Summer offensive is under way. Axis evacuating North Africa. US and Japanese fleets all at sea and don't seem able to find anyone.
Second Session M/J 43
Axis 2nd Impulse and GERM takes a land and under the cover of snow retreat out of Latvia to defend the E Prussian border and condense their stretched line. Rumours spread of ‘the Russians are coming’ as E Prussian civilians start to flee West to relatives in Germany. A single 3 Mil from Magdeburg is tasked as the rear guard to cover the withdrawal of Army Group North’s, most northern flank. With no Russian Ftrs upright, a GERM Stuka GS the fwd hex of the Russian line and successfully inverts the dreaded Katusha rocket Div and a Corps. In the South units are shuffled to reinforce the line and adjust the front around the Russians advancing units. Italy takes a Naval and embarks the Von Bock HQ from N Africa, relieved he debarks in S France as the CW fail to find his transport rolling a 10! The Italians, abort their second transport and reinvert it with an Italian HQ. In the E Med the CW search for the Italian surface ships and fail to find rolling an 8. Japan’s Comb sees SCS sail to the Sea of Japan to provide a second supply line to its land forces in China.
Allied 3rd Impulse and the weather roll is 7 +2 (9) fine everywhere – the Allies breathe a sigh of relief having avoided another 1 roll, which would have seen rain in the Artic – half expected it was. The CW take a combined with the other Allies taking land actions now that the sun is shining, and it is fine everywhere. The CW acft operating under comd of the US Pacific fleet search for the Japanese fleet but again fail to find their quarry, the US GS the Japanese land units in Borneo and Malaya but fail – no attacks here without the inversions. The CW drops off two US more units into Norway to bolster the Paras. Searches in the Baltic, North Sea and W Med all fail as roll as the CW roll 9, 8 and 6’s – but in a surprise to almost everyone – in the E Med the CW finally roll a 2 with a 8 split, battle ships v battleships the Royal Navy Med fleet select the two modern Italian BS as their target – but the Italians damage control is superb and they save the X and 2 x D’s! Minor elation for the find is momentary as the next roll is a reverse with another 2 – 8 split against the CW and the Axis air reap revenge as all the Axis NAV air is cleared through, and the lowest of 3 AA dice is a 1! and the CV Indomitable fails it save and is sunk! The Allies without their CV have to abort the E Med. The CW search rolls this session have been 8, 10, 10, 9, 2, 8 ,6, 8 – with even that single 2 roll resulting in a subsequent 8 – 2 split against the CW and the loss of a British CV for a single damaged Italian BS – WAR IS HELL.
The US land forces, supported by British HQs (for supply) advance in N Africa and attack the rear guard of the Algerian Mil guarding the mountain passes to Oran. A successful attack and the pocket of GERM units is tightened. In Egypt the CW land forces finally attack the axis line, selecting an Egyptian Mil, eliminating it as they take a single desert Mtn hex closer to the Suez – they can almost see the canal.
Germany is bombed, Essen’s two factories production is reduced by the Wellington’s of the RAAF, the US Bombers got lost on the way to their target but the Russian long-range bomber, operating from E Poland targeting the Austrian oil successfully shut its production down. On the land and not to be left out of the action, the entire Russian Army descends on the solitary 3 Magdeburg Mil destroying any evidence of its existence with a 20:1 attack. Elsewhere the only other attack is in Manchuria as a Manchurian Mil is exchanged for a Russian Mil and Gar Div, another Manchurian hex is taken. Chinese Nationalist assault the 4pts defending Hanoi (2Mil and 2Ter) for the third successive turn and roll a 7 on a +8 – one loss to the defender – Hanoi holds for another turn. With no EOT roll the impulse marker is advanced by 2, Axis can end on a 1 or a 2.
Axis 3rd Impulse. GERM takes a land and decides to launch a well-executed attack on Chisinau, inverted and surrounded the assault is supported by air assets but in a reminder that Lady Luck is a fickle, the attack roll is a 5 (similar to Russia’s recent attack rolls) 2/1 all inverted, and the city remains in Russian hands. The occupation of Chisinau by the Russian has been a serious thorn in the side of the GERM defence of Rumania as it is on the wrong side of the river and allows the Russian to launch attacks without the need for an Eng, worse Russian reinforcements continually turn up, so unless taken, Russian losses are easily replaced. More reinforcements arrive on the Eastern Front and the recently extracted HQ Von Leeb from N Africa arrives in Keil by train, probably destined for Norway. The Russian line is adjusted and GERM units in Algeria head for the coast and in Egypt, a GERM Inf blocks the CW advance. Japan takes a land to readjust its lines against the Russian and Chinese and rebase several aircraft.
The Italians take a naval and sail into the W Med to pick up the 2nd HQ, Von Bock, the CW searches again and again fails and another GERM HQ is deftly removed from under the noses of the massed Allied air forces in the W Med. The Italians search for the CW Tpt supplying the Allied Expeditionary force In Norway and in a well-trodden path for this turn, they find, rolling a 2 complimented by another high roll from the CW. The split sees the Tpt sunk as the CW fails the 5 roll, a common trend for the CW at the moment and ironically the Allied Norwegian campaign is now OOS. The GERM suggests that all they need is a good EOT roll. The Axis EOT wish is granted as they roll ‘1’ ! The turn ends – much muttering from the Allies as they see a very valuable ‘clear’ weather turn in 1943 disappear having only had two clear weather impulses. Partisans are rolled and turn up in the unoccupied Oslo, Norway (Germ rolled a 1!) and more angst for the Japanese as two more arrive, one occupying the factory city of Shanghai – no production from here this turn.
Summary M/J 43 – a good turn for the Axis. The EOT roll of 1 has seen a host of benefits for the Axis. N Africa/Egypt and Norway are back in supply, and ironically, it is the Allies that are now OOS in Norway - so the Allies will need to leave their fleet out (dropped down a box) to ensure their OOS land units in Norway are not GS, inverted and attacked. The GERM Tpt in the Baltic was not found nor sunk, neither were the Italian Tpts in the W Med. The GERM’s were able to deftly extricated his two ‘pocketed’ HQs from N Africa right under the noses of massed CW/US air forces - just simply sailed straight passed. The Axis air forces in multiple sea areas were not found or suffered any attrition by our Allied air forces. The Russian lost 2 x Eng – reducing their fine and winter attacks - increases the Axis survival rate and capacity to defend along the river lines.
The naval searching was significantly in the Axis favour with multiple 2 – 8/9 splits in their favour with the CW losing 2 X CVs and a Tpt for the loss of a single Italian CA. The CW did not manage a single save! And in contrast the Italian saved his 2 x BS X and also 2 x D's in the only find by the CW - he would have lost both if I the CW had been rolling …and a bonus for the Japanese fleet, it was not found – it survives to fight another turn.
The M/J turn certainly wasn’t all one way, the EOT meant that neither the Japanese nor the GERM could sail EOT convs to bolster their production. GERM failed to get its Swedish and Norwegian Iron Ore and combined with 2 factories being attacked will mean a BP reduction of 8 Bps’ and worse for Japan as the Japanese production has been reduced by the lack of Conv’s and a second Partisan roll, as Shanghai is occupied being reduced to only 5BPs if they don’t spend homeland oil.
GERM lost 39 BPs which is probably the first time in the game that they have lost more than their build - a portent of things to come and consequences of fighting on five fronts. Finland will fall if not reinforced - releasing more Russian units and in the Far East Russia has woken from its slumber and with spare units arriving in Manchuria will inflict more pain on the Japanese.
If Japan and GERM wants to keep their land forces in supply, they will have to leave their Tpts out at sea - dropping them down a box, presenting further opportunities for the Allies if they win the initiative.
J/A potentially the last and only clear weather turn for 43 is next. As always, the initiative roll is important and both sides are likely to ask for a reroll if lost – the game is there for the Allies to loose against a defiant GERM, bad weather and short turns.
The Western Front
The North Sea - Allied Norwegian Exped Army now OOS
The Axis still dominate the W Med but allied forces are masters of N Africa
The Axis DAK in serious trouble - but at least in supply
E Med - still controlled by the Italians and Axis Air
A German Raider patiently waiting
The Russian Front
The Russian Army advances to E Prussia
Army Group South - under pressure - but safe
The Russian's are coming
The Japanese have partisans to deal with - the least of their trouble with the Pacific fleet sitting off the coast of the China Sea
