captured, especially in the narrow window that is the N Monsoon. If the US cannot put and keep the VP Cities OOS they will be difficult to take in fine weather let alone poor. 1945 awaits as we enter the last 4 turns of what has been a long game, and an even longer game for the stoic German player in his third only game.
(Editor - the German player - third only game this century)
The Western and Eastern fronts can now be taken in one picture -
German internal lines of comms easier now?
The US breakout of Holland almost trapping the 7.6 MECH Corps
The Russians are coming - German J/F Reinforcements yet to be placed
Germans surrendering in droves - for them the war is over.
US taking ground and taking POWs albeit at a high cost 6's will do that.
The Far East -
Truk, Manila and Hong Kong all back in supply and reinverted -
US rolls their eyes -
too many 8's on the search rolls.
China - almost liberated as the Chinese Commies head North to Manchuria.
Russians, Chinese and US - all with one aim capture Japanese real estate
Heavy losses in ARM/MECH for Germany. Allied losses mounting but bearable.
The damage seems to have been in terms of what the Germans could get done in the very unlucky series of weather rolls right at the beginning of the game
ReplyDeleteA series of unfortunate events.
ReplyDeleteThe system that manages the garrison ratio between Germany and Soviet is directly linked to the US entry system in that low chit pulls by the German means high chits for the US and Soviet. It all compounds.