Barbarossa Turn 22 Soviet and Turn 23

 In this session we completed Turn 22 and also Turn 23; games plays much quicker in the mud!

Leningrad

On the road to Moscow

Kiev

Odessa

Turn 23

5-6 August

All three sectors suffered a down pour with the north having storms as well.

Army Group North attacking near Tallin.

And AGN attacking on the way to cut off Leningrad.

Army Group Centre mainly mopping up in the mud.

The Romanians slip in an attack.

I think AGN has a challenge

Army Group Centre has a way to go

And AGS is stuck in the mud before Kiev.

The Soviets are slowly falling back to Odessa.

Don't Mention The War - Part 46 via Facebook

 AUSGAME 2023

JAN/FEB 1945

GERMANY IN DIRE STRAITS BUT JAPAN SAVES THE DAY – OR THE USA COULDN’T FIND THE JAPANESE IN FIVE IMPULSES.

Drum roll as the Eastern Front combatants dice off for the initiative, the Allies win with a Russian 8 v a German 6 – no reroll for the Axis as the marker is in the +1 Allies zone. The Allies finally win an initiative – it has been a while. The joy is somewhat short lived as the enthusiastic Russian rolls 10 +1 for a modified 11 – Blizzard, Blizzard and Snow in the Med, but luckily still fine in the N Monsoon.

Allied 1st Impulse,always a long turn when the US takes a Super Combined – its fine in the N Monsoon and the US has Japanese Convs to find, or so he thought. The CW took a Naval/Land with Russia and China taking Land actions and France a Naval. The US Naval sees it sail fleets off Truk and Manila in anticipation of cutting Japanese supply and launching assaults against these Japanese held Islands. Again, the US fails to cut supply, rolling multiple 9’s and 10’s – this is becoming a major issue as the search rolls in the Marshall’s sea zone is a 6 or less to find with US long rng Nav in the 4 box – the dice gods have been helping the Japanese immensely in the last phase of this game. Some success as the US/CW subs do find in the Sea of Japan and with it being storm, there are no acft, so they sink the two Japanese convs. Ground strikes from CVs invert all of Truk. and one in Manila. The CW also successfully GS the defenders of Singapore rolling 1’s and 2’s as Australians land in Malaya. The Chinese Nationalists also continue to assist the Japanese war effort as their attack against two inverted and OOS Japanese units in Canton is ANOTHER abysmal roll of 3! … and another 2/1 loss to the attacker.

The CW land sees British MECH units in the central valley of Austria, even in the Blizzard advance North to be adjacent to Prague, denying the Germans the ability to rail into the City, and capturing the Austrian oil. CW and French attempts to GS the last Germans in Italy fail in the bad weather, so no attacks in Italy this impulse. The French Navy contents itself to shifting units in the Med. British Tpts deliver Acft and Arm to Europe. On the Eastern Front the Russians use overwhelming force to make three attacks, all successful for a change – Russians easily offset the minuses for weather when attacking from 5 hexes. Russians advance in the blizzard, edging ever closer to Berlin. The US rebase to the front line in the hope of better weather. EOT advances by 3.

Axis 1st Impulse, Germany takes a Land and Japan a Combined. Japan sends an Amph escorted by BS into the Sea of Japan and in a surprise to everyone get found with a 8/2 split – again with no air US and CW subs sink the Amph – bonus. Germany’s land is a desperate juggling far too few units to man the Eastern Front and defend the front, reserves are sent from Berlin and in the West Cologne and the Resource hex is vacated to straighten the line, and the withdrawal of units from Italy is complete. Aircraft are rebased to meet the threat if the weather clears. EOT advances by 3.

Allied 2ND Impulse, Weather Roll 5+2 (7) snow, snow, but blizzard in the Med – is that a thing, Blizzard in the Med? Russian Marshalls are delighted and there is a stoic silence from the German camp. The US and the Russian take Land/air actions as the US need to fly acft into Pacific sea zones to deter against potential Japanese naval and air intervention. Both Russia and the US will be able to launch massed GS against the German lines and the Pacific Islands. The CW, France and China all take Land actions. The US Land/Air sees again searches in four sea zones by US acft and AGIN 4 x fails again! Manila, Hong Kong and Truk remain in supply. Truk is again fully inverted but the US declines to attack as the low odds could be costly – time is running out. A 1000 bomber raid targets Berlin heavily escorted the Luftwaffe contest aborts 1 bomber, and with a handy 8 roll the US stops all three factories production. The US GS multiple hexes on the Western Front and launch an attack against a German stack, with a 20 they take the hex with one loss but expand their Southern breakout. Other units advance into the vacated hexes in both Holland and Germany taking Cologne and the German resource hex – Germany has now been reduced to only 5 resources, I oil and 2 oil factories – builds will be marginal from now on, especially with the complimentary strategic bombing. The CW launch an assault against Sofia finally taking the Bulgarian capitol and also assault Trieste taking the port city with ease, forcing the last remnants of the Italian fleet to relocate. France aids the Allied war effort by taking Turin and get the bonus red factory.

The Russian assault against Japanese units in Manchuria is called off as the Japanese Ftrs shoot down the Russian escorting Ftrs, and both bombers attempting a GS for no loss – with few winterised units in Manchuria, and previous losses the Russia declines to attack. Another great Allied impulse for the Japanese who is holding his own against the US, Russia, China and the CW. The only joy for the Allies is the Australians launch and assault against the Japanese defenders in Singapore and roll TOT taking back this valuable port. EOT advances by 3.

Axis 2nd Impulse, Next session - Snow was not the weather the Axis wanted, with the evaporation of the Eastern front defences, the last line before Berlin is now the Oder River another Blizzard turn would have been ideal. Germany will need to take a land and Japan will take a Combined to reinforce the Sea of Japan and sail out 2 x Convs both for supply and production. Both Axis countries will be hoping for the EOT roll of 4which will again save Manila, Hong Kong and Truk as supply will be maintained. The current victory point count is 14 Axis (5 x German and 9 Japan) and 56 Allied. IF the turn does not end, Russian units could be adjacent to Berlin!

· ACFT – Aircraft

· LOC – Line of Communications

· TOTT – Top of the table a 23 or more

The Western and Eastern Front 

- the CW take Prague and shake hands with the Russians

British forces charge north through the Austrian heartland and enter Prague

Victory after victory for the Russian - snow is their friend.

Russian taking full advantage of the Blizzard and the Snow to enter Germany

Japan holding its own - only Singapore changes hands.

Manila and Hong Kong still in supply

No attacks by the Russians - but they do infiltrate vacant hexes.

Heavy German Casualties despite the weather

ARM GBA heavy Armour spearhead the winter assaults.

German POWs

In the Peninsula with Snappy Nappy

Darren organised and ran another all day multiplayer Snappy Nappy campaign game, this time based in the Peninsula.  I was General Sebastini in command of the Army du Centre based in Madrid. Richard Cox was Marshal Victor in command of Army of the Sud, Brad was Ney in command of Army du Nord and Curtis had the Army of Portugal as Marshal Soult.

Marshall Soult was to hold Oporto until joined by Marshal Ney for an advance on Lisbon.  Marshal Ney would protect the southern approaches to Madrid which was to be held by General Sebastini.

My army is camped on the outskirts of the city, enjoying the sunshine.

There are three roads and cavalry are dispatched to scout the environs.

0947 scouts dispatched down road #22

0952 scouts report guerrillas at Castile which they dispatched, identified road #17 to Salamanca

0959 scouts return to Madrid.  

Message sent to Marshal Ney (circa Salamanca) advising route open to Madrid.

1004 scouts dispatched down road #11

1005 message received from Marshal Victor that a Spanish army is located at Cadiz and that he is staying at Talavera.

1018 message from Marshal Victor that Beresford and a Spanish army are converging on Talavera.

1019 scouts report from La Mancha that road #4 leads west to Talavera.

Message sent to Marshal Victor (circa Talavera) advising route open to Madrid.

1020 message received from Marshal Ney that his way to Oporto is blocked and that he will move to Madrid.

1038 Army du Centre starts to move to Talavera.

Snow on the mountains over shadowing the approach to Talavera via La Mancha.

Army du Centre arrives to find that it is not Beresford and some Portuguese, but Wellington and the British.  The Spanish are yet to arrive, but Marshal Victor is already engaged with the enemy.

The British have seized Talavera!

Dragoons versus Light Dragoons.

This fight went on for a while.

After some very hard fighting and the Army du Sud being roughly handled,

Army du Centre starts to make progress.

Wellington is doing his best to influence the battle.

The Spanish are now engaged, but it is too late,

the British army has been wiped out.

Only Wellington remains.

He was heard to say that it was still early days.

The Spanish start to withdraw and the mauled Army du Sud 

has slipped off with the intent of capturing Lisbon.

Meanwhile... The real Beresford along with some units taken from Wellington's command had assailed Marshal Soult who had abandoned Oporto and was heading to Madrid via Salamanca.  A Spanish army blocked his way and his army succumbed on the battlefield.  However Marshal Ney had sent some troops to rescue him and these fell upon the Spanish routing them.

There seemed to be a belief that the Coalition forces had won the day, that is what the British press were saying, but the loss of the bulk of the British army would suggest otherwise.

Barbarossa AGS - Vassal - Madness - Turns 7 to 9

Starting with Turn 7 you need to start rolling for weather.  First I needed to check the rule about consecutive dry turns.  After six dry it is automatically mud. I have decided to interpret this as after rolling on the weather table that number of times.  This is because the campaign scenario has the first six, whoops five, turns as automatically dry.  Further checking indicates this was for AGC... For AGS only the first three turns are automatically dry.

Bugger!

I will start rolling with Turn 7, and assume I rolled dry for turns 4, 5 and 6.

And the weather for 4-5 July is:  Dry.  That means there is only one more possible dry turn before there will be a mud turn.  I must say I am not crazy about this system of weather determination, but so it goes.  My preference would be for a cup containing chits reflecting the actual weather in terms of absolute dry/mud/storm turns and then drawing at random.  Different pattern, but same overall historical affect and limited predictability.

Anyway, on with the war!

The road(s) to Kiev with the Axis choosing to attack via the southern route.

The road to Proskurov with the aim of cutting off Soviets in western Bessarabia

Hungarians attack Stansilav

Bessarabia attacks against the only units the Axis could catch.

The situation at the end of Turn 7 (July 4/5)

The Soviets have pulled back and will be out of Bessarabia next turn.

There is one defensive line well to the west of Kiev.

Another one is forming to cover the southern approach to kiev (or the northern approach to Odessa).

Turn 8

The weather remains dry - this means at the very least it will be storms next turn.

Trying to get around this line of defences before Kiev.

Combats further south.

Combats in north west Bessarabia

Mopping up in southern or central Bessarabia.

The Soviets have retreated in the north as the forced mud turn provides a good opportunity to pull back.

Their aim is to preserve their forces and launch a counterattack after the Axis waste themselves attacking Kiev's defences.

In the south the Soviets continue to retreat, but it is going to be tricky to determine where to halt.

Turn 9

The weather is a compulsory mud.  The Axis will crawl after the Soviets, mopping up where they can.

Clearing roadblock on the way to Kiev.

Taking Proskurov in the centre.

Liquidating pocket and capturing Chernovitsky.

While battling towards the other major city in Bessarabia.

You can play a game of spot the difference between the end of Turn 8 and the end of Turn 9.

At this stage the Soviet armies have remained intact and are just looking for a line to hold.