Smolensk 16 July 1941

Using the scenario from Hexes and Miniatures converted to hexes, Simon and I tried this out at the club's July Games Day.  The luck of the dice determined that Simon would command the Soviets forces which comprised the 57th Tank Division and the 1st and 2nd Smolensk Militia.  I commanded the German 29th Motorised Division which comprise the 15th and 71st Shutzen regiments with some recently received special support troops. 

This is the revised map:

The stars of victory locations along with the urban areas of Smolensk (to a maximum of two).  The Germans need to hold five by the end of 18 turns.

This was the first time my Soviet and Axis forces would be on the table top.  How would they perform?

Grey storm clouds approaching,

as seen from the Soviet side.

Smolensk nestling on the wrong side of the Dnepr

German artillery actively supports the Shutzen.

The Germans attack to clear the way through to Smolensk.

Disaster strikes the German command when it is over run by Soviet armour.

In my defence I was a bit rusty and not playing well.  

That soon changed, although at the time I thought it was all over!

Smolensk would have to wait.

German troops hurriedly return to reestablish Lines of Communication

But it is never simple.

However, the Division recovers its decorum and steps up the attacks.

Third time lucky.

Although more time was wasted chasing the enemy into the marshes.

That Soviet force had taken out one German rocket launcher detachment 

and could have gone on to attack the remaining one.  

Couldn't let that happen!

The Germans are now closing in on Smolensk.

The German attack on the hills fail.  

This failure was no where more apparent than the hill on the right near the lake, 

as the Germans didn't try to assault the position again.

A Soviet counterattack is driven off.

At this stage the Soviets had withdrawn to defend the city,

as their previous positions had been compromised.

The Germans are fighting to get into a good position to start attacking the urban areas.

Smolensk is now under attack.

It's a grind.

The Germans keep up the pressure.

Attacks are now constant.

Luckily the summer days are long.

In addition to the rockets, the other German special weapon is the Flammpanzer II.

These are proving very helpful in the assaults on the urban areas.

The Germans have now entered part of the city

and have almost completed its isolation.

Time is running out.

The Germans are trying to maximise the number of attacks they can make.

The Soviets are trying to maximise their troop levels and defensive options.

It all comes down to this location

and the weight of German attacks finally succeeds in taking it.

(thanks mainly to a good roll on the dice inflicting the maximum 6 casualty steps)

There was still one or two turns to go,

but both sides were close to spent. 

This scenario is a challenge for the Soviets, but had a good historical feel to it.  It was great to use all my new kit along with the terrain I had created for this game.  Another excellent Rommel game using a Hexes and Miniatures scenario.

10.5cm leFH 18 howitzer and 28cm sWG41 Rocket Launchers

I have had the rocket launchers for a good while.  They were a bugger to assemble and broke numerous times.  I think my frustration shows in the finished model.

While not an easy assemble (and still not sure if I have the shield and barrel positioned accurately) they have come up okay and look good.  That's the main think.  They mean business!

The separate figure is there to signal that the gun has fired (tipped in the poor parlance of the otherwise excellent Rommel rules).

These are destined to attack Smolensk tomorrow!

World in Flames via FB - 33

Waiting for the big one... Well, at least a significant sized one.

AUSGAME2021

J/F 1943 EOT AND M/A – ALLIES GET A CLEAR WEATHER JUMP

Axis 3rd impulse, with the atrocious weather as the Axis had rolled a 10+1 (11) - Blizzard everywhere GERM in a surprise move collapses Vichy demanding its build points and consolidating its hold on mainland France and the territories of Tunisia and Algeria – the rest become Free French, including Syria and the remnants of the French fleet join the Allied Navies. GERM takes a combined and orders his U-Boats out to sea to attack the allied convs now that CW escorting CVs are rendered useless in the blizzard. The weather is too rough for the GERM U-Boats to do their work as they do not find, but in the Central Atlantic a wolf pack is surprised by patrolling escorts with a 9-1 split in the Allied favour with both GERM subs being sunk. GERM reorganise his line in Army Gp North to counter the Russian breakthrough and supports the Yugoslav HQ. With acft losses mounting the Finnish Ftrs are rebased from Finland to support Army Gp North. The Italian Subs fail to find in the Arabian Sea and the Italian fleets sails into the E Med to hunt the US CV and its escorts, again no find. Japan does little as he is content for the weather to provide cover to its naval and land forces, it sailed a single cony into the S China See hoping it would not be found, but it was, and another Jap conv is sunk.

GERM rolls EOT with a 5, which was what was needed, no wasted effort there, the initiative moves into the +2 Allies as the Axis started and finished. The Allies miss out on a third impulse but are happy that coming into the fine weather turns they have a handy +2 and win ties, the Axis less so. The last weather roll of 11 has a +3 on the first M/A weather roll, so a good chance of fine somewhere on the map. The Partisan roll of a 5 and 10, now rolling double dice for 43 and still the Chinese fail to rise up against the Japanese with the only Partisan, a 3.4 turning up in India as the CW rolled a 1 there are now 3 Partisans in India! Churchill complains that the Allies are meant to be the good guys, although revisionist historians are certainly challenging that, especially in India. Rebasing, production and reinforcements – Russia places a LND bomber in the Far East, confident that the Russian Front is mostly stable and two new Katyusha Rocket Divs arrive on that front line to welcome the GERMs. US reinforcements seem destined for Europe, with only a CVL and some CVPs sent to the Pacific. GERM production is significantly bolstered by 17 stored Vichy Build points as it builds a lot of ‘toys’ Arm Divs and Arty Divs. GERMs 6 factor Railway arty and the A/T 3LND Hs129b2 Bomber arrives in East Prussia and are almost within range of the front line – ominous for the East Prussian civilians – but these will help immensely in the defence of the Reich.

M/A 1943 – Clear Weather

GERM and Russia contest the initiative and Russia wins and elects to go first risking the initiative shift if the Allies end the turn. The weather roll is an 8 with a +3 for a surprising 11 - fine everywhere and summer arrives early. The US takes a Naval and Air spending 10 O-points, Russia takes a Land and spends 9 O-Points on a Land Offensive led by Gen Rokossovsky from Archangel as the Russian Finnish campaign is kicked off earlier than expected. The CW takes a combined to support the US Naval/air. China pays for a land as she welcomes the early summer to take up the fight against the beleaguered Japanese land forces. US Naval and the Pacific fleet sails into the China Sea hunting the 5 Jap Conv points (Japan has only xx left) and a sole CA, the slow BS under the cover of 2 x 6 Ftr’s sail into the S China Sea so that they can use their Shore bombardment against the remaining Japanese land units in Malaya and Borneo. Other US naval units escort British sea lanes and escort tpts to Europe. The CA Quincy sails recklessly into the E Med to hunt the Italian Conv point supplying the Italians in Egypt but is surprised by a 9-2 split and fails to survive an X, D and D from Italian NAV Z511 (ship killer) air reacting to the overconfident US commander. In the W Med the British fleet sails into the 2 box under the cover of Allied Ftrs taunting the Axis Mediterranean air forces to come and search. The Axis players happily respond to the challenge and fly the ‘kitchen sink’ led by their 9 factor FW. Luckily for the British CVs and the loaded APMH the Axis do not roll a 1 or a 2, but neither does the British – another anti-climactical roll in the W Med – we have had sooooo many. The Naval phase finished this session and the next will kick off with the Strat/GS and then the land phase of the Allied turn.

Germany Collapses Vichy - Hitler thanks the Vichy French President for 17 Build Points

The Levant in Allied hands the E Med still in Axis control.

The Far East - the Pacific fleet challenges the Japanese in the China Sea

The Fast Pacific fleet under done as it has yet to replenish its CVPs

The Russian Front - Finland gets some early attention form the Russians

Konstantin Rokossovsky leads the attack on the Fins

Royal Navy Escorts punish Germ U Boats with a lucky 9-1 split

2 x U-boats lost this turn - the CW is happy after last months losses of convs

Losses EOT J/F 43 - No Cadres as it was mainly shipping (Japanese) and acft

The last photo of the Quincy as she sails off to hunt Italian Convs in the E Med -

never heard of again 9-2 splits will do that against Italian air Z511

From Salerno to Rome - Part Nine

After their big offensive the Allies seem exhausted and could only sit and watch the Germans retire to the Gustav Line.  They have a plan however...

January 1944 and the Germans start to pull back on the east coast. 

At the same time rushing troops to the centre to repair the break in their lines.

The Allies seem too exhausted to follow up, but wait...

A major invasion has just taken place at Anzio.

Who would have thought?

However the Germans were ready with Case Richard. 

Reinforcements pour into the area to seal off the bridgehead

The rest of the Allied forces cautiously advance.

There is now a good distance between the two sides,

except on the west coast where things are up close and personal.

The end of the January impulse.

World in Flames via FB - 32

Lockdown has delayed play, but here is Mike's Facebook post of our 32nd session which was two weeks ago.  And what an exciting session it was!

J/F 1943 – The Battle of the South China Sea

A new year J/F 1943 and with the dice gods still favouring the Axis who won the initiative and rolled a helpful bad weather (7+2) for a 9, blizzard on the arctic again (Russia mumbles) snow in the Temp and Med and fine in the North Monsoon and the South China Sea. With the EOT advancing by 3 it will be another short, probably 2 - 3 impulse turn.

GERM, Italy and Japan all take combines. Japan’s Comb sees it sortie out its CA’s to hunt for the US Conv in the Bismarck Sea, with the hope of cutting US supply to Manila – these are surprised by the escorting BS, resulting in a damaged CA and the other aborted. Japan flys Acft into the S China Sea and China Sea to protect its Convs and provide air cover for a fleet move into the S China Sea 4 box. Failed searches as both the US and Japan fail to find, both rolling 8/10 - their now habitual high rolls. Italy commits the Balbo HQ to the defence of the Suez, transporting him by sea from Sicily direct to Port Said. The GERM gives its ‘Naval move’ to the Vichy Fleet as it sails a fleet into the W Med to block and potentially intercept any British ships that try to interfere in the E Med operations. GERM fly a long range Nav into the Red Sea 4 box to hunt the CW Convs and put the CW Mountbatten Eastern Expeditionary Force (MEEF) OOS – both find with a 1 and 2 rolled incl the British CV air group that luckily aborts the Nav back to its base in the Suez with a handy roll. Axis forces advance East and occupy the Eastern border of Egypt, now bolstered by Balbo and GERM Divs. In Southern Russia, Russian acft intercept GERM Stuka’s attempting to GS the Rumanian/Russian city of Chisinau, shooting it down (19) with its pilot being captured by angry peasants. The Russian also take a loss as the Lagg3 - (16) is shot down by the escorting GERM Ftr – good rolling from both sides.

Allied 1st Impulse US takes a combined and Russia a land as it rearranges its front moving forward its reinforcements. The CW takes a Naval and covers its convs and resets its convoy lanes that were broken by the EOT success from U-Boats last turn, several reinforcements arrive in Jordan. The Red Sea is reinforced with the Far East Fleet including BS and CV covering Tpts to maintain supply. A search by the British sub in the E Med finds the Italian Conv and sinks its prey – the Axis N Africa/Egypt is now OOS. The CW delivers a US built air-cobra to the Russian with ‘how to fly’ instructions taped to the cockpit. The US drops off another LND bomber in Morocco, but the prime interest is the S China Sea. The US flies into the 3 box and sails part of the Pacific fleet into the China Sea from bases in the Philippines. Ominously for Japan the Pacific fleet then sails out of Manila threatening both the South China Sea and the China Sea. Searches in the S China Sea sees the US find and sink 5 Japanese Convs. Second searches fail to find Japanese long range acft nor do they find either.

A Russian long-range Strat bomber successfully bombs Lodz and, in the Baltic, the US FTR escorting a Russian and CW NAV find the Kreigsmarine’s Tirpitz all alone. Luck was on the side of the ‘Queen of the North’ as she saved both an X and a D result – good damage control, that is Krupp steel for you.

Axis 2nd Impulse weather was a 2+2 (4) snow in the Artic, blizzard in the Temp and fine in the N Monsoon. Japan takes a Naval and sails its combined fleets into the S China Sea from Hong Kong to challenge and search for the US Pacific fleet, again no finds despite the massed shipping of two high box fleets supported by Nav air and Ftrs. With snow in the Arctic, GERM take a land to reinforce his Russian arctic front, the 12.5 SS ARM arrives in Romania by train to act as a Reserve against the expected Russian 43 Summer offensive. GERM ensures that where possible, there is a winterised or at least a ‘big’ stack on every front-line hex, so reducing the winterised opportunities that the snow offers for the Russian. Italy take a Comb and delivers a GERM AA and Cav Div to Egypt to support the defence of the Suez, leaving its 2nd Tpt at sea in the E Med under the cover of massed Axis air to maintain supply.

Allied 2nd Impulse, the US takes a naval and combines its fleet to ‘go after’ the Japanese fleet in fine weather, the Japanese roll a 1 and the US a 6 – it’s on, and the Japanese is confident with the split. The Battle of the South China Sea has commenced with the Japanese having three shifts in their favour. Electing to take the US down, the A2A is a -1 JPN and -2 USA. However, the dice gods having helped the Japanese find the American, now taunt Japan. With persistent average dice rolled by the Japanese in the A2A combat (lots of 9’s, 10’s and 11’s) which allow the US to bounce Japanese bombers and clear their own through – the Japanese were somewhat unlucky. It is not all one way though, as the US lose several CVPs including their best 6 CVP ftr, and 4 other CVPs – so not entirely one way traffic. The US 7 FTR land-based air took several bounced results before it was forced to abort to Manila. The subsequent AA rolls were similar with the US rolling a perfect 9, destroying a CVP and aborting 4 points of Jap Nav – result 1 x US CV is aborted to Manilla. The Japanese AA is poor with a 1 and 3, aborting only 4 points of Nav air (no CVP kills) – with 9 US Nav air points attacking the Jap fleet the fleet carrier Akagi and a CA are sunk with another, the CV Shokohu and a CA damaged. The Yamato and Musashi absorb damages and abort back to Hong Kong.

A second round of combat, and Japan finds, but with only a marginal favourable shift (2 - 5), enough to select a surface action but not to shift and select tgt (US CV). So another A2A combat round with fewer acft again sees the Japanese suffering the loss of another fleet CV, the Soryu and damage to the Hiryu two defeats was enough and the Japanese abort the S China Sea, conceding Allied supremacy and the inevitable. Aborting back to Japan, a final ignominy as a US patrolling CA Astoria in storm rolls a 1 to intercept the aborting Japanese fleet, sinking the BS Yamashiro and 3 Conv points. Not a good night for the Japanese Navy, if only the dice had been kinder.

US Naval forces assist the CW in Convoy escort, including the important Red Sea with the Ranger CV and its air group - hopefully deterring interference from the Italian Navy/NAV air. In an act of bravery or recklessness the US sail a single CV and 3 x CA’s into the E Med to hunt for the ‘at sea’ Italian Tpt – the US hoping for an opportunity find and split – fortune not favouring the bold or the Axis – no one finds. The Commonwealth take a land and move the MEEF West attacking the GERM Palestine TER – splitters – and with a successful roll liberate Palestine and Jordon, the battle to retake the Suez has commenced in earnest with the arrival of Alexander and another Mech Corps. The Australians arrive in Singa’s to start the process of clearing the Japanese out of Malaya and Borneo.

China takes a land and launches its attack in the fine weather against the Japanese defenders in Hanoi, but surprisingly only rolls a 5, losing a Corps and Div, the Jap Hanoi MIL and TER hold their capital. Russia takes its mandatory land with the opportunities that snow presents. Several GS are flown against the line but are aborted, so no freebie plusses for the Russian. A single +6.8 attack against the Army Group North line with an above average roll of 15 sees the first GERM land loss as the 8.8 ATK Gun is eliminated and two MECH Corps are shattered, the Norge Mech bach home for RnR. Russia celebrates their first 43 victory by promoting the 4th GB MOT Corps to the 10.5 5th GBA – vodka all-round, and a relief for Stalin. The advancing GBA’s are halted by the lonesome Yugoslav HQ. Russia, would love to end the turn and win the first impulse as he could smash the HQ and possibly break the GERM Northern Line. Russia fails his EOT roll – needed a 3 or less, Stalin was momentary excited!

Axis 3rd impulse next session, with the weather becoming atrocious again (like last turn) with GERM rolling a 10 +1 (11) Blizzard just about everywhere – sound familiar? The Axis will get another 3rd impulse in bad weather with the GERM almost certainly taking a combined as the U-Boats will have another ping at the allied convs now that CV air has been rendered useless in the blizzard. The CW will hope that he THE GERM doesn’t roll 3 x 1’s like the last turn. The GERM would have probably liked to have taken a naval, but he must reorganise his line in Army Gp North with the Russian having successfully rolled high and punched a whole in it. The main advantage for the Allies is that with the likely probability of the Axis EOTR , the initiative will shift to the Allied +2 and with a +3 on the weather the first impulse of M/A will be highly likely clear.

Summary

A good turn for the Allies in the Far East as the first “Big Fleet Battle” – The Battle of the South China Sea saw both Japan and the US finally find each other, a battle that Japan desperately needed to win. Despite the initial 1-6 split Japan’s favour, persistent average dice rolled by the Japanese in the A2A combat (lots of 9’s, 10’s and 11’s) allowed the US to bounce the Japanese bombers and clear enough of their own Nav bombers through – the Japanese were very unlucky. With the loss of 4 fleet CVs – 2 sunk and 2 x damaged and more importantly 6 CVPs and four pilots destroyed, the Japanese hopes of an early victory to delay the US have evaporated in one single decisive battle. They will now be relegated to sniping US convs, SCS and defending the homeland by dominating the China Sea with the remaining fleet and her land-based air. The loss of 8 Jap Convs reduces her build capacity even further. In Europe, the GERM is on notice as the Russian builds up its air-force and has the ability now to inflict losses on the GERM front line, both on the land at sea and in the air. The GERM is stretched as it defends in Russia, Rumania, E Poland, Latvia, Norway, Morocco and Egypt. With Japan’s failure to win the first major naval engagement and the coming of fine weather in Europe the majority of US reinforcements will now be headed for European theatres rather than the Pacific Theatre.

The US Pacific just keeps getting bigger.

The US Pacific Fleet take the South China Sea

China - Chinese build up - a sigh of relief as the attack on Hanoi fails

The Far East looking grim for the Japanese

One of the many US CVPs that just made it back

Japan's hold on the China Sea being Challenged

US Essex Class CVs arrive in the Pacific an dare decisive in the Battle of the S China Sea

All Quiet on the Western Front

Western Med the build up continues

Morocco land based aircraft carrier

Italian NAV air guarding the E Med

The CW liberate Jordan and Palestine and look towards Egypt

The CW 6th Div arrive in Palestine

Saudi Arabia garrisoned v Partisan double rolls in 43

The Russian Front

Army Group North - lucky Yugoslav HQ - the GERM gets a bonus 3rd Impulse

Army Group South - reinforcements for both sides arrive.

The US owns the Pacific

Heavy losses for the Japanese this turn

Lots of activity these sessions with all nations, sides and players active. Our, next session had to be cancelled as we have been placed in a COVID-19 lockdown until the W/E due to a single, one person Covid-19 outbreak in our Northern suburbs!