boldairade
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March 26, 1943
Med/Little Olypmus(Little O)
Should more Axis forces be moved into the Greece Theater, Olympus simply could not be launched.
There are two viable alternatives to Olympus: the invasion of S France, or no major op in 1943.
The s France option(Dragoon) is actually a better option then Olympus. It puts more pressure on Germany, and the terrain is FAR better for offensive operations. The supply situation, however, would be very perilous, as we would be in Italy's western sphere. The bigger problem, however, is the Vichy fleet. Considering our losses and the fact that NO Axis warships have been sunk in this entire conflict, along with the fact that most of our ships are upgraded to 1940 or '41 tech at best, the addition of the Vichy Fleet could tip the balance of sea supremacy dangerously close to Axis advantage. We will not launch Dragoon.
The other option-no major op-is the most dangerous. This course of action effectively leaves Russia on her own, giving Germany and her friends a free hand for 6-7 months. Russian might not survive WITH a second front. She certainly won't survive without one.
Which brings us back to Olympus. Obviously, we cannot launch Olympus as planned. However, we could launch a smaller, dirtier op. This op is given the codename Little Olympus, quickly shortened to Little O. We would not have time to drive off the Italian fleet. Thus, the landing in Western Greece is a no go. Additionally, no US Mountain Corps are in the theater yet, but there ARE regular Corps, which had been earmarked as follow up forces. English airborne are at 96% effectiveness. With a supply truck, they can jump. US paras are at 100%, but get a truck none the less.
Oddly, I feel a strong confidence that this hurried op could succeed. Additionally, while it is risky, it is clearly the least risky of the three possibilities.
Little O is a go.
All fleets have had a bit of time in port. They are not at 100%, but mostly in upper 60s or better in readiness. Three smaller fleets sortie to rendezvous off the coast of Athens. Both paras drop into the hills to the west of the city, and US VII Corps makes an amphibious landing NE of the city, while VIII Corps lands to the south. We had hoped to land an HQ on a beach as well to give attack bonus(Patton), but he is not on a port, so this idea has to be scrapped.
US and UK bombers hammer the defenders of Athens(which is indeed a full corps in garrison mode), and we carefully position our best tac bomber to be able to support the initial assault. Since this op is obviously not supported as well as we had planned, we are dependent on the Axis formation retreating. To this end, at ruinous cost, we give every formation the infiltrator specialty, which adds a 5% chance the enemy will retreat, meaning overall we increase the chance of retreat by 20%. This is a bit of a waste on the small airborne formations, but we desperately need to take Athens. The cost is worth it.
The initial attack goes in at 2-1 odds, but I do not think this figures in the naval support(which is immense-3 carriers, 6 BB) or air support. Still, only 3 step losses on both sides, and the Germans do not retreat. The second attack is at 3-1, and we do even worse, 5 step losses for us, 4 for the Germans.
Just like that, Little O fails. The infiltrator perks fail to dislodge the low quality German formation(7th Volksgrenadier), and we are left with 4 stranded formations, all ruinously expensive, without supply or a port.
I won't lie, at this point, I saved my turn and walked away in disgust.
The next day dawns(both in game and in real life) and Allied planners are left with a disastrous situation. However, we still have some assets in play. The two Canadian formations are in port. Tirane is out of reach, but what about the small port of Kalamuta in SW Greece? There are beaches N and SE of the city. And we still have a few warships remaining. Is it worth risking MORE troops? Would this port even save the invasion if it is taken? How likely is it to succeed?
Truthfully, it is a terrible op for several reasons. The potential disaster around Athens, however, demands any effort be made. The Canadians board their assault ships and steam north. North of Kalamuta, the landing is made, but this beach is not adjacent to the port. We thought we could march inland and support the assault, but we don't have enough OPs. Had I known this, I would have never attempted this.
That leaves only Canadian II Assault Corps, with no air support and minimal naval support facing off vs the entrenched Italian 3rd Coastal Corps. WE get 4-1 odds before the naval modifier, and in an amazing result, the Canadians displace the Italians in one attack. The Italians retreat north-too bad, had they headed east or south, we could have entrapped them. However, we will take it! II Assault Corps occupies the port, providing some minimal supply to Allied landing forces(but not all of them).
Overall, this is mildly better. Two Allied formations are still out of supply, our smaller fleet in the west is VERY vulnerable, and taking Athens next turn is certainly not assured. Considering that the Canadian landing achieved what I would consider a minor miracle, one would think we would be in better shape.
Here is how things look at the end of the two phases of Little O.
 Attachment (1)
< Message edited by boldairade -- 1/14/2022 2:01:08 PM >
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