Reinforcements are placed.
No change to resource lending.
Initiative
Axis roll a 1. The Allies roll a 3. With there still being a good chance of bad weather, the Axis decide not to contest the roll which is a tie (the Axis having a +2) but with having gone first the Allies win ties.
First Impulse
The weather roll was a 10 - Fine everywhere. Marker moves along 1.
The Commonwealth will take a paid naval, France a paid land, China a free land and the USA a free combine. Stalin really wants to invade Iran, and figuring that his Axis allies are going to start creating trouble, he declares war on Iran. Remarkably the US don't care (roll of a 10). The USSR take a paid combine.
The Commonwealth sets out its convoys, a painstaking task to try and balance. This time some convoys are held back to replace any future losses. Escorts are sent to cover major sea lanes, and the Home Fleet again sails into the North Sea. A transport takes South African territorials to the Bay of Bengal.
The USA send a sub from the Atlantic fleet to the Pacific fleet.
The Commonwealth make a return visit to Dusseldorf this time loaded with bombs. A roll of a 9 becomes a 10 and 2 factors are lost.
Ground strikes are contemplated, but German AA defences look too strong. However, in order to give their allies some support, a strike is made against German force concentrations at Antwerp. It is escorted, but the Germans prefer to rely on their AA (lowest one of four - and they throw 1,7,5,9). 2 factors get through, but all targets are missed.
Over to French artillery... Much more successful. Rundstedt and the 4 factor artillery are flipped.
The French beef up their front lines as much as possible. The Chinese do something similar.
The Iranian cavalry corps is set up in hex 2839 in the Asia Map Zone thus insuring that the militia can appear later in Tehran.
The Soviets attack at +16 using Zhukov (who would flip anyway when he advances). Airpower is retained for the subsequent attack on Tehran.
The roll is a 13.
Italy declares war on France and the Commonwealth. The US takes notice (just a 7 or less needed, 6 rolled). Germany declares war on Denmark. The US don't care (rolled a 4, 3 or less needed).
Germany takes a paid land and uses O points to reinvert Rundstedt. Italy and Japan do paid navals.
Japan puts out convoys to secure the Iranian oil and ferries troops to China.
Italy pulls its convoys just leaving one in each of the Italian Coast and Eastern Mediterranean.
Subs are sent into the Cape of St Vincent. They find on a 2. Allied roll is a 7. This gives the Italians 9 surprise points. They have 5 factors in three subs against 6 factors in four ships as surface combat which is 1x1d1a vs 1d2a or as a sub combat 1x1d3a vs 2a. 3CP are sunk (2 Commonwealth, 1 French), the Ramillies avoids damage, but aborts, 3 CPs abort, the Terror aborts as does the last CP. The Italian rolls two 10s and avoids aborting. Second round and the subs again roll a 2 and the Commonwealth a 6. The Italian has 8 surprise points. They have 1x on the Gloucester which has 2As on them. The Gloucester is sunk and the Italians abort.
Four cruisers sail into the Western Mediterranean and roll a 1 finding 4 unescorted convoys. They have only 5 surprise points (as the Allies rolled a 1 as well). However 12 factors with four ships against 2 ship equivalents provides 1x and 1a. Three French convoys are sunk and 1 Commonwealth convoy aborts.
Four cruisers sail into the Eastern Mediterranean and roll a 9 failing to find anything. The Commonwealth roll is a 5.
In the Red Sea the single Italian cruiser fails to find (a roll of a 6). The Commonwealth roll is also a 6.
Ground strikes.
China clears the Japanese fighter bomber through and is shot down for its troubles, the pilot bailing out safely. The Chinese AA defences attempts to cover both hexes, but realizes it doesn't have enough. It decides not to fire. The ground strikes succeed against the HQ and the AA unit! DOH! They needed a 1 and 2 respectively.
The Germans undertake four ground strikes, plus a bombardment, plus assistance from the Italians with two surprise ground strikes. French fighters take to the skies and are intercepted by the Luftwaffe.
It goes badly for the French airforce, all enemy bombers are cleared thru and two French fighters are lost for no loss to the Germans. At least the French retain their pilots, but clearly they need retraining.
The Italian ground strikes all miss. Out of 12 attempts the Germans manage just three, but they now have a target in the resource hex west of Metz.
In Denmark Panzerjagers rush to Frederikshavn while mountain troops head to Copenhagen.
Panzer attack at +11.2. The French commit Billotte to the defence, but German commanders hold back.
A die roll of 13.7 produces a TOTT result and a hole in the French lines. The French lose the militia and the div, gaining 1 cadre point. The remaining inf goes to the spiral.
Von Leeb reinverts the two artillery units and it is on to the next impulse.
Second Impulse
What every French person is saying "Quel temps fera-t-il ?"
The roll is a 1! Beastly weather. Snow in the Arctic, Rain in the Mediterranean and Storm everywhere else. The marker will move along 2 and there is a plus 2 to the next weather roll.
China does a free land, but sits tight, USSR does a free combine and also sits tight. France does a free land and carefully tries to plug holes. The USA does another free combine and sends a CV (USS Ranger) to join the Pacific fleet. The Commonwealth feels compelled to do a paid naval.
The Mediterranean Fleet searches for the Italian cruiser in the Red Sea. Both sides roll 8s, no find.
The Germans and the Italians do free combines. The Kormoran sails to the Mouths of the Amazon, but fails to find any targets (roll of a 9, CW rolled a 10). In the Eastern Med the searches are much the same.
The Germans occupy Copenhagen. The Italians occupy both French and British Somaliland which is claimed as the most outstanding victory ever.
The Japaneses do a no cost land and content themselves with removing the zero value partisan.
Impulse Three
What will the weather be? A 2 is rolled which becomes a 4 and I see I made a mistake last impulse and used the May/Jun column, not the Mar/Apr. Whoops. Weather should have been Blizzard in Arctic and North Temperate, Snow in the Med, rain in North Monsson and Storm in the rest. Probably would have effected the Soviets, but having checked an attack on Tehran would have been low odds as getting supply in snow is problematic on the Pacific map (just one hex).
Weather for this impulse is 2 plus 2 which is 4 as noted and Snow in the Arctic, Storm North Temperate and South Monsoon, Rain in the Mediterranean and Fine elsewhere. The marker will move along 3, but no add to the next weather roll.
The French do a free combine, the Commonwealth a free land, China wishes everyone would pass, but does a free land, the USA and USSR do free combines.
The USA transports a fighter to the Pacific (headed for Pearl Harbour) and its strategic bomber force (the mighty Bolo) redeploys to the Atlantic coast.
The French sub searches for Italian convoys, but just misses them in the rain, however it is spotted by an Italian battle ship, the Giulio Cesare. The Italians have two surprise points which they use to damage the French sub. The Italian warship avoids the abort.
The Commonwealth makes a minor adjustment to its lines in northern France, disembarks reinforcements at Gibraltar and Rangoon, and shuffles some militia around in the UK.
Will the Turn end? No - 3 needed, 10 rolled.
Italy takes a no cost combine, Japan a paid land and Germany a free sulk (no cost land).
Italians again search but no luck, both sides roll 9s.
Drawing on a tenuous supply line, the Sardinian territorials capture Gabes. Another stunning victory for Italy!
But the real action is in China where there are some blue skies and already compromised defenders. First the Japanese successfully bomb Kunming. They try a ground strike but with no success. Then Yamamoto leads an attack on Chaing. It is a 9.1 assault.
The die roll is 11.2. The Japanese lose a div, but the Chinese lose both units. At least they get 2 cadre points.
Does the turn end now? No, 6 or less needed, 7 rolled.
Impulse Four
Weather... 10! Fine everywhere.
France and China want the turn to end, USSR wants this turn, the Commonwealth is neutral. A compromise is reached, all will pass except USSR, which takes a paid combine.
Using their massive airforce the USSR unleashes a +11.3 attack on Tehran.
The die roll is 13.8 producing a TOTT result.And with that the Turn ends.
End of Turn Stage
Partisan roll is a 3. Partisans are suppressed in Indo China and never stood a chance in Belgium.
The US do not pick any Entry Options.
Production
China 3+2 BP 1xInf HQ
Commonwealth 17 BP (had to use 5 oil) 1xTerr(Burma), 1xMil (Cape Town), 1xCVP0, 1xFTR2, 1xNAV3, 2xPilot, 3xSCS1(rep), 1xCP
USA 11 BP Build 1xInf, 1xCVP1, 1xPilot, 1xFtr2, 1Trs(fd)
USSR 14 BP 1xMech, 2xInf and 1xMtn
France 6+1 BP 1xMil, 1xGar and 1xInf
Germany 15 BP (strategic bombing had an affect, but the end of turn fine weather meant the Swedish resources got through again) 1xMil, 1xArmHQ, 1xPilot, 1xGar, 2xFtr2
Italy 5 BP 1xLnd3, 1xSub(fd)
Japan 17 BP (thanks to Iranian oil) 1xGar, 1xInf, 2xPilot, 2xCV1(fu), 1xCVP1, 1xFtr2, 1xNav3
Peace
Denmark and Iran surrender.
Start of Turn Five
It is hard to do justice to the scale and detail with these snips, but here goes. Reinforcements have been placed ready for Turn 5.
Germany in a good position if it gets the initiative.
Italy full of confidence.
Japan making good progress
