RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (Full Version)

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warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/19/2017 5:31:28 PM)

Turn 1
11th December 1940

Let's see what happens. O'Connor has ordered 7 attacks. All are no more than one dot time expended and the units have not travelled far - 57 was the lowest but most are in the 60's.

I press the top right button on the Reports/Map/Units box and am asked if I want to resolve all attacks? I click yes and.....er hope....

[image]local://upfiles/28156/365F000195A840CC871CD1B7C9F7E234.jpg[/image]



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/19/2017 5:47:16 PM)

Turn 1
11th December 1940

O'Connor is pleased with the initial results, although one battle was harder work than expected and the 4th/6th Rajputana Rifles suffered thanks to some grim defending initially by the Libyan defenders.

- The 4th CCNN have been pushed back west of Sidi Barani
- The Libyans at Mektilla have taken a battering
- The defenders of the Tummar camp have also been battered and are hopefully ripe for the clean up operation to come.

[image]local://upfiles/28156/D8946032A3EA44D59FBBA0676B2196A1.jpg[/image]



Curtis Lemay -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/19/2017 6:19:28 PM)

One piece of advice on this scenario at this point: You need to know where your Matildas are. At this time you only have one battalion of them. They, historically, were critical to victory in O'Connor's Raid.



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/19/2017 7:04:23 PM)

Turn 1 - Phase II
11th December 1940

Lt-General Richard O'Connor and Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore confer with one another about the initial skirmishes and to ensure they remain on the same page in terms of what the army expect from their colleagues.


No change required to the existing orders
[image]local://upfiles/28156/003E1C5626C741A38905C4CE55849DB1.jpg[/image]



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/19/2017 7:15:36 PM)

Turn I - Phase II
11th December 1940

Along the coast Selby Force and attached Corps units seek to remove the remnants of the 1st Libyan Division. Three attacks are launched that I wasn't given the chance to plan - the attack just happened (presumably because the defenders were so weak).

The 70th Division's 16th Infantry Brigade are ordered to attack west of Sidi Barani to try and trap the 3rd CCNN and 1st Libyan in a pocket.

Further south at Tummar, a battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment attack the northern most Italian units in company with the Rajputana Rifles. To the east a battalion of the King's Own Rifle Regiment attempts to seal the pocket too. This pocket is then to be reduced by additional battalions of the 70th Division, the 4th Indian Division and - in answer to Curtis Lemay - the Matildas of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment. This might be overkill but....

In the southwest the 7th Armoured Division get into the action with an attack against the Italian LX Tank Battalion


A total of six attacks - circled in brown
[image]local://upfiles/28156/CB3223487149415BA7A6E3C9B0C0BA44.jpg[/image]



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/19/2017 7:56:51 PM)

Turn I - Phase II
11th December 1940

The summary table shows that not all battles went to plan. The 7th Armoured Brigade were too timid, and although they won their dual with the Italian tank battalion, they failed to dislodge them from their position.

I also seem to have made a bombardment attack? I don't know how that happened - I must have inadvertently unclicked something - but that is something I need to keep a check on in future.

[image]local://upfiles/28156/8F83EA11F49349A4817F70AE321C2DC7.jpg[/image]



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/19/2017 8:06:51 PM)

Gents

Just to say a big thank-you today for all your help and comments! No way would I have been able to work out what was going on otherwise.



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 5:04:00 AM)

Turn 1 - Phase III
11th December 1940

I have checked some possible attacks - and each and every once shows 3 time 'dots'. So I will proceed on the basis that that is as good as it gets and try and move as many units forward ahead of any battles.

1. 4 battalions of the 70th Infantry are ordered to finish off the southern most remnants of the Pescatori Division at Tummar.

2. The 16th Infantry Brigade and supporting units will try and capture the road leading out of Sidi Barani.

3. Further attacks will take place south and east of Sidi Barani by 70th Division and Selby Force.

4. 70th Infantry also provide the units that will attack the Catanzaro HQ between Buq Buq and Sidi Barani.

5. The 7th Armoured Division will attack the Italian tanks once again

A Marine unit expends its movement in blocking the road west of Buq Buq - and is considerably exposed in so doing.

So, seven attacks in total.

[image]local://upfiles/28156/E4E254592A884921A3C4C77B775658A6.jpg[/image]



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 5:21:12 AM)

Turn 1 - Phase III
11th December 1940

The attacks were largely successful, although there were some enemy remnants that remained on map. I was able to follow up attack with single attacking formations to totally destroy these pesky units. There is no impact on the time in doing so. These actions see the Tummar camps totally destroyed (although some defenders escaped north).

The 1st CCNN Division, west of Sidi Barani, has largely been driven off the road and now have their backs to the coast. Southwest of them, the Catanzaro Division remains largely untouched at this stage.

I have to say that 7th Armoured's progress is very slow. They've not covered themselves in glory.

There is 50% of the turn left.

Before moving to Phase IV, the next thing I will do is have a look at some of the individual units and see what state they are in in more detail.


Sorry, I did not scroll down fully. There is one battle at the bottom left off. This gave losses of 11%/55% in hex 152,91
[image]local://upfiles/28156/DF152BBBEE4D42078A85BD6AAB2F786B.jpg[/image]



Olorin -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 10:25:57 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1
I have to say that 7th Armoured's progress is very slow. They've not covered themselves in glory.


I'm playing against the AI simultaneously with you and my 7th Armoured is also kind of slow. Tougher opposition maybe.



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 4:41:25 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Olorin


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1
I have to say that 7th Armoured's progress is very slow. They've not covered themselves in glory.


I'm playing against the AI simultaneously with you and my 7th Armoured is also kind of slow. Tougher opposition maybe.

warspite1

Maybe. Are they going the same route?



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 4:44:20 PM)

Turn 1 - Phase IV
11th December 1940

I was going to look at the units next but I think it makes more sense to get the turn done and then review thereafter. The intention will be to look closely at a handful of units to see how they fair - and hopefully pick up some pointers.

So what next for this turn? Well I think this may be the last phase as the possible battles I've looked at so far are 5 dots. The plan, as per below, is for the 7th Armoured to try and break through the Cirene Division and stop Italian reinforcement with the rest of 10th Army. Units in the north will try and cut-off the two pockets from their Italian comrades at Sollum and beyond....

[image]local://upfiles/28156/AC62A5EA62C1402EA65F78A57C1FEBC6.jpg[/image]



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 5:14:17 PM)

A question please

In the attacks below there are grey dots before the yellow start. What does this mean?

[image]local://upfiles/28156/66B7A946384C4BF08127B7F476564FC8.jpg[/image]



Olorin -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 5:24:16 PM)

It means that so far you have already spent 5/10 of your turn.
So, current round is 6.



sPzAbt653 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 5:27:49 PM)

5 expended, 50% of your turn is done !



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 5:31:53 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Olorin

It means that so far you have already spent 5/10 of your turn.
So, current round is 6.
warspite1

Ah. I knew that (as per previous posts) but I thought there may have been something different as I didn't recall seeing grey dots before the yellow previously. That's good news anyway as it means I haven't misunderstood what I thought I knew I knew (sorry we're into Runsfeld territory!) [;)].



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 5:34:15 PM)

Turn 1 - Phase IV
11th December 1940

I wish game designers would think of us poor AAR writers [:(]

There should be a button to confirm if one wishes to move to the next turn. Instead I came out of a report and the AI went straight into the Axis turn.

What that means is I don't have the pictures to provide a summary of Phase IV post battle - but I do have a summary of those 8 planned attacks shown above.

[image]local://upfiles/28156/FBE0BAF1F2E64C23BB04D2EF9EC3A99C.jpg[/image]



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 5:42:52 PM)

Turn 1 - Axis Turn
11th December 1940

Wow - what a lot of units the Italians have!

[image]local://upfiles/28156/6C0BBAEA1B934813B7CD24BD8E635C2E.jpg[/image]



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 5:49:43 PM)

Turn 1 - Axis Turn
11th December 1940
Coastal Plain

Two divisions have arrived in the bottom left hand corner and are seeking to cut the 7th Armoured off - or maybe sweep up to the coast a la Guderian.

The immediate thing I notice is that the movement allowances have recovered in a non-uniform way one or two are back to 66 but others are less.

[image]local://upfiles/28156/F614C90BA60C49A9A86D8C978FA9E8A0.jpg[/image]



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 5:56:17 PM)

Turn 1 - Axis Turn
11th December 1940
Southern Front

My attempts at cutting off the Cirene Division comes to nought. The Italians are able to bring up the Marmarcia and 2nd CCNN Divisions in support.

One thing I failed to mention in the absence of a Phase IV report was that an Australian cavalry regiment took the airfield at Fort Maddalena.

[image]local://upfiles/28156/B696801DC1B2426C909A78B5B2987F0E.jpg[/image]



Olorin -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 6:40:56 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1


quote:

ORIGINAL: Olorin

It means that so far you have already spent 5/10 of your turn.
So, current round is 6.
warspite1

Ah. I knew that (as per previous posts) but I thought there may have been something different as I didn't recall seeing grey dots before the yellow previously. That's good news anyway as it means I haven't misunderstood what I thought I knew I knew (sorry we're into Runsfeld territory!) [;)].



This reminded me of Bernard Woolley, the private secretary of Her Majesty's Minister Mr Hacker who secured a place in the history books by gallantly defending the British Sausage against Continental Imperialism. [:)]



Cfant -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 7:08:49 PM)

Can you show your supply situation? Some of your units... we'll, they won't have a really good dinner tonight, I guess :D



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 7:29:47 PM)

Turn 2
14th December 1940

Anybody care to hazard a clue as to what this all means!?!?

I can see that the supply is highest on the coast road - I have a supply unit just off that road - I guess it is wasted there. What do the Blue and Red things mean?

[image]local://upfiles/28156/BD84FACFA91C464EACB2F14875592423.jpg[/image]



Curtis Lemay -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 7:59:34 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Turn 2
14th December 1940

Anybody care to hazard a clue as to what this all means!?!?

I can see that the supply is highest on the coast road - I have a supply unit just off that road - I guess it is wasted there. What do the Blue and Red things mean?

[image]local://upfiles/28156/BD84FACFA91C464EACB2F14875592423.jpg[/image]

Red: Red side supply only.

Blue: Blue side supply only.

No color: Both sides supply.

Numbers pertain to the phasing side only.



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 8:05:12 PM)

Supply

Supply Lines: As a general case, in order to receive resupply, units must be able to trace a Line of Communication back to a friendly Supply Source. If the unit cannot trace this Line, its Supply Level will drop by an amount equal to the number of half days in a Turn. Such units are marked as Unsupplied. They will also be subject to isolation effects in combat.

Supply Source: For the British there are a number of these at the extreme right of the map

Lines of Communication (LoC): An LoC is a path from one location to another. LoC are blocked by enemy units, non-Road Badlands terrain, non-Road Dunes terrain, or terrain that cannot be entered by a normal Land unit. A unit without an LoC is marked as Unsupplied


Plus see post 91 for two additional Supply Sources
[image]local://upfiles/28156/3B58D75F34E94749888FBE423997006B.jpg[/image]



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 8:21:27 PM)

Supply (Cont)

The distribution of supply can be viewed via the Supply Button on the Control Panel. Under this view each supplied location will have a supply marker with a number on it. The colours of the markers tell which side can trace to the location: Red markers mean only the Red Side (Allies) can trace; Blue markers mean only the Blue Side (Axis) can trace; And Gold markers mean both sides can trace.

The number in the marker is the location supply for that hex for the current side. (If blue i.e. less than 5, then these locations are Overextended. The number is the base value all units in that hex will use to calculate the supply they will receive in their next supply replenishment phase.

Overextended Supply State: A supply state between Supplied and Unsupplied. Stops units from continuing to press on indefinitely at red unit-supply conditions. Units in this state will have to slow down enough to keep their unit supply levels above their desertion levels – or wither away. A unit is Overextended if it has an LOC less than 5 in this scenario. Overextended units receive supply normally. However, they suffer desertion losses as if they were Unsupplied. Overextended units only receive replacements if they are not suffering desertions (their unit supply level is above (100 – unit proficiency)).

[image]local://upfiles/28156/3D139804F3CE42C481A81CC91F721D26.jpg[/image]



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 8:42:19 PM)

Supply (Cont)

Unit Supply: Each unit has its own Supply Level, which is a percentage value reflecting the unit’s own internal Supply stockpile (food, bullets, gasoline, etc.). These supplies are actually in the hands of the troops, available for immediate use. A unit’s Supply Level strongly affects its Capabilities. Each unit expends Supplies as it acts to follow orders. When necessary, units draw new Supplies from their Force Supply stockpile, through their Formation supply system. Units may begin a Scenario with a level greater than 150%, but Supply Levels may not be increased above 150% during the course of a Scenario. Any oversupplied unit (with a Supply Level greater than 100%) will lose its excess supplies if it moves. (For this purpose, participation in combat is not considered movement.) Unit readiness is limited to no more than the unit’s Supply Level or the minimum Readiness (33%), whichever is higher.

Supply Level (from the scenario documentation): Commonwealth supply levels increase significantly over the course of the campaign. They start at 40, increase to 52 on turn 51, and finally rise to 78 on turn 173.

Force Supply Stockpile: Each Force has a Supply Stockpile Level. This Level generally remains constant, but can vary in some Scenarios. It represents supplies available for distribution to units through Formation Supply systems.

Formation supply: Each Formation has a Supply Distribution Efficiency, which is a percentage value reflecting the Formation’s ability to distribute supplies from the Force Stockpile to units in the Formation. This value is set for each Formation in a Scenario, and actually means different things for different types of Formations. It takes into account everything from dedicated organic transport capability to the mindset of the troops responsible for getting the goodies to the troops.

[image]local://upfiles/28156/4B9BDECEDD4E42499F0C933F4555B61F.jpg[/image]



warspite1 -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 10:07:34 PM)

Supply Units – Increases the Supply Level in each supplied location that can trace a path no longer than the Supply Radius to the Supply unit. Additionally, Supply units multiply supply distribution to adjacent Cooperative units by 1.5. There is no effect on Unsupplied locations.

Force Supply Radius: The default Force Supply Radius is four hexes, but can vary from zero to 100, depending on Scenario design. This is 25 for this scenario (see later post by Curtis Lemay).

[image]local://upfiles/28156/18004909C28E46C2B4E386F68469A8AD.jpg[/image]



Curtis Lemay -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 10:21:36 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Supply

Supply Lines: As a general case, in order to receive resupply, units must be able to trace a Line of Communication back to a friendly Supply Source. If the unit cannot trace this Line, its Supply Level will drop by an amount equal to the number of half days in a Turn. Such units are marked as Unsupplied. They will also be subject to isolation effects in combat.

Supply Source: For the British there are a number of these at the extreme right of the map

Lines of Communication (LoC): An LoC is a path from one location to another. LoC are blocked by enemy units, non-Road Badlands terrain, non-Road Dunes terrain, or terrain that cannot be entered by a normal Land unit. A unit without an LoC is marked as Unsupplied

[image]local://upfiles/28156/3B58D75F34E94749888FBE423997006B.jpg[/image]

When you're looking for your supply sources it's best to turn the units invisible. You have supply sources in Alexandria and Mersa Matruh. You also have rail lines that run from Mersa Matruh to Alexandria and all over the Delta and down the Nile, etc. Each location on a rail line that traces back, unbroken, to a supply point is a supply source.



Curtis Lemay -> RE: Campaign For North Africa 40D-43 (11/20/2017 10:24:18 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Force Supply Radius: The default Force Supply Radius is four hexes, but can vary from zero to 100, depending on Scenario design. There is nothing in the documentation so presumably it is four for this scenario.


The supply radius is shown in the Expanded Situation Report. It is 25 for this scenario.



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